Marriage Anniversary

Five years ago, Massachusetts began marrying same-sex folks legally.

One year ago, two days, California began marrying same-sex folks legally. 

In Massachusetts, support for same-sex nuptuals is through the roof, as people found that it's no big deal.

In California, voters overturned the ruling with the now-infamous Proposition 8, and support in that state has stalled to about the same percentages as voted for/against the measure. 

We fight on -- winning in Connecticut, Vermont, Iowa, and Maine... and possibly soon in New York and New Hampshire. We find that, as people marry, the less people care if other people are marrying. 

And so we fight on. California, we'll be back. We'll celebrate, again, and we'll win, again.

Thank you to all who are fighting, will be fighting, and have fought. But we aren't done.

Image from Mother Jones.

National Gay News Roundup

With all the stuff that's been happening lately, I feel like I've been lax in my news duties. Between Smitherman, rallies/marches, gay marriage, etc. etc. etc... well, everything else got drowned out. I wanted to at least give y'all some links to news stories that have popped up on the web just over the last day to give you a taste of what's going on in the world:

• Out magazine put out its top 50 out media celebrities, and include two non-out individuals -- Barry Diller and Matt Drudge. Drudge is the one who is actively denying it. Ironically enough, Anderson Cooper is saying nothing. Did he come out and I missed it? Many strange and interesting choices on that list, btw. Worth a look.
• 19-year old Spenser Vogt was killed after he went to hook up with a man he met on a chat room. Lee Carl Banks eventually confessed to the murder and told the authories where the body was found. Seriously, guys, this is becoming a problem.
• Rhode Island -- marked as one of the next possible states to pass equal marriage -- will have a loud new anti-marriage voice... its governor who will be coming out against a media campaign targeted equality swing states.
• Maryland's DP law may be expanding to allow exemptions for inheritance taxation.
• Texas Christian University is offering a dorm that focuses exclusively on LGBT and supportive individuals -- entitled "DiversCity Q." Colleges offer dorm environments where individuals can live with people with similar interests. I don't know about you, but a gay dorm would be a lot of problems for me.
• Former UK PM Tony Blair is urging the Catholic Church to rethink their attitudes towards LGBT individuals. Seriously. I like the language he uses.
• Rick Warren -- who apparently did not support Prop 8? what? -- says that stopping gay marriage is not a priority. Instead, he would like to focus on other issues, including genocide and poverty. Didn't I say this a long time ago when the Rick Warren controversy came up during the inauguration? Meh. Old sour grapes. :-)
• Other states, post-Iowa, DC, and Vermont, are starting to assess their own chances at passing equal marriage laws, or defeating current anti laws. Don't believe me? The New York Times thinks so. How long before Ohio, I wonder?
• Columbia, Missouri has passed a domestic partner registry with some actual teeth in it, but not a lot. YEA!

And that's all I got for you this morning. Kisses!

Dog Bites Gay Marriage

Today, less than 12 hours after Vermont's legislator passed equal marriage, and days after Iowa's Supreme Court legalized it, this is the front page of CNN. Those are the top stories. Not a single mention of gays or marriage in the top stories. As of right now, it's not even in the top 10 viewed nor the top 10 emailed stories.

Has equal marriage become "dog bites man" news, as opposed to the "man bites dog" news it once was... especially in New England?

Equal Marriage Legal in Vermont

Final vote: Senate 23-5 (needed: 20-10), House 100-49 (needed: 100-49). Veto of equal marriage overridden.

Hells yea, Vermont.

BREAKING: Vermont Gov Vetoes Equal Marriage

From the Burlington Free Press:

[Gov. Jim] Douglas delivered his veto message back to the Senate on the same-sex marriage bill, saying the legislature does not provide any more rights to same-sex couples and that he believes civil unions are sufficient.

The governor’s veto came moments after the state Senate voted to concur with a House gay marriage bill that was passed last week.

The governor’s office had his veto message prepared when the bill was delivered by a Senate staff member.

In his message, Douglas says even if the bill were to become law, federal benefits would still be denied to same-sex couples in Vermont.

The House and Senate are expected to try to override the governor’s veto on Tuesday.

Shit.

Read OnTopMag's coverage of the attempt to override the veto. If you want to help, visit Vermont Freedom to Marriage to find out how, especially Vermonter's!!!!!

Have you...

...emailed Vermont's Governor, Jim Douglas, to urge him not to veto the equal marriage bill that is currently sitting on his desk that passed the VT Senate (26-4) and the VT House (95-52)? I just did. So should you.

As a side note, this is my whole message:

I know I am not a resident of Vermont, but, as a member of the LGBT community, I wanted to encourage you to sign the equal marriage bill recently passed by the Vermont Senate and House.

It seems that the people and the representatives of your state support it, and I would hope that you would too.

Good luck, sir, I know your decision is a hard one.

Make sure you make it friendly and personable, guys/gals/etc.

Vermont: Sort of WIN

We're back to Vermont, where the State House of Representatives passed an equal marriage bill passed earlier last month in the State Senate.

