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New York same-sex marriage law upheld in state appeals court
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A New York state appeals court on Friday ruled against a challenge to the state’s marriage equality law, and ruled that the statute was legally enacted.
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John Roberts and the future of marriage for gay and lesbian couples
Chief Justice John Roberts’s surprise vote in the Affordable Care Act case is a signal that no one can definitively count out his vote — or that of any other justice — as the legal battle for marriage equality goes forward. The Court has not decided a major case involving government discrimination against LGBT people since Roberts took over as Chief Justice. The Roberts Court cases that have touched on LGBT issues offer few clues to how the Chief Justice might approach such a case…
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Justice Department asks U.S. Supreme Court to hear two DOMA challenges
In a surprise move, the Obama Administration on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear two challenges relating to the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 federal law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
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General Mills gets outpouring of support for marriage equality stance
WASHINGTON – A petition in support of Minnesota-based Fortune 500 Company General Mills by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, has received nearly five times more signatures than an anti-equality petition launched by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).
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Second anti-gay marriage ballot initiative fails in Washington state
OLYMPIA, Wash. — A ballot initiative seeking to define marriage as between “one man and one woman” in Washington state has fallen short of signatures needed, and won’t qualify for the November ballot.
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Round-up: Military benefits, Maryland opponents in debt, Spain ‘redefines’
A proposed new law would let the Army recognize the spouses of service-members for the first time ever. Anti-gay activists in Maryland collect enough signatures to force a referendum, but now they’re tens of thousands of dollars in debt. And seven years after legalizing marriage equality, Spain finally lets gay and lesbian couples into the dictionary.
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Microsoft execs donate $100,000 each to support same-sex marriage law
SEATTLE — Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder Bill Gates have each donated $100,000 to the campaign supporting Washington state’s recently passed law legalizing same-sex marriage, reported the Associated Press on Monday.
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Downstate county clerks file to intervene in Illinois’ marriage lawsuit
CHICAGO — Two downstate Illinois county clerks are moving to intervene on behalf of the state’s marriage statute prohibiting same-sex marriage after top-ranking Cook County officials said they would not defend the law in a legal challenge headed by the ACLU of Illinois and Lambda Legal.
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An American Love Story
Just over a year ago, my partner, Tom Bridegroom, accidentally fell off a roof while taking photographs of our best friend. He died a few hours later. He was just 29 years old. … Because we weren’t able to marry and because, young and feeling invincible, we hadn’t had papers drawn up that would’ve protected us if one of us died, I lost all claim to Tom after he fell … For those out there who do not think they know someone who’s been deeply hurt by laws that prevent people from marrying the ones they love, well, now you do. My name is Shane Bitney Crone…
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Boehner appeals DOMA cases to U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) attorneys on Friday formally appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court an appeals court decision determining the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional, according to a Democratic aide.