Stories related to: gay marriage

If old folks in California would come out to support gay marriage in November, a proposed amendment banning it would keel over and die, Joel Stein writes in the Los Angeles Times . The majority of Californians under 50 support it, but only 36% of senior citizens. Which leads Stein to urge oldsters to "take a leap of faith and trust the younger generations on this one." Sometimes social change requires "uncomfortable lurches toward improvement." More »

The surprise news that New York will recognize out-of-state gay marriages has traditionalists weighing public pressure and legal action, the New York Times reports. One Republican said a lawsuit charging Gov. David Paterson with overstepping his authority was possible; others compared the move to Eliot Spitzer’s foiled attempt to issue illegal immigrants driver's licenses. More »

Once, most gay Indian-Americans could come out with one simple sentence: “Mom, Dad, I don’t think I am going to get married,” Sandip Roy writes for New America Media. But now that California has legalized gay marriage, Roy isn’t sure how to appease his folks. Like many supposedly conservative immigrant parents, they'd probably prefer married and gay over straight and single. More »

Despite the relatively muted national reaction to California’s approval of gay marriage, same-sex unions still matter to Americans and may yet become a wedge issue in November on par with their decisive role in 2004, Politico reports. Last time around, the controversy grew slowly after Massachusetts' legalization in 2003. If the same holds true this year, Obama stands to take a further hit among working-class whites, one analyst says. More »

New York's governor has directed all state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries, the New York Times reports. Terms like "spouse," "husband," and "wife" will now legally apply to same-sex partners in state regulations concerning everything from income tax filings to fishing license applications. The directive is seen as a huge step on the way to legalizing gay marriage in the Empire State. More »

A majority of Californians opposes gay marriage, but the margin is very slim, according to a new LA Times poll. For the moment, gay marriage is legal in California, but voters could ban it by approving a constitutional amendment in November. Right now 54% say they support a ban. But a majority also believes that homosexuality isn’t morally wrong. More »

The recent California Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriages has spawned a persnickety problem: what to do about current forms mentioning the "bride and groom" four times and prohibiting “alterations.” While one official assured the AP of “compliance with the court order,” an activist was less perturbed: “the t's crossed and i's dotted on the form are the least of our concerns.” More »

John McCain won't be walking Ellen DeGeneres down the aisle when she weds her lesbian partner, but he still wishes her "every happiness," the Chicago Tribune reports. DeGeneres pressed the Republican during her show on his opposition to gay marriage, saying, "Our love is the same." McCain praised her "very eloquent" argument but wouldn't budge. "We just have a disagreement," he said. More »

Less than a week after California lifted its ban on gay marriage, Star Trek actor George Takei plans to beam up to the altar and marry his longtime partner Brad Altman, BBC reports. After 21 years together, the couple is suddenly facing the “delicious dilemma” of deciding where to marry, the 71-year-old actor wrote on his website. More »

Across California, congregations of all faiths are adjusting to last week's ruling allowing same-sex marriages—even as they attempt to reconcile state laws with those of their religions, the Los Angeles Times reports. Many churches and synagogues are working to fit the ruling into their offerings; others see a direct conflict with their teachings. More »

John McCain might have had a stroke of luck with the recent California Supreme Court ruling that overturned a ban on gay marriage, pollster Peter Brown writes in the Wall Street Journa l. A discussion on gay marriage could energize social conservatives and help to draw attention away from Iraq and the economy— issues on which many voters agree with the Democrats. More »

Long characterized as cautious, California’s Chief Justice Ronald George shocked his peers when he joined the majority to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. “I think there are times when doing the right thing means not playing it safe,” the moderate Republican said, calling the case the most difficult one of his 17 years on the court. More »

Same-sex marriage was a big issue in 2004 and may have nudged the Democrats towards defeat, Karen Breslau writes in Newsweek . The issue is back in the spotlight this election year but she can think of four big reasons why it won't matter as much: Public opinion is shifting toward favoring gay marriage, or at least civil unions. John McCain is a maverick on social issues and doesn't seem inclined to make same-sex unions a battleground. More »

Californians readying for same-sex marriage can look to Massachusetts for a preview of what’s to come, the Los Angeles Times reports. “Massachusetts has been like the reality TV show for gay marriage,” says an author of a book on the subject. And so far, she says, it’s been a success. It's become so ordinary that one kindergartner asked her teacher, who was wearing a new wedding band, if he had married a boy or a girl. More »

Despite its staying power in Massachusetts, gay marriage may not last long in California, Emily Bazelon writes for Slate. Unlike Massachusetts, where “a layered and intricate legislative process” gave voters time to get comfortable with the new law, Californians can overturn the landmark ruling on election day in November, by passing an initiative that's already on the ballot. More »

In the wake of the California decision, gay advocates hope to bring the issue of same-sex marriages to the forefront of the general election. But all three candidates have similar views—they support civil unions but think marriages should be between men and women, the New York Times reports. They differ in nuances, however, and if the issue gains traction in the next few months, look for those differences to come into play. More »

Organizations staunchly opposed to same-sex unions are already mobilizing to reinstate a ban on gay marriages that was struck down yesterday by California's Supreme Court, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The coalition intends to hammer home the fact that  four judges have "overturned the will" of millions of voters who approved the ban in a 2000 vote, said a spokeswoman for a conservative group in Sacramento. More »

California gays are ecstatic about the state's supreme court striking down a ban on same-sex marriage, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. “I'm feeling the joy all over,” one gay man, and father, said. In Fresno, a gay couple applied for a marriage license from a somewhat bewildered county clerk who wondered about the “exact language” of the decision, the Bee observed. More »

The California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage today, calling state laws discriminatory, the Los Angeles Times reports. The moderately conservative body found that same-sex couple must be allowed to marry, in a case stemming from the 2004 San Francisco unions that the same judges intervened to stop. An initiative on the November ballot could yet void the ruling if passed by voters. More »

Wedding bells have rung for more than 700 homosexual couples in Massachusetts since the state started marrying gays in 2004, prompting the New York Times to profile young gay men who said “I do.” But there are many things the spouses don’t do, such as follow traditional norms: “We don’t think there is any set way to do this,” one 24-year-old said. More »