“Soon gay people will start falling out of the sky … they’ll come at us marching … not marching, more like a dance, they’ll dance at us – and it’ll be choreographed, it’ll be good”
Are the tables finally turning in America’s debate over gay marriage? I think they are. Iowa and Vermont both recently legalized full marriage rights for gay couples which is a wonderful mark of progress in the fight for equality. Even more striking are the changes in political policy elsewhere – hints that even in the most conservative corners of America the arguments against gay marriage are dwindling.
I came across this great Op-Ed piece in the The New York Times through the Joe. My. God. blog. In it Frank Rich details many of the ways that opinions on this debate are shifting. He describes how NOM (National Organization for Marriage) has if anything only achieved ridicule for their recent “Gathering Storm” video campaign and goes on to link to articles describing how the opinions of many conservatives are even moving towards support of gay marriage.
Rich links to many articles and I certainly encourage you to sift through all of them but these are the ones that I found most interesting:
- Fact and Fiction on Gay Marriage Polling at FiveThirtyEight.
- Ex-McCain aide to call for gay marriage support at CNN.
- The original article in case you missed the link above:
The Bigots’ Last Hurrah at The New York Times - And the referring source:
Justice Is Gathering at Joe. My. God.
“I felt like our love was just a little more meaningful last Friday night because thousands of other Iowa citizens could hug each other and have the state recognize their love for each other.”
If you aren’t already sold on Kathy Griffin based solely on her amazing comedic talents, perhaps you should give her a shot as a person. It’s really worth watching this all the way through. She may not be the best at delivering speeches, but the woman sure as hell knows what she believes in and it’s nice to see a celebrity (D-list or otherwise) take a stand against an issue that may not necessarily win them popularity. Although, I guess to be completely fair, I don’t think that has ever really been a concern of our girl.
Go on Norma Gay!
[Via Joe. My. God.]
Saturday, February 14, 2009 is a day that many couples will remember as Valentine’s Day of this year, but for a group of Chicagoans, it was Freedom to Marry Day. A group of peaceful protesters gathered outside the Cook County Building to demand their equal rights here in Chicago while a smaller group staged a sit-in inside the Cook County office of Vital Records, insisting that they would not leave until they office agreed to issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples.
The seven who remained inside the office were allowed to stay past the closing time of the office but were eventually arrested for criminal trespass. Later, County Clerk David Orr’s office issued a statement saying, “Gay couples deserve to enjoy the same rights and legal protections as straight couples, whether it be getting married or making emergency health decisions, filing a joint tax return or receiving retirement benefits to which they are entitled.” (ABC7 Chicago) That view, however, has yet to be reflected in practice.
Further coverage:
http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/hundreds-protes.html
http://www.chicagopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/6876025
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=9489
http://www.examiner.com/x-443-Chicago-Gay-Examiner~y2009m2d15-7-queer-activists-arrested-at-Marriage-Bureau-sitin
http://blog.radioleft.com/blog/_archives/2009/2/15/4093964.html
http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2009/02/seven-arrests-at-chicago-marriage.html
http://www.windycitizen.com/chicago/politicscity-news/2009/02/freedom-to-marry-in-chicago-hundreds-rally-seven-arrested/
In just a few short weeks on March 5, the California Supreme Court will begin to review the legality of Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that amended the California State Constitution to revoke marriage rights from gay and lesbian couples. The court then has 90 days to come to a decision. It is now SO important that people come out of the woodwork in overwhelming vocal support of gay marriage rights and denounce Proposition 8.
This week is Freedom to Marry Week and in various cities around the nation protests will be held throughout the week to support the rights of ourselves, our friends, our family, and our neighbors. On February 14 in Chicago teams will march while gay couples head to the Cook County Marriage License Bureau and demand to be married. We need as many people as we can get at these events!
Please, please, please: join the Facebook event (details below), tell your friends, blog about it, put the information out there in as many spots as you can find. This is a crucial time for an important cause!
Facebook event (for Chicago):Â http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123437705110
Facebook group (where I can nag my friends, please feel free to join!):Â http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53940967030
How you can help:
- Go to one of the protests, no matter where it may be!
- Invite ALL your friends to the event for your area, and to the group!
- Put up posters and flyers:Â http://gayliberation.net/pdf/2009/0214free2marryday/Flyer,%20color.pdf
- Call, text, email your friends.
- Organize a party to make picket signs.
- Organize a brunch party for immediately before the protest so people can meet in one place and travel together.
- Write a blog post, tweet about it, put it on your FriendFeed, share it on your other social networks.
I came across this one through an email at work. Get To Know Us First is a group sponsored by POWER UP in California. They are producing 30-second television spots that feature families of same-sex couples. I really like the direction that these ads take because they show people who are otherwise unexposed to homosexuality that these families are real and that they are just as normal as any other family. I really think that one of the biggest hurdles to achieving acceptance and equality is ignorance and this campaign attempts to educate people and overcome that problem. It’s just another of the many ways that homosexuals need to come out and speak out – to change the opinions of our friends, families, and neighbors for the better.