Same-Sex Marriage Update

MsTinkerbelly · 07-17-2013, 09:20 AM

AP

Gay marriage legalized in Britain after queen gives royal stamp of approval

LONDON -- Britain has legalized gay marriage after Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal stamp of approval on Wednesday.

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow told lawmakers that the royal assent had been given — the day after the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales cleared Parliament.

The queen's approval was a formality. It clears the way for the first gay marriages next summer.

The bill enables gay couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies in England and Wales. It also will allow couples who had previously entered into a civil partnership to convert their relationship to a marriage.

The Associated Press

MsTinkerbelly · 07-17-2013, 10:02 AM

Jul

2013

2:34am, EDT

Costa Rica may get gay marriage after legislature's 'accidental' vote

By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News

The Costa Rican legislature passed a bill this week that appears to legalize same-sex civil unions – although it might have been an accident.

Some lawmakers didn't realize until a day after Monday's vote that the language in a bill regarding young people may have offered a path to legalized same-sex marriage by expanding social rights for gay people and extending benefits to same-sex unions, according to the Tico Times, an English news website in San Jose.

The bill had previously defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, until a liberal lawmaker wrote into the bill new marriage language that extends “the right to recognition without discrimination contrary to human dignity.”

José María Villalta, a member of the leftist Broad Front Party who wrote the controversial language into the bill, said lawmakers simply didn't pay attention to the most up-to-date version before approving it, Tico Times reported.

"During the discussion in the first debate, we explained that the Law of Young People should be interpreted with this sense of opening to gays and no one objected."

Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla signed the bill into law Thursday, over the protests of conservatives who had called for her to veto it. Though an ardent supporter of traditional marriage in the past, Chinchilla told local reporters earlier this week she wouldn't oppose a court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, the Tico Times reported.

"We understand that the debate is over how some interpret the law and this alone is not sufficient for the executive to veto the law," Chinchilla said.

In Latin America, gay marriage is already legal in Argentina, Mexico City and some states of Brazil, and civil unions are allowed in Ecuador and Uruguay.

DapperButch · 07-17-2013, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

AP

Gay marriage legalized in Britain after queen gives royal stamp of approval

LONDON -- Britain has legalized gay marriage after Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal stamp of approval on Wednesday.

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow told lawmakers that the royal assent had been given — the day after the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales cleared Parliament.

The queen's approval was a formality. It clears the way for the first gay marriages next summer.

The bill enables gay couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies in England and Wales. It also will allow couples who had previously entered into a civil partnership to convert their relationship to a marriage.

The Associated Press

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/07/17...nd-is-now-law/

Stole the above link from Dakarti's posting on another thread.

MsTinkerbelly · 07-18-2013, 12:36 PM

N.C. Readies Marriage Ban Challenge

Six couples have joined a legal challenge to the state's laws that discriminate against gay couples and families

BY Michelle Garcia.

July 10 2013 6:40 PM ET

Six gay and lesbian couples in North Carolina will join the legal challenge against their state's ban on marriage equality, particularly the right for same-sex couples to adopt children together.

The couples have partnered up with the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as its chapter in North Carolina, to amend an existing federal lawsuit, which was filed against the state last year. It challenges a state law that claims same-sex couples cannot be recognized as equal parents of children. The ACLU is also asking for an additional claim against Amendment One, the ballot measure that voters approved last year, that designates marriage only for heterosexual couples.

The lawsuit includes Marcie and Chantelle Fisher-Borne, a couple that was legally wed in Washington, D.C., in 2011, but their marriage is not recognized by state law. Each of the women birthed their children -- a 5-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy -- and when their daughter was born, the couple met resistance from a hospital staff member who demanded their legal paperwork.

“Our children deserve the security of having both Marcie and me as legally recognized parents, and marriage is the best way for us to provide that to them” said Chantelle Fisher-Borne. “We declared our love and commitment to each other years ago, but the law in North Carolina does not recognize the life we have built together or allow us to share legal responsibility for the children we have raised together. We want to be married for many of the same reasons anyone else does – to do what’s best for our family, especially our children, and have our commitment to each other recognized by the law.”

On Tuesday the ACLU also announced a federal challenge to Pennsylvania’s marriage ban, as well as a joint challenge with Lambda Legal of Virginia’s marriage ban. The legal action also follows the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, thereby allowing the federal government to extend benefits and responsibilities that heterosexual couples receive through marriage.

“From President Obama and Senator Hagan’s endorsements to the recent landmark Supreme Court decision declaring the so-called Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, support for the freedom to marry has moved forward by leaps and bounds," said Chris Brook, Legal Director of the ACLU-NCLF. "Conversations are happening at dinner tables throughout our state with more and more North Carolinians agreeing that the rights and responsibilities that come with marriage should not be denied to loving and committed couples simply because they are gay or lesbian.”

Words · 07-18-2013, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

AP

Gay marriage legalized in Britain after queen gives royal stamp of approval

LONDON -- Britain has legalized gay marriage after Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal stamp of approval on Wednesday.

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow told lawmakers that the royal assent had been given — the day after the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales cleared Parliament.

The queen's approval was a formality. It clears the way for the first gay marriages next summer.

The bill enables gay couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies in England and Wales. It also will allow couples who had previously entered into a civil partnership to convert their relationship to a marriage.

The Associated Press

Some idiot (Conservative of course) politician pointed out that there is now the possibility that we could one day have a lesbian queen provide us with a heir to the throne through artificial insemination.

He said it like it would be a bad thing! LOL...

Words

iamkeri1 · 07-18-2013, 08:55 PM

Hmmmn ... think that gentleman is a little late in the development of his thinking. Royal procreation using "donor" sperm of one kind or another has probably already happened a time or two over the centuries, LOL.

