Uncle Remus
Raconteur / can't name 'em Jeb
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2006
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(San Francisco, California) On Valentine's Day thousands of same-sex couples across the country will protest their inability to marry.
Same-sex couples will line up at local clerks offices on February 14 to request marriage licenses and as they have for each of the ten past Freedom To Marry Days be turned down, gay and lesbian couples who go to the Yolo County clerk in Northern California will be getting something to take home.
Clerk-Recorder Freddie Oakley will hand out "certificates of inequality" to each of the couples.
"It pains me more than I can express that I am the arm of the government that is forced to deny marriage licenses to loving and committed same sex couples," said Oakley who is in an opposite-sex marriage and has two children.
"This certificate is one way I can ease my soul."
The printed certificate says, "I issue this Certificate of Inequality to you because your choice of marriage partner displeases some people whose displeasure is, apparently, more important than principles of equality."
Oakley has come under fire from conservative groups in the state who oppose same-sex marriage.
"The people pay government officials to implement the law and to faithfully execute the law ... not to ridicule the law and perform stunts that advocate the overthrow of marriage," Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, told the Sacramento Bee newspaper.
But Oakley defends her actions. She said that the protest is her own, and does not reflect the opinion of Council. And, she said no tax dollars were used in preparing the certificates.
Massachusetts is the only state where same-sex marriage is legal, and even there it is limited to residents of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey permit civil unions.
The battle for same-sex marriage in California is being waged this year in the legislature and the state Supreme Court.
The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act was introduced in the Assembly last month by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). The bill is identical to a one passed last year in both the Assembly and Senate but vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The legislation has the backing of the full LGBT caucus at the legislature - all Democrats and is again expected to narrowly pass both houses. But how it will fare if it reaches the governor's desk is not yet known.
Meanwhile, the California Supreme Court this year will hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that upheld the state ban on gay marriage.
The case dates back to 2004 when San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Some 8,000 couples exchanged vows before the state Supreme Court ruled Newsom had acted illegally.
The court nullified the marriages but said its ruling dealt only with Newsom's actions. The justices said at the time the question of whether barring same-sex couples from marrying violated the state's equal protection clause of its constitution was a separate matter.
Legal challenges on the constitutional question were begun almost immediately. Three separate suits ultimately were wrapped together into a single case.
In March 2005 a Superior Court judge in San Francisco ruled that the law denying same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.
In October, the California Court of Appeal in a split decision overturned Kramer's ruling and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court.
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/02/020207marry.htm
___________________________________________________________
"I issue this Certificate of Inequality to you because your choice of marriage partner displeases some people whose displeasure is, apparently, more important than principles of equality."
Same-sex couples will line up at local clerks offices on February 14 to request marriage licenses and as they have for each of the ten past Freedom To Marry Days be turned down, gay and lesbian couples who go to the Yolo County clerk in Northern California will be getting something to take home.
Clerk-Recorder Freddie Oakley will hand out "certificates of inequality" to each of the couples.
"It pains me more than I can express that I am the arm of the government that is forced to deny marriage licenses to loving and committed same sex couples," said Oakley who is in an opposite-sex marriage and has two children.
"This certificate is one way I can ease my soul."
The printed certificate says, "I issue this Certificate of Inequality to you because your choice of marriage partner displeases some people whose displeasure is, apparently, more important than principles of equality."
Oakley has come under fire from conservative groups in the state who oppose same-sex marriage.
"The people pay government officials to implement the law and to faithfully execute the law ... not to ridicule the law and perform stunts that advocate the overthrow of marriage," Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, told the Sacramento Bee newspaper.
But Oakley defends her actions. She said that the protest is her own, and does not reflect the opinion of Council. And, she said no tax dollars were used in preparing the certificates.
Massachusetts is the only state where same-sex marriage is legal, and even there it is limited to residents of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey permit civil unions.
The battle for same-sex marriage in California is being waged this year in the legislature and the state Supreme Court.
The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act was introduced in the Assembly last month by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). The bill is identical to a one passed last year in both the Assembly and Senate but vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The legislation has the backing of the full LGBT caucus at the legislature - all Democrats and is again expected to narrowly pass both houses. But how it will fare if it reaches the governor's desk is not yet known.
Meanwhile, the California Supreme Court this year will hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that upheld the state ban on gay marriage.
The case dates back to 2004 when San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Some 8,000 couples exchanged vows before the state Supreme Court ruled Newsom had acted illegally.
The court nullified the marriages but said its ruling dealt only with Newsom's actions. The justices said at the time the question of whether barring same-sex couples from marrying violated the state's equal protection clause of its constitution was a separate matter.
Legal challenges on the constitutional question were begun almost immediately. Three separate suits ultimately were wrapped together into a single case.
In March 2005 a Superior Court judge in San Francisco ruled that the law denying same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.
In October, the California Court of Appeal in a split decision overturned Kramer's ruling and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court.
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/02/020207marry.htm
___________________________________________________________
"I issue this Certificate of Inequality to you because your choice of marriage partner displeases some people whose displeasure is, apparently, more important than principles of equality."
