N.H. Marriage Repeal Held to 2012

By Advocate.com Editors

The New Hampshire house judiciary committee unanimously decided to hold two bills that would repeal a marriage equality law that was approved in 2009.

Lawmakers decided Thursday that such a vote would be held off until the 2012 election cycle, the Associated Press reports. The decision comes after house majority leader D.J. Bettencourt indicated in January that it would be better if the committee held the bill until next year, because marriage equality is a contentious issue that could take away time from working on fixes to the economy.

After being introduced to the committee, a hearing concerning the issue attracted 600 people testifying against repeal in February. According to recent polling, a majority of New Hampshire residents want to keep marriage equality on the books.

New Hampshire Freedom to Marry executive director Mo Baxley said locals are getting more used to the law, which makes them more sympathetic toward gay and lesbian couples and families.

"This is why legislation overturning marriage equality should not be 'retained' until next year but defeated and removed from consideration entirely," Baxley said in a statement Thursday. "It should be sent to the dustbin of history."

Lew Feldstein, cochair of Standing Up for New Hampshire Families, added that two thirds of independent voters and one third of Republican voters support keeping the law.

Gov. John Lynch, who signed the marriage bill into law, said he would veto a repeal if it reached his desk. Still, Republicans hold large enough majorities to override his veto.

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Public More Positive on Marriage Equality

By Advocate.com Editors

Independent voters have become more supportive of marriage equality in recent years, with 51% now in favor of it, up from 37% in 2009, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Thursday.

Overall, voters have shown an eight-percentage-point increase in support of marriage equality since 2009. Currently, 45% say gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry, 46% are opposed, and 9% are undecided.

Additionally, 34% of survey respondents have a favorable view of Congress, up from 26% a year ago. In contrast, President Barack Obama's approval rating is at 51% while 39% disapprove of his performance.

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Maryland Holdout Says Yes to Marriage

By Advocate.com Editors

Maryland delegate Jill Carter is no longer holding hostage a vote for marriage equality, saying important issues she wanted addressed have been discussed and she's now ready to back the bill.

Carter, a Democrat, said she was ready to vote no on the bill Tuesday night because she wants $15 million in funding restored to Baltimore schools and passage of her bill to more evenly divide child custody for divorced parents.

"I was always ready to vote for the bill," she said Wednesday. "There were some things that I wanted to have discussed and I knew if we took the vote first, they wouldn't be discussed. They were discussed [Tuesday]. I was happy. I'm content and ready to vote for the bill."

Earlier, she said she was willing to take a hit for withdrawing her support if it makes a larger point about her favored issues.

According to the The Baltimore Sun, on Tuesday, Carter said she didn't see the need to "fast-track" marriage since the 90-day session is only about half over and lawmakers are in their first year of a four-year term.

On Wednesday, another potential holdout, Delegate Tiffany Alston, committed a yes vote to the marriage equality bill, saying she, like many other delegates, had wanted more time to weigh her final decision, but ultimately feels that “all people should be treated equally regardless of their sexual orientation.”

The marriage equality bill has already passed the Maryland state senate, and a vote in the general assembly was expected Tuesday night but failed to happen. A vote is likely this week.

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Maryland Marriage Bill Advances

By Julie Bolcer

A debate predicted to last the entire day and beyond took only two hours Wednesday morning as Maryland senators voted 25-22 shortly after noon to advance the marriage equality bill to a third and final reading on Thursday followed by a final vote.

During the morning’s discussion, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act was subjected to a barrage of proposed amendments. Proposals to exempt religious groups that provide educational services and insurance coverage succeeded, but attempts to obtain exemptions for public officials and teachers failed, as did an adoption amendment that generated intense but controlled discussion.

Sen. Bryan Simonaire, a Republican from Anne Arundel County who proposed to exempt teachers from presenting marriage equality based on their religious beliefs, repeatedly raised the specter of “unintended consequences” to the marriage equality bill, such as school children reading books about same-sex couples.

