tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42719235325855081582024-02-19T07:49:43.700-08:00Gay Married CalifornianThe fight for marriage equality, from the perspective of a gay, married CalifornianIThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.comBlogger1705125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-11141701159989849632015-08-04T09:33:00.000-07:002016-06-07T14:00:32.265-07:00The End, for nowLike a number of other gay bloggers, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision, I
think this is a natural time to bring this particular blog to a close. <br />
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I started this blog in the wake of Prop 8, first as a way to tell the <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/stories">stories</a> of those of us who had married, and then to chronicle our battles. <br />
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First the <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/California">California</a> Supreme Court.<br />
Then the <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/Olson">case from AFER</a>, Perry.<br />
Judge Walker and the federal district court, the 9th circuit, and <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/SCOTUS">SCOTUS</a>.<br />
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And looking beyond California to <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/other%20states">other states</a>. The court battles and legislative fights, until the logjam broke and we started winning elections. Then the <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/Windsor">Windsor</a> case and the <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/new%20court%20challeneges">flood of other cases</a> in different states. And other <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/international">countries</a>.<br />
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I followed the steady rise in support in the <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/polls">polls</a>, until today almost 60% of Americans support marriage equality. I presented <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/stats%20and%20graphs">graphs and statistics.</a><br />
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I discussed politics and policy, identifying <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/hypocrites">hypocrites</a> and <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/Regnerus">bad science</a>. <br />
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And I made a particular point of highlighting support from people of faith, in a series called <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/voices%20of%20faith">Voice of Faith</a>. Because despite what the media narrative is, "Christian" does not equal anti-gay. Heck, the Episcopal Church just voted to change its canons and formally eliminate differences between same sex and opposite sex marriage liturgies! But I didn't hesitate to highlight the malign effects of <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/religion">religion</a> as well.<br />
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Finally, of course, I have been running <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/videos">Videos</a> on Sunday and other days. <br />
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The blog will stay here as a resource.<br />
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Up at the top of the page, there are tabs for permanent pages including pages about genetics and orientation, and in particular, the <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/p/prop8-timeline.html">Prop8 timeline</a> and <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/p/resources-theology.html">theological resources</a> to fight those religious bullies.<br />
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There's a slew of other labels on the right sidebar that you can use to find other posts.<br />
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I may be back, because we haven't finished yet. We won this particular battle, but there is a long way to go, until being gay finally becomes just a fact, like being left-handed or having red hair. And there's a lot of anger from the opposition, which is casting our rights as an assault on <a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/religious%20freedom">religious freedom</a>.<br />
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So you may hear from me yet. But till then, please explore what's here and celebrate the journey.<br />
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<br />IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-23118063541101163912015-08-02T12:05:00.000-07:002015-08-02T12:05:00.152-07:00Freedom to Marry: Celebrating Victory (video)Yes. How we got here. Thank you.
