tagged w/ Same-Sex Couples
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The evolution is complete. President Obama disclosed in a television interview recorded Wednesday that he had changed his long-standing position, a move that should satisfy (at least for now) a Democratic base that was growing frustrated with him over the controversial social issue.
ABC News
In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, the president described his thought process as an “evolution” that led him to this decision, based on conversations with his staff members, openly gay and lesbian service members, and his wife and daughters.
EQUALITY!!!! Well maybe... Anyone think this will go well or is he just doing it for the LGBT vote and campaign contribution.The evolution is complete. President Obama disclosed in a television interview... more
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Call Out Homophobia with Us!
An anti-gay group is flying a banner "warning" people about Disney World's Gay Day. We want to fly a banner that fights their hate-filled message.
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Share This Campaign:
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We're average Americans against hatred, or, as we like to call ourselves, the Non-A-Holes.
You may have heard about Walt Disney World's unofficial "Gay Day." Every year, an LGBT cultural group organizes an event for same-sex couples and their families to attend theme parks and other attractions around the country as a community, knowing that they will be accepted for who they are, rather than endure judgment and ridicule from other park-goers.
This year, the misleadingly-named "Florida Family Association" is flying a banner above Orlando, warning "traditional" families that the Gay Day is approaching, so that they can keep their children inside and avoid having to talk to them about such incendiary topics as two men or two women being in love.
Last year, their banner read "Warning: Gay Day at Disney 6/4." They haven't announced this year's banner text, though we can assume it will be equally clever.
Now, the Florida Family Association is clearly a bunch of loonies who can't leave their houses for fear a multi-racial couple might be holding hands at the Stop and Shop, but as ridiculous as they are, this kind of thinking continues to have power. The arc of history bends toward justice and acceptance, but for the time being, those who believe that people aren't people if they don't love someone with the right genitals, are out there, and though they may not win the war, they do win their share of battles.
So let's show them that this one isn't theirs. Let's fly a banner above Orlando that reads "WARNING: Homophobes Loose in Orlando. Hide Your Kids." We need about $1,200 to run the banner for two hours above Orlando. Please join us, the Non A-Holes by clicking the donate link on this page and letting the Florida Family Association know that haters can be haters, but, to quote The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, "Love is never wrong, and so it never dies."
Thanks.
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Created By:
Carrie Poppy
Founding Non A-hole
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http://www.indiegogo.com/fighthomophobia?show_todos=true
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Call Out Homophobia with Us!
An anti-gay group is flying a banner... more
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CNN...
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Two more states allow same-sex civil unions
By Josh Levs, CNN
updated 5:24 PM EST, Sun January 1, 2012
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Gay couples first civil unions in Hawaii
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Hawaii and Delaware began allowing same-sex civil unions Sunday
5 states recognize same-sex civil unions; 6 and DC recognize same-sex marriage
Opponents say civil unions are a springboard to redefining marriage
"It means that our state supports us," one member of a same-sex civil union says
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(CNN) -- Several same-sex couples came together in the first minutes of New Year's Day in Honolulu to become the first in the state's history to enter into civil unions.
"We really don't want to wait any longer because we have been together for 33 years waiting for the opportunity and our rights and everything that goes with it," said Donna Gedge, who was with her partner Monica Montgomery, speaking to CNN affiliate KITV. "So why wait?"
The couple told CNN last week about their plans to stay up late for the ceremony.
With Hawaii and Delaware joining the list Sunday, five states now recognize same-sex civil unions, while six other states and Washington, D.C., allow same-sex marriage, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island already recognize civil unions providing state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples, the NCSL says.
Marriage licenses are given to same-sex couples in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and the District of Columbia, the NCSL says.
California does not currently allow same-sex marriages to be performed.
In May 2008, the state's Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry in California. Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, passed later that year.
In 2010, a federal district judge ruled that Proposition 8 violated the U.S. Constitution, but enforcement of that decision was stayed pending appeal.
Delaware said its new law became effective at 10 a.m. Sunday.
In Hawaii, online application for civil union licenses was made available beginning at midnight, despite the fact that government offices are closed until Tuesday, the state government said.
The union becomes valid after a ceremony performed by someone licensed by the Department of Health.
"It means that our state supports us, and that's a really good feeling after all this time," Montgomery said at the ceremony.
The laws in Delaware and Hawaii followed heated debates in both states.
