Lesbian Texas Judge: No Straight Weddings Until Gay Marriage is Legal

Posted by Evan Rodd on Feb 24, 2012 in Inspirgaytion | 16 comments

Tonya Parker, an out and proud Dallas County judge, has stated she will not perform marriage ceremonies for straight couples until same-sex marriage is legalized.

“I do not perform them because it is not an equal application of the law. Period,” Parker said, speaking to the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas this week.

“…I usually will offer them something along the lines of, ‘I’m sorry. I don’t perform marriage ceremonies because we are in a state that does not have marriage equality, and until it does, I am not going to partially apply the law to one group of people that doesn’t apply to another group of people.

And it’s kind of oxymoronic for me to perform ceremonies that can’t be performed for me, so I’m not going to do it.”

My hat is off to Parker for speaking out, considering some of the stories we’ve heard about that region. There is strength in numbers, and if everyone from politicians to hairstylists continues to take a stance on the issues that affect us, we will really make significant developments for queer civil liberties. Thank you, Tonya! We’ve got your back!

Do you think Parker’s decision will influence future legislation? Do you incorporate activism into your every day life? Are you inspired to do so after reading stories like this?

(via NY Daily News)

http://profile.yahoo.com/LALXPEIV67K4G2LXNXJFMQM734 Aurastar

Hooray for Tonya! <3
http://www.facebook.com/leona.ryder Leona ‘Sunnydale’ Ryder

Awesome. I’m glad someone in my state is standing up…it can get scary down here sometimes!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Erica-Cook/100000628613592 Erica Cook

She totally rocks
http://www.facebook.com/people/Melissa-Mayes/100000757725343 Melissa Mayes

I think Ms. Parker is Very Brave & absolutely rite 2 do what she’s doing. But, I know that she will either end up fired 4 what she’s trying 2 do & accomplish or not b reelected or both. Or whatever. I pray that she’s NOT fired & that she IS reelected 4 her post as Judge. All I can say is, “Good 4 u, Ms. Tonya Parker! Way 2 go! U give me courage & hope as a Lesbian, also.
Anonymous

You go girl!! I think all judges who believe in marriage equality should stop performing hetero marriages and while we’re at it, why not put a halt on granting divorces.
http://www.MaleEroticEvolution.com Michael!

Hurray for those willing to take a stand and stand behind it!
Jacob Ryan

Great message. Thank you, thank you. Also, she’s GORGEOUS.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=887180542 Michael Blank

I have a strong feeling she is going to be able to help change things there. She seems like a very intellegent woman.
Anonymous

No one can stop any group of people from having an “intimate” relation, but does that mean we have to legalize it…make it “seem” normal and acceptable in our society. If so then, can I legally marry my son, grandson, my dog, etc. If you say no, then are you abridging my personal rights? Is that abuse of “marriage equality” as Judge Tonya speaks of? Read Romans 13…God says its wrong/ sinful. I’m no homophobe…I have many people in my family, that I love dearly, who confess to being homosexuals.

http://www.facebook.com/xanvega Mary Smith

Dogs can not give legal consent, children born of incest tend to have SEVERE health issues so it tends to be illegal to have “intimate” relations.
Would you like to be told, “Sorry, you can not get married.”? I would imagine not.
Before you use the “Marriage is for making children” then we should ban the elderly from marrying, we should ban couples who plan to stay childless or because of health are barren from marrying.
If you are going to go quoting the bible, there is some interesting tidbits about clothing, food, and other things that are forbidden/wrong/sinful. My pastor told me that Jesus said NOTHING AT ALL about homosexuality. All Jesus said is “Go and sin no more”. I asked my pastor what that meant and he said that when Jesus was offered as the ULTIMATE sacrifice, it negated most of the Old Testament. That we are to examine ourselves and if WE think we are sinning, then it’s a sin for us but doesn’t mean it’s a sin for others.
Now to refute the last common one I hear, “Marriage is in the bible between man and woman, GOD invented it for straights”. Marriage was invented as a BUSINESS CONTRACT. Farmer A has a son and healthy crops. Farmer B wants some of these crops and has a strong bodied daughter. The fathers would forge this contract, “You need more hands to help with the crops, my animals need more hands to tend so we will forge a partnership.” To seal the deal… The children marry. More times than not, there was no love, it was just business. It wasn’t always “man and woman”, there was a large number of same sex partnerships back then too. Before King James had his scribes fiddle with the wording of the bible, there was little to no stigma attached to homosexuality. In most cultures of that time, it was heterosexual romantic relationships that were the oddity.

LONG rant cut short, Dogs and Children can not give legal consent for marriage or relations. Incest is bad. The Bible is a flawed book due to mistranslation. History is interesting… and Everyone deserves the same rights to marry as everyone else. No one voted on my marriage, so what makes it right anyone should vote on someone elses?
http://www.facebook.com/jason.wilmoth Jason Wilmoth

Maybe you don’t think you’re a homophobe, but your comment shows otherwise. You claim homosexuals are not “normal” and should not be accepted by society. Then you go on to compare it to incest and bestiality which are two different things completely. You’re blinded by your religion which has been used over the centuries to suppress and control those perceived to be too different. Educate yourself.

Anonymous

I’m not a homophobe…but, as a Christian I believe the Bible condemns homosexuality. Lev. 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”1
Lev. 20:13, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltness is upon them”
1 Cor. 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Rom. 1:26-28, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error

http://www.facebook.com/xanvega Mary Smith

How can you claim to love and support those poor “sinners” in your friends and family if you are sneering down your nose at them? Better question, why are you on a PRO GAY sight if you truly feel homosexuality is a sin and an abomination? I can imagine why, you come to cause problems. You wouldn’t like it if an atheist came to your church and loudly proclaimed his or her beliefs and bashed you for yours. You wouldn’t appreciate someone intruding on your life and being told, “You are going to Hell because this book that has been mistranslated says so.” You would frown most likely if tomorrow the government told you your worth is invalidated because of some Bull reason.

Don’t use Religion as a way to bully, it makes Jesus weep.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=853214878 Raymond Weaver

Much as I love this stand- legally, she’s in deep water. Discrimination is discrimination and she is being paid by the tax-payers.

http://www.facebook.com/jason.wilmoth Jason Wilmoth

She isn’t discriminating, she isn’t refusing to preform the ceremonies because the couples are straight or because she has something against them. She is simply taking a stand by refusing to preform a ceremony for ANYONE, until everyone can do it legally.

Anonymous

I feel like this is overkill. Time waits for no one.

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