Sen. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Montgomery County, led the debate in favor of the marriage equality bill and consistently countered opponents’ arguments. At one point, he dismissed an effort by Sen. C. Anthony Muse, a Prince George’s County Democrat, to remove the phrase “religious freedom” from the bill’s title because, Muse argued, the bill was focused on legalizing same-sex marriage.

“We are for marriage that includes everybody,” said Raskin. “Those people don’t say, ‘Will you gay marry me?’ or ‘Will you same-sex marry me?’ They’re asking, ‘Will you marry me?”

As debate came to a close, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., who had promised and managed to deliver a civil discussion, suggested his colleagues were beginning to carry the amendment proposals too far.

The senate is scheduled to hold a third and final reading of the marriage equality bill on Thursday. Supporters have secured the required number of votes from 24 senators, and Gov. Martin O’Malley has pledged to sign the bill. Debate begins Friday in the house of delegates, where backers feel confident of passage.

If passed and signed into law, the bill would make Maryland, with a population of 5.7 million people, the sixth state, in addition to the District of Columbia, to allow marriage equality.

Opponents of marriage equality have said they will try to repeal the prospective law with a referendum in 2012. However, a similar attempt to challenge the addition of sexual orientation to the state’s human rights law was kept off the ballot in the previous decade.

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Marriage Bill Introduced in Md. Senate

By Advocate.com Editors

The marriage equality bill was introduced in the Maryland senate Tuesday morning. Debate is scheduled to begin Wednesday on the measure, which has the required 24 votes to pass the chamber.

The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act passed the senate’s judicial proceedings committee last Thursday by a vote of 7 to 4. The bill included three amendments, including one on protecting religious institutions that is expected to be the subject of prolonged debate in the full senate this week.

The Wonk Room offers audio of the introduction.

Gov. Martin O'Mally has promised to sign the marriage equality bill, which is expected to pass the house of delegates.



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Iowa lawmaker introduces bill allowing discrimination against married gays

By Mark Singer

DES MOINES — An Iowa House Republican has introduced legislation that would allow for legally protected discriminatory business practices — based on religious grounds — against those in a same-sex marriage.

The study bill, titled the “Religious Conscience Protection Act,” would allow any religious corporation, association, educational institution, society, charity or fraternal organization, or person employed by such entities, to be exempt from treating a same-sex marriage as valid, even though such marriages are legal in the state of Iowa.

They also could deny goods, services or accommodations if the marriage violated a person’s religious beliefs.

The Des Moines Register reports:

The same-sex exclusion is by itself constitutionally troubling, several legal scholars and civil rights activists said.

However, the bill is so broad that it would legalize a wide spectrum of other discriminatory acts, they said. They raised questions about whether services could be denied if, say, a Christian were married to a Jew or if a woman who is 60 married a man who is half her age and the couple could not procreate.

Anderson (R-Clarinda), an attorney and sponsor of the bill, told Register that his intent is is to protect religious liberty.

“I think what we’re trying to do is balance constitutional amendments,” said Anderson. “There is the 14th Amendment that we’ve heard a lot about. There’s also the First Amendment.”

According to the bill:

• An individual, small business or sole proprietor would not be required to provide goods or services “that assist or promote the solemnization or celebration of a marriage.” This includes benefits to the spouse of an employee, housing to a married couple and reproductive services.
• People or businesses that refuse to provide services or benefits based upon religious convictions would be able to do so without facing civil claims.

Anderson acknowledged that the bill is not a priority of House leaders, and is not expected to pass the Senate, where Democratic Majority Leader Michael Gronstal has resisted attempts to ban same-sex marriages.

Anderson said he wants to ban same-sex marriage, “a step that would drive state policy toward responsible procreation,” he said on the floor of the House last week. He has publicly stated that he thinks that same-sex marriage is a step toward state-recognized polygamy.

Earlier this year, Anderson submitted his name for consideration as an Iowa Supreme Court justice.

