New Jersey's Statehouse will likely be crowded Tuesday when activists show up to make their case for and against a bill that would allow gay marriage.
Democratic lawmakers have said allowing gay couples to marry is one of their top priorities.
A similar bill died two years ago. But Senate President Stephen Sweeney, who abstained then, now favors allowing same-sex unions.
Two gay rights groups also have filed a lawsuit to try to force the state to recognize gay marriage.
AP: Crowded Hearing Expected for New Jersey Marriage Debate
January 24, 2012 at 3:00 pm
AP: North Carolina Amendment Supporters Launch Effort
January 24, 2012 at 1:00 pm
The "Vote FOR Marriage NC" coalition is made up largely of conservative-leaning groups, ministers and Southern Baptists who want voters to approve a constitutional amendment to make clear marriage is only between a man and a woman.
State law already makes that distinction, but coalition chairwoman Tami Fitzgerald said an amendment would protect marriage from activist judges and lawmakers who want to allow gay marriage. Amendment supporters have cited as proof a Guilford County lawsuit filed last month challenging the state's involvement in licensing traditional marriages and, in turn, denying licenses for same-sex couples.
...North Carolina is the only Southeastern state without a limit on marriage in its constitution. The Legislature had bottled up proposed amendments for years under Democratic rule. The new Republican majority allowed a vote last September.
WaPo: NOM Pledges to Support Referendum in Washington
January 24, 2012 at 12:30 pm
More on the unfolding battle in Washington State:
...The National Organization for Marriage, noting its involvement in ballot measures that overturned same-sex marriage in California and Maine, issued a statement Monday morning pledging a referendum campaign to fight any gay marriage law in Washington state. Last week, the group announced that it would spend $250,000 to help fund primary challenges to any Washington Republican who crosses party lines to vote for same-sex marriage. So far, two Republicans in the Senate and two in the House have said they would vote in support of gay marriage. -- The Washington Post
NOM's Christopher Plante in Washington: Marriage Should Be Left to the People
January 24, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Opponents of same-sex marriage, testifying to a packed Senate hearing, said they will press for a public vote on the issue this fall, even as marriage equality legislation secured a 25th vote in the 49-member Washington State Senate.
"The institution of marriage does not belong to the Legislature: It belongs to the people," Joseph Bachholm of the Family Policy Institute of Washington told the Senate Government Operations Committee.
Christopher Plant of the National Organization for Marriage added: "This is a decision to be left to the people."
... Roman Catholic Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, who has urged Catholics to lobby legislators against marriage equality, warned of "the grave challenge this legislation poses to the common good."
"The natural structure of human sexuality orders the transmission of human life through man and woman," said Sartain. "Because only the union of a man and a woman can generate new life, no other human relationship is its equivalent."
Vote for Marriage N.C. to Push for Amendment
January 24, 2012 at 11:30 am
The organization leading the push to define marriage as one woman and one man in North Carolina's Constitution is officially launching its campaign.
Vote for Marriage NC is led by Tami Fitzgerald of the N.C. Values Coalition. It includes various organizations such as the Christian Action League and N.C. Baptists as well as national groups such as the National Organization for Marriage.
In the campaign launch, the group's leaders sought to put the May vote in simple terms.
"The marriage amendment is simple and straight-forward," said Rev. Mark Harris, president of the N.C. Baptists, in a statement. "It's about preserving marriage as we've always known it and making sure that activist judges can't redefine it in the future."
Gay Activists Attempt to Fire ADF Attorney Who Defended Marriage
January 24, 2012 at 11:00 am
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy strongly defended his pick of a former Republican lawyer for county attorney Friday as a prominent gay rights activist launched a campaign to block the man's confirmation because of his ties to conservative organization that opposes same-sex marriage and abortion rights.
McCoy's nomination this month of Thomas Marcelle to the top legal post in a staunchly Democratic county was unlikely to pass without controversy.
