WA State Legalizes Gay Marriage!

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Emma Peel

Emma Peel

an unexpected turn of events
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http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-08/washington-
same-sex-marriage/53013882/1
Washington state lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage Wednesday, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed.

The action comes a day after a federal appeals court declared California's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional, saying it was a violation of the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples.

The Washington House passed the bill on a 55-43 vote. The state Senate approved the measure last week. And Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the measure into law next week.
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:seeya:

Hello Washington! Nice of you to join us!
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That's great news! If the 9th Circuit ruling holds, that'll give us full marriage equality in WA, CA, NY, MA, VT, CT, NH, IA and DC, right? That includes the wonderful cities of Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, New York, Des Moines and Washington.

Do gay couples really need to live anywhere else?
 
Nova said:
That's great news! If the 9th Circuit ruling holds, that'll give us full marriage equality in WA, CA, NY, MA, VT, CT, NH, IA and DC, right? That includes the wonderful cities of Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, New York, Des Moines and Washington.

Do gay couples really need to live anywhere else?
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BBM :what:

:trout:
 
I know you were being funny, but I'm not marrying my partner until I can do so in the state where I grew up, where I work, own a home, and pay taxes, and where I've lived my entire life.

Years ago, I had people tell me to leave and move to Canada if I wanted to marry. I'm not a Canadian, I'm an American! You shouldn't have to leave your home so you can have the same rights as everyone else.

I'm in Maryland, and we are on the cusp of getting it passed. I never thought I'd have to plan a wedding!
 
I'll never get married - never had the desire or want. I've been close twice, and thank Gawd I did not get stuck in either situation.

I think the whole "institution of marriage" is a farce -- I understand that "partners" should be allowed the same benefits of married persons but the way I see it, we might as well encourage plural marriages as well as marrying one's pet.

Does not matter to me - except we all deserve the same rights & responsibilities regardless of WHO we are . . .
 
LydiaDeetz said:
I know you were being funny, but I'm not marrying my partner until I can do so in the state where I grew up, where I work, own a home, and pay taxes, and where I've lived my entire life.

Years ago, I had people tell me to leave and move to Canada if I wanted to marry. I'm not a Canadian, I'm an American! You shouldn't have to leave your home so you can have the same rights as everyone else.

I'm in Maryland, and we are on the cusp of getting it passed. I never thought I'd have to plan a wedding!
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Yes, of course, I was kidding. And equally of course you should have full civil rights right where you are and not have to move to get them.

Best of luck in Maryland. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

(On a personal note, I never thought I'd have to plan a wedding either. But my partner and I took the plunge when it was legal here in CA in 2008, and it made a huge difference to our friends and family members. It doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be anything but what you want it to be. But I'm here to tell you it surprised me how much it meant to a lot of people--most of whom are not gay, BTW.)
 
krimekat said:
I'll never get married - never had the desire or want. I've been close twice, and thank Gawd I did not get stuck in either situation.

I think the whole "institution of marriage" is a farce -- I understand that "partners" should be allowed the same benefits of married persons but the way I see it, we might as well encourage plural marriages as well as marrying one's pet.

Does not matter to me - except we all deserve the same rights & responsibilities regardless of WHO we are . . .
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I don't understand what you are saying. Do we all deserve the same rights? Or is the marriage of two gay partners the same as a person marrying a cat?

But then, I've never understood why people who aren't and don't want to be married insist that the institution is a "farce" to those of us who take it seriously. I certainly don't assume unmarried persons lead empty and desperate lives; why would they assume my marriage is a sham?
 
I was stating a personal opinion & said nothing of what you are indicating in your post above. I maintain marriage is a farce . . . especially when 51% of them end in divorce.

I am sure there are couples out there not married who are dedicated to one another; actually I have a cousin who has been with his partner for more than 30 years without being married.

Personal opinion only. Thought I mentioned that in my post. And I clearly posted we all deserve the same rights & responsibilities regardless of who we are !

