Overview

This week’s all about New Mexico, where we’ve got surprise weddings, new lawsuits, old lawsuits, and emergency orders. Meanwhile there’s a hearing coming up to determine whether those Pennsylvania weddings actually counted, new organizing in Tennessee and Arkansas and Indiana, and a special session in Hawaii.

Transcript

This week’s all about New Mexico, where we’ve got surprise weddings, new lawsuits, old lawsuits, and emergency orders. Meanwhile there’s a hearing coming up to determine whether those Pennsylvania weddings actually counted, new organizing in Tennessee and Arkansas and Indiana, and a special session in Hawaii.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for August 26, 2013.

Let’s start with New Mexico, where there’s a lot going on right now. It’s a lot to keep track of, so here’s what you need to know: earlier this year, two separate groups filed separate lawsuits in state district court. One was filed by the ACLU, the other by State Representative Brian Egolf.

Then suddenly last week, one county clerk said that the state’s marriage statute was gender neutral, and just started marrying gay and lesbian couples just like that.

And late on Friday, a judge in one of those lawsuits ruled that Santa Fe county had to start issuing licenses too.

So now things are getting complicated. Governor Susana Martinez and Attorney General Gary King both say they oppose marriage equality, but they aren’t going to do anything to challenge the licenses. It looks like a group of New Mexico Republicans will file suit to stop the marriages. It’s anyone’s guess how that will go.

And that’s still not the end of it. Late last week, the ACLU and NCLR filed an emergency request on behalf of a woman with potentially fatal brain cancer. Because she may pass away before the litigation is concluded, she and her family need the protection of marriage right away.

And there’s one more headline from New Mexico: the state Supreme Court ruled last week that a wedding photographer violated nondiscrimination law when she refused service to a lesbian couple.

So that’s the news from New Mexico — for now. We’ll likely see a lot more happening there over the next few days.

Meanwhile, there’s plenty of activity in other states. We now have a date for a hearing in the case regarding the marriages in Pennsylvania: September 4th.

There’s a new petition for marriage recognition in Arkansas. The Tennessee Equality Project will observe Marriage Equality Day on August 31st. Businesses in Indiana are teaming up with equality organizers to fight a proposed constitutional ban on marriage. And Hawaii legislators are still trying to decide whether to call a special session to consider a marriage equality bill.

With major new developments likely over the next few days, we’ll be keeping a close eye on all these stories. Subscribe here on YouTube and at AFER.org to stay up to date. At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. See you next week.

Overview

Marriages continue in Pennsylvania, but the Governor has filed suit to stop them. We’ll have the latest from that state, plus civil actions in Tennessee, new data from Hawaii, and more bad news for the National Organization for Marriage.

Transcript

Marriages continue in Pennsylvania, but the Governor has filed suit to stop them. We’ll have the latest from that state, plus civil actions in Tennessee, new data from Hawaii, and more bad news for the National Organization for Marriage.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for August 12, 2013.

We hit a milestone late last week: Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County has now issued one hundred marriages licenses to gay and lesbian couples. And there’s no end in sight, with marriages likely to continue for at least another week. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has sued the County Register of Wills, but for now it looks like they’ll be able to continue issuing the licenses while the case is considered.

It’s anyone’s guess how this will land. The court could eventually invalidate all those marriages. Or we could get a major advance towards the legalization of marriage equality in yet another state.

We’re also seeing an advancing legal strategy to the south, in Tennessee. Last week two couples tried — and of course, failed — to obtain legal recognition for their relationships. Now that they’ve been denied, the Tennessee Equality Project can move forward with legal action. Although they haven’t announced a lawsuit yet, TEP is holding Marriage Equality Day rallies across the state on August 30 and 31. Visit TNEqualityProject.com for more info.

It’s been a bad couple of months for The National Organization for Marriage, and now they’re under investigation for campaign finance issues yet again. This time it’s in Iowa, where NOM failed to disclose donors to a campaign to unseat every judge on the state Supreme Court. For its part, NOM says that they don’t have to disclose donors who gave money via email and phone calls. But the Executive Director of the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board called that “absolutely false.”

And we have another state poll to feel good about this week. A Hawaii survey shows support steady in the mid-50s, with opposition dropping to the low 30s. That’s the lowest observed point yet, but the soonest we could see a marriage bill in Hawaii is 2014.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on all these states. Subscribe here on YouTube and at AFER.org for breaking alerts and ways to get involved. At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. See you next week.

