68-year-old Guinness world record holder would get married again
By MATT BARTOSIK
Updated 2:45 PM CST, Thu, Feb 19, 2009
Because of her multiple marriages, the fictional character Erica Kane on ABC's soap opera "All My Children" has the longest name for a television character: Erica Kane Martin Brent Cudahy Chandler Roy Roy Montgomery Montgomery Chandler Marick Marick Montgomery. But one real-life Indiana woman would have her beat by a long shot.
She was born Linda Lou Taylor, but the 68-year-old Anderson, Ind., woman has had many names over the past 50+ years. That's because she's been hitched 23 times, making her the most married woman in history.
Linda can't remember her husbands in order, but she remembers the first one vividly. She and George Scott married in 1957, when she was just 16 and he was 31. They stayed together for seven years, making the marriage her longest.
Her shortest marriage? Thirty-six hours to Fred Chadwick.
Linda now goes by the surname Wolfe. She and husband Glynn "Scotty" Wolfe did not marry for love, however. The two wed in Arizona in 1996 as part of a publicity stunt. Scotty was the most married man in the world, and Linda was his 29th bride. Scotty died just a few days before their one-year anniversary.
If you think your ex-spouse story is bad, imagine having 23 of them.
Linda has been married to a convict, a preacher, a musician, bartenders, homeless men, electricians, and even two gay men. One husband beat her. More than one deserted her.
But this hasn't discouraged her from walking down the aisle again.
"I would get married again," Linda told The Indianapolis Star, "because, you know, it gets lonely."
Matt Bartosik, former blogger of The Chicago Traveler and editor of Off the Rocks' next issue, thinks his name is quite long enough.
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/weird/Indiana-Woman-Said-I-Do-23-Times.html?yhp=1
February 19, 2009
February 17, 2009
Soap features daytime TV's first lesbian wedding
Actresses Tamara Braun and Eden Riegel take part in the wedding as depicted on ABC's "All My Children."
(CNN) -- Lavish weddings on soap operas are commonplace -- beautiful, wealthy characters united amid copious tears, heaps of flowers and exquisite attire.
Monday's ceremony on ABC's "All My Children" was much the same, except for the couple: Bianca Montgomery and Reese Williams, both wearing designer dresses, united in daytime television's first lesbian wedding.
"When my character did first come out of the closet, there was a lot of negative reaction," said Eden Riegel, the actress who plays Bianca. Her character is the daughter of Erica Kane, a longtime mainstay on the show played by Susan Lucci.
"People were very protective of Erica Kane's daughter, and I think that the beauty of the show is that we were able to reach people and get people sort of used to the idea," Riegel said.
The ceremony, portions of which were posted on a Web site dedicated to ABC daytime television and SOAPnet.com, featured both women wearing designer dresses and holding red roses.
"I promise to love you and devote myself to you," says a tearful Reese, played by Tamara Braun, during the ceremony, her hands in Bianca's. "Because standing here with you, it's where I belong."
Lucci said, "Once Bianca came out and said she was gay, Erica said, 'But no! You won't get married!' Well, now that Bianca is getting married, you know, the other part of Erica is like, 'Hooray!' You know? 'I get to plan my daughter's wedding after all!' "
At least one religious group, however, expressed its disapproval of the nuptials.
"I think it is really important to understand that there are a lot of things that people don't really want to see and don't want coming into their homes, and lesbian weddings are certainly one of them," said Glenn Stanton of the group Focus on the Family.
But gay and lesbian groups hailed the televised wedding as a victory.
"It's reality," said Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "So when we see a lesbian couple getting married on daytime drama, it simply reflects what's happening in the real world."
Actress Braun said, "If you are brave enough to want to get married, especially with the divorce rate as high as it is, then you should have that right no matter what sex you are, who you love, what color you are, how many extra toes and feet you have ... equal rights for all people."
Recent high-profile same-sex weddings included that of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her partner, actress Portia de Rossi, last August. However, same-sex marriage remains a hot-button issue in many states -- particularly California.
The state was one of several to ban same-sex marriage in the November 4 elections. But unlike the others, California had been issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples since a May 15 ruling by the state Supreme Court legalized the unions.
However, California's Proposition 8, the measure outlawing same-sex marriage, passed with about 52.5 percent of the vote.
Three groups -- the American Civil Liberties Union, gay-rights group Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights -- filed a legal challenge to the vote, asking the state Supreme Court to rule the ballot-initiative process was "improperly used" to strip away a right protected by the state constitution.
The court has said it will hear the appeal, but will not block the implementation or enforcement of the law in the meantime. Arguments in the case could be heard as early as next month.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Rhode Island recognizes same-sex marriages from other states, and Vermont, New Jersey and New Hampshire allow civil unions.
