Same-Sex Marriage Update

[iamkeri1]

I hope this passes soon. Seems like all the states that have passed gay civil rights are in ."cold country" LOL. At last here will be a place for those of us who hate cold weather. Yah!!!
Smooches,
Keri

[MsTinkerbelly]

HAWAII: Civil Unions Bill Advances

Hawaii's civil unions bill yesterday squeaked out of committee and advanced for a vote by the full state Senate.
Senate Bill 232 passed the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee by a 3-2 vote, after a hearing that lasted just over two hours. The bill now goes to the Senate floor for the second of three required votes by the full chamber. Sen. Clayton Hee, committee chairman, sought to keep the hearing moving by limiting testifiers to 1 1/2 minutes each, saying he did not believe anything material could be added to the discussion.

The bill may be introduced in the Hawaii House as early as today.

[MsTinkerbelly]

Moving forward in Maryland
By Adam Bink

Yesterday, legislation was formally introduced at a press conference in Annapolis to legalize the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. I didn’t have time to write about it the last two days, but some background via press release:

On January 25, 2011, Equality Maryland, along with Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola, House Majority Leader Kumar Barve, Senator Rich Madaleno, Senator Jamie Raskin, Delegate Ben Barnes, Delegate Keiffer Mitchell and community partners who support the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples in Maryland, will hold a press conference at the state capital to announce the introduction of the Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Protection Act. This bill ends the exclusion of committed same sex couples from civil marriage and protects the religious freedom of churches and synagogues.

[...]

Speakers:

Majority Leader Rob Garagiola (District 15)

· Sen. Rich Madaleno (District 18)

· Sen. Jamie Raskin (District 20)

· Majority Leader Kumar Barve (District 17)

· Del. Benjamin Barnes (District 21)

· Del. Keiffer Mitchell, Jr. (District 44)

· Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Executive Director, Equality Maryland

· Sean Eldridge, Political Director, Freedom to Marry

· Melissa Goemann, Legislative Director, ACLU Maryland

· Maryland Representative from Catholics for Equality

· Representative from Maryland Black Family Alliance

· Representative from the Maryland NAACP

· Sister Jeannine Gramick, Maryland Coordination for National Coalition of American Nuns

· Frank DeBernardo, Executive Director, New Ways Ministry

· Rion Dennis, President, Progressive Maryland

An impressive and worthwhile lineup.

Concurrently, a new poll showed that 51% of Maryland residents support allowing same-sex couples to marry, with 44% opposed.

As we’re doing in New Hampshire with our Granite State Camp Courage trainings, teaching local supporters to organize in their communities, we’re looking to help as much as we can in Maryland, and more on that in the coming weeks.

[MsTinkerbelly]

Iowa GOP Narrowly Loses Senate Bid To Vote On Same-Sex Marriage Ban

This morning Iowa GOP state Sen. Kent Sorensen called for a suspension of chamber rules in order to force a vote on a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. His motion was narrowly defeated along party lines.
Sorenson asked all 50 senators to call up Senate Joint Resolution 8, a bill that would amend the Iowa Constitution to specify that marriage between one man and one woman is the only legal union valid or recognized in the state. Senate President Jack Kibbie (D-Emmetsburg) said “no,” but agreed to allow a vote on whether to suspend the rules and override his objection. Twenty-six Democrats voted “no” and 24 Republicans voted “yes.” The motion was defeated. Danny Carroll, chairman of the controversial Christian organization The Family Leader, told supporters in an e-mail Wednesday night that Sorenson was planning to “file numerous amendments and use any other tactic at his disposal” in order to force a vote on same-sex marriage. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has vowed to never allow such an amendment to come up for debate.

Gronstal: “It’s clearer than ever that Republicans will stop at nothing to take away the constitutional rights of Iowans. I hope that Republicans will join our efforts and focus their energy on helping Iowans recover from the worst national recession since World War II.”

[MsTinkerbelly]

FRANCE: Constitutional Court Rules Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Is Legal

This morning France's highest court let stand a ban on same-sex marriage. The case had been brought by a lesbian couple raising four children.
In its decision, the Council noted that lawmakers had agreed that the "difference in situations of same-sex couples and couples made up of a man and a woman can justify a difference in treatment concerning family rights." "It is not up to the Constitutional Council to substitute its appreciation for that of lawmakers," the body said. It noted that its job is to simply rule on whether a measure abides by the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the French Constitution. In this case, it ruled that the articles in question are, indeed, "in conformity with the constitution." Cestino and Hasslauer have sought the right to wed. "It is not so much about getting married, but about having the right to get married," Cestino, a pediatrician, said in an interview this week. "So, that is what we are asking for: Just to be able, like anyone else, to choose to get married or not."

The court's ruling noted that France's parliament is free to make new laws on the issue

[blackboot]

CIVIL UNIONS BILL PASSES HAWAII SENATE!

Today was a great day for equality as Hawaii's Senate passed SB 232, a civil unions bill, by a 19-6 vote.

The bill, which is identical to last session's HB 444 that was vetoed by Gov. Linda Lingle, provides that the equal rights and responsibilities of married couples in Hawaii be available to thousands of same-sex couples in the state.

The legislation now moves to Hawaii's House of Representatives, where action is expected to proceed next week.

ALOHA!

[iamkeri1]

Thank you so much to those of you that take the time to post this information so we can all keep up with the progress in this area.

While I am happy for the progress that is being made, and while I freely admit that I never thought I would live long enough to see any of this happen, still I am frustrated that:

1) We have to move forward inch by inch, fought at every step by people who are already comfortably "endowed" with the rights they want to keep from us.
2) We are still seen as "different" than people of a heterosexual persuasion, less than human, and worthy of poor treatment, and
3) People still think that they get to vote on our !@#$%! rights instead of just "having" them like everyone else.

... and finally I am SOOOO f-ing sick of having our rights assailed (at least in the USA) by the Christian right. Why don't they use the money they use against us to support the children of the girls and women they talk out of having abortions, ('cause I know they could really use that help), or to do some actual good work that Jesus might actually approve of.

Smooches,
Keri