But opposition to the pick that had been percolating behind the scenes for two weeks went public Friday when political consultant and LGBT activist Libby Post put up a website ... urging McCoy to withdraw Marcelle's name from consideration or, failing that, for the Democrat-led County Legislature to refuse to confirm him.
Post zeroed in on Marcelle's affiliation with the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative national organization that describes itself as providing "resources that will keep the door open for the spread of the Gospel through the legal defense of religious freedom, the sanctity of life, marriage and the family."
...But McCoy — a Democrat who said he is both pro-choice and in favor same-sex marriage — dismissed Post's criticism, saying she was suggesting he should impose political and social litmus tests on people he hires for government jobs.
"I should have put on the application to check off whether you're Conservative, Dem., Republican or whatever your affiliation is?" McCoy said. "I didn't hire the guy for his religious beliefs. I hired him because he's a hell of an attorney and he's well overqualified."
Liberty Counsel on Student's Opinion Column Censored for Promoting Natural Adoption
January 24, 2012 at 10:30 am
Shawano, WI – School officials at Shawano High School needlessly censored and apologized for a 15-year-old’s op-ed article supporting natural mother-father adoption. It was a part of an editorial page which presented both viewpoints, each articulated by students. After the school newspaper was published in the local town paper, a homosexual in the community complained to the school. School officials took immediate action and censored the article supporting natural adoption.
In its statement, the school “sincerely apologized” -- not for allowing the topic to begin with, but rather, for the Biblical viewpoint presented by one student. The school claimed that the censored article created a “negative environment.” Liberty Counsel believes that school officials have violated the First Amendment protections of both free expression and religious freedom. It is acceptable for school officials to render entire topics off limits, but once they allow a topic to be addressed, they may not dictate which opinions are allowed and which are not. For the school to apologize for and censor just one side of the argument sends a clear and biased message in favor of the other side. The school has thus sacrificed constitutional freedoms on the altar of political correctness.
Baptist Press: Religious Liberty Takes Hit in New Gay Marriage Lawsuits
January 24, 2012 at 10:00 am
A series of lawsuits and a new court ruling are fresh examples of how laws granting marriage benefits to gay couples can end up squashing religious liberty, says a Christian attorney involved in one of the cases.
All four cases involve states with gay "marriage" or same-sex civil unions laws: Illinois, Vermont, Hawaii and New Jersey. In Vermont and Illinois, bed and breakfast owners were sued for declining to host a same-sex ceremony or reception, and in Hawaii, a bed and breakfast owner was sued after turning away a lesbian couple who wanted to make a reservation.
In New Jersey, a state judge ruled Jan. 12 that a Christian beachfront property operated by United Methodists violated state non-discrimination laws when it refused to host a lesbian couple's civil union ceremony.
Jim Campbell, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund -- which is representing the Methodist group -- said the cases prove that there is harm to religious liberty when states legalize gay "marriage" or civil unions or pass broad legislation incorporating sexual orientation into non-discrimination laws.
"When people hear that their legislature is considering a law like this and they think, 'What's the harm?' they need to realize that there is this direct threat to religious liberty -- to business owners, employees, religious entities and people who attend all those religious entities," Campbell told Baptist Press. "These four cases are a good demonstration of that. People who are concerned about religious liberty should be concerned about these legal developments."
CBN News Video: NOM's Christopher Plante Responds to Mayors for SSM
January 23, 2012 at 3:45 pm
NOM's Regional Coordinator Christopher Plante talks with CBN News on the recent move by some mayors to support redefining marriage.
He says in response to the economic "argument" for redefining marriage: "When we talk about redefining marriage, we're talking about redefining terms like mother and father. And motherhood and fatherhood and binding moms and dads to their children is so much more important than the miniscule economic development that [redefining marriage] may bring."
Gay Press Asks: Will Obama Endorse Gay Marriage in State of the Union?
January 23, 2012 at 3:30 pm
His press secretary wouldn't rule the possibility out, when asked by the gay press:
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Friday he wouldn’t rule “in or out” the possibility of President Obama endorsing same-sex marriage in the upcoming State of the Union address.
