Free Republic

The movement against gay marriage is starting to seem kind of silly and outdated, no? The Grammys mass wedding moment Sunday — where 33 couples, including a sprinkling of gay ones, were joined in matrimony by Queen Latifah — might have been a stunt, but it was an effective one. There’s no better way to normalize gay marriage than to simply show it. Who would have thought we live in a world where the prim and traditional Rose Parade would break this ground before the Grammys got around to it? On Sunday, the traditional wedding processional was replaced by Macklemore...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)Video: Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has concluded that the state's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional and he will no longer defend it in federal lawsuits.Public opinion on same-sex marriage has shifted so dramatically in recent years that Democratic groups now see the issue as a critical way to mobilize voters in a slew of races up and down the ballot. Just a decade ago, widespread opposition to gay marriage did just the opposite, allowing Karl Rove to mobilize conservatives in 13 states and help reelect George W. Bush as president. The changing political dynamics were on full display...

An Oregon bakery stands by its decision to deny a cake for a same-sex wedding. The owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa tell KATU-TV that their religious beliefs have not changed after Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries determined the Portland-area bakery violated the civil rights of a same-sex couple. Owner Aaron Klein says it almost seems as if the state is hostile toward Christian businesses....

I was under the impression that last year's ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act did not federalize the issue of marriage. Rather, I thought it paved the way for states to decide the issue on their own. In my opinion, that's where the issue of marriage should be and should stay, a state issue. If this is the case, then someone forgot to tell U.S. District Judge Terrence Kern. He issued a ruling yesterday that effectively struck down the ban on homosexual marriage put into place by Oklahoma voters in 2004. This amendment to our state's Constitution was approved...

Secretary Kerry: U.S. deeply concerned by Nigeria’s enactment of the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act Deep Concern with Nigeria’s Enactment of the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC January 13, 2014 The United States is deeply concerned by Nigeria’s enactment of the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act. Beyond even prohibiting same sex marriage, this law dangerously restricts freedom of assembly, association, and expression for all Nigerians. Moreover, it is inconsistent with Nigeria’s international legal obligations and undermines the democratic reforms and human rights protections enshrined in its 1999 Constitution. People everywhere deserve...

Robert AvrechScreenwriter and producer Robert Avrech believes in making message films that articulate morals and values. In 2000, he won an Emmy for penning the Holocaust drama “The Devil’s Arithmetic,” about a petulant teenager who resists her Judaism until offered a portal into the Jewish past. He also wrote the 1992 film “A Stranger Among Us,” starring Melanie Griffith as an undercover cop who insinuates herself into New York’s Chasidic community. On Twitter, Avrech describes himself as a religious Zionist, a Republican and a gun owner. He talks here about his problem with gay marriage, his fear of Islamic jihad...

I have proposed before on this blog that we may be coming to a point where we should consider dropping our use of the word marriage. It  is a simple fact that word “marriage” as we have traditionally known it is being redefined in our times. To many in the secular world the word no longer means what it once did and when the Church uses the word marriage we clearly do not mean what the New York Legislature or an increasing number of states mean.The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines Marriage in the following way: The matrimonial covenant,...

Let the further absurdities begin. Having redefined marriage, the secular world may discover it has actually undefined marriage. For in removing so basic an aspect of the definition of marriage (a male and a female), proponents of gay “marriage” will have a hard time excluding any newcomers to the the now opened-ended notion of “marriage.” Consider the following story from Yahoo News:Last week, Nadine Schweigert married herself in a symbolic wedding ceremony. The 36-year-old divorced mom of three wore blue satin and clutched a bouquet of white roses as she walked down the aisle before a gathering of 45 friends...

Ohio officials must recognize the marriages of same-sex couples who married out of state for purposes of being considered married on death certificates, a federal judge ruled on Monday. Judge Timothy Black had granted a temporary injunction for James Obergefell and John Arthur in July, ordering that their marriage be recognized on his death certificate should Arthur — who was in hospice care — die. Since then, Arthur died, but the case was amended to included a funeral director who wanted to ensure that he would be protected should he list same-sex couples as married, as well as another individual...

