The Latest Marriage Equality News from Freedom to Marry

Irish gay groups join forces to push equality agenda

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:07:48 -0500

Pink News
January 9, 2008
Lesbian and gay rights activists in Ireland are to come together on a short-term campaigning platform entitled "100 Days for Equality." The Irish government is expected to bring forward proposals for a form of civil partnerships in the EU nation at the end of March. The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) and the National Lesbian & Gay Federation (NLGF) are to join forces with new direct action group LGBT Noise and MarriagEquality, a group campaigning for full civil marriage for same sex couples.

The Words "Moral Values" Mean Very Different Things to the Public and to Pundits

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 14:18:42 -0500

Harris Interactive
January 9, 2008
A Harris poll conducted in December 2007 showed a large majority of those who say moral values are very important in their voting choices are thinking about the characters of the candidates not their positions on controversial issues.

Albany church panel: Is gay marriage different?

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 09:55:52 -0500

Times Union
January 9, 2008
Two pastors supportive of marriage equality held a forum in Albany, N.Y. to have a theological discussion about the current and historical purposes of marriage.

Gay relationships don't affect mine

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 17:24:27 -0500

Statesman Journal
January 7, 2008
I can't understand how a gay couple who chose to get married is going to affect my marriage. We have been married 54 years. We lived across from a gay couple, we have friends who are gay, we have worked with gay people and never once have I considered getting a divorce! What is the connection?

New Year, New Unions for Gay Couples

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 15:40:13 -0500

New York Times
January 1, 2008
Dozens of gay and lesbian couples entered into civil unions in New Hampshire in the early moments of New Year's Day as a new state law legalized the partnerships after midnight.

No civil unions, only civil protests

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 15:17:00 -0500

The Oregonian
January 2, 3008
Hundreds crammed into a Portland community center and spilled onto the rainy street Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil to lament a court ruling that blocks Oregon's civil unions law.

The Conservative Case For Gay Marriage (Again)

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 15:14:08 -0500

The Daily Dish
December 29, 2007
If you can make the leap to seeing gay people as the equal of straight people, then encouraging their marriages to one another is arguably one of the most socially conservative measures now subject to national debate.

Same-Sex Divorce Challenges the Legal System

Tue, 8 Jan 2008 15:12:13 -0500

Washington Post
January 2, 2008
"One of the benefits of marriage is divorce," said Joyce Kauffman, a Boston divorce lawyer who has handled a dozen same-sex divorce cases. "But for a lot of couples, that benefit is very complicated and very costly in ways that heterosexual couples would never have to experience."

MERI is hiring!

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 17:09:39 -0500

Marriage Equality Rhode Island is currently seeking an entrepreneurial Director of Development and Communications to raise money, develop and manage donor relationships, and direct and implement the organization's communications strategies and public relations activities.

To apply please send a cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to:
Jenn Steinfeld, Director
Marriage Equality Rhode Island
99 Bald Hill Rd.
Cranston, RI 02920
jsteinfeld [at] MarriageEqualityRI.org

NH Civil Union Couples Tie the Knot, But Won't Get Same Benefits as Married Couples

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 17:02:28 -0500

New Hampshire Public Radio
January 1, 2008
Civil unions became legal in New Hampshire as the clock struck midnight New Years Eve. As many same sex couples held ceremonies and celebrated, others were shocked to discover they won’t get the same benefits afforded to married couples.

Daily Kos: Why Yes, Marriage Matters

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 16:43:29 -0500

Daily Kos
December 28, 2007
This piece shows clearly and plainly, with a real life example, why it is necessary to push for marriage. Why, it is said, aren't civil unions, or domestic partnerships, or some other arrangement sufficient? Why must we antagonize people by pressing for full entry into the institution of marriage?

Little Girl, Big Voice

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 16:40:23 -0500

Journal Inquirer
December 24, 2007
Rebecca Lazarus -- or "Becca" as she likes to be called -- is a fighter, and she's already had more experience with activism at age 13 than most 50-somethings managed to accrue during the Vietnam War era. In her battle for the legalization of same-sex marriage, Rebecca has been interviewed on National Public Radio, has spoken in front of several support groups, created a Connecticut chapter of COLAGE, which stands for Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere, and spoke in February at a news conference at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

Already A Family, But Marriage Would Make It Complete

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 16:20:33 -0500

Hartford Courant
December 30, 2007
Susan Campbell of the Hartford Courant presents a portrait of the daily family life of the lead plaintiff couple, and their twin boys, in the landmark marriage-equality case which was argued in front of the Connecticut Supreme Court in May 2007. A decision in the case is expected at any time. Campbell writes, "At issue is whether marriage applies to all citizens, or if it's an institution reserved strictly for heterosexuals. The state of Connecticut currently offers civil unions -- marriage lite -- but civil unions don't go far enough, and separate is never equal."

Finance whiz: Civil rights more important than a good economy

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 15:28:35 -0500

PageOneQ
January 3, 2008
CNBC star, money management expert and best-selling author Suze Orman tells CNN's Larry King that the economy is important, but she'd rather have a president in office that recognizes the need for equal partnership rights for same-sex couples.
[Video and transcript included]

Marriage decision may split state Democrats

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 15:27:54 -0500

Business Gazette
December 20, 2007
Marriage equality advocates in Maryland are gearing up to take the fight to the state legislature; Equality Maryland says the two biggest challenges are "political skittishness by some legislators and general ignorance about the issue."

EDITORIAL: Proposed Anti-Marriage Amendment Unneeded, Insulting

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 15:26:52 -0500

South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 20, 2007
Let's call this proposed state constitutional ban on gay marriage exactly what it is: unneeded, divisive, and a transparent attempt to get out the ultra-conservative vote.

Anti-marriage amendment faces pivotal year

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 15:24:15 -0500

Indianapolis Star
December 31, 2007
Back to the drawing board -- or on to the voters. By the time the 2008 legislative session ends in March, one of those two fates awaits a proposed amendment to Indiana's Constitution that would write discrimination into the state constitution.

PODCAST: Tom Little on the recent VT marriage hearings

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 13:33:23 -0500

Vermont Public Radio
December 19, 2007
Vermont Public radio interviews Commission on Family Recognition chair Tom Little for a progress report on the ongoing hearings addressing a move from civil unions to full marriage. He talks about the people who have come forward to talk at the hearings as overwhelmingly supportive of the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples.

Packed room supports the freedom to marry in VT

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 13:31:33 -0500

The Barre Montpelier Times Argus
December 19, 2007
A packed room of eager supporters came out to testify as a Vermont Legislature-backed commission considering expanding marriage to include gay and lesbian couples held its first public hearing in the political capitol of the state. Members of the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection heard only statements of support for moving past civil unions to marriage equality during the two-hour hearing at Montpelier's Statehouse.

Immigration law divides gay couples

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 13:24:57 -0500

Denver Post
December 31, 2007
Since 1965, U.S. immigration policy has had a clearly stated priority: "family reunification." In the past five years alone, this policy has enabled the legal spouses of 1.3 million Americans to gain permanent legal residency here. But for the 35,820 U.S. citizens counted by the 2000 census as living with same-gender partners from other countries -- nearly half with children -- this provision does not apply.

Gay rights advocate makes case to black community

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 13:19:58 -0500

Boston Globe
January 6, 2008
MassEquality, a marriage equality advocacy coalition, has launched a statewide push to increase support for its cause among black residents of Massachusetts. The effort is a priority for David Wilson, an African-American who was named the group's chairman in October.

Bills Pursued to Gain Rights Piece by Piece

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 13:05:43 -0500

Washington Post
January 6, 2008
As they gear up for their campaign for marriage equality in Maryland, gay rights advocates are broadening their strategy to pursue a range of legal rights now denied gay couples. Advocates and lawmakers say their goal is indisputably a law ending the exclusion of same-sex couples and their families from marriage. But as they seek such a law in the General Assembly session that starts Wednesday, they plan to also propose legislation that would move toward fairness by providing same-sex couples and their families such protections and responsibilities as property ownership, inheritance, medical and end-of-life decisions and other benefits of marriage.

BLOG: Home

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 12:52:52 -0500

Journal of the Plague Year
January 4, 2008
A non-gay ally comments on upcoming Freedom to Marry Week and why people should support the week and the freedom to marry: "A few weeks back, I received an e-mail from an organization I support -- Freedom to Marry, which promotes equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples -- asking this question: What would I be doing to mark the 11th Annual Freedom to Marry Week, Feb. 10-16, 2008?... Gay or straight, everybody ought to be able to play by the same rules, have the same legal protections and be required to live up to the same obligations. That’s what that whole equality thing is all about."

Marriage decision may split MD Democrats

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:42:19 -0500

The Gazette
December 20, 2007
"I think that marriage equality will mirror every contentious social issue that the Democratic Party faces. This is a flashpoint issue," Furmansky said. "These elected officials are sent to Annapolis to make life better for all of their constituents, and they need to address the problems that same-sex couples face because they’re treated like legal strangers."

PODCAST: Tom Little on the recent VT marriage hearings

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:19:59 -0500

Vermont Public Radio
December 19, 2007
Vermont Public radio interviews Commission on Family Recognition chair Tom Little for a progress report on the ongoing hearings addressing a move from civil unions to full marriage. He talks about how people come forward to talk at the hearings as overwhelmingly supportive of the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples.

Gearing up for battle in FL

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:05:46 -0500

Washington Blade
December 19, 2007
Activists are gearing up to oppose the proposed Florida anti-marriage amendment. While some express hope that non-gay retirees will believe the amendment will harm them, Freedom to Marry's Evan Wolfson advises activists to explicitly support marriage equality with a steady drumbeat of local faces and voices. Wolfson said opponents of the amendment must make it clear to Floridians that the fight isn't about lofty ideological arguments, but that, if approved, the amendment will hurt same-sex couples and their children in practical, everyday ways.

LGBTs need to step up in marriage fight

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:47:04 -0500

The Bay Area Reporter
December 20, 2007
With an estimated six-month window of opportunity until the California Supreme Court is expected to issue its decision in the same-sex marriage case, advocates with the statewide Let California Ring campaign are urging community members to step up activity in an effort to move public opinion in their direction. "The challenge to us in California is: will we use every day between now and the summer to make the same powerful case for the freedom to marry in the court of public opinion," Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, told the Bay Area Reporter during an interview last week. "The clock is ticking."

Wearing their hearts on their t-shirts

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:32:36 -0500

The Hartford Courant
December 17, 2007
Reggie Solomon of New Haven and friends Ben Berkowitz and Andy Horowitz designed a simple black fitted shirt expressing how they felt about the freedom to marry: the slogan "[marriage is so gay]." Six months later, the three friends have sold a few hundred American Apparel T-shirts with the logo.

