Marriage equality infographic from Center for American Progress
Reuters announces opposition to anti-gay Minnesota amendment
Thomson Reuters is the latest company to announce that it’s opposing Minnesota’s proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
In an e-mail to employees, the highest two ranking executives headquartered in Minnesota (Mike Suchsland, President of Thomson Reuters Legal, and Rick King, COO, Technology) wrote that the amendment would hurt their ability to attract employees to work in Minnesota. Thompson Reuters is headquartered in New York and Westlaw, formerly West Publishing, is a subsidiary in Eagan.
“We believe the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, if passed, would limit our ability to recruit and retain top talent,” the e-mail said. “For this reason, we do not believe that the Amendment would be good for Thomson Reuters or the business community in the state.”
Thomson Reuters has 7,900 employees in Minnesota. In the e-mail, company officials also noted that the company’s position is a “business decision” and that “as a news organization, Thomson Reuters is dedicated to upholding our Trust Principles and does not advocate political or religious positions.”
The company’s announcement comes just weeks after General Mills announced that it would oppose the amendment. It has also sparked a debate over whether the amendment would hurt or help the state’s business climate.
Baltimore Sun Editorial endorses marriage equality
From the editorial in the Baltimore Sun:
As a practical matter, the referendum will decide a narrow question. Because the Court of Appeals has ruled that Maryland must recognize gay marriages performed in other states, all that really is at stake is whether same-sex couples who wish to make a lifelong commitment can be legally joined in a civil marriage ceremony performed in the state, or whether they have to travel a few miles down the road to the District of Columbia.
The philosophical question posed by the referendum, though, is of great significance. Are all Maryland families entitled to the same protections under the law? Are all children, no matter who their parents are, entitled to the same kind of support?
We think they should be, if for no other reason than that it’s important for Maryland to be a welcoming place for families of all kinds. The only reason the state is involved in marriage at all is that strong marriages make strong families, and strong families make strong communities. That’s true whether the couples involved are gay or straight. The Episcopal Church has recognized this fact; it’s not the first denomination to do so, nor will it be the last. We hope that this November, Maryland voters will come to the same conclusion and vote to support marriage for all.
Marriage equality is now a mainstream value
Recent polls reveal that President Obama’s position on marriage equality now falls squarely in line with the increasing majority of Americans who support the freedom to marry. Click on the pic to enlarge.
Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry
A new campaign plans to tap into and build upon the growing support for marriage equality expressed by young conservatives in the United States.
Freedom To Marry, the national advocacy group, launched the initiative, Young Conservatives for the Freedom To Marry, on Tuesday. The campaign intends to show the bipartisan nature of marriage equality by providing a platform for conservatives, Republicans and Libertarians under the age of 44 who believe the issue “fulfills basic conservative values of responsibility and community, as well as limited government and individual freedom,” according to a news release.
Recent polls show that support for marriage equality has grown across every demographic, including conservative voters, and in particular among young people. A poll from ABC News/Washington Post in May found that while 61% of Republicans thought that same-sex marriage should be illegal, 46% of Republicans between the ages of 18 and 44 supported marriage equality.
“Freedom and family are core conservative values,” said conservative commentator Margaret Hoover, a leadership committee member, in the group’s news release. “We have a historic opportunity to reaffirm these important values by supporting the fundamental freedom to marry for all Americans. Now is the time for a rising generation of voters and leaders to embrace these virtues and join Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry.”
Marriage News Watch – July 10, 2012
Washington: Marriage equality folks seeing solid donations
Good news from the good guys – Washington United for Marriage – fighting for marriage equality in Washington state.
They shared some great financial news via press release:
Washington United for Marriage (WUM), the broad coalition working to defend the bipartisan marriage law and Approve Referendum 74, today announced that the campaign raised $952,267 in June, driven in large part by new in-state donors and representing the highest monthly intake for the campaign, bringing total contributions to over $2 million. At the same time, WUM now has more than 1,000 volunteers actively working to Approve Referendum 74, with 20 phone banks operational each week resulting in hundreds of conversations with voters every night.
Here’s a breakdown of the numbers:
– Total online contributions were $219,000, with an average donation of just under $70.
– 79% of overall June donors contributed $100 or less.
– June brought in 3245 new donors, bringing the total donor pool to just over 7300.
– There were 482 out-of-state donations, totaling $105,587, with the average gift just above $219.
– House parties across the state brought in $31,552 from friends, neighbors and family members, who gave an average gift of $35.
– Two significant major donor gifts of $100,000 apiece from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer.
Pat Robertson agrees that society can evolve on social issues
“We have moved in our conception of the value of human beings over the years…”
Hmm… so society evolves, is that what Pat is saying?
I’ve been saying for years, on the subject of marriage equality, that “society evolves” whenever anti-gay folks say “marriage has always been between a man and a woman.”
Certainly society recognized the wrongness of slavery (albeit far too late), just as it is now realizing the wrongness of marriage inequality.
Glad to know he agrees with me now.
Congressman Barney Frank marries longtime boyfriend
Congrats to Rep. Barney Frank, who got married in Newton, Massachusetts last night to Jim Ready: a welder, carpenter, and small-business owner who’s exactly 30 years Rep. Frank’s junior. (That makes Mr. Ready 42.) The ceremony took place on the banks of the Charles River.
The pair met at a fundraiser in 2005. Mr. Ready was involved with his long-time boyfriend, Robert Palmer, who was suffering an unspecified, terminal ailment. Mr. Frank was impressed with Mr. Ready’s devotion to his partner. After Mr. Palmer died, the congressman and the welder became friends, and then more.
On their many days apart, Mr. Frank and Mr. Ready watch the same TV shows while speaking on the telephone.
Mr. Frank is the first member of the United States House of Representatives to marry a member of his own gender.
Google launches “Legalize Love” campaign to support same-sex marriage
Internet giant Google announced Saturday the launch of a global campaign aimed at legalizing same-sex marriage around the world.
The ambitious project, entitled “Legalize Love,” was outlined at a global LGBT Workplace Summit in London earlier today, reported Dot429.
Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, Manager of Diversity and Inclusion for Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa regions, called the initiative, “obviously a very ambitious piece of work.”
The “Legalize Love” campaign officially launches in Poland and Singapore on Saturday, July 7th. Google intends to eventually expand the initiative to every country where the company has an office, and will focus on places with homophobic cultures, where anti-gay laws exist.
On the decision to launch the initial phase in a country like Singapore, Palmer-Edgecumbe says, “Singapore wants to be a global financial center and world leader and we can push them on the fact that being a global center and a world leader means you have to treat all people the same, irrespective of their sexual orientation.”
Google’s strategy involves developing partnerships between companies and organizations to support grass-roots campaigns, efforts that it says will also be good for Google’s business.
“We operate in many countries and have a very globally mobile workforce. We have had a number of instances where we have been trying to hire people into countries where there are these issues and have been unable to put the best person into a job in that country,” said Palmer-Edgecumbe.