Don't see that same sex marriage has much to do with a lesbian queen having a child through insemination. The British monarchy is rather notorious for having children outside of the bonds of matrimony. The pressure is on for ANY monarch to reproduce. Soon cloning will be an available option for either king or queen to reproduce without contribution from anyone other than themselves. Till then the "other" parent will be a problem. Are Royals from other countries likely to want to ship their sperm/eggs to another country for procreation by the monarch there? Hmmmn, THAT may already have happened as well. my my my!
Smooches,
Keri

Quote:

Originally Posted by Words

Some idiot (Conservative of course) politician pointed out that there is now the possibility that we could one day have a lesbian queen provide us with a heir to the throne through artificial insemination.

He said it like it would be a bad thing! LOL...

Words

MsTinkerbelly · 07-31-2013, 10:08 AM

Going Rogue for Marriage Equality

Christopher Moraff

July 31, 2013

Defying Pennsylvania law, Montgomery County's register of wills has begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Will this bold move help or hurt the cause?

Last week, Montgomery County, a sleepy suburb of Philadelphia, was thrust into the national spotlight when its elected register of wills, D. Bruce Hanes, put principle above policy and began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of Pennsylvania's long-standing ban on gay unions. Since July 24, Hanes has issued more than two dozen of the licenses. Thus far, two lesbian couples have used the licenses to tie the knot in the first officially sanctioned same-sex marriages in Pennsylvania history.

Hanes's pioneering effort—which materialized over the course of a single week after a lawyer representing two women contacted his office to inquire about obtaining a marriage license—has elevated Pennsylvania's stature as a gay-rights battleground and put Governor Tom Corbett on notice that, on the issue of same-sex marriage, the commonwealth is evolving with or without him. But by going it alone, is Hanes furthering the cause of marriage equality or endangering it?

Yesterday the governor, a Republican who opposes marriage equality, slapped Montgomery County with a lawsuit seeking to enjoin Hanes from issuing any more marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The filing also asks the court to invalidate any marriages that have already taken place. “As a result of the illegal issuance of marriage licenses by the clerk, it appears that same-sex couples are proceeding with marriage ceremonies that are not permitted by Pennsylvania law,” the petition reads. In a written statement, Montgomery County Solicitor Ray McGarry said the state's position “has serious flaws” and that until the matter is settled by the courts, the register of wills will continue to issue licenses to same-sex couples.

Hanes's move comes just weeks after the American Civil Liberties Union joined a Philadelphia law firm in challenging the state’s ban on gay marriage on behalf of nearly a dozen same-sex couples. In that case, newly minted Attorney General Kathleen Kane stated publicly that she would not defend the ban. Michael Clarke, the solicitor for the register of wills who advised Hanes to issue the licenses, said the attorney general's position—and her statement last month that Pennsylvania's Defense of Marriage law is “wholly unconstitutional”—figured prominently into his decision to advise Hanes to issue the licenses. “The way I saw it, the only way we could deny them a license would be on the grounds that they were women, and in our eyes that violates Pennsylvania's constitution, which says equal rights cannot be denied based on an individual's sex,” Clarke says

Legal scholars say that's a pretty solid argument, but it's up to the court to decide whether Hanes had the authority to act on it unilaterally. “Hanes is clearly right on the law. The question is does a local official have the right to follow the law rather than the government of which he is a part,” says Burton Caine, a professor of constitutional law at Temple University and a Montgomery County resident. "I believe that he does have the authority."

Jill Engle, a professor of clinical law at Penn State University, says that if it's determined that Hanes acted outside the law, then the licenses he issued would be de facto null and void. But she acknowledges that recent factors—such as the Supreme Court's ruling striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and Attorney General Kane's refusal to defend Pennsylvania's own gay marriage ban—places the case in uncharted territory. “Under the strict letter of the state statute, of course, [these marriages] appear illegal,” she says. “That being said, Hanes’s point that one can interpret the state constitution to reach the opposite conclusion is persuasive, and more persuasive than it was a few months ago thanks to the Supreme Court's decision on the federal Defense of Marriage Act, on which our Pennsylvania statute was arguably based.”

The larger question is where Hanes’s move fits into the broader push for marriage equality in the state. Some gay-rights advocates are worried about what they see as a potential distraction from the main event in Pennsylvania—the ACLU case, Whitewood v. Corbett, which is scheduled for trial in United States District Court on September 30.

“I happen to think the best way to move is through the courts and to work within the legislature, and that's what we have been trying to do,” says Ted Martin, executive director of Equality Pennsylvania. Martin worries such a defiant stance at the county level could back opponents of marriage equality into a corner, which would only strengthen their resolve to fight. “For every action there is a reaction, and we just don't know what that's going to be.”

Malcolm Lazin, the founder of the Philadelphia-based Equality Forum takes a different view. He compares what's happening in Montgomery County with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's decision to issue thousands of marriage licenses to gay couples in 2004. “In one sense this was a political statement that took a concept that is getting a lot of attention and humanized it,” he says. “It helps to frame the legal issue.”

Philadelphia attorney Mark Aronchick, whose firm Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller is serving as co-counsel to the ACLU in its federal lawsuit, declined to comment specifically about the situation in Montgomery County, but his words seemed to contradict any claim that Hanes’s actions could compromise his own efforts. "This wasn't part of our case strategy, and it happened independent of us so we'll watch it and see where it goes,” he says. “I applaud all public officials who are taking steps to make marriage equality a reality in Pennsylvania.”

Whether Hanes's bold effort will prove successful remains to be seen. Similar moves in the past, however, have not typically met with success. While they are credited with laying the foundation for California's recent victory on gay marriage, all of the weddings officiated by Newsom were ultimately voided by the California Supreme Court. And in 2004, Mayor Jason West of New Paltz, New York, faced criminal prosecution after he defied state law and officiated over a series of same-sex marriages in his town. New York legalized same-sex marriage through legislation in 2011.

