Maine, Washington, and Maryland are all closer than ever to marriage equality, but the Governor of New Jersey thinks that civil rights should be put to a popular vote — whether it’s marriage today, or school desegregation in the 1950s.
There’s a lot to talk about this week, so let’s dive right in.
First, it’s official: Maine’s moving ahead with a citizen-led effort to win back marriage equality. The state has a statutory ban on marriage, but equality organizers have collected more than enough signatures to get a repeal of the anti-gay ban before voters in November of 2012. But keep an eye on the Maine legislature: they have the option to pass a repeal themselves, which would restore marriage equality without the need for a popular vote. Or they could put their own version of the bill on the ballot, splitting votes between two competing measures. Either way, it’s shaping up to be a very busy 2012.
New Jersey’s Senate Judiciary Committee passed a marriage bill this week, but Governor Chris Christie has promised to veto the measure. Christie said that civil rights should be put up for a popular vote. And that includes, he said, African Americans in the 1960s, who would have “been happy for a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South.”
“Dear God. We should not be putting civil rights issues to a popular vote. To be subject to the sentiments, to the passions of the day. … This is a fundamental bedrock of what our nation stands for.”
Maryland governor Martin O’Malley introduced a marriage bill this week, with strengthened religious exemptions that closely mirror those of the successful bill in New York. That won an endorsement from the state Bar Association. But a bill in New Hampshire would go much further, creating a nondiscrimination loophole that would allow any person or business to discriminate on any basis. The so-called “conscience” bill would eliminate protection guarantees for any group, gay and straight, male and female.
That’s separate from the other anti-gay New Hampshire bill that would eliminate marriage equality. This week AFER Board Member and former chairman of the Republican National Committee Ken Mehlman, announced that he’d travel to New Hampshire to persuade Republicans that marriage equality is a fundamental freedom and a non-partisan value that all lawmakers should protect.
A hearing on Washington state’s marriage equality bill drew crowds this week, and a Senate Committee voted to pass the measure to the full body. But the final vote may not come right away. As soon as the measure passes, anti-marriage activists can start gathering signatures for a referendum. Lawmakers may therefore wait until the end of the legislative session to pass the law, thereby reducing the amount of time that our opponents will have to try to overturn the measure.
These municipal sit-ins have been a tactic for a long time, usually centered around Valentine’s Day. Recently I chatted with Cecile Veillard and Michael James Anderson, two San Diego activists who were arrested when they accompanied a gay couple to request a marriage license. Their trial is coming up in March. Visit youtube.com/AmericanEqualRights to watch our full interview about what happened and why they’re not giving up.
Those are the headlines, visit us at MarriageNewsWatch.com for more on all these stories and more, and to sign up for breaking news alerts. Visit AFER.org for more information on the federal fight to overturn Prop 8 and win full federal marriage equality. I’m Matt Baume at the American Foundation for Equal Rights. We’ll see you next week.
UPDATED: This video was scheduled for January 23, but didn’t get posted until today. As some have asked in the comments, there are indeed a full 25 votes for marriage equality in Washington state. Also, Gov. Chris Christie has pledged to veto the marriage equality bill in consideration in New Jersey.
Canadian marriages may not be so safe after all, with an author of the country’s marriage equality law raising the possibility of an anti-gay attack. Here in the US, nearly a hundred mayors come out for marriage equality, including one who testified during the Prop 8 trial. We’re just one vote away from passing marriage equality Washington state Senate, but time’s quickly running out. And remember that cute Australian ad with the first-person courtship? I’ll talk to the American college student who’s raising funds to bring that ad to the states.
We’re still on the edge of our seats for a Prop 8 ruling — it could come at any moment. You can be the first to find out when it comes. Visit AFER.org to sign up for a breaking news alert. You can either get an email or text alert. Meanwhile more cast members have been announced for the LA premiere of “8,” Dustin Lance Black’s play based on the transcripts of the Prop 8 trial. Joining the March 3 reading are George Clooney, Martin Sheen, Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Christine Lahti, George Takei, and Book of Mormon’s Rory O’Malley.