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico became the latest state to legalize gay marriage Thursday as its highest court declared it is unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. Justice Edward L. Chavez said in a ruling that none of New Mexico's marriage statutes specifically prohibits same-gender marriages, but the state's laws as a whole have prevented gay and lesbian couples from marrying. The justices said same-sex couples are a discrete group that has been subjected to a history of discrimination and violence....

The New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of same-sex couples, granting them all the same rights of marriage enjoyed by heterosexual couples. The court’s 31-page opinion states, in part, that: “All rights, protections, and responsibilities that result from the marital relationship shall apply equally to both same-gender and opposite-gender married couples.” ... Read the opinion:

SEATTLE-Gay weddings made up 17 percent of marriages in Washington this past year, the first year gay marriages were legal in the state, state officials reported Wednesday. About 7,071 same-sex couples got married in Washington between December 6, 2012, and the most recent complete month of data, September 2013. There were 42,408 total marriages in the state during that time, according to the Washington State Department of Health. So far, most of Washington state's same-sex marriages, 62 percent, were between two women....

The Georgia National Guard this afternoon indicated it intends to ignore a directive from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and will continue to send same-sex spouses of National Guard personnel elsewhere for benefits guaranteed by the Pentagon. Here's the statement received late Friday from Joseph Quimby, deputy director of public affairs for the state Department of Defense: “The State of Georgia does not recognize same sex marriages and is not authorizing the Georgia National Guard to process the applications for same-sex married benefits at state facilities. Any personnel seeking to apply for same-sex married benefits will be referred to federal facilities.”...

Starting next January, health insurance plans in California must offer coverage for fertility treatments to homosexual couples and unmarried individuals under a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday. The law amends the state’s Insurance Code to prohibit insurers from withholding coverage for most fertility treatments based on “age, ancestry, color, disability, domestic partner status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, sex or sexual orientation.” (See AB460.pdf) Most fertility treatments, including some that cost tens of thousands of dollars, are included, such as “diagnosis, diagnostic tests, medication, surgery, and gamete intrafallopian transfer.” Although...

Same-sex marriages will begin within days in New Jersey after the state's highest court ruled unanimously Friday to uphold a lower-court order that gay weddings must start Monday and to deny a delay that was sought by Gov. Chris Christie's administration. "The state has advanced a number of arguments, but none of them overcome this reality: Same-sex couples who cannot marry are not treated equally under the law today," the court said in an opinion by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner. "The harm to them is real, not abstract or speculative."(continued)

Same-sex couples who marry outside of Oregon will have their unions recognized in the state. A new opinion from Oregon’s Department of Justice stated the change. The state’s decision took effect immediately. It does not mean gay couples can marry in Oregon, but now the state recognizes legal marriages from other places.

<p>The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and a Hollywood movie at the top of the box office about a butler’s view of history from the White House caused the nation to pause to consider the state of civil rights in America at the end of the summer.</p>

During this local political season, it is important that our communication with one another be characterized by a firm allegiance to honesty, integrity, and truth. As a local pastor, I decry sins of the tongue - slander, gossip, lies, outbursts of wrath, false accusations - all dishonor our Creator and defame others who are made in the image of God. It is my desire to speak the truth in love. To that end I wish to address the misleading way in which the agenda of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community has been linked by some, including mayoral...

Men and women are different. This self-evident and clichéd claim is no longer as uncontroversial as, historically, it would have been. According to the American Psychological Association, "Gender identity refers to a person's internal sense of being male, female, or something else; gender expression refers to the way a person communicates gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice, or body characteristics. ... Transgender people experience their transgender identity in a variety of ways and may become aware of their transgender identity at any age." This statement, which includes a reference to an undefined but apparently defining "internal sense"...

On September 18, the Obama Labor Department announced that married same-sex couples must receive the same pensions, 401(k)s, health plans, and employee benefits as heterosexual married couples, regardless of whether they live in one of the 37 states where same-sex marriage is illegal. "This decision represents a historic step forward toward equality for all American families," said Labor Secretary Thomas Perez. "I have directed the department's agency heads to ensure that they are implementing the decision in a way that provides maximum protection for workers and their families." The Labor Department said its interpretation "provides a uniform rule of recognition...