For same-sex couples, a patchwork of marriage laws

2010-05-09T21:15:24Z

When government forms inquire of her marital status, Isabelle Barker sometimes resorts to an asterisk and an explanatory note.

She and her wife, Cara Palladino, got married five years ago in Massachusetts. Six months later, for job reasons, they moved to

Second Federal Gay Marriage Trial Possible In DOMA Suit

2010-05-04T09:30:35Z

A second federal gay marriage trial is possible as a judge hears arguments in a DOMA challenge

A second federal gay marriage trial is possible in a Massachusetts lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA), the 1996 law that defines marriage as a heterosexual union for federal agencies ...

Recognition of Existing Same-Sex Marriages

2010-11-03T09:21:03Z

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Texas AG Greg Abbott Fears Divorce Will Lead To Gay Marriage

2010-09-01T12:12:36Z

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott argues that granting a divorce to a gay couple would lead to gay marriage

The state of Texas argued Wednesday that granting a divorce to a gay couple would lead to the state being forced to recognize gay marriage, the AP reported.

Last October, a judge ruled that two D...

Texas court hears state's appeal in gay divorce

2010-06-12T09:56:16Z

Texas court hears state's appeal of divorce granted to gay couple in Dallas

A lawyer for a Dallas man trying to divorce the man he married in Massachusetts told a Texas appeals court Wednesday that his client is entitled to a divorce because he had a valid marriage.

But the Couples who lost fight for gay marriage rights in NJ trying again

Gay couples who sued New Jersey for the right to marry once before are taking their case back to court.

Six couples plus the surviving partner from a seventh filed a motion Thursday claiming the state continues to discriminate against them even though it offers civil unions to same-sex couples.

The original suit, filed in 2002, resulted...

McCain Rival: Gay Marriage Ruling Might Lead To Bestiality

2010-03-16T08:00:58Z

Former Arizona Congressman J.D. Hayworth said Massachusetts' gay law would likely allow a man to marry a horse

Former Arizona Congressman J.D. Hayworth, who is challenging Senator John McCain in the Republican primary, said Massachusetts' gay marriage law was “dangerous” and would likely allo...

Individualism and the Death of Liberty

2010-10-25T09:30:45Z

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Mass AG: Federal Gay Marriage Law Unconstitutional

2010-04-16T07:00:34Z

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley says the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional in a challenge to the law

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley says the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional in a challenge to the law, the AP reported.

The lawsuit filed in...

Gay Rights Bills Threatened By Democratic Senate Loss

2010-06-25T18:51:37Z

Pending gay rights bills in Congress threatened by Republican Scott Brown's win in the Massachusetts Senate race

Pending gay rights bills in Congress are likely to have a difficult – if not impossible – time winning approval after Republican Scott Brown's win over Democrat

NJ gay couples: We'll fight for same-sex marriage

2010-06-25T19:05:22Z

NJ gay couples angry about Senate rejecting same-sex marriage, say they'll keep up the fight

The ceremony was going to be at their home. Along with friends and family, Marty Finkle and Mike Plake were going to invite their state lawmakers who helped them win the right to be married

On Thursday, their wedding — never scheduled but certainly an...

Gay couples blast federal Defense of Marriage Act

2010-06-25T19:45:10Z

Same-sex couples say 'no legitimate' reason for excluding them from feds marriage definition

Gay married couples suing the government over a federal law that doesn't recognize same-sex unions say there is "no legitimate or plausible" reason for having a federal definition of marriage that excludes gay couples.

The lawsuit was brought by seven gay couples and three widowers, all of whom were married in Mas...

NY assembly shelves gay marriage vote

2010-06-25T19:51:08Z

New York's state assembly on Tuesday put off a tentatively planned vote on a bill that would allow same-sex marriage, but could revisit the controversial issue next week.

"A vote did not take place. They are negotiating," a spokeswoman for the assembly's upper house, the State Senate, told AFP.

Governor David Paterson had asked Monday for the upper house to vote Tuesday on a bill allowing gay nuptials. He said after ...

NY assembly postpones gay marriage vote

2010-06-25T19:50:56Z

New York's state assembly on Tuesday put off a tentatively planned vote on a bill that would allow same-sex marriage, but could revisit the controversial issue next week.