Packed room supports the freedom to marry in VT

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:01:06 -0500

OPINION: Embedding prejudices in FL constitution is wrong

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:54:52 -0500

Daytona Beach News-Journal
December 19, 2007
The Daytona Beach News Journal editorializes that the proposed state constitutional amendment banning the freedom to marry is unnecessary. But worse, it's wrong: "[T]he proposal reflects an innate prejudice that Florida should be getting away from, not encrusting in the constitution."

Hungary OKs civil partnerships

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:49:55 -0500

365Gay.com
December 18, 2007
Hungary's coalition government has passed legislation giving same-sex couples some of the rights of marriage. The Registered Partnership Act will go into effect in January 2009. The bill was introduced by the government last month over objections by the small Free Democratic Party in the coalition that it did not go far enough.

Hungary provides some legal protections and responsibilities with same-sex civil partnerships

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:21:11 -0500

New York Times
December 18, 2007
Hungary's parliament passed a law late on Monday that allows gay and lesbian couples to register a civil partnership with some of the rights and obligations of marriage. Registered couples will have the same rights as married straight couples in inheritance, taxation and other financial matters. But they will not be allowed to adopt children, unlike married non-gay couples.

Uruguay OKs gay unions in Latin American first

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:18:06 -0500

Reuters
December 18, 2007
Uruguay's Congress legalized civil unions for gay couples on Tuesday in the first nationwide law of its kind in Latin America. Under the new law, gay and straight couples will be eligible to form civil unions after living together for five years. They will have rights similar to those granted to married couples on such matters as inheritance, pensions and child custody.

In stand with marriage equality, church cuts all unions

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:04:39 -0500

WCCO
December 14, 2007
"There's a real shift going on here where I think more and more people are recognizing the distinction, that what the state offers and the church offers are two different things," said the Rev. Mark Wade, pastor of the 540-member Unitarian Universalist Church in Asheville, N.C. "I think both the civil and the conventional aspects of marriage are important, but they both have their place," the Rev. Sarah Campbell, lead pastor at the 650-member Mayflower Congregational Church in Minneapolis, said. "It's just gotten mixed up where they're not clearly separated. I would say it's only a matter of time before we move to what they've done in Canada, South Africa, Europe -- separating out those two aspects."

Civil unions don't get equal treatment

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:35:08 -0500

Courier-News
December 16, 2007
New Jersey gay couple Kenny Polnasek and Michael Kellison are profiled as an example of a couple who have been civilly united yet still face discrimination in employment benefits. The article describes the interaction between state and federal law, including DOMA and ERISA.

BLOG: Not again -- Anti-gay amendment drive puts FL in play

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:29:27 -0500

The Huffington Post
December 14, 2007
Chris Kelly writes, "Florida4Marriage sounds like the worst boy band of all time, but it turns out it's not. It's a Republican front group, run by a personal injury lawyer, to lure gay-hating boobs into the voting booths next November."

DC activists consider different paths towards marriage

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:04:38 -0500

Washington Blade
December 14, 2007
Michael Crawford, president of D.C. For Marriage, and David Mariner, another one of its founding members, said the specter of congressional intervention should not stop D.C. gays from taking steps to advance marriage rights while continuing to expand the domestic partners law. The two suggested exploring a range of proposals, including possible city recognition of marriages performed in Massachusetts or in countries like Canada that have legalized gay and lesbian couples' unions.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:53:41 -0500

"When our government fails to live up to its founding promise of equality under the law, we all have a hand in that injustice. We all, through mere association with inequality, are linked to it."

-- Jacob Reitan in his essay "Civil unions: Separate is not equal" for the Minneapolis Star Tribune December 9, 2007

Conservatives getting organized against marriage equality in NJ

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:23:37 -0500

Newsday
December 15, 2007
The National Organization for Marriage, established earlier this year in Princeton, made itself known over the past few weeks with radio advertisements urging people to call their lawmakers to tell them that allowing gay couples to marry would undermine the institution. The district office of Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr., a Democrat and one of the most powerful lawmakers in Trenton, has received more than 500 calls from opponents over the past few weeks.

COMMENTARY: Civil unions: Separate is not equal

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:34:01 -0500

Minneapolis Star Tribune
December 14, 2007
The answer to the injustice of inequality must never be to separate out the oppressed. Rather, the answer can only be to break down the barriers that separate the oppressed from the rest of society. The act of breaking down these barriers should be an easy step for us to take -- easy because we should understand that what we dream for ourselves, we should also dream for our neighbors.

Law professors debate marriage equality, adoption

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:33:33 -0500

UVA Today
December 10, 2007
Virginia Law Professor Kim Forde-Mazrui said that "statistics, for example, show that families of veterans have significantly higher rates of domestic violence, alcoholism, drunk driving, suicide and child abuse. Statistics also indicate that 'states that predominantly go Republican have higher rates of divorce, teen pregnancy and out-of-wedlock births.'" Even though these risks exist, we don't deny marriage or adoption to individuals based on whether they are veterans or from states that are predominantly Republican. Instead, Forde-Mazrui said, "We think we can address the risk in more direct ways that hold people more personally accountable. ... We believe that it's better to go directly at those who perpetrate irresponsible behavior than to lump them in together and treat everyone as a group."

OPINION: High court, marriage and justice

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:16:58 -0500

The Providence Journal
December 13, 2007
Political columnist M. Charles Bakst argues that the Rhode Island Supreme Court decision that denied a married same-sex couple the ability to divorce should serve as a spur to legislators to at least make it possible for the Family Court to handle such matters. Better yet, says Bakst, the legislature should "squarely [confront] the broader issues of equality and dignity and legalized gay marriage here."

MD town passes resolution supporting freedom to marry

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:55:06 -0500

NBC4
December 11, 2007
One month before the Maryland General Assembly debates marriage equality, the town of Kensington passed a resolution supporting the expansion of civil marriage to include same-sex couples.

The RI Supreme Court denies a divorce to a same-sex couple that was married in MA: Why this case was wrongly decided

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:52:16 -0500

FindLaw's Writ
December 11, 2007
The Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled last week that a same-sex couple that got married in Massachusetts could not petition for divorce in their home state of Rhode Island. Technically, the court simply ruled that the RI Family Court did not have jurisdiction to hear the case. However, the decision to rest the ruling on that technical rationale was not justifiable; the court should have reached the merits of the case and granted the divorce.

Freedom to marry case gets most 'friend-of-court' briefs in memory

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:07:37 -0500

The San Jose Mercury News
December 11, 2007
One reason why the California Supreme Court is taking so long to decide whether gay and lesbian couples' marriages are legal is that the issue has attracted more "friend of the court" briefs than any other case in recent memory, Chief Justice Ronald George said Tuesday. An array of civil rights groups and several cities have filed court documents in favor of marriage equality.

UWO professor tries to overturn discriminatory anti-gay marriage ban

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:51:49 -0500

Oshkosh Northwestern
December 10, 2007
"I've been a Republican all my life, and people have said, that's certainly a conflict but I don't think so. The reason I don't is because it's consistent with my view of human dignity and human rights as opposed to government and the power of government. This is really an overreaching amendment... I also have a gay daughter. People have asked me, would you have filed this suit if it wasn't for your daughter? To be real honest, maybe not. Maybe I would have just ranted and raved in my classrooms and written letters to the editor and fumed off to the side. But because of her, it also became a personal issue and I feel like I'm fighting for my kid. I'm a family man above all."

WA same-sex couples could see more protections in upcoming Legislature

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 08:56:24 -0500

Seattle Post-Intelligencer
December 9, 2007
Gay people and leading lawmakers expect to expand the list of civil rights for gays and lesbians with new protections for same-sex couples who register as domestic partners. However, the ultimate goal -- full marriage equality for gay people -- will most likely have to wait as election year politics make such a push very unlikely during the 2008 Legislature.

Save the date for Freedom to Marry Week

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:06:56 -0500

UK civil partnerships not equal, study says

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:12:49 -0500

365Gay.com
December 7, 2007
A study released to coincide with the second anniversary this week of civil partnerships in Britain has found there remain significant disparities with marriage. The report mirrors complaints by gay and lesbian couples in the US who say civil unions in the three states where they are legal are not working.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:56:49 -0500

"It is about the most fundamental issue of all -- equality, and whether our society recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of all of its members. There is no discussion more important."

-- Vermont's Brattleboro Reformer editorializes that shifting from civil unions to full marriage equality is the right thing to do.

By vote of 3-2, RI Supreme Court refuses to allow same-sex couple to divorce

Fri, 7 Dec 2007 14:45:09 -0500

The Providence Journal
December 7, 2007
The state Supreme Court has ruled that a same-sex couple married in Massachusetts may not divorce in Rhode Island.

MassEquality celebrates historical marriage victory

Fri, 7 Dec 2007 10:28:16 -0500

Bay Windows
December 6, 2007
The magnitude of winning marriage equality in Massachusetts was best summed up at MassEquality’s Dec. 5 victory gala by Evan Wolfson, the eternally optimistic head of the national organization Freedom to Marry. Standing onstage in the center of the Cyclorama in the South End, Wolfson praised the work of the army of marriage equality activists that surrounded him, raised an arm in victory and proclaimed, "We are one down, forty-nine to go!"

A resignation and a protest: an ex-Ambassador criticizes Rice

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 15:46:06 -0500

The Washington Post
December 5, 2007
Michael E. Guest resigned from the State Department, giving up a career he loved, in order to protest rules and regulations that he believes are unfair to the same-sex partners of Foreign Service officers, giving them fewer benefits than family pets. For instance, same-sex partners -- or unmarried heterosexual partners -- are refused anti-terrorism security training or foreign-language training and are not evacuated when eligible family members are ordered to depart. They also must pay their own way overseas, get their own medical care and are left to fend for themselves if a partner is sent to a dangerous post such as Iraq.

NH prepares for civil unions

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 10:39:09 -0500

To Form A More Perfect Union
December 4, 2007
A note from GLAD on To Form A More Perfect Union points to a number of resources for New Hampshire residents in preparation for the advent of civil unions on Jan. 1, 2008.

RI religious leaders affirm support for gay marriage

Wed, 5 Dec 2007 10:37:34 -0500

The Providence Journal
December 4, 2007
Rhode Island religious leaders from several denominations reaffirmed their support for marriage equality and announced an advertising campaign intended to get that word out. The Rev. Diane Christopherson, interim pastor at the Beneficent Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Providence, said the coalition wants to "offer a public face and voice to the fact that there are religious leaders in Rhode Island who support marriage equality in this state."

EDITORIAL: Making a stand for equality in VT

Tue, 4 Dec 2007 14:29:08 -0500

Brattleboro Reformer
December 3, 2007
The Brattleboro Reformer editorializes that shifting from civil unions to full marriage equality is the right thing to do: "It is about the most fundamental issue of all -- equality, and whether our society recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of all of its members. There is no discussion more important."

