Hold onto your baseball caps, we’re in for a ride. Yogi Berra, known for his mangled quips, reminds us, “It ain’t over, ’til it’s over.” Now that same sex marriage is legal in all 50 states, (Yay!) expect the fallout to come tumbling down and down and down. While SCOTUS has spoken in our favor, naysayers tell us their fight will continue. As with Row v. Wade, the right wingnuts with chisels in hand are already trying to chip at the new law in what will surely be a protracted effort to circumvent the ruling.

Same-sex marriage bans from Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan were considered in the SCOTUS ruling. Michigan immediately got on board. They found it best to abide by the full spirit of the law and gay couples have said their vows. Originally named as a defendant, John Kasich, the moderate Republican Ohio governor, said his state was also ready to move on. Political careers can be made or broken by going along to get along. With a presidential announcement likely forthcoming, Kasich can reach constituents who prefer middle ground.

On the other hand, Southern states led the way backward by digging in their heels. Mississippi claimed the decision would not take effect immediately in their state. Another presidential hopeful, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, is holding on to his belief that the decision should be up to each state. Texas expressed a divided opinion with some counties following the ruling and others holding on to the hope that religious convictions were being trampled—using a “law of God” argument to hopefully trump the Supreme Court and justify their position to withhold marriage licenses, a move that could prompt contempt of court charges.

And on the far right, where the separation of church and state takes on strange forms, we have, shall we say, some unusual views? Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, doesn’t surprise anyone by spouting favorite lines found in the bible about marriage between a man and a woman. Religiously inclined individuals holding on to narrow selective interpretations like to cite a “traditional” version of marriage, but conveniently forget that those traditions have changed over time and no longer include having multiple wives, not being able to remarry except in cases of adultery, and restrictive property laws that exclude widows. Marriage does evolve, but not in the way envisioned by Perkins, who oddly imagines more children being born out of wedlock. Apparently logic has nothing to do with his position. How did this guy get to be president of anything?

Now that same-sex marriage is legal, other ridiculous claims have surfaced, such as, it will bring about bestiality, pedophilia, and the wrath of God in the form of whatever anyone feels like saying God will do to smite us. Call me cynical, but from my vantage point, it seems many of these fire and brimstone claims are merely vehicles for collecting money to further the careers of the people who get paid to spout this nonsense.

I’ve yet to hear anyone say that the advancement of LGBT human rights has happened precisely because it is God’s will. I could sit through a lot of extra innings before that ever happens. It ain’t over, ’til it’s over.

Zoe Amos brings her lesbian point of view to articles and stories on diverse topics. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. Read her stories on Kindle and Nook. Check out her other life at www.janetfwilliams.com

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When the Supreme Court struck down part of an anti-gay marriage law, Justice Anthony Kennedy took pains in his majority opinion to say the ruling applied only to legally married same-sex couples seeking benefits from the federal government.

But judges and lawyers representing same-sex couples are already using Kennedy’s language and reasoning in other cases about the right to marry.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post SCOTUS gay marriage ruling already impacting other cases first appeared on Lesbian.com.

As America continues to celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling declaring DOMA unconstitutional, The New Yorker chose to feature some unconventional figures on their marriage equality cover — Muppets Bert and Ernie from “Sesame Street.”

The long-rumored couple snuggles on the couch watching a television showing a shot of the Supreme Court. Jack Hunter, the artists who put the cover together, submitted the image to the magazine through its Tumblr outlet.

Read more at dot429.com

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The Supreme Court rulings against the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8 are providing new momentum to the LGBT rights movement as advocates are pushing for officials to interpret the decisions as broadly as possible.

The court ruling against DOMA is complex because it means that new benefits will be available to same-sex couples if they’re married. But there still is an issue with some of these benefits even with DOMA gone.

Some of these benefits, like Social Security survivor benefits and tax benefits, are in question because federal law governing these issues looks at a state where a couple lives as opposed to whether they were legally married. That means a gay couple that marries in a state like New York, but moves to Florida, won’t be able to apply for these benefits while living there.

Read more at Washington Blade

Washington Blade is America’s leading gay news source.

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The Supreme Court’s landmark decision to strike down parts of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and essentially nullify California’s gay marriage ban known as Proposition 8 had immediate repercussions for binational lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples trying to keep their families together in America. In particular, it had an immediate effect on deportation proceedings.

Sean and Steven Brooks are just one couple affected by the decision.

Sean Brooks, a New York musician, has been legally married to his Colombian husband, Steven, ever since New York State legalized gay marriage in 2011. But like about 28,500 other binational same-sex couples, Steven was not entitled to a spousal visa because his marriage to Sean was not legally recognized by the federal government, leaving Steven vulnerable to deportation proceedings.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post DOMA ruling stops deportation first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Marriage equality supporters who gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday erupted into cheers as they learned the justices had found the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

“I’m thrilled,” D.C. resident Justyn Hintze, who is originally from Florida, told the Washington Blade outside the court. “I think that it’s about time and that sexual freedom and same-sex marriage is a human right.”

D.C. resident Amanda Klinger and her fiancée, Caroline Hunt, held a sign that read “our wedding just got 1138 times more equal” as they anticipated the Supreme Court ruling on cases that challenged the constitutionality of Section 3 of DOMA that defined marriage as between a man and a woman in federal law and California’s Proposition 8. Rev. Rob Apgar-Taylor of Grace United Church of Christ and Varitas United Church in Hagerstown and Frederick, Md., who married his husband in Massachusetts in 2004, told the Blade before the justices issued their DOMA ruling that he hoped they would be “bold” in their ruling.

