News of the Day
Nervous Excitement In Advance Of Calif. Gay Ruling Today
by The Associated Press
Posted: May 15, 2008 - 9:00 am ET
(San Francisco, California) Both sides in the gay marriage debate will be watching California's highest court today to see if the nation's biggest state goes the way of Massachusetts and legalizes same-sex marriage.
The California Supreme Court said on Wednesday it would rule today on a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn a voter-approved law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
If the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, California could become the second state after Massachusetts where gay and lesbian residents can marry.
Click here to read the complete article.
The Confusing State of Gay Marriage in New York and Elsewhere
Huffington Post
Posted May 14, 2008 | 03:52 PM (EST)
On May 6, New York's highest court handed down the latest decision in
battle for the legal recognition of same-sex relationships. Its
decision in Martinez v. County of Monroe, which was misunderstood by
several commentators, let stand a dramatic but little discussed
February ruling of a lower appellate court that said New York will
recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions. For the moment,
same-sex couples in New York have a possible path to full relationship
recognition in their home state, an exciting development. At the same
time, New York is left with a bizarre patchwork of recognition and
rejection of same-sex unions. While two New York residents of the same
sex cannot get married in New York, they may travel to Canada, Belgium,
Spain, South Africa, or the Netherlands, where same-sex couples can
marry, get married, and, when they come back to New York, the state
will fully recognized their marriage from the foreign country. What a
strange state of affairs: to have your relationship recognized at home,
you have to first travel abroad!
Click here to read the complete article.
California high court set to rule on gay marriage
Howard Mintz
Mercury News
05/14/2008 11:07:18 AM PDT
The California Supreme Court will rule Thursday on the legality of the state's ban on gay marriage.
The justices today posted a notation on the court's Web site that the ruling in the civil rights challenge to the same-sex marriage ban will be posted at 10 a.m. Thursday. The Supreme Court heard arguments in five consolidated legal challenges in March, and had until early June to rule on the issue.
The long-awaited ruling is a crucial test of the simmering public, social and legal debate over gay marriage, triggered in 2004 when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom allowed thousands of gay and lesbian couples to wed before the courts put a halt to the marriage licenses.
San Francisco city officials and civil rights groups then challenged a state family code law that restricts marriage to a man and a woman, as well as a 2000 voter-approved ballot initiative that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. A San Francisco trial judge declared the ban unconstitutional, but a divided state appeals court in 2006 upheld the law, concluding that it is up to the voters or Legislature to legalize same-sex marriage, not judges.
Click here to read the complete article.
Md. Gov. Signs Inclusive Bully Law
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 14, 2008 - 1:00 pm ET
(Annapolis, Maryland) Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has signed into law one of the nation's most sweeping laws against bullying, aimed at protecting all students, including those who are LGBT.
The new law requires state and county school boards to develop policies that ban bullying. It mandates counseling to offered to both the victim and the bully. And it extends not only to school property but also electronic devices, including cell phones, computers or pagers.
The law makes Maryland just the 11th state to protect students from bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and only the seventh to protect students on the basis of gender identity or expression.
Click here to read the complete article.
Constituents Back a Tough Stand
May 12, 2008
The Empire Zone
New York Times
By DANNY HAKIM
For many Democratic members of the Assembly, last year's passage of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage was the culmination of years of battle and persuasion within their party's ranks, and most of them eventually supported the legislation.
For the few Assembly Republicans who ultimately supported the bill, the vote was potentially far more risky: a public break with their own party on an issue that at the time was still considered in some quarters to be radioactive, potentially even career-killing.
But the experience of Assemblywoman Teresa R. Sayward suggests that those fears may be unwarranted.
Ms. Sayward, left, a three-term Republican from the North Country, an observant Roman Catholic in a heavily Catholic district, surprised many of her colleagues last year when she rose to speak in support of the bill, reflecting on her own experiences coming to terms with the fact that her son, Glenn, was gay.
More surprising - to Ms. Sayward, anyway - was the response from her constituents after news of the vote percolated through her district. More than three-fifths of those who contacted Ms. Sayward's office about the issue said they either agreed with her position or respected her willingness to make a stand on principle.
Click here to read the complete article.
Crafter Of Federal DOMA Launches Libertarian Presidential Bid
by The Associated Press
Posted: May 13, 2008 - 9:00 am ET
(Washington) Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr launched a Libertarian Party presidential bid Monday, saying voters are hungry for an alternative to the status quo who would dramatically cut the federal government.