A Conservative supports marriage equality

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 13:50:33 -0500

Philadelphia Daily News
December 3, 2007
Law professor Howard Lurie argues, "The decision to accept the benefits and obligations of marriage is best left to the couple themselves. To let government restrict the selection of a spouse on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation is to let government intrude on one of the most intimate decisions we can make. Conservatives should be the first to deny government that authority."

Civil unions take a downturn

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 12:37:23 -0500

New Haven Register
December 2, 2007
As the number of same-sex couples in Connecticut entering into civil unions has declined dramatically over the past year, Anne Stanback, president of Love Makes a Family, said, "I think there are folks who have really been holding out for marriage." She said Connecticut's gay community is anxiously "waiting for the court case to come down" or to see what the legislature does. The Connecticut Supreme Court is currently considering a case which argues denying same sex couples the ability to marry is unconstitutional.

OPINION: We're wedded to a myth of marriage

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 10:31:10 -0500

Rutland Herald
December 2, 2007
Columnist Willem Lange writes in a Vermont newspaper about the absurdity of arguments used to deny marriage to same-sex couples. "What a nation of busybodies we are! We get all excited about things we don't care about or, in many cases, even know much about..."

NH couple hopes to be first joined under new law

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 10:13:24 -0500

The Citizen of Laconia
December 2, 2007
Jan Major and Kelly Morris are profiled as a couple who intend to have a civil union the very second it becomes available in New Hampshire, just after midnight on Jan. 1. "We don't want special rights," Major said, "just equal rights." Among those rights, she said, would be the ability to include Morris on her city-sponsored health insurance.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 09:05:18 -0500

"If gay Americans are not allowed to get married and have all the benefits that American citizens are entitled to by the Bill of Rights, they should get one hell of a tax break. That is my opinion."

-- Dear Abby

John Edwards talks marriage with LGBT Granite Staters

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 08:26:08 -0500

Bay Windows
November 29, 2007
When pressed by an audience member to explain what he sees as the distinction between marriage and civil unions, Edwards said again, "Not well," adding, "I've been asked this a thousand times. I think that from my perspective, first of all, I'm not opposed to any state recognizing the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. I'm not opposed to that at all."

Challenge of discriminatory amendment moves forward in WI

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:25:13 -0500

The Capital Times
November 29, 2007
A University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh political science teacher's legal challenge to a state constitutional amendment banning gay couples' marriages and the possibility of civil unions can proceed, a Dane County circuit judge ruled Wednesday, throwing out a motion by the state to dismiss the lawsuit.

Uruguay first Latin American country to legalize civil unions

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:59:45 -0500

365Gay.com
November 29, 2007
Gay and lesbian couples' marriages will continue to be prohibited in Uruguay, something LGBT rights groups say they will continue to fight. But, they say the civil union bill is a major step in the right direction in a region where the Catholic Church dominates much of everyday life.

Marriage equality would bring tax gain to MD

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:19:33 -0500

Baltimore Sun
November 29, 2007
A booming wedding industry could swell Maryland's budget by millions if gay people were permitted to legally wed, according to a university report released yesterday. "The discussion on same-sex marriage is often about rights and benefits," said Lee Badgett, research director at the Williams Institute. "Marriage is not only about rights and benefits, it's about obligations and responsibilities." Read the study.

Support for anti-gay constitutional amendment declining

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:15:43 -0500

The Indianapolis Star
November 26, 2007
Support among Hoosiers for a state constitutional amendment banning gay and lesbian couples' marriages is on the decline, according to an Indianapolis Star-WTHR (Channel 13) poll. The amendment died in the House earlier this year in large part because of concerns it would hamper recruitment efforts by major employers by jeopardizing domestic partner benefits they offer.

New England tries for fairness with patchwork of laws

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:18:34 -0500

PlanetOut
November 26, 2007
Freedom to Marry executive director Evan Wolfson affirmed the conclusion that marriage remains the only solution for gay and lesbian couples. "The creation of a separate state-level legal status, whether called civil union or partnership, unnecessarily complicates the lives of the families and the businesses and others they deal with. The easiest and right solution is to end exclusion from marriage itself, rather than constructing new legal mechanisms that present equal treatment and inclusion."

BLOG: Non-gay GOP ally Legislator runs for US House

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:14:43 -0500

Petrelis Files
November 20, 2007
WY State Republican representative Dan Zwonitzer is mounting a campaign for the U.S. House. Zwonitzer caught the attention of marriage advocates when he gave a stirring speech in favor of marriage equality in February. After his speech, he received expressions of support from around the country.

Patricia Cornwell speaks of her wife: "Finally, I feel rooted somewhere"

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:53:56 -0500

The Huffington Post
November 27, 2007
Crime novelist Patricia Cornwell says of her 2005 marriage in MA to Dr. Staci Gruber, "I finally feel rooted somewhere. I feel a sense of responsibility and stability that I didn't have before. ... I've never been a soapbox person for gay rights, but now I'm in a same-sex marriage I tend to be more open, because I am outraged that it should be illegal in other states."

Court to rule on marriage discrimination

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:47:24 -0500

New Haven Register
November 23, 2007
The state Supreme Court is expected to rule shortly on a constitutional challenge to Connecticut's ban on the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, but that decision isn't likely to provide much comfort to the General Assembly who will most likely have to deal with the issue no matter how the court rules.

SF Chamber Of Commerce Supports Marriage Equality Suit

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:47:03 -0500

365Gay.com
November 24, 2007
The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce is the latest to call for the end of excluding same-sex couples and their families from marriage in California. "Eliminating marriage discrimination in California would send a message that California promotes acceptance and equality, thus enhancing the ability of California businesses to compete nationwide for top talent," the brief stated.

Gay man honored at elder caregivers event, could not marry in time to prevent loss

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:40:40 -0500

Bay Windows
November 20, 2007
Lawrence Johnson could not marry his partner to prevent the government-imposed financial burdens of caring for his partner. Because the state care program is federally funded, all of the couple's assets are subject to being spent for care, leaving Johnson with nothing but 37 years of memories.

Pets can get insurance at PBCC, partners can't

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:34:45 -0500

Palm Beach Post
November 24, 2007
The pets of Palm Beach Community College employees will qualify for discounted group medical insurance beginning in January, but domestic partners are still barred from receiving similar benefits.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:27:30 -0500

"When clergy talk about marriage as a religious matter, it's understandable; but when presidential candidates do, it's confusing and perpetuates the misunderstanding that marriage is solely a religious matter. Marriage has both religious and civil significance, but it's not exclusively one or the other. It's time the presidential candidates talk about marriage as a civil institution and leave the religion talk to the clergy. They are, after all, seeking the highest office of civil, not ecclesiastical, government."

-- Jimmy Creech, executive director of Faith In America

BLOG: Equality begins at home

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:12:10 -0500

Burmingham Blues
November 19, 2007
Kathy posts about the death of her brother and the consequences for his partner when it came time to make decisions that are available to married couples. She writes, "If you were sitting on the fence about marriage equality -- maybe you're straight and don't see why it's so important, maybe you're young and can't foresee a sudden death or catastrophic illness, maybe you assume everything can be handled with (expensive, time-consuming, and subject to legal challenge) paperwork -- it's time to climb down on the side of justice and compassion."

Commission hears impassioned pleas for freedom to marry

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:41:03 -0500

Times Argus
November 20, 2007
Joseph Gainza of Marshfield talked about how straight Vermonters, including him, noticed that the sky did not fall down after the Vermont Legislature legalized civil unions for same-sex couples seven years ago. "The change came and you realized that nothing in your life has changed," said Gainza. "The only difference is that your neighbors have some rights they didn't have. And none of your own rights were taken away in the process."

EDITORIAL: 'Civil union' not equal

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:12:09 -0500

The News & Observer
November 18, 2007
When clergy talk about marriage as a religious matter, it's understandable; but when presidential candidates do, it's confusing and perpetuates the misunderstanding that marriage is solely a religious matter. Marriage has both religious and civil significance, but it's not exclusively one or the other. It's time the presidential candidates talk about marriage as a civil institution and leave the religion talk to the clergy. They are, after all, seeking the highest office of civil, not ecclesiastical, government.

EDITORIAL: Civil unions-law failing gays and lesbians

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:21:38 -0500

Home News Tribune
November 20, 2007
Since the state Supreme Court ruled that gay couples are entitled to equal rights and protections, the civil unions law seems to be undermining the very ruling it was designed to uphold. Gov. Jon S. Corzine has promised to do something about it, but he says he will wait until 2009 in order to avoid presidential politics... But it would be nice if gay couples in Spotswood and elsewhere did not have to depend on the vagaries of the political winds to give them what the state Supreme Court already has determined they deserve.

OPINION: Gay demographics could reshape electoral landscape

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:40:59 -0500

USA Today
November 15, 2007
As a gay demographic tidal wave empties the closets in some of the most conservative states, any notion that the rights of same-sex couples and gay men and lesbians are somehow separate from those of mainstream America looks politically iffy at best. In fact, using the gay and lesbian community as a political wedge might just wedge candidates into a losing corner.

Ad campaign promotes freedom to marry

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:18:18 -0500

The Bay Area Reporter
November 15, 2007
At bus stops around town commuters will find ads plugging a mobile phone service that are a ringing endorsement for marriage equality. Using mashed-up text on different color grids the ads read "yo wassupport gay marriage." The campaign is to promote progressive telecommunications company Working Assets' new Credo Mobile phone service.

Hungary to allow domestic partnerships for unmarried, gay couples

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:16:18 -0500

The Advocate
November 17, 2007
The Hungarian government next week will submit draft legislation to parliament allowing unmarried and gay couples to register their relationships. The bill would give them some of the same benefits currently granted only to married couples, including rights of inheritance or to take the other's name. It would not, however, give unmarried couples the ability to adopt children together.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:13:17 -0500

"In California, we are really at a tipping point. People have thought about this intellectually but we want them to think about it emotionally. We want to talk to people about love and commitment."

-- Geoff Kors of the Equality California Institute, on the Let California Ring campaign

Obama inches forward, says he will not oppose the freedom to marry

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:16:16 -0500

The Bilerico Project
November 10, 2007
"As President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples -- whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage."

Rights for gay and lesbian people at the forefront in CA

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:09:13 -0500

The Union-Tribune
November 12, 2007
In the battle over gay rights, this fall was supposed to be a slow period, almost like a political time-out. Both sides were expected to spend the next few months preparing for a California Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn the state's ban on gay and lesbian couples' marriages. Instead, it's been anything but quiet.

