Tag: marriage equality

Posted on

Majority of Marylanders would uphold same-sex marriage law

Fifty-two percent of respondents to a Maryland poll said they would “probably” or “definitely” vote in favor of the state’s recently-enacted same-sex marriage law should it appear on the ballot in November, while 44 percent of the 600 respondents said they would “probably” or “definintely” vote against it.

The poll was commissioned by Marylanders for Marriage Equality and conducted by Public Policy Polling.

Polls recently released by Gonzales and The Washington Post have reported the split in votes closer to 50-50. Opponents of the law are currently trying to collect the 56,000 signatures needed to put the law on the November ballot.
(source)

Posted on

California: Support for marriage equality continues to grow

Fifty-six percent of likely California voters now favor allowing same-sex couples to legally marry, according to a poll released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

The poll represents an increase in public support for the freedom to marry from an identically worded poll of likely voters conducted in September 2011 by Equality California, which marked support at 51%.

This news comes on the heels of a Field poll released last week that showing that support for marriage equality had reached as high as 59% among all California adults.

Posted on

Los Angeles Mayor: Democratic platform should include marriage equality

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, expressed his support for a marriage equality plank in the party platform in an interview with Politico.

Said Villaraigosa: “I do, I think it’s basic to who we are. I believe in family values and I believe that we all ought to be able to have a family and marry if you want to. I don’t think the government should be in that business of denying people the fundamental right to marry.”

At least 18 senators have expressed support for adding marriage equality to the platform.  Freedom to Marry launched a campaign to that end last month.
(source)

Posted on

Kylie Minogue: Mardi Gras and Marriage Equality

During her appearance at Australia’s Mardi Gras, Kylie Minogue expressed her opposition to Australia’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying “Of course I believe that it should be legalised. I always say, love is love is love,” according to the Herald-Sun.

In recent months, several major names from the entertainment field have expressed support for marriage equality in Australia including Hugh Jackman and Olivia Newton-John.

Posted on

New Jersey: Marriage equality could pump $119 million into economy

A new study from the Williams Institute finds that New Jersey could generate as much as $119 million in just the first three years of marriage equality, including as much as $8 million in pure tax revenue.

By vetoing the legislation, Gov. Chris Christie (R) deprived his entire state of that economic benefit, but the legislature has until the end of 2013 to overturn that veto.
(source)

Posted on

All-star reading of “8” raises $2 million for AFER

“On Saturday night, the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact presented the West Coast premiere reading of the play “8” before a sold-out crowd in Los Angeles and a worldwide audience watching on YouTube. “8” is an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown), the case filed by AFER to overturn Proposition 8, which stripped gay and lesbian Californians of the fundamental freedom to marry.”

“Saturday night’s West Coast premiere reading of “8” was written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black and directed by AFER Founding Board Member Rob Reiner. Bryan Singer, acclaimed director of The Usual Suspects and X-Men, was Saturday night’s presenting sponsor. The benefit event raised more than $2 million for the fight to secure full federal marriage equality.” – via press release from American Federation for Equal Rights

If you missed the live webcast, you can view it here.

Posted on

Grandparents for marriage equality

A gay activist’s grandparents have participated in a poignant new video in support of Washington state’s approval of same-sex marriage earlier this month.

As Jacob Reitan, who helped found the Soulforce Equality Ride in 2006, tells Towleroad, “My grandparents are now in their 90s. They have been blessed with a strong and beautiful marriage for nearly 70 years. Their marriage has been a role model for all of us in our family.”

Reitan, who appears in the video with his gay cousin Caleb, goes on to note, “I want to have a marriage like theirs. I want society to recognize it. I want my family and friends to celebrate with us and support us.”

Posted on

Maryland Governor signs marriage equality into law

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley signed into law HB 438, a bill legalizing marriage equality, in a 5 p.m. ceremony held at the State House in Annapolis Thursday evening.

Saying, “We are one Maryland,” he declared, “The bill is signed,” at 5:15 p.m.

O’Malley’s signature makes Maryland the eighth state and ninth jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage.

Marriage equality is also legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Washington state and the District of Columbia. The Washington law also faces a referendum effort.

Opponents, led by the Maryland Marriage Alliance, the chief organization pushing to repeal the marriage equality law, have vowed to collect more than the 55,736 signatures required to force a referendum on the law onto the 2012 ballot. They are expected to meet the necessary requirements for a referendum.

If upheld by voters via a referendum, the bill will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013.

Following O’Malley’s signing of the bill, several organizations that played prominent roles in the bill’s passage issued statements celebrating a major milestone for the state’s LGBT community.

“The Governor’s signature today puts Maryland on the road to fairness for all families,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the national LGBT organization Human Rights Campaign (HRC). “This victory was possible thanks to the hard work of so many on the ground in Maryland. Our congratulations go to Governor O’Malley and our legislative allies who were incredible leaders in this effort.”
(Read more at Metro Weekly)

Posted on

New Jersey: Support for marriage equality jumps again

According to a Quinnipiac University poll released today, support for full marriage equality in New Jersey continues to climb.

The poll showed backing for same-sex marriage in the Garden State climbed to a new high, 57 percent in favor compared to 37 percent opposed. The day after the state Senate passed a bill supporting gay marriage, a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released on Feb. 14 showed 54 percent of New Jerseyans favor gay marriage compared to 35 percent against.