• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Corporate giants say anti-LGBT law would hurt Uganda’s economy
  • Early 2024 salvos foreshadow unpredictable Trump vs DeSantis fight
  • Megyn Kelly Attacks Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas After She’s Honored By ESPN For Women’s History Month

Hood County, Texas Still Not Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses as Anti-Gay Hate Spikes – VIDEO

John Wright July 2, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-07-02 at 4.49.05 PM

Earlier this week, we told you how Katie Lang, the clerk of Hood County, Texas, said she would finally begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses after previously attempting to claim a religious exemption.

Screen Shot 2015-07-02 at 5.46.55 PMAs it turns out, Lang (right) still has not done so, and she says it may take weeks before the county can update the necessary forms.

On Thursday, Texas Values President Jonathan Saenz (above), whose ex-wife left him for a woman, organized an anti-gay hate rally outside the Hood County Courthouse. Based on photos from the rally, attendance was rather underwhelming. Meanwhile, a gay couple of 27 years who’ve been trying to obtain a marriage license in Hood County told reporters they plan to file a lawsuit next week if they don’t receive one before then.

The Star-Telegram of Fort Worth reports:

Jim Cato and Joe Stapleton just want to get married.

But the two men haven’t been able to get a license from the Hood County Clerk’s office despite asking nearly every day since last week’s Supreme Court ruling legalized their pending union. …

On one side of the courthouse, Cato and Stapleton told the crowd that their attorney is sending a letter to Lang …

On the other side of the courthouse, dozens of people gathered to show their support for Lang and for religious freedom.

Lang didn’t attend the rally, and Saenz claims it was out of concern for her safety. Saenz later issued this statement:

“On the eve of our Independence Day, the Texas and American values of religious freedom and personal liberty are just as important now and as they ever have been. We will not stand by and watch as LGBT radicals try to destroy the guarantees of the First Amendment of our Constitution and ruin the personal lives of Texans who support marriage between one man and one woman. We will not be silent. We will proudly rise up with the timeless colors of red, white and blue as our backdrop, for God and country.”

More from The Dallas Morning News:

As a result, two attorneys from Austin are on their way to Granbury at this very moment. They want just one thing: for the clerk’s office to issue a marriage license for their clients, Jim Cato and Joe Stapleton, who have been waiting to marry for 27 years. If they do not get one, says attorney Jan Soifer, she and attorney Austin Kaplan will sue the Hood County Clerk’s office first thing Monday morning.

“After [Lang] changed her tune Tuesday, my clients gave her a day and waited till this morning to get their license,” says Soifer. “They said, ‘No, no, no, it will take three weeks.’ They said, ‘We’re not ready to do it, we don’t have the forms ready.’ We sent them the link to the website with the form they are supposed to use. It’s posted. It’s available to them. We know 205 other counties in Texas have already been issuing them.”

Also this week, WFAA-TV reported that Hood County residents are attempting to get the LGBT-themed children’s books “My Princess Boy” and “This Day in June” removed from the public library in Granbury, the county seat.

Screen Shot 2015-07-02 at 5.21.22 PMLibrary Director Courtney Kincaid (right) is defending the books, and the board voted to keep them, but more than 50 residents have signed “challenge forms” after a parent raised concerns and took them to City Councilwoman Rose Myers, who has since posted a longer statement about the issue on Facebook. Now, the Hood County Commission is set to consider the issue later this month.

From WFAA:

The challenge forms are filled with comments questioning why the books are in the children’s section. Other submitters indicate the books should be banned outright because they promote “perversion” and the “gay lifestyle.”

Granbury City Council member Rose Myers said she was approached by a constituent a few weeks ago that raised concerns about the placement of the books.

She said in a statement provided to News 8:

“My decision to sign a protest regarding the book My Princess Boy was clearly based on the fact that if the library would not move the books and keep them in an appropriate location, then they should be removed […] Can a four year old understand the content of this book without the help of an adult? In my opinion, No!”

 Watch the report below.

Topics: Books, Supreme Court More Posts About: gay marriage, gay rights, Jonathan Saenz, LGBT Rights, Texas, Texas Values, video

Related Posts
  • Texas Republicans’ Platform Calls Your LGBTQ Life an “Abnormal Lifestyle Choice”; Declares Biden Election Illegitimate, Despite Evidence;
  • Former Roommate Indicted For Murder Of Florida LGBTQ Activist Jorge Diaz-Johnston, One of the Public Faces In State Fight For Marriage Equality
  • Idaho, Alabama, Wisconsin Advance Anti-Trans Youth Bills, Including Life In Prison Punishment For Providing Puberty Blockers
  • Early 2024 salvos foreshadow unpredictable Trump vs DeSantis fight

