Marriage: No Appeal, Govt To Ensure Compliance

May 10, 2017

The Government acknowledges the Supreme Court ruling handed down on Friday and will not lodge an appeal and “will implement the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the judgment,” Minister of Home Affairs Patricia Gordon Pamplin said this morning.

Same Sex Marriage TC May 10 2017

This follows after Winston Godwin and Greg DeRoche filed a legal challenge after their marriage application was declined by Bermuda’s Registrar-General, and the court made a landmark ruling in their favour paving the way for same sex couples to be married in Bermuda, with the Court’s conclusion stating that “common law discriminates against same-sex couples by excluding them from marriage.”

The Minister said, “The Government acknowledges the Supreme Court ruling handed down on Friday last and upon legal advice, we have determined that we will not lodge an appeal against the judgment.

“While we accept that wide spread support of this very sensitive and emotive issue of marriage equality is difficult to achieve, we do, however, recognize that as a community we must be able to have open and honest conversations which help to encourage awareness, understanding, tolerance and respect for one another.

“We will abide by the decision of the judiciary, and will implement the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the judgment.”

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Comments (48)

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  1. Reality Check 2017 says:

    aka cop out from the OBA Government…they didn’t want to deal with it as a group and now they will just say, “well, the judiciary did it”

    No leadership

    • Bda Gal says:

      Reality Check needs a political reality check.

      • Reality Check 2017 says:

        @Bda Gal:

        Your comment is obviously lacking any true understanding of purpose or context…My statement dealt very clearly with the present government…nobody stated that the former government didn’t do any better…Your colours are showing

        • Just the facts says:

          No, Reality Check, you need to check the calendar and get with the times! This is 2017. Get with the program – or are you still traveling by horse and buggy, shopping at the General Store?
          Sit down.

          • OMG!!!!!!!! says:

            As a Male no amount of time will ever make me want sleep with another male!!!!!!!!!!

            • Bdarock says:

              That’s exactly right , and that’s the whole point . No amount of time would make a gay man happy with a woman , and vice -versa . Everybody deserves the right to be happy with whoever makes them happy .

            • bdaboy says:

              “As a Male no amount of time will ever make me want sleep with another male!!!!!!!!!!”

              You’re overwhelmingly confused by this.

            • Onion Juice says:

              Damn skippy.
              No pun intended.

            • Mike Hind says:

              That’s fine. No one is asking you.

          • Reality Check 2017 says:

            Did you even read what I said? Seriously?

            My issue is with the government’s lack of response/action – - Where in my post did I even speak about same sex marriage? Where?

            You don’t even know if I was a support or not, based on my post – - so my advice to you @Just the facts – is to get real and stop being an idiot.

    • Union Man says:

      Great leadership. They will waste no more time and money on this.

      • Reality Check 2017 says:

        @Union Man:

        Do you know the meaning of the word, correct? “Leadership” is defined as “the action of leading a group of people or an organization” – - – so how is doing nothing equate to leadership? The concept requires action – there was none in this case – plain and simple.

      • Frosty says:

        If it was great leadership, they wouldn’t have ever been in the position to “waste no more time and money on this”, as you just stated. Poor leadership is what this was. Better yet, lack of leadership is a better description.

      • blankman says:

        While it’s the right decision the only reason that they had to decide whether or not to appeal was that they never demonstrated any leadership in the first place. If they’d simply done the right thing and legalized same-sex marriage in the first place they wouldn’t have had to let the courts rule on it.

    • Mike Hind says:

      How is allowing an end to injustice and discrimination “no leadership”?
      Yes, they should have led the way on this, but this instance is one of the few examples of them doing the right thing and standing up (or sitting down!) for what’s right.

      • Reality Check 2017 says:

        @Mike:

        They didn’t do anything that’s my reason for stating that there was no leadership on the issue….the outcome is not what I am discussing – love is love…but lack of leadership is clear.

    • Sara says:

      Didn’t the government put out a referendum? I recall not enough people went out to vote on it to call it either way. Therefore logic dictates that Bermuda is pretty much split down the middle. So therefore, the Supreme Court was forced to rule in favor of human rights.

      • Just the facts says:

        Thank you Sara! Clearly a severe case of Selective Memory Syndrome for a few of the Haters on here today.
        Let it go Haters – get on with your own miserable lives.

        • Torch says:

          Government reluctantly held referendum to meet European Court requirements. Then sabotaged the outcome by saying it was non-binding and then the premier infered how to vote. By saying how he was voting.

