Compromise Reached on New Hampshire Gay Marriage Bill

by Holly Ramer | The Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H.—House and Senate negotiators on Friday agreed to add one sentence and change one word in a bill that will determine whether the state allows gay marriage.

Both chambers have approved bills to legalize same-sex marriage, but Gov. John Lynch later demanded additional language to make it clear that churches and religious groups would not be forced to officiate at gay marriages or to provide services, facilities and goods of any kind to participants.

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NCLR Anniversary Celebration: Saturday, May 30, 2009

If there was ever a time when we all needed a party, it’s now. We’ve been through a lot this year and for the past 32 years and we need to come together. NCLR couldn’t have made it this far without you, and we hope to salute you and your support.

NCLR is celebrating 32 years of fighting for LGBT civil and human rights with a fun, energetic community party for our entire family of supporters and friends. The Kates (Kendell and Clinton) will be there, as well as some special guests, and there will be plenty of noshing, drinks, and dancing, along with 1,499 of your closest friends.

Anniversary Party — 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. (midnight)
at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Keynote Speaker: Kate Kendell, Esq., NCLR Executive Director

Emcee: Kate Clinton

Got questions? Answers are here.

You may purchase tickets to the Anniversary Party at the door for $90 each.

Face Off Debate: Tobias Wolff and Maggie Gallagher

CNN’s Kitty Pilgrim interviews Maggie Gallagher and Tobias Wolff on the battle over same sex marriage.

Prop. 8: Sacramento Lawmakers Denounce Decision

The Los Angeles Times

In Sacramento, more than a dozen state lawmakers held a news conference where they reacted with anger to the court decision but vowed to overturn Proposition 8 with another ballot measure next year.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) denounced the court and its decision.

“They really seemed to have abandoned all moral compass around this issue,” said Ammiano, who is gay. “Politically, I have hope. Personally, I am very distressed. I don’t like being a second-class citizen.”

He was not sure whether the Legislature would put a measure on the ballot or whether it would be done by a petition drive.

“If they want a fight, they are going to get a fight,” he added.

Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who is also gay, called the decision “a very painful moment.”

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Watch Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) give his reaction to the CA Supreme Court ruiling upholding Prop. 8.

Meet in the Middle for Equality: Saturday, May 30, 2009

This Saturday, May 30, 2009, Meet in the Middle 4 Equality is kicking off a statewide and national effort toward full federal equality and we are kicking it off in Fresno.

NCLR is proud to be one of the many sponsors of Meet in the Middle for Equality. Even though we won’t be able to be there because of our annual gala, we will be there in spirit and we hope you’ll join thousands of members of the LGBT community and our allies in Fresno.

Video: Win By Telling Our Stories

Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis, plaintiffs in our California marriage case In re Marriage Cases, talk about the recent 6-1 decision by the California Supreme Court to uphold Prop.8 and to continue honoring the 18,000+ marriages that took place between June 16, 2008 and November 4, 2008.

watch now from Newsweek

Prop 8: Now What?

On Tuesday, May 26, 2009, the California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8. NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell talks with Melissa Regan at NoDumbQuestions.org about what we do next.

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Poll: Majority of Rhode Island Voters Favor Gay Marriage Law

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Associated Press) — A survey released Wednesday shows that more than half of Rhode Island voters favor a law allowing gay marriage, leading advocates to point out to state leadership that it’s what residents want.

A Brown University poll showed 60 percent of registered voters in the state said they would support a law allowing gay couples to marry, and 75 percent said they would support a law allowing civil unions. Thirty-one percent said they would oppose a gay marriage law.

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MSNBC’s Watson: Obama Should Lead on Gay Marriage Like LBJ on Civil Rights

During the 2:00PM hour of live Wednesday coverage on MSNBC, anchor Carlos Watson called on President Obama to stand up for gay marriage, comparing the issue to the civil rights movement: “You know what I predict, just like we saw LBJ in the late 60′s, very unexpectedly and very famously, looked into the camera, addressed the nation, and say ‘we shall overcome,’ adopting the language of the civil rights movement, I wouldn’t be surprised if before 2012 we see President Obama get out in front on this.”

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Where’s The Equal Justice for Gays?

by Joan Vennochi | The Boston Globe

President Obama had much to say about the glass ceiling he is smashing on behalf of Hispanics and nothing to say about the glass ceiling the California Supreme Court is reimposing on gays.

On Tuesday, Obama announced that he would nominate Sonia Sotomayor, a federal appeals judge in New York, to the Supreme Court. In nominating the daughter of Puerto Rican parents to become the nation’s first Hispanic justice, Obama said that when she “ascends those marble steps to assume her seat on the highest court of the land, America will have taken another important step towards realizing the idea that is etched above its entrance: equal justice under the law.”

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