Carney made the remarks on whether Obama would announce support for marriage equality during the State of the Union address, which is set to take place Tuesday before a joint session of Congress, in response to a question from the Washington Blade.
“I will not rule anything in or out,” Carney said. “I’m just not going to talk about — beyond pointing at his words — his personal views on this. I think his administration’s policies on related issues are there for people to judge.”
Obama doesn’t support same-sex marriage, but since October 2010 he’s suggested his views could “evolve” in favor of same-sex marriage, However, he hasn’t yet made an endorsement in support of marriage rights for gay couples.
News Coverage: NOM's $250K Washington State Commitment
January 23, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Earlier this week, the National Organization for Marriage announced that it would spend $250,000 to help fund primary challenges to any Republican who crosses party lines to vote for same-sex marriage in Washington state.
With same-sex marriage legislation only one vote short of approval in the state Senate, pressure is building on five uncommitted senators who will likely decide the issue.
A coalition of religious conservatives is lobbying lawmakers in Olympia to oppose same-sex marriage, while the National Organization for Marriage announced last week that it would spend $250,000 in the state to help defeat any Republican who supports the bill.
... The uncommitted lawmakers are being inundated with calls, emails and lobbyist visits. The first hearings on the legislation, scheduled for Monday in the House and Senate, could heat matters up even more.... Big crowds are expected for the hearings Monday.
Stand for Marriage Washington, a loosely organized coalition of conservative lawmakers, well-known evangelical pastors, the Tri-City Tea Party and the Constitution Party of Washington, predicts as many as 10,000 people will flood the Capitol for a noontime rally in opposition to same-sex marriage.
“We have to create among these legislators a belief that they will lose their jobs if they vote to redefine this law,” said Joseph Backholm, of Washington Family Policy Institute, a member of the coalition. “We have to convince them to be more afraid of us than of the other side.”
Couple Boasts About Hiding Gender of Son for Five Years
January 23, 2012 at 2:30 pm
From Yahoo!'s lifestyle blog:
It's a boy! And he's five. Beck Laxton, 46, and partner Kieran Cooper, 44, have spent half the decade concealing the genderof their son, Sasha.
"I wanted to avoid all that stereotyping,"Laxton said in aninterview with the Cambridge News. "Stereotypes seem fundamentally stupid. Why would you want to slot people into boxes?"
... the sandbox is just a precursor to the classroom. When Sasha turned five and headed to school, Laxton was forced to make her son's sex public. That meant Sasha would have to get used to being a boy in the eyes of his peers. Still, his mom is intervening. While the school requires different uniforms for boys and girls, Sasha wears a girl's blouse with his pants.
"I don't think I'd do it if I thought it was going to make him unhappy, but at the moment he's not really bothered either way. We haven't had any difficult scenarios yet."
.. As for Laxton, she says she's open to her son pursing any career or sexual preference he chooses as he matures. "As long as he has good relationships and good friends," she says, "then nothing else matters, does it?"
News Coverage: NOM's $250K New Hampshire Commitment
January 23, 2012 at 2:00 pm
The National Organization for Marriage has pledged to spend $250,000 to help elect New Hampshire lawmakers who support repealing the state’s gay marriage law.
The organization said Friday it will work to hold accountable lawmakers who oppose the repeal.
After playing a big role in the 2010 elections, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) said Friday it intends to spend $250,000 in New Hampshire legislative races to help legislators who support repeal of the state's same-sex marriage law.
The bill (House Bill 437) is expected to be up for a vote in February.
NOM president Brian Brown said that “61 percent of New Hampshire GOP primary voters support a legislative definition of marriage as the union between a man and a woman alongside of a provision for civil unions. We intend to hold every legislator accountable for his or her vote on marriage. Those who support HB 437 will be rewarded, while those who don't will suffer the consequences in the next election.”
... NOM says it helped mount successful legislative election efforts on the same-sex marriage issue in Minnesota, Maine, California, New York and New Hampshire.