Now it's back to the Senate because the House added in a religious protection clause that explicitly stated that the law would not force churches and other houses of worship to honor marriages that it does not agree with. Because, then, the law is changed, the Senate has to go back and re-approve it.

The final vote count in the House: 95-52, which is huge, but not as huge as the earlier 26-4 vote in the Senate.

The only problem: Republican Governor Jim Douglas, who has promised to veto the bill. In order to override the veto, there appears to be not problem in the Senate. It is the House that is a problem. They need two-thirds of the body to approve it after a veto... which means they need 100 votes. We are either one signature (the Governor's) or five votes (in the House) from legislatively passing an equal marriage bill.

The question is: who is going to be the one that says, "the buck stops here" and ultimately causes this to fail, if it does?

And, then, what is that person's email address?

Iowa to decide on equal marriage TOMORROW

One Iowa, that state's equality group, issued a press release announcing that the much anticipated equal marriage case will be decided in the Supreme Court tomorrow! Surprisingly, chances are good that the court will agree and grant the rights.

From the website:

Today the Iowa Supreme Court posted notice of a Friday ruling in the Varnum v. Brien marriage case that could lead to the freedom to marry for gay couples in Iowa. If the Court upholds the August 2007 District Court ruling, Iowa would join Massachusetts and Connecticut in offering marriage licenses to committed same-sex couples.

One Iowa, the state’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocacy group, is planning community gatherings across Iowa on Friday evening. The rallies are designed to give marriage supporters an opportunity to gather and express their support for marriage equality, regardless of the outcome. “We’re hopeful to gather tomorrow evening in celebration of a historic ruling that will ensure that all Iowa families are treated fairly. Win, lose, or draw, we want our community and allies to come together to share in this historic moment,” said Carolyn Jenison, Executive Director of One Iowa.

Times and locations of community gatherings will be posted via press release and on the One Iowa website this evening. Please withhold media inquiries regarding specifics on these rallies until that time.

Can we win in Iowa if we have to fight back? I have no idea, but I guess we'll see, won't we? They are planning nationwide rallies -- so keep on the website for updates. 

Also, Vermont's Senate is debating marriage today. If you would like to listen to the discussion, go to this site, which admits the discussion may go on into the evening.

Gay Marriage Horse Race

Thanks be to Queerty for this! I think we need a site that does this exclusively.

Equal Marriage Update

A lot of news has come out in the last few days about equal marriage, so let's just do a quick round-up:

• New York: Both Sen. Charles Schumer and Mayor Bloomberg (and NYC City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn) have come out in support of gay marriage, despite the NY State Democrats block in the current session. Simultaneously, Governor Patterson both required all agencies to acknowledge out of state gay marriages and NYC gay couples are now allowed to list same-sex parents on birth certificates.
• New Hampshire: Even though there was a blockade in the NH State Senate against the equal marriage bill, the NH State House has passed the bill. It was a squeaker -- 186-179, and then only after a brief recess to discuss the issue. But still... it's on its way!
• Hawai'i: After a civil unions bill passed the State House with flying colors (33-17), it got deadlocked in the Senate Judiciary Committee and is now dead, even after a valiant attempt to save it.
• Maine: Seems like the gays are taking on the family/children argument -- something I always said that we would never win. We'll see.
• Vermont: Gay rights proponents are not giving up after Gov. Douglas stated that he would veto an equal marriage bill. Rather, they are counting heads and seeing if they have the requisite 2/3 of both houses to overturn a veto. I think we do, it seems, in at least one house.
• Delaware: Meanwhile, Delaware is fighting a double-whammy: a bill that would protect LGBT folks in all things wonderful, and one that would ban same-sex discrimination. Great. 

That's about all I got for the day.

Vermont Same-Sex Marriage to be Veto'd

From the Associated Press:

Gov. Jim Douglas said Wednesday he will veto a gay-marriage proposal if it passes the Legislature, the first time he has signaled such an intent before final legislative action on a bill.

Speaking at an afternoon news conference, the Republican governor said that he thought Vermont's first-in-the-nation civil unions law, passed in 2000, provided sufficient rights to same-sex couples and that he believed "marriage should remain between a man and woman."

"For those reasons and because I believe that by removing any uncertainty about my position we can move more quickly beyond this debate, I am announcing that I intend to veto this legislation when it reaches my desk," he proclaimed.

For those following: it passed the Senate this week and is expected to pass the House, as well. He's claiming that the economy is more important right now. Um, what?

Vermont Senate OKs Equal Marriage

And it's begun. Vermont's Senate passed the equal marriage bill, and the House is expected to as well.

All that's left? The unknown governor.

I think this is the proper video from the Burlington Free Press site:

Vermont and UN

Two quick follow ups to former blogs:

• On Vermont's gay marriage bill: The Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee may vote today on sending an equal marriage bill to the full State Senate. Four of the officials were in office in 2000 when the civil unions law was put through, thus making Vermont the first state (I believe) to recognize same-sex couples, thanks to Howard Dean. New Hampshire, though, cast a deadlocked vote, effectively freezing it. 
• On the UN Statement to Decriminalize Homosexuality: The United States has officially signed it. Thanks be to jeebus.

