Julian Bond, Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, urges Marylanders to vote for Question 6.
TheFour announce “$25 for 25 Days” fundraiser for marriage equality
With 25 days left to the election, The Four 2012 is revving into high gear with their one-day Moneybomb for Equality campaign.
Followers are being urged to donate $25 or more to the state marriage campaigns of Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington with one click from this Act Blue page.
Donations of $25 can be split among all four states, or you can give $25 to each.
All money raised goes directly to Mainers United for Marriage, Marylanders for Marriage Equality, Minnesotans United for All Families and Washington United for Marriage.
Click here to donate.
Baptist Pastors support marriage equality in Maryland
In new ads from Marylanders for Marriage Equality, two African-American pastors speak out in support of the Question 6 ballot measure, which would put Maryland’s legislatively-passed marriage equality law into effect.
The Baltimore Sun reports: “The ads are designed to counter an organized push by black churches to preach opposition to same-sex marriage from the pulpit this month. Both sides are wooing black voters this year; they made up about 25 percent of the electorate in 2008, and are expected to come out in similar numbers for this year’s election.”
Says Rev. Donte Hickman: “As a pastor, my support for Question 6 is rooted in my belief that the government should treat everyone equally.”
Says Rev. Delman Coates: “This law does not force any church to perform a same-sex marriage if it’s against their beliefs. Protecting religious freedom and protecting all Marylanders equally under the law. That’s what this is about.”
Latest poll standings for the 4 states with marriage equality on ballot
Maryland: Gov. O’Malley says marrriage equality can pass but funds needed
On a conference call Monday night with marriage equality advocates, Gov. Martin O’Malley said marriage equality can pass at the ballot box in November, but funds are needed to support the cause.
“We have the ability to pass this in Maryland,” said the governor. “It is in keeping with the character of our state to protect rights equally under the law while also protecting religious liberty. But we do need to raise money here. We do need to raise another couple of million dollars, and if we are able to do that, I believe that we will pass this, and raising those dollars is critically important for our ability to be able to defend this at the ballot,” he said.
The Democratic governor signed the law passed by the legislature earlier this year, but the measure has not taken effect pending the outcome of the referendum brought by opponents.
Contribute to Marylanders for Marriage Equality here.
Maryland is one of four states facing ballot initiatives related to marriage equality, with campaigns also underway in Maine, Minnesota and Washington.
More at the Advocate
Minnesota Vikings Chris Kluwe defends Brendon Ayanbadejo against bigoted Maryland lawmaker
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| Minnesota Vikings Chris Kluwe |
Minnesota Viking punter Chris Kluwe is an advocate for LGBT rights and marriage equality. He has recorded three radio ads for Minnesotans for Equality, the group fighting a November ballot that would constitutionally define marriage as opposite sex only.
Now, Kluwe has written an open letter to Maryland lawmaker Emmett C. Burns, who this week urged Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti to silence Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo from speaking his mind on gay rights.
Said Burns in his letter: “I am requesting that you take the necessary action, as a National Football League Owner, to inhibit such expressions from your employees and that he be ordered to cease and desist such injurious actions. I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing.”
Here’s the closing part of Kluwe’s letter, published in full on Deadspin:
I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your children. They won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won’t even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population—rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children.
You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you?
In closing, I would like to say that I hope this letter, in some small way, causes you to reflect upon the magnitude of the colossal foot in mouth clusterf*ck you so brazenly unleashed on a man whose only crime was speaking out for something he believed in. Best of luck in the next election; I’m fairly certain you might need it.
Sincerely,
Chris KluweP.S. I’ve also been vocal as hell about the issue of gay marriage so you can take your “I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing” and shove it in your close-minded, totally lacking in empathy piehole and choke on it. A**hole.
Read Kluwe’s full letter HERE.
Ayanbadejo says of Mr. Burns that he’d “have to thank him more than anything for bringing national attention to the issue,” USA Today reports.
Ayanbadejo expressed surprise that Burns was trying to remove someone’s free speech rights: “For somebody to try to take that away from me I was pretty surprised, from a politician especially. People get fired for saying the things that the delegate said. People lose their jobs for discrimination…I think that whoever voted for him has their right to vote for who they believe represents their values. And if he represents their values, he’s the best person for the job. If Obama represents the best values for the country, he deserves the job.”
Added Ayanbadejo: “Its an equality issue. I see the big picture.”
Baltimore Ravens Brendon Ayanbadejo supports marriage equality
Of course, he’s already catching hell from the religious right for wanting equality for all.
New campaign for marriage equality – The Four 2012
New campaign to support the marriage equality issues in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington. Check it out at www.TheFour2012.com
From the website: Anti-gay and anti-human rights organizations in our country are mobilizing – putting vast sums of money and resources into all four states to defeat us. In the past, despite great polls – we have lost ballot initiatives. Our opposition is organized and well-funded. But we have what they don’t – we’re fighting for love, not against it.
Every day there will be another way to stand for marriage equality. You can sign up for updates with the FOUR and new ways to fight for marriage equality every day between now and the election.
Human Rights Campaign to donate $1 million to marriage equality fight
The Human Rights Campaign is sending $250,000 apiece to Maine, Washington, Maryland, and Minnesota to help with same-sex marriage ballot measures in each of those states, Politico reports:
Officials said there will be more spending coming, and that it makes the total spent by HRC in 2011 and 2012 on marriage-related efforts to $4.8 million.
“These ballot measures are the critical issues in November for our community, besides re-electing the president” and a small handful of specific races, said HRC’s Michael Cole-Schwartz. “And part of why they’re a big deal is because our opponents have rightfully had the talking points that all of these states have banned marriage for same-sex couples (in the past).”
Maine is the only state with a ballot measure that would legalize same-sex marriage.
Washington and Maryland are fighting repeals of laws passed in 2011.
Minnesota is battling a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage.
Support for same-sex marriage continues to grow coast to coast
According to a new poll, numbers are beginning to look good for this coming November vote on marriage equality.
On March 1, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signed the law legalizing same-sex marriage, making Maryland the eighth state to recognize marriage equality. In June, opponents of the law gathered enough signatures to put the issue before voters.
The new statewide poll conducted by Hart Research Associates found 54 percent of Marylanders say they would vote for the law that allows gay and lesbian couples to marry. Forty percent would vote against it. This means a 14 point spread between support and opposition.
When they surveyed voters in March, 51 percent said they would vote for the law, and 43 percent said they would vote against it.
In Washington state, a recent SurveyUSA poll found support for marriage equality at 50% over 43% opposed.
And in Maine, a mid-June poll found support for gay marriage trumping opposition 55-36%.
Read more at the Huffington Post