Massive crowd as Maine lawmakers take up gay marriage

(Augusta, Maine) Thousands of people thronged into the Augusta Civic Center as Maine lawmakers began the first public hearings on a bill that would allow equal marriage in the state.

The hearings were to have been held at the State House, but moved to the civic center to accomodate the large …

Vanasco: Iowa strikes down gay marriage ban

We’ll have more details soon – but the Iowa Supreme Court just announced that they are striking down Iowa’s Defense of Marriage Act.

Iowa is the third state to have equal marriage, after Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Poll: Calif. still divided on marriage

(San Francisco, California) A new poll of Californians shows that LGBT rights groups still have a lot of work ahead of them in gaining acceptance of equal marriage.

If the state Supreme Court upholds Proposition 8, the measure adopted by voters in November banning gay marriage, there is increasing speculation that …

Poll: Calif. still divided on marriage

(San Francisco, California) A new poll of Californians shows that LGBT rights groups still have a lot of work ahead of them in gaining acceptance of equal marriage.

If the state Supreme Court upholds Proposition 8, the measure adopted by voters in November banning gay marriage, there is increasing speculation that …

Asian Pacific Islander Equality Closely Watches Oral Arguments on Marriage Equality

Los Angeles – On March 5, 2009, the California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Proposition 8, a measure revoking marriage rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. API Equality – LA, an organization that has worked diligently for Marriage Equality rights since 2005, hopes the Supreme Court will invalidate the proposition, one that affects the lives of thousands of Asian and Pacific Islanders.

“The real threat of Prop. 8 is not just against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Californians, it is against all Californians,” said Karin Wang, Vice President of Asian Pacific American Legal Center and API Equality – LA steering committee member. “A core purpose of the California Constitution is to ensure that the law treats all people equally, including minority groups. If upheld, Prop. 8 will set a dangerous precedent, where a simple majority vote is able to strip away the fundamental rights of a protected minority group.”

According to the Williams Institute, a LGBT think tank based at UCLA, there are approximately 66,000 LGBT Asian and Pacific Islanders living in California—the largest in the nation. If Prop 8 is allowed to stand , the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry will be stripped from them.

API Equaltiy – LA is a coalition of organizations and individuals working to build support for equal marriage rights and fair treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the greater Los Angeles Asian and Pacific Islander community. For more information, call 323-860-7348 or visit, http://apiequalityla.org/

Please view the “Our Stories” section of the website to read stories about API’s and how Prop 8 affected their lives: http://www.apiequalityla.org/ourstories.php

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/asian-pacific…

Illinois civil union bill appears to be stalled

A proposal to allow civil unions in Illinois between same-sex couples has been stalled in the state legislature and seems likely to stay that way, as gay rights activists Wednesday plan nationwide “Day Without a Gay” rallies to protest California‘s Proposition 8 and other measures opposing gay marriage.

“This is going to be focusing on the economic aspect of what the deprivation of equal marriage rights means to our community,” said Andy Thayer of the Gay Liberation Network in Chicago, which is planning a rally 11 a.m. Wednesday outside the Cook County clerk’s office.

The demonstration to highlight pensions and survivors’ benefits in Chicago occurs as the future of the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Unions Act grows uncertain. See Illinois civil union bill appears to be stalled
Chicago Tribune