Gay Couples Ask For Marriage Licenses Nationwide
Thursday, February 12, 2009 – updated: 7:42 pm PST February 12, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO -- Same-sex couples seeking to wed showed up at marriage license counters around the nation Thursday to highlight a right they don't have in 48 states, in what has become an annual ritual that has taken on renewed urgency with recent election setbacks.
Here, where same-sex marriage was legal for nearly five months last year before voters approved a gay marriage ban, many of the couples who came to City Hall had already tied the knot and wanted both to express their gratitude and to show they're still part of the fight.
"All of our marriages are under the cloud of Proposition 8," said Stuart Gaffney, 45, of San Francisco, who joined his husband and other couples in presenting long-stemmed roses and wedding stories to the sympathetic county clerk. "Equality is an unfinished business in California."
Elsewhere, activists in Manhattan wore signs that said "Just Not Married" and in Las Vegas, couples gathered outside the downtown marriage bureau with signs that read "Don't hate my love" and "No laws on love." As expected, they were turned away empty-handed when they asked for marriage licenses.
"We could get married in Massachusetts or Connecticut, but we'll wait a little and see what happens in New York," Matt Flanders, 37, of Brooklyn, said after he and his partner, Will Jennings, 29, participated in the dispiriting exercise. "It's a matter of principle. This is our home, and we should be able to get married where we live, where our friends are."
The Valentine's week protests, part of the 12th annual Freedom to Marry Day, were considered especially important as a rallying point this year because they come in the wake of the November vote that overturned gay marriage in California. The passage of Proposition 8 has prompted protests, lawsuits and questions about the direction of the gay rights movement.
"A lot of people feel a sense of determination and regret over having been too complacent or quiet before, so there is a commitment to, 'Never again, we have to take action,"' said Evan Wolfson, a civil rights lawyer who conceived of Freedom to Marry Day and directs the New York-based Freedom to Marry gay rights group. "In that sense, California was a terrific energizer and wake-up call."
Currently, gay marriage is legal only in Massachusetts and Connecticut, while 30 states have gay marriage bans in their constitutions. Gay rights activists are pressing lawmakers in New Jersey, New York and Vermont to take up bills that would legalize gay marriage in those states.
Jennifer Pizer, director of the marriage project at Lambda Legal, a national gay law organization, said the disappointing outcome of the California election had created new momentum in other parts of the country.
Lawmakers in Hawaii and Washington, for example, are considering bills that would grant same-sex couples the legal rights of marriage under civil unions.
In Utah, where a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2004 prohibits same-sex unions, five gay and lesbian couples applied for marriage licenses in Salt Lake City and as expected, were rebuffed.
County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said she could recall of only one other gay couple asking to get married over the last 18 years.
In both Maine and Minnesota on Thursday, dozens of proponents of gay marriage gathered outside the state houses to lobby for bills that would legalize same-sex marriage in those states. Under a black and white banner that read "Legalize Love," Minnesota state legislators vowed to push the bill as far as they can.
State Sen. Scott Dibble, a Minneapolis Democrat who is one of the few openly gay members of the Legislature, said the country's economic woes show the need for couples to support each other. But gay couples can't get many of the benefits of marriage that might make things easier, he said.
"Those with strong families more than anyone are going to be able to rely on each other," Dibble said. "So why does our own government try to stop that from happening? Why does our own government try to stop us from trying to take care of each other?"
Troy Smith, 41, and his partner of six years, Justin Gibson, 26, were among the 15 couples waiting with many tourists outside the marriage bureau in downtown Las Vegas. Smith, a coordinator at a local wedding chapel, said he's constantly faced with the reality of Nevada's constitutional ban on gay marriage.
"I sell it every day, but I can't buy it myself," he said, adding that he often sees others take marriage lightly, sometimes rushing to the altar after only knowing each other only hours. "It just about breaks my heart. It's not fair."
The California Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments next month on whether to uphold Proposition 8 and on the validity of the estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages sanctioned in the state between June and November. The court could render a decision as early as June.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/18704139/detail.html?taf=fran#-
SAN FRANCISCO -- Same-sex couples seeking to wed showed up at marriage license counters around the nation Thursday to highlight a right they don't have in 48 states, in what has become an annual ritual that has taken on renewed urgency with recent election setbacks.
Here, where same-sex marriage was legal for nearly five months last year before voters approved a gay marriage ban, many of the couples who came to City Hall had already tied the knot and wanted both to express their gratitude and to show they're still part of the fight.
