Posts Tagged ‘ same-sex ’

Suquamish Tribe Approves Same-Sex Marriage

suquamish

The Suquamish Tribal Council formally changed its ordinances Aug. 1 to allow for same-sex marriage. The move extends equal marriage rights to gay couples on the reservation and other places where same-sex marriage is recognized. The final vote was unanimous in favor of recognizing same-sex marriage. The move is the result of a four-year campaign spearheaded by Heather Purser, a 28-year-old Suquamish member living in Seattle. Purser came out four years ago and has worked to change Suquamish law ever since. “I wanted to feel accepted,” she said. “The Suquamish Tribe has always been my home.” While 39 states...

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Domestic Partnership in Wisconsin

Itâ’s not marriage, but some say itâ’s marriage-like. There will be a waiting period and a fee, but no ceremony is needed. In a couple of weeks, same-sex couples in Wisconsin will be allowed to declare domestic partnerships and take advantage of some of the rights and benefits extended to married couples. County clerks around the state are preparing to accept domestic partnership declaration applications starting Aug. 3. The Domestic Partnership Law was included in the 2009-2010 state budget signed by Gov. Jim Doyle June 29. The budget also includes domestic partner benefits for state employees. The application process...

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Proposition 8 Upheld – Well Sort of . . .

The California Supreme Court upheld there decision on Prop 8 this morning, banning same sex marriage in the State of California after a hearing from both sides. Rallyâ’s and marchâ’s had already been planned to start directly after the decision was carried out at 10am. The Courtâ’s have stated that they will continue to recognize the more than 18,000 married same-sex couples who were married before the prop 8 decision went into effect. Two class of people have been created due to the lack of ‘balls’ of the California Supreme Court.  There are those who are gays that married...

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Marriage Need to Remain a Government Process

Marriage Need to Remain a Government Process

Recent legal and legislative decisions to legalize gay marriage in Iowa and Vermont have brought suggestions from some commentators that government should get out of the marriage business entirely, grant civil unions to all couples and leave marriage to religious faiths. But University of Iowa law professor Ann Estin said that while such ideas are interesting in the abstract, they fail to recognize the deeply rooted importance of marriage in American culture and the many ways that civil and religious marriage interact. “Marriage is clearly understood across secular and religious frames to be a good thing, something to be...

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