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Gay Texas judge, won’t perform marriages for straight couples

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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/gay-texas-judge-tonya-parker-perform-marriages-straight-couples-article-1.1027709#ixzz1nG4fDQ41

An openly gay Texas judge says she refuses to conduct marriage ceremonies for straight couples until same-sex couples can also wed.

Dallas County Judge Tonya Parker explained her decision Tuesday at a monthly meeting for the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas.

“I do not perform them because it is not an equal application of the law. Period,” she said, according to the Dallas Voice, a newspaper for the gay community.

Parker told the audience that while she refuses to conduct the ceremonies, she explains her reasoning to the couples and passes them along to another judge.

“And it’s kind of oxymoronic for me to perform ceremonies that can’t be performed for me, so I’m not going to do it,” she added.

Same-sex marriage is not legal in Texas.
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While I applaud her desires to want to have marriage a viable option to all people, going against the law as a judge is a quick way to get yourself thrown off the bench, especially in a state such as Texas.
 
“And it’s kind of oxymoronic for me to perform ceremonies that can’t be performed for me, so I’m not going to do it,” she added.

She refuses to be an oxymoron.
 
Cyan said:
So is this the same or different than a pharmacist refusing to sell contraceptives?
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Very different. For one, this is a public matter while the pharmacist was a private one.

For two, the physical and mental health of an individual is far more important than their marital status.
 
eGood for her. Shes a judge and shes no fool. She knows exactly what she was getting in to when she did this and she won't escape anything that follows. She'll meet it head on and accept the consequences. +1 gay Lesbian Texan judge.
 
Al-ibn Kermit said:
I wonder if there's ever been a divorce court judge who's refused to do gay divorces?
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Texas Court: Gay Couples Can't Divorce

If blocked in Texas, the unhappy couple can’t head back to New York for a quick split either. New York’s same-sex marriage law does not require residency to wed, but the state does require residency of at least 90 days to obtain a divorce. A stay like that is out of the question for most people.
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^http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/sunday-review/03divorce.html?pagewanted=all
 
This seems every bit as nonsensical as this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/nyregion/rights-clash-as-town-clerk-rejects-her-role-in-gay-marriages.html

Rose Marie Belforti is a 57-year-old cheese maker, the elected town clerk in this sprawling Finger Lakes farming community and a self-described Bible-believing Christian. She believes that God has condemned homosexuality as a sin, so she does not want to sign same-sex marriage licenses; instead, she has arranged for a deputy to issue all marriage licenses by appointment.
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As a longtime civil servant who was elected to become a judge they knew the road they were traveling. In that situation they are wrong to behave as they are.
 
AzureNightmare said:
Because this is CLEARLY helping things. The judge is a dumbfuck.
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It's not hurting anything. The straights can just wait to get married until this judge catches up with the trends of society. Geez, next thing you know you will be saying that straights have a right to get married. :lol
 
Mortrialus said:
A gay person became a Judge? In Texas? Am I the only one who thinks that is the most noteworthy aspect of the story?
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Why is it noteworthy that a Dallas County Judge is gay? The Sheriff of Dallas County is a lesbian too. So's the Mayor of Houston, the biggest city in Texas. So are many other politicians in the state. Its really not that noteworthy, that is if you knew anything at all about the State of Texas.

That being said, this judge is stupid. Being seen as "legislating from the bench" is political suicide for a judge in Texas. She should find a way to make her point that isn't going to end up being a career-killer.
 
toxicgonzo said:
So she's using her position of authority to further her political agenda?

I say fire her.
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If she doesn't want to do marriages, great
lecturing what is a captive unsuspecting couple and friends in her court to lecture them on her personal agenda is abusing her position.

The bigger problem

Parker described examples of discrimination in the courtroom that she has seen and been able to stop.

She once heard a case involving a man who allegedly molested a young boy in which a participant used the terms "homosexual" and "child molester" interchangeably.

"When a man molests a little girl, people don't call him heterosexual," Parker said in the video. "So, when this man molests this little boy, assuming [the] allegations to be true, you are not going to stand in my courtroom and call him a homosexual."

Another example she gave was the Texas Supreme Court's jury instruction that dictates that jurors cannot discuss cases with their husbands or wives.

"Well, I might have modified it a little bit," Parker said to her audience. "And I said, 'Do not discuss this case with your husband, your wife or your partner.'"

She said these are small ways of making her point but she believes it is important to go out of her way to do things that others in the LGBT community might not be able to do because they are not in her position of power.
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If she is using her position like this a good defense lawyer is going to provoke her in to doing something to help his/her casebecause she wants to use her position to make personal points.
 
Eh, I'm ok with this as long as she isn't mandated to do it as a part of her duties. When I got married the judge asked to meet with all couples before he decided whether or not he was going to marry them, and I assumed he was doing it because if he didn't approve of the union for one reason or another he would decline. He was a true gentleman and said that marrying people was the best part of his job. From the entire process I got the impression that it was an optional part of their job. That might vary from state to state though. People should be able to fulfill their job duties in any way they feel appropriate, as long as they are fulfilling them.
 
elrechazao said:
Think hard about the difference between a public employee charged with enforcing the law and someone in the service industry in a private enterprise.
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Her job is to be a judge, not officiate marraiges on a completely voluntary basis. A pharmacists job is to dispense prescriptions that a person and their doctor have mutually agreed is the best course of treatment. County clerks are obligated to perform civil marraiges, not judges.

It's like you are getting mad at the circus clown because he doesn't do balloon animals at kids parties.
 
sc0la said:
Her job is to be a judge, not officiate marraiges on a completely voluntary basis. A pharmacists job is to dispense prescriptions that a person and their doctor have mutually agreed is the best course of treatment. County clerks are obligated to perform civil marraiges, not judges.

It's like you are getting mad at the circus clown because he doesn't do balloon animals at kids parties.
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This. Jesus.
 
I don't give a fuck about a few hetero people not being able to get married by one single judge. The propaganda and principle of the judges actions outweigh and whining or inconvenience on the part of privileged ass straight people.

This is protest. This is sending a message. I love it.

t6DBw.gif
 
omg.kittens said:
I don't give a fuck about a few hetero people not being able to get married by one single judge. The propaganda and principle of the judges actions outweigh and whining or inconvenience on the part of privileged ass straight people.
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How incredibly selfish. How are their rights not just as valid as yours?

There are better ways in handling this.
 
omg.kittens said:
I don't give a fuck about a few hetero people not being able to get married by one single judge. The propaganda and principle of the judges actions outweigh and whining or inconvenience on the part of privileged ass straight people.
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Could you clarify? I can't make out the jist of your second sentence.

Edit: Vire, performing marriages is a voluntary action. It's not required of a judge.
 
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