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12/31/2007
OR DPs paused b/c of BS
Oh to be gay in America. Even when we think we get to take some sort of interim step on the road to full equality, our opposition often sticks their necks in to halt the growing tolerance in their midst. Ya know, because righteous progression runs anathema to the work of those who claim to know "righteousness" better than everyone else.
Latest case in point: Oregon, where a recently passed domestic partnership law was scheduled to take effect tomorrow. However, due to the work of anti-gays in the Beaver State, local queer couple swill have to wait just a little bit longer for the marginal spousal provisions. This from the AP:
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday placed on hold a state domestic partnership law that was set to take effect Jan. 1, pending a February hearing.
The law would give some spousal rights to same-sex couples.
Opponents asked U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman to intercede after the Oregon secretary of state's office ruled in October that they had failed to collect enough valid signatures on a referendum to block the law.
...
After the Legislature approved the domestic partnership law this year, gay rights opponents launched an effort to collect enough signatures to suspend the law and place it on the November 2008 ballot for a statewide vote.
But state elections officials said this fall that the effort fell 116 valid signatures short of the 55,179 needed to suspend the law.
In court Friday, Austin Nimocks, a lawyer for Alliance Defense Fund, which opposes the measure, said the state's review process was flawed, disenfranchising citizens who had signed petitions.
And who know better about "flawed" citizen disenfranchisement than the Alliance Defense Fund? Hell, they spend so much time in America's courtrooms trying to using skewed, discriminatory arguments to keep gay citizens deprived of liberties, one could reasonably suppose that Leviticus School of Law is the only place from the firm hires their attorneys. If they were the subject of a "Law & Order" series, the subtitle would be "L&O: Eschewing Both in Favor of Religious-Based Extremism." Because they may have passed the bar, but the bar these kids have set for societal acceptability can only be truly met by heterosexual evangelicals.
So sit tight, Oregon gays. We're confident the courts will see the ADF's attacks for what they are and give your benefits the go ahead. And if not? Well, you can always hold out hope that 2008 will be the year people start buying into the radical notion that you are a worthwhile and valid human being ::fingers crossed::
Oregon Domestic Partnership Law Halted [AP via Google]
**UPDATE: Box Turtle Bulletin has dug up some interesting (read: disturbing) background on Judge Michael W. Mosman. Is he himself of the anti-gay persuasion?
Were Oregon Domestic Partnerships Put on Hold by an Activist Judge? [BTB]
(Thanks to KipEsquire for providing the BTB link)
Your thoughts
Important bio of the judge here:
Posted by: KipEsquire | Dec 31, 2007 10:03:45 AM
Evangelical Christians have always been at the forefront of opposing civil rights. I love the argument that giving rights to gay couples forces people to go against their religious beliefs. Newsflash - there are plenty of religious people who believe interracial marriage is a sin, who believe that women being treated equally (hah!) in the workplace is a sin, who believe that interfaith marriage is a sin - but you never hear them saying anything about it (mostly). The lame argument they use is "The Supreme Court ruled you can discriminate against racial, religious or gender minorities because these are things a person cannot change." So they accept "sinful" and "anti-biblical" rulings because The Supreme Court says so. I'm sorry, but don't these right wing-nuts get their laws from G-d? So it's okay to accept certain sins but not others? Shouldn't these wackos be using God as a gauge and not the Supreme Court? Isn't that their whole argument against any rights for gays? I'm very confused!! (Not really. They are just a bunch of hypocrites who realized that it is no longer legal to pick on the blacks, or the gals or the ethnic minorities - so they go after the gays - and everyone KNOWS evangelical Christians need some group to oppress to feel good about themselves.)
Posted by: Jeff | Dec 31, 2007 10:53:57 PM
Im sure if a judge ruled that a pro-gay-rights petition with insufficient signatures needs a second chance, the ADF and all their allies would start chanting the familiar excuse: "Activist judge!"
Posted by: Suricou Raven | Jan 2, 2008 7:09:59 AM
http://www.gayrightswatch.com/2008/01/breaking-basic-rights-oregon-files.html#comments
BRO is trying to intervene as well. I was supposed to get hitched today. (Well as hitched as the new law allows. So romantic to say, Sweetheart, will you Domestic Partner me?)
At least the non-descrimination laws passed on Jan 1 and they included sexual orientation AND gender identification.
Posted by: Tanya | Jan 3, 2008 2:38:55 AM
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