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VT: Married BiNational Lesbian Couple May Be Separated by Immigration

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Vermont Binational Lesbian CoupleFrances Herbert and her wife, Takako Ueda, were looking forward to the New Year’s Eve family concert at the Baptist Church, the town fireworks on the pond and then a night at home to celebrate the arrival of 2012.

But federal immigration authorities have told Ueda she needs to leave the United States for her native Japan by Dec. 31, a move that would split up a couple who have been together more than a decade and were married under Vermont law in April.

Their relatively rare case illuminates the difficulties that binational gay couples face at a time when the Obama administration has pledged not to uphold federal marriage law in courts but the rest of the executive branch – including immigration authorities – still follows the letter of the law.

Full Story from the Miami Herald

Click here for gay wedding resources in Vermont.

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PA: Bridal Shop Turns Away Lesbian Bride for “Illegal Action”

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Pennsylvania Bridal ShopTHIS IS ONE of those stories that make me want to say “I’m sorry” to gay people for the nonsense they endure from some heterosexuals who give the rest of us straight people a bad name.

So please, Alix Genter, accept my heartfelt apology that you were denied the chance to purchase the wedding gown of your dreams from Here Comes the Bride. The manager of the salon, in Somers Point, N.J., said she didn’t want to be associated with your pending “illegal action.”

Yep, that’s actually how she referred to your wedding, next July, to your longtime partner (whose name you asked me to withhold in this column, as she’s publicity-shy). You plan to apply for a civil union in New Jersey, where you live, and to be formally wed in New York, which just legalized gay marriage. But you’re also arranging a big, blowout ceremony and reception for 200 at Normandy Farm in Blue Bell, where your family and friends will toast your commitment.

Full Story from Philly.com

Click here for gay wedding resources in Pennsylvania.

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US: Another Bi-National Lesbian Couple Fighting Deportation

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

Another married binational couple fights to prevent a deportation. Doesn’t the US government have anything better to do?

From Stop The Deportations:

My name is Violeta. I am a 27 year old American citizen. I live in Denver, Colorado where I was born. I hold a degree in Criminal Justice and work as a Correctional Case Manager. My wife, Sujey, and I, are one of the many same-sex couples who are threatened with being torn apart because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Full Story from AmericaBlog

Click here for gay wedding resources.

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Lesbian’s Parents Sue to Prevent Daughter’s Wife From Receiving Benefits

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Represented by the anti-gay Thomas More Society, the parents of a recently deceased Philadelphia lesbian are suing their late daughter’s wife to prevent her from receiving her partner’s profit-sharing benefits. Lawyers for the parents argue that the couple’s Canadian marriage cannot be recognized under DOMA. Via Christian Newswire:

Thomas More Society attorneys argue that the parents are entitled to the funds because their daughter executed a beneficiary designation form in their favor before her death, and because Farley and Tobits’ “marriage” was invalid under Federal and Pennsylvania law. Under the terms of the profit-sharing plan, the parents would be next in line when there is no spouse, even without a designated beneficiary form from the deceased. Therefore, they are legally entitled to the funds as Farley’s surviving parents on two accounts.

Full Story from Joe.My.God

Click here for gay wedding resources.

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Lesbian Marines Marry Straight Men for Benefits

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011

Three Marine corporals stationed at Camp Pendleton are facing charges over allegedly sham marriages created in part, those charged say, to evade the restrictions of DOMA.

The scam was hatched when a lesbian couple, one a Marine and the other a civilian, decided to live together off base, according to 1st Lt. Maureen Dooley, a Marine spokeswoman at Camp Pendleton.

The female Marine found a male Marine willing to get married, allowing them to collect a $1,200 housing benefit, Dooley said. The civilian woman also eventually married a male Marine and collected government funds, according to officials.