    Early 2024 salvos foreshadow unpredictable Trump vs DeSantis fight

    Published by Reuters By Tim Reid, Alexandra Ulmer and James Oliphant (Reuters) – The battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination has for months been seen as a two-man race: a fight between Donald Trump and …Read More »
  • Megyn Kelly Attacks Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas After She’s Honored By ESPN For Women’s History Month

    Megyn Kelly Attacks Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas After She’s Honored By ESPN For Women’s History Month

    Published by Radar Online @liakthomas/Instagram, mega Political pundit Megyn Kelly blasted collegiate transgender swimmer Lia Thomas after ESPN honored the athlete as part of its Women’s History Month celebration, RadarOnline.com has learned. In yet another attempt …Read More »
  • Nashville school shooter had ’emotional disorder’ and small arsenal, police say

    Nashville school shooter had ’emotional disorder’ and small arsenal, police say

    Published by Reuters By Sandra Stojanovic NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – The 28-year-old former student who killed three children and three adults at a Christian grade school in Nashville on Monday was under a doctor’s care for …Read More »
  • Emily Ratajkowski ‘Begging’ Pal Olivia Wilde For ‘Forgiveness’ After Messy Harry Styles Make Out, Spills Source: ‘This Is A Betrayal’

    Emily Ratajkowski ‘Begging’ Pal Olivia Wilde For ‘Forgiveness’ After Messy Harry Styles Make Out, Spills Source: ‘This Is A Betrayal’

    Published by OK Magazine mega Emily Ratajkowski found herself in hot water with Olivia Wilde after locking lips with the director’s ex-boyfriend Harry Styles. According to an insider, the supermodel is “begging” Wilde, 39, for “forgiveness” …Read More »
Previous Post: « Federal Judge Orders Alabama To Issue Gay Marriage Licenses
Next Post: News: Jim Webb, Donald Trump, California’s ‘Kill the Gays’ Bill, Disney Princes »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Portraits of Dogs: London’s Wallace Collection explores canine character and charm

    Portraits of Dogs: London’s Wallace Collection explores canine character and charm

  • LGBTQ+ trailblazer and comedian Paul O’Grady dies at 67

    LGBTQ+ trailblazer and comedian Paul O’Grady dies at 67

  • Florida bill would instantly ban books based on a single objection from one resident

    Florida bill would instantly ban books based on a single objection from one resident

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Kanye West thanks Jonah Hill for making him ‘like Jewish people again’

    Kanye West thanks Jonah Hill for making him ‘like Jewish people again’

  • Harry Styles, Emily Ratajkowski And Olivia Wilde Spark ‘Throuple’ Chatter In Hollywood After Wild Make-Out Session Caught On Video

    Harry Styles, Emily Ratajkowski And Olivia Wilde Spark ‘Throuple’ Chatter In Hollywood After Wild Make-Out Session Caught On Video

  • Jennifer Aniston Recalls Cher Poking Fun At Her For Eating All The Cold Cuts In Her Home During Actress’ High School Days

    Jennifer Aniston Recalls Cher Poking Fun At Her For Eating All The Cold Cuts In Her Home During Actress’ High School Days

RSS Partner Links

  • An error has occurred, which probably means the feed is down. Try again later.

Most Recent

  • Corporate giants say anti-LGBT law would hurt Uganda’s economy

    Corporate giants say anti-LGBT law would hurt Uganda’s economy

  • Early 2024 salvos foreshadow unpredictable Trump vs DeSantis fight

    Early 2024 salvos foreshadow unpredictable Trump vs DeSantis fight

  • Megyn Kelly Attacks Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas After She’s Honored By ESPN For Women’s History Month

    Megyn Kelly Attacks Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas After She’s Honored By ESPN For Women’s History Month

  • Nashville school shooter had ’emotional disorder’ and small arsenal, police say

    Nashville school shooter had ’emotional disorder’ and small arsenal, police say

  • Emily Ratajkowski ‘Begging’ Pal Olivia Wilde For ‘Forgiveness’ After Messy Harry Styles Make Out, Spills Source: ‘This Is A Betrayal’

    Emily Ratajkowski ‘Begging’ Pal Olivia Wilde For ‘Forgiveness’ After Messy Harry Styles Make Out, Spills Source: ‘This Is A Betrayal’

  • Madonna Ridicules Tennessee Lawmakers’ ‘Unacceptable & Inhumane Oppression Of LGBTQ+ Community’: ‘See You In Nashville’

    Madonna Ridicules Tennessee Lawmakers’ ‘Unacceptable & Inhumane Oppression Of LGBTQ+ Community’: ‘See You In Nashville’

  • Adam Lambert got a job at Starbucks to buy makeup

    Adam Lambert got a job at Starbucks to buy makeup

  • Sir Elton John walks six miles a week in his swimming pool

    Sir Elton John walks six miles a week in his swimming pool

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×