Marriage (and Other LGBT) Rights in Illinois and Indiana
I have to say, these posts are getting a little tedious. I like having the information, and I like sharing it. But it takes lots of time to research and compile, and with these long days of travel, time is something we don’t have in excess. I’m not complaining–well, maybe I am.
Wouldn’t it be great if I could just say, “LGBT people have the same rights as everyone else–in all fifty states”?
But I guess that’s why this trip is happening. Because we can’t say that. Because nearly every one of the fifty states has its own way it discriminates against LGBT people. It’s also why we’ll be at the National Equality March this weekend.
OK, enough complaining. Back to business.
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Marriage (and other LGBT) Rights in Minnesota
On our way to Iowa we took a wrong turn and wound up passing through Minnesota. Going down the two-lane state route that took us into Iowa from the southwest tip of Minnesota was harrowing. It was raining, and every time a truck passed us going in the opposite direction we were overtaken by a deluge of rainwater. But it was worth it, since we got our great shots at the Iowa border. We wouldn’t have been able to turn off for a photo op on the Interstate.
So including this morning’s minor detour into Michigan, that’s four states whose LGBT rights we haven’t covered. Good thing that the Country Table Family Restaurant has Wi-Fi and bottomless cups of coffee. This morning I will backtrack and do Minnesota.
Read moreMarriage (and Other LGBT) Rights in Iowa
Last night Ami, Frances, and I went to a tabling and networking event for LGBT people in Iowa City. While we were there we met a number of married same-sex couples.
People at the event were warm and welcoming. They were all very proud of their home state. As Janelle Rettig, a married lesbian running for a County Supervisor seat in 2010, told us, “I know that when they heard the news about marriage equality in Iowa everywhere else in the country, people responded, ‘Iowa?’ But we weren’t surprised.” She said there was a clause in the Iowa State Constitution that mandated that no laws or rights should apply to one group of people and not another. They take their equality seriously around here.
Read moreResponse from Jay Inslee on Co-Sponsoring the Respect for Marriage Act
I appreciate your co-sponsorship of ENDA, immigration laws that acknowledge our relationships, and of Federal employee benefits for same-sex partners.
However, your response to me regarding why you are not co-sponsoring HR 3567 seems–incomplete, if not disingenuous.
…One day we will have equal rights, whether you believe in them or not. I am asking you to be a leader on this issue. This is why we elected you–to lead, and to do what’s right for your constituents. My family are your constituents, and right now we have a small fraction of the rights that would be granted a heterosexual couple who, like us, had been legally wed.
Read moreMarriage (and Other LGBT) Equality in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming
This morning when I would have been writing about state laws concerning LGBT equality, I was busy troubleshooting the blog. My friend Lauren was kind enough to text me that our About page was down. It turned out to be an easy fix–all I had to do was delete a problem plug-in–but I figured it out by trial and error. So it was a time-consuming easy fix.
Now we’re in a new state. We entered South Dakota via Highway 16, with no notice at all. There was a sign telling us we were entering the Black Forest, which I almost took a picture of, but no mention that the west end of the Black Forest was also the western border of South Dakota. So, as briefly and completely as possible (likely not really either), I will try to cover the marriage and other LGBT equality laws in the three states I have neglected.
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