Category Archives for marriage equality

Americans Oppose Kim Davis: Individual Religious Beliefs Don’t Trump Equality Under the Law

Religious-right activists and politicians like Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz have been scrambling over each other to proclaim their support for Kim Davis. But a new poll shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the Kentucky clerk’s refusal, on religious grounds, to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Released this morning, the ABC News/Washington Post poll […]

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Even Fox News Gets It

When it comes to Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk now in jail for refusing to federal obey a court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, even some of the folks at Fox News are getting it right. Here is commentator Gregg Jarrett speaking in a Fox News panel discussion he hosted on Monday: “When […]

Also posted in LGBT issues, Ted Cruz, TFNEF | 3 Comments

See What You’ve Done Now? You’ve Made Ted Cruz Angry

Earlier today we saw this piece in the Dallas Morning News that observed how Sen. Ted Cruz had taken a more measured tone than his Republican presidential rivals on the case of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk still refusing to obey the law and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. But that was before […]

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Kentucky Clerk Refuses to Do Her Taxpayer-Funded Job, Cites ‘God’s Authority’

A Kentucky county clerk is still refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of such unions and the high court’s refusal on Monday to protect her “right” to not do her job. So here’s what happened when a gay couple showed up in her office — […]

Also posted in LGBT issues, TFNEF | 6 Comments

Reckless Texas Politicians, Religious-Right Group Just Cost Taxpayers $44,000

Days after the U.S.  Supreme Court ruled that gay and lesbian couples have the freedom to marry, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a formal opinion claiming that public officials could use their religious beliefs as an excuse for refusing to issue marriage licenses to or conduct weddings for same-sex couples. The Plano-based, religious-right group Liberty Institute […]

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Folding Like a Cheap Suit

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s personal jihad against the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples is falling apart. Faced with a possible contempt charge from an angry federal judge, Paxton this week decided the state must acknowledge the legally married spouses of same-sex couples on both death and birth certificates. Paxton’s office had advised Texas […]

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History Repeating Itself on Marriage?

The Houston Chronicle had an interesting article a week back comparing reactions to last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down bans on same-sex marriage and the high court’s 1967 ruling against bans on interracial marriage. In both cases, the article notes, opponents have used religion in criticizing the court’s decisions. Indeed, supporters of racial segregation often used religion as a justification […]

Also posted in Dave Welch, LGBT issues, TFNEF | 7 Comments

Taking Their Ball and Going Home

There’s nothing equal about how some public officials are responding the U.S. Supreme Court’s freedom to marry ruling from a couple of weeks ago. Sure, on its face, doing the same thing for everyone sure does sound equal. But in this case we’re talking about public officials who don’t want to do something for anyone, […]

Also posted in David Simpson, LGBT issues, TFNEF | 6 Comments

Texas County Clerk Issues Manifesto Declaring Defiance of Supreme Court’s Marriage Ruling

As Americans were celebrating freedom on the nation’s 239th birthday last weekend, a county clerk in West Texas was preparing a manifesto defying the U.S. Supreme Court decision that gay and lesbian couples have the freedom to marry under the U.S. Constitution. Then on Sunday the clerk, Molly Criner of Irion County near San Angelo, posted her manifesto on a listserve […]

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TFN’s Kathy Miller to Texas AG Ken Paxton: Obey the Law of the Land

The Austin American-Statesman has posted a short video of TFN President Kathy Miller calling on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to stop obstructing the Supreme Court’s ruling on the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples. Kathy was speaking at a press conference on Monday at the Texas Capitol. She spoke along with leaders from the Human Rights Campaign, […]

Also posted in LGBT issues, TFNEF | 12 Comments