The Daily Fix: Gay Marriage Is About to Be Legal in Alabama
On Monday, Alabama will become the 37th state to allow same-sex marriage.
Gay couples will be able to apply for licenses to wed at courthouses across the state, thanks to a ruling on Jan. 23 by U.S. District Judge Callie V. Granade. She struck down the constitutional ban approved by Alabama voters on a 4-to-1 margin in 2006, reported The Associated Press.
Attorney General Luther Strange requested that the U.S. Supreme Court disregard Granade’s order, since a nationwide ruling on gay marriage is expected before 2015 ends. The court had not responded to his request as of Saturday.
However, some probate judges have already said that they won’t wed same-sex couples because of religious beliefs, reported AL.com. On Friday, the Alabama Baptists State Board of Missions passed a resolution declaring its opposition to gay marriage, expressing “moral outrage, intense grief, and strong disagreement over court rulings that have set our culture in a direction against biblical definition of marriage.”
Monday will mark a significant day for gay couples in the Deep South, where more than half of the 14 states that still ban same-sex marriage are located.
In other news…
The Grammys: The 57th annual Grammy Awards will celebrate the year in music in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Performers are expected to address social issues, with Beyoncé, John Legend, and Common to take part in a Selma tribute. (via U-T San Diego)
Oil Workers on Strike: Employees of BP’s Whiting, Indiana facility and Husky Energy in Toledo, Ohio are staging a walkout on Sunday, joining nine other plants with hourly workers on strike due to unfair labor practices. The protests began on Feb. 1, with 4,000 employees at refineries in California, Texas, Kentucky, and Washington leaving their jobs. (via Al Jazeera America)
Brian Williams on Hiatus: The anchor said that he will be taking several days off air because he’s “too much part of the news.” His announcement comes after NBC News began an internal investigation over his claim that he was in a helicopter hit by a grenade while in Iraq. (via Reuters)
Storms on Both Coasts: As New England prepares for more snow, Northern California is bracing for another storm predicted to hit Sunday morning. Winds delayed flights and knocked out electricity for nearly 97,000 people in the Bay Area from Friday’s storm. Still, the weather doesn’t bring much relief to the drought-stricken state. (via The AP)
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Original article from TakePart