"All of our marriages are under the cloud of Proposition 8," said Stuart Gaffney, 45, of San Francisco, who joined his husband and other couples in presenting long-stemmed roses and wedding stories to the sympathetic county clerk. "Equality is an unfinished business in California."
Elsewhere, activists in Manhattan wore signs that said "Just Not Married" and in Las Vegas, couples gathered outside the downtown marriage bureau with signs that read "Don't hate my love" and "No laws on love." As expected, they were turned away empty-handed when they asked for marriage licenses.
"We could get married in Massachusetts or Connecticut, but we'll wait a little and see what happens in New York," Matt Flanders, 37, of Brooklyn, said after he and his partner, Will Jennings, 29, participated in the dispiriting exercise. "It's a matter of principle. This is our home, and we should be able to get married where we live, where our friends are."
The Valentine's week protests, part of the 12th annual Freedom to Marry Day, were considered especially important as a rallying point this year because they come in the wake of the November vote that overturned gay marriage in California. The passage of Proposition 8 has prompted protests, lawsuits and questions about the direction of the gay rights movement.
"A lot of people feel a sense of determination and regret over having been too complacent or quiet before, so there is a commitment to, 'Never again, we have to take action,"' said Evan Wolfson, a civil rights lawyer who conceived of Freedom to Marry Day and directs the New York-based Freedom to Marry gay rights group. "In that sense, California was a terrific energizer and wake-up call."
Currently, gay marriage is legal only in Massachusetts and Connecticut, while 30 states have gay marriage bans in their constitutions. Gay rights activists are pressing lawmakers in New Jersey, New York and Vermont to take up bills that would legalize gay marriage in those states.
Jennifer Pizer, director of the marriage project at Lambda Legal, a national gay law organization, said the disappointing outcome of the California election had created new momentum in other parts of the country.
Lawmakers in Hawaii and Washington, for example, are considering bills that would grant same-sex couples the legal rights of marriage under civil unions.
In Utah, where a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2004 prohibits same-sex unions, five gay and lesbian couples applied for marriage licenses in Salt Lake City and as expected, were rebuffed.
County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said she could recall of only one other gay couple asking to get married over the last 18 years.
In both Maine and Minnesota on Thursday, dozens of proponents of gay marriage gathered outside the state houses to lobby for bills that would legalize same-sex marriage in those states. Under a black and white banner that read "Legalize Love," Minnesota state legislators vowed to push the bill as far as they can.
State Sen. Scott Dibble, a Minneapolis Democrat who is one of the few openly gay members of the Legislature, said the country's economic woes show the need for couples to support each other. But gay couples can't get many of the benefits of marriage that might make things easier, he said.
"Those with strong families more than anyone are going to be able to rely on each other," Dibble said. "So why does our own government try to stop that from happening? Why does our own government try to stop us from trying to take care of each other?"
Troy Smith, 41, and his partner of six years, Justin Gibson, 26, were among the 15 couples waiting with many tourists outside the marriage bureau in downtown Las Vegas. Smith, a coordinator at a local wedding chapel, said he's constantly faced with the reality of Nevada's constitutional ban on gay marriage.
"I sell it every day, but I can't buy it myself," he said, adding that he often sees others take marriage lightly, sometimes rushing to the altar after only knowing each other only hours. "It just about breaks my heart. It's not fair."
The California Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments next month on whether to uphold Proposition 8 and on the validity of the estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages sanctioned in the state between June and November. The court could render a decision as early as June.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/18704139/detail.html?taf=fran#-
February 12, 2009
NYC marriage bureau rebuffs same-sex couples
NEW YORK (AP) -- Hundreds of same-sex couples seeking to wed were turned away from the city marriage bureau Thursday, part of a nationwide protest aimed at recent decisions restricting the right to marry to a man and a woman.
Wearing signs that said "Just Not Married," the activists were part of a wave of demonstrations expected throughout the day at marriage bureaus or county clerks' offices from New York City to California, in communities large and small.
Matt Flanders, 37, of Brooklyn, participated with his 29-year-old partner, Will Jennings. Both wore gold engagement rings.
When he was denied a marriage license, Flanders said he told officials: "'I should be able to marry the person I love.' And they said, `We can only offer you a domestic partnership.'"
Micah Stanek, 23, stood outside in a floor-length wedding veil after he and his partner were rejected. He said he moved to New York from San Francisco after gay marriage was outlawed in California on the November ballot.
"New York is especially important because the rest of the country follows what happens here," he said.
Outside the bureau, protesters sang "Love and Marriage" and chanted, "What do we want? Marriage! When do we want it? Now!" One man held a sign that read: "Love your husband? Let me love mine!"
The protests, part of the 12th annual Freedom to Marry Week, were considered more important than ever this year because they come in the wake of California's Proposition 8 vote that overturned gay marriage and just as New Yorkers look to their state Senate to pass legislation that could lead to legalized gay marriage.
Some of the largest gatherings were expected in California, where the state's Supreme Court will hear oral arguments March 5 over whether to restore California same-sex marriages. The court could render a decision as early as June.
In New York, same-sex marriages cannot legally be performed. However, Gov. David Paterson has issued a directive requiring that all state agencies recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith has suggested that he and his fellow Democrats lack the votes needed to pass a same-sex marriage bill this year. However, Smith said several days ago that he and fellow legislators are "committed to pursuing its passage."
The line at the New York City's marriage bureau also included straight engaged couples.
"They didn't bother us on our big day and they have a right to protest," said King Lau, 30, as his bride-to-be, Cheryl Zhang, 25, nodded in agreement.
Freedom to Marry events around the country are listed on Web sites, including those run by two major organizations behind the protests - Join the Impact and the national grass-roots organization Marriage Equality USA.
By VERENA DOBNIK
Associated Press Writer
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FREEDOM_TO_MARRY?SITE=KMOV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Wearing signs that said "Just Not Married," the activists were part of a wave of demonstrations expected throughout the day at marriage bureaus or county clerks' offices from New York City to California, in communities large and small.
Matt Flanders, 37, of Brooklyn, participated with his 29-year-old partner, Will Jennings. Both wore gold engagement rings.
When he was denied a marriage license, Flanders said he told officials: "'I should be able to marry the person I love.' And they said, `We can only offer you a domestic partnership.'"
Micah Stanek, 23, stood outside in a floor-length wedding veil after he and his partner were rejected. He said he moved to New York from San Francisco after gay marriage was outlawed in California on the November ballot.
"New York is especially important because the rest of the country follows what happens here," he said.
Outside the bureau, protesters sang "Love and Marriage" and chanted, "What do we want? Marriage! When do we want it? Now!" One man held a sign that read: "Love your husband? Let me love mine!"
The protests, part of the 12th annual Freedom to Marry Week, were considered more important than ever this year because they come in the wake of California's Proposition 8 vote that overturned gay marriage and just as New Yorkers look to their state Senate to pass legislation that could lead to legalized gay marriage.
Some of the largest gatherings were expected in California, where the state's Supreme Court will hear oral arguments March 5 over whether to restore California same-sex marriages. The court could render a decision as early as June.
In New York, same-sex marriages cannot legally be performed. However, Gov. David Paterson has issued a directive requiring that all state agencies recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith has suggested that he and his fellow Democrats lack the votes needed to pass a same-sex marriage bill this year. However, Smith said several days ago that he and fellow legislators are "committed to pursuing its passage."
The line at the New York City's marriage bureau also included straight engaged couples.
"They didn't bother us on our big day and they have a right to protest," said King Lau, 30, as his bride-to-be, Cheryl Zhang, 25, nodded in agreement.
Freedom to Marry events around the country are listed on Web sites, including those run by two major organizations behind the protests - Join the Impact and the national grass-roots organization Marriage Equality USA.
By VERENA DOBNIK
Associated Press Writer
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FREEDOM_TO_MARRY?SITE=KMOV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Today is Freedom to Marry Day - Just Don't Say "Gay Marriage"!
As Americans across the country celebrate Freedom to Marry Day today, seizing the opportunity to have conversations with family members, friends, and coworkers about the importance of ending same-sex couples' exclusion from marriage, hopefully they'll talk a lot about gay couples and why marriage matters -- without saying "gay marriage" and "same-sex marriage." Same-sex couples, their kids and loved ones, and those of us who favor equal justice in America are not working to win "gay marriage." We are working to win the freedom to marry, ending the current unfair denial of marriage to those who are already doing the work of marriage in their own lives.
Phrases such as "gay marriage" or "same-sex marriage" imply that same-sex couples are asking for something other than marriage. They imply that same-sex couples deserve something different or lesser than the security, protections, safety-net, and respect that married couples cherish. (PDF) And they play into the right-wing's fear-mongering that gay people are a threat to marriage, that equality and inclusion would somehow unacceptably "redefine" the law (in a country dedicated to those very values), and that "Defense of Marriage" is the answer to committed couples seeking to participate in a precious institution.
