Tag Archives: gay marriage

Anchia birth certificate bill passes out of committee

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. House Bill 537, by Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas), would allow same-sex parents to have both names on the birth certificates of adopted children. […] On Monday, the committee quietly voted 7-4 to advance HB 537, with Cook and … Continue reading →

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I repeat, no one will be forced to perform a same sex wedding

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This really is a huge waste of time. For some gay rights advocates, a bill in the Texas Legislature that would allow clergy to refuse to marry same-sex couples would be acceptable if it just included four more words. As … Continue reading →

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No one is going to be forced to perform a same sex wedding

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Would someone please reassure Dan Patrick of this before he wets himself? Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, said he sponsored Senate Bill 2065 at the urging of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The Senate suspended its rules to allow the bill … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS finally tackles same sex marriage

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We all know what went on at the Supreme Court yesterday, so I’m just going to link to some of the coverage: TPM Daily Kos 1 Daily Kos 2 Buzzfeed The Slacktivist Washington Post SCOTUSBlog analysis SCOTUSBlog liveblog I think … Continue reading →

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Ted Cruz still really dislikes gay people

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Though he’s happy to take their money if they’re foolish enough to offer it to him. Nobody tell the adoring fans at U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential announcement at Liberty University that he was palling around liberal New York City … Continue reading →

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Two anti-gay bills advance

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Look out. Gay rights advocates began sounding the alarm Wednesday after two anti-LGBT bills cleared House committees and another received a favorable hearing. Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, said if LGBT groups and their corporate allies don’t … Continue reading →

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Still no action on fixing birth certificates

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s shameful that this doesn’t have the votes to get out of committee. Prior to a hearing on a bill that would permit faith-based adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT people, Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) delivered an impassioned speech on … Continue reading →

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Ted Cruz really dislikes gay people

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Riding a wave of conservative fervor over gay marriage and “traditional” social values, Texas Republican Ted Cruz has surged upward in national presidential polls and major donor support. But even as he rallied Thursday with … Continue reading →

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“Kicking and screaming”

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like we’re going to have to wait for SCOTUS to finally bring same sex marriage to Texas. Daniel McNeel Lane Jr., who represents two same-sex couples challenging Texas’ marriage ban, previously predicted the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals … Continue reading →

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Let the budgetary games begin

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The House takes up the budget today, with over 300 amendments and riders queued up for votes. A couple of things to watch for as the debate goes on: Killing vouchers. Lawmakers in the Texas House will have a chance … Continue reading →

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Injunction granted against FMLA benefits for same sex couples

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What a load of crap. A Wichita Falls federal district judge on Thursday granted Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to temporarily stop the federal government from revising the Family and Medical Leave Act to include federal employees in same-sex unions. … Continue reading →

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Backlash anti-gay marriage bill heard in committee

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out bigotry has a price tag. House Bill 1745, by Rep. Cecil Bell (R-Magnolia), seeks to bar Texas officials from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples or recognizing their marriages—regardless of whether courts determine the state’s ban is unconstitutional. … Continue reading →

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WaPo profiles Mayor Parker

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing we didn’t already know, but a nice story nonetheless. Annise Parker keeps a leather-bound journal on the desk in her wood-paneled office in City Hall. If it had a title, she says, it would be: “Would This Have Happened … Continue reading →

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The scared institution of marriage

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Smell the fear and desperation. Several hundred Christian fundamentalists gathered on the south steps of the Capitol today in a rally that was less about the defense of traditional marriage than about preparing for civil disobedience if, as expected, the … Continue reading →

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Trying again to fix birth certificates

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is encouraging. A Republican committee chairman smacked down an anti-LGBT witness Wednesday during a hearing on a proposal to allow same-sex parents to have both their names on the birth certificates of adopted children. Julie Drenner, of Texas Values, … Continue reading →

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Not a good session for equality

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I know, duh, right? Texas lawmakers have filed at least 20 anti-LGBT proposals this year—likely the most in the history of any state. It’s the type of onslaught that was widely expected among LGBT advocates, due to backlash over the … Continue reading →

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Paxton files his first lawsuit against the feds

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Won’t be his last, I’m sure, but as the first it sure seems like a rearguard action. The state of Texas is suing the Obama administration for giving medical leave benefits to certain same-sex couples, according to an announcement Wednesday … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS to hear same sex marriage appeal in April

