Rosie O'Donnell's New HBO Special Shows All Kinds of Families

You won't find a cuter bunch of kids anywhere on television than you'll see tomorrow night in Rosie O'Donnell's "A Family Is a Family Is a Family" special for HBO. They come onto the screen in waves, talking about friends and love and brothers and sisters and Mommy and Daddy, all in that serious way young children have of addressing things they have learned and now want to share and explain.

Many viewers, however, will not see the greater mission of the show as scoring a blue ribbon for "cute." They will focus instead on the show's almost casual assertion that gay marriage is just like every other marriage - a covenant that creates a family unit. That part of the message is subtle, all things being relative.

Most of the special, which HBO is showing early enough so young children can watch, isn't about gay marriage, and the hot-button phrase itself is never heard. Families of same-sex couples, including O'Donnell's, get maybe five minutes, tucked in the middle of discussions and songs about the importance of families in general. But for many viewers, gay marriage will be the takeaway.

Full Story from the NY Daily News
Click here for gay marriage resources.
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Maine's AG Asked to Put Lies About Gay Marriage's Effect on Schools to Rest

Maine's attorney general is being asked to look into what effect the state's gay marriage law would have on the public schools' curriculum. Education Commissioner Susan Gendron asked for the analysis. Gendron has said the law will have no impact on curriculum decisions. But the campaign supporting repeal of the law in a Nov. 3 referendum says it could lead to gay marriage being taught in schools. In her request to Attorney General Janet Mills, Gendron says questions about the impact of gay marriage on school teachings have persisted and are now being directed to superintendents. fFull Story from WGME: http://www.wgme.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.me/31c2c55d-www.wgme.com.shtml

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in Maine.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or 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.

Maine's Yes on 1 Campaign to Attack Diverse Families

Using the same right-wing consultants that passed Proposition 8 in California, the “Yes on 1” campaign in Maine is once again trying to scare voters into believing gay marriage will be “taught” in public schools. But supporters of marriage equality this time have effectively re-framed the issue, arguing that schools should be “safe havens” for all Maine families – and that opponents want the children of gay parents to “feel ashamed.” Faced with more savvy adversaries than what they had last year, “Yes on 1” now plans to attack an award-winning film schools have been using for years (and was screened at the Clinton White House) that teaches respect for all families – beyond the children of gay couples to include mixed-race families and adopted children. If they want to re-play the Prop 8 game, it won’t work. Yesterday, President Obama issued a proclamation honoring families “from all walks of life” – including those raised by same-sex couples. Last year, Prop 8 went from being 17 points behind in the polls to winning on Election Day – because campaign manager Frank Schubert used two very effective tactics. First, the specter of gay marriage being “taught” in public schools scared enough parents into believing it would change their lives. Second, the campaign selectively quoted Barack Obama to make voters believe he supported Prop 8 – when in fact the opposite was true. The latter was very effective in getting African-Americans to vote to repeal marriage equality. Full Story from Beyond Chron: http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/_Yes_on_1_Set_to_Attack_Diverse_Families_7397.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in Maine.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com with "subscribe blog" as the subject. Or 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.

No On 1 Maine's New Ad Calls Claims of Harm to Children False

In a newly released ad, supporters of gay marriage in Maine have responded to allegations by opponents that gay marriage will harm children, calling the claims “not true.” Opponents of gay marriage in the Pine State have mounted a “people's veto” to repeal a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers in the spring. The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and its partner, the Catholic Diocese of Portland, formed Stand for Marriage Maine to put the issue up for a vote in the state. NOM played a pivotal role in backing a successful ban on gay marriage in California last November. The group's first ad in Maine recycled arguments used during the California debate. The ad tells viewers that gay marriage will inevitably harm children. Full Story from On Top Magazine: http://ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=4604&MediaType=1&Category=26

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in in Maine.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com with "subscribe blog" as the subject. Or 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.

New APA Study: Children Raised in Gay/Lesbian Families No Different Than Children in Straight Ones

Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children: Research on the Family Life Cycle is the first book-length review and analysis of research on parenting by gay and lesbians and suggests that the outcomes well-being of their children are no different than those raised by heterosexual parents Last week the American Psychological Association published Dr. Abbie E. Goldberg's Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children: Research on the Family Life Cycle, a comprehensive summary and analysis of the research on gay and lesbian parents and their families to date. Goldberg's new book is the first full-length analysis of the research on gay parenting, summarizing research data on the subject from the 1970's to the present day. The research is consistent in suggesting that the outcomes and well-being of children raised by gay and lesbian parents are no different than those of children raised by heterosexual parents. According to Dr. Goldberg, Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children: Research on the Family Life Cycle is a response to the increased public awareness and debate about both marriage equality and lesbian/gay parenting, and the corresponding growth in research on this topic. While a number of journal articles and book chapters summarize much of the research in this area, no in-depth book-length synthesis and analysis has existed to date. Full Story from Windy City Times: http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=22952

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com with "subscribe blog" as the subject. Or 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.