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Subscribe to RSSSupporters of same-sex marriage hope for a boost this week when dozens of high-profile Republicans, many no longer in office, submit their legal argument to the Supreme Court on why gays and lesbians should be allowed to wed, bucking their party's platform in a move that one who had a change of heart on the issue said would “strengthen our nation as a whole.”
More than 80 Republicans are signatories to the "friend of the Court" brief to be filed in the case over Proposition 8, a California law banning same-sex marriage, according to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which is waging the legal battle against the law. The nation’s high court will hear arguments in the case in late March. The New York Times first reported on the brief.
Credit: Stephen Lam / Reuters file
Meg Whitman, HP's chief executive officer and president, at a meeting on Jan. 16. She says she has had a change of heart on the issue of gay marriage.
One scholar described the effort as “inconceivable” just two years ago, and one of the signers, former California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, said in a blog that she had changed her mind on the issue, “like several others who have either sought or held public office, including President Obama.”
“As the Republican nominee for governor of California three years ago, I supported the majority of Californians who voted for Proposition 8 and against same sex marriage,” Whitman, president and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard Co., said in a separate statement. “After careful review and reflection since then, I have come to embrace civil marriage for same sex couples.”
She noted in her blog that same-sex families “should have equal access to the benefits of marriage” and later added: “Establishing a constitutional right of marriage equality in California will strengthen our nation as a whole.”
Six former governors, including Jon Huntsman of Utah and Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey, and members of President George W. Bush’s cabinet, such as former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, four former and two current members of Congress signed the brief, AFER said. Members of the Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain presidential campaigns also signed.
The brief will be filed Thursday, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group. Additional names were still being added to it, said AFER, which noted one of its lead attorneys on the case was a conservative, former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, who argued for Bush before the Supreme Court after the disputed 2000 presidential election.
Michael Klarman, a Harvard Law School professor and author of “From the Closet to the Altar: Courts, Backlash, and the Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage,” called it an “incredibly important development” and noted the brief could influence Justice Anthony Kennedy, whom he said was the swing vote on gay marriage.
“The fact that more and more Republicans are coming out in favor of gay marriage simply confirms how dramatic the shift in public opinion has been -- and that is a fact that likely is of great significance to Justice Kennedy,” he wrote to NBC News in an email. “Even two years ago, it would have been inconceivable that this many prominent Republicans would have been willing to buck their party platform on the issue.”
In an article last week, former Republican presidential candidate Huntsman wrote that as governor he had backed civil unions but now was supporting marriage for gays and lesbians.
“The party of Lincoln should stand with our best tradition of equality and support full civil marriage for all Americans,” he wrote. “This is both the right thing to do and will better allow us to confront the real choice our country is facing: a choice between the Founders’ vision of a limited government that empowers free markets, with a level playing field giving opportunity to all, and a world of crony capitalism and rent-seeking by the most powerful economic interests.”
Huntsman’s argument echoed parts of the legal brief, which The Times said made the case that allowing same-sex marriage would promote conservative ideals of limited government and individual freedom as well as provide the children of gay couples a two-parent home.
The legal brief was dismissed by the National Organization for Marriage, which on Monday pledged $500,000 to defeat Republican lawmakers supporting any law to allow same-sex marriage in Minnesota, a state considering such legislation.
“None of these people are actively in politics. They are not running for office because they know … supporting same-sex marriage will end your career if you’re a Republican,” said Brian Brown, NOM's president. “There’s overwhelming support for traditional marriage in the Republican party, that’s why it’s part of the party platform, and any attempt by the establishment to redefine marriage and redefine what it means to be a conservative will mean the death of the Republican party.”
But LGBT groups said the brief was further proof of changing attitudes on the issue. Marc Solomon, national campaign director for Freedom to Marry who saw the brief, said the list included Republicans going back to the Reagan administration.
He noted Meg Whitman’s new position represented a “significant shift,” while others who had signed, such as Republican Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Richard Hanna of New York, have also sponsored federal legislation that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriage.
Steve Schmidt, who worked on the 2004 Bush re-election effort and as chief strategist on McCain’s 2008 presidential bid, has been a “powerful supporter” of same-sex marriage, Solomon said.