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/361AQwffjbY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-54192210184148532402015-07-26T05:30:00.000-07:002015-07-26T05:30:00.981-07:00#LoveWins from Freedom to Marry (video Sunday)<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N1rzzuV13o0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-34617410329505415822015-07-19T07:30:00.000-07:002015-07-19T07:30:01.218-07:00Nobody's memories (video Sunday)From PFLAG Canada:<br />
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<br /><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_SOgK6DMLJA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-70383914350575270952015-07-12T06:00:00.001-07:002015-07-12T06:00:00.120-07:00#Howwefamily (Video Sunday)Directed by Dustin Lance Black, of Milk fame, this is a Tylenol project.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c33dTK7nUqo" width="640"></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-7186285275058995242015-07-10T06:00:00.000-07:002015-07-10T06:00:01.063-07:00A surprise proposal (video )<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zm3RpvzIIzU" width="640"></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-62875956064743122512015-07-06T09:27:00.002-07:002015-07-06T09:29:53.329-07:00Voices of Faith: Episcopal Church makes marriage official<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container tr_bq" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/voices%20of%20faith" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="66" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530701160446135906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4hh1W14cC3LXESfXz1HcxV0H9_u8sS9mGPZhdtc3AVu7OML1pqlGJyjP5B4CT8szw5S2-nAq2T-pM8sEPe00k-VYI8wD_4WUUnChfcKLyb_w3wyNDyi-cwRf52wGJGZynLkWKA4yrUTd/s200/VoicesOfFaith-crop.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Click image for more<br />Voices of Faith</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Meeting in its triennial General Convention last week, the US Episcopal Church voted on <a href="http://www.episcopalcafe.com/house-of-bishops-passes-marriage-resolutions/">two resolutions</a>. One made the marriage liturgy equally accessible to straight and gay couples, and the other modified the canons in agreement (essentially the church rules). Previously, a special trial liturgy was used for gay couples on a case by case basis, but now they are equal.<br />
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Out gay bishop Gene Robinson <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/05/how-episcopalians-embraced-gay-marriage.html">reflects on how the Episcopalians got there.</a> <br />
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While the resolutions passed overwhelmingly, there's a small handful of dioceses whose bishops disagree, and they are able to refuse permission to marry LGBT people. However, they must provide some access to marriage. Whether this is a phone number to a neighboring diocese, or the ability to import a priest, or ecumenical strategies with the Lutherans (the ELCA and The Episcopal Church are in communion with each other), remains to be seen.<br />
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Still, it's great news as the Episcopalians join other churches including Lutheran and Presbyterian in allowing same sex marriages. Or as we can now call it, marriage!<br />
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<br />IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-11809499215222338082015-07-02T13:13:00.002-07:002015-07-02T13:18:34.576-07:00A brief history of how we got here<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/gay-marriage-supreme-court-politics-activism/397052/">This excellent article in the Atlantic t</a>ells the whole story, starting with a man named Baker....<span class="s1"></span></div>
<blockquote>
When Wolfson was a law student at Harvard in 1983, his adviser tried to discourage him from writing his thesis on gay marriage, on the grounds that it was too far-fetched. Sullivan’s 1989 New Republic essay, “Here Comes the Groom,” got a similar reception. “It was difficult just to get past the laugh factor at the beginning,” Sullivan recalled. “I remember going on Crossfire in the early days and having Gary Bauer laugh in my face—‘It’s the most bizarre and silly idea to come down the pike in a long time! It’s ludicrous!’”</blockquote>
and then, how the message changed after the cluster of the Prop8 campaign, as the participating groups started to strategize together<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There was stiff resistance within the movement to the new approach. Some thought it made no sense or wasn’t aggressive enough; some resented the strictly vetted, disciplined, sanitized faces the movement was putting forth. But in 2012, after 31 straight losses for gay marriage at the ballot box, Freedom to Marry spearheaded <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/12/the-marriage-plot-inside-this-years-epic-campaign-for-gay-equality/265865/">a centralized, politically savvy, message-tested campaign in four states</a>—Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington. On Election Day, the gay-marriage side won in all four states. </blockquote>
IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-13987874539072808762015-07-01T08:29:00.002-07:002015-07-01T08:29:39.391-07:00Religious freedom and civil marriage<div class="tr_bq">
Several states are resisting implementation of the Court's decision on same sex marriages, by throwing up the "religious freedom" meme.</div>
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The most extreme example is <a href="http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/chief_justice_roy_moore_s_lawyer_public_officials_are_ministers_of_god">this</a>, in which a lawyer under Alabama Justice Roy Moore claims<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Public officials are ministers of God assigned the duty of punishing the wicked and protecting the righteous.</blockquote>
Well, that's patently not true. Alabama is NOT a theocracy and neither are these United States, and the oath to uphold the Constitution that they all took is not predicated on "when it agrees with my religious views."<br />
