Gay-marriage supporters, opponents square off
(Portland, Me.) A supporter and an opponent of same-sex marriage made their respective cases on live television Wednesday, less than a week before a statewide referendum on whether to allow gay marriage in Maine.
The referendum is about equality under the law, Mary Bonauto of Protect Maine Equality said in a …
Tags: Equality, Gay Maine, Gay Marriage Supporters, Live Television, marriage, Mary Bonauto, Opponent, Opponents, same sex marriage, Statewide ReferendumHouse subcommittee approves benefits for same-sex partners
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Gay marriage and the date debate
Nearly nine months after California voters banned same-sex marriage in the state, gay marriage supporters are ready to ask them to overturn Proposition 8. They’re just not sure when to ask: In November 2010 or November 2012. Choosing a date involves more than sifting through the polling, community meetings and consultants’ reports that have filled the time since last fall’s election with soul-searching and finger-pointing among supporters, culminating in a meeting of the movement’s leaders Saturday in San Bernardino. Generating enthusiasm for a grassroots campaign will also be a heart-based decision, one that has split same-sex couples even in Kern County, where 75 percent of voters backed Prop. 8. Bakersfield resident Jade Haley wants an initiative in 2010. Her partner Alee Gamino thinks that’s too soon. Gamino’s Catholic mother still refers to Haley as “she” and has no contact with them as a couple, who are raising Gamino’s teenage daughter from a previous relationship. On Sundays, Gamino, 34, goes to church twice. She attends a Catholic service solo with her mom in the morning and goes to a Metropolitan Community Church with her partner in the evening. “The churches have thousands and thousands of people ready to go against us,” said Gamino. She looked at 70 people who came to a Unitarian Universalist Church on Thursday to talk about the movement’s next step. “All we have is what’s in this room.” Still, Gamino was among only a dozen people at the Bakersfield meeting called by Marriage Equality USA who supported waiting until 2012. The sentiment for a vote next year echoed one at a similar gathering in San Francisco, while gatherings in liberal bastions such as Oakland and Berkeley leaned toward 2012. “The reaction was really mixed,” said Pam Brown, Marriage Equality USA’s political director, who compiled information from the organization’s “Get Engaged” tour of 40 California cities over the past several weeks. “A lot of people who wanted to wait until 2012 wanted to see what the plan was first before they committed.” A nonbinding straw poll of leaders gathered Saturday in San Bernardino to plan the movement’s next step found that 93 people voted to go in 2010, 49 in 2012 and 20 were undecided. Organizers expect to officially decide when to return to the ballot in a couple of weeks. If they decide on November 2010, the deadline to have ballot language submitted to the attorney general is Sept. 25. This month, several groups of same-sex marriage supporters said not enough has been done to address the faults of last year’s campaign in time to mount a winning drive next year.Churches’ influence
Faults not addressed
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NY Gay Marriage Bill Faces New Challenges
With what some are describing as a “circus” in Albany, many gay marriage supporters fear that proposed legislation recognizing same sex marriage in New York will not come up for a vote in a state Senate in flux.
And now, one group is also trying harder to keep that from happening. The National Organization for Marriage announced Tuesday that they have set up a Political Action Committee for New York to fight the measure.
With the announcement, Executive Director Brian Brown also said that the first $500,000 raised will be used to back a primary challenger to GOP Senators who vote for gay marriage.
“The first half million dollars will be used in GOP primaries,” Brown said. “But we are also looking to aid Democratic candidates who want to buck the establishment on the marriage issue, and to help in general election contests.”
Brown said politicians were ignoring “the wishes of their own constituents.” See NY Gay Marriage Bill Faces New Challenges
CBS News
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NH gay marriage advocates hope to celebrate
(Concord, NH) After a crushing two-vote defeat, gay marriage supporters hope to succeed Wednesday when a second vote is taken on expanded religious protections needed to win the New Hampshire governor’s signature.
