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Comment by Derwin Sherwood on May 3, 2013 at 11:06am Rhode Island Legalizes Marriage Equality
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Rhode Island has become the 10th state to legalize marriage for LGBT couples. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed a marriage equality bill into law Thursday following its passage in the state House. State Rep. Frank Ferri, a longtime advocate of same-sex marriage, spoke shortly before the vote was held.
Frank Ferri: "Thank you governor, thank you speaker. Rhode Island is open for equality. I recommend we pass this bill."
The new Rhode Island law takes effect August 1. Delaware is the next state expected to approve marriage equality when lawmakers take it up next week.
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/3/headlines
Comment by Derwin Sherwood on April 25, 2013 at 8:21pm Rhode Island Poised to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
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The Rhode Island state Senate has approved a measure that would legalize marriage for same-sex couples. The state House is expected to pass the measure as soon as next week. Rhode Island would become the 10th state to legalize marriage equality.
Comment by Derwin Sherwood on April 1, 2013 at 9:32pm Gay marriage in U.S. Supreme Court: Justices as split as rest of the country on same-sex marriage rights
By Howard Mintz / Mercury News
Posted: 04/01/2013 06:47:55 AM MDT
WASHINGTON — As the U.S. Supreme Court last week weighed its many options in deciding the historic legal battle over gay marriage, the justices repeatedly revealed they are as divided as the rest of the country on when — and whether — to end the furor and give gay and lesbian couples the right to clutch a marriage license.
Through their rapid-fire questioning, most of the justices sprinkled tantalizing clues on where they stand on gay marriage. These ranged from the obvious, such as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's remark that the federal ban on same-sex marriage benefits amounts to "skim milk marriage" for legally married gay spouses, to the elusive — notably the remarks of Justice Anthony Kennedy, the closely watched swing vote who hinted at concerns on both sides of the issue.
So what does that mean to the fate of Proposition 8, California's voter-approved gay marriage ban, and the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denies benefits to same-sex couples? The court must decide the two cases by the end of its term in June.
read the full story at: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_22911953/gay-marriage-...
Comment by Derwin Sherwood on March 29, 2013 at 1:10pm Supreme Court Justices Appear Skeptical of Defense of Marriage Act
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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday about the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples. During the proceedings, a majority of the justices seemed ready to consider striking down the law. The case before the court involves Edie Windsor, a woman who had to pay $363,000 in estate taxes when her wife, Thea Spyer, died in 2009, because the federal government did not recognize their legal marriage. Edie Windsor spoke outside the court on Wednesday.
Edie Windsor: "Today is like a spectacular event for me. I mean, it’s a lifetime kind of event. And I know that the spirit of my late spouse, Thea Spyer, OK, is right here watching and listening and would be very proud and happy of where we’ve come to. Thank you all."
Comment by Derwin Sherwood on March 27, 2013 at 3:45pm Supreme Court Takes Up Historic Same-Sex Marriage Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today in the first of two historic cases that could determine the future of same-sex marriage. Today the court will take up California’s same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8, and consider whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to get married. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear a second case that challenges the Defense of Marriage Act, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, which denies federal benefits to married same-sex couples.
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/3/26/headlines
Supreme Court Weighs Same-Sex Marriage for 2nd Day
The U.S. Supreme Court is confronting the issue of same-sex marriage for a second day in a row today. Justices will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act that denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples. On Tuesday, the justices considered the legality of California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. Remarks from the justices suggested they are wary of endorsing a broad right for same-sex couples to marry, despite what many marriage equality advocates had hoped.
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/3/27/headlines
Comment by Derwin Sherwood on August 13, 2012 at 3:19pm Brigadier General Tammy Smith has become the first openly gay officer of flag rank in the United States military. On Friday, Smith came out when she had her wife pin her star to her uniform during a promotion ceremony.
Comment by Derwin Sherwood on August 1, 2012 at 2:28pm Supporters of California’s same-sex marriage ban have asked the Supreme Court to reverse a federal appeals court decision that declared the ban unconstitutional. California outlawed same-sex marriage in 2008 when voters passed the ban known as Proposition 8. A three-judge panel struck down the measure earlier this year, ruling that Prop 8 "serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California." The request to the Supreme Court means the four-year battle over Prop 8 will likely be resolved this year.
Comment by Derwin Sherwood on July 31, 2012 at 2:41pm Democrats appear poised to adopt same-sex marriage as part of their convention platform, becoming the first major party to do so. The Democratic Party drafting committee reportedly voted unanimously over the weekend to approve language endorsing same-sex marriage. The addition now faces a vote before the entire platform committee in two weeks, then another vote by convention delegates in Charlotte, North Carolina, in September. The move comes after President Obama became the first sitting president to declare his support for same-sex marriage in May.
Comment by Derwin Sherwood on July 25, 2012 at 2:04am Sally Ride, the first female U.S. astronaut in space, has died at the age of 61. Ride made history as a part of the crew aboard the "Challenger" space flight in 1983. She returned to space for another mission a year later. In a statement announcing her death, Ride’s foundation confirmed for the first time she was a lesbian with a longtime female partner of 27 years. Ride’s sister, Bear Ride, said: "I hope it makes it easier for kids growing up gay that they know that another one of their heroes was like them."
Comment by Derwin Sherwood on June 1, 2012 at 11:51am A federal appeals court has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act — known as DOMA — for discriminating against same sex-couples. The unanimous decision found the federal government does not have the authority to deny benefits to same-sex couples in states such as Massachusetts, which has approved gay marriage. The ruling is expected to be appealed and ultimately end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. In a statement, the marriage equality group Freedom to Marry said: "[This] decision ... is a powerful affirmation that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is an unconstitutional and unjust law whose days are numbered."
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