LGBTQ news and entertainment
Beau Biden, Delaware Attorney General and son of VP Joe Biden, speaks out for marriage equality in a new video:
“All Delawareans should be able to marry the person they love, the person who they want to spend their life with. The freedom to marry is the fundamental, defining civil rights issue of our time.”
It looks like New Zealand is THIS close to passing marriage equality. From the AP:
Lawmakers supported the bill 77 to 44 in the second of three votes needed for a bill to be approved. The second vote is typically the most crucial one. The third and final vote is likely to be little more than a formality and could be taken as early as next month.
Wednesday’s vote came after a committee of lawmakers considered emails and letters from thousands of New Zealanders.
More than 200 people crammed into the Parliament’s public gallery to watch lawmakers debate the bill before they voted at about 10:15 p.m. The mostly young crowd clapped and cheered for lawmakers who spoke in support of the bill, and sat in silence for those who spoke in opposition.
If passed, there is a four month waiting period before the law would go into effect.
The Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee just passed marriage equality by a vote of 5-3.
The bill now goes to the Senate floor.
Stay tuned…
The Denver Post is reporting that SB-11, the Colorado Civil Union Act, is basically a done deal as the state House today gave initial approval to the bill.
House Speaker Mark Ferrandino ferociously defended the right of gay couples to form civil unions, arguing during a lengthy debate Monday that Republicans’ attempts to amend his bill amounted to promoting discrimination.
“I don’t ask to put your relationships up to a vote of the people,” he said.
The House gave initial approval to Senate Bill 11 and will take a formal, recorded vote Tuesday on the measure, which already has passed the Senate. Democrats control the House 37-28, so the outcome is not in doubt.
At least two Republicans support the measure: Cheri Gerou of Evergreen and Carole Murray of Castle Rock.
“What this bill is about is personal freedom and individual liberties,” Gerou said. “This is a good conservative bill.”
Gov. John Hickenlooper has already stated he plans to sign the bill should it reach his desk. The law would go into effect May 1.
The Minnesota state legislature will begin addressing whether or not to repeal the state’s anti-gay marriage law this week as the issue goes to committee’s in both state chambers.
With strong Democratic numbers in each committee, the bills are expected to make their way to debate in the full chambers. However, Republicans and rural Democrats oppose the concept, so passage is far from certain.
But there are Republicans who see the direction of history, like Chairman Ryan Lyk of Minnesota College Republicans. From Grand Forks Herald:
“It is not the role of government to dictate who can be married, whose love is valid and which families matter more than others,” Chairman Lyk said. “Marriage benefits society in many ways and I cannot in good conscience support excluding same-sex couples from that important institution.”
Lyk said he does not speak for everyone in his organization, but “I know I speak for many young Republicans when I say that it is time for the Republican Party to move past this issue.”
A new Field poll shows Californians overwhelmingly support same-sex marriage in their state today by margin of almost 2-1.
According to the poll, conducted February 5-17, 2013, shows that 61% support legalizing same-sex marriage while 32% oppose (7% had no opinion).
I know this has been around a while, but it still makes me smile for it’s humor AND truth.
From Third Way comes a new report today indicates that supporting marriage equality is not quite the “career-ending move” Brian Brown of the anti-gay NOM would have you believe.
Of the 196 legislators who voted for marriage equality in either New York or Washington, 191 kept their jobs.
Crunching the numbers that works out to a 97% reelection rate.
Historically, 10% of incumbents usually lose reelection, so if anything marriage equality appears to help make the case.
(via the Advocate)
Minnesotans may not like a constitutional ban on marriage equality, but they aren’t ready to throw some gay weddings just yet.
From the Star-Tribune:
A majority of Minnesotans oppose legalizing same-sex marriage, the Star Tribune Minnesota Poll has found.
Fifty-three percent of Minnesotans say the state statute banning same-sex unions should stand. Only 38 percent say legislators should overturn the law this year, while 9 percent are undecided.
The new poll offers a fresh snapshot of an issue that has deeply divided the state. It was just five months ago that Minnesotans rejected a proposal to put the ban into the state’s Constitution. Legislators now are considering bills that would make gay marriage legal.
Outstate, 73 percent respondents oppose allowing gay couples to legally wed in Minnesota, with only 27 percent favoring such unions or undecided.
The Twin Cities area remains the core of support for those who want to legalize same-sex marriage, with metro area suburban residents narrowly siding with those who want to change the law.
In Hennepin and Ramsey counties, 57 percent want the Legislature to allow same-sex marriage, with 35 percent saying the law should be left as is.
The legislative body of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians has voted to recognize same-sex marriage. The tribe is based in Harbor Springs, and the vote was held this past Sunday.
The 5-4 vote in favor of recognizing same-sex marriage sends the statute to the tribal chairman, who can either sign or veto it. The tribal council would need seven votes to override a veto.
Little Traverse Bay Bands Chairman Dexter McNamara told the Petosky News that “I’m going to have to think about it.”
Two other U.S. Indian tribes recognize gay marriage: the Coquille Tribe in North Bend, Oregon (2009), and the Suquamish Tribe in Suquamish, Washington (2011).
Michigan voters passed a state constitutional ban on marriage equality in 2004, but Indian tribes are self-governing.