LIBERAL SCHISM OVER MARRIAGE EQUALITY …
By FITSNEWS || Katherine Bradacs is everything the gay marriage debate in South Carolina needed. She’s a beautiful woman. On top of that she’s a trooper with the S.C. Highway Patrol – which means she performs a core function of government (one that helps safeguard our lives, liberty and property). She’s got a gorgeous partner, too … and a beautiful family.
Oh, and Bradacs and Tracie Goodwin weren’t trying to get married … they already were married, meaning their legal battle was over the state of South Carolina’s refusal to acknowledge their union.
Seriously … if you were going to script a compelling case for same sex marriage (and a compelling couple to make that case), Bradacs and Goodwin were straight out of central casting. Their relationship shattered a host of unhealthy stereotypes regarding homosexual couples, giving those who might otherwise be inclined to oppose same sex marriage (52.2 percent of the state’s population, last time we checked) a reason to think twice on the issue.
Not only that, their argument was much easier and cleaner to make …
So why is there a “but” coming? Good question …
First, it’s important to point out that Bradacs and Goodwin didn’t lose. Their case – filed last August – was “won” this week. U.S. district court judge Michelle Childs ruled that South Carolina’s refusal to acknowledge their marriage was unconstitutional.
Missed that story?
So did everyone else …
That’s because Bradacs and her case have been trumped by Colleen Condon, a corrupt Charleston County councilwoman who has succeeded in making her marriage equality battle the focus of everyone’s attention.
Thanks to a variety of factors (including some behind-the-scenes maneuvering by a pair of liberal judges), Condon’s case has become the cause célèbre of the Palmetto State’s war for “marriage equality.” As a result Bradacs – who should have been the face of the movement – has basically been shoved off stage.
Before we get into the optics of all this, it’s important to remember that more than a year after Bradacs and Goodwin were married in Washington, D.C., Condon was still “in the closet.” In fact she didn’t come out until this website reported on her sexuality in passing last March. But Condon has deftly taken advantage of one federal judge’s reticence and another’s desire to make a name for himself – in the process positioning herself and her partner, Nichols Bleckley, squarely in the limelight.
On October 15 – nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn a fourth circuit ruling striking down Virginia’s gay marriage ban – Condon and Bleckley filed a suit in U.S. district court petitioning for the right to marry.
Their argument? That a fourth circuit ruling striking down Virginia’s gay marriage ban also applied to South Carolina.
Less than a month later, U.S. district court judge Richard Gergel agreed – ruling in favor of Condon and Bleckley. According to Gergel’s ruling, gay couples could be granted marriage licenses beginning on November 20.
S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson appealed that ruling to the fourth circuit – and lost. He is currently appealing it to the U.S. Supreme Court – arguing that Gergel’s order should be stayed (i.e. suspended) pending the high court issuing a ruling on state marriage bans.
Wilson’s logic? That until the Supreme Court decides whether state marriage bans are unconstitutional (as the fourth circuit has ruled) or constitutional (as the sixth circuit has ruled) – South Carolina’s law should remain in place.
Condon isn’t waiting around, though. More than twenty-four hours before Gergel’s ruling was to take effect, she and Bleckley were granted a marriage license by Charleston judge Irvin Condon.
As this website has said for years, governments should have nothing to do with marriage … churches should. In other words if you can find a church that will marry you, government has no business blocking that – just as it has no business forcing churches to marry couples against their religious beliefs.
“We believe the ongoing legal contortions transpiring at the federal and state level over this issue demonstrate government’s unfitness to address it in the first place,” we wrote just this week.
The politics lurking behind South Carolina’s gay marriage rulings underscore this problem …
According to our sources, Childs was hesitant to issue a ruling in Bradacs’ case for two reasons: First, she didn’t want to trump the fourth circuit, and second, she was afraid a controversial ruling on the case might hurt her chances for U.S. Senate approval should she be nominated to a higher bench in the future.
“She is extremely savvy when it comes to the advancement of her judicial career,” one of our sources says, calling Childs “more a political maneuverer than an accomplished jurist.”
When leaders in South Carolina’s gay movement heard Gergel was “chomping at the bit” to take advantage of Childs’ lack of forward motion on the issue, a dilemma presented itself. On the one hand, they could be patient and await a favorable ruling on Bradacs. On the other, they could push Condon’s case before Gergel – who was ready to dispense “justice”
They chose to press the issue …
Did it work?
That depends. Condon and Bleckley have been splashed all over the media ever since they filed their lawsuit – and their exposure will continue to escalate for as long as the legal drama moves forward. Now on the front pages of newspapers and websites in the Palmetto state (and beyond) is a vastly different “first couple” for the South Carolina gay marriage movement – one that conforms to many of the stereotypes that exist about gay couples.