The vote could be supporters’ last chance this year to make New Hampshire the sixth state to allow gays …
Tags: Advocates, Concord Nh, Defeat Gay Marriage, Gay Marriage Supporters, Gays, Hampshire Governor, Last Chance, marriage, New Hampshire, Signature, VoteNH gay marriage advocates hope to celebrate
(Concord, NH) After a crushing two-vote defeat, gay marriage supporters hope to succeed Wednesday when a second vote is taken on expanded religious protections needed to win the New Hampshire governor’s signature.
The vote could be supporters’ last chance this year to make New Hampshire the sixth state to allow gays …
Tags: Advocates, Concord Nh, Defeat Gay Marriage, Gay Marriage Supporters, Gays, Hampshire Governor, Last Chance, marriage, New Hampshire, Signature, VoteQuotes from New Hampshire’s gay marriage debate
“Thank you!” — Gay marriage supporters to lawmakers as they left the Statehouse following Wednesday’s gay marriage vote.
“A lot of New Hampshire families have come to know people in their families who are gay — co-workers, former classmates — and that’s what really made this difference. We are no longer talking about an issue. We are talking about people.” — The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, the church’s only openly gay bishop.
“This legislation makes clear that we understand that certain faiths do not recognize same-sex marriage, and it protects them from having to participate in marriage-related activities that violate their fundamental religious principles.” — Gov. John Lynch, as he signed the gay marriage bill into law.
“We certainly would like to see new legislators and a governor who keeps his word on the issue. If he tells the voters he doesn’t support same sex marriage, that’s what he means. If that happens, who knows, we may be looking at repeal in the next legislative session.” — Kevin Smith, executive director of gay marriage opponent Cornerstone Policy Research. See Quotes from New Hampshire’s gay marriage debate Chicago Tribune
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Iowa, Vermont gay marriages spark debate in Calif.
(San Francisco, California) Both sides of the gay marriage ban approved by California voters are debating how Iowa and Vermont’s recent moves to allow same-sex unions will affect their state’s running legal battle.
Gay marriage supporters are particularly interested in the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling, which they hope will sway the …
Tags: California Voters, Debate, Gay Marriage Ban, Gay Marriage Supporters, Gay Marriages, Iowa Supreme Court, marriage, Running, Same Sex Unions, San Francisco California, VermontGay marriage supporters hand out Valentines
About a dozen gay and lesbian couples came to the Statehouse today to talk about why they think they should be allowed to legally marry in Maine.
And, they handed out Valentines to state lawmakers as they made their way into the morning session.
“Our stories, our lives, our love and our commitment to each other are what is truly at the heart of marriage in Maine,” said Jill Barkley of Portland who spoke with her partner, Diane Hitchcock, at her side. “Being able to legally commit to one another as spouses will secure our life together and provide added protection for our future family.”
The Maine Freedom to Marry Coalition is lobbying legislators to support a bill sponsored by Sen. Dennis Damon, D-Trenton, who is sponsoring a bill to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in Maine.
Opponents of the measure will gather at St. Paul Center in Augusta from 3-5 p.m. today for a talk called “Ramifications of Genderless Marriage in Maine.” That talk is sponsored by the Maine Coalition of Concerned Families.
See Gay marriage supporters hand out Valentines
Central Maine Morning Sentinel - Augusta,ME,USA
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Gay marriage supporters vow to file second complaint over Mormon …
The money war over Proposition 8 shows no signs of letting up.
Opponents of the measure, which banned gay marriage in California, said today that they plan to file a second complaint with the state alleging the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints deliberately did not disclose its financial contributions to the Yes on 8 campaign.
Californians Against Hate already filed one complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, sparking an ongoing investigation of whether the church violated campaign finance laws. The church has repeatedly said it did not violate any rules and was not trying to hide how much the church gave.
Records released last month show the church donated about $198,000 to the Yes on 8 case.
“I’m calling this Mormongate,” Fred Karger, founder of Californians Against Hate, told the Associated Press. “I think there’s been a massive coverup.”
See Gay marriage supporters vow to file second complaint over Mormon …
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
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