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NOM testimony against Maryland marriage equality has unintended effect

By Eric Ethington

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland’s Senate Judicial Proceedings committee heard 7 hours of testimony on Tuesday on whether or not to legalize same-sex marriage, and testimony from at least one marriage equality opponent has had an unintended consequence.

Sen. James Brochin (D-Baltimore), one of the few Senate Democrats who opposed same-sex marriage, is reconsidering changing his position after listening to testimony from Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization For Marriage (NOM)

The Baltimore Sun reports:

Baltimore County Sen. James Brochin found the testimony Tuesday by opponents of gay marriage “troubling,” and said this morning that he may support the bill. The Baltimore County Democrat had previously said he was against same-sex marriage.

“The demonization of gay families really bothered me,” Brochin said. “Are these families going to continue to be treated by the law as second class citizens?”

On Tuesday, Gallagher testified before the Committee that 99% of the population is heterosexual, instead of the more accurate (and conservative) estimate of 90%, and that “more than 99% of the people who create children” do so “through acts of sexual passion.”

Watch here, courtesy of Metro Weekly:



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Hawaii civil unions bill clears House Judiciary Committee

HONOLULU — Hawaii moved another step closer to granting civil unions for same-sex couples.

The bill would allow same-sex and heterosexual couples to enter into civil unions and receive the same rights, benefits and responsibilities as marriage under state law.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports:

With the necessary votes in both chambers and a new Democratic governor who has voiced support for civil unions, lawmakers have moved swiftly to take advantage of the consensus so they can move on to other, less polarizing matters this session.
 

Lawmakers on the Judiciary Committee heard nearly five hours of testimony in the state Capitol auditorium yesterday as supporters and opponents raised familiar arguments for and against the measure.

Last month, the state Senate passed the civil unions bill by a vote of 19-6.

But because of amendments attached in the House at the recommendation of the state Attorney General’s Office, the bill will go back to the Senate once passed in the full House before making its way to the Governor for his signature.

The amendments to the bill were added to ensure that the relationships are recognized in the tax code and are under the jurisdiction of family court.

Hawaii’s new Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie has promised to sign the civil unions legislation if approved, calling it a simple issue of civil rights.

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‘Freedom to Marry’ to launch national marriage equality public education campaign

Freedom to Marry, a national marriage equality advocacy organization, is set to launch the first-ever national public education campaign aimed at increasing nationwide support for marriage equality.

The groundbreaking campaign — “Why Marriage Matters” — includes ads nationwide featuring gay, lesbian and straight couples talking about why marriage matters to them.

The organization has pledged to raise and spend $10 million over the next three years on the “Why Marriage Matters” campaign, which will launch during Freedom to Marry Week on Valentine’s Day with an initial national cable buy on CNN.

“Across the country the thinking of many Americans, from the president to the people next door, continues to ­­­– as President Obama put it ­ — ‘evolve’ toward support for same-sex couples joining in the freedom to marry,” said Evan Wolfson, Founder and President of Freedom to Marry.

“By engaging friends, families, and neighbors in personal conversations about why marriage matters, each of us can help fair-minded people wrestling with a lack of information and uncertainty, and change hearts and minds,” he said.

Wolfson said his team "has crunched over a decade’s worth of polling data" and analyzed over 85 data-sets representing 6 years of research to develop messages that are proven to be effective in swaying public opinion around marriage.

In particular, the data showed that people who have had conversations with their gay and lesbian friends about why marriage matters to them are more likely to support the freedom to marry.

“As Americans see their gay and lesbian friends, families, and coworkers in loving and committed relationships, they realize there is no good reason to withhold the protections and support that only come with marriage," said Thalia Zepatos, Director of Public Engagement for Freedom to Marry.

The "Why Marriage Matters" campaign will include a variety of mixed media advertising, including TV, radio, and online ads.

Watch on of the videos here; there are more videos and stories at the "Why Marriage Matters" website.