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready. The Supreme Court will hear arguments over same-sex marriage on April 28 and make audio of the proceedings available later that day. The gay marriage cases mark the only time this term that the court has agreed to … Continue reading →

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Cleo and Nicole

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You should read this Texas Monthly feature story on Cleopatra de Leon and Nicole Dimetman, two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to overturn Texas’ ban on same sex marriage. But it is children— their children—that prompted Cleo and Nicole … Continue reading →

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Complaint filed against judge who allowed same sex marriage

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. The judge that allowed Texas’ first gay marriage to go forward is the target of a judicial conduct complaint, the latest volley in the state’s attempts to call the historic union into question. “This judge deliberately violated statutory law … Continue reading →

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The backlash has begun

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Item one. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday asked the state Supreme Court to void a marriage license issued to two Austin women who became the first same-sex couple to legally wed in the state. Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne … Continue reading →

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First same-sex marriage in Texas happens

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It may be the only one for awhile, but it will definitely not be the only one. Despite Texas’ longstanding ban on same-sex marriages, two Austin women made history on Thursday when they became the first gay couple to legally … Continue reading →

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Faith leaders rally for equality

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. Faith leaders from across Texas gathered Tuesday at the state Capitol, urging legislators to lift the state’s ban on gay marriage and pass laws forbidding discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. While some cities — … Continue reading →

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Another judge finds Texas’ ban on same sex marriage to be unconstitutional

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This ruling is a bit more narrow, however. A Travis County judge ruled Tuesday that the Texas ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, but there was no rush to the altar after county officials — scrambling to assess the impact … Continue reading →

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Same sex marriage plaintiffs ask Fifth Circuit to lift the stay

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve got a strong case, based on recent SCOTUS action. Attorneys for two gay couples are asking a federal appeals court to allow same-sex marriages to begin in Texas immediately. In a motion filed Thursday, attorneys for the couples asked … Continue reading →

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Oklahoma, where the same-sex weddings come sweeping down the plain

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

One of the most commonly made arguments for expanded gambling in Texas is that as long as we don’t have casinos, Texans will travel to neighboring states to spend their gambling dollars there. Well, that same argument can be made … Continue reading →

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The national fight against equality

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, Texas leads the way in an undesirable category. In Georgia, where lawmakers are considering a bill that critics fear could allow businesses to discriminate against gay customers, the former head of the country’s largest Protestant denomination recently urged … Continue reading →

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The last time Texas was in the minority on a marriage issue

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Those who forget the lessons of history are likely to get an unfavorable SCOTUS ruling crammed down their throats. As the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the issue of same-sex marriage, Texas once again finds itself on the lonely side … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS will take up same sex marriage

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is it. The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it will take up four cases challenging state bans on same-sex couples’ marriages — a long anticipated move that could lead to nationwide marriage equality. The cases ask the justices … Continue reading →

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The Fifth Circuit finally hears the same sex marriage appeal

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I am very cautiously optimistic. Signaling significant doubt about the constitutionality of Texas’ ban on same-sex marriages, two federal appeals judges on Friday questioned a state attorney’s argument that marriage is a “subsidy” that the state has the right to … Continue reading →

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Shoveling sand against the same sex marriage tide

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Cecil Bell is threatening to hold his breath till he turns purple if those nasty federal courts give the go ahead to same sex marriage in Texas. State or local government employees giving out same-sex marriage licenses would stop … Continue reading →

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What do we expect from the Fifth Circuit and SCOTUS on same sex marriage?

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some people are very optimistic. Same-sex marriage will arrive in Texas before Easter, according to an attorney for two couples who are challenging the state’s marriage bans in federal court. Daniel McNeel Lane Jr., of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & … Continue reading →

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Same sex marriage ads on your TV

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it. The national same-sex marriage advocacy group Freedom to Marry will air a series of television ads in Texas this week, with the aim to personalize the issue ahead of an important federal hearing Friday. The … Continue reading →

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Meet the judges

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not a bad panel, all things considered. Judges Patrick Higginbotham of Dallas, Jerry Smith of Houston and James Graves Jr. of Jackson, Miss., will sit on a panel that will hear appeals from state officials in Texas and Mississippi of … Continue reading →

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