Articles tagged with: marriage equality
When a saint backslides….
When former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer announced he might run for President in 2012, Caleb was encouraged and intrigued. But that didn’t last long — especially after reading what Roemer had to say about marriage equality and DOMA.
More Americans support than oppose same-sex marriage
For the first time, more Americans support than oppose same-sex marriage, according to the 2010 General Social Survey.
Alaska is 13th state to join anti-marriage appeal
A dozen states joined marriage opponents in their desperate appeal of the federal court decision that declared California’s Prop 8 unconstitutional, even though Gov. Schwarzenegger supports the ruling and the opponents may not have legal standing to appeal. Now Alaska has become the 13th state to join the appeal. From Alaska Dispatch:
According to the Catholic News Agency (via the Anchorage archdiocese’s Catholic Anchor), Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan has submitted a brief, joining Alaska with 12 other states, in support of California’s Proposition 8. The measure, which is currently the subject of litigation in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, would formally define marriage in the state [of California] as a union between one man and one woman. Read much more, here. At first, Alaska Beat was surprised we hadn’t seen a press release from the Department of Law about this filing, but then we realized the measure doesn’t seek to define marriage as a union between one beluga whale and one Steller sea lion.
When the states originally joined the appeal, only 9 states were listed and I was relieved that Alaska was not one of them. But that was before the primary election. Now Gov. Sean Parnell is facing Ethan Berkowitz in the general election and he wants the far right behind him. Cue the Attorney General to join the appeal.
Parnell visited the anti-gay Focus on the Family this summer, and billed the state of Alaska for his travel expenses to their Colorado headquarters. Did Focus support Parnell’s campaign in exchange for promises to push an anti-gay agenda, like joining the Prop 8 lawsuit? What other anti-gay actions will he pursue if elected?
Vote for Berkowitz & Benson for Governor & Lt. Governor!
Juneau student says same-sex marriage should be legal
An 8th grader in Juneau wrote a great essay in support of same-sex marriage and it was published in the Capital City Weekly:
There is no good reason to ban gay marriage
by Madeleina Ellingson-van Sickle, Floyd Dryden Student
Ten percent of America is gay. That’s 1 in 10. Chances are that’s someone you know or someone you come in contact with every day. Why should they be given different rights just because of their sexual orientation? They shouldn’t. Gay marriage should be legal in all 50 states.
The government shouldn’t tell people how to live their lives. Right now, only two states allow gay marriage: Connecticut and Massachusetts. For a short time California allowed gay marriage, but then the people overturned the decision and it is no longer allowed. The problem is, only a small percentage of our country’s population live in those states. What about the millions of others who are gay and love each other? Many people say they should just get a domestic partnership (which is similar in some ways to marriage, except for the 1,138 other rights that married couples have), but still 19 states don’t allow that either. As George Sand, a famous French novelist once said, “There is one happiness in life, to love and to be loved.” Should the laws choose who can and can’t have that happiness based on their sexual preference? People should choose whom to love; we don’t need the government to intervene.
Gay marriage is similar to interracial marriage. People used to say interracial marriage was wrong because it wasn’t “normal” and it was a tradition for couples to get married that were of the same race. But eventually they realized that it was unconstitutional for making individuality illegal. There isn’t much difference with gay marriage. Banning it is unconstitutional. As Charles Evans Hughes, the former Secretary of State, once wrote, “When we lose the right to be different, we lose the right to be free.”
All in all, there is no plausible reason to ban gay marriage. Just because you think it’s gross, or that your friends don’t like it, doesn’t give us the right to tell people who to love or how to live their lives. This country has freedom of religion, so we shouldn’t make law because our religion says it’s wrong.
As a nation, we should come together and make it legal for gay couples to get married. In the Pledge of Allegiance, it doesn’t say with liberty for the straight people, liberty for the white people, or liberty for men. It just says with liberty and justice for all.
Join the Impact protest against California’s Prop 8: Photo wrap-up
Anchorage and Fairbanks fight the H8, protest Prop 8!
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and straight citizens will take to the streets of Anchorage and Fairbanks on Saturday Nov. 15, 2008 to protest the passage of Proposition 8, California’s anti-gay marriage amendment, and the lack of LGBT equal rights in Alaska.
Tens of thousands of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people and our allies have taken to the streets to show outrage with the outcome of California’s Proposition 8. Prop 8 is a Constitutional Amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage, taking away a right that was granted before the vote. Same-sex marriage bans also passed in Arizona and Florida. The outcome of these propositions has angered the national gay community and our supporters. Many feel as if they are second-class citizens, but the fight is not over.
On Saturday, November 15, the LGBT community and their supporters will take to the streets in what could be the largest organized protest since the Civil Rights Movement. To date, more than 250,000 individuals have pledged to take part in the nationwide event and descend upon the City Halls, State Capitols and the Nation’s Capitol to make their voices heard. Signs, posters and numerous websites have already been created and the word is spreading quickly throughout the nation. JoinTheImpact.webpaint.com lists protest locations in all 50 States and the District of Columbia.
The message is simple, yet profound: Equal Rights for All.
The organizers of this nationwide event stress that these will be peaceful demonstrations. “Let’s move as one full unit, on the same day, at the same hour, and let’s show the United States of America that we too are United States citizens equal in mind, body and spirit and deserving of full equality under the law.”
The Protest / Movement is scheduled to take place across the nation at the same time: 1:30 PM Eastern, 12:30 PM Central, 11:30 AM Mountain and 10:30 AM Pacific on Saturday, November 15th, 2008. Those interested in attending this historic event may find their local protest location by visiting: http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com
ANCHORAGE
- WHAT: Prop. 8 Protest – Equal Rights
- WHO: LGBT and straight citizens who support Equal Rights
- WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008; at 12 Noon*
- WHERE: 550 W 7th AVE, ATWOOD Building
*We are not the only city holding the protest at a different time. But if you feel that it is important to be there at 9:30, then go and make your voice be heard! (and stay for the noon rally if you can.) Thanks.
FAIRBANKS
- WHAT: Prop. 8 Protest – Equal Rights
- WHO: LGBT and straight citizens who support Equal Rights
- WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008; at 9:30 a.m.
- WHERE: 800 Cushman Street, CITY HALL