Yet the legal drama unfolding in Pennsylvania must be viewed within the context of the rapidly shifting dialogue on the issues of same-sex marriage and gay civil rights. Lazin thinks that when all is said and done, that may be a defining factor in its resolution. “We are in many ways a very conservative state, but having said that, there is a significant change in public opinion that increasingly favors LGBT civil rights,” he says. “The political climate has changed here and, particularly, the Republicans have changed their position. They are no longer going to be as proactive in fighting this.”

MsTinkerbelly · 08-01-2013, 10:04 AM

Gay couples rush to wed as Minnesota, Rhode Island legalize same-sex marriage

By Patrick Condon, The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Dozens of gay couples began tying the knot early Thursday morning at Minneapolis City Hall as Minnesota – along with Rhode Island – became the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage.

"I didn't expect to cry quite that hard," said a beaming Cathy ten Broeke, who with Margaret Miles was the first gay couple to be wed at City Hall.

After Miles and ten Broeke exchanged vows and rings just before midnight Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak had musicians kill a few minutes until the clock struck 12:01 a.m. Thursday, when the law went into effect.

Then the attending crowd burst into applause as Rybak pronounced Miles and ten Broeke married. The couple stood nearby embracing their 5-year-old son, Louie.

"We do," all three said to more cheers as they promised to be a family.

Rhode Island and Minnesota on Thursday became the 12th and 13th U.S. states to allow gay marriage, along with the District of Columbia.

In Minneapolis, 42 couples were expected to be married by Rybak and several Hennepin County judges in the hours before dawn.

Weddings were scheduled to start at the stroke of midnight at Minneapolis City Hall, St. Paul's Como Park, Mall of America's Chapel of Love and at county courthouses around the state. One group planned a cluster of weddings in a Duluth tavern.

"I don't think either of us ever thought we'd see this day," said Mike Bolin, of the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield, who was marrying Jay Resch, his partner of six years, at Minneapolis City Hall. "We met at low points in both of our lives, and to have arrived at this point — there's going to be a lot of tears."

Rhode Island was joining Minnesota on Thursday in becoming the 12th and 13th U.S. states to allow gay marriage, along with the District of Columbia. The national gay rights group Freedom to Marry estimates that about 30 percent of the U.S. population now lives in places where gay marriage is legal. The first gay weddings in Rhode Island were planned for later Thursday morning.

In Minnesota, budget officials estimated that about 5,000 gay couples would marry in the first year. Its enactment capped a fast turnabout on the issue in just over two years. After voters rejected a constitutional ban on gay marriage last fall, the state Legislature this spring moved to make it legal.

Rhode Island becomes the last New England state to allow same-sex marriage. Lawmakers in the heavily Catholic state passed the marriage law this spring, after more than 16 years of efforts by same-sex marriage supporters. Both Minnesota and Rhode Island will automatically recognize marriages performed in other states.

Bolin and Resch celebrated Wednesday night with several hundred others at Wilde Roast Cafe along the Mississippi River north of downtown Minneapolis. Many at the event planned to walk to City Hall for the mass nuptials.

Dayton proclaimed Aug. 1 to be "Freedom to Marry Day" in Minnesota.

Golden Valley-based General Mills Inc. donated Betty Crocker cakes for the event, which was also to feature performances by local musicians and services donated by wedding photographers, florists and other businesses.

Weddings were not limited to the Twin Cities. In St. Cloud, Stearns County court administrator Tim Roberts planned to marry a couple at 12:01 a.m. at the courthouse. "It feels historic. It's an honor to be a part of it," Roberts said. Midnight weddings were also planned for courthouses in Clay County, Polk County and elsewhere.

At Mall of America, Holli Bartelt and Amy Petrich from the southeastern Minnesota town of Wykoff were set to become the first couple married at the Chapel of Love. Owner Felicia Glass-Wilcox said she hoped to start the ceremony a few minutes early, so the vows could be pronounced seconds after midnight.

"We'd like for them to be able to say they are the very first married in the state, but for sure they'll be able to say they're one of the first," Glass-Wilcox said. She said the chapel had four more gay couples booked for weddings in the next five days.

Bartelt, 33, proposed to Petrich, 37, in April in a photo booth at the Bloomington mall. It was a few weeks before the Legislature approved the law, but Bartelt said she was confident by then that it would pass. She had been in contact with a mall employee about the proposal, who later suggested the couple could be first to get married at the chapel.

Bartelt, a health coach, planned to wear an ivory-colored dress, while Petrich, a baker for Mayo Clinic, was wearing an ivory suit. A group of about 50 family members and close friends were planning to join them, including Bartelt's 10-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter.

"Everybody deserves the right to be happy," said Bartelt. "That's really what it's all about. It's a big day for us, and a big day for Minnesota, and something I hope my kids look back on some day and say, 'Wow, we got to be part of that.'"

Metro · 08-01-2013, 04:18 PM

Federal Judges Rule in Favor of Lesbian Widow

by Carrie Maxwell, Windy City Times

2013-08-01

Judge C. Darnell Jones II of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled July 29 that Jennifer Tobits is entitled to death benefits administered by her deceased wife Sarah Ellyn Farley's profit-sharing plan. In his ruling, Jones ordered that Farley's employer, Philadelphia-based law firm Cozen O'Connor P.C., pay Tobits the $41,000 in death benefits.

Jones' decision used the recent United States v Windsor Supreme Court ruling that struck down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act to award the benefits to Tobits. "Following the [Supreme] Court's ruling, the term 'spouse' is no longer unconstitutionally restricted to members of the opposite sex, but now rightfully includes those same-sex spouses in otherwise valid marriages," said Jones in his ruling.

Farley was a partner at the Cozen O'Connor P.C. law offices in Chicago. She died in 2010 at the age of 37 after a four year battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

"I am overjoyed that the court has said my marriage to Ellyn deserves the same respect as everyone else's," said Tobits in a release. "Nothing can ever replace Ellyn, but it's a great tribute to her that the courts have rejected these challenges to our marriage and recognized our commitment to each other and the life we built together."

