The Duchess of Alba and The Priest That Loved Her

The Duchess of Alba marries Jesus Aguirre while her eldest son, the Duke of Huescar, looks on.

As we continue to commemorate the recently-announced marriage of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Solis, 18th Duchess of Alba to Alfonso Diez, a "civil servant", the present is a convenient time to take a look back at the last (second) marriage of the duchess, which was to a former priest named Jesus Aguirre in 1978.  As we know, the duchess's first husband, Pedro Luis Martinez de Irujo had passed away in 1972, and the duchess took six years to make it to the altar with the fallen priest that she loved and who seemed to love her.  At this point (in 1978), the Duchess had begun to acquire a bit of the look that she has carried with her to the present: large, afro-like shock of red hair as coiffure, and subtle smile to her closed-lipped, drawn in face.  The second marriage of the duchess took place in her primary Madrid residence, the Palacio de Liria, a sumptuous palace museum in the center of town.  The duchess remained married to Jesus Aguirre until his death in 2001.  At that point, the duchess had been married to her two husbands for a total of 48 years (1947-1972 and 1978-2001).   As can be discerned from the picture below, the duchess's family assisted in the private wedding with Aguirre at the Palacio de Liria, but it seems that, with the present family opposition to Mr. Diez, they shall not be assisting at her forthcoming marriage.  Oh well.  She has plenty of time to make another visit to Dr. Chop-en-Stein, elite plastic surgeon to the mentally numb, fickle, and vain, while she attempts to sort things out with her sons.

Click image to enlarge

"A fallen priest is the perfect husband because he can explain to me what the fuck is going on when we go to Mass!  Me gusta!"

Chilean President Offers Civil Unions Bill

Great news from South America. The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, has introduced legislation to legalize same-sex civil unions.

AFP reports:

"All forms of marriage deserve respect, dignity and the support of the state," said President Sebastian Pinera, who signed the proposal and sent it to Congress.

"This puts opposite-sex and same-sex couples on the same footing, because in both cases it is possible to develop love, affection and respect."

Pinera, who brought conservatives to power after 20 years of center-left rule in the country, grated on his own election campaign when he announced his intention to legalize civil unions for gay couples. He said two million people in Chile live together without marrying.

But the president has repeatedly stressed his opposition to gay marriage.

"I deeply believe that marriage is by nature between a man and a woman, but that conviction does not prevent me from recognizing that other forms of affective relationships exist," he said.

The law would permit gay couples who join into a civil union to have access to inheritance and other social benefits.

Chile is reportedly 80% Catholic and did not legalize divorce until 2004(!). However, Argentina is next door and legalized marriage equality for same-sex coupes in July 2010.

Cal Sup Ct Prop 8 Arguments To Be Televised Live

Last week I told you that the California Supreme Court had set oral arguments in "the Prop 8 case" (Perry v. Brown) for September 6, 2011 at 10am. This week comes news that those oral arguments will be televised live!

Online newspaper SF Appeal has the deets:

In January, a panel of the appeals court said that federal law, as defined in a 1997 Supreme Court decision, doesn't seem to allow sponsors to defend an initiative when state officials refuse to do so.

But the appeals panel said there might be a right under state law, and asked the California Supreme Court to step in and decide that issue.

The seven-member state high court will hear one hour of arguments in its State Building courtroom on Sept. 6 and then will have 90 days to issue a written ruling.

Court spokeswoman Lynn Holton said that because of public interest in the case, the court has approved a live statewide television broadcast of the arguments on the California Channel, a public affairs network.

If the state court eventually rules that the sponsors have standing, or the right to appeal, the case will then go back to the 9th Circuit for review of Walker's decision, a process that might take several more months.

But the federal appeals court said earlier this year that if the sponsors lack legal standing, the federal court would be required to dismiss the appeal.