Overview

Another huge week for equality, with marriages starting in Minnesota and Rhode Island. There’s a major new lawsuit in Virginia, and legal tussling in Pennsylvania, where the Governor and Attorney General are at at odds over the constitutionality of the state’s marriage ban. We’ll explain the dispute — plus updates from Michigan, Oklahoma, and Illinois.

Transcript

Another huge week for equality, with marriages starting in Minnesota and Rhode Island. There’s a major new lawsuit in Virginia, and legal tussling in Pennsylvania, where the Governor and Attorney General are at at odds. We’ll explain the dispute — plus updates from Michigan, Oklahoma, and Illinois.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for August 5, 2013.

As of August First, Minnesota and Rhode Island have joined 11 other states, as well as Washington DC and five Native American tribes, in providing marriage equality. This solidifies the large block of equality states that comprises New England, as well as a growing cluster of states in the midwest.

Attention now turns to nearby states, including Illinois, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Lambda Legal and the ACLU have filed a huge new federal lawsuit in Virginia, where marriage equality is banned both by statute and the state Constitution. That lawsuit echoes AFER’s arguments against Prop 8. Among those arguments: that marriage bans single out gay and lesbian couples for no reason, and that they demean gay and lesbian couples as second class citizens.

And to the north in Pennsylvania, tensions are rising as Montgomery County continues to issue marriage licenses. County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes has deemed the state’s ban on marriage equality to be unconstitutional. And state Attorney General Kathleen Kane agrees, saying that she would not defend the law in court. But Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett is stepping in to defend the ban. His representatives lashed out at the AG for, as they put it, causing problems.

Meanwhile, a marriage lawsuit in Michigan is still far from over, but some officials are already laying plans for marriage equality. Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown has been working on an update to marriage licenses that would make them gender-neutral. A Detroit couple challenged Michigan’s marriage ban in state court, and a ruling could come as early as October.

The Illinois state legislature is rapidly approaching the fall veto session. Organizers there have released a plan for securing the votes necessary to pass a marriage bill. It’s not going to be easy: the Illinois Unites for Marriage Coalition needs to raise about two million dollars to fund phone calls, lobbying, and field organizers before the session starts in October. Visit IllinoisUnites.com to learn more and get involved.

And a federal lawsuit in Oklahoma is moving forward. Like the Virginia suit and AFER’s Prop 8 suit, this one claims that Oklahoma’s marriage ban violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the US Constitution. We’ll have more filings due in that case later this month.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on all those states and posting updates whenever there’s new information or ways to help. So remember to subscribe here on YouTube and at AFER.org. At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. See you next week.

Overview

It’s been a busy week, with marriages suddenly recognized in some unexpected states. But it’s unclear how long those victories will last. Meanwhile, state officials in other states are refusing to defend marriage bans. And as always, we have more favorable polling numbers.

Transcript

It’s been a busy week, with marriages suddenly recognized in some unexpected states. But it’s unclear how long those victories will last. Meanwhile, state officials in other states are refusing to defend marriage bans. And as always, we have more favorable polling numbers.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for July 29, 2013.

Let’s start with Ohio this week, where a federal judge has ordered the state to recognize the marriage of a gay couple who flew to Maryland to get married. Specifically, the state must record the men as spouses when issuing a death certificate. They have been together for twenty years, but one is expected to pass away very soon.

Judge Timothy Black wrote that Ohio’s law exists to make gay couples unequal, which he called an “improper purpose.” It’s important to note that for now this only applies to out-of-state licenses. It doesn’t lift Ohio’s ban on issuing licenses to LGBT couples. But the ruling could bolster a future challenge to the law.

Despite initial reports to the contrary, State Attorney General Mike DeWine has said that he does not plan to appeal the ruling, which expires on August Fifth but could be extended before then.

And there’s plenty of legal turmoil next door in Pennsylvania, where a county Register of Wills announced that his office would issue marriage licenses. At least five couples took him up on the offer, but because Pennsylvania has a ban on marriage equality, it’s unclear whether the state will actually recognize them. The move echoes the licenses issued in 2004 by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Those licenses were eventually invalidated, but led to a court challenge that overturned California’s marriage ban in 2008.

State officials in New Mexico are debating the next move in a challenge to that state’s marriage ban. Two men in Santa Fe sued the state, and now Attorney General Gary King has announced that he won’t defend the ban. But there’s lots of procedural uncertainty surrounding the challenge, which may need to move to a lower court.

