Gay Marriage Watch: May 3rd-9th

Here's our Sunday weekly recap of the latest news on gay marriage from around the world. Our favorite thing this week? The huge statewide gathering planned for Fresno the Saturday after the California Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. Called Meet in the Middle, it's the first step in taking our fight for hearts and minds to the Central Valley, and we're thrilled to see Charlize Theron helping us promote this rally for marriage equality. We hope to see you there! Take Action: One of our twitter followers brought this to our attention - a petition to the Irish government to legalize gay marriage there.  Please take a moment and sign the petition here. Hero of the Week: The Leffew Family in Northern California, a self-described "priate family" uploading daily updates about their lives to YouTube - and did we mention, they're gay? Thanks for Queerty.com for bringing them to our attention - they also have one of the videos posted there - Bryan's coming out. Woody Award: Our woody award this week goes to Joe the Plumber (whose name isn't Joe and who is not a licensed plumber) for these statements this week: ...he has had gay friends but that he "wouldn't have them anywhere near my children." In the interview, posted Monday on the Christianity Today website, Wurzelbacher says those friends know where he stands on homosexuality, and he says the word queer "means strange and unusual" and is "not like a slur." He also voices his opposition to marriage equality, saying, "God is pretty explicit in what we're supposed to do -- what man and woman are for." Um, guess what? They're not your friends, at least not any longer. When you call gay men "queer" and are afraid they might molest your children, you don't also get to call them friends. Enjoy your woody, "Joe". Runner-up goes to letter writer Bob Bizier in the Morning Sentinel for this little observation: "But then you will find people who lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, rape and torture who think they are good people, too. Why? Because Christ is no longer the standard. The standard we now use are the many little gods we see in the mirror each morning. We aspire to be nothing more than we are. Now we have the gay marriage bill. Will this be the new moral standard or will we adopt the moral standard of the liar, the cheat or the torturer." Of course, there's the lovely comparison of my marriage to Mark with lying, cheating, adultery and torturing... that's the (pardon the metaphor) low hanging fruit here. But am I going out on a limb to suggest that Bob is probably a Republican? And if so, how wonderfully ironic to bring up lying, cheating, and torturing, the three things the Republican Bush Administration was known best for, and try to pin them on gay marriage? "A" for effort, Bob, but sorry, no woody for you. Gay Marriage Watch: Now on to this week's Gay Marriage Watch. The blog is now organized almost entirely by area, with news of the week, upcoming marriage equality events, and great recent articles and columns. For a longer history of past news stories, just click on one of the older Gay Marriage Watch blogs from our archives. To subscribe to this blog, or 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. We now publish a daily blog, and a weekly recap on Sundays. You can also now find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc Enjoy the rest of the Watch! --Scott ----------------------------------------------  CANADA: --upcoming events--> Vancouver: Day of Decision: Gather at 6pm at Morton Park (corner of Davie Street and Denman Street). More Info ---------------------------------------------- EL SALVADOR: --news--> 5/9: After the outgoing Congress, controlled by the right, rammed through a number of laws and constitutional reforms that included the banning of gay marriage, allowing phone taps, and an extension of the mandates of mayors and deputies, supporters of El Savador’s left-wing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) stormed parliament on May 1 in protest against attempts to impose a right-wing deputy as Congress president. Source ---------------------------------------------- GREECE: --news--> 5/5: A Greek court on Tuesday annulled the first set of gay marriages which took place last summer on the tiny eastern Aegean island of Tilos. Source ---------------------------------------------- HUNGARY: --news--> 5/8: Hungary's official government publication says gay couples will be able to register domestic partnerships beginning July 1. Source ---------------------------------------------- INDIA: --articles--> Gay couples 'marry' with parents' approval, hawan and priests, by Manski Choksi Source ---------------------------------------------- IRELAND: --news--> 5/7: The Co-Chair of the new Gay Rights group in