Benefits eyed for domestic partners of city employees

Mayor Bell's office announced the measure late Thursday, which would extend benefits to the domestic partners of city employees, provided they have certified their status with Toledo's Domestic Partner Registry. Both heterosexual and same-sex couples would be eligible for benefits under the proposed law. ...

Toledo Blade • Apr 30, 2012

Obama Administration: Gay Marriage Ban DOMA Fueled By Prejudice

"The president and the attorney general concluded that laws that treat people differently based on their sexual orientation, like laws that make classifications based on gender or race, are inherently suspect - and therefore must meet a higher burden to be found valid," Delery said. ...

On Top Magazine • Apr 30, 2012

Brief challenges laws discriminating against gay and lesbian veterans

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals on Wednesday for Veterans Claims arguing that laws denying gay and lesbian veterans the spousal benefits they have earned, and which Congress has determined are necessary to support their families, "serve[] only to discriminate against gay and lesbian veterans" and "must be struck down as unconstitutional." ...

LGBTQ Nation • Apr 30, 2012

NC: Pollster: Marriage measure likely to pass

In terms of accuracy, from a statistical standpoint, if we were to stop voting right now and only count the votes that had been cast, statistically speaking, I can pretty much guarantee you that Amendment One passes," Teitleman said. "Now obviously, as more time goes on, more votes get cast, and there's also the potential for shifts." Teitleman said he thinks "the vast majority of voters don't fu...

Winston-Salem Journal • Apr 30, 2012

Civil Unions Close in CO

Civil unions advance in Colorado, but old foes are joining forces in Maine. There's just a few days left until North Carolina votes on an extreme constitutional amendment, and the race is getting closer and closer every day. And new research has shown a promising trend when it comes to public opinion. The Colorado Senate passed a civil unions bill this week. Now it's on to the House, where an id...

MNW • Apr 30, 2012

Same-sex marriage could bring millions, analysts say

If same-sex marriage survives the challenge expected at the ballot box this fall, money spent on weddings and related costs such as catering could boost Maryland's economy by more than $90 million per year, according to economic analysts. ...

The Gazette • Apr 27, 2012

Colorado Senate Passes Civil Unions Bill

With a vote of 23-12, the Colorado Senate just approved final passage of the Civil Unions Act, with three Republicans voting in favor of the bill....

Think Progress • Apr 27, 2012

CO: Rep. Waller: Nothing's changed in new civil-union bill

Last year, the House Judiciary Committee, on which Waller sits, voted 6-5 to kill the bill. It was a straight party-line vote, with Colorado Springs' Republicans representing half of the no votes. Reps. Bob Gardner and Mark Barker chair and co-chair the committee. Waller states that he has no idea if the bill will die in committee this year. "I would never presume to speak for everybody on the ...

Colorado Springs Independent • Apr 27, 2012

Support for Same-Sex Marriage Is Up

According to Pew, this poll shows for the first time that there is as much strong support for same-sex marriage as there is strong opposition to it - 22 percent for each category. In 2008, there was about twice as much strong opposition as strong support. In 2004, 36 percent of Americans strongly opposed gay marriage, while just 11 percent strongly favored it. ...

NY Times • Apr 26, 2012

US: Poll finds majority support for equal marriage

While in 2004, the support for equal marriage stood at 31% and the opposition at 60%, in 2008, the division stood at 39% in favour and 51% opposed. Now, it stands at 47% in support and 43% opposed, marking the first time an admittedly slim majority favoured what the survey terms as 'gay marriage.' ...

Pink News • Apr 26, 2012

New PPP poll shows support for Amendment One dropping fast

There is some reason to think a huge upset in two weeks is within the realm of possibility. 53% of voters in the state support either gay marriage or civil unions, with only 44% opposed to any recognition for same sex couples. The proposed amendment would ban both gay marriage and civil unions, but voters continue to be confused about that. Just 36% correctly identify that it would ban both while ...

AmericaBlog • Apr 25, 2012

Support For Marriage Equality Up 13 Percent In New Hampshire

The Rockefeller Center's fifth annual New Hampshire State of the State Poll, released last week, finds that support for marriage equality has increased 13 percent from a year ago, with 55 percent of respondents endorsing the 2009 law: ...

Think Progress • Apr 25, 2012

North Carolina: Poll Shows Opening for Campaign to Defeat Amendment One

According to the News & Observer, "The survey shows more primary voters are starting to understand the amendment would ban gay marriage and civil unions. But 10 percent still erroneously think it legalizes gay marriage and another 27 percent are unsure what it would do." ...

Advocate • Apr 24, 2012

Foes of same-sex marriage unite for Maine campaign

The Christian Civic League of Maine and the National Organization for Marriage say they've combined forces to defeat the same-sex marriage referendum proposal on next November's ballot....