In 2010, then-Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican, vetoed a similar bill in Hawaii, saying the issue needed to be put to a referendum.
Some religious groups were among those pushing for the move. "We need you to mount a campaign to flood the governor's office with requests to veto the bill," Larry Silva, Catholic bishop of Honolulu, wrote on the Diocese of Honolulu's website at the time.
A group called the Hawaii Family Forum argued that "a vote for civil unions is a vote for same-sex marriage."
"Civil unions are a desperate and dishonest attempt to force same-sex 'marriage' on Hawaii," the group said. Despite the opposition, there was no referendum.
In both Hawaii and Delaware, the language of the law emphasizes that "it is not the legislature's intent to revise the definition or eligibility requirements of marriage."
Gedge and Montgomery told CNN last week they hope there will one day be federally recognized same-sex marriage.
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, signed the state's civil unions bill into law last February, calling it "a prime example of exercising civic courage. It is about doing what is right, no matter how difficult, no matter how much opposition."
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, a Democrat, signed his state's bill into law in May.
The Delaware Family Policy Council, which says its goal is to "educate, equip, unify and engage the citizens of Delaware in advocating for family values and preserving the integrity of the family as an institution," argued that civil unions "are a springboard to redefining marriage."
"You can't really talk about civil unions without talking about same-sex 'marriage' because there really isn't any difference," the group argued.
But Markell, at a signing ceremony last year, said, "This bill is about a new energy and excitement. It's about a moment in our history that came about because people came together to work for it, because it became clear that Delaware's LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community is in fact part of every Delaware community. The greater good is served when we speak out and fight hard when we see that bias, prejudice or even outdated laws attempt to lessen any one of us."
Bonnie Limatoc, who was part of the midnight ceremony in Hawaii on Sunday, told KITV, "The historic part for me is to be one of the first to open that door so that the rest of them after us, there's others out there that want to do this. ... We can show them, "Hey, you love somebody, you have the right to be with them the rest of your life also.'"
"Our message is go for the gusto," her partner Lydia Pontin added. "Don't be ashamed."
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CNN's Brianna Keilar contributed to this report.
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Two more states allow same-sex civil unions
By Josh Levs, CNN
updated... more
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Now that same-sex marriage is legal in New York, let the weddings begin! The first couple to be married in New York City were Phyllis Siegal, 76, and Connie Kopelov, 84, who have been together for over two decades.Now that same-sex marriage is legal in New York, let the weddings begin! The first... more
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Hawaii governor vetoes civil unions bill
Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle said Tuesday night that she has vetoed a civil unions bill that would give same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples. The state's House of Representatives passed the bill in April.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/06/hawaii.civil.unions.veto/index.html?hpt=T1
Hawaii governor vetoes civil unions bill, says voters should decide
By the CNN Wire Staff
July 6, 2010 11:19 p.m. EDT
Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a civil unions bill Tuesday night.
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(CNN) -- Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a civil unions bill Tuesday that would have given same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, saying the issue needs to be put to a referendum.
"I am vetoing this bill because I have become convinced that this issue is of such significant societal importance that it deserves to be decided directly by all the people of Hawaii," Lingle said.
"The subject of this legislation has touched the hearts and minds of our citizens as no other social issue of our day. It would be a mistake to allow a decision of this magnitude to be made by one individual or a small group of elected officials."
Gay rights group decried Lingle's decision.
"Today was the first time a civil unions bill passed both Houses in Hawaii by solid margins and was on the Governor's desk for signing," Jo-Ann Adams, chair of the GLBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, said in a statement. "With such broad support from the legislators, who are the elected officials closest to the public, and the consistent results of the professional polls showing broad support for civil unions as a civil rights issue, we are deeply disappointed that the Governor ignored the will of the people and vetoed the bill. "
Another group, Equality Hawaii, said the fight for equal rights will continue.
"Today is a sad day for the thousands of Hawaii families who remain second class citizens," said Alan Spector, legislative affairs co-chair for Equality Hawaii.
The governor said she understands why supporters of the bill are upset by her decision.
"This is a decision that should not be made by one person sitting in her office or by members of the Majority Party behind closed doors in a legislative caucus, but by all the people of Hawaii behind the curtain of the voting booth," Lingle said in a statement.
"And while some will disagree with my decision to veto this bill, I hope most will agree that the flawed process legislators used does not reflect the dignity this issue deserves, and that a vote by all the people of Hawaii is the best and fairest way to address an issue that elicits such deeply felt emotion by those both for and against."