Freedom to Marry was launched in 2003 by Wolfson, a civil rights attorney generally considered the architect of the national marriage equality movement.

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Gillibrand to N.Y. Lawmakers: Pass Marriage

By Julie Bolcer
U.S. senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York sent a letter to lawmakers in her state Tuesday urging them to pass the marriage equality bill this year.

Capitol Tonight reports on the letter, in which Gillibrand wrote, “Equal protection under the law has been a hallmark of the American legal, social and political system since the founding of the republic. In this instance, I believe that this principle must be extended to all of those in our state who seek the civil contract of marriage and the numerous legal rights, protections and benefits that only the status of marriage confers.”

The correspondence accompanied a lobby day in Albany sponsored by Marriage Equality New York, which drew around 300 participants, or more than double the number from last year. Advocates feel hopeful about the bill, which failed the senate in 2009, because of support from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a vow from Republican majority leader Dean Skelos not to block a vote on the measure. On the other hand, only 26 senators publicly support the bill, which requires 32 votes to pass, and no Republican has confirmed support for the measure. It needs a bipartisan nod in the closely divided chamber where some Democrats oppose the bill.

Also in attendance at the lobby day were Gillibrand staff members and Miss New York Claire Buffie, who competed for Miss America this year on an equality platform.

Appointed to the senate seat Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left in 2009, Gillibrand has become a prominent voice for LGBT rights including marriage equality and the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The former congresswoman easily won her first statewide election in November, and recent polling showed her approval rating has jumped significantly since the time of her controversial appointment by former Gov. David Paterson.

Charles Schumer, the senior U.S. senator from New York, addressed the annual Human Rights Campaign gala on Saturday and called for marriage equality.

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Anti-gay marriage amendment advances in Indiana House

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — An amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Indiana moved forward on Monday, as a House committee voted in favor of sending the bill to the House floor.

Same-sex marriage is already illegal in the state of Indiana, but marriage equality opponents say it needs to be in the constitution.

The state Senate has passed the constitutional ban in recent years, but it has always died in the House, which Democrats controlled up to this year.

The Indianapolis Star reports:

The Republican-controlled committee approved the bill 8-4, sending it to the House floor for amendments and consideration.

Several previous efforts to add a ban on gay marriage to the constitution have failed, but this year could be different since Republicans now have a majority in both houses.

Even if the measure passes this year, however, it would still have to be approved by another, separately elected legislature and then in a referendum by voters, before being placed into the state’s founding document.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Eric Turner (R-Marion, Ind.) said it’s a matter of protecting the existing law from being declared “unconstitutional” in court.

“It’s state sanctioned discrimination. Two straight people can go to Vegas, be intoxicated and be married by an Elvis impersonator and what we’re saying in Indiana is that two people in a committed relationship that care for each other can’t achieve that status. I really have a hard time understanding that,” said Unitarian Minister Andy Burnette.

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Meet Zach Wahls

by Aaron McQuade

If you’re one of the million-plus who have seen his video on YouTube, or one of the millions more who were tuned into MSNBC, ABC News or CBS News when his video was playing, chances are that you’ve already met him.  But just in case you’re not – or if you want to get reacquainted, here he is.



The first thing that needs to be said about 19 year-old University of Iowa student Zach Wahls, is that his only goal in making this speech to the state House of Representatives was to stand up for his parents. The story he wanted to tell was one of love, of caring, of nurturing - of the same ups and downs that every family goes through. By telling his story, Zach was making the case for why his moms should be able to keep the protections they have for their loving, committed relationship. But as the media attention he’s received proves, he did something more.

Zach captured the nation’s attention with his compelling story, just as our friend Joel Burns did last year. And while there’s no question that he is an extraordinary speaker, the story he tells is just about as conventional, run-of-the-mill, par-for-the-course ordinary as they get. And that’s exactly why he’s so important.

Zach’s story is no different than the stories of the overwhelming majority of kids who are raised by loving gay or lesbian couples. And because the topic of family comes up so often in these discussions, I’m going to give you a little bit of ammunition.

