Lawsuits for recognition of same-sex marriage in Utah.
Between the dates of Dec. 20, 2013 and Jan. 6, over 1,300 same-sex marriages were performed in the state of Utah. Now, just days after banning same-sex marriage, Utah’s governor Gary Herbert announced that his office and the state of Utah would not recognize any of the legally performed same-sex marriages. The National American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Utah filed a lawsuit last Tuesday, Jan. 21 against the state of Utah for not recognizing the once legal marriages.
The lawsuit, fueled by four couples affected by the state’s decision to not recognize their marriages, argues that legally performed marriages cannot be voided. In other words, marriages performed in a legal ceremony should continue to be recognized by the state as a legal marriage.
Utah’s failure to recognize the same-sex marriages complicates taxes for these couples as well as plans for their children. Utah’s tax commission announced shortly after same-sex marriage was banned that it would allow the legally married couples to file joint tax returns.
Utah also only recognizes a single parent for adoptive children when parents are not married. Therefore, the same-sex couples married during the 17-day stint of legal marriages may not have the ability to be recognized as a parent to their child by the state.
Nigeria’s signing of Same-Sex Prohibition Law
Recently, Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has signed a law sentencing same-sex couples to 14 years in prison. Any person taking part in or in attendance of a same-sex marriage, as well as people offering public support of same-sex marriage and participating in LGBT organizations will receive 10 years in prison.
Nigeria is not the only African country to sign a law such as this one. Last year, Uganda passed a bill that would punish LGBT couples with life in prison. Uganda is still awaiting its president’s signature of the bill. Approximately 70 percent of African countries have laws persecuting gay couples.
It is unclear as to why such a law was proposed and signed in Nigeria, a country where same-sex partnership is illegal and no one was fighting for marriage rights. In fact, in some parts of Nigeria, openly LGBT people can be legally stoned to death.
Nigeria is facing opposition from America and Europe over the new law.
McCarter files bill to repeal marriage equality in Illinois
On Jan. 21, Senator Kyle McCarter filed a bill that would repeal the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Marriage Fairness Act. Marriage equality advocates say that this is a play to get votes from his conservative home district in this upcoming election year.