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Religious extremists target bakers with requests for 'God Hates Fags' cakes
- From a Truth Wins Out press release - CHICAGO — Yesterday, Peter LaBarbera triumphantly posted a series of anti-gay videos from Theodore Shoebat, son of extremist Christian convert Walid Shoebat, who believes that the GOP-led House Of Representatives has been infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood, and that "ISIS is truly the manifestation of the purest form of the homosexual agenda." In the younger Shoebat's videos, he records himself ...
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Equality Illinois
introduces 'Growing
Your Family' series
- Equality Illinois ( EQIL ) introduced a new talk series, Growing Your Family: A Guide for Prospective LGBT Adoptive Parents, on Jan. 13 with co-host Cradle; local adoption agency. Rosemary Mulryan of EQIL and Dori Fujii of Cradle teamed together to inform the group of approximately 50 prospective parents about the adoption process. In addition to the launch of Growing ...
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Supreme Court: The nagging question behind Friday's announcement
- There is at least one small nagging question looming over the happy news Friday that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the appeals of same-sex couples challenging laws in four states that refuse to license or recognize their marriages. Most legal observers are saying these four cases —from Michigan, Tennessee, Ohio, and Kentucky— will be the means by which the ...
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Gay Catholics differ with Pope's remark on gay marriage
- From a press release - "DignityUSA is disturbed and disappointed by Pope Francis' remarks in the Philippines referring to support for same-sex marriage as 'ideological colonization…that is trying to destroy the family,'" said the organization's Executive Director, Marianne Duddy-Burke. "Especially in light of the more welcoming and sensitive tone on LGBT issues that the Pope has taken over the past two years, it is disconcerting ...
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U.S. Supreme Court to rule on marriage
- The U.S. Supreme Court may rule once and for all if the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law gives gay and lesbian U.S. residents the right to marry. The Huffington Post reported that the nine justices decided to review a two-to-one decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit that upheld bans on same-sex marriage ...
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Supreme Court puts off deciding whether to hear ban appeals
- The U.S. Supreme Court put off until at least this Friday ( January 16 ) a decision on whether it will hear appeals challenging a Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that said states can ban same-sex couples from marrying. It did so while announcing that it would not hear a similar appeal against Louisiana's ban on same-sex marriage ...
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National roundup: DOMA repeal; Boxer retiring; Tiffany & Co. ad
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Democrats kicked off the new congressional session Jan. 6 by reintroducing legislation to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ), which allows states to refuse to legally recognize gay and lesbian couples married in other states, The Huffington Post noted. The new bill, called the Respect for Marriage Act, repeals DOMA entirely. However, prospects for the measure ...
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South Dakota Federal Court rules for Freedom to Marry
- From a press release - ( Sioux Falls, SD, Jan. 12, 2015 )—Today, a federal court ruled in favor of six same-sex couples seeking the freedom to marry in South Dakota. The court stayed its order pending appeal by South Dakota officials. In a 28-page decision, U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier ruled that "Plaintiffs have a fundamental right to marry. South Dakota law deprives ...
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CNA begins policy supporting employees' surviving same-sex spouses
- From a press release - ( Chicago, IL, January 8, 2015 ) - Today, Lambda Legal announced that Douglas Hammett-Lair ( Doug ) started receiving spousal survivor benefits after CNA Financial Corporation amended its retirement plan to allow many surviving same-sex spouses to receive benefits. The change came after Lambda Legal and private counsel Louis Ascherman urged CNA to grant spousal benefits to same-sex couples ...
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LGBTs still unequal; report sees stalled progress in critical areas
- From a press release - Denver, CO; January 7, 2015— From stunning wins for the freedom to marry to Medicare's lifting of the exclusion of coverage for transgender-specific healthcare, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT ) Americans made gains on many fronts in 2014. However, despite these advances, deep disparities remain, including an overwhelming lack of employment nondiscrimination protections, high rates of healthcare discrimination, ...