New York will begin issuing refunds to LGBT survivors who were improperly taxed on a deceased partner’s estate. A new marriage equality campaign in New Jersey is targeting Republican lawmakers in an attempt to override the governor’s marriage equality veto. And in Iowa, 55 percent of voters oppose an attempt to overturn marriage equality, with just 36 in favor of imposing a ban.

Remember to subscribe to stay up to date on the fight for marriage equality, an like and share these videos so as many people see them as possible. At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. See you next week.

Overview

Well, that’s it: we won. It’s impossible to overstate how monumental it is that Prop 8 is gone. Couples are getting married in the most populous state in the country. And nearly one third of Americans live in states with the freedom to marry.

So now let’s take a look at what comes next.

Transcript

Well, that’s it: we won. It’s impossible to overstate how monumental it is that Prop 8 is gone. Couples are getting married in the most populous state in the country. And nearly one third of Americans live in states with the freedom to marry.

So now let’s take a look at what comes next.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for July 15, 2013.

It’s the victory we’ve been working so hard for: AFER has restored marriage equality to California for good.

In response, the Prop 8 Proponents have challenged our victory in court, but it’s a baseless filing. As Ted Olson put it, their attempt to halt the weddings is “a desperate and frivolous act.” And marriages are continuing unabated around the state.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out AFER’s backstage glimpse at decision day and the very first weddings. We had a camera crew there to capture all the personal moments and surprises. It’s a great way to relive our incredible victory.

With this win behind us, there are still 37 states that don’t have the freedom to marry. But the Prop 8 and DOMA rulings have created new momentum from coast to coast, and we’ll see a lot of action in the states over the next few months and years.

There’s particular focus now on the more challenging red states. Eleven couples filed suit last week in Arkansas, challenging that state’s 2004 ban on marriage. Arkansas also has a proposed ballot measure in the works.

New polling in Texas shows a jump in support, with only a quarter of respondents opposing any form of relationship recognition. There’s a public awareness project called the “We Do” campaign forming in Mississippi. Alabama’s first openly gay lawmaker, Representative Patricia Todd, announced her intention to challenge that state’s marriage ban. Openly gay Colorado House Speaker Mark Ferrandino is building a coalition to repeal Colorado’s ban.

In Pennsylvania, openly gay Representative Brian Sims will introduce a marriage bill of his own. There’s also a new lawsuit in Pennsylvania, and state attorney general Kathleen Kane says she won’t defend the state’s marriage ban in court.

A marriage lawsuit in Michigan will move ahead. In New Jersey, there’s renewed pressure for a legislative vote to override the governor’s veto, and for summary judgment in a lawsuit challenging the state’s marriage ban. A new survey shows sixty percent support the freedom to marry in New Jersey.

There’s a flurry of activity in New Mexico, where a coalition of legal groups has asked the state Supreme Court to rule on the legality of marriage. For its part, the Supreme Court has asked the state Attorney General to respond by the end of this month.

In Oregon, signature-gathering will start this month. And a lone group in Ohio plans to push ahead with a popular vote, ignoring calls for a more gradual strategy.

And this is just new activity in the last few weeks. Other states, such as Hawaii, Nevada, and Illinois, already had marriage equality efforts that are quickly moving forward.

And finally, in all the excitement over California, it’s easy to overlook this month’s other major milestone: the beginning of marriage in Delaware. The first couple to wed was State Senator Karen Peterson and her longtime partner Vikki Bandy.

Congratulations to all the happy couples in Delaware, in California, and all the other states celebrating the freedom to marry. The rest of the country will join you soon enough.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. Thanks for watching.

Overview

Overview

We’re counting down the days to a Supreme Court ruling on Prop 8. Marriage may go to voters in Ohio, but there’s some dispute over timing. New polls show ongoing progress in California and across the nation. And New Mexico’s Attorney General addresses the challenges to the state’s marriage ban.

Transcript

We’re counting down the days to a Supreme Court ruling on Prop 8. Marriage may go to voters in Ohio, but there’s some dispute over timing. New polls show ongoing progress in California and across the nation. And New Mexico’s Attorney General addresses the challenges to the state’s marriage ban.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. Welcome to Marriage News Watch for June 10, 2013.

