Tag: gay marriage

Posted on

Catholic school faculty member sues school after she’s fired for being gay

Kate Drumgoole (on right) was FIRED from her job at Paramus Catholic High School,

BY MEGAN CERULLO
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, August 19, 2016, 4:55 PM

A lesbian teacher was fired from Paramus Catholic High School after administrators learned that she was married to a woman, according to her lawsuit.

Kate Drumgoole, 33, was the school’s head basketball coach and dean of guidance when the school fired her in January.

After a family argument, Elaine Vanore, the sister of Drumgoole’s wife, Jaclyn Vanore, sent the same-sex couple’s wedding photos to school administrators, according to the lawsuit.

“After everything was brought to their attention, they fired her,” said Lawrence Kleiner, an attorney for Drumgoole.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/catholic-school-educator-sues-fired-gay-article-1.2758385

Posted on

Tensions build as Supreme Court readies blockbuster rulings

diana-ross-supremes_theridgwoodnlog

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tensions are building inside and outside the white marble facade of the U.S. Supreme Court building as the nine justices prepare to issue major rulings on gay marriage and President Barack Obama’s healthcare law by the end of the month.

Of the 11 cases left to decide, the biggest are a challenge by gay couples to state laws banning same-sex marriage and a conservative challenge to subsidies provided under the Obamacare law to help low- and middle-income people buy health insurance that could lead to millions of people losing medical coverage.

Many legal experts predict the court will legalize gay marriage nationwide by finding that the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal treatment under the law and due process prohibit states from banning same-sex nuptials.

The four liberal justices are expected to support same-sex marriage, and conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy, the expected swing vote, has a history of backing gay rights.

In three key decisions since 1996, Kennedy has broadened the court’s view of equality for gays. The most recent was a 2013 case in which the court struck down a federal law denying benefits to married same-sex couples.

During oral arguments in the gay marriage case on April 28, Kennedy posed tough questions to lawyers from both sides but stressed the nobility and dignity of same-sex couples.

The healthcare decision is tougher to call. Chief Justice John Roberts, the swing vote when the court upheld Obamacare in 2012, said little during the March 4 oral argument to indicate how he will vote.

The court will issue some rulings on Monday, with more likely later in the week.

For the justices, the pressure is on to have the rulings ready. That can be difficult as the cases in which they are closely divided are generally the ones left until the end.

Outside the court, those with a stake in the outcome of the rulings are left anxiously waiting.

James Obergefell, one of the plaintiffs in the gay marriage case, said he will be at the court for all the remaining decision days.

 

 

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/tensions-build-supreme-court-readies-blockbuster-rulings-131311924.html

Posted on

Supreme Court races the clock on gay marriage, Obamacare and more

supreme_court_building

Richard Wolf, USA TODAY4:44 p.m. EDT June 14, 2015

WASHINGTON — The future of same-sex marriage and President Obama’s health care law hang in the balance as the Supreme Court’s 2014 term draws rapidly to a close this month. But those aren’t the only big issues on the justices’ plate.

Free speech and fair elections. Religious liberty and racial discrimination. Clean air and capital punishment. All await rulings over the next three weeks as the court completes action on 20 cases remaining this term. The next decisions will come Monday morning.

Here’s a look at the Elite Eight:

• Same-sex marriage. In a decision likely to come on the term’s last day — possibly June 29 or 30 — the court will decide whether gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry or whether state bans against same-sex marriage can remain in place.

Six cases from Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee and Kentucky have been consolidated for the court’s consideration. In them, 32 total plaintiffs are asking for the right to marry or to have marriages licensed elsewhere recognized in their home states. Most legal experts predict the court, led by Justice Anthony Kennedy, will rule in favor of the gay and lesbian couples.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/14/supreme-court-marriage-obamacare/71016064/

Posted on

Can gay marriage and religious freedom co-exist?

564220_606976499330077_1632856018_n

photo by ArtChick Photography

Kevin Boyd, Rare Contributor

Posted on April 27, 2015 12:46 pm

On Friday, an administrative law judge in Oregon recommended a $135,000 fine for the bakery company Sweet Cakes by Melissa.

The owners, Aaron and Melissa Klein, refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. They are Christians who do not believe in same-sex marriage.

The lesbian couple claimed they had justification for “damages” against the Kleins:

In their lawsuit, the two women claimed they felt “mentally raped,” as part of a list of 88 symptoms of emotional distress they experienced at being refused a cake.

The long list of symptoms included “acute loss of confidence,” “doubt,” “excessive sleep,” “felt mentally raped, dirty and shameful,” “high blood pressure,” “impaired digestion,” “loss of appetite,” “migraine headaches,” “pale and sick at home after work,” “resumption of smoking habit,” “shock,” “stunned,” “surprise,” “uncertainty,” “weight gain” and “worry.”

This comes in the wake of controversies over religious freedom legislation in Indiana and Arkansas. A more narrow measure that deals exclusively with marriage is under consideration in Louisiana. In all three states, gay rights groups strongly oppose these laws.

The question has to be asked: At this point can gay marriage co-exist with religious freedom?

More and more conservatives are coming out for gay marriage. The Supreme Court will likely rule in favor of same-sex marriage in all 50 states this summer. Polls show that an increasing majority of Americans favor same-sex marriage. The battle is all but over nationwide.

The real test for those who support freedom is whether they uphold it for people who are unpopular, such as opponents of same-sex marriage. In a free society, there should be protections for mom and pop wedding service providers who cannot in good conscience service same-sex weddings. Those businesses are an extension of their owners, who should not be asked to check their beliefs at the door.

Many orthodox Christian sects, among other religions, continue to view same-sex marriage as sacrilege. What right does the state have to force these people to think differently?

Read more at https://rare.us/story/can-gay-marriage-and-religious-freedom-co-exist/#1aGc2zCobmFpTuEJ.99