LGBTQ news and entertainment
Today history is being made as Ireland becomes the world’s first country to hold a nation-wide referendum on same-sex marriage.
The Irish Times is reporting high voter turnout in the urban areas and lower than expected turnout in the rural zones, which bodes well for marriage equality.
Polls close at 10PM local time, which is 5PM on the US east coast.
As Ireland does not have electronic voting, we won’t hear any concrete results until some time Saturday.
Forward.
This weekend Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg officiated her third same-sex marriage.
Attendees were left wondering if she coyly tipped SCOTUS’ hand on which way the court will rule on marriage equality as she pronounced the two grooms married.
From the New York Times:
Wearing her black robe with her signature white lace collar, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg presided over the marriage on Sunday afternoon of Michael Kahn, the longtime artistic director of the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington, and Charles Mitchem, who works at an architecture firm in New York.
The gilded setting was elegant: Anderson House in the Embassy Row neighborhood, the headquarters in Washington of the Society of the Cincinnati, a club for the descendants of the French and American soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War. During the ceremony, the couple slipped black and gold Harry Winston rings onto each other’s fingers.
But the most glittering moment for the crowd came during the ceremony. With a sly look and special emphasis on the word “Constitution,” Justice Ginsburg said that she was pronouncing the two men married by the powers vested in her by the Constitution of the United States. No one was sure if she was emphasizing her own beliefs or giving a hint to the outcome of the case the Supreme Court is considering whether to decide if same-sex marriage is constitutional. But the guests began applauding loudly, delighted either way.
More from the YES campaign in Ireland in advance of the May 22nd vote for marriage equality.
Hang in to the end – cute twist.
From Ireland’s Yes Equality campaign as the country prepares to vote on May 22nd to legalize same-sex marriage. Polls show strong support for marriage equality, but the Yes folks aren’t taking anything for granted.
Cork hurler, Conor Cusack, joined by fellow hurlers. They have battled for victory with their fellow teammates – gay and straight. Together they are calling for a level playing pitch in Irish society.
Speaking to Buzzfeed yesterday, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham admitted that should the Supreme Court rule in favor of marriage equality, it will be time for the country to move on.
“Things are changing, so at the end of the day, being for traditional marriage without animosity is where I stand. If the Supreme Court rules sometime this year that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional, then that will be a defining moment in that debate. It will be time for us to move forward as a society.”
Appearing on NBC’s Meet The Press this morning, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) told Chuck Todd that even if the Supreme Court rules in favor of marriage equality, states should still “continue dealing with it.”
Chuck Todd: “If the Supreme Court rules how a lot of people expect them to rule, legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states, do you anticipate gaveling a platform of the Republican party at the Cleveland convention in your home state of Ohio that is still going to have a platform calling for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage?”
John Boehner: “I don’t know what’s going to happen at the Republican convention. But listen, I believe in traditional marriage, but I also respect the views of others. I’ll let the Court make their decision but at the end of the day the states are well equipped to deal with this. They’ve been dealing with it, and they should continue dealing with it.”
Boehner added that he wasn’t asked to sign the Republican amicus brief submitted to SCOTUS opposing same-sex marriage, but says he “probably” would have signed it if asked.
Boehner said in 2013 that he couldn’t imagine supporting marriage equality even if his own son were gay.
Watch Boehner’s remarks on same-sex marriage below at the 3:25 mark.
Vox gives us this excellent tracking of marriage equality through the years in the US.
It’s almost too much to take in. I found myself watching one section at a time just to take it all in.
Interesting to see that I remembered many of the dates when certain states moved forward on the issue.
Americans for Marriage Equality is a collaborative campaign effort led by the Human Rights Campaign to advance marriage equality nationwide.
Susan Sarandon, Tony Hawk, Rev. Al Sharpton, Anthony Boudain, Kristin Chenoweth, John Ridley, Michael Kenneth Williams and many more famous folks join in supporting same-sex marriage.
For more info, head over to the Human Rights Campaign.
The ACLU reminds us how we got to “here” as the LGBT community looks to next week’s SCOTUS oral arguments for marriage equality.
In 1970, the ACLU filed the first freedom-to-marry lawsuit in the United States. We are now at the Supreme Court to fight to win the freedom to marry for couples in all 50 states. As we get closer than ever before to the freedom to marry for all, let’s take a walk down memory lane.
It really has been about visibility, hasn’t it?
(via press release)
With the impending SCOTUS arguments for marriage equality around the corner, Lambda Legal partnered with New York creative agency, The Watsons, to create #LoveRules, a digital/social awareness campaign.
The campaign is aimed at galvanizing the LGBT community and their straight allies to impact public opinion regarding the June 2015 Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality.
The #LoveRules campaign is designed to remind its audience that when you get past the court battles and religious rhetoric, misinformation and fear, the marriage equality fight comes down to affording gays and lesbians the same civil rights afforded to all Americans who choose to marry.
Go to loverules.lambdalegal.org to download Facebook and Twitter avatars and banners to show you support the freedom to marry.