Gay Marriage

A New York judge has ruled that Governor David Paterson's action to recognize out-of-state homosexual "marriages" is the legal and fair thing to do. Thousands of New York homosexuals are expected to marry in Massachusetts and California and claim they are legal upon return to the Empire State. Alliance Defense Fund's (ADF) Jim Campbell handled the case. "The practical reality of this decision is that the state of New York will be a state that recognizes same-sex marriage, while it will not allow same-sex marriages to be performed within its own borders," Campbell contends. "So, in essence, it will alter the structure of marriage in the state of New York." Campbell plans to appeal the case because, as he explains, the real issue is that the governor does not have the constitutional authority to take the action that he did.

Gay Marriage

Portland, Ore. - Most states don't recognize same-sex "marriage" -- but now Hallmark does. The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out homosexual wedding cards -- featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says. Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal homosexual marriage. A handful of other states have recognized same-sex civil unions. The language inside the cards is neutral, with no mention of wedding or marriage, making them also suitable for a commitment ceremony. Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure. "It's our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can," Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Gronberg Kolell said. Hallmark's largest competitor, American Greetings Corp., has no plans to enter the market, saying its current offerings are general enough to speak to a lot of different relationships. Hallmark started offering "coming out" cards last year, and the four designs of same-sex marriage cards are being gradually released this summer and will be widely available by next year.

Portland, Oregon (AP) — At the request of a lesbian couple, the Coquille Indian Tribe on the southern Oregon coast has adopted a law recognizing same-sex marriage. Tribal law specialists say the Coquille appear to be the first American Indian tribe to sanction such marriages. Most tribal law doesn't address the issue. The Navajo and Cherokee tribes prohibit same-sex marriages. Legal scholars said that tribes do have authority over domestic relations among tribal members, but the U.S. Congress may have the ultimate say-so. The tribes have all the rights they have historically held unless Congress takes them away or the tribes give them up by treaty.

Gay Marriage

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts on Thursday began allowing any gay couple to get married there as Gov. Deval Patrick signed a bill repealing a 1913 law that had blocked most out-of-state same-sex couples from tying the knot. The old law barred couples from marrying in Massachusetts if their union would not be legal in their own states. Patrick said the repeal shows that "equal means equal" in Massachusetts, where a 2003 ruling by the state's highest court made gay marriage legal a year later. "In five years now ... the sky has not fallen, the earth has not opened to swallow us all up, and more to the point, thousands and thousands of good people — contributing members of our society — are able to make free decisions about their personal future, and we ought to seek to affirm that every chance we can," Patrick said.

• JJ Commentary: These are not Old Testament times where consequences were often immediate. Instead, in the age of grace, the law of sowing and reaping works itself out slowly, giving people time to repent. Ultimately, the judgment seat, the Great White throne awaits.

Arizona Marriage Amendment Back from the Dead

The marriage protection amendment may have been last on Arizona's legislative agenda, but it certainly wasn't least. The hotly debated initiative, which would give voters the opportunity to join Florida and California in protecting marriage this November, would not die, despite the desperate attempts by liberal members to kill it. In fact, the Senate discussion was so heated on both sides that it went down in the record books as one of the longest sessions in the history of the Arizona legislature. For the pro-family groups watching this nail-biting exchange, it was a long day that ended in dramatic fashion when Senate President Tim Bee cast the final vote in favor of putting the referendum on the ballot.

We congratulate the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) for persevering even when the outcome looked bleak. As recently as last week, the Senate narrowly voted down an attempt to put the marriage protection amendment on the ballot. Thanks to the work of CAP, pro-marriage leaders in Arizona pulled the provision back from the brink and revived it on Friday before the session concluded. By a 16-4 vote, the Senate entrusted the definition of marriage to the people. If you'd like to learn more about what's at stake in November, log on to www.frc.org today and order your free marriage protection kit. Help empower your friends, church, and community to defend the union of a man and woman!

Gay Marriage Begins in CA

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An appeals court has rejected a conservative group's latest effort to stop gay marriages in California before the November election. The Liberty Council had asked a state appeals court to block same-sex weddings until voters could decide the issue on the November ballot. The three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeal refused the request in a brief ruling issued Tuesday as gay marriages began in full swing around the state. Earlier the appeals court had ruled against allowing gay marriages but the state Supreme Court overturned that decision last month. In its latest ruling the appeals court says the high court has made it clear that same-sex marriage should be allowed. Gay marriage became legal in California last Monday afternoon.

Day of Prayer and Fasting

A call has been issued for a Day of Prayer and Fasting tomorrow (Wednesday) as California begins allowing same-sex "marriages," a law firm is warning that county clerks who do issue such "licenses" will be breaking state rules, and an alarm has been raised that the state will not, under its own new precedents, now be able to prevent polygamy. The deadline for any sort of judicial restraint that would "stay" the ruling for various issues to be addressed passed today without court action, allowing the licenses to be issued at the whim of county clerks. The call for prayer comes from Concerned Women for America, which said California's "sweeping decision can be transported nationwide by homosexual couples demanding that other states recognize their California 'marriage.'" "Prayer is the key to this battle. We need to see hearts changed by God at the same time that we're trying to change minds," said Phyllis Nemeth, state director for CWA of California. "That's why I'm inviting my fellow Californians especially to join CWA in prayer and fasting for our state and our nation."

Gay Marriage Ballot Initiative

SAN FRANCISCO — An initiative that would again outlaw gay marriage in California has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State announced Monday. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen said a random check of signatures submitted by the measure's sponsors showed that they had gathered enough names for it to be put to voters. The measure would amend the state constitution to "provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." If approved by a majority of voters on Nov. 4, the amendment would overturn the recent California Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. It is similar to gay marriage bans that have been adopted in 26 other states.

Gay Marriage A Close Call in California

By bare majorities, Californians reject the state Supreme Court's decision to allow same-sex marriages and back a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at the November ballot that would outlaw such unions, a Los Angeles Times/KTLA Poll has found. But the survey also suggested that the state is moving closer to accepting nontraditional marriages, which could create openings for supporters of same-sex marriage as the campaign unfolds. More than half of Californians said gay relationships were not morally wrong, that they would not degrade heterosexual marriages and that all that mattered was that a relationship be loving and committed, regardless of gender. Overall, the proportion of Californians who back either gay marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples has remained fairly constant over the years. But the generational schism is pronounced. Those under 45 were less likely to favor a constitutional amendment than their elders and were more supportive of the court's decision to overturn the state's current ban on gay marriage. They also disagreed more strongly than their elders with the notion that gay relationships threatened traditional marriage.