For a marker or metric of just how rapidly the marriage-equality movement has progressed, consider this:
In May of last year, when President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, six states and the District of Colombia allowed it, and that was a tally built over the previous eight years.
Now, just 12 months later, the tally has doubled - or, rather, is poised to double, since the governors of Rhode Island, Delaware and Minnesota all recently signed laws that will go into effect soon. The other three newcomers, where voters approved gay marriage in referendums in November, are Washington, Maine and Maryland.
What explains the velocity of this shift in public policy, accompanied by an ongoing shift in public attitudes?
There are numerous answers, and one of the main ones is popular culture: television shows in particular, which have contributed mightily to the comfort that more and more Americans feel with the subject of homosexuality and with the presence of openly gay and lesbian people in their lives. Both Joe Biden and Rick Santorum have noted the influence of "Will & Grace," Biden citing it positively, Santorum not.
Plurality Of Tennesseans Support Marriage Or Civil Unions For Gay Couples
By On Top Magazine Staff Published: May 22, 2013
About half of Tennesseans support recognizing the relationships of gay and lesbian couples with either marriage or civil unions.
According to a poll released this month for Vanderbilt University, 49 percent of respondents support either marriage or civil unions for gay couples, while 46 percent remain opposed to both.
Sixty-two percent of respondents also believe that the spouses of domestic partners should receive health insurance and other employee benefits. Thirty-one percent disagreed.
Gay Marriage Supporters In Illinois Say They Have The Votes
By
Carlos Santoscoy
Published:
May 21, 2013
Supporters of gay marriage in Illinois
say they have the votes to pass a proposed law in the next 10 days.
As the Illinois General Assembly's
regular session nears its end, advocates insist the measure will
clear its final legislative hurdle.
The bill, approved by the Senate on
Valentine's Day and a House panel in March, has the support of
Democratic Governor Pat Quinn, leaving only a vote in the House
standing in its way to becoming law.
Former President Bill Clinton on
Tuesday endorsed an effort to make Illinois the 13th state
to legalize gay marriage.
"Our nation's permanent mission is to
form a "more perfect union" - deepening the meaning of freedom,
broadening the reach of opportunity, strengthening the bonds of
community," Clinton said in a statement released by Illinois Unites
for Marriage. "That mission has inspired and empowered us to
extend rights to people previously denied them. Every time we have
done that, it has strengthened our nation. Now we should do it
again, in Illinois, with marriage equality."
PARIS - French President Francois Hollande has signed into law a bill allowing same-sex marriage, making France the 14th country to legalize gay weddings.
France's official journal announced on Saturday the bill had become law
after the Constitutional Council gave it the go-ahead on Friday.
The bill, a campaign pledge by the Socialist president, has been for
months hotly contested by many conservatives in France, where allowing
gay marriage is one of the biggest social reforms since abolition of the
death penalty in 1981.
Opponents have staged huge and often violent demonstrations against the
bill and have called yet another protest on May 26. The leader of
opposition to gay marriage, a political activist and humorist who goes
under the name of Frigide Barjot, has said the protest would draw
millions into the streets.
Montpellier mayor Helene Mandroux, who is due to celebrate France's
first gay marriage in the southern city on May 29, said the law marked a
major social advance.
Click here to read the complete article.
Nevada Assembly Committee Approves Gay Marriage Resolution
By Carlos Santoscoy Published: May 17, 2013
A proposed constitutional amendment which seeks to legalize gay marriage in Nevada cleared an Assembly committee on Thursday.
Passage came a week after the Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections heard testimony on Senate Joint Resolution 13. The 10-member panel's three Republican members, Wesley Duncan, Pat Hickley and James Oscarson, voted against the measure.
A clear majority (56%) of Virginia voters now support legal same-sex marriage, a sharp reversal from a 2006 vote to amend the state constitution to define marriage as for a man and woman only. Attitudes on guns and immigration depart from positions of conservative leaders in the commonwealth.
After a hectic 10 days in which 3 states legalized gay marriage, expect the focus to turn to Illinois.
On Tuesday, Minnesota joined Rhode Island and Delaware to make it an even dozen states, plus the District of Columbia, to ratify proposals allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed.
In Minnesota, the proposed bill appeared to stall following nods in the House and Senate in March. The logjam appeared to be in the House, where it had received no GOP support. Without Republicans, Democrats had few votes to spare. In the end, four Republicans joined all but two Democrats to get the bill over the finish line.
A large majority of Michiganians support gay marriage, a new poll has found.
According to a Glengariff Group, Inc. poll of 600 registered voters released Tuesday, 56.8 percent of respondents say they support such unions, while 36.7 percent remain opposed.
The survey is the second to find majority support in Michigan.
Last November's Michigan State University's (MSU) State of the State Survey, found Michigan residents in support by a 56-39 margin.
Brazilian notary publics must register same sex unions as marriages
StarTribune.com - by Associated Press - May 14, 2013
BRASILIA, Brazil - Brazilian notary publics must register same-sex civil unions as marriages if the couple requests it, the country's National Council of Justice said Tuesday.
The council that oversees the country's judiciary said in a statement that notary publics cannot refuse to marry gay couples or convert a same-sex civil union into a marriage if that's what the pair wants.
The council based its decision on a 2011 Supreme Court ruling that recognized same-sex civil unions. The court said at the time that gay couples are entitled to same legal rights as heterosexual pairs when it comes to alimony, retirement benefits of a partner who dies and inheritances, among other issues.
A new poll shows a majority of adults in Arizona support gay marriage.
According to a Rocky Mountain Poll of 700 adults released Tuesday, 55 percent of Arizonans favor marriage equality, while 35 percent remain opposed.
Groups in support include women (60%), Hispanics (75%), liberals (67%), moderates (64%), independents (64%), Democrats (70%) and voters under 55 years of age (60%).
Republicans Believe Only 18% Of Americans Support Gay Marriage
By On Top Magazine Staff Published: May 14, 2013
Republicans believe only 18 percent of Americans support gay marriage.
According to a Gallup survey of 1,535 adults released Monday, 63 percent of respondents say the public is opposed to such unions, while 30 percent say the public supports it.
Less than half of Democrats (43%) and independents (30%) believe the public supports marriage equality. And 18 percent of Republicans say the public supports gay nuptials, while 77 percent say the public is opposed.
The Minnesota Senate on Monday approved
a gay marriage bill, paving the way for Minnesota to become the 12th
state to legalize such unions.
After a roughly four hour debate, the
Senate approved the measure with a 37-30 vote, four days after the
Minnesota House approved the measure. It was a dramatic reversal for
the chamber which just two years earlier approved a constitutional
amendment defining marriage as a heterosexual union. Voters felt
differently and rejected the proposal last November, setting in
motion a new push to approve gay nuptials in Minnesota.
Senator D. Scott Dibble, a Democrat and
the bill's champion in the chamber, opened the debate by walking
through the bill's provisions.
Historic Day For Minnesota As Senate Votes On Gay Marriage Bill
By Carlos Santoscoy Published: May 13, 2013
Minnesota is poised for a historic day Monday as the Senate prepares to debate a gay marriage bill.
The House debated the measure on Thursday for roughly 3 hours before approving it with 75 votes, including four votes from previously undeclared Republicans. The GOP support surprised some, including House Speaker Paul Thissen.
The Minnesota House on Thursday
approved a gay marriage bill.
After roughly a three-hour debate,
representatives, including 4 Republicans, approved the measure with a
75-59 vote. Two Democrats voted against the measure. It was a
dramatic reversal for the chamber which just two years earlier
approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a
heterosexual union. Voters felt differently and rejected the
proposal last November, setting in motion a new push to approve gay
nuptials in Minnesota.
The vote in the House came just days
after the measure received final nods from a House committee on
Monday and a Senate committee on Tuesday.
NOM's Brian Brown: Delaware Gay Marriage Law 'Endangers' Christians
By On Top Magazine Staff Published: May 09, 2013
Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), has condemned passage of a gay marriage law in Delaware.
In a blog post Thursday, Brown said Tuesday's passage put "pro-marriage constituents on a collision course with the law."
"Lawmakers in Delaware chose to abandon and discard society's most important institution and put their pro-marriage constituents on a collision course with the law," Brown said. "The Senators and Representatives who voted for this bill have endangered people of faith who believe marriage is the union of one man and one woman. In Delaware, as in other states that have redefined marriage, it will not be long before these good men and women feel the repercussions of this new law."