That has many gay rights advocates we spoke with very upset …
“Defeat from the jaws of victory,” one told us.
Another gay advocate said her problem with Condon seizing the spotlight from Bradacs had nothing to do with appearances – and everything to do with ulterior motivations.
“She’s doing it to advance herself politically,” the advocate told us. “She’s using the issue to advance herself, not herself to advance the issue.”
Whatever the motivation … the couple that was hand-picked to carry the same sex banner across the finish line in South Carolina has been effectively shoved out of the way, dramatically altering many people’s perceptions of the big moment.
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100 comments
SC Highway Patrol ain’t worth a shit when it starts to snow.
They are about as useless (and effective) as tits on a boar hog when the snow starts.
I’ve personally seen them drive right past someone who is stuck in a ditch and signaling for help during a snow storm. They freak out just like every other SC native who shits in their pants at the first sight of a snowflake.
i respect the law they represent but beyond that I ain’t got much use for them.
It could be that the Troopers you saw driving past were on the way to a wreck or other obstruction that was creating a worse hazard than the motorist who decided to get on the road and wasn’t able to handle the pitfalls of driving in snow or icy conditions. Seriously, there are a limited number of Troopers on the road and sometimes a nearly unlimited number of incompetent dumbasses who “think” they can drive in snow and ice until they discover they can’t. A quick estimate of logistics capability says that stopping for every one of these dumbasses who got stuck will see the Trooper NOT getting to that wreck or other obstruction they were headed to, especially if they get themselves stuck with that person who was stuck first. That is why we have cell phones and towing companies.
Also, the various automobile shops that service police cars from different agencies, can be unbelievably slack with regard to having tire chains or snow tires to put on those police vehicles so they can more reliably and safely maneuver in the snow. Politics, bureaucracy, and other damnfoolery in the chain of command at these shops can cause unnecessary and dangerous delays in getting chains or snow tires onto public safety vehicles, to include Ambulances and Fire Trucks.
(Politics, bureaucracy, and other damnfoolery in the chain of command at these shops can cause unnecessary and dangerous delays in getting chains or snow tires onto public safety vehicles, to include Ambulances and Fire Trucks.)
An intelligent reply from someone who must know.
oh gee – do tell – am I supposed to get excited because one lesbian outlesbianed another lesbian
reckon that would be a triple tongue dare back to you Bradacs
Fantastic!
Survivor couple vs. The Gay Buffet
One of the two ladies who were married this morning outside the courthouse in Charleston made it very clear what this is all about. Her own words: “nothing will change, everything will be exactly the same except we will get benefits”.
Who cares? Are you saying Bradacs was just doing this for media attention? I hope she is celebrating her win and Colleen Condon’s.
Of course.
Indeed I don’t even”get” what point Fits is making here.
Who gives a damn who is on the “stage?”
And what has that got to do with the issue?
OK we “get” you don’t like Colleen Condon.
So?
Exactly. He doesn’t like Colleen Condon and he’s mad she’s getting attention. Plus, he wants more pics of the “hot lesbians.” This is about equal protection, not who’s prettier or who you have an axe to grind with.
“This is about equal protection, not who’s prettier”
I disagree.
“So?”
FITS finds it a bit more palatable for the lipstick lesbians to be the face of the movement as opposed to the non-lipstick lesbians. All superficial BS.
Guess who’s non-lipstick and jealous!!!
lol…I gave you both a thumbs up because you’re both right.
No, I think his point is the first couple did it the right way for the right reasons. The fact that a deaf dumb and blind man could tell they are hotter, is irrelevant. I don’t normally agree with fits but I’m with them on this one. If a couple is going to be celebrated by the media, it should be the couple that didn’t seek out the attention.
“The fact that a deaf dumb and blind man could tell they are hotter, is irrelevant”
It should be irrelevant – did you read the opening paragraph and the fawning over their looks – “beautiful woman” and “gorgeous partner” . . . .the photo’s of both couples was posted with the article for a reason.
A little too earthy for me. Sadly, a hot lesbian is a unicorn.
Not true. I’ve lived all over the world. There are a plethera of hottie lesbians.
“There are a plethora of hottie lesbians”. Agreed, however there is an equally abundant surfeit of horrifically fugly ones.
Point. Counter-point. As it should be done.
Aye, just as with straight chicks we encounter on any given day.
