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    Gay Texas Judge Refuses to Perform Marriage Ceremonies for Straight Couples

    By Mark Whittington | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Fri, Feb 24, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
    Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

    The Dallas Voice, a newspaper catering to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered community, reports that Texas Judge Tonya Parker, who is openly gay, is refusing to perform marriage ceremonies for straight couples.

    The reason for this refusal is that Judge Parker is protesting the fact Texas does not allow same-sex marriage. Judge Parker refers couples seeking to get married to other judges.

    Who is Judge Tonya Parker?

    Judge Parker was elected at judge to the 116th District Court in Dallas County in 2010. Before that she was a trial attorney and litigator in numerous cases involving corporations and individuals, first at Adorno Yoss White & Wiggins between 1998 and 2007, then at Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail. According to her campaign website, Judge Parker invoked her experience as a lawyer and the need for the 116th District Court to have solid, ethical leadership. Parker is the first openly gay public official in Dallas County and the first openly gay African American gay public official in the state of Texas. Parker did not mention her sexual orientation as a reason to elect her to the bench.

    What is the status of same-sex marriage in Texas?

    The subject of same-sex marriage has not come up in the Texas legislature, likely due to the domination of that body by conservative Republicans. Texas does not permit same-sex marriage nor does it recognize such unions consummated in states which permit them. When Texas Gov. Rick Perry was running for president, he suggested, according to the Des Moines Register, that he was fine with New York state approving same-sex marriage, as he considers it a matter for the states. Even though he opposes same-sex marriage and would not see it enacted in Texas, Perry's statement caused Rick Santorum to offer a caustic tweet to the effect that perhaps Perry would be OK with legalized polygamy as well.

    Domestic partnerships in Texas

    According to the firm of Garg and Associates, it is possible, through the help of a family law attorney, to establish a domestic partnership in Texas with some but not all of the rights of a married couple if one is a same sex couple. Same sex couples can get the power of attorney for one another involving medical decisions. Also same sex wills and trusts are possible to enable a surviving partner to inherit the assets of a deceased partner.

    Some employers in Texas have extended domestic partnership benefits to their employees. Moves such as these have occasionally proven to be controversial, as when the cities of El Paso and San Antonio decided to extend such benefits to city employees.

    Texas resident Mark Whittington writes about state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network

     