Full Story from Joe.My.God

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

NY: Erica Diaz Speaks Out Against Grandfather’s Bigotry

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

Erica Diaz and Her FamilyErica Diaz, 22, is the les bian granddaughter of Al bany’s most outspoken gay-marriage foe — state Senate Puerto Rican/ Latino caucus chair Ruben Diaz Sr. She is also a for mer Navy seaman who left the military after revealing her sexuality. Here she explains the rifts the debate has caused her family.

This time it was not his words that hurt me. It was his silence.

My grandfather, state Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz, spoke about marriage equality on a Spanish radio station in April. He was joined on the airwaves by a priest who said, “Gay people are worthy of death.”

Papa didn’t say anything. I was shattered.

I am the gay granddaughter of Albany’s most outspoken marriage-equality opponent. Until now, out of love, I closeted my feelings about my family’s patriarch, who has so vehemently denounced gay rights.

MN: Lesbian Representative Urged No Vote on Marriage Equality Ban

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Karen ClarkMinnesota Representative Karen Clark, one of two openly gay lawmakers serving in the Minnesota House, on Saturday pleaded with lawmakers considering a gay marriage ban to let her marry in Minnesota.

After roughly five hours of often emotional debate, House members voted 70 to 62 in favor of Republican Representative Steve Gottwalt’s amendment, which seeks to define marriage as a heterosexual union in the Minnesota Constitution, sending it to voters for their approval during next year’s general election. Minnesota currently bans such unions by law, but supporters say it remains vulnerable to legal challenges without the amendment.

Four Republicans – Tim Kelly, John Kriesel, Rich Murray and Steve Smith – joined all but two Democrats – Denise Dittrich and Lyle Koenen – in voting against the measure.

Full Story from On Top Magazine

Click here for gay marriage resources in Minnesota.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Marriage Equality From the Trenches: Lesbian Mom of a Critically Ill Child

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

As Mother’s Day approaches I have been thinking a lot about what life is like as a non-biological lesbian mother of a child with severe medical issues. Before my wife Laura gave birth to our son Simon, gay marriage was mostly a political issue for me. On principal I wanted me and all other queer people to have the same rights and privileges as straight people.

However, when Simon was born in 2008, and especially when he got critically ill and spent 4 months in the hospital, policies designed to prevent same sex families from having legal protections took on a whole new meaning for me.

I realized that in another state, as his non-biological mother, I could very easily have been denied leave from my job when he got sick. In another state, I wouldn’t be allowed to adopt him. I could have been denied access to visit him in the hospital by hospital staff. When Laura was forced to quit her job to take care of him, they could both have been without health insurance because they wouldn’t be legally linked to me. I realized, on a really visceral level, just how cruel and destructive these types of policies are and what they’re really about.

Full Story from RH Reality Check

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Being Lesbian in Thailand

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

When she initially pitched the idea for Thailand’s first lesbian movie, it was quickly shot down. Producers called the premise distasteful and said movie viewers would find the story line disgusting.

After scrounging together funds for five years, director Saratsawadee Wongsomphet released “Yes or No” on an independent label to considerable acclaim.

The film’s recent success in outwardly tolerant but traditional-minded Thailand is part of a growing acceptance of lesbians under the influence of the Internet and fashion trends. These emboldened lesbians are not using Western-style activism. They are quietly pushing boundaries to find space for their lifestyle, harnassing pop culture and introducing a Thai variation of Lesbian Chic.

Full Story from MySask.com

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Ireland: Gay/Lesbian Couples Line Up to Marry

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

Ireland Civil PartnershipsTwo-hundred-seventy-three gay couples began preparing to enter civil partnerships in Ireland as a new law came on line Tuesday. The Republic of Ireland’s civil partnerships law came into force in January but a three-month waiting period pushed the first couples’ nuptials back until this week.

Kieran Rose of the gay rights group Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) said the ceremonies were a “very significant advance.”

“Lesbian and gay couples have been waiting for years to have their relationships recognized and protected by the state,” Rose said. Dubliners Barry Dignam and Hugh Walsh were the first couple to celebrate a civil partnership on Tuesday.

Full Story from On Top Magazine

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.