"A vote did not take place. They are negotiating," a spokeswoman for the assembly's upper house, the State Senate, told AFP.

Governor David Paterson had asked Monday for the upper house to vote Tuesday on a bill allowing gay nuptials. He said after ...

Obama Admin: 'No Fundamental Right' For Gay Marriage Benefits

2010-04-16T09:30:13Z

Administration argues in latest DOMA filing that there is 'no fundamental right' to gay marriage benefits

In its latest filing in an ongoing federal challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the Obama administration argues there is “no fundamental right” to gay marriage benefits, the AP reported.

Massachusetts

US: Mass. can't force gay marriage benefits

2010-04-16T09:30:59Z

US rejects Mass. lawsuit in gay marriage fight, says states can't force federal benefits

States that allow gay marriage can't force the federal government to provide benefits to those couples, the Obama administration argued Friday in court papers in a lawsuit by Massachusetts.

The Justice Department is at odds with

New survey shows rising support for civil unions

2010-04-16T09:54:32Z

National survey: More support for civil unions, but majority still opposes gay marriage

An increasing majority of Americans favors allowing same-sex couples to obtain most of the same rights as married straight couples, but only 39 percent support legalization of same-sex marriage, according to a poll released Friday.

The Pew Research Center said support for civil unions has risen to 57 pe...

Texas Court To Hear Gay Divorce

2010-09-01T12:12:33Z

A Texas judge ruled Thursday that two Dallas men married in Massachusetts may divorce in the state

A Texas judge ruled Thursday that two Dallas men married in Massachusetts may divorce in the state, 'The Dallas Morning Ne...

I Said 'I Do' With My Same-Sex Partner -- But Am I Married?

2010-11-03T09:20:12Z

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Maine Anti-Gay Marriage Ad Reworks Prop. 8 Arguments

2010-04-16T10:09:38Z

Maine gay marriage foes recycle tactics used to pass Proposition 8 in California

If it's not broke, don't fix it. We guess that's the thinking behind the new anti-gay marriage ad being aired in Maine.

The new ad takes a page right out of the Proposition 8 scarebook: Gay marriage is about teaching children about being gay.

The strategy wo...

Obama's DOJ Defends Federal Gay Marriage Ban

2010-04-16T10:14:33Z

President Obama's Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that calls DOMA unconstitutional

President Obama's Department of Justice has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that calls the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, 'Obama administration asks Boston court to dismiss challenge to federal Defense of Marriage law

The Department of Justice on Friday asked a federal judge in Boston to dismiss a lawsuit that claims a federal law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman is unconstitutional...

Over The Weekend: Mass Divorce Rate Falls To Pre-WWII Levels

2010-10-22T07:37:20Z

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Gay Marriage Good for Straight Marriage

2010-10-22T07:37:13Z

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Mass. files lawsuit against federal marriage law

2010-04-16T11:28:00Z

Federal marriage law sees 1st challenge from Mass. lawsuit calling it 'discriminatory'

Massachusetts has challenged the federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, calling it "discriminatory and overreaching," and supporters say other states could follow suit.

The state, the first to legalize gay marriage, sued the U.S. government Wednesday over the Welcome to Gay Pride 2009, as divided as the nation on gay marriage

The best gauge of the temperature on gay and lesbian rights is the mood at the annual Gay Pride parade and festival. Two festivals this weekend produce contradictory readings.

In Boston, the atmosphere is absolutely exuberant as Massachusetts celebrates its fifth year of legalized gay ...

New Hampshire assembly approves gay marriage

2010-04-16T11:58:10Z

New Hampshire's legislature on Wednesday passed a bill that would make the northeastern state the sixth in the country to allow same-sex marriage.

The lower house passed the bill by a simple majority. The upper house has already passed the same draft law.

Governor John Lynch, a Democrat, must now sign or veto the bill. He has previously indic...

New England economy could see gay-marriage boost

2010-04-16T11:57:32Z

BOSTON (Reuters) - The expansion of legal gay marriage across New England could deliver an economic windfall by attracting a youthful "creative class" of workers to a region with an aging population.

In the past year, Connecticut, Vermont, Ice cream socials and wedding cakes: Five sweet years of gay marriage in Massachusetts

May 17 is on its way to becoming Marriage Equality Day.

