Good news: marriage equality has come to Kansas! Except that it hasn’t, exactly.
The whole situation is terribly confusing, so we’re going to boil it down into the basics of what you need to know: a judge has ruled earlier this month that the state’s marriage ban is unconstitutional, which is great. It took a few weeks for that ruling to go into effect, and there have been a flurry of briefs and rulings and appeals and press conferences since then, but the end result is that thirty(ish) counties are now issuing marriage licenses, and nine(ish) are refusing. It’s hard to get an exact count because everyone seems to be constantly changing their mind. As one famous Kansan once said, “people come and go so quickly around here.”
Everything was so much more straightforward and orderly in Montana and South Carolina last week. Those states just flipped all at once from no-marriage to yes-marriage, adding 8.8 million people to the total U.S. population with marriage equality.
Kansas’ miserable Governor Sam Brownback, that oozing toad, is appealing the decision, but he’ll fail. He knows he’ll fail. His underlings know he’ll fail. Why is he dragging out the litigation, wasting money, and putting LGBT families at risk? Because he is terrible, that’s why. Sorry, Kansas.
Dakotahgeo
Don’t be sorry, Matt! Governor Brownshit, Kris Kobitch, and their Tea Party Mafia have been the scourge of Kansas for the last four years. Education is just one area that the Brownshit Mafia have turned upside down. Lack of jobs, $1.4 billion debt coming soon ($1 billion debt in the process now!), and it gets worse. Marriage equality is the least of their problems, but when State officials have SFBs, nothing is impossible to screw up!
Trippy
It’s Kansas… in the end, the Friends of Dorothy with prevail.
Trippy
with/will
Desert Boy
Aren’t states rights a blast?
demented
Wait, they keep changing their minds? WHY? This is very confusing.
GayEGO
I love all of your comments. The wicked witch of the north – Samuella Brownbutt will be taken to Salem, Massachusetts to a witch trial and prosecuted! :>)
Alan down in Florida
I’m glad we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto.
Joetx
@Dakotahgeo: Yeah, yet Kansans inexplicably voted to give Brownback another term!
Dakotahgeo
@Joetx: Yes, Governor Brownshit was re-elected and I must say, we deserved to get our Democratic asses kicked! The voting turn out was extremely light! I sweat the Democrat voters think the Democratic candidates are going to vote themselves into office! We are preparing as we speak NOW to be ready for 2016, by January 1, 2015!
1EqualityUSA
Dakotahgeo, It is wrong to be beholden to a certain political party in order to attain the rights considered, “inalienable” by the rest of the country. I resent having my votes coerced by oppression. Of course, I vote Democrat. With all of the voter suppression, gerrymandering, and cheating done by the Republicans, it will take 4 Democratic votes to prevail over their 1 Republican vote. I look forward to the day when our equality is not a carrot dangling before our noses.
Dakotahgeo
@1EqualityUSA: Very well said, 1EqualityUSA, but this seems to be the world in which we live at the moment. I wish it weren’t so. The moderate Republicans didn’t even back these Mafia politicos, but they still won! I’m hoping they pay a horrible price in reality (taxes, etc.). I do all my shopping in Missouri with friends, and people drive to Missouri from Kansas to buy their gas. That’s a good start, but it’s been going on for years. Kansas never seems to learn; and of course they blame Missouri… naturally! Go figure.