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Gay Divorce OK, Texas Judge Rules

Ban on same-sex marriage violates equal-protection law

By Will McCahill, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 1, 2009 10:30 PM CDT

(Newser) – Though same-sex marriage isn’t legal in Texas, two men married in Massachusetts can get a divorce there, a judge said today in a ruling that finds the state’s ban in violation of federal equal-protection laws. “This is huge news. We’re ecstatic,... Read full story »

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gay rights • gay marriage • Texas • Massachusetts • same-sex divorce • equal protection • Texas gay marriage • Texas gay divorce

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Texas Court: Gay Couples Can't Divorce

Legally marry elsewhere? No divorce here

(NEWSER) - First it accidentally banned straight marriage: Now Texas has officially banned gay divorce. A state appeals court ruled yesterday that gay couples who legally marry in other states cannot get a divorce in Texas. The ruling follows a judge's October 2009 decision to allow two Dallas men who were married in Massachusetts to get a divorce. The court of appeals decision also said the state's same-sex marriage ban was constitutional, reports the AP . More»

Texas Tries to Put Brakes on Gay Divorce

Attorney General is appealing two cases

(NEWSER) - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott isn't just fighting gay marriage—he's fighting gay divorce, too. He's appealing a court decision to grant a divorce to a couple of lesbians in Austin, and another splitting up a pair of gay men in Dallas. His logic: defending the “traditional definition of marriage” means defending the traditional definition of divorce, too, reports the AP . More»

Gay Texas Judge Refuses to Marry Straight Couples

No marriages until all can marry, says Tonya Parker

(NEWSER) - Dallas judge Tonya Parker says she won't be conducting any marriage ceremonies until she and every other gay person in Texas have the same right to marry. When she turns straight couples away, Parker tells them: "I’m sorry. I don’t perform marriage ceremonies because we are in a state that does not have marriage equality, and until it does, I am not going to partially apply the law to one group of people that doesn’t apply to another group of people." Parker passes the ceremonies on to other judges so the straights can get married. More»

Mass. City to Pay Stipend to Married Gay Workers

Because gay couples face a tax heterosexual couples don't

(NEWSER) - Some public employees with a same-sex spouse in Massachusetts face a federal income tax their heterosexual counterparts don’t have to pay—so the city of Cambridge is making up the difference. In the city, 22 public workers have put their spouses on their employer-provided health plan. But since the US doesn’t recognize gay marriage, it sees the value of that coverage as taxable income, the AP reports. That costs those workers some $1,500 to $3,000 yearly. More»

E-Marriages: a New Trend for Same-Sex Couples?

Skype weddings allow couples to legally marry at home

(NEWSER) - Same-sex marriage isn't legal in Texas, yet Mark Reed and his partner Dante Walkup recently tied the knot—in Dallas. The pair first traveled to Washington, DC, where gay marriage is legal, to register for their license. Then, back home in Texas, they gathered with 80 of their friends and family members to hold a traditional wedding with one small difference: The officiant was in DC, beamed into the room via Skype on a 6-by-8-foot video screen. Their license was later mailed to them. More»

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Gay Divorce OK, Texas Judge Rules

Ban on same-sex marriage violates equal-protection law

gay rights • gay marriage • Texas • Massachusetts • same-sex divorce • equal protection • Texas gay marriage • Texas gay divorce

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Texas Court: Gay Couples Can't Divorce

Legally marry elsewhere? No divorce here

Texas Tries to Put Brakes on Gay Divorce

Attorney General is appealing two cases

Gay Texas Judge Refuses to Marry Straight Couples

No marriages until all can marry, says Tonya Parker

Mass. City to Pay Stipend to Married Gay Workers

Because gay couples face a tax heterosexual couples don't

E-Marriages: a New Trend for Same-Sex Couples?

Skype weddings allow couples to legally marry at home

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