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13 Feb 2012 15:39

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Politics: Washington legalizes same-sex marriage…but there’s an asterisk

  • I’m proud that the children in our schools and neighborhoods will no longer have to wonder why their loving parents are considered somewhat different than other loving parents.
  • Washington Governor Chris Gregoire • Upon signing legislation today that legalized same-sex marriage in her state. The law is set to take place in June, but there’s a catch: If opponents of marriage equality succeed in putting a ballot initiative on the November ballot, the law won’t take effect until after the election returns in December. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jan 2012 10:17

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Politics, U.S.: Gay marriage bill gets closer to passing in Washington state

  • pastWashington state has had a same-sex domestic partnership law since 2007, and an “everything but marriage” law since 2009. This week, opponents and supporters of same-sex marriage crowded a state Senate committee hearing to see if the state might go a step further.
  • futureState Senator Mary Margaret Haugen became the 25th vote of support of the bill on Monday. “This is the right vote and it is the vote I will cast when this measure comes to the floor,” she said. Washington would become the seventh state to do so. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2011 15:19

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U.S.: Obama’s being pressured to support gay marriage

  • My baseline is a strong civil union that provides them the protections and the legal rights that married couples have. And I think that’s the right thing to do. But I recognize that from their perspective it is not enough, and I think (it) is something that we’re going to continue to debate, and I personally am going to continue to wrestle with going forward.
  • President Barack Obama, in a December news conference • Discussing his “evolving” views on gay marriage. Tonight, Obama will host a gala as a fundraiser for his campaign — the first of its kind for gay donors. With the gay marriage bill in New York being hanging over his head, this gala will really put his “evolving” view on the issue to the test. Lots of people are criticizing Obama for his stance on gay marriage — especially his progressive base. It’s also worth noting that Obama supported gay marriage back in 1996. It’ll be interesting to see how this gala pans out tonight, because this will come up. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jun 2011 16:22

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Politics: Fervor over gay marriage vote grows in NY as state senate stalls

  • Still waiting on history: Protests and passions have continued to flare as the New York state senate has still not yet resolved the gay marriage bill before it. The AP is reporting that Wednesday might be the decisive day, but it’s not certain — legislative schedules change dynamically, as they did last week when it rumors swirled that Friday would bring a vote for the bill. Also of note in this video is the New York Giants’ Super Bowl hero of a few seasons ago, David Tyree, giving one of the most common, irritating arguments against gay marriage; if marriage is one way for a long time, why change it? This argument’s been used in other cases, of course — ones which most people now view as pretty dubious. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jun 2011 15:41

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Politics: Marine Sgt. Major speaks in support of gay rights in military

  • It says, ‘Raise an army.’ It says absolutely nothing about race, color, creed, sexual orientation. How dare we, then, exclude a group of people who want to do the same thing you do right now, something that is honorable and noble? Get over it… Let’s just move on, treat everybody with firmness, fairness, dignity, compassion and respect. Let’s be Marines.
  • Marine Corps. Sergeant Major Michael Barrett • Speaking to a group of Marines about the reversal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Barrett argues that, even to somebody who may harbor personal prejudice against homosexuals, is likely to strike a chord. Namely, the argument for a military free of discrimination that relies on the strength and valor of said military as the pitch. We’ve always thought this was an underplayed aspect of the DADT debate from last year — the mentality that our men and women in service couldn’t handle being around a homosexual soldier is not only an affront to our society’s standards of equality, but it seems to imply a pretty distasteful thing about the professionalism of our military forces. Having somebody in Barrett’s position say this is very important for a smooth transition to a more open military, so we thank him. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 17:50

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Culture: Charles Barkley lauds gay equality in sports, marriage

  • Any professional athlete who gets on TV or radio and says he never played with a gay guy is a stone-freakin’ idiot. I would even say the same thing in college. Every college player, every pro player in any sport has probably played with a gay person. … I’ve been a big proponent of gay marriage for a long time, because as a black person, I can’t be in for any form of discrimination at all.
  • Charles Barkley • The Hall-Of-Fame power forward speaking out about homosexuality in sports, in the wake of Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts coming out in an New York Times story over the weekend. Barkley’s comments are earnest and worthy of notice, especially in recent weeks that have seen sexual orientation become a focal point in the NBA. The impetus of it all, to some extent, was the very public stance the league took when Kobe Bryant hurled a slur at an official. Bryant received a stiff fine, and to his credit to some extent, he later partnered with a gay rights group for public education. Then, Phoenix Suns players Grant Hill and Jared Dudley shot a PSA denouncing the use of “gay” as a playground insult (a move that invariably and depressingly got them called “gay” a lot via Twitter). It was on this recent foundation that Welts came out. Courage like this brings us ever closer to a more enlightened society, so simply, thank you. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Mar 2011 12:46

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U.S.: From the chamber: Senator Dick Durbin’s Muslim rights hearing

  • …it is incumbent upon all Americans who love this nation and the values our Constitution protects to make it clear to defend the civil rights of our Muslim neighbors are as important as the rights of Christians, Jews and non-believers.
  • Senator Dick Durbin • On his Senate hearings on anti-Muslim discrimination, broadly viewed as a counter-weight to Rep. Peter King’s hearings on radicalized Islam in the House. For what it’s worth, King’s anti-terrorism zeal wasn’t beyond the scope of his responsibility, nor could it not have been handled tastefully as a hearing on terrorism writ large. The standard of tacitly condemning an entire community for the actions of the very few, however, was and is unpleasant, and its given Durbin a chance to shine some light in the other direction. Also, isn’t it cool that non-believers get a shout out, too? The first time we can recall that was during  Obama’s inauguration, and it’s a welcome and overdue addition to the public discourse on faith. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Feb 2011 13:17

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Politics: Barbara Bush (Dubya’s daughter) joins campaign for gay marriage

  • It seems like only yesterday: It was 2004, and George W. Bush proposed a constitutional gay marriage ban in all fifty states as a reelection issue, under the supervision of his campaign manager Ken Mehlman. Now Mehlman is openly gay, Bush has said he has no interest in politics, and his daughter is cutting commercials for New Yorkers for Marriage Equality. Maybe things do have a way of working out in the end? source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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