Portland Press Herald • Apr 23, 2012

Millennials Continue To Support Marriage Equality At High Rates

About 6-in-10 (59 percent) support allowing same-sex couples to legally marry, but factors like education, religion, and sex can influence their views. ...

Think Progress • Apr 23, 2012

Amendment One Opponents: Have Momentum, Need Money

Opponents of Amendment One, the constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in North Carolina, say their campaign is "winnable," but they need people around the country to focus on the May 8 vote. ...

Advocate • Apr 23, 2012

Gay Marriage Prospects Brighten In France With Francois Hollande Nod

Hollande has said as president he would pursue legislation which would legalize marriage for gay couples. Last week, Sarkozy reiterated that he's opposed to such unions, saying, "For me, a family is a father and a mother, not two fathers or two mothers."...

On Top Magazine • Apr 23, 2012

Search is on for CO Civil Union Sponsor

Civil unions head to the Senate in Colorado, but nobody seems to be quite sure who's going to sponsor the bill once it reaches the House. Early voting's begun in North Carolina, just in time for a big TV ad buy starting this week. And the bumpy road to repealing Ohio's marriage ban just got bumpier. We're closer than ever to passing civil unions in Colorado, but there are still a few more hurdles...

MNW • Apr 23, 2012

Gay marriage supporters: A vote is coming

Opponents of same-sex marriage will collect enough signatures to force a statewide vote and Washington is due for a nasty, costly Referendum 74 campaign in the fall, supporters heard at a Thursday night banquet. "There will be a ballot measure vote in November," Evan Wolfson, founder and president of the national group Freedom to Marry told QLaw, the GLBT Bar Association of Washington....

Seattle PI • Apr 20, 2012

Prop 8 Judge: Same-Sex Marriage 'Is an Idea Whose Time Has Come'

The now-retired federal judge who struck down Proposition 8 said at a meeting in San Francisco Thursday he thinks same-sex marriage is "an idea whose time has come."...

Bay Citizen • Apr 20, 2012

Minnesota Supreme Court Won't Hear Gay Marriage Case

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to review a case challenging the constitutionality of the state's ban on gay marriage, paving the way for the suit to proceed to trial, the MinnPost.com reported. ...

On Top Magazine • Apr 20, 2012

North Carolina: Local NAACP Chapter Speaks Out

During a rally Tuesday at Winston-Salem State University, the Reverend William Barber spoke to 120 people on the effects Amendment One will have over and above banning same-sex marriage in North Carolina. "Whether you agree or disagree with same-sex marriage, that is a personal and religious choice," Barber said, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. "You should disagree with anybody who is wri...

Advocate • Apr 19, 2012

Dem candidates mostly quiet on marriage equality

The web sites of the 10 Democratic candidates running as challengers or for open seats show that very few of these candidates are eager to jump on this particular bandwagon. Only two -- Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts and Chris Murphy in Connecticut -- trumpet their support for marriage equality and for repealing the Defense Of Marriage Act. To be sure, none of the other six openly opposes the i...

Washington Post • Apr 19, 2012

Civil unions bill heading to Senate floor

Senate Bill 2 cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday morning on a 5-4 party-line vote, with all Democrats on the panel voting yes and all Republicans voting no. It will be debated and voted on by the full Senate some time next week....

KDVR • Apr 18, 2012

Spokane gay marriage debate overflows room

At a hearing on Monday, Spokane City Council chambers overflowed as about 300 people showed up to voice their opinions. ...

Seattle PI • Apr 17, 2012

Colorado Majority Supports Gay Marriage

According to a poll of 542 Colorado voters released Friday by Public Polling Policy, 53 percent of respondents support the institution, while 40 percent say marriage should remain a union exclusive to heterosexual couples. ...

On Top Magazine • Apr 17, 2012

Supporters Of Ohio's Gay Marriage Ban Challenge Repeal Petition

The Ohio Campaign to Protect Marriage, the group behind the 2004 amendment, on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Mike DeWine, the Dayton Daily News reported. The suit asks the Ohio Supreme Court to disqualify DeWine's approval of the proposed petition, arguing that the petition summary is invalid because "it is not a summary and is not a fair and truthful statement of the proposed c...

On Top Magazine • Apr 17, 2012

WA: Several priests shut church door to petitions to block gay marriage

Priests at a number of Roman Catholic parishes in the area have said no to the gathering of signatures for Referendum 74 at their churches -- putting them at odds with their archbishop on a statewide ballot measure seeking repeal of Washington's same-sex marriage law. ...