When I was patrolling/training in Key West in the 80s, they had “Lesbo Beach” the unofficial topless one. It was all Lesbians and majority couples were one lipstick with a Bull. Much more rare to see two Hots than to two Nots. The stories I could tell you about riding the alleys, yuck! Think of the rest stop scene in “There’s Something About Mary”.
You have piqued my morbid curiosity, Taz! I am trying to find the referenced rest area scene but YouTube doesn’t seem to have it. :-(
I couldn’t find it either. The movie is so dang funny it is worth watching again. BTW, in the movie the rest stop was supposed to be in South Cackalack.
I’d take the two skinny ones to pound town.
Will your mom allow girls in your room?
Your here, aren’t you?
I don’t get it.
poor grammar does that
Is it as bad as your punctuation?
How fucked up are her two kids going to be, “my two mommies”.
“How fucked up are her two kids going to be, “my two mommies”.”
They couldn’t possibly be more fucked up than you are dipshit.
Sounds like I touched a nerve.
Only in your bigoted fantasies
Your penis isn’t a nerve. It has nerves though.
If other children raised by lesbian couples are of any indicator, I’d say not at all.
So these three kids, were they adopted or conceived? If conceived, did they use a turkey baster or get it straight from the tap?
“If conceived, did they use a turkey baster or get it straight from the tap?”
Were you conceived by a turkey baster or just from a turkey?
(Might want to keep a low profile with Thanksgiving just around the corner.)
Were you once a joke writer for Phyllis Diller?
“Were you once a joke writer for Phyllis Diller?”
I see you were once a joke and still a joke, huh? (Might want to quit now – you are way out of your league.)
Oh, burn… good comeback, you must be the witty one at the nursing home.
Two boys adopted by lesbian mothers were having a spat on the playground. One says, “If I knew who my father was I’d bet he could beat up your father.” The other one replies, “Your father IS my father!”
What?
Michelle Childs should have issued an order striking down the ban on October 16th. If she couldn’t wrap her mind around the issue, she could have copy and pasted the 4th Circuit decision. She should have made the decision the minute SCOTUS declined to take up the issue. For an AA women to sit on her hands instead of be a key part in extending equal rights is tone deaf. What the hell was she waiting for?
Bleckley… that sounds like what I said when I saw the picture.
Two tons of fun!
I bet you’d have to wear hearing protection once they got going… that’s an awful lot of skin slapping together.
Hmmm, now I know how you got the name “Squishy”, and a 1, and a 2, and a 3……
Now imagine the smell after a few minutes of those two intertwined. Now you have something to think about as you drift off to sleep tonight.
Something’s fishy around here.
A blind man walks past a fish market, pauses, takes in a big sniff, and says, “Good morning ladies!”
Two lesbians were having a drink at the bar when a good-looking woman waved at them from across the room.
“Nice,” commented one. “I’d like to get between
her legs sometime soon.”
“No you wouldn’t,” said her friend disparagingly.
“She’s hung like a doughnut.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmYxJBMeuSI&t=1m50s
Is the proud “father” that tall, dark, and handsome great dane? I’m confused.
Poor kids…the boys usually grow up despising their multiple “mommies” and the girls split town with the first guy that shows them any attention…these children are the real victims…of this most unnatural arrangement…what perversion will be anointed next by our legal saints? Incest? Bigamy? Polygamy? Bestiality? All combinations thereof?
God, you are a fucking idiot!
Peer-reviewed ignorance from clueless and shameless. Only in your wingnut bigoted dreams. Obviously a Faux News repgnant.
Ummmm….I actually have witnessed the societal reprocussions of homosexual marriages…in the Netherlands. ..where such unnatural arrangements were pioneered decades ago… one of the most confused guys I ever met was reared by two homosexual married women…he was very angry and naturally extremely confused as he literally had no male influences in his life…your clueless attacks on my objectivity belie your hapless ignorance…
So there was a dearth of baby daddies?
because children of heterosexual couples are never confused or lacking male influences. smh
Is that dog the father? The man in the family?Gay marriage-beastiality right around the corner.
Totally agree with you… and in the end, a country reap what it sows… and we’re sowing so some pretty f’d up kids, due in large part to our legal system. But really, why are God hating leftists essentially writing all of our laws now?!?!
source?
I could have lived a long happy life without ever seeing that picture of Condon and Bleckley. Now, whenever I hear either name or the words gay marriage, I’ll see that picture in my mind’s eye…
They ain’t easy on the eye fer sure.
They had a lesbian group with a petition for same sex marriage at the Spartanburg County Fair some years ago (believe it or not) and the one with the clipboard was nice looking so I signed the petition.
