Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyPosts Tagged As: Marriage
January 3rd, 2010
Time is running out for a vote on Marriage in New Jersey. From On Top magazine
Democratic Senators Loretta Weinberg and Raymond Lesniak have asked Senate President Richard Codey, a Democrat from Essex, to hold a floor vote on the bill Thursday.
Realistically, we probably don’t have the votes to enact marriage equality in New Jersey this year. But if we do get a vote, we will know which Senators believe that our rights, our relationships, our loves and our lives are inferior to their own. And we will know who we should oppose in upcoming elections.
January 2nd, 2010
In an effort to prop up support for marriage equality, the supporters of New Jersey’s marriage bill pulled it from the Senate a few weeks back and sent it to the House for a vote.
On New Years Eve, the House chose to kick it right back to the Senate without a vote (NJ.com):
A bill to legalize gay marriage was dealt a major setback yesterday when the state Assembly speaker tossed it back to the Senate, leaving the measure in limbo as supporters and opponents watch time run out for it to become law.
Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden) said he would call a vote on the measure only if the Senate approved the bill first. That sent the bill’s Senate sponsors scrambling to get a vote scheduled before Gov. Jon Corzine leaves office. His successor, Gov.-elect Chris Christie, has said he will not sign a same-sex marriage bill.
There are only two days in the lame duck session in which the State Senate will to meet and vote. As yet, the bill is not scheduled.
I want a vote.
Even if we lose, as in New York, we need to know who believes in equality and who thinks that gay relationships are inferior.
Because really that is what this entire issue is about. All of the language given by any opponent of marriage equality, no matter how supportive they might otherwise be, illustrates that they oppose equality because they don’t believe that our relationships, our families, our love, is equal to theirs. They believe that we are inferior.
And I want to know exactly who it is that thinks that we are inferior.
January 2nd, 2010
As of the first moments of January 1, 2010, New Hampshire’s laws recognized marriage equality. Our most heart-felt congratulations to same-sex couples in that state for achieving civil equality (for state-based rights) and to all the citizens of that state for achieving a society that values its citizens more equally.
December 29th, 2009
Mexico City on Tuesday formally put on the books a law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, with Mayor Marcelo Ebrard rejecting demands he veto the controversial measure.
The law was published in the official government newspaper, and will go into effect in 45 days. It was passed by a comfortable margin by this sprawling capital’s legislature last week.
December 29th, 2009
The Kingdom of the Netherlands includes six islands in the Caribbean Sea. Three, Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten, are in the Northern Caribbean near the Virgin Islands, and three, Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, are in the South, off the Venezuela coast.
Currently, the Dutch are in the process of restructuring the borders and autonomy of the various entities. And part of that process is determining the extent to which Dutch Law will apply to local administration.
The Netherlands is one of the seven nations in which (along with a few states and localities) same-sex marriage is recognized. And when it comes to same-sex couple recognition, it appears that the Kingdom will insist that there be no discrimination. (the St. Maarten Daily Herald)
Married and registered gay couples will obtain legal protection against discrimination by government agencies in the BES islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba after the islands have obtained their new status as public entities in the Dutch Kingdom.
…
it is the intention of the Dutch government to incorporate a new article in the BES Implementation Law stating that weddings and registered partnerships executed in the Netherlands confer the same legal rights as weddings executed in the public entities.
As Antillean law is replaced with Dutch law, the conducting of marriages on the BES islands will become legal.
It is not immediately clear how this will impact Aruba, Curaçao, or Sint Maarten, but we know that Curaçao has taken steps to attract gay tourists.
A gay bashing event on St. Maarten brought into question the commitment of local authorities to provide safety for gay tourists there. But after an initial response that appeared apathetic, authorities decided that it was in their interest to improve relations.
Attitudes throughout the Caribbean may not be as affirmative as could be wished, but those planning on vacations in the sun may consider those Caribbean islands that are under Dutch influence to be better choices.
December 28th, 2009
From the Des Moines Register
The Iowa Family Policy Center\’s action committee announced this morning a new campaign to oppose equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.
The legislative initiative is being called “Two Days For Marriage” and is in conjunction the Let Us Vote Iowa Campaign, also being called the “LUV” campaign. The goal of the group is to begin a process that would allow Iowans the opportunity to vote and end the marriage rights of same-sex couples.
