While we await the decision of the grand jury in the Michael Brown case in Missouri, there is another controversy brewing in Kansas.
Yes, a federal judge in Kansas has issued a favorable ruling (a preliminary injunction) for marriage equality in Kansas. And, yes, state officials have filed a motion for a stay pending appeal at the Tenth Circuit and the SCOTUS and have been denied. Yes, marriage equality is the law of the land in Kansas, yet Governor Brownback and other state officials refuse to accept that.
You'll have to go "somewhere over the rainbow" if you want your Kansas (same-sex) marriage recognized right now.
From Equality Kansas:
November 24 Marriage Update
Good morning -
To the best of our knowledge, there are currently 25 counties in 12 judicial districts that are issuing marriage licenses:
COUNTY (DISTRICT)
--------------------
Brown (22)
Chase (5)
Cherokee (11)
Clay (21)
Cloud (12)
Cowley (19)
Crawford (11)
Doniphan (22)
Douglas (7)
Harvey (9)
Jewell (12)
Johnson (10)
Labette (11)
Lincoln (12)
Lyon (5)
Marshall (22)
McPherson (9)
Mitchell (12)
Nemaha (22)
Republic (12)
Riley (21)
Sedgwick (18)
Shawnee (3)
Washington (12)
Wyandotte (29)
There are currently NO state agencies that are recognizing any same-sex marriage, whether performed in Kansas or out-of-state. Governor Sam Brownback has apparently decided to keep us as second-class citizens for as long as possible. This means we will continue to have problems adding spouses to our insurance, changing names on our drivers' licenses, and so on.
This is despite the fact that, last week, Attorney General Derek Schmidt admitted on the record to the Associated Press that our marriages are legal.
As you might assume, we are on our way back to court. The ACLU is working with Equality Kansas members and leadership to prepare an amendment to the original Federal lawsuit in front of Judge Crabtree. We expect the amended complaint to be filed before Thanksgiving.
In the meantime - if you have plans to marry, don't put them off because of the legal wrangling. We've waited our entire lives, and there is little point in waiting any longer.
What's the matter with Kansas? Does anyone know?