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Year in review: National news 2014
- Extended for the online edition of Windy City Times - —With this ring: Marriage equality had to be the biggest news for the LGBT community in 2014, with a slew of states ( including those on the West Coast and in the Deep South ) allowing same-sex couples to legally wed—although some only permitted it after federal courts ordered it. As for early December, same-sex marriage is legal in 35 ...
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Reintroduced Respect for Marriage Act would fully repeal DOMA
- From press releases - From the Human Rights Campaign WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign responded to the reintroduction of the Respect for Marriage Act ( RMA ) by U.S. Senator Feinstein and U.S. Representatives Jerry Nadler and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. RMA would fully remove the Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) from the books and establish a clear rule for the federal ...
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World: Scotland's weddings; "dot LGBT"; Conchita Wurst and Putin
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Scotland's first same-sex weddings took place in the early hours of New Years Eve, TIME.com reported. Joe Schofield and Malcolm Brown married at the Trades Hall in Glasgow, and Susan and Gerrie Douglas-Scott had a private ceremony in the same city. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Green Party co-convener Patrick Harvie were witnesses at the Douglas-Scott's wedding, while ...
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High court to consider whether to review same-sex marriage cases
- From a Williams Institute press release - LOS ANGELES — On January 9, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to consider whether to take up the issue of same-sex marriage during the Court's current term. Specifically, at its January 9 conference, the Supreme Court will consider whether to review a decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that affirmed the constitutionality of bans on same-sex ...
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Ruling confirms Florida clerks must issue marriage licenses
- From a press release - ( January 1, 2015 ) — Today, federal district court Judge Robert L. Hinkle confirmed his marriage ruling in a new order stating that clerks of ALL Florida counties must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after his stay expires end of day January 5th. When the stay of his prior order invalidating Florida's ban on marriage by same-sex couples ...
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Elton John weds; Trans series in suburbs; Seacrest producing
- Elton John Sir Elton John officially married David Furnish—exactly nine years after they tied the knot in a civil-partnership ceremony. The "I'm Still Standing" singer married his partner at their Windsor estate in England Dec. 21. John has posted a photo of himself, pen in hand, sitting next to Furnish at a desk, with a piece of paper in front ...
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National news: Tim Cook; gay Texas judge; Janet Mock engaged
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Apple CEO Tim Cook has made a "substantial" donation to help fund a gay-rights campaign in his home state of Alabama and two other Southern states, On Top Magazine reported. The Human Rights Campaign's ( HRC ) Project One America seeks to increase rights for LGBT communities in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. Cook announced he was gay in October, reportedly ...
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Lance Bass marries
- Former NSYNC member Lance Bass, 35, married artist Michael Turchin, 27, at the Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on Dec. 20, according to People magazine. "We love each other so much," Bass told the publication of his new husband, whom he met almost four years ago at a friend's birthday celebration in Palm Springs, California. Wedding planner Sharon Sacks—who ...
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No SCOTUS stay, same-sex marriages to begin in Florida Jan. 6
- Florida apparently will recognize same-sex marriages on Jan. 6, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to further stay a lower court's ruling that the state's ban on the unions is unconstitutional. The high court, without explanation, rejected Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's request to intervene. A U.S. District judge in Florida had ruled in August the state's ban was unconstitutional ...
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Top world LGBT stories of 2014
- The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear appeals seeking to preserve bans on marriage for same-sex couples. President Obama finally signed a long-sought executive order protecting LGBT people who work for federal contractors. And an openly gay college football player kissed his boyfriend in front of a television camera after becoming the first openly gay player to be hired by ...
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Marriage in Florida
may start Jan. 5
- In Florida, same-sex couples throughout the state could begin marrying next month, after a federal appeals court ruled that a stay in the state's gay-marriage ban case will be lifted at the end of the day Jan. 5, TampaBay.com reported. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta rejected a request from Florida's secretaries of ...
