Gallaudet University put its chief diversity officer, Angela McCaskill, on paid leave last week for the offense of joining 200,000 other Marylanders in signing a petition supporting a ballot referendum over Maryland’s recently adopted same-sex marriage law. “I thought it was important that as a citizen of the state of …
In a victory for academic freedom, the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday made clear that sociologist Mark Regnerus’s study of adults whose parents had same-sex relationships deserves scholarly discussion—not investigation for scientific misconduct. A litany of allegations made by a blogger had triggered an inquiry earlier this summer. …
Fifteen states have filed an amicus brief in support of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), urging the Supreme Court to review an appellate court panel’s decision striking down the law. Passed by broad bipartisan majorities and signed by President Clinton in 1996, DOMA defines marriage as between one …
Yesterday’s shooting at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Family Research Council (FRC) stunned the nation. FRC’s long-time security guard, Leo Johnson, was shot in the arm by a gunman carrying a box of ammunition in his backpack trying to gain access to the building. Law enforcement hailed Leo a …
Civil, substantive arguments on the nature and purpose of marriage can sometimes get lost in rancorous rhetorical crossfire over the definition of the institution. John Corvino and Maggie Gallagher’s exchange in their new book Debating Same-Sex Marriage is a welcome exception. For Corvino, marriage establishes your “Number One Person,” that …
Yesterday, the federal district court in Hawaii ruled that Hawaii’s definition of marriage as one man and one woman does not violate the U.S. Constitution. This ruling comes as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to review multiple cases involving the issue of same-sex marriage and voters in Maryland, Minnesota, …
When citizens in Maryland, Maine, Washington, and Minnesota go to the polls in November, they will be confronted with ballot initiatives that speak to the central question of what marriage is. In Minnesota, voters will consider whether to amend their state constitution to preserve the definition of marriage between one …
Earlier this week, supporters of Proposition 8, the 2008 California marriage amendment, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the freedom of California voters to define marriage as one man and one woman in their state constitution. This request comes at the same time that voters prepare to vote on …
Same-sex marriage combined with nondiscrimination policies will result in significant discrimination against individuals and institutions that hold to the belief that marriage is—and should be defined in law as—the union of one man and one woman. In the latest illustration of how this will happen, a Chicago alderman recently explained …
