And we can add Alaska to the list - as one headline put it, now Putin can see gay marriages from his house!
Yesterday afternoon, U. S. District Judge Timothy Burgess (appointed by Bush in 2005) struck down Alaska's marriage ban as being an unconstitutional deprivation of due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment - as most other courts have done. Full text of the ruling here. Governor Sean Parnell vowed to appeal the decision, but since Alaska is covered by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which last week gave marriage equality to Idaho and Nevada - the governor is just talking out his ass.
Alaska is thus the 30th state where gays can marry. Hoo-wee, boys, now we're getting somewhere! Photos of the celebration at Mad Mindy's bar in Anchorage last night here.
Reports are that Vital Statistics offices will be issuing licenses from 8 a.m. today; however, Alaska has a three-day waiting period, so the first weddings won't likely happen until Thursday.
No word yet on how this is affecting Sarah Palin's heterosexual marriage.
Also, if you're up for it - yesterday, Prop 8 attorney Ted Olson and professional bigot Tony Perkins debated the issue on Fox News Sunday - as if there's anything left to debate. Olson made some brilliant points, while Perkins had only the same tired old crap and lies to sputter.
And an article I missed last Monday - which seems such a long time ago now; ELEVEN states have gained marriage equality since then - on the cool, cagey way the Supreme Court may have granted marriage equality to the whole country without having to make a dramatic ruling. Read Amy Davidson's take in the New Yorker.
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