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Study: More female couples marry than male
- From a Williams Institute press release - LOS ANGELES— The Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Windsor contributed to a significant increase in the number of same-sex couples marrying—even in states that had marriage equality long before the decision—according to new analysis by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. State administrative data from Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont shows that the number of ...
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LGBT impact; Portman declines; Cher's political tangle
- National roundup: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - National roundup: LGBT impact; Portman declines; Cher's political tangle COMPILED BY ANDREW DAVIS A new study released that Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law released finds that Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and Vermont Gov. Peter Chumlin would have both been defeated by their Republican challengers in the 2014 election if LGB people had not voted, a press release stated. ...
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Making his Marc:
Author Solomon recalls
'winning marriage'
- As the national campaign director at Freedom to Marry and with 13 years in the movement, Marc Solomon has witnessed the comings and goings of case after critical case leading to marriage equality in more than half of the United States. Working full-time on the cause since 2004, Solomon has detailed knowledge of how we got here, so it seems ...
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Marriage equality comes to Florida
- From press releases - From Equality Florida Today the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied the state's motion for stay of a District Court ruling that overturned the state's ban on marriage for same-sex couples. The stay is scheduled to expire at the end of the day on January 5th, enabling same-sex couples to apply for marriage licenses at that time. "We are ...
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World news: Chinese hookup app; marriage in Finland
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The world's most popular gay hookup app is now based in China, Advocate.com reported. Blued, a smartphone program and company that Chinese CEO Gene Le founded, has ousted Grindr from the worldwide top spot of same-sex matchmaking apps. Blued has skyrocketed to 15 million users since its launch in 2012, the majority of whom are from the Asian nation. In ...
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Federal Judge strikes down Mississippi marriage ban
- From a press release - WASHINGTON—Today U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled in favor of equality, striking down Mississippi's discriminatory constitutional amendment banning same-sex couples from marrying. Attorney Roberta Kaplan represented two plaintiff couples on behalf of Campaign for Southern Equality, arguing that Mississippi's marriage ban violates the U.S. Constitution. Kaplan successfully argued United States v. Windsor against the federal Defense of Marriage Act ( ...
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Arkansas, Mississippi have marriage bans overturned
- A federal judge struck down Arkansas' voter-approved gay-marriage ban, but stopped any rush to the altar by putting her order on hold so the state can consider an appea. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker ruled in favor of two same-sex couples who had challenged a 2004 constitutional amendment and earlier state law defining marriage as between a man and a ...
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Study: Public support for LGBT rights up in last three decades
- From a Williams Institute press release - Findings suggest that increase in public support comes from people of all ages, not just younger generation LOS ANGELES— Public support for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT ) people in the United States has increased significantly over the last three decades, according to a new study released today by the Williams Institute at UCLA School ...
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U.S. Supreme Court clears way for SC same-sex marriage
- From a news release - ( Charleston, SC, November 20, 2014 ) - Today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the motion filed by South Carolina's Attorney General to further delay the start of marriage for same-sex couples. "The order from the U.S. Supreme Court officially puts an end to the long fight for access to marriage for South Carolina's same-sex couples and their families. This ...
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Federal judge: Montana's anti-equal marriage rule unconstitutional
- From an ACLU press release - GREAT FALLS, Mont. — In a victory for equality across Montana, the U.S. District Court of Montana ruled today in favor of four same-sex couples suing for marriage. "Calling Tonya my partner, my significant other, my girlfriend, my perpetual fiancée has never done justice to our relationship. Now I can look forward to the day when I can introduce Tonya ...
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Veteran killed; Perry disrupted; Collins honored
- National roundup: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - An Army veteran beaten by a man he met at a bar died nearly a week after being hospitalized with burns so bad that parts of both arms had to be amputated, MercuryNews.com noted. Veteran Stephen Patrick White, 46, died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Alex Teal, White's longtime partner, had previously told AP White ...