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In Michigan,<a href="http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2015/07/01/same-sex-marriage-michigan-law-supreme-court-ruling/29540617/"> efforts to protect "religious freedom" are renewed</a>, including a demand that marriages only exist in religious settings.<br />
<blockquote>
Conservatives in the House have introduced legislation that would only allow religious clergy to perform marriage ceremonies and remove that responsibility from local clerks and judges. Other couples who don't want to use clergy for their nuptials could provide an affidavit of marriage to county clerks. The legislation also would allow marriage certificates to be shielded from public record laws.<br /><br />"If this legislation becomes law it will protect our public officials from having to perform same-sex marriages and put the marriage licensing business back in the position of being in the realm of the churches and religious leaders," said state Rep. Todd Courser, R-Lapeer, in a statement explaining the bill he sponsored.</blockquote>
But that is putting religion front and center in a CIVIL contract. That is WRONG. <br />
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In Texas, the Attorney General has suggested that clerks are free to refuse licenses on religious grounds. The Dallas Morning News correctly states,<br />
<blockquote>
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have equal rights to marry. Top Texas leaders must stop standing in the way by encouraging government employees to invoke a personal religious exception when asked to provide marriage-related services, such as issuing licenses or officiating at civil ceremonies.<br /><br />Denton County Clerk Juli Luke struck the right tone regarding Friday’s ruling by stating, “Personally, same-sex marriage is in contradiction to my faith and belief. … However, first and foremost, I took an oath on my family Bible to uphold the law, and as an elected public official, my personal belief cannot prevent me from issuing the licenses as required.”</blockquote>
Exactly.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
State employees do not have discretion to selectively embrace the constitutional protections they agree with while rejecting those they object to, even on religious grounds. Constitutionally, governments — including their employees — must present themselves as religiously neutral. </blockquote>
Look, this is not a religious issue. Civil marriages are civil contracts. I haven't noticed Roman Catholic clerks refusing licenses to previously divorced people, although such marriages are disallowed by their faith. Nor devoutly orthodox Jews refusing licenses to interfaith couples. This is only about bias against LGBT people. And it needs to stop.<br />
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<br />IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-46447463182506034992015-06-30T08:18:00.000-07:002015-06-30T08:18:00.642-07:00Rachel Held Evans nails it (Voices of Faith)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container tr_bq" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/voices%20of%20faith" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="66" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530701160446135906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4hh1W14cC3LXESfXz1HcxV0H9_u8sS9mGPZhdtc3AVu7OML1pqlGJyjP5B4CT8szw5S2-nAq2T-pM8sEPe00k-VYI8wD_4WUUnChfcKLyb_w3wyNDyi-cwRf52wGJGZynLkWKA4yrUTd/s200/VoicesOfFaith-crop.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Click image for more<br />Voices of Faith</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="tr_bq">
Noted Evangelical Blogger, <a href="http://rachelheldevans.com/">Rachel Held Evans</a>, summarizes things nicely on her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rachelheldevans.page?fref=ts">facebook page (Click to read the whole thing)</a></div>
<blockquote>
...Nothing about yesterday’s decision forces people with religious convictions against same-sex marriage to perform those marriages. That freedom is preserved, just as it remains totally legal for a church today to refuse to marry an interracial couple. Yesterday's ruling simply allows for those who do not share that same religious conviction to enjoy the same civil liberties that the rest of us enjoy. Furthermore, is it not a more serious violation of religious liberty to tell a same-sex couple whose religion allows for, and in fact celebrates, marriage that they cannot practice that religious conviction because some of their fellow citizens do not agree with their particular expression of it? Civil rights aren’t up to a vote. They aren’t up to public opinion. Civil rights are part of what it means to be an American citizen. ....</blockquote>
IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-34918710708041215802015-06-29T08:21:00.000-07:002015-06-29T08:21:00.309-07:00A great overview from CBS (Video )<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" background="#000000" flashvars="pType=embed&si=254&pid=QNR_QvlPAz_p&url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-supreme-court-and-the-dignity-of-same-sex-marriage" height="279" salign="lt" scale="noscale" src="http://www.cbsnews.com/common/video/cbsnews_video.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425"></embed><br />
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If this doesn't embed,<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-supreme-court-and-the-dignity-of-same-sex-marriage"> the link is here</a>.<br /><br />I just wish they had pointed out that although the opponents claim religion as the basis for their opposition, the majority of mainline Protestant denominations, and the Roman Catholic laity are vigorous supporters of marriage. Opposition is NOT a "Christian" thing.<br />
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<br />IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-83140258651625325592015-06-28T05:30:00.000-07:002015-06-28T05:30:00.435-07:00The National Anthem at SCOTUS on Decision Day (Video Sunday)<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VYHuF9tIbpQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-10893480480842915962015-06-26T07:53:00.002-07:002015-06-26T07:53:21.332-07:005-4 for equality. We win!
