GAY MARRIAGE FOR ALL: Weekly Recap 3/29/08

Hi all,

Still working on getting this update done weekly. :)

You can now see a running history in each area, and see what's going on all around the world at a glance. New information is posted at the top of each area's section. Each region also now has information about the current legal status - if gay marriage or some form of civil union/domestic partnership is offered. We've also just added info about the anti gay marriage laws in the USA section.

For any LGBT couples getting married, congratulations! You'll find links in many regions to gay friendly wedding vendors in that area.

At the very end of the blog, you'll find our People section - celebrities, politicians, and others who have made gay marriage news recently.

If you have any thoughts about how we can make this feature better or easier to use, or any updates on the issues covered here, let me know at info@purpleunions.com.

This has taken a lot of work to put it together, and we hope it's helpful for anyone who wants to keep tabs on this issue, and for LGBT couples who plan to get married and want to know what the laws are in their area. We aren't lawyers, so please verify any information about legality given here with your attorney.

Enjoy!

--Scott

ANDORRA: Legal Status: Civil Unions

ARGENTINA Legal Status: Civil Unions (some areas) WEEK OF 3/6: New Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner supports legalization of same-sex marriage. WEEK OF 1/18: Two of Argentina's gay rights leaders got married in Madrid in defiance of their country's ban on gay marriage.

AUSTRALIA Legal Status: Civil Unions Australia Gay Wedding Vendors 3/12/08: The Province of Victoria is considering legislation that would allow GLBT couples to register as domestic partners, allowing them easier access to entitlements that require proof of relationship. Source WEEK OF 1/18: Greens MP Lee Riannon promises to introduce a civil unions bill in State Parliament later this year. WEEK OF 1/3: A gay couple gets married at the opening of the Sydney Festival in front of 20,000 people.

BELGIUM Legal Status: Gay Marriage

BRAZIL Legal Status: Civil Unions (some areas) Brazil Gay Wedding Vendors

CZECH REPUBLIC Legal Status: Domestic Partnerships WEEK OF 1/25: Nearly 500 couples register their partnerships in the first year.

CANADA Legal Status: Gay Marriage Canada Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 1/11: Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity bucks the Anglican Church and vows to continue blessing gay weddings. WEEK OF 1/11: Pioneering lesbian couple in Nova Scotia whose test case on gay marriage reached the NS Supreme Court files for divorce. WEEK OF 1/3: Anglican Bishop John Chapman to decide soon whether to allow blessings of same sex unions in the Ottawa Diocese.

COLUMBIA Legal Status: Civil Unions

CROATIA Legal Status: Civil Unions

CUBA Legal Status: n/a 3/28/08: Cuban lawmakers will vote in June on legislation to grant rights to gays and lesbians, including domestic partnerships. WEEK OF 2/1: In Cuba, a member of the ruling Politburo came out in support of gay marriage.

CZECH REPUBLIC Legal Status: Civil Unions

DENMARK Legal Status: Civil Unions

FINLAND Legal Status: Civil Unions

FRANCE Legal Status: Civil Unions France Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 3/6: A Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) hearing on the legal recognition of same-sex partnerships will take place in Paris on 3/7/08. Source

GERMANY Legal Status: Civil Unions

GREECE Legal Status: n/a 3/13/08: A lesbian couple will be civilly married next week, exploiting a loophole in Greek law that does not specify that a civil union must be between a man and a woman. Source

HUNGARY Legal Status: Civil Unions

ICELAND Legal Status: Civil Unions

IRELAND Legal Status: n/a 3/11/08: The Irish government has started to work on a civil partnership law that would recognize same sex couples and offer some legal recognition for the first time. Source WEEK OF 2/15: A gay couple held hands and discussed their relationship and gay marriage. WEEK OF 2/8: Lesbian Gay Transgender Bisexual Noise, a new activist group, submitted 1,000 signatures to Ireland's Prime Minister in support of gay marriage. WEEK OF 1/3: Equality Minister Seam Power announces that Ireland will pass legislation in the spring to allow civil unions, and to recognize same sex marriages and civil unions performed elsewhere, by summer.

ISRAEL Legal Status: Civil Unions (recognizes marriages performed elsewhere) WEEK OF 1/3: Tel Aviv announces a plan to recognize same sex couples for all muncipal services, including taxes, making it the third Israeli city to do so, after Lod and Mevaserat Zion.

