About Rielle Hunter and her comments to GQ regarding John and Elizabeth Edwards' state of affairs, marriage equality's most indefatigable foe, Maggie Gallagher, offers up the following quip: "I have never seen a more aggressive display of narcissism: blaming [Elizabeth Edwards] for failing to take responsibility for Hunter's acts of adultery -- acts that destroyed three children's home and put a fourth child -- her own -- in a fatherless home as well." THE RIGHT TO ADULTERY [Yahoo] Which is valid, as far as it goes. We definitely see some narcissism in Hunter's comments, and ...

    ::: Without debate, a Pennsylvania senate committee today voted 8-6 against discussing a proposed constitutional amendment that would, if adopted, define marriage as a special right of heterosexual couples. The Judiciary Committee quickly voted to back a motion that essentially kills the bill for this session. The motion was introduced by LGBT rights supporter Sen. Daylin Leach, Associated Press reports. Pennsylvania already has a law that bans same-sex marriage, but conservative Sen. John Eichelberger and his supporters argue that a constitutional amendment would strengthen the discrimination against gay and lesbian couples. The blog Keystone Progress says ...

The National Organization for Marriage has been robo-calling D.C. residents this week and polling them on same-sex marriage. With, as DailyKos reports, a trick question:  Ordinarily, I hang up on all telemarketing calls, but today I got a robocall survey from the National Organization for Marriage. It consisted of two questions. First "Are you a registered voter" Answer -- Yes Second -- Do you believe that marriage between only one man and one woman should be legal? My answer -- No Now this is obviously a trick question. Take out the word "only" and the answer is obviously "yes". But stick in ...

Site: DC Agenda  Article:  ‘Today was like a dream’ and others Author: Lou Chibbaro Jr, Joshua Lynsen DC residents Angelisa Young, 47, and Sinjoyla Townsend, 41, who have been a couple for 12 years, celebrated their wedding Tuesday, March 9 at Human Rights Campaign headquarters. DC Agenda video capture by Steve Fox Lesbian and gay couples have been getting married in the District of Columbia since March 9. Over 100 gay and lesbian couples waited for hours on March 3 to sign up for marriage licenses at a DC courthouse. The city’s LGBTQ newspaper, ...

Both Judith Vazquez and her bride, Lol Kin Castaneda, wore ivory wedding dresses Thursday as they became the first gay couple to marry in Mexico under a new law that allows same-sex couples in Mexico City to wed and to adopt children, Los Angeles Times reports. “This is a historic day,” presiding judge Hegel Cortes said shortly after pronouncing Vazquez and Castaneda “legitimately united in matrimony.” Three other same-sex couples also tied the knot in a lavish ceremony attended by Mexico City’s mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, and by the heads of the city’s legislature and highest court. Vazquez, ...

This is going to be a significant week in marriage equality. Earlier today we saw the first gay and lesbian couples in Washington, DC receive their marriage licenses. Tomorrow comes an arguably bigger milestone when both marriage and adoption by same-sex couples become legal in Mexico City, the capital of a very religious and very conservative country. But gays are already worried that their rights might be taken away from them by the hands of the country's politicians. The Washington Post reports:Gay rights activist Mariana Pérez Ocaña said she fears conservative provincial leaders will chip away ...

Source: Chicago Tribune.- Feb 10 CHICAGO -- Six members of the U.S. House sent a letter last week to President Barack Obama and other leaders, expressing strong support for a little-known piece of legislation that would grant gay and lesbian couples the same residency benefits as their opposite-sex peers. The measure -- called the Uniting American Families Act -- could affect 36,000 gay and lesbian binational couples, who would earn a path to citizenship not by getting entangled in matrimony, but by creating a new immigration category for "permanent partners." For Chicago residents Karla Thomas, a native of Trinidad, and Stacy ...

     ::: The US Supreme Court will hear arguments April 28 in a case brought by a Washington anti-gay group that seeks to keep secret the names of those who signed a petition to put a referendum on last November’s ballot, Seattle Times reports. Because of the state’s Public Records Act, which was adopted by initiative in 1972, the state has previously released the names of those who sign initiative and referendum petitions, but right-wing lawyers sued to stop release of names from petitions for Referendum 71. They argue that the First Amendment rights of petition signers are ...

As commercialized as Valentine's Day has become over the years, it also has become a prime opportunity for the LGBT community to make our lack of partnership rights visible whether it's in the United States or any other country that 'observes' the unofficial ode to lovers.Take France, for example. One of our favorite French blogs posted an amazing video of a massive kiss-in that took place in Paris ("Yagg: Kiss-in against homophobia"). The awesome scene has been a sensation and been picked up by a lot of the big blogs out there including The Huffington Post, ...

A new ABC-Washington Post poll was released today, showing that support for same-sex marriage remains virtually unchanged from a year ago, while civil union support has grown:  "In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 47 percent say gay marriages should be legal, with 31 percent saying they feel that way 'strongly.' Intensity is stronger among opponents, however: overall, half say such marriages should be illegal, including 42 percent who say so strongly. Civil unions draw broader support. Two-thirds now say they favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to form civil unions that would give them many of the same ...