Hat/tip to Wonder Man

Maryland Gov Announces Push For Marriage Equality

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley announced new plans to make the legalization of marriage equality in the 2012 legislative session an administration priority for him. You may recall that a marriage equality bill passed the state senate earlier this year but at the last minute was recommitted (and killed) instead of being voted on in the House of Delegates. Governor O'Malley announced that he will using his political capital to ensure a bill reaches his desk next year.

ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 22, 2011) – Governor Martin O’Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown today released the following statements regarding the Governor’s decision to sponsor same sex marriage legislation in the 2012 legislative session. Last year, same sex marriage legislation was proposed and sponsored by Senator Rob Garagiola, Delegate Kumar Barve and Delegate Ben Barnes:

Governor O’Malley:

“Marylanders of all walks of life want their children to live in a loving, stable, committed home – protected under the law.  As a free and diverse people of many faiths, we choose to be governed under the law by certain fundamental principles or beliefs, among them “equal protection of the law” for every individual and the “free exercise” of religion without government intervention.  Other states have found a way to protect both these rights.  So should Maryland. The legislation we plan to introduce in the 2012 legislative session will protect religious freedom and equality of marital rights under the law.” 

Lt. Governor Brown:

“All Marylanders deserve to be treated equally under the law, and I look forward to joining Governor O’Malley in working with the General Assembly to pass a Marriage Equality bill that will provide the same opportunity for all who wish to marry while fully protecting religious freedoms and views.  Every member of our community should enjoy the same freedoms and share the same responsibilities.”

Do the heterosexual supremacists really think they are going to win this fight? Since 2004 there have been more same-sex couples who have access to legal civil marriages every year and there's no sign that the trend will not continue for the foreseeable future.

Wolfson Testimony At DOMA Repeal Hearing

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries To Get Married On August 20th

Several news sites are reporting that celebri-tard Kim Kardashian and New Jersey Nets' Kris Humphries have set a date for their nuptials: August 20th.  According to TerezOwens.com, the wedding will take place in Los Angeles and, naturally, there will be camera crews present as E! is planning on airing this as part of their "Signs of the Apocalypse" series of specials.  Not really, but the day that Kim Kardashian becomes the most famous person on Earth had to be mentioned in Revelations, right?  Right after demons rise up from below the Earth and unleash the four winds?  At least I remember reading about the Kardashians in the version of the Bible that I grew up with, the Lil' Kim Edition.

"If we split up, I'm keeping the fucking dog!"

New York Celebrates Marriage Equality

The New York newspapers have reported last night's historic passage of marriage equality. Oh, and this weekend is New York City pride :-)

Hat/tip to DailyKos.

WATCH: Olson/Boies Tribute To Loving v. Virginia

June 12 is the 44th anniversary of the unanimous Loving v. Virginia United States Supreme Court case which overturned all state-enacted bans on interracial marriages. David Boies and Ted Olson are the lead attorneys in the federal lawsuit against Proposition 8, a 2008 California ballot measure which bans same-sex marriage. They have recorded a special video tribute acknowledging the significance of the Loving decision, and its potential impacyt on the Perry v. Brown case.

Hat/tip to TowleRoad.

New TV Ad For Marriage Equality in New York

Since I lived in New York State for 8 years I stll pay careful attention to politics (especially LGBT politics) there. The battle to pass legislation to enact marriage equality in New York when the Governor, the lower House and as much as 58% of the general public support is fascinating to me. Republicans control the State Senate and they seem adamant about not allowing legislation to move forward. There are two weeks left of this legislative session, which ends JUne 20.

New Yorkers United for Marriage has released a second television ad which will start airing this week around the state.

Vanessa Williams Is A New Yorker for Marriage Equality

NY Gov Cuomo Issues Video Urging Marriage Equality Support

Analyzing Poll Data On Interracial Marriage Equality

In 1948, the California Supreme Court ruled in Perez v Sharp that the state's prohibition on interracial marriages was invalid. That was the first state Supreme Court decision to strike down an anti-miscegenation statute. 10 years later a national poll of Americans by Gallup in September 1958 showed that 94% of respondents disapproved of "marriages between blacks and whites." The United States Supreme Court did not invalidate all remaining laws banning interracial marriage (which were still on the books in 16 states) until 1967, and a year later a mere 20 percent of respondents approved of interracial marriages (73 percent disapproved) in a June 1968 Gallup poll. It was not until the mid-1990s that a majority of poll respondents said that they approved of interracial marriage equality.