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<div class="page" title="Page 33">
<a href="http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/read_here_s_the_full_supreme_court_decision_finding_same_sex_couples_have_the_right_to_marry">From the Opinion:</a><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
No union is more profound than marriage, for it embod- ies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people be- come something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be con- demned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civiliza- tion’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right. <br /><br />The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed. <br /> <br /><br /><i>It is so ordered. </i></blockquote>
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IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-36013418936991575972015-06-25T13:17:00.000-07:002015-06-25T13:17:17.288-07:00Waiting....<div class="tr_bq">
Will tomorrow be the day? <a href="http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2015/06/why-june-26-is-already-a-landmark-day-for-gays-and-the-supreme-court/">The 26th has an auspicious history, and the Court has already announced that it will be releasing opinion(s) on Friday (usually only Mon</a>days and Thursdays)</div>
<blockquote>
It was on June 26, 2003 that a divided Court said in <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/539/558/">Lawrence v. Texas </a>that a Texas law making it a crime for two persons of the same sex to engage in intimate sexual conduct was unconstitutional.<br /><br />And on June 26, 2013, a divided Court in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/12-307">United States v. Windsor </a>said that the Defense of Marriage Act (or DOMA) was unconstitutional as a “deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.” <br /><br /><br /><br /></blockquote>
IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-3114853438433443342015-06-25T13:14:00.002-07:002015-06-25T13:14:14.109-07:00Gay rights are human rightsOkay, it's a campaign video.... but it still made me tear up.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g2Y9abmNuRw" width="640"></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-72170516420630064152015-06-21T05:00:00.000-07:002015-06-21T05:00:04.859-07:00The March to Equality<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9zVJTwHcm2E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-35597506016762949432015-06-20T13:43:00.000-07:002015-06-20T13:43:00.053-07:00Is it hot in here or is it just me? Another advertising video.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b3Z5pAZe0E8" width="640"></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-41324793167564615212015-06-18T12:50:00.000-07:002015-06-18T12:50:00.321-07:00Waiting for Obergefell<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obergefell_v._Hodges"><i>Obergefell v. Hodges</i></a> is the case that will be in the history books, and the decision is expected within the next two weeks, and Jim Obergefell<a href="http://www.people.com/article/jim-obergefell-determined-to-be-in-front-row-for-supreme-court-gay-marriage-decision"> is waiting in line.</a></div>
<blockquote>
Arthur died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) just three months after the two men married in Maryland in July 2013. They filed suit to try to force their home state of Ohio, where gay marriage is not legal, to recognize their out-of-state union by putting Obergefell's name on the eventual death certificate. <br /><br />Though Obergefell, wearing a suit and tie in Washington, D.C.'s oppressive June humidity, was first in line – and empty-handed so that he could go straight for the front-row seats without stopping at a locker – his case was not one of the decisions released on Monday. <br /><br />So, taking time off from his real-estate job back home, Obergefell will be back on Thursday. And again next Monday, and again and again every day the justices expect to issue decisions between now and when the court recesses June 30. </blockquote>
This is what we've been waiting for. This is the end of the arc that I started with this blog back in 2009, with a challenge to Prop8 in the California Courts. <br />
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It all comes down to this.<br />
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<br />IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-55254838362799552372015-06-17T12:44:00.000-07:002015-06-17T12:44:00.091-07:00Religious liberty and marriage<a href="http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/14-556tsacLaycock.pdf">From one of the amici briefs to the Supreme Court:</a> my emphases<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Significant religious liberty issues
will <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>indeed <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>follow in the wake of same-sex civil
marriage. But it <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is not an appropriate
response to prohibit same-sex <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>civil
marriage in order to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>eliminate every
risk of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>possible <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>impositions <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on religious liberty. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>No one can <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have a right to deprive others of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>their important <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>liberty as a prophylactic means of protecting
