Gay Marriage/Civil Unions in 10 years

[Verily]

"My freedom will be taken away [by the gays]"

Her liberty of what?

Don't you understand? Gay people are just anti-liberty by nature. You allow them in a society and give them equal rights, and the next minute all of your freedoms are being sucked away in a vortex of homosexuality to be replaced by gay world domination and ritual sodomy of Christian-born babies.

[Holmes]

"My freedom will be taken away [by the gays]"

Her liberty of what?

My right to discriminate against gay people and stop them from having equal rights is being taken away by activist judges and state lawmakers. And the constitution.

In news, a Nevada senate committee endorses a domestic partnership bill, governor Paterson will re-introduce the gay marriage bill and fight for it to actually come to a vote, the domestic partnership bill in New Mexico is getting a second chance, and I just found out that the only two male Democratic senators in New Hampshire will support the gay marriage bill. I thought they were the least likely to.

[Lunar]

sounds like somebody is getting their cake and sodomizing it too

[Holmes]

Is that in any way related to sex with pie?

Wisconsin Supreme Court may look at the marriage amendment. But it still wouldn't allow marriage equality.

[Brittain33]

Is that in any way related to sex with pie?

Wisconsin Supreme Court may look at the marriage amendment. But it still wouldn't allow marriage equality.

Good. It's an absolute sin that people who voted "to keep marriage between a man and a woman" had this translated into canceling domestic partner health benefits at the University of Wisconsin, which is a hell of a lot stronger.

[Holmes]

Actually... if you want a sin, you could look at how voters rejected an amendment in Arizona in 2006 cause it could've possibly affected straight couples, but when it only targeted gay couples, they passed it.

[Holmes]

It's Good Friday so I thought there wouldn't be any news, really. But the hearing for the bill in the Senate has been set to April 15th! It's the Judiciary committee hearing, and that committee has 3 Democrats and 2 Republicans - with some of the Democrats who've gone on record of supporting the bill. Usually, committee's in the New Hampshire senate vote on bills right after the hearing, so I'm excited.

[Holmes]

!

DENVER (AP) - The governor has signed a bill that will make it easier for gays and lesbians and other unmarried couples to leave property to their partners.

Gov. Bill Ritter signed House Bill 1260 Thursday. It allows any two, unmarried adults to become one another's designated beneficiary, granting them a number of rights.

Well, it's a start for Colorado!

[Verily]

Actually... if you want a sin, you could look at how voters rejected an amendment in Arizona in 2006 cause it could've possibly affected straight couples, but when it only targeted gay couples, they passed it.

Well, it was the polygamous Mormon splinter groups who opposed it the first time, IIRC. They objected to the "one" part rather than the "man and woman" part.

[Holmes]

Ah, even in states like Arizona, their money goes far.

[Verily]

Ah, even in states like Arizona, their money goes far.

There are a lot more Mormons in Arizona than in California (11%, IIRC). And Arizona tends to be where the splinter-group ultra-crazy Mormons live since the mainline Mormons mostly kicked them out of Utah (or at least out of the populated areas in north-central Utah) decades ago.

[Holmes]

11%! Do you have a link or source for that? I mean, Colorado is only 2% and it's right beside it.

[Joe Republic]

AZ is 4% Mormon.  CA is 2%, which is also the national average.

The following link is a useful resource: http://religions.pewforum.org/maps

[Verily]

11%! Do you have a link or source for that? I mean, Colorado is only 2% and it's right beside it.

Can't find it right now, but the mainline LDS church has about 375,000 members in Arizona, or around 6% of the population, plus the splinter groups. The reason Apache, Navajo and Coconino counties are not overwhelmingly Democratic despite containing the Navajo and Hopi reservations is because much of the rest of the population of those counties is Mormon.

Arizona is also considerably less Mormon than Nevada (around 15%) and Idaho (around 25%).

The Pew survey is definitely an underestimate; they've estimated it much higher in past years (Note the large margin of error). I found the survey that had Mormons at 11%, which may admittedly be an overestimate. It was only of "active adherents", which were less than half of the population:

http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/04_2000.asp

[Holmes]

Hmm, well. I think the 4% is more reasonable than the 11%...

Anyway, governor Gibbons of Nevada isn't signing the domestic partnership bill that's probably gonna end up on his desk. He said he's against it for "personal" reason and cited prop 8 as a reason, or something. It made me physically ill.

And speaking of that, the prop 8 decision in court is likely on Monday. Ah, I dunno. Some people are gonna be depressed but I'm ready for it.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     What is it with Governors? It seems like you can't get a single one to support increased rights for gay couples, let alone gay marriage.

[Holmes]

I dunno... off my head, I know that most (senior) Democratic governors have done stuff that have advanced gay rights, even in some unlikely states. Like, giving domestic partnership-esque rights to state workers, and the like, which is basically all they could do without the state legislature getting involved.

I know governor Blanco of Louisiana gave those kinds of rights to her gay state workers, and when Jindal took office, he just let them expire and never brought them back. Must feel good for gay state employees in Louisiana knowing their boss hates them.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Didn't Governor Lynch of NH threaten to veto a bill that allowed gay marriage though? I might be remembering incorrectly.

[Verily]

     Didn't Governor Lynch of NH threaten to veto a bill that allowed gay marriage though? I might be remembering incorrectly.

No. You're either remembering his threat to veto a bill abolishing the death penalty, or Jim Douglas's threat to veto gay marriage.

Jeanne Shaheen also vetoed an attempt to abolish the death penalty around 2002, and then the abolition was passed by a Republican legislature (!).

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The Republicans might've just felt it was a waste of money or something, since the death penalty has never been used in New Hampshire since reinsatement.

Hmm, well. I think the 4% is more reasonable than the 11%...

Anyway, governor Gibbons of Nevada isn't signing the domestic partnership bill that's probably gonna end up on his desk. He said he's against it for "personal" reason and cited prop 8 as a reason, or something. It made me physically ill.

Prop 8? WTF? What does something passed in another state have jacksh!t to do with this bill?

[Smash255]

     Didn't Governor Lynch of NH threaten to veto a bill that allowed gay marriage though? I might be remembering incorrectly.

Your probably thinking of Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, who threatened and did veto the Gay Marriage bill and was then overrode by the VT House & Senate.

Lynch pushed for Civil Rights a few years ago, and at the time stated he was against Gay Marriage, but hasn't said if he would veto a bill or not.  A Gay Marriage bill recently passed in the NH State House and is awaiting action in the State Senate.

[Holmes]

Speaking of New Hampshire, its senate hearing was today. From what I've heard, it went pretty well, but I was at school so I couldn't watch it live.

If anyone cares, the special state senate election on April 21st is really important, because the Democrat said he would support the bill. The Republican is Jeb Bradley btw, former US representative. Downgrade. The district covers the conservative Carroll county and not-so-conservative Strafford county, if anyone wants to know. The Democrat lost in the November election was a little more than 500 votes so they're familiar with him. It's become a referendum on the gay marriage bill or something, as if there aren't any other issues at all and a small conservative district is a good way to judge support...

What does something passed in another state have jacksh!t to do with this bill?

Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, Governor Gibbons.

[Holmes]

Another example of "there are no words":

http://www.yakima-herald.com/blogs/checks-balances/posts/18590

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... ok?

[Meeker]

I can assure everyone that children do not benefit from having Judy Warnick as a parent.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Minnesota had a Republican State Rep. who once argued on the House floor that the Democrats' blocking of Michele Bachmann's gay marriage ban amendment was equivalent to Christian persecution in the former Soviet bloc. He was later arrested for abusing his wife, including reports that he threw the Bible at her, and was primaried.