This Way Out; 1422

Today was a momentous decision and it is going to bring joy to millions of families gay and straight across this land. It's my hope that the term gay marriage will soon be a thing of the past that from this day forward it will simply be marriage. Welcome to this way out the International LGBT Radio Magazine. I'm Lucia Chapelle. No promo homo bill advances in Kyrgyzstan, civil partners to Northern Ireland for civil marriage rights and wedding bells ring across the USA. Those stories and more this week now that you've discovered this way out. I'm Wenzel Chapelle and I'm Chris Ann Eastwood. With NewsRap, a summary of some of the news in or affecting LGBT communities around the world for the week ending June 27th, 2015.

A five to four majority of the justices of the United States Supreme Court celebrated the June 26th anniversaries of two other landmark rights affirming rulings for LGBT people by affirming St. Engender Couples' Right to Civil Marriage. This year's ruling came on the same date in 2003 that the court overturned state's Sodomy Laws and key parts of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act in 2013. The court's swing vote, Anthony Kennedy, wrote the majority decision in all three cases. Siding the due process provisions of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, Kennedy wrote in the current ruling that no union is more profound than marriage. Lesbian and Gay Couples seek not to denigrate marriage, he wrote, but rather to live their lives or honor their spouse's memory joined by its bond. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law he continued, the Constitution grants them that right. Justice's Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor formed the majority with Kennedy. The four dissenting

justices, Alito, Scalia, Thomas and Chief Justice Roberts, each said that states and their voters should have been left with the power to decide who could marry. Roberts insisted that this court is not a legislator, whether same -sex marriage is a good idea should be of no concern to us, he wrote. If you are among the many Americans of whatever sexual orientation, who favors expanding same -sex marriage, by all means celebrate today's decision, but do not celebrate the Constitution, it had nothing to do with it. Several religious organizations immediately criticized the decision and a group of pastors in Texas vowed to defy it. But just as Kennedy said, nothing in the high court's ruling forces religious leaders to condone marriage equality, let alone to officiate the weddings of same -gender couples. The ruling won't officially take effect right away because the court gives the losing side roughly three weeks to ask for reconsideration. But county clerks in several states with civil marriage bans began issuing licenses to gay and lesbian couples within hours of the Supreme Court ruling. The decision specifically struck down the bans in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky,

Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, and most of Missouri. It's complicated, along with Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. We'll have a lot more in this story later in the program on most of these same stations and at this way out .org. After just three hours of deliberations, a New Jersey Superior Court jury on June 25th found Jews offering new alternatives for healing or Jonah guilty of committing fraud. The Southern Poverty Law Center sued Jonah in 2012 under New Jersey's consumer protection laws for falsely promising three young plaintiffs that the conversion therapy they offered would make them straight. It's the first jury verdict of its kind in the United States. The practice has already been outlawed for minors in California, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, and the District of Columbia. Jonah was ordered to pay $72 ,400 to the plaintiffs, three times the cost of Jonah's therapy in addition to reasonable attorney's fees. The so -called clinic was also ordered to pay the cost of subsequent legitimate therapy that one plaintiff

sought to overcome the damage done by Jonah. Reparative or conversion therapy has been denounced by virtually every professional medical and mental health association, at least in the Western world, as worthless at best and all too often, psychologically damaging at worst. The presiding judge, Hudson Superior Court judge Peter D. Barcio Jr. had previously ruled that he would not allow testimony from the defendant's so -called expert witnesses to claim that homosexuality is an illness or a disorder needing treatment. He concluded that marketing such conversion therapy violates the state's consumer protection laws. The seven -member jury unanimously agreed this week. But a built -out law so -called gay propaganda passed its second reading in the Kyrgyzstan Parliament this week by a vote of 90 to 2. The bill would punish propaganda of non -traditional sexual orientation in the ex -Soviet Central Asian country with fines equal to up to half a month's average salary and up to a year in jail. Human rights activists say

