The Attorney General argued before the court yesterday, giving his reason to void the license as due process had not been followed. Apparantly in Texas you must notify the Attorney General when something is declared unconstitutional, and 45 days are required before implementation.

More to come.....

Navajo nation
 

There is a really well written article on LGBTQnation.com, regarding the Navajos and the Dine Marriage act of 2005.

Should marriage equality become the law of the land, it will still be banned on Navajo reservations (as well as Cheroke and some others), as they are sovergin nations and do not follow our Constitution.

Gay people are much more accepted in the Indian nations, but due to employment, mental health, poverty...even electricity, the focus is not put on marriage equality by most of the peope. Like i said before, it was a great article worth a read.

Nebraska and Prop 8
 

The ban on same-sx marriage was struck down in Nebraska today, but will not take effect for another week. Meanwhile, the asshat brigade will appeal the decision to the 8th District Court of Appeals.

Yay Nebraska!

Prop 8

The California Supreme Court upheld a lower courts ruling that the supporters of Prop h8 must reveal their identities.

This issue will probably be further appealed, as none of the haters wish to be known as haters.

Slovania
 

Lawmakers in Slovania passed marriage equality and same-sex parent adoptions!

Whoop, whoop!

SCOTUS
 

The SCOTUS announced the remainder of it's hearing dates today; marriage equality will have a 2-1/2 hour hearing on April the 28th.

The date will be here before we know it, and then finally we will have clarity on this issue.

Thanks...that's big news MsTinkerbelly

Yeah for my friends and family. :bunchflowers:

Czech...:)

The 8th District Court of Appeals put a stay on the lower courts decision, and marriage in Nebraska will be on hold until the decision by SCOTUS.

Chile
 

Yesterday, Chile passed a Civil marriage bill giving the rights of married couples to same-sex and domestic partner unions.

The unions can begin in 6 months when the waiting period is over; Chile keeps civil marriages and weddings separate, as do many foreign countries.

Way to go Chile!

Just a reminder that the SCOTUS will hear the marriage equality cases on April 28th!

So exciting!

Foolish question: do we have a breakdown of how the SCOTUS is likely to vote on marriage equality? I know four of the justices (Scalia, Thomas, Alito, and Roberts) are considered conservative, and I'm pretty damn sure that at the bare minimum Scalia and Thomas will be very against it; and that four of the justices (Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan) are considered liberal and that all four of them are likely to support marriage equality; and that Kennedy is generally regarded as the swing vote on issues frequently divided along conservative/liberal lines. Am I correct to assume that we presumably have five votes between the liberal wing and Kennedy?

My FEELING is that they will continue along the same lines with this decision, as with their other recent decisions allowing equality to move forward.

BUT...Despite all of the recent positive rulings from the SCOTUS, we have to remember that they will be deciding this question for the ENTIRE country, and they ruled against us not that many years ago.


Sorry, that and $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee, but not much else.

Was the composition of the court different when they ruled against us? Because I know Sotomayor and Kagan were added only within the past few years.

I suppose what's really important is how Kennedy swings on gay rights issues, because that swing vote plus the liberal bloc would get the majority.

...Yep, after poking around on Google, looks like Kennedy will give us the 5-4 majority. Apparently his mentor was gay and he's actually taken it upon himself to write majority opinions supporting pro-gay rulings.

So barring some completely unforeseen upset like a member of the liberal bloc being secretly replaced with a goateed evil twin, marriage equality should be the law of the land once the Supreme Court hears the case.

Excellent point!

The make-up of the SCOTUS was different, and it was a different time when that decision was made.

Unfortunately, the Religious right will step up their efforts to derail equality (as currently seen in Indiana and etc...) and i fear the SCOTUS willl have to once again step in to guarantee our civil rights. Of course, we see what good that has done POC in this country. If they want to discriminate, they will find a way!

