NEW YORK: Another Town Clerk Refuses To Sign Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

A town clerk in Ledyard, New York has informed her bosses that due to her personal religious bigotry, she is unwilling to sign the marriage licenses of same-sex couples. She is the third such town clerk in the state to come forward as a bigot.

Ledyard Town Clerk Rose Marie Belforti submitted a letter to the Ledyard Town Board saying that her religious beliefs prevented her from signing marriage licenses for same-sex couples and the board discussed Belforti’s letter at Monday’s meeting, according to John Binns, a member of the town board. When reached for comment Thursday, Belforti said “that’s not your business” before hanging up the phone. Binns confirmed that Belforti submitted the letter, which he said included a request to the board for Belforti to assign a deputy clerk so the deputy clerk could sign same-sex marriage licenses. Binns said Belforti cited a law which, according to Binns, she said allows her to request a deputy clerk to sign same-sex marriage licenses. Binns said he had mixed feelings on Belforti’s request. While he said he believes that it is the clerk’s job to sign marriage licenses, he added that if the law Belforti cited “is something that stands up,” he will “support whatever the laws are.”

Anti-gay hate groups have vowed to provide a free legal defense to any town clerk that wishes to sue the state over their "denied religious freedoms."

NOM Will Have Trouble Spinning This

According to a just-released poll, a majority of New York voters are either "more likely" to support pro-marriage legislators or simply don't care about the issue.

Gay Couple Loses Deportation Fight

Despite a number of recent wins on this issue.

Barton: Hang The Bloody Scalps Of Those Traitorous Men Over The Senate Rail

"I want to see pro-family guys scared straight that are squishy on this issue, and if we can’t take out these four Republicans and the Majority Leader in New York, we will have opened a huge door for Melhman and his kind to come in and start rewarding these guys for going against pro-family stuff, and you just can’t let that happen.No disrespect to our Native American friends, but this is where you hang a bloody scalp over the gallery rail. You hang these four Republican scalps over the Senate rail and every other Republican senator looks up and sees those scalps and says, ‘my gosh, I’ll be hanging up there beside them if I don’t stay with this pro-family stuff.’ And that’s exactly what has to happen." - Dominionist David Barton, on NOM's plan to unseat pro-marriage New York state senators.

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip description: "It's been a busy week, with an incredibly offensive anti-gay brief coming out of Congress. But a surprise announcement from the American Psychological Association could put a stop to such briefs in the future. Time's running out before North Carolina votes on banning civil unions, a tribe in Washington state votes unanimously to recognize LGBT marriage, and a survey in New Jersey proves that we're winning. And also, that we're losing."

APA Endorses Gay Marriage

The largest association of psychologists in the world has issued an endorsement of same-sex marriage.

The policymaking body of the American Psychological Association (APA) unanimously approved the resolution 157-0 on the eve of the group's annual convention, which opens here today. The group, with more than 154,000 members, has long supported full equal rights for gays, based on social science research on sexual orientation. Now the nation's psychologists — citing an increasing body of research about same-sex marriage, as well as increased discussion at the state and federal levels — took the support to a new level. "Now as the country has really begun to have experience with gay marriage, our position is much clearer and more straightforward — that marriage equity is the policy that the country should be moving toward," says Clinton Anderson, director of APA's Office on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns.

WASHINGTON: Native American Tribe Approves Same-Sex Marriage

A Native American tribe in Washington state has approved gay marriage.

On Monday, the Suquamish Tribal Council formally changed its ordinances to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. The Suquamish ordinance means gay couples are afforded all the rights heterosexual couples are allowed on the reservation and other places in which gay marriages are allowed. The new law allows the tribal court to issue a marriage license to two unmarried people, "regardless of their sex," if they at least 18 years old and at least one of them is an enrolled member of the Suquamish Tribe. In 2009 the Coquille Indian Tribe in Coos Bay, Ore., became what many believed to be the first Indian tribe to marry a gay couple, two women from Edmonds, Wash. Michelle Hansen, Suquamish Tribal attorney, said the Suquamish ordinance does not have effect anywhere else unless that jurisdiction decides to recognize same-sex marriages conducted elsewhere.