Lisburn says although he hopes the group will be well received within the community he said there is 'still a lot more work to be done' after one of those attending the event was verbally abused on the way home. Source 5/8: Irish government plans to introduce British-style same-sex civil partnerships have been condemned as “retrograde, divisive, second best, discriminatory and sexual apartheid” by LGBT rights and Green Party parliamentary candidate Peter Tatchell. Source ---------------------------------------------- ITALY: --news--> 5/5: The Italian Constitutional Court will rule on whether the Italian Civil Code violates the Italian Constitution by prohibiting gay marriage. Source ---------------------------------------------- NETHERLANDS: --upcoming events--> Amsterdam: 7/31-8/2: Organizers of Amsterdam Gay Pride have announced that during the celebration in August, Mayor Marius Job Cohen will marry five same-sex couples compromised of one American and one Dutch national. The action commemorates the 400 years of links between the Dutch and the American city they called New Amsterdam, with the hope it will inspire progress toward full marriage equality in the United States. More Info ---------------------------------------------- RUSSIA: --news--> 5/5: Two women will apply for a marriage license in Moscow on May 12. Source 5/7: Moscow has banned a gay parade planned to coincide with its hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest because it will "destroy morals" in the capital, a spokesman for the city's mayor said on Thursday. Source ---------------------------------------------- SLOVAKIA: --articles--> Gay rights gaining momentum in Slovakia, by Lyndon Barnett Source ---------------------------------------------- UNITED KINGDOM: --news--> 5/4: More than 5,400 people have signed a petition in protest at the appointment of a gay man to an Aberdeen church. Source 5/6: Reaching out to gay rights groups is one of Tory leader David Cameron's top five priorities, it has been claimed. Source --upcoming events--> Cardiff: 10/4: Gay wedding show. More Info Manchester: 10/18: Gay wedding show. More Info Brighton: 11/15: Gay wedding show. More Info ---------------------------------------------- USA: --news--> 5/3: Mitt Romney on gay marriage: "My view I've laid out before, which is you really can't have different marriage provisions in different states and then expect people to be able to move around the nation and have different rights in different states. Marriage is a matter of national consequence. It's a -- it's a status. It's not an activity. And as a result, there should be a national standard. And my own view is that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman." Source 5/4: --According to the National Enquirer, producers of The View want Miss California Carrie Prejean to replace Elizabeth Hasselbeck as House Wingnut when Hasselbeck goes on maternity leave later this year. Source --Miss California Carrie Prajean, gay marriage hater and true Cristian, apparently took her top off for photos. Source 5/5: --Oprah discussed gay marriage on her show last Friday (YouTube) Source --Miss USA Pageant officials Tuesday said they are looking into whether Prejean violated her contract by working with a national group opposed to gay marriage and by posing semi-nude when she was a 17-year-old model. Source 5/6: --Representatives for the Miss Universe organization, which presents the Miss USA pageant, sent a cease and desist letter to the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage. Source --House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Congress should stay out of the gay marriage debate, adding that it wasn’t the right time for Congress to decide whether married gay couples should have the right to federal benefits. Source 5/7: --Miss USA Carrie Prajean's parents may have divorced because father was gay. Source --Congresswoman Barbara Lee on gay marriage: "At the federal and state level, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community has been the focus of several attempts to limit the rights and benefits of individuals and enshrine discrimination into existing policies and laws - and even the Constitution. That is just flat out wrong, and I will strenuously oppose any such effort." Source --Pat Robertson on gay marriage: "Lee, we haven’t taken this to its ultimate conclusion. You got polygamy out there. How can we rule that polygamy is illegal when you say that homosexual marriage is legal. What is it about polygamy that’s different? Well, polygamy was outlawed because it was considered immoral according to biblical standards. But if we take biblical standards away in homosexuality, what about the other? And what about bestiality and ultimately what about child molestation and pedophilia? How can we criminalize these things and at the same time have constitutional amendments allowing same-sex marriage among homosexuals. You mark my words, this is just the beginning in a long downward slide in relation to all the things that we consider to be abhorrent." Source 5/8: --Group of pastors advises churches to hire security, prepare for wave of hate crimes against churches. Source --As meager as support for gay marriage is now — 49 percent in WashPost, 44 percent in CNN, 42 percent in the Times/CBS and 38 percent in Qunnipiac — it is still about double the 20-percent approval for interracial marriage in the country a few months after mixed marriages became legal. Source --upcoming events--> --5/17: International Day Against Homophobia. More Info --6/28: Million Gay March: Annual event on the 40th anniversary of Stonewall in all 50 states. More Info --Day of Decision: Rallies country-wide on the day of the CA Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. More Info ---------------------------------------------- USA, ARIZONA: --upcoming events--> Phoenix: Day of Decision : Gather at 6pm at the southwest corner of Camelback at 7th Avenue for a rally and then march. More Info ---------------------------------------------- USA, ARKANSAS: --news--> 5/7: KnowThyNeighbor.com has posted a searchable database of those who signed a petition to ban gay adoption and foster care rights in the state of Arkansas. Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, CALIFORNIA: --news--> 5/4: --At a gay rights organizing camp held this weekend in Oakland, Calif., and hosted by the Courage Campaign, leading activists made it clear that they're in the beginning stages of a campaign to overturn Proposition 8 at the ballot. Source --Margaret Cho on gay marriage: "Being married made it much more important for me to fight for gay marriage, because I believe marriage is vital for us as people." Source 5/7: A deadline is fast approaching for registered domestic partners whose California property taxes were reassessed between 2000 and 2006, either due to the death of a partner or a breakup, to apply for an exemption and have their tax bill lowered. Source 5/8: --Doug Manchester, a hotel owner in San Diego who donated $125,000 to support Prop 8, is reportedly donating $25,000 to "a national organization that promotes civil unions and domestic partnerships, and is considering offering $100,000 in hotel credit to local gay and lesbian organizations so they can use the Grand Hyatt for events such as fundraisers. Source --Tori Amos has blasted voters who pushed through a gay marriage ban in California - because it goes against the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. Source --upcoming events: northern california--> Auburn: Day of Decision: Gather at 5:30pm at the Placer County Courthouse (101 Maple Street). More Info Davis: Day of Decision: Gathering at Central Park at the new stage south of the carousel from 6-7:30pm. More Info Eureka: Day of Decision: Gather at Arcata plaza and County Courthouse in Eureka.  6PM. More Info Palo Alto: Day of Decision: Gather at Corner of El Camino Real and Embarcadero (across from Stanford University entrance at Galvez/El Camino).  11AM. More Info Sacramento: --5/18: EQCA Equality Awards at the Sheraton Grand, VOP Reception 5 PM, General Reception 5:30 PM-7 PM. Source --5/30: Statewide Rally at Capitol Building to Kick off Pride More Info --Day of Decision: Gather at 5:30pm at the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center (1927 L Street, Midtown). More Info San Francisco: --5/16: West SF Team Goes Door to Door in the Sunset: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM. This is the very first canvassing event for West San Francisco. We will be canvassing the Sunset district in teams of two in an effort to create discussions around marriage equality and recruit new volunteers. More Info --6/27-6/28: San Francisco: Pride More Info --Day of Decision: Rally on the day of the California Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. More Info San Jose: Day of Decision: Gathering at 5:30pm at the Billy de Frank LGBT Center at 938 The Alameda. For more information, contact Gloria Nieto at glorianieto@comcast.net or 6 PM, gather at Plaza de César Chávez  at S. Market St. and Park Ave. We will march to SJ City Hall at 200 E. Santa Clara St. for a rally. More Info Santa Clara: 5/9: Santa Clara: Equality Team Second Canvassing Event with Courage Campaign, 3:15 PM. More Info Santa Rosa: Day of Decision: Gathering on the steps of the Santa Rosa City Hall (100 Santa Rosa Avenue and corner of 1st Street) at 6pm. More Info Ukiah: Day of Decision: Gather at 6pm at Alex Thomas Plaza (State Street). More Info --upcoming events: central california--> Bakersfield: Day of Decision: Gathering in three locations at 5pm. Rally location #1 - Mall