Once in a While, The Good Guys Win One

Congratulations to Illinois for passing a civil unions bill yesterday in their legislature. The Governor has indicated an intention to sign the bill. And once in a while a person steps up, speaks truth to power, and says what needs to be said. Illinois State Senator Ricky Hendon stood on the floor of the Senate and said, “It’s just fairness y’all, that’s all.” He speaks of his Baptist background, and calls out the hypocracy that’s been so much part of the arguments. Would that more politicians spoke like this.

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Equal Rights for All

The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled this week that same-sex couples and their families are entitled to the “same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples” under the state’s civil marriage laws. In a 4-3 split, the court rejected the claim that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to have their relationships recognized as “marriages.” Instead, it left that decision “to the democratic process,” ruling that the state legislature must now decide whether to “amend its marriage law to include same-sex couples” or provide these equal benefits, protections, and obligations “by some other means such as civil unions.” This decision is a positive step toward equality, and an affirmation of the importance of committed relationships and healthy families.

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