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Marriage is not defined by who is excluded from it, and gay people are not the first to challenge its denial. This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first court ruling striking down race restrictions on who could marry whom. In Perez v. Sharp, the California Supreme Court held that "the essence of the right to marry is freedom to join in marriage with the person of one's choice." The court explained that "human beings are bereft of worth and dignity by a doctrine that would make them as interchangeable as trains"; when you are denied the freedom to marry the person precious and irreplaceable to you, it's not like you can just catch the next one.
Fittingly, as we mark the 60th anniversary of that courageous court decision, other couples now stand before the same court which will hear argument on March 4, 2008. Those couples are not seeking "gay marriage," any more than Mrs. Perez sought "black marriage," or her husband sought "Latino marriage." They all claim, and deserve, marriage itself, the freedom to marry, which the U.S Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia, noted "has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men."
As we speak out about why marriage matters and how the denial of marriage harms couples and kids, undermining our nation's commitment to fairness and freedom, we've seen states move in the right direction, but falling short of equality. States such as California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, and Vermont have created new legal mechanisms, called partnership or civil union, to provide parallel legal protections and responsibilities for gay people and their families. These new mechanisms - "gay marriage" - are better than nothing, but no substitute for marriage itself (PDF). Happily, in each of these states the debate continues and awareness is deepening that the work is not done, civil unions don't work, separate is not equal, and it's time to finish the job of ending exclusion from marriage, not just repackaging it.
Even without clear terminology always prevailing, people are getting it. Public support for marriage equality is growing faster than ever before. In just over 10 years, according to the Gallup poll, support for marriage equality has jumped almost 20 percentage points, while those against fairness decreased 15 percentage points in the same time period. Imagine the rate of progress we could see if people understood this not as creating "gay marriage," but, rather, ending the denial of the "freedom to marry" and letting couples committed to one another in life share the legal commitment of marriage.
Freedom to Marry Day, February 12th, aptly falls in the midst of Freedom to Marry Week, February 10-16. It's one more chance for gay and non-gay people to reach out to their circles - families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and fellow citizens -- and make the ask that moves people to action. Freedom to Marry Week is held every year, right around President Lincoln's Birthday and Valentine's Day, and Freedom to Marry provides tools and ideas (PDF) to help everyone find a way to connect and make a difference.
Much as we want people to understand that the words gay and marriage do belong together, we don't want "gay marriage." It's the freedom to marry that matters - for all of us - and the way to secure it is by talking to others. And it's the personal ask - each one of us raising our voice and not just assuming that those around us are there, or can't get there - that makes all the difference. Turn to the people in your life now, and say, "Happy Freedom to Marry Week!"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-wolfson/today-is-freedom-to-marry_b_86282.html
Evan Wolfson
Posted February 12, 2008 | 03:37 PM (EST)
Phrases such as "gay marriage" or "same-sex marriage" imply that same-sex couples are asking for something other than marriage. They imply that same-sex couples deserve something different or lesser than the security, protections, safety-net, and respect that married couples cherish. (PDF) And they play into the right-wing's fear-mongering that gay people are a threat to marriage, that equality and inclusion would somehow unacceptably "redefine" the law (in a country dedicated to those very values), and that "Defense of Marriage" is the answer to committed couples seeking to participate in a precious institution.
Share this with friends on Facebook.com!
Marriage is not defined by who is excluded from it, and gay people are not the first to challenge its denial. This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first court ruling striking down race restrictions on who could marry whom. In Perez v. Sharp, the California Supreme Court held that "the essence of the right to marry is freedom to join in marriage with the person of one's choice." The court explained that "human beings are bereft of worth and dignity by a doctrine that would make them as interchangeable as trains"; when you are denied the freedom to marry the person precious and irreplaceable to you, it's not like you can just catch the next one.
Fittingly, as we mark the 60th anniversary of that courageous court decision, other couples now stand before the same court which will hear argument on March 4, 2008. Those couples are not seeking "gay marriage," any more than Mrs. Perez sought "black marriage," or her husband sought "Latino marriage." They all claim, and deserve, marriage itself, the freedom to marry, which the U.S Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia, noted "has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men."
As we speak out about why marriage matters and how the denial of marriage harms couples and kids, undermining our nation's commitment to fairness and freedom, we've seen states move in the right direction, but falling short of equality. States such as California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, and Vermont have created new legal mechanisms, called partnership or civil union, to provide parallel legal protections and responsibilities for gay people and their families. These new mechanisms - "gay marriage" - are better than nothing, but no substitute for marriage itself (PDF). Happily, in each of these states the debate continues and awareness is deepening that the work is not done, civil unions don't work, separate is not equal, and it's time to finish the job of ending exclusion from marriage, not just repackaging it.
