Gay Marriage Bill Progresses in New Jersey

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Jacob Flores

With Washington State a stone’s throw away from having marriage equality, New Jersey is the next state where homosexual couples might be able to legally wed. I posted a couple of weeks ago that politicians in New Jersey had advanced a bill that would bring about marriage equality to the state. Well, as reported on Queerty, the bill “is on its way to the legislative floor.”

Yesterday, “The Assembly Judiciary Committee approved the measure with a 5 to 2 party-line vote after hearing more than 6 hours of testimony from dozens of supporters and opponents,” as reported in On Top Magazine. The bill, which already passed the state Senate, will now go before the Assembly for a vote.

If the bill passes there, it will be presented to Governor Chris Christie, who is now promising to veto the bill. Instead, he wants the citizens to vote on the issue and is calling for a referendum to do just that.

According to Bloomberg, Christie knows that the state favors gay marriage based on the following comment he made: “The polls that I’ve seen show that if this goes to the ballot, I lose.”

If that’s the case, Christie could save the state and its citizens the trouble of having to go through such a referendum and simply sign the bill if it passes through the Assembly, who represent the will of the people in his state.

But that would mean actually governing for the people and not for himself, something Christie is apparently incapable of doing.

Canadian Country Singer Comes Out in Music Video

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Jacob Flores

Drake Jensen, a country singer from Canada, recently released a video titled “On My Way to Finding You.” In the video, Jensen comes out to his fans as a gay man since his co-star and love interest in the video is Jensen’s husband.

Jensen was inspired to do the video by the recent rash of gay teen suicides. He even dedicated the video to Jamie Huber, an Ottawan teen who committed suicide after being bullied.

Coming out isn’t easy for the average Joe, but for those who live in the limelight of celebrity, the process is even more daunting. Kudos to Jensen for making such a bold statement!

Marriage Equality Bill Passes Washington State Senate

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Jacob Flores

Last night, the Washington State Senate passed the marriage equality bill, which will legalize gay marriage in the state, by a vote of 28-21, as reported by ThinkProgress. The measure now heads to the state’s House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass. Once that’s done, Governor Christine Gregoire has promised to sign the bill into law.

According to ThinkProgress, the governor had this to say about the bill’s passage:

Tonight the Washington State Senate stood up for what is right and told all families in our state that they are equal and that the state cannot be in the business of discrimination. I believe that this decision should be made by our state Legislature, and I’m proud our elected leaders recognized that responsibility.

Tonight our families are better for this vote. Our kids have a brighter future for this bill. And our state is better for this bill. I encourage the House to approve this bill and get it to my desk for my signature. I look forward to the day when all Washington citizens have equal opportunity to marry the person they love.”

Though it is likely the bill will be made into law, opponents of marriage equality still plan to get the required signatures to bring the measure before the voters. Still, this looks to be another victory on the road to true equality for all!

Washington State Senate to Vote on Marriage Equality

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Jacob Flores

Later this evening, the Washington State Senate is scheduled to vote on the marriage equality bill recently passed by the state’s Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations, and Elections Committee, as reported on Towleroad.

Based on a report by Reuter’s “proponents had secured the 25 votes needed for a simple majority in the 49-seat chamber.” This means that Washington could join New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa as well as the District of Columbia in marriage equality.

If the measure passes, Washington State Governor Christine Gregorie has promised to sign the bill when it crosses her desk.

Even though the passage of the bill seems a done deal, opponents of the measure are planning a referendum to take the matter to the voting booths.

NH Governor Will Veto GOP Attempt to Repeal Gay Marriage

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Jacob Flores

John Lynch, Republican Governor of New Hampshire, announced during his State of the State address that he would veto any attempt by the state’s lawmakers to repeal gay marriage, as reported in Queerty.

You can listen to what Governor Lynch had to say below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihYeYcCFIZk

Thankfully, in a state where Republicans have the majority, enough state Republicans share Governor Lynch’s sentiment, such as Republican Representative Steve Winter, who had this to say to the Concord Monitor:

I’m for liberty and freedom, leaving people alone so long as they don’t harm or defraud other people…I believe what people do with their lives, how they select their mates, is none of my business and none of the state’s business.”

It’s nice to know that there are politicians out there who listen to the wishes of their constituents. As I’ve posted before, most citizens in New Hampshire don’t want to repeal the marriage equality law and have even fought back with their own campaign.

It’s my hope that the politicians in New Hampshire continue to do the right thing and not let the ignorance and prejudice of some politicians to destroy equality in New Hampshire.