It was on that day five years ago today that celebrations erupted in town halls across Massachusetts as the first gay and lesbian couples legally exchanged vows after the state Supreme Court ruled a gay marriage ban unconstitutional. The scenes were cheerfu...

U.S. governor seeks changes to gay-marriage bill

2010-06-25T22:22:58Z

BOSTON (Reuters) - New Hampshire's governor asked state lawmakers on Thursday to revise a gay-marriage bill to increase legal protections for religious institutions opposed to gay marriage, and promised to sign it if the new version passes the legislature.

Both chambers of the Democrat-controlled state legislature approved a bill this year to legalize same-sex...

Gay marriage passes first vote in New York state

2010-06-25T22:25:14Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York State Assembly passed a bill to legalize gay marriage on Tuesday, but the measure still faces an uphill battle in the state Senate.

The measure, introduced last month by Governor David Paterson, passed by a margin of 89 to 52 in the state's lower h...

5 years on, gay marriage debate fades in Mass.

2010-04-16T12:23:58Z

Twenty years after he met the love of his life, nearly five years after their wedding helped make history, it took a nasty bout of pneumonia for Gary Chalmers to fully appreciate the blessings of marriage.

"I was out of work for eight weeks, spent a week in the hospital," Chalmers said. "That was the first time I really felt thankful for the sense of the security we had, with Rich there, talking with the physicians, helping ...

Gay marriage effort stalls in heavily Catholic RI

2010-10-27T13:56:10Z

New England gay marriage advocates hit roadblock in heavy Catholic Rhode Island

Gay marriage could soon become the law of the land across New England — except in the heavily Roman Catholic state of Rhode Island.

A string of sudden successes for gay marriage advocates has left Rhode Island a political outlier.

Maine Fifth State To Legalize Gay Marriage

2010-04-16T12:28:33Z

Maine Governor John Baldacci has signed a gay marriage bill, making Maine the fifth state to legalize gay marriage

Maine Governor John Baldacci has signed a gay marriage bill, making Maine the fifth state to legalize gay marriage, the AP reports.

Senators held a final vote Wednesday on Senator Dennis S. D...

Maine becomes 5th state to approve gay marriage

2010-04-16T12:28:24Z

The governor of Maine on Wednesday signed a law making the northeastern US state the fifth to allow gays to marry.

Governor John Baldacci, a Democrat, signed the law after the upper chamber in the state legislature voted 21 to 13 in favor.

"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," B...

Group Posts Names Of Ark. Anti-Gay Petition Signers

2010-04-16T12:51:26Z

A Massachusetts gay rights group has posted the names of over 83,000 signers to an Arkansas anti-gay adoption petition

In a move certain to draw controversy, a Massachusetts gay rights group has posted the names of over 83,000 signers to an Arkansas anti-gay adoption and foster care petition.

KnowThyNeighbor.org says it's about responsibility.

...

Same-Sex Marriage: A Week for the History Books

2010-10-21T09:29:33Z

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Gay marriage laws in the US

2010-06-26T01:29:15Z

The status of gay marriage laws in the US

Vermont lawmakers on Tuesday voted to override the governor's veto of a bill allow gay men and lesbians to marry. Here's where things stand nationally:

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE:

Vermont's vote marked the first time a legislature enacted it into law. Last week, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that marriage couldn't be restricted to unions of a man and a w...

Washington D.C. Recognizes Gay Marriage

2010-04-16T15:36:50Z

Washington D.C. moves to recognize gay marriage

The Washington D.C. Council has approved a measure to recognize legal gay marriages performed in other states and countries, reports the 'Washington Times'.

“This is the march towards human right...

Iowa Gay Marriage Decision A Sweeping Win

2010-06-12T12:06:49Z

Iowa gay marriage decision unanimous, takes effect April 24

The seven justices on the Iowa Supreme court ruled unanimously Friday in favor of six gay and lesbian couples who had been denied a marriage license. Justices not only endorsed gay marriage, they also rejected the remedy of civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. Gay and lesbian couples can marry as early as Friday, April 24. It is a sweeping win for gay rights advocates with national implications.

