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	POLLS: Majorities In Virginia And Michigan Support Marriage Equality Virginia has also experienced significant progress. A new Washington Post poll shows that 56 percent support marriage equality -- up 10 points from two years ago -- while 43 percent remain opposed.... Think Progress • May 16, 2013

	POLL: 62 Percent Of New Jersey Voters Would Vote For Marriage Equality A new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll finds that an overwhelming number of New Jerseyans want to vote on the question of same-sex marriage so that they can approve it. According to the poll, 69 percent of respondents support a referendum, and 62 percent of respondents would vote yes for marriage equality while only 30 percent would oppose it.... Think Progress • Apr 16, 2013

	Civil Unions To Become Law In Colorado After Final House Vote Just now, the Colorado House voted 39-26 to grant final approval to a bill that would offer civil unions to same-sex couples, advancing it to Gov. John Hickenlooper's (D) desk for his promised signature. ... Think Progress • Mar 12, 2013

	POLL: 61 Percent Of Californians Support Marriage Equality According to Field Poll, 61 percent of California voters support marriage equality, while only 32 percent oppose.... Think Progress • Feb 28, 2013

	STUDY: Marriage Equality Would Boost Hawaii's Economy The ultimate benefit could be somewhere between $46 million and $258 million over the 2014-2016 period. ... Think Progress • Feb 6, 2013

	POLL: Majority In Hawaii Support Marriage Equality A new poll from Equality Hawai'i shows that a majority of Hawai'i voters favor marriage equality, with 55 percent in support and only 37 percent opposed.... Think Progress • Jan 30, 2013

	POLL: Growing Plurality Of Minnesotans Support Marriage Equality A new PPP poll of Minnesotans shows a plurality now supports marriage equality, by a 47 to 45 margin. Fully 75 percent of Minnesotans (including 65 percent of Republicans) back at least allowing civil unions. PPP estimates that given the trend and the age demographics, a majority Minnesotans will likely support marriage equality by the next election. ... Think Progress • Jan 25, 2013

	House GOP To Supreme Court: Gay People Are Too Powerful To Get Equal Rights For nearly two years, House Republicans paid conservative superlawyer Paul Clement $520 an hour to defend the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in federal court -- and then sent the bill to the American taxpayer. In total Clement has now cost the American people up to $3 million for his efforts on behalf of this unconstitutional law. Last night, we taxpayers finally found out what we were paying fo... Think Progress • Jan 24, 2013

	Obama Endorses Rhode Island Marriage Equality As Governor Rebuffs Proposed Referendum Today, President Obama endorsed legislative efforts to pass marriage equality in the state of Rhode Island. ... Think Progress • Jan 11, 2013

	MINNESOTA LEGISLATORS TO PUSH MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN EARLY 2013 Rep. Alice Hausman and Sen. John Marty, both Democratic Farm Labor party members (Minnesota's Democratic Party) told the Star News, given the clear voter mandate for equality, they will push for the bill to be enacted before Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL) issues his February budget forecast.... Think Progress • Dec 21, 2012

	New Polls Show Continued Strong Support For Marriage Equality A series of new polls shows continued strong support for marriage equality nationwide. A Quinnipiac University poll shows equality fairly conservatively leading with 48 support and 46 percent opposition, with the opposition being led mostly by men (50 - 43 percent opposed) and White Protestants (62 - 32 percent opposed). ... Think Progress • Dec 6, 2012

	Looking Ahead: The Seven States That Could Soon Expand Rights For Same-Sex Couples With Tuesday's sweeping pro-LGBT victories in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington state, marriage equality will be the law of the land in eight or nine states and the District of Columbia. Another five states have civil unions laws. The National Organization for Marriage, along with other anti-equality organizations, have lost their principal talking point and can no longer claim that every... Think Progress • Nov 8, 2012

	POLL: MARYLANDERS SUPPORT MARRIAGE EQUALITY ACROSS ALL RACES A new poll from Goucher College shows that 55 percent of Marylanders support marriage equality, while 39 percent are opposed. This particular poll did not, however, screen for likely voters.... Think Progress • Nov 1, 2012