Even without clear terminology always prevailing, people are getting it. Public support for marriage equality is growing faster than ever before. In just over 10 years, according to the Gallup poll, support for marriage equality has jumped almost 20 percentage points, while those against fairness decreased 15 percentage points in the same time period. Imagine the rate of progress we could see if people understood this not as creating "gay marriage," but, rather, ending the denial of the "freedom to marry" and letting couples committed to one another in life share the legal commitment of marriage.
Freedom to Marry Day, February 12th, aptly falls in the midst of Freedom to Marry Week, February 10-16. It's one more chance for gay and non-gay people to reach out to their circles - families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and fellow citizens -- and make the ask that moves people to action. Freedom to Marry Week is held every year, right around President Lincoln's Birthday and Valentine's Day, and Freedom to Marry provides tools and ideas (PDF) to help everyone find a way to connect and make a difference.
Much as we want people to understand that the words gay and marriage do belong together, we don't want "gay marriage." It's the freedom to marry that matters - for all of us - and the way to secure it is by talking to others. And it's the personal ask - each one of us raising our voice and not just assuming that those around us are there, or can't get there - that makes all the difference. Turn to the people in your life now, and say, "Happy Freedom to Marry Week!"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-wolfson/today-is-freedom-to-marry_b_86282.html
Evan Wolfson
Posted February 12, 2008 | 03:37 PM (EST)
February 07, 2009
Gillibrand's Marriage Stance Improves on 07-08 Record
By:PAUL SCHINDLER
01/23/2009
On January 23, upstate US Representative Kirsten Gillibrand was named to fill Hillary Clinton's Senate seat.
In her first press conference as senator-designate, US Congresswomen Kirsten Gillibrand was quite clear.
"I will advocate for marriage equality and for women's rights," she said, in remarks delivered after Governor David Paterson announced her selection at a January 23 Albany press conference in which a host of Democratic luminaries - and former GOP Senator Alfonse D'Amato - joined them on the dais.
For LGBT advocates keeping tabs, Gillibrand's unprompted mention of equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples may have come as something of a surprise. The Democratic representative from New York's 20th congressional district since her election in 2006, Gillibrand had previously voiced support only for civil unions.
According to the scorecard from the Human Rights Campaign, Gillibrand achieved an 80 percent rating in the 2007-8 session of Congress. That rating is strong, but in fact no other Democrat in the New York House delegation had a rating that low.
She supported hate crimes legislation, co-sponsored the version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that included transgender protections, voted for the version that went to the floor with those protections stripped out, and opposed an effort to block the District of Columbia from funding clean needle exchange programs.
Gillibrand was penalized in her HRC rating by failing to co-sponsor the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the passage of the Early Treatment for HIV Act, the Uniting American Families Act allowing the foreign same-sex partners of Americans to immigrate on the same terms as foreign spouses, and a bill treating domestic partner benefits the same as spousal benefits for federal tax purposes.
Clinton, in the last session of Congress, scored a 95 with HRC, and Chuck Schumer, the state's senior senator, earned a perfect 100, though the Senate and House are scored on different rosters of issues.
The first public indication that Gillibrand's position had evolved to support for full equality came in a press statement released early on Friday, the day her appointment was announced, from the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York's LGBT lobbying group.
Recounting a telephone conversation he had the previous evening with Gillibrand, Alan Van Capelle, ESPA's executive director, said, in the release, "After talking to Kirsten Gillibrand, I am very happy to say that New York is poised to have its first US senator who supports marriage equality for same-sex couples. She also supports the full repeal of the federal DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) law, repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT), and passage of legislation outlawing discrimination against transgender people."
Gillibrand won her seat in Congress by defeating four-term incumbent Republican John E. Sweeney in a race that earned her a reputation as a hard-charging political newcomer. The 20th congressional district runs north along the Hudson River from Dutchess County through Columbia County, Albany, Saratoga Springs, and as far as Essex County, and west to Delaware County on the Pennsylvania border.
In her 2006 race, Gillibrand benefited from enthusiastic campaigning by both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose Senate seat she will now occupy, and the former president. Gillibrand worked in the Clinton administration as a special counsel to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo, New York's attorney general, who had widely been considered the chief rival to Caroline Kennedy for the Senate appointment.
Gillibrand's support for repeal of both DOMA and Don't Ask, Don't Tell squares with pledges made by President Barack Obama during the fall campaign and reiterated on the new White House website posted at noon on Inauguration Day.
The new senator's advocacy for marriage equality may have less immediate impact in Washington, but is a significant advance here in New York. Neither Clinton nor Schumer support equal marriage rights, though Paterson and Cuomo, the two other statewide elected officials, do. Gillibrand's new posture on the issue, then, may create a floor for statewide elected officials, at least Democrats, going forward.
