NY: Four Marriage Equality Protesters Arrested

Four members of Queer Rising chained themselves together and attempted a blockade of Manhattan’s marriage bureau on the morning of February 12 after several same-sex couples entered the bureau and were denied marriage licenses.

“The system is broken,” said Alan L. Bounville as he stood at the entrance of the bureau chained to three other men. “We the people have the power to fix the system.”

Arrested with Bounville were Jake Goodman, Gabriel Yuri Bollag, and Justin Elzie. The four were arraigned late in the day on February 12 and each was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct, a violation, and one count of obstruction of governmental administration, a misdemeanor.

Full Story from Gay City News
Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.
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NY: Lesbian Marries Male Stranger to Protest Gay Marriage Ban

Irish American lesbian Kitty Lambert (pictured above center) and her longtime partner Cheryl attempted to apply for a marriage license in Buffalo, New York yesterday. When her request was denied, Lambert turned to the crowd that had gathered.

With news cameras rolling, Kitty asked for any male who would be willing to get married to her. A gay man named Ed, a total stranger to her, stepped forward and volunteered. They briefly exchanged information and presented the appropriate documents along with $40.

City staff verified the information, and proceeded to give them a marriage license. Kitty’s point in approaching the City Clerk for a marriage license is that there is no religious basis for marriage, and it serves only as a legally binding contract in our society.

Full Story from Irish Central
Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.
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FL: Man to Marry Total Stranger to Protest Gay Marriage Bans

As a Valentine's protest against anti-gay marriage laws, heterosexual Orlando performance artist Brian Feldman announced that he would randomly marry any woman who happened to show up at the Orange County Courthouse this past Monday. Three women appeared! Therefore, having filed the paperwork and paid the license fee, Feldman will marry one Hannah Miller on this Friday. From the Facebook event page:

Is this entire project a mockery of marriage? Not at all! It’s completely within the legal rights of Brian and any other heterosexual couple with $123.50 (plus $6 for a standard marriage certificate). Sound absurd? Not nearly absurd as denying the equal right to marry for same-sex couples who truly care about each other; who’ve been in committed, productive and, most importantly, loving relationships for upwards of 20+ years. That, to Brian, and millions of Americans who believe in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, is truly absurd - to say nothing of a civil injustice.

Full Story from Joe.My.God
Click here for gay marriage resources in Florida.
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NY: NoH8 Holds Photoshoot in New York City

You’ve certainly seen the photos — white backdrop with white t-shirts, mouths taped shut, glossy bright eyes and the standard “NOH8″ logo on the cheek. Since November 4, 2008 (the night Prop 8 passed in California), Adam Bouska (the photographer) and his partner, Jeff Parshley (the visionary), have been photographing thousands of individuals in California for the photo project and silent protest known as the NOH8 Campaign. The project has grown exponentially over the last year to include notable celebrities and politicians: Jane Lynch, Kathy Griffin, Cindy McCain, Meghan McCain, Ashlee Simpson, Pete Wentz, Marlee Matlin, and Isaiah Washington have all posed for the campaign.

However, until this week only those in LA LA land had the opportunity to participate (shoots have also been held in San Diego and Palm Springs). On February 1, an open shoot was held at the Empire Hotel in New York City, inviting everyone and anyone to throw on their best white t-shirt and strike a pose. Over 500 New Yorkers lined up from 2 – 8pm (despite the cold) to have their photo taken by Bouska and during the time I was there, I saw a healthy mix of ages, races and gender.

While in line among strangers, I chatted with two adorable men living in Brooklyn, Steven and Abdul, ages 31 and 26, who had been following the campaign since the beginning: “I had been following them online and just waiting for them to come to New York, just stalking them til they got here. We stand and get photographed for tons of other things that aren’t important at all, so why not be photographed for something and make a statement? We support the idea of marriage quality.”

Full Story from Autostraddle
Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.
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.

HI: Anti Gay Protesters Rally Ahead of Civil Unions Vote

Social conservatives in Hawaii held a large rally Sunday at the State Capitol to protest a bill that would recognize gay couples with civil unions. The bill ran aground during last year's legislative session after over 6,000 anti-gay protesters stormed the Capitol the Sunday before a key Senate committee vote. The bill deadlocked on a 3-3 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The final tally came after a grueling 18 hour marathon hearing that ended at 3AM. Six senators voted in favor of pulling the bill from committee and putting it up for a vote, but the effort fell short of the 9 votes needed to move the bill. A second effort just days before the end of the legislative session succeeded in retrieving the bill. Senators quickly amended the bill to include both gay and straight couples but the session ended without a vote on the measure. The amended bill needs the approval of both chambers of the Legislature to move to the governor's desk. Previously, the House approved the original bill on a 33 to 17 vote. Full Story from On Top Magazine

Click here for gay marriage resources in Hawaii.