Seattle Times • Apr 16, 2012

Montana Supreme Court Hears Appeal Of Case Demanding Equal Rights For Gay Couples

The American Civil Liberties Union today appealed a district-court ruling dismissing the same-sex domestic partnership case, Donaldson and Guggenheim v. State of Montana, to the Montana Supreme Court:...

Towleroad • Apr 16, 2012

Illinois not ready to say 'I do' to gay marriage

Despite a push by gay lawmakers, the effort to legalize gay marriage in Illinois is unlikely to get off the ground this year, the chief sponsor of a marriage proposal said. State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) told the Chicago Sun-Times that reeling in Medicaid and pensions programs as well as approving an overall budget would take precedence during the homestretch of the General Assembly's spring ...

Chicago Sun-Times • Apr 16, 2012

House Democrats still hoping to find a Republican sponsor for civil unions bill

A bill to establish civil unions still lacks a House sponsor nearly two months after passing out of a Senate committee, but that's because Democrats shepherding the measure remain intent on finding a Republican to champion the legislation before sending it over to the GOP-controlled chamber, backers said this week. ...

Colorado Statesman • Apr 16, 2012

Obama Slams Anti-Gay Law in MN

The attack on DOMA just intensified with eight couples filing suit in Nevada. Meanwhile, President Obama weighs in on an anti-gay Constitutional amendment, and signature-gathering efforts are off to a very slow start. It's getting harder by the day to keep track of all the lawsuits challenging state and federal marriage bans. Since AFER filed its case challenging Prop 8 in 2009, a slew of challen...

MNW • Apr 16, 2012

Court denies request to expedite gay troops' DOMA case

A Massachusetts federal court has turned down a request from attorneys representing gay troops to move up the deadline for House Republicans to intervene in a case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act. ...

Washington Blade • Apr 13, 2012

Tim Hagan Walks Away From Effort To Repeal Ohio Gay Marriage Ban

The lack of support prompted Hagan, Freedom to Marry Ohio's high-profile chair, to quit. "Because there's not a unified voice, certainly among the gay community, we need to take a step back and make sure everybody is singing from the same hymnal," Hagan told Ohio Public Radio....

On Top Magazine • Apr 13, 2012

Marylanders for Marriage Equality hires new campaign manager, referendum effort continues

Levin has worked as a campaign manager for several congressional candidates and as the Illinois state director for Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. ...

Washington Post • Apr 11, 2012

Kerry seeks to aid lesbian bi-national couple

The Democratic senior senator from Massachusetts is seeking to aid a married lesbian couple in his state by asking the Department of Homeland Security to take administrative action to ensure the foreign national in the relationship won't be deported back to Pakistan. In a redacted letter dated March 27 and obtained Friday by the Washington Blade, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) asks Secretary of Homela...

Washington Blade • Apr 9, 2012

Obama Campaign Weighs in to Oppose Minnesota Marriage Amendment

The Obama campaign has announced its opposition to the marriage amendment that will be on the November ballot in Minnesota that would restrict marriage only to opposite-sex couples there, echoing a theme from its earlier opposition to such an amendment in North Carolina that will appear on the May primary ballot. ...

Metro Weekly • Apr 9, 2012

Established Groups Steer Clear Of Ohio Effort To Repeal Gay Marriage Ban

The effort has won the endorsement of George Forbes, president of the Cleveland chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). But Ohio's largest gay rights advocate, Equality Ohio, and the nation's largest group devoted to the issue of marriage equality, Freedom to Marry, appear to be steering clear of the effort, each saying the timing isn't right....

On Top Magazine • Apr 9, 2012

Slow Start for Marriage Equality Repeal Effort in Washington

The drive to repeal marriage equality in Washington State is not off to an auspicious start, if the campaign's reported number of collected signatures supporting a November referendum is accurate. ...

Advocate • Apr 9, 2012

GAY U.S.A. THE MOVIE IS HEADING TO NORTH CAROLINA FOR AMENDMENT ONE

For the past two years GAY U.S.A. the Movie has shot footage all around the country, including in California, New York, Minnesota, D.C. and in Washington State, and now GAY U.S.A. is heading to North Carolina and other Southern States. ...

Gay USA • Apr 9, 2012

SUPPORT FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN MAINE CLIMBS TO 58 PERCENT

A new poll shows that 58 percent of Maine voters now support marriage equality with only about 40 percent opposed, suggesting great promise for November's referendum to legalize it....

Think Progress • Apr 9, 2012

Gay and lesbian foreigners may soon be allowed to marry in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Some changes are afoot in Buenos Aires to allow gay and lesbian tourists to marry in the city. Ahead of earlier promises from Argentina's federal government to amend the Same-Sex Marriage Act to include LGBT visitors, Buenos Aires City lawmaker María Rachid introduced a draft bill in the City Legislature on Tuesday, April 3, looking to allow foreign gay couples to marry in Buenos Aires without the...

