Same-Sex Marriages Being Celebrated in WI…and It’s About Time

Folks, last Friday, United States District Court judge Barbara Crabb overturned Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex marriages, saying it violates the U.S. Constitution. (Here’s a link to her ruling in full, in case you’re interested.)

Hallelujah!

While Wisconsin’s Attorney General, J.B. Van Hollen, immediately appealed the ruling to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, for the moment same-sex couples can marry in Wisconsin. And many are doing so, because Judge Crabb has not issued a stay on same-sex marriages pending appeal (as have some other judges); instead, she’s asked for further arguments from Van Hollen that explain why he feels a stay should be granted.

In the interim, every county in Wisconsin is doing something different with regards to same-sex marriage. Some counties are not allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, including my own Racine County; others, like Dane and Milwaukee County and even the reddest Republican county in Wisconsin, Waukesha County, are allowing same-sex couples to marry.

I applaud the county clerks who are allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally. But I do understand why the other county clerks are hesitant to marry same-sex couples as there’s a law on Wisconsin’s books that says any county clerk who marries someone illegally can be held liable (to the tune of $10,000 per “illegal marriage”).

Personally, if I were Governor Scott Walker, I’d call off J.B. Van Hollen and concede this issue. (Note that state Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, has already done so.) Walker and Van Hollen can be personally opposed all they like, but the fact of the matter is, same-sex couples should be allowed to marry in the same manner as opposite-sex couples.

However, as they’re unlikely to do that, I will wait for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to come down with a decision. I hope they will not issue a stay, because not every county clerk who’s allowing gay marriages to go forward is waiving the five-day mandatory waiting period (though both Milwaukee and Dane counties are). And that means the paperwork may get started, but the people in those counties may not be able to get married after all if a stay is put in place before the marriage can actually be celebrated.

I’d been hoping that the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals would immediately back up the federal court judge on this one, which is the only reason I hadn’t immediately blogged about this back on Friday night. (Over the weekend, Pride Fest was held in Milwaukee, so it was especially apt that the federal judge issued her ruling at that time.) I wanted to be able to say unequivocally that same-sex marriage would be forevermore legal in the state of Wisconsin — as it should be.

And while I cannot say that at this hour, I can at least say that I’m very pleased we’ve taken this step forward, thanks to the federal judge.

Now let’s try to stay there.

Two New Reviews of My Novel, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE Are Up…

Folks, Monday was not the world’s best day.

Why? Well, I have a nasty sinus infection. I wasn’t able to concentrate on my editing despite the two exciting projects on my hands right now — both fantasies, but wildly dissimilar.

So if I can’t work on these two books, I know it’s because I’m not feeling well. So I trotted off to the doctor, got some antibiotics, and went home to bed.

(Yeah. It was one of those sorts of days.)

Anyway, I got up after getting some solid rest and found this review by Betsy Lightfoot over at her blog of my novel, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE. Here’s some of what she has to say:

(Bruno the Elfy) needs to find a way out of the mess he finds himself in, as well as rescuing his mentor, and a young human woman, trying not to get any further into trouble. Along the way, he learns that nearly everything he has learned about the human world, his own world, and even himself, is a lie.

The book is alternately exciting, scary, and funny, with mysteries to be solved, and great evils to be faced and overcome.

..All in all, a satisfying read, and I’m waiting for the second half of the story to come out.

In addition, I had a lovely review from author Chris Nuttall posted at Amazon on Sunday. A bit of his review says:

An Elfy on the Loose dances from one genre to another without pausing for breath and rockets towards a cliffhanger ending.

So there you have it . . . two new reviews of AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, and both are positive. I’ve gone from having one review to three reviews in a couple of short days. This is progress.

And I’m quite pleased, because you never know just what people think of your work until they say something. (Yes, this despite the four wonderful authors who have stood in my corner for the past several years; you can view their comments at my “What People Are Saying” page.)

Now, as I toddle back off to nurse my nasty sinus infection, I can feel a little better. And I do appreciate that.

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BTW, in case you missed my guest blog about why I used parallel universes in AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, it’s up right now over at the inestimable Stephanie Osborn’s blog, Comet Tales.  Feel free to check it out.