Opponents of marriage equality are always quick to recite the all-too-familiar line “studies show that children do best when they have a mother and a father.”  The first thing you need to know is that  those studies they’re citing are actually comparing two-parent households to single-parent households, and do not include children raised by gay and lesbian parents.

Anti-gay activists aren’t comparing apples to apples. They’re not even comparing apples to oranges. This is comparing apples to encyclopedias.

Dr. Nanette Gartrell is lead author of the US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study, which is the longest ongoing study of same-sex couples parenting children ever undertaken. In June, she said “It’s not that our study contradicts any actual scientific data used by opponents — there are no opposing data.  Ours is the first of its kind to show how these adolescents are faring, and they’re doing extremely well.”

In a report released in the journal Pediatrics, she wrote “According to their mothers’ reports, the 17-year-old daughters and sons of lesbian mothers were rated significantly higher in social, school/academic, and total competence and significantly lower in social problems, rule-breaking, aggressive, and externalizing problem behavior than their age-matched counterparts in Achenbach’s normative sample of American youth. Within the lesbian family sample, no Child Behavior Checklist differences were found among adolescent offspring who were conceived by known, as-yet-unknown, and permanently unknown donors or between offspring whose mothers were still together and offspring whose mothers had separated.”

And it’s not just LGBT researchers saying this. According to Media Matters:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics says: “[S]cientific literature demonstrates” that same-sex couple children “fare as well.”
• The American Psychiatric Association says: “Research indicates that optimal development for children is based not on the sexual orientation of the parents.”
• The American Psychological Association says: “There is no scientific basis for concluding that lesbian mothers or gay fathers are unfit parents on the basis of their sexual orientation.”
• The American Psychoanalytic Association says: “Gay and lesbian individuals and couples are capable of meeting the best interest of the child.”
• The Child Welfare League of America says: “Any attempt to preclude or prevent gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals or couples from parenting, based solely on their sexual orientation, is not in the best interest of children.”

So why is Zach Wahls so important, if all kids raised in similar homes fare just as well?

Because he’s speaking up.

Because he’s telling his story.

Because he’s actively fighting back against the myths and falsehoods put forth by opponents of marriage equality – and he doesn’t have to be the only one. 

In 2008, we commissioned a study by Harris Interactive, called “Pulse of Equality.” (which you can download here)  to find out where America stood on issues of equality for everyone, and just as importantly, why.  Around 20% of Americans said they felt more favorable about gay and transgender equality than they had just five years earlier.  Of those, the vast majority (4 out of 5) said a major reason was the fact that they knew an LGBT person.   Looking at how the country has reacted to Zach Wahls’ story, I’m positive that knowing the son or daughter of a gay or lesbian couple would have equally positive results.

The more America gets to know the LGBT community – and the families that are headed by or include LGBT people – the more the country understands the need for all of us to have the same protections. It’s true in schools, it’s true in the workplace, and it’s true in marriage.

And everyone who just met Zach Wahls is better off for it.

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Utah state representative introduces anti-gay ‘Family Policy’ bill

By Eric Ethington

SALT LAKE CITY — Extremist and anti-gay Utah state Representative LaVar Christensen (R) has introduced House Bill 270, called the “Family Policy” bill.

The language includes the State affirming marriage as “ordained by god” between a man and a woman:

“As the public policy of Utah, that a family, consisting of a legally and lawfully married man and woman and their children, is the fundamental unit of society; and requires that publicly funded social programs, government services, laws, and regulations designed to support families be carefully scrutinized to ensure that the promote the family.”

And as if we needed any more proof that Christensen and his Sutherland Institute cronies have never actually read the constitution, it also says;

“Marriage and family predate all governments and are supported by and consistent with the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God, the Creator and Supreme Judge of the World.”

Welcome back to the dark ages folks.

I’m still going through the details of the bill, but it appears that it doesn’t actually effect any actual policies, but rather is a typical Utah GOP ‘Message Bill’ designed to garner favor with the most extreme 1% of the population.

