January, 2011

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More Amicus Briefs Filed in DOMA Case

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

More amicus briefs filed: Eagle Forum and Mat Staver & Bam Bam’s Liberty Counsel — in support of the government’s DOMA defense in Gill et al. v. Office of Personnel Management et al. From Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD):

We have received amicus briefs on behalf of DOJ from Eagle Forum, the American College of Pediatricians, and one from the attorneys general of Indiana, Michigan, Utah, Colorado, and South Carolina.

Also up are the briefs from the Pacific Justice Institute and the Foundation for Moral Law. From the Liberty Counsel brief, an attempt to say Loving v. Virginia is not a legitimate comparison to refer to when considering the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Full Story from Pam’s House Blend

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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WY: Senate Approves Gay Marriage Ban Ballot Measure

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Wyoming Gay Marriage BanWyoming residents are one step closer to voting on a constitutional ban on marriage equality now that the senate has passed a measure on Thursday calling for the ballot initiative.

Sen. Curt Meier’s resolution to allow voters to decide on the fate of gay and lesbian couples was approved 20-10, according to the Associated Press.

The resolution would specify whether the state would recognize same-sex unions, as the current law is not as explicit as those in other states with full constitutional bans on marriage equality.

Full Story from The Advocate

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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France: Lesbian Couple Fighting for Right to Marry

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Framce Gay MarriageFrance is being forced to reassess its ban on same-sex marriage as a lesbian couple’s ten-year legal battle (Corrine Cestino and Sophie Hasslauer, pictured) will finally be ruled on by the country’s Constitutional Council Friday.

France prides itself on its human rights record and its national motto of “Liberty, equality, and fraternity”. However, for a country famed for its ‘laissez-faire’ attitude towards love and sex, there is a puzzling contradiction: gay couples do not have the right to marry.

Corrine Cestino and Sophie Hasslauer (pictured) have been in a relationship for almost 14 years and have four children. Furthermore, the couple already have a legally recognised civil partnership, which is known as the “pacs” in France. For the couple in question though, it is not marriage.

Full Story from France 24

Click here for gay marriage resources in France.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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CA: USC Students to Walk Across America for Gay Rights

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

On Tuesday, Feb. 1st, 2011, the City of West Hollywood is giving a warm send-off to a group of USC students who’ll be walking across America for gay rights.

The group will be traveling from Venice Beach to Boston Harbor, covering a distance of 4,000 miles over the course of seven months.

A.J. Goodrich, who came up with the idea, sees this walk in the spirit of the civil rights marches, and hopes it will motivate people to join the group for a mile or for a day to show their support for gay rights.

Full Story from WeHo News

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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Marriage Equality Events Today/Tomorrow: LA, West Hollywood, Boston, Annapolis, Schenectady

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Gay Marriage Events january 27th-28th 2011Here’s our list of events today and tomorrow around the world relating to marriage equality, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and other LGBT equality issues. If you know of any other events – rallies, meetings, phonebanking, etc – please use the link below to add your event to our list!

–USA, CA, Los Angeles: 01/27, Voter Canvass Training, The Village, 6:30-9:30 PM.
–USA, CA, West Hollywood: 01/27, Equality Network Meeting, TBD, TBD.
–USA, MA, Boston: 01/27, Phone Bank for Marriage Equality in RI, MassEquality Offices, 5-9 PM.
–USA, MD, Annapolis: 01/27, EQMD Prayer Breakfast & Faith Leader Lobby Day, St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church, TBD.
–USA, NY, Schenectady: 01/28, “MARCH ON!” showing at Proctors’ “QFEST”, Proctors’ Theater, 7:30-9:30 PM.

Full Events List/Add Your Own Event: http://www.purpleunions.com/mn/gay-marriage-events-list.html

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Is GOP Setting Up Marriage Equality as The 2012 Wedge Issue?

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Opponents of same-sex marriage have created a three-pronged effort that insures the issue will be a key topic in the Presidential election. There are efforts underway by Republicans legislators in Iowa, the first caucus state, and New Hampshire, the first primary state, to end their existing marriage laws. In Iowa, the GOP-controlled House has begun the process of passing a bill to put a ban on the ballot. In New Hampshire, both the House and Senate are now GOP-led and they could try to repeal the law later this year or in 2012. In Congress, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) indicated that he’s going to push legislation to block DC’s marriage law.

It’s like an anti-marriage perfect storm. These efforts guarantee that the GOP presidential candidates (except, of course, Fred Karger) who are traipsing through Iowa and New Hampshire will try to burnish their right-wing cred by engaging in the usual gay-bashing. And, the effort by GOPers in Congress adds fuel to the fire. We’ve already seen potential Republican candidates, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum, groveling before the haters. We can expect a lot more of that. And, just wait til the debates start. The GOP candidates will be doing contortions to show their base just how much they hate the gays.