Illinois state Sen. Bill Brady (right), the leading GOP candidate for governor, talks to a voter during the primary photo via Progress Illinois The candidate who clings to a slight lead in the vote counts to be the GOP nominee for governor in Illinois announced Wednesday that if elected, he would lobby for an amendment to the state constitution that would ban both marriage equality and civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, Chicago Sun Times reports. Sen. Bill Brady also said he also wants to impose term limits on legislators, overhaul the process of redrawing ...

22. On another subject, do you think it should be legal or illegal for gay and lesbian couples to get married? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat? --------- Legal --------- -------- Illegal -------- No NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion 1/28/10 56 42 13 35 5 30 9 White 83 70 14 12 4 9 4 Black 37 24 13 51 7 44 12Compare to national (question in 2005 and 2009 polls mixed phrasing as "gay and lesbian" and "homosexual"): --------- Legal --------- -------- Illegal -------- No NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion 4/24/09* 49 31 ...

Both houses of Iowa’s legislature today rejected attempts by conservatives to force a debate on a possible constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. Also today in New Hampshire, a key committee voted Tuesday to recommend that the House kill a similar proposal for that state. The House Judiciary Committee also recommended against repeal of the state’s marriage equality law. The vote was 12-8 on both measures, led by Democratic opposition, Associated Press reports. In Iowa, Republicans tried to force debate on the measure through procedural moves, Des Moines Register reports. “We ...

Good news from our pals at One Iowa: IOWA HOUSE REJECTS ATTEMPT TO ADVANCE AMENDMENT (Des Moines, IA) The Iowa House today rejected procedural attempts by opponents of equality to advance an amendment to the Iowa Constitution seeking to overturn last April’s unanimous Iowa Supreme Court ruling and to deny the protections of civil marriage to gay and lesbian couples. “We applaud those legislators who voted to protect the freedoms of all Iowans and continue the job of balancing the budget and putting Iowans back to work. It’s time to move on from the destructive politics of division and focus on what matters ...

Iowa state capitol building, Des Moines via University of Iowa A clear majority in Iowa think the state’s legislature should not spend time trying to deny marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples, a poll for the state’s largest newspaper has found. In an Iowa Poll taken to gauge voter interest in a range of hot-button issues facing the state’s legislature, 62 percent of respondents said that a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit civil marriage to opposite-sex couples does not deserve limited time of legislature in this year’s short session, Des Moines Register reports. The ...

  The Hawaii House of Representatives effectively killed the civil union bill yesterday amid election year fears: "The state House of Representatives decided to indefinitely postpone a decision on whether to grant gay and lesbian couples the same rights and benefits the state provides to married couples. The state Senate had approved a civil unions bill last week, but House leadership wavered on pushing the controversial issue. Last year, 33 of 51 House members voted in favor of civil unions. Civil union supporters in the crowded House gallery on Friday shouted, 'Shame on you!' while opponents cheered."Said ...

At a town hall in Tampa, Obama is asked what he's doing to provide equality for gays and lesbians with regard to same-sex marriage and other rights. The President completely dodged any talk of marriage but talked about the bill to provide federal benefits to same-sex partners. Here's my transcript."As I said last night my belief is that a basic principle in our Constitution is that if you're obeying the law, if you're following the rules, that you should be treated the same regardless of who you are. "I think that principle applies to gay and lesbian couples, so at ...

Chuck and Larry, meet Steve and Mark, a couple who made it through a hospital's refusal to recognize their rights at the critical moment. Ten gay and lesbian couples talk about their relationships and explain why marriage is necessary for them and their families. These videos are also featured on 10Couples.org, where you can find tools to turn these stories into meaningful action. The videos were filmed and produced by the award-winning team at Public Interest (PublicInterest.tv). ...

    ::: Federal prosecutors in Mexico have filed an appeal with the country's Supreme Court asking it to void a marriage equality law passed by Mexico City’s lawmakers in December, Associated Press reports. The law that would allow gay and lesbian couples in the city to obtain marriage licenses is set to take effect in March. But the federal attorney general’s office argues in its lawsuit that the law violates an ambiguous provision of Mexico’s constitution.  When it voted for the law, the Mexico City assembly rejected a proposed amendment that would have blocked gay and lesbian ...

Day 12 started with cross examination of the remarkably inexpert "expert" witness for the defense, Blankenhorn, on the stand. Boies: You believe it would benefit gay and lesbian couples and their children to allow same sex marriage? DB: I believe it is likely to do that. Boies: You believe it is almost certain to do that? DB: Yes, I believe same sex marriage is almost certain to benefit gay and lesbian couples and their children. Boies: Reads from B's book. "If adopting same sex marriage would be likely to impede that goal, I'd be against it." You believe that the rights of ...