	POLL: MINNESOTA AMENDMENT STILL A 'DEAD HEAT' A new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll released yesterday shows that the race is still tight for Minnesota's proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, with 47 percent and favor and 46 percent opposed, with a 4.3 percent margin of error. ... Think Progress • Oct 18, 2012

	REPORT: Knights Of Columbus A Primary Funder Of NOM, Anti-Equality Campaigns A new report from Equally Blessed, an organization of Catholic LGBT equality advocates, shows that The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, has been one of the primary sponsors of efforts to ban or oppose same-sex marriage, including substantial donations to the National Organization for Marriage. In fact, the organization has donated more than $15.8 million either directly towa... Think Progress • Oct 18, 2012

	BREAKING: Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down DOMA In Opinion By Republican-Appointed Judge This is a really big deal. Jacobs is not simply saying that DOMA imposes unique and unconstitutional burdens on gay couples, he is saying that any attempt by government to discriminate against gay people must have an "exceedingly persuasive" justification. This is the same very skeptical standard afforded to laws that discriminate against women. If Jacobs' reasoning is adopted by the Supreme Court... Think Progress • Oct 18, 2012

	POLL SHOWS IOWA JUSTICE TARGETED BY ANTI-GAY CAMPAIGN POISED TO KEEP HIS SEAT A recent poll finds 49 percent of likely voters will vote to retain Wiggins, while only 41 say they support removing him from office.... Think Progress • Oct 5, 2012

	POLL: ILLINOIS CATHOLICS OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT SAME-SEX UNIONS Overwhelmingly (81 percent), Catholic voters believe that same-sex unions should have legal recognition, with only about 16 percent opposed.... Think Progress • Oct 3, 2012

	POLL: 60 PERCENT OF LATINOS SUPPORT MARRIAGE EQUALITY A new poll from NBC Latino/IBOPE Zogby finds that 60 percent of Latinos support marriage equality, including 48 percent who "strongly" agree that same-sex couples should have the right to marry.... Think Progress • Oct 3, 2012

	POLL: MAINE MARRIAGE EQUALITY HAS 21-POINT LEAD A new poll by Critical Insights finds that Maine's marriage equality referendum is set to pass, with 57 percent approval and only 36 percent rejection. ... Think Progress • Oct 1, 2012

	POLLS TIGHTENING IN MAINE MARRIAGE EQUALITY VOTE, BUT MAJORITY STILL SUPPORT A Public Policy Polling survey found 52 percent of Mainers back Question 1, which would legalize marriage equality, compared to 44 percent opposed.... Think Progress • Sep 24, 2012

	POLL: MAJORITY SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY NATIONWIDE When asked if it should be legal for same-sex couples to marry, 51 percent said it should be legal, and only 41 percent said it should be illegal.... Think Progress • Sep 17, 2012

	OHIO JUDGE REFUSES TO DIVORCE LESBIAN COUPLE Judge Jim Mason ruled that he could not divorce Laura Christina Thompson and Evangeline Grace Roller because their union had no legal effect in Ohio -- though the same court granted two gay men a divorce just a few days earlier. In the earlier case, a different judge determined he could dissolve the marriage even if it had no legal effect in the state. ... Think Progress • Aug 27, 2012

	POLL: OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR EQUALITY IN CONNECTICUT Connecticut citizens endorse the equality law by an enormous 55-33 margin, which balloons to 68-18 for those under 30.... Think Progress • Aug 3, 2012

	Anti-Gay Iowa Republican Chair Calls For State Supreme Court Justice To Be Ousted In 2010, anti-gay groups spent nearly $800,000 to remove three state supreme court justices who joined the court's unanimous decision holding that marriage equality is required by the Iowa constitution. Yesterday, Iowa Republican Party chair A.J. Spiker released a statement calling for a fourth justice, Justice David Wiggins, to be removed in November, effectively throwing the GOP's support behind... Think Progress • Aug 3, 2012