There’s only a few days left for the Supreme Court to rule on Prop 8. So far they’ve set aside June tenth, thirteenth, seventeenth, and twenty-fourth for rulings. But they could add more days as we get closer to the end of the month.

Visit AFER.org for an illustrated guide to the various ways the court could rule. And subscribe here you YouTube for breaking alerts on the case.

In a surprise announcement this week, an FreedomOhio unveiled plans to bring marriage to the ballot in 2014. They also claimed to be working with Human Rights Campaign, Equality Ohio, Freedom to Marry, and various other organizations.

But within a few hours, those other groups sought to distance themselves from the move. According to various spokespeople, there has been conversation but no agreement on timing.

An Ohio ballot measure in 2014 would face tough challenges. Although polls show support growing and opposition falling, public opinion is still very close. For comparison, organizers in Oregon have announced plans for a ballot measure of their own in 2014. Polling there shows marriage with a lead of nearly ten percentage points. When Maine successfully brought marriage to the ballot, polling showed a lead of nearly fifteen points.

And new polling in California shows support is stronger than ever, with 55 percent in favor to 37 percent opposed.

National attitudes continue to trend in our favor, according to multiple new polls released last week. We have more data on marriage right now than ever before, which allows us to paint a highly precise picture of the growth in public support. We’ll be keeping a close eye to see how that trend is affected by the ruling on Proposition 8 expected before the end of the month.

Meanwhile in New Mexico last week, Attorney General Gary King called the state’s marriage laws “vulnerable to challenge.” The ACLU has already filed suit over the state’s refusal to issue marriage licenses. And last week a second couple filed a lawsuit of their own.

Minnesota has begun issuing marriage licenses. The first documents were issued last week, and take effect on August First.

Subscribe here on YouTube and at AFER.org for breaking news alerts on the Prop 8 case. And remember to like this video and share it with your friends.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. We’ll see you next week.

Overview

The fight for marriage equality will continue in Illinois after the state’s House failed to bring legislation up for a vote last week. Plus, more surveys show support for marriage continues to climb across the country. And lawmakers introduce not one, but four different bills to legalize marriage in Michigan. We go over the differences and take a look at public opinion.

Transcript

Marriage loses in Illinois — for now. Plus, more surveys show support for marriage continues to climb across the country. And lawmakers introduce not one, but four different bills to legalize marriage in Michigan. We’ll go over the differences and take a look at public opinion.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for June 3, 2013.

It was close, but Illinois just barely missed its chance to become the 13th state to legalize marriage equality. But of course, this is just a temporary setback. Polling in Illinois show that support for marriage is growing quickly. And opposition is shrinking even faster.

Meanwhile, we’ve picked up yet another major national survey that shows a majority of Americans favor the freedom to marry. This time it’s the Public Religion Research Institute, with 52% in favor and 43% opposed. This makes the 26th survey to show marriage at 50 percent or higher. It’s been three years since the opposition last polled over 50 percent.

Lawmakers have introduced four new bills to legalize marriage in Michigan. Each one tackles a different aspect of marriage. SJR W would repeal the state’s constitutional ban on marriage. SB 405 would repeal the state’s statutory ban on marriage. SB 406 would recognize gay and lesbian marriages from out of state. and SR 64 would call on the federal government to repeal DOMA. Polling looks good in Michigan, with recent surveys showing around 57% support for equality and 38% opposed.

Support for marriage in California continues to grow. It’s now at 56% in favor to 38% opposed, according to a new PPIC poll.

And marriage is now the law of the land in France. Weddings began last Wednesday across the country, the fifteenth to legalize the freedom to marry.

Could the United States be the sixteenth? The US Supreme Court rules on Prop 8 in less than one month, and they could legalize marriage equality from coast to coast.

Subscribe here on YouTube and at AFER.org for breaking news alerts on the case. You can help support the cause of equality by liking this video and sharing it with your friends.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. We’ll see you next week.

Overview

All eyes are on Illinois, with less than a week left to pass its marriage equality bill. Meanwhile, public support grows in Tennessee and an equality bill passes the legislature in Nevada, but major obstacles remain in both states. And we’re just one month away from the deadline for a Prop 8 decision. Depending on the ruling, marriage equality could soon be the law of the land in California, and possibly beyond.