(Tipped by JMG reader Daniel)

Parents Sue To Prevent Late Daughter's Spouse From Receiving Benefits

Represented by the anti-gay Thomas More Society, the parents of a recently deceased Philadelphia lesbian are suing their late daughter's wife to prevent her from receiving her partner's profit-sharing benefits. Lawyers for the parents argue that the couple's Canadian marriage cannot be recognized under DOMA. Via Christian Newswire:

Thomas More Society attorneys argue that the parents are entitled to the funds because their daughter executed a beneficiary designation form in their favor before her death, and because Farley and Tobits' "marriage" was invalid under Federal and Pennsylvania law. Under the terms of the profit-sharing plan, the parents would be next in line when there is no spouse, even without a designated beneficiary form from the deceased. Therefore, they are legally entitled to the funds as Farley's surviving parents on two accounts.

"The deceased was fully aware of her rights under the law to designate her parents as the beneficiaries of her profit-sharing plan proceeds, even going so far as to state that she was 'single' in accord with the law. What Ms. Tobits is trying to do is circumvent both federal and state laws for her own financial gain. The Farleys merely seek to effectuate their daughter's final wishes, while her alleged 'spouse' seeks to unjustly pad her pocketbook," said Peter Breen, executive director and legal counsel of the Thomas More Society.

It sounds like the parents exerted some deathbed pressure for their daughter to sign over her estate.

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Chick Tract On Gay Marriage

UPDATE: Although this video was made by a gay activist in order to highlight the hateful speech of Chick Tracts, YouTube has pulled the clip due to complaints.

Christianists Turn On Rick Perry

Ever since Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared that gay marriage was a matter of states' rights, Christianists from Tony Perkins to Porno Pete have issued condemnations of the likely GOP presidential candidate's position. Today the strongest words yet come from World Net Daily founder Joseph Farah.

I admit it. I've been intrigued with Texas Gov. Rick Perry as a potential GOP presidential candidate. I attended his most recent inauguration in Austin. I've been impressed with what those who know him well say about his character. I liked that he called for a prayer rally in his state with co-sponsorships from the American Family Association, Jim Dobson and Family Research Council's Tony Perkins. I knew he had made mistakes as governor, but the state is prospering while the rest of the nation sinks into an economic morass. I believed he would pose more than a formidable challenge to Barack Obama in 2012. But you can forget all that – and all the nice things I said and wrote about Rick Perry. I'm afraid I've wasted my time and your time. In fact, I was just dead wrong in all of my conclusions about the governor of Texas. I no longer want him to run and no longer believe he is a viable candidate. In fact, I will do all I can to warn the American people away from him. [snip] Evidently I was fooled by Rick Perry. I freely admit it. I feel unclean for the nice things I have said about him to date. Forgive me.

NOTE: While Perkins says Perry is wrong about states' rights, he will still appear at Perry's all-Christian prayer rally.

Larry Kramer: I Do Want Gay Marriage

"We are being bought off, once again, with only a minuscule fraction of what we are entitled to as equal human beings under our country’s Bill of Rights. Believe me when I say that I very much want to get married to my partner, but only when that marriage is equal to what heterosexual marriages convey by law, the law of the United States, and not just New York State. And I do not disparage those who choose to marry under the present woefully unequal conditions. I just wish that they, and all gay people everywhere, would realize that they are accepting so little when we are pledged so much more by and in this one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." - Playwright and gadfly Larry Kramer, in an Advocate editorial.

NOTE: Kramer says that the New York Times heavily edited his quote earlier this week and gave the false impression that he opposes same-sex marriage in general.

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

New York marriage, hate groups, DOMA, and Al Franken.

