Marriages

The highest court of the Presbyterian Church USA has found that a California minister did not violate the church's constitution when she officiated at the weddings of same-sex couples in 2004 and 2005. The decision, announced Tuesday by the church's permanent judicial commission, cleared the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr of San Rafael of misconduct and lifted an earlier ruling of censure against her by a regional church court. In the decision, the Louisville, Ky.-based panel found that the ceremonies Spahr had performed for the two lesbian couples could not be considered marriages.

SAN JOSE -- Hours after President Obama's campaign launched a new video touting his record on gay rights, a group of Silicon Valley campaign supporters cheered him on for publicly embracing same-sex marriage. Obama asked those who attended the campaign fundraiser - which cost $35,800 per person --  to help him win another term to cement the progress he has made.  “The strides that we've made over the last 3 1/2 years have been extraordinary,” Obama said. “But we've still got a long way to go.  “We may not even finish it in five years,” he said, “but I certainly need another five years to lock in what we're trying to accomplish.” The day's events showed new faith on the part of the campaign that Obama's public affirmation of gay marriage this month could work for him, or at least would not hurt his reelection chances.

'Life is short. Have an affair." That's the slogan of the Ashley Madison dating service, a website for people who want to cheat on their partners. That's right, unlike traditional Internet dating sites -- where you're expected to say you're unattached no matter what the truth is -- Ashley Madison is honest about its duplicity. Unlike match.

Re "Gay marriage clause added to defense bill," May 19 Conservatives recently pushed legislation through the House that would prohibit same-sex marriages from being performed at military chapels. This prohibition would even apply to chapels that are located in states where same-sex marriage is otherwise recognized. In 2009, conservatives overturned regulations that banned firearms in national parks. The logic was that people should be permitted to carry firearms in national parks located in states where it is otherwise legal to carry them.

It is likely that no man ever crouched on one knee, stared lovingly into his girlfriend's eyes and asked, "Will you do me the honor of being my first wife?" Perhaps, given the current state of marriage and remarriage, that would be an appropriate proposal. In the United States, almost 50% of first marriages and more than 60% of second marriages end in divorce.

In case you're wondering, there was no pre-nup. "It would have turned the marriage into a business arrangement," said Henry T. Segerstrom, back in Orange County with his bride on Wednesday after a courtship and wedding that give new meaning to the term "whirlwind." Segerstrom quietly married Elizabeth Macavoy on July 29 at the St. Regis hotel in New York, three weeks after they met. He's: 77; arts philanthropist; managing partner of C.J.

It's a risky world out there for married folks who are friends with a member of the opposite sex. Just ask U.S. Sen. John McCain. The Republican presidential candidate's relationship with a female lobbyist was the subject of a recent New York Times story and, as a result, subsequent newspaper articles, blog posts and radio commentary across the nation. He has firmly denied the relationship was anything other than simple friendship. In his case, the furor centered largely on whether the woman had special political access.

South Africa gained its third first lady on Monday when President Jacob Zuma married Tobeka Madiba, his fifth marriage and third concurrent spouse. With another fiancee in the wings and rumors about a possible future engagement, the country may have five or more first ladies before Zuma's presidency is over. Zuma's polygamy sits uneasily with the ruling party's commitment to gender equality and has been criticized by women's rights and AIDS activists. But despite the disquiet in some quarters, Monday's wedding passed without media controversy.

Addie D'Agui and Michael Bergeron are like any other couple who fall in love and want to marry. But if this couple said "I do," their combined income would drop substantially. D'Agui and Bergeron are disabled and living on Supplemental Security Income payments. If they married, they would lose about $90 a month, a result of a government policy that provides married couples with less assistance than two single individuals.

In these days of rapidly changing technology and built-in obsolescence, nothing in our culture seems to last long -- except, that is, people's fascination with all things Kennedy.

