The Gay Thing: Nevada AG Defends Discriminatory Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

Nevada's Democratic Attorney General, Catherine Cortez Masto, is defending Nevada's state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. As a person who voted for her (probably more than once), this makes me a little flabbergasted. Masto has a reputation for standing firm for what she believes in. And apparently what she believes in is comparing gay couples' relationships to incest and polygamy. Nice.

Image from source, Washington Blade

Nevada's constitutional amendment was dreamed up by a distasteful wanna-be politician named Richard Ziser, riding the early part of the anti-gay marriage amendment wave that swept the country during the early 2000s. The amendment had to be voted on twice, two years apart, and both times passed handily, based on the utterly disingenuous campaigns waged by Ziser. Remember, this is Nevada, a state with legal prostitution, quickie weddings and quickie divorces. We have slot machines in grocery stores and the quickie mart. You can get married by an Elvis impersonator at a drive-thru wedding chapel. At at the time of the amendment votes, we had the Who Wants to Marry a Multi-millionaire show from the MGM Grand, where the prize was a spouse. And of course who could forget Britney Spears' 3-day marriage, which occurred (annulment included) here in Las Vegas.

So, spare me the talk of the "sanctity of marriage," in Nevada. Particularly spare me any talk of sanctity or other religious terms when we're talking about civil marriage, not "holy matrimony." If there's anyplace pro-marriage equality activists have missed the boat, it was in shutting down any and all talk of religion, sanctity, blessed, holy, "God ordained," or any other such terms in a discussion about a legal contract. But I digress. . .

I'm want to do this when I get on this subject, because it personally affects me. I've been married to The Other Half for five and a half years, having tied the knot in Palm Springs when it was first legal. We are now legally married according to the IRS, and in 17 states plus Washington DC. We can drive 45 minutes to the California state line, and we're married! Back here in Nevada: roommates, under the law. And I expected Ms. Masto to be on my side.

I've written to Masto, and will post any response I get, provided it isn't merely a form letter.

[Excerpt]
 
Nevada AG invokes bigamy, incest to defend marriage ban

Ask the attorney general of Nevada about the definition of marriage, and she’ll tell you it doesn’t include the union of a same-sex couple. But in the same breath, she’ll tell you it also doesn’t include incest or bigamy either. . .

Read more at: The Washington Blade