LUXEMBORG Legal Status: Civil Unions

MEXICO Legal Status: Civil Unions (some areas) Mexico Gay Wedding Vendors

MOROCCO Legal Status: n/a 3/25/08: A Moroccan paper that was the first to report the "gay marriage" is fined for mistakenly saying a Judge had been in attendance. Source WEEK OF 1/11: A Moroccan appeals court upheld prison sentences for six men arrested on "homosexuality" charges at what the local press has called a "gay marriage".

MOZAMBIQUE Legal Status: n/a WEEK OF 2/22: A conference organized by the Coalition of African Lesbians brings together 75 people from LGBT groups across Africa to try to end anti gay laws across the continent.

NETHERLANDS Legal Status: Gay Marriage

NEW ZEALAND Legal Status: Civil Unions New Zealand Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 2/22: Christchurch’s new Anglican Bishop is a supporter of gay marriage.

NIGERIA Legal Status: n/a WEEK OF 2/15: 18 men accused of attending a gay wedding for the crime of being gay.

NORWAY Legal Status: Civil Unions 3/14/08: The Norwegian government proposed giving same sex couples the right to marry.

POLAND Legal Status: n/a 3/18/08: The President of Poland broadcasts a national address bashing the EU's proposed charter of rights over a gay marriage provision, using a gay couple's wedding photos to illustrate his message without the couple's permission. Source

PORTUGAL Legal Status: Civil Unions

ROMANIA Legal Status: n/a WEEK OF 2/8: Parliament is considering an amendment to the Family Code to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

SERBIA Legal Status: n/a WEEK OF 1/11: Serbian Presidential Candidate Cedomir Jovanovic says he would remove all discriminatory provisions against GLBT folks from Serbian law if elected.

SENEGAL Legal Status: n/a WEEK OF 2/22: Dozens of Senegalese gays have fled to neighboring Gambia and Mali following a wave of arrests and violent anti-gay street protests. Sebegal is hosting a major international Islamic summit on March 12 WEEK OF 2/1: The editor of the magazine Icone published an article about a gay wedding and received death threats, and five men who attended the wedding and were pictured in the article were arrested by authorities. All five were released, but may still face charges.

SLOVENIA Legal Status: Civil Unions

SOUTH AFRICA Legal Status: Civil Unions WEEK OF 1/3/08: HIV/AIDS activist and Nobel Prize nominee Zackie Achmat married his partner, Dalli Weyers, at a ceremony near Cape Town. Same sex marriage has been legal in South Africa since 2005.

SPAIN Legal Status: Gay Marriage Spain Gay Wedding Vendors 3/10/08: Pro-gay-marriage Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero wins the election, despite conservative attempts to use the issue to bring down the Socialists. WEEK OF 3/6: Elections here on 3/9, may turn on issues of gay marriage and abortion. WEEK OF 2/22: Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the leader of Spain's Socialist party, has promised to fight any attempt to remove or weaken gay rights laws he has introduced as Prime Minister. WEEK OF 2/15: With an election pending, the Government told the Vatican to stop meddling in the election process. WEEK OF 2/1: The Catholic Church is trying to unseat Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodrigo Zapatero in an effort to overturn Spain's recent legalization of gay marriage. WEEK OF 1/25: New poll shows 75% of Spaniards approve of gay marriage law passed two years ago, 18% disapprove. WEEK OF 1/11: Conservative Popular Party Leader Mariano Rajoy promises not to repeal gay marriage in Spain if elected Prime Minister in early March.

SWEDEN Legal Status: Civil Unions WEEK OF 1/18: 70% of Swedes now support gay marriage. WEEK OF 1/11: The Swedish Legislature, with the support of the Church of Sweden, announces its intention to legalize gay marriage there, upgrading the current civil union laws established in 1995.

SWITZERLAND Legal Status: Civil Unions

UNITED KINGDOM Legal Status: Civil Unions England Gay Wedding Vendors Wales Gay Wedding Vendors 3/11/08: A Catholic couple in Scotland is suing the Strathclyde police over the change of status from "married" to "married/civil partnership in their civil employee records. Source WEEK OF 1/25: Labour MP Emily Thornberry tells Islington registrar to "Get on with your job." WEEK OF 1/3: A wedding registrar in Islington is suing the city council for forcing her to perform gay marriages, which she says is against her religious beliefs.