Please, my single life is so far from empty or desperate . . . and I give not a care about your married life. That's personal to you & yours.
 
krimekat said:
I was stating a personal opinion & said nothing of what you are indicating in your post above. I maintain marriage is a farce . . . especially when 51% of them end in divorce.

I am sure there are couples out there not married who are dedicated to one another; actually I have a cousin who has been with his partner for more than 30 years without being married. It's a man & a woman

Personal opinion only. Thought I mentioned that in my post. And I clearly posted we all deserve the same rights & responsibilities regardless of who we are !

Please, my single life is so far from empty or desperate . . . and I give not a care about your married life. That's personal to you & yours.
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I don't understand either Krimekat. I understand that you feel that "the institution of marriage" is a farce. I agree, there is a segment of society who seems to give no more thought to the legal implications and ramifications not to mention the emotional and lifestyle consequences of marriage than they do whether or not they are going to buy or lease a vehicle. But what brought me up short reading your comment was the part about "understanding that "partners" should be allowed the same benefits as married persons" BUT the way I see it, we might as well encourage plural marriages as well as marrying one's pet.

Are you contending that the reality of legal marriage between homosexuals is the equivalent to a polygamous relationship or a "marriage" of a human to an animal??? Or that marriage as a legal institution is essentially meaningless no matter who or what parties are involved in the contract? Essentially meaningless as evidenced by the ridiculously high divorce rate and multiple marriages and families some acrue over a lifetime? I suspect your opinion is the latter, but then again, I don't want to put words in your mouth. Are you commenting on the "farcical" notion of contemporary marriage contracts/vows, versus an opinion that marriage between homosexuals is equivalent to a farce, because of the fact that the parties involved are homosexual? As I read my reply, I recognize that it could be construed as challenging you to defend your beliefs and I am truly not asking you to do that. I'm really just asking for clarification and hope that you take it as such if you choose to reply.
 
Awesome news! Everyone should be able not only to love who they want, but to marry them to. I am married to my husband, but some days I wish we didn't need a piece of paper, or huge ceremonies. Why can't we just say hey lets unite, go in sign up... Makes more sense to me. Imagine how easy to get ununited would be. I guess I see why we follow rules that have been around for hundreds of years, but it seems so hard to change them... Why can't people make new rules/laws and everyone be ok with them. I think most people can not handle changes. Which is really sad. I can only hope my generation is going to help change these things. I honestly thought more were open to gay marriages but then I read a news board and I was shocked. Sad. I guess I just think different from others.
 
krimekat said:
I'll never get married - never had the desire or want. I've been close twice, and thank Gawd I did not get stuck in either situation.

I think the whole "institution of marriage" is a farce -- I understand that "partners" should be allowed the same benefits of married persons but the way I see it, we might as well encourage plural marriages as well as marrying one's pet.

Does not matter to me - except we all deserve the same rights & responsibilities regardless of WHO we are . . .
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Well I do love my dog and if I could marry him it would give me another tax deducution and if he dies first I could get 3 days off work with pay. Sounds good to me, haha!

There is no difference as far as I can see.
 
krimekat said:
I was stating a personal opinion & said nothing of what you are indicating in your post above. I maintain marriage is a farce . . . especially when 51% of them end in divorce.

I am sure there are couples out there not married who are dedicated to one another; actually I have a cousin who has been with his partner for more than 30 years without being married.

Personal opinion only. Thought I mentioned that in my post. And I clearly posted we all deserve the same rights & responsibilities regardless of who we are !

Please, my single life is so far from empty or desperate . . . and I give not a care about your married life. That's personal to you & yours.
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Obviously you were expressing a personal opinion and nobody, least of all I, said you weren't entitled to it.

But this paragraph:

I think the whole "institution of marriage" is a farce -- I understand that "partners" should be allowed the same benefits of married persons but the way I see it, we might as well encourage plural marriages as well as marrying one's pet.
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seemed to contain a contradiction and so I asked for clarification. That something you post is a personal opinion doesn't automatically make it immune from question or reply.

