Tag: marriage equality

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Washington: Bill Gates makes $500,000 donation to support marriage equality

Bill and Melinda Gates donate $500,000 to support the approval of Referendum 74

Bill and Melinda Gates have donated $500,000 to support the approval of Referendum 74, the ballot measure that would put the state’s legislatively-passed marriage equality law into effect, the AP reports:

The donation was announced Tuesday by Washington United for Marriage, which is working to approve Referendum 74. The donation was made on Oct. 15, but didn’t publicly post online with the Public Disclosure Commission until Tuesday. Referendum 74 asks voters to either approve or reject the law allowing same-sex marriage that was passed by the Legislature earlier this year.

Bill Gates had made a $100,000 contribution to the campaign earlier this year.

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Minnesota Vikings Chris Kluwe to debate marriage equality with an empty chair

Vikings punter and marriage equality advocate plans to debate an empty chair on the subject of marriage equality this evening if nobody materializes to sit in it, Gannett reports:

Billed as “Chris Kluwe vs. The Chair,” Kluwe will take the stage at downtown Minneapolis’ The Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre to share his views against Minnesota’s Same Sex Marriage Amendment, Amendment 1, which if passed, would limit legal marriage in that state between a man and a woman.

In addition to Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann and numerous other politicians who support the amendment, organizers also invited Kluwe’s former teammate Matt Birk to discuss the amendment. Since none of those people agreed to come to the event, Kluwe decided to appear with the chair and a local radio host serving as moderator.

The debate is being streamed live at The Uptake starting at 5 pm (CT, we presume, since it’s in Minneapolis).

(via Towleroad.com)

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Knights of Columbus waste $15.8 million fighting equal rights

Since 2005, the Knights of Columbus has spent $15.8 million to keep gays and lesbians from having equal rights.

The excellent graphic above from Freedom to Marry gives us just a few options of how that many could have been better spent.

In related news, Speaker of the House John Boehner’s “defend DOMA” account” – originally budgeted at $1.5 million – is almost empty. Another bad use of funds that could have helped Americans.

The trend and truth of marriage equality is clear. The question remains: how much and for how long will anti-gay political forces oppose equal rights for all?

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New video: All Kinds of Americans for marriage equality

With a little more than two weeks until election day, pro-equality group TheFour, currently fighting for equality in Washington, Maryland, Minnesota and Maine, released a video highlighting the several of the prominent & famous folk who support same-sex marriage.

That diverse list includes former President Bill Clinton, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and even former Vice President Dick Cheney.

More info at http://www.thefour.com

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Marriage for all families: Washington state

The third of our four-part series made in each of the states that have marriage equality votes this November, this short shares the experiences of same-sex couples who want to get married in Washington.

They have the same challenges, responsibilities, and aspirations as any other couple–but they are strangers in the eyes of the law. That’s why marriage equality is so important: it aligns personal reality with legal reality, as a simple matter of fairness.

The series is produced in association with The Four, a social media campaign to support marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington State. Learn more and get involved at http://TheFour.com.

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Minnesota Vikings’ Chris Kluwe for marriage equality

Minnesota Vikings’ Chris Kluwe on the hurtful, freedom-limiting marriage amendment currently on the ballot in Minnesota:

“It’s not the government’s job to tell us what to do. That’s not what America stands for. At the end of the day, this is an issue about freedom… and treating other people the way that you would like to be treated.”

Pledge to Vote NO at www.mnunited.org

Follow the campaign at www.facebook.com/mn4allfamilies

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Maryland marriage equality fight gets $250K from GOP billionaire

The Maryland campaign for marriage equality continues to see money coming their way.

From Marylanders for Marriage Equality:

Republican Paul Singer today gave $250,000 to Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the lead group working to pass marriage equality in Maryland. Singer runs the firm Elliot Management in New York City and has given more than $10 million to marriage equality efforts across the country.

“Paul’s leadership on marriage equality continues to amaze and sets an example for other fair-minded members of the Republican Party,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a founder of Marylanders for Marriage Equality. “His investment in the equality and dignity of Marylanders reflects the growing bipartisan support to get Question 6 over the finish line in these critical final weeks.”

(source)

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TheFour announce “$25 for 25 Days” fundraiser for marriage equality

With 25 days left to the election, The Four 2012 is revving into high gear with their one-day Moneybomb for Equality campaign.

Followers are being urged to donate $25 or more to the state marriage campaigns of Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington with one click from this Act Blue page.

Donations of $25 can be split among all four states, or you can give $25 to each.

All money raised goes directly to Mainers United for Marriage, Marylanders for Marriage Equality, Minnesotans United for All Families and Washington United for Marriage.

Click here to donate.

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NYC Mayor Bloomberg donates $250,000 to Maryland marriage equality fight

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made the largest individual contribution received by proponents of same-sex marriage in Maryland, the NYT reports:

Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire who attended college in Maryland at Johns Hopkins, dipped into his personal fortune to help persuade New York lawmakers to approve same-sex marriage in 2011, and he has supported a similar effort in New Hampshire. His contribution came after discussions with Maryland’s governor, Martin O’Malley, a Democrat who has spearheaded the effort to pass the referendum, known as Question 6.

“The fact that someone of Mayor Bloomberg’s national stature and recognition would care about our referendum campaign for civil marriage equality, I think, tells people all over our country that this is a serious and real campaign,” Mr. O’Malley said in an interview on Thursday evening from Kentucky, where he was attending the vice-presidential debate.

In related news, HRC added an additional $1 million to the state marriage battles:

This brings HRC’s total contributions to the four ballot measures to $4.4 million and $7.3 million overall during this election cycle.