his own</b>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as one’s right to extend
an arm ends where <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>another’s nose begins,
so each claim to liberty in our <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>system
must be <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>defined in a way that is
consistent <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with the equal and sometimes
conflicting liberty of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>others. <b>Religious
liberty, properly interpreted and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>enforced,
can protect the right of religious organizations and religious believers to
live their own lives <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in accord ance with
their faith. But it cannot give them <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>any
right or power to deprive others of the corresponding right to live the most
intimate portions of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>their</i> </b></span><b>lives according to their own deepest values</b></div>
</blockquote>
It goes on to argue for robust religious freedom exemptions.<br />
<br />IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-14000213585906044512015-06-16T10:47:00.000-07:002015-06-16T10:47:00.490-07:00Church and society should endorse same-sex marriage (Voices of Faith)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container tr_bq" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gaymarriedcalifornian.blogspot.com/search/label/voices%20of%20faith" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="66" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530701160446135906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4hh1W14cC3LXESfXz1HcxV0H9_u8sS9mGPZhdtc3AVu7OML1pqlGJyjP5B4CT8szw5S2-nAq2T-pM8sEPe00k-VYI8wD_4WUUnChfcKLyb_w3wyNDyi-cwRf52wGJGZynLkWKA4yrUTd/s200/VoicesOfFaith-crop.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Click image for more<br />Voices of Faith</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/columnists/church-and-society-should-endorse-same-sex-marriage/article_66351c96-1065-11e5-8187-ef6cda34bf1d.html">From Lancaster Online:</a><br />
<blockquote>
I write as a 97-year-old retired Mennonite Christian pastor. ....<br /><br />My wife and I believe the church must rise up and reclaim a godly and wholesome sexuality. A sexuality: <br /><br />— That includes public vows of faithful love and is blessed within the church (not left to fend for itself outside the church). <br />— That calls everyone to commit our bodies and to respect the bodies of others (whether homosexual or heterosexual) as temples of the Holy Spirit. <br />— That is committed to a lifelong monogamous relationship. <br /><br />We believe gay people should have the opportunity to create a Christian household within the blessing of a lifelong committed relationship. We want them to belong to a church and live a life with faith. <br /><br />Last year, when the laws of Pennsylvania changed, I was happy to be invited to marry my son and his partner in a small private ceremony in their backyard. What a joy-filled day! I feel that my act of love in officiating this marriage was in line with those in the early church who learned to welcome outsiders into the family of God. <br /><br />My prayer is that our church leaders will warmly invite into congregational fellowship and the joys of marriage those believers and nonbelievers who have suffered exclusion from our church. And I pray that the laws of our country will assign societal benefits of marriage to them as well. <br /><br />Let us pray the Spirit of Christ will teach us all how to love and welcome the outcasts, as Jesus did. <br /><i><br />Chester L. Wenger was a long-time Mennonite Church pastor and leader, who served as a missionary in Ethiopia for 17 years. The Lancaster Mennonite Conference terminated his credentials in 2014, after he officiated at the wedding of his gay son.</i></blockquote>
IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-21851933412766940962015-06-15T08:54:00.000-07:002015-06-15T10:43:19.219-07:00Mexico!<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/mexico-supreme-court-opens-door-gay-marriage-nationwide-31733845">ABC News:</a></div>
<blockquote>
Mexico's <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/us/supreme-court.htm">supreme court</a> has ruled it is unconstitutional for Mexican states to bar same-sex marriages. <br />
<br />
But the court's ruling is considered a "jurisprudential thesis" and does not invalidate any state laws, meaning gay couples denied the right to wed would have to turn to the courts individually. Given the ruling, judges and courts would have to approve same-sex marriages....<br />
<br />
Gay marriage is legal in some parts of <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/mexico.htm">Mexico</a>, including Mexico City and the northern state of Coahuila.</blockquote>
The Court <a href="http://www.bilerico.com/2015/06/mexico.php">wrote</a>,<br />
<blockquote>
"As the purpose of matrimony is not procreation, there is no justified reason that the matrimonial union be heterosexual, nor that it be stated as between only a man and only a woman. Such a statement turns out to be discriminatory in its mere expression."<br /><i>Read more at http://www.bilerico.com/2015/06/mexico.php#TFdTOuxgibw1QPQT.99</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-4411437848436016432015-06-14T06:00:00.001-07:002015-06-15T13:44:28.711-07:00The Sign for Love (video Sunday)This sweet ad has the anti-equality gang in an uproar.
