NY exhibit on gay rights hits amid marriage debate

From Reuters:

NEW YORK (Reuters) – As exhibitions go, the New York Public Library’s “1969: The Year of Gay Liberation” could hardly have chosen better timing.

With debate raging over same-sex marriage across the United States, the library in midtown Manhattan opened the exhibit on Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of the so-called Stonewall riots that triggered the modern U.S. gay rights movement.

Photos, documents, clippings from the gay media and other artifacts illustrate what was a shocking development at the time: homosexual men and women coming out of the closet to demonstrate for their civil rights, often at great risk.

The free exhibit will run at the main branch all of June.

NY exhibit on gay rights hits amid marriage debate | Reuters .

Share This Post
Posted in Equal Rights | Leave a comment

New England economy could see gay-marriage boost

From Reuters:

BOSTON (Reuters) – The expansion of legal gay marriage across New England could deliver an economic windfall by attracting a youthful “creative class” of workers to a region with an aging population.

In the past year, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine have joined Massachusetts, which in 2004 became the first U.S. state to allow same-sex weddings, in blessing gay and lesbian weddings.

That makes the region the first in the United States where same-sex couples can move from one state to another while retaining marriage benefits.

New arrivals include John Visser and Nick Keffer, who recently moved to Hartford, Connecticut, from Raleigh, North Carolina. They plan to wed later this month.

“The sole, only reason why we moved was because it was now legal for us to get married here,” said Visser, 42. “No other reason whatsoever other than marriage equality. We were perfectly happy in North Carolina.”

Share This Post
Posted in Marriage Equality | Leave a comment

New Hampshire Legislature Approves Gay Marriage

From the New York Times: 

BOSTON — The New Hampshire Senate approved revisions to a same-sex marriage bill on Wednesday morning, paving the way for an afternoon vote in the less-predictable House of Representatives.

Lawmakers have been working on the bill for months; gay-rights supporters hope the latest changes will ensure it becomes law. The changes further emphasize that by legalizing gay marriage, the state will not impinge on the religious freedom of those who do not believe in it.

Read more >> 

Share This Post
Posted in Marriage Equality | Tagged | Leave a comment

Kate Kendell of NCLR on Prop 8: Now What?

Kate Kendell, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, speaks about Proposition 8, and what to do next. 

Share This Post
Posted in Marriage Equality, Proposition 8 | Leave a comment

California Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 8

From the New York Times:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The state Supreme Court has upheld a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, but also decided that the estimated 18,000 gay couples who tied the knot before the law took effect will stay wed.

The decision Tuesday rejected an argument from gay rights activists that the ban revised the California constitution’s equal protection clause to such a dramatic degree that it first needed the Legislature’s approval.

The announcement of the decision caused outcry among a sea of demonstrators who gathered in front of the San Francisco courthouse awaiting the ruling.

Share This Post
Posted in Marriage Equality, Proposition 8 | Leave a comment

Both Sides Await Court Decision on Same-Sex Marriage in California

From the New York Times: 

SAN FRANCