LGBTQ news and entertainment
I admire our firefighters and police officers so much for what they do every day.
So these testimonials really get me. It’s really amazing to see these every day heroes support equality.
Mike Vissichelli is clearly comfortable in his own skin. I’m guessing that’s why he can do what he does every day, and why he can stand up for other’s rights.
Thanks Mike. More than you know.
Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum tells John King that he supports a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage:
I support a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. I believe that marriage should be a consistent thing across the country. Marriage is the union of one man and one woman…
Once people realize the consequence to society of changing this definition — it’s not that we’re against anybody. People can live the life they want to live. They can do whatever they want to do in the privacy of their home with respect to that activity.
But now you’re talking about changing the laws of the country. and it’s gonna have a profound impact on society, on faith, on education. And once people realize that, they say, you know what, we respect people’s right to live the life they want to lead but don’t try to fundamentally change how society functions by changing that definition.
No, he’s not ‘against’ anybody, He’s just against gays having the same rights as he does.
Support for marriage equality/same-sex marriage/gay marriage is at a new high in New York, according to today’s new Quinnipiac Poll.
Voters in the survey backed legalizing marriage between same-sex couples 58-36%, “higher than ever while statistically unchanged from 56-38% April 14.”
Once again, we see a split along party lines: Democrats support legalization 72-23%, independents back it 58-34% and GOP voters are opposed, 64-34%. Men support same-sex marriage 58-37%; women, 59-34%.
Mayor Bloomberg of NYC gave a speech today at the Cooper Union for Advancement of Science and Art that clearly and forcefully makes the case for marriage equality in New York State. Here are excerpts:
“It’s fitting that the gay rights movement began in our City, because New Yorkers have always been at the forefront of movements to expand American freedoms – and guarantee American liberties. Long before our founding fathers wisely decided to separate church from state, leading citizens of our City petitioned their colonial rulers for religious freedom. Long before Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, many New Yorkers – including the founder of this college, Peter Cooper – crusaded against slavery. Long before the nation adopted the 19th Amendment, New Yorkers helped lead the movement for women’s suffrage. And long before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, New Yorkers played a pivotal role in advancing a color- blind society.”
“That has always been what sets us apart. In our city, there is no shame in being true to yourself. There is only pride. We take you as you are – and we let you be who you wish to be. That is the essence of New York City!”
“We are the freest city in the freest country in the world – but freedom is not frozen in time. And if we are to remain the freest city, with the most dynamic and innovative economy, we must lead on this issue – just as we have on so many other matters of fundamental civil rights.”
“The time has come for us to fulfill the dreams that exploded onto Sheridan Square 42 years ago: to allow thousands of men and women to become full members of the American family, and to take the next step on the inspired journey our founding fathers first began.”
It’s a pretty amazing and all-encompassing speech that clearly makes the case for New York State to lead in the fight for LGBT equality.
Thank you Mayor Bloomberg.
Campaigners for California’s ban on same-sex marriage in 2008 told traditional families they had much at stake: the future of marriage itself and the need to “protect our children,” as one ad put it, from the impact of legalized gay and lesbian unions.
Now, as the sponsors of Proposition 8 try to convince the courts that the judge who overturned the measure had a built-in bias as a gay man with a longtime partner, their opponents are invoking that same campaign message: If Prop. 8 was meant to preserve opposite-sex marriages, they argue, then any judge, gay or straight, would have the similar conflict of interest.
In their latest court filing, the measure’s supporters reply that they never promoted Prop. 8 as a benefit for married couples – just for society as a whole.
“Our argument is that adoption of same-sex marriage will likely harm the institution of marriage over time, not that any individual’s existing marriage will be affected,” said Charles Cooper, lawyer for the Prop. 8 campaign committee, a conservative religious coalition called Protect Marriage.
“The notion that all married heterosexual judges have a direct and substantial personal interest in the outcome of this case is, of course, patently absurd.”