<BR><BR>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DxDsx8HfXEk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-60107323425415219972015-06-12T12:49:00.000-07:002015-06-12T12:49:45.691-07:00Opting out of Equality<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-gop-opts-out-of-equality">From the New Yorker </a>(go read the whole thing)</div>
<blockquote>
In hindsight, no one doubts that allowing business owners to discriminate against black people during the Civil Rights era would have denied them full equality and hampered desegregation. (Arguably, the continued tolerance of discrimination by private clubs also undermines desegregation, though club membership is less essential to daily life than shopping.) Similarly, allowing private discrimination against gay couples is not an exemption from a new rule of full equality; it is a compromise that allows inequality to persist. Proposals to let magistrates withhold marriage licenses have the same problems, with the added insult that the discrimination is effectively coming from the state. If officials can decide not to implement laws they dislike, then equality under the law—for gay couples, at least —is just a slogan.</blockquote>
IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-21916885660704272952015-06-11T10:49:00.001-07:002015-06-11T10:54:25.505-07:00Yet another survey released<div class="tr_bq">
Must be survey season. PRRI (the Public Religion Research Institute) <a href="http://publicreligion.org/research/2015/06/survey-majority-favor-same-sex-marriage-two-thirds-believe-supreme-court-will-rule-to-legalize/">has come out with their survey.</a></div>
<blockquote>
Fifty-five percent of the public favors allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally, while 37% are opposed. Strong generational, religious, and partisan divisions persist on the issue.</blockquote>
and<br />
<blockquote>
Nearly seven in ten (69%) Americans favor laws that would protect LGBT individuals against discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing, compared to 25% who oppose such policies. </blockquote>
Meanwhile, the mini-RFRAs aren't too popular,<br />
<blockquote>
Six in ten (60%) Americans oppose allowing a small business owner to refuse products or services to gay and lesbian people, even if doing so violates their religious beliefs, while 34% support such a policy.<br />
<br />
While majorities of most religious groups oppose these so-called “religious freedom” laws, white evangelical Protestants (51%) are the only religious group with majority support. Forty-two percent of white evangelical Protestants oppose allowing small businesses to refuse products or services to gay and lesbian people on religious grounds. By contrast, 59% of white mainline Protestants, 63% of non-white Protestants, and 64% of Catholics oppose allowing small business owners to refuse service to gay and lesbian people on religious grounds, as do nearly three-quarters (73%) of religiously unaffiliated Americans.</blockquote>
The <a href="http://publicreligion.org/newsroom/2015/06/news-release-majority-favor-same-sex-marriage-two-thirds-believe-supreme-court-will-rule-to-legalize/">director</a> states the obvious,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
“As national opinion has shifted toward support for LGBT rights, including among religious Americans, white evangelical Protestants are increasingly becoming an island of opposition amidst a sea of acceptance,” said Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. “Today, white evangelical support remains below the level of support from a decade ago in the general public, and they are also less likely than other religious groups to acknowledge that LGBT Americans face discrimination.”
</blockquote>
IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271923532585508158.post-62941345723541300412015-06-10T08:40:00.004-07:002015-06-15T13:45:56.151-07:00#takepride (video)From Target, of all retailers. You know, it's not just the edgy techy companies any more. We've gone mainstream. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Ji8OpjSCXE" width="640"></iframe>IThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09605163506396013904noreply@blogger.com0