UPDATE: It's Marriage Equality, Y'all!

It’s a great day in South Carolina.

Barring a stay, or emergency order, from the Supreme Court of the United States, marriage equality has come to the state; twice! A pair of rulings released yesterday by two different federal courts have basically dismantled South Carolina's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage clearing the way for the state to become the 34th state — and the first in the deep South — to legalize marriage equality.

And it all happened so quickly; yesterday afternoon I was not married in South Carolina, and then shortly after dinner I was, when the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson’s request for an emergency stay on last week’s court ruling that declared the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional; the unanimous three-judge ruling said:

"Upon consideration of submissions relative to appellant's motion for stay pending appeal, the court denies the motion and denies the alternate request for a temporary stay."

And that simply means that, starting tomorrow at noon, same-sex marriages in South Carolina can proceed.

Still, Alan Wilson, obviously stomping his feet and twisting his head around in circles, has vowed to fight on; he  says the laws were voted on by the people of South Carolina in 2006 and that a court shouldn't overturn what the people chose.

Ah, Alan, but they did; in South Carolina and elsewhere, because, something you might have learned in law school you don’t let the majority vote on the rights of the minority. We did not let racist white America vote on the Civil Rights of black Americans; we did not let America vote on interracial marriage; we did not let America vote on the rights of women to vote; we should never have allowed Americans to vote of the marriage rights of gay Americans.

Pretty simple. Still, Alan Wilson released a statement after the ruling saying the issue has not been resolved nationally:

"It is still likely the U.S. Supreme Court will address conflicting rulings between federal circuit courts of appeal. Therefore, today's ruling by the Fourth Circuit does not end the constitutional obligation of this Office to defend South Carolina law. We continue to believe the doctrine of federalism and the Tenth Amendment should allow South Carolina's unique laws to be considered at the highest appropriate court of appeal. We will be seeking an application to the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay shortly.”

Of course the ruling has not been resolved nationally, though it will, and sooner rather than later, but the issue has been resolved in this state, by the 4thy Circuit Court — twice — and by two separate federal judges.

Alan, honey, build a bridge and get over it. And take Governor Haley with you; she also released a statement saying she has a "responsibility to defend the Constitution of South Carolina and supports the Attorney General."

You mean the Constitution that treats some South Carolinians as second class citizens? That Constitution, Governor? Sit down.

And stay seated because right after the 4th Circuit told Alan Wilson to stop talking, Judge Michelle Childs — presiding over the case of Bradacs v South Carolina, the case for which The Will of the People Fund was created — ruled  that the marriage of Katie Bradacs and her wife, Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs — and all other same-sex couples in South Carolina who married elsewhere — should be recognized in the state because the constitutional ban "impermissibly violate [the] Plaintiffs' fundamental right to have their marriage recognized."

"We believed when we filed this case nearly two years ago that we were right, and Judge Childs agreed with us. It is such a great day for us and our family. It is a great day in South Carolina for marriage equality! Our family unit is complete!"—Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs

It is a great day for South Carolina.

sources:

MSNBC

Salon

WIS

The Monday After Pride

Carlos and I attended SC Pride in Columbia this week. We’ve attended Prides before, everywhere from Key West to Ft. Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, and even here in Columbia twice. I’ve attended Pride in Sacramento and San Francisco while living in California.

But this time we attended Pride as part of a group with an agenda; The Will of the People Fund had a tent along Main Street to promote our cause: to help defray the non-attorney costs of the lawsuit filed by Katie Bradacs and her wife, Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs, to have the state of South Carolina recognize their marriage.

And Katie and Tracie were the Grand Marshalls in the parade, and spoke at Pride, as did Carrie Warner, one of the attorneys — along with John Nichols — who have taken their case pro bono because, well, it’s the right thing to do.

People, straight people, the not-so-gay-friendly straight people, always ask why “Pride”? What’s there to be proud of? If being gay is normal and y’all want the same rights as everyone else, why Pride? My usual answer is this:

We’re not proud to be gay, because if we’re born that way, then it’s just part of who we are, like eye color, hair color, and since we don’t have Tall White Guy with Blue Eyes Pride, then what have I got to be proud of? Well, it’s this: I am proud to be living my life as an openly gay man, saying quite clearly and loudly, and yes, proudly, that I won’t hide any more, that I won’t be closeted any more, that I won’t be told that my life, the man I love, our relationship, is somehow less than yours.

