December, 2011

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Marriage Equality Bans Cost Gay Couples Up to $6K a Year

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Marriage Equality Bans and TaxesSame-sex spouses are paying as much as $6,000 a year in extra taxes because the federal government doesn’t recognize gay marriage, according to an analysis conducted for CNNMoney by tax specialists.

While marriage provides tax benefits for many heterosexual couples, same-sex families don’t enjoy the same perks because they are not allowed to file their federal returns jointly.

The imbalance persists despite increasing acceptance of gay marriage as a legal right. More than 12 states now grant full or partial marriage rights to same-sex couples, and a recent Gallup poll showed — for the first time — that a majority of Americans favor gay marriage.

Full Story from CNN

Click here for gay wedding resources.

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Featured Gay Friendly Wedding Vendor: Dunstan Morey, Toronto, Ontario

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Periodically we’ll feature one of our vendors here to let our readers know about some great people who can help you plan the perfect wedding.

Gay Friendly Wedding Vendors in Ontario

Dinstan Morey, Wedding Entertainer, TorontoIf you are looking for music to set the perfect tone for your wedding or special occasion in the Toronto area, you’ve come to the right place. Elegant wedding music or music for special events in any style – jazz, classical, pop, latin.

I am a classically trained guitarist and graduate of the Humber College jazz program. Over the years, I have performed as both sideman and leader in a variety of musical configurations, but I now specialize in providing music for weddings, corporate events, fine dining and other special occasions in Toronto and throughout Southern Ontario.

I offer music in various formats: solo guitar, duo with guitar and another instrument such as flute, sax, violin, etc., or small bands for livlier events; and in a wide range of styles: classical, pop, latin, R&B, jazz, etc.

See Dunstan Morey’s Expanded Listing on Purple Unions Here

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Marriage Equality Ban Test Minnesota Nice

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Minnesota Nice and Gay MarriageThis holiday season, Minnesotans in favor of same-sex marriage rights are being encouraged to talk politics and religion at the dinner table.

Turning a popular American adage on its head, Minnesotans United for All Families released a “Holiday Conversation Starter” just before Thanksgiving that encouraged families to engage in a “conversation about why marriage matters with the people you see every day.”

Minnesotans United’s goal is to defeat a proposed state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, which will be up for vote in November 2012. If the amendment fails, gay marriage won’t be legal in the Land of Lakes, but the legislature or state courts could eventually recognize it. To date, constitutional bans on same-sex marriage have passed by popular referendum in 29 other states. A ban has been rejected once, by Arizonans in 2006, though voters approved the same measure two years later.

Full Story from In These Times

Click here for gay wedding resources in Minnesota.

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“Pretty Little Liars” Actress Joins NOH8

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Shay Mitchell and NoH8Actress Shay Mitchell has joined the NOH8 Campaign, the silent protest which raises awareness and funds for gay rights causes, including ending California’s 2008 voter-approved gay marriage ban, Proposition 8.

The 24-year-old Mitchell currently plays Emily Fields in ABC Family’s mystery drama Pretty Little Liars. Her character is considered the group’s “jock” and is openly gay.

Mitchell announced on Facebook earlier this month that she had posed for the group: “Just shot for the @NOH8Campaign! Pretty stoked to see the final photo … Here’s a glimpse :) ”

Full Story from On Top Magazine

Click here for gay wedding 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. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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Marriage Equality Gains in 2011

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Marriage Equality Gains in 2011What stood out on the international LGBT human rights front in 2011? A lot. But let’s go out on a limb and pick three things.

The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the ban on lesbians and gays in the U.S. military, in September. The appearance of LGBT organizing, at some level, in most African countries. (See, for example, what’s happening in Mozambique in a post from January). The death of the last known gay survivor of the Holocaust, Rudolf Brazda, in France.

I’ll be rounding up the year in a series of posts over the next week — in which no doubt I’ve missed something, so please let me know what I’ve missed in the comments!

In terms of the news, international reporting, this was the year of same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage (or “marriage equality” or “gay marriage”) was a leading international concern — whether in the West or raised as a chimeric threat, particularly in Africa. This year it was legalized in the second-most-populous U.S. state, home to the UN and intentional media – New York state. American polls also, for the first time, showed clear majority support for marriage equality.

Full Story from SDGLN

Click here for gay wedding 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. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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FL: Gay Couples Ready for Orlando’s New Partner Registry

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Orlando, Florida Domestic Partner RegistryGay advocates expect a rush of same-sex couples at City Hall when the city’s new domestic-partnership registry opens next month. And not all of those couples will be from Orlando, nor will all of them be gay, supporters of the law predict.

The City Clerk’s Office already has begun accepting appointments for couples to sign the registry once it officially opens. All 16 appointments available Jan. 12 — the registry’s first day — were quickly snatched up.

“I think there’s going to be incredible interest. We’re going to see a big surge in the beginning,” said Equality Florida field director Joe Saunders.

Full Story from the Orlando Sentinel

Click here for gay wedding resources in Florida.

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. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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NH: GOP to Wait on Marriage Equality Repeal Until After Primary

Monday, December 26th, 2011

New Hampshire Marriage Equality RepealRepublican leadership in the New Hampshire Legislature has said a bill that would repeal gay marriage in the state won’t be considered until after the state’s presidential primary.

House Republican Leader D.J. Bettencourt told the Associated Press that a vote on the issue most likely won’t come up until January 11 or January 18.

“The presidential candidates have a hard enough time getting their message out,” Bettencourt told the news service. “This is the time for them to shine. We want them to get all the attention possible.”

Full Story from On Top Magazine

Click here for gay wedding resources in New Hampshire.

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. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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Marriage News Watch 12/26/11

Monday, December 26th, 2011

A new law in Ireland means that New Yorkers now have more rights on the Emerald Isle than they do in their own country. A hospital in Tennessee violates federal guidelines in denying visitation to a lesbian couple. There’s a new ad for marriage equality in New Hampshire that epitomizes Yankee thrift. And 20,000 Australian doctors agree: marriage equality is good for your head.

Full Story from AFER

Click here for gay wedding 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. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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Featured Gay Friendly Wedding Vendor: Pond Mountain Lodge and Resort, Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Saturday, December 24th, 2011

Periodically we’ll feature one of our vendors here to let our readers know about some great people who can help you plan the perfect wedding.

Gay Friendly Wedding Vendors in Arkansas

Pond Mountain Lodge and Resort, Eureka Springs, ArkansasToo much to do? Not enough time to plan or don’t know what is available in Eureka?

Let us help you – we have more than 15 years experience making weddings and unions very personal and special. We have popular package plans or you tell us what you want and we’ll make it happen – stress free for you! All you need to do is pick a date, give us your requests and you are done! Just get here and relax!

We’re the perfect location in Eureka Springs to celebrate your wedding day with your partner.

See the Pond Mountain Lodge and Resort Expanded Listing on Purple Unions Here

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NY: GOP Senators Praised for Marriage Equality Vote

Saturday, December 24th, 2011

Australia Gay Weddings OverseasThey have received some jeers in their districts for voting to legalize same-sex marriage in New York. A friend criticized Sen. James Alesi, R-Perinton, while Alesi was eating dinner at an upscale Rochester restaurant. A person yelled at Sen. Stephen Saland, R-Poughkeepsie, while attending a chicken barbecue.

Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, said some people have stopped him in his district to express their displeasure over his vote.

But those are the exceptions. Three of the four Senate Republicans to vote to legalize same-sex marriage in June said they’ve been met mainly with praise from constituents the past six months.

Full Story from the Democrat and Chronicle

Click here for gay wedding 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. We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

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