Portraits of Marriage: New York

Check out the wonderful touching pictures taken of New Yorkers getting married. The pictures of regular human beings of all ages and social status are the faces of this struggle. This is not something driven by sex but by love. This proves to all the sane, tolerant people out there that they have made the right choice to support love.





Buzzfeed: 60 Awesome Portraits of Gay Couples Just Married in New York State

The New York Times: Same-sex couples in New York (Slideshow)

What About Gay Divorce?

Here's a great article written by Kilian Melloy called "The Flip Side of Marriage Equality: Parity in Divorce."

One refrain that GLBTs struggling for full-fledged equality have fallen back upon repeatedly is the clarification that gays do not seek any "special" rights, but rather wish to be treated with the very same respect, dignity, and suite of obligations and protections in the eyes of the law as heterosexuals collectively bestow upon themselves.

When it comes to family parity and marriage equality, then, it’s only logical that gays would also need to strive for equitable treatment before the law when their significant relationships come to an end. Just as heterosexual marriage entails heterosexual divorce in about half of all mixed-gender pairings, so too will gay marriage entail some degree of gay divorce.

But in a country where there are almost no federal rights or protections granted to GLBTs -- and where an anti-gay law, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), actually denies federal recognition of same-sex relationships -- the resulting state-to-state patchwork of laws regarding marriage has left gays who marry in a pro-marriage jurisdiction and then relocate to an anti-equality state in a difficult position when it comes to dissolving legal unions that have not survived the test of time.

Like their heterosexual fellow citizens, gays and lesbians going through the end of a marriage need to be able to end legal ties with one another along with other aspects of the relationship in order to move forward.

But states that deny marriage equality to same-sex families do not wish to legitimize those relationships by granting them an official dissolution. To do so would mean acknowledging that those familial relationships had legal existence in the first place.

Though some studies indicate that the divorce rate among same-sex couples is significantly lower than that of heterosexuals, divorce between same-sex couples does happen... or should, at least, because the parties involved wish it. From time to time, attempts by divorcing same-sex couples that married in one state and then sought to dissolve the marriage somewhere else, only to be stymied, have reached the news.

The NPR article noted that getting a divorce in the state where a couple had married in the first place was not so easy once the couple has relocated: Residency requirements would force the couple back to the pro-marriage state for a full year before the divorce could be obtained.

Although DOMA exempts anti-parity states from recognizing the legal contract of civil marriage if it has been entered into by two persons of the same sex, the legal status of a married person in any state might still create legal problems in those other states.

"If Lunt wants to marry again one day, would that be polygamy?" NPR pondered. "Lunt and her ex didn’t share children or property -- but many other same-sex couples say without access to a family court, it becomes almost impossible to divvy up joint assets and decide custody issues," the article added.

"It’s strange. It puts me in emotional and legal limbo," Lunt told NPR.

Though states have the right to grant marriages, it is not clear that they necessarily have an untrammeled right to deny marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws against interracial marriages in 1967 with Loving v. Virginia. On the federal level, DOMA has been challenged on the grounds that it violates Constitutional guarantees; last summer, a federal judge in Massachusetts, Joseph Tauro, ruled that DOMA violates portions of the Fifth and Tenth Amendments.

NPR noted that even if a divorce is granted to a same-sex couple, the fact that DOMA prevents federal recognition of their family leaves many questions unanswered -- how alimony payments should be taxed, for instance. Moreover, the fact that marriage equality (where it exists) is still so new leaves courts without clear precedent for determining how property held in common should be divided. Typically, the length of the marriage plays a part in how such decisions are made, but for gays and lesbians -- who may have lived together for decades in a marriage-like relationship while denied marriage -- the question of when their relationship became a de facto marriage can be hazy at best.

Every couple who stands before a judge or a minister and takes a vow of "Till death do us part" hopes for a bond that lasts a lifetime. But for gays and lesbians who find that the relationship has soured, that eternal bond might well become all too literally unending and all too binding, even in places that won’t recognize its very existence.

Full story and source.

Ohio lesbian loses custody battle over ex-partner’s daughter

This is one of the most compelling reasons for Marriage Equality. Children can be wrenched from their parents without protections.