Read more at WashingtonBlade.com

Washington Blade is America’s leading gay news source

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The Supreme Court has struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act forbidding federal recognition of gay marriages for couples residing in states that recognize their union.

The court’s decision came by a ruling of 5-4.

The ruling is one of two major gay marriage rulings being considered by the High Court. The court is also ruling on Proposition 8, California’s anti-gay marriage law.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices.

The post DOMA ruled unconstitutional first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The Supreme Court did not announce decisions Thursday in hotly anticipated cases on affirmative action, the Voting Rights Act and gay marriage.

The court is first expected to make a decision on Fisher v. University of Texas, challenging the university’s affirmative action policy in college admissions. The justices then will likely rule on the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act along with decisions on the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s gay marriage ban, Proposition 8.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post No ruling from SCOTUS on DOMA, Prop 8 first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY STEVE WILLIAMS

The United States Supreme Court on Friday issued notice that it will take up two important gay marriage cases that, potentially, could spell the end of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and gay marriage bans across America.

Here are five things you need to know about the Supreme Court’s decision to take up these cases.

1. Which Cases Are Being Heard by the SCOTUS? The Supreme Court handed down notice on Friday that it would take the two leading cases that have gay rights groups excited: Hollingsworth v Perry (formerly Perry v Brown and Perry v Schwarzenegger), otherwise known as the Proposition 8 case, and Windsor v United States in which 83-year-old Edith Windsor is challenging DOMA on grounds that it unduly burdened her in paying over $300,000 of extra estate tax on her deceased wife’s estate for no other reason than, per DOMA, the federal government is not recognizing their marriage.

Read more at Care2.com

Care2 is the largest online community of people passionate about making a difference.

The post FAQ: Supreme Court Prop 8, DOMA first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Waiting for the Supreme Court of the United States to issue a decision on California’s Proposition 8 can feel like waiting for your alcoholic ex-girlfriend, who also happens to be a pathological liar, to pay back the money she borrowed from you so she could rent a truck to move her crap out of your basement. She can say she’s going to pay you back, but you’ve heard it all before.

Okay, I’ve never actually had an alcoholic, pathological liar ex-girlfriend, and I don’t have a basement, but let’s just say that one of my Netflix sub-categories could be “romantic tragedy with a codependent twist.” So I’ve seen a lot of love-gone-wrong movies, and I’ve spent the past four years watching Prop 8 wind its way through the court system. Let me tell you, the parallels are uncanny.

First, you don’t hear from the court for months. Then, when they resurface, you find out about it from a third party. Gossip circles form, analyzing what exactly the court will do when they finally speak to you. Rumors fly about a particular event where you might actually run into each other, and though at first you don’t believe the rumors, so many people who really know the court well swear that this event is the real deal. So you soften your defenses a little and note the date on your calendar.

Because the rumors persist, before you know it, though you swore you would never do this again, you start to believe them. You dust off your “Love Is Love” demonstration sign, you move the champagne from the garage to the fridge; you charge the camera batteries, just in case. And despite the committee of inner voices chattering about your naiveté and all those past disappointments, you let hope spread her wings.

And then: nothing. The court stands you up. Again. You feel like an idiot. Or at least I do.

I can’t believe I bought into that whole “on November 30th, the Supreme Court of the United States will decide what to do about Proposition 8” thing. From what I read on Facebook, it looks like hoards of other hopeful folks bought into it too. Again. Damn it.

Now, instead of unleashing my traditional diatribe on the inhumanity of the legal system, and before I get caught up in the inevitable next round of “big news coming soon” hype, I want to take a moment here to write a note to my future self, a sort of “break glass in case of emergency” list of truths to remember when the next wave of “coming soon” excitement swells. (I saw this in a love-gone-wrong movie once. It seemed to work.) Here goes:

Truth #1: No one knows what will happen.

Truth #2: No one knows when it will happen.

Truth #3: The human brain hates not knowing, so it will work overtime to fill the information void.

Truth #4: The myriad SCOTUS / Prop 8 analyses fluttering into your inbox and popping up on your favorite websites are a byproduct of Truth #3.

Truth #5: Waiting sucks.

Truth #6: What is going to happen at SCOTUS is going to happen, whether you obsess over it or not.

Truth #7: You don’t have to wait.

Truth #8: No, Truth #7 does not mean that I have some SCOTUS insider information that I can share with you right now.

Truth #9: What I mean by Truth #7 is this: instead of getting distracted by thoughts about the future (a.k.a. “waiting”), you can shift your attention to the present moment.

Truth #10: While you have been typing this list, your six-year-old son has been climbing on your lap, hugging you, massaging your shoulders, and “blessing your heart” with a piece of rose quartz.

Truth #11: More often than not, the present moment is rad like that: all it wants is your full attention, and in return it gives you abundant love.

Truth #12: Reveling in the present moment is way better than waiting for your alcoholic, pathological liar ex-girlfriend to repay her debt, or for the United States Supreme Court to restore your rights.

Truth #13: If you’re still reading this, go back to Truths #7-12.

Poet, writer, activist, and educator, Cheryl Dumesnil is the author of the forthcoming memoir “Love Song for Baby X: How I Stayed (Almost) Sane on the Rocky Road to Parenthood.” She spends her free time jumping on a trampoline and telling potty jokes, because the sound of her kids’ laughter makes her really, really happy.

The post The truth about waiting first appeared on Lesbian.com.