In 2004, the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision Goodridge v. Department of Public Health went into effect, legalizing marriages between same-sex couples on May 17. At the time 42% of Americans approved of marriage equality, with 55 percent disapproving of civil marriages between same-sex couples. As I noted yesterday, it is only in 2011 that Gallup has shown majority support for marriage equality nationwide, even though there are only 5 states and the District of Columbia where the practice is legal.

Hat/tip to Zack Ford.

Gallup Shows Majority Support For Marriage Equality 53-45

This is big news! The Gallup Organization, the most respected polling outfit in the United States, has announced that a majority of Americans support the right of same-sex couples to be married with the same rights and responsibilities as "traditional marriages."

This year's nine-point increase in support for same-sex marriage is the largest year-to-year shift yet measured over this time period. Two-thirds of Americans were opposed to legalized same-sex marriage in 1996, with 27% in favor. By 2004, support had risen to 42% and, despite some fluctuations from year to year, stayed at roughly that level through last year.

Democrats' and Independents' Greater Acceptance Shifts the Balance

Democrats' and independents' support for legalized same-sex marriage increased this year by 13 and 10 points, respectively. Republicans' views on the issue did not change from last year. Clear majorities of both Democrats and independents now support gay marriage, 69% and 59% respectively, contrasted with 28% support among Republicans.

Majorities of moderates and liberals support gay marriage, as they did last year, contrasted with 28% of conservatives.

As Daily Kos put it, the Party that has the biggest problem with reality (Republicans) registered absolutely no change in opinion on marriage equality in the last year.

This is actually not surprising. Researchers at Harvard about implicit versus explicit bias have found that Republicans are the only group whose self-reported (explicit) bias against LGBT people is actually larger than their unconscious (implicit) bias. In other words, being homophobic or being publicly identified as homophobic actually reinforces Republicans view of their self-identity.  Thus they are more likely to publicly identify themselves with the anti-gay policy position than they truly believe.

What is so interesting about this result is that it flips the narrative on its head about whether marriage equality is "controversial" or a minority view point. Marriage equality support is a majority position. The next question is whether elected representatives will reflect this reality in the near future.

MN Poll Shows 55% Oppose Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

A poll has been released which shows that the proposed "Son of Prop 8" constitutional amendment in Minnesota to ban marriage equality is facing majority opposition 55% against, 39% for. Although this is encouraging news, I    would remind folks that early in the Proposition 8 fight there were multiple polls showing 55+ percent opposition to Proposition 8 and after a public advertising campaign filled with lies and deceit the ballot measure passed 53-47 in California in November 2008.

The more important poll question in Minnesota is whether a majority of likely voters supports marriage equality, if they do, and a good campaign is run, then there's a chance (small one, I believe) of defeating the proposed discriminatory amendment to Minnesota's constitution at the ballot in 2012.

Celebrity Friday: Schwarzenegger and Shriver Separate

Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzengger, former Governor of California (2003-2011), have announced that after 25 years of marriage, they have decided to separate.

The Los Angeles Times has the joint statement:

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us. After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship." 

"We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the center of both of our lives. We consider this a private matter and neither we nor any of our friends or family will have further comment. We ask for compassion and respect from the media and the public."

Schwarzengger, 63, and Shriver, 55, have four children together. Shriver has moved out of their Brentwood home.

Poll Reveals Post-Partisan Views On Marriage Equality

There is an interesting poll result from Pew which has tried to tease out the various groups in the Democratic and Republican coalitions and tried to identify how they split when confronted with specific public policy positions, like marriage equality. Pew calls these groups "political typologies."