“I think most importantly, it’s the broad swath of leaders” on the list, Solomon told NBC News. “We’re no longer just dealing with … one or two ‘mavericks’ who are willing to sort of stick their neck out. …
“This is a big swath of Republicans, of mainstream Republicans, who view the freedom to marry as part of their conservatism rather than something separate from it.”
The Supreme Court will also hear arguments in late March on Section 3 of DOMA, which the Obama administration has encouraged the justices to strike down. In its argument, the federal government noted that Proposition 8 and similar measures in other states was evidence that anti-gay discrimination remained a major problem.
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US asks Supreme Court to strike down law denying benefits to same-sex couples
Supreme Court to take up same-sex marriage issue
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This is because most Republicans are in the "closet" anyway...
.....or in the next bathroom stall...
sbstarlite!!
That was NOT very nice!!! ROFLMFAO!!
Well we were talking about republicans....weren't we?
I'm all for this, but you homosexuals do realize this really doesn't change anything. You will continue to be seen as weird, strange and odd. You will continue to be the blunt of jokes. And you will continue to have higher than normal suicide rates because you cannot decide what gender you are.
And you will continue to have higher than normal suicide rates because you cannot decide what gender you are.
Your "theory" on why the suicide rate is higher among gays is ridiculous. It's not hard to look up the causes. Google works in case you didn't know.
The rest of your post just shows how lacking in compassion you are towards your fellow humans while being "all for this."
Great humanitarian you are < sarcasm there in case you don't have the ability to grasp it.
JobSeeker, resident judge and soothsayer...
who is going to win the super bowl next year? heck, if you are such an amazing forecaster and can see into the future, at least put it a worthwhile use. :)
Of course, the same was said about mixed race couples. lol.
You do realize that sexuality and gender are two different things, right? People's opinions change and they will continue to change on this issue. Most of the prejudiced people will die off or change their minds and eventually, the bigots will be in the minority, just like they are when it comes to race now. More acceptance and understanding will reduce mental health issues for any minority group.
In Europe where gay marriage are quite common and accepted, homosexual suicides continue to surpass the general population. Whether it’s discrimination or just being mentally unbalanced, homosexuals continues to kill themselves at a higher rate. There will always be people who think you are weird. Deal with it.
http://www.youth-suicide.com/gay-bisexual/news/europe.htm
"In Europe"? Attitudes toward homosexuality vary widely across Europe.
Job, youth suicide and gay marriage are not the same thing. I have an article printed out in front of me that says people in same-sex marriage get the same positive mental health benefits as straight married couples.
The fact you have to defend your "happiness" and "sanity" says volumes. If you keep telling yourself you are not ugly, you are still ugly.
hey js,
hmmm, lemme think...poof, now i've got female genitals instead of male. THAT woulid be deciding gender.
what you are thinking of is sexual orientation. it's pretty clear these concepts are a challenge for you. if you made an honest effort to get educated on the topic, you'd likely find your mind would expand as well as your knowledge base.
your point of view is fading into the past along with the racists.
mari........A knife can change that very quickly. Call it what you want, but if you are attracted to one of the opposite sex, you are weird. No escaping it, even if politicians tell you that you are normal.
It isnt too hard to understand why some are seeking employment.
They have higher than normal suicide rate because they have to face the idiots like jobseeker everyday.
It's very easy to understand really.
Isn't it strange how the representatives of either party can change their principles when they think it may cost them power?
Don't flatter yourself. These GOP supporters are from blue states where their stance on the issue doesn't sway voters one way or the other.
Majority of the politicians are no longer in office so it is not really costing anything.
Embarrassing, all I can say.
For the republicans yes.... flip flopping yet again.
“There’s overwhelming support for traditional marriage in the Republican Party, that’s why it’s part of the party platform, and any attempt by the establishment to redefine marriage and redefine what it means to be a conservative will mean the death of the Republican party.”
These Republicans can only state the same equality for a marriage that will be sanctioned by the State and the President himself. I doubt if they can state the same equality for marriages that's been sanctified by Evangelical pastors, Catholic priests, Imams, Buddhist monks, etc...that recognizes tradition, that God meant marriage to be for a man and a woman since the beginning of time.
For the government to preside over God's place in the sacrament of matrimony would be an astonishing feat for our dearly beloved politicians--who'd do everything for a vote!
