Gay Marriage Upheld by USSC in Close Ruling

[Admiral Yi]

Isn't this the same way it works everywhere?

No.  In the US clergy are legally empowered to perform the legal act of marriage.

[Valmy]

Isn't this the same way it works everywhere?

No.  In the US clergy are legally empowered to perform the legal act of marriage.

Then why did I have to go down to the County Office and sign paperwork? Eh oh well.

[Admiral Yi]

Then why did I have to go down to the County Office and sign paperwork? Eh oh well.

Because you need the state's permission before the parson can close the deal.

[Malthus]

To my mind, government-sanctioned marriage is an illegal government endorsement of religious ceremony. 

To me, this view (which for some reason is touted around quite frequently) is one of the most idiotic positions one can take. There is much more to marriage than just a religious aspect and that has always been the case historically - if anything, I would say it is a perfectly socially useful legal contract that was endorsed and hijacked by religion at some point in history.

I tend to agree - nowadays, marriage has lots of aspects to it, but socially, to people who aren't your immediate kin, the most important is that it acts as a very handy way to obtain a whole bunch of legal stuff - automatic survivorship rights, pension rights, rights to various guardianship issues, and the like.

I suppose a hardcore libertarian could arrange all of that through bargaining and complicated contracts, but why should one bother? Marriage puts the whole package together without the need for that.   

[Syt]

[Malthus]

I honestly think that 50 years from now it will be a total non-issue. Homophobia simply lacks the legs that racism still has.

[garbon]

My mother called me first thing her morning to offer her congratulations.

[Martinus]

My mother called me first thing her morning to offer her congratulations.

[Martinus]

By the way, because of proximity to the church shooting thread, I keep reading this thread title as "Gay Massacre Upheld by USSC"

[Valmy]

My mother called me first thing her morning to offer her congratulations.

It must be like when I turned 21 in France. Here you are finally legally allowed to do something in the US you have been able to do for months overseas.

[Syt]

My mother called me first thing her morning to offer her congratulations.

It must be like when I turned 21 in France. Here you are finally legally allowed to do something in the US you have been able to do for months overseas.

"Finally you can drink legally!" - "Yes, finally!   "

[merithyn]

Then why did I have to go down to the County Office and sign paperwork? Eh oh well.

Because you need the state's permission before the parson can close the deal.

Ahem.. as an ordained member of the Universal Life Church, I can say with some authority.....

It depends on the state. In some states, you don't have to sign paperwork at the County Office. That's all done at the marriage ceremony, and then turned in to the state after the fact. How it all works - registering with the state, I mean - is definitely on a case-by-case basis. In Iowa, the minister was able to pull together all the paperwork for us. In Las Vegas, we had to get the paperwork filled out and prepped by the County Clerk before the judge could sign off on it. In Illinois, you have to go get your paperwork three days before the wedding (you have to have a delay for some reason).

[Malthus]

My mother called me first thing her morning to offer her congratulations.

I know exactly what my mother would say if I were in your shoes: "... and now that it's legal, will you be finding a nice doctor or lawyer and settling down?!" 

[Syt]

My mother called me first thing her morning to offer her congratulations.

I know exactly what my mother would say if I were in your shoes: "... and now that it's legal, will you be finding a nice doctor or lawyer and settling down?!" 

I hope your Mom wasn't disappointed that you became a lawyer instead of marrying one.

[garbon]

My mother called me first thing her morning to offer her congratulations.

It must be like when I turned 21 in France. Here you are finally legally allowed to do something in the US you have been able to do for months overseas.

Yeah, I had similar as I did my study abroad just 2 months after I turned 21. All the juniors were excited to legally drink and I was like, meh.