I am proud to stand up, be counted, be equal; that’s Pride.

And what a Pride it was; a huge crowd overflowing the streets of Columbia — Main Street was closed so there were all kinds of vendors and LGBT-friendly businesses and causes along the way; Some Dudes Marry Dudes, Get Over It t-shirts; petitions asking Hillary to run booths; Carlos bought a kilt at the Out of Bounds tent — his paternal grandfather was an Englishman and since England is just a hop, skip and a jump from England, well, kilt.

Lesbian couples each wearing matching I’m With Her shirts; gay men in Whore t’s; some guys in underwear, some women in leather, some folks looking like they’re just out for an afternoon stroll.

That was Pride, too; all the different kinds of people we saw, and spoke to, and cajoled into coming to The Will of the People Fund tent to donate to the cause, to sign our mailing list, to hear the story of who we are and why we fight, to just say Hello. We raised a nice chunk of change, and really spread the word. The Facebook page boomed with new ‘Likes’ and, as of yesterday, we were able to add a ‘Donate’ button to the page; that’s tight, head over to Facebook, look for The Will of the People Fund page … like us … and if you can, click the Donate Social button to send a little financial support to the family for whom we are fighting for and working for and supporting.

And speaking of the family, of Katie and Tracie and their three children, this is one of the best pictures from SC Pride … 

... the family, along with Tracie's niece, and Carrie Warner, standing in front of the anti-LGBT protesters, saying We’re a family, and we want to be treated as such, and seen as such. I find it funny, you know, seeing the Bradacs family, all smiles, surrounded by people using their faith as a weapon. It won’t work because Love always wins.

And that makes me proud, too.

photo credits:Abby Beckley Cobb [Pride flag], Allen Wallace [Pride photos] and Sheryl McAlister [Bradacs family photo]

Pass The Donation Plate

Hello friends ...

I’ve got some good news and some bad news … let’s go good, first.

On October 17, 2014, after fourteen years together, Carlos and I will be getting married in Washington State. It’s a big deal, and a long time coming, but there is bad news …

When we return to South Carolina our marriage will not be recognized in our home state, or in thirty-one other states around the nation, but our fight, right now, is in South Carolina.

Carlos and I recently helped form The Will of the People Fund, a grass roots group with a singular focus on South Carolina’s marriage equality fight. The catalyst for our organization is the pending lawsuit by Katie Bradacs and Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs against the State of South Carolina in Federal District Court. Their suit seeks an order requiring the state to recognize their legal marriage in Washington, DC in 2012.

Our mission is both pure and simple: To raise funds for non-attorney costs, such as filing fees, legal brief writings, clerical work, photocopying and binding, etc, in support of that suit and future marriage equality litigation in our state. No attorney fees will be paid from this fund as the attorneys in the current suit, Carrie Warner and John Nichols, are donating their time.

So, while we are happy to finally get married, and have our marriage recognized by the federal government, we still wish to be seen as a married couple here at home, which is why I am writing to you now.

For money. Yikes! 

I was thinking that, since Carlos and I have been together for these many years, we really don’t need any wedding gifts; we have the blenders and the sheets and the carving sets. What we don’t have, and could really use, is recognition that we are a married couple in South Carolina.

And to that end, we’re asking our friends, family and blog followers to consider being a part of history by supporting The Will of the People Fund with a generous, tax deductible, contribution. The Will of the People Fund has little to no overhead since all of our work is being done by volunteers; nearly 100% of the money raised will be used for filing fees, legal brief writings, and clerical work in the ongoing fight for marriage equality in SC.

If you’d like to donate, please mail a check, made payable to The Will of the People Fund to:

The Will of the People Fund

P.O. Box 5006

Columbia, SC, 29250

Carlos and I would consider that the greatest wedding present ever! And please let us know, on the check, that the donation is given in our names because we'd like to acknowledge you, and thankyouthankyouthankyou!

