3 posts tagged “marriage”
Reading up on the DOMA decision:
DOMA ensures that evolving understandings of the institution of marriage at the State level do not place greater financial and administrative obligations on federal and state benefits programs. Preserving scarce government resources — and deciding to extend benefits incrementally — are well-recognized legitimate interests under rational-basis review.
So what, we can only afford to spend MY tax dollars to support hetero marriages? It's okay to discriminate if we save money?!
Oh, and also, it's okay because no one is imposing this lack of right as a means to gain supremacy for one specific group:
Loving v. Virginia [interracial marriage] is not to the contrary. There the Supreme Court rejected a contention that the assertedly "equal application" of a statute prohibiting interracial marriage immunized the statute from strict scrutiny. 388 U.S. 1, 8, 87 S.Ct. 1817, 18 L.Ed.2d 1010 (1967). The Court had little difficulty concluding that the statute, which applied only to "interracial marriages involving white persons," was "designed to maintain White Supremacy" and therefore unconstitutional. Id. at 11. No comparable purpose is present here, however, for DOMA does not seek in any way to advance the "supremacy" of men over women, or of women over men. Thus DOMA cannot be "traced to a . . . purpose" to discriminate against either men or women. Personnel Adm'r v. Feeney, 442 U.S. 256, 272, 99 S. Ct. 2282, 60 L.Ed.2d 870 (1979). In upholding the traditional definition of marriage, numerous courts have expressly rejected an alleged analogy to Loving.
Oh, but it's all okay, because it's not because they don't like me. Really, guys - it's nothing personal:
Under our federalist system, preserving the autonomy of state and federal governments to address evolving definitions of an age-old societal institution is itself a legitimate governmental interest. Moreover, because DOMA protected "the ability of elected officials to decide matters related to homosexuality," including their right to recognize same-sex marriage, it plainly was not born solely as a result of animosity towards homosexuals.
Read more:
http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/obama-justice-department-defends-doma.html
I hate it when I read things at work that make me cry. It's been happening more often lately too. Must be getting old and sentimental.
Same-sex couples line up to register as domestic partners in Oregon
It wasn't the passing of the law itself that did it. It was the idea of those people, those happy devoted people who just love each other, lining up first thing in the morning to do something that so many other people take for granted. First thing in the morning, because they finally can, because they're excited - and maybe because they're afraid the option will be taken away again. Serioulsy - how is this okay? How are we not storming the capitals and taking over universities singing Cher and Indigo Girls songs?
Anyway - I suppose the point of all of this is that I'm happy for them. I'm slightly less happy than I'd be if they actually got to get married, but I'm happy just the same. I met this adorable married lesbian couple over the weekend who kept punching their rings together and saying "ring power". They were awesome. I hope that all of the folks who got civil unioned today have "ring power" too.
Hey, you Ebay junkies. I've got a fun assignment before you make next online bid.
Meg Whitman, Ebay's CEO, is chairing the presidential finance committee of former MA governor Mitt Romney. Romney has been building his conservative credentials on the backs of married gay and lesbian couples, belittling our families and using us as his right-wing soap box. As Newsweek columnist Eleanor Clift has written, "The issue (of marriage) would be settled in Massachusetts if not for Romney's meddling." And Romney, not content to attack marriages in the Baystate, promises to call for a federal constitutional amendment banning marriage equality forever.
So, here's the deal. Why not write Meg at meg@ebay.com and tell all your gay antique-collecting friends to do the same. You can also call Meg at 408-376-7400 or drop Ebay founder Pierre Omidyar a line at pierre@ebay.com.
