The Beauty of Boys Kissing Boys

LGBT couples are part of a new campaign.

The debate on same-sex marriage may still be ongoing, but new ads are lighting the beauty of same-sex relationships. 

The series of ads, which are produced by Lambda Legal, show 16 same-sex couples with their families who have sued Illinois for preventing same-sex marriage.

Do you think this ad will impact same-sex marriage?

Watch the full campaign here: 

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Photo Credit: www.boston.com

The Shifting Opinions of Same-Sex Marriage

A look at how the U.S. and other countries view the legal union of gay and lesbian couples.

Protests, speeches, social media campaigns and most recently, gay athletes speaking out for marriage equality are just some of the trends that have shifted people’s views of same sex marriage.

Once considered taboo, many people for many years believed that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. 

However, with the recent movements supporting a marriage between gay and lesbian couples, these views have changed. 

Six in every ten Americans say homosexuality should be accepted by society, according to a report by the Pew Research Center. 

That number is up from 49 percent in 2007. 

Same-sex legalization has gained momentum in recent years not just in the United States, but also around the world.

Out of the 15 countries worldwide to legalize gay and lesbian couples to marry, only eight have actually performed a same-sex marriage ceremony since 2010, the report states.

The map below shows that countries such as Canada, Spain, Brazil and Argentina allow gay marriage.

As far as attitudes, this map shows how much of the Western countries believe homosexuality should be accepted. South Africa has the highest acceptance level among the six African countries surveyed.

Have your opinions about gay marriage changed due to the recent movements?

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Progress: Same-Sex Marriage to be Allowed in Minnesota

State joins 11 others that have allowed gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Minnesota will soon become the 12th state in the United States to allow same-sex couples to marry. 

The state’s Senate approved a bill legalizing gay and lesbian marriage on Monday with a 37-30 vote. 

Governor Mark Dayton is scheduled to sign the bill next Tuesday. 

The state is only the second Midwestern state to allow gay marriage. Iowa became the first state in the midwestern region to allow a marriage between same-sex couples in 2009. 

The law in Minnesota will take effect on August 1.  

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Nevada State Senator Comes Out As Gay

During an emotional debate on marriage equality, Nevada state senator reveals sexuality.

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Photo Credit: AP

VIDEO: Morgan Freeman Lends Voice To Human Rights Campaign Ad

The national commercial supporting same-sex marriage will air throughout the week.

Morgan Freeman is lending his voice for a cause. The Oscar winning actor narrates a national advertisement for the Human Rights Campaign which aired Sunday and will continue to do so throughout the week, according to The Advocate.

The video, originally posted on YouTube last November, broadcasts “the dawn of a new day” for LGBT rights, including marriage equality in the country. Freeman’s narration highlights clips of same-sex couples and their families, historic human rights advances and iconic American scenery.

"Freedom, justice and human dignity have always guided our journey toward a more perfect union," Freeman says in the 30-second video. "Now, across our country, we are standing together for the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love. And with historic victories for marriage, we've delivered a mandate for full equality. The wind is at our back but our journey has just begun."

Photo Credit: Google Images 

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Equality Watch: Same-Sex Marriage Makes Its SCOTUS Debut

Cases heard this week could shape future of marriage equality debate

If you haven’t heard already, this week is especially important for Americans on both sides of the marriage equality debate. The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on Tuesday morning on the meaning of marriage – whether or not the federal government and state governments can deny gay and lesbian couples the right to enter into marriages the same way heterosexual couples do. Two California couples are challenging Proposition 8, the state’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. On Wednesday, the SCOTUS will hear arguments on whether to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal benefits to legally married same sex couples. No matter what side of this issue you stand on, the justices are being asked to determine whether denial of rights to members of the LGBT community is a violation of the Constitution’s equal protection clause. In other words, can we legally give something to one group and not to another because of their race, gender, or sexual orientation? Think about it. (New York Times)

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Finally! Colorado Now Allows Same Sex Civil Unions

Eighteen states and counting extend some form of marriage to gays and lesbians

Hurrah! Equality may be a slow process, but LGBT activists continue to win victories for the generations behind them. Colorado’s governor on Thursday signed legislation legalized civil unions for same sex couples, making it the 18th state to allow gay marriage or some form of same sex union. This, of course, comes days before the Supreme Court hears two major cases on marriage equality. Some activists and gay couples have expressed dissatisfaction with the failure to grant full marriage equality to same-sex couples. That would require Colorado voters to undo a state constitutional amendment that limited marriages to unions of a man and a woman. Perhaps the SCOTUS cases will indicate how probable that could be. (New York Times)

