A Note from Evan Wolfson
Click HERE to read the rest of Evan’s Note regarding the current national discussion about the so-called “Federal Marriage Amendment.”
You can also download Stand Up for Our Constitution, Freedom to Marry's primer on the importance of protecting our nation's precious charter of freedom.
Follow developments in the movement for marriage equality on our website, and in future issues of Freedom to Marry's bi-monthly E-Update.
Reports from the Front
Georgia's discriminatory amendment declared unconstitutional
A judge struck down Georgia's anti-gay constitutional amendment passed in the 2004 wave of attacks that are part of the right-wing's ongoing campaign state by state. The court noted that the sweeping amendment would have barred marriage and all other family protections for Georgia's gay citizens, and said this stampede to discriminate violated the "single subject" rule requiring that an amendment address only one matter, to assure fair and informed consideration by voters.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance C. Russell ruled: "[T]he test of law is not its popularity. Procedural safeguards such as the single subject rule rarely enjoy popular support. But, ultimately it is those safeguards that preserve our liberties, because they ensure that the actions of government are constrained by the rule of law."
Read more about this case from Freedom to Marry's partner organization, Georgia Equality.
To read the full text of the ruling, click here .
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and Freedom to Marry denounce Howard Dean's misrepresentations of the Democrats' position on marriage equality
In an appearance on Christian Broadcasting Network News, Democratic Party chair Howard Dean mischaracterized the 2004 Democratic platform, claiming it declared that "marriage is between a man and a woman." In fact, the forward-looking platform actually states, "We support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of our nation and seek equal responsibility, benefits, and protections for these families," while several state parties have also explicitly endorsed ending discrimination in marriage.
Dean's misrepresentation prompted the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force to return a $5,000 donation from the Democratic National Committee. "We need for Governor Dean to demonstrate real leadership on our issues," executive director Matt Foreman said in an interview, "not to equivocate depending on the audience."
Read Dean's latest explanation and apology in this Advocate interview.
The Latest News
For the latest news, opinions, and polls, including these articles, check out our website.
Sen. Feingold walks out as Marriage Amendment hearing moved behind closed doors
PageOneQ
May 18, 2006
Senator Feingold's Office issued a statement in which the Senator said, "Today's markup of the constitutional amendment concerning marriage, in a small room off the Senate floor with only a handful of people other than Senators and their staffs present, was an affront to the Constitution."
When discrimination is a religious virtue and civil equality an “anti-religious” attack
Online Journal
May 17, 2006
"History is replete with those who thought they alone knew how everyone should be and live, and what should govern 'civil equality.' They always failed in their campaigns of discrimination and bigotry."
Anti-gay issue fails to make 2006 ballot in CA
Out in Stockton
May 16, 2006
For the second time in a year, California conservative activists have failed to qualify a measure to write discrimination into the state constitution for the statewide ballot, according to Equality for All, the statewide campaign to defeat such measures.
