Movement toward same-sex marriage (SSM), LGBT equality etc.

2013-JUL: Accelerating steps towards
same-sex marriage (SSM), LGBT equality etc.

Sponsored link.

We use the acronym "SSM" throughout this section to represent "same-sex marriage"
We use the acronym "LGBT" to refer to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender persons
and transsexuals. The acronym "LGB" refers to lesbians, gays, and bisexuals.

See also the previous essay describing events during 2013-JUN

• 2013-JUL-01: Delaware: Loving, committed same-sex couples in the "First State" became able to marry today. Other states will achieve marriage equality on AUG-01.
  
  
• 2013-JUL-02: New Mexico: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico, ACLU national, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Albuquerque law firm Sutin, Thayer & Brown PC, and Albuquerque attorneys Maureen Sanders, Kate Girard, and Lynn Perls filed a writ of mandamus with the New Mexico State Supreme Court. This is a request that the court issue a ruling on whether same-sex couples can marry in New Mexico. The state constitution seems to indicate that they can, while various state marriage laws imply that spouses must be of opposite genders. They court does not have to respond to such a writ. More details
  
  
• 2013-JUL-03: New Jersey: Garden State Equality, a coalition of marriage equality groups in New Jersey have filed a request with the Mercer County Superior Court that same-sex marriages be immediately allowed in the state. More details
  
  
• 2013-JUL-09: Pennsylvania: A coalition of groups including the American Civil Liberties Union - Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit in District Court seeking same-sex marriage in the state and state recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized in other countries and U.S. states. There are 21 apparently lesbian and gay plaintiffs. More details.
  
  
• 2013-JUL-15: UK: In its third reading, the House of Lords approved the same-sex marriage bill without an actual vote. It will effect England and Wales. The House of Lord's version of the bill differs slightly from the previously passed House of Common's bill, so the former had to return to the House of Commons for a final vote. Meanwhile, the Scottish Parliament is processing a separate SSM bill. More details
  
  
• 2013-JUL-16: UK: The House of Commons passed the House of Lord's version of the same-sex marriage bill only one day after they received it. Many were surprised with the rapidity of their action. Queen Elizabeth II gave Royal Assent to the bill on JUL-17, converting it into law. The first same-sex marriage are expected during 2014-Summer. Meanwhile, both Australia and Scotland are actively considering legalizing SSM. If they make SSMs available that would leave only Northern Ireland and about 35 states in the U.S. among all the predominately English-speaking areas of the world that will not yet have attained marriage equality.
  
  
• 2013-JUL-18: MA: The House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) has invested $3 million in a fruitless effort to protect the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) against various constitutional challenges. Following the JUN-26 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court which declared DOMA's main section unconstitutional, BLAG has withdrawn from defending DOMA in a Massachusetts legal case. It is McLaughlin v. Panetta in which married lesbian and gay service members are challenging the constitutionality of DOMA and seeking equality.
  
  BLAG lawyers wrote:

  "The Supreme Court recently resolved the issue of DOMA Section 3’s constitutionality. The Windsor decision necessarily resolves the issue of DOMA Section 3’s constitutionality in this case."

BLAG has also stated that it will also no longer defend Title 38, a statute that is similar to DOMA. ₂

• 2013-JUL-19: CA: San Diego County Clerk, Ernest J. Dronenburg Jr., believes that Judge Walker's decision in District Court that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, is only valid for Alameda and Los Angeles counties where the two plaintiff couples lived. That is, it did not apply to San Diego County where his office provides marriage licenses, and is also not valid for the other 55 counties in California. He petitioned the California Supreme Court, asking that the court order Governor Jerry Brown, Attorney General Kamala Harris, and other senior state officials to halt same-sex marriages across the entire state. He also asked the court to clarify whether county clerks like himself -- who are elected by local voters -- are independent of state officials or governed by them. The Court rejected his petition on JUL-23. More details.
  
  
• 2013-JUL-23: OH: A couple, John Arthur, 47 and Jim Obergefell, married in Maryland, married, returned to their home in Ohio, and launched a lawsuit to have their marriage recognized there. Ohio voters have passed an amendment to their state constitution banning same-sex marriages -- both solemnized within the state and in other locations. They received a temporary injunction recognizing their marriage from federal District Court. More details.
  
  
• 2013-JUL-30: KY: An interesting legal conflict involves a couple, Bobby Jo Clary and Geneva Case -- who were married in Virginia. They live in Kentucky where Case is accused of killing a man, George Murphy, who had allegedly just raped her. Married spouses are not required to testify against each other in court. Clary and Case's relationship is recognized in Vermont, 12 other states, and the District of Columbia as a marriage. But in Kentucky it is only recognized as a civil union. Referring to the JUN-26 decision by the Supreme Court in the Windsor v. United States which found section 2 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, Clary's attorney said:

  "The United States Supreme Court has spoken that equal protection does protect gay and lesbian couples. The Defense of Marriage Act opinion that was offered earlier this summer is binding on this court.

• 2013-AUG-01 at about 12:01 AM: MN: The new marriage law in Minnesota became effective. The first same-sex couples to be married were Margaret Miles to Cathy ten Broeke, and Jeff Isaacson to Al Giraud. Officiating was Mayor R.T. Rybak at the Minneapolis City Hall. Over the next 6 hours or so, Mayor Rybak married 40 additional same-sex couples at the rate of about one each 9 minutes. State officials estimate that about 4,000 same-sex couples will marry during the next year.
  
  
• 2013-AUG-01: RI: When government offices opened at 08:30. same-sex couples started picking up their marriage licenses for the first time. The first at Newport, RI, were Federico Santi and John Gacher who have been together for 41 years. They married immediately after receiving their license. More details.

  Sen. Donna Nesselbush, sponsored the same-sex bill and is the only openly lesbian state senator. She planned to be at Pawtucket City Hall to greet the couples. She said:

  "As the only openly gay [Rhode Island state] senator and as the prime sponsor of the bill in the Senate, [Thursday] is a day that I wish to remember both professionally and personally." ₃

See events during 2013-AUG

Related essay:

• Impact of the Supreme Court's DOMA ruling and the subsequent flood of lawsuits it influenced and triggered

References used:

The following information source was used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlink is not necessarily still active today.

1. Eric Cameron, "Marriage Equality Law Takes Effect in Delaware," Human Rights Campaign, 2013-JUL-01, at: http://www.hrc.org/
2. Aaron Blake, "House GOP lawyers withdraw from gay marriage case." The Washington Post, 2013-JUL-18, at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

How you got here:

Copyright © 2013 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
First posted: 2013-JUL-03
Latest update: 2013-AUG-01
Author: B.A. Robinson

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