Marriage Equality Bill Advances in Washington State

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Jacob Flores

By a vote of 4-3, a marriage equality bill has passed in the Washington state Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee, according to ThinkProgress. Currently, the proposed bill has enough votes to pass in both houses of the state government. The measure even has the support of the Governor, who has promised to sign the bill.

Washington could quite possibly be the 7th state to make marriage equality law.

My fingers, toes, and eyes are crossed in anticipation!

NOM Believes Gingrich Can Save Traditional Marriage

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Jacob Flores

It’s old news that Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary, but here’s something you might not know: The National Organization for Marriage is thrilled about Gingrich’s win because of “his commitment to ‘preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman,’” as reported by ThinkProgress.

In a press release earlier this week, NOM President Brian Brown had this to say about Gingrich:

It is now clear that the Republican Party will nominate a candidate who is strongly committed to preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman…We have succeeded in making the preservation of marriage a key issue in this race, and we will continue to do so throughout the primary season, and into the general election against President Obama.”

If NOM truly believes that Gingrich, a man who has been married three times and divorced his first two wives due to extramarital affairs, can save traditional marriage, then they can’t really be in favor of marriage, traditional or otherwise.

Yes, Gingrich signed NOM’s marriage pledge, and yes, he’s taken up the conservative rallying call to hate on the gays, but Gingrich isn’t a poster child for happily ever after.

What NOM’s support of Gingrich shows is that they aren’t for traditional marriage. They are against gays. Their motivation isn’t protection of marriage but to beat gays and lesbians back into the closet. And, we really knew that was the case all along, didn’t we?

Hilary Clinton Enforces Foreign Policy on Gay Rights

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Jacob Flores

You may remember I previously posted about Hilary Clinton’s speech before the United Nations on gay rights globally. In the speech, she commented on how she wanted to usher in an AIDS free generation and also called on all nations to treat gay individuals as equally as any other individual. In her speech, Clinton said, “Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights. It is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished.”

Recently, she made good on her promise of support by “sending funds to gay-rights advocacy groups and local officials in problem nations like Honduras, Uganda, Malawi, Pakistan and Serbia,” as reported in Queerty. The purpose of these funds is to set up police task forces to investigate hate crimes based on an individual’s sexual orientation.

Josue Hernandez, who was interviewed by The Miami Herald, had this to say about life in Honduras as a gay man, “We are in a deplorable state. When we walk the streets, people shout insults at us and throw rocks. Parents move their children away.” In fact, Honduras reports over 60 homicides which have been directly linked to the victim’s sexuality.

Kudos to Clinton for using her clout and resources to affect positive global change. This is the lasting global impact all nation’s leaders should be emulating.

New Hampshire Considers Legalizing Discrimination

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Jacob Flores

While we had good news come out of New Jersey about marriage equality, another Northeastern state provides us with some idiotic legislation. New Hampshire’s House Judiciary Committee is currently considering a bill that will “allow businesses that oppose marriage equality to deny services to same-sex couples based on their ‘conscience’ or religious beliefs. It also protects them from any civil claim of action for doing so,” as reported by ThinkProgress.

The wording of the bill is apparently so generic that businesses could discriminate against any couple whose marriage doesn’t follow the beliefs of the business owners. If you’re a straight interracial couple and you happen to unknowingly seek the services of a White Supremacist, then that Neo-Nazi skin head would have the right to kick you out of his shop and you would have no legal recourse.

I can’t believe this is how politicians in New Hampshire are wasting their time. In order to protect conservative extremists’ right to hate on gays, they are willing to sanction state-wide discrimination against multiple sections of society. This is the same state whose Republican dominated politicians want to repeal marriage equality even though the citizens of the state support it.

It seems that New Hampshire needs to clean house.

Gay Marriage Coming to New Jersey?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Jacob Flores

It just might be!

Today, politicians in New Jersey advanced a bill to allow marriage equality in the state by a vote of 8-4, as reported by ThinkProgress. In order for the bill to become law, it must pass the full senate as well as the governor. Previously, Governor Chris Christie had pledged to veto any bill promoting marriage equality; however, public opinion in the state shows that “52 percent — support marriage equality while only 42 percent oppose it. Likewise, 65 percent believe same-sex marriage is not a threat to traditional marriage, 53 percent agree that denying same-sex marriage is a form of discrimination, and 66 percent [support] adoption rights for same-sex couples.”

As such, Christie has revamped his views in favor of public opinion. He is now utilizing a “wait and see approach” to what happens with the state’s elected politicians. If the bill passes the Senate, Christie might not veto the bill since doing so might be seen as “offensive and discriminatory” and be “politically unpopular” for his career.

While Christie’s motives might be far from altruistic, it certainly shows that he is willing to put the wishes of his constituents above his own personal bias. In my opinion, that’s what a good politician does.