Judge who refuses to perform marriages says she’s not out to make a statement

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20120318-judge-who-refuses-to-perform-marriages-says-shes-not-out-to-make-a-statement.ece?action=reregister


State District Judge Tonya Parker says she’s not looking to make any statement about gay rights. Nor does she wish to become the point person for African-American women on the bench.

Her goal, she says, is simpler: “The only thing I want to do is serve.”

It’s not that Parker, 40, is afraid of the spotlight. Inspired by Oprah Winfrey, the Chicago native grew up in Dallas and majored in communications at the University of North Texas in hopes of hosting her own talk show.

But the not-so-shy judge can do without the snowball of attention that has rolled her way since she told a gay rights political group last month that she doesn’t perform marriages because, as a lesbian, she and her partner cannot legally wed in Texas.

As she has done with news outlets all the way to CNN and the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Parker declined a request by The Dallas Morning News for an extended, face-to-face interview. But she has said her comments were never meant to make her the clarion of gay marriage, but simply about a bedrock tenet of American justice: equal rights for all.

“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,” Parker said during the Feb. 21 meeting of the Stonewall Democrats. “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.”

[Bohunk68]

2. I'm not sure

what you mean by the statement that LGBT rights is a glamour contest. Are you saying that my wanting to be able to marry the person of my choice and enjoy all the other rights that non-GLBT people have is a goddamn glamour contest? I don't think I care for your statement very much.

[Duncan Grant]

3. "Glamour Contest"? That's insulting and trivializes LGBT people and their equality.

You remember how this works, right? One offers evidence for their analysis.

"Way too many people are making the fight for LGBT rights into a glamour contest" is just screaming for evidence. Please do elaborate.

[Duncan Grant]

5. vaberella -- I received your PM.

In the interest of transparency and the building of good relationships across DU -- simply handle it publicly.

Personally, I don't think Lady Gaga is "way too many people" or that there's some equivalency to "glamour contest" in her advocacy.

She's been a revelation to thousands (millions?) of LGBT kids worldwide and there's no other celebrity who does more for them. All available evidence suggests she's committed to social justice across the board.

(And my generation thought we were lucky to have David Bowie...how times have changed.)

[Vanje]

4. WTF?

"Glamour contest"!?

[yardwork]

6. Thank you for this OP. K&R.