Gay Marriage

[UPDATE]: Prop 8 and DOMA Head To The Supreme Court

By John Surico Fri., Dec. 7 2012 at 5:53 PM
Categories: "Politics", Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, John Surico, Supreme Court
same-sex marriage.jpeg
UPDATE: According to the New York Times, the Supreme Court agreed this afternoon to decide on the constitutionality of the Proposition 8 appeal and the Defense of Marriage Act.

It is, arguably, the most significant social battle in America's courts since Roe v. Wade or even Brown v. the Board of Education. It is an issue that is being fought in every state (as of the most recent Election Day, nine approve; 31 disapprove) and a situation that the White House has staked out its territory in. And it is a landmark case that is about to hit its flashpoint.

When Proposition 8's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was approved in California four years ago, civil rights lawyers slowly began the appeals process, and it was really only a matter of time until the case made its way up to the Supreme Court. 

On Friday, the nine justices met to discuss the future of this important legal provision; in other words, whether to hear the case. But the group left the conference silent, with no word on the impending same-sex marriage courtroom showdown. However, the Supreme Court will reconvene today and the week after, which will be its last private meeting until the middle of January. Around this time last year, the court made the decision to hear the health care reform law arguments, leading to the decision that defined the court in 2011. 

Now, once again, it is faced with a pressure just as grand in size; the speculation on what will happen begins.

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legal, Same-sex marriage, supreme court
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Gay Rights

Religious Group Tries to Knock NY's Same-Sex Marriage Law and Fails . . . Again

By John Surico Wed., Oct. 24 2012 at 8:30 AM
Categories: Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, John Surico, Legal
samesexmarriage.jpeg
Over the summer, we reported on this little evangelical group from Spencerport, New York, called the New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedom. The organization stands on that ever-tipsy fence between religion and politics; its website's mantra states that "as a Christian ministry, NYCF exists to influence legislation and legislators for the Lord Jesus Christ." And a main part of this "influence" application is directed toward New York's Marriage Equality Act (read: dismantling it).

In July, the group's lawsuit, which is based around the argument that the law was illegally created behind closed doors, was rejected by the New York state appeals court in Livingston County. The decision reaffirmed the rights of homosexuals to get married and sent the evangelicals packing. Except, at the end of the article, we mentioned that the group "might try to take another wack at the law by taking the case to the next (and final) level of appeals, the New York State Court of Appeals. But a unanimous decision at this stage in an omen for the group's legal future."

Guess they didn't take our advice.
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Cuomo, lawsuit, legal, Same-sex marriage
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Gay Marriage

DOMA Unconstitutional, Rules New York Appeals Court. But It's Not Dead -- Yet.

By James King Thu., Oct. 18 2012 at 1:29 PM
Categories: Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Gayz
domacon.jpg
www.theimmoralminority.com

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York ruled today that parts of the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) are unconstitutional because they discriminate against same-sex couples.

But don't get your hopes up just yet -- the issue of DOMA's constitutionality will likely be decided by the Supreme Court, so today's ruling is more symbolic than anything else.

(Read the court's full ruling below).


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Gayz

Upstate Farm Refuses to Host Lesbian Wedding

By James King Thu., Oct. 18 2012 at 12:28 PM
Categories: Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Gay-bashing, Gayz
lesbianweddingban.jpg
www.wnyt.com
Melisa Erwin and fiancee Jenny McCarthy
Gay people in New York have had the right to get married for more than a year. Bigots have had the right to be fear-mongering assholes since the drafting of the U.S. Constitution -- but do they have the right to decide to not host a wedding because the two people getting married happen to be lesbians?

That's what a court will be forced to decide in what will be a precedent-setting decision after two women filed a discrimination claim against an upstate farm that is refusing to let them tie the knot on its property because they're lesbians.

The couple -- Melisa Erwin and Jenny McCarthy -- decided earlier this year to tie the knot. When they started searching for venues -- Google searching the words "barn wedding Albany" -- they discovered Liberty Ridge Farm in Schaghticoke, which is just north of Albany.

