Steve’s Weblog
Carrie Prejean Stripped Of Miss California Title
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Carrie Prejean has been stripped of her Miss California title.
“The Miss California USA Organization, in conjunction with the Miss Universe Organization and with the blessing of its owner, Mr. Donald J. Trump, announced today the termination of Carrie Prejean as Miss California USA 2009, citing continued breach of contract issues,” the Miss California Organization said in a statement to Access Hollywood.
BREAKING: NH Passes Marriage Equality; On to Governor
June 3, 2009 4:16PM
Michael Cole
This news just in from HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse on the gound in New Hampshire…After reaching a compromise on religious liberty language over the weekend, the marriage equality bill passed both houses of the state legislature today and now goes to Governor John Lynch for his signature. The state Senate passed the bill this morning 14-10 and the state House just now 198-176.
With the Governor’s signature, New Hampshire will be the sixth state to grant same-sex couples equality under the law through civil marriage. We’ll be updating Back Story through out the day with stories, photos and videos of the incredible work that went into making this historic day possible.
Today, Vermont became the first state ever to grant same-sex couples the freedom to marry through the legislative process – making it the fourth state with full marriage equality. What’s even more incredible: it required a two-thirds majority to override the Governor’s veto, and they did it!
You can expect the radical right to be out in force today, of course. They’re up in arms over this victory and the ruling last week that brought marriage equality to Iowa.
I just sent a thank-you note to the leaders of the Vermont Legislature, to make sure the right-wing cries of outrage aren’t the only voices they hear. I hope you’ll join me:
http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/vt_victory/
Then, please pass this along to everyone you know (especially in Vermont, but across the country as well).
marriage for all
I would normally have posted here anyway about the need to oppose California Proposition 8, but I received a note from a friend of mine this morning that I felt I should share because it really comes from the heart, and shows how this decision will have an impact on people we know and care about.
Subject:Fw: Please dream with me
My dear friends
Sometime this year, I will be submitting the application to be an American citizen. That’s paperwork. In my heart, I am already an American. After all, this is a land that rewards those who dare to dream. As a young man some ten years ago, I arrived in America with hope and aspirations. I didn’t know then that a little hope and a leap of faith would fuel a journey that was peppered with open doors, friends, loved ones and opportunities that confirmed the belief that I could be anybody I desire to be. Today I continue to dream and I hope you will join me.
I don’t usually discuss my personal life. Today however, I am hoping that those of you who care for me know that as a gay man, it is very important to me that the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage be defeated in November. There is something very wrong when society decides to legislate against love. I can’t vote yet, so I am asking those of you who can to preserve the American values and vote against bigotry and discrimination.
Vote NO on Prop 8 in the California Ballot this November
Please also join me in donating to the Equality for All campaign
I don’t know that many voters in California that I can send a note to directly, and maybe not all that many people will read this post either, but the implications of the outcome of the vote on this initiative are national in scope and it’s a big deal in the fight for equality nationwide. Please join me in donating to the Equality for All campaign
https://secure.ga4.org/01/equalityforall
Equality for All is leading the campaign to defeat a November ballot measure, proposition 8, that is trying to change the California Constitution to prohibit marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
Prop 8 is a grave threat and defeating it will be the most important campaign we have ever seen to preserve equality under the law for all Californians. We need to do all we can to stop it. Please sign up today with Equality for All to get more news and information about this campaign and how to help.
1 gay marriage, then judge stays ruling
By HENRY C. JACKSON, Associated Press Writer 47 minutes ago
DES MOINES, Iowa – Two men sealed the state’s first legal same-sex marriage with a kiss Friday morning, less than 24 hours after a judge threw out Iowa’s ban on gay marriage and about two hours before he put that ruling on hold.
It was a narrow window of opportunity.
Polk County Judge Robert Hanson temporarily cleared the way for same-sex couples across the state to apply for marriage licenses in the county when he ruled Thursday that Iowa’s 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed marriage only between a man and a woman, violated the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection of six gay couples who had sued.
it worked for Bush and Rove anyway, but seems kind of tired now. Two words Mitt: More On.
Romney bashes Iowa judge for striking down ban on gay marriage
Mitt Romney, who inveighed against gay marriage while governor in Massachusetts, wasted no time today excoriating a court decision in the first-caucus state of Iowa that struck down its law banning same-sex marriage.
“The ruling in Iowa today is another example of an activist court and unelected judges trying to redefine marriage and disregard the will of the people as expressed through Iowa’s Defense of Marriage Act,” Romney said in a statement issued by his campaign. “This once again highlights the need for a Federal Marriage Amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.”
