According to a new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, 50 percent of Minnesotans favor an amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Meanwhile, 43 percent oppose the amendment and 8 percent are undecided.
The amendment is favored in all regions of the state, with the closest margin in the Twin Cities metro area where the “yes” vote is ahead just 46 percent to 44 percent. The amendment is also supported by voters in the 18 to 49 age group by a margin of 48 percent to 42 percent. “Likely voters” over the age of 50 support the amendment 51 percent to 44 percent.
A new SurveyUSA poll shows support for Referendum 74, the ballot referendum on Washington’s marriage equality law, is surging with 56 percent approval and only 38 percent rejection.
Public Policy Polling found in June that 51 percent were prepared to vote for the measure — the first time that number crossed the 50 percent threshold.
The campaign supporting Referendum 74 has received immense corporate support, out-fundraising opponents 20-to-1, and the resulting messaging strategy seems to be working.
Superhero and all-around good guy, Minnesota Vikings Chris Kluwe responds to Maryland lawmaker Emmett Burns, who now admits Baltimore Ravens Brendon Ayanbadejo does indeed have “first Amendment Freedom of Speech” rights when he stood up for gay marriage in Maryland.
Kluwe is not of a mind to let the Maryland Delegate off the hook quite so easily, though. He says it’s not enough, and this becomes a “false, hollow victory” if we allow the matter to end here. Says Kluwe:
In my previous post, I talked about treating the disease, and not the symptoms. If we allow ourselves to proclaim victory now, we’ve merely driven the disease into a slight remission; we have not cured it because we still haven’t heard from Delegate Burns the ‘WHY’.
WHY did you initially write that letter Delegate Burns? WHY did you feel that it’s your job to stifle someone else’s freedom? WHY have you not explained your actions? WHY should we consider you competent to wield the reins of power if you believe in using it to stamp out opposition?
Kluwe goes on to say we all need to stop taking elected officials responses at face value and ask “Why?” more. He closes with “Look past words to the actions, and dare to question if they don’t align.”
Read the whole essay. Chris Kluwe is a smart guy. And he’s getting people to start thinking.
Gay conservative law Professor Dale Carpenter conducted a survey of nearly 500 of his fellow constitutional law professors asking their views on marriage equality and the Constitution.
The results? Federal marriage discrimination is overwhelmingly viewed as unconstitutional, and a solid majority believe state discrimination is unconstitutional as well:
QUESTION 3: “Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) forbids the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages legalized in the states. As a matter of federal constitutional law, do you believe the federal government may refuse to recognize same-sex marriages legalized in the states?”
Yes (DOMA Section 3 is constitutional) — 16% No (DOMA Section 3 is unconstitutional) — 69% Not sure — 11% No Answer/Other — 3%
QUESTION 4: “As a matter of federal constitutional law, do you believe that states *must* allow same-sex couples to marry?”
Yes — 54% No — 28% Not Sure — 13% No Answer/Other — 5%
I would guess that the numbers drop a bit in Question 4 because most conservative scholars view marriage laws as a “states’ rights” issue. Still a strong majority – 54% – say state level discrimination is unconstitutional.
Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, whose blistering letter defending gay rights has made him a hero to the LGBT community, says he wrote it because “it’s an issue of free speech and civil rights.” Kluwe, whose brother in-law is gay, has been actively involved in the advertisements in support of marriage equality in Minnesota. He wrote the letter in response to Maryland House of Delegates member Emmett C. Burns Jr. who asked the owner of the Baltimore Ravens to censor players after linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo defended marriage equality. The Ravens released a statement saying, “We support Brendon’s right to freedom of speech under the first amendment.” Kluwe says he and Ayanbadejo haven’t yet spoken, but he hopes to soon. “I think it’s great the Ravens came out in support of him,” Kluwe says. “As athletes we have this very prominent platform where we can affect social change. It behooves all of us to do the right thing.” Via the Advocate
Minnesota Viking punter Chris Kluwe is an advocate for LGBT rights and marriage equality. He has recorded three radio ads for Minnesotans for Equality, the group fighting a November ballot that would constitutionally define marriage as opposite sex only.
Now, Kluwe has written an open letter to Maryland lawmaker Emmett C. Burns, who this week urged Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti to silence Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo from speaking his mind on gay rights.
Said Burns in his letter: “I am requesting that you take the necessary action, as a National Football League Owner, to inhibit such expressions from your employees and that he be ordered to cease and desist such injurious actions. I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing.”
Here’s the closing part of Kluwe’s letter, published in full on Deadspin:
I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your children. They won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won’t even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population—rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children.
You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you?
In closing, I would like to say that I hope this letter, in some small way, causes you to reflect upon the magnitude of the colossal foot in mouth clusterf*ck you so brazenly unleashed on a man whose only crime was speaking out for something he believed in. Best of luck in the next election; I’m fairly certain you might need it.
Sincerely, Chris Kluwe
P.S. I’ve also been vocal as hell about the issue of gay marriage so you can take your “I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing” and shove it in your close-minded, totally lacking in empathy piehole and choke on it. A**hole.
Ayanbadejo says of Mr. Burns that he’d “have to thank him more than anything for bringing national attention to the issue,” USA Today reports.
Ayanbadejo expressed surprise that Burns was trying to remove someone’s free speech rights: “For somebody to try to take that away from me I was pretty surprised, from a politician especially. People get fired for saying the things that the delegate said. People lose their jobs for discrimination…I think that whoever voted for him has their right to vote for who they believe represents their values. And if he represents their values, he’s the best person for the job. If Obama represents the best values for the country, he deserves the job.”
Added Ayanbadejo: “Its an equality issue. I see the big picture.”
New campaign to support the marriage equality issues in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington. Check it out at www.TheFour2012.com
From the website: Anti-gay and anti-human rights organizations in our country are mobilizing – putting vast sums of money and resources into all four states to defeat us. In the past, despite great polls – we have lost ballot initiatives. Our opposition is organized and well-funded. But we have what they don’t – we’re fighting for love, not against it.
Every day there will be another way to stand for marriage equality. You can sign up for updates with the FOUR and new ways to fight for marriage equality every day between now and the election.