	Medical Groups Attack Faulty Parenting Study In Anti-DOMA Amicus Brief Accordingly, the conclusions by the leading associations of experts in this area reflect a consensus that children raised by lesbian or gay parents do not differ in any important respects from those raised by heterosexual parents. ... Think Progress • Jul 13, 2012

	132 House Members File Amicus Brief Against DOMA 132 House members, led by Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD), filed an amicus brief today making a federal case against the Defense of Marriage Act's constitutionality. The brief weighs in on the legal challenge that Karen Golinski made against DOMA when she filed a lawsuit seeking access to equal health benefits for her wife -- a ca... Think Progress • Jul 11, 2012

	POLL: COLORADO CIVIL UNIONS ENJOY WIDE SUPPORT In the wake of last month's brouhaha when Colorado Republican leadership blocked civil unions from advancing, a new Public Policy Polling poll shows that 56 percent of Coloradans continue to support the measure, with 38 percent opposed.... Think Progress • Jun 21, 2012

	Republicans Intervene To Defend Discriminatory Treatment Of Gay And Lesbian Servicemembers As news broke that Richard Grenell -- the openly-gay conservative foreign policy spokesperson hired by Mitt Romney -- had resigned following pressure from right-wing activists, word came down that the House Republicans have intervened to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and related laws in McLaughlin v. United States, a challenge brought by eight gay and lesbian servicemembers, veterans a... Think Progress • May 2, 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

	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

	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

	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

	Santorum To Gay Man: You Don't Deserve 'Privilege' Of Marriage Because Gay Unions Don't 'Benefit Society' Rick Santorum told a gay man in Fulton, Missouri Friday afternoon that he didn't deserve the "privilege" of marriage because his same-sex relationship does not "benefit" society in the same way that opposite-sex marriage does. Marriage, Santorum explained is an "intrinsic good" in which gay and lesbian people should not be allowed to partake in: ... Think Progress • Feb 5, 2012

	Opponents Rally Against Marriage Equality In Maryland: 'I Believe In Adam And Eve!' Some 300 opponents of same-sex marriage rallied in front of the Maryland State House in Annapolis Monday night, calling on lawmakers to abandon legislative efforts to allow gays and lesbians to enter into civil marriages. The protest came on the eve of a Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing at which Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) is expected to make his case for marriage equality later this aft... Think Progress • Jan 31, 2012

	NEW MEXICO LAWMAKER INTRODUCES ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE AMENDMENT New Mexico state Rep. David Chavez (R) has introduced a state-level Defense of Marriage Act that would amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriage and void recognition of marriages and civil unions from other states. ... Think Progress • Jan 27, 2012

	MARYLAND'S SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL INCLUDES MOST 'EXPLICIT' RELIGIOUS CONSCIENCE PROTECTIONS The new same-sex marriage bill introduced yesterday by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-MD) in the Maryland Senate includes additional protections for religious institutions that were not part of last year's failed measure, the Baltimore Sun reports.... Think Progress • Jan 25, 2012

	NORTH CAROLINA LAUNCHES ADS OPPOSING MARRIAGE DISCRIMINATION AMENDMENT The newly launched Coalition to Protect All NC Families has released two ads opposing a proposed amendment to North Carolina's constitution that would ban all same-sex marriages, civil unions, and domestic partnerships. The first features same-sex families discussing how the amendment would impact their families while the other explains the importance of voting against the amendment on May 8 and e... Think Progress • Jan 19, 2012

	Colorado Catholics Ask Church Goers To Oppose Civil Unions The Colorado Catholic Conference is urging parishioners to oppose the state's pending civil unions bill, the Denver Post reports, and is distributing flyers during mass asking church goers to pressure lawmakers into defeating the measure. "The key flaw with civil unions legislation is that it creates an alternative parallel structure to marriage," the Conference says.... Think Progress • Jan 18, 2012

	Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper: 'It's Time To Pass Civil Unions' In his State of the State address today, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) urged lawmakers to pass civil unions legislation: ... Think Progress • Jan 13, 2012

	WASHINGTON ATTORNEY GENERAL: RESIDENTS SHOULD VOTE ON GAY MARRIAGE RIGHTS Washington Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna is responding to Gov. Chris Gregoire's (D) call for marriage equality by arguing that voters should decide if gay and lesbian people should be allowed to marry. ... Think Progress • Jan 12, 2012