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Marriage begins Thursday at noon in South Carolina
- From a press release - ( Charleston, SC, November 18, 2014 ) - Today, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied the State of South Carolina's motion to stay last week's U.S. District Court ruling striking down the state's discriminatory marriage ban, setting the stage for marriages to begin for same-sex couples at Noon on Thursday, November 20. South Carolina's Attorney General ...
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ASK LAMBDA LEGAL
Veterans' marriage
benefits
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Dear Ask Lambda Legal, I'm a married U.S. Army veteran and living in Arkansas. We're wondering about spousal benefits for same-sex partners. I thought my partner wasn't eligible but have heard that things are changing, is that true? In June 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act ( ...
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Michigan says gay marriages void after appellate decision
- Lawyers for Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette on Nov. 14 filed a six-page supplemental brief that said the 300 marriages performed for same-sex couples in Michigan in March 2014 are void, and that the couples are not entitled to state benefits resulting from those marriages. The couples were wed shortly after a district court ruled that the state's gay marriage ...
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Lambda, ACLU ask Supreme Court to review Ohio marriage cases
- From a press release - ( Cincinnati, OH, November 14, 2014 ) — Today Lambda Legal, the ACLU and private firm Gerhardstein & Branch filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals' aberrant ruling upholding discriminatory bans on marriage rights for same-sex couples in Ohio and three other states. The Sixth Circuit is the only federal circuit ...
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Court denies South Dakota's motion to dismiss marriage suit
- From a National Center for Lesbian Rights press release - ( Sioux Falls, SD, Nov. 14, 2014 )—South Dakota's marriage equality lawsuit is moving forward after United States Judge Karen Schreier rejected the State's motion for the case to be dismissed on Friday. The Court heard arguments in Rosenbrahn v. Daugaard on October 17 in Sioux Falls. The Attorney General's Office argued that a 2006 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ...
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Federal Judge Strikes Down South Carolina Marriage Ban
- From a press release - WASHINGTON — Today U.S. District Judge Richard Mark Gergel ruled against South Carolina's constitutional amendment banning marriage equality, making the Palmetto State the latest to see such a ban struck down in court since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its historic marriage rulings last June. In Condon v. Haley, Lambda Legal and private attorneys sued the state on behalf ...
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Lambda sues Social Security on behalf of gay Chicago widower
- From a press release - ( Chicago, IL, November 6, 2014 ) - Today, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit against the Social Security Administration ( SSA ) on behalf of Dave Williams, a widower, formerly of Arkansas, now a Chicagoan, who was denied spousal benefits after the death of his husband, Carl Allen. ...
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Missouri marriage ban ruled unconstitutional
- On Nov. 5, a Missouri judge ruled that the state's same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional, ordering St. Louis registrars to begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples who want to get married. "Fundamental rights are not dependent on the person seeking to exercise the right," St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex M. Burlinson wrote in his decision, according to NBC News. Attorney ...
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6th Circuit upholds marriage bans: Tenn., Ohio, Mich. and Ky.
- In a decision that will compel the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of bans against marriage for same-sex couples, a panel of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that it is not unconstitutional for a state to ban marriage licenses to same-sex couples or refuse to recognize marriage licenses such couples obtain from other ...
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Marriage Equality USA
releases updated map
- The organization Marriage Equality USA has released a map of the United States that reflects the changes taking place across the nation regarding same-sex marriage. Among some of the most recent facts: —32 of 50 states have marriage equality ( 64 percent ) —33 of 56 states, special districts and territories HAVE marriage ( 58.9 percent ) —Washington D.C. is ...
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Celebrations: Weddings
- Fernos-Felion Fausto Fernos ( right, from San Juan, Puerto Rico ) and Marc Felion ( from Erie, Pennsylvania ) exchanged wedding vows on Halloween, Oct. 31, in their home studio in Andersonville. Felion, the son of Kathryn Felion and the late Thomas R. Felion, is a graduate of Gannon University and received an MBA from Loyola Chicago. Fernos, the son ...
