Blog
Waves of change swept away bid against gay people’s marriages
Posted on Jun 17, 2007 at 03:44 pm
The Boston Globe
June 17, 2007
Over the years, one legislator after another moved into the pro-marriage equality camp, or at least into the anti-amendment one. Some did so after immense personal struggles over the issue; some after they discovered that switching sides had few electoral costs. In 2004, the year of the most impassioned debate over gay and lesbian marriages, all of the lawmakers who switched their positions to oppose the ban were reelected, even though supporters of the amendment had warned them of bruising battles and certain defeat. [Link]
June 17, 2007
Over the years, one legislator after another moved into the pro-marriage equality camp, or at least into the anti-amendment one. Some did so after immense personal struggles over the issue; some after they discovered that switching sides had few electoral costs. In 2004, the year of the most impassioned debate over gay and lesbian marriages, all of the lawmakers who switched their positions to oppose the ban were reelected, even though supporters of the amendment had warned them of bruising battles and certain defeat. [Link]
WA woman shares tale of denial at bedside of her dying partner
Posted on Jun 17, 2007 at 11:53 am
The Olympian
June 17, 2007
Four months ago, Lacey resident Janice Langbehn, her partner Lisa Pond and their children Katie, David and Danielle, ages 10 to 13, were set for a relaxing cruise from Miami to the Bahamas. But Pond, Langbehn's partner for nearly 18 years, was stricken in Miami with a brain aneurysm and died. After Pond was taken to the emergency room, Langbehn said she was informed by a social worker that they were in an "anti-gay state" and that they needed legal paperwork before Langbehn could see Pond. The family was not allowed to be with her in the emergency room, and Langbehn's authority to make decisions for Pond was not recognized. [Link]
June 17, 2007
Four months ago, Lacey resident Janice Langbehn, her partner Lisa Pond and their children Katie, David and Danielle, ages 10 to 13, were set for a relaxing cruise from Miami to the Bahamas. But Pond, Langbehn's partner for nearly 18 years, was stricken in Miami with a brain aneurysm and died. After Pond was taken to the emergency room, Langbehn said she was informed by a social worker that they were in an "anti-gay state" and that they needed legal paperwork before Langbehn could see Pond. The family was not allowed to be with her in the emergency room, and Langbehn's authority to make decisions for Pond was not recognized. [Link]
BLOG: Surging past WA on gay rights: CA, MA, OR… and Colombia?
Posted on Jun 16, 2007 at 03:07 pm
The Stranger's Blog
June 16, 2007
Dan Savage writes, "The Washington State domestic partnership law includes the right to inherit property in the absence of a will but it does not mandate health insurance coverage for DPs or social security benefits (which are, unfortunately, in the hands of the feds). Still, if they're passing laws in Colombia—Colombia!—that go farther than Washington's DP law, we can and should do better, and demand more, during the next legislative session." [link]
June 16, 2007
Dan Savage writes, "The Washington State domestic partnership law includes the right to inherit property in the absence of a will but it does not mandate health insurance coverage for DPs or social security benefits (which are, unfortunately, in the hands of the feds). Still, if they're passing laws in Colombia—Colombia!—that go farther than Washington's DP law, we can and should do better, and demand more, during the next legislative session." [link]
A way to keep domestic partner benefits in MI
Posted on Jun 15, 2007 at 04:27 pm
Inside Higher Ed
June 15, 2007
Michigan's public colleges and universities were barred by a state appeals court in February from offering health and other benefits to the same-sex domestic partners of employees. So Michigan State University is trying another tack: extending benefits to people it labels "other eligible individuals." [Link]
June 15, 2007
Michigan's public colleges and universities were barred by a state appeals court in February from offering health and other benefits to the same-sex domestic partners of employees. So Michigan State University is trying another tack: extending benefits to people it labels "other eligible individuals." [Link]
Straight Rabbi at gay shul set to be not-quite-married
Posted on Jun 15, 2007 at 04:07 pm
New York Magazine
June 15, 2007
