February 4, 2009, - 12:03 pm
Your Day in Expanding Gay Marriage Rights in Divorce & Estates
By Debbie Schlussel
While gay activists continue violence and whining over their loss of gay marriage in a democratically enacted California ballot initiative, gay marriage unfortunately continues to make gains.
And it even includes American officials recognizing foreign countries’ gay marriages in American states where gay marriage isn’t recognized.
A New York County Surrogate (which is apparently an estate or probate judge in New York) issued a decision recognizing a Canadian same-sex marriage in an estate matter. It’s the second time New York has recognized Canadian gay marriage as legal–even though New York itself does not legally recognize gay marriage:
New York County Surrogate Kristin Booth Glen issued a decision on January 26 recognizing the Canadian same-sex marriage of J. Craig Leiby and the late H. Kenneth Ranftle.
Contrary to a ruling issued last year by Queens County Surrogate Robert Nahman, who expressed doubt about whether a Canadian same-sex marriage would be recognized in a New York probate proceeding in the absence of a ruling on the question by the Appellate Division for the 2nd Department, in which Queens County is located, Surrogate Glen expressed no such reservation, even though the [sic] there is similarly no ruling yet by the Appellate Division for the 1st Department, which includes Manhattan.
Rather, applying established principles of New York marriage recognition law and citing the 4th Department’s decision from last February 1 in Martinez v. County of Monroe, Glen concluded, “Mr. Leiby is decedent’s surviving spouse and sole distributee,” so there was no need for formal notification of Ranftle’s surviving siblings about the pending probate proceeding regarding the will he left. Glen signed the probate decree, allowing Ranftle’s last will and testament to go into effect.
In last year’s Martinez case, an Appellate Division panel unanimously ruled that Monroe Community College must recognize the Canadian marriage of one of its employees and accord her lesbian spouse health benefits.
The potential impact of this first decision by an elected New York surrogate recognizing a same-sex marriage contracted out-of-state is huge.
Say good-bye to marriage–and American sovereignty–as we know it. Apparently, Canada now gets to decide which marriage is legit in America.
Then, there’s the issue of gay divorce. One of the myths we’re constantly told by gay marriage propagandists is that gay relationships are stronger and gays stay together longer than heterosexual marriages, 50% of which end in divorce. Well, we knew it wasn’t true. And now we’re seeing the proof.
Exhibit A is the divorce of Julie and Hillary Goodridge, lesbian activists who were one of seven gay couples who filed the lawsuit that led to Massachusetts legalizing gay marriage in 2004. They married the first day that gay marriage in the State became legal and have a 12-year-old adopted daughter.
No word on who will get custody of the cat, the WNBA season tickets, the Dinah Shore Classic trip, the sensible, comfortable shoes, and the battery-operated male organ simulator.
If someone proposed “gay marriage” decades ago they’d be locked up in the asylum. Today the lunatic and bizarre have become disturbingly “normal.” The entire idea is an oxymoron as well as an affront to G-d and Nature. How can you have a marriage of true minds if they are alike? You can’t!
NormanF on February 4, 2009 at 1:15 pm