Florida Agenda

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Speaker of Maryland’s House of Delegates told clergymen and laypersons this week that marriage equality is “clearly an issue of civil rights.”

Speaker Michael Busch (D-Anne Arundel) spoke on Tuesday morning in Annapolis, at a prayer breakfast that included members of the clergy, about his own transformation into a supporter of same-sex marriage.

“I think I reflect a lot of people who have come a long way on the issue,” said Busch, who became a supporter of marriage equality during last year’s legislative session.

The question to legalize same-sex marriage in the Old Line State began in earnest this week at a Tuesday hearing in the state Senate. That chamber passed marriage equality legislation last year, but it failed to pass in the House of Delegates. Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, has sponsored a reworking of the bill this year.

By Cliff Dunn

ORLANDO, FL – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has LGBT activists wondering if he goes “both ways” on gay rights issues. His call last week for a statewide referendum on same-sex marriage followed hot-on-the-heels of his nomination of the first openly gay justice to the state’s Supreme Court.

Christie, 49, is on record opposing gay marriage, and last week he proposed an alternative to legislative action on the issue, saying that voters should decide whether to legalize same-sex marriage, the matter being “too serious to be treated like a political football.”

New Jersey Democrats had hoped that by forcing a vote in the legislature, it would force Christie to either change his position, or veto the legislation and in doing so, show himself to be out of touch with the majority of voters.

The governor’s judicial nomination of Bruce Harris, the 61-year-old openly-gay Republican mayor of Chatham, New Jersey, came a day before Christie promised to veto same-sex marriage legislation in the Garden State.

Opponents decried Christie’s call for a statewide vote. Democratic lawmakers criticized the governor for sidestepping a civil rights issue, but Christie dismissed their concerns, saying that “people would have been happy with a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets of the South.”

That drew fire from Democrats, who pointed out that public opinion opposed civil rights for blacks in the Jim Crow-era South, and a referendum to end segregation during that time would have been overwhelmingly defeated. State Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, one of two openly-gay New Jersey legislators, compared Christie to anti-civil rights segregationists.

The governor called Gusciora and other critics “numbnuts.” He also chastised reports for giving credence to his critics’ remarks. “C’mon guys — you’ve got to be able to call B.S. on those kinds of releases,” said Christie.

New Jersey lawmakers passed a civil unions law in 2006, after the state Supreme Court ordered that marriage benefits be extended to gay couples. The law is being challenged by Lambda Legal, which says that the measure doesn’t provide marriage’s full range of benefits and protections.

Christie told reporters that Harris, his nominee to the state’s high court, has a record of advocating for LGBT rights. “If confirmed to the court, he would recuse himself from that matter because he did not want there to be the appearance of bias on his part on that issue,” Christie said. “My perspective on that issue was to put it aside because he’s not going to rule on that.”

By Phoebe Moses

WINDSOR, ONTARIO – Canadian courts are debating the legal niceties of the nation’s marriage laws as a divorce case involving a Florida woman and her partner from England, who were married in 2005 in Toronto, threatens the very legal basis for Canada’s same-sex marriage statutes.

The women sought a Canadian marriage because same-sex unions weren’t legal in either of their countries of origin. Now seeking a divorce, the case threatens to upend the lives of more than 5,000 LGBT people who moved to Canada because of the freedom to marry.

At the heart of the controversy is the couple’s application for divorce, which the government says cannot be granted because the couple wasn’t married to begin with. An attorney with Canada’s Department of Justice, Sean Gaudet, said in a documented response to their application: “Neither party had the legal capacity to marry a person of the same sex under the laws of their respective domicile – Florida and the United Kingdom. As a result, their marriage is not legally valid under Canadian law.”

In addition to his argument that since the women are not legally married in Florida or England, their marriage is not valid in Canada, either, Gaudet added that under the nation’s federal marriage laws, a married couple must reside in Canada for at least one year in order to qualify for a divorce.