The case arose when Farley's parents, David and Joan, challenged the legality of their daughter's marriage to Tobits. Farley's parents argued that they should receive their daughter's death benefits because they were the surviving family members. They were represented by the Thomas More Society, an anti-gay legal organization based in Chicago.

Cozen O'Connor P.C. argued that DOMA prevented them from awarding the death benefits to Tobits and filed an action in the federal district court to determine who should receive the death benefits, Tobits or Farley's parents.

"We are pleased with the court's decision and intend to pay the money as soon as possible," said Lisa Haas, chief marketing officer of Cozen O'Connor P.C., told Windy City Times.

National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Legal Director Shannon Minter, who is representing Tobits, said in a statement, "This decision is not only a victory for Jennifer and Ellyn, it is a victory for every married same-sex couple in the country. No longer can employers hide behind DOMA to deny equal benefits to some employees solely because their spouse is a person of the same sex."

"This decision makes clear that federal pension law protects same-sex spouses just as it does opposite-sex spouses," said attorney Teresa Renaker, who also represents Tobits, in a statement. "Under the rationale of this decision, employees can be confident that their hard-earned retirement benefits will be there for their spouses. Protecting the retirement security of spouses is an important part of ensuring that employees get equal benefits from their retirement plans."

Christopher Stoll, senior staff attorney for the NCLR, explained that due to this ruling employers will be required to treat same-sex spouses equally and he hopes that the decision will cause employers to take proactive steps to make sure that they are treating their employee's same-sex spouses fairly.

"We're thrilled to have helped Jennifer achieve this result. Anyone facing a similar situation should feel free to contact our legal helpline at 1-800-528-6257," said Stoll.

When reached for comment, representatives from the Thomas More Society did not respond to queries about the outcome of the case.

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/l...dow/43907.html

MsTinkerbelly · 08-02-2013, 10:04 AM

Two Lesbian Couples Challenge Virginia's Marriage Equality Ban

Represented by the ACLU and Lambda Legal, four lesbian moms are suing the state of Virginia to recognize their marriages and families.

BY Sunnivie Brydum.

August 01 2013 1:49 PM ET

Two lesbian couples in Virginia have filed a federal class action lawsuit seeking to overturn the state's constitutional and statutory prohibitions on same-sex marriages and recognizing such unions performed outside of the state.

Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Virginia, and Lambda Legal, the case, known as Harris, et. al. v McDonnell, et. al., was filed today in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, according to a press release from the ACLU. The suit alleges that the state's ban on marriage equality and refusal to recognize legal same-sex marriages performed in other states results in the state sending a "purposeful message that they view lesbians, gay men, and their children as second-class citizens who are undeserving of the legal sanction, respect, protections, and support that heterosexuals and their families are able to enjoy through marriage."

The four lead plaintiffs are comprised of two lesbian couples with children, who represent a larger class action suit on behalf of all gay and lesbian Virginians who wish to marry. Christy Berghoff and Victoria Kidd, both 34, have been together for nine years, and married in 2011 in Washington, D.C., according to the ACLU. Berghoff is an Air Force veteran who currently works for the Department of Justice, while her wife Kidd runs a small business from their home, allowing her to serve as a stay-at-home mother to the couple's eight-month-old daughter, Lydia.

Joanne Harris, 37, and Jessi Duff, 33 are both native Virginians, who met through a mutual friend 11 years ago. Harris serves as the director of diversity at Mary Baldwin College, while Duff works for the state's child protective services systems. They have a four-year-old son named Jabari, who loves his Mommy and Momma DeeDee, but knows his parents aren't legally married like his friends' parents. Pointing to a picture of the couple's 2006 commitment ceremony, Jabari told the ACLU "Mommy and Momma DeeDee got married, and they really need to get married."

This latest filing marks the third federal challenge to a state ban on marriage equality filed by the ACLU since the Supreme Court issued its landmark rulings invalidating a key section of the so-called defense of marriage act and dismissing California's Proposition 8 on June 26. Earlier this month, the advocacy organization filed federal lawsuits to strike down anti-marriage equality laws in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The Pennsylvania attorney general announced shortly thereafter that she will not defend the state's antigay law in court, because she believes "it to be wholly unconstitutional."

MsTinkerbelly · 08-02-2013, 10:06 AM

RI lawmaker who fought for marriage equality marries his partner of 32 years

Clare Kim, @clarehkim
11:15 PM on 08/01/2013

For Rhode Island Rep. Frank Ferri, Thursday marked a long-awaited milestone for him and his partner of 32 years. After Rhode Island became the 13th state to legalize gay marriage, county clerks began issuing marriage licenses when their offices opened at 8:30am this morning.

Ferri and his longtime partner, Anthony Caparco, were one of four couples who waited outside Warwick City Hall starting 7:30 am. Ferri, who first testified in favor of marriage equality 15 years ago, is a Democratic state representative from Rhode Island who helped usher in legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. While Ferri has been an elected official for six years, he has advocated for marriage equality at the Statehouse for nearly two decades.

The couple finally wed late Thursday, the first day the law went into effect, and also the couple’s anniversary. Although the two men wed seven years ago when they vacationed in Vancouver, Canada, Ferri said on MSNBC’s The Last Word that being allowed to marry in their home state would be more meaningful to the couple.

“I know the train is out of the station and it’s going and it’s not stopping and it’s not coming back, said Ferri. “We have seen it here in New England. We know how people are opening their minds because so many couples like ourselves who are living their lives openly and honestly every day. I think that’s driving this and with the help of the president’s support and many legislatures, this is going to happen.”