Today, Staunch Conservatives take extremely conservative positions on nearly all issues – on the size and role of government, on economics, foreign policy, social issues and moral concerns. Most agree with the Tea Party and even more very strongly disapprove of Barack Obama’s job performance. A second core group of Republicans – Main Street Republicans – also is conservative, but less consistently so.

On the left, Solid Liberals express diametrically opposing views from the Staunch Conservatives on virtually every issue. While Solid Liberals are predominantly white, minorities make up greater shares of New Coalition Democrats – who include nearly equal numbers 0f whites, African Americans and Hispanics – and Hard-Pressed Democrats, who are about a third African American. Unlike Solid Liberals, both of these last two groups are highly religious and socially conservative. New Coalition Democrats are distinguished by their upbeat attitudes in the face of economic struggles.

Independents have played a determinative role in the last three national elections. But the three groups in the center of the political typology have very little in common, aside from their avoidance of partisan labels. Libertarians and Post-Moderns are largely white, well-educated and affluent. They also share a relatively secular outlook on some social issues, including homosexuality and abortion. But Republican-oriented Libertarians are far more critical of government, less supportive of environmental regulations, and more supportive of business than are Post-Moderns, most of whom lean Democratic.

Disaffecteds, the other main group of independents, are financially stressed and cynical about politics. Most lean to the Republican Party, though they differ from the core Republican groups in their support for increased government aid to the poor. Another group in the center, Bystanders, largely consign themselves to the political sidelines and for the most part are not included in this analysis.

These are the principal findings of the political typology study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, which sorts Americans into cohesive groups based on values, political beliefs, and party affiliation. The new study is based on two surveys with a combined sample of 3,029 adults, conducted Feb. 22-Mar. 14, 2011 and a smaller callback survey conducted April 7-10, 2011 with 1,432 of the same respondents

It is very notable that the Pew poll shows an almost even split on the question of marriage equality overall, 46% opposed, 45% in favor, with very strong support among Liberals (85% yes, 9% no) and Post-Moderns (80% yes, 14% No). These are the only groups that show a net support for marriage equality, but except for Staunch Conservatives (85% No, 9% Yes) most groups are more evenly split in their opposition, leading to the ultimate split overall.

MN Largest Paper Endorses Marriage Equality

Minnesota is undergoing a debate over whether the state legislature should pass a constitutional amendment to the voters to decide whether or not to insert a ban on marriage equality into the founding document of the North Star state.

Now the largest circulation newspaper in the state, The Minnesota Star-Tribune, is weighing with a decisive editorial urging support for marriage equality ("Don't put bigotry up for a vote," May 5, 2011):

Many of our nation's civil, human and women's rights laws might never have passed if they were put to a vote. Instead, those advances usually came through legislative and court decisions that valued human rights more than special-interest politics. 

Minnesota already has the curiously named Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits same-sex couples from marrying. That's the status quo in many other states as well, although there's no evidence that heterosexual marriages need to be "defended'' from gay and lesbian unions.

Loving relationships between two men or two women have absolutely no impact on other matrimonial commitments. Nor do they pose any threat to the institution of marriage or family life, as the amendment backers claim.

And yet opponents of marriage equity say a constitutional amendment is a necessary backstop that would prevent the courts from overturning existing law.

In reality, enshrining this form of bigotry in the state's premier governing document would be a step backward. Rather than reinforce an already discriminatory law, core values of equity and fairness should compel Minnesotans to repeal DOMA and extend marriage equity to all.

We understand that emotions on this issue run deep. The debate hits numerous religious and moral hot buttons, for secular and sacred reasons. Concurrent with their beliefs, religious organizations may indeed decide who they will marry with their blessings.

However, government is not and should not be a church, synagogue or mosque. Marriage under the law is a next-of-kin, legal arrangement that includes important property, benefits, child custody and health care rights. Those legal rights should be available to all couples.

You should probably go ahead and read the whole thing and if you live in Minnesota, contact your state legislators and tell them to vote NO on the proposed constitutional amendment.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God.