When they called the farm to book a date, however, they were told they couldn't get married there. The reason: They're lesbians.

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Gay Rights

Two Gay-Friendly GOPers In Primary Trouble; Homophobes Claim Victory

By James King Fri., Sep. 14 2012 at 9:20 AM
Categories: Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Gayz
elephantrainbow.jpg

We're sad to report that two of the four Republican state lawmakers who voted in favor last year of Governor Andrew Cuomo's gay marriage bill might not be headed back to Albany following yesterday's primary -- and "traditional marriage" advocates see this as a big victory.

When the Legislature passed the gay marriage bill, it needed the support of at least some Republicans in the Senate. It found that support in Senators Jim Alesi, Roy McDonald, Steve Saland and Mark Grisanti. Because of their votes to give gay people the right to tie the knot, they became targets for more Conservative members of the Republican Party -- and two of them are awaiting absentee ballots to determine who won their primaries.


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gay marriage, Jim Alesi, Mark Grisanti, primaries, Roy McDonald, Steve Saland
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Chik-Fil-A

Q&A With Hillary Dworkoski, NYU's Anti-Chick-fil-A Provocateur

By John Surico Sat., Aug. 11 2012 at 9:00 AM
Categories: Make It Stop, Chik-Fil-A, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, John Surico
hillary.jpeg
nytimes.com
Hillary Dworkoski, seen right, outside of NYU's Chick-fil-A location.
When Hillary Dworkoski traveled from her home state of California to the bustling Big Apple for her first semester at New York University last year, she had never heard about chicken sandwiches and waffle fries. 'Chick-fil-A' was not in her vocabulary; neither was 'civic activism' or 'Dan Cathy.' She was an unknowing freshman in the Gallantin School for Individualized Studies, enjoying the wonders of living in New York along with the rest of NYU's Class of 2015. 

Fast forward a few months. Hillary begins passing around a petition on change.org that calls for the end to Chick-fil-A's existence on the NYU campus. Somehow, the young freshman has found herself, along with a handful of other students, leading a University-wide protest against the organization for their reported donations to groups that opposed same-sex marriages. 

But, after a Student Senate vote abstained the University from getting involved, the protests dulled for some time. Until the rest of the country began catching up with the protestors: with Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum standing behind President Dan Cathy's statements in defense of 'traditional marriage,' lines are being drawn on both the city and national level over the fast food establishment that is only closed on the Sabbath. 

Although she is transferring to Los Angeles's Loyola Marymount University this fall, Hillary is taking the fight back home with her. As we speak, the sophomore is busy organizing a protest at a Chick-fil-A spot in West Hollywood; one that was overtaken by LGBT activists on the designated 'National Kiss-In Day' last week. In her mind, this has only just begun. 

The Voice spoke with Ms. Dworkoski to ask what's next.
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activism, chick-fil-a, gay rights, nyu
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Gay Marriage

Chick-Fil-A Flap: Brooklyn Republican Invites Homophobic Chicken Peddler Dan Cathy To Open Restaurant

By James King Tue., Aug. 7 2012 at 10:49 AM
Categories: Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Gay-bashing, Gayz
gallo.jpg
Assembly wannabe Russell Gallo really wants a chicken sandwich.
Not everyone's in a huff over the anti-gay comments made by homophobic chicken peddler/Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy. Take GOP Assembly hopeful Russell Gallo, for example, who has now invited Cathy to open a restaurant smack-dab in the middle of Brooklyn.

Gallo wrote a letter to Cathy yesterday apologizing for comments made by mayoral hopeful/City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who urged Cathy to stay the hell out of New York City because his views on gay marriage don't jibe with the vast majority of Gothamites.

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Make It Stop

Christine Quinn Tells Chick-Fil-A to Get Out of NYC

By John Surico Sun., Jul. 29 2012 at 11:32 AM
Categories: Make It Stop, Bloomberg, Christine Quinn, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Gay-bashing, John Surico
chicfila.jpeg
Yesterday, we reported on the Chick-fil-A controversy that has been brewing across the country. Well, it looks like this story's heating up a bit.

