Only In Spots

I was in a discussion earlier today where I made a statement that was right, but I didn't back it up with specifics. So I went back and did some research and here are my findings. For some reason Liberals always want to engage in debating issues above their pay grade. Since the people I was talking to aren't gay and looking to get married. I know they don't know this information. So to totally put this issue to rest. I found evidence to prove what I said. I said "more states have legalized same-sex marriage in the last six months than it did in the last eight years." According to the sources I found, I was right.

4/7/09: The state legislature overrode Gov. Jim Douglas’s veto of a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry, making Vermont the first state to allow gay marriage through legislative action.

4/3/09: The Iowa Supreme Court made history on April 3, 2009 with a unanimous ruling, making Iowa the 3rd state to allow same-sex marriages. The state county attorney has stated that he will not seek a rehearing.

5/6/09: Gov. John Baldacci signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Maine, making the state the fifth in the U.S. to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. The bill authorizes marriage between any two people rather than between one man and one woman. Gov. Bladdacci previously opposed gay marriage, but switched his position citing fairness and equal protection for all citizens in Maine.

6/03/09: New Hampshire became the sixth U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. The legislation includes a provision that allows churches, their employees and religious groups to decline to officiate at same-sex marriages. The law takes effect January 1, 2010.

Notice there are some skips in the sequence of what states followed the first. Below we see that some earlier dates are recorded than what is listed as the first legalization of same-sex marriage.. The reason being those earlier decisions were just a result of activist judges legislating from the bench. They didn't actually become valid until after the above bill was passed.

7/15/08: With the repeal of Bill 1913, which prohibited out of state residents from marrying in Massachusetts, both same-sex couples that reside in Massachusetts and out-of-state couples can legally marry in the State of Massachusetts.

10/10/08: In a 4 to 3 decision, the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, making it the third state to allow legal gay marriage.
"The state has failed to provide sufficient justification for excluding same sex couples from the institution of marriage," the court's opinion stated.

4/7/09: The 13-member D.C. Council moved to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples legally wed outside of the District. The decision in our nation's capital came on the same day as Vermont legislators voted in favor of same-sex marriage.

Does this mean gay marriage is legal in D.C.?No. The legislation only applies to couples legally wed or in domestic partnerships outside of the District. However, couples can travel to Iowa, Massachusetts or Connecticut marry and then return to D.C. to take advantage of the full benefits of marriage.

10/25/06: New Jersey lawmakers were given 180 days to draft a bill that would give same-sex couples equal rights of marriage. The mandate from the State Supreme Court was clear, but lawmakers were challenged with what to actually call the new gay unions- marriage or an equivalent term with the same rights. Less than 60 days after the landmark ruling, the New Jersey legislature approved a bill that will create civil unions for same-sex couples. Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine singed the bill, making New Jersey the third state to offer civil unions behind Vermont and Connecticut. The law took effect February 19, 2007.

5/29/08: Gov. David Paterson mandated state agencies (including insurance and health care departments) to immediately recognize same-sex marriages legally performed elsewhere. Legally wed gay couples that are now New Yorkers can take advantage of the same benefits as heterosexual married couples in the state, including state tax breaks, inheritance rights, etc.