WATCH: Devastating Testimony Against MN Marriage Amendment

State Representative Steve Simon (DFL) testified in opposition to a proposed anti-gay constitutional amendment to "restrict marriage as between a man and a woman," which in Minnesota needs to pass both houses by a simple majority this year and then be approved by a majority of voters on the ballot in 2012 to become law.

Rep. Simon asked a devastating question which should surely give even the most ardent heterosexual supremacist pause before a final vote on the measure: "How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves if he wants them around?" (Simon was responding to the fact that much of the opposition to marriage equality and support for writing discrimination in the Minnesota state constitution appeared to be religiously motivated despite the fact that the state only licenses civil marriages which does not influence who any church has to marry or recognize as married.) The House committee later voted 10-7 to pass the amendment to the Senate floor.

Republicans have a brand new majority in both House and Senate as of the 2010 so they should have the votes to put the measure on the ballot. It does not require Democratic Governor Mark Dayton's signature, who has expressed his opposition to the measure and his support for marriage equality.

Interestingly, at least one House Republican, Afghanistan veteran John Kriesel has announced that he will oppose the measure.

The Minnesota Star-Tribune quotes Rep. Kriesel:

"I look at it as: We are all equal," said the first year representative from Cottage Grove.

"It is not right. I can't do it. I'm very upset about this vote. I don't like it. I think it sends the wrong message. You live once in your life and I've learned that the hard way," said the military veteran, who lost his legs while serving in Iraq Afghanistan. "You never know when it is going to be your time. People fight to find happiness....You find someone you love and now other people are saying because I don't consider that normal, you can't do it?"

"It's just wrong," Kriesel said. "There is not anything that can move me on this."

He may be only Republican lawmaker to oppose the amendment. He said he is "working hard" to bring other colleagues along.

Let's hope there are more fair-minded Republicans like Rep. Kriesel in the Minnesota Legislature.

POLL: CNN Shows Marriage Equality Support 51%-47%

CNN becomes the latest national polling outfit to show majority support for marriage equality. In a poll taken between April 9-10, 2011 51% of respondents agreed that "marriages between gay and lesbian couples should be recognized by the law as valid with the same rights as traditional marriages" while 47% disagreed. The margin of error is 3.5 points, so although the top line is heartening, I would not bet a  40+ million dollar ballot measure campaign on such numbers. It should be noted that the 51-47 advantage is an under-estimate for marriage equality  since the demographic most strongly in support of marriage equality, those under 34 are absent from the poll!

CNN also released the details of the internals of the poll, which show that women support equality 57-40 while men oppose the concept 45-54. Why do you think men are so homophobic? Perhaps they realize that gender-neutral marriages indicate the end of patriarchy?

Interestingly, in the same poll, the legalization of marijuana is opposed by Americans, 56% to 41%.

POLL: New Yorkers Support Marriage Equality 58%-36%

Great news from New York! A new Siena College poll shows a clear super-majority support for marriage equality in the Empire State. Click on the image above to see the details of the poll internals but almost every single demographic supports equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in New York (Democrats, Independents, Men, Women, African-Americans, Latinos, White, etc). The only groups to oppose marriage equality are Protestants (41-50), Republicans (45-48) and  55+ Seniors (45-46).

Freedom To Marry's Evan Wolfson says:

This latest poll reporting that a super-majority of New Yorkers supports the freedom to marry shows New Yorkers get it.  Now it's time for the state Senate to do it.

New Yorkers understand that ending marriage discrimination helps families while hurting no one, that New York needs to lead in treating all people fairly.  Freedom to Marry is working closely with Governor Cuomo, legislative leaders, and our partner organizations to end marriage discrimination here this spring, and whether through phone calls, legislative visits, or conversations that prompt more people to take action, now is the time for everyone to pitch in and win New York.

The New York State Senate killed a marriage equality bill in December 2009 when Democrats had a 2-vote majority. Now the Republicans hold the majority but have promised a vote on the bill, even though the entire Republican caucus voted against the marriage equality bill last time (along with 8 treacherous Democrats, several of whom have been defeated in primaries or left the State Senate due to their own criminality and venality).