Tag: marriage equality

Posted on

Washington state passes marriage equality!

Washington United just posted on their website the tally – 52%-48%

This is a clear win,” said WUM campaign manager Zach Silk. “We have run the numbers every which way, and we can now confidently say that we have won. This is an historic day for Washington, an historic day for our country and, most of all, for families across the state who have dreamed of this day and the wedding celebrations to come.”

Four states with marriage equality on the ballot last night.  Four wins for the good guys!

History, kids.  History.

Forward.

Posted on

Chris Kluwe on the marriage equality successes last night

Chris Kluwe celebrates the successes for marriage equality in last night's election

Writing for Slate, Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe expresses his – and many people’s – thoughts on the historic advances with last nights’ marriage equality successes:

“I would like to thank every single person that helped defeat the same-sex marriage ban in Minnesota, as well as every person who contributed to passing marriage-equality legislation in Maryland and Maine and (likely) Washington. Together, we made a statement that America is tired of division. America is tired of discrimination, of exclusion, and of unthinking oppression—the belief that people have to live their lives according to someone else’s views rather than their own free will.

“Together, we made sure that the world our children will grow up in is one step closer to tolerance, love, and equality; a world where our children can make their own choices instead of being shackled to dusty hate from the past. Together, we showed this nation that a polity functions best when it includes all of its citizens, when it celebrates their differences as part of one glorious whole, when it synthesizes a wide assortment of cultures and beliefs under the guiding principles of freedom and happiness for everyone.

“Together, we can approach the work still at hand. We can face the continuous fight for equality that every society must wage each generation. We may not know the specifics until they’re upon us, but the underlying foundation is always the same—living your own life vs. someone else making your choices for you.

“Together, we can promote free will over oppression. We can treat others the way we want to be treated, with dignity and respect. We can work together to find common ground, despite our differences, and build a stable, nurturing society. There is work yet to be done, but we passed an important milestone today. Ten, 15, 20 years from now, when our children ask us, ‘What did you do when it came time to fight for someone else?,’ we can tell them about Minnesota and Maryland and Maine, states where people finally said: Enough.

“Enough with the hate. Enough with the bigotry. Enough with the discrimination. We are all Americans, and we are all in this together. Without each other, we have nothing.”

Posted on

Marriage equality votes still being counted in Washington state

From the Washington United for Marriage website: “We feel very good and we are cautiously optimistic. We’re at 65% in early King County returns and we’re out performing in Eastern Washington. We’ll need patience, but the numbers are coming in the right way.”

All Washington state voters have to mail in their ballots.  So it may take a bit to get this all counted.  But it is looking good so far.

Posted on

Maine votes to pass marriage equality in 2012

All the votes are not yet in and the margin is only a few points at this writing, but virtually all of the LGBT organizations and the Portland Press-Herald are calling it a WIN.

Via press release from Freedom To Marry:

Maine today became the first state to approve the freedom to marry for same-sex couples through a majority vote on a ballot measure.

Maine is expected to begin issuing marriage licenses in mid-December.

“Today, a majority in Maine voted in favor of loving and committed same-sex couples seeking the freedom to marry,” said Freedom to Marry National Campaign Director Marc Solomon. “Now the commitment gay and lesbian couples have made in life will be respected equally under the law, celebrated before their loved ones, and called what it is: marriage.”

“It’s hard to overstate the national significance of this vote,” Solomon continued. “For years, our opponents have argued that we could not win a majority vote at the ballot. Today, Maine voters proved them wrong, standing up for the Golden Rule and for freedom for all Mainers.”

This means more to me than you can ever know. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your votes have made more Americans more “equal” than you will ever know.

Great, great day. Thank you.

Posted on

Chris Kluwe quits the Twin Cities Pioneer Press

Chris Kluwe, the staunch LGBT ally and Minnesota Vikings punter, left his freelance post at the St. Paul Pioneer Press over that publication’s op-ed supporting an amendment to the state constitution that would define marriage as one man, one woman.

Kluwe’s outrage comes not from the Pioneer Press having an opinion on the amendment; it comes from pretending that the op-ed wasn’t endorsing one side when it clearly was.

Kluwe wrote one more blog post for the paper explaining in detail after detail why he felt the op-ed was dishonest and downright lied. 

From Chris Kluwe’s final post on TwinCities.com:

How does this piece lie? It lies, most simply, in this sentence, “the Pioneer Press is not endorsing one way or another.”

You have made your endorsement, gentlemen. You chose your side. What you did not choose, what you refused to face, was the courage to stand for your convictions, to attach your names to the position your actions claimed. That is why I will no longer associate with you, why I decline to give you page views and ad revenue any longer. The only reason I’m posting this piece here, and not somewhere else, is because I said I would, and I believe that one’s word is not something to be given lightly.

I will not stand for the continual eroding of society. I will not tolerate the presentation of a biased argument under a thin coat of presumed neutrality. I will not contribute to the cheapening of discourse and thought that decays every single news as entertainment outlet in this country. I absolutely will not compromise my ethics and morality, ideals that lead me to treat others with empathy and honesty, to demand truth not only from myself but from those around me.

You can see Chris’ tweets from Saturday below:

Posted on

Minnesota: Madonna tells audience to vote “no” on anti-gay amendment

Madonna was at the Twin Cities on Saturday night and asked fans at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul vote “No” on Minnesota’s anti-gay marriage amendment this Tuesday.

Said Madonna: “Vote ‘no’ on the marriage amendment. Vote ‘no’ on the marriage amendment. Why? Why? Because we are a democracy and we should have the freedom to choose who we want to marry. Thank you very much. Did you hear what I said? Are you gonna vote no? Are you gonna vote no? Are you gonna vote no?”