Minnesota House Dems Predict Gay Marriage Bill Will Clear Chamber On Thursday
By Carlos Santoscoy Published: May 08, 2013
At least three Democratic Minnesota House members have asserted that a proposed gay marriage bill will clear the House on Thursday.
Among those was House Speaker Paul Thissen, who told the AP that the measure is "in line with the tradition we've had in Minnesota about respecting people, making sure everybody is included in our community and the fullness of participation in that."
Rep. Karen Clark, the bill's champion in the House, gave reporters on Monday a blunt reply: "We will pass this bill. Yes, we will."
Rhode Island on Thursday became the nation's 10th state to allow gay and
lesbian couples to wed, as a 16-year effort to extend marriage rights
in this heavily Roman Catholic state ended with the triumphant cheers of
hundreds of gays, lesbians, their families and friends.
Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the bill into law on the Statehouse steps
Thursday evening following a final 56-15 vote in the House. The first
weddings will take place Aug. 1, when the law takes effect.
"I've been waiting 32 years for this day, and I never thought it would
come in my lifetime," said Raymond Beausejour, a 66-year-old gay North
Providence man who has been with his partner for 32 years. "For the
first time in my life, I feel welcome in my own state."
Lawmakers back gay marriage, union bills in Wyoming
By Kevin Huelsmann, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
January 15, 2013
For the first time in his career, Jackson Republican Rep. Keith Gingery is backing a gay marriage bill.
After eight years in the Legislature, Gingery has signed on as a co-sponsor of two measures sanctioning same-sex unions.
Laramie
Democratic Rep. Cathy Connolly filed legislation late Monday afternoon
that would create a path for gay couples to form civil unions or get
married.
The dual approach already has won the backing of Reps.
Ruth Ann Petroff, R-Jackson, and Gingery. Both Teton County lawmakers
said they would prefer to see gay marriage allowed in Wyoming but are
willing to debate whether civil unions might be a better way to go.
"It's
a basic human rights and fairness issue," Petroff said Monday. "It's a
basic constitutional issue. There should just be no reason why same-sex
couples shouldn't have the same rights as everyone else."
Rhode Island House To Vote On Gay Marriage In January, Gordon Fox Says
By On Top Magazine Staff Published: November 04, 2012
Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox said Saturday that the House would vote on a gay marriage bill in January.
Fox made the pledge to a group of supporters gathered at the restaurant Blaze in Providence. He said the legislation would come up for a vote "during the third or fourth week of January."
Fox, who is openly gay, first announced during the summer that he would call a vote next year if re-elected to his post.
Nevada lawmakers are expected to consider a bill which would repeal a 2002 constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state.
Assemblyman Elliot Anderson, a Democrat from Las Vegas, announced that he will introduce a bill in February which would begin the process of repealing the ban.
Nevada is the only state which requires that a citizen-initiated amendment be voted on twice. An overwhelming 69.6 percent of voters first approved Question 2 in 2000. Support dropped slightly to 67 percent for the second and final vote in 2002.
Anderson told the Las Vegas Sunthat he believes attitudes on the issue have shifted since 2002.
The Faces of Family are everywhere. They are the common thread that runs through us all. Regardless of color, race, spiritual belief, love orientation or political persuasion, we all share a family heritage.
The Wedding Party is proud to announce The Faces of Family project! The Faces of Family project will continue The Wedding Party's promise to provide the media and the world with the honest and provocative truth about same-sex relationships and families.
How can you be a part? Send us your story! Tell us about your family and why it is important. Tell us what family means to you and how your understanding of marriage was affected by your experience of family. Send us your picture and we will tell your story.
The Faces of Family Project is raising funds
to send the message to Albany to leave no family
behind and that all families deserve protection
through marriage. Click
here to contribute to our Faces of Family
Project.
Values Are For Everyone
Gloria Steinem - Author and Activist
If I had married when I was supposed to, I would have lost my name, my legal residence, my credit rating, my ability to get a loan or start a business without my husband's permission - most of my civil rights.