OPINION: Gay is the new black

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:22:40 -0500

The Chronicle
November 9, 2007
Duke University columnist Jacqui Detwiler posits that the current intolerance of marriage for same-sex couples is temporary, and that those who oppose will soon look back in regret at their actions. "With gay rights, however, emotions still run high and the current political clime prevents people from predicting a stable future in which gay people are happily married. Afraid of change and without societal consensus, many are swayed by doomsayers who are simply rehashing the rhetoric of centuries-old intolerance."

VIDEO: Let California Ring

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:47:37 -0500

Let California Ring
November 13, 2007
The must see video that says it all. Let this moving short show you how, and why we need to spark conversations about the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples across California.

BLOG: Is Obama the dissembler that his supporters accuse Clinton of being?

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:25:00 -0500

Dana Runs
November 12, 2007
In that "Meet the Press" interview, Obama was asked whether or not [marriage equality] was a "separate but equal" issue akin to that faced by blacks....He went on and on about how much he loves gay people (probably even has gay friends!), and how he is for civil unions. But he didn't address with a straightforward answer whether this "separate but equal" doctrine he supports is akin to that deemed unlawful when it comes to race, and if not, then how it differs from that situation.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:08:15 -0500

"When there's discrimination against any group of people, endorsed by the government, we are all diminished."

--- Lucy O'Brien of Montclair, NJ

The "M" word matters

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:20:49 -0500

Politicker NJ
November 12, 2007
Carla Katz, president of the Communications Workers of America Local 1034, the largest CWA local in the country, writes, "The truth is, same-sex marriage is not a 'gay' issue. It is a civil rights issue, pure and simple. It is, and should be, as important to those of us in the 'straight' community as any other civil rights issue. Time and again, the United States Supreme Court has announced that marriage is a fundamental, constitutionally protected right of all citizens. I emphasize the word 'all'. One need not even support the concept of marriage sanctioned by the church or the state to defend the rights of same-sex couples to marry. Defending that right simply means being in favor of equal rights for all."

EDITORIAL: A flawed law

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:06:36 -0500

New York Times
November 11, 2007
The New York Times weighs in again, strongly, for marriage and makes clear that civil union/partnership, etc., is no substitute for equality under the law. Congratulations to our colleagues at Garden State Equality, for making the case so strongly in New Jersey.

PODCAST: Marriage for all with Evan Wolfson and Freedom to Marry Pt2

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 14:26:28 -0500

A Closer Look
November 7, 2007
On part two of Evan Wolfson's conversation on A Closer Look with Minister Gerald Palmer, callers continue to express religious opposition to gay people and marriage equality. Minister Palmer reminds the listeners that religious teaching benefits, and is not harmed, by honest discussion about tough issues. Wolfson explains that many religious leaders are voices of equality for the freedom to marry.

PODCAST: Marriage for all with Evan Wolfson and Freedom to Marry Pt1

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 14:24:25 -0500

A Closer Look
November 7, 2007
Evan Wolfson explains on A Closer Look with Minister Gerald Palmer that civil marriage is a legal institution, and the government has a legal obligation not to exclude or discriminate against one group of Americans. Listeners called in to express confusion about the difference between religious ceremonies and legal marriage licenses. Wolfson reminds listeners that it's very important as Americans that people respect other people's religions, and nobody is trying to force religions to do anything they don't want to do. Conversely, our government should not impose any one religious view on the rest of us, and religion should never be used as an excuse to deny American citizens equal rights.Fair-minded people do not want the government discriminating against other citizens, or imposing one religion's rules on everyone else.

OPINION: Time to move toward true family equality

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 08:35:13 -0500

The Honolulu Advertiser
November 7, 2007
The world has changed significantly since 1998, and we now have proof that family equality, without regard for sexual orientation, does not destroy society, harm children or weaken the institution of marriage. This has been proven in places like South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, as well as across the U.S. from New Jersey, Vermont and Connecticut to California and Massachusetts.

OPINION: Civil unions: Not equal and not working

Wed, 7 Nov 2007 11:20:29 -0500

365Gay.com
October 25, 2007
Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart writes, "By creating a separate status for same-sex couples, the government invites discrimination, and sadly, in New Jersey and other states with civil unions this discrimination is occurring."

Bishop Tobin, marriage, and dialogue

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 09:51:15 -0500

The Providence Journal
November 6, 2007
Columnist M. Charles Bakst writes, "I thought you might be interested in some of the language, images and arguments [Bishop Thomas J. Tobin] employs in his column, headlined: Why You Should Worry About 'Gay Marriage.'" Although he disagrees with the bishop, Bakst wishes more people, wherever they stand, would speak up -- respectfully -- and with a willingness to listen and to learn.

MA clerks join fight for marriage equality

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 12:12:19 -0500

The Inquirer & Mirror
November 5, 2007
A Massachusetts town clerk joins the lawsuit that attempts to overturn the 1913 law that prevents marriage licenses from being issued to couples whose home states do not recognize their marriages. "...I believe if the law is going to be applied it should be applied even-handedly. It's all or nothing," Stover said.

Gay people in MI fight for benefits in court, could keep them despite ruling

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 11:21:47 -0500

The Associated Press
November 4, 2007
The Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday will begin weighing whether state universities and other public-sector employers can provide health insurance to the partners of gay workers. But even if gays lose the case, they ultimately could still get their benefits despite a 2004 state constitutional ban against gay and lesbian marriages that has threatened those benefits. Universities and local governments have rewritten their domestic partnership policies in light of the measure.

Intriguing people: Steven Goldstein

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 10:28:21 -0500

The Record
November 4, 2007
As head of New Jersey's gay-rights movement, he has whipped politically dormant gays into a muscle-flexing constituency and withered inboxes statewide with a fusillade of electronic messages, every one marked urgent. He's helped win passage of 153 state and local gay-rights statutes -- more civil rights laws in less time than anywhere else in the country. And he has catapulted New Jersey to the front of the national marriage-equality battle.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 10:25:14 -0500

"[Opponents didn't show up to hearings] because they don't have real-life stories to back up the argument that allowing gay marriage would hurt the institution."

-- NJ leader Steven Goldstein reporting on state commission that said civil unions are inadequate

Ireland moves toward marriage equality

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 14:39:12 -0400

Ireland.com
October 31, 2007
Green Party justice spokesman Ciarán Cuffe said the Government proposal would give cohabiting gay and lesbian couples, who register their relationship with a new agency, the same rights under the law as heterosexual couples. "This is a major step forward in Irish equality legislation," he said.

Civil unions fall short of marriage, NJ discovers

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 09:41:54 -0400

The Star-Ledger
November 2, 2007
New Jersey's 8-month-old civil union law has failed to live up to its promise of giving same-sex couples the protections of marriage by another name, the state's top official for enforcing civil rights said yesterday. Civil Rights Director Frank Vespa-Papaleo, who chairs a commission that recently concluded three hearings on how the new law is working, said, "To me as a commissioner, the testimony revealed overwhelmingly that the civil union law has been a failure."

RI lawmakers override domestic partner veto

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 09:11:55 -0400

365Gay.com
October 31, 2007
Rhode Island's General Assembly has overridden the veto of legislation providing the domestic partners of public employees with the same pension and retirement benefits as spouses.

Ruling spurs moms to seek legal protection

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 09:11:10 -0400

Morning Sentinel
October 31, 2007
A ruling by the Maine Supreme Court that focuses on adoption as a source of protection for children of same-sex couples is spurring couples to adopt. Same-sex couples cannot marry in Maine, which prevents them from receiving automatic protections for their families.

Same-sex couples raising children less likely to be white, wealthy

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 09:09:02 -0400

San Francisco Chronicle
October 31, 2007
"There is an idea of LGBT families, when people think about it at all, there's this perception that it's affluent white folks, and the data show that's based on our own misperceptions," said Judy Appel, director of the Our Family Coalition in San Francisco. "We're in every neighborhood, every race, ethnicity and economic group. Our kids are playing in the playgrounds and parks with all other kids."

BLOG: Expanded discussion of NJ case on loss of consortium claim

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 09:08:37 -0400

Leonard Link
October 30, 2007
In this expansion on his earlier piece on a loss of consortium lawsuit, Prof. Leonard reaches this conclusion: "[The judge's] ruling shows yet again, if proof were needed, that the lack of legal recognition for same-sex relationships deprives such couples of valuable rights enjoyed by married couples... even if [the couple] had been united in a New Jersey Civil Union at the time of the injury at Disney World, had Disney argued that Florida law applied it is possible their New Jersey civil union would have been held inapplicable to the case."

SWEDEN: Moderates back marriage equality

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:32:15 -0400

The Local
October 27, 2007
Six of seven Swedish political parties favor upgrading same-sex partnerships to full civil marriage.

POLL: U.S. hearts and minds moving towards understanding need for freedom to marry

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:12:44 -0400

Angus-Reid Global Monitor
October 29, 2007
A majority of U.S. adults support legal recognition of same-sex couples -- either civil unions or full marriage, according to a Bloomberg/LA Times poll.

BLOG: A transitional problem for NJ same-sex couples

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:12:13 -0400

Leonard Link
October 29, 2007
Law professor Arthur S. Leonard examines a court case seeking damages for loss of consortium. Among his conclusions: "Yet another illustration of why legal recognition of same-sex partners of a comprehensive nature is needed."

OPINION: The conversations must continue

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:13:44 -0400

365Gay.com
October 29, 2007
John Corvino writes, "The social pressure that makes certain views 'taboo' has its uses. But political reality indicates that it's not yet time to halt the conversation over same-sex marriage--certainly not in Rhinelander or Baton Rouge. Strange as it sounds, we may sometimes need to work at making people more comfortable--not less--in voicing their opposition to us.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:14:52 -0400

"I have friends who have told me that if their partner gets sick, they wouldn't be allowed in the hospital room because they're not considered immediate family and they have no spousal rights. I think it's very unfortunate that a person can't marry who they want to marry. Everyone should take care of their own business without judging others. Like I always say, 'Don't judge me unless you've walked a mile in my shoes.'"

-- Singer Reba McEntire to the Carolinas gay newspaper Q-Notes, Oct. 6

NJ civil union law has fallen short in its first year, commission is told

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:11:06 -0400

New York Times
October 28, 2007
Jodi Weiner, an electrician from Montclair, said that when she tried to get health benefits for her partner of nine years, she was told that her union's plans did not cover civil unions. It was only when she mentioned that they had been married in Massachusetts that her partner was able to get benefits.

Black politicians, ministers form new MD rights group

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:54:43 -0400

Baltimore Sun
October 25, 2007
In an effort to raise support for gay and lesbian people within black communities around the state, former political action chairman for the Maryland NAACP Elbridge James and other activists have formed the Maryland Black Family Alliance, a group of predominantly non-gay African-American leaders pledging their support for marriage equality.