Guam
 

The Attorney General of Guam, ordered same-sex marriages available immediately, making it the first US territory to do so.

WTG Guam!

Hillary Clinton
 

Today it was reported by Hillary Clinton's camp, that she is in favor of nationwide same-sex marriage.

You can read the article on LGBTQnation.com

Kentucky
 

A Circut Court Judge in Kentucky once again struck down their same-sex marriage ban, but put the decision on hold until the SCOTUS sends down a ruling on the cases (Kentucky is already one of the four states they will hear on April 28th), in order to keep the confusion of one district having the right to marry, while the entire rest of the state would still be banned.

Bad news/good news
 

The bad news:

El Salvador moved closer to banning same-sex marriage and adoptions today.

The Good news:

Mexico's Supreme court has ruled that the county's same-sex marriage Ban is unconstitutional in the Sinaloa state. Wtg Mexico!

Edited to add: Mexico has interesting requirements for marriage equality to become the law of the land...there must be 5 cases filed and won in each of the states. A total of 140 rulings in favor of marriage equlity will be needed from the Supreme Court! There are several states that currently allow same-sex marriage, including Mexico City.

SCOTUS
 

Tomorrow is the BIG day!

I am mega excited, :jester: and i wish i could be there!

SCOTUS
 

It wasn't good news today folks, Justice Kennedy seemed to be siding with his more conservative Justices when he stated that "marriage between one man and one woman has been going on a millenia", and said that maybe the 10 years we have been fighting for marriage equality isn't long enough to decide if it will harm marriage.

The response by lawyers for our side, said "wait and see" has never been a way to end discrimination.

You can read the full story i am quoting at LBGTQnation.com

Smh...
:praying:

OK, time for some better news.

The matter of the Supreme Court's hearings on same-sex marriage happened to come up on the news this morning. Justice Kennedy was now approaching this from the liberal side again--he mentioned, on the subject of whether same-sex parents are bad for children, that we have quite a bit of data on same-sex parents raising children, and that the evidence is that they are not harmful to children.

Oddly, even conservative Chief Justice John Roberts was asking some interesting questions--to paraphrase, if a woman loves a man and he loves her, she can marry him; if a man loves a man and he loves him, he can't marry him. How is this not a straightforward case of sex discrimination? (Yes, this was conservative justice John Roberts.)

I think at least some of this (both Kennedy's probing the issue from both conservative and liberal standpoints and John Roberts' asking questions about whether this falls under sex discrimination) is the justices doing their job and trying to practice at least some semblance of impartiality, and ask any questions with answers that might matter in making a ruling or writing a majority or minority opinion.

Texas
 

Democrats in the Texas House of Representives managed to stall a Bill last night, which would have prohibited State and County officials from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, should the SCOTUS rule in favor of marriage equality.

The Republicans (which have majority in the House), had until mid-night last night to have the Bill passed, but the Democrats slowed things down by dragging their feet on 200 other Bills which needed to be voted on first.

Many businesses, including Dell Computers, let it be known that diversity remained a strong part of their culture, and this Law would not be welcome in Texas; making it all that more important for Democrats that the Bill fail.

Alabama recently passed a similar law, and there is another state (i think South Carolina) that has one moving through the process, causing lawsuits and delays should the SCOTUS pass marriage equality.

You can read the entire story on LBGTQnation.com

Ireland
 

Today Ireland becomes the first country to vote on marriage equality, and from all reports it appears that same-sex marriage will pass.

I don't like the idea of a popular vote deciding something like that, but I will send up prayers that people are kind and do the right thing.

Results will be announced tomorrow.

Ireland
 

Congratulations to the people of Ireland!

The issue wasn't yes or no after the polls opened, but how high the margin of yes would be!

Some areas were registering as much as 70% yes...:hangloose:

The Preservation of Sovereignty and Marriage Act.
 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...n_7351284.html


update on texas law

I am certain the legal wrangling will go on LONG after the decision by the SCOTUS in several states.

