Same sex wedding bells for one newly married couple in Iowa. TowleRoad has pictures of the happy and historic couple. But, of course, the fun has ended. The County Attorney, John Sarcone, freaked out so that's over for now:
Two men sealed the state's first legal same-sex marriage with a kiss Friday morning, less than 24 hours after a judge threw out Iowa's ban on gay marriage and about two hours before he put that ruling on hold.
It was a narrow window of opportunity.
Polk County Judge Robert Hanson temporarily cleared the way for same-sex couples across the state to apply for marriage licenses in the county when he ruled Thursday that Iowa's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed marriage only between a man and a woman, violated the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection of six gay couples who had sued.
County attorney John Sarcone promised a quick appeal and asked Hanson to stay his ruling until that appeal was resolved.
HICKORY, NC - Faith In America Executive Director Rev. Jimmy Creech issued the following statement in support of Rev. Reggie Longcrier's question that was aired today during the Democratic Presidential Candidate debate sponsored by CNN and YouTube.
"Tonight, Rev. Longcrier asked the right question and one that is on the minds of many Americans," said Rev. Creech.
The text of Rev. Longcrier's question is as follows: "I'm Rev. Reggie Longcrier, I'm the Pastor of Exodus Missionary Outreach Church in Hickory, North Carolina. Senator Edwards says his opposition to gay marriage is influenced by his Southern Baptist background. Most Americans agree it was wrong and unconstitutional to use religion to justify slavery and segregation and deny women the right to vote. So, why is it still acceptable to use religion to deny gay Americans their full and equal rights?"
"In answering Rev. Longcrier's question, Senator Edwards made an important commitment to not allow his personal religious beliefs to restrict the rights of any American," added Rev. Creech. "We congratulate him and encourage all leaders and candidates to give serious consideration to this issue and how they will represent the interests of this nation."
"Millions of gay Americans struggle every-day against the misuse of religion to perpetuate prejudice and inequality," said Creech. "These individuals don't just fight bigotry when they're denied the right to marry their partners, they combat it on the street, in the workplace, in their children's schools, and in every other aspect of their lives. Religion-based prejudices pervade and profoundly shape the daily experiences of these people and I'd like to commend my friend Rev. Longcrier for furthering the national dialogue for those and all Americas on this critically important subject."
Faith in America Inc. launched its "Five City Campaign" in May to educate Americans in early primary states about the misuse of religious teachings to discriminate and isolate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people. Like Rev. Longcrier's question to the candidates, the campaign highlights the parallels between the historical precedents of religion-based bigotry and today's struggle for full and equal rights for gay individuals.
Rev. Longcrier has been a long-time supporter of Faith in America and has worked together with the organization on projects to end religion-based bigotry in North Carolina and throughout the country. To view Rev. Longcrier's submission on YouTube...
Faith in America seeks to end legal discrimination against GLBT people in America and to gain full and equal rights for those individuals. More information can be found at www.FaithInAmerica.com
The issue here isn't John Edwards. It's the overall practice of using religion as a justification for prejudice. That is all too common, has been all too common throughout our history, and it not only hurts a lot of people, it turns people off to religion.
Elizabeth Edwards, starring at the kickoff event of San Francisco's signature Gay Pride Parade, came out in support of legalized gay marriage today -- taking a position which she acknowledged is at odds with her husband, presidential candidate John Edwards.
"I don't know why somebody else's marriage has anything to do with me,'' she said. "I'm completely comfortable with gay marriage.''
In 2004, aides to Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), the Democratic presidential nominee, were so worried about black voters' feelings about same-sex marriage that they put Bill Clinton on a conference call with 3,000 black pastors so the former president could reassure the pastors that Kerry truly did oppose same-sex marriage.
Democratic political consultant Bob Shrum claims in his new book that during the 2004 elections, Bill Clinton advised John Kerry to support the Federal Marriage Amendment, i.e., the anti-gay amendment to the US Constitution that would have banned gay marriage and vitiated scores of other rights that gay couples may have, including health insurance, inheritance, child custody, parenting, and more. Shrum reports that Kerry refused to endorse the amendment.
I decided to check with Bill Clinton's office and the Kerry-Edwards 2004 campaign to find out if this is true. Here is what I found.
Jay Carson, spokesman for President Clinton told me:
"I checked and it's completely untrue. He never advised John Kerry to support the gay marriage ban President Bush was pushing."
A senior Kerry-Edwards 2004 campaign staffer told me:
"It's definitely true. Newsweek had reported that Clinton had said Kerry should support some of the state [anti-gay] ballot initiatives. Clinton believed it would be this grand master stroke to neutralize Bush's base."
Pillow talk matters. I want my civil rights, I don't want to be on the receiving end of constant triangulation. Mrs. Edwards will be a force for good, at least as it concerns the civil and human rights of gay and lesbian Americans. As much as I like the man, I can't say the same about Mr. Clinton. He's going to be advising Hillary to throw us under the bus. That doesn't mean Hillary will, but her top two advisers have a history of legislative gay-bashing for political gain. That's of legitimate concern.