Rhode Island is the final state in New England to allow gay marriage after it was approved by lawmakers on May 2. The law was signed into law on the same day by Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chaffee, who became one of the earliest prominent national proponents of same-sex marriage when he was a Republican senator. Chaffee, who ran as an Independent in 2010 and changed his party affiliation to Democrat in late May, made marriage equality a priority in his campaign.

The governor attended the couple’s wedding, which was officiated by House Speaker Gordon Fox, who is openly gay.

“It’s been a lot of work. It’s been a long road,” said Caparco. “It’s just an exciting day for us and the Speaker is thrilled to be officiating at our ceremony.”

Even though Rhode Island legally allowed domestic partnerships in 2002, a bill to legalize gay marriage was introduced every year since 1997.

“It’s still settling in. It’s a funny feeling to know that I don’t have to get out of bed tomorrow and advocate another day for gay marriage,” said Ferri to the Boston Globe. “I’ve been talking to so many people over so many years about it and trying to educate people. You know, every chance I got I was advocating for it, even if it was just in subtle ways. So, now it’s happened, it’s strange. Pinch me! It’s a really, really strange feeling.”

07-17-2013, 09:20 AM	#1
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,907 Times in 5,017 Posts Rep Power: 0	WAY TO GO! AP Gay marriage legalized in Britain after queen gives royal stamp of approval LONDON -- Britain has legalized gay marriage after Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal stamp of approval on Wednesday. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow told lawmakers that the royal assent had been given — the day after the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales cleared Parliament. The queen's approval was a formality. It clears the way for the first gay marriages next summer. The bill enables gay couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies in England and Wales. It also will allow couples who had previously entered into a civil partnership to convert their relationship to a marriage. The Associated Press

07-17-2013, 10:02 AM	#2
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,907 Times in 5,017 Posts Rep Power: 0	Costa Rica Jul 2013 2:34am, EDT Costa Rica may get gay marriage after legislature's 'accidental' vote By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News The Costa Rican legislature passed a bill this week that appears to legalize same-sex civil unions – although it might have been an accident. Some lawmakers didn't realize until a day after Monday's vote that the language in a bill regarding young people may have offered a path to legalized same-sex marriage by expanding social rights for gay people and extending benefits to same-sex unions, according to the Tico Times, an English news website in San Jose. The bill had previously defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, until a liberal lawmaker wrote into the bill new marriage language that extends “the right to recognition without discrimination contrary to human dignity.” José María Villalta, a member of the leftist Broad Front Party who wrote the controversial language into the bill, said lawmakers simply didn't pay attention to the most up-to-date version before approving it, Tico Times reported. "During the discussion in the first debate, we explained that the Law of Young People should be interpreted with this sense of opening to gays and no one objected." Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla signed the bill into law Thursday, over the protests of conservatives who had called for her to veto it. Though an ardent supporter of traditional marriage in the past, Chinchilla told local reporters earlier this week she wouldn't oppose a court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, the Tico Times reported. "We understand that the debate is over how some interpret the law and this alone is not sufficient for the executive to veto the law," Chinchilla said. In Latin America, gay marriage is already legal in Argentina, Mexico City and some states of Brazil, and civil unions are allowed in Ecuador and Uruguay.

07-18-2013, 12:36 PM	#4
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,907 Times in 5,017 Posts Rep Power: 0	North Carolina N.C. Readies Marriage Ban Challenge Six couples have joined a legal challenge to the state's laws that discriminate against gay couples and families BY Michelle Garcia. July 10 2013 6:40 PM ET Six gay and lesbian couples in North Carolina will join the legal challenge against their state's ban on marriage equality, particularly the right for same-sex couples to adopt children together. The couples have partnered up with the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as its chapter in North Carolina, to amend an existing federal lawsuit, which was filed against the state last year. It challenges a state law that claims same-sex couples cannot be recognized as equal parents of children. The ACLU is also asking for an additional claim against Amendment One, the ballot measure that voters approved last year, that designates marriage only for heterosexual couples. The lawsuit includes Marcie and Chantelle Fisher-Borne, a couple that was legally wed in Washington, D.C., in 2011, but their marriage is not recognized by state law. Each of the women birthed their children -- a 5-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy -- and when their daughter was born, the couple met resistance from a hospital staff member who demanded their legal paperwork. “Our children deserve the security of having both Marcie and me as legally recognized parents, and marriage is the best way for us to provide that to them” said Chantelle Fisher-Borne. “We declared our love and commitment to each other years ago, but the law in North Carolina does not recognize the life we have built together or allow us to share legal responsibility for the children we have raised together. We want to be married for many of the same reasons anyone else does – to do what’s best for our family, especially our children, and have our commitment to each other recognized by the law.” On Tuesday the ACLU also announced a federal challenge to Pennsylvania’s marriage ban, as well as a joint challenge with Lambda Legal of Virginia’s marriage ban. The legal action also follows the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, thereby allowing the federal government to extend benefits and responsibilities that heterosexual couples receive through marriage. “From President Obama and Senator Hagan’s endorsements to the recent landmark Supreme Court decision declaring the so-called Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, support for the freedom to marry has moved forward by leaps and bounds," said Chris Brook, Legal Director of the ACLU-NCLF. "Conversations are happening at dinner tables throughout our state with more and more North Carolinians agreeing that the rights and responsibilities that come with marriage should not be denied to loving and committed couples simply because they are gay or lesbian.”

