Tag Archives: gay marriage

More on Mark Phariss

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I figured it was just a matter of time before someone wrote a feature story about Mark Phariss’ candidacy for State Senate. The man who sued Texas to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage will run for Senate as … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS declines to hear Houston’s appeal of same-sex marriage lawsuit

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Disappointing, but nowhere close to the end of the line. Denying the city of Houston’s request, the U.S. Supreme Court will not review a June decision by the Texas Supreme Court, which ruled that the landmark decision legalizing same-sex marriage … Continue reading →

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Kirkland for Supreme Court

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston State District Court Judge Steven Kirkland has announced his candidacy for a seat on the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court, making him the first openly gay candidate to run for the state’s highest civil court. Kirkland, a Democrat, is … Continue reading →

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Judgmental

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The only bench this guy should be allowed on is a park bench. Jeff Mateer, a high-ranking official in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office who President Donald Trump has nominated for a federal judgeship, said in speeches in 2015 … Continue reading →

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City goes to SCOTUS over same-sex spousal benefits

Posted on September 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The City of Houston and Mayor Sylvester Turner filed a petition Friday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision that came down earlier this summer, concluding that states did not have to provide publicly funded benefits to … Continue reading →

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Pastoral malignancy

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Know your enemy. A day before the Texas Legislature ended its special session this week, a session that included a high-profile fight over a “bathroom bill” that appeared almost certainly dead, David Welch had a message for Gov. Greg Abbott: … Continue reading →

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Houston city employees file their own lawsuit (again) on spousal benefits

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A shame it’s had to come to this, but this is where we are. On Thursday, three married couples from Houston filed a lawsuit in federal court aimed at forcing the city to preserve health coverage and other benefits for … Continue reading →

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OutSmart talks to Kim Ogg

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another good read about our new DA, one that goes into her personal background in some depth. John Wright: Your father, Jack Ogg, was a longtime Texas state legislator, and your late mother was well-known for her charity work. What … Continue reading →

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Anti-spousal benefits plaintiffs ask for injunction

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ridiculous. Conservative activists are seeking an injunction blocking Houston from paying same-sex spousal benefits to its municipal employees, after Texas’ Supreme Court ruled last week that gay couples may not be entitled to them. Attorneys filed a motion Friday in … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court sends same-sex marriage benefits question back to lower court

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Unbelievable. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a lower court ruling that said spouses of gay and lesbian public employees are entitled to government-subsidized same-sex marriage benefits. The state’s highest civil court ordered a trial court to reconsider … Continue reading →

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Attorney’s fees awarded to same sex marriage plaintiffs

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Justice. Texas is on the hook for more than $600,000 in fees associated with its unsuccessful fight to defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Affirming a lower court ruling on the fees, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals … Continue reading →

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“Strongly held religious beliefs” do not justify discrimination

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is a very bad idea. Legislation that would allow county clerks in Texas to decline to issue same-sex marriage licenses if it conflicts with their religious beliefs was tentatively approved Tuesday by the Texas Senate. State Sen. Brian Birdwell, … Continue reading →

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Let the clerks out of it

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this. The state’s leading LGBT advocacy group has thrown its support behind a bill that would accommodate county clerks with religious objections to same-sex marriage. Under Senate Bill 911, by state Senator Joan Huffman, R-Sugar Land, marriage … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court hears ridiculous same-sex marriage appeal

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Was this trip really necessary? Same-sex couples are entitled to the same treatment as opposite-sex couples, a lawyer for the city of Houston argued before the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday in a case challenging the city’s benefits policy for … Continue reading →

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State Supreme Court hears same sex marriage appeal today

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Gird your loins. Almost two years after same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide, Texas Republicans are still fighting the ruling — and they’re getting another day in court. The Texas Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Wednesday in … Continue reading →

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There’s more than SB6 to watch out for

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Keep an eye out for other anti-LGBT bills, because any of them might pass even if SB6 goes down. With the media seemingly preoccupied by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s bathroom bill, three Republican state senators have quietly introduced a sweeping … Continue reading →

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SB6 will hurt people

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It will hurt transgender people, who despite what Dan Patrick would have you think, are people like you and me. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has said his so-called bathroom bill isn’t discriminatory because transgender people can update their birth certificates … Continue reading →

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State Supreme Court will take up same sex marriage appeal