Pro-Marriage Incumbents and Candidates Win Elections (pdf)

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:01:28 -0400

Freedom to Marry
October 25, 2007
Taking a stand to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage does not hurt incumbents or candidates in their elections. As the number of pro-marriage incumbents and candidates continues to expand, they are winning their elections at overwhelming rates. This report presents various different states', and nationwide, election results as evidence that exhibiting leadership and voting right on the freedom to marry often helps and rarely hurts candidates and politicians.

BLOG: Bush seeks to ban marriage between fictitious gay characters

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:28:13 -0400

Huffington Post
October 24, 2007
Just days after "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling revealed that the popular professor character Albus Dumbledore was gay, President George W. Bush told the nation that he would seek a ban on fictitious gay weddings... While the president's address was for the most part consistent with his earlier statements on gay couples' marriages, it was uncharacteristic in that it demonstrated an awareness of books.

HUMOR: 'Rudy Giuliani' writes: No marriage! Except for the two guys I promised marriage to...

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 09:03:13 -0400

NewsGroper
October 23, 2007
"So, to be clear, absolutely no 'gay marriage'... for any gays who didn't selflessly offer emotional and financial support, by putting me up rent-free, while I recovered from prostate cancer and the demise of my family. No, absolutely no 'gay marriage' for the rest of you selfish bastards."

Let California Ring: Talking About Change Makes It

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:42:39 -0400

Huffington Post
October 23, 2007
Evan Wolfson writes about Let California Ring, the new campaign to encourage a million conversations throughout the state (and hopefully millions across the country) about why everyone should care about ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. Wolfson points to the recent example of San Diego Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders' change of heart and mind in favor of marriage equality as proof that conversations work. There is momentum -- and urgency -- now as the California Supreme Court, the first court to strike down race-discrimination in marriage nearly 60 years ago, will soon hear a challenge to ongoing marriage discrimination.

Woman in historic divorce case did not seek the spotlight

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:12:17 -0400

The Providence Journal
October 21, 2007
Ormiston, 60, and Chambers, 71, were together for a decade. "I was lucky to love and share a life with a very fine woman for all these years. It's clear to both of us we'll no longer go forward together, but I wish her well," Ormiston said. "Now it's up to the court to allow us the same right every other citizen has to end this marriage."

Gay couples left in a legal limbo

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:54:56 -0400

The Sacramento Bee
October 21, 2007
With the broadening view of human rights around the globe and acceptance of gay relationships, 19 countries now permit citizens or legal residents to sponsor same-sex permanent partners for legal residency. The United States is not among them.

Modern marriage looks nothing like 'traditional' marriage

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:54:29 -0400

AlterNet
October 22, 2007
For millennia, marriage decisions were dictated more by economic and political considerations than by love and personal satisfaction. This made marriage a very coercive institution, especially for young people and for women in general. Today, by contrast, people have unprecedented freedom about whether, when, and whom to marry, as well as about how to organize their personal relationships in and out of marriage.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:32:28 -0400

"The movement's focus on marriage is providing a vehicle for us to come out at work and to our families and become active in the political process."

-- Howard Bayless, the first openly gay man elected to public office in Alabama

BLOG: NYC's gay tax

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:13:15 -0400

The Republic of T
October 17, 2007
If you're gay, you pay more, wait longer, and get less. And what you get may turn out to be nothing, but you won't know that until you really need it. Never mind that some states have tried to nullify even those few meager, shaky legal protections. Meanwhile, you keep contributing to Social Security, pensions, and health insurance your partner can't share or inherit; basically subsidizing heterosexuals who do get all the rights and protections of marriage, at a discount compared to what the "gay tax" gets you.

BLOG: Psychologist takes on science-free anti-gay article

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:12:42 -0400

Pam's House Blend
October 18, 2007
Yesterday I posted an unbelievable press release by a San Diego-based licensed clinical psychologist named Trayce Hansen, who attempted to portray marriage equality as somehow dangerous to children. word got to Dr. Thomas Marra, also a practicing clinical psychologist and author, who decided he couldn't let Hansen's diatribe sit out there unchallenged.

OPINION: Why not marriage for all?

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:49:09 -0400

The Daily Californian
October 15, 2007
General opposition to [marriage equality] is absolutely unintelligible to me. It befuddles me. And the more I try to understand it, the more bewildered I become... As Schwarzenegger's doppelganger in the Simpsons movie emphatically stated, "I have been elected to lead, not to read." Take a page from your yellow-hued counterpart man. Be a leader.

Gay-rights activists enlist non-gay allies in struggle

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:46:45 -0400

Contra Costa Times
October 14, 2007
"The overall movement for LGBT equality is maturing, and the next step in that maturation as a movement is to compel our straight allies -- friends, neighbors, co-workers, family members -- not to just be supportive of us in private, but to publicly stand with us," said GLAAD President Neil Giuliano.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:11:03 -0400

"The anti-homosexual perception has now become sort of the Geiger counter of Christians' ability to love and work with people."

-- David Kinnaman, Barna Group president and author of the book, UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity

CA Gov. vetoes bill granting same-sex couples the ability to marry

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 22:11:29 -0400

Equality California
October 12, 2007
Same-sex couples in California continue to be denied the dignity, benefits and responsibilities of marriage with the governor's veto today of legislation that would have given all committed couples the option to marry. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday vetoed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act (AB 43), authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and sponsored by Equality California. Download the Governor's veto message (.pdf)

VIDEO: 'Let California Ring' campaign

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:31:08 -0400

CNN
October 9, 2007
CNN's Mary Snow reports on Equality California's 'Let California Ring' campaign for Situation Room. The TV ad campaign uses an amusing wedding scenario to explain why marriage matters to people who may still be undecided on where they stand on the freedom to marry.

Dear Abby: 'I support same-sex marriage'

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:11:38 -0400

AOL Video

October 9, 2007
Watch as Jeanne Phillips, the woman America knows as 'Dear Abby,' explains her support for marriage equality.

Panel on marriage opens hearings to overwhelming support for the freedom to marry

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:47:29 -0400

Rutland Herald
October 11, 2007
More than 75 people were in the auditorium at Johnson State College and a vast majority of them were in support of extending marriage to gay and lesbian couples. Only two people spoke out against marriage equality. Many speakers gave emotional testimony about falling in love with their partners for the first time and the emotional agony they experience because their unions -- which Vermont legalized in 2000 -- are not recognized by the federal government, most other states and many institutions and businesses.

Study: Youth see Christians as judgmental, anti-gay

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:41:18 -0400

USA Today
October 10, 2007
Survey research of people ages 16-29 show a majority view Christianity as hypocritical and anti-gay; attitudes about gay people are driving a negative image of the faith. "The anti-homosexual perception has now become sort of the Geiger counter of Christians' ability to love and work with people," said said David Kinnaman, Barna Group president and author of the book, UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity.

Lesbian Couple Seeks RI Divorce

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:37:25 -0400

The Washington Post
October 9, 2007
Lawyers for a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts told the Rhode Island high court that they should have the right to obtain a divorce in their home state.

Powerful TV spot proposes freedom to marry

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:55:02 -0400

Advertising Age
October 10, 2007
Every day, gay and lesbian couples are prevented from marrying the people they love, the spot says. "Support the freedom to marry." The spot features a non-gay couple. "What we wanted to do with the commercial is to put people in [a same-sex couple's] shoes metaphorically, to show what it felt like not to be able to marry the person you love," Seth Kilbourn, policy director of the Equality California Institute said.

Another MD leader inches towards the freedom to marry

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 07:56:55 -0400

The Baltimore Sun
October 9, 2007
Marriage equality may not be in Maryland's immediate future, but civil unions could be. Another top official said today that he supported civil unions, three weeks after the state's highest court punted the marriage question to the legislature. "I believe in civil unions," Democratic House Speaker Michael Busch said on "The Marc Steiner Show" on Baltimore's WYPR-FM.

'Dear Abby' supports the freedom to marry

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 07:55:53 -0400

The Washington Post
October 10, 2007
Jeanne Phillips, who formally took over the column when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease five years ago, thinks anything less than full marriage amounts to second-class citizenship. "If gay Americans are not allowed to get married and have all the benefits that American citizens are entitled to by the Bill of Rights, they should get one hell of a tax break."

OR domestic partnership law should take effect next year

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 13:13:14 -0400

New York Times
October 8, 2007
Opponents of Oregon's new domestic partnership law failed to turn in enough valid signatures to block the measure, clearing the way for it to take effect next year, state elections officials said Monday. The measure covers benefits related to inheritance rights, child-rearing and custody, joint state tax filings, joint health, auto and homeowners insurance policies, visitation rights at hospitals and others. It does not affect federal benefits for married couples, including Social Security and joint filing of federal tax returns.

Colombia court OKs health benefits for gay couples

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 11:43:00 -0400

Reuters
October 5, 2007
Gay couples in Colombia won the same social security rights as their straight counterparts in a court ruling called a major advance for gay people in this conservative Roman Catholic country.

HUMOR: Saturday Night Live - Really!?! with Seth & Amy

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 11:05:40 -0400

NBC

Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler discuss Senator Larry Craig on Weekend Update

TV ad campaign attempts to sway the undecided

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 10:36:06 -0400

San Francisco Chronicle
October 9, 2007
"What if you couldn't marry the person you love?" reads the tagline to a 60-second TV spot that begins airing in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and other major California markets on Thursday. "Every day, gay and lesbian couples are prevented from marrying. Support the freedom to marry."

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 08:50:32 -0400

"When we get into setting up separate legal constructs... the question becomes which rights do we deny same-sex couples, and why?"

-- Dan Furmansky, executive director of Equality Maryland

Gay couples cross the border for love

Fri, 5 Oct 2007 10:53:14 -0400

New America Media
October 4, 2007
The civil unions performed in a neighboring country are legally valid in at least 19 American states, according to legal expert Jennifer Pizer of Lambda Legal. "What's happening in Mexico is a very interesting phenomenon that reflects modern life," she said. "Although we haven't yet seen a legal case in which a couple (in the United States) demanded the same rights they got in Mexico, we are based on laws. These unions are valid and respected in California and in any other state that recognizes the civil rights of same-sex unions."

MD Gov. open to signing marriage bill

Fri, 5 Oct 2007 10:16:14 -0400

Washington Blade
October 5, 2007
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, in an exclusive interview with the Washington Blade this week, indicated that he is amenable to signing a bill extending civil marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.

Sweden moving towards the freedom to marry for gay couples

Fri, 5 Oct 2007 10:15:07 -0400

Sveriges Radio International
October 4, 2007
Sweden's three opposition parties, the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left Party have put forward a motion in the Swedish Parliament to allow gay couples to legally marry. There is wide support in the parliament for the move, with the only party against the plans the Christian Democrats.

