Tag Archives: marriage equality

Iowa Starting Line reports: The lead sponsor of two bills that would outlaw gay marriage in Iowa—where it has been legal since 2009—told his Iowa House colleague his bills aren’t actually about banning gay marriage despite the language in the bills doing just that. Starting Line acquired a copy of an email Rep. Brad Sherman (R-Williamsburg) sent from his legislative …

Des Moines’ CBS affiliate reports: Some Republican lawmakers want to change the state constitution to ban gay marriage. House Joint Resolution 8 was introduced in the Iowa House on Tuesday. The bill has eight sponsors: Brad Sherman, Luana Stoltenberg, Mark Cisneros, Helena Hayes, Zach Dieken, Skyler Wheeler, Mark Thompson and Thomas Gerhold. The resolution wants to add the following amendment …

Agence France-Presse reports: Nominations for a leader to succeed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as head of Scotland’s ruling party will close on Friday amid an uproar over a top contender’s conservative views on gay marriage. Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, a 32-year-old rising star in the SNP, caused controversy this week after revealing that she would have voted against same-sex marriage, …

The Virginia Mercury reports: A scaled-back proposal to repeal Virginia’s antiquated constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was blocked Friday by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates, despite supporters’ attempts to win bipartisan votes by stripping out any language overtly backing LGBTQ equality. Just prior to Friday’s vote in a House Rules subcommittee set up to hear proposals for constitutional amendments, a …

The Associated Press reports: California, a U.S. trendsetter for progressive policies and a state where the current governor once made news issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in San Francisco before it was legal, will attempt to enshrine marriage equality in the state constitution. The effort comes 15 years after a voter-approved initiative, called Proposition 8, banned the state from …

Reuters reports: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday fired an aide who said he wouldn’t want to live next to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender couples and warned that people would flee Japan if same-sex marriage was permitted. In remarks reported by local media, Masayoshi Arai, an economy and trade official who joined Kishida’s staff as a secretary in …

Richmond’s ABC affiliate reports: A bill adding language in the state code legalizing same-sex marriage passed in the Virginia Senate with a bipartisan vote. The bill introduced by state Sens. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) and Jennifer Boysko (D-Loudoun) would give religious organizations and clergy members the right to refuse to perform any marriage. The 40-member chamber voted 25-12 to pass the …

Reuters reports: Four gay couples have asked India’s Supreme Court to recognise same-sex marriages, setting the stage for a legal face-off with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government which has in the past refused to legalise such marriages. The pleas have already triggered a debate on prime-time TV news and generated editorials in newspapers whether the time has come for the …

Politico reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, appearing in one of his familiar and comfortable slots on Fox News, suggested last night that he was opposed to the signing of new congressional legislation enshrining federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages. “They are using the power, I think, of the federal government in ways that will absolutely put religious institutions in …

The Hill reports: The Biden administration lit up the south portico of the White House in rainbow colors on Tuesday evening after the president signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law earlier in the day. President Biden signed the legislation, which provides federal protections for same-sex marriage, during a celebratory event on the South Lawn with more than 2,000 …

CNN reports: The White House is planning to mark the occasion with a ceremony built to a scale that it believes is fitting of the moment. Among the guests invited to the bill signing at the White House are prominent members of the LGBTQ community and activists. They include Judy Kasen-Windsor, widow of gay rights activist Edie Windsor; Matthew Haynes, …

The Independent reports: Singer and activist Cyndi Lauper made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room on Tuesday to thank President Joe Biden for his support of same-sex marriage ahead of a signing ceremony for the Respect for Marriage Act. “I came here because I wanted to say thank you to President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Vice President Harris …

NPR reports: President Biden will sign into law Tuesday a bipartisan bill that will codify same-sex and interracial marriages with a large celebration on the South Lawn of the White House. “Today, Congress took a critical step to ensure that Americans have the right to marry the person they love,” Biden said in a statement Thursday after the House passed …

“Aunt Vicky, that’s just not right. Institutions of faith like religious universities are not being silenced. “They’re being empowered by the U.S. government to discriminate against tens of thousands of LGBTQ students because of religious exemptions, but they still receive federal funding. “It’s more like you want the power to force your religious beliefs onto everyone else and because you …

USA Today reports: The House voted Thursday to approve historic legislation that will federally protect same-sex and interracial marriage rights. Passage of the bill moves it to President Joe Biden who is expected to sign it into law. The Respect for Marriage Act, passed by the Senate last week, guarantees federal recognition of any marriage between two people if it was valid …

The Associated Press reports: The House is set to give final approval Thursday to legislation protecting same-sex marriages in federal law, a monumental step in a decadeslong battle for nationwide recognition of such unions that reflects a stunning turnaround in societal attitudes. A law requiring all states to recognize same-sex marriages would come as a a relief for hundreds of …

Via email from the Family Research Council: Another one of the 47 House Republicans who voted for the so-called Respect for Marriage Act has withdrawn his support, charging Democrats with “failing to provide legitimate safeguards for faith-based organizations” that hold “deeply-held religious beliefs” about natural marriage. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) announced on Monday that he will reverse his vote in …

Changing America reports: The number of same-sex households in the U.S. surpassed 1 million for the first time, according to new census data. There were about 1.2 million same-sex households in 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. About 710,000 of those households were married, while 500,000 were unmarried. The percent of same-sex households included in the American household population as …

The BBC reports: A Tokyo court has upheld a ban on same-sex marriage in Japan, but also said that the ban was a violation of human rights. The compensation case was brought by four couples who claimed the law was discriminatory. Japan is currently the only G7 nation that does not recognise same-sex marriage. Campaigners have welcomed the ruling as …

A few quotes from a lengthy Politico recap: Sen. Thom Tillis has helped ink plenty of bipartisan deals over the past two years. Tillis said that it shouldn’t have shocked people to see him so out front on same-sex marriage way back in July: “That’s probably the libertarian side of me.” “I do feel that the young populations are much …