it's an even harsh version of the law adopted by nearby ally Russia, where the punishment is generally limited to sometimes steep fines. The European Parliament warned earlier this year that the bill could affect relations with the EU, which provides budget support and other assistance to the cash -trapped country. Human rights watch says that the bill would not only violate free speech, it would encourage discrimination and violence against Kyrgyzstan citizens. A third and final reading of the bill is expected prior to parliamentary elections in October. According to local LGBT activists, there's huge pressure on lawmakers to pass the measure, and anyone opposed is assumed to be gay, or at least support the gay agenda against traditional values. Kyrgyzstan lawmakers are also considering a measure that would force non -governmental organizations receiving funding from abroad to register as foreign agents. The bill, which critics has another copycat of Russian legislation, passed its first parliamentary reading earlier this month. Two of the first same gender couples to enter into UK civil partnerships got the green light this week to sue for civil marriage in Northern Ireland. It's

now the only part of the UK and Ireland to deny that right to lesbian and gay couples. Popular support for opening civil marriage to same gender couples has been reported in recent polls, but the Northern Ireland Assembly, dominated by the ruling Democratic Unionist Party, rejected marriage equality legislation last month for the fourth time. As a result, Amnesty International called Northern Ireland a discriminatory backwater for the gay and lesbian community. A judge in Belfast High Court granted Gronja Close and Shannon Sickles and Chris and Henry Flanagan Kane the chance to challenge the law against civil marriage equality in the region. The couples have each been together for more than a decade. Their barrister and her counterpart for the Northern Ireland executive were planning on oral submissions, but the judge said that he had read the case papers and had already satisfied himself that the matter should proceed to judicial review. The applicant has an arguable case, he said. The first hearing is expected toward the end of the year. And finally, almost 200 ,000 people are rooting for a heterosexual couple in Australia to get a divorce. Nick Jensen probably got more attention than he was

expecting by writing an op -ed for the Canberra city news, describing himself and his wife Sarah as devout Christians who will divorce if civil marriage equality comes to their country. Fellow Australian Jesse Mount launched a Facebook group to celebrate the impending split, inviting everyone who supports marriage equality to come celebrate the divorce of Nick and Sarah Jensen. Hundreds upon hundreds of gays and gay rights supporters come to rejoice in the parting ways of these narrow -minded citizens, which so many of us are ashamed to call Canberra's. Data in location to be announced, but hopefully in the not too distant future. The page has been inundated with photos of Australian lesbian and gay couples who married overseas, even though their marriages are not recognized at home, along with messages of support from equality supporters. At last count, more than 183 ,000 people had RSVP to celebrate Nick and Sarah Jensen's divorce. That's an abbreviated edition of NewsRap for the Week ending June 27th, 2015, produced by Steve Pride, written by Greg Gordon and recorded at the studios of KPFK Los Angeles. Follow the news in your area and around the world and inform community as a

strong community. NewsRap from this way out is brought to you by you. Help keep us on the air and in your ears at thiswayout .org, where you can also read the text of this newscast. For this way out, I'm Wenzel Jones. And I'm Chris Ann Eastwood. I know in my heart that John is with me today. That man cared for and loved me for 21 years through thick and thin. Today's ruling from the Supreme Court affirms what millions across this country already know to be true in our hearts. Our love is equal. When the odds are saying you'll never win. That's when the green should start. First you got to have heart. A campaign of the heart that started before Stonewall came to a triumphant end on the eve of that rebellion's 46th anniversary when the US

