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Married gay canon: Church of England’s punishments are inconsistent and unfair

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Canon Jeremy Pemberton has said the church’s treatment is inconsistent and unfair Share on WhatsApp 12 reader comments

The first gay clergy to marry in the UK has said that the Church’s treatment of him is inconsistent and unfair.

Hospital chaplain Jeremy Pemberton married his same-sex partner in April despite the Church banning gay clergy from doing so.

He was later stripped of his Permission to Officiate by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, Richard Inwood, preventing him from taking up another NHS job, but has not had a formal diciplinary procedure..

He told the BBC today: “I think I have been treated inconsistently and don’t think I have been treated fairly in that I have not been put through a disciplinary process.

“Penalties have just been imposed on me by the bishops out of the air and there isn’t any recourse.

“If they really thought I had done something very bad they could have started a procedure against me… but that hasn’t happened.”

“I knew it was going to be controversial but we had planned our wedding several months before the bishop’s pastoral guidance came out.

“In the end we thought to go ahead with what we think is the right thing to do.

“It was a careful, conscientious decision of two people that loved each other and wanted to commit to each other for life.

“We wanted to take up the right that we have now to be married like any other couple.”

Pemberton said earlier this week that he was considering taking up legal action against the Church, after he was subsequently unable to take up another job at the NHS, as he was declined the correct licences.

In addition to Pemberton, London vicar Andrew Cain says he

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Chair of LGBT Liberal Democrats gets married

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Liberal Democrats and his partner have married.

The party’s LGBT group chair Ed Fordham and his husband Russell were married on 5 July, and were joined by their friends and families.

They were congratulated on the Lib Dem website, with the party noting its support for same-sex marriage, and the introduction of the new law on 29 March.

It was announced last week that couples will be able to convert civil partnerships to marriage from 10 December.

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US: ACLU to file lawsuit to protect marriages of 500 Wisconsin gay, married couples

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JB Van Hollen aims to nullify the marriages of more than 500 gay and lesbian couples in Wisconsin Share on WhatsApp 0 reader comments

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the US state of Wisconsin is preparing to file a lawsuit which will aim to protect, and have recognised, the more than 500 marriages of same-sex couples.

US District Judge Barbara Crabb struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban on Friday 6 June, leading to some counties issuing marriage licences immediately, and allowing more than 500 gay and lesbian couples to wed.

However, after Attorney General JB Van Hollen appealed, on Friday 13 June Crabb agreed to halt her ruling, stopping all new marriages until the appeal concludes.

Now the ACLU plans to file a lawsuit, should Van Hollen file a new appeal against the ruling, and if he aims to nullify the marriages of those 500

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US: Situation for gay Indiana couples married before stay issued unclear

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Now it is unclear whether the marriages are valid 0 reader comments

Gay couples who married in the US state of Indiana before a stay was issued preventing further marriages from taking place, remain unclear about where they stand, as experts failed to agree.

US District Judge Richard Young last week struck down the state of Indiana’s same-sex marriage ban. A federal appeals court later issued a stay, putting Young’s ruling on hold.

For the same-sex couples who married in the three-day period before a stay was issued, it is unclear whether their marriages are legally recognised, and it is also unclear how long before the situation is clarified.

According to the Associated Press, an Indiana University law professor said the rulings “reset” the state’s same-sex marriage ban, and invalidated licences already issued in the state to same-sex couples.

The Attorney General’s office, however; said it was uncertain whether those marriages will be recognised, and that it will be up to the courts to decide.

The first same-sex couple to marry in the state were Craig Bowen and Jake Miller, who ran to the clerk’s office in Indianapolis after hearing news of the court ruling.

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Nick Clegg congratulates couple married in first consular same-sex wedding

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Nick Clegg congratulated the happy couple on their marriage Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter! Join 1 reader comment

The first ever consular same-sex marriage took place in Sydney, Australia today, and the happy couple were congratulated by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Peter Fraser and Gordon Stevenson married at the British Consulate in Sydney today.

