Are The US Territories Still Too Conservative For Same-Sex Marriage?

March 14, 2015
Los Angeles

While some-more than 70 percent of U.S. states now concede same-sex marriage, a waves of change have nonetheless to strech America’s far-flung and socially regressive territories in a Caribbean and Pacific.

Of a 5 territories, usually Puerto Rico has faced a lawsuit seeking a right for happy and lesbian couples to wed, and a sovereign decider there – bucking a trend in sovereign courts on a mainland – deserted a suit. That box is underneath interest before a 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

In a other 4 territories – a U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and a Northern Marianas – no happy or lesbian couples have stepped brazen to make a authorised box for matrimony rights, according to advocacy groups monitoring a situation.

The 5 territories would be lonesome by a probable U.S. Supreme Court statute substantiating a inherent right for same-sex couples to wed, records Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, an profession with a inhabitant gay-rights organisation Lambda Legal. Several same-sex matrimony cases from a mainland are before a high justice this spring, and a statute is approaching by a finish of June.

Gonzalez-Pagan pronounced he hoped same-sex couples in a territories would step brazen to find matrimony rights.

“No matter how large or tiny a race competence be in any one of these territories, or a fact there’s intense antithesis in them, it doesn’t meant any adults should be left behind,” he said. “All of them have a elemental right to marry. They’re all entitled to equal protection.”

The usually tentative territorial lawsuit involving happy matrimony was filed in Puerto Rico final year by 5 couples – dual who are seeking to marry in Puerto Rico and 3 who live on a island and wish approval of marriages that occurred elsewhere.

In October, U.S. District Court Judge Juan Perez-Gimenez inspected Puerto Rico’s anathema on same-sex marriage, observant electorate and legislators, not judges, should confirm a issue.

On a mainland, 4 U.S. circuit courts of interest have ruled in preference of same-sex marriage, while one – a 6th Circuit – inspected a laws in 4 states that demarcate it.

Lambda Legal is now appealing Perez-Gimenez’ statute before a 1st Circuit; no date for verbal arguments has been set.

Among a plaintiffs are Johanne Velez Garcia and Faviola Melendez RodrÃguez, who have been a integrate for 6 years and married in New York in 2012. They have been perplexing to adopt a child for several years, and trust their efforts have been thwarted given Puerto Rico does not commend their marriage.

Velez, a 50-year-old profession and consultant, pronounced she’s confident that a Supreme Court will order in preference of same-sex matrimony and so stop Puerto Rico’s ban. Meanwhile, she has been heartened by a support of family and friends as a lawsuit proceeds.

“When a news came out that we were filing this case, Faviola and we were a small apprehensive,” Velez said.

“But what we perceived were certain comments, expressions of adore and support even from acquaintances who, due to eremite reasons, competence not be too happy about what we were doing,” she added. “Even those people know we are fighting for a rights.”

However, a personality of a regressive organisation Puerto Rico for Families, priest and medicine Cesar Vazquez, says he and his allies will be perturbed if a Supreme Court decides to legalize same-sex marriage.

“It doesn’t meant we have to approve of it, and it doesn’t meant we can’t keep educating people,” pronounced Vazquez, who voiced regard that schools competence be compulsory to learn children that same-sex matrimony is “a current alternative.”

In a other Caribbean domain – a U.S. Virgin Islands – there is clever antithesis to same-sex matrimony from leaders of several Christian denominations. A member of a territory’s Senate riled some of those leaders final year by drafting a check that would have ratified happy marriage, yet a check has not advanced.

In a western Pacific domain of Guam, where some-more than 80 percent of a residents are Roman Catholic, a church helped better a check to commend same-sex unions in 2009. It was introduced by a clamp orator of a territorial legislature, Sen. Benjamin Cruz, who is plainly gay.

Cruz pronounced he attempted to find happy couples peaceful to debate publicly for same-sex marriage, yet usually one integrate stepped forward, and he’s now ceased his advocacy efforts.

“Why should we be a usually one that gets a nasty stares in church?” he asked.

Several happy couples have left off-island to marry, yet their unions are not famous when they lapse to Guam even yet they suffer sovereign benefits, such as filing corner taxation returns.

Joseph Querimit, 32, and Simon-Joseph Querimit, 31, flew to Hawaii to marry in Apr 2014; they are now lifting an 8-year-old child.

Joseph pronounced he would have elite to marry on Guam, “but we didn’t wish to face all a ridicule.”

“Born and lifted on Guam, being Catholics, a upbringing, it’s only not something we would go out there and flaunt,” he said.

A lesbian integrate – Dausha Magalhaes, 30, and her wife, Richelle, 32 – have lived on Guam given Apr 2013, shortly after they were married in Massachusetts, and find a island some-more welcoming than tools of Texas where they once resided.

“We don’t have to be frightened if we wish to reason hands,” Dausha said. “We do not get stared during or gawked at, and we have not once felt like a amicable renegade like we do behind home.”

The other dual Pacific territories – American Samoa and a Northern Marianas – do not commend same-sex marriages even yet they have no grave ban. American Samoa’s Office of Vital Statistics pronounced it has not perceived any ask from same-sex couples seeking a matrimony license, and internal lawyers have not taken adult a cause.

Galeai Tu’ufuli, one of American Samoa’s peerless normal chiefs and a member of territorial Senate, pronounced he is conjunction for nor opposite happy marriage, yet cited prevalent eremite views that a matrimony should be between a male and a woman.

“Why exam a waters now by introducing legislation to understanding with this issue?” pronounced Tu’ufuli. “Time will tell when and if this emanate surfaces in a future.”

Christian churches with regressive amicable views cardinal in American Samoa, and a government’s sign is, “Samoa, Let God Be First.” Yet a domain also has a tradition of embracing a village of fa’afafine – males who are lifted as females and adjust delicate traits.

Many of a fa’afafine are college-educated and reason veteran jobs. Some comparison members of a village have cautioned opposite fasten in same-sex matrimony advocacy for fear of roiling a standing quo, while some younger members have selected differently.

“I assimilated a minority in pulling for same-sex matrimony and for equal rights for happiness,” pronounced 29-year-old Princess Auva’a, a obvious fa’afafine.

Together, a 5 U.S. territories have roughly 4 million residents – some-more than 3.5 million of them in Puerto Rico. As of a 2010 U.S. census, Guam had 159,358 residents, a U.S. Virgin Islands 106,405, Guam 159,358; American Samoa 55,519 and a Northern Marianas 53,883

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Associated Press writers Danica Coto in Puerto Rico, Grace Garces Bordallo in Guam and Fili Sagapolutele in American Samoa contributed to this report.

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Article source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/14/marriage-equality-us-territories_n_6870354.html?utm_hp_ref=los-angeles&ir=Los+Angeles