LGBTQ news and entertainment
Sarah Longwell, a member of the Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry leadership committee, talks with Thom Hartmann about why she as a conservative supports the freedom to marry.
Find out more about Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry: http://freedomtomarry.org/youngconservatives
Australian rugby player David Pocock says he supports marriage equality and won’t wed his girlfriend until everyone in the country can marry, PinkNews reports. Sitting on a panel for Australia’s TV program Q and A, Pocock also challenged homophobia in the sports and throughout the country, denouncing laws that make LGBT people separate and unequal.
“We’re dealing with people here,” said Pocock. “And how can you blame someone for what they are? People don’t choose their sexuality. We marginalize the LGBTI community for what they are. So I think this is a conversation that needs to be had, and we need to discuss it compassionately and actually come to something that’s reasonable. And in my mind, that’s marriage for everyone, regardless of their sexuality.”
Following a round of applause from the audience, member of Parliament John Alexander, whose Liberal Party opposes marriage equality, said that he votes in accord with the conscience of his constituents, who believe marriage is between a man and a woman. He proposed that Australia should have three types of marriage — straight marriage, a “Navratilova” marriage for two women (after lesbian tennis great Martina Navratilova), and “Alexander” marriage for two men, after Alexander the Great.
|
| Rugby star David Pocock |
Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego, California speaks out about his support for marriage for gays and lesbians, and encourages others in his party to do the same.
The Human Rights Campaign and Freedom to Marry are running this ad in Tampa during the Republican National Convention.
Wow. I think this is very effective. Great message to send that, yes, marriage equality IS a family value.
Playboy boss Hugh Hefner, the world’s most famous heterosexual, has shown his support for gay marriage by penning an article for Politico.com.
The publishing icon insists the battle to legalize the union between same-sex couples is a fight for human rights, and he urges politicians not to “infringe” on the freedom of U.S. citizens.
He writes, “The fight for gay marriage is, in reality, a fight for all of our rights. Without it, we will turn back the sexual revolution and return to an earlier, puritanical time. Today, in every instance of sexual rights falling under attack, you’ll find legislation forced into place by people who practice discrimination disguised as religious freedom.”
“No one should have to subjugate their religious freedom, and no one should have their personal freedoms infringed,” Hefner concludes. “This is America and we must protect the rights of all Americans.”
Airman First Class Daniel Henderson and his husband Jerret Henderson talk about how the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from honoring legal marriages of same-sex couples, hurts their family.
Pledge to stand with military families like Daniel and Jerret at http://freedomtomarry.org/military
Dan and Pat Lawson, a Maine couple married for 30 years, discusses their twin sons, one of whom is straight and one gay, about why marriage matters.
The pro-equality group Mainers United for Marriage, issued a statement in which campaign manager Matt McTighe commented on the latest ad, saying:
“Our campaign is built upon honest and open conversations with Mainers about why marriage matters to all loving, committed couples. The personal story of the real Maine family highlighted in GLAD’s new ad resembles the conversations we’ve had with tens of thousands of Mainers across the state who are changing their hearts and minds and growing more supportive of the freedom to marry every day.”
Very sweet and viewer friendly TV spot released in Minnesota by Freedom To Marry. I think it’s terrific that it shows everyday people – straight people – see the logic and compassion in allowing gays to marry.
I also love that it’s pointed out the man is one of our nation’s veterans. He even mentions he fought for ALL Americans to share the same rights and freedoms. My father was a veteran of two wars and he felt the same way.
On November 6, Minnesota voters must decide on a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution that would constitutionally ban same-sex couples from marrying. Same-sex couples are already excluded from marriage through a state statute passed in 1997.
Zach Wahls is headed out on a tour around Iowa sponsored by LBGT rights group One Iowa to talk to Iowans about why marriage matters.
According to One Iowa “Zach will be joining us in Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Mason City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Davenport. He will be speaking at churches, town halls and house parties across the state.”
In a letter to her employees, outdoor retailer REI‘s CEO and President Sally Jewell strongly endorsed marriage equality, Washington United for Marriage reports.
I think what Ms. Jewell says is important and goes to the heart of the marriage equality debate. Because of that, I want to post her full message to her employees. See below the full text.
And thank you Ms. Jewell. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
REI is taking a position in support of marriage equality—an issue that is important to the co-op as an inclusive organization and a welcoming place to work and do business. A referendum on this issue will come before Washington State voters in November after passage through the Washington State Legislature earlier this year; marriage equality is also gaining momentum nationally.
Why is this important to the co-op? Let me begin my answer with a personal perspective. A few weeks ago, my husband Warren and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary. We’ve been on a journey through life together since our first date on my 18th birthday, raising our two children, changing jobs, moving to various places, and witnessing the challenges and joys of our relationship and those of our parents, three of them through end-of-life.
For heterosexual couples, it is very easy to take for granted the legal and societal benefits of marriage—health care benefits, retirement benefits, insurance, death benefits, healthcare decisions, child-rearing and custody, and many more, not to mention the meaning of the commitment of marriage that was so vivid to us as we introduced each other as husband or wife for the first time. As executrix of my mother’s estate, the legal benefits of marriage in estate and health issues became even clearer to me over the past year.
Marriage equality is important to the co-op because the benefits, legal clarity and societal understanding that Warren and I have enjoyed these past 34 years should be available to any two people who want to express their love and make a permanent commitment to each other that is so clearly provided for in the legal definition of marriage.
When I joined REI in 2000, I realized what it was like to work in a place that was inclusive of people without regard to their sexual orientation. This was not the case early in my career as an engineer, nor in the 19 years I spent in banking. In those years, I witnessed the challenge that my colleagues experienced—where seemingly simple questions about relationships, children, or even weekend activities could become delicate and difficult to answer, because being “out” was dangerous to one’s career.
I am proud of the inclusive environment that REI creates for our LGBT teammates and customers, and recognize that this is a continuing journey for all of us as we strive to be increasingly inclusive across all of the dimensions of diversity. The investment we have made in inclusion training across the organization is an important step in this journey.
The Board, Leadership Forum and I are committed to ensuring that we continue to create an environment where people can be themselves and feel welcome at REI, including respecting religious and political diversity. I want to ensure that our colleagues and customers who have beliefs that run counter to the position the co-op is taking on this issue feel respected in their right to disagree. My own journey in understanding and coming to this position on marriage equality has been shaped by thoughtful, heartfelt discussions with people who have held a variety of differing perspectives. I encourage you to engage each other in a discussion, practicing our core value of respect—“we listen to and learn from each other.
Sixteen years from now, when I expect to be celebrating my 50th wedding anniversary, I sincerely hope that there will be millions more of a new generation for whom 50 years of marriage will become a possibility through these changes in our legal system.
I invite your reflections and thoughts on this blog post.
Warmly,
Sally