Asian American lawyers support the freedom to marry

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 20:34:15 -0400

Asian Journal
September 30, 2007
A team of Asian American attorneys and advocates in California announced Wednesday, September 26th that a coalition of over 60 Local, State and National Asian American organizations will be filing a legal brief in support of equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

GOP senator in VA, foe seeking gay vote

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 19:08:04 -0400

Washington Post
October 3, 2007
Republican incumbent Jeannemarie Devolites Davis and Democratic challenger J. Chapman Petersen practically fell over each other to win votes at a debate Thursday sponsored by Equality Fairfax, a nonpartisan group that seeks to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. "Everybody is equal," Davis told the small gathering in the sanctuary of the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia. "Everybody should be treated with respect." When asked about a state constitutional ban on gay and lesbian couples' marriages approved by referendum last year, Petersen said, "The amendment was gratuitous."

BLOG: Marriage is an ever-changing institution

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 11:59:16 -0400

Greta Christina's Blog
October 2, 2007
The fact that the institution of marriage is changing... that's hardly devastating news. People resisted the legalization of interracial marriages with every bit as much fervor as they resist same-sex couples' marriages now, and for many of the same reasons... and yet the institution of marriage has absorbed that change quite handily, and has soldiered on. The institution is changing, it has always been changing, and it will almost certainly continue to change.

OPINION: Why not ask presidential candidates to say when schoolchildren should be exposed to stories about divorce?

Wed, 3 Oct 2007 10:29:37 -0400

The Huffington Post
October 1, 2007
"You know very well that you'll never succeed in criminalizing divorce because too many 'normal' people want the freedom to get out of marriages they don't like, not to mention getting into the beds of people they do. So in order to pose as the heroic defenders of an institution that somehow co-exists -- miraculously! -- with widespread divorce, you demonize gay couples' marriages as the ultimate threat to 'traditional marriage': a threat that must be stamped out by nothing less than a Constitutional Amendment."

JOP OPPORTUNITY with Garden State Equality

Tue, 2 Oct 2007 11:08:56 -0400

Garden State Equality seeks to hire a Field Director.

The Field Director will run the organization's grassroots and volunteer programs, including developing, triaging and working closely with the exploding number of New Jerseyans who have signed up to volunteer for Garden State Equality.

Non-gay allies integral to MD marriage fight

Tue, 2 Oct 2007 10:51:07 -0400

Washington Blade
September 28, 2007
Del. Todd Schuler (D-Baltimore County) said he plans to co-sponsor a civil marriage bill when it is introduced in the House of Delegates. He said he thinks about his wife and how he would feel if she were in an accident and he could not make decisions about her care. "I don't know what I would do," he said. "If they extend marriage rights to anyone, they should extend them to everyone. Churches don't have any right to tell the state who they can and cannot marry, any more than the state has the right to tell anyone who they can and cannot marry."

OPINION: MD's highest court rules against marriage equality: Why, in this area, litigation still matters

Tue, 2 Oct 2007 10:50:06 -0400

FindLaw's Writ
October 2, 2007
Despite the existence of pro- or anti-freedom to marry laws in nearly every state, litigation is still very relevant. This article provides a rundown of how it can be relevant in various states.

OPINION: Continuing the fight

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 15:16:55 -0400

Washington Blade
September 28, 2007
It's painful to be told that we can be legally barred from the fundamental protections that stem from a civil marriage license because we weren't incontrovertibly born gay, can't accidentally impregnate someone or be accidentally impregnated, are too politically powerful, or could just go ahead and marry someone of the opposite sex. Equality Maryland's staff and board members share your feelings of disbelief and shock. We are taking the time to be angry and sad, but rest assured, we are already moving ahead. As you have likely heard, we will be asking the Maryland General Assembly to pass the Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Protection Act during the 2008 session. We have ensured this legislation protects religions and their right to refuse to perform weddings with which they disagree.

Right wing group gives up fight against marriage equality in Canada

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 14:19:36 -0400

Canada.com
September 27, 2007
Dave Quist, executive director of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada, said his organization is ditching their fight against gay couples' marriages, and pushing instead for tax breaks and other incentives to make marriage and child rearing more attractive options.

MD marriage ruling leads to vows for legislation in General Assembly

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 14:00:03 -0400

The Sentinel
September 29, 2007
State Sen. Gwendolyn Britt (D-Dist. 47) and Del. Victor Ramirez (D-Dist. 47) have both announced they would sponsor legislation in 2008 to allow same-sex couples to wed. Ramirez is championing the freedom to marry saying his cultural heritage allows him to identify with the desire for equal rights under the law. "Latinos and everyone fighting for equality, justice and freedom understand the importance of having the same opportunities and importance of being treated with fairness and compassion."

INTERVIEW: Evan Wolfson on the modern marriage movement

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 12:47:38 -0400

Men's News Daily
September 30, 2007
David Shankbone sits down with Evan Wolfson to discuss some of the recent decisions affecting the freedom to marry, gender in marriage, and reactions in the gay community to his fight for their rights. When asked "Why marriage?", Wolfson responds, "Marriage is a vocabulary, it's a vehicle, an engine for a larger discussion that moves people's understanding of who gay people are, why sex discrimination is wrong, why exclusion is wrong in America, that brings up discussion the separation of church and state, that brings up discussion of whether there should be limitations or roles based on sex, or whether men and women should be treated equally. Whether two women should be considered whole when they form a committed and loving relationship, as opposed to saying they are unwhole and unequal because they don't have a man in their life."

COLUMNIST: Pink panic in the GOP

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 10:56:44 -0400

The Washington Post
October 1, 2007
Jonathan Capehart writes, "Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is fearless. He has faced down al-Qaeda, the Mafia and the National Rifle Association. But when it comes to facing homosexuals, he's a wimp. So are former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson. They're all victims of a Pink Panic that calls into question their ability to lead this fractured nation."

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 09:24:34 -0400

"To be sure, there are important differences between the African American experience and that of gay men and lesbians in this country, yet many of the arguments made in support of the anti-miscegenation laws were identical to those made today in opposition to same-sex marriage."

-- Maryland Chief Judge Robert Bell, an African American, dissenting from the high court's 4-3 ruling upholding the denial of marriage to same-sex couples

NJ civil union law fails couples

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 08:38:44 -0400

The Star-Ledger
September 27, 2007
They were designed to give same-sex couples the benefits of marriage by a different name, but civil unions in New Jersey are a "failed experiment," the president of the state's largest lawyers' organization said last night. "They have been shown to perpetuate a second-class legal status," Lynn Newsome, president of the New Jersey State Bar Association told a state commission evaluating whether New Jersey's seven- month-old civil unions law is working.

Non-gay ally sues over anti-gay marriage amendment in WI

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:43:44 -0400

WMTV15
September 26, 2007
The first lawsuit attacking the anti-gay marriage ban in Wisconsin was mostly dismissed by a Dane County judge Wednesday. The judge says the man cannot sue because he is not gay and has not been harmed by the amendment. "I think every citizen in the state has standing on this issue, including me," William McConkey said. "I was asked would I have done this if I didn't get have a gay daughter. Probably not. I'd still be outraged, but I wouldn't have put myself through this. But I'm fighting for my kid."

Diverse groups file legal briefs endorsing the freedom to marry

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:20:25 -0400

San Francisco Gate
September 26, 2007
Hundreds of national civil rights groups, lawmakers, academics and cities submitted legal briefs to the California Supreme Court Wednesday in support of gay couples who are seeking to overturn state laws prohibiting gay and lesbian couples from marrying. Nearly 100 groups representing racial minorities with their own histories of disparate treatment submitted "friend of the court" briefs in the case.

OPINION: Will Sanders lead the nation on marriage?

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:25:19 -0400

The San Diego Union-Tribune
September 27, 2007
Jerry Sanders, a first-term Republican whose chance of re-election had seemed to dim in recent weeks, may have caused a huge turnabout in current politics by siding suddenly with mostly liberal voters in deciding that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry a same-sex partner. His action will be felt locally, of course, drastically changing the outlook in next year's mayoral election. But the news penetration he achieved elsewhere in the world suggests that Sanders' action may have a bearing on the political equation nationally as well.

ANALYSIS: MD court upholds discriminatory ban

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:12:00 -0400

Windy City Times
September 26, 2007
The supreme court of Maryland, on Sept. 18, reversed a lower court decision which had found a constitutional right for gay couples to marry. Evan Wolfson called the decision "deeply flawed" and said the 4 to 3 majority never even tried to answer the key question of how excluding gay couples affects the ability of heterosexual couples to procreate.

PRESS RELEASE: Religious, civil rights, and child advocacy groups support same-sex couples in legal battle to marry

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:06:29 -0400

ACLU
September 26, 2007
"We are not treating all Californians equally if some can marry and others cannot," said Alice Huffman, President of the California Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "The law should protect all people equally, and all Californians should have the choice to marry," she said. "I am honored to join other civil rights leaders in calling on our state to end its ban on marriage for lesbian and gay couples."

COLUMNIST: With O'Malley, flip-flops and twisting tongues

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:53:37 -0400

Washington Post
September 27, 2007
As mayor of Baltimore, O'Malley had a principled position on marriage equality. Now, as governor, O'Malley instead supports civil unions. Another flip-flop? No, O'Malley tells me. "There are people who prefer that people in public life use the word 'marriage,' but I do try to use the term 'civil unions.'" But those are not synonyms, I reply. Doesn't the fact that you used to favor civil marriage and now speak only of civil unions represent a new position?

NJ's civil union law is a fiasco

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:01:49 -0400

Blue Jersey
September 26, 2007
At Wednesday's first public hearing of the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission, Garden State Equality presents a mountain of new evidence showing the failure of New Jersey's civil union law to provide equality as real marriage would. 30 civil-unioned couples from across New Jersey will present a joint letter to state leaders. An expert from Vermont will testify that civil unions in Vermont still don't work like marriage, seven years after Vermont enacted a civil unions law.

Equality Florida member challenges bigotry during far-right summit

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:59:48 -0400

Box Turtle Bulletin
September 24, 2007
Cathy James - mother of a seven-year-old, founder of Securing Our Children's Rights (SOCR) and longtime member of Equality Florida - not only attended the Family Impact Summit, but she also spoke out to challenge the bigotry being espoused. In so doing, she left a group of anti-gay panelists "speechless."

OPINION: San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders sets a courageous example for other politicians

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:16:49 -0400

Los Angeles Times
September 25, 2007
Sanders is mayor of San Diego, a city that generally votes conservative, and he is facing a reelection challenge from his right. The last-minute reversal of a long-held position against same-sex marriage makes him vulnerable. It takes nothing from L.A. leaders -- or even from groundbreaking San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who defied the initiative with his 2004 decision to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples -- to recognize Sanders for a special brand of leadership. Still, the video of the mayor's emotion-filled news conference reveals more at work than simply political courage. Parental love had a hand as well. For every Dick Cheney who resists marriage equality despite having a gay child or other loved one, there will be more and more people like Jerry Sanders.