Just in case you wanted more information. 

Gay Couples Better than Straight Couples?

It's an oldie, from June 2008, but my friend BadEvan brought it up in relationship to the Committee hearings in Vermont about the equal marriage bill.

From the NYT:

The stereotype for same-sex relationships is that they do not last. But that may be due, in large part, to the lack of legal and social recognition given to same-sex couples. Studies of dissolution rates vary widely.

After Vermont legalized same-sex civil unions in 2000, researchers surveyed nearly 1,000 couples, including same-sex couples and their heterosexual married siblings. The focus was on how the relationships were affected by common causes of marital strife like housework, sex and money.

Notably, same-sex relationships, whether between men or women, were far more egalitarian than heterosexual ones. In heterosexual couples, women did far more of the housework; men were more likely to have the financial responsibility; and men were more likely to initiate sex, while women were more likely to refuse it or to start a conversation about problems in the relationship. With same-sex couples, of course, none of these dichotomies were possible, and the partners tended to share the burdens far more equally.

While the gay and lesbian couples had about the same rate of conflict as the heterosexual ones, they appeared to have more relationship satisfaction, suggesting that the inequality of opposite-sex relationships can take a toll.

“Heterosexual married women live with a lot of anger about having to do the tasks not only in the house but in the relationship,” said Esther D. Rothblum, a professor of women’s studies at San Diego State University. “That’s very different than what same-sex couples and heterosexual men live with.”

The results of the Vermont hearings are as "on the edge of your seat" worthy, I think, as any of the court cases have been. We may pass an equal marriage bill through our elected representatives.

That's a beautiful thing.

And next, Maine. Rhode Island and New Hampshire seem to be stalled in committee... Though we're all still waiting on the Iowa Supreme Court to make a ruling.

Two bits on Marrage Equality

Two quick bits to keep you in the know:

• Vermont is fast tracking the marriage equality bill. It may be a rocky ride, as the Senate is overwhelmingly Dem (23-7) in support, but the House will be a little dicier. Governor Jim Douglas has not yet said whether he would sign it, but will wait for it to come out of Congress (which is a wise move politically -- he doesn't piss anyone off, but he has not been supportive in the past). Vermont's Legislative Session reconvenes on the 17th of March.
• Illinois' civil union bill made it out of the Judical Committee on a disappointing 4-3 vote for consideration by the greater House. We'll watch it.

Now, remember, I have it on good authority that Maine may be the first legislatively passed equal marriage bill. We'll see whether my source is as right as they think they are.

California and New Hampshire

In case you've lived under a rock...

... you probably know that California's Supreme Court is hearing arguments about gay marriage again. This time, whether or not Proposition 8 was legal to pass this year. Oral arguments start on Thursday. The only reason I bring it up is this: a piece in the LA Times that does a great job talking about the legal issues surrounding this challenge. I have been decidedly ignorant on the legal issues being thrown around, so it was an excellent and informative primer in case you were interested.

What you may not have heard...

... on the back of the 6 by 12 campaign, and by the multitudes of New England equal marriage bills being proposed, the New Hampshire legislature is considering a bill to open up civil unions to heterosexual couples. Really? "We're going to create a special class for you homosexuals, but not let you into our club, but now we're going to let us into your special class." I don't mind, but, come on.

In related news, I have it from a person in the know, that the likely first state to legislatively pass an equal marriage bill will be Maine, followed probably by New Hampshire or Vermont, and finally Rhode Island. And most of those before then end of 2010.

Gay marriage... no, divorce... no, civil unions...

Three bits of news coming out in the last 24 hours about gay marriage:

• Vermont's gay marriage bill looks likely to pass. The House version seems to have something like 59 cosponsors, none Republican, though a few of them saying they plan to vote for it. So, of course, the Democrats are going to ruin it for everyone, per the Democratic Speaker of the House: "We're still trying to decide whether it's something that we would do this year." Thanks, guys. We have huge support, but, you know, we might still wait.
• You still cannot get married in New Jersey, but you can get divorced. You'll remember that Texas, at one point, refused to honor a gay divorce because then it is acknowledging the relationship. State Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson informs us that the state has always acknowledged out of state marriages without honoring them itself, so the precedent at this point is unknown. Meanwhile, it is likely that a gay marriage bill will come up in the legislature of New Jersey, which Gov. Corzine has said he will support if it comes to his desk. Yes, that is, in fact a link to the Baptist Press. It's actually a really good article, good coverage.
• In bizarre news, Republican Gov. Huntsman of UTAH has come out in support of civil unions in that state -- this on the back of the legislature, one by one, knocking down pro-LGBT bills (incl. employment protections, I believe).

There, do you feel updated now? I know I feel better. Done my good gay duty for the day :-).

Oh, I don't really follow adoption as much, but the Florida Bar has come out against that state's ban on adoption.