View & Mt Vernon; Rally location #2 - Outback Steakhouse on Stocdale Hwy; or Rally location #3 at Rosedale and Coffee. More Info Delano: Day of Decision: Gather at Delano Cecil Park at 5:30pm. More Info Fresno: --5/10: Equality Team Second Canvassing Event with Courage Campaign, 3:15 PM. More Info --5/11: Meet in the Middle Planning Meeting, 6 PM, Westley UMC. More Info --5/17: Equality Team Second Canvassing Event with Courage Campaign, 3:15 PM. More Info --5/18: Meet in the Middle Planning Meeting, 6 PM, Westley UMC. More Info --5/25: Meet in the Middle Planning Meeting, 6 PM, Westley UMC. More Info --6/1: Meet in the Middle Planning Meeting, 6 PM, Westley UMC. More Info --Day of Decision: Rally on the day of the California Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. Source --Saturday after Day of Decision: Meet in the Middle - statewide gathering in Fresno with Charlize Theron attending. More Info --Every Monday: Meet in the Middle 4 Equality Planning Meeting, 6 PM, at the Wesley United Methodist Church. More Info Modesto: Day of Decision: Community gathering at 5:30 pm at Graceada Park, 401 Needham St. downtown Modesto. More Info Monterey: Day of Decision: Gather at 5pm at Colton Hall at 580 Pacific Street.  Event is co-sponsored by the Monterey County Chapter of Marriage Equality and Salinas Valley Equality.  More Info Salinas: Day of Decision: Gather at 4:30pm at the Monterey County  Courthouse at the corner of W. Alisal Street & Church Street.  Event is co-sponsored by Salinas Valley Equality and the Monterey County Chapter of Marriage Equality USA. More Info Visalia: Day of Decision: Gather at 6pm at the Tulare County Courthouse (221 S. Mooney Blvd). More Info --upcoming events: southern california--> Costa Mesa: Day of Decision: Gather at the Fairview Community Church, 2525 Fairveiw Road from 5:30 to 7 p.m. More Info Long Beach: --5/16-5/17: Long Beach Pride More Info --Day of Decision: Rally on the day of the California Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. More Info Los Angeles: --5/11-5/12: Divorce! The Musical will create two special reading presentations to benefit the Courage Campaign. These performances will take place at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre in Los Angeles and showcase a lesbian couple on Monday, May 11 and a gay couple on Tuesday, May 12. 100% of the proceeds will go toward the Courage Campaign's efforts to restore marriage equality. More Info --6/12-6/14: Los Angeles Pride More Info --7/9-7/19: Outfest is the oldest continuous film festival in Southern California. Since its founding in 1982, Outfest has presented more than 4,500 films and videos for audiences of over half a million people. More Info --8/1: Los Angeles Equality Awards. More Info --Day of Decision: Two Locations: Gathering in two locations at 6pm: Rally location #1 in Hollywood at 647 N San Vincente Boulevard (Santa Monica and San Vincente); Rally location #2 in Santa Monica Courthouse (1725 Main Street). More Info --Every Monday: LA Equal Roots Meeting. More Info Orange: 5/23: Team Courage OC Canvass for Equality in Orange/Santa Ana, 12:00 PM. More Info Palm Springs: --10/17: Palm Springs Equality Awards More Info --11/7-11/8: Palm Springs Pride More Info Rancho Cucamonga: Day of Decision: Gathering at the corner of Day Creek and Foothill Boulevard at 7pm.  More Info San Diego: --5/17: Canvass! Mama Bear Alliance Equality Team in San Diego. 2 PM. --7/18-7/19: San Diego Pride More Info --Day of Decision: Two Locations: Gather at 6pm at the Escondido City Hall (201 North Broadway) in Escondido; Gather at 5pm at Balboa Park (6th Ave & Laurel Street) in San Diego.Rally on the day of the California Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. More Info San Luis Obispo: Day of Decision: Gather at 5:30pm at the City Hall Steps (990 Palm). More Info Santa Ana: Day of Decision: Gather at 6pm at the Old Orange County Courthouse (211 W. Santa Ana Blvd, Santa Ana). More Info Ventura: Day of Decision: ather at 5:30pm at the Ventura County Government Center on the corner of Telephone Road and Victoria Avenue.  More Info West Hollywood: --5/9: The Teach-in will be a day-long event where participants will learn about our LGBTQ community's shared history, and connect with their LGBTQ predecessors through a series of break-out sessions, performances, and speakers, at Plummer Park, 9 AM-5:30 PM. More Info --Day of Decision: Rally on the day of the California Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. Source --upcoming events: statewide--> --5/22: Harvey Milk Day. More Info --5/31-6/6: AIDS Life Cycle - Team Marriage Equality. Contact Email ---------------------------------------------- USA, COLORADO: --news--> 5/8: Gov. Bill Ritter is poised to sign Senate Bill 88, which extends health care benefits to the same-sex partners