URUGUAY Legal Status: Civil Unions

UNITED STATES: Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act

ARIZONA Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act Arizona Gay Wedding Vendors 3/28/08: The bill to ban gay marriage is currently awaiting hearings in both the state House and Senate; Former AZ Rep. Jim Kolbe, who is gay, predicts the measure won't make it to the voters. Source WEEK OF 2/15: Constitutional marriage ban bill may pass both houses in the legislature next week. WEEK OF 2/8: The republican legislature plans to put a new initiative before voters in the fall to add a gay marriage ban to the state constitution. WEEK OF 1/18: Governor Janet Napolitano has proposed extending benefits available to state workers to their same- and opposite-sex domestic partners.

CALIFORNIA Legal Status: Domestic Partnership; Law Bans Recognition of Out of State Same Sex Marriages California Gay Wedding Vendors 3/26/08: At Fullerton College, students encircled an anti-gay-marriage petition gatherer who was misleading other students to get them to sign the petition, telling potential signers what they were really signing. Source 3/9/08: A new UCLA study finds that same sex coulples across the country earn less than their married straight counterparts. 3/9/08: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who kicked off the month of gay marriages there in 2004, is exploring a possible Gubenatorial run in 2010. 3/9/08: State Senator Carole Migden proposes a bill to allow heterosexual couples to form domestic partnerships under the state law. WEEK OF 2/29: The California Supreme Court holds a 3 1⁄2 hour hearing on gay marriage, in which Justices harshly questioned opponents’ claims of harm to children and the insitution of marriage. WEEK OF 2/22: Equality for All announces a campaign to track progress of the signature gathering for the anti gay marriage amendments, and plans to talk to voters to educate them about these measures. WEEK OF 2/8: Let California Ring is airing a new ad showing a bride being prevented from getting to the altar by a series of mishaps, with the tagline "What if you couldn't marry the one you love?" WEEK OF 2/1: The State Supreme Court announced that they would finally hear arguments in the gay marriage case brought by the City of San Francisco in 2004 on March 3^rd. By June 4th, the court will hand down a ruling. WEEK OF 1/25: After several months of inactivity, two groups are gathering signatures again to put an anti gay marriage amendment on the California ballot in November. The groups need 700K valid signatures by April 21st to qualify. WEEK OF 1/11: Republican Mayoral candidate Steve Francis says he would have vetoed a city council vote in support of gay marriage if he had been Mayor. The current Mayor, Republican Jerry Sanders, tearfully announced his support for the measure in a moving speech last year.

COLORADO Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act & Constitutional Ban Colorado Gay Wedding Vendors 3/27/08: Larimer County votes to start offering insurance to same sex partners when one works for the county. Source WEEK OF 2/8: A lesbian couple from Englewood is suing to overturn the state's ban on gay marriage, established by a 2006 ballot initiative.

CONNECTICUT Legal Status: Civil Unions Connecticut Gay Wedding Vendors 3/28/08: The ACLU is asking H&R Block to allow CT domestic partners to file their state taxes jointly online. Source 3/15/08: Connecticut lawmakers are reviewing existing civil unions legislation to close loopholes and address other issues uncovered since its implementation. The state Supreme Court decision is still pending. WEEK OF 1/3: The Connecticut Supreme Court may hand down their decision on January 11th in favor of gay marriage in the constitution state.

FLORIDA Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act Florida Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 2/1: A pro-gay-marriage group has set up a searchable database where you can see if your neighbors signed the anti-gay marriage amendment petition. WEEK OF 2/1: The anti gay marriage amendment that would also strip away insurance coverage and hospital visitation rights is likely headed to the November ballot as organizers is certified for the fall ballot. This measure requires a 60% vote to pass. WEEK OF 1/25: Florida4Marriage, bankrolled by the state GOP, turns in 92,000 additional signatures to get their anti gay marriage amendment on the November ballot. Only 22,000 additional signatures were needed. WEEK OF 1/11: the anti-gay Florida for Marriage Coalition falls 21,000 signatures short of 611,009 needed to get the initiative on the fall ballot. The group has until 1/29 to collect the additional signatures WEEK OF 1/3: The head of the NAACP comes out against the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. WEEK OF 1/3: Secretary of State Kurt Browning requires submission of signature counts for ballot initiatives on paper, after an audit reveals overcounts in electronically submitted numbers.

