Stand Together

Minnesota Republicans band together for gay marriage

gaywrites:

A group of prominent Minnesota Republicans have formally organized to fight an amendment that would ban gay marriage in the state. 

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports on the announcement Thursday that five Republican leaders would join Minnesotans United for All Families, the group fighting the amendment. They are Dale Carpenter, who teaches at the University of Minnesota Law School; former gubernatorial candidate Wheelock Whitney; Rep. John Kriesel of Cottage Grove, one of four House Republicans to oppose the amendment; former Bush White House counsel Richard Painter; and former St. Paul deputy mayor Susan Kimberly.

This is what we need to see more of. Equality is not a partisan issue; the more support we get from both sides, the better. Major props to these individuals. 

I thought I’d never say this…yay minnesota!

Push for domestic partnerships in Florida

gaywrites:

Lawmakers in Florida are pushing for domestic partnerships to be recognized in the state, though voters added a ban on recognizing same-sex relationships to the state constitution.

The Tallahassee Democrat reports that a bill has been introduced in the Florida legislature’s two chambers by two Democrats, Rep. Mark Pafford of West Palm Beach and Sen. Eleanor Sobel of Hollywood. Opponents say the law prohibits anything “substantially equivalent” to marriage, and that domestic partnerships would go too far toward that status — even though they are already recognized in some localities and by the state university system.

Come on, Florida! I’d really, really love to be able to be in an acknowledged relationship in my home state. Have a heart. 

Navy officer marries partner as soon as it's legal

gaywrites:

[image description: two older men in naval uniforms slip rings onto each others fingers. an official is standing behind them performing the marriage]

Navy Lt. Gary Ross married his partner of 11 years at 12:01 a.m. in Vermont. They were married at the first possible moment it was legal in the United States after the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell became effective. 

Beautiful. 

so wonderful

Chely Wright to fight NC gay marriage ban

gaywrites:

Recently married country singer Chely Wright has announced she’ll travel to North Carolina next week to fight a proposed amendment banning same-sex marriages in the state.

Wright said she’ll speak to politicians about the amendment on Monday and attend a rally against it on Tuesday, timed with a legislative debate on the issue. Wright married her partner Lauren Blitzer last month. 

Now here’s someone we can really look up to. This is awesome. 

No time wasted in North Carolina gay marriage argument

gaywrites:

After a freakishly quick period of discussion, North Carolina lawmakers voted to put a referendum on a May 2012 ballot asking citizens to decide the fate of gay marriage in the state. 

The Senate and the House both voted to pass the measure in the last two days. In May 2012, North Carolina voters will decide whether to amend the constitution to change the definition of marriage to one man and one woman. 

Some are already speculating that the timing of the measure could mean trouble - because it’s in May instead of November, fewer people may vote and it will take more time to rally support for either side. 

From the Advocate:

Social conservatives might have a slight advantage in getting out their voters because the referendum will have the same date as the Republican Party’s presidential primary.

“Politically scheming to put such a cruel and discriminatory measure on a low-turnout Republican presidential primary ballot is a sham designed to circumvent the majority of North Carolina voters, who polls say, oppose this amendment and the injury it will inflict not just on families, but the state,” said Marc Solomon, national campaign director for Freedom to Marry. 

Holding the vote in May also means that by the time the Democrats arrive in September (with the world’s media in tow) for their national party convention, the state could be reeling from the effect of a vote on civil rights. Gay rights advocates could be celebrating the first time one of these initiatives has been turned back at the ballot box. Or, like the situation after California’s Proposition 8 passed in 2008, there could be a series of protests by gay rights supporters spreading across the country.

Get ready for a fight, guys. We’re not letting this happen. 

More same-sex households reported in Tampa, other parts of Florida

gaywrites:

Here’s another story that warms my heart because it’s coming out of my hometown of Tampa, FL:

The Tampa area and other parts of Florida have seen a rise in same-sex households reported in census data, but not necessarily because more LGBT people are moving to those areas.