WASHINGTON -- Almost two weeks after President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, polls provide some measure of the impact - zero. Gallup's tracking poll average for May 1-7 - the period that ended with Vice President Joe Biden's statement that he supported same-sex marriage -- showed Mitt Romney ahead of Obama by three points - 47%-44%. And the tracking poll average over the past seven days? Romney ahead of Obama by three points - 47%-44%. In between, neither candidate's standing in the poll changed in any significant way . (Some Democrats believe Gallup's poll underestimates the size of the minority vote, but whatever may be the poll's flaws, they wouldn't change the before and after comparison.)

Reacting to Eric J. Segall's Op-Ed article on Tuesday warning of a gay rights backlash if theU.S. Supreme Court overturns Proposition 8, reader Sara Wan of Malibu wrote: "It is wrong to suggest that pushing for civil liberties should be left to Congress and not include the judicial system. As long as discrimination is legal, it is harder to fight it. "Segall's analogy to past laws banning interracial marriage is incorrect. While there was not a specific push to legalize interracial marriage, the 1967 Supreme Court decision was the direct result of the civil rights movement.

WASHINGTON - Wading into the gay marriage debate, the Republican-led House tacked a provision banning same-sex marriages at military chapels onto a sweeping defense bill that is now headed to the Senate. Despite the high-octane public discussion over gay marriage that has intensified since President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriages, the issue has been one that Capitol Hill has largely sought to avoid. But the GOP majority led Congress into the issue by adding the same-sex marriage prohibitions to the defense bill.

Vice President Joe Biden said he and President Obama are "in the same place" on same-sex marriage, just more than a week after his comments on the issue forced the president to hasten his public declaration of support. In an interview with CBS affiliate WTRF during a stop in southeast Ohio on Thursday, Biden reiterated Obama's position that it would be up to each state to "determine for themselves how they're going to treat the issue of marriage. " At the same time, he said everyone is "entitled to the same exact rights.

The Grove shopping center became the unlikely battleground in the debate over gay marriage after it banned boxer Manny Pacquiao from the mall in response to an interview he gave in Los Angeles. The ban led to a day of dueling statements, denunciations and backtracking. Some news organizations erroneously quoted the boxing champion as saying gay men should "be put to death. " That prompted the management of the Grove to issue a terse statement Tuesday evening that Pacquiao was persona non grata at the L.A. shopping center despite a scheduled television interview with Extra, which regularly films at the popular outdoor mall next to the Original Farmer's Market at Third Street and Fairfax Avenue.

SAN ANSELMO, Calif. — Days after President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, the Presbyterian Church's Northern California governing body refused to rebuke a retired minister for marrying gays and lesbians when it was legal in California. The Presbytery of the Redwoods, which governs churches from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, voted 74 to 18 Tuesday to reject the church's official denunciation and instead support the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, who had been found guilty by an ecclesiastical court of violating the Presbyterian Constitution and her ordination vows for marrying 16 same-sex couples.

With only a few days left before gays can marry in California, nine major gay rights groups asked couples Tuesday not to sue the federal government or other states to have their California nuptials recognized, saying that legal action could harm the marriage equality movement.

Q: With the judge's decision, can gay and lesbian couples begin to marry again? A: Not right away. U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker has temporarily put a hold on his order until Friday, giving supporters of Proposition 8 time to file an appeal and seek a long-term stay. That decision appears to delay any resumption of same-sex marriage in California. Q: Why was Proposition 8 found to be unconstitutional? A: The judge ruled that the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says states cannot deny anyone equal protection of the laws.

WASHINGTON -- It's been one week since President Obama, prodded into action by Vice President Joe Biden's remarks on a Sunday talk show, granted Robin Roberts of ABC News an interview in which he revealed his personal policy shift on gay marriage. Whether or not Obama's decision, and the way it was handled politically, will make a difference on election day is still anyone's guess - and may always be. Parsing reactions by millions of individual voters, particularly on an issue that ranks far below other concerns for most Americans, obviously involves a measure of guesswork.

President Obama's conversion from nay to yay on same-sex marriage raises an interesting political question: What happens to his support among black voters who, in most states where the issue has been on the ballot, have been overwhelmingly against it? In spite of eloquent pleas from NAACP chapters and progressive black clergy, the black electorate remains unmoved. In fact, until his announcement Wednesday, Obama's views seem to have been shaped by that same community, especially the black church.