Tag: marriage equality

Posted on

NOM Strategist now supports marriage equality

Louis Marinelli, who served as a strategist for the National Organization for Marriage – which virulently opposes marriage equality, has had a striking change of heart and now makes a public statement that he has resigned from NOM and now SUPPORTS marriage equality.

Jeremy Hooper of Good As You broke this story earlier today.

Marinelli was the strategist and organizer for NOM’s Summer Marriage Tour 2010 Bus.

Just some of what Marinelli tells Hooper: “The lesbian and gay people whom I made a profession out of opposing became real people (on the summer bus tour) for me almost instantly. For the first time I had empathy for them and remember asking myself what I was doing.”

“As a supporter of civil marriage equality, any statements I’ve made in the past about not recognizing homosexual relationships for one reason or another, of course it goes without saying that I no longer stand by these comments and I apologize for the insensitivity. Same-sex couples, whether they are married, in civil unions or domestic partnerships, ought to be recognized for what they are.”

“Any support or endorsement of what Peter LaBarbera does I retract. I have been reading via Twitter and his website what this guy has to say, and it is clear that he is just a hateful man and I would be embarrassed and ashamed to be associated with him.”

Posted on

Rhode Island considers Civil Unions as alternative to marriage equality

A Rhode Island House committee will consider a bill that would legalize civil unions, instead of same-sex marriage. This is being presented as an alternative way to extend legal rights via civil unions between any two people over the age of 18 who cannot legally marry their partners.

The bill is being considered by the House Judiciary committee, which is the same committee that heard testimony regarding same-sex marriage.

Although both chambers of the state have considered the issue of marriage equality, neither one has voted on the issue. The Governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chaffee, has urged the lawmakers to pass same-sex marriage.

Posted on

Bill Maher to Obama – It’s time to support marriage equality

I like Bill Maher a lot. He offends some people, but it’s only because he doesn’t take a lot of time to get all PC about how he feels. And he isn’t afraid to call folks out – whether they are Democrat or Repub.

He calls it like he sees it, and he’s funny when he does. But the humor is there to carry the message. A message he’s clearly passionate about. And I appreciate that.

He’s not looking to get elected. He’s not pandering to voters. He’s expressing his honest opinion. Good for him.

And thank you Bill for speaking the truth about marriage equality.

Posted on

NOMexposed.org shows NOM’s true side

From the excellent website NOMexposed.org: The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is a highly secretive organization believed to be largely funded by the Mormon and Catholic churches.

During the country’s greatest economic decline in decades, NOM has amassed huge resources to stop marriage equality, whether at the ballot box or in court. NOM publicly projects rationality and tolerance, yet keeps company with zealots and long-time LGBT antagonists.

I encourage anyone who is interested in seeing justice and equality for the LGBT community to visit this site. It shows how these hateful organizations cloak themselves in “sanctity” but are actually just another homophobic religious right group – one with deep pockets.

Posted on

Indiana newspaper polls on whether banning marriage equality would be good for business

The Evansville Courier & Press has a poll out asking if banning marriage equality would “help” or “harm” Indiana’s business climate.

Clearly, if companies were to be able to offer benefits to same-sex couples AND if the state itself offered marriage rights, it would make Indiana able to compete for the best and brightest with no discrimination.

Here’s a link to the poll.

Go kids! You know what to do…

Posted on

Indiana: Senate votes to ban marriage equality & civil unions

Indiana

The Indiana state Senate has just voted to approve a bill that would make marriage equality illegal.

From the Indy Star: The bill’s language, which says “a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized,” means that civil unions would not be recognized either.

If the General Assembly passes the measure again in 2013 or 2014, it would go to the voters in 2014, before the state constitution can be amended.  The Indiana House already approved the measure.

Current state law prohibits gay marriages. Amendment sponsor Sen. Dennis Kruse of Auburn says the measure would provide maximum protection for the basic family unit of society.

So I guess this is kind of like wearing two condoms or something…

Posted on

9th Circuit Court refuses to lift stay of same-sex marriage

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday left in place a ban on gay marriage in California, denying requests to allow same-sex couples to marry during a lengthy appeals process.

Federal Judge Vaughn Walker ruled last year that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional and ordered that same-sex weddings be allowed to resume, but his decision is on hold pending the appeal.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is waiting for California’s supreme court to issue guidance on whether Prop. 8 sponsors have legal standing to defend the law in court when the state will not.

California’s decision could add nine months to a year to the federal appeal process.

Unfortunately, that may be too late for some longtime gay or lesbian couples. As I wrote here recently, Ed and Derence of Palm Springs, a couple that has been together for 40 years, demonstrate that lives are in the balance. Ed suffers from advancing Alzheimer’s. The California Supreme Court and now the 9th Circuit have decided to make Ed and Derence wait at least 9 more months before they might enjoy the fundamental right to marry. By then, it might not matter anymore. By then, Ed fears he may not recognize the love of his life, his own home or anything else.

Sometimes you hear people say “what’s the rush?” or “we’ll get there, don’t worry.”

Ed and Derence worry.

Posted on

Indiana Marriage Ban Moves Forward

A constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions is headed to the Senate floor after passing out of the Senate Judiciary Committee 7-3.

The committee voted down an amendment that would have limited the ban only to same-sex marriage, leaving the door open for Indiana to legalize civil unions in the future.

Thirty states have constitutional bans on marriage. Twenty also ban civil unions in their constitutions.

The measure has already passed in the Indiana House. The legislature will have to approve the bill a second time by 2014 in order to get it on that year’s ballot, the earliest voters would see it.

Posted on

Op-Ed piece in Las Vegas’ leading newspaper in support of marriage equality

Very surprising but supportive op-ed piece in today’s Las Vegas Review-Journal regarding whether or not Nevada is ready and should “jump in” on marriage equality, both as a matter of fairness and finance.

“Some who favor legalizing gay marriage in Nevada — including many libertarian-leaning conservatives — favor it for economic reasons. If Nevada were to become America’s super-fabulous gay marriage mecca, we’d benefit from the fees, the travel, the hotel stays and the parties.”

“It’s a natural extension of the city’s existing tolerance, too. If we’re liberal enough to let pretty much any straight couple get married while drunk, we’ve got to be liberal enough to let real-life gay couples who actually want to honor the institution of marriage do it here.”

It seems people are figuring out not only is it the right and fair thing to do, it makes money for the state and it’s citizens. Funny how money can move an issue.

Posted on

Former NYC Mayors join “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality”

 

Former New York City Mayors David Dinkins and Ed Koch have join the “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality” campaign by appearing in videos supporting these important civil rights. I’d like to point out that former Mayor Rudy Guiliani, who has several gay friends, has yet to join the campaign.

From a news release: Two recent New York polls show a strong majority of New Yorkers support marriage equality. A Siena Research Institute Poll found 57 percent of New Yorkers support marriage for same-sex couples and another recent poll by Quinnipiac University had support at 56 percent.

The New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign is centered on video testimonials from New Yorkers who support the right of same-sex couples to marry. To date, HRC has released videos from Former Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins, Ethan and Ryan Hawke, Russell Simmons, Mark and Sunrise Ruffalo, John Slattery, Joan Rivers, Barbara Bush, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, Fran Drescher, Moby, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Julianne Moore and Kenneth Cole.

In addition to rising acceptance in New York state, a Washington Post/ABC poll today found 53% of Americans support marriage equality. That’s the first time to show majority acceptance in the 7 years of the poll.