Supreme Court ruled on June 26th that same gender couples have the constitutional right to marry. Pacific Radio's Mark Miracle reports. The Court ruled five to four that the Constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean the states cannot ban same -sex marriages. With the landmark ruling, gay marriage becomes legal in all 50 states. Immediately after the decision, same -sex couples in many of the states where gay marriage had been banned headed to county clerk's offices for marriage licenses, as officials in several states said they would respect the ruling. Justice Anthony Kennedy authored the majority opinion writing, no union is more profound than marriage. The stories of the people asking for the right to marry reveal that they seek not to denigrate marriage, but rather to live their lives or honor their spouses' memories joined by its bond. The decision held

that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize the marriage of a same -sex couple performed elsewhere. President Obama addressed the nation for about 15 minutes shortly after this Supreme Court decision. This morning the Supreme Court recognized that the Constitution guarantees marriage equality. In doing so, they've reaffirmed that all Americans are entitled to the equal protection of the law. This decision will end the patchwork system we currently have, it will end at the uncertainty hundreds of thousands of same -sex couples face from not knowing whether their marriage, legitimate in the eyes of one state will remain if they decide to move or even visit another. I know change for many of our LGBT brothers and sisters must have seemed so slow for so long, but compared to so many other issues, America's shift has

been so quick, and those who have come so far on their journey to equality have a responsibility to reach back and help others join them. Because for all our differences, we are one people stronger together than we could ever be alone. That's always been our story. We are big and vast, and diverse, a nation of people with different backgrounds and beliefs, different experiences and stories, but bound by our shared ideal that no matter who you are or what you look like, how you started off or how and who you love, America's a place where you can write your own destiny. Today, we can say in no uncertain terms that we've made our union a little more perfect. That's the consequence of a decision

from the Supreme Court, but more importantly, it is a consequence of the countless small acts of courage, of millions of people across decades who stood up, who came out, who talked to parents, parents who loved their children no matter what. Those countless, often anonymous heroes, they deserve our thanks. They should be very proud. America should be very proud. One of the victorious plaintiffs in the case, Jim Obergefell spoke outside the Supreme Court shortly after its historic decision. Obergefell filed suit. When the state of Ohio refused to allow his name to be listed on the death certificate of his husband, who died of ALS a few months after they were married on the tarmac of an airport in Maryland. I know in my heart

that John is with me today. That man cared for and loved me for 21 years through thick and thin. Today's ruling from the Supreme Court affirms what millions across this country already know to be true in our hearts. Our love is equal. It's my hope that the term gay marriage will soon be a thing of the past. That from this day forward, it will simply be marriage. And our nation will be better off because of it. At the same time, while we will celebrate today's victory, my heart is also in Charleston. These past few weeks and months have been an important reminder that discrimination in many forms is alive and well in America. It reminds us of the deeply unfortunate reality that progress for some is not progress for all. I'd like to thank John for loving me for making me a better man and for giving me something worth fighting for. I love you. This is for you, John.

Before dissenting justices, each filed a separate opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts read a summary of his dissent from the bench. The first time he has done so in nearly ten years as Chief Justice. Joining Roberts in dissent were justices Scalia Thomas in Alito. The alliance for defending freedom has defended businesses who refuse to serve same -sex couples. Their attorneys were outside the Supreme Court. Kelly Fioterick denounced the ruling. Today's decision is perhaps unprecedented in our nation's history. It rendered irrelevant and ignored the voices of thousands of Americans. Not only did it ignore the voices of Americans of children who deserve to know and to be raised by their mother and father and rendered those voices irrelevant. Tens of millions of Americans who have gone to the ballot box and said that marriage should be between a man and a woman

at that has been for countless millennia. Because we know that the freedom to democratically address the most pressing issues of our day is the heart of liberty. And today five justices stole that freedom. Kelly Fioterick an attorney with the alliance for defending freedom. I'm Mark Marical. Trailblazing attorney Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Mary told National Public Radio why his organization sought marriage equality through the courts. We don't put basic rights up to a vote in our country. That's why we have a constitution. That's why they're called rights, not votes. People don't vote on whether you have freedom of speech or whether someone else should have freedom of religion or whether I should have the freedom to marry. And what the court affirmed today is that the freedom to marry, which has been recognized as a constitutional guarantee in more than 14 cases over the years, cannot be denied to a group of Americans who happen to be gay. President Barack Obama phoned a plaintiff Jim Obergefell personally to congratulate him. Yes, it is, Mr. President.