Iowa court ruling transforms the gay-marriage map

2010-06-26T01:33:05Z

Iowa court ruling transforms the national map of recognition of same-sex couples

Until Friday, only states in the Northeast and bordering the Pacific had granted broad legal recognition to same-sex unions, but that changed with the Iowa Supreme Court ruling ordering that gay and lesbian couples be allowed to wed.

An updated look at the national landscape:

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE:

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Gay marriage effort shifts back to New England

2010-06-26T01:49:08Z

Gay marriage effort makes full circle back to northern New England

Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery. Neighboring New Hampshire declared its independence from England before any other colony. Maine led the way with Prohibition.<...

Dictionary Inclusion Of Gay Unions Irks Conservatives

2010-04-16T15:56:33Z

Social conservatives irked by new dictionary definition that includes gay unions

Social conservatives are pouncing on Merriam-Webster's decision to include gay unions in the definition of marriage in its dictionary.

The inclusion of a second definition of marriage recognizing gay and lesbian unions happened in 2003, a year before ...

Same-Sex Destination Wedding Boom

2010-11-02T12:59:54Z

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Both Sides Weigh In On Federal Gay Marriage Fight

2010-04-16T16:13:00Z

Conservatives and lawmakers offer initial reactions to a new federal DOMA lawsuit

Even before yesterday's announcement that gay rights activists were suing the federal government to recognize legal gay marriages, social conservatives had already begun a preemptive effort to defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Alarmed at the election of a gay-affirming president, ...

Married gays in Mass. sue US for federal benefits

2010-04-16T16:15:15Z

Gay couples in Mass. file US lawsuit seeking same health, pension benefits as straight couples

Mary Ritchie, a Massachusetts State Police trooper, has been married for almost five years and has two children. But when she files her federal income tax return, she's not allowed to check the "married filing jointly" box.

That's because Ritchie and her spouse, Lesbian couple who championed fight for gay marriage rights in Massachusetts files for divorce

A lesbian couple who led the fight for gay marriage in Massachusetts has filed for divorce. Julie and Hillary Goodridge were among seven gay couples who filed a lawsuit that led to a court ruling making Massachusetts the first state to legalize same...

FACTBOX-U.S. laws on gay marriage, civil unions

2010-10-21T09:45:32Z

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California voters approve gay-marriage ban

2010-04-16T14:57:09Z

California voters approve gay-marriage ban; Abortion bans defeated in South Dakota, Colorado

Voters put a stop to same-sex marriage in California, dealing a crushing defeat to gay-rights activists in a state they hoped would be a vanguard and putting in doubt as many as 18,000 same-sex marriages conducted since a court ruling made them legal this year.

Conn. high court rules gay couples can marry

2010-04-16T16:43:38Z

Connecticut Supreme Court rules that gay and lesbian couples have right to marry

Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay couples have the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions....

Swislow: 'Good Luck' Gay Republicans

2010-04-16T16:57:46Z

Interview: Lee Swislow on gay marriage and gay Republicans

The hope of finding real marriage equality in the United States for gay couples in 2003 looked rather grim. After significant court loses in several states, including Hawaii, and with the 1996 Clinton-approved

Gay Entertainment Report: The Battle For Gay Marriage

2010-04-16T13:17:04Z

'Saving Marriage' documents the fight for gay marriage in Massachusetts

Before Del Martin and Phillis Lyon became the first gay couple to marry in California and Ellen DeGeneres and P...

The Gay Slant: Gay Marriage In Mass.

2010-06-26T02:03:32Z

This week: Massachusetts wants your gay dollar, UN's AIDS stabilization a misnomer, and bears on Logo ? Oh my!

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The big gay and lesbian news for the week came from the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Gay marriage has been legal in the state since 2004, but as of Thursday out-of-state couples may also wed there.

Massachuse...

Massachusetts lets out-of-state gay couples marry

2010-06-26T02:06:37Z

Mass. repeals 1913 law that had blocked out-of-state gay couples from marrying there

Joy Spring and Carla Barbano spent the day before their wedding the way many brides do: relaxing and primping at a spa. But unlike most, their wedding day had to wait until Gov. Deval Patrick signed a bill Thursday that repealed a 1913 law that had blocked gay cou...

