Marriage Equality
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Bigotry in Maine
Published November 04, 2009 @ 04:59AM PT
Despite the fact that same-sex marriage supporters led the campaign of their life to preserve marriage rights for gays and lesbians in Maine, the state narrowly voted to overturn a marriage equality law in yesterday's ballot. It's a bit of deja vu all over again this year, as activists still reeling over the 2008 loss in California with Proposition 8 now have to cope with a second straight loss for marriage equality, this time in Maine.
Though final tallies aren't yet set, the Yes on 1 side (the bad guys who fought to take away same-sex marriage) claimed victory with 53 percent of the vote, compared to No on 1's 47 percent. That's a heartbreaking loss, both in numbers and because by all accounts, the No on 1 campaign in Maine was one of the best organized gay rights groups around. In the closing days of the election, nearly 8,000 volunteers traveled to Maine to urge voters to keep the marriage equality law in place. They raised funds well, and they were more on top of their messaging than perhaps any effort in history to preserve same-sex marriage at the ballot box.
But in the end, 2009 proved that it's just still too soon to fight gay marriage at the ballot box, at least in many parts of the country. Maine now becomes the 31st consecutive state to lose a same-sex marriage question at the polls. Does that mean that hearts and minds aren't changing fast enough on this issue?
Gay Marriage is a Fundamental Right Under the U.S. Constitution
Published November 03, 2009 @ 01:15PM PT
Two federal cases are moving forward challenging the legality of bans on same-sex marriage. One case, stemming out of Massachusetts, asserts that the Defense of Marriage Act unjustly hinders states from fully recognizing the equal rights of gay and lesbian citizens. Another case, out of California, is challenging Proposition 8, the ballot measure passed last year that rescinded the rights of gays and lesbians to marry in the state.
This particular lawsuit has made a big splash this year, in part because the two lawyers behind it are Ted Olson and David Boies, the two attorneys that argued Bush v. Gore, respectively. Today, Boies penned an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer that made a pretty damn bold statement. To play off a Miracle on 34th Street reference, Boies essentially said, "Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a constitutional right to gay marriage."
Boies makes the case that if you look at U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence, it's clear that precedent falls on the side of letting people love whoever it is that they want to love.
"The constitutional issue is quite simple," Boies writes. "The Supreme Court repeatedly has held that the right to marry the person of your choice is a fundamental human right guaranteed by the equal-protection and due-process clauses of the Constitution."
Tomorrow, Maine Voters Have the Next Say on Marriage Equality
Published November 02, 2009 @ 05:04AM PT
Maine voters head to the polls tomorrow (that is, if they havent already participated in 'early voting') to determine whether a state law that recognizes marriage equality can stay on the books. Thousands of volunteers have poured into Maine for the final stretch, working a Get-Out-the-Vote (GOTV) campaign that is as impressive as it is important. But this is still going to come down to the wire.
A new, and very humbling, poll was issued by Public Policy Polling (PPP) today showing that supporters of Question 1 (a "Yes" vote on Question 1 will rescind marriage rights for gays and lesbians) are slightly ahead of opponents of Question 1. It's still within the margin of error, but 24 hours before polls open, it's always a bit shocking to see the good guys losing.
PPP has the race at 51 percent of Maine voters rejecting same-sex marriage, and 47 percent supporting it. With results that close, this thing is going to come down to turn-out, turn-out, and then more turn-out.
By any stretch the No on Question 1 campaign has run a far more superior campaign, praised by everyone from the Governor of Maine to national newspapers. Anti-LGBT folks have resorted to fear once again -- like they did in California, and like they've done in more than 30 other states that have passed laws banning same-sex marriage. Their campaign has known no shame, but unfortunately elections aren't always determined by integrity and honor. They're determined by who gets their asses out and votes.
The No on 1 campaign has released their final television commercial for the campaign, and it lays things down on the line. "Maine has a clear choice," the ad says. "We can choose to treat some Maine families differently. To make these families feel shame. To deny them basic protections like health care, or making sure their children are cared for if a parent dies...or we can choose equality."
Hope, pray, and for sure if you have the means, get up to Maine and help equality win at the ballot box for the first time in regards to marriage equality.
Watch the No on 1 campaign ad after the jump.
Catholic Church Goes After Straight Allies of Marriage Equality
Published November 01, 2009 @ 08:39AM PT
Though it's no fun seeing same-sex marriage rights placed on a statewide ballot, one of the best things to come out of the Maine vote on marriage equality is the fact that progressive-minded Catholics are starting to speak out for the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. Through groups of "Catholics for Marriage Equality" and other venues, ordinary Catholics are speaking up in new ways arguing that love should win out over hate.