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Photo book documents 1980s same-sex couples
- Talk about patience. Sage Sohier has waited three decades to put together a wonderful collection of intimate portraits of, and interviews with, same-sex couples across the United States. Step back in time with her new book, At Home with Themselves, and experience this era of both love and death, during the early years of the AIDS crisis and the fight ...
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Crafty Broads makes
weddings manageable
- Cindy Savage and Julia Zayas-Melendez's extensive knowledge about wedding planning not only stems from both having theatre backgrounds and experience in stage management, but planning every detail of their own wedding in 2010. "We planned all of it. ... We went dress-shopping and got irritated at the exorbitant cost of things made out of polyester and thought, 'But I can ...
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Federal judge affirms the freedom to marry in Kansas
- From press releases - New York — Today U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree ruled in favor of the freedom to marry in Kansas. Marc Solomon, national campaign director of Freedom to Marry and author of Winning Marriage, released the following statement: "Yet another judge — this time in Kansas — has found marriage discrimination to be unconstitutional, joining the nearly unanimous, bipartisan wave ...
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Hazing conviction; Barney lauds Cruz; Windsor's request
- National roundup: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The alleged ringleader of a group of Florida A&M University marching-band students who beat drum major Robert Champion Jr., 26, in a 2011 hazing incident has been convicted of multiple charges related to Champion's death, CNN reported. A jury found former band member Dante Martin, 27, guilty of manslaughter and felony hazing after just an hour of deliberations, charges that ...
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Campaign spotlights adoption laws making LGBTQs vulnerable
- From a press release - Washington DC- Family Equality Council has announced its 2014 "Allies for Adoption" Campaign to coincide with National Adoption Month in November. The initiative will draw attention to the obstacles LGBTQ people confront when trying to secure legal ties for their families. In the majority of states across the country, LGBTQ people encounter barriers when trying to adopt a partner's child, ...
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Fed govt to recognize same-sex married couples in six new states
- WASHINGTON—In the latest development following the Supreme Court's decision earlier this month to decline to hear any pending cases regarding same-sex marriage, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Saturday that the federal government will now recognize same-sex married couples in six new states: Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Last week, the Attorney General made a similar announcement ...
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Oberweis: Would support federal marriage equality law
- After much heated opposition to marriage equality in Illinois, U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis said Oct. 23 that his thinking about the matter has shifted. Oberweis' remarks came in a debate against incumbent U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Each candidate was asked whether they would support a federal marriage equality law. "I think that's well-established," Oberweis replied. "The court has said ...
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District Court dismisses suit seeking marriage in Puerto Rico
- From a news release - "The court's ruling directly conflicts with the wave of recent decisions finding these marriage bans unconstitutional and perpetuates the discrimination and harm done to same-sex Puerto Rican couples and their families." ( San Juan, PR, October 21, 2014 ) - Today the United States District Court of Puerto Rico issued a ruling dismissing Lambda Legal's lawsuit seeking to end the ...
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President Obama: Constitution guarantees right to marry
- From a Human Rights Campaign press release - WASHINGTON — In an interview with The New Yorker's Jeffrey Toobin, President Obama has for the first time announced he believes the U.S. Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry in all fifty states. This is a stark progression from the President's previous position, which to allow each state to decide the issue individually. President Obama told Toobin, "Ultimately, ...
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Focus on the Family's Glenn Stanton talks bigotry, marriage
- Glenn Stanton is an outspoken figure in the fight against marriage equality, from his work with right-wing organization Focus on the Family to his debates at colleges and churches around the country. Windy City Times sat down with Stanton to discuss his new book, Loving My ( LGBT ) Neighbor: Being Friends in Grace & Truth. Windy City Times: ...