Theodore Boutrous, a lawyer for two same-sex couples and a gay-rights group that challenged Prop. 8, said the measure’s sponsors were contradicting their campaign message that heterosexuals needed protection from same-sex marriage.
“It’s a stunning admission that all the arguments they were making before are completely baseless,” he said.
Ethics expert, Stephen Gillers of New York University, said an unreported long-term, same-sex relationship should not be grounds for disqualifying a judge. Since Walker could have married his partner in California before Prop. 8 passed, and could marry him today in a number of states, Gillers said, “his decision has no consequence to him.”
Officer X has a new post on TIME Magazine’s website regarding DOMA and marriage rights in the armed forces.
Me getting married to another man does nothing to diminish the love of any heterosexual couple’s marriage. The act is anything but hostile and I don’t see why some feel they need “protection” from it happening. I understand and respect certain churches’ reluctance to accept homosexuality based on their interpretation of the Bible. Based on that precedent I can understand the desire of individual churches to not recognize gay marriage.
In essence, DOMA hurts gay couples, especially those in the military. After I get married it will keep me from being able to live in base housing with my spouse. It will deny him the same medical benefits I would be able to pass off to a wife. It also does nothing to “protect” straight couples, or their faith’s desire to exclude gays.
For those who haven’t read his posts, Officer X is a gay pilot in the United States armed forces who is serving actively in the military. Time has invited him to share his experiences with readers as we watch the end of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy from the perspective of the boots on the ground.
I’m always so proud that NY state is a big part of my life. Everyone should be proud that NY has a governor standing on the right side of history. I hope this helps put support over the top.
Go NY!
New Gallup Poll shows 53% of Americans support full marriage equality. A 9 point jump in Gallup’s polling.
Another poll released Thursday by the Public Religion Research Institute found 51% supported marriage equality.
The trend has been reflected in other polls recently: a March Washington Post-ABC News poll showed 53% said gay marriage should be legal and in April, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp poll said 51% of Americans think marriages between gays and lesbians should be recognized as legal and come with the same rights as heterosexual unions.
Forward kids. Slowly but surely. Forward.
From Capital Tonight:New York GOP state Sen. Mark Grisanti now says that he will definitely vote against same-sex marriage because of the word “marriage.”
There were hopes that Grisanti would be one of the Republicans in the state Senate who might be swayed to change his position.
Grisanti represents one of the most Democrat-dominated districts in the state. He ousted a “yes” voter on marriage, former Democratic Sen. Antoine Thompson, in last year’s elections.
Grisanti’s on-the-fence status drew him the attention of Lady Gaga, a major gay rights advocate, during a her concert in Buffalo back in March. But apparently, even the pressure of her Little Monsters hasn’t been enough to sway the senator.
UGH.
From the NY Times: The campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in New York has been getting a cash infusion from some unexpected sources — conservative donors who traditionally support Republicans candidates and causes.
Their behind-the-scenes financial support — about $1 million in donations, delivered in recent weeks to a new coalition of gay rights organizations — could alter the political calculus of Albany lawmakers, especially the Republican state senators in whose hands the fate of gay marriage rests.
The donors represent some of New York’s wealthiest and most politically active figures.
The new donations represent roughly two-thirds of the same-sex marriage coalition’s fund-raising, making New York the rare state where a lobbying campaign in favor of legalizing gay unions is not being financed primarily by liberal donors and Democrats.
The donations are financing an intensive campaign of television advertisements and grass-roots activism coordinated by New Yorkers United for Marriage, a group of same-sex marriage advocates. The campaign is aimed chiefly at persuading several members of the Senate Republican majority to join most Senate Democrats in backing same-sex marriage, which was defeated in the Senate in 2009.
The newly recruited donors argue that permitting same-sex marriage is consistent with conservative principles of personal liberty and small government.
Some of those involved have made what might be termed the pro-business argument for same-sex marriage, arguing that the legalization of same-sex marriage would help keep New York economically competitive.