Very sad.

The Senate tried to attach the bill to an unrelated piece of legislation, but it failed once again to even be debated before the deadline ran out.

North Carolina
 

North Carolina legislators passed a bill allowing all clergy ( including employees of the state) to refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses, or perform same-sex ceremonies.

The bill is headed to Governor McCrory, who says he may veto as public employees should not be included in the bill.

He vetoed the bill, but it will return to the grand assembly for a possible veto override.

The Assembly has enough votes to override should they choose to go down on the wrong side of history.

Ok, here we go. Here it starts. Pick, Pick, Pick. While they are waving the flag and holding the constitution in the other hand, the Republicans have done nothing for the last seven years but pick, pick, pick, away at rights that civilians on the streets and soldiers on the battlefield have fought for since the founding of our country. They have chipped away at voting rights, family planning rights, health care rights, and women's rights, Throughout the entire history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement, they have used every means at hand to hold us back including, the Bible, the Koran and the Torah. They have claimed to know clearly what is going on in our minds (we chose to be lgbt or q.) and most astonishingly what is going on in the mind of God. They have used their own arbitrary opinion of what God thinks to encourage intolerance and support religious beliefs that have led to violence and even murder of our people.

So now they are starting it up again, Pick, pick, pick. If you can't win in the courts, and you can't win in the legislature, and you can't win in the polls or in the opinions of the general public, then be sure to drag God back into it. Use religion to give people the right to discriminate. Allow individuals to make decisions that affect our lives if you can't get the law against us directly. Allow pharmacists to refuse birth control if they personally don't believe in it. Allow employers to refuse to cover employees' family planning services under the company plan if they don't believe in it. Allow PUBLIC employees to refuse services to lgbtq people if they personally oppose it.

Just as it is hard to keep a determined individual from breaking in to your house, or to keep a single determined terrorist from blowing up a building, it is difficult to stop a determined individual from refusing service to us even without the support of law. Laws are supposed to protect us from lawless individual, not support the lawless individual.

This sucks big time!!!

Austrailia
 

After the win for marriage equality in Ireland, the leaders of the Austrailian Opposition Party are pushing a bill through to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage.

The bill is still at the beginning stages, but it is certainly worth watching!:goodluck:

The Senate voted to override the veto, so the House is next to hear the issue and vote.

A step backwards for North Carolina

Alabama
 

The House Panel declined to move a Bill through that would have ended State issued Marriage Licenses yesterday.

I'm sure that someone else will try getting the Bill through in some other way, but for now Alabama is moving in the right direction.

I had it backward, but none the less....both the House and the Senate voted to override the veto, so public employees may now refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in North Carolina.

Oneida nation
 

The Oneida nation of Wisconsin, will begin to officially recognize same-sex marriage on June the 10th.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Wisconsin for a year, but as a soverign nation, the Oneida peoples were not required to do the same.

Guam
 

A Federal Judge struck down Guam's same-sex marriage ban today, making it the first US territory to do so.

Same-sex marriage will begin Monday morning!

Yay Guam!

North carolina
 

Boy am i confused!

It seems the House adjourned for the weekend WITHOUT voting, and will take the issue up on Monday.:blink:

Every day that we can delay someone's ability to discriminate against someone else is a good day!
Smooches
Keri

Guam
 

On Friday, a Federal Court Judge gave the Island an extra day to prepare documents and such, so marriage licenses can be applied for beginning tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8:am.

The couple bringing the lawsuit to Guam, plan to be there as soon as the doors open. :rrose:

Guam
 

Same-sex marriages began without a hitch (pun intended) today, making Guam the first US territory to have marriage equality as the law of the land.

Whoop, whoop! :hangloose:

Arkansas
 

A Federal court ruled today that Arkansas must recognize the 500 marriages performed last year when the same-sex marriage ban was overturned.

Whoop whoop:hangloose: