[Amicus]

A Massachusetts case is winding its away through the federal court system that could conceivably strike down the Clinton-Era Defense of Marriage Act. I cannot remember the case name or the gender of the couple involved but the case goes something like this: A couple resides in Massachusetts and gets married in a ceremony recognized by the commonwealth. One member of the couple is a federal employee. The couple is denied spousal benefits due to DOMA. The couple sued to get spousal benefits. A federal court judge in Massachusetts agreed with the couple. The case is going to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

With the election of a new governor, I suspect Rhode Island will be the next state to approve gay marriage. I believe that the speaker of the lower house of the Rhode Island legislature is an out gay man; the outgoing governor is opposed to gay marriage. Depending on the gubernatorial election in Hawaii, the Aloha State could extend domestic partnerships to civil unions in 2011; again the outgoing governor vetoed civil union legislation.

Consentual incest is permitted in Spain, France and Belgium. Romania voted down such a measure earlier this year.