Video: PA State Senator Daylin Leach speaks on the Freedom to Marry
Posted on Feb 15, 2010 at 11:27 am
Pennsylvania State Senator Daylin Leach, a Freedom to Marry Voice for Equality, speaks in the Capitol building in Harrisburg on his bill, SB 935 that, if passed would honor the marriages of gay couples in Pennsylvania.
Proponents rally in support of Freedom to Marry bill for Pennsylvania
Posted on Feb 09, 2010 at 09:51 am
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette February 9, 2010
Proponents of the freedom to marry gathered on the steps of the PA Capitol rotunda Monday and chanted, "Pennsylvania can't you see -- what equality means to me." They were supporters of Senate Bill 935, by Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, which would honor the marriages of gay couples. Leach said laws outlawing marriage equality are "the last bastion of society-sanctioned discrimination." [Link]
Social issues dominate Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate
Posted on Feb 01, 2010 at 07:05 pm
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review January 29, 2010
The Democratic candidates for governor Friday night were sharply divided on the issue of legalizing the freedom to marry. Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel received applause from about 300 people gathered at the PA Progressive Summit when they said they support legislation to allow gays and lesbians to marry. [Link] See video below:
Pennsylvania courts to offer LGBT domestic-partner benefits
Posted on Jan 31, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Philadelphia Gay NewsJanuary 28, 2010
Employees of Pennsylvania’s court system who are in same-sex relationships will now be entitled to the same benefits as their heterosexual married counterparts. The domestic-partner policy, announced Jan. 29 to all employees through a memo with their paystubs, will allow the partners of gay and lesbian staffers to be included on the medical, dental, vision and prescription-drug plans currently offered to married heterosexual couples. [Link]
Freedom to Marry Week events in PA
Posted on Jan 27, 2010 at 08:35 am
Freedom to Marry Pennsylvania January 25, 2010
A listing of events going on in the state of Pennsylvania for Freedom to Marry Week. Cities listed include: Harrisburg, Allentown, Philadelphia and Pottsville. [Link]
Get involved and learn about Freedom to Marry Week here, and let us know about events planned in your area!
Community Engagement Campaign Visits Rural Communities to Establish Common Ground and Understanding
Posted on Nov 30, 2009 at 03:29 pm
Out In The Silence
November 30, 2009
Following the story of a small American town confronting a firestorm of controversy ignited by a wedding announcement for a same-sex couple in the local newspaper, the documentary, Out in the Silence, illustrates the challenges of being an outsider in a conservative rural community and the change that is possible when courageous people break the silence and search for common ground.
The OITS Community Engagement Campaign reports:
Upcoming screenings and discussion groups:
Charleston, SC - January 14, 2010
Lancaster, PA - January 17, 2010
Bloomington, IN - January 30, 2010
Harrisburg, PA - January 31, 2010
[Link]
November 30, 2009
Following the story of a small American town confronting a firestorm of controversy ignited by a wedding announcement for a same-sex couple in the local newspaper, the documentary, Out in the Silence, illustrates the challenges of being an outsider in a conservative rural community and the change that is possible when courageous people break the silence and search for common ground.
The OITS Community Engagement Campaign reports:
For the past six weeks, we've been crisscrossing Pennsylvania, and traveling to places like Iowa, Massachusetts, and Texas, doing screenings on high school and college campuses as well as in churches and community theaters, with the help of an amazing array of state and local organizations. At each event, there has been a diverse and lively audience ready to engage in dialogue and in the search for common ground on issues that have divided our communities for far too long.
Upcoming screenings and discussion groups:
Charleston, SC - January 14, 2010
Lancaster, PA - January 17, 2010
Bloomington, IN - January 30, 2010
Harrisburg, PA - January 31, 2010
[Link]
Specter Sixth Senator To Change Thinking On Marriage Equality
Posted on Oct 28, 2009 at 02:35 pm
ON TOP Magazine
October 28, 2009
While the five senators who changed their minds before Specter hail from states where marriage equality is legal or, in the case of New York, there is widespread support for it, polls indicate a majority of voters in Pennsylvania do not support the freedom to marry. [Link]
October 28, 2009
While the five senators who changed their minds before Specter hail from states where marriage equality is legal or, in the case of New York, there is widespread support for it, polls indicate a majority of voters in Pennsylvania do not support the freedom to marry. [Link]
Views Evolving…Place by Place, Issue by Issue, Person by Person
Posted on Oct 28, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Law Dork
October 27, 2009
Chris Geidner comments on Sen. Arlen Specter's (D-Pa.) new support of repealing the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and praises Specter's and some other politicians' evolving views on LGBT equality. [Link]
October 27, 2009
Chris Geidner comments on Sen. Arlen Specter's (D-Pa.) new support of repealing the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and praises Specter's and some other politicians' evolving views on LGBT equality. [Link]
PA Senator Arlen Specter: Time to Repeal DOMA
Posted on Oct 27, 2009 at 03:48 pm
The Huffington Post
October 27, 2009
Senator Arlen Specter addresses the 13-year-old so-called Defense of Marriage Act, saying it's time for it to be repealed:
October 27, 2009
Senator Arlen Specter addresses the 13-year-old so-called Defense of Marriage Act, saying it's time for it to be repealed:
Enacted 13 years ago when the idea of same sex marriage was struggling for acceptance, the Act is a relic of a more tradition-bound time and culture. [Link]
Marriage Debate Continues in Pennsylvania
Posted on Jul 29, 2009 at 07:45 pm
Edge Boston
July 29, 2009
Pennsylvania state Senator Daylin Leach [D-Montgomery/Delaware], who has introduced a bill that would honor the marriages of same-sex couples, says, "There is no reasonable alternative to the freedom to marry. Same-sex couples will always exist. Many are raising children. Attitudes are changing, and everyday I truly believe we get closer to equality." [Link]
July 29, 2009
Pennsylvania state Senator Daylin Leach [D-Montgomery/Delaware], who has introduced a bill that would honor the marriages of same-sex couples, says, "There is no reasonable alternative to the freedom to marry. Same-sex couples will always exist. Many are raising children. Attitudes are changing, and everyday I truly believe we get closer to equality." [Link]