Utah already has a constitutional amendment (Amendment 3) which prohibits same sex marriage, civil unions or any governmental recognition similar to marriage in the state.

Last Week, Christensen reintroduced a bill he tried to pass in 2006 which prohibits same-sex couples from making contractual agreements, such as wills and financial arrangements.

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Could Barbara Bush Hurt Obama?

By Advocate.com Editors
Writer LZ Granderson welcomes Barbara Bush's support for marriage equality, but he thinks the former First Daughter's words are going to make current President Barack Obama's stance seem out of touch.

Granderson wrote that Bush's 22-second public service announcement is just one of many similar statements that have come from prominent Republicans (like former Vice President Dick Cheney, former First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain) since Obama took office.

However, he wrote on CNN, Republicans could use marriage equality as a contentious issue for the 2012 presidential election.

"It's a brilliant scenario for conservatives because once again the Republican Party is positioned to dictate the national conversation on a matter of importance," he wrote. "If the 112th Congress is unable to tout an improved economy or jobs within the next 10 to 12 months, a presidential candidate may be able to resurrect the gay marriage debate to help fuel a run at the White House. This is why in 1996, Illinois State Senate candidate Obama said, "I favor legalizing same-sex marriages," but the 2008 presidential candidate Obama uttered no such words. In fact, despite all the good he has done, the best Obama can say about the all-important marriage equality debate is his opinion is evolving."

Read his full op-ed at CNN.com

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Nightly Wrap Up With New Mexico GLBTQ Centers

Utah Rep.: Ban Gays From Publicly Funded Programs.

Va. National Guard Will Have Out Gays.

Amber Heard to Do Playboy?

Rude Rejection Letter for Gertrude Stein.

Miss Kitty's Rocks For Last Time.

Scissor Sisters Curate Mapplethorpe (VIDEO)

S. Dakota: No License for Lesbian Wives.

Black: Hoover Film Won't Be Degayed.

MassEquality Courts Sen. Scott Brown.

Manning's Mental Health a Concern.

Key Md. Republican Backs Marriage.

Ivy Leaguers Fight ROTC for Trans Rights.

Did Jennifer Aniston Stop Perez's Bullying?

Watch: Glee's Darren Criss Talks About Playing a Gay Teen, on 'Ellen' (VIDEO)
 
Seat Filler

Bragman Slams Bush for Political Expediency. (VIDEO)

Chick-fil-A Reinstated on Indiana Campus

Md. GOP Senators Oppose Marriage Equality.

Gibbs Dodges Marriage Again

By Advocate.com Editors

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs dodged another question Monday on President Barack Obama's changed stance on marriage equality.

Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade asked about the president's 1996 statements where he expressed his support for full marriage equality. He has since reneged on those views, and says he backs civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.

"I was not with the president in 1996," Gibbs said Monday. "I was younger and thinner back then — same shoe size. I would simply say that throughout the campaign of 2004 and the campaign of 2008, he's made his position clear on that."

Johnson asked similar questions last week at a White House press briefing.

Gibbs also said he would not speculate on whether the president's view will change in anticipation of his reelection campaign in 2012.

"I think we’ve seen this president be clearly committed to issues of equality and justice...I can’t speak to 2012. I can speak to 2011 as a year in which a policy like “don’t ask, don’t tell” will end.

Watch the exchange below:



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Illinois governor signs bill legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples

CHICAGO — Illinois became the 12th U.S. state on Monday to grant legal recognition to same-sex couples.

Gov. Pat Quinn drew cheers from a crowd of more than 1,000 people who turned out to witness him sign into law a bill legalizing civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.

The civil unions bill will provide spousal rights to same-sex partners when it comes to surrogate decision-making for medical treatment, survivorship, adoptions, and accident and health insurance.

“Today is an important day in the history of our state because today we are showing the world that the people of Illinois believe in equality for all,” Quinn said after signing the legislation into law.