Despite Gillibrand's assurances to the Pride Agenda, Van Capelle, in a second statement issued after Paterson made his announcement, clearly aimed to drive home the community's commitment to remain vigilant about follow-through. "Actions always speak louder than words, and in that spirit, we look forward to working with her on the issues that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community cares so much about," he said.
Joe Solmonese, HRC's president, released a statement saying, "Governor Paterson's pick of Representative Kirsten Gillibrand is a step forward for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community as she brings with her a strong record of support and understanding."
The new senator's position on marriage equality was not the focus of press attention at her introductory press conference. Instead, there was considerable interest in her 100 percent rating from the National Rifle Association, a distinction that likely puts her out of step with New Yorkers statewide, certainly with residents of the New York City metropolitan area, and specifically with Schumer, her new senior colleague.
The Brooklyn Democrat, whose face makes good copy for NRA dartboards, took the occasion of the Albany press conference to highlight his differences with Gillibrand on the issue, concluding with the prediction that she would come around -- delivered in a tone the new senator could reasonably have considered patronizing.
Gillibrand was later asked about the prospect that Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy -- a Long Island Democrat who first ran for office after her husband was slain on the Long Island Railroad by a random shooter who terrorized a train car full of evening commuters -- might mount a primary challenge in 2010. The senator-designate insisted she was only interested in protecting the rights of hunters and was prepared to work with gun control advocates.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has joined Schumer as one of the nation's leading gun control advocates, released a statement about Gillibrand's appointment, saying, "I have a strong disagreement with one area of her record as a member of Congress: illegal guns. She has actively opposed the efforts of New York City, and cities around the state and nation, to enact commonsense measures that keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals. For instance, she has co-sponsored legislation to deny key data cities and police need to track illegal gun criminals, as well as to tie the hands of the ATF and to protect dealers who sell guns illegally."
In the wake of the criticism of her views on gun control, the new senator has talked about "broadening" views on this issue as well as immigration. To date, she has advocated a get-tough approach toward undocumented immigrations, including penalizing cities like New York that refuse to enforce harsh federal policies and requiring documentation for access to public services such as subsidized housing.
Gillibrand has scrambled to assure Latino and other immigrant community leaders that she is open to revisiting her past stances, and one day after she marched in Chinatown's February 1 New Year's parade, John Liu, New York's first elected Asian-American city councilmember and a candidate for public advocate, lauded her for having "now demonstrated a better understanding" of the issue.
Still,Jonathan Tasini, who challenged Hillary Clinton in the 2006 Democratic Senate primary, released a statement scorching Gillibrand for her position on guns, terming her a "caretaker appointment," and calling for a real Democrat to emerge by 2010.
Published reports and knowledgeable sources Gay City News contacted indicate that the final runner-up for the seat Gillibrand won was Randi Weingarten, an out lesbian and longtime teachers union chief in New York City who know heads the American Federation of Teachers.
©GayCityNews 2009
Same-Sex Marriage Probate Win
By: ARTHUR S. LEONARD
02/04/2009
Manhattan surrogate recognizes Canadian union in estate ruling
New York County Surrogate Kristin Booth Glen issued a decision on January 26 recognizing the Canadian same-sex marriage of J. Craig Leiby and the late H. Kenneth Ranftle.
Contrary to a ruling issued last year by Queens County Surrogate Robert Nahman, who expressed doubt about whether a Canadian same-sex marriage would be recognized in a New York probate proceeding in the absence of a ruling on the question by the Appellate Division for the 2nd Department, in which Queens County is located, Surrogate Glen expressed no such reservation, even though the there is similarly no ruling yet by the Appellate Division for the 1st Department, which includes Manhattan.
Rather, applying established principles of New York marriage recognition law and citing the 4th Department's decision from last February 1 in Martinez v. County of Monroe, Glen concluded, "Mr. Leiby is decedent's surviving spouse and sole distributee," so there was no need for formal notification of Ranftle's surviving siblings about the pending probate proceeding regarding the will he left. Glen signed the probate decree, allowing Ranftle's last will and testament to go into effect.
In last year's Martinez case, an Appellate Division panel unanimously ruled that Monroe Community College must recognize the Canadian marriage of one of its employees and accord her lesbian spouse health benefits.
The potential impact of this first decision by an elected New York surrogate recognizing a same-sex marriage contracted out-of-state is huge. Under the state's Estates, Powers and Trusts Law, a surviving spouse of someone who dies without a will automatically inherits the entire estate, if the deceased had no children. If there are surviving children, they receive half of the estate, the spouse the other half.