    24 comments

    • Chicago
      Chicago  •  2 mths ago
      She looks like a transvestite. Anyone check under her robes before they elected her/him?
    • augusts child
      augusts child  •  2 mths ago
      If this is ok, I guess an alcoholic judge can let all the DUI's go free. She does not deserve to be a judge because obviously her personal life makes her bias and sexist.
    • UnknownPlanet
      UnknownPlanet  •  3 mths ago
      This is no different from "Catholic pharmacist refuses to fill birth control prescription." If your "conscience" doesn't allow you to do your job, get another job. I'm tired of this "in-your-face" crap from both ends of the religious and political spectrum. PS: Could you imagine the uproar Parker would cause if someone exercised their "conscience" and refused her service because she was a lesbian?
      • Toxic jarhead
        Toxic jarhead 3 mths ago
        If you don't know the difference between a "Catholic pharmacist" and a judge who takes an oath, you're just a plain F'n idiot!
      • Grace
        Grace 3 mths ago
        I'm sick of the hypocrisy rampantly flying around, too. Depending on which end of the spectrum a person is on, they'll either say the judge who refuses to perform same-sex marriages in a state that allows them is within their rights to do so, but this judge is (expletive, of course, because they have no higher-level vocabulary skills), or vice versa. Political activism is not part of a judge's job description. Period.
      • T
        T 3 mths ago
        Unlike a pharmacist, whose primary job is to dispense prescriptions, a judge is authorized to but not required to perform marriages as part of her job. Quite a difference.
    • Michelle
      Michelle  •  Boston, Massachusetts  •  3 mths ago
      I could care less what she likes to suck on in bed. But when a judge refuses to do the job and makes a pathetic joke of justice, then she should be thrown in jail. Better yet, the #$%$ should be strung up like days of old.
      • Dan
        Dan 2 mths ago
        Justice? Where does "justice" enter in? How about reading comprehension? Do they teach that at your middle school?
    • 1Salvo
      1Salvo  •  Dallas, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      Well if arrested can i refuse to be judged by her since she does not share my sexual preference?
    • Moyra
      Moyra  •  Tellico Plains, Tennessee  •  3 mths ago
      I'm tired of all this stupid gay gay gay gay gay #$%$ all the time.
    • NUNYA
      NUNYA  •  Seattle, Washington  •  3 mths ago
      If you look at "her" pic, "she" actually looks like a white dude with a tan lol
    • URU HAMMER
      URU HAMMER  •  3 mths ago
      I judge her to be a biased pig.
      • Dan
        Dan 2 mths ago
        There's one that comes right back to you. And BTW, you mis-spelled your monicker, fool.
      • URU HAMMER
        URU HAMMER 2 mths ago
        Danny boy, the mispelling is intentional. It's my own moniker. No one elses. Comprendo? Tell you what, I'll spot you the D & N
        for your name also.
    • Richard
      Richard  •  3 mths ago
      The judge should be removed for failing to do her duty as a judge in the courts. There is no legal reason for her to refuse to perform a marriage ceremony which would be legal in the state of Texas.
    • Dan
      Dan  •  Kansas City, Missouri  •  2 mths ago
      Sweet!
    • T
      T  •  3 mths ago
      The judge is authorized to but is NOT REQUIRED to perform marriages. She is well within her rights and professional ethical code to refuse to do so.
      • Idiot_Savant
        Idiot_Savant 3 mths ago
        Not in the discrimanatory manner in which she decided to pursue. It is a clear violation of the 14th amendment, and she should be disbarred...
      • Michelle
        Michelle 3 mths ago
        Spoken like a #$%$
    • Mother of Three
      Mother of Three  •  Houston, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      All judges are elected in Texas, I don't see her serving a second term on the bench.
      • htown p
        htown p 3 mths ago
        I for one am proud that she is standing up for equal rights for all. Two consenting adults that love each other should have the right to marry regardless of sex. When will everyone realize this does not affect your marriage at all. If it does then your marriage was a sham from the start.
    • OurVanishingAmerica.WordP ...
      OurVanishingAmerica.WordP ...  •  3 mths ago
      There is nothing more anti-American (present president excepted) than an activist judge, trying to take away the legislative power, of the people's representatives. Disbarment should be the LEAST of his punishments.
    • Grand Imam O'Reilly
      Grand Imam O'Reilly  •  3 mths ago
      Most hetero marriages end in divorce so they shouldn't be treated as real marrriages anyway. Both parties blatantly lie in their vows.
    • Toxic jarhead
      Toxic jarhead  •  3 mths ago
      The thing is....very few people even use judges to get married...she's just being typical gay liberal who refuses to ABIDE by the laws she SWORE to uphold when she took the office. She will be voted out this year.
    • False Flag
      False Flag  •  Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania  •  3 mths ago
      turnabout is fair play.
    • JOSEPH
      JOSEPH  •  Powhatan, Virginia  •  3 mths ago
      typical lib not wanting to do her job
    • Robert
      Robert  •  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  •  3 mths ago
      What a cute story, unlike Califronia, or New York the people of Texas will not accept a court ruling telling them to except a lifestyle. I do not think any election could be won by a candidate supporting a homosexual agenda in Texas. Acceptance has nothing to do with freedom, nor does it hinders one liberty. Stop putting gays in the same category as Blacks.
    • .
      .  •  2 mths ago
      Legally, she is allowed to pick and choose what couple she marries. Just saying.
    • The Grey Council
      The Grey Council  •  3 mths ago
      Fire her. She is neglecting her duty as a civil servant. Stupid dummy!!
     Post a comment
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