HAWAII Legal Status: Civil Unions; Defense of Marriage Act Hawaii Gay Wedding Vendors 3/11/08: A gay couple is suing the University of Hawaii after being denied on campus housing together because the State of Hawaii does not recognize same sex marriage.

IDAHO Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Ban WEEK OF 1/18: Idaho took a small step toward gay rights, proposing a bill that would make discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal for employers with 5 or more employees. Churches would be exempted.

ILLINOIS Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act Illinois Gay Wedding Vendors 3/29/08: Leaders of both houses are reluctant to bring civil unions legislation up for a vote. Source WEEK OF 2/29: Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, introduces a civil unions bill in the Illinois House.

INDIANA Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act Indiana Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 2/29: Sixty Indiana House members sign a petition to bring the anti gay marriage constitutional amendment to the floor for a vote. WEEK OF 2/15: House leaders have decided not to pursue an anti-gay-marriage amendment this year, even though a majority of House members have said they support such a ban. If it fails this year, amendment supporters will have to start all over again in the next session. WEEK OF 2/1: Ball State University faculty voted to stand up against the proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage in Indiana. WEEK OF 1/25: The GOP controlled state senate passed a constitutional gay marriage ban, but there's little chance that the Democratically controlled house will follow suit. WEEK OF 1/18: State Rep. Scott Pelath, chairman if the Indiana House Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee, refused to bring up a bill to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage, saying the House has much more urgent matters. WEEK OF 1/18: Gay marriage opponents, frustrated in the Indiana House, are taking their case to the Indiana senate, hoping to pass a measure to amend the Indiana state constitution to ban gay marriage. WEEK OF 1/3: In Indiana, state senator Brandt Hershman pushed for a constitutional ban on same sex marriage in that state, even though Indiana already has a version of the Defense of Marriage act on its books.

IOWA Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act 3/29/08: Two former Iowa Lt. Governors, one Republican and one Democrat, submitted friend of the court briefs in favor of gay marriage to the Iowa Supreme Court. Source 3/6/08: Today passed without movement on a state constitutional marriage amendment, one of two such “funnel” days this session… chances are the bill will not pass this year. 3/5/08: State House Republican Christopher Rants tried to force a vote to move the gay marriage ban out of committee and to the full House, but was blocked by House Democrats. Source WEEK OF 2/29: Iowa Democrats in the state House defeated a measure that would have added a gay marriage ban to the Iowa constitution.WEEK OF 2/22: 62% of Iowans are against gay marriage, while 48% believe it should be banned by constitutional amendment while 47% believe it should not. Source WEEK OF 1/25: Five conservative state lawmakers file papers with the state Supreme Court urging the court to overturn a Polk County judge's decision that struck down the state's anti-gay marriage law. WEEK OF 1/18: Democratic Governor Chet Culver asked the state Supreme Court to hurry up its ruling on Iowa's ban on gay marriage, and promised to rush through a constitutional amendment should the court strike down the defense of marriage law in the state. WEEK OF 1/18: Gay marriage foes here delivered 6K signatures to the Iowa Legislature demanding impeachment of Polk County Judge Robert Hanson, the judge who ruled that the anti-gay-marriage law there was unconstitutional last summer. WEEK OF 1/11: Republicans try to force the Democratic-controlled legislature to add an anti-gay-marriage amendment to the Iowa constitution, an effort to pre-empt a pending Iowa State Supreme Court ruling on the state's Defense of Marriage.

KENTUCKY Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Amendment Kentucky Gay Wedding Vendors 3/28/08: Domestic partner ban killed in committee. Source WEEK OF 1/25: Governor Steve Beshear vows to veto a bill working its way through the Kentucky legislature that would ban domestic partner benefits in that state. WEEK OF 1/18: A state senate committee has approved legislation that would amend Indiana's constitution to prohibit gay marriage. The bill appears to have little chance of passage through the full house and senate this year.