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Somehow, this wasn’t the worst thing that happened yesterday. After pressure from Texas GOP leadership, the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court on Friday reversed course and agreed to take up a same-sex marriage case. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s legalization of … Continue reading →

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It’s bill-filing season

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. Today is the first day of early filing in the Texas Legislature. Lawmakers in both the House and Senate may begin filing the bills that will be discussed when the legislature convenes in January 10, 2017. So … Continue reading →

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Republicans take their desperate shot at limiting same sex marriage

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Pathetic. After coming out on the losing end of a United States Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, Texas Republican leaders are now looking to the Texas Supreme Court to narrow the scope of that landmark ruling. Gov. Greg Abbott, … Continue reading →

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Republicans join Woodfill’s ridiculous anti-spousal benefits crusade

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Shoveling sand against the tide. Fifty Republican members of the Texas Legislature have signed a court brief arguing that the same-sex spouses of government employees shouldn’t be entitled to health insurance and other benefits. The “friend-of-the-court” brief was submitted Friday … Continue reading →

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Jared Woodfill never stops never stopping

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Fifteen months after the U.S. Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land, anti-LGBT groups in Texas are still fighting the decision. Jonathan Saenz, president of the right-wing lobby group Texas Values, and Houston … Continue reading →

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More on Mississippi’s anti-LGBT law and the effect in Texas

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t look like we’re going to learn anything from the Mississippi experience. Reeves’ ruling isn’t likely to deter Texas Republicans who have stated adamantly that Christians and others with sincerely held religious beliefs need extra protection when following their faith, … Continue reading →

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From the “You can dish it out but you sure can’t take it” files

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. After years of Texas trying to lure businesses away from other states, New York has struck back — with an ad that paints the Lone Star State as unwelcoming and discriminatory to the LGBT community. The two-minute ad … Continue reading →

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Mississippi anti-LGBT law struck down

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This definitely has consequences for Texas. A federal judge stopped Mississippi’s controversial “religious freedom” law Thursday night, minutes before it was set to take effect. In a opinion that cited scripture and Mississippi’s segregationist past, U.S. District Court Judge Carlton … Continue reading →

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Republicans gear up for full blown gay panic in 2017

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You have been warned. Still angry about the Supreme Court’s mandate, some conservative lawmakers hope that it is someday overturned. In the meantime, they expect to propose a series of what they call religious liberty bills to blunt its impact. … Continue reading →

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On Dan Patrick’s hostility to the LGBT community

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ross Ramsey sums up the Dan Patrick tweetorrhea situation and tries to make sense of it. Lately, the lieutenant governor has been focused on transgender Texans and which bathrooms they should use — those of their identity or those of … Continue reading →

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Paxton sues over Obama directive on transgender bathroom access

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A more transparent publicity stunt you would be hard-pressed to find. Texas, joined by 10 other states, filed a lawsuit Wednesday to stop a federal directive instructing school districts to let transgender students use the bathroom that corresponds with their … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court dismisses effort to dissolve state’s first same-sex marriage

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I could be wrong, but I believe this closes the books on all the same-sex marriage litigation from last year. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday tossed out Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to undo the union of the first gay couple to … Continue reading →

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I now pronounce you man and machine

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, no. Chris Sevier says he’s being denied his right to marry – his computer. The persistent Tennessee lawyer – who has carried his challenge to same-sex marriage to courthouses across the nation – has filed a lawsuit in federal … Continue reading →

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Once again with “religious freedom” legislation

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. State Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, says he plans to re-file legislation next session that would supplement the state’s existing law to allow business owners to refuse services to people whose lifestyles … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s hack hire

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

What else do you expect? When Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton named Jeff Mateer as his new first assistant earlier this month, conservatives lauded him for a legal background that’s highlighted by his work on religious-liberty cases. But Mateer’s background … Continue reading →

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One State Bar complaint against Paxton dismissed

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A little bit of good news for our embattled AG, but not much. The State Bar of Texas has dismissed one of two pending complaints against Attorney General Ken Paxton. The dismissed complaint, filed in February by attorney and blogger … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds same-sex adoption rights

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Awesome. The U.S. Supreme Court in a victory for gay rights ruled Monday that states must honor adoptions by same-sex parents who move across state lines. Citing the Constitution’s “full faith and credit” clause, the justices in a unanimous opinion … Continue reading →

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