Instead, officials speculate that it’s becoming easier for LGBT people to come out to their families, their coworkers and even the government, in the form of listing themselves as a part of a same-sex couple household on the U.S. Census. Many of these couples are also raising children.

Florida specifically has seen a 60 percent jump in same-sex households in the past ten years. Officials from the Williams Institute say there are similar trends nationwide, with the overarching reason being greater acceptance of homosexuality and a willingness to come out. 

This is good news. 

Tahiti mayor fined for refusing to officiate trans woman's wedding

gaywrites:

A mayor in Tahiti faces a $5,000 fine after refusing to officiate a wedding because he found out the bride was a transgender woman.

Thomas Moutame, the mayor of Taputapuatea in Tahiti, was set to marry a couple who had been planning the event for years. When he found out the couple included a transgender woman, he refused to marry them, claiming religious objections. He was fined as a result. From the Advocate:

Radio New Zealand International reports that Moutame plans to continue appealing the case even if it goes all the way to the highest court in France (Tahiti is part of French Polynesia, a possession of France). He argues there is no law that allows him to be penalized for discriminating.

Oh man. Some people. 

The Advocate's summary of today's Prop 8 hearing

gaywrites:

The big question at today’s hearing about California’s Prop 8: whether or not a group unaffiliated with state government can defend a law - Prop 8 - in court. The Advocate has a whole rundown of what was said in the article linked above.

“There is ample authority that individuals do not have a right to defend a law unless they would suffer a direct and immediate harm from its invalidation,” lawyer Ted Olson said in a statement through the Americans Foundation for Equal Rights. “The proponents of Proposition 8 will not suffer any harm from a decision that grants gay and lesbian Californians their fundamental civil right to marry. It is the Attorney General who has the exclusive authority to make litigation decisions on behalf of the State, and here the Attorney General has made the sound decision that the discriminatory provisions of Proposition 8 do not warrant defense on appeal. Proponents cannot second-guess that exercise of discretion.”

Baby steps. We’re getting there. This isn’t over. 

Gay marriage a-ok in video game

gaywrites:

Representatives of the new video game The Elder Scrolls V. Skyrim announced that players of either sex in the game can marry. The game will be released in November.

Escapist magazine reports the game’s publicist Pete Himes released the information via Twitter. When someone remarked, “The subject seems hush hush,” Hines replied, “Not hush hush, just not making a huge deal out of it. You can marry anyone.” 

Huh. Pretty cool. 

What gay marriage did for New York

gaywrites:

Since New York legalized marriage equality, one out of every four weddings in the state is a same-sex wedding. From the Advocate:

Roughly 1,400 gay couples have tied the knot since in New York City, the nation’s most populated city, according to data obtained by the New York Post. City Clerk Michael McSweeney estimates that the 33% increase in marriage licenses granted during the same time over the past three years, can be attributed to the legalization of same-sex marriage.

What was that about gay wedding registries saving the economy?

A push for marriage equality in Washington

gaywrites:

Gay couples in Seattle and other cities in Washington have been eyeing states like New York with jealousy. It’s time for Washington to take a step in support of marriage equality, they say.

This awesome article from SeattlePi details the ongoing fight for (and against) marriage equality in Washington. A big component of the argument is that both sides believe public opinion is with them. Numbers say otherwise:

— More than 24,000 households in Washington are led by same-sex partners.

— In Jefferson County on the Olympic Peninsula and in San Juan County, comprising most of its namesake islands, more than one out of every 50 couples is same-sex.

— Seattle shows that 3 percent of couples are male partners and more than 2 percent are female partners. The number of same-sex couples in King County grew by 37 percent over the decade, slower than the state as a whole.

— Nearly one-quarter of same-sex couples lead a household with children.

Read this for a good overview of one state’s struggle to reach for gay marriage when both sides claim they’re right. This is relevant to pretty much everyone right now, and chances are multiple states are facing the same challenges. 

24000? really? thats kind of amazing. why are we denying the rights of 48,000 people? and thats just in one state.