During the past six years, thousands of couples from the U.S. and other countries have emigrated to Canada because of the nation’s marriage equality laws. That began with the 2004 court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in Canada on the grounds that it was discriminatory to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. Canadian lawmakers passed legislation recognition its legality the following year.

In 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party attempted to roll back same-sex marriage through a parliamentary measure to “restore the traditional definition of marriage,” but it was defeated by lawmakers. On Jan. 12, Harper said that his administration will not revisit same-sex marriage. “We have no intention of further reopening this issue,” the 51-year-old prime minister said.

Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson echoed Harper’s words, saying, “I want to be very clear that the government has no intention of reopening the debate on the definition of marriage.” In a possible effort to sound a conciliatory note, Nicholson added that he will consider “options to clarify the law so that such marriages performed in Canada can be undone in Canada.”

When the Superior Court decides the case next month, it has several options, including denying an application to waive the residency requirement for divorce, which would leave the women unable to remarry, or the Department of Justice’s argument could spell the end of Canadian weddings for foreign gay couples unable to legally marry in their home countries.

PHOTO:   EnergeticCity.ca

By Rory Barbarossa & Bob Kecskemety

Photo: L-R:  Senator Ed Murray (D), Governor Christine Gregoire (D), and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown (D) All Support Same-Sex Marriage Legislation for Washington.

OLYMPIA, WA Last week, the state’s top lawmakers were divided over what priority to give the same-sex marriage debate at a time Washington is facing a budget crisis. Republican leaders threatened to bring budget talks to a standstill if Democrats insist on making a stand on “social issues.”

State Senate Republican Leader Mike Hewitt told the annual Associated Press Legislative Preview on Jan. 5 that the legislature’s time would be best occupied with matters other than same-sex marriage. “This is not the session for social reforms,” Hewitt told reporters. “The last thing we need to do is be down here in turmoil over social issues.”

Hewitt also took a swipe at fellow Washington state lawmaker Ed Murray, who is gay and a leading supporter of gay marriage legislation. Hewitt accused him of being too close to the issue to be objective, saying that Murray, a Democrat, is “vested in this personally.”

Murray shot back at the Republican leader: “We’re more than one-issue members,” adding, “I’m a little surprised he’s questioning my ability.”
State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, accused the Republican minority of trying to run down the clock on an issue whose time has come. “This is the right time to move forward with marriage equality,” she said.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire echoed Brown’s remarks, noting that the long-view of history.

“To those who say we don’t have the time, what will history say when we say, ’Sorry, we had a budget to pass, so we continued to discriminate.’ That answer does not work,” Brown said. “This is our test. This is what leadership is about. Now is our time.”

Gregoire announced last week that she will introduce legislation that would allow same-sex marriages in Washington state. The announcement represents a change for Gregoire. While she has supported gay and lesbian partners having the same rights that straight married couples enjoy, she has never specifically endorsed same-sex marriage publicly.

Currently, same-sex marriage is legal in six states: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont and the District of Columbia. Nine states, including California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington, provide same-sex couples with access to the state level benefits and responsibilities of marriage, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships.

A new study finds that the health of gay men who live in states that possess laws permitting same-sex marriage improves their health, whether or not those men choose to marry.

The study, entitled “Effect of Same-Sex Marriage Laws on Health Care Use and Expenditures in Sexual Minority Men: A Quasi-Natural Experiment,” found that the number of times gay men visited local health clinics showed a marked decrease after Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage in 2004.

The BBC reports that researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health compared the need for medical and mental health care among just over 1,200  gay men based in Massachusetts. The men had registered with a particular health clinic during the 12 months prior to same-sex unions being allowed, as well as the 12 months after.

The researchers discovered a 13% reduction in the number of healthcare-related visits among the group after the law was passed. There was a likewise drop in blood pressure-related issues, as well as depression and “adjustment disorders.”

Study leader Dr. Mark Hatzenbuehler told the BBC “Our results suggest that removing these barriers improves the health of gay and bisexual men,” adding that “marriage equality may produce broad public health benefits by reducing the occurrence of stress-related health conditions.”