Those wacky anti-gays. Only they could come up with an acronym that means the opposite of the word it most closely resembles.
December 27th, 2009
Jonathan Rauch has written an article in which he discusses the ways in which the landscape in which the gay marriage depate is conducted has shifted. He sees 2009 as the ‘beginning of the middle’ of the war over marriage equality.
His thoughtful piece sees four changes that occurred during the year:
Read his insightful commentary here.
December 26th, 2009
I am not among those who dismiss Fox News as nothing but partisan propaganda. In today’s news practice of activism masquerading as information, I find that they provide a balance to other news sources and between them all I get a better sense of what is true.
But sometimes the editorial slant of the entire network becomes laughable. Take, for example, this story, entitled “Gay Marriage Opponents Push to Let Voters Decide“.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Opponents of Iowa’s gay marriage law are promising to push hard during the 2010 legislative session for a vote on a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex unions.
In equally exciting (and likely) news, opponents of the sun rising in the East are promising to push hard to reverse the Earth’s rotation. Ugh.
What this breathless press-release pretending to be a news story fails to mention is that there is just about zero likelihood that their pressing – hard or otherwise – will result in a constitutional amendment any time soon.
Democrats hold a majority in both houses by sizable margins: 56-44 in the House and 32-18 in the Senate. While there are no doubt some in the Democratic delegation that would never affirmatively vote for equality – and might even vote in opposition if given the chance – no such votes will arise. Both House Speaker Pat Murphy and Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal have stated that they will not be entertaining such a debate.
Republicans will rally and protest and campaign on this issue. But unless they have other vastly more compelling arguments, this is unlikely to shift power in the legislature. A poll in September found that the state is about evenly divided on the idea of a constitutional amendment, but that 63% say that other issues are more important to them. A huge 92% say that same-sex marriage hasn’t impacted their life at all.
Even supposing that the 2010 election could be argued to be a referendum of the people calling for discrimination, a constitutional amendment requires that two back to back legislatures vote affirmatively before presenting the issue to the voters (oh, wise Iowa). The soonest that voters could face a proposition to change their constitution would be November 2014.
I don’t think it is unreasonable to believe that after five years of marriage equality, Iowans would be immune to warnings of impending doom – which is really all the anti-gay side has to offer.
December 21st, 2009
Same-sex marriage will soon be legal in all three national capitals on the continent. Close on the heels of the vote in Washington, DC, legislators in Mexico City have voted to enact marriage equality. (AP)
Mexico City lawmakers on Monday made the city the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage, a change that will give homosexual couples more rights, including allowing them to adopt children.
The bill passed the capital’s local assembly 39-20 to the cheers of supporters who yelled: “Yes, we could! Yes, we could!”
Leftist Mayor Marcelo Ebrard of the Democratic Revolution Party is widely expected to sign the measure into law.
Although Mexico City already recognized Civil Unions, this legislation will have a material affect on the live of same-sex couples.
The change would allow same-sex couples to adopt children, apply for bank loans together, inherit wealth and be included in the insurance policies of their spouse, rights they were denied under civil unions allowed in the city.
Congratulations!!
December 21st, 2009
Jeremy Hooper, friend of Box Turtle Bulletin and blogger at GoodAsYou.org, was married to Andrew Shulman in Connecticut in June. His wedding has been included in Martha Stewart Weddings, their first same-sex wedding.
Congratulations!!
December 18th, 2009
It may seem odd to point to a statement by Republican legislators stating that they will vote against marriage equality as evidence that we have won the argument in New Jersey. But it is what they added which convinces me of the inevitability of equality. (NJ.com)
In an effort to solidify opposition to gay marriage legislation currently pending in the state legislature, five Senate Republicans today said they will be supporting the civil union law and work instead to make sure it is enforced.
Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Union) along with Sens. Chris “Kip” Bateman (R-Somerset), Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth), Sean Kean (R-Monmouth) and Andrew Ciesla (R-Ocean) asked for Democratic senators to join them, saying it’s “unlikely that a bill redefining marriage can pass the Senate.”