There are a number of churches that sanction same-sex marriages. There's as much diversity on this issue among religious believers as among the general public.
Wait just a second there, Art! History shows that marriage, including same-sex marriage, existed as a civil function long before this God you refer to was ever thought of.
....you mean churches run by women and gay priests...I was just referring to churches that won't compromise tradition and their covenant with God. You can speak for the rest.
You are exactly right. The legal definition of marriage, and any religions' (or individual's) faith-based definition of marriage are two different things. And that is why this in no way infringes on anyone's religious liberties. Religious groups and people can continue to decide for themselves what marriages they will recognize internally. Hell, the Catholic church still does not recognize second marriages unless the church officially granted annulment of the first. That's fine, the Catholic church can have whatever definition it wants. All anyone is asking for is that marriages be treated equally under the law.
Oh, the horror.
Rick-881466
The Ancient Babylonians and other civilizations believed in marriages of anything goes, until Darius the Great ascended to the throne and instituted a marital system that conforms to the laws of nature--man and a woman, One cannot mate with animals same sex, etc...this practice had been carried over to all parts of his empire including his conquered lands. The Israelites on the one hand have always stuck with their covenant with Yahweh--who Himself is now referred to by Christians as God, and by Muslims as Allah.
Just to make things clearer for you, marriage since Darius the Great was moving towards the direction of man and woman. The 20th century however, have you guys started reverting back to pre-historic times. Hope that helps with your history.
yoda 46: Nobody is telling anyone not to get married, I hope that's clear.
Nice try, Art, but you added the "anything goes" descriptor, as well as the declaration of what "conforms to the laws of nature". The Israelites did not always exist, and those from whom they came did not always have a "God" or "Yahweh". The facts of history do not support your opinions.
Rick 881466: Advancement in civilization is a progress. The Israelites are not always there, the Neanderthals were not always there, the Barbarians were not always there, The dinosaurs are already extinct...but the spirit of God has always been infinitely omniscient. I also stated "the beginning of time" a time in history when man and woman started having souls. Their union, and the unions of the same nature, at that time has always been blessed by God. Therefore, your history may have been incomplete for quite some time. History needs progress, not a regress back in time when Cro-magnons and Neanderthals of this earth made the rules.
no thanks art, i prefer to view my world in full color without blinders.
You're quite right maridane, Justice is blind, however God is not blind, He sees the truth, but waits. Being same-sex'd does not mean to say God can't love you for what you are.
Actually there was ample time when religion made the rules, so going back to when religion made the rules is anything but progress.
Accepting peoples for who they are and stopping discrimination IS progress. The rest of you post is nothing but religious nonsense.
Sounds like Art's god is a huge bigot.
Art must be a Mormon or a Southern Baptists rather than an Episcopalian or a Reform Jew.
skrekk, jo....: everytime there's talk of religion, or our Lord God, you guys seem to be freeking out--wonder why? It seems to me that you guys must have started as believers yourselves and ended up as haters of the faith for whatever reason there was--a betrayal of a family, or friend, or perhaps hatred of parents, etc... I wouldn't know what you've been thru, but this is Holy Week, and that's why I've been posting the God stuff. Don't you guys have any faith at all--not even a demons faith?
I don't give a crap about your cult or imaginary friends, but I do care that you want to violate the 1st Amendment by having our secular government enforce the sharia laws of your cult in order to treat some Americans as 2nd-class citizens.
Your silly cult and bizarre sharia laws belong in your life not my life or my gay daughter's life, and they definitely aren't a concern of our secular government.
I grew out of the need for imaginary friends when I was four.
But I'll note that many believers don't hate gays like you do, and there are many large denominations which perform religious weddings for gays. Apparently you want to infringe their religious liberties too.
skrekk:
Apparently a billion religious followers around the globe and me will disagree with you... but as our friend Voltaire once said: I disagree with you with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.
Re: your response on faith...can't help but ask, I was just trying to make a simple assessment of you as an intellectual, apparently you're not the right fit ,...and another quote from Voltaire: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. I've heard all of your absurdities, and they all sound so non-sense all the way. Wonder where you got them?
Art, it's funny that you cite the 1st Amendment but apparently don't understand that it means the state can't enforce the sharia laws of your cult.
