Regina Spektor and the California Courage Campaign: "Please Don't Divorce Me"

The "Courage Campaign" has joined up with singer Regina Spektor and more than 18,000 married same-sex couples and their families in California to urge the California Supreme Court to strike down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional and restore marriage equality in California.

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, 2009, with a decision expected within the next 90 days.

To read the Courage Campaign's letter and sign the Petition to the California Supreme Court, click here.

Judge: New Jersey Recognizes Same-Sex Marriage for Purposes of Divorce

As reported by the Associated Press on February 6, 2009:

A state judge has ruled that gay marriage is recognized in New Jersey for the purpose of divorce.

The wider implications of Friday's ruling aren't immediately clear. But State Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson says New Jersey has a long history of recognizing marriages that are valid where they were performed. New Jersey doesn't let gays marry but does allow civil unions, which extend the benefits of marriage to gay couples.

La Kia and Kinyati Hammond were married in Canada in March 2004 and lived in Maryland. La Kia Hammond says she needs a divorce recognized in Canada so she can marry another woman there.

The state has not said whether it will seek an appeal.

Barring an appeal of the ruling by the state, same-sex couples from states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California may also seek a divorce in the New Jersey courts.

Registrar of Motor Vehicles: Proof of Surgery No Longer Needed to Change Gender Marker on ID

According to a January 21, 2009 letter sent from Massachusetts Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian, individuals will no longer be required to provide proof of completed sex reassignment surgery in order to change the gender marker on driver's licenses and IDs.

Under the new policy, individuals will be allowed to specify the gender with which they identify without providing proof of sexual reassignment surgery or an amended birth certificate. In her letter, Kaprielian calls the changes "fair, reasonable and sensible".

According to the letter sent directly from Kaprielian to MassEquality's Marc Solomon:

"Under this new policy, it is no longer necessary to submit medical proof of sex reassignment surgery. The agency understands that this requirement is often very difficult, if not impossible, for many individuals to satisfy.

Under the new policy, an individual who wishes to change the gender marker will submit an updated application together with a Gender designation Change Form, signed by him or her and a medical provider attesting to the gender that the individual considers himself or herself to be.

In addition, the Registry of Motor Vehicles will no longer require an individual to provide an amended birth certificate in support of the new gender designation marker."

The RMV letter to MassEqualty announcing the new changes can be viewed here.