“Moving testimony in Senate hearings suggests that New Jersey\’s civil union law is not always understood or followed,” Kean said in an email statement. “We need to educate the public about the law, and enhance it if necessary so that no civil union partner is turned away from the hospital bed of a loved one.”
I am not so cynical as to say that these legislators are motivated purely by political machination. In reality, some of them have decent records on gay issues and they probably all of them genuinely wish for gay couples to be able to achieve full civil equality.
But they are politicians. And, as such, they know a convincing argument and the shift of popular opinion when they see it. And they know that it is becoming increasingly evident that the current status of recognition for same-sex couples in New Jersey is inadequate in the eyes of the electorate.
These politicians do not want to enact marriage equality at this time. Perhaps they fear primary challenges or the rage of national anti-gay conservative activists (such as happened to Dede Scozzafava). Or perhaps they personally cannot bring themselves to view the relationships of gay people as truly being comparable to the relationships of straight people. But clearly they know that the only way to deny marriage equality is to offer a compromise position.
And this has been the strategy now for several years. Offer a substitute, a lesser status, an alternative. But looking at the alternatives offered over the years tells us that we’ve won the argument.
When Hawaii offered a handful of reciprocal benefits in 1997, it was generally seen by the public as adequate. California’s 1999 Domestic Partnerships were revolutionary. Vermont’s 1999 Civil Unions resulted in nationwide outrage.
Since that time, Civil Unions have become the fall-back position. “No, not marriage”, say reluctant legislators, “but I can support civil unions”.
Now New Jersey Republicans have upped the ante. Their fall-back position is Super Duper Civil Unions. But surely they can see, as I can, that eventually there is nothing left to fall back on.
Marriage equality is coming.
December 18th, 2009
From the Washington Continent:
Dec. 18, 2009, 3:30 p.m. – D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, joined by members of the District of Columbia City Council and residents, signed into law historic legislation granting all residents the legal rights and privileges of marriage.
“Marriage inequality is a civil rights, political, social, moral, and religious issue in this country and many nations,” said Fenty. “And as I sign this act into law, the District from this day forward will set the tone for other jurisdictions to follow in creating an open and inclusive city.”
Congress will now have 30 days from the time that the bill is provided to the Speaker of the House and the Senate President to pass legislation blocking the bill. That is not expected to happen.
December 17th, 2009
In November we informed you that the current government in Portugal was planning on crafting legislation to enact marriage equality. They now have done so. (AP)
Portugal’s Socialist government has drawn up a proposal that would make Portugal the sixth European country to allow gay marriage.
The law is almost certain to pass, as the center-left Socialist government has the support of all left-of-center parties, who together have a majority in Parliament. Right-of-center parties oppose the measure.
The proposal changes Portuguese law to remove references to marriage being between two people of different sexes, Cabinet Minister Pedro Silva Pereira told a news conference Thursday, adding the government will send its proposal to lawmakers for a debate, probably in January.
The bill is almost certain to pass. If signed by the President, same-sex marriages might occur as early as April.
The bill may also be vetoed by the conservative President. I’ve not determined if supporters have the 2/3rds necessary to override a veto.
December 16th, 2009
From the Senate Homeland Security Committee press release:
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Wednesday approved a measure that would provide domestic partner benefits to federal employees by a bipartisan 8-1 vote. Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Ranking Member Susan Collins, R-Me., are original cosponsors of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009 bill.
The measure would provide the same employment benefits to federal employees in same-sex domestic partnerships that are now provided to married federal employees and their spouses – such as healthcare, retirement and disability plans, family leave, worker\’s compensation, and group life insurance. The same obligations would also apply – such as conflict of interest provisions, anti-nepotism rules, and disclosure requirements.
The bill may not fare well in the full Senate, but this is nevertheless a good sign.
December 15th, 2009
As expected, Jason Chaffetz will be the pointman assigned to overturn marriage equality in Washington, DC. (SL Tribune)
A Utah Republican renewed his pledge Tuesday to prevent the nation’s capital from allowing gay couples to marry after the Washington, D.C., Council signed off on such a measure.
That Chaffetz is visible in this effort suggests to me that the Republican Party isn’t going to put up much of a fight. Jason isn’t exactly known for either his intellect or his abilities. He was also the lead in trying to block out-of-state marriages from being recognized in the capital. I wish him equal success.
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