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Hillary Clinton's Amazing Speech On LGBT Rights

NY becomes largest state to approve gay marriage - Yahoo! News

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York lawmakers narrowly voted to legalize same-sex marriage Friday, handing activists a breakthrough victory in the state where the gay rights movement was born.

New York will become the sixth state where gay couples can wed and the biggest by far.

"We are leaders and we join other proud states that recognize our families and the battle will now go on in other states," said Sen. Thomas Duane, a Democrat.

Gay rights advocates are hoping the vote will galvanize the movement around the country and help it regain momentum after an almost identical bill was defeated here in 2009 and similar measures failed in 2010 in New Jersey and this year in Maryland and Rhode Island.

"Once this is signed into law, the population of the United States living under marriage equality doubles," said Ross Levi, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda in an interview. "That's certainly going to have a ripple effect across the nation. It's truly a historic night for love, our families, and democracy won."  Click here to read more...

via news.yahoo.com

Critical: Marriage Equality in New York

One more vote.

Only one more vote is needed in the New York Senate to pass legislation recognizing the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples in the state, and a vote could happen tomorrow.

Whether or not you live in New York, please visit our friends at New Yorkers United for Marriage to learn more about what you can do.

Today, AFER co-counsel Ted Olson called on conservatives to support the marriage equality legislation:

“Conservatives should support the Governor’s marriage equality bill. Equality under the law, nurturing strong families and religious freedom are bedrock conservative values, and the Governor’s bill promotes them all.

“The bill finally ends the State of New York’s demeaning treatment of gay men and lesbians as second-class citizens unworthy of the institution of civil marriage. It stabilizes and strengthens New York families headed by gay men and lesbians by allowing them to marry, delivering untold benefits to the thousands of children raised by those parents.

“And the bill protects religious freedom by ensuring that religious institutions will not be required to perform marriages contrary to their beliefs.

“As a lifelong Republican and conservative, I support this legislation. New Yorkers who believe in freedom, respect family values and cherish religious liberty should embrace it as well.”

New York is so close to recognizing the rights of gay and lesbian couples and their families, thanks to the strong leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the coordinated efforts of Empire State Pride Agenda, Freedom to Marry, Human Rights Campaign, Log Cabin Republicans and Marriage Equality New York.

This has been an incredible week with AFER’s victory in federal court, and a bankruptcy court ruling the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. We have a chance to add a victory in New York to that list.

The dark walls of discrimination are crumbling, and crumbling quickly!

Sincerely,

Chad Griffin Board President American Foundation for Equal Rights

P.S. Ted Olson also teamed up with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for an editorial in the New York Daily News about why anything less than full equality inadequate.

Prop 8 - Fact vs Fiction

Dear Equality Supporter, The other side continues to twist our facts with their fiction as Prop. 8’s journey to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heats up. Help shed light on their false claims by emailing at least three friends now and encourage them to sign up and get involved with our case. Groups including the National Organization for Marriage, Focus on the Family, and Concerned Women of America have filed 25 briefs which detail their arguments about why Prop. 8 should stand. Make sure your friends and family know how wrong they are. Forward this email and encourage them to get involved with the federal challenge to Prop. 8. Our brilliant legal team led by Theodore Olson and David Boies has been analyzing over 870 pages of the other side’s briefs. Some of the ridiculous arguments include: The testimonies of four “ex-gays” prove that sexual orientation is changeable and LGBT people can be “cured” and "turned straight." "The ability to reproduce is what makes living things different from rocks." If marriage equality is legalized, more children will become gay. Allowing gay and lesbian Americans to marry will have unknown consequences, including opening the door to state-sanctioned polygamy. Our legal team is hard at work preparing a stellar rebuttal that counters every one of the false and inaccurate arguments. Please, encourage your friends and family to get involved with the legal challenge by signing up for updates. As the sole organizational sponsor of the Prop. 8 federal court challenge, the American Foundation for Equal Rights is the best source for insight and actions to help overturn Prop. 8 for good. We will put an end to Prop. 8 so that LGBT Americans will be able to marry the person they love.   Sincerely, Chad Griffin, Board President, American Foundation for Equal Rights

Ted Olson's Billiant Interview on FOX News

via www.couragecampaign.org

Judge Walker's Prop 8 decision in the Prop 8 trial is the beginning of the end of discrimination against LGBT families. This victory was made possible through the tireless efforts of Chad Griffin and the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and their legal team, headed by Ted Olson and David Boies.