07-31-2013, 10:08 AM	#7
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,907 Times in 5,017 Posts Rep Power: 0	Pennsylvania Going Rogue for Marriage Equality Christopher Moraff July 31, 2013 Defying Pennsylvania law, Montgomery County's register of wills has begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Will this bold move help or hurt the cause? Last week, Montgomery County, a sleepy suburb of Philadelphia, was thrust into the national spotlight when its elected register of wills, D. Bruce Hanes, put principle above policy and began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of Pennsylvania's long-standing ban on gay unions. Since July 24, Hanes has issued more than two dozen of the licenses. Thus far, two lesbian couples have used the licenses to tie the knot in the first officially sanctioned same-sex marriages in Pennsylvania history. Hanes's pioneering effort—which materialized over the course of a single week after a lawyer representing two women contacted his office to inquire about obtaining a marriage license—has elevated Pennsylvania's stature as a gay-rights battleground and put Governor Tom Corbett on notice that, on the issue of same-sex marriage, the commonwealth is evolving with or without him. But by going it alone, is Hanes furthering the cause of marriage equality or endangering it? Yesterday the governor, a Republican who opposes marriage equality, slapped Montgomery County with a lawsuit seeking to enjoin Hanes from issuing any more marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The filing also asks the court to invalidate any marriages that have already taken place. “As a result of the illegal issuance of marriage licenses by the clerk, it appears that same-sex couples are proceeding with marriage ceremonies that are not permitted by Pennsylvania law,” the petition reads. In a written statement, Montgomery County Solicitor Ray McGarry said the state's position “has serious flaws” and that until the matter is settled by the courts, the register of wills will continue to issue licenses to same-sex couples. Hanes's move comes just weeks after the American Civil Liberties Union joined a Philadelphia law firm in challenging the state’s ban on gay marriage on behalf of nearly a dozen same-sex couples. In that case, newly minted Attorney General Kathleen Kane stated publicly that she would not defend the ban. Michael Clarke, the solicitor for the register of wills who advised Hanes to issue the licenses, said the attorney general's position—and her statement last month that Pennsylvania's Defense of Marriage law is “wholly unconstitutional”—figured prominently into his decision to advise Hanes to issue the licenses. “The way I saw it, the only way we could deny them a license would be on the grounds that they were women, and in our eyes that violates Pennsylvania's constitution, which says equal rights cannot be denied based on an individual's sex,” Clarke says Legal scholars say that's a pretty solid argument, but it's up to the court to decide whether Hanes had the authority to act on it unilaterally. “Hanes is clearly right on the law. The question is does a local official have the right to follow the law rather than the government of which he is a part,” says Burton Caine, a professor of constitutional law at Temple University and a Montgomery County resident. "I believe that he does have the authority." Jill Engle, a professor of clinical law at Penn State University, says that if it's determined that Hanes acted outside the law, then the licenses he issued would be de facto null and void. But she acknowledges that recent factors—such as the Supreme Court's ruling striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and Attorney General Kane's refusal to defend Pennsylvania's own gay marriage ban—places the case in uncharted territory. “Under the strict letter of the state statute, of course, [these marriages] appear illegal,” she says. “That being said, Hanes’s point that one can interpret the state constitution to reach the opposite conclusion is persuasive, and more persuasive than it was a few months ago thanks to the Supreme Court's decision on the federal Defense of Marriage Act, on which our Pennsylvania statute was arguably based.” The larger question is where Hanes’s move fits into the broader push for marriage equality in the state. Some gay-rights advocates are worried about what they see as a potential distraction from the main event in Pennsylvania—the ACLU case, Whitewood v. Corbett, which is scheduled for trial in United States District Court on September 30. “I happen to think the best way to move is through the courts and to work within the legislature, and that's what we have been trying to do,” says Ted Martin, executive director of Equality Pennsylvania. Martin worries such a defiant stance at the county level could back opponents of marriage equality into a corner, which would only strengthen their resolve to fight. “For every action there is a reaction, and we just don't know what that's going to be.” Malcolm Lazin, the founder of the Philadelphia-based Equality Forum takes a different view. He compares what's happening in Montgomery County with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's decision to issue thousands of marriage licenses to gay couples in 2004. “In one sense this was a political statement that took a concept that is getting a lot of attention and humanized it,” he says. “It helps to frame the legal issue.” Philadelphia attorney Mark Aronchick, whose firm Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller is serving as co-counsel to the ACLU in its federal lawsuit, declined to comment specifically about the situation in Montgomery County, but his words seemed to contradict any claim that Hanes’s actions could compromise his own efforts. "This wasn't part of our case strategy, and it happened independent of us so we'll watch it and see where it goes,” he says. “I applaud all public officials who are taking steps to make marriage equality a reality in Pennsylvania.” Whether Hanes's bold effort will prove successful remains to be seen. Similar moves in the past, however, have not typically met with success. While they are credited with laying the foundation for California's recent victory on gay marriage, all of the weddings officiated by Newsom were ultimately voided by the California Supreme Court. And in 2004, Mayor Jason West of New Paltz, New York, faced criminal prosecution after he defied state law and officiated over a series of same-sex marriages in his town. New York legalized same-sex marriage through legislation in 2011. Yet the legal drama unfolding in Pennsylvania must be viewed within the context of the rapidly shifting dialogue on the issues of same-sex marriage and gay civil rights. Lazin thinks that when all is said and done, that may be a defining factor in its resolution. “We are in many ways a very conservative state, but having said that, there is a significant change in public opinion that increasingly favors LGBT civil rights,” he says. “The political climate has changed here and, particularly, the Republicans have changed their position. They are no longer going to be as proactive in fighting this.”