Now, there’s something different about all three of the anti-gay efforts in DC, NH and Iowa. In each, it isn’t about preventing same-sex marriage. In those three jurisdictions, the homophobes are trying to take rights away from citizens. That should put these battles into a different light. If they can come for our rights, they can (and will) come for the rights of others.

Full Story from AmericaBlog

Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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RI: Will Democratic Senate President Choose to Block Marriage Equality Legislation?

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Bolstered by support from newly elected Governor Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14, legislation to legalize gay marriage in Rhode Island has a better chance of passage than in years past. Gay marriage has long been debated in Rhode Island politics, but the departure of former Governor Donald Carcieri ’65, a gay marriage opponent, has renewed supporters’ efforts to legalize it.

Openly gay state House Speaker Gordon Fox has voiced his support for legalization. But state Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, who is opposed to legalizing gay marriage, has the power to prevent a vote on the Senate version of the bill. The “fantastically positive difference is that the governor has pledged not to veto the bill,” said Sen. Rhoda Perry P’91, D-Providence, who introduced the Senate bill. The legislature would need a supermajority to override the governor’s veto, but “we don’t have to worry about that now” because Chafee is a gay marriage supporter, she said.

“I truly think that it’s not so much a matter of allowing a vote as much as being an astute politician,” Perry said. Paiva Weed “knows how to count,” Perry said. “She knows who is for, who is against,” she added. If there are votes for this bill, even one more than a majority, Paiva Weed would allow the vote, Perry said.

Full Story from

Click here for gay marriage resources in Rhode Island.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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NY: Quinnipiac Poll Shows 56% Support for Marriage Equality

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

New York Gay Marriage PollA Quinnipiac University Poll released this morning comports with a finding in last week’s Siena poll: a clear majority of New York voters surveyed support the legalization of same-sex marriage.

The survey found 56 percent of voters support it, compared to 37 who do not. Maurice Carroll, the poll spokesman, said this is the highest level of support for the issue ever recorded by Quinnipiac.

“Gov. Andrew Cuomo didn’t make a big issue of same-sex marriage in his state-of-the-state speech, but he said he was for it and so are most New Yorkers,” Carroll said. “New York State voter attitudes about gay marriage have shifted dramatically since April 15, 2004, when Quinnipiac University first asked about gay marriage and found voters opposed the measure 55 – 37 percent.”

Full Story from

Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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IA: Senate Dems Block GOP End Run Around Rules to Try to Pass Anti Gay Marriage Bill

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Iowa senators, on a party-line vote, today blocked an effort by proponents of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages in Iowa to force the issue to be debated.

All 26 Senate Democrats opposed an appeal lodged by Sen. Kent Sorenson, R-Indianola, that attempted to overrule Senate President Jack Kibbie’s ruling that the call for debating Senate Joint Resolution 8 was procedurally out of order and not eligible for immediate Senate consideration. Sorenson and 23 other minority GOP senators voted in favor of overruling Kibbie – marking a rare occurrence in the Senate and one that some argued ran counter to the chamber’s history and tradition.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said he appreciated that minority Republicans were frustrated by an inability to force a debate similar to the way minority Democrats tried unsuccessfully for a decade to bring a proposed increase in the state’s minimum wage before the Senate when Republicans controlled the Senate.

Full Story from The Globe Gazette

Click here for gay marriage resources in Iowa.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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MN: Family Council to Spend $4.71 Million to Launch, Pass Anti Gay Marriage Amendment

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

The Minnesota Family Council has launched its “Ignite” campaign to “achieve cultural transformation” over the next two years. According to a brochure put out by the group, MFC plans to spend $4.71 million with the main aim of getting a constitutional amendment banning relationship rights for same-sex couples onto the ballot and passed by Minnesota voters.

“‘Ignite’ is a two-year plan designed to fan the embers of November 2010 into a lasting movement built to achieve enduring cultural transformation,” the brochure states, “starting with passage of a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage as God designed it, the foundation of strong families and a strong society.”

MFC also believes it was picked by God for such a mission. “You see, God has uniquely positioned Minnesota Family Council (MFC),” the group writes. “God has blessed MFC with the unique opportunity to be a catalyst for enduring cultural transformation rooted in spiritual renewal, for the glory of Christ and the good of our state.”

Full Story fromThe Minnesota Independent

Click here for gay marriage resources in Minnesota.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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