	Maryland Lawmakers To Insist On 'Religious Exemptions' Before Voting For Marriage Equality As Maryland lawmakers consider legislation expanding marriage equality to gays and lesbians this session, some on-the-fence Democrats will introduce language to exempt religious institutions from performing same-sex marriages and allow those organizations to deny services to same-sex couples: ... Think Progress • Jan 6, 2012

	ONE-THIRD OF SENATORS SUPPORT REPEALING DOMA Box Turtle Bulletin's Timothy Kincaid points out that one-third of all senators have now signed on to legislation repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, including 13 Democrats who voted for the legislation in 1996 as senators or representatives.... Think Progress • Dec 23, 2011

	Newt Gingrich: Gay People Choose To Be Gay Like Priests Choose Celibacy Newt Gingrich told the Des Moines Register's editorial board this morning that gay people have a "significant range of choice within a genetic pattern" and can choose to be straight just like someone can "choose to be celibate." The former House speaker, who opposes same-sex marriage, explained that there is a "big difference between saying that you're to have an acceptance of people's lifestyles ... Think Progress • Dec 16, 2011

	Romney Unveils 3-Tier Marriage System For Gays Expressed support for a constitutional amendment that could create a complex three-tier system of marriage -- maintaining marriage rights for straight couples, allowing gays who have already married to remain married, but barring future same-sex marriages.... Think Progress • Dec 16, 2011

	SAN FRANCISCO REQUESTS ADVANCE NOTICE OF PROP 8 DECISION TO PREPARE FOR PROTESTS In a highly unusual letter, the City of San Francisco wrote the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit yesterday requesting advance notice of any decision upholding or striking down California's anti-gay Proposition 8:... Think Progress • Dec 15, 2011

	Anti-Gay Groups Significantly Outspend LGBT Advocacy Organizations The Movement Advancement Project has released its annual National LGBT Movement Report, which analyzes the financial documents of 40 prominent LGBT organizations. According to this year's report, the number of individual donors to these groups constitutes at most 3 percent of the estimated LGBT population. Considering many of those donors are also heterosexual allies, the number is probably even l... Think Progress • Dec 6, 2011

	Growing Number Of Maine Independents Support Same-Sex Marriage A new poll from Public Policy Polling (PPP) finds that support for marriage equality is increasing among independents in Maine, just two years after the state "narrowly voted to overturn a law allowing same sex couples to marry." Fifty-one percent of voters say they support marriage equality, including 53 percent of independents: ... Think Progress • Nov 3, 2011

	Romney Secures Support Of Marriage Equality Booster As He Prepares To Address Value Voters Summit As Mitt Romoney prepares to address the Family Research Council's Value Voters Summit to express his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, his campaign is celebrating the support of Paul Singer a financial titan whose endorsement "the candidate and his team had been intently focused on trying to win." But Singer, a big booster of Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), was one of Rudy Giuliani's top b... Think Progress • Oct 7, 2011

	John Boehner's Anti-Gay Lawyer Gets A Million-Dollar Bump At Taxpayer Expense Earlier this year, Speaker John Boehner's (R) office announced that American taxpayers would pay former Bush Solicitor General Paul Clement to defend the unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act -- at a cost of $520 per hour of legal work. Clement's original contract, however, included a $500,000 cap on the amount Clement could charge the United States to help protect discrimination. Less than six... Think Progress • Oct 4, 2011

	Anti-Gay Groups Gear Up For Religious War Against Civil Same-Sex Marriage In Minnesota The fight over a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota could cost up to $10 million before voters go to the ballot in November 2012. And while the measure only seeks to define civil marriage as "a union of one man and one woman," proponents of the amendment have begun waging a campaign that blurs the line between civil and religious unions. ... Think Progress • Aug 19, 2011