It's taken almost four decades of work by the women's movement to make an equal marriage possible, a parallel to the struggle of suffragists to change marriage laws that turned wives into property, and became the legal model for slavery. Suffragists won a legal identity. Feminists won a legal equality.
Janice Langbehn - Finding Strength Through Tragedy
On February 18, 2007 my partner, Lisa Marie Pond, died from a brain aneurysm. On that day, our family was dreaming of white sandy beaches and blue waters as we were getting ready to set sail on the RFamily Vacation cruise out of Miami to the Bahamas. Instead, Lisa who was very healthy collapsed while watching our children play basketball on the top deck. The kids were brave souls and carried Lisa down to the stateroom where I took one look at her and knew it was very serious, she couldn't talk at all and had no ability to stand. I will always have to live with the memory of the trauma our children endured by watching as their "other" mom was dying before their eyes. Fortunately, Lisa and I knew sign language because we have had many foster children who had language delays. So I signed and asked her if she hit her head and she replied very sternly in sign language "NO". That is when I thought it was a stroke or some other serious brain event. Ship porter's helped me get her to the Ships' doctor who called for Miami Fire and Rescue. Click here to read the complete article.
Every year Lambda Legal hosts award galas, garden parties, intimate dinners and other events. We also hold educational forums, seminars and rallies, sometimes with partner organizations - and our attorneys and public education staff participate in a wide range of conferences and workshops open to the public. Click through below to find out what's happening in a town near you! Click here for more information!
Send us a self-addressed stamped envelope, and we will send you 2 photo postcards at no cost!
These simple but effective tools allow you to affix your picture to the postcard and tell your story to whomever you wish. Just mail your request to:
"TWP Postcard Project"
332 Bleecker St., #d24
New York NY 10014
A picture of your family will tell a thousand words, if you let it. So let us help you tell your story. Send us a SASE today!
OMG
Gay Marriage Foe Dominique Venner Commits Suicide At Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral
By On Top Magazine Staff Published: May 22, 2013
French far-right activist Dominique Venner shot himself at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Tuesday, three days after President Francois Hollande signed a gay marriage bill into law.
Venner, 78, shot himself in the mouth and collapsed on to the cathedral's altar, creating a panic among tourist and forcing the evacuation of one of Paris' most iconic buildings.
Police said that he carried a letter, the contents of which have not been released, but made no declaration before taking his own life, Reuters reported.
WND Suggests Being Gay Is Worse Than People Who Engage In Bestiality
By On Top Magazine Staff Published: May 22, 2013
In a WND.com column, Christian conservative Les Kinsolving compares people who engage in bestiality with gay men and lesbians.
In the May 20 opinion piece, titled Why Not An Additional "B" To LGBT?, Kinsolving suggests gay people are lower than people who engage in bestiality because they do not spread HIV/AIDS or syphilis, unlike gays.
"If lesbians, male homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals should have the right to marriage license - as a few states, including Maryland, now provide - why should the real animal lovers (whose orientation is bestiality) not be allowed to marry?" Kinsolving wrote.
MCKINNEY, Texas (AP) - A judge has ruled that a North Texas lesbian couple can't live together because of a morality clause in one of the women's divorce papers.
The clause is common in divorce cases in Texas and other states. It prevents a divorced parent from having a romantic partner spend the night while children are in the home. If the couple marries, they can get out from under the legal provision - but that is not an option for gay couples in Texas, where such marriages aren't recognized.
The Dallas Morning News (http://dallasne.ws/16MlSUQ ) reported that in a divorce hearing last month for Carolyn and Joshua Compton, Collin County District Judge John Roach Jr. enforced the terms detailed in their 2011 divorce papers. He ordered Carolyn Compton's partner, Page Price, to move out of the home they shared with the Comptons' two daughters, ages 10 and 13. The judge gave Price 30 days to find another place to live.
Ontopmag.com, By Carlos Santoscoy Published: May 22, 2013
Gay groups are fuming after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved an immigration bill without an amendment protecting gay and lesbian couples.
On Tuesday, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy introduced the amendment, which seeks to allow a gay American to sponsor an immigrant spouse for citizenship, currently not allowed pursuant to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), in the Democratic-controlled committee which he chairs.
But Leahy stood alone in his support. Within 30 minutes he withdrew the amendment "with a heavy heart."