Perhaps it can when it enforces the sharia laws of yours.
Ok once again, a MSNBC staff writer has a story with no names in it, but claims a large majority of republicans are coming out for gay marriage. Usually in an article like this, you have the facts, and print names. Not MSNBC, you take your orders from the obama administration, no matter if its has fact based news or not, true, or not true it doesn't matter. The democrats and gays tell you to write it, and its a done deal with MSNBC.
where is the claim that "a LARGE MAJORITY" of republicans support gay marriage? Reading isn't a strength of yours, is it?
I don't see this claim in the article.
feeling beset are we richard? perhaps the ferocity and consequence of the onslaught is in your imagination.
If you can't beat 'em, beat 'em off!
Sell your soul's to the DEVIL, GOP ! The END is near.............
yawn, "the end is near" and has been so for 2000 years apparently. lol.
"The END is near..."
About time !
mike
again ? like the end was near last december right ? or like when the end was near 2 years ago in may right ?? or how about all the times the end was near in the past 200 years or so ?
so far, you religious people are only consistent in one thing - failing miserably
I don't really care if gays marry or not they can do what they want...but this is only going to hurt Repubs even harder by disassociating themselves with their constituents. This reeks of desparation...heck, why don't they simply jump parties?
They forgot which hole is supposed to be used for what!
Queers, fags, carpet munchers, need lovin too. They want their sweeties insurance coverage. social security benifits. raise kids , everything normal people have.
And what are you but a redneck hick? Calling people names like you are something special. I am certain you are anything but normal. Becareful the next time you have a heart attack your gay paramedic or Dr. may decide to just let you drop like a hot cake.
And What are you but a Queer? I am definitely certain you are not normal. Some one may drop you like a hot 'POTATOE"
This is good news. Still a ways to go on this but people really it's 2013 judge people on their merit not what their sexuality is. Marriage time and time again for us heterasexuals has proven fatal as we cheat on our spouses etc. and have a divorce rate of over 50% . It could prove to be very interesting to see what the stats are for gay marriages at the least and perhaps promote more monogamy.
So far the divorce rates are very low in the marriage equality states and highest in the bigoted states of the bible-belt.
Massachusetts has the lowest rate in the country.
Regardless where you stand on the issue, the fact that this many conservative politicians signed on AND the fact that most of them aren't active show that the GOPs official platform is based on what they think it takes to attract votes, not necessarily where lie their personal opinions.
Exactly !!!! Politicians Pandering to The People !
One simple truth always weighs in when I hear people approving gay marriage, sperm in the rectum will not conceive life. It is an inherently selfish, crude, anti-life, vile, demonic act. There is no morality left. To be popular means to cave into the whims of the immoral, those degraded to acts of beasts.
The popular course only leads to death. Mark my words....
Demonic act.
Omg that is so @!$%#ing funny. What's so funny is you believe that crap to the point that you sound like a lunatic. Really....get some meds for that condition.
The popular course only leads to death. Mark my words....
We are all gonna end up dead....dummy.
I'm sorry, Desert, I just looked over my marriage license and it didn't say anything about procreating OR about what type of sex my husband and I should have. Are these requirements the government recently added in order to have a legal marriage?
Dude seriously get a grip.....not everyone has sex to procreate. Not all gay people have anal sex. Some straight people do have anal sex. Lesbians rarely have anal sex. You are hilariosly ignorant.
And You are hilarioUsly fruit
Oh go back to the rock you crawled out from under .........you wouldn't last a day in NYC.
@Desertjunky
Why are Christian Republicans so focused the specifics of what goes on in the bedroom of gay couples, when gay people have absolutely no care or facination of what straight people do in their bedrooms??
Focus on your own s ex life & stop obsessing over everyone else's.
hey junky,
what you gonna do with the 33% of heterosexuals who have had anal sex?
As refered to in Romans, chapter one...."Reprobate minds".
Can anyone explain the legal process behind all of this? If the supreme court is going to make a decision, why would they care if 7 or 75 or 750 politicians voice their opinions about it? Shouldn't their decision be based on the law, not popular (or not) opinion?
(And they're arguing about an amendment to the California Constitution - but politicians from other states are ready to jump in and offer an opinion?)
