11 State Democratic Party Chairs endorse freedom to marry plank
Posted on May 03, 2012 at 11:01 am
Today 11 State Democratic Party chairs from across the country joined in support of a freedom to marry plank in the party’s national platform. The chairs include John Burton (CA), Jay Jacobs (NY), John Walsh (MA), Ken Martin (MN), Meredith Wood Smith (OR), Boyd Richie (TX), Jake Perkinson (VT), Mike Tate (WI), Dwight Pelz (WA), Jon Wisniewski (NJ), and Joan Wagnon (KS).
Editorial: Fair Courts in the Cross-Fire
Posted on Sep 30, 2010 at 08:15 am
The New York Times editorial board criticizes campaigns against justices around the country, including an anti-gay campaign against the three Iowa Supreme Court justices who ruled in favor of marriage for lesbian and gay couples in the state.
For same-sex couples, a patchwork of marriage laws
Posted on May 10, 2010 at 10:28 am
Many lesbian and gay couples struggle with the classification and recognition of their relationships due to varying marriage equality laws and freedom to marry bans throughout the United States.
Voice for Equality: Professor Maggie Childs
Posted on Nov 03, 2009 at 02:00 pm
Maggie Childs is the chair of the Kansas Equality Coalition and an associate professor at the University of Kansas. Maggie received her B.A. from Gettysburg College, her M.A. in Japanese from Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in Japanese from the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Childs has served as the chair of the University of Kansas, Department of East Asian Languages. She has also taught at Southern Illinois University, Columbia University, and the University of Michigan. Learn more here.Maggie has been the chair of the Kansas Equality Coalition since being elected to that position in 2005. Before that, she served as the chair of the Lawrence Chapter of the Kansas Equality Coalition. As chair of the Lawrence chapter, Childs supported a local registry for same-sex couples to help secure marriage privileges for Lawrence couples. As Edge Boston reported,
Childs said she hope[d] a registry would provide a toehold in eventually overturning the state ban on marriage equality, saying gay couples should have the same rights as straight people when it comes to child custody, insurance or making medical decisions for a partner. [Link]Freedom to Marry salutes Professor Maggie Childs as a Voice for Equality!
**Make your NOMINATION for a Voice for Equality today!
Vermont residents stand up to Kansas anti-gay protestors
Posted on Sep 02, 2009 at 01:45 pm
September 1, 2009
In response to protesters from Kansas yelling anti-gay messages outside Montpelier High School, students encouraged people to give $1 to GLAD, a New England gay rights group, for every minute the unwelcome protestors remained at the school. [Link]
BLOG: The hidden nastiness of anti-gay marriage bans
Posted on Jun 06, 2007 at 04:38 pm
June 6, 2007
When we fought the Kansas ban on same sex marriage in 2005, I was struck by how vigorously our opponents claimed that the ban would never hurt a soul. [Link]
BLOG: KS Attorney General OK’s Lawrence domestic partnership ordinance
Posted on Apr 10, 2007 at 04:42 pm
April 10, 2007
Kansas Attorney General Paul J. Morrison has issued an opinion letter to the City of Lawrence, which requested his advice as to whether a proposal to enact a domestic partnership registration ordinance for the city would be within its legislative powers, in light of the recently-enacted Kansas Marriage Amendment. [Link]
In the heartland and out of the closet
Posted on Dec 28, 2006 at 04:44 pm
December 28, 2006
A Kansas woman was moved to come out to fight a discriminatory anti-gay marriage amendment. She then found that the more she opened herself up, the more she found solace. The day after the amendment passed, her handyman, a Rush Limbaugh fan who came to install her air conditioner, expressed his sympathies. "He came upstairs and said 'I'm just so sorry, Cyd, I know how hard you worked on this,'" she said. "He put his arm around me and it was just about as touching a thing that happened around this whole issue." [Link]
Kansas Chief Justice defends the courts and Mass. marriage ruling
Posted on Dec 02, 2005 at 04:50 pm
December 2, 2005
Supreme Court Chief Justice Kay McFarland says "people accuse judges and appellate courts throughout the nation of being 'activists' when they don't like rulings in high-profile cases." The job of the court is to "uphold the law, not do what's popular." She says people should know better, and applauds the Mass. court for simply doing its job. [Link]
Kansas’ exclusionary marriage amendment takes effect
Posted on Apr 29, 2005 at 04:59 pm
April 29, 2005
Last week the state amendment banning gays from marriage went into effect. The Attorney General said the amendment wouldn't affect private businesses from offering benefits and expected the same to be true for governmental entities. [Link]