Marriage equality got a huge nationwide boost this week from eighty US mayors. The group includes Seattle, Denver, Austin, St. Louis, Bloomington, Newark, and a whole host of cities in states that have marriage or civil union legislation in the works. One of the leaders of the group is Jerry Sanders, the Republican Mayor of San Diego whose testimony at the Prop 8 trial was instrumental. On Day 6 of the trial, Sanders said, “if government tolerates discrimination against anyone for any reason, it becomes an excuse for the public to do exactly the same thing.”
Anti-gay groups in New Hampshire have been struggling even more than usual lately. A small group of politicians is working to undo the state’s marriage equality law, but their colleagues have repeatedly delayed action on the proposal. A tentatively scheduled vote this week has been pushed at the last minute to February. It wasn’t long ago that marriage for LGBTs was a wedge issue that anti-gay politicians could use to their advantage. But these days, only 27% of New Hampshire adults support repeal of the state’s marriage law, so the wedge has clearly flipped.
Meanwhile in North Carolina, an anti-gay constitutional amendment has dipped slightly in the polls, but retains majority support. Although momentum is slowly building to block the law, it may not be enough in time for the vote in May. It’s important to note just how extreme and draconian this measure is. It wouldn’t just ban marriage — North Carolina already does that. This law would ban all protections for LGBT families, and even unmarried straight couples. In Ohio, a similar measure allowed multiple domestic abusers to go free, simply because they weren’t married to their victims.
One North Carolina group is fighting back with two new videos this week, featuring a collection of talking heads. Ads like these were once commonplace, but have fallen out of favor as we’ve found that emotional appeals are more effective than appeals to logic. That’s why the internet’s responded so strongly to “It’s Time,” the ad from Australia, featuring a first-person courtship of what turns out to be a gay couple. You’ve probably seen the ad already on Facebook, but soon you may see it on television. This week I spoke to Daniel Wein, a Washington DC college student who’s managed to acquire rights and raise thousands for a stateside airing of “It’s Time.” Stay tuned for our full conversation later this week — for now, here are some highlights from our interview. I asked Daniel why he was motivated to get the ad on television, and how he’s making that happen.
“I was back home for Thanksgiving break when I was just sitting on my couch and I came across this “It’s Time” ad from GetUp Australia, and I was really just deeply deeply moved. And I started to get a team together to see what we can do about getting this on TV. Luckily I was able to find — I actually had two people reach out to me who are digital strategists, one based in DC and one based in New York, who are both taking on this project pro bono. And then soon after that, we were able to locate who has a background in the same kind of nonprofit work. He was able to consult with us. There’s a think tank in DC called Third Way that conducted some very preliminary study, and they found that this ad tested very well in the United States. Given the opportunity to play to a just larger audience in the United States beyond just YouTube, I think that it could definitely make a big impact.”
New Jersey will hear testimony on Tuesday of this week concerning a proposed marriage equality bill. Governor Chris Christie has so far avoided making a firm commitment on signing or vetoing the bill, and some legislators claim that they can reach a veto-proof majority. That may be wishful thinking, but public support for the bill continues to rise. A survey this week shows that 52% support the bill, with only 42% opposed.
We’re agonizing over every vote in Washington State, where legislators are just one vote shy from passing a marriage equality bill. The bill enjoys bi-partisan support, including Republican Attorney General candidate Reagan Dunn. And this week some of the state’s largest employers, including Microsoft and Nike, signed a letter of support. But five senators still have not stated their position. In order to reach the governor this session, the bill will need to pass either the House or Senate before February 14.
Internationally, there’s good news from Cuba, where officials have pledged to consider enacting civil unions.
But turmoil has continued in Canada. Last week a government lawyer argued that Americans who have traveled to Canada to marry aren’t really married. That was quickly followed by a clarification from the government that tourist marriages are, in fact, legal in that country, even if they aren’t recognized in the tourists’ home country. Some politicians have promised to amend the law to clarify those couples’ legal standing. But this week one of the lawyers who worked on the original law, Kathleen Lahey, has pointed out that the law doesn’t really need any amendment — it’s already perfectly clear. This has sparked fears that the so-called clarifications could actually be a sneaky attempt to weaken the law and create exemptions that would deny equal protections to some LGBTs. We’ll be following that situation closely as it develops.