A lesbian in Ohio, US, has lost a custody battle over the biological daughter of her former partner.

Michele Hobbs and Kelly Mullen had lived together in Cincinnati and made the decision to become parents before Ms Mullen gave birth to the child, Lucy, in 2005.

The couple had taken out a second mortgage together to fund costly fertility treatment and until the couple split, Ms Hobbs shared parenting duties and financial support.

However, when the relationship broke down two years later, Ms Mullen revoked Ms Hobbs’ rights as a co-parent.

According to reports, she had referred to Ms Hobbs as a co-parent in documents, indicating that she wanted the other woman to have full parental rights over Lucy.

Ms Hobbs argued that these documents showed the pair were in a contractual agreement.

But Ohio’s Supreme Court heard that Ms Mullen had repeatedly refused to state those wishes in a binding legal document.

Upholding previous rulings made by lower courts, Supreme Court judges ruled 4-3 that Ms Hobbs had no rights over the girl.

Legal experts watching the case pointed to the need for legal protection for non-biological parents or guardians.

Christopher Clark, a senior staff attorney at LGBT group Lambda Legal, said: “This decision is a tragedy for the child, above all else.

“The court disregarded the overwhelming evidence that Ms Mullen agreed to parent Lucy with Ms Hobbs ‘in every way.’ Regrettably, the decision severs a parent-child relationship between Lucy and the person she knows to be her mother. ”

He added: “All Ohio families should be alarmed by this, as a child with a non-biological parent could be taken from their mom or dad in the event of a separation.”

Source.

NYC to perform gay marriages on 1st day of law

Clerks' offices in New York City and at least two upstate cities are taking the unusual step of opening on a Sunday for gay couples eager to tie the knot as soon as the state's new gay marriage law takes effect July 24, but many other cities and towns are waiting for state government guidance first.

New York became the sixth and largest state to legalize gay marriage June 24. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the legislation before midnight, setting a 30-day clock that makes the law become official on a day when government offices normally are closed.

New York City officials announced Wednesday they would open their clerks' offices in all five boroughs for a full day July 24, saying gay couples should not be made to wait one day longer to wed.

"This is a historic moment for New York, a moment many couples have waited years and even decades to see," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "and we are not going to make them wait one day longer than they have to."

Read the full story.

Anti-gay Civil Union Bill in Rhode Island

Via Pink News, a bill with serious anti-gay language has gay rights advocates urging RI Governor to veto the bill.

The bill is expected to be passed by the Senate this week but campaigners are deeply concerned about some of the religious provisions within it.

One clause allows any religious body – including faith-run schools, hospitals and cemeteries – to disregard civil unions. The clause says they – or their employees – cannot be fined or penalised for failing to recognise civil unions or provide goods and services in relation to civil unions.

Gay rights activists say the “dangerous” and “discriminatory” amendment will have severe consequences for gay people, who may find they are barred from making medical decisions for spouses if faith-run hospitals decide not to recognise civil unions.

32nd vote needed for NY Marriage Equality reportedly secured

Been nervously following this piece of news.  It has been reported that the 32nd vote needed to pass gay marriage in New York has been secured.

However, the final vote may note occur until early Thursday morning.

Target is NEUTRAL on MN Marriage Ban

Way to go Target, you're gonna alienate your target audience. Pun intended. Seriously, is there a "neutral" position on this? History will show that you were on the wrong side.

"Target Corp., which has a long history of policies friendly to gays and lesbians, said it is remaining "neutral" on Minnesota's controversial marriage amendment.

At its annual meeting Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Target Chairman and CEO Gregg Steinhafel was repeatedly asked about the company's stance on the amendment, which would put a ban on same-sex marriage into the Minnesota Constitution.

"Our position at this particular time is that we are going to be neutral on that particular issue, as we would be on other social issues that have polarizing points of view," Steinhafel said.

"We're a retail store, we welcome everybody," he added. "We have a broad team-member base, every shape and size and color. And so we are a very inclusive organization....We're going to continue to monitor, we're going to continue to assess, and see how that develops."

Read the full story.