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Federal judge strikes down Arizona marriage ban
- From a press release - ( Phoenix, AZ, October 17, 2014 ) - U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick today struck down Arizona's discriminatory marriage ban, paving the way for same-sex couples across the state to apply for marriage licenses or to have their legal out-of-state marriages respected. "Welcome, Arizona - the 31st freedom to marry state! We are grateful that Judge Sedwick acted so ...
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Federal judge rules for marriage equality in Wyoming
- From a press release - ( Casper, WY, October 17, 2014 )—Today, U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl of the District of Wyoming ruled in favor of the freedom to marry in the challenge to the State of Wyoming's ban on marriage equality. The court's order granted a request by four same-sex couples and Wyoming Equality, who had filed a federal lawsuit challenging Wyoming's ...
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Library exhibit: Gay cartoonist's view of same-sex marriage
- From a press release - As recognition of same-sex marriage grows the Chicago Public Library presents Love Me Forever! Oh! Oh! Oh! by cartoonist Jeremy Sorese. In this engagingly illustrated exhibit, Sorese, a gay man, explores the idea of getting married. Selected from The Best American Comics 2013, Love Me Forever! Oh! Oh! Oh! is on display through March 8, 2015, in the Congress Corridor, ...
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New studies estimate LGBT population, married couples
- From a press release - LOS ANGELES — Two new studies released by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, review findings from four recent large, national, population-based surveys to derive estimates of the size of the LGBT community and same-sex married and unmarried couple families. Estimates across the surveys analyzed imply that between 5.2 and 9.5 million adults in the U.S. identify as ...
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HRC scores 113th Congress; Alaska marries; WH looks at AIDS, violence
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - HRC releases scorecard of 113th Congress The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) has released its Congressional Scorecard measuring support for LGBT equality in the 113th Congress—and, according to the organization, results show record gains in support for LGBT equality. Members of Congress were scored based on their votes and co-sponsorships of pieces of legislation that are key indicators of ...
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Federal judge affirms the freedom to marry in Alaska
- From press releases - From Freedom to Marry New York — Today U.S. District Judge Timothy Burgess ruled in favor of the freedom to marry and respect for same-sex couples' marriages in Alaska. Judge Burgess was appointed by President George W. Bush and recommended by Republican U.S. Senators Ted Stevens and Frank Murkowski. Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, released the following ...
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Supreme Court: Stunning progress
- If state bans against same-sex marriages were a table, the striking down of the Defense of Marriage Act last year was like the loss of a leg. The announcement last week that the U.S. Supreme Court would not hear appeals to keep such bans on the books was like the loss of a second leg. The table has fallen. All ...
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West Va. AG concedes marriage ban unconstitutional
- From a press release - ( Huntington, WV, October 9, 2014 ) — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey today agreed to end the state's defense of WV's discriminatory marriage ban in Lambda Legal's marriage case one day after the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia lifted its stay on the case, McGee v. Cole. et. al. The state's change ...
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Federal district court in North Carolina strikes down ban
- From a Williams Institute press release - LOS ANGELES — Today, a federal district court in North Carolina struck down that state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. In North Carolina, according to the 2010 Census, there are more than 18,300 cohabiting same-sex couples, of which an estimated 18% are raising nearly 6,800 children in their homes. Williams Institute research also suggests that more than 9,155 of ...
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9th Circuit backs marriage in Idaho, Nevada
- - A unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday (October 7) struck down state bans against marriage for same-sex couples in Nevada and Idaho, but the ruling will —if not appealed— affect bans in Ninth Circuit states with similar bans: Alaska, Arizona, and Montana. That means the total count on marriage equality states could well ...
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Supreme Court lets stand marriage in 5 states
- In a surprise development, the U.S. Supreme Court today announced it would not accept for review any of the seven appeals on same-sex marriage bans from five states. The action means that the stays placed on lower court decisions in all five states —decisions that struck down bans on marriage for same-sex couples— are immediately lifted, making way for lower ...