Those are the headlines, head over to AFER.org for more on the federal fight to overturn Proposition 8 and win full nationwide marriage equality. And visit MarriageNewsWatch.com for breaking news headlines throughout the day. I’m Matt Baume at the American Foundation for Equal Rights. We’ll see you next week.
Washington, Colorado, New Jersey — state legislatures are moving even faster than we thought on marriage equality. But it’s not all good news. Meanwhile, Canadian turmoil calls thousands of marriages into question, and preparations continue for the impending decision in the Prop 8 case.
If you haven’t already, check out our extended interview with Stephen Hill and Josh Snyder. Everyone knows Stephen as the soldier who questioned Rick Santorum about DADT, but you may be less acquainted with Stephen and Josh the couple. In our interview, you can see them together at home, talking about how they were once cut off by an explosion, how they secretly kept in touch during deployment, and why they decided to take a risk and get married before DADT was lifted. Head over to youtube.com/AmericanEqualRights to watch and subscribe.
We’re just two votes away from passing a marriage bill in Washinton, but don’t celebrate yet: finding those two votes will be extremely challenging. And even if marriage advocates succeed in passing the bill, a referendum is likely. Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna is running for Governor this year, and he’s said that rights like marriage should be put to voters. While it’s never okay to hold a popular vote on taking away rights, polls in Washington are at least encouraging: an October survey by the University of Washington showed 55 percent of voters would uphold marriage equality, with just 34 percent opposed.
Perhaps inspired by the progress in those states, more organizers than ever are pushing for equality around the country. Preliminary meetings are underway to push for marriage equality in Illinois, and Rhode Islanders are pushing Democratic Senator Jack Reed to support the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA. Reed promised a decision on DOMA “very quickly” — but that was months ago, and he’s been dodging the issue ever since. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, unconfirmed rumors predict a vote on marriage repeal at some point this week.
Things are a bit shakier in Mexico, where planned marriages have been called off by government decree. Although not specifically allowed, marriage equality isn’t prohibited in Cancun, so organizers were planning to get married and then see what happened. But when officials got wind of their plans, they ordered a halt to the ceremonies pending legal review.
But there’s some good news coming out of Australia, with an endorsement for marriage equality this week from a professional organization of wedding officiants.
Meanwhile, back here in the US, the wait continues for a ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Prop 8 case. That ruling could come any day now with little or no advance notice. The court will either affirm last year’s ruling that Prop 8 should be overturned because it violates the Constitution; or they’ll reverse that finding, thereby denying the freedom to marry from thousands of LGBT couples. They’ll also decide whether the tapes of the initial District Court trial can finally be released to the public.
Either way, AFER is ready to respond the moment that ruling comes. We’ll have immediate news coverage as soon as the ruling’s released, with our all-star legal team explaining what it means and what comes next. And you’ll hear from our plaintiffs — Sandy and Kris and Jeff and Paul — as they explain why their families need the strength and stability that comes with marriage.
In addition, Marriage Equality USA is busy organizing rallies all around California. Stay tuned for more details on those rallies from MEUSA soon.
And while we wait for a ruling, preparations are underway to bring the trial to communities all around the country. After its gala premiere on Broadway, Dustin Lance Black’s play “8″ is coming to a theater near you. This week AFER announced 43 planned productions from New Hampshire to St. Louis to Seattle over the next few months. Visit http://8theplay.com for more info.
And there’s still more news from California: on January 21st, GetEQUAL will donate some items of historical significance to the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives in Los Angeles. Items include banners from Meet in the Middle, a post-Prop-8 rally that re-energized the community and drew thousands to Fresno in 2009. Visit GetEQUAL.org for tickets to next week’s induction event.
And finally this week, new data from the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study has yielded some positive news: out of all the lesbian households studied, the rate of child abuse was zero percent. In addition, according to the Journal Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, quality of life for lesbian-headed households was comparable to that of heterosexual-headed households. Not a big shock, but nice to have it reaffirmed — again — that LGBT families are strong, healthy, positive places for kids.