His candidacy throws a wild card into the White House race that many believe could peel away votes from Republican Sen. John McCain given the candidates' similar positions on fiscal policy.
Barr, who has hired Ross Perot's former campaign manager, acknowledged that some Republicans have tried to discourage him from running. But he said he's getting in the race to win, not to play spoiler or to make a point.
Click here to read the complete article.
Anti-Gay Amendment Heads To Arizona Senate
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 12, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET
(Phoenix, Arizona) A proposed amendment that would prevent same-sex
couples in Arizona from marrying received final approval in the House
on Monday and if approved in the state Senate will appear on the ballot
in November.
The proposed amendment defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
The measure has had a roller coaster ride in House.
Earlier this month, just before the House was to vote Rep. Kyrsten
Sinema (D) added a clause to the bill that would grant unmarried
couples, both same and opposite-sex, many of the rights of marriage but
without the name.
With the additional clause in place the House voted 28-27 to give the
measure preliminary approval. The bill's chief sponsor in the House,
Jim Weiers (R), angrily denounced the maneuver and dropped the bill
from a final vote saying the change in the bill made the ban on gay
marriage meaningless.
Click here to read the complete article.
Gay Couple Sues Swedish Government For Marriage Recognition
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: May 12, 2008 - 3:00 pm ET
(Stockholm) A gay couple married in Canada has filed suit against the Swedish government for refusing to recognize the marriage.
Lars Gardfeldt and Lars Arnell say that Swedish income tax authority regards they as having only a civil union, while recognizing the foreign marriages of opposite-sex couples.
The federal court agreed to hear the case after lower courts rejected the couple's case.
If the couple is successful Gardfeldt and Arnell would become the first legally married gay couple in Sweden.
Sweden allows civil partnerships. Under a law enacted in 1995 same-sex couples haves most of the rights and obligations of marriage to gay and lesbian couples who register. But it did not provide for adoption of IVF.
Click here to read the complete article.
Students e-lobby for civil unions
Courier News Online
May 11, 2008
BY NGUYEN HUY VU Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD -- When Phil Miatkowski created an online group to support
civil union legislation in Illinois, it was meant to be just an easy
way to keep friends informed.
A year later, the group on the social networking site Facebook has
swelled to nearly 9,000 members. The legislation's sponsor sought their
help to lobby for the measure which would be the first of its kind in
the state. And they've generated thousands of faxes and e-mails to
state lawmakers, organized rallies and circulated petitions.
"Every time I log on, it's getting larger, so it's exciting to see," said Miatkowski, a Lake Forest College sophomore.
He started the group, Students for the Illinois Marriage Equality
Bill, last May after Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat, introduced
legislation to allow same-sex couples to form civil unions.
At first, his site detailed the bill's progress for friends, who began inviting hundreds of other friends.
Click here to read the complete article.
Merely beloved
'Brother & Sisters' uses a civil union to draw viewers. How times have changed.
By Matthew Gilbert
Bosuon Globe Staff
May 11, 2008
Tonight on "Brothers & Sisters," ABC is featuring the
quintessential May sweeps event, but with a critical twist. It's a big
fat wedding, which, along with burials and casting stunts, is how the
networks inflate ratings during those months when ad rates are set. But
the "Brothers & Sisters" marriage is a gay marriage - technically,
a civil union, since the show's Walker clan is dysfunctional by way of
LA and not Boston. And so some 11 million viewers will watch the
joining of two men in what one character calls "holy man-trimony."
Stop the presses?
Actually, no. The wedding of Kevin and Scotty isn't a controversial
network milestone, like those early gay and lesbian kisses on the likes
of "Dawson's Creek" and "Roseanne." Indeed, it's no big deal at all.
ABC has deemed a gay commitment ceremony a sweeps event; no advertisers
are pulling out and no hate campaigners are shooting arrows, according
to ABC; and life goes on.
Despite the decade's fraught politics about gay unions, the subject
is not exactly making for incendiary TV in 2008. While gay marriage can
still be a polarizing political issue, the realities of gay life -
coming out, kissing, weddings - have become normalized in popular
culture enough to pass by almost unnoticed on prime time.