LOUISIANA Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Amendment Louisiana Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 2/15: The student Senate at LSU is debating a measure to University's ticket office to provide spousal privileges to domestic partners of students - allowing them to buy tickets

MAINE Legal Status: Domestic Partnership; Defense of Marriage Act Maine Gay Wedding Vendors

MARYLAND Legal Status: n/a Maryland Gay Wedding Vendors 3/28/08: Efforts to pass gay marriage, civil union, or transgender protection legislation appear to have failed this session, mostly due to lack of support from Sen. Anthony Muse (DINO). Source 3/19/08: Conflicting reports claim Maryland would lose 2.3 Million or gain 3.2 million by enacting same sex marriage. Source 3/18/08: Maryland Senators pass the medical decisions legislation on a 30-17 vote. Source 3/12/08: Maryland lawmakers propose a bill to allow same sex couples to make medical decisions for one another. Source 3/6/08: Maryland lawmakers may not be able to pass a civil unions law this year, so they're considering a new approach, a package that would grant a number of rights to GLBT couples, hoping to add to it in future sessions. Source WEEK OF 2/29: More than a dozen styate lawmakers testified in support of gay marriage. WEEK OF 2/29: State Senator C. Anthony Muse, an African American Democrat and the swing vote on the gay marriage issue there, has trouble reconciling civil rights with church teaching, and suggests passing the issue off to state voters. WEEK OF 2/15: Hundreds of people showed up in below-freezing weather in support of gay marriage at a rally outside the state house in Annapolis. WEEK OF 2/8: the state's Attorney General, Douglas F. Gansler, came out in favor of a gay marriage law, saying that the current ban in the state amounts to discrimination. WEEK OF 2/1: A member of the House of Delegates, Donald H. Dwyer Jr., announced plans to try to put an anti gay marriage measure on the November ballot. WEEK OF 1/25: More than a quarter of Maryland's state lawmakers have signed up to sponsor a bill legalizing gay marriage in Maryland. WEEK OF 1/18: Two state senators, Rich Madaleno and Jamie Raskin, have taken up sponsorship of the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act in Maryland, which would legalize gay marriage there while allowing churches to continue to decide whom they would marry. The two take over for Gwendolyn Britt. WEEK OF 1/11: Maryland lawmakers define who's eligible for Domestic Partner status for health insurance purposes. WEEK OF 1/11: Gay rights supporter and former Sixties Freedom Rider Gwendolyn T. Britt passed away after being admitted to a hospital. Britt had planned to introduce gay marriage legislation this session, and will be greatly missed. WEEK OF 1/3: The Maryland state legislature gets the gay marriage ball punted to them from the Maryland courts.

MASSACHUSETTS Legal Status: Gay Marriage Massachusetts Gay Wedding Vendors 3/27/08: The US State Department is refusing to recognize the new last name for a passport of a man who married his partner in Massachusetts, citing the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. Source WEEK OF 2/29: A new study from the Boston Business Journal shows that the state is benefiting from an influx of gay professionals moving to the state because of Massachusetts’ gay marriage law, helping to reverse a decades-long “brain drain”. Source

MICHIGAN Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Amendment Michigan Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 1/25: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, a staunch opponent of gay marriage, was caught in an extra-marital affair.

MINNESOTA Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act Minnesota Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 1/11: David Dillon, CEO of a Twin Cities printing company, announced he'll run for congress in Minnesota's 3rd District as an Independent, a seat formerly held by Republican Jim Ramstad, who is retiring. Dillon is pro-gay-marriage.

MISSOURI: Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Amendment 3/18/08: A lesbian woman is asking the state to annul her same sex marriage, originally performed in Massachusetts. Source

NEVADA Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Amendment Nevada Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 1/11: The board of the Nevada Public Employees Benefits Program votes to expand coverage to unmarried couples and their dependents. WEEK OF 1/11: Huckabee supporters using infamous Republican robo-call tactic to slime opponents for supposed support on gay issues and gay marriage - 546K calls planned to Nevada residents.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Legal Status: Civil Unions New Hampshire Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 1/11: In the two weeks since New Hampshire enacted a new civil unions law, more than 100 couples have taken advantage of it.

NEW JERSEY Legal Status: Civil Unions New Jersey Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 2/15: Democratic Governor Jon Corzine has indicated he would sign a bill legalizing gay marriage, but wants to wait until after the 2008 elections. As the civil unions law there reaches its one year anniversary, some couples are finding that the law is doing more harm than good, as a new legislative report is released that finds that civil unions have created a second class citizenship for gay and lesbian couples. WEEK OF 2/15: John Tomicki of the New Jersey Coalition to Preserve and Protect Marriage won Gaywired's hypocrite of the week award for trying to make gay marriage illegal while answering the question "how would gay marriage affect your marriage" with the three words "Why would it?" WEEK OF 1/25: In the first dissolution of a domestic partnership to come before the courts in NJ, a judge ruled that property must be divided between each partner.

