Another DOMA Defeat

Another DOMA ruling has come down, and again, it finds the discriminatory law unconstitutional. This time, a federal judge in New York ruled in favor of a Edie Windsor who was forced to pay$360,000 inheritance tax on money left her by her legally married wife, Thea Spyer. According to the Advocate:

“Thea and I shared our lives together for 44 years, and I miss her each and every day,” said Windsor in a statement. “It’s thrilling to have a court finally recognize how unfair it is for the government to have treated us as though we were strangers.”

This is the fourth separate case in which DOMA has been found unconstitutional.

Read the entire article here.

Watch: Marriage News Watch June 4, 2012

Great news as DOMA is once again found unconstitutional. Progress on marriage equality in Illinois, Maryland and Washington State.

httpv://youtu.be/qqDy_YDCZ28

The Real Reason They Oppose Marriage Equality

To me this cartoon is perfect! I truly believe this is what drives many people who say they are against marriage equality. But what about the religion? Marriage licenses are a civil contract. No church has ever been forced to marry anyone against their will. Church’s refuse to marry people all the time. And as the cartoon says, marriages in the bible were about property and domination.

It would be so refreshing if Tony Perkins went on CNN and instead of the usual BS he spouts about traditional marriage and the sanctity of the family, he said, “Thinking about two men having sex is disgusting!” But I have a sneaking suspicion Mr. Perkins finds it rather exciting… You know the bigger the homophobe, the bigger the homo!

Video: Marriage News Watch for 5/28/12

Matt Baum of AFER’s updates on Marriage Equality

httpv://youtu.be/ILRCRZoob74

Marriage Equality Referenda are Oppression

As more GOP lawmakers and anti-gay church leaders call for a vote on marriage equality in a variety of states, it’s good to remember that the founding fathers did not support such actions.

DOMA Declared Unconstitutional… Again

I’m pretty confident DOMA is going to be repealed by the courts, and another decision is pointing that way. It’s getting hard to wait!

From thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

federal judge in Oakland, California, late Thursday struck down as unconstitutional a provision of DOMA, the federal Defense of Marriage Act. This is the second federal judge to rule the same segment of DOMA unconstitutional and at least the fifth federal case to find the 1996 law unconstitutional. President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have also declared the law — which bans same-sex couples from receiving legal federal recognition of their unions, about 1100 benefits afforded automatically to heterosexual couples, and defines marriage as one man, one woman — unconstitutional, and are refusing to defend it in court.

Read the entire article here.

Video: Colin Powell Supports Marriage Equality

httpv://youtu.be/r11j-yO7wp4

Former Secretary of State under George W. Bush, Colin Powell agrees with President Obama that gays and lesbians deserve equal rights:

I have no problem with it, and it was the Congress that imposed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, though it was certainly my position and my recommendation to get us out of an even worse outcome that could have occurred, as you’ll recall. But as I’ve thought about gay marriage, I know a lot of friends who are individually gay but are in partnerships with loved ones, and they are as stable a family as my family is, and they raise children. And so I don’t see any reason not to say that they should be able to get married.

This endorsement is a very big deal. Not only is Powell an extremely powerful man, he has served under GOP presidents as Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he is African American and very popular among both parties.

The tides are changing faster than I thought they would. President Obama’s coming out in favor of LGBT equality has sped up the “evolution” on so many public figures…. I can only imagine it is having a similar effect on the general population.

Watch – “Fun” Band Member Jack Antonoff for Marriage Equality

Video: Watch the latest video from HRC’s Americans for Marriage Equality campaign.

httpv://youtu.be/GXBiTvrsrd4

Argentina to Offer Marriage to LGBT Tourists

Argentina just passed a law offering marriage to tourists, both straight and gay. Isn’t it surprising that a predominantly Catholic country continues to be so much more progressive than the US? I think history will look back and for the first time see the United States trailing behind the world in civil rights issues.

Before the Evangelicals hijacked the GOP, The US was on the forefront of everything. But religious fanatics are dragging us back decades in terms of science and social issues. I wonder if we’ll wake up as a nation and move ahead as a democracy rather than slip backward toward a theocracy.

NAACP Gets Behind Obama on Marriage Equlity

Every since President Obama announced his personal feeling that same sex couples deserve the right to marry, there has been a furry of support as well as dissent. Initially, several ministers warned the President that he would lose support of the African American vote next November. Their arguments are the same – marriage has always been between one man and one woman – its an abomination, God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Stever….. Yawn.

Last week, some noted black celebrities have supported Obama’s announcement. I posted about Jay Z’s endorsement then, but since then there have been more. Boxer Floyd Mayweather tweeted:

“I stand behind President Obama & support gay marriage. I’m an American citizen & I believe people should live their life the way they want.”

Will Smith said in an interview:

“”if anybody can find someone to love them and to help them through this difficult thing that we call life, I support that in any shape or form.”

But marriage advocates received a huge endorsement Saturday. The NAACP, the oldest African American civil rights group in the country, passed a resolution supporting Marriage Equality. The president and CEO, Benjamin Todd Jealous, said:

“Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law. The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution and equal protection of all people.”

I’m sure the African American community as a whole will be slow to support marriage equality, but this seems like a good start!