Transcript

All eyes are on Illinois, with less than a week left to pass its marriage equality bill. Meanwhile, public support grows in Tennessee and an equality bill passes the legislature in Nevada, but major obstacles remain in both states. And we’re just one month away from the deadline for a Prop 8 decision. Depending on the ruling, marriage equality could soon be the law of the land in California, and possibly beyond.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for May 27, 2013.

This is it — the last week of the legislative session in Illinois. If marriage equality is going to pass this year, it’s going to have to happen in the next few days.

The bill has been endorsed by both Bill Clinton and Barak Obama, and Governor Pat Quinn has pledged his signature. But we still don’t know if there are enough votes for passage. The effort’s being led by Equality Illinois. Visit EQIL.org to find out how you can help, wherever you are.

A new survey in Tennessee shows growing support for marriage. Forty-nine percent favor some form of relationship recognition, with 32 percent for marriage. This is quite a jump from 2006, when just fifteen percent opposed a state constitutional ban on marriage. That ban ultimately passed, and remains in place to this day.

Meanwhile, marriage has advanced in Nevada, but still has a long way to go. The state Assembly passed a marriage equality bill last week on a 27 to 14 vote, which included one Republican voting in favor. The next step for the bill won’t come for another two years, when the legislature must pass it one more time before it goes to the ballot in 2016.

It’s still a long road to victory in Nevada, and in the 29 other states with constitutional amendments. But that landscape could change dramatically once the US Supreme Court rules on Prop 8. The deadline for that ruling is in one month.

Subscribe here on YouTube and at AFER.org for breaking news alerts on the case. You can help support the cause of equality by liking this video and sharing it with your friends.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. We’ll see you next week.

Overview

Minnesota passes a marriage bill, bringing the total to twelve states with the freedom to marry. Can we make it thirteen? Time’s running out for Illinois to pass its marriage bill this year. And even with public support for marriage soaring, numerous states may be stuck with marriage bans for years to come.

Transcript

Minnesota passes a marriage bill, bringing the total to twelve states with the freedom to marry. Can we make it thirteen? Time’s running out for Illinois to pass its marriage bill this year. And even with public support for marriage soaring, numerous states may be stuck with marriage bans for years to come.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for May 20th, 2013.

It’s going to be a busy summer. Marriage equality goes into effect in Minnesota and Rhode Island on August First, and in Delware on July First. About 53 million people now live in states with marriage.

But work in those states isn’t done. Many of the lawmakers who stood up for equality will face challenges in elections from anti-LGBT candidates. It’s important to defend the politicians who voted in favor of the freedom to marry. Minnesotans United for All Families has announced that they’ll convert the organization into a political action committee that will work to make sure those supportive lawmakers are re-elected.

Over in Illinois, the legislative session is scheduled to end in less than two weeks. Time is quickly running out for a vote on that state’s marriage bill, which Governor Patrick Quinn has pledged to sign. Visit EQIL to learn more and to find out how you can help.

Polling in Illinois is strong, with 50% for marriage and 29% opposed. And national support continues to grow as well, with a new Gallup poll showing 53% favor marriage to 45% opposed. This is the fifth consecutive Gallup poll to show marriage equality at or above 50 percent.

We have several additional surveys this week that show growing support in more conservative states. In Michigan, it’s at 58.6 percent, an increase of 12 and a half points in just the last year. In Virginia, it’s 55 percent, a ten point increase in two years. And it’s 55 percent in Arizona, with 35 percent opposed.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that all three of these states — and twenty seven others — have constitutional amendments banning marriage equality. That means that even with a majority of public support, those states are still stuck with marriage bans for the time being. Changing those state constitutions will be a slow and expensive process.

In Nevada, for example, a repeal of the state’s constitutional ban just passed an Assembly Committee and now heads to a full floor vote. It’s expected to pass, but then it’ll have to wait two years before it can advance to the next round of voting. And then it’ll be 2016 before the repeal finally makes it to the ballot.

But there are other avenues for marriage equality to win. In Nevada and Hawaii, for example, there are lawsuits challenging the state’s constitutional ban. Because they’re covered by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the lawsuit’s on hold pending a Supreme Court ruling on Proposition 8. If the court upholds AFER’s previous victory, it could dramatically accelerate the marriage equality process in Arizona across the entire country.

And we’re closer than ever to a resolution on Prop 8. The deadline for the Supreme Court to rule is the end of June. Subscribe here on YouTube and at AFER.org for breaking news alerts and to find out how you can help support the cause of equality for all.

At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I’m Matt Baume. We’ll see you next week.