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Lesbian couple sues
area clinic after
sperm mix-up
- An Ohio lesbian recently filed a lawsuit against a Downers Grove, Illinois, fertility clinic, alleging that it sent an incorrect specimen, leading to her inadvertently giving birth to a biracial child. According to the complaint, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Jennifer Cramblett of Uniontown, Ohio, engaged Midwest Sperm Bank in 2011 to provide sperm so that she and her ...
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Supreme Court paves way for marriage in 5 states
- The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 6 denied review of all petitions for writ of certiorari in the cases currently before it that regarded the question of marriage equality. The decision, which will surely surprise legal observers who expected the Court to take up the matter this term, has far-reaching impact, bringing marriage equality to five states and potentially opening ...
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Missouri judge agrees with same-sex couples
- A judge has struck down part of Missouri's marriage-equality ban, ordering the state to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other states and saying state laws banning the unions single out gay couples "for no logical reason," the Associated Press noted. The decision comes in a lawsuit from 10 same-sex couples who legally married outside the state. The order means ...
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DoJ to soon ask Supreme Court to uphold marriage equality
- From a press release - WASHINGTON — On Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder made a surprise announcement that he will be stepping down from his position in the Obama Administration. Only one day later, Holder made news by indicating that he will once again take action on the issue of marriage equality. This evening, reporting by NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams revealed that the ...
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Tom Daley's gig; man convicted of drinking Baileys
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Out diver Tom Daley recently posed in the autumn/winter collection for the Adidas NEO label, for which he is UK ambassador, according to HeraldScotland.com. The 20-year-old Daley, who is dating screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, had been on two series of ITV's celebrity diving show Splash!, mentoring celebrities to brave the board, but he is now focusing his attention on training ...
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Supreme Court: Which case makes the best case for marriage equality?
- The U.S. Supreme Court could announce as early as Tuesday ( September 30 ) which marriage equality case —or cases— it will accept for review this session. But, while the Court has seven marriage equality cases to choose from during its private working conference Monday ( September 29 ), it may not choose any of those seven for review. "If ...
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Carmichael, Bowman wed
- Longtime Central Illinois LGBT activists Buff Carmichael and Jerry Dean Bowman celebrated their 22 years together with a marriage ceremony Sept. 22 at Weldon Springs State Park near Clinton, Ill. The couple, who live in Springfield, Ill., were key supporters of the marriage equality push in Springfield in 2013, and Carmichael was one of 13 co-chairs of the March on ...
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Rep. candidate pushes to uphold marriage bans
- Susanne Atanus, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky for her 9th district seat, has asked two federal courts to uphold state bans on gay marriage, On Top Magazine reported Sept. 18. Atanus submitted a four-page handwritten letter to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Fransisco, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, to make her case. ...
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Men Having Babies
hosts parenting expo
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Men Having Babies, Inc. organized a surrogacy seminar and gay parenting expo on Sept. 13 at the Center on Halsted. More than 50 couples perused the showcased fertility booths, attended the various workshops about finances and risk averseness, and convened with service providers to privately discuss child-bearing options. Since 2005, Men Having Babies has put on hundreds of workshops across ...
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Indiana AG seeks high court review of Lambda marriage case
- From a press release - ( Chicago, IL, September 9, 2014 ) — Today, Indiana Attorney General Zoeller asked the Supreme Court of the United States to review Baskin v. Bogan, the Lambda Legal lawsuit seeking marriage equality for same-sex couples in Indiana. Within hours, Lambda Legal will file papers supporting the request for review. "The Indiana Attorney General intends to ask for a stay ...
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9 th Circuit hears argument in Lambda marriage case in Nevada
- From a press release - ( San Francisco, September 8, 2014 ) — Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments in Sevcik v. Sandoval, Lambda Legal's lawsuit challenging Nevada's discriminatory marriage ban. "We are very hopeful that wedding bells will be ringing soon for same-sex couples in Nevada," said Tara Borelli, Senior Attorney at Lambda Legal who argued before ...
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