The group contends it is “particularly effective at ending the careers of Republican officials who abandon marriage. For example, the group aired ads critical of Republican candidate Bill Binnie's position on same-sex marriage that resulted in his defeat in the GOP US Senate primary campaign in 2010.”
The National Organization for Marriage Pledges Referendum Campaign if Legislature Tries to Redefine Marriage
January 23, 2012 at 12:00 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 23, 2012
CONTACT: Elizabeth Ray or Anath Hartmann at (703-683-5004)
"Washington voters deserve the right to vote on marriage just as voters in 31 other states have been able to do." —Brian Brown, NOM's President—
Olympia, WA — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today pledged to work with allies in Washington State to mount a referendum campaign to ensure that voters have the final say on the definition of marriage in Washington. Legislation, House Bill 2516 and Senate Bill 6239, has been introduced to abandon Washington's historic definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, thus imposing same-sex marriage on the state.
"NOM will not stand by and let activist politicians redefine marriage, the bedrock of civilization, without voters having a say," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "Just as we mounted a People's Veto in Maine and were responsible for qualifying Proposition 8 to the ballot in California, we will make sure that voters in Washington have the ability to decide the definition of marriage for themselves."
NOM was the largest contributor to the Proposition 8 ballot qualification and led the Question 1 People's Veto campaign in Maine. Both measures passed, overturning gay marriage and preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
"Thirty one states have voted on the definition of marriage and everyone voted to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman," Brown said. "Not only will we mount a successful referendum campaign, we will hold every Washington legislator accountable for his or her vote. We'll challenge Republicans in primaries, and we will take on Democrats in the General Election and make sure that their constituents know they tried to abandon the most important social institution ever devised without voters being given a say in the matter."
To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray, [email protected], (x130) or Anath Hartmann, [email protected], (x105) at 703-683-5004.
###
Sen. Diaz: "Very Good Chance" Democrats Will Lose Ex-Sen. Kruger Seat
January 23, 2012 at 10:00 am
In a letter to his fellow Democrat Senators in New York:
“I am not a political analyst, I am not a political consultant, neither am I a political strategist, but looking at our recent situation as Democrats in the New York State Senate, I cannot refrain from putting in my two cents.”
“Can our leadership re-claim the Majority in the next year’s election? From what I see, this is not impossible, but it will be very difficult due to the fact that Senator Oppenheimer is resigning and I am very concerned that her seat might be won by a Republicans and the Democrats could lose that seat. Also, with Senator Carl Kruger’s resignation, that open seat might also be in jeopardy – there is a very good chance that a Republican may win that seat also.”
-
Categories
- Adoption
- Ads
- Africa
- Alerts
- Australia
- Canada
- Catholic Church
- Chick-fil-A
- Children
- Civil Unions
- Civility
- Cohabitation
- Congress
- Corporate Ethics
- Culture
- Debating Marriage
- Divorce
- DOMA
- Dump General Mills
- Dump Starbucks
- Economics
- Education
- Election 2010
- Election Watch 2012
- ENDA
- Ethics
- Europe
- Events
- Featured
- Federal
- France
- Free Speech
- Gay Voices
- GOProud
- Human Rights Campaign
- Humor
- IRS
- Law
- Let The People Vote
- Manhattan Declaration
- March for Marriage
- Marriage
- Marriage Election Watch
- Marriage Moment
- Marriage Update
- Marriage Victory
- MarriageADA
- Media
- Mexico
- Military
- Mitt Romney
- New Zealand
- News
- NOM Marriage News
- NOM on Facebook
- Offbeat
- Parenting
- Pedophilia
- Politics
- Poll
- Polling
- Polygamy
- President Obama
- Press Releases
- Pro-Life
- Prop 8
- Religious Liberty
- Research/Study
- Ruth Institute
- Same Sex Marriage
- Science
- Scotland
- SFMA
- Social Media
- South America
- SPLC
- States
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Statistics
- Supreme Court
- United for Marriage
- United Kingdom
- Women
- Youth
-
Archives
- June 2021
- April 2021
- December 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- July 2020
- May 2020
- August 2017
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