08-01-2013, 10:04 AM	#8
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,907 Times in 5,017 Posts Rep Power: 0	Happy day!! Gay couples rush to wed as Minnesota, Rhode Island legalize same-sex marriage By Patrick Condon, The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Dozens of gay couples began tying the knot early Thursday morning at Minneapolis City Hall as Minnesota – along with Rhode Island – became the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage. "I didn't expect to cry quite that hard," said a beaming Cathy ten Broeke, who with Margaret Miles was the first gay couple to be wed at City Hall. After Miles and ten Broeke exchanged vows and rings just before midnight Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak had musicians kill a few minutes until the clock struck 12:01 a.m. Thursday, when the law went into effect. Then the attending crowd burst into applause as Rybak pronounced Miles and ten Broeke married. The couple stood nearby embracing their 5-year-old son, Louie. "We do," all three said to more cheers as they promised to be a family. Rhode Island and Minnesota on Thursday became the 12th and 13th U.S. states to allow gay marriage, along with the District of Columbia. In Minneapolis, 42 couples were expected to be married by Rybak and several Hennepin County judges in the hours before dawn. Weddings were scheduled to start at the stroke of midnight at Minneapolis City Hall, St. Paul's Como Park, Mall of America's Chapel of Love and at county courthouses around the state. One group planned a cluster of weddings in a Duluth tavern. "I don't think either of us ever thought we'd see this day," said Mike Bolin, of the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield, who was marrying Jay Resch, his partner of six years, at Minneapolis City Hall. "We met at low points in both of our lives, and to have arrived at this point — there's going to be a lot of tears." Rhode Island was joining Minnesota on Thursday in becoming the 12th and 13th U.S. states to allow gay marriage, along with the District of Columbia. The national gay rights group Freedom to Marry estimates that about 30 percent of the U.S. population now lives in places where gay marriage is legal. The first gay weddings in Rhode Island were planned for later Thursday morning. In Minnesota, budget officials estimated that about 5,000 gay couples would marry in the first year. Its enactment capped a fast turnabout on the issue in just over two years. After voters rejected a constitutional ban on gay marriage last fall, the state Legislature this spring moved to make it legal. Rhode Island becomes the last New England state to allow same-sex marriage. Lawmakers in the heavily Catholic state passed the marriage law this spring, after more than 16 years of efforts by same-sex marriage supporters. Both Minnesota and Rhode Island will automatically recognize marriages performed in other states. Bolin and Resch celebrated Wednesday night with several hundred others at Wilde Roast Cafe along the Mississippi River north of downtown Minneapolis. Many at the event planned to walk to City Hall for the mass nuptials. Dayton proclaimed Aug. 1 to be "Freedom to Marry Day" in Minnesota. Golden Valley-based General Mills Inc. donated Betty Crocker cakes for the event, which was also to feature performances by local musicians and services donated by wedding photographers, florists and other businesses. Weddings were not limited to the Twin Cities. In St. Cloud, Stearns County court administrator Tim Roberts planned to marry a couple at 12:01 a.m. at the courthouse. "It feels historic. It's an honor to be a part of it," Roberts said. Midnight weddings were also planned for courthouses in Clay County, Polk County and elsewhere. At Mall of America, Holli Bartelt and Amy Petrich from the southeastern Minnesota town of Wykoff were set to become the first couple married at the Chapel of Love. Owner Felicia Glass-Wilcox said she hoped to start the ceremony a few minutes early, so the vows could be pronounced seconds after midnight. "We'd like for them to be able to say they are the very first married in the state, but for sure they'll be able to say they're one of the first," Glass-Wilcox said. She said the chapel had four more gay couples booked for weddings in the next five days. Bartelt, 33, proposed to Petrich, 37, in April in a photo booth at the Bloomington mall. It was a few weeks before the Legislature approved the law, but Bartelt said she was confident by then that it would pass. She had been in contact with a mall employee about the proposal, who later suggested the couple could be first to get married at the chapel. Bartelt, a health coach, planned to wear an ivory-colored dress, while Petrich, a baker for Mayo Clinic, was wearing an ivory suit. A group of about 50 family members and close friends were planning to join them, including Bartelt's 10-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter. "Everybody deserves the right to be happy," said Bartelt. "That's really what it's all about. It's a big day for us, and a big day for Minnesota, and something I hope my kids look back on some day and say, 'Wow, we got to be part of that.'"

08-01-2013, 04:18 PM	#9
Metro Senior Member How Do You Identify?: • Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: • Posts: 1,606 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,476 Thanked 2,911 Times in 730 Posts Rep Power: 21474851	Federal Judges Rule in Favor of Lesbian Widow by Carrie Maxwell, Windy City Times 2013-08-01 Judge C. Darnell Jones II of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled July 29 that Jennifer Tobits is entitled to death benefits administered by her deceased wife Sarah Ellyn Farley's profit-sharing plan. In his ruling, Jones ordered that Farley's employer, Philadelphia-based law firm Cozen O'Connor P.C., pay Tobits the $41,000 in death benefits. Jones' decision used the recent United States v Windsor Supreme Court ruling that struck down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act to award the benefits to Tobits. "Following the [Supreme] Court's ruling, the term 'spouse' is no longer unconstitutionally restricted to members of the opposite sex, but now rightfully includes those same-sex spouses in otherwise valid marriages," said Jones in his ruling. Farley was a partner at the Cozen O'Connor P.C. law offices in Chicago. She died in 2010 at the age of 37 after a four year battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. "I am overjoyed that the court has said my marriage to Ellyn deserves the same respect as everyone else's," said Tobits in a release. "Nothing can ever replace Ellyn, but it's a great tribute to her that the courts have rejected these challenges to our marriage and recognized our commitment to each other and the life we built together." The case arose when Farley's parents, David and Joan, challenged the legality of their daughter's marriage to Tobits. Farley's parents argued that they should receive their daughter's death benefits because they were the surviving family members. They were represented by the Thomas More Society, an anti-gay legal organization based in Chicago. Cozen O'Connor P.C. argued that DOMA prevented them from awarding the death benefits to Tobits and filed an action in the federal district court to determine who should receive the death benefits, Tobits or Farley's parents. "We are pleased with the court's decision and intend to pay the money as soon as possible," said Lisa Haas, chief marketing officer of Cozen O'Connor P.C., told Windy City Times. National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) Legal Director Shannon Minter, who is representing Tobits, said in a statement, "This decision is not only a victory for Jennifer and Ellyn, it is a victory for every married same-sex couple in the country. No longer can employers hide behind DOMA to deny equal benefits to some employees solely because their spouse is a person of the same sex." "This decision makes clear that federal pension law protects same-sex spouses just as it does opposite-sex spouses," said attorney Teresa Renaker, who also represents Tobits, in a statement. "Under the rationale of this decision, employees can be confident that their hard-earned retirement benefits will be there for their spouses. Protecting the retirement security of spouses is an important part of ensuring that employees get equal benefits from their retirement plans." Christopher Stoll, senior staff attorney for the NCLR, explained that due to this ruling employers will be required to treat same-sex spouses equally and he hopes that the decision will cause employers to take proactive steps to make sure that they are treating their employee's same-sex spouses fairly. "We're thrilled to have helped Jennifer achieve this result. Anyone facing a similar situation should feel free to contact our legal helpline at 1-800-528-6257," said Stoll. When reached for comment, representatives from the Thomas More Society did not respond to queries about the outcome of the case. http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/l...dow/43907.html

