In 133 pages of opinion, consisting mostly of the dissent, the Montana Supreme Court rejected claims brought by six lesbian or gay couples seeking to establish marriage equivalent rights in a state where the constitution forbids marriage equality. In Donaldson v. State [2012 WL 6587677], plaintiffs argued that the state must provide same-sex couples with […]
Many news reports have noted that the British government announced plans to seek an equal marriage law, but I have seen no press on the remainder of the statement: that the government intends to keep civil partnerships – available only to gay couples – off limits to different sex couples. This is a slap […]
Last week, a federal district judge upheld the Nevada law that denies access to marriage to same-sex couples. In Sevcik v. Sandoval, Judge Robert Jones stressed that the legal rights and responsibilities offered in Nevada’s domestic partnership system are equivalent to marriage, and found no violation of the Equal Protection Clause. Because Nevada, like California, […]
Progressives are celebrating the string of four successes in marriage ballots last Tuesday, but if you dig deeper, the news is even better. In several key state governments, the level where many LGBT and women’s rights issues are determined, the sky got significantly bluer and/or conservative initiatives flopped. Drill down into all the analysis […]
On July 24th, Poland’s Parliament voted to reject, without allowing a reading or debate, two bills that would have legalized civil unions in the country. Witold Pahl, member of the ruling Civic Platform party and ranking member of the parliament’s legislative committee, said both bills had (unspecified) “constitutional flaws which are not capable of being removed.” […]
The government of President Sebastian Pinera of Chile will present a bill to the national legislature that would grant legal rights to gay and straight couples who have lived together for more than one year, according to La Tercera and the English-language Santiago Times. The proposed status would be called "Acuerdo de Convivencia No Matrimonial" (ACNM), translated as […]