Arizona legalized gay marriage before SCOTUS. A decade later, its future is uncertain
Eight months before the SCOTUS decision, the Republican-dominated state of Arizona legalized same sex marriages, though the road to get there was rocky.
In 2006, Arizona voters turned down a measure that would prohibit same-sex marriage and civil unions. However, just two years later, a revised version of the proposal was brought before voters. The new bill defined that marriage in Arizona is only between a man and a woman.
Voters approved this measure with 56% in support, and it was enshrined in the state's constitution.
But this was not the end of the road for this issue. In 2013, a church in Tempe, a couple who had moved from California, and a pro bono lawyer helped spark the legal fight that led Arizona to legalize same-sex marriage, months before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled nationwide.This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Mary Jo Pitzl is joined by Republic editor Shaun McKinnon and LGBTQ+ rights advocate Sheila Kloefkorn to look back at the events that led to Arizona in 2014 joining the states that legally recognize gay marriage, and cast forward on what challenges remain.
As a reporter, Shaun covered the stories surrounding the fight for marriage equality before it was legal. He gives historical context to the case and reminds listeners what Arizona's political climate was like regarding same-sex marriage in 2013.
Sheila talks about advocacy work she did in the community, how it felt to be one of the first gay couples legally married in the state and how she's feeling about the safety of marriage equality in the U.S.
The best way to listen is to subscribe to The Gaggle on your favorite podcast app.
Note: The Gaggle is intended to be heard. But we also offer an AI transcript of the episode script. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.
Follow The Gaggle and all azcentral podcasts on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram.
Listen to The Gaggle : Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher
You can share your thoughts with us at 602-444-0804.
Reach producer Amanda Luberto at aluberto@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @amandaluberto and on Bluesky @amandaluberto.
Abby Bessinger assisted on production and you can reach her at abby.bessinger@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Same-sex marriage in Arizona: The road to legalization and what's next
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San Francisco Chronicle
39 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Supreme Court will take up a new case about which school sports teams transgender students can join
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Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq climb after better-than-expected jobs report
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The president said Powell "should resign immediately" in a social media post late Wednesday, ramping up an already intense White House pressure campaign. Investors are also on alert for fresh developments on the trade front, as countries race to beat the July 9 deadline for the resumption of sweeping tariffs. Trump's trade deal with Vietnam has boosted market sentiment and hopes for more agreements to fend off economic damage from tariffs. Read more: The latest on Trump's tariffs The US has lifted curbs on exports of chip design software to China, a sign of thawing in trade tensions between the world's top two economies. Shares of leading US providers of the software, Synopsys (SNPS) and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS), jumped in premarket trading. Meanwhile, the president's massive tax and spending bill is nearing a final vote after it cleared a key House procedural vote on Thursday. 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(DDOG) stock jumped 11% before the bell on Thursday after it was announced it would be joining the S&P 500. Datadog, which makes monitoring and analytic programs, will join the S&P 500 on July 9, replacing Juniper Networks, which was acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Robinhood (HOOD) stock fell over 1% in premarket trading following OpenAI's statement that Robinhood's sale of 'OpenAI tokens' will not give everyday consumers equity — or stock — in OpenAI, the company said in a post from its official newsroom account on X. Tripadvisor (TRIP) stock rose 6% before the bell following a report that activist investor Starboard Value has taken a stake of more than 9% in the travel review group. UK stocks and bonds bounced back from Wednesday's sharp selloff as Keir Starmer said Rachel Reeves will retain her role as finance minister for many years to come. The British prime minister was attempting to calm speculation about a possible exit of the chancellor of the Exchequer, after he failed to back a tearful Reeves in parliament on Wednesday. The yield on 30-year UK bonds dropped 10 basis points to 5.32%, coming back from a 19 basis point jump on Wednesday. The FTSE 250, which lists UK-focused stocks, moved up 0.5%. US Treasurys were also coming back after getting caught up in the UK gilt turmoil. The benchmark 10-year yield (^TNX) edged down roughly 2 basis points to 4.27% early on Thursday morning, while the 30-year yield (^TYX) slipped to around 4.79%. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. US stock markets will close early on Thursday, July 3, and trading will end at 1 p.m. ET. They will stay shuttered on July 4 for the Independence Day holiday. The stock market will reopen on Monday, July 7, at 9:30 a.m. ET. 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Oil prices slipped after posting their strongest gain in nearly two weeks, as investors monitored ongoing US trade negotiations and an upcoming OPEC+ meeting this weekend. Bloomberg reports: Brent (BZ=F) traded near $69 a barrel after surging by 3% on Wednesday, with West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) above $67. President Donald Trump said he had struck a trade deal with Vietnam, which would be just the third announced following agreements with the UK and China, before a July 9 deadline to reach accords. Crude has been buffeted in recent weeks, surging and collapsing along with perceived geopolitical risk in the Middle East, although volatility and volumes have fallen in recent days before Friday's US holiday. Focus is returning to trade talks, and the associated tariffs that threaten oil demand, as well as to Sunday's OPEC+ meeting, where the group is widely expected to agree on another bumper increase in supply quotas. 'While trade optimism provided a boost to oil prices, the sustainability of this move will likely be short-lived,' said Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy for ING Groep NV. 'OPEC+ is set to decide on August output levels this weekend, and so the market will probably be cautious about carrying too much risk into the US long weekend.' Read more here. US stocks rose Thursday morning after stronger-than-expected June jobs report that showed unemployment ticking down to 4.1%. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose about 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose 0.6%, after both indices closed at fresh record highs on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 0.3%. Tech led the gains in stocks Thursday, with Meta (META) and Amazon (AMZN) leading the "Magnificent Seven" Big Tech stocks higher. Meta rose over 2% after an analyst at investing firm Needham upgraded the stock to Hold from Underperform, citing its "strong" labor productivity. A stronger-than-expected June jobs report has traders scaling back bets on when the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next. Following the report, increasing bets on a July interest rate cut from the Fed reversed. Markets are now pricing in just a 5% chance the central bank lowers rates at its July meeting, down from a 24% chance seen a day prior, per the CME FedWatch Tool. Traders also grew more skeptical of a September move from the Fed, with markets now pricing in a 78% chance the Fed cuts by the end of its September meeting, down from a 94% chance seen a day prior. The June jobs report showed the US labor market remained more resilient than anticipated in the final month of the second quarter. The US economy added 147,000 nonfarm payrolls in June, more than the 106,000 expected by economists. The unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 4.1%. Economists had expected the unemployment rate to move higher, to 4.3%. In May, the US economy added 144,000 jobs while the unemployment held flat at 4.2%. Those figures were revised higher on Friday from a previously reported 139,000 job additions in May. Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban reports in today's Morning Brief: Read more here. Earnings: No notable earnings releases. Economic data: Nonfarm payrolls (June); Unemployment rate (June); Average hourly earnings; Average weekly hours worked (June); Labor force participation rate (June); Initial jobless claims (week ending June 28); Continuing claims (week ending May 24); Unit labor costs (first quarter final); S&P Global US Composite PMI (June final); ISM Services index (June); Federal Reserve Beige Book released; Durable goods orders (May final) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Investors are all smiles as 'Liberation Day' Part 2 looms June jobs report on deck as Fed rate cut bets heat up House vote moves Trump's megabill toward final vote US lifts chip design curbs on China in sign of thaw OpenAI condemns Robinhood's 'OpenAI tokens' Stock pickers shine, sniffing out value during market tumult Trump aims to shut trade loopholes China uses to evade tariffs Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Datadog, Inc. (DDOG) stock jumped 11% before the bell on Thursday after it was announced it would be joining the S&P 500. Datadog, which makes monitoring and analytic programs, will join the S&P 500 on July 9, replacing Juniper Networks, which was acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Robinhood (HOOD) stock fell over 1% in premarket trading following OpenAI's statement that Robinhood's sale of 'OpenAI tokens' will not give everyday consumers equity — or stock — in OpenAI, the company said in a post from its official newsroom account on X. Tripadvisor (TRIP) stock rose 6% before the bell following a report that activist investor Starboard Value has taken a stake of more than 9% in the travel review group. UK stocks and bonds bounced back from Wednesday's sharp selloff as Keir Starmer said Rachel Reeves will retain her role as finance minister for many years to come. The British prime minister was attempting to calm speculation about a possible exit of the chancellor of the Exchequer, after he failed to back a tearful Reeves in parliament on Wednesday. The yield on 30-year UK bonds dropped 10 basis points to 5.32%, coming back from a 19 basis point jump on Wednesday. The FTSE 250, which lists UK-focused stocks, moved up 0.5%. US Treasurys were also coming back after getting caught up in the UK gilt turmoil. The benchmark 10-year yield (^TNX) edged down roughly 2 basis points to 4.27% early on Thursday morning, while the 30-year yield (^TYX) slipped to around 4.79%. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. US stock markets will close early on Thursday, July 3, and trading will end at 1 p.m. ET. They will stay shuttered on July 4 for the Independence Day holiday. The stock market will reopen on Monday, July 7, at 9:30 a.m. ET. After that, the remaining holidays in 2025 observed by the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are: Read more here about the 10 stock market holidays in 2025. Software companies Synopsys (SNPS) and Cadence (CDNS) rose in premarket trading by over 5% after the US removed export restrictions on chip design software shipments to China, easing trade tensions between the two countries. China recently made concessions over its rare earth export controls. Synopsys, Cadence and Siemens said they will now restore access for their Chinese customers. These firms develop important electronic design automation tools used in chipmaking. The US also