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Finally! Colorado Legalizes Civil Unions for Same-Sex Couples

Was pushed by the Democrat-led legislature and handful of Republicans

On Tuesday, Colorado lawmakers passed legislation to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples. The bill passed the House by a vote of 39-26. “This is a historic moment to be seized and to be cherished. We vote today to redeem our friends, our aunts, our uncles, our sisters, our children and, dare I say, our colleagues, from the scourge of discrimination and inequality," said Representative Pete Lee (above), a Democrat from Colorado Springs. Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming weeks. Currently 19 other states and the District of Columbia recognize civil unions, marriage and domestic partnerships, or other benefits for same-sex couples. (NY Times)

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Inching Towards Equality? 46% Support & 46% Oppose Gay Marriage, Poll Shows

Where do you fall?

American voters are split down the middle over whether same-sex marriage should be legalized. While 46 percent are in favor, the same amount are opposed. But there are major differences in the voters' age, political identification, region and religiosity. Those under the age of 45 are largely in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage (60 percent), while those ages 45 and older largely oppose it (57 percent). Most Democrats (64 percent) are in favor, while most Republicans are opposed (66 percent). At the end of March, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider two cases concerning same-sex marriage, including one over California’s gay marriage ban. Last week, President Obama filed a “friend-of-the-court” amicus brief urging the SCOTUS to overturn the ban; the move put the administration at odds with the 37 states that have banned same-sex marriage. (FOX News)

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Progress: Illinois One Step Close To Legalizing Gay Marriage

State Senate approves bill along party lines, advances to the House

It was a happy Valentine’s Day for the LGBT community in Illinois. The state Senate on Thursday approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The move was spearheaded by Democrats and passed largely along party lines. Although the fate of the bill now rests on the state House of Representatives, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn has promised to sign any bill that legalizes gay marriage. It’s unclear when the House will take up the measure. There was also some concern that black Democratic legislators from Chicago could oppose the measure because of pressure from highly influential African American pastors. But if it does happen, Illinois would become the 10th state in the U.S. to adopt marriage equality.  Gay marriage is also legal in the District of Columbia. President Barack Obama, a former member of the Illinois Senate, has encouraged the state to pass the measure. A couple of weeks ago, Obama authorized a White House statement, saying he would vote for the bill, were he still in the state’s legislature. LGBT groups have called the week of Valentine’s Day in 2013 the “Freedom to Marry Week.”  (Reuters)

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Inching Towards Equality: Military Benefits Extended to Same-Sex Couples

Advocates call Panetta's policy switch “encouraging"

Military benefits have been extended to the same-sex spouses and unmarried partners of gay service members. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta extended the perks, all previously denied by the Pentagon, on Monday including child care services, member-designated hospital visits, and the issuing of military ID cards, which will give the spouses and partners access to on-base commissaries, movie theaters and gyms. However, the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) still blocks the Department of Defense from enacting more than 85 other benefits provided to heterosexual couples and their families, most notably medical and dental care, housing allowances, and death benefits. (NBC News)

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10 Things You Need To Know For Wednesday

Even though the Church of England is very much against the move, UK lawmakers took a huge step towards legalizing same-sex marriage. In a 400-175 vote, MPs approved the second reading of a bill. Now, the bill faces a vote in the House of Commons and in the House of Lords.

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On Marriage, LGBT Shouldn’t Look For Help From Feds

Government doesn’t have a record for taking public positions on court's equality cases

You know how interracial marriage and gay sex was illegal in some states until the Supreme Court ruled against bans on them? Yeah, well, you might be surprised to know that the federal government took no position when those cases came to the court. That fact is consistent with the rhetorical dance President Barack Obama has done on the issue of states rights. In Obama’s public endorsement of same sex marriage last year, he was quite vague on whether he’d ask his solicitor general to take a position on the upcoming case against California’s ban on same-sex marriage. One of the lawyer’s challenging Prop 8 at SCOTUS said Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. was noncommittal after a meeting last month about the government’s stance on the case. Verrilli is expected to meet with defenders of the gay marriage ban in a few days. Court arguments on the case will be heard on March 26. So, for those wanting the government to sink some teeth into the president’s support of marriage equality, speak now or forever hold your peace. (New York Times)

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10 Things You Need To Know For Thursday

The payroll-processing firm ADP reports that 118,000 private-sector jobs were created in November—but estimated that 86,000 were lost due to Hurricane Sandy. The firm, which releases a monthly jobs report the same week as the U.S. Labor Department, recently revamped its methodology to more closely fit the final, official numbers. Despite the addition of new jobs, the report wasn’t all rosy: Hurricane Sandy hit the manufacturing, retail, and leisure and hospitality sectors particularly hard, the report said.