Quote Of The Day - Mat Staver

"Numerous constitutional and legal violations were committed using strong-arm tactics to pass the Act, thus infringing the rights of the citizens of New York. For example, the Governor pressured Republican Senators to vote for the Act at a private meeting at the Governor’s mansion and with the millions of dollars he had raised from Wall Street financiers. When government operates in secret and freezes out the very people it is supposed to represent, the entire system fails. The back-room tactics were rampant in the passages of this law. The law should be set aside and the process should begin again to allow the people a voice in the process." - Mat Staver of Dead Jerry Falwell's Liberty Counsel, explaining his lawsuit to overturn New York marriage.

Rabbis Protest Marriage At Gracie Mansion

More video at Good As You.

NEW YORK: Hate Group Files Suit To Overturn Same-Sex Marriage

Led by Rev. Jason McQuire, today the New Yorkers For Constitutional Freedoms filed suit to overturn same-sex marriage.

McGuire claims that the state Senate, in adopting the legislation, violated the state’s Open Meetings Law by closing off the Senate galleries and lobby; and by holding closed door meetings with Mayor Bloomberg and others who backed the law.The group also claims, among other things, that Gov. Cuomo and the Senate ignored the constitutionally mandated three-day waiting period before a bill can be acted upon and that lawmakers approved the legislation in exchange for campaign contributions from Bloomberg and other high profile "Wall Street financiers."

"It is unfortunate that state senators chose to protect their personal interests, rather than the people they were elected to represent. Some of the players may have changed, but it looks like same old Albany game. It is time the curtain be pulled back and the disinfecting light of good government shine upon the Cuomo Administration and our State Legislature," McGuire said in a press release.

A spokesman for Gov. Cuomo's office denounced the suit as "without merit."

UPDATE: The above-linked story fails to note that the lawsuit was actually filed by Dead Jerry Falwell's Liberty Counsel. On behalf of the haters above.

Google Maps Celebrates NY Marriage

Gothamist reports something cool over at Google Maps.

While there are a few grumpy groups protesting today, the vast majority of New Yorkers seem united in celebrating and appreciating the first day of legal same-sex marriage in the state today. And here's a little Easter egg for you: Google Maps has joined in the celebrating too. If you use Google Maps to view anywhere in NYC today, try dragging the Peg Man onto a location on the map...and you'll see he's holding a little rainbow flag in his hand!

Perry: Marriage Is A States Rights Issue

Yesterday Texas Gov. Rick Perry said that he considered same-sex marriage to be a states' right issue and that he has no problem with New York's move to legalize it.

Perry, who has been weighing a presidential run, said he opposes gay marriage — but that he's also a firm believer of the 10th Amendment. "Our friends in New York six weeks ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of the same sex. And you know what? That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me," he said to applause from several hundred GOP donors in Aspen, Colo. "That is their call. If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business."

Perry is expected to formally announce his presidential run by summer's end.

CO Marriage Ban Repeal Work Begins

Activists in Colorado have received approval to begin gathering the signatures to place a repeal of the state's ban on same-sex marriage on the 2012 ballot.

A state board charged with approving proposed ballot measures voted 3-0 to allow a measure to repeal the ban, which voters placed in the state constitution in 2006. The measure would strike the ban and say marriage is allowed regardless of the participants' gender. Gay-marriage activists would need to collect about 86,000 valid signatures to make the 2012 ballot. Proponents of the measure have conceded it will be a challenge to gather enough signatures. A similar attempt for the 2010 ballot failed, and prominent gay-rights activists in Denver have said they plan to try to pass a civil-unions measure in the state Legislature before seeking a change to the state constitution.

Quote Of The Day - Joseph Mattera

"Our goal is a two- to three-year process that would be launched this Sunday [at the pro-marriage rallies], which would involve political activism in getting rid of some of the senators and change the political landscape so that we can have a constitutional amendment that would allow for a referendum that would allow the citizens of New York to decide if the state is going to change the definition of marriage. Our immediate goal is that there is a huge outcry so that our opponents don't think they can just run roughshod over the church and all concerned citizens." - Christ Covenant Coalition leader Joseph Mattera, explaining the plan to overturn same-sex marriage in New York.