San Diego Gay and Lesbian News • Apr 9, 2012

Anti-Gay Law More Vulnerable Than Ever

The Obama administration changes course in the fight to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Signature gathering is about to start in Ohio. And voters in North Carolina say they support relationship recognition -- so why are they also saying they'll vote to take it away?

A big change in the Obama administration's position on the Defense of Marriage Act: ...

MNW • Apr 7, 2012

Mormons working to overturn Md. marriage law

Members of the Mormon Church in Maryland are working to overturn the state's recently passed marriage equality law, according to an email obtained by the Washington Blade. In the message dated March 29 sent to D.C. and Southern Maryland-area church members, the writer states that a coalition of inter-denominational Maryland churches has joined to place a referendum before voters in November on th...

Washington Blade • Apr 6, 2012

Legislation would allow same-sex couples married elsewhere to divorce in RI

Rhode Island does not recognize same-sex marriage, and it does not allow resident gay couples married in states like Massachusetts to file for divorce. That means people like Fazzino must move across the state line before obtaining a divorce -- for a year, in Fazzino's case. ...

The Republic • Apr 6, 2012

DOMA challenge gets appeals court hearing

A closely watched constitutional challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA, went before a U.S. appeals court for the first time Wednesday, setting the stage for a possible Supreme Court decision next year on whether legally married same-sex couples are entitled to equal benefits under federal law. ...

SF Gate • Apr 5, 2012

Same-sex benefits denial is ruled discriminatory

The denial of insurance coverage to the same-sex spouse of a federal court employee in San Francisco was an act of discrimination, the court's chief judge has ruled in an order that entitles the employee to compensation for the costs of private insurance. The payments may have to wait, however, while courts consider the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law barring federa...

SF Gate • Apr 5, 2012

Proposition 8 campaign architect leaves Sacramento firm

Sacramento political consultant Frank Schubert, who guided Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriage to victory in 2008, announced today that he is leaving the firm he founded. Schubert suggested his advocacy for conservative causes -- opposing abortion rights and same-sex marriage -- was hindering Schubert Flint Public Affairs' work with corporate clients....

Sacramento Bee • Apr 4, 2012

OH: DeWine certifies proposed same-sex marriage amendment

After that, the Freedom to Marry coalition must gather 385,253 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters -- 10 percent of the vote in the 2010 gubernatorial election -- to put the amendment to a statewide vote in 2013. ...

Columbus Dispatch • Apr 4, 2012

Gay Marriage Bill 'Most Strongly Supported in Australian History'

The legal and constitutional affairs committee is scheduled to report its recommendations to parliament on 6 June. After that will come an MP vote on the proposed marriage equality law. ...

Care2 • Apr 4, 2012

Britain's Conservatives push for same-sex marriage

Gay couples in Britain won the right to civil partnerships in 2004, which granted them nearly the same legal status as married heterosexual couples while avoiding the controversial use of the word "marriage.'' But Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservative-led coalition have launched a historic drive to grant gay men and lesbians the option of also entering into civil marriages, touching of...

Boston Globe • Apr 4, 2012

Elon Poll: 6 in 10 in NC favor same-sex marriage, unions or partnerships

Once again, it's all about how you ask the question. The Elon Poll surveyed North Carolina adults -- not likely voters, not registered voters, but potential voters nonetheless -- about same-sex unions. About 6 in 10 favor some form of legal recognition, though of that group, not all are in favor of calling it marriage. ...

Indy Week • Apr 4, 2012

NAACP's George Forbes Backs Ohio Effort To Repeal Gay Marriage Ban

George Forbes, president of the Cleveland chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), has endorsed an effort to repeal Ohio's gay marriage ban, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. ...

On Top Magazine • Apr 4, 2012

Immigration Equality Files DOMA Challenge, Obama Administration Left Them "No Choice"

The lawsuit, Blesch v. Holder, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of Edwin Blesch and Timothy Smulian, Frances Herbert and Takako Ueda, Santiago Ortiz and Pablo Garcia, and Heather Morgan and Maria del Mar Verdugo. Eric Stone, a partner at Paul Weiss, signed today's complaint. In the lawsuit, the couples' lawyers argue, "the five Plaintiff couples ...

Metro Weekly • Apr 3, 2012

Proposed N.C. marriage amendment could reach far

With a 6-3 vote by county commissioners two years ago, Mecklenburg became one of seven N.C. jurisdictions to offer benefits to the same-sex domestic partners of its employees. A May 8 statewide vote could erase the policy. Voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage, but the repercussions seem likely to affect straight and gay couples. Both sides of the debate ...

Charlotte Observer • Apr 1, 2012