Those are the headlines, join us over at MarriageNewsWatch.com for more on all these stories and more. And head over to AFER.org for more on the federal fight for marriage equality, and to learn more about Dustin Lance Black’s play, “8.” We’ll see you next week.
We’re just one week in and already 2012 is looking like a strong year for marriage, with encouraging action in Washington, Maryland, and Colorado. The governor of Michigan revokes health care coverage for domestic partners, leaving families with no access to medical care. And a bi-national couple in San Francisco gets a two-year reprieve, but their eventual fate may depend on whoever occupies the White House two years from now.
Remember the Republican debate, when a soldier named Stephen Hill asked Rick Santorum about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? Well, this week I spoke to Stephen Hill and his husband, Josh Snyder, about their experience coming out in front of the world, what they thought of Rick’s response, how their relationship’s been affected by Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and we also got a little gun show. Here’s a few highlights from our conversation, stay tuned for the full interview, coming out later this week.
Stephen: “Immediately I thought, am I in trouble, did I do something wrong? ‘Cause I just got booed on national TV and I’m an active duty serviceman. I’m a soldier. So, that was the next thought. And then of course Rick Santorum’s answer was the next string of emotions. And then after all that was done, I thought oh my God, I just came out to six million people.”
Josh: “I can tell you after dealing with it for a year, and being an Army spouse, it’s not easy. We’ve been on Skype before and a mortar’s gone off, and he’s had to disconnect and, y’know, we lost contact for a few hours. And it’s really kind of weird to think — you’ve got your phone in one hand and I’ve got Skype sitting up on the computer. And I’m just hoping Skype rings first versus the phone. Because God only knows. I mean I’m the first to be contacted ’cause we arranged it from a standpoint of the documentation that you submit with the Army. But technically as a spouse I wouldn’t really be recognized. It was all set up by us.”
Stephen: “I’ve had to run through my house and hide pictures in my own house. Y’know, when soldiers and friends would come over. I’ve had to ask people to leave my house. Y’know, I’ve had to make my roommates lie, I’ve had to do a lot of stuff. And the resentment of that kind of stuff — and the resentment of knowing that for twenty years I’ve fought for my country, and I’ve fought for everybody’s rights except my own. I mean that’s basically what it is. And I have to lie to do that. Y’know, and it just isn’t right.”
Let’s look at some headlines from around the states. This week, the Governor of Washington, Christine Gregoire, will introduce a bill to legalize marriage. LGBTs have a good ally in Gregoire: it was her 2009 bill that legalized civil unions in the state. Getting from there to marriage is going to be an uphill climb, since the bill will have to pass through a legislature that’s proven skeptical towards marriage in the past. But with a recent survey showing Washington residents supporting equality 54 to 35 percent, momentum is clearly on our side. Washington’s legislative session starts this week and runs until March 8th.
Maryland’s legislative session starts this week as well, and lawmakers there are likely to take up a revamped marriage bill. Although similar legislation failed by a narrow margin last year, it now has the backing of a much larger coalition. Organizers on our side are duplicating many of the tactics that worked in New York. That includes a strong commitment of support from the governor, as well as broad exemptions for religious organizations that want to discriminate against LGBT couples. The Maryland Assembly is scheduled to adjourn in April.
There was a reprieve this week for Bradford Wells and Anthony John Makk, a San Francisco couple threatened with deportation. Despite being the primary daily caregiver for his ailing husband, Immigration Services had moved to exile Makk to his native Australia due to the Defense of Marriage Act. This week Senator Nancy Pelosi called the couple to inform them that deportation proceedings would be deferred for the next two years. That’s good news for now, but it doesn’t necessarily help the thousands of other bi-national couples facing deportation, and there’s no guarantee that the government won’t reverse course over the next two years. All of the current Republican frontrunners for President would be likely to undo the accommodations that have been made for binational LGBT couples under the Obama administration.
Those are the headlines, I’m Matt Baume at the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Visit AFER.org for more on the federal fight to overturn Prop 8. And watch for a big announcement this week about the national rollout of “8,” Dustin Lance Black’s play about the Prop 8 trial. You can also get breaking news headlines at MarriageNewsWatch.com, and don’t forget to hit “Like” to spread the words about marriage equality to your family and friends. We’ll see you next week.
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