Wikipedia Updates World Marriage Map

As I reported yesterday, Greenland's Parliament has voted to adopt Denmark's laws on same-sex marriage. That vote goes into effect on October 1st, prompting Wikipedia's map monitors to change Greenland's color to mustard, which means "pending." That tiny dot of dark green in the Middle East is Israel and if you squint you'll see that same-sex marriage is also pending in Nepal (although that bill has not yet been presented). Chile is apparently mustard-shaded because in February 2015 the government announced that it was formally dropping its opposition to same-sex marriage. Civil unions were signed into law by Chile's president last month and the marriage bill is expected soon.

One Last Marriage Map Change?

The last time Wikipedia updated its marriage map, I mused that it was probably the last change we'd see before SCOTUS rules. However following yesterday's stayed decision in Alabama, the map monitors have advanced the state from purple to mustard. In case you are wondering, it was back in January when Alabama went from red to sapphire.

NYPD Caught Making Dozens Of Edits To Wikipedia's Police Brutality Entries

Capital New York has the scoop:

Computers operating on the New York Police Department’s computer network at its 1 Police Plaza headquarters have been used to alter Wikipedia pages containing details of alleged police brutality, a review by Capital has revealed. “The matter is under internal review,” an NYPD spokeswoman, Det. Cheryl Crispin, wrote in an email to Capital after examples of the changes were presented to the NYPD.

The edits and changes were linked to the NYPD through a series of Internet Protocol addresses, or IP addresses, which can be publicly tracked by various websites. (Here, for example, is one website that shows a number of IP addresses registered to the NYPD.) IP addresses can locate where a computer is when it connects to the Internet.

Computer users identified by Capital as working on the NYPD headquarters' network have edited and attempted to delete Wikipedia entries for several well-known victims of police altercations, including entries for Eric Garner, Sean Bell, and Amadou Diallo. Capital identified 85 NYPD addresses that have edited Wikipedia, although it is unclear how many users were involved, as computers on the NYPD network can operate on the department’s range of IP addresses.

Hit the link for examples of the changes.

Wikipedia Map Introduces Purple States

The editors of Wikipedia's marriage equality page today introduced purple-shaded states to reflect the "complicated" situations in Kansas, Missouri, and Alabama.

Most counties in Alabama had issued same-sex marriage licenses for several weeks after a federal court legalized same-sex marriage, but all have stopped in response to a conflicting order by the state supreme court. However, the state court did not nullify same-sex marriage recognition. Many jurisdictions in Kansas issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but same-sex marriage is not recognized by the state government. Same-sex marriage licenses are issued by three jurisdictions within Missouri. Legal same-sex marriages are recognized by the state government. The state's same-sex marriage ban has been overturned, but the decision is stayed indefinitely.

What shade of purple should we call this? Pansy?

Alabama Joins The Sapphire States

Alabama Advances To Cerulean

Three color changes in three days. Is that a record?

Alabama Retreats To Red

Our insider at Wikipedia writes this morning to say that he was against advancing Alabama to sapphire on Friday, but was overruled by the other editors.

South Dakota Turns Mustard

And the number of red states shrinks again.

Mississippi Retreats To Goldenrod

As Mississippi no longer has a set date for its marriage stay to expire, the Wikipedia map monitors have retreated its color from cerulean to goldenrod. Or is it brown mustard?

South Carolina & Kansas Turn Sapphire

Not only has South Carolina joined the states displaying our favorite color, Wikipedia's marriage monitors have decided to remove the red stripes of shame from Kansas even though most counties continue to withhold marriage licenses and state agencies continue to refuse to recognize the marriages that have taken place.

Gov. Sam Brownback's administration will not make any policy changes to recognize same-sex couples while it defends the Kansas' gay marriage ban against a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Brownback spokeswoman Eileen Hawley said Wednesday. Hawley said all state agencies would "take the necessary legal actions once this issue is resolved." The U.S. Supreme Court said the state can't enforce its ban on same-sex marriages while the ACLU lawsuit proceeds through the courts. Some Kansas counties are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but others are not.

The agencies' refusal to recognize the marriages will prevent couples from changing their names on their driver's licenses and could affect such things as state income tax filings, The Wichita Eagle reported. "There are still cases under appeal in the courts, and the department will not do anything different until those are resolved," Department of Revenue spokeswoman Jeannine Koranda wrote in an e-mail. A Lawrence couple who were married Tuesday said they were turned away from a Department of Revenue office when one of them tried to change her last name on her driver's license.

Montana Joins The Sapphire States

Big Sky Country has already turned our favorite shade of blue, thanks to our sort of in-house Wikipedia marriage map monitor. Now we wait for the usual GOP flailing. Is this state #34 or can we not yet fully count Kansas?

South Carolina Earns Stripes Of Progress

Yesterday the Fourth Circuit Court refused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson's demand to continue the stay on same-sex marriages during his appeal. Almost simultaneously, a separate federal court ruled that South Carolina must recognize out-of-state marriages, prompting Wikipedia's marriage map monitor to apply the above blue stripes of progress. Late last night Wilson took his stay extension demand to SCOTUS. Barring action from that court, marriages will commence at noon tomorrow.

Red Stripes Of Shame For Kansas

Same-sex marriages commenced yesterday in Kansas following the three-day waiting period that began on Thursday. However nearly 100 of the state's 105 counties continue to refuse gay couples as state Attorney General Derek Schmidt presses his claim that last week's ruling only applies to two counties. Therefore, Wikipedia's marriage map monitor has regressed his map and applied the red stripes of shame.

Missouri Changes Its Stripes

Wikipedia's marriage map monitor, who decloaked this week as a JMG reader, has made a change to reflect the complicated situation in Missouri.

Missouri Changes Its Stripes

Map legend.

The Marriage Map Just Got Redder

Map legend.

Arizona Joins The Map Of Equality States

As there is no stay in this morning's ruling, the Wikipedia folks immediately updated their map. Notice, however, that Alaska has retreated to light blue. Now we wait to see what the Arizona attorney general and SCOTUS will do.

UPDATED: Wikipedia Marriage Map

West Virginia just went dark blue and Nevada should join the party this afternoon. Zoom, zoomity, zoom!

UPDATED: Wikipedia Marriage Map

UPDATE: JMG reader Bill directs us to the Flag Of Equal Marriage, which after today will be adding more stars.

Updated Wikipedia Marriage Map

Obviously, this map jumps the gun in several states - but it sure is nice to look at.