08-02-2013, 10:04 AM	#10
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,907 Times in 5,017 Posts Rep Power: 0	Virginia Two Lesbian Couples Challenge Virginia's Marriage Equality Ban Represented by the ACLU and Lambda Legal, four lesbian moms are suing the state of Virginia to recognize their marriages and families. BY Sunnivie Brydum. August 01 2013 1:49 PM ET Two lesbian couples in Virginia have filed a federal class action lawsuit seeking to overturn the state's constitutional and statutory prohibitions on same-sex marriages and recognizing such unions performed outside of the state. Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Virginia, and Lambda Legal, the case, known as Harris, et. al. v McDonnell, et. al., was filed today in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, according to a press release from the ACLU. The suit alleges that the state's ban on marriage equality and refusal to recognize legal same-sex marriages performed in other states results in the state sending a "purposeful message that they view lesbians, gay men, and their children as second-class citizens who are undeserving of the legal sanction, respect, protections, and support that heterosexuals and their families are able to enjoy through marriage." The four lead plaintiffs are comprised of two lesbian couples with children, who represent a larger class action suit on behalf of all gay and lesbian Virginians who wish to marry. Christy Berghoff and Victoria Kidd, both 34, have been together for nine years, and married in 2011 in Washington, D.C., according to the ACLU. Berghoff is an Air Force veteran who currently works for the Department of Justice, while her wife Kidd runs a small business from their home, allowing her to serve as a stay-at-home mother to the couple's eight-month-old daughter, Lydia. Joanne Harris, 37, and Jessi Duff, 33 are both native Virginians, who met through a mutual friend 11 years ago. Harris serves as the director of diversity at Mary Baldwin College, while Duff works for the state's child protective services systems. They have a four-year-old son named Jabari, who loves his Mommy and Momma DeeDee, but knows his parents aren't legally married like his friends' parents. Pointing to a picture of the couple's 2006 commitment ceremony, Jabari told the ACLU "Mommy and Momma DeeDee got married, and they really need to get married." This latest filing marks the third federal challenge to a state ban on marriage equality filed by the ACLU since the Supreme Court issued its landmark rulings invalidating a key section of the so-called defense of marriage act and dismissing California's Proposition 8 on June 26. Earlier this month, the advocacy organization filed federal lawsuits to strike down anti-marriage equality laws in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The Pennsylvania attorney general announced shortly thereafter that she will not defend the state's antigay law in court, because she believes "it to be wholly unconstitutional."

08-02-2013, 10:06 AM	#11
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,907 Times in 5,017 Posts Rep Power: 0	Congratulations! RI lawmaker who fought for marriage equality marries his partner of 32 years Clare Kim, @clarehkim 11:15 PM on 08/01/2013 For Rhode Island Rep. Frank Ferri, Thursday marked a long-awaited milestone for him and his partner of 32 years. After Rhode Island became the 13th state to legalize gay marriage, county clerks began issuing marriage licenses when their offices opened at 8:30am this morning. Ferri and his longtime partner, Anthony Caparco, were one of four couples who waited outside Warwick City Hall starting 7:30 am. Ferri, who first testified in favor of marriage equality 15 years ago, is a Democratic state representative from Rhode Island who helped usher in legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. While Ferri has been an elected official for six years, he has advocated for marriage equality at the Statehouse for nearly two decades. The couple finally wed late Thursday, the first day the law went into effect, and also the couple’s anniversary. Although the two men wed seven years ago when they vacationed in Vancouver, Canada, Ferri said on MSNBC’s The Last Word that being allowed to marry in their home state would be more meaningful to the couple. “I know the train is out of the station and it’s going and it’s not stopping and it’s not coming back, said Ferri. “We have seen it here in New England. We know how people are opening their minds because so many couples like ourselves who are living their lives openly and honestly every day. I think that’s driving this and with the help of the president’s support and many legislatures, this is going to happen.” Rhode Island is the final state in New England to allow gay marriage after it was approved by lawmakers on May 2. The law was signed into law on the same day by Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chaffee, who became one of the earliest prominent national proponents of same-sex marriage when he was a Republican senator. Chaffee, who ran as an Independent in 2010 and changed his party affiliation to Democrat in late May, made marriage equality a priority in his campaign. The governor attended the couple’s wedding, which was officiated by House Speaker Gordon Fox, who is openly gay. “It’s been a lot of work. It’s been a long road,” said Caparco. “It’s just an exciting day for us and the Speaker is thrilled to be officiating at our ceremony.” Even though Rhode Island legally allowed domestic partnerships in 2002, a bill to legalize gay marriage was introduced every year since 1997. “It’s still settling in. It’s a funny feeling to know that I don’t have to get out of bed tomorrow and advocate another day for gay marriage,” said Ferri to the Boston Globe. “I’ve been talking to so many people over so many years about it and trying to educate people. You know, every chance I got I was advocating for it, even if it was just in subtle ways. So, now it’s happened, it’s strange. Pinch me! It’s a really, really strange feeling.”