    • Agreed says:

      Good answer,Reality Check

  2. Interested Party says:

    Oh come on!!! This is what the Govt wanted all along. It’s an election year – let somebody else (in this case the good Judge) make the unpopular decision….
    Of course, they’re not going to appeal. The correct thing has been accomplished and no backlash come voting time.

    • Portia says:

      There will definitely be backlash at the polls, guaranteed. The court may have made the ultimate decision but it was the OBA who made it possible for them to do so in the first place, and they did it through gross deception.

      • serengeti says:

        So what do you think the PLP would do about this if elected?

      • Mike Hind says:

        You mean the court actually followed the law and ended discrimination against excluded Bermudians, right?

      • Politricks says:

        Go on and prove your bigotry and show how proud you are of your intolerance.

        • Daylily says:

          Bigotry is intolerance of other people’s views, which would make everyone on this comment thread a bigot.

          • Mike Hind says:

            Nope. Just you.

            It’s not your views that we have a problem with, as you know, because this has been explained to you repeatedly, it’s the fact that you think those views should be used to hurt other people.

            And that is wrong. Even you agree that someone’s personal views shouldn’t be used to hurt someone else. You just don’t have a problem with it in this instance because you are the one whose views are being used to hurt.

            That’s bigoted.

  3. John doe says:

    They just want votes

    • Union Man says:

      Obviously they want votes, so does any party. This also happens to be the right thing to do. Win win.

  4. Joe Bloggs says:

    “We will abide by the decision of the judiciary, and will implement the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the judgment.”

    That is a pleasant surprise

  5. wahoo says:

    Well how about that, a political party that abides by de law.

  6. Born in 81 says:

    So you telling me that it’s OK for my sons to see all this in a public. This should go down as indecent exposure in my books. Why can you all just leave it at home. Do you know how much this will effect the future? #readytomoveoutthisidland

    • Just the facts says:

      Ok, first of all, I will gladly help you pack for your move.
      Secondly, this “future” you speak of started happening everywhere else in the world about 20 years ago. Get with the times.
      Thirdly, God help you when you find out your precious little sons are going to school with a few transgender children! GASP right???!!
      Get over it and start packing your s*** – don’t forget to take your hatred of others and of yourself with you.
      #goodriddance.

      • Daylily says:

        This future hasn’t happened “everywhere else in the world” only @ 23 out of 193 countries have SSM. Mostly Western Europe and culturally similar countries. 170 countries do not have SSM and many have fortified marriage.

        • Mike Hind says:

          Yup. And more and more all the time!

          You won’t be able to try this ad populum logical fallacy for too much longer.

    • Born in 66 says:

      #checkyoulater

    • Just the Tip says:

      So you feel the same way about carnival as well right? And where are you going to move to? The US? Canada? UK? They all have marriage equality already.

    • Mike Hind says:

      See what in public?
      And how will it effect the future?

    • bdaboy says:

      aww, poor snowflake.

      Please leave, Iran would welcome you.

    • Disgusted says:

      Might as well legalise guns,,,no difference (bible)

    • blankman says:

      What are your sons going to “see in public” that they don’t see with hetero couples?

    • Toronto who loves Bermuda! says:

      Canada has had same sex marriage since 2005 and has not affected the lives of anyone especially those so called Christian’s who should look in their own closets before judging anyone else. Respect is given to those who respect others, don’t need God to teach me that, it’s how I was brought up by my parents who loved me for who I am! Straight, gay, black, white, Asian, Muslim, atheist, Catholic, whatever….

    • Mike Hind says:

      This is what SO frustrating about these conversations.

      You either have folks like “Born in 81″ whompost some bigoted nonsense then run away or folks like “Daylily who justpost the same bigoted lies over and over, even though they’ve been shown to be wrong time and again.

      Why can’t you guys try to be honest and show some sort of integrity?

    • bdaboy says:

      “So you telling me that it’s OK for my sons to see all this in a public. ”

      tell your ‘boys’ to man up, stop being such delicate fairies. Too bad their parents are so weak and bigoted.

  7. Myrtha R Santiago says:

    The final judgment is no more and no less than an unquestionable principle and respect to individual’s right in the pursue of happinness and there should be no questioning or banning to it.

  8. Bdarock says:

    I also would like to have seen our elected MPs show leadership in ending this discrimination . However , the issue has in fact come to a proper conclusion , and for that I am grateful . The gay men and women of Bermuda who will benefit from this ruling are our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters , friends and neighbors . It is time we stopped treating them like second class people because of something they cannot possibly change , and extended them the same legal recognition and protection we all enjoy .

  9. Aware says:

    The debate is over. Regardless of which opinion you hold, let’s all move on and focus on the future.