When the bill passed in April, civil union supporters cheered in the Capitol rotunda. But Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona said at the time lawmakers shouldn't have approved the measure.
"If the legislature wanted to establish the equivalent of same-sex marriage, they should have put it on the ballot for the people to decide," he said then.
Some religious groups had urged the governor to veto the legislation.
"We need you to mount a campaign to flood the governor's office with requests to veto the bill," Larry Silva, Catholic bishop of Honolulu, wrote on the diocese of Honolulu's website at the time.
Five U.S. states and the District of Columbia issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Hawaii would join New Jersey in allowing civil unions.
Three states -- Rhode Island, New York, and Maryland -- recognize same-sex marriages from other states, according to the conference.
California recognizes same-sex marriages performed during six months in 2008 after its Supreme Court granted same-sex couples the right to marry and before the passage of Proposition 8, which overturned the court's decision.Hawaii governor vetoes civil unions bill
Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle said Tuesday... more
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by Alex DiBranco
A 12-year-old girl in Kentucky was forced to sit, isolated from the other students, in the back of a school bus by order of the driver. For what cause? The student has two mommies, and objected to homophobic talk by others on the bus. But Michael A. Jones reports on Gay Rights that the bus driver, Ronell Mattingly, found the homophobia amusing, and when she found out the girl was the daughter of same-sex parents, also insulted and mocked her.
The girl informed the Mattingly she was a "jerk," for which she got suspended from the bus for a few days, and upon returning was sent to the back of the bus (reminiscent of segregation much?). The bus driver, on the other hand, seems to have been given a free pass. Oh, and when the girls' parents protested that their daughter was being punished for standing up for their family? The Assistant Principal said the 12-year-old should grow "thicker skin."
This isn't the first time a child has been punished by a school for having same-sex parents; just a couple days ago, we learned that a Massachusetts Catholic school was off-limits to an eight-year-old with two mommies, and in March, we heard that a four- and five-year-old in Boulder, Colorado, were going to be kicked out at the end of the year for the sin of having two parents who are both female. But this case is a little different, because the school in question is a public institution. So, do you want your tax dollars going to support homophobia?
One other thing: the bus driver, Mattingly, had the audacity to demand that the girl to apologize to her. She aggressively demanded a written apology, which the girl's family had already decided was definitely not going to happen, forcing the girl to stop riding the school bus again to escape being harassed. The only apology that should be happening is from the school, to the girl and her family, and the driver should be the one kicked off the bus.
Photo credit: Bruno Girinby Alex DiBranco
A 12-year-old girl in Kentucky was forced to sit, isolated from... more
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"Sarah," an active-duty soldier in Iraq, can hardly be questioned for her patriotism or courage. But when it comes to filling out her 2010 census form, her primary emotion is fear. "I keep real quiet about my partner," she tells NEWSWEEK. "Even this conversation is a violation of the law, but I've stepped away from the other soldiers so I'm not 'a threat to morale.' " Sarah is tired of the subterfuge and wishes she could use her real name for this article without getting fired under "don't ask, don't tell" legislation. She's anxious because she knows this census is a watershed moment for the entire lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community, as it is for gay soldiers. "A lot of people don't want to believe there are 60,000 of us in the military. I don't believe it either. I think that number is bigger."
For the first time in the centuries-long history of the census, the number of same-sex couples who self-identify as married—license or no license—will be tabulated and released to the public. The move is seen as both a friendly nod to the gay community—which had pinned its hopes on President Obama and has, at least in some quarters, been frustrated by a perceived slow response to gay-rights issues—and a boost to policy fights, from challenging laws that limit gay adoptions to the nationwide legalization of gay marriage.
The release of the data also marks a major shift in the evolution of the Census Bureau. In 1990 it edited the answers of self-identified gay husbands and wives to make them appear as opposite-sex partners; in 2000, instead of editing the sex of a gay spouse it edited the data to describe the same-sex couples as "unmarried partners." While the Census Bureau doesn't make policy, its data will be instrumental to inform it. "This will not be a count of the gay population of the U.S., but it will be the biggest, most profound data set that anyone has ever had," says Timothy Olson, assistant division chief in the U.S. Census Field Division. "There will finally be good data for policymakers to engage in the issues with facts, not speculations."
More @ link"Sarah," an active-duty soldier in Iraq, can hardly be questioned for her... more
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