Tag: marriage equality

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The costs of same-sex marriage bans

From TakePart.com: 70,000 gay couples in the U.S. are currently married, and 90,000 have entered civil unions or domestic partnerships.

But the cold hard truth is that throughout the U.S., gays and lesbians remain unable to enter into a legally recognized relationship with the person they love. And even in states that have legalized gay marriage, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) signed into law by President Clinton in 1996 prevents the federal government from recognizing those unions.

Click on the infographic above which shows exactly how same-sex marriage bans are bad for gay and lesbian couples — and the government.

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Michelle Obama: Marriage equality is a “matter of fairness”

In a video posted online by the White House Thursday night, the first lady answered questions submitted via Twitter.

One question said, “Please tell us about your family discussions about marriage equality and thank President Obama for his support.”

Michelle Obama responded, “For Barack and me, it really comes down to the values of fairness and equality that we want to pass down to our girls. I mean, these are basic values that kids learn at a very young age and that we encourage them to apply in all areas of their lives. And in a country where we teach our children that everyone is equal under the law, discriminating against same-sex couples just isn’t right. So it’s as simple as that. We’re proud to have your support.”

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CA: Judge rules DOMA unconstitutional

From The Advocate: A federal judge in California has ruled a section of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional in a case brought by a group of public employees whose same-sex spouses were denied long-term care insurance.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled late Thursday that Section 3 of DOMA, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages, violates the equal protection rights of the couples who sued both the federal government and the state’s California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS).

In granting summary judgment to the public employees, Wilken ruled that DOMA and a provision in the federal tax code “are constitutionally invalid to the extent that they exclude Plaintiff same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners from enrollment in the CalPERS long-term care plan.”

Read more at The Advocate.

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CNN’s Brooke Baldwin asks Tony Perkins: “Why do homosexuals bother you so much?”

Brooke Baldwin asked Tony Perkins, of the certified hate group Family Research Council, to clarify what about same-sex couples deserved to be “less valued” by society. Perkins noted that he did not discount that there were loving same-sex couples raising children, just as there were loving single mothers doing the same. “If it were just two caregivers, three would be better!” he noted, but instead it was about a “fundamental role” a man and a woman had in a family.

Baldwin asked him whether his experience had corroborated that belief: “Have you ever been to the home of a same-sex couple?” Perkins answered in the negative, and refused to argue what he would tell that hypothetical couple to convince them their lifestyle was hurting society. “We don’t make public policy based on what is good for me… not anecdotes or what one couple likes.” As a society, Perkins asserted, “we have incurred a great harm.”

“I know you don’t want to answer the question,” Baldwin asked, patience wearing visibly thin, “but I’m going to try again: why do homosexuals bother you so much?” “They don’t bother me!” Perkins replied, asserting again that he was “not going to be silent while they try to redefine marriage in this country.”

You’ll note how many times Perkins says the phrase “social science has shown us” that kids do better with two, opposite sex parents. The fact is quite the opposite: children raised by lesbian parents fare as well as they would in heterosexual households, new research suggests.
(source)

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BSmith ad celebrates gay marriage

For a quarter of a century, B. Smith Enterprises has quietly supported those in need by being the center of the community on Restaurant Row in New York City,  and will now be running an ad playfully supporting gay marriage in Dan’s Papers this weekend and throughout the summer.

Inspired by the six colors of the rainbow that symbolize gay and lesbian community pride (pictured), it says:

According to Dan Gasby, Chairman of B. Smith Enterprises, “B. Smith stands for civil rights and human rights; for people whom, no matter what their political leanings or religious beliefs, should be free to love who they choose unfettered. Coming off of President Obama’s recent support of gay marriage, we wanted to make a statement about how we believe the world should be. Our message: be thankful, be supportive, be expressive, be yourself. We also want to commend the NAACP for their courage and leadership in supporting and recognizing this critical human rights issue: people should be allowed to love whomever they wish.”   

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NAACP officially supports same-sex marriage

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one of the nation’s oldest civil rights organizations, is officially supporting marriage for same-sex couples.

The 103-year-old organization’s resolution may help garner support for gay marriage among black voters, who according to polls have been less inclined than whites to support same-sex marriage.

At a meeting Saturday in Miami, the board of directors of the NAACP passed a resolution endorsing marriage equality.

“Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law,” NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said in a statement. “The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and equal protection of all people.”
(source)

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Jay Z supports President Obama and marriage equality

Jay-Z has thrown his support behind President Obama’s marriage equality stance, CNN Political Ticker reports.

In a CNN interview, the hip-hop mogul said of the issue:

“I’ve always thought it as something that was still holding the country back,” Jay Z told Poppy. “What people do in their own homes is their business and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple.”

When asked if he is worried that the endorsement will cost President Obama votes, Jay Z issues an eloquent response.  “I think it’s the right thing to do, so whether it costs him votes or not…again, it’s not about votes. It’s about people. It’s the right thing to do as a human being.”
(source)