Episcopalians to Bless Same Sex Couples

The Episcopalian Church has approved an official liturgy blessing the unions of gay couples. The vote, which puts the church well ahead of other denominations on the rights of the LGBT community was held at the church’s triennial General Convention in Indianapolis, IN. “It’s making a statement about the continued presence of gay and lesbian people among the congregations of the Episcopal Church, and that their lives need to be marked by liturgy as well” around to stay — this is not a passing fad,’ ” said Mary A. Tolbert, founding director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at Pacific School of Religion, in Berkeley, California.

It’s nice to see some religions looking forward and giving its blessing to the inevitable.
Read the entire story from the NY Times here

Watch: Marriage News Watch for 7/10/12

httpv://youtu.be/tSlVu7V-MjQ

From Matt Baum:  All eyes are on the Supreme Court, with a big marriage showdown shaping up on the horizon. Two county clerks in Illinois have won right to defend the state’s marriage ban. And equality gets a thumbs up from Methodists, and a thumbs down — for now — from Presbyterians.

Vikings Punter for Marriage Equality

httpv://youtu.be/NSix0NnVNJ0

via Outsports

Vikings Punter, Chris Kluwe, has recorded a second ad asking Minnesotans to reject the ballot measure that would create a constitutional amendment to discriminate against same sex couples.  The first ad is below.

Kluwe has been a strong voice in the opposition of the amendment, which will be voted on this November.  Besides supporting marriage equality, he also supports openly gay players in the NFL.  Read his interview from Outsports here.

I hope more athletes and public figures who support equality come forward and make their voices heard.  These people’s views matter a lot to their fans.  The more people hear from those in the lime light, the more attitudes will change, and we will have equality sooner.

Gay Couple Stage Sit-in in Dallas

Partners Mark Jiminez and Beau Chandler staged a sit-in at the Dallas County Clerk’s office Wednesday afternoon.  The couple requested a marriage license, and when they were denied one, they handcuffed their arms together.  They were later led out by Dallas sheriff’s deputies.  The couple said they were protesting the 2005 Texas law that prohibits same sex marriage.

I really admire people who step forward and bring attention to what is unjust.  Civil disobedience can make a huge difference in the fight for freedom.  Bravo to these brave me and to many others who have done similar acts in other places around the country.  I know some day, when marriage equality has been realized, we’ll look back at people like these guys as the true heroes of the LGBT movement.

The Green Lantern Proposes to Boyfriend

In the new comic book series Earth 2, DC superhero Green Lantern proposes to his boyfriend, Sam.  This will be the third proposal of a gay comic book character.  X-Men member Northstar married his husband in Astonishing X-men, and Archie character Kevin Keller married his military spouse last January in Life with Archie.

The right wing is going bananas over gay nuptials in comics… which  means we’re on the right track!

Via On Top Magazine

Washington State GOP Senator For Marriage Equality

httpv://youtu.be/RO894Me_gt8

Washington state senator Steve Litzow is for marriage equality.  Hopefully more Republicans will see that their oppostion to equality is based on nothing more than fear and bigotry.

I love the line, “I talk with all my children, all four of them, about the marriage equality bill.  Their first question was, ‘What’s the big deal?'”  Exactly.  What IS the big deal?

Obama Administration Refers Two DOMA Cases to SCOTUS

Yesterday, the Department of Justice asked  the Supreme Court to rule on two lower court rulings that have found Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional.  This fast track would bypass a review by the Ninth Court of Appeals for one of the cases, Golinski v. Office of Personnel Management, scheduled for September. If the court takes either case, arguments would be heard this winter, with a ruling next June. It would be so great if DOMA were struck down in less than a year.   Over 1500 benefits granted to heterosexual married couples are denied same-sex couples because of the discriminatory law. Read the full article in the New York Times here.  Also, AmercaBlog Gay has more here.

Gay Married Icons Come to Facebook

Facebook has launched same sex married icons to its timeline feature.  Read about the update on Purple Unions.

I just updated my timeline….

Married Mike Jones

March 23 in New York, New York

Watch: Marriage News Watch for July 2

httpv://youtu.be/eUgwFwzGsG0

This week’s update from AFER.

Ireland Deputy Prime Minister Supports Marriage Equality

The deputy prime minister, Eamon Gilmore, endorsed marriage equality at Dublin Pride.  He said gay marriage was “the civil rights issue of this generation”.

I think the momentum is building!