It's just too bad that the institutional Catholic Church can't let go of their anti-LGBT agenda. Maine is an interesting case study here. Despite the fact that the Bishop of Maine (Richard Malone) has had to close more than a half dozen parishes this year because of financial constraints, the Catholic Church in Maine has pumped out more than half a million dollars to urge Maine residents to vote for discrimination against gays and lesbians. Worse yet, Bishop Malone has said that giving equal rights to gays and lesbians is a dangerous sociological experiment and that same-sex marriage would be a threat to children.
But what's even scarier is that the Catholic Church in Maine is now punishing straight people who support the rights of gays and lesbians. Look no further than the ironically named Prince of Peace parish in Lewiston, Maine. There, a Eucharistic Minister and lector (the person who volunteers to read the weekly scriptures) was removed from her position because she said publicly that she supports the rights of gays and lesbians to get married.
The Catholic Church has had some real lows this year when it comes to LGBT rights. From the Pope saying that LGBT people were as big a threat to the world as climate change, to the U.S. bishops prepping a document to be released later this month that will say that same-sex marriage will harm the intrinsic human dignity in every person. Add to this list now a possible witch-hunt to identity straight allies of same-sex marriage, and to remove these straight allies from any positions within the Church.
Argentina's Quest for Marriage Equality
Published October 29, 2009 @ 03:49PM PT
We've got one country and six U.S. states in North America that recognize marriage equality. But on the other end of the hemisphere, wedding bells aren't necessarily ringing.
That may all be about to change, as Argentina moves forward with debate over whether to recognize marriage equality. The country's parliament is holding hearings concerning a possible change to Article 172 of Argentina's Civil Code. That may sound like drab law speak, but it could have massive implications: the hope is to change the current phrasing which recognizes marriage as only between a "man and woman," to making it so that marriage means "spouses," regardless of gender.
LGBT rights advocates are championing the change, and some of them think they have the momentum to make it a reality.
This WWII Veteran Fought for the Rights of Gays and Lesbians to Marry
Published October 22, 2009 @ 10:48AM PT
Sometimes a touching narrative is the most powerful weapon for a social justice campaign. Case in point, the story of Philip Spooner, an 86-year-old WWII veteran who made remarks earlier this year before the Maine State Legislature on why he's a gay marriage supporter. The clip of those remarks is reverberating across the blogosphere, peaking at an important time as voters in both Maine and Washington prepare to deal with ballot measures that could repeal civil rights for gays and lesbians.
Spooner's words tell the story itself. But it's worth noting that Spooner believes that the soldiers who fought at the Battles of Buna-Gona, Bismarck Sea, Mindanao, Iwo Jima, the Normandy Campaign and all of the battles of World War II fought and died so that everyone could be entitled to civil rights. In Spooner's words, "What do you think our boys fought for at Omaha Beach? I haven't seen much, so much blood and guts, so much suffering, much sacrifice. For what? For freedom and equality. These are the values that give America a great nation, one worth dying for."
Hard to put it any more authentic than that. Check out the video below.
Wanna Place a Bet on Gay Marriage?
Published October 21, 2009 @ 02:00PM PT
Place a conservative commentator on the spot, and you're likely to get them to say the darndest things. Case in point, NY Times conservative columnist Ross Douthat was a featured speaker at an n+1 panel in New York last night, and he was asked about the issue of gay marriage. His reaction?
Conservative opposition to gay marriage is a losing argument.
Douthat himself does not get all warm and fuzzy about the idea of gays and lesbians marrying. He opposes same-sex marriage on religious grounds. But he's also wise enough to know that his line of thinking isn't where the arc of this country's history is heading. Opposing gay marriage now is almost like opposing the repeal of Jim Crow laws fifty years ago. Eventually the court of public opinion is going to decide this matter, and the court of public opinion belongs to advocates of marriage equality.
Douthat also spoke with the Observer after the n+1 event, and added that if he were a betting man, he wouldn't be betting against gay marriage.
"The secular arguments against gay marriage, when they aren't just based on bigotry or custom, tend to be abstract in ways that don't find purchase in American political discourse. I say, ‘Institutional support for reproduction,' you say, ‘I love my boyfriend and I want to marry him.' Who wins that debate? You win that debate," said Douthat. "If I were putting money on the future of gay marriage, I would bet on it."
Another conservative has come around that marriage equality is a matter of "when," not "if." Maybe part of that "when" happens this November in Maine, if gay rights supporters can make the state the first to fight back against a ballot measure that bashes gay marriage.
