| christian grantham | |||
| Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD. | |||
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latest posts
February 04, 2005
According to NY State Supreme Court Justice Doris Ling-Cohan, liberty is a right for gay and lesbian American's, too.
“Under both the federal and New York State constitutions, it is beyond question that the right to liberty” extends to protect marriage,” Ling-Cohan wrote.
[N.Y. judge strikes down gay marriage ban - MSNBC - 02-05-05]
When speaking of the freedom to marry, Vice President Dick Cheney didn't parse words.
"My general view is freedom means freedom for everyone. . . . People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to."
['Freedom for Everyone' - Washington Post - 04-25-04]
Despite these defenses of American principles, President Bush recently reiterated his personal desire to make exceptions to the ideals of liberty and freedom of which he spoke so glowingly in his State of the Union speech.
Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage. (Applause.)
[State of the Union - White House Transcript - 02-02-05]
Regrettably, President Bush and the Republican Party's evangelical base believe these principles must be amended to exclude some American citizens. So threatened is their divisive agenda by the extension of freedom and liberty to all in the United States Constitution that they feel obligated to alter this document to protect laws that would otherwise fail when measured against our nation's constitution. One wonders what words Bush has reserved for religious extremists in Iraq who attempt the same reproach on constitutional freedoms and liberties that over 1,000 American soldiers died for.
And please forgive Mary Jo and Jo-Ann as they speed down Main Street like a "noisy red Ferrari." People around the world who celebrate newly won freedom and liberty they fought for have a way of doing that sometimes. Only those that truly despise democratic liberties and freedoms for everyone have a problem with that.
"I was even more moved than I thought I'd be when I heard about this ruling. All of us cried; me, Mary Jo and our 15-year-old daughter. For the first time, our family is being treated with the respect and dignity that our friends, coworkers and neighbors automatically have," said Jo-Ann Shain, a 51-year-old New York City resident who is a plaintiff in the case with her partner, Mary Jo Kennedy, 49."Last week, Mary Jo and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary together, but we've never had all the protections and rights that come with marriage. We need these protections
to take responsibility for each other and for our daughter, and we are enormously grateful that the court saw that and said our family should be treated equally."
[New York Court Rules Gays Must Be Allowed To Marry - 365gay.com - 02-05-05]
Click here (PDF) to read the 62 page decision.
filed under: Equal Marriage Rights