Compare that to the noise that has accompanied so many early,
pioneering network attempts to show gay people doing what straight
people do, such as simply talking in bed, which triggered protest in
1989 over an episode of "thirtysomething." When Ellen DeGeneres came
out of the closet on "Ellen" in 1997, there was brouhaha and there were
boycotts. Now, on the day of Kevin and Scotty's nuptials, which arrives
after much on-screen making out by the couple, there seems to be only
TiVo-setting and shoulder shrugging.
Click here to read the complete article.
Partners, in Pursuit of a Marriage License
May 11, 2008
By ROBIN FINN
New York Times
East Hills
NO sooner does Daniel R. Pinello extricate himself from the driver’s
seat of his kiwi green Volkswagen Bug — you won’t find anything like it
among the Mercedeses and Beamers prowling the serpentine streets of
this verdant suburban enclave — than he points with pride to his vanity
license plate. It’s an eight-letter puzzler: MARJEQLT.
Prepare to be similarly stumped by the vanity plate — maybe it is
more accurate to refer to these year-old artifacts as statement plates
— affixed to the relatively tame vehicle (a gray Infiniti sedan) driven
by his partner of 13 years, Lee Nissensohn. His automotive sobriquet is
MARIJEQT. Where’s Vanna White when you really need her?
The license plates, intended to be an on-message as opposed to
in-your-face icebreaker, have proven a bit of a disappointment, mainly
because they are a chore to decipher, in or out of traffic. Recently
Mr. Pinello’s plate caught the eye of a Cablevision installer who spent
an afternoon bringing the Pinello-Nissensohn household up to Optimum
speed, but the conversation went something like this: Cable guy, “What
does it mean?” Mr. Pinello, “It means marriage equality.” Cable guy,
losing interest, “Oh, you’re a lawyer.”
Oh, but Mr. Pinello, who earned his law degree at New York
University and a doctorate in political science at Yale, is more than
that. A nonpracticing lawyer (he teaches and has written two books on
gay rights and the law), Mr. Pinello, 58, is the midlife zealot who,
alongside the male partner he desperately wants to marry, committed a
much-publicized, locally historic act of civil disobedience April 28.
He refused to leave Oyster Bay Town Hall at closing time after
officials politely rebuffed the couple’s request for a marriage
license.
Click here to read the complete article.
Conservative Law Group Urges Pastors To Break IRS Ban On Partisan Politics
by The Associated Press
Posted: May 9, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET
(New York City) Conservative legal advocates are recruiting pastors
nationwide to defy an IRS ban on preaching about politicians, in a
challenge they hope will abolish the restriction.
The Alliance Defense Fund, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., will ask the
clergy to deliver a sermon about specific candidates Sept. 28. If the
action triggers an IRS investigation, the legal group will sue to
overturn the federal rules, which were enacted in 1954.
The ADF has been involved in a number of lawsuits against LGBT issues in various states.
Under the IRS code, churches can distribute voter guides, run voter
registration drives, hold forums on public policy and invite
politicians to speak at their congregations.
However, they cannot endorse a candidate, and their political
activity cannot be biased for or against a candidate, directly or
indirectly.
The Alliance Defense Fund said Friday that the regulations amount
to an unconstitutional limit on free speech and government intrusion
into religion.
Click here to read the complete article.
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The Faces of Family are everywhere. They are the common thread that runs through us all. Regardless of color, race, spiritual belief, love orientation or political persuasion, we all share a family heritage.
The Wedding Party is proud to announce The Faces of Family project! The Faces of Family project will continue The Wedding Party's promise to provide the media and the world with the honest and provocative truth about same-sex relationships and families.
How can you be a part? Send us your story! Tell us about your family and why it is important. Tell us what family means to you and how your understanding of marriage was affected by your experience of family. Send us your picture and we will tell your story.
The Faces of Family Project is raising funds
to send the message to Albany to leave no family
behind and that all families deserve protection
through marriage. Click
here to contribute to our Faces of Family
Project.
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Values Are For Everyone
Janice Langbehn - Finding Strength Through Tragedy
On February 18, 2007 my partner, Lisa Marie Pond, died from a brain aneurysm. On that day, our family was dreaming of white sandy beaches and blue waters as we were getting ready to set sail on the RFamily Vacation cruise out of Miami to the Bahamas. Instead, Lisa who was very healthy collapsed while watching our children play basketball on the top deck. The kids were brave souls and carried Lisa down to the stateroom where I took one look at her and knew it was very serious, she couldn't talk at all and had no ability to stand. I will always have to live with the memory of the trauma our children endured by watching as their "other" mom was dying before their eyes. Fortunately, Lisa and I knew sign language because we have had many foster children who had language delays. So I signed and asked her if she hit her head and she replied very sternly in sign language "NO". That is when I thought it was a stroke or some other serious brain event. Ship porter's helped me get her to the Ships' doctor who called for Miami Fire and Rescue.
