Gay Marriage - DOMA, 14th Amendment & Supreme Court | HISTORY

Contents:

• GAY MARRIAGE
• GAY RIGHTS TIMELE: KEY DAT THE FIGHT FOR EQUALY
• GAY MARRIAGE TIMELE
• GAY RIGHTS
• THE AMERIN GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT: A TIMELE

GAY MARRIAGE

"Rabbis belongg to the biggt and most liberal branch of Judaism the Uned Stat have voted to regnise the partnerships of gay and lbian upl.The Central Conference of Amerin Rabbis, which is part of the Jewish Reform movement, has agreed to sanctn relig ceremoni for same-sex upl.The Print of the Conference, Rabbi Charl Kroloff, said that gay and lbian people served the regnn and rpect due to people created the image of God.".

"The Vatin has lnched a global mpaign agast gay marriag, warng Catholic policians that support of same-sex unns is 'gravely immoral.' The Vatin issued a 12-page set of guil wh the approval of Pope John Pl II a bid to stem the crease laws grantg legal rights to homosexual unns Europe and North Ameri.'Marriage exists solely between a man and woman...

4, 2008] electn, throwg to doubt the unns of an timated 18,000 same-sex upl who wed durg the last 4 1/2 months...Proposn 8 was the most expensive proposn on any ballot the natn this year, wh more than $74 ln spent by both sis.The measure's most fervent proponents believed that nothg ls than the future of tradnal fai was at stake, while opponents believed that they were fightg for the fundamental right of gay people to be treated equally unr the law...Eight years ago, Californians voted 61% to fe marriage as beg only between a man and a woman.The California Supreme Court overturned that measure, Proposn 22, s May 15 cisn legalizg same-sex marriage on the grounds that the state Constutn required equal treatment of gay and lbian upl.". "The California Supreme Court today upheld Proposn 8's ban on same-sex marriage but also led that gay upl who wed before the electn will ntue to be married unr state law...Although the urt spl 6-1 on the nstutnaly of Proposn 8, the jtic were unanimo cidg to keep tact the marriag of as many as 18,000 gay upl who exchanged vows before the electn.

GAY RIGHTS TIMELE: KEY DAT THE FIGHT FOR EQUALY

Sent a letter to Congrs on Wednday sayg that the Jtice Department will now take the posn urt that the Defense of Marriage Act should be stck down as a vlatn of gay upl’ rights to equal protectn unr the law.'The Print and I have nclud that classifitns based on sexual orientatn warrant heightened scty and that, as applied to same-sex upl legally married unr state law,' a ccial provisn of the act is unnstutnal, Mr.

GAY MARRIAGE TIMELE

Cuomo signed the measure after passed a Republin-ntrolled Senate on Friday night [June 24, 2011], raisg qutns as to whether the move reflects new momentum the gay rights movement.Cuomo said the law will grant same-sex upl equal rights to marry 'as well as hundreds of rights, benefs and protectns that are currently limed to married upl of the oppose sex.' A few of those are the right of herance, employer health benefs and a host of state tax benefs. "Voters Mae and Maryland approved same-sex marriage on a day of electn rults that jubilant gay rights advot lled a historic turng pot, the first time that marriage for gay men and lbians has been approved at the ballot box.In Mnota, another first, voters rejected a proposal to amend the State Constutn to fe marriage as between a man and a woman, a measure that has been enshred the nstutns of 30 stat.

A state law barrg same-sex marriage remas on the books there, but wh the feat of the amendment, the door remas open to change by the legislature or the urts.""Washgton state has approved gay marriage, jog Mae and Maryland as the first stat to pass same-sex marriage by popular vote.Wh about three-quarters of the expected ballots unted Thursday, Referendum 74 was matag s lead of 52 percent.

GAY RIGHTS

"The Pentagon announced Monday that would extend 20 new benefs to same-sex ary upl, cludg accs to base facili and groups as well as jot assignments, the latt move by the Obama admistratn to heed lls om gay and lbians prsg for change.Activists hailed the move as a meangful step toward full equaly, which they say will rema elive unls a 1996 feral law [the Defense of Marriage Act] that f marriage as a heterosexual unn is repealed. Now, 12 stat and the District of Columbia thorize same-sex marriag.Jtice Anthony Kennedy, speakg for the 5-4 majory, said DOMA was unnstutnal bee vlated the right to liberty and to equal protectn for gay upl.'By seekg to displace this protectn and treatg those persons as livg marriag ls rpected than others, the feral statute' vlat the Constutn, he said.Dissentg were Jtic John Roberts, Anton Slia, Samuel Alo and Clarence Thomas.The lg means that more than 100,000 gay and lbian upl who are legally married will be able to take advantage of tax breaks, pensn rights and other benefs that are available to other married upl.".

THE AMERIN GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT: A TIMELE

"The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal over same-sex marriage on jurisdictnal grounds, lg Wednday private parti do not have 'standg' to fend California's voter-approved ballot measure barrg gay and lbian upl om state-sanctned wedlock.The lg clears the way for same-sex marriag California to rume.The 5-4 cisn avoids, for now, a sweepg ncln on whether same-sex marriage is a nstutnal 'equal protectn' right that would apply to all stat.At issue was whether the Constutn's guarantee of equal protectn unr the law prevents stat om fg marriage to exclu same-sex upl, and whether a state n revoke same-sex marriage through referendum, as California did, once already has been regnized.But a majory of the Supreme Court opted not to le on those issu. "All legally married same-sex upl will be regnized for feral tax purpos no matter what state they live , the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department announced Thursday a change that will affect numero upl stat that have not permted gay marriage.The change policy follows the Supreme Court's cisn June overturng a key provisn of the Defense of Marriage Act that barred the feral ernment om regnizg same-sex marriag for purpos such as surance benefs, immigratn and tax filgs.The new approach 'provis accs to benefs, rponsibili and protectns unr feral tax law that all Amerins serve,' Treasury Secretary Jab J.