Task Force responds to NY marriage vote |
| WASHINGTON DC— The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force expresses deep disappointment in the New York Senate’s failure to pass a marriage equality bill today.
Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
“This is a deeply disappointing day for New York and for the country. Passage of this critical legislation would have ensured that same-sex couples who live in New York and wish to marry there would no longer have to cross state lines to do so. Denying this fundamental freedom to same-sex couples and their families doesn't protect anyone; it simply places more families in harm's way and makes them more vulnerable to discrimination and hardship.
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Lambda Legal Urges New York Senate to Vote Yes on Marriage Equality |
| "The door to equality is open and New York is ready to walk through."
New York, NY- As the New York legislature is expected to return to Albany for a special session, Lambda Legal urges Senators to finish up the business they left undone in the summer and pass a marriage equality bill to guarantee the legal rights and responsibilities of marriage for same-sex couples and their families in New York.
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Washington Passes Referendum Ensuring Domestic Partners Have Rights |
| "The people of Washington have rejected a mean-spirited attempt to rob some citizens of the protections that others receive," said HRC President Joe Solmonese
WASHINGTON- Today the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, applauded voters in Washington for passing Referendum 71, approving the state’s domestic partnership law and preserving legal rights and benefits for thousands of families. The domestic partnership law that the voters upheld provides registered same-sex and senior domestic partners with the same legal protections, benefits, and obligations that marriage provides under state law. The initiative passed by a margin of 52.5 to 47.5.
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Massachusetts Becomes First State to Challenge Legality of DOMA |
| The Commonwealth of Massachusetts v United States
This past July, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the federal Defense Against Marriage Act (DOMA). While there have been several legal challenges against DOMA, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts v United States is the first suit filed by a state.
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New York High Court Hears Argument in Cases Attacking Government Respect for Out-of-State Marriages of Same-Sex Couples |
| "There has been a steady drumbeat of courts recognizing long-established New York law as it applies to same-sex couples. It’s time to put this to rest – all marriages should be treated equally under the law."
Albany, New York –Today, Lambda Legal argued before the New York State Court of Appeals on behalf of two married same-sex couples after the Alliance Defense Fund, an antigay legal group, objected to county and state officials acting in compliance with long-standing New York law by recognizing out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples.
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