Thank you so much, sir. I think it was your wish. I really appreciate that, Mr. President. It's really been an honor for me to be involved in this fight and to have been able to, you know, fight for my marriage and live up to my commitments to my husband. So I appreciate everything you've done for the LGBT community and it's really an honor to have become part of that fight. I couldn't be proud of you. Thank you, sir. That means an incredible amount to me. Celebrations spanned the nation. Pacifica Radio's Christopher Martinez reports from one of them. San Francisco City Hall was draped with a giant rainbow flag as activists joined elected officials to celebrate the Supreme Court's same sex marriage ruling. Justice and love won today. Kate Kendall is

director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Now our charge is to harness this momentum so that everyone in our community, no matter where they live, can live fully and freely. Our charge is to take this momentum, to move it forward, to battle racism, to battle economic inequality, to be sure that no one is left behind, no one is left behind. The rally do hundreds of activists listening to speeches from city and state officials applauding the court decision. State Senator Mark Leno for years introduced legislation to legalize same sex marriage at the state capital only to see his measures vetoed twice by then governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. With this wall now down, it becomes much harder for our opponents to continue to argue in support of legal discrimination for our community. Whether we're talking about employment, housing, public accommodations, there is great inequality across this country.

We're discrimination in these areas. Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom was mayor of San Francisco in 2004 when he helped kick off the struggle by marrying 4 ,000 same sex couples in the finance of state law. He drew a comparison to the Supreme Court's loving versus Virginia decision ending bans on interracial marriage. That decision to end the ban on interracial marriage did not stop Charleston. The decision today to end the ban on same sex marriage is not going to stop homophobia. There's enormous amount of work to do. Reporting from San Francisco City Hall, I'm Christopher Martinez. As the gay men's course of

Washington saluted in song, plaintiffs attorney Mary Bonato of gay and lesbian advocates and defenders spoke on the steps of the Supreme Court. Today was a momentous decision and it is going to bring joy to millions of families gay and straight across this land. And now every person in this country who's LGBT realizes they can marry tomorrow. Later Bonato described the experience to MSNBC's Rachel Maddo. After all of this much of your life, right, having been sent working toward this day, what was it like in the courtroom today to hear it? Well, you know, right right away they sit down and the Chief Justice announces it's the Obergefell case and you could just hear people stop breathing. You couldn't hear it anymore. That people were continuing to breathe. And as Justice Kennedy began to roll out the opinion, it was clear that we had a victory. And then you started hearing the sobs and the sniffles. And I was elated. How can you not be knowing how many people have been scarred by this experience and being denied this true

expression of their love and all the protections that marriage provides. And I also knew some dissents for coming. So I was not to be mean, right, not to be snarky the way some of the other dissents work. Scalia. But he did say supporters of same -sex marriage have lost forever the chance to win this by some other means, to chance to win this through legislators or through referendums, some other part of the democratic process and not the judiciary. He suggested that in this way it's a loss even if you like the outcome. How do you respond to that? I feel like in this world that I live in, people have been deeply engaged in talking to their neighbors and their co -workers and in their faith communities. And so much of the public has been engaged. The opinion itself talks about the military, the federal government, all kinds of institutions that have been engaging with these issues for years now. And so frankly, a lot of the country has been talking about this for a very long time. And the Supreme Court itself has been talking about this for

