Same-Sex Marriage Update

[Toughy]

State sanctioned marriage has never held any interest for me....even when I was a kid. And it still holds no interest.

It is the military that leads the way for the entire country, as it did with integration of black soldiers. The first step has been taken for civil rights. When the military (which it must) finally forces equal rights the rest of the country will follow.

The military is forcing federal benefits and has the absolute best case in the court systems for equal rights.

it's damn hard to look someone in the eye, who has lost half a leg or two and more, and say your marriage sucks and your benefits, should you die, cannot go to your same sex life partner.

[iamkeri1]

Maureen Walsh Washington State Congresswoman speaks on same sex marriage bill. FANTASTIC! She deserves some major props.
Smooches,
Keri

[MsTinkerbelly]

Gov To Sign WA Marriage Bill On Monday

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire will sign her state's marriage equality bill on Monday morning, thereby setting the clock ticking on the rush to collect referendum signatures to block gay marriage at the ballot box.
A statehouse signing ceremony in Olympia, Washington's capital, was slated for 11:30 a.m. local time on Monday. The bill won final legislative approval from the state House of Representatives on Wednesday by a vote of 55-43. The measure will not take effect before early June. Opponents have vowed to seek its repeal at the polls in November, but they cannot begin collecting signatures for a petition to overturn the measure by referendum until it is signed into law.

[MsTinkerbelly]

By GEOFF MULVIHILL -AP

TRENTON, New Jersey — New Jersey lawmakers gave their blessing to legalizing gay marriage for the first time Monday as the state Senate passed a bill that would allow nuptials for same-sex couples. Gov. Chris Christie has said he will veto such legislation.

..The Senate's vote sends the bill to the Assembly, which is expected to pass it Thursday.

Six states and Washington, D.C., allow gay marriage, and Washington state will join that list when Gov. Christine Gregoire signs legislation legalizing same-sex marriage Monday.

New Jersey's governor, a Republican, announced his veto intentions last month. He has said he does not believe marriage laws should be changed, but he does support New Jersey's civil union law, which grants gay couples the legal protections of marriage.

Christie said he wants to put a change in the definition of marriage to a public vote.

But gay rights groups oppose a referendum. They see gay marriage as a civil rights matter and argue that it should not be up to the masses to protect the rights of a minority group.

Five years ago, New Jersey's state Supreme Court ruled that gay couples should have the same rights as married heterosexual couples. In response, the Legislature created civil unions.

Gay rights advocates say that because the civil union designation is hard to understand and still treats committed gays differently from married couples, the courts should eliminate civil unions and recognize gay marriage. A lawsuit seeking to do that is in the state court system.

[MsTinkerbelly]

Love Honor Cherish cancels Prop 8 ballot repeal initiative
By Jacob Combs

Last night, some big Prop 8 news came out of California as Love Honor Cherish, which had begun the process to collect signatures and place a repeal of Prop 8 on the November ballot, announced that it is canceling that effort. In an email to its supporters, LHC wrote:

Following last week’s victory in the 9th Circuit, we are now hopeful that weddings of gay and lesbian couples will resume by the end of this year, or even, at the end of this month. And what an incredible day that will be when gays and lesbians are able to marry again in California!

In the meantime, our “backup plan” to put the repeal of Prop 8 on the ballot this November is no longer feasible. Although we have had success so far–our wonderful volunteers, significant donor commitments, our campaign office, and support from numerous leaders and organizations around the state–collecting the 807,615 valid signatures required will likely not happen by mid-April as required to qualify for the November 2012 ballot.

We would need more than $1.5 million in donor commitments to hire a paid signature gathering firm to assist us in this massive effort. In view of the 9th Circuit victory and the narrowness of the ruling, making Supreme Court review less likely, raising the additional funds needed is now not realistic. And, as we have stated, we had no illusions that the initiative could qualify based solely on our statewide volunteer signature gathering effort

[iamkeri1]

(((Miss T,)))
I know you were committed to this proposition. I hope you are not too disappointed about the decision to halt the process. From your lips to God's ears that Cali folk will be back in the marriage business by years end.
Smooches,
Keri

[MsTinkerbelly]

Originally Posted by iamkeri1

(((Miss T,)))
I know you were committed to this proposition. I hope you are not too disappointed about the decision to halt the process. From your lips to God's ears that Cali folk will be back in the marriage business by years end.
Smooches,
Keri

I was really crushed by the people of California voting in Prop 8...I spent weeks grieving for the slap. Ideally I would love for people to change their minds, vote Prop 8 down and have a Kumbaya moment where we are all as one, but pffffttt that one is never going to happen and no one should get to vote on my civil rights anyway.

I firmally believe that even if everyone has to wait a while, the Government is going to have to force this issue for it to be something that is available to all that want it. I'm already married in my State, but Federal recognition and the benefits that go along with marriage are what I am really after.

[MsTinkerbelly]

Marriage equality opponents file referendum paperwork in Washington
By Jacob Combs

As expected, opponents of marriage equality have filed paperwork in Washington state to put a referendum of the state’s recently passed marriage bill on the November ballot. SeatllePI reports:

Opponents of same-sex marriage, seeking to force a referendum on Washington’s new law, filed the paperwork in Olympia about three hours after Gov. Chris Gregoire signed marriage equality into law.

They have until June 6, a political D-Day for collecting and submitting 120,577 valid voter signatures to put marriage equality on the November ballot. The right of same-sex couples to wed would be blocked until voters decide the issue.

…

Sponsors of Referendum 73 include groups at the right end of the political spectrum such as Concerned Women for America and the National Organization for Marriage. The campaign is being mounted under the banner of a group called Preserve Marriage Washington. Backholm predicted that the campaign will be “expensive”, with estimates in the $2-4 million range for each side.

Conservatives forced a statewide referendum in 2009 in a bid to roll back the a domestic partner law, nicknamed “Everything but Marriage,” after it was passed by the Washington Legislature. Voters by a 53-47 percent margin voted to sustain the rights of domestic partners.