The New York Court of Appeals has ruled that the state does not have to recognize same-sex marriages as a constitutional issue, and such law should be left to the legislature. However, in part of the ruling, the issue of comity is discussed (that is, recognition of marriages outside the jurisdiction).
The other side in our case has already filed for a dismissal of the case.
Click on the title of this post for the news article.
More later.
This is America, right? Where we have freedom of speech (no matter how woefully ignorant that speech may be sometimes) and the ability to think freely?
(Salt Lake City, Utah) A conservative political action group that regularly fights LGBT issues has asked Utah's Attorney General to investigate a suburban school for allowing a student to publish two pro-gay articles in a student newspaper.
On Nov. 17, when a Gay-Straight Alliance formed at Lone Peak High School in Highland, about 25 miles from Salt Lake City, the student run newspaper, The Crusader, ran two news stories on the GSA - one pro, one con.
The story supporting the organization was written by student Sarah Brimhall. The article opposing it was penned by Elsie Graham, the daughter of Stephen Graham, president of the Standard of Liberty Foundation.
Then on May 15, Brimhall wrote an article on human papilloma virus for the paper. Human papilloma virus can be spread by sexual contact.
In her opinion piece she wrote that teaching abstinence is not enough to prevent the spread of HPV.
"The promotion of abstinence is placed above the prevention of a disease that claims thousands of lives each year,'' she wrote.
Graham and his group say the two stories by Brimhall violate a Utah law that prohibits schools from allowing any activity that results in students revealing information concerning their sexual behavior, orientation or attitudes and a law that requires schools stress abstinence and not advocate homosexuality or sexual activity outside of marriage.
"Sex activists are targeting kids,'' Graham told the Associated Press. "They know that high school newspapers can be highly effective carriers of anti-parent, pro-sex propaganda. School administrators are either complicit or clueless.''
Principal Chip Koop defends the student articles.
"We've had the Alpine School District advise us on where lines are and what we need to be careful about, so we try to do our best to do that, and at the same time allow students some freedom to investigate topics that are important to them,'' he told the AP.
Graham also has asked the the state Office of Education to investigate.
Carol Lear, director of school law and legislation at the state Office of Education, said she does not plan to investigate the articles. There has been no response from the Attorney General's office.
“As you all know, I don't believe in discriminating against anybody, but when it comes to traditional marriage, I draw the line.” – Sen. Orrin Hatch
Am I incorrect in interpreting, based on this exact quote, that Mr. Hatch DOES believe in discriminating when it comes to homosexuals being allowed to marry? He supports discrimination?
Who in their right mind would want a lawmaker representing them that supports discrimination against ANYONE for ANY reason?
The HRC has an excellent advertisement against the Federal Marriage Amendment. Check it out here.
June 5th is when the Amendment comes up for vote in the Senate. If you oppose this amendment, call your senator, write your senator, bombard your senator with your wish that they vote "No" on this discriminatory amendment.
Let's get America back from the radical right and the religious nut-jobs like Falwell, Swaggart, Santorum, Hatch, Robertson, and Dobson.
Remind your senator that the war in Iraq continues to drain our resources. Remind your senator that while we are getting gouged for gas, the oil companies are making billions of dollars in profits. Remind your senator that there is a health care crisis in this country. Remind your senator that there are critical services that are being lost in budget cuts because of the enormous expenditures of government at higher levels. Tell them THAT is more important than worrying about who's doing who and how.
(Washington) New polls show that using same-sex marriage as a wedge issue may not work for Republicans in this fall's mid term election.
A Peter D. Hart poll shows that a proposed amendment to ban same-sex marriage is at the bottom of voter concerns. Surveys taken for the major networks show that immigration reform and rising gas prices are key concerns.
Only conservative religious groups seem focused on the proposed amendment - and they are threatening to desert the GOP for not passing the measure.
The Hart survey, taken for the Human Rights Campaign last month, before immigration reform and gas prices hit the headlines, and released Friday shows that only 18 percent of perspective voters felt the marriage issue should be a priority for Congress.
The poll showed that the top concerns were affordable health care (55 percent), dealing with Iraq (55 percent), passing new ethics/lobbying laws (25 percent) and passing an amendment banning flag burning (20 percent).
"The Federal Marriage Amendment consistently ranks dead last on a list of voters priorities but that won't stop Congress from using this discriminatory amendment as a political ploy going into the elections," Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign spokesperson told 365Gay.com.
"It's critical that fair-minded voters speak out," said Brown. "Our polling shows that when voters move on these issues, it's toward fairness, not away from it. It's critical to make that point clear to Congress."
Opposition to the proposed amendment was strongest among Democrats. Sixty-one percent of respondents who identified as Democrats oppose the amendment, while 49 percent of independents and 20 percent of Republicans oppose it.
Despite calls for the amendment by Catholic Church leaders a majority of Catholic voters say states should make their own marriage laws - 53 - 37 percent.
The Hart poll also found growing support for some form of legal recognition for same-sex couples with 25 percent supporting marriage, 40 percent for civil unions and 33 percent believing there should be no legal recognition.