NEW MEXICO Legal Status: n/a New Mexico Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 1/25: The New Mexico House Judiciary Committee passed a domestic partnership bill, which would give gay and lesbian couples in New Mexico the same legal protections and benefits as married couples. Governor Bill Richardson supports the bill, which will go to the full House for a vote later this week.

NEW YORK Legal Status: Does not Recognize Same Sex Marriage New York Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 2/22: Monroe county files its appeal of a Judge’s decision that NY must recognize gay marriages performed out of state. WEEK OF 2/22: A New York judge rules that one partner can sue another for divorce from a marriage conduced in Canada between a lesbian couple from New York. WEEK OF 2/9: In Monroe County, the county announced plans to appeal the judge's decision. WEEK OF 2/1: In Monroe County, New York, a judge ruled that the state had to recognize gay marriages performed in other jurisdictions, so even though gay and lesbian couples can't legally marry within the state, they can now have their marriages performed in Canada and Massachusetts recognized in New York.

OREGON Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Ban Oregon Gay Wedding Vendors Legal Status: Civil Unions WEEK OF 2/1: The hold is finally lifted on the domestic partner law there, and couples line up at courthouses across the state this week to register. WEEK OF 1/25: Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples gathered in Portland to protest a court-ordered delay in the domestic partner law there that was supposed to go into effect on January 1st. WEEK OF 1/3: Same sex couples hold vigils throughout the state to protest a court ruling delaying the implementation of a domestic partner registry.

PENNSYLVANIA Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act Pennsylvania Gay Wedding Vendors 3/19/08: The Judiciary Committee holds the second hearing on the gay marriage ban, and sends it to the Appropriations Committee on a vote of 10-4. Source 3/18/08: The Senate Judiciary holds a hearing on the proposed gay marriage ban, heavily attended by gay marriage opponents. Source 3/12/08: The Pennsylvania state Senate Judiciary Committee hold a hearing on 3/18 on sending the anti-gay marriage amendment to the voters. Source 3/10/08: Several dozen people protested against the proposed amendment, which would also ban civil unions in Pennsylvania. 3/9/08: The Coalition of LGBTA Graduate Students has organized a public commitment ceremony on 3/29 to allow same sex couples in Pennsylvania to publicly express their commitment to each other. Anti gay groupe plan to protest. WEEK OF 2/15: In State College, the town's Mayor, Bill Welch, is taking a stand and presiding over a civil union ceremony for six couples. WEEK OF 2/1: Lawmakers plan to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage. To make the change, the bill will have to be passed in two consecutive sessions, and then be put before the people of Pennsylvania for a vote - the earliest this could happen will be in 2009.

PUERTO RICO Legal Status: n/a Puerto Rico Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 1/18: Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila plans to sign a bill authorizing a May vote on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Puerto Rico.

RHODE ISLAND Legal Status: Does not recognize same sex marriage Rhode Island Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 2/8: House Majority Leader Gordon Fox plans to introduce a bill that would let gay and lesbian couples who married elsewhere file for divorce in Rhode Island.

TENNESSEE Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Ban 3/8/08: Opposition to gay marriage in Tennessee pegged at 66%, with 91% of strong evangelicals against it, according to a new MTSU poll. WEEK OF 1/25: State Representative John Deberry (DINO) and Senator Paul Stanley (R) filed companion bills to ban gay and lesbian couples from adopting. It would also ban straight couples from adopting if they are not married.

TEXAS Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Ban Texas Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 1/11: University of Texas lecturer Uri Horesh entered the third day of his hunger strike to protest UT's lack of health care for domestic partners. UT has a non-discrimination policy, but claims Texas's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage prevents it from providing any domestic partner benefits.

UTAH Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act; Constitutional Ban; Domestic Partner Registry in Salt Lake City Utah Gay Wedding Vendors 3/27/08: After Utah's Governor signed a new law "banning" domestic partnerships in name only, Sal lake City changes the name of its registry to a Mutual Commitment Registry. Source 3/5/08: The House & Senate pass a revised version of the law that bans domestic partnerships, but allows registries based on financial dependence or interdependence. Source WEEK OF 2/15: The bill to outlaw domestic partner registries has stalled in the state Senate. WEEK OF 2/8: State Senator Chris Buttars, offended by a Salt Lake City domestic partner registry, is pushing a bill that would prohibit city and county officials from starting such a registry. WEEK OF 2/1: A group of gay Mormons is seeking a meeting with the new leader of the church, hoping to begin a conversation. WEEK OF 1/11/08: Salt Lake City Mayor Ron Becker wasted no time making good on a campaign pledge to create a domestic partner registry, sending it to the city council for a vote on January 22nd.