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Supreme Court Considers Taking on Pending Gay Marriage Cases

Justices will meet privately

The Supreme Court is considering requests to review pending cases that challenge the rights to gay marriage. The justices will meet Friday in a closed-door conference to decide if they will accept any of the appeals - most regarding whether a fundamental constitutional right for gays and lesbians to marry exists. If the court accepts one of the cases, the oral arguments will likely take place in early 2013, with a ruling expected by the end of the court term in June. If the court invalidates the law, states could still be free to legalize or deny same-sex marriages on their own terms. (Reuters)

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President Obama Endorses Gay Marriage Initiatives in 3 States

Final efforts being made just before Election Day

President Barack Obama endorsed initiatives Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington state, Maryland and Maine. The news comes five months after Obama became the first U.S. president to express support for the right of gay couples to wed. Polls show Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are neck and neck in the presidential race, so the results of Election Day hinge largely on their core constituencies. For Obama, the gay and lesbian community, Hispanics and single, young women could be pivotal voting blocs. Six states and the District of Columbia have already extended marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples, all brought about by court rulings and legislative action. (Reuters)

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Defense of Marriage Act Nixed by New York Appeals Court

Court became nation's second to do so

A New York appeals court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act on Thursday deeming it unconstitutional. The Act, passed in 1996, denies federal benefits to married same-sex couples, and says other states cannot be forced to recognize them. The ruling came in favor of Edith Windsor, an 83-year-old woman who sued the federal government for charging her more than $363,000 in estate taxes after being denied the benefit of spousal deductions. She argued that the Defense of Marriage Act discriminates against gay and lesbian couples, violating equal protection provisions of the U.S. Constitution. Since 1996, six states have legalized same-sex marriage but, because of the law, the federal government does not recognize them. (Reuters)

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If 'God Said' Don't Vote For Obama, Would You Listen?

New group of black preachers want African Americans to take their votes elsewhere

Remember this photo?

Sure you do; this photo of a group of the black faithful literally laying hands on Barack Obama is probably hanging in one of your family member's homes right now.

Four years ago, it seemed like members of the Black Church had all but crowned Obama their political messiah. The man who was running to become the first black president was on the receiving end of every prayer and holy ghost dance at the time.

But that time seems so long ago.

In 2012, some members of the Black Church are taking the bottoms of their Jesus pieces and drawing one big line in the sand this election season.

Ever since President Obama allowed his stance on gay marriage to "evolve" into full support of it, a declaration he made on ABC's "Good Morning America," some black preachers have been acting like women scorned.

"We are disappointed in our president," the Rev. William Owens, founder of the Coalition of African American Pastors, said at a September rally denouncing Obama and the Democratic Party. "We love our president and we pray for our president.... [but black pastors] are drinking his Kool-Aid and it's more poisonous than [cult leader] Jim Jones's was."

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Last month, the Rev. A.R. Bernard, pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in New York, made headlines when he led a charge encouraging black preachers to discourage African Americans from voting at all on Election Day because of the president's stance on gay marriage.

"When President Obama made the public statement on gay marriage, I think it put a question in our minds as to what direction he's taking the nation," Bernard said in an interview.

While black preachers aren't coming out and encouraging their congregations to go out and vote for Mormon Mitt Romney, they are letting it be known that their support for the president will not come as easily as it did in 2008 when 95 percent of blacks voted for Obama. And if one group of black preachers has anything to do with it, a quarter of those who voted for Obama four years ago will change their votes this year and decide based on what the group contends the Bible says.

This newly formed group calls itself "God Said."

According to verbiage on its website:

Our goal is to switch 25% of African American voters from voting their political party to voting their biblical values.
Our vision is to impact the social and cultural climate; to bring about a notable, non-partisan support of natural marriage and natural family life in the African American community and society as a whole.