"This is one of the major social injustices of our time," Rabbi Ayelet Cohen said. "I cannot, in good conscience, participate in a system that actively excludes and discriminates against same-sex couples" — including her 4,000 congregants. [Link]
June 15, 2007
"This is one of the major social injustices of our time," Rabbi Ayelet Cohen said. "I cannot, in good conscience, participate in a system that actively excludes and discriminates against same-sex couples" — including her 4,000 congregants. [Link]
Personal stories changed minds
Posted on Jun 15, 2007 at 03:49 pm
The Boston Globe
June 15, 2007
The urgency, and power, of telling your stories, supporting public education efforts, and talking about why marriage matters: Representative Richard J. Ross, a Republican from Wrentham, had a revelation Wednesday afternoon after meeting with a gay Republican who presented him with this challenge: As director of his family's funeral home, Ross had surely treated every family the same, no matter what their race, religion, or sexual orientation. So why would he do anything else in his other job, as a lawmaker? [Link]
June 15, 2007
The urgency, and power, of telling your stories, supporting public education efforts, and talking about why marriage matters: Representative Richard J. Ross, a Republican from Wrentham, had a revelation Wednesday afternoon after meeting with a gay Republican who presented him with this challenge: As director of his family's funeral home, Ross had surely treated every family the same, no matter what their race, religion, or sexual orientation. So why would he do anything else in his other job, as a lawmaker? [Link]
Marking the Loving anniversary
Posted on Jun 14, 2007 at 03:54 pm
The Bay Area Reporter
June 14, 2007
Evan Wolfson, the founder of Freedom to Marry, said, "America is involved in a civil rights conversation right now across kitchen tables, courts, and legislatures as people grapple with the questions we have addressed here today. It begins with understanding that real people's lives are at stake."
[Link]
June 14, 2007
Evan Wolfson, the founder of Freedom to Marry, said, "America is involved in a civil rights conversation right now across kitchen tables, courts, and legislatures as people grapple with the questions we have addressed here today. It begins with understanding that real people's lives are at stake."
[Link]
One lawmaker, in her own words, who changed her vote in MA
Posted on Jun 14, 2007 at 03:51 pm
The Boston Globe
June 14, 2007
"For me, what all this comes down to is this: Same gendered couples are taxpaying, law-abiding citizens, who are important community contributors, well-loved and well-respected by their families, friends, neighbors and employers. They deserve and are entitled to the same legal protections enjoyed by all others citizens of our state." [Link]
June 14, 2007
"For me, what all this comes down to is this: Same gendered couples are taxpaying, law-abiding citizens, who are important community contributors, well-loved and well-respected by their families, friends, neighbors and employers. They deserve and are entitled to the same legal protections enjoyed by all others citizens of our state." [Link]
Poll: Marriage not an issue for NH Republicans
Posted on Jun 13, 2007 at 03:28 pm
365Gay.com
June 13, 2007
The poll asked likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire, "In your opinion, which one issue is most important to your vote in the presidential primary? Which is next most important? What is the third most important?" It found that the war in Iraq topped the list at 36 percent, followed by illegal immigration at 11 percent and then the economy at 9 percent. Marriage for gay and lesbian couples was 17th on the list with the number of replies too low to measure. [link]
June 13, 2007
The poll asked likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire, "In your opinion, which one issue is most important to your vote in the presidential primary? Which is next most important? What is the third most important?" It found that the war in Iraq topped the list at 36 percent, followed by illegal immigration at 11 percent and then the economy at 9 percent. Marriage for gay and lesbian couples was 17th on the list with the number of replies too low to measure. [link]
API Faith Leaders Speak Out in Support of Equality
Posted on Jun 07, 2007 at 09:53 pm
Rev. Yoshii pledged his support for LGBT persons and their families as well. He said that the issue is a personal one for API clergy. "We know about laws that have been used against us, to exclude us to, marginalize us, to not grant us civil rights," Rev. Yoshii explained. "That's why we come and stand in support of (the marriage rights) of same-sex couples." [Link]