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CO: One Colorado Supports Republicans Who Voted for Civil Unions Bill

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Colorado’s statewide-LGBT advocacy organization is putting its money where its mouth is. One Colorado, the group leading the lobbying effort for civil unions here, has repeatedly pledged to support any lawmaker — Republican or Democrat — who supports relationship recognition legislation. This week, campaign finance reports show the group has made good on its promise.

Two Republican state senators, Jean White, R-Hayden, and Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, were gifted $1,000 each by One Colorado’s small donor committee.

Both women voted in 2011 for a bill that would have established civil unions. A third Republican senator, Nancy Spence, also voted for the Colorado Civil Union Act last year, but is term-limited. A similar bill will soon be debated this year.

Full Story from LGBTQ Nation

Click here for gay wedding resources in Colorado.

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NC: Support for Marriage Equality Ban Drops 5 Points in 3 Months

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

New York Gay Marriage PollA proposed constitutional amendment that would bar North Carolina from recognizing the unions of gay couples with marriage, civil unions and possibly domestic partnerships has lost support three months in a row.

According to a Public Policy Polling survey released on Thursday, 56 percent of voters support the amendment.

However, support has steadily declined since October, when 61 percent of voters said they would support it. A November survey found support had dropped 2 percent. Another 1 percent was lost in December.

Full Story from On Top Magazine

Click here for gay wedding resources in North Carolina.

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US: Multiple Polls Show Rising Support for Gay Rights

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Nebraska Gay Marriage PollAs gay rights advocates have made gains over the last few years, the public seems to be moving in the same direction. Friday saw the release of a new poll sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Citizens for Equal Protection showing citizens deep in the middle of conservative America – in Nebraska – are solidly for non-discrimination protections for members of the gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, even if the current state laws are not.

73 percent of Nebraskans surveyed support protecting LGBT people from discrimination in employment, protections which currently don’t exist there.

The survey comes as Public Policy Polling (D) has been polling a diversity of states on the question of gay marriage and civil unions. Those polls have shown that some version of recognition for same sex couples is popular: even in the most Republican state in the union, Utah, 60 percent supported either gay marriage or civil unions, a trend also reflected in a separate HRC polling of the state.

Full Story from TPM

Click here for gay wedding resources.

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Australia: Marriage Equality Support Slowly Spreading

Friday, August 19th, 2011

Australia Gay MarriageTEN days out from the 2010 election, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott fronted a forum of undecided voters at Rooty Hill RSL, in Sydney’s west. It was a media circus, to be sure, but it was also mercifully unscripted, perilous for the leaders, and all too rare in our politics.

One of the moments that lives in the mind was when Janice Waters from Old Toongabbie challenged the Prime Minister on same-sex marriage. Gillard reeled off Labor’s policy and her own belief: marriage was between a man and a woman and there would be no change to the Marriage Act.

“I’m a taxpayer,” the determined Waters replied. “I’m a law-abiding citizen, and I want to be able to say to that woman that I love, ‘Will you marry me?’, not ‘Will you civil union me?’ ” The rousing applause that followed showed three things: an audience that felt free to stick it to the Prime Minister, a feeling there was a gap between what Gillard had just said and what was really in her heart, and some evidence that out here in the burbs, confronted with such personal ardour, folks were more relaxed about gay marriage than the woman who was seeking their votes.

Full Story from The Australian

Click here for gay wedding resources in Australia.

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US: Marriage Equality Support Increasing at Accelerated Rate

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Marriage Equality SupportNational support for marriage equality is not only growing but has accelerated significantly in recent years, according to a public opinion analysis by two pollsters — one who worked for President George W. Bush, the other who serves as an adviser to President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign.