OPINION: Say no to constitutionalizing discrimination in FL

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:28:43 -0400

Florida Today
September 23, 2007
"When misguided religious and political groups attempt to deny gays legal rights under the guise of protecting marriage, you better watch out for your own rights. That's what is happening in Florida, as supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage try to get the issue on the November 2008 ballot."

BLOG: Legal strangers

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:07:20 -0400

Positive Liberty
September 25, 2007
There is a quietly gripping passage in Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale in which a young married couple has just learned of the new law putting the husband in charge of all property. It doesn't matter, the husband tells the wife. He insists that it won't change anything. The wife, though, knows better. The law is a living embodiment of a set of values. The law is a teacher, and it works a subtle but often decisive influence on the public. Straight and gay alike, we've absorbed these lessons, and it's a tribute to our cultural and intellectual independence, to our stubbornness and our willingness to think for ourselves, that we are even having a debate about marriage equality today. The law is a teacher, but as students, we can choose to think for ourselves.

OPINION: Perfect families can't be legislated

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:49:15 -0400

The Plain Dealer
September 25, 2007
"If state courts and legislative bodies continue to insist that only heterosexuals have the right to marry and raise children, then it might be a good idea for them to provide some guidelines for this superior brand of parenting. I hate to be a contrarian here, but has anyone else noticed how often we heterosexuals screw up? ...I'm not saying all heterosexual parents are nut jobs, but it does seem that our glass houses could use a little Windex. Nothing like a little sunlight to spot hypocrisy. In the meantime, you just know homosexuals will keep trying to sneak something past us."

Let California Ring

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:09:22 -0400

Equality California Institute

Every day gay and lesbian Californians are denied the freedom to marry the person they love. Let California Ring is a public education campaign to open hearts and minds about the freedom to marry and the respect, support, protections, and responsibilities that come with marriage. Comprised of a coalition of 45 diverse local, state and national organizations, Let California Ring is a project of Equality California Institute.

Asian American community leaders advocate for the freedom to marry

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:03:22 -0400

Asian Journal
September 23, 2007
Over 90,000 gay and lesbian families in California are excluded from marriage; one in 10 of these families is Asian American. By filing this brief, Asian American community, legal, civil rights, and social service organizations -- as well as Asian American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizations -- join together in an unprecedented show of unity and support for equal marriage rights within the Asian American community, as well as to send a strong message to the California Supreme Court that Asian Americans support a just and fair California for all members of our community.

BLOG: An extraordinary month

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:59:07 -0400

Wayne Besen
September 24, 2007
Besen writes, "Inside the trenches of culture war combat, it is often difficult to see who is winning the conflict. The recurring recriminations, stale rhetoric and finger pointing proclamations often leave one feeling as if we are in a perpetual stalemate. But in the past couple of weeks, dare I say, strong evidence has emerged that suggests the gay and lesbian community has won the war. Not winning, but won. There have been victories, dramatic and mundane, that show the world has changed and will never be the same."

MD Gov. O'Malley backed the freedom to marry in private e-mails

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:24:05 -0400

Washington Blade
September 20, 2007
In one message, O'Malley responds to an e-mail from Lisa Polyak, one of the plaintiffs in MD's marriage case, thanking the then-mayor of Baltimore for his support of same-sex marriage. O'Malley writes, "You are most welcome, Lisa. However, I'm just supporting something I strongly believe in. I wish you and your family nothing but the best." That message is dated Oct. 22, 2004. In addition to the e-mails sent to Polyak, sources said O'Malley endorsed marriage equality for gay couples during a 2004 meeting of the Baltimore mayor’s LGBT task force.

BLOG: My (second) take on marriage

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:01:43 -0400

Redstate
September 21, 2007
A conservative blogger writes out his five reasons why society benefits more by encouraging more marriage, why he thinks the government should stay out of the marriage business, and why, from a social conservative viewpoint, he thinks allowing committed same-sex couples to get married is far less damaging than the tendency to equate cohabitation with marriage.

Non-gay Americans to "come out" for gay rights on October 7-13, 2007

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:31:01 -0400

PR Web
September 24, 2007
From Santa Rosa, California, to Montgomery, Alabama, to Augusta, Maine, overnight vigils will light up American cities over the course of seven nights, providing unprecedented visibility to heterosexual men and women with the conviction to stand up for their gay and lesbian friends and neighbors. These fair-minded straight folks are showing their elected officials that equality is not a secular issue, not a gay issue, not an urban elite issue, not an east coast or a west coast issue--it's an American issue This grassroots groundswell, dubbed Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights, was initiated by Soulforce and Atticus Circle, two Texas-based organizations with members across the nation.

MD high court says no to marriage equality

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:56:41 -0400

Gay City News
September 20, 2007
Writing for a majority of the court, Judge Glenn T. Harrell, Jr., rejected the reasoning in Baltimore Circuit Judge M. Brooke Murdock's January 2006 ruling that the state's policy violated the Maryland Constitution's Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Adopted in 1972, the ERA provides that "Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged or denied because of sex." The Maryland Court of Appeals also implicitly ruled that same-sex couples are not constitutionally entitled to the rights and benefits associated with marriage through any alternative arrangement such as a civil union.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:12:44 -0400

"In the end, I couldn't look any of them in the face and tell them that their relationships, their very lives, were any less meaningful than the marriage I share with my wife, Rana."

-- San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, at a press conference announcing his support for marriage equality

The gay voter's guide to the GOP

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:26:01 -0400

Salon.com
September 21, 2007
What is a right-leaning gay person to do in this presidential election? Start by taking a closer look at the candidates in the Republican field. There is substantial variation, and not just in their positions on writing marriage discrimination into state and federal constitutions. Call it the Giuliani-Keyes Spectrum of Gay Friendliness. There exists, shall we say, a veritable rainbow of variation in between. In service to the one in four gay voters who chose George Bush over John Kerry in 2004, and anyone else who might want to know, Salon now presents its first ever Gay Guide to the Republican Candidates.

A Tearful Republican Mayor Comes Out -- For the Freedom to Marry

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:47:53 -0400

The Huffington Post
September 20, 2007
Complete with video, Evan Wolfson highlights an emotional press conference by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, a Republican former police chief, at which he announced his intention to sign a resolution supporting the freedom to marry, a reversal from his prior public opposition. Mayor Sanders said his change of heart and mind was due to soul-searching and personal conversations with gay people he knows, including his lesbian daughter, showing how powerful it is to make the conversation about real people, not just legalisms or hypotheticals. He also described how he has come to understand that his prior support for civil union, rather than marriage, was inadequate and wrong. San Diego now joins the other major California cities in calling on the Governor and State Supreme Court to follow the legislature's lead in embracing marriage equality.

OPINION: A tale of two Republicans

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:35:54 -0400

The California Majority Report
September 20, 2007
It's a shame that Governor Schwarzenegger intends to squander his historic opportunity to embrace marriage equality this year, an opportunity to become the first of (soon-to-be) many governors to codify into law what is perhaps our generation's crowning civil rights achievement. Nevertheless, if the Governor wastes this chance to cement his legacy as a "post-partisan" leader, either the California State Supreme Court will back marriage equality next year or a Democratic governor will sign a marriage equality bill in 2011. And on that day, Mayor Sanders will go down in history as someone who was ahead of his time and well ahead of his party.

BLOG: The CA mayor's lesson

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:10:16 -0400

The Stranger's Blog
September 20, 2007
Columnist Dan Savage writes, "Living with integrity--coming out--is the most important political action that any individual gay or lesbian can take. Don't let anyone tell you that coming out is meaningless--and don't let anyone tell you, I suppose, that a conservative ex-cop's evolving position on marriage equality can't possibly be sincere."

OPINION: A civil right

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:28:12 -0400

Baltimore Sun
September 19, 2007
A fractured Maryland Court of Appeals couldn't agree on a constitutional basis for affirming the right of same-sex couples to marry or even to share in the legal benefits that marriage provides. But yesterday's ruling, issued in four separate versions by the seven judges, pointedly invited the General Assembly to provide the statutory underpinnings that will allow Maryland to reflect the societal shift under way toward acceptance of gay unions. That's an entreaty Gov. Martin O'Malley and the lawmakers ought to quickly accept.

CA supporters of equality hold statewide marriage protest

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:54:20 -0400

365Gay.com
September 19, 2007
From Bakersfield to Ukiah thousands of California gays and lesbians staged demonstrations Tuesday night calling on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to rethink his threatened veto of marriage-equality legislation.

La igualdad es una: la igualdad

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:16:55 -0400

El Blog del PJ
September 20, 2007
Pedro Julio Serrano comenta sobre el poderoso testimonio del alcalde republicano de la ciudad de San Diego, Jerry Sanders, al decidir apoyar una resolución de su Consejo Municipal en favor de la igualdad en el matrimonio para las parejas gay y lésbicas.

VIDEO: San Diego mayor rethinks his position on marriage

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:44:27 -0400

CBS5
September 19, 2007
Watch this very touching video of the Republican mayor of San Diego rethinking his position on marriage, rejecting civil union, and deciding to sign, not veto, a resolution adding San Diego to the other major California cities calling on the supreme court (and governor) to support the freedom to marry. He talks about his gay staffers, and his lesbian daughter, and being unable to look them in the face and say their love is unworthy or unequal.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders marriage press conference

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:13:54 -0400

Wockner
September 19, 2007
Read the transcript of Mayor Sanders' press conference here, in which he states: "During the campaign two years ago, I announced that I did not support gay marriage and instead supported civil unions and domestic partnerships. I have personally wrestled with that position ever since. My opinion on this issue has evolved significantly -- as I think have the opinions of millions of Americans from all walks of life."

Romney's new radio ad on marriage

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:38:43 -0400

New York Times
September 18, 2007
Mitt Romney is counting on his outspokenness on 'culture war' issues to win him crucial support among Christian conservatives who are wary of his Mormon faith. But Mr. Romney has his own complicated history on gay rights to work through as well. He has been consistent in his opposition to marriage equality over the years, but when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994 and then for governor in 2002 his tone on gay rights was decidedly different than it is on the presidential campaign trail today. Back then, he portrayed himself as someone who would fight for gay equality, including partnership rights for same-sex couples.

More reactions to MD's marriage ruling

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:38:07 -0400

Free State Politics
September 18, 2007
Sen. Rich Madaleno of Montgomery County, MD, writes: "As I am sure you have heard by now, today the Maryland Court of Appeals denied equal rights for gay and lesbian couples in our state. While I am disheartened by this decision, I am more incensed by the poor quality of the majority opinion, which relies on several flawed arguments... I fully expect bills to legalize marriage equality will be introduced next session as well as bills to authorize civil unions and the like. Rest assured, I will be advocating for full marriage equality."