Watch here, via WLS-TV:



The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act passed in the Illinois General Assembly during the lame duck session following the November 2010 election.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), who is openly gay, drew a long standing ovation from the crowd.

The law takes effect on June 1 and also applies to heterosexual couples. Illinois law will continue to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

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Bush daughter comes out… for marriage equality (Video)

By Jamie McGonnigal

It would seem that the children of those who so staunchly fought against equality are now coming around. It could be a case of rebellion, but more likely than not, the younger generations just happen to know and love far more lesbian and gay people than their parents do.

The latest in the line of surprising converts to equality is young Barbara Bush, one of George W. Bush’s twin daughters. Her video is part of HRC’s NY4Marriage site, which already features videos from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Julianne Moore and others.



The 29-year old is the President of Global Health Corps and has worked Internationally with the American Red Cross, UNICEF and the UN World Food Programme, focusing on the importance of nutrition in ARV treatment. So it should come as no surprise that this daughter of a President should be so fair-minded when it comes to the rights of others.

She joins another outspoken Republican daughter, Megan McCain in joining in the fight for Marriage Equality. Can’t wait to see who else comes out of the closet!

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UPDATE: Statewide Efforts to Achieve Relationship Recognition

by Justin Ward

GLAAD Media Field Strategists Adam Bass, Daryl Hannah and Justin Ward contributed to this report.

In Friday’s edition of The New York Times, writer Charlie Savage examines the pending legal challenges to the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” and whether these cases may force President Obama to “take a clear stand on politically explosive questions like whether gay men and lesbians have been unfairly stigmatized” because of the congressional act.  But while there has been little movement on the national stage, states are vigorously taking up the issue of marriage equality.

Colorado

Earlier this month, Colorado Sen. Pat Steadman reassured civil union supporters that he would be introducing legislation during this legislative session.  This past Sunday, nearly 100 supporters of civil unions gathered at the First Unitarian Society of Denver with signs that read “Love is Love.”

“This is something that I think is overdue, something that will protect families and will make our laws a little bit more fair, and a little bit more inclusive so that everyone has the same opportunity to have economic security and stability in their family relationship,” the senator said.

GLAAD worked on the ground with One Colorado to media train 107 individuals and campaign spokespersons to talk about love and commitment.

Hawaii

Last year the Hawaii state legislature approved civil unions, only to see the bill vetoed by then-Gov. Linda Lingle (R).  Neil Abercrombie (D) was elected governor in 2010 and has expressed support for civil union legislation.  The legislature has fast-tracked a bill that is nearly identical to the civil union bill passed last year, and it sailed through the Senate by a 19-6 vote in the first days of the legislative session.  The House is likely to pass the bill in the coming days, and the governor is expected to sign it shortly thereafter.

Illinois

On Monday, Gov. Pat Quinn will sign the historic legislation legalizing civil unions in Illinois and granting hundreds of  gay and lesbian couples  legal recognition from the state. Upon signage, gay and lesbian couples will be able to make medical decisions for ailing partners as well as inherit a deceased partner’s property rights.

When the bill cleared both the state’s House (61-52) and Senate (32-24) last month, Gov. Quinn told the Associated Press: “I think they [businesses and convention organizers] look for a state that is a welcoming, accepting, hospitable place and that’s what we are in Illinois.  We have everybody in and nobody left out.”

Last March, GLAAD, in partnership with Chicago’s Center on Halstead, conducted a media spokesperson training for over 70 LGBT and allied leaders.

Maryland

A Feb. 8 date has been set for the Maryland marriage equality bill hearing.  The bill, which would remove a provision in Maryland law limiting marriage to relationships between a man and a woman, is “one of the highest profile issues before the Maryland General Assembly,” according to The Washington Post.

