June is traditionally the month to get married. The nearby church parking lot has been packed for the last two Saturdays, and we expect it will be the next two weekends too.
It was a bit of a shock to learn that Elton John was singing at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding to wife #4. But hey, a million dollars is a million dollars. Nice fee if you can get it.
Tomorrow in San Francisco a different kind of wedding issue is coming to a head. Same-sex marriage is on trial in Perry vs. Schwarzenegger, the significant case that goes up against Proposition 8.
Proposition 8 outlaws same-sex marriage in the state of California, denying gays and lesbians the right to marry there since voters passed the law in late 2008.
Why does California matter? Because it’s the largest state in the union, and what happens in California is often a harbinger of what happens elsewhere in the U.S.
Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, Plaintiffs
Why does Perry vs. Schwarzenegger matter? Because what happens tomorrow in San Francisco will most likely prod the winners or losers in this case to appeal to the United States Supreme Court. Does Proposition 8 violate the U.S. Constitution? This is the first time the gay-marriage issue has been fought on the grounds that it violates the Constitution.
The full testimony from the January trial can be found at the Equal Rights Foundation.
As an appropriate aside, we find it heartening to learn that a new study shows teenaged children of lesbians are quite well adjusted, thank you very much. The study by Nanette Gartrell was published last week in the journal Pediatrics.
As for Perry vs. Schwarzenegger, don’t expect to see the daylong closing arguments broadcast on TV, however. As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, the judge in the case, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, denied media outlets’ petition to film the closing arguments. It’s really too bad. Perhaps if more ordinary people could see the absurdity of the case against same-sex marriage, they wouldn’t be cowed by the religious right to vote against equality for all.
Frank Rich wrote a good piece in the New York Times on Sunday, required reading if you’re more interested in the TV show “Glee” rather than gay marriage: “Two Weddings, a Divorce and ‘Glee.’”
Needless to say, we’ll be following this case closely as it winds on. Your opinion? Let us know what you think here in the comments section.
Till next time, we say Happy Gay Pride! Wear it well.
Nan & Christi
nan@fatalemedia.com
christi@fatalemedia.com
P.S. Check out Fatale’s good wedding gift sets.
Marriage and Its Defenders
Thursday, May 5th, 2011We’d like to put our hat in the ring and say, “We too defend marriage.” For anybody. For everybody.
All this Defense of Marriage Act back-and-forth has reached, as the New York Times put it, “a tipping point.” Adam Lipak’s article last Sunday, “A Tipping Point for Gay Marriage,” pointed out that the legal community is often ahead of the curve when it comes to forward-thinking ideas and acceptance of those ideas in the general public.
Now we have international law firm King & Spalding, based in Atlanta, withdrawing from a case that would have put them in a position to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. Marriage should be between one man and one woman, that act says. The law firm doesn’t want to alienate its law-school recruits, among other things. Good. Let them withdraw.
If it takes the legal community to lead the way in legalizing gay marriage, so be it.
Till next time, yours in good love and sex,
Nan & Christi
nan@fatalemedia.com
christi@fatalemedia.com
P.S. Check out Shine Louise Houston’s new lesbian DVD The Crash Pad Series Volume 6. A keeper for sure!
P.P.S. Check out all Fatale’s DVDS.
Tags:Defense of Marriage Act, DOMA, gay marriage
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