	Top Five Homophobic Statements From Boehner's DOMA Briefs This week we get a first look at how House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) intends to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court. If the briefs filed by attorney Paul Clement yesterday are any indication, the House Republicans will be pushing every anti-gay message possible to ensure the federal government continues to discriminate against same-sex couples. And of course, taxpayers are covering the ... Think Progress • Aug 3, 2011

	FAMiLY LEADER's Bob Vander Plaats Erupts In Laughter At Faggot Joke: 'That's Pretty Good' During an event in Audubon, Iowa in March of 2011, Vander Plaats explained that many Iowans were concerned about the state becoming "the butt of jokes" in the aftermath of a state Supreme Court decision which found that a law prohibiting same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. He was then interrupted by an attendee who recalled a joke his wife tells about the "fags" marrying in Iowa law. Vander Pl... Think Progress • Jul 19, 2011

	Huntsman Campaign Fundraising Off Civil Unions Legislation He Never Signed In 2008, Huntsman signed legislation expanding domestic partner benefits for Utah's unmarried couples, including gays. But legislation legalizing civil unions never passed, making it impossible for Huntsman to sign it into law. And while he supported expanding hospital visitation rights and other "contractual" rights for gay couples, most of those initiatives died in the state Legislature.... Think Progress • Jun 23, 2011

	Witness From GOP's Marriage Hearing Says Prop 8 Judge's Homosexuality Invalidates His Ruling The odious implication of such an argument is that only a member of the predominant group can determine the rights of a minority group--members of the minority group would not be "qualified" to rule. But as Equality Matters noted in response to other conservatives who have made the same argument, claims of Judge Walker's "bias" also assume that a heterosexual judge would not have a "personal inter... Think Progress • Apr 21, 2011

	Boehner Hires $5 Million Lawyer To Defend Unconstitutional Law Boehner's office has thus far refused to release its engagement letter with this big-dollar attorney. He brushed off a five week-old request by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) to disclose how much it would cost for the House to hire outside counsel to defend DOMA in court. Nevertheless, a letter from Boehner to Pelosi confirms that Clement is charging the American people for his work. Clement's f... Think Progress • Apr 19, 2011

	Anti-Gay Activists Urge California Lt. Governor to Overrule Schwarzenegger on Prop 8 Under the California Constitution, "The Lieutenant Governor shall act as Governor during the impeachment, absence from the State, or other temporary disability of the Governor or of a Governor-elect who fails to take office." Thus, because Schwarzenegger is currently on business in China, Maldonado does have the authority to file an appeal that the governor objects to. It's difficult to imagine ... Think Progress • Sep 13, 2010

	American Foundation for Equal Rights urges Target to donate to anti-Prop. 8 movement. Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel recently had to apologize to his employees and customers for donating $150,000 of company money to MN Forward, a political group supporting Republican Tom Emmer's gubernatorial campaign. Part of the reason that the contribution was so controversial is that Emmer is extremely anti-LGBT rights, whereas Target has tried to present an LGBT-friendly image. Now, the American... Think Progress • Aug 16, 2010

	How The Rekers 'Rent Boy' Scandal Could Undermine Prop. 8 Supporters' Court Battle Charles J. Cooper, the attorney defending the marriage equality ban, told the Times that Rekers "has had no involvement in the Proposition 8 case." However, ThinkProgress found at least four ties to the Prop. 8 trial.... Think Progress • May 20, 2010

	White House Staffers Concede 'Frustration' Over Administration's Slow Action On Gay Rights Brown conceded that the administration is "moving slowly" on gay rights. "Nobody thinks it's fast enough right now, but I know the President cares about this. ... It's going in the right direction, if not quickly enough." Klain agreed with Brown. "I understand the frustration," he said.... Think Progress • Jun 22, 2009

	When Asked Whether He Would 'Consider' Gay Civil Unions, Steele Replies, 'What Are You, Crazy?' Indeed, Steele has talked a big game about reaching new constituencies -- saying recently, "We need to uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets" -- yet he advocates bigotry that the vast majority of Americans rejects. A poll from December showed that a full 75 percent of Americans support gay marriage or civil unions, with only about 2 in 10 saying gay couples should have no leg... Think Progress • Feb 24, 2009

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