Monday Bits ... And A Heartfelt Thanks To The Dog's Mother

Today, Carlos and I are off to Raleigh, North Carolina because we, and by we, I mean he — and a plus one, which would be me — have been invited to attend a cocktail party given by the Mexican Consulate in honor of Hispanic History Month.

Though his job Carlos met, and worked with, several members of the consulate and helped get some of the undocumented immigrants in South Carolina started on the path to citizenship.

And so, as sweet and as nice as I am, I have ordered Carlos to work the room tonight and secure himself a job with the Mexican Consulate … somewhere … anywhere. Europe, America, I don’t care.

He asked what I might be doing if he was offered, and accepted, a job with the consulate, and I politely responded that I would play the part of consulate wife, and have lunches with other consulate wives and have an affair with our pool boy.

Duh.

Oh ... and I'll be back Wednesday.

We are now just a little more than a month from Carlos and me getting married. We're going to keep it simple, with a couple of witnesses — my father being one — and a courthouse wedding. But I think we'll have some sort of reception after we get back home to celebrate with friends.

A new person started working with me this week, and was standing by my side when I was speaking to a friend of mine who was asking about the wedding. My friend and I talked about marriage and rings and all that jazz, and then this new co-worker chimed in that she was getting married, too, but that she wasn't a girly-girl so she wasn't into all the gowns and hoo-haw of a fancy wedding.

She asked me, Is your fiancée a girly girl?

I replied, Well, sometimes he is, and sometimes he isn't.

Asked and answered I guess.

Also on the news of wedding and dame-sex marriage, The Will of the People Fund will be marching in SC Pride this weekend in Columbia, so Carlos and I have our walking shoes lined up. We'll also have a tent at the festival and will be raising money for the lawsuit filed by Katie Bradacs and her wife Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs to have South Carolina recognize their marriage.

And so, on that note, I'll once again remind you all that The Will of the People Fund was created by fifteen gay men and women — including Carlos and myself, and some of our closest, gayest friends — to raise money for the non-attorney costs of the Bradacs lawsuit.

If you'd like to donate toward making South Carolina a marriage equality state, you can mail a tax-deductible donation, check payable to The Will of the People Fund, to:

The Will of the People Fund

P.O. Box 5006

Columbia, SC, 29250

And, on that note, a special thank you, and shout out to, The Dog's Mother, for the donation she and her husband, The Engineer,  sent, in Carlos' and my name, to the Will of the People Fund.

A lovely surprise, a grand gesture, a great gift.

ThankyouThankyouThankyou!

It's Time For Fundraising!

As many of you already know, having followed ISBL for a while now, Carlos and I recently helped to form The Will of the People Fund, a grass roots organization formed with a singular purpose in mind: to fight for marriage equality in South Carolina.

The catalyst for our group is the pending lawsuit by Katie Bradacs and her wife, Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs, against the State of South Carolina in Federal District Court. Their suit seeks an order requiring the state to recognize their legal marriage that was performed in Washington, DC in 2012.

Our mission is really simple: to raise funds for non-attorney costs in support of that suit and for any future marriage equality litigation in South Carolina; The Will of the People Fund hopes to provide assistance for ongoing costs such as filing fees, legal brief writings, clerical work, photocopying and binding, etc.

Again, no attorney fees will be paid from this fund as the attorneys in the current suit, Carrie Warner and John Nichols,are donating their time. 

Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down a similar state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Virginia, which paves the way for South Carolina to allow marriage equality for its gay and lesbian citizens.

And this is where the money comes in ... please consider being a part of LGBT history by supporting The Will of the People Fund with a generous contribution. Since there is very little overhead, all of our work is being done by volunteers, 95% of what we raise will go towards those non-attorney costs in our ongoing fight for marriage equality in South Carolina.

If you wish to donate, please mail your tax-deductible donation check, made payable to The Will of the People Fund to:

The Will of the People Fund

P.O. Box 5006

Columbia, SC 29250

And help spread the word by liking us on Facebook [at The Will of the People Fund ... you can click our icon at the top right of this page] and sharing our story with others.

Carlos and I, as well as Katie and Tracie, and all other same-sex couples in South Carolina seeking equality, thank you.