Gay marriage nevada
RENO, Nev. (BP) – Nevada has amended its constitution to protect same-sex marriage and concurrently exempted clergy and pastors from litigation if they refuse to perform such unions.
Previously one of 30 states with constitutions limiting marriage to one man and one woman, Nevada became the first to remove the provision when a ballot question was approved Nov. 3 by 62.5 percent of voters.
Nevada Baptist Convention Executive Director Kevin Alabaster lamented the state protection for gay marriage and questioned whether the protection for pastors refusing to perform such marriages would survive potential court challenges.
“We of course strongly endorse the biblical description of marriage (between one guy and one woman),” Light said. “We did value the protections that they were putting for pastors who would refuse to conduct same-sex marriage; but at the same hour, we’re deeply concerned that these protections could easily be removed and place biblical pastors in legal battles that could wreck churches financially.”
The amendment institutionalizes in the state’s constitution a right to gay marriage regardless of the U.S. Supreme Court de
Nevada voters overturned a disallow on same-sex marriage, making it the first express to recognize gay couples' right to marry in its constitution. The right to same-sex marriage was one four new amendments to the state constitution, which also included a Voters' Bill of Rights and a renewable force mandate.
The voters decisively approved initiatives that appeared on state ballots as Interrogate 2, Question 3, Doubt 4 and Question 6. The fate of Doubt 1 - a offer to take away the Board of Regents' constitutional responsibility to oversee higher education policy decisions - remained too early to call with a massive number of ballots yet to be counted as of Wednesday afternoon.
By passing Question 2, Nevada voters removed an inactive lgbtq+ marriage ban from the state constitution. Voters had effectively banned same-sex marriage in Nevada by passing a constitutional amendment in the 2000 and 2002 elections, CBS affiliate KTVN reported. The measure's passage ensures same-sex marriage will persist state law even if a future U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 2015 decision legalizing it throughout the country.
"This overwhelming majority should be a reminder that LGBTQ equ
Nevada becomes first state to recognize gay marriage in state constitution
Nevada voters overturned an 18-year-old ban on same-sex marriage, making the state the first to enshrine gay couples’ right to marry in its constitution.
Question 2 on Nevada ballots asked voters whether they support an amendment recognizing marriage “as between couples regardless of gender.”
The “Marriage Regardless of Gender Amendment” also asked if religious organizations and clergy retained the right “to refuse to solemnize a marriage.”
The results were 62 percent in favor and 38 percent against, according to the Nevada secretary of state, with more than three-fourths of the votes counted.
“It feels fine that we let the voters decide,” Equality Nevada President Chris Davin told NBC News. “The people said this, not judges or lawmakers. This was direct democracy — it’s how everything should be.”
It was a voter referendum in 2002 that originally changed the Nevada Constitution to define marriage as between “a male and female person.”
A domestic partnership law was passed by the Legislature in 2009, overriding a veto by then-Gov. Jim Gibbons.
Same-sex marriage wasn’t recognized in the state until
The Freedom to Marry in Nevada
Winning Marriage:October 9, 2014
Same-sex couples began marrying in Nevada on October 9, 2014 after the Joined States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of the freedom to partner in a federal legal case challenging the state’s anti-marriage laws. The 9th Circuit ruling followed the United States Supreme Court’s October 6, 2014 choice to deny review of pro-marriage orders from three other federal appellate courts.
History and the Path to Victory:
- November 5, 2002: Opponents of the freedom to marry in Nevada press through Question 2, a constitutional amendment denying homosexual couples the freedom to marry and any other legal family status. The amendment cements clearly discriminatory language into the Nevada Constitution.
- 2003-2009: As Americans nationwide engage in conversations about why marriage matters, national and local advocates in Nevada take strides toward increasing understanding of queer couples and their families.
- May 30, 2009: The Nevada Legislature overrides Governor Jim Gibbons' veto of Nevada’s recognition of domestic partnerships, ensuring that the state grants
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