NY Assembly Votes to Provide Equal Access to Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
Albany, New York—June 19, 2007—Today, the New York State Assembly passed a bill to allow same-sex couples equal access to marriage by a bipartisan vote of 85 to 61.
Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell (D-Manhattan), the bill’s prime sponsor, and the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights advocacy organization, worked with the LGBT community and Assemblymembers especially in the weeks following Governor Spitzer’s introduction of the bill (A.8590) to obtain the support necessary that resulted in today’s first-ever floor vote.
“The Assembly has demonstrated once again that it is the leader on civil rights and providing equality for our community where it didn’t exist before in New York,” said Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle. “We thank Governor Spitzer for his leadership in introducing this bill into the Legislature, Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell for his hard work building support in the Assembly, and the diverse and bipartisan group of Assembly allies from Buffalo to Westchester, from Harlem to Long Island, and from Ithaca to Saratoga who all spoke strongly to say that New Yorkers want marriage equality for all families.”
No gay marriage vote for Massachusetts
By STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 45 minutes ago
BOSTON – Massachusetts lawmakers blocked a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday that would have let voters decide whether to ban gay marriage in the only state that allows it.
“In Massachusetts today, the freedom to marry is secure,” said a victorious Gov. Deval Patrick, who had lobbied lawmakers up until the final hours Thursday to kill the measure.
The narrow vote was a blow to efforts to reverse the historic court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. More than 8,500 gay couples have married there since it became legal in May 2004.
As the tally was announced, the halls of the Statehouse erupted in applause. The proposal, which sought to change the state’s Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, needed 50 votes to advance to the 2008 statewide ballot. It got 45, with 151 lawmakers opposed.
Marriage is not a threat to marriage.
PROPOSED LEGISLATION WOULD CREATE CIVIL MARRIAGE EQUALITY
Governor Eliot Spitzer and Lieutenant Governor David Paterson today submitted legislation to create civil marriage equality for all New Yorkers. This historic legislation would establish equal responsibilities, recognition, benefits and protections for all married couples. The bill would additionally stipulate that no clergy member or religious institution should be compelled to perform any same-sex marriage ceremony.
Under current law, partners unable to enter into a civil marriage — and their children — lack legal protections taken for granted by married couples. In such areas as property ownership, inheritance, health care, hospital visitation, taxation, insurance coverage, child custody and pension benefits, married couples receive important safeguards against the loss or injury of a spouse, and crucial insurance against legal intrusion into marital privacy.
“This legislation would create equal legal protection and responsibilities for all individuals who seek to marry or have their marriage protected in the State of New York,” said Governor Spitzer. “Strong, stable families are the cornerstones of our society. The responsibilities inherent in the institution of marriage benefit those individuals and society as a whole.”
“This bill guarantees that the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness will be protected equally for all individuals in the State of New York,” said Lieutenant Governor David Paterson. “This is an important step in the fight for civil rights for all people.”
Update: N.H. Lawmakers Approve Civil Unions
The measure was approved along party lines in the Senate today with 14 Democrats voting for it and 10 Republicans voting against it.
By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 26, 2007; Page A01
HART’S LOCATION, N.H. — The champagne is on ice at the Notchland Inn on Route 302. Proprietors and longtime partners Ed and Les are ready to raise their glasses to New Hampshire later today, when the state is set to pass a broad civil union bill granting gay and lesbian couples virtually all the same legal rights as married heterosexuals.
Supporters and opponents of the measure agree that it will be approved, and last week Gov. John Lynch, a moderate Democrat, said he will sign it. When he does, it will make New England the first region to have every state granting a measure of legal rights to same-sex couples. Even as the bulk of the country has passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage and civil unions, New England has stubbornly gone its own way.
Isn’t it ironic that New England, the home of Puritanism, would be the most progressive region of the country when it comes to marriage equality?
Spitzer Plans to Introduce Gay Marriage Bill
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: April 23, 2007
Gov. Eliot Spitzer will introduce a bill in the coming weeks to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, his spokeswoman said Friday, a move that would propel New York to the forefront of one of the most contentious issues in politics.
Though he has long voiced support for same-sex marriage and promised during his campaign last year to introduce legislation to legalize it, Mr. Spitzer did not mention the issue in his State of the State speech in January or in remarks a week ago outlining his priorities for the remainder of the legislative session, which ends June 21.
But the spokeswoman, Christine Anderson, said that Mr. Spitzer would not back away from his campaign pledge.
“The governor made a commitment to advance a program bill, and he will fulfill that commitment during this legislative session,” Ms. Anderson said, using the term that refers to legislation introduced directly by the governor rather than through a state agency or by the Legislature.
Oh, should I make plans to build on my little three acre piece of property in Hague, NY?
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