By Melanie Nathan, June 27, 2013.
Yesterday was an historic day for gay Americans when the Supreme Court of the United States gave tens of thousands of already married same-sex couples in a growing list of states equal access to all benefits that the federal government provides for those who are wed. A closely divided Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a 1996 law on the theory expressed through the legislation known as The Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA, that was aggressively anti-gay. And, by a different combination of Justices, the Court came close to assuring that millions of still-single gays and lesbians in California will very soon be able to legally marry, in the Prop 8 Case.
“Even while the Court firmly insisted that it was not saying anything about the authority of states to deny marital rights to same-sex partners — as more than thirty states still do — the obvious practical and political impact of two five-to-four decisions was to advance the cause of equality for homosexuals everywhere in the country, perhaps further than it had ever gone in more than four decades of gay activism.” (Lyle Denniston, SCOTUS BLOG)
READ more from this historic and landmark day:-
DOMA Dies on Decision Day – Marriage Ventured Marriage Gained as Prop 8 Dies too
Mayor Ed Lee with marriage equality leader former Mayor Gavin Newsom and City Attorneys Dennis herrera and Terry Stewart
The Supreme Court released its historic landmark decisions on the two same-sex marriage equality cases in what has been an exhausting quest for marriage equality in the United States of America. In both cases gay and lesbian America came out the winner.
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The Demise of DOMA June 26, 2013
DOMA, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman only, was struck down today by the Supreme Court of The United States of America (SCOTUS), in a landmark five to four ruling by the Justices in the Defense of Marriage Case, United States v. Windsor which questioned whether the law deprives lawfully married same-sex couples of equal protections guaranteed by the fifth amendment to…
SCOTUS Rules that Prop 8 Case had no standing June 26, 2013
Today, in a historic victory for marriage equality, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Hollingsworth v. Perrythat restores marriage equality to California. The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) is the sole sponsor of Hollingsworth v. Perry, the landmark federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8. It is the first case involving the right…
The Prop 8 Case that NOW STANDS as Law read here http://www.oyez.org/ssm/documents/prop8_trial_opinion.pdf
READ MORE
“I am reintroducing my bill, the Respect for Marriage Act. which will send DOMA into the history books where it belongs,” Jerrold Nadler WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, and author of the Respect for Marriage Act, the bill to […]
Summary of what SCOTUS did and did not do in the marriage equality cases . June 27th, 2013
Thanks to Lyle Denniston via SCOTUS BLOG , in summary, this is what the Court did — and did not do — on same-sex marriage on the final day of its 2012-13 term: ** It ruled unconstitutional the Defense of Marriage Act’s Section 3, which defines marriage for purposes of one thousand federal laws and […]
O-blog-dee-o-blog-da 
Awesome!!! A historic day indeed …. I didn’t think I would see this in my lifetime!! I remember Stonewall … I read about it when my “life” started. Now … hoping that I can marry before I transition!!
Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Awesome!!! A historic day indeed …. I didn’t think I would see this in my lifetime!! I remember Stonewall … I read about it when my “life” started.
Reblogged this on JerBear's Queer News, Views & Memories and commented:
A wonderful collection of articles from yesterday’s historic day.
Truly an amazing day. Not only will same-sex couples have equal federal rights when they are married — they will also enjoy these same rights in the case of divorce. This will make the mediation of gay marriages no different from those of heterosexuals with respect to the division of assets and liabilities. Mediation will now be the most sane, efficient and cost effective way for everyone to end their marriage.
Thanks for reading and for the comment. YES you are right – I recently wrote an article saying that we need marriage so we CAN get divorced – if you get my drift. THOSE rights are so important….. See my mediation website and my article at http://privatecourt.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/we-need-same-sex-marriage-so-we-can-get-divorced/