of state employees. Source --upcoming events--> Denver: Day of Decision: Gather at the Wellington Webb Building (intersection of Colfax and 15th). More Info ---------------------------------------------- USA, FLORIDA: --upcoming events--> Tampa: Day of Decision Gather at 6:30pm at the Joe Chillura Courthouse (corners of Morgan, Kennedy, Pierce & Madison). More Info ---------------------------------------------- USA, GEORGIA: --news--> 5/8: Georgia Representative Paul C. Broun has announced he will re-introduce a constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage. Source --upcoming events--> Atlanta: --5/14: National Black Justice Coalition hosts an evening of conversation, food, drinks, music and a very special guest speaker at NBJC's first fundraising event in Atlanta. At Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, 3081 Peachtree Rd. More Info --Day of Decision: Gathering is being planned. More Info ---------------------------------------------- USA, HAWAII: --news--> 5/8: The state Senate has put off dealing with the debate over same-sex civil unions until next year. Source --upcoming events--> Honolulu: 5/21-5/24: Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival. More Info Hilo: 5/29-5/30: Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival showings on the Big Island. More Info --------------------------------------------- USA, ILLINOIS: --news--> 5/6: Members of the local and national chapters of the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) convened in Andersonville on May 2 with local activists to discuss various issues ranging from same-sex marriage to binational couples. Source --upcoming events--> Chicago: Day of Decision: Rally on the day of the California Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. More Info Springfield: Day of Decision: Gather at 5:30pm at the Illinois Supreme Court Building (202 E Capitol). More Info --articles--> Iowa ruling renews gay marriage push in Illinois, by Allison Ryan Source --------------------------------------------- USA, INDIANA: --upcoming events--> Indianapolis: Day of Decision: Gather at City County Building - Corner of Washington and Delaware St. 2PM until nightfall. If you can't make it at 2PM, We will be there ALL DAY. Please join us as soon as you are done with Work or School. We need EVERYONE out in FORCE to make this a success!!! More Info --------------------------------------------- USA, IOWA: --news--> 5/4: --Gay and lesbian military service members who are legally married in Iowa can still be involuntarily discharged from the Iowa National Guard and other military branches under a federal law that prevents gays and lesbians from openly serving in the armed forces, military officials say. Source --Because of an Iowa law allowing married couples to file as individuals to avoid the "marriage tax penalty", Iowa will see little additional tax revenue from newly married gay/lesbian couples. Source --Iowa doesn't allow same sex marriage between prison inmates. Source --Buena Vista County may join Jefferson County, and pass a resolution against gay marriage. Source 5/5: Buena Vista County Supervisors voted to take no action on a resolution against gay marriage. Source 5/8: Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin said Friday he no longer holds the same views he held when he voted for the federal Defense of Marriage Act that prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriage nearly 13 years ago. Source 5/9: Osceola County is debating a resolution to request a public vote to ban gay marriage in the state. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, KENTUCKY: --upcoming events--> Cincinnatti: 6/20: Equality - Don't Stop Believin', Kentucky Equality Federation's first major fundraiser will take place at Adonis in Cincinnati, with after party events taking place at Yadda Club in Covington, KY. More Info --------------------------------------------- USA, MAINE: --news--> 5/5: The Maine House on Tuesday gave final approval to same-sex marriage in Maine by a strong 89-57 vote after a remarkably low-key debate that lasted almost three hours. Source 5/6: --The state of Maine Legislature gave their approval of gay marriage. Although there were enough votes to pass the measure, there were not enough to override the "undecided" Gov. John Baldacci, who has 10 days to take action on the bill, if he chooses to veto. Source --Maine Rep. Bernard Ayotte on gay marriage: "By all indications, homosexuality in human beings seems to be generated by imbalances in the human body... as legislators, it is important that we do not base our statutes on genetic aberrations." Source 5/7: --Now that Maine has legalized same-sex marriage, the state's coffers could gain approximately $8 million per year, according to a new research study released yesterday by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Source --Maine officials say gay marriage opponents filed a challenge to the new gay marriage law under the state's "people's veto" provision. Source 5/8: --The new gay marriage law goes into effect on September 16th, but if enugh signatures are submitted to place the people's veto on the ballot by that date, the law would be stayed until the election. Source --The spiritual leader of Maine's 200,000 Roman Catholics is pledging the church's help in bringing the state's gay marriage law to a vote in November. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, MASSACHUSETTS: --news--> 5/3: Massachusetts will celebrate the fifth anniversary of equal marriage on 5/17. Source --upcoming events--> Boston: Day of Decision: Gather at 7pm at Copley Plaza. More Info --------------------------------------------- USA, MISSOURI: --news--> 5/4: Missouri's only gay state senator married in Iowa last weekend. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, NEW HAMPSHIRE: --news--> 5/5: Both sides of the gay marriage debate putting pressure on Gov. John Lynch. Source 5/6: --On the day New Hampshire House members are expected to pass a same-sex marriage bill, opponents of HB 436 are launching a TV ad asking Gov. John Lynch to veto the bill. Source --The House voted, 178-167, to accept a Senate-approved compromise (HB 436) that would let gays and lesbians marry next Jan. 1. Source 5/7: The gay marriage bill approved by the House on Wednesday is being reviewed before being sent to the governor. When it arrives, the governor will have five days to sign it, veto it or decide to let it become law without his signature. Source 5/10: --As of Friday, the house version of the gay marriage bill which fixed mistakes made in the initial bill still hadn't reached Gov. Lynch's desk. Source --Opponents of gay marriage use slanted poll questions to increase negative response to gay marriage bill. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, NEW JERSEY: --news--> 5/7: A coalition of socially conservative groups is pressing the New Jersey legislature to ask voters in 2010 to amend the state constitution to bar same-sex marriage. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, NEW YORK: --news--> 5/4: --NY Assembly to vote on gay marriage bill this week. Source --New York's Empire State Pride Agenda is taking polling data straight to Republican senators who could make the difference in passage of the state's same-sex marriage legislation. Source --The Log Cabin Republicans of New York, the state's GOP gay rights group, announced today a member of the the Assembly minority - Fred Thiele - has decided to cosponsor the same-sex marriage bill. Source 5/8: --The state Assembly is expected to approve a gay-marriage bill next Tuesday, but the measure apparently still lacks enough support to pass the Senate. Source --Senate leader Malcolm Smith says there aren't enough votes in the Senate to pass gay marriage bill. Source 5/9: New York state senators hedging on gay marriage support. Source --upcoming events--> Albany: Day of Decision: Rally on the day of the California Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. Source Brooklyn: 9/9: Family Law Day, In Conjunction with Lavender Law 2009, Brooklyn, NY, Co-sponsored by the National Lesbian & Gay Law Association and the National Family Law Advisory Council of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. More Info New York: --5/9: 7:30pm, Off Center will present "Are We Tying the Knot Too Tight?: Gains and Losses in the Rush to Normalcy." This moderated panel will address some of the issues the LGBT community faces when dealing with whether and how to support the movement for same-sex marriage. More Info --Day of Decision: Gathering planned the day of decision. More Info ----------------------------------------------- USA, NEVADA: --news--> 5/8: A Nevada Assembly panel heard emotional testimony on a plan aimed at giving domestic partners, whether gay or straight, many of the rights and benefits that Nevada offers to married couples. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, NORTH CAROLINA: --news--> 5/9: Supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in the state, calling themselves We LUV Marriage, demonstrated in eastern North Carolina today. Source --upcoming events--> Charlottesville: Day of Decision: Gathering planned at 6pm. More Info Durham: 5/12: The International Day Against Homophobia (Idaho) Conference will take place at County Hall on Tuesday, when speakers including Durham Constabulary’s assistant chief constable Michael Barton and Chris Enzor, chief prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, will focus on hate crime. More Info ----------------------------------------------- USA, OHIO: --news--> 5/7: --Cleveland City Hall promises to be a busy place today, the first day that unmarried couples can sign up for the city's new Domestic Partner Registry. Source --64 couples, mostly gay or lesbian, had paid the $55 domestic partner registration fee by 2 PM. Source 5/9: --AZ based Alliance Defense Fund sends city a letter demanding repeal of the registry: “The City's registry violates Article XV, Section 11 of the Ohio Constitution, which prohibits a municipality from creating or recognizing a legal status for a relationship of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance or effect of marriage,” even though it confers no legal rights whatsoever. Source --New Ohio poll shows 56% against gay marriage. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, PENNSYLVANIA: --news--> 5/3: Hundreds marched on Independence Mall for what was billed as the first national demonstration for gay and lesbian rights in 9 years -- and the first outside of Washington, DC. Source --upcoming events--> New Hope: 5/15-5/17: New Hope: Pride More Info Philadelphia: 6/14: Philadelphia Pride More Info ----------------------------------------------- USA, RHODE ISLAND: --news--> 5/7: The legislature in Rhode Island, the last remaining traditional marriage state, will hold a judiciary committee hearing next week to discuss a same-sex marriage bill by Representative Art Handy. Source --articles--> Why Rhode Island stands alone in New England on same-sex marriage, by Cynthia Needham Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, TEXAS: --news--> Equality Texas is pushing for a bill that would help the University of Texas and the Texas A&M University systems - and that would include West Texas A&M University - provide health insurance benefits for domestic partners of all faculty and staff. Source --upcoming events--> Dallas: --Day of Decision: Queer Liberaction, a local direct action group organized in the wake of Prop 8's passage last November, is already planning to hold a rally at 7 p.m. at the intersection of Cedar Springs Road and Oak Lawn Avenue on the Day of Decision, when the CA Supreme Court announces their decision. More Info --Ongoing: Dallas: Queer Liberaction meetings, 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at Buli Cafe, located at 3908 Cedar Springs. Meetings start at 7 pm. More Info Houston: Day of Decision: Gathering planned at 5:30pm on the day of decision. For more information, contact Meghan Baker: More Info San Antonio: Day of Decision: Rally on the day of the California Supreme Court decision on Prop 8. More Info ----------------------------------------------- USA, UTAH: --news--> 5/4: Some gay marriage advocates are questioning Sen. Chris Buttars' placement on a legislative committee. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, WASHINGTON --news--> 5/4: Legislation granting domestic partnerships the same rights as married couples was supposed to go into effect in July, but will be put on hold until signatures are counted for an attempt to put a proposal on the November ballot to overturn the measure. 120,000+ valid signatures are needed to qualify the measure. Source 5/5: Gov. Chris Gregoire intends to sign the new domestic partnership bill on May 18. Source --upcoming events--> Seattle: Day of Decision: Gather at 5pm at Westlake Corner Park, 400 Pine Street. More Info --articles--> Debate about gay equality appears to be ending, by Danny Westneat Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, WASHINGTON DC --news--> 5/4: Today, more than 300 clergy from a variety of faith and denominations will fan out over Capitol Hill to preach a unified gay-rights message to members of Congress: Pass the hate crimes bill that would give sexual orientation and gender identity the same federal protection as race, and pass the employment non-discrimination bill that would protect gays. Source 5/5: --The Washington City Council on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that recognizes gay marriages performed in other states. Source --Security guards had to be called in to calm an uproar among ministers and their followers after the vote. Source 5/6: US Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), a Mormon, plans to try to block DC's new bill recognizing gay marriages from other jurisdictions. Source 5/7: Washington, D.C., mayor Adrian Fenty signed a bill Thursday that approves recognition of legally performed out-of-state same-sex marriages. Source --articles--> Arlington man fights "everything but marriage" gay-rights bill, by Jerry Cornfield Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, WEST VIRGINIA --news--> House Republicans want Gov. Joe Manchin to add bills addressing gay marriage, strip club zoning and bar closing times to the upcoming special legislative session. Source ----------------------------------------------- fini