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Gay Judge Refuses To Perform Marriage Cermonies
A gay judge in Texas has refused to marry heterosexual couples until there is marriage equality in her state, saying she finds it “oxymoronic” to perform a ceremony that cannot be performed for her.
Parker (pictured) told assembled guests at Stonewall Democrats of Dallas meeting last week, "I don't perform marriage ceremonies because we are in a state that does not have marriage equality and until it does, I'm not going to partially apply the law to one group of people that doesn't apply to another group of people."
"And it's kind of oxymoronic for me to perform ceremonies that can't be performed for me, so I'm not going to do it."
She went on to say that she when she turns a couple away, she uses the opportunity to teach them a lesson about equality.
ABC reports that Judge Tonya Parker is the first LGBT person elected as a judge in Dallas and is believed to be the first openly gay African-American elected official in the state's history.
A spokeswoman for the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct said the commission had no comment on Judge Parker's position.