Overview

What an end to the year — the marriage bill is a done deal in Hawaii, and before the week is over another will be signed in Illinois. Plus there’s a new lawsuit in Idaho, positive polling in Maine, and we’re one step closer to the ballot in Ohio. But we’re also facing some very tough work in Indiana.

Transcript

Well as the year winds down, a marriage bill is a done deal in Hawaii, and before the week is over another will be signed in Illinois. Plus there’s a new lawsuit in Idaho, positive polling in Maine, and we’re one step closer to the ballot in Ohio. But we’re also facing some very tough work in Indiana.

For the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for November 18, 2013.

Well if you thought Hawaii was a destination for weddings before, just wait til December 2nd. That’s when the new marriage equality bill goes into effect. Governor Neil Abercrombie signed the law last week, 23 years after a group of gay couples first tried to obtain marriage licenses in Honolulu.

Polling in Hawaii is strong, with a recent survey showing support at 54% to just 31% opposed.

Meanwhile, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will sign a marriage bill on Wednesday of this week. With Illinois and Hawaii, the number of people living in states with marriage equality has doubled since the start of 2013. Thirty-six percent of Americans now live in a state with the freedom to marry. And we could pick up New Mexico before the end of the year as well, with the state Supreme Court there expected to rule any day now.

There’s a new lawsuit in Idaho. Four couples, working with the National Center for Lesbian rights, are challenging the state’s marriage ban. There’s also progress in Ohio, where organizers have gathered enough signatures to vote on a constitutional amendment that would legalize marriage equality. It’s hard to predict how that vote would go. Polling’s been mixed in Ohio, with generally only a small margin favoring the freedom to marry.

Polls are a bit more encouraging in Indiana, where 58 percent oppose a constitutional ban on marriage. Support for the anti-gay measure is at just 38 percent. Support for marriage equality is a bit weaker, though, with 48 percent support to 46 percent opposed. The legislature will likely vote on a constitutional ban in 2014, and if it passes it’ll go to voters in less than a year from now.

And finally, it’s been one year since the legalization of marriage in Maine. A new survey shows that 87 percent of residents say that it’s had no impact or a positive impact on their lives. Support for marriage is at 54% in maine with 37% opposed. That’s a huge drop in opposition since last year.

Those are the headlines. Subscribe here on YouTube for more on all these stories. For the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. Thanks for watching and we’ll see you next week.