Members of Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA) went down to Union Square in San Francisco to sing Christmas Carols rewritten with marriage equality words. The carolers were dressed in holiday clothing and passed out stickers to people standing by enjoying the holiday music during the hectic shopping weekend.

Find out the lyrics they used and more on this story here!

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The facts are straightforward. Not even 10 percent of the American population is gay, but more than 50% of all marriages end in divorce. And this was happening years before gays came out in significant numbers, let alone demanded the right to marry. In fact, the only men who seem to still want to get married in America are gays. While they are petitioning the Supreme Court to tie the knot, the straight guys are breaking into a rash and running to the hills every time their live-in girlfriends of five years push for a ring on their finger.

More at: Huff Po!

Gay rights advocates in New Jersey have been pushing for New Jersey to join them quickly.

Gov. Jon Corzine supports the measure. But Chris Christie, who will replace him on Jan. 19, says he would veto it.

A Senate vote was canceled last month because it appeared the measure was going to fail.

If it passes the Senate this week, it would still need the approval of the state Assembly to be sent to Corzine’s desk.

More at: Focus On The Rainbow!

It’s not like we haven’t tried being nice. 4,000 people at the State House in support of marriage equality was pretty tame. Legislators got to their meetings on times. Sure, the lunch line was a little long, but that’s the price we pay for lobbying our elected representatives. Supporters of marriage equality have been calling their legislators (who sometimes refuse to meet with them). And Senators have seen the names of thousands of NJ supporters. Hell, our whole movement started by asking nicely (males in suits, females in dresses, and silent protests).

More at: A Fruit 4 Thought!

Thirteen lawmakers sent bill 1967, a proposal that would let gays marry, out of committee. It is the farthest any bill like this has ever gone.

The path to a full vote to let homosexual couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples came after passionate pleas from conservatives.

The State Senate Judiciary Committee heard six hours of testimony Monday. Then, by a vote of 7-6, approved sending the measure on to the full Senate to vote on Thursday. (today)

Read more at: Focus On The Rainbow!

On Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker will consider a motion from Proposition 8 backers that would scrap plans for a January trial and put a quick end to the effort to overturn the anti-gay marriage law. Proposition 8′s defenders say U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the historical underpinnings of the definition of marriage negate the need for a trial, an argument strongly rejected by same-sex marriage advocates who vow to present strong factual evidence that Proposition 8 denies gay couples federal equal protection rights.

Based on Walker’s comments to date, Proposition 8 backers may have an uphill fight to avoid a trial, even with what some legal experts say are several strong legal arguments. The judge has indicated on numerous occasions that he believes the case warrants a trial to develop a full record for higher court review that many predict could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Read more at: Mercury News!

I, along with hundreds of other marched and campaigned for such a law, for our own gay marriage rights, and finally the law was changed and we have our civil partnership. There are some in the ‘gay community’ that think this isn’t right, that damn and condemn anyone or anything that think it is! They want it to be a gay marriage and nothing else will do!

I’m not on that bandwagon, to me we all want equality, but now we’re just arguing over a the name! Ok, so a civil partnership isn’t called marriage, but I know five couples who have done it, every single one of them called it a marriage, all of their guests referred to it a a marriage, they had a wedding reception, wedding cakes, wedding presents, wedding cars, wedding decorations, wedding rings, wedding vows…you see where I’m going with this?

They had, by all accounts, by all reasonable understanding a marriage, they didn’t refer to it as a civil partnership, nor did anyone else. There wasn’t a “Happy Civil Partnership Day’ cards, there was none ‘Civil Partnership’ balloons, there was no telemessages offering congratulations on “Signing of your partnership under The Civil Partnership Act 2004, commencement no 2″ Nope to everyone involved it was their wedding, their gay wedding and celebrated as such.

So what’s in a name? Just because it’s called something different does it not mean the same, surly a rose by any other name and so on?

I feel, it’s more to do with other people preconceptions as to what the ‘term’ marriage actually means, some want to have so much equality that the will not rest until our civil partnerships have been abolished and we have Gay Marriage on the law books, which means they’ll have to wait for a very cold day in hell for that to happen. Others, like me are quite content with the status quo, I like the option to have a ceremony, a partnership of the civil kind, yes I want and strive for equality, but that doesn’t mean I want to copy an archaic, predominately religious ceremony/union which, by all the latest figures are failing and collapsing in greater numbers than ever before!

“Marriage – you can keep it, I’m getting civiled”

Jason Shaw

www.seafrontdiary.com

Supporters of marriage equality in the state’s legislature were able to override a veto by Republican Governor Jim Douglas in April, but only by a narrow margin.

Attempting to hide any bigoted points of view, Douglas stated the reason for his veto was because the legislation failed to end the discrimination faced by LGBT citizens.

Read more at: gayagenda.com!

Since the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage back in April, records show approximately 45 percent of Iowa’s same-sex marriages were between out-of-state couples.

Between the months of May and August, 5,214 marriage certificates were issued statewide, 676 of those were for same-sex couples and gender was concealed on 339.

Of the 676 same-sex couples, 312 were from out of state, mostly states that boarder Iowa, including Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri and Minnesota.