They are heroes -- and like any true heroes, they deserve our ongoing support. Let's show them we've got their back as the fight for equality all the way to the Supreme Court.

Please sign the Courage Campaign's "Thank You!" card to Ted Olson, David Boies, and everyone at AFER.  Click here...

URGENT: Breaking Prop 8 trial news

Judge Vaughn Walker just released his decision, ruling that PROP 8 IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
 
Judge Walker's federal court decision is an historic milestone in the fight for full equality, but it is only a first step: The decision will inevitably be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

After denying Americans the opportunity to watch this historic trial on television, Prop 8 campaign leaders and extreme right-wing organizations like the National Organization for Marriage and Focus on the Family will stop at nothing to delegitimize this decision before it ever reaches the Supreme Court.

But this time, we're fighting back by launching our biggest campaign ever -- an unprecedented online storytelling project to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of the American people and transform the debate over marriage equality.

As the next phase in our year-long "Testimony: Equality on Trial" project, our new campaign will empower same-sex couples, their families, and allies to fundamentally change the conversation about same-sex marriage in America -- establishing today's ruling as the social and cultural foundation for victory in the Supreme Court.

To defend Judge Walker's historic decision, we need to go on offense against the Prop 8 campaign, NOM and Focus on the Family. That's why Tom Dolby and Drew Frist, just married last year, have pledged to contribute $25,000 if our community can match it in the next 48 hours. Will you help us make the match and defend Judge Walker's decision in the court of public opinion? Click here to contribute $25, $50, $100 or more right now! DEADLINE: FRIDAY, 11:59 PM:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DefendTheDecision
 

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via equalityfederation.salsalabs.com

We’re making progress every single day by encouraging conversations between Oregonians about why marriage matters. Volunteers are already leading the way, talking about the issue at public events, on the doorstep, over kitchen tables, at church picnics and more.

And for the first time since 2004 we are running ads across the State aimed at building support for the freedom to marry.  Ask people to sign the freedom to marry pledge today!  Click here...

Proposition 8 Ruled Unconstitutional!

Breaking News: Today, a federal judge ruled that Prop 8 is unconstitutional. The ruling in the federal trial challenging California’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples held that it’s unconstitutional to have one set of laws for some Californians and another for others. While we join in feeling encouraged by such progress, we know that there is far to go for the freedom to marry; the ruling is expected to be held up on appeal for some time.  Click here to read more from Basic Rights Oregon...

Marriage Matters To Me

via www.marriagemattersoregon.org

Join the movement for marriage equality and make your voice heard! Basic Rights Oregon invites you to record a short, one-minute video about why marriage matters to you as part of our Marriage Matters to Me education campaign.

The Marriage Matters To Me campaign has a simple goal: to lay the groundwork for marriage equality by getting Oregonians talking about the issue, why it matters to each of us, and how it impacts our lives. These heart-to-heart conversations are what can change hearts and minds—not heated political arguments.

To make that happen, BRO is filming about 1,000 short video comments of Oregonians talking about marriage equality from a personal perspective. People who record videos can then send them out e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, or other media, to really kick start conversations with friends and family. It's a project that takes the conversation out of the head and into the heart. More information can be found at http://www.marriagemattersoregon.org/.

There are two Salem events coming up where a BRO organizer will give you the opportunity to record your own Marriage Matters to Me video. Join us!

SEIU Local 503
1730 Commercial St SE
Tuesday, March 16, 5:30-8 pm

Willamette University Law School
245 Winter Street SE, Room G-217
Wednesday, March 17, 4-5 pm

We also invite you to host your own Marriage Matters video party – get together 10-15 of your friends, and we'll come to record the videos! Contact aeryca@basicrights.org if you are interested.

Maryland Permits Recognition of Same-Gender Marriages

Attorney General Says Maryland Law Permits Recognition of Legal Marriages of Same-Gender: Equality Maryland Commits to Advancing & Defending Protections for Couples

Equality Maryland applauded an opinion released on Feb. 24 by the Office of Attorney General Doug Gansler that states that marriages of same-gender couples validly entered into in other jurisdictions may be honored here at home. The Attorney General’s opinion relies on longstanding legal precedent that says couples who have been legally married in another state are treated under Maryland law as validly married, even if that marriage was not performed in the State of Maryland. This opinion will provide enhanced protections for couples with valid licenses. It compels state agencies to act in accord with the law and provide equal protections to couples with valid licenses. This opinion also increases the momentum behind our efforts to advance full marriage equality for all LGBT couples.

Read more...