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CA: 300 March at San Diego Hyatt to Protest AHA Meeting at Anti Gay Hotel

Close to 300 people staged a raucous demonstration at the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel in San Diego on Jan. 9 to protest the American Historical Association’s decision to go ahead with its annual meeting there rather than honor the gay boycott of the hotel. The boycott was launched in mid-2008 after hotel owner Doug Manchester donated $125,000 to the campaign to put Proposition 8 on the ballot. The constitutional amendment passed in November 2008, repealing same-sex marriage in California. The AHA said its contracts with the Hyatt were in place long before anyone had heard of Prop. 8 and that it would have cost the association around $800,000 to move the Jan. 7-10 convention. Instead, the AHA staged a free-to-the-public, 15-part miniconvention at the Hyatt "to explore historical perspectives on same-sex marriage. Full Story from Bay Windows: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=100983

Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

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.

Artist Creating Portraits of Long-Term Gay/Lesbian Couples as Protest

I was dismayed earlier this month when the New York State Senate voted down the gay marriage bill, and I decided to interview and paint long-standing gay couples, both men and women, and ask them about their stories and their relationships and what marriage means to them. This is the first of the series. On a recent rainy afternoon in Brooklyn, I sat down to talk with writer and communications specialist Nancy Goldstein and syndicated cartoonist Joan Hilty, whose marriage in Provincetown in May of 2004 has been recognized in New York State since July of 2006. With their dog Juno trying to get in on the conversation, Nancy and Joan talked about love and marriage. Joan: We met online in the early, early days of internet dating, in mid-1999. It was on a lesbian/gay dating website called Edwina.com. Its icon was a little guy dressed up as your "Aunt Edwina who only wants the best for you". You could browse other people’s personals, and only get an idea of them through the quality of their writing because there were barely any pictures up yet or videos or songs or anything. Full Story from Drawger: http://www.drawger.com/zinasaunders/index.php?article_id=9369

Click here for gay marriage resources.

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Straight Couple Protests Gay Marriage Ban By Claiming Their Own Marriage is Unconstitutional

While Sacramento's John Marcotte's attempt to put a ban on divorce on the voter ballot next year is an admirable mockery of the right-wing's opposition to gay marriage in California, one New York couple is seeking a different tactic: Rachel Murch D'Olimpio and Matthew D'Olimpio, both 29 and with an infant son together, want their marriage annulled, because their own union is a violation of the Constitution because gays cannot also get hitched. It's always hard to tell just how serious folks are when they pull stunts like these, but Brooklyn's D'Olimpios are, at the very least, showing how ridiculous it is to deny gay marriage rights, particularly in the wake of this week's legislative defeat in the state. And they appear to actually be exploring how this could all pan out legally. (Facebook group here.) So why get an annulment instead of a divorce? Because annulments are reserved for deleting marriages that are, supposedly, never legal (or consummated) in the first place. The D'Olimpios argue that by not extending marriage rights to gays, existing marriage laws violate a constitutional right to equal protection, and is thus invalid. Full Story from Queerty: http://www.queerty.com/the-ny-couple-who-want-their-marriage-annuled-because-its-unconstitutional-20091204/

Click here for gay marriage resources.

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.

MO: Hundreds Protest Catholic Church Diocese's Contribution to Defeat Gay Marriage in Maine

Grey skies framed the Neo-Byzantine dome of St. Louis' Cathedral Basilica on Nov. 29 as hundreds of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT) and allied supporters protested the archdiocese's donation of $10,000 to the successful effort to reverse marriage equality in Maine. The protest, which took place on the public portion of sidewalk in front of the New Cathedral, was organized by St. Louis based GLBT rights organization, Show Me No Hate. A smaller contngent of protesters was on hand for morning mass and the organization plans to rally outside the iconic edifice each Sunday throughout Advent — the period of preparation and waiting for Christmas. In response to the protest, St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson issued a statement saying that the donation came from a "special needs fund" endowed from "private gifts." According to Carlson, the fund is not used for formal church operations and can be used at the archbishop's discretion. Full Story from VitalVoice: http://thevitalvoice.com/node/5916

Click here for gay marriage resources in Missouri.

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.