(Blogmensgo, May 1, 2013) Without waiting for the Federal Supreme Court of the United States to rule on the constitutionality of gay marriage and the unconstitutionality of the ban, several States of the Union are preparing to legislate in favor of marriage gay.
To date, only nine states plus the Federal Capital explicitly allow marriages between persons of the same sex, as shown in this very telling map states . In chronological order: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington DC, New York, Washington, Maryland, Maine.
Click to open link to ©NCSL
Gay marriage in 2012 collected more positive opinions than eight years ago in all states, according to a study published in April 2013 by the Williams Institute ( summary | Full Text PDF). Positive views are in the majority in 12 states and the territory of the capital and are five points or less than a majority in 13 other states.
We find below a survey of states where the legalization of gay marriage seems imminent, likely in the longer term, a little uncertain or just a few light years less than last year. It begins with “The biggest little state in the Union “, ie Rhode Island (where Kennedy and I have studied, but not in the same college) and then continues alphabetically.
Rhode Island legalizes gay marriage
Rhode Island is likely to become the tenth U.S. state to legalize marriage between same sex.The smallest state in the Union was also one of the six states of New England have not yet done so. The anomaly should be rectified shortly in this Catholic bastion where parliamentarians invariably push the prospect of gay marriage almost every year since 1997.
Senators were initially rejected (by 28 votes against 10) submit a proposal to the gay marriage referendum. The path will therefore by law. From the examination phase in committee, five Republican senators all voted in favor of gay marriage (and paradoxically, 10 of the 31 Democratic senators voted against). Note that Paiva Weed, President of the Senate and fierce opponent of gay marriage, has elegantly said she would not this time obstructing the bill – before its commitments.
The Rhode Island Senate then passed a law authorizing the marriage of same-sex couples, with 26 votes against 12, 24 April 2013. The Senate text was presented by a lesbian senator, Donna Nusselbush. Now he must return to second reading in the House, which had passed the text in January 2013, by 51 votes against 19, before the Senate will introduce amendments.The House of Representatives is itself headed by an openly gay MP, Gordon Fox.
The final adoption of the law on gay marriage is expected in early May 2013. Governor Lincoln Chafee, a staunch supporter of gay marriage, plans to sign soon after its formal adoption of future legislation which will come into force on 1 st August 2013.
Click to open link to ©Williams Institute
The Senate Delaware will rule on gay marriage
Delaware has adopted a PACS in 2012. And from April 23, 2013, by 23 votes against 18, the House of Representatives of Delaware validated a law legalizing gay marriage.
Once the text has been passed by the Senate, it will be forwarded for ratification to Democratic Gov. Jack Markell, who advocates for gay marriage.
Illinois: it only needs a few votes
This is the February 14, 2013, the day of Valentine’s Day, the Illinois senators voted in favor of gay marriage.
The text must now be approved by the House, but it still lacks a few votes for the House of Representatives legalize marriage between same sex.
The final vote may have to wait until the next parliamentary session. As for Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, he is in favor of gay marriage.
Minnesota, perhaps soon
In November 2012, voters had voted against a proposed constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
The House and Senate have both recently approved in committee a bill on gay marriage. The text should now move in plenary before both Houses of Parliament.
No date for the legalization of gay marriage is not yet defined, but it could be done in 2013.Would not that interesting for economic benefits approached.
Nevada, at a rate of Senator
The Nevada Senate passed a constitutional amendment removing the prohibition of marriage against same-sex couples, 22 April 2013, by 12 votes against 9. In contrast, the same Senate rejected an amendment to recognize the legality of gay marriage.
The constitutional amendment must now be confirmed by the Parliament and be voted jointly by the Senate and the Assembly in 2015, and finally be approved by referendum in 2016.
For the record, Sen. Kelvin Atkinson took the Senate debate to come out to the amazement of his colleagues. The formulation of his coming out was brief: “I’m black. I’m gay. “
New Jersey: pussyfooting
Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed, February 17, 2012, a law on gay marriage by saying it should first change the Constitution.
A year later, the Parliament did not find a sufficient majority for a constitutional amendment in favor of gay marriage. New Jersey could therefore, as suggested by its governor, addressing the issue of gay marriage by referendum.
New Mexico is sticking to his neither-nor
New Mexico remains the only State having ruled one way or the other, or on the issue of gay marriage, or on the PACS.
Only two factors tip the balance in the camp of not . In 2012 gay marriage gathered that 47% support in New Mexico opinion, but the figure is up nine points from 2004, according to theWilliams Institute , think tank serving on the faculty of law of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Another negative factor is that the requested administrative forms to prospective spouses must be co-signed by a man and a woman.
In 2004, an employee of the civil status of Albuquerque took the legal vacuum – considering an administrative form has no force of law – to accept marriage applications 64 gay couples in a single day. His superiors had sued him (before abandoning it shortly after) and no gay marriage has been celebrated in New Mexico.
In March 2013, the Democratic mayor of Santa Fe issued a resolution stating that gay marriage was legal under the law of New Mexico. Resolution enacted by David Coss therefore invites the staff to allow civil marriages between persons of the same sex.
Two lesbians couples, including Kim Kiel and Rose Griego (married for nine years) come to them to sue the employee of a registry office near Albuquerque, arguing that the legal vacuum is not likely to prevent same-sex marriages as they are not expressly prohibited by the Constitution or by law.
Parliament, however, has worked hard on the issue, in 1996, but failed to vote for a specific law. The bills were once hostile to gay marriage, and they are favorable for about eight years.
Oregon, perhaps in 2014
A 2004 referendum banned the celebration of same-sex marriages.
Governor John Kitzhaber and many parliamentarians are trying to reverse the situation. They call for the holding of a referendum in 2014 in order to validate a constitutional amendment in favor of gay marriage.
Texas wants to get out of the Middle Ages
If my memory is correct, a Senate committee recently approved unanimously by the five members (three Republicans) a motion to suppress homosexual relationships from its penal code. A bit like just done Montana (see our article of 19 April 2013 ).
This regulation was declared unconstitutional in 2003 or 2004 by the Texas Supreme Court and was not applied since then (again I quote from memory). It therefore would not legalize gay marriage, but to a legal foothold in the twenty-first century.
This article has been translated from our French blog, to view the original, click here.
Philca & Matt / MensGo
(via the entire American press 24 to 26 April 2013, including Windy City Media Group , USA Today , ABC News and Business Week )