I didn't say your life was empty or otherwise lacking. In fact, I said that I wouldn't presume to opine on your life and household. Which is why I don't understand your need to opine on mine.

That half of all marriages end in divorce doesn't prove:

1. that the other marriages are all unsuccessful; or

2. that the marriages that ended weren't successful for some period of time.

(And BTW, I believe that figure is for marriages, not people. So many people do end up successfully married, even if it takes a couple of tries.)

Civil marriage is a method by which people in domestic partnerships may protect their partnerships and households. It helps to ensure that my partner will be allowed to make decisions when I am unable to do so. It keeps my sister, say, from swooping down to take everything my husband and I own upon my death. (Not that either of my sisters would do any such thing.) It provides various rights to my stepchildren, including insuring that they will be granted access to me should I be hospitalized. These are just a few examples.

Yes, it might be possible to achieve the same security by filing numerous separate documents saying the same thing, but the institution of civil marriage makes it easier to establish a domestic partnership. Such partnerships have long encouraged social stability and continue to do so to some extent, despite the high divorce rate.
 
ETA: JUST TO BE CLEAR, I do NOT think everyone needs to be married. I merely believe that those who want to marry should be able to marry.
 
Finally, I wish I had a tape of the conversation I overheard at my wedding between my niece and my stepson. She was talking to him about how she had known him her entire life (she was 16 and our maid of honor; he was 42 and our best man) and they had always been vaguely "connected". But it meant so much to her that they were now finally and officially "related."

Now I don't even think that's true, legally, but at that moment I became a vehement supporter of marriage equality. The point is that a marriage, even a civil one, has meaning not just to the spouses but to their family and community. At least it does if those involved allow it to do so. Others can just stay single, with my blessing.
 
Florida gay-marriage advocates inspired by rights won on West Coast

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/fl-same-sex-marriage-20120212,0,3056101.story

The past week saw two states, California and Washington, grant landmark marriage rights to gay couples through court ruling and legislative action, respectively. And Florida, with a gay population second only to California's in size, isn't just watching from the sidelines.

While same-sex marriage may appear to be a distant horizon in a traditionally conservative state, gay advocates here are pursuing those rights that are within reach.
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Florida's gay advocates don't look to Tallahassee, and its GOP-controlled Legislature, to grant them more freedoms.

"I don't think any activist in South Florida thinks that any time soon the state of Florida is about to pass a similar law," said Norm Kent, a Fort Lauderdale attorney and publisher of a gay newspaper.

So Florida activists are taking an incremental approach to marriage equality. "Our focus really right now is on trying to do what we can to provide the most basic protections to same-sex couples," said Brian Winfield, managing director of Equality Florida, a gay advocacy organization.
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Adoption is one right gays have seized upon. Since a 2010 court ruling allowing gays to adopt — Florida was the only state to ban the practice — more than 100 such adoptions have been granted statewide, said Elizabeth Schwartz, a Miami attorney who specializes in gay issues.

"There's been such a fantastic increase," she said. "They've got love to give and they want to give it."

Activists have also been pushing for a law that would make it illegal to fire a worker because of sexual orientation. Public support for such a law is growing, said Winfield. "The vast majority of Floridians believe people shouldn't be liable to firing just because they're gay," he said.

More at link...
 
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/u...in_washington_state/srvc=home&position=recent

Within an hour of Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire signing a same-sex-marriage bill into law Monday, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum was meeting with a group of gay-marriage foes at a church minutes away, offering a message of support for their efforts to repeal the law.
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"We have a serious issue about trying to get moms and dads to marry and stay together," he said.

"I don’t see this as encouraging that. I think that at least from my perspective it tends to water down marriage instead of encouraging men and women to form healthy marriages, and that to me should be the objective of the government because that is in the best interests of our society."
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To paraphrase:

"Encouraging men and women to form healthy marriages ... should be the objective of government because it's in the best interest of society ... "


:crazy: IMO, this sort of crazy talk is not only silly, it's, well ... worthy of a white hood.
 
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