Support for same-sex marriage continues to grow coast to coast
According to a new poll, numbers are beginning to look good for this coming November vote on marriage equality.
On March 1, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signed the law legalizing same-sex marriage, making Maryland the eighth state to recognize marriage equality. In June, opponents of the law gathered enough signatures to put the issue before voters.
The new statewide poll conducted by Hart Research Associates found 54 percent of Marylanders say they would vote for the law that allows gay and lesbian couples to marry. Forty percent would vote against it. This means a 14 point spread between support and opposition.
When they surveyed voters in March, 51 percent said they would vote for the law, and 43 percent said they would vote against it.
In Washington state, a recent SurveyUSA poll found support for marriage equality at 50% over 43% opposed.
And in Maine, a mid-June poll found support for gay marriage trumping opposition 55-36%.
Read more at the Huffington Post
PPP poll shows strong support for gay marriage in Connecticut
From a new poll by Public Policy Polling:
• 55% of Connecticut voters support gay marriage being legal in their state to 33% who disapprove of it
• Voters under 30 – 68% support it to 18% opposed
• 70% say that gay marriage’s legalization has not had any impact on their lives while 16% say it’s had a positive effect and 14% a negative one
• Even among voters who oppose gay marriage, 69% grant that it hasn’t actually had any adverse impact on them
Poll: Marriage equality supported by 65% of Democrats
With the Democratic Party officially adding a platform plank supporting gay marriage, a new poll by the Pew Research Center shows why such a move makes sense.
According to the new poll, 65% of Democrats now support same-sex marriage. This is an increase of 15 points from 50% in 2008.
The poll also shows Independents now support marriage equality to the tune of 51%, versus 40% who oppose equal rights for gays and lesbians. That’s a seven point move up in support from 2008’s 44%.
Just 24% of Republicans now favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, which is only slightly higher than the percentage of Republicans who supported gay marriage in 2008 (19%).
The Pew poll used 2,973 live telephone interviews with American adults conducted June 28th to July 9th. It has a sampling error of 2.1 percent.
US Supreme Court receives appeal on the overturn of Prop 8
The US Supreme Court today received an appeal on the overturn of Prop 8. Chris Geidner reports:
Supporters of California’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex couples from marrying, Proposition 8, have asked the Supreme Court to hear the ongoing challenge to the law in order to reverse an appeals court decision from earlier this year that struck down the amendment as unconstitutional.
Specifically, they ask the court in a filing today to decide “Whether the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the State of California from defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.”
Arguing that “[u]nique recognition of a unique relationship in no way disapproves or dishonors other relationships that the State has chosen to recognize differently,” the Proposition 8 proponents ask the court to take the case to correct the “manifest errors” of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and “to return to the People themselves this important and sensitive issue.”
AFER has 30 days to respond to the filing.
The Supreme Court is currently on summer recess and will not announce which cases it will review until this falls.
(h/t JoeMyGod)
Democratic Party platform includes marriage equality
The Washington Blade is reporting that the Democratic Party has drafted language that includes full marriage equality in the party platform.
Retiring gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who sits on the committee, told the Washington Blade on Monday that the 15-member panel unanimously backed the inclusion of a marriage equality plank after a national hearing over the weekend in Minneapolis, in which several witnesses testified in favor of such language.
“I was part of a unanimous decision to include it,” Frank said. “There was a unanimous decision in the drafting committee to include it in the platform, which I supported, but everybody was for it.”
Sources say the language includes not only full marriage equality but rejects DOMA and supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Maine: Harlan Gardner & family support marriage equality
From Mainers United for Marriage: Harlan Gardner of Machias, joined by four generations of his family, talks about what marriage means to him and why it matters to the gay and lesbian people in his life.
“This isn’t about politics, this is about family.”
New gay-friendly ad from TARGET
A fairly new advertisement from Target shows two grooms embracing with the caption, “That’s Love” promoting Target’s gay-inclusive wedding registry. And it’s being praised by LGBT bloggers.
“Target’s Same-Sex Wedding Registry Ad Is Kinda Awesome,” was the headline on The New Civil Rights Movement.
“Clearly Target’s trying to send us a message,” wrote Instinct magazine. “And we’re receiving it loud and clear.”
The New Civil Rights Movement reports that the wedding registry ad was released in June but is only now getting attention. Similar ads with the “Be Yourself, Together” tagline show straight couples.
The Southwest Tea Party has potty mouth
Nice. Phrases like “fag scum” and “faggot marriage” must be lovely language to use around your children as you chow down at Chick-Fil-A.
Class act there, Southwest Tea Party…
British Prime Minister David Cameron on marriage equality
CNN reports that British Prime Minister David Cameron held a special dinner for LGBT activists at his official residence, and made remarks that reaffirmed his much-publicized support for marriage equality — just one day before meeting with Mitt Romney.
“I think marriage is a great institution – I think it helps people to commit, it helps people to say that they’re going to care and love for another person,” Cameron said at the dinner. “It helps people to put aside their selfish interests and think of the union that they’re forming. It’s something I feel passionately about and I think if it’s good enough for straight people like me, it’s good enough for everybody and that’s why we should have gay marriage and we will legislate for it.”
Cameron has also argued that conservative ideology inherently supports marriage equality, saying last October, “Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other. So I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I’m a Conservative.”
I’m wondering if Mitt Romney will now question if Cameron is a true conservative…?
Via Towleroad