“I promise you with no reservation that New Jersey will have marriage equality before the end of this year.” – Troy Stevenson, Garden State Equality Executive Director
Garden State Equality promises marriage equality by end of 2013
Marriage equality support hits record high in USA
Support for same-sex marriage in the United States has hit a record high just days after landmark US Supreme Court rulings on the issue, a poll showed Tuesday.
According to a survey published by USA Today, 55 percent of participants versus 40 percent said they believed same-sex marriages should be recognized as valid, with couples granted the same rights as heterosexual couples.
The only two demographic groups where a majority remained opposed to same-sex marriage were Republicans (68 percent) and people over the age of 65 (51 percent).
The poll of 1,003 adults was carried out between June 27-30 by Princeton Survey Research Associates, with a margin of error of 3.6 points either way.
(source)
GovTrack gives GOP anti-gay marriage Constitutional amendment zero chance of passing
Michigan: Equal protection lawsuit moves forward after DOMA repeal
An equal protections lawsuit that challenges Michigan’s ant-gay marriage law will move forward in the aftermath of the repeal of DOMA:
“Plaintiffs’ equal protection claim has sufficient merit to proceed.
“The United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in United States v. Windsor, No. 12-307 (U.S. Jun. 26, 2013), has provided the requisite precedential fodder for both parties to this litigation. plaintiffs are prepared to claim Windsor as their own.
“And why shouldn’t they? The Supreme Court has just invalidated a federal statute on equal protection grounds because it “place[d] same-sex couples in an unstable position of being in a second-tier marriage.” Id. slip op. at 23.
“Moreover, and of particular importance to this case, the justices expressed concern that the natural consequence of such discriminatory legislation would not only lead to the relegation of same-sex relationships to a form of second-tier status, but impair the rights of “tens of thousands of children now being raised by same-sex couples” as well. Id. This is exactly the type of harm plaintiffs seek to remedy in this case.”
Out PA lawmaker Brian Sims talks about his plans for marriage equality in his state
Out (and totally woofy) gay Pennsylvania state Representative Brian Sims, along with fellow Representative Steve Carter, sat down on Sunday to discuss their plans to introduce legislation in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that would make same-sex marriage legal in the Keystone State.
Asked about his motivation to act, Rep. Sims stated,
“I was lucky enough to be born into a country that says I won’t be treated any differently under the law based on anyone’s selective interpretation of their own faith. Right now there are upwards of a million LGBT Pennsylvanians that are being treated differently under that law than similarly situated LGBT New Yorkers or Californians and that’s a huge problem. And the moment they cross into Pennsylvania do they lose the thousand or so federal rights just attached to them? And if that’s the case, where are we at right now in our government that people lose rights by crossing a border?”
(via YouTube)
Neil Patrick Harris to marry David Burtka
Neil Patrick Harris says that he’s finally ready to put a ring on it and make an honest man out of his fiancé David Burtka.
The couple have been engaged now for seven years and had twins Harper and Gideon via surrogate in 2010. With DOMA now dead, and same-sex weddings back online in California, the couple is planning their very own, though no date is set as yet.
“Certainly, we have children and marriage is an appropriate thing to do [as] a part of their well being, so I’m sure it will be inevitable—and awesome!” Harris told E! News over the weekend. “We’re about to move to New York so it’s a tricky situation. I don’t know if it would be an east coast or west coast thing.”
“I’m not one who jumps around and cheers and screams because I thought that was inevitable and was going to happen,” he told E!. “It’s logical. If you look at public opinion polls, everyone, the majority of people, are very for people that fall in love with each other being able to own that.”
(via Queerty)
29 GOP Congressmen propose anti-gay marriage amendment to US Constitution
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| Rep. Tim Huelskamp |
Representative Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) and 28 other House Republicans have introduced a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage nationwide.
The proposed “Marriage Protection Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution would read, “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.”
The amendment needs to be approved by a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate before being ratified by three-fourths of states.
And so, it will go no where…
(via Raw Story)
Rachel Maddow slaps down Jim DeMint’s anti-gay marriage argument in 40 seconds
From yesterday’s MEET THE PRESS.
I love that Rachel Maddow did not let Jim DeMint’s lies about children of gay couples stand. And that she did so forcefully.
Saturday morning music: “Wedding Bell Blues” by the Fifth Dimension
What a perfect little ditty for this morning…
Happy weekend, kids!
Prop 8 plaintiffs get married in California
Proposition 8 plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Stier were married in an ceremony officiated by Attorney General Kamala Harris on the mayor’s balcony at City Hall in San Francisco at approximately 4:45 yesterday afternoon.
And at 6:15pm, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarillo were married at L.A. City Hall in an emotional ceremony officiated by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
(all photos via AFER)