New Hampshire

In a press release Friday, the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition announced that Rep. David Bates (R-Windham) has introduced a bill that would repeal the state’s one-year-old marriage equality law.  Bates’ introduction of the bill comes despite bicameral support for creating jobs, not repealing marriage equality.  Several of Bates’ colleagues in the legislature have said that a repeal of marriage equality isn’t on this year’s agenda.  Ultimately the House Judiciary Committee must make that decision.  Since marriage equality became the law of the land in New Hampshire in January 2010, nearly 900 committed gay and lesbian couples have legally married in the state.

New Mexico

State Representative David Chavez has introduced two pieces of legislation that would both seek to restrict marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples.  The first piece of legislation would change a state law that allows out-of-state marriages to be recognized and would exclude gay and lesbian couples from such recognition.  The second piece of legislation introduced by Rep. Chavez would propose to voters a constitutional amendment to prohibit marriage equality for same-sex couples.  Both pieces of legislation are likely to be heard in the State House in the coming weeks.

Rhode Island

The House Judiciary Committee will hear arguments on marriage equality this Wednesday, Feb. 2, according to The Providence Journal.  With support from openly gay House Speaker Gordon Fox, a co-sponsor of this year’s marriage equality legislation, as well as new Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who called for marriage equality during his inaugural address, many observers contend that marriage equality stands its best chance for passage this year.  But there are a few challenges ahead.  Senate President M. Teresa Paiva-Weed has announced she will not support the bill.

As described in the agenda for Wednesday’s hearing, the proposed legislation would “broaden the definition of persons eligible to marry to include persons of the same gender.”  The bill also stipulates that clergy would not be required to perform any particular marriage ceremony.

In November, GLAAD worked on the ground with Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI) to train staff, board members, volunteers and couples on how to talk about love and commitment in the media.

Wyoming

The Wyoming legislature is faced with a series of bills to consider, all dealing with how to recognize gay and lesbian couples in the state.  The state House narrowly passed a measure that would prohibit the recognition of out-of-state marriages and sent the measure to the Senate for consideration.  The state Senate passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting recognition of all marriages of gay and lesbian couples, but the amendment still faces a vote in the House of Representatives, before being sent to voters for ratification.  Additionally, a bill that would recognize marriage equality was introduced, though it was tabled without a vote.

A measure to recognize civil unions was narrowly defeated in the House Judiciary Committee, despite having bipartisan support.  Several legislators expressed interest in reconsidering the idea of civil unions if the bill was less cumbersome.  “When you love someone, you want to settle down together,” State Rep. Dan Zwonitzer (R- Cheyenne) said.  “You want to have a life with them.  You want to go into that duty and obligation you have for another human being to care for them in sickness and health.  Civil unions provide that duty and obligation for them to be committed, to care for one another, and to have a life that they can build together.”

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Presidential hopeful Fred Karger takes on NOM’s anti-gay marriage campaign

By Eric Ethington

Gay activist and Presidential hopeful Fred Karger has released a 60 second TV spot that has already started running in New Hampshire, aimed at the National Organization For Marriage (NOM) and their efforts to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage law.

Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown of the NOM have already successfully lobbied to strip same-sex couples of their right to marry in both California and Maine.

Now, the NOM is targeting New Hampshire and a number of other states.

Karger calls the NOM a “hate group” and says they are “here to demonize gay people.” Watch here:



LGBT advocates have considered New Hampshire — with a new, veto-proof Republican majority — one of this year’s most serious gay marriage battlegrounds.

House Majority Leader Rep. D.J. Bettencourt (R-Salem) said January 13 that repealing the state’s year-old marriage equality law is not a Republican priority in 2011, but refused to say if he would discourage the introduction of repeal bills.

Karger, who would be the first openly gay presidential candidate of either party, is running for the 2012 Republican nomination for President.

He has successfully lobbied to have the Mormon Church investigated and fined over their involvement in California’s Proposition 8, the 2008 voter-approved ban on gay marriage.

In 2009, Karger filed an ethics complaint with the state of Maine against the NOM for contributing $1.6 million to “Stand For Marriage Maine” without revealing its donor’s names.

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