Perhaps they think getting on the winning bandwagon before the decision holds more water than joining after. In any case, as many have pointed out, their words are like the wind. A heavy, hot gust which can reverse directions at any time.
WOW!
The power of the kick. The president kicks their assets at every corner and Repugnants blink, and blink, and blink.
I still will always say being gay and a Republican is an oxymoron
36,000 log cabin republicans disagree with you.
Being a closeted gay and being a Republican is a tautology.
This would not have anything to do with the mid-term elections in 2014 would it? The Republicons would sell their own wife and children just to get elected.
Back when DOMA was enacted, I doubt anyone predicted that supporting same-sex marriage would be considered an *asset* to electability in 2014. Often Americans can be counted on to do the right thing, even if it takes a while.
People want politicians to focus on issues like the economy and securing the border and not irrelevant issues like gay marriage and marijuana use.
Equal protections of the law is a bedrock, foundational principle of the Land of the Free. Hardly "irrelevant".
Try again.
DO BETTER!
And the liberal/socialist/communist/democrats-republicans take us one step farther down the road to HELL. As a country we have turned our backs on the principles this country was founded on. One Nation Under God. God has turned his back on this country and you can all see what is happening to it now. Luckily, my wife and are are saved, as for the rest of you, the option remains, all you have to do is believe with your heart and speak with your mouth. Jesus is one way, satan is another, it's your choice.
One of the principles this country was founded on was equality under the law. We haven't always lived up to that principle, but we're getting better at it. As MLK said, the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice.
"Les-A." I amd SICK AND TIRED of the constant flow of comments I see on this forum by uninformed so called Americans that as you put it "As a country we have turned our backs on the principles this country was founded on. One Nation Under God. God has turned his back on this country and you can all see what is happening to it now."
This nation WAS NOT formed as "One Nation Under God". Instead it was created as a SECULAR nation, as our Founding Fathers make VERY clear in numerous essays, letters and correspondence on the subject of religion and it's place in the creation of America. The Constitution is based on a combination of the Magna Carter and English Common Law. And that is the law of the land. NOT "One Nation Under God". I do not mean to be rude here, but please, do some research.
You sound like you'd be much happier in a theocracy (which America ISN'T, thank Zeus!).
May I suggest Iran? They kill homosexuals there, so that should make you very happy.
"under God" was added in the 1950s. You know, that time where the Teabaggers want to "take 'their' country back" to.
Since you are quoting the Pledge of Allegiance, what about "with liberty and justice for all"?
I always find it odd that guys like Les (and Joseph McCarthy) will try to associate a social issue like gay marriage with an economic system like socialism or communism.
you know, i have read nearly all the comments on this article today and postings almost identical in philosophy to les's keep popping up at almost regular intervals. they don't seem to respond to other posts, just kerplunk start out with some sort of pronouncement of how we're all going to hell in a handbasket. almost like there's an organization to it.
not like i'm some kind of conspiracy nut but...i'm just sayin'.
CoRavensFan stated:
"Due to the media, you have a misguided perception of the Republican party. Most republicans could care less about gay marriage - most republicans lean to the right because they believe in smaller government and more personal responsibility."
Sorry, not correct. The current Republicans in Congress are not in any way, shape, or form, being distorted by the media. There is zero doubt they lean far to the right, refuse to compromise, refuse to negotiate and definitely (at this time) represent the Republican party that yourself as a Republican and Americans who identify themselves as conservatives have elected. And that party is not the Republican party from even 20 years ago, which I assume you are referring to.
So respectfully, these politicians were voted in by Americans like yourself who identify as "Republican" or "Conservative". And only you can vote them out and replace them with moderate Republicans who actually do believe in smaller government and more personal responsibility, but also realize that our system of government is based on compromise. And not on continuously ignoring the other party and refusing to compromise. But instead being as obstructionist and uncompromising as possible, while submitting legislation that is so one-sided it has no chance of passing.
Yes, YES! Chaos in the GOPuke! Jesus freaks please begin the tear your party members apart, it's going to a wonderful show. After all, your hateful bigto god doesn't like this right?
No. He doesn't like the wickedness in people like you.
One by one, justice is done.
The GOP has been taken over by the bugger party.
well pilgrim, ifin' that's true, who ya got left to cling to?
noooobody!