Here’s a bit of good news to start your week. Colorado lesbian moms Fran and Anna Simon, whom NPR called “the de facto face of the civil unions debate” back when the state was trying to pass civil unions, have now gotten married.
Yesterday, Colorado became the latest in a string of states to rule in favor of marriage equality. As in every other state that has seen a marriage equality ruling lately, parents were among the plaintiffs, and once again, the judge rejected the argument that marriage should be limited to different-sex couples because they can procreate.
A nonbiological mother is the legal parent of her daughter, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled last week, in yet another unfortunate instance of a biological mother trying to claim otherwise.
It just keeps getting better. Yesterday saw marriage equality victories in Indiana and Utah (and hopeful news out of Louisiana). Once again, the well-being of children played a large part in the rulings.
A proposed new federal rule would extend protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to all eligible employees married to same-sex spouses, regardless of where they live. And announcements from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) extend other benefits to same-sex couples — up to a point.
Three recent stories about same-sex parents trying to obtain accurate birth certificates for their children underscore the obstacles and confusion we often face in trying to protect our families.
Wisconsin-based spice company Penzeys is celebrating the state’s marriage equality win by sharing the stories of four of the plaintiff couples (several of whom have children), including “their lives, their cooking and their love.” Lest you think they’re just jumping on the bandwagon, they also reposted an article about gay dads Pat and Dennis and their four kids that ran in their newsletter way back in 2005. It lost them customers at the time — but they stuck with their beliefs.
A new law in Washington, D.C. is drawing lesbian couples from other jurisdictions to give birth there — and a bill making its way through the California legislature could simplify the paperwork and clarify parenting arrangements for same-sex couples in that state.
Not one, but two states have gained marriage equality this week, as Pennsylvania today joined Oregon. And lest anyone feel that U.S. District Court Judge Michael McShane’s ruling in the Oregon case was influenced by the fact that he is a gay dad, consider that straight U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones III, who ruled in Pennsylvania, was appointed by President George W. Bush and backed by anti-LGBT Senator Rick Santorum (R).
U.S. District Court Judge Michael McShane yesterday struck down Oregon’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples, issuing a ruling that draws on his own experience as a dad, and ends with one of the most poetic passages I’ve ever seen in a legal document. McShane is also openly gay.