If a married person without children dies leaving a will, the only person who can contest the will is the surviving spouse. By contrast, if an unmarried person dies leaving a will, the next of kin are potential estate distributees and they must be notified of the probate proceeding so they can intervene to protect their potential interest.
This was the situation in the Queens County case last fall, where Surrogate Rahman, questioning the validity of the deceased's Canadian same-sex marriage, required that his parents be notified as next of kin so they could decide whether to contest the will. As it turned out, the parents were happy to waive their rights and allow their son's will to be probated without a contest.
In the Manhattan case, Leiby and Ranftle were partners for more than 20 years. Last spring, after the Martinez decision and Governor David Paterson's directive to state agencies concerning recognition of same-sex marriages, they decided to go to Canada to marry, confident that their marriage would be legally recognized in New York. Their ceremony was performed in Montreal on June 7, 2008.
Ranftle passed away on November 1, 2008. He was survived by his husband, Leiby, and three brothers, two of them also gay, incidentally. According to Leiby, Ranftle was originally one of five brothers, four of whom were gay and all of whom were close to Leiby and Ranftle. Ranftle's parents are both deceased.
Due to the court's recognition of his marriage, Ranftle's will was able to go through probate quickly without any need to involve his surviving brothers in the proceeding. Had he left no will, Leiby would have inherited the entire estate as a matter of law, since he was the legal spouse and there were no children.
The Ranftle Estate is represented by the Manhattan law firm of Weiss, Buell and Bell.
http://gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20255017&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568864&rfi=6
©GayCityNews 2009
02/04/2009
Manhattan surrogate recognizes Canadian union in estate ruling
New York County Surrogate Kristin Booth Glen issued a decision on January 26 recognizing the Canadian same-sex marriage of J. Craig Leiby and the late H. Kenneth Ranftle.
Contrary to a ruling issued last year by Queens County Surrogate Robert Nahman, who expressed doubt about whether a Canadian same-sex marriage would be recognized in a New York probate proceeding in the absence of a ruling on the question by the Appellate Division for the 2nd Department, in which Queens County is located, Surrogate Glen expressed no such reservation, even though the there is similarly no ruling yet by the Appellate Division for the 1st Department, which includes Manhattan.
Rather, applying established principles of New York marriage recognition law and citing the 4th Department's decision from last February 1 in Martinez v. County of Monroe, Glen concluded, "Mr. Leiby is decedent's surviving spouse and sole distributee," so there was no need for formal notification of Ranftle's surviving siblings about the pending probate proceeding regarding the will he left. Glen signed the probate decree, allowing Ranftle's last will and testament to go into effect.
In last year's Martinez case, an Appellate Division panel unanimously ruled that Monroe Community College must recognize the Canadian marriage of one of its employees and accord her lesbian spouse health benefits.
The potential impact of this first decision by an elected New York surrogate recognizing a same-sex marriage contracted out-of-state is huge. Under the state's Estates, Powers and Trusts Law, a surviving spouse of someone who dies without a will automatically inherits the entire estate, if the deceased had no children. If there are surviving children, they receive half of the estate, the spouse the other half.
If a married person without children dies leaving a will, the only person who can contest the will is the surviving spouse. By contrast, if an unmarried person dies leaving a will, the next of kin are potential estate distributees and they must be notified of the probate proceeding so they can intervene to protect their potential interest.
This was the situation in the Queens County case last fall, where Surrogate Rahman, questioning the validity of the deceased's Canadian same-sex marriage, required that his parents be notified as next of kin so they could decide whether to contest the will. As it turned out, the parents were happy to waive their rights and allow their son's will to be probated without a contest.
In the Manhattan case, Leiby and Ranftle were partners for more than 20 years. Last spring, after the Martinez decision and Governor David Paterson's directive to state agencies concerning recognition of same-sex marriages, they decided to go to Canada to marry, confident that their marriage would be legally recognized in New York. Their ceremony was performed in Montreal on June 7, 2008.
Ranftle passed away on November 1, 2008. He was survived by his husband, Leiby, and three brothers, two of them also gay, incidentally. According to Leiby, Ranftle was originally one of five brothers, four of whom were gay and all of whom were close to Leiby and Ranftle. Ranftle's parents are both deceased.
Due to the court's recognition of his marriage, Ranftle's will was able to go through probate quickly without any need to involve his surviving brothers in the proceeding. Had he left no will, Leiby would have inherited the entire estate as a matter of law, since he was the legal spouse and there were no children.
The Ranftle Estate is represented by the Manhattan law firm of Weiss, Buell and Bell.
http://gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20255017&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568864&rfi=6
©GayCityNews 2009
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