VERMONT Legal Status: Civil Unions; Defense of Marriage Act Vermont Gay Wedding Vendors 3/26/08: According to a new survey, 54% of Vermonters now support gay marriage, and only 37% oppose it. Source 3/26/08: The Vermont Commission on Family Recognition, a legislative committee, plans to release its report on Vermonters' views on gay marriage, and may recommend that the legislature offer same sex couples full marriage rights. Source WEEK OF 1/3: The Vermont Marriage Advisory Council announces a plan to "educate" Vermonters about the evils of gay marriage.

WASHINGTON DC Legal Status: Domestic Partnership Washington DC Gay Wedding Vendors Legal Status: Civil Unions

WASHINGTON STATE Legal Status: Civil Unions; Defense of Marriage Act Washington State Gay Wedding Vendors 3/10/08: House Bill 3104, expanding the state's Domestic Partnership law by granting same sex couples 170+rights and responsibilities also given to married couples, is sent to the Governor's desk. Source WEEK OF 2/29: Domestic partner legislation is working its way thru the state Senate after having passed the House with a 62-32 vote. WEEK OF 2/15: Pastor Ken Hutcherson, who has led the fight to strip Microsoft's GLBT employees of benefits, is quoted as saying during a sermon "If I was in a drugstore and some guy opened the door for me, I'd rip his arm off and beat him with the wet end.” WEEK OF 1/25: State Senator Ed Murray introduced legislation to extend domestic partner benefits to gay and lesbian couples. WEEK OF 1/18: The Washington state legislature is considering legislation that would provide for end of life rights, nursing home visitation, and the dissolution of gay relationships in the state.

WEST VIRGINIA Legal Status: Defense of Marriage Act West Virginia Gay Wedding Vendors WEEK OF 2/1: legislators are proposing an amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage, and half the sponsors are Democrats - DINO's.

PEOPLE 3/12/08: The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) has issued a position statement supporting the legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage. Source

2/28/08: Asked about her position on gay marriage by ACDNews.com, Janet Jackson replied: "I'm all for it. Why not? It's two people that are in love with one another. What's the issue?" WEEK OF 2/29: In an open letter to the LGBT community, presidential candidate Barack Obama stated his support for full same-sex marriage in states that choose to go that route. WEEK OF 2/29: Alec Baldwin condemns his brother Stephen’s attack on gay marriage. WEEK OF 2/15: On CNN, basketball star Charles Barkley came out in support of gay marriage during an interview with Wolf Blitzer. WEEK OF 2/8: In Detroit, Michigan, Julian Bond, the National Chair of the NAACP, says "I believe gay rights are civil rights." WEEK OF 2/8: In the current issue of W Magazine, Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman came out strongly in favor of gay marriage: "Why are they making rules that say my lover can stay in the United States if they're foreign or share my health care benefits because I'm straight, but if you're gay, you can't have that?" Portman said. WEEK OF 2/1: And cheers to Stephen Colbert for shooting holes in the conservative arguments on gay marriage in a two part interview with Joe Solomnese, the head of the HRC. WEEK OF 1/25: The British soap Emmerdale will feature a gay wedding between two of the show's characters, Paul Lambert and Jonny Foster. WEEK OF 1/25: John McCain fans the flames of anti-gay bigotry in Robo Calls against his chief rival, Mitt Romney. WEEK OF 1/25: Colin Farrell to be the best man at his brother, Eamon Ferrell's wedding to his partner, Steve Mannion. WEEK OF 1/25: The Chief of staff of the Democratic National Committee, Leah Daughtry, is against gay marriage, helping to explain why the DNC has done little to fight anti gay marriage initiatives around the country. WEEK OF 1/18: Former Vice president Al Gore has come out in favor of gay marriage in a blog posting on the current.com website. WEEK OF 1/11: Mike Huckabee tells supporters he wants to change the US Constitution to match the Bible - "it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. WEEK OF 1/3: Threesome star (ok, we use that term lightly) Stephen Baldwin comes out against gay marriage and for Mike Huckabee - and says "what I think doesn't matter."