If we don’t act decisively, America’s next Proposition 8 could happen in Iowa.

In the six days since Iowa lesbian and gay couples won the freedom to marry, powerful right-wing groups have been mounting a campaign to REVERSE this historic decision.

They are pushing for a constitutional ban on marriage for lesbian and gay couples in Iowa – just like California’s Proposition 8.
While key Iowa leaders have been defending this decision, successfully staving off a marriage ban for now, it’s critical that they hear public support as the right-wing onslaught continues – fueled by this week’s marriage victory in Vermont. Send a message thanking Iowa’s leaders and urging them to resist right-wing pressure.

Tell Iowa’s legislative leaders to stay strong – and stop the next Prop. 8!

Iowa state leaders, led by Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and House Speaker Pat Murphy, have been heroic in recent days. HRC played an instrumental role in electing and protecting fair-minded majorities in the Iowa legislature, and we are seeing the fruits of our labors: so far, these courageous lawmakers have been successful in stopping a marriage ban, which would need to be placed on the ballot by the state legislature.
But the right wing campaign isn’t stopping – and if it happened in California, it can happen in Iowa.

Yesterday, the opposition launched a national TV ad campaign using the same lies that helped pass Prop. 8 (be sure to watch it, along with the secret audition tapes we found). It’s a clear example of the lies they’ll continue to use in every state facing a decision on marriage equality.
They are reportedly out-emailing us two to one in Iowa. They’ve held rallies in front of the state capitol. And with every email, phone call, editorial, or ad, it becomes more politically difficult for lawmakers to stay strong. That’s why we need to act now.

Ultraconservative groups are using disgusting lies – saying that “infidelity, promiscuity and insecurity” are the hallmarks of same-sex relationships and suggesting gay parents are more likely to engage in abuse and incest.

We cannot allow this hateful deception to take center stage. We must thank these lawmakers loudly and proudly – and demonstrate that support for marriage equality runs deep.

Thank Iowa’s legislative leaders – and make sure they defend the right of loving couples to marry, now and in the future!

Then, please pass this along to every fair-minded person you know in Iowa and across the country.

The lies must not prevail. Thank you for helping us defend the truth – for Iowans and for all of America.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President, HRC

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/if-we-dont-ac…

Vermont marriage hearings begin

2000: State was first to pass civil unions; Legislative leaders want bill adopted by May.

Vermont marriage hearings begin

2000: State was first to pass civil unions; Legislative leaders want bill adopted by May.

VT Hearings to start March 16 on gay marriage

BENNINGTON — Legislative leaders said Thursday that they will move quickly to pass gay marriage legislation, beginning hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 16 — the day the Legislature reconvenes following the Town Meeting break.

The announcement came at a Statehouse press conference hosted by Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, and House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, as they outlined an aggressive agenda for the remainder of the legislative session.

Shumlin, who served as Senate president in 2000, when Vermont became the first state to pass civil union legislation, said Thursday he was proud of the state at the time for taking such a momentous step. But his “pride has given way to uneasiness,” he said, as other states have since bypassed Vermont and have allowed gay marriage.

“Vermont is no longer alone, and we’re no longer leading. Here in Vermont, people’s fears in connection with the civil union law have proven unfounded,” he said. “Nobody was harmed, some families enjoy a little more security, and our state is a better place for having taken that step.”

See Hearings to start March 16 on gay marriage

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/vt-hearings-t…

VT Leaders vow to pass gay marriage bill

MONTPELIER — State legislative leaders announced this afternoon they intend to take up a gay marriage bill when the Legislature reconvenes in two weeks.
Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin and Speaker of the House Shap Smith said at a join news conference at the Statehouse that the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a week of testimony and a public hearing on the matter. They predicted a bill would emerge from committee by week’s end.

The Legislature is on a two-week hiatus and will resume work March 17.

Shumlin and Smith also outlined a number of other priorities for the remainder of the session, including economic development measures. See Leaders vow to pass gay marriage bill BurlingtonFreePress.com

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/vt-leaders-vo…

No timeline to permit gay marriage in NJ

TRENTON — Legislative leaders reiterated their long-term support for allowing same-sex couples to marry in New Jersey but didn’t promise immediate action on a call today by a state review commission to scrap civil unions in favor of gay marriage. The Civil Union Review Commission said in a 79-page report issued today that state law should be amended to allow gay marriage — and quickly, saying “any delay in marriage equality will harm all the people of New Jersey.”

The commission said current New Jersey law, drafted in response to a state Supreme Court order, allowing gay couples to enter civil unions “encourages unequal treatment of same-sex couples and their children” and that some employers and hospitals don’t afford civil union couples the same rights as married ones.

“Even if, given enough time, civil unions are understood to provide rights and responsibilities equivalent to those provided in marriage, they send a message to the public: same-sex couples are not equal to opposite-sex married couples in the eyes of the law, that they are ‘not good enough’ to warrant true equality,” says the report. See No timeline to permit gay marriage in NJ
Dailyrecord.com – Parsippany,NJ,USA