Data from several national polling organizations, including Gallup and ABC News/Washington Post, this year indicated majority support for equal marriage rights, and such support has increased by 10 percentage points in the past two years, according to a memo published by Bush pollster Jan van Lohuizen of Voter Consumer Research and Joel Benenson of Benenson Strategy Group, who served as lead strategist in the 2008 Obama campaign and now works for the president’s 2012 campaign. The memo was commissioned by Freedom to Marry, which presented the results Wednesday morning at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

“We’re not in 1996 anymore,” Freedom to Marry president Evan Wolfson said, referring to the year Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars the federal government from recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples.

Full Story from The Advocate

Click here for gay wedding resources.

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Will President Obama Eventually Support Marriage Equality?

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

Ta-Nehisi Coates, on why Obama’s claim that he’s “evolving” on gay marriage is so irksome:

“I think the thing that’s most troubling about the “evolving” fudge is it feels like someone is insulting your intelligence. This is clearly a move to back gay marriage as soon as enough Americans do the same. I’m actually fine with that. It’s positioning it as some sort of deep, internal struggle that rankles.”

I agree with that, but I also think there’s a hidden silver lining here. By claiming that his position on gay marriage is “evolving,” Obama left himiself no choice — perhaps deliberately — but to ultimately declare public support for it. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when.

Consider David Axelrod’s effort the other day to clarify his position. Axelrod left no doubt that Obama believes in marriage equality. He didn’t even try to argue that Obama doesn’t believe in it. Rather, Axelrod pleaded for maneuvering room by arguing quite accurately that Obama has a good record on gay rights and that Obama deserves credit for nudging history in the right direction. But he left no doubt as to where Obama thinks history should take us.

Full Story from The Washington Post

Click here for gay marriage resources.

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New Report: Support for Gays/Lesbians Increased in 27 Countries Since 1998

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

The vast majority of countries around the world have become more accepting of homosexuality, with the exception of Russia and other former socialist countries, a new study has found.

The report, compiled by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, examined general trends in over 30 countries regarding their attitudes towards homosexuality, and is based on five surveys conducted in different countries between 1988 and 2008.

Approval of homosexuality increased in 27 countries and decreased in only four: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Russia, the study noted. The growth in approval ratings was stronger than the decline.

Full Story From AFP

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NY: New Count on Marriage Equality Support in Senate

Friday, May 27th, 2011

New York Whip CountEarlier today, I posted an article with a list of the New York State Senators who are undecided on marriage. I mentioned that we hadn’t seen a public whip count. Well, ask and ye shall receive.

Act on Principles has pulled together a whip count. Here’s the current breakdown (at right).

The full list of Senators, including their position on marriage and all contact info., is in the AOP post here. I sorted the list by position. We need 32 votes.

Full Story from AmericaBlog

Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.

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Fast-Food Chain to Drop Support of Anti Gay Groups

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Chick-Fil-AChick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy says the company is dropping its support for anti-gay marriage groups. The announcement comes after gay website GoodAsYou.org blogged about the chicken restaurant’s sponsorship of a marriage seminar closely associated with the anti-gay marriage group Pennsylvania Family Institute.

In a two-minute-twenty-seven-second video message released nearly three weeks ago, Cathy denied that the company’s donation was an endorsement of its values.

“Let me be clear, Chick-Fil-A serves all people and values all people,” Cathy said.

Full Story from On Top Magazine

Click here for gay marriage resources.

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More and More Catholic Lawmakers Support Marriage Equality

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Elected officials who are Catholic are stepping up to support marriage equality – often despite heavy-handed tactics by the Catholic hierarchy. Political figures know that Catholics in the electorate continue to grow in their acceptance of marriage equality for LGBT people.

Recent Pew Research shows almost 50% of Catholics, regardless of how often they attend church, support full marriage equality.

In Rhode Island, a Catholic bishop recently lashed out at state officials for introducing a bill for marriage equality to the General Assembly. Governor Lincoln Chafee responded, “Our foundation here in Rhode Island was built on tolerance and acceptance and this is an area I want to move our state forward on, by building on our strengths of centuries ago.” Rhode Island would join Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C., if it passes. Rhode Island already recognizes marriages of same-sex couples from out of state.

Full Story from Opposing Views

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.