Affirmative Action, Gay Marriage Up Next in U.S. Supreme Court

After healthcare ruling, next term shaping up to be as momentous as the last

Affirmative action for minorities, voting rights and same sex marriage are expected to be the next big items on the U.S. Supreme Court’s agenda, when justices return to the bench on Monday. In October, SCOTUS will hear Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin and weigh whether using race in undergraduate admissions to increase diversity is constitutional. There are also a half a dozen cases that concern same-sex marriages, several of them addressing the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. The public won’t know if the gay rights cases are accepted until later in the fall. A voting rights case may also make the cut. Decisions on the issues would likely come out by the end of June, before the usual summer recess. (Reuters)

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Chick-Fil-A to Stop Funding Anti-Gay Groups

Chicken sandwich chain retreats after causing a stir

Chick-fil-A will stop funding anti-gay groups, according to a statement released Wednesday by LGBT advocacy group The Civil Rights Agenda. "Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena," Chick-fil-A wrote in an email. In July, the fast food chain caused controversy when its COO Dan Cathy said that its policy was to support “the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit.” In response, supporters of same-sex marriage launched boycotts and staged same-sex "kiss-ins" at Chick-Fil-A storefronts. The letter further stated that the chain “is now taking a much closer look at the organizations it considers helping, and in that process will remain true to its stated philosophy of not supporting organizations with political agendas.” (NBC News)

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Hunger Games: What's The Big Fuss About Chic-Fil-A?

What does a chicken sandwhich have to do with gay marriage?

“I don’t care I’m hungry.”

That blunt statement from 31-year old "Randy" of East Point, Ga., as he walked out of a nearby Chic-Fil-A restaurant, just about sums up the overall sentiment of the current controversy the fast food chicken chain finds itself in. People are hungry.

Randy, who declined to give his last name, says he’s been eating Chic-Fil-A since he played Little League Baseball. The local franchisee supplied after game meals for his team. He and many others in the Atlanta share similar memories of the proudly faith-based company that is just as known for its addictive lemonade as it is for its unbending Christian-practices, which includes being closed on Sundays.

So when Chic-Fil-A COO Dan Cathy made statements in an interview last week saying that he was “guilty as charged” when it came to his pro-traditional marriage stance, not many in Atlanta, or in the South where Chic-FIl-A is a staple, were surprised.

It’s not rare to walk into a Chic-Fil-A restaurant and see walls plastered with messages promoting everything from helping others to chastity. It’s a common thing to see local churches partner up with franchises to give young kids in their congregations summer jobs.

But, to the rest of the country, where Chic-Fil-A is only vaguely known as the place with the cows who can’t spell, Cathy’s statements came off as bigoted and out of line.

In case you’ve yet to see what he actually said, here is his “anti-gay” statement:

“As an organization we can operate on biblical principles. So that is what we claim to be. [We are] based on biblical principles, asking God and pleading with God to give us wisdom on decisions we make about people and the programs and partnerships we have. And He has blessed us."

“We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.

"We operate as a family business ... our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that...

"We intend to stay the course...We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."

In another interview Cathy said that he was praying for “God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.”

Some may argue that Cathy’s statements sound more “pro-tradition” than they do flat out “anti-gay.” Nonetheless that hasn’t stopped liberal and pro-gay media outlets and supporters from taking a bite out of it. Making themselves seem hungry for headlines, much like our friend Randy is for a chicken sandwich combo.

Episcopal Church Approves Same-Sex Marriage Blessings

Largely white denomination first to offer religion service for gay couples

One of the nation’s largest Christian denominations became the first to bless same sex marriages as a matter of church doctrine on Tuesday.

The change was approved by a significant margin at the church’s General Convention in Indianapolis, the Huffington Post reports.

The church’s priests, who for years have been allowed to hold leadership positions if they are same-gender-loving individuals, can officiate blessings for 1.9 million members. The blessings will begin in December.

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From the HuffPo’s story:

The church's House of Deputies voted 171 to 41, with nine people saying they were divided, to support a same-sex blessings liturgy that will be used during a three-year trial before the church meets again and decides if it should be permanent…

Some Episcopal bishops currently allow same-sex blessings in their dioceses, but many have said they will not allow them unless the church has an official liturgy -- the words exchanged between a couple and a priest during the ceremony.

A 10-year-old report on the Episcopal church showed the following membership breakdown by race: 89.1 percent white, 7 percent multi-racial, 2.5 percent African American and 1.4 percent other.

African Americans and Hispanics are largely divided on the issue of churches accepting and performing same sex marriages.

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