The Supreme Court, in that very building, promoted equal justice when it recently struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) — an act which barred the spouse in a same-sex marriage from receiving federal marriage benefits such as Social Security survivors’ benefits. Therefore, Chuck Hagel, Department of Defense Secretary, ordered states to provide same-sex […]
DOMA
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‘It’s a fairness issue’
Photo courtesy Tulsa World / Michael Wyke / file Wheels in the suit are again grinding as state and federal laws continue to collide. Recently, all four, with their attorney, Don Holladay, filed paperwork with U.S. District Judge Terence Kern requesting he rule in their favor. They also said the Oklahoma law violates their constitutional […]
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A giant step toward equality
The excitement of that day culminated in an incredible celebration of justice at the Cimarron Alliance Equality Center. Nearly 500 people gathered to laugh, cry, hug one another and lift up the day as a defining moment in American history. The ruling of the court, we all realized, moved the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender […]
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Marriage equality is up for grabs
The Supreme Court justices (in that very same Supreme Court building) are presently considering California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage. They are also considering the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Interestingly, attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies jointly filed the federal lawsuit that brought […]
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Newspeak
Credit: Brad Gregg And on a completely unrelated note, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe has introduced a bill, the “Military Religious Freedom Act,” that would effectively ban any marriages or “marriage-like ceremonies” on military bases that were not between one man and one woman. Currently, military chaplains are allowed to perform ceremonies that are in accordance […]
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Wedding bell blues
Today, Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin are still fighting the state to make their 15-year relationship official in the eyes of the law. Their suit challenging Oklahoma’s voter-approved 2004 state constitution amendment barring same-sex marriage continues to wind its way through the federal courts. “Sharon and I are suing for the right to marry,” Bishop […]