BLOG: MD Supreme Court rejects marriage challenge

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:37:15 -0400

The Debate Link
September 18, 2007
The court essentially admitted here that were it to take a strict textualist view of Article 46 and its elaborating precedents (if they read it "literally"), the plaintiffs would have won. I look forward to all the folks who pride themselves on demanding constitutional decisions being about what the text says, not what they want it to say, thus condemning the courts manipulations.

San Diego Mayor reverses stand, now supports marriage equality

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:29:35 -0400

365Gay.com
September 20, 2007
The mayor of the nation's eighth-largest city abruptly reversed his public opposition to same-sex marriage late Wednesday after revealing that his adult daughter is a lesbian. "Two years ago, I believed that civil unions were a fair alternative," he said at a news conference. "Those beliefs, in my case, have since changed. The concept of a 'separate but equal' institution is not something that I can support."

PODCAST: Interview with Evan Wolfson from Freedom to Marry

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:02:32 -0400

A Shanty No Lemon
September 15, 2007
A Shanty No Lemon's Anthony Anselmo interviews Evan Wolfson about the importance of telling our stories and explaining why marriage matters to each of us. By talking about values and making it personal and emotional, you can touch people's hearts as well as their minds -- and we all need to do that now to create space for politicians, candidates, and judges to rise to fairness.

BLOG: Libertarian Party of CA calls for Gov. to change position on marriage bill

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:41:05 -0400

Outright Libertarians Blog
September 18, 2007
A simple, strong, clear letter to the governor from the Libertarian party's state chair on AB43, the marriage equality bill: "The Libertarian Party would like to see all people treated equally before the law; gay or straight, male or female, white or black, able-bodied or disabled, married or single. We would like to see government less involved in the institution of marriage, which we see as a civil matter; something that isn't even within the proper role of government to interfere with or regulate. AB 43 is a significant move towards individual freedom by eliminating legalized discrimination by the State of California against gay couples. The Libertarian Party of California, and I personally, urge you to sign this historic bill into law."

PRESS RELEASE: ACLU and Equality Maryland denounce 4 to 3 decision by MD high court denying marriage protections for same-sex couples

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:32:15 -0400

Equality Maryland
September 18, 2007
The American Civil Liberties Union and Equality Maryland today denounced the divided Maryland Court of Appeals decision upholding a state law that bars same-sex couples from marrying and accessing the hundreds of family protections provided to married couples and their children under state law. The organizations vowed to take their struggle for marriage for same-sex couples to the General Assembly, where Sen. Gwendolyn Britt (D-Prince George's County) and Delegate Victor Ramirez (D-Prince George's) have vowed to sponsor bills to extend marriage to same-sex couples.

MD high court upholds exclusion from marriage

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 10:52:43 -0400

The Washington Post
September 18, 2007
Maryland's highest court upheld the state's exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage in a closely split 4-3 ruling issued this morning, reversing a lower court decision that found the denial unconstitutional. The narrow majority said that a link to "procreation" could be a rational reason for withholding the freedom to marry. Maryland's legislature must act now to end exclusion from marriage since the four-judge majority did not.

BLOG: Dear Mr. Governator...

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 17:39:23 -0400

Wockner
September 16, 2007
We elect the Assembly members and senators to represent us. If Californians had been so horribly outraged that our elected representatives voted for same-sex marriage in 2005, then California voters would have retaliated against those legislators who voted for marriage equality. But voters didn't. And this year's same-sex marriage bill got more votes in the Legislature than the one in 2005 did.

OPINION: Do you really think family equality is not an age-appropriate subject?

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 17:36:26 -0400

The Record
September 17, 2007
As reported in The New York Times, a South Jersey school district yanked a documentary from classrooms because it included a child introducing his two dads. The film was being shown to third-graders. Discussion has ensued whether it is age-appropriate or whether the entire issue should be left to parental discussion. Hold the phone. In New Jersey, it is legal for same-sex couples to adopt. It has been ruled by the state's Supreme Court that same-sex couples are constitutionally entitled to join in unions that have all the weight and significance of marriage. Why is there even a discussion about showing this video? The documentary includes images of an interracial family. There are probably parents who do not approve of such marriages. There are probably parents who don't approve of interfaith marriages. That is not a public school's concern.

EVENT: Marriage Equality USA & Equality California Rally

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:30:19 -0400

California stands poised to be the first state to enact marriage equality through legislative action. The California Legislature has given Governor Schwarzenegger a second opportunity to be a civil rights hero by signing AB 43 (Leno, D-San Francisco) to ensure that all California families are able to enjoy the rights and obligations of civil marriage.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to have the bill on his desk as early as next week. Marriage Equality USA, Equality California and many other partner organizations across the state invite you to participate in a statewide community call to action to urge the him to NOT do a Veto Sequel, but instead - to play the part of a Civil Rights Hero.

Please join them at an event near you on Tuesday September 18, 2007!

OPINION: Secrets of conservatives

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:27:35 -0400

The Lantern
September 17, 2007
With popular culture swinging the way of tolerance, as it should be, the right wing - more specifically the Christian right - saw it was going to be fighting an uphill battle to prevent gays from getting married. So what did they do? They changed what the issue was about and turned the tables completely. Suddenly, they weren't discriminating or persecuting anyone. They were "defending" the "sanctity" of marriage. Think about it. It's diabolically ingenious. Everyone always roots for the underdog.

Marriage equality good for business in New England

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:08:39 -0400

The Washington Post
September 16, 2007
Since the freedom to marry came to Massachusetts in 2004, attendance at Boston's annual Gay Pride Day, a major attraction for visitors, has more than doubled, according to the Massachusetts tourism bureau. Last June, attendance exceeded 100,000, compared with 40,000 three years ago. Although Vermont tourism officials don't tally visitors according to sexual orientation, several innkeepers report a strong rise in their gay clientele since civil unions were legalized in 2000.

Almost married in IA

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:57:29 -0400

Quad-City Times
September 14, 2007
Funny, when something isn't legally permissible for a class of individuals to which you belong, you can fool yourself into believing it doesn't matter. However, when something as fundamental as marriage becomes a reality -- even for a few hours -- it is difficult to return to that state of denial. Marriage matters to us. For 20 years, we have gladly shared in its responsibilities. We had hoped we could finally avail ourselves of its rights.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:18:26 -0400

"[T]he gay rights movement has come full circle, from an early and essentially conservative request for basic equality to a final and essentially conservative request for complete equality."

-- Philip Kennicott, Washington Post staff writer, At Smithsonian, Gay Rights Is Out of the Closet, Into the Attic

Same-sex unions growing in Canada

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:08:10 -0400

The Canadian Press
September 12, 2007
This article shows that once marriage equality becomes the part of the landscape, people realize that it harms no one and helps real families

BLOG: By backing Obama, Oprah leaves queers behind

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:22:05 -0400

The Bilerico Project
September 11, 2007
Rev. Irene Monroe writes, "While it is true that none of the Democratic presidential frontrunners support same-sex marriage, Oprah must be asked: Would she endorse a presidential candidate who would give African Americans and women what Obama is proposing for LGBTQ Americans? And as she tries to take America down an enlightened path in this presidential campaign, is Oprah's endorsement of Obama more about being an instrument of racial equality in this country, by finally getting a black man elected to the highest office in this nation, than it is about the annoying and politically divisive issue of marriage equality for LGBTQ people? Is Oprah choosing, like many African-Americans ministers have done, which issue is more important for our black communities? Ironically, LGBTQ people of African descent is a segment of the American population that has the most to gain from marriage equality."

Red families, blue families

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:56:01 -0400

Social Science Research Network
August 16, 2007
Data show that two different family systems underlie the increasing political polarization in the United States. Each system has developed its own legal structure, moral imperatives, and expectations of the state. While "blue families" have prospered, "red families" are in crisis on their own terms – red states have the nation's highest teen pregnancy and divorce rates, and the growing separation between the beginning of sexual activity and marriage makes abstinence increasingly untenable.

BLOG: Marriage Equality: A Cause and Conversation That Won't (and Shouldn't) Stop

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:19:55 -0400

Huffington Post
September 13, 2007
Evan Wolfson notes the recent events of an Iowa court decision striking down discrimination in marriage, the California legislature passing a marriage equality bill, and a Republican presidential candidate getting booed in New Hampshire for being anti-marriage, all proof that the conversation about the freedom to marry is unavoidable and present at the epicenters of presidential politics. Wolfson presents important points from the Iowa decision which exemplify why marriage matters and offers advice to presidential candidates with the Candidates' Guide on How to Support Marriage Equality and Get Elected.

Court rules NY gay couples' marriages are legal, entitle them to benefits

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:13:46 -0400

365Gay.com
September 11, 2007
An Albany court has dismissed a challenge to a decision by New York State's Comptroller that treats out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples the same as any other legal marriage in terms of benefits afforded to state employees through the New York State Retirement System.

BLOG: How to be against the freedom to marry, a tutorial

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:14:59 -0400

Fannie's Room
September 10, 2007
A blogger wittily refutes numerous arguments that opponents make against the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, including links to the sources of these arguments.

BLOG: My family is too valuable for your kind

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:28:43 -0400

Kmareka
September 9, 2007
"I am in a heterosexual marriage of twenty-five years, and in all those years 'gay marriage' was never to blame for any of our arguments. I think I speak for a lot of married couples when I say that there are issues closer to home we can fight about, if we are so inclined. Marriage is precious, the right to marry is a right that I value, and I would not deny equal rights to people who love someone of their own sex. It's easy to take marriage for granted, unless you are barred from it."

For GOP, gay rights play role that race once did

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:18:45 -0400

The Boston Globe
September 11, 2007
Opposition to marriage equality, along with other forms of gay rights that emphasize the equality of gay and straight relationships, is a key point of connection between Republicans and voters who might otherwise oppose the GOP agenda. In recent years, gay issues have functioned to help build a Republican coalition in a way similar to the role once played by race issues. In the '70s, '80s, and '90s, the national GOP came out strongly against programs to create special opportunities for racial minorities, thereby gaining substantial support among white social conservatives.

BLOG: Civil rights for gay citizens -- not just a theoretical concern

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:15:53 -0400

All Spin Zone
September 10, 2007
A non-gay ally writes, "Sometimes, not interacting with fine gay and lesbian families on a day-to-day basis, this campaign for their civil rights, to marry those they love wholeheartedly, and to raise the children they cherish, seems theoretical. This weekend it came home a bit more. Perhaps oddly, the issue came home while I was in the ocean up to my waist and waiting to grab the next wave."