HealthDay reports that gay women weren’ t included in

the study because there were too few of them who visit the Massachusetts clinic, which was the subject of the research.

Dr. Hatzenbuehler also conducted research between 2006 and 2008 of nearly 32,000 Oregon high school students. The subsequent study, published in April in the journal Pediatrics, showed that both gay and straight teens who live in socially and politically conservative places are more likely to attempt suicide, with the measure of an region’s conservatism reflected in to what degree teens, gay or straight, are likely to try suicide.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is the second GOP presidential contender to officially embrace same-sex marriage, making the announcement during a recent town hall hosted by the pro-gay Republican group, GOProud.

According to Think Progress, Johnson said that as a believer in individual freedom and keeping government out of personal lives, he simply cannot find a legitimate justification for federal laws, such as the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage. He said that the definition should be left to religions and individuals

and not government. He feels that government’s role when it comes to marriage is one of granting benefits and rights to couples who choose to enter into a marriage contract. He said that he has examined this issue, consulted with folks on all sides and views it through the lens of individual freedom and equal rights.

Nigeria, Africa – The Nigerian senate has passed a bill banning same-sex marriages, defying a threat from Britain to withhold aid from nations violating gay rights, according to CNN.

The bill by Africa’s most populous nation calls for a 14-year sentence for anyone convicted of homosexuality. Anyone who aids or “abets” same-sex unions faces 10 years in prison, a provision that could target rights groups.

It goes to the nation’s House of Representatives for a vote before President Goodluck Jonathan can sign it into law.

“It would place a wide range of people at risk of criminal sanctions, including human rights defenders and anyone else – including friends, families and colleagues – who stands up for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in Nigeria,” Amnesty International said in a statement.

The bill passed Tuesday comes nearly a month after British Prime Minister, David Cameron, threatened to withhold aid from nations violating gays rights, sparking outrage in Africa where leaders interpreted it as “colonial” display of power.

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – The Danish government plans to introduce a bill just after the New Year that will allow same-sex couples to hold weddings in the Church of Denmark and be married under Danish law. Same-sex couples are currently allowed to have registered partnerships, a civil status but are barred from marriage and church weddings.

The first same-sex weddings could take place as early as spring 2012.

Church officials are decrying the proposal that they say will spell the end for the Church of Denmark.

ALBANY, NY – Last week, the four Republican New York state senators who provided enough votes to pass New York’s same-sex marriage bill, got a financial boost from donors such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who promised the four lawmakers, “stand with us now, and we will stand with you later.” Other wealthy financiers who support both gay rights and Republican causes offered additional campaign funding for the four senators’ reelection bids.

According to the New York Times, a planned fundraiser is expected to raise $1.25 million in campaign funds—money that will be spread among the four senators: Mark J. Grisanti of Buffalo, James S. Alesi of Rochester, Stephen M. Saland of Poughkeepsie and Roy J. McDonald of Saratoga County. In the first six months, state senators averaged about $103,000 each in fundraising capital, according to the New York Public Interest Research Group.

The senators have come under heavy criticism from conservatives since they cast their votes in June. A national group that opposes same-sex marriage has purchased billboards in each of their districts, vowing to unseat the lawmakers, and the senators have been eagerly raising money in an effort to defend themselves against possible challengers.

According to a Bloomberg spokesperson, the mayor made it very clear early on that he would be a vocal supporter to those senators who stood up and did the right thing in light of a tough political climate.

AMES, IO – Gay rights groups in Iowa are concerned for the future of the state’s gay marriage law allowing same-sex couples to get legally married in the state.

Same-sex couples were granted the right to get married in 2009 by a state Supreme Court decision.

According to the Daily Iowan, Democrats, who have had long-control of the state’s senate, have been loosing control with their numbers dropping for 27-2 to 26-24 in the November 2010 elections. Since then, Senator Swati Dandekar announced last month that she will be resigning meaning the Democrats are at risk of losing control. The newly-opened seat represents a district that is split evenly among Democratic and Republican voters.