They met by chance in a pub in 1995.

While same-sex marriages have been taking place in England and Wales since 29 March 2014, theirs was the first to take place on a British Consulate.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg congratulated the couple, saying:

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US: Pennsylvania county cuts off benefits for same-sex partners, unless they are married

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The county has re-limited the benefits for employees 0 reader comments

A county in the US state of Pennsylvania has cut off benefits for same-sex partners of its employees, unless the couple are married, now that gay and lesbian couples can marry in the state.

Officials in Allegheny County said they were changing the policy to reflect a recent ruling in favour of same-sex marriage in the state.

Previously the county limited benefits to married county employees, but had made an exception for unmarried same-sex couples who were unable to marry because of state law.

Now that straight and gay couples can marry n the state, the county has decided to re-limit benefits to married couples only.

A Pennsylvania judge last week rejected an attempt by a county clerk to appeal against same-sex marriage in the state.

Same-sex marriage was legalised in Pennsylvania following a ruling by Judge John Jones on May 20.

It was cemented as law when the state’s Governor, Tom Corbett, refused to appeal, alongside the Attorney General.

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Obama To Extend Family Leave Rights Of Married Same-Sex Couples

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By Mark Felsenthal

WASHINGTON, June 19 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Friday will announce a rule that makes legally married same-sex couples eligible for benefits under the Family and Medical Leave Act in all 50 states, a White House official said.

Currently, legally married couples are eligible for those benefits if they reside in a state in which same-sex marriage is legal. Obama is directing the Department of Labor to propose a rule extending the FMLA rights even to states where gay unions are not legal.

The rule is being issued as Attorney General Eric Holder announces the results of a review of U.S. laws in the wake of the landmark 2013 Supreme Court Windsor decision that held that the survivor of a same-sex couple could claim the federal estate tax exemption for surviving spouses.

The decision forced the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where it is legal and has paved the way for the Obama administration to take steps to expand the legal rights of gay couples.

The Family and Medical Leave Act allows employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for family and medical purposes.

Holder is due to issue a review on Friday of how the more than 1,000 different federal rights and obligations linked to a marriage or a spouse are affected by the Windsor decision.

Obama on Tuesday said he would sign an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against employees based on their sexual orientation, but he also told gay rights activists they need to keep up the pressure on Congress to pass a broader law.

In February, Holder announced widespread changes within the Justice Department to benefit same-sex married couples, such as recognizing a legal right for them not to testify against each other in civil and criminal cases. (Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Ken Wills)

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US: White House announces more federal benefits for gay married couples

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The benefits will soon be extended to same-sex married couples 0 reader comments

In line with the US Supreme Court’s strike down of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) last year, the White House will announce today that benefits will be extended to all married same-sex couples across the US.

US Supreme Court justices in 2013 examined whether the federal government can deny tax, health and pension benefits to same-sex couples in states where they can legally get married. They ruled that they could not.

One benefit to be rolled out soon, will allow gay people to take time off to care for their same-sex spouse, without the risk of being sacked for it.

The Department of Labor is beginning the process of extending the benefits, as detailed in the Family and Medical Leave Act, to all same-sex couples nationwide, even in states without recognition of same-sex marriage, a White House official announced today.

The official said that following a review of benefits, the Department of Justice  found that in “almost all instances, federal benefits and obligations for same-sex married couples will be provided, regardless of where the couple lives.”

They said that there are some provisions which stop the federal government from extending specific benefits to same-sex couples in states that do not recognise equal marriage. The Democrats have introduced legislation to close these gaps, which include Social Security and Veterans benefits.

Barack Obama also this week confirmed plans to sign an Executive Order banning homophobic workplace discrimination among federal contractors.

Yesterday, the US announced sanctions against Uganda, following the implementation of a law which further criminalises homosexuality.

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