lifted licensing rules for ethane producers. Earlier restrictions were part of Trump's response to China blocking rare earth exports, which had disrupted supply chains for cars, aerospace and defence industries. Reuters reports: Read more here. Oil prices slipped after posting their strongest gain in nearly two weeks, as investors monitored ongoing US trade negotiations and an upcoming OPEC+ meeting this weekend. Bloomberg reports: Brent (BZ=F) traded near $69 a barrel after surging by 3% on Wednesday, with West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) above $67. President Donald Trump said he had struck a trade deal with Vietnam, which would be just the third announced following agreements with the UK and China, before a July 9 deadline to reach accords. Crude has been buffeted in recent weeks, surging and collapsing along with perceived geopolitical risk in the Middle East, although volatility and volumes have fallen in recent days before Friday's US holiday. Focus is returning to trade talks, and the associated tariffs that threaten oil demand, as well as to Sunday's OPEC+ meeting, where the group is widely expected to agree on another bumper increase in supply quotas. 'While trade optimism provided a boost to oil prices, the sustainability of this move will likely be short-lived,' said Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy for ING Groep NV. 'OPEC+ is set to decide on August output levels this weekend, and so the market will probably be cautious about carrying too much risk into the US long weekend.' Read more here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer challenges Lindsey Graham in SC Senate race
Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer is now in the race to oust U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. Bauer said in a news release Wednesday morning that he is running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, launching a primary challenge of the state's senior senator who reported he had more than $15 million in the bank at the end of last quarter. 'Lindsey Graham has lost his way, and South Carolinians deserve a true conservative fighter to represent them in the United States Senate – 100% guaranteed,' Bauer said in a statement. Bauer's formal entry into the primary race was first reported by The Associated Press. Bauer already has a WinRed fundraising page that includes a photo of him with President Donald Trump. Bauer's campaign news release touts that he was an early supporter of the president in 2016, and 'has stood firmly with Trump on every issue, including the border, the economy and draining the swamp.' The campaign also points to how Graham has had public disagreements with Trump, despite the senator and the president being frequent golfing partners and allies. 'The people of South Carolina are fed up with Lindsey Graham and are ready for a much-needed change,' Bauer said. Graham, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, has a 34% approval rating among all South Carolinians. Among Republicans he is at 55%, according to a poll released in May by Winthrop University. The Palmetto State's senior senator has faced primary challenges before, and multiple challengers helped split the anti-Graham vote. Since being elected to the Senate, Graham has clinched the nomination in each of his reelection campaigns without the need to go to a runoff. Graham's reelection also has been endorsed by Trump, who is popular among the Republican voting base in South Carolina. Graham also is being supported by Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. In May, Graham rolled out a finance committee with a list of more than 90 prominent donors in South Carolina. Republican strategist Chris LaCivita, who served as Trump's 2024 co-campaign manager, also is working on Graham's campaign as a senior adviser. In recent weeks, Graham was a key senator in its passage of the 'Big Beautiful Bill' that includes key Trump priorities such as making tax cuts from the president's first term permanent and increasing spending on border security, defense and energy production, according to CBS News. 'Andre Bauer has spent his career chasing titles to feed his ego, running for five different offices and even trying to leverage Senator Graham and the White House for an ambassadorship,' Graham spokeswoman Abby Zilch said in a statement. 'When that failed, he launched his sixth campaign — proving once again, this is all about Making Andre Great Again.' Bauer, who was lieutenant governor from 2003 to 2011, told the Washington Examiner last month that Trump has privately urged him to get back into politics. 'He's expressed confidence in me four or five times in a row that I've seen him,' Bauer told the Examiner, adding he has yet to speak to Trump about the Senate race. Alex Latchman, the executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, which works to elect Republicans to the U.S. Senate, worked on Trump's 2024 campaign in the early primary states. Latchman on X disputed Bauer's claim. 'This is bull----. I oversaw President Trump's South Carolina campaign and Andre was a massive pain in the a--,' Latchman posted. 'The (former) Lt. Governor thought President Trump's campaign was the Andre Bauer show.' Bauer was a member of the Trump's leadership team in the Palmetto State standing alongside Graham, McMaster, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, and U.S. Reps. Russell Fry, William Timmons and Joe Wilson. However, Bauer wasn't on the stage with Trump on the night of the South Carolina presidential primary. Bauer ran for governor in 2010, and finished fourth in the Republican primary election. He also ran for U.S. House in 2012, but lost in a Republican runoff against eventual U.S. Rep. Tom Rice in the 7th Congressional District. Graham already had two primary challengers. Businessman Mark Lynch, of Greenville, has been in the race since February and put in $5 million of his own money boost his bid. Ethan Holliman, of Conway, also has filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to run as a Republican for the seat and has loaned his campaign $20,000.