Click here to read the complete article.
Community Bulletin Board
Upcoming Lambda Legal Events
Every year Lambda Legal hosts award galas, garden parties, intimate dinners and other events. We also hold educational forums, seminars and rallies, sometimes with partner organizations — and our attorneys and public education staff participate in a wide range of conferences and workshops open to the public. Check out the calendar below to find out what's happening in a town near you!
Click here to find all Lambda events!
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| The Presidential Candidates on Gay Civil Rights |
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 | The issue of civil rights for gay men and lesbians - including the
definition of marriage, service in the military and protection against
hate crimes - has long divided the two major political parties. It's
not as simple as saying Democrats are for them, and Republicans are
against them.
Click here to read their words! |
| Wedding Party Forums |
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BE OUTSPOKEN -
JOIN OUR FORUM
The right to marry is a fight for civil rights. What can you do? Stay in action by transforming the conversation. You possess the power of words, help enlighten others - share your thoughts - voice your opinions. Be out spoken, go to the new forums area of the website.
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| From the Heart |
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 | "From the Heart" is an original new music CD compilation. This very special album combines original music and voices from around the world - speaking out in support equal rights for all people. Once you hear it - you will be amazed at the stories that unfold. With truth, honesty and hope this unique experience will touch your heart and those you love.
Support love. Support equality. Help spread the word.
Click here to purchase From the Heart |
| New TV Spot Urges Californians to Support Marriage |
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Let California Ring, a project of Equality California and a coalition of over 45 national, state and local organizations, has launched a new campaign aimed at educating the public about marriage equality. It's said to be the first campaign directed at a broad audience that is undecided about same-sex marriage, and the first TV spot places the issue in the context of a heterosexual wedding.
Click here to watch the ad! |
| 1324 Reasons Why Marriage Matters in New York |
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 | Albany, New York, June 12, 2007 - Today, the Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation (Pride Agenda) and the New York City Bar Association (NYC Bar) released a report showing that there are 1,324 New York state statutes and regulations that confer a right or duty on married individuals in New York State. These plus the 1,138 federal rights and responsibilities means that government provides at least 2,462 rights and responsibilities to two people when they marry in New York State.
Click here to read the report! |
| Pursuit of Equality - A Powerful New Film |
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By issuing same-sex marriage licenses, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom uproots the status quo, attempts to change the way the nation looks at life, love, and marriage, and ignites what may become our nation's next great Civil Rights issue.
Pursuit of Equality is an emotionally charged film that puts a face on American citizens who strive for marriage equality.
Click here to purchase Pursuit of Equality! |
| New York Times Magazine Article Saya It All! |
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 | Young Gay Rites
April 27, 2008
New York Times
By BENOIT DENIZET-LEWIS
LAST NOVEMBER IN BOSTON, Joshua Janson, a slender and boyish
25-year-old, invited me to an impromptu gathering at the apartment he
shares with Benjamin McGuire, his considerably more staid husband of
the same age. It was a cozy, festive affair, complete with some 20
guests and a large sushi spread where you might have expected the chips
and salsa to be.
Click here to read their words! |
| What is Marriage Discrimination? |
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 | Positive Liberty's "Legal Strangers" blog is a new and moving account of just how discrimination in marriage affects not only a loving couple, but also their family and the world around them. Join Jason Kuznicki for an ongoing story of love and the fight for equlity.
Click here to read the blog! |
| Faces of Family Postcard Project |
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Send us a self-addressed stamped envelope, and we will send you 2 photo postcards at no cost! These simple but effective tools allow you to affix your picture to the postcard and tell your story to whomever you wish. Just mail your request to: "TWP Postcard Project" 332 Bleecker St., #d24 New York NY 10014 A picture of your family will tell a thousand words, if you let it. So let us help you tell your story. Send us a SASE today!