As the mayors of Boston, Chicago and San Fran all demanded for the organization to get the hell out of Dodge, our urban boss, Mr. Michael R. Bloomberg, took the side of the fast-food chain that echoes its $2 million worth of donations to anti-same-sex-marriage groups. He argued that the government has no right to tell a business what to believe or interfere with its enterprise based on ideological judgment.

Enter City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. The future mayoral candidate drew her line of opposition to the chicken sandwich purveyor, stating, "Chick-fil-A is not welcome in New York City as long as the company's president welcomes continues to uphold and promote his discriminatory views."

She is referring to President Dan Cathy's remarks on his defense the 'biblical definition of marriage' and how America should stop questioning God - these statements were mentioned in yesterday's piece as well. For Ms. Quinn, the 'biblical definition of marriage' is a far cry from reality, especially since she recently wed her longtime partner, Kim M. Catullo. 

And, with that, she has started her campaign to boot this organization from NYC's restaurant ranks.
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bloomberg, chick-fil-a, Quinn
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Gay Marriage

Kirk Cameron Would Prefer To Remain An Ignorant Homophobe Than Meet With Gay NJ Teen

By James King Fri., Jul. 27 2012 at 12:29 PM
Categories: Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Gay-bashing, Gayz
cameronseaver.jpg
www.funnyordie.com
Mike Seaver's not the only one...
Former "Growing Pains" star Kirk Cameron's douchebaggery apparently knows no bounds -- after saying in March that homosexuality was "unnatural and destructive," he has now declined an invitation from a gay New Jersey teen who wanted to sit down with the former "Mike Seaver" and politely explain that loving a fellow dude would not bring on the apocalypse.

Cameron currently is on a 35-stop "mass marriage-counseling" tour to let the world know how incredibly fucking awesome he is because he managed to find a bride. The tour will make a stop in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, tonight, where the co-chair of the Youth Caucus at Garden State Equality, the state's organization for LGBT civil rights, offered to meet with Cameron to discuss gay marriage -- which Cameron strongly (read: obnoxiously) opposes.

In an email sent to Cameron's manager, 17-year-old Corey Bernstein explained that he was brutally bullied for being gay, and offered to take the former child star out to lunch with other members of Ocean Grove's LGBT communities.  

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gay marriage, gay rights, homosexuality, kirk cameron, marriage, new jersey
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Gay Marriage

Rep. Barney Frank Breaks Down the Same-Sex Marriage Barrier in Congress

By John Surico Sun., Jul. 8 2012 at 11:00 AM
Categories: "Politics", Congress, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, John Surico
barneyfrank.jpeg
In 1981, as the booming gay culture was being hit with the AIDS epidemic and a rising conservative culture in Washington, Barney Frank, a young Democrat from Massachusetts, entered Congress. Six years later, he became the first elected official on the Hill to voluntarily tell the public about his homosexuality. His statement shook the Moral Majority at the time and laid the path for more Representatives to announce that they would work on behalf of the American people and out of the closet.

But yesterday, Frank commandeered another major victory for Congressional gay politics: in Newton, Massachusetts - the first state in the nation to allow homosexual couples to grow old with each other - the now 72-year-old elected official became the first member of the legislative chambers to enter into a same-sex marriage with his long-term partner and Massachusetts shop-owner, Jim Ready. 

In a close-knit ceremony, officiated by Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick, the bridegrooms tied the knot on their 7-year-long relationship, which started back in 2005, when Frank met Ready at a political fundraiser. Although it was small, the attendees were federally star-studded: House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, Represenatative Dennis Kucinich and Senators John Kerry and Steny H. Hoyer were all in attendance.

Although Barney is out of Congress in November due to his decision to not seek re-election after being in there for over 25 years, the gay rights achievement signifies a same-sex marriage domino effect across Washington that will not end at Congress's doorstep.

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barney frank, congress, Same-sex marriage
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