40 years, you know, dating back to a 1970s case. In our system, you don't have to convince every single person before the court vindicates your constitutional rights. And that's the role of our courts in the system of checks and balances. This is to say when laws draw the wrong line and they play that role as final arbiter when they're really, you know, when we are ready for that final decision and to make something the law of the land. And today they made marriage equality the law of the land. It's the beginning of a new era for Evan Wilson. Freedom to marry was created as a campaign to get to a particular goal. And of course, today we've now achieved our goal. So we will, in a matter of months, shut down. Freedom to marry has achieved its mission. And we will engage in a smart strategic wind down working with movement colleagues to capture the lessons and to share the resources. And hopefully have some of my extraordinarily brilliant team go on to other causes. And the organization will close. But the work of the movement is far from over. And so, while this campaign is done, the movement of course

needs to harness the power of the marriage wind and the marriage conversation to the work ahead. When cities pride grand marshal Andrea Jenkins is a black trans activist, she's savored the victory, but is realistic about what still lies everybody in this country who wants to be married can be married. I think that is a major victory for our community. I think that is a major victory for humanity and for the American society. But I also know that that is not the only issue that is facing the LGBT community. We've had the right to marry in this state for the past two years. And issues in my life and in the life of my community has not changed. In fact, there has been an attack on transgender people and transgender children around bathrooms and employment and just being able to be in the world. Clearly, complete equality will take a while. But MSNBC's Rachel Meadow

tied the knot on the subject at hand. It's done. It is unambiguous. And you can see that become true in this incredible cascade of state -by -state news, place -by -place news. The decision came down on the wires at 1002 AM. By 1019, look, same -sex couples in Texas may soon obtain marriage licenses. By 1028, gay couples in Nebraska will now have their marriages legally recognized in the state that has had one of the most restrictive, same -sex union vans in the country. By 1045, the county clerk in the largest county in Arkansas tells the AP, while choking up, quote, it's a special day. I'm honored to be part of it. And he says his office in Pulaski County, Arkansas is prepared to issue marriage licenses. That was 1045. By 1046, it's Montana. Gay couples can now marry in Montana. By 1049, it's Michigan, one of the states that fought this to the Supreme Court. Look, Michigan governor Rick Snyder says state agencies will ensure that the state fully

complies with the Supreme Court's ruling. By four minutes later, 1053, it's North Dakota. The Supreme Court ruling nullifies North Dakota's constitutional ban on same -sex marriage. Five minutes later, Ohio. A Kaahoga County probate court has started issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. Three minutes after that, it's Georgia. Atlanta court marries gay couples. By 1151, it's Kentucky. Kentucky governor Steve Bashir has told the state's county clerks to issue marriage licenses to same -sex couples. And then it's South Dakota. And then it's Alabama. And then it's Tennessee. And this was today. And it is over. It's over. I mean, there are places that are going to go kicking and screaming and say they don't want to. In Mississippi, where they're thinking about taking the Confederate emblem off of their state flag this week. In Mississippi, the head of the Judiciary Committee and that state's legislature said today that maybe Mississippi should take a step toward banning all marriage. Maybe Mississippi should ban marriage for straight people and everyone. And

maybe that will keep them from going along with this. Yeah, good luck, Mississippi. I mean, this may not be exactly done yet, but this is settled. And yes, a number of 2016 Republican presidential candidates say they will defy the Supreme Court on this. How does that work? Today made history. This was a decades -long fight, but it is over. It's really clearly over. People who say, ah, this is the first step. No. This is something that's done. It's one clearly. Thanks for

choosing this way out, the International LGBT Radio Magazine. This week, Wenzel Jones and Chris and East would contribute program material with thanks as always to Steve Pryde. Special thanks this week to Pacific Radio's Mark Miracle and Christopher Martinez and to Dixie Triple. Jesse Eisenberg, the gay men's chorus of Washington and REM performed some of the music you heard and Kim Wilson composed and performed our theme music. This way out, thanks to the Kidding Assets Fund of the Tides Foundation, the Yvonne Foundation, the estate of Christopher David Trenton, are contributing affiliate stations like the Good folks at WERU and Banger and Blue Hill Falls Main and to you, our listener supporters for making this program possible. Email TWORADIO at AOL .com or write to us at PO Box 1065 Los Angeles, California 90078 USA. For coordinating, producer Greg Gordon and all of us at this way out, I'm Lucia Chappelle. Thanks for listening online at thiswayout .org on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher and on two B .O .B. to renew

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