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US to make marriage benefits available to gay couples

She said the apparent and rapid shift in public sentiment towards same-sex marriage has been “profound”. “It was pretty neat”, Rutter said. “That’s a division right down the middle of America”.

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“The most troubling prospect of same sex marriage is the adoption by same sex partners of a young child of the same sex”.

In another federal action that employers need take note of, last week the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) issued its “Commission Guidance Regarding the Definition of the Terms “Spouse” and “Marriage” Following the Supreme Court’s Decision in United States v. Windsor“. Before the ruling, there were 13 states that did not recognize same-sex marriages.

Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign, said concerns about religious liberties are a “red herring” designed to obscure a desire to continue unfair treatment of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered. A bill to expand Kansas’ anti-discrimination laws was introduced in the state House this year but didn’t get a hearing.

The 13th Court’s February 13, 2014, decision essentially validated Araguz’s marriage to Thomas Trevino Araguz III by finding that state law allowed for transgendered marriage, but remanded the case back to the trial court to determine whether Nikki Araguz was a man at the time of the marriage and therefore violated Texas’ previous ban on same-sex marriage.

Nearly two-thirds of Republicans oppose the Supreme Court’s backing of gay marriage, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which gives hope for conservative presidential candidates who have come out strongly against marriage equality.

“A government employee may not remain on marriage duty while refusing to serve same-sex couples”, the letter states.

“The question we must ask is whether this violation of their oath to support the Constitution of the United States justifies impeachment of five Supreme Court judges”, Emery wrote.

“Justices of the peace and judges similarly retain religious freedoms, and may claim that the government cannot force them to conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies over their religious objections, when other authorized individuals have no objection, because it is not the least restrictive means of the government ensuring the ceremonies occur”. Witt said the order allows faith-based groups providing services for the state and local governments to deny them to gay couples.

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Nixon’s order and prepared remarks Tuesday did not mention the issue. “The infamous Dred Scott decision, [which] said that blacks were not entitled to full citizenship, was not followed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court – and history pointed out that the Wisconsin Supreme Court was right and the Supreme Court was wrong”. We should weep for our country.

Image Judge C Allen Mc Connell