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| The Difference Between Marriage and Civil Unions |
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Portability of Rights, Medical Decisions in Emergencies, Gift and Property Transfer Tax, Inheritance and many more to name a few! GLAAD has recently published and comprehensive explanation of these very real differences. Check it out!
Click here for more information. |
| How To Contact Your Elected Officials |
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 | Now more than ever, contacting your elected officials to tell them what is important to you is CRITICAL! Writing letters, sending emails and making phone calls are powerful tools in the fight for equality. Take action today!
Click this link to find your elected official. |
| Why is marriage equality important? |
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In sickness and in health. Marriage automatically enables spouses to visit each other in the hospital; to make each others' emergency medical decisions; to share a family health plan; and to take medical leave to care for a sick spouse or child.
For richer and for poorer. Marriage means that governments, banks, credit card companies, and other financial institutions will consider both spouses's incomes, assets, or debts in such matters as taxes, credit, loans, inheritance, divorce settlements, and eligibility for public housing, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits.
When a child joins the family. Marriage automatically enables the spouses to be joint parents, covering such situations as making school or medical decisions, applying for passports, passing on inheritances, or being eligible for visitation rights and child support obligations if the parents separate.
When death parts the pair. Marriage law enables a survivor to continue to care for (or be cared for by) the dead partner in such situations as making funeral arrangements, inscribing an epitaph, inheriting a lease, filing wrongful death claims, taking bereavement leave, and passing on property.
Click here for marriage FAQs. |
| Sally Kern, Shame on you! |
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 | Sally Kern is an Oklahoma politician with some really rather
reactionary views about gays and lesbians. Quite 19th century in fact. She is a wart on the face of American politics. Her videotaped outburst against gay people demonstrates her inability to lead Oklahomans. Time for change!
Click here to watch the video! |
| Do you know these people? |
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 | The names and addresses posted here were collected by
Florida4Marriage.org as part of the citizens initiative petition
process and have been verified by each individual Florida County
Supervisor of Elections. They are part of the public record.
Click here to view the signitors! |
| 15 Questions Couples Should Ask Before They Marry |
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(December 17, 2006 New York Times) Relationship experts report that too many couples fail to ask each other critical questions before marrying. Here are a few key ones that couples should consider asking: 1) Have we discussed whether or not to have children, and if the answer is yes, who is going to be the primary care giver? 2) Do we have a clear idea of each other's financial obligations and goals, and do our ideas about spending and saving mesh? 3) Have we discussed our expectations for how the household will be maintained, and are we in agreement on who will manage the chores?
Click here for more information. |
| The Wedding Party is Published! |
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"Defending Same-sex Marriage," recently published by Greenwood Publishing, is a three-volume anthology that clarifies the legal, political, religious, cultural, and social ramifications of same-sex marriage for gay and lesbian couples and their families and friends, and for the general public interested in the future of civil rights in the United States and traces the history of the movement and the organizations that have fought for, and continue to fight for, equality in marriage. See Volume three, Chapter 5 for a history of THE WEDDING PARTY!
Click here for more information. |
| Human Rights Alert |
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China's Anti-Gay Crackdown
By: DOUG IRELAND
04/10/2008 Gay City News The wave of repression and intimidation of human rights activists and
dissidents in China in advance of the Beijing Olympics has also
targeted homosexuals, according to China's best-known gay and AIDS
activist. In an email, Dr. Wan Yanhai reported that the month of March saw
numerous police raids on gay gathering spots in Beijing and Shanghai,
and he said that the evidence of a new pre-Olympic crackdown on gays is
so widespread it is clear it is being orchestrated "at the national
level."
Click here to read the complete article. |
| New Rules and Economy Strain Adoption Agencies |
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New York Times
May 11, 2008
New York Times
By DAN FROSCH
Faced with a tightening of federal regulations governing foreign
adoptions, and suffering from a downturn in business, international
adoption agencies in the United States are finding themselves in
financial straits and closing their doors in unprecedented numbers,
experts say.
At least 15 percent of agencies that specialize in international
adoptions have recently shut down, are expected to do so this year or
will probably merge with other agencies to survive, according to the
National Council for Adoption, an advocacy and education group in
Virginia.
In some cases, the closings have come without warning, leaving
people without the thousands of dollars in fees they paid to an agency
or the child they had thought would finally be theirs.
They have also led to lawsuits and criminal investigations, as some
struggling agencies have apparently turned to more desperate business
practices to stay afloat.
Click here for more information. |
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