Massachusetts opens door as gay wedding destination

2010-06-26T02:07:17Z

Massachusetts on Thursday opened the door for gay couples from across the country to marry in the northeastern state.

Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill with immediate effect allowing homosexual non-residents to tie the knot there, circumventing bans in their own states.

"Today, by repealing a nearly century old law, we affirm the right of same-sex couples from out-of-state to marry in

Forecast: Sex and Marriage with Robots by 2050

2010-10-25T20:51:08Z

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Gay Divorce in the United States

2010-10-23T09:50:02Z

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Same-Sex Marriage: Garden State’s Highest Court Approves Rights for Gay Couples

2010-09-10T15:45:25Z

The New Jersey Supreme Court made news yesterday when it handed down a significant ruling in the ongoing debate over same-sex marriage. While the court’s 4-3 decision moved New Jersey closer to the handful of states that legalize same-sex unions, a recent Rasmussen Reports

Traditional Views of Marriage Tops in Voters Minds

2010-09-10T15:36:51Z

Look up the word marriage in The American Heritage Dictionary and the first entry reads “the legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife.” Read a little further and the following definition is found: “a union between two persons having the customary but usually not the legal force of marriage.”

While the dictionary can’t provide a definitive explanation of marriage, 68% of Likely Voters take the traditional approach and define marriage as ...

Lesbian couple seeks R.I. divorce

2010-09-10T02:58:03Z

Lesbian Couple Asks Rhode Island's Highest Court to Permit a Divorce

A lesbian couple married in Massachusetts should have the same right as heterosexual couples to divorce in their home state of Rhode Island, lawyers for the women told the state's highest court Tuesday.

Cassandra Ormiston and Gay Marriage Supporters Find Courtrooms Studded With Obstacles Since Massachusetts

When bells rang in 2004 to celebrate the nation's first gay marriages in Massachusetts, opponents warned that liberal courts were moving to permit gay marriage around the nation.

Three years later, despite attempts in many states, the nation's highest courts haven't followed Massachusetts' lead. Last week, Gay Couples From New Mexico Can Marry in Massachusetts, State Official Says

Gay couples from New Mexico can marry in Massachusetts because their home state has not explicitly banned same-sex marriage, Massachusetts officials say.

New Mexico joins Rhode Island as the only states whose gay residen...

Gay-rights groups buoyed by recent gains

2010-09-09T02:55:43Z

Gay-Rights Groups Heartened by Political Gains in the States

The latest twists in the gay marriage debate create an oddly divided America, with only its Northeast corner and Pacific Coast recognizing same-sex unions. But gay-rights leaders are encouraged by progress on other parts of their agenda across the nation's heartland.

Three more states _ Oregon,

Next battle ready for Mass. gay marriage

2010-09-09T02:36:46Z

Gay Marriage Backers Set Sights on Letting Out-Of-State Couples Marry in Mass.

Fresh off the success of defending gay marriage from its latest attack, advocates say they have one more fight in Massachusetts: Repealing a 1913 law that bars same-sex couples in most other states from coming here to get married.

Some say the law _ which says couples cannot be married here unless their unions would be lega...

Mass. keeps gay marriage ban from voters

2010-09-09T02:23:22Z

Mass. Lawmakers Vote to Block Hay Marriage Ban From Reaching Voters in 2008

Massachusetts lawmakers on Thursday blocked a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage from reaching voters, a stunning victory for gay marriage advocates and a devastating blow to efforts to reverse a historic 2003 court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

The narrow 45-151 vote means Massachusetts remains the ...

Massachusetts TCU Basketball

2010-11-22T21:01:36Z

Massachusetts' Terrell Vinson and TCU's Nikola Cerina battle for a rebound in the second half of a men's NCAA college basketball game during the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament in Massachusetts' Sampson Carter drives along baseline against New Mexico State's Hernst Laroche,left, and Gordo Castillo in the second half of a men's New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies sends a signal to his team in the second half of a men's NCAA college basketball game against Massachusetts during the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournamen...

UMass James Madison Football

2010-10-30T18:31:37Z

James Madison's Jamal Sullivan, right, dives into the end zone through Massachusetts defenders James Carven, left, and Vidal Nelson during the second quarter of an Massachusetts Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker arrives for a news conference at the Bleacher Bar in Boston, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)