A Small But Potent Victory For Marriage Equality
On friday, a New York appeals court made an important decision: they have declared that valid same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries must be recognized legally in the state of New York.
The case came about in 2005 when Patricia Martinez, a word processing supervisor at Monroe Community College in Rochester, was denied spousal health benefits for her wife, Lisa Golden. The couple had been married in Canada in 2004. The college argued that the marriage was not valid in the state of New York, so spousal benefits were not required.
An appeals court panel found:
(the marriage) “is entitled to recognition in New York in the absence of express legislation to the contrary.”
While the court noted that it would be possible for the state to pass legislation to invalidate its ruling, the fact remains that this decision has been handed down and is now legal precedent, which will have to be considered in other, similar cases in other states.
Congratulations, Patricia and Lisa! And thank you.
WOOOOOOO!
Wooohoo! Good for them. And for those who will benefit from the precedent.
I think consenting adults should be able to do whatever they choose. Get married, get divorced, co-habitat, swing from the ceiling and yodel, etc… Every time I hear “protect traditional marriage” I want to know if the person saying it is serious. Traditional marriage means selling your daughters for monetary or political gain. Marriage for love is a very recent event and still not practiced in half the world. Women are chatel and traded with little or no say in who they are married to. So, just say no to “traditional” marriage and let adults who love each other, want to commit to each other, and make a home get married! And go thru the same crap and expense to get divorced as “traditional” couples…
On Friday, an Oregon federal judge also allowed civil unions/domestic partnerships go to forward.
I am so with you, Jennie! It doesn’t cheapen or harm my marriage that Britney Spears’ first trip to the altar lasted about five hours longer than it took to annul or that some people marry for green cards or to hide their sexuality, so how can it harm my marriage for two people who love one another and are completely committed to one another marry, just because they can share a wardrobe and gender-specific grooming products?
There are precisely two people in the world who can harm my marriage, and they are me and Mr. Twistie.
Kai Jones, that’s great news! I’d missed that one, so thanks for passing on the word.
Stay tuned to LOGO on Monday, May 26th for a feature documentary on our win, and the community celebration that will take place this Saturday.
http://www.lgbtfogg.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=43