If she had looked like Condon or Bleckley I don’t think I would have signed a damn thing.
Exactly how it should be…only the good looking need apply.
Are we talking about female bloggers/columnists on FITS now, or representative lesbians in same-sex relationships?
That would give Will a cadre of females, a Lesbian, a Jew, and Liz(?) — hey, Liz, does Will pay for your meals, drinks, cosmetics and travel expenses? (Women’s Department on the third floor, please)…..
/// (Women’s Department on the third floor, please) ///
Lady’s clothing, half off!
Ooops! Sorry, that’s the OLD FITSNews.
Fits just gives us the ‘teaser’ ads now
————————————————-
15 most beautiful women in sports
How to activate the female hormone—-
Accidentally-on-purpose celebrity flashes—-
James bond flashback photos (5 best bond girls)
Selfies gone wrong—–
Best wardrobe malfunctions ever
13 incredible photos—–
The biggest chests in Hollywood
15 controversial miley’s photos
20 worst fashion mishaps—–
New rules leave drivers furious
7 celebrities who need a reality check
My two favorites are the Asian chicks and the one with the platinum blonde 40ish chick with incredible curves, big hooters, and shapely legs (crossed) wearing panty hose.
Me too, plus the Russian gals — but they come and go on a rotating basis….
Yeah, and she does look like she will throw down with just about anybody, and maybe not even charge.
…… NAAAHH!! She would charge. One way or the other.
Don’t forget the one with the slim dark-haired girl with giant tits humping a giant pizza. Gotta love that!
— and there are several others that show up from time to time
I haven’t seen that one yet, Buz. I will definitely be on the lookout for her, though.
Where is Mande? She caught a lot of shit but I found myself in agreement with her quite a bit.
Me too. I love her. I give her some shit sometimes but I love her. Would like to see her back again.
Two lesbians were discussing their respective partners. “Your wife looks a little on the heavy side.” “She’s heavy on every side!”
Rosie O’Donnell was discussing how hard it was to be famous
and also struggle with a weight problem. She was in a Baskin Robbins, just looking, and a woman asked, “Are you Rosie O’Donnell?” She said, “Yes.” “Oh, I didn’t know you were pregnant.” Rosie looked at her and said, “Yes, four and a half months.” The woman asked, “What are you going to name it?” “I don’t know. Either Ben or Jerry.”
” Now, whenever I hear either name or the words gay marriage, I’ll see that picture in my mind’s eye…”
When I hear the words “straight marriage” my mind usually wonders to those pictures posted on “The People of Wal-Mart” . . .
How could this article have ignored the lifting of the injunction against issuing licenses in SC v. Condon?
No need to wait until noon Thursday regardless of Wilson’s appeal to SCOTUS.
http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/South-Carolina-marriage-state-SCt-order-11-19-14.pdf
And, scene:
http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/South-Carolina-marriage-SCt-order-11-20-14.pdf
Why are you concentrating on women?You ain’t gonna get any from those trigger lickers.Maybe,here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-SJ078HJVQ
It never ceases to amaze how badly local g’ments want to get into other people’s pants.
It can’t be the water …
FITS acknowledged them as married, not civil unioned. Have they found an individual congregation in SC to recognize their marriage? Or does that not actually matter, as marriage is an individual’s right and not their church’s?
The French Hugenots are all over it.
BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSERVATIVE DO-GOODERS:
Flood YOUPORN, PORNHUB etc with videos of Condon/Bleccchhkley “Hot Lesbian Sex”. They’ll be out of business in no time.
Insta-reaction to photo at top:
OMG!!!
Teh gheys have stolen *our* children and our pets!!
I’m sure Bradacs is celebrating with Condon. You and your superficial bullshit gets very old.
With the dog…who is on top?
The couple with the children and dog present a much more palatable and acceptable image than the two slobs. The latter being what you expect to see in gay marriage. People should be free to do as they want but should consider the children and the way they will grow up. Mixed up parents make mixed up children that turn into mixed up adults. Has anyone done any research on middle aged children of gay couples ?
I don’t know, Rogue. Would they be any more effed up than those born to stupid rednecks or ghetto trash who have something like zero upbringing or no father figure at all in the family? Somehow I imagine the number of children growing up in these relationships with serious “issues” are very small in comparison with the numbers of stupid redneck and ghetto trash kids in the world with issues. If the child has love, discipline, and support (emotionally as well as basic needs and occasional wants), I would guess their chances for success in the world would be on a par with any other kids whose parents are widowed, divorced, or otherwise not still together.
True anecdote; about 25 years ago, I found myself in a casual and friendly conversation with a family of three while at a local shopping center. The femme mother, her teenage daughter, and the butch half of the relationship. The butch lady would have made The Rock look like a metrosexual. She had a numerous military-style tats and her clothing was all military style. My gut feeling was that she was not a member of Armed Forces but she had adopted that image. I recall her saying her CB handle was “Merc” (short for mercenary). The three were all very affable, but I couldn’t shake the vibe I got from the teenage daughter that she just wanted to go somewhere and hide. This could have been to do with the image her mom’s partner projected, perceptions of that day with regard to her mom’s orientation, a combination, or something else. From her mode of dress and appearance, I got the feeling the daughter was probably straight as it got. From brief comments made during the chance encounter and conversation, I also got the feeling the daughter was intelligent and had the potential to go places in the world and to make something of herself, something that is missing when talking to a lot of kids today from the trailer park, ghetto, or even suburban/Yuppie backgrounds. Whether or not she did, I will never know.
As they all were pleasant, likable people, I hope life went in a good direction for all of them.
You are more than likely correct. I just can’t get my head around gay anything. The single mom in the ghetto or trailer park are definitely worse off than a loving relationship between two people of the same sex. I was brought up believing the Bible where it called homosexuality a sin and abomination to God. If you look back through history, every empire that rose to greatness through battle and work went to hell when they embraced the gay lifestyle. It is already happening here. Between same sex everything , abortion, and un wed parents we are getting like dogs. Remember the four Fs of the animal world ? Fight , Flight, Feed and reproduce. Seems that is where we are headed. Just glad to be 67 and closer to the end than the beginning. Although I worry about my grandchildren.
B.S.! People who are “straight” like me don’t give a damn what a gay or transexual or lesbian couple look like. Neither does the law or the courts. If they did, a whole lot of butt-ugly rednecks would be on their own. FITS sure looks like an idiot on this one!
in 2006, the voters in sc overwhelmingly voted in favor of amendment 1, defining marriage between a man and a woman. 829360 to 234316. a judge overriding the will of the people isn’t any different than emporer obama issuing executive orders. again, the minority is trampling the majority. forget the voters, forget values and traditions.
I tend to ignore everything when someone uses the word “optics” in a political sense. And this article is dead wrong. Katie/Tracie were the lead couple referred to by The State articles today as well as NYT. I call straw man bullshit.
A few points to make here:
Sadly everything is tied to politics and money. Everyone who is gay and is involved politically even a little, knows the backstory here. SC Equality assumed this would be their issue solely and their cash cow. Instead of filing a suit a year and a half ago, they formed a “legal task force.” We all know that nothing is accomplished by a task force, yet they were fundraising and gaining a presence. Much like lobbyists, dragging issues out so their clients keep paying at least another session.
The Bradacs case was filed and they were pissed. Why? Because it wasn’t theirs. Instead of helping, they spent this time focusing on how to bring this case down and everyone involved with it. They have lied and pretended as though they were heading this, representing, etc. Even though they said from the start this was not the right couple for this. Again, for money, ownership of the issue and limelight.
They realized the Bradacs’ case was going to be won and since it wasn’t “their” case threw in the Condon’s and made sure Gergel got the case. Cast from the same ilk. Bottom line, they haven’t done any of the work or helped at all. Last minute knowing the Bradacs case was going to win any day, they found this couple, filed, played dirty with judges to get the right and “won.” So they won first, they will get the credit for it.
But the true heroes and trailblazers are those who were involved with Bradacs. The couple, the attorneys and friends. They were the ones who said fuck it, we are filing a suit against the state despite many personal risks, costs and time. In the beginning it was assumed by most that this would take many years and maybe decades to win equality. Some said it probably would never happen in SC. They fought anyway, and unexpectedly had to fight the hardest against the largest group in SC representing LGBT’s.
Lastly, much has been discussed about the superficial side of this. Who’s the prettiest? Yes, it shouldn’t matter but in our society it simply does. Much the same as recruiting and grooming a candidate. Most folks have untrue judgments and images of gays. Not every couple has a femme and a dyke, who take on the traditional gender roles. Most lesbians don’t fit your stereotypes. They are not the loud in-your-face overly aggressive women who look like men. Yet these are the ones that are heard and remembered and hurt the movement. These stereotypes need to be shattered. Katie and Tracie Bradacs and their family would help change untrue perceptions. You would never guess they are gay unless they told you because they “don’t look gay.”
“Katie and Tracie Bradacs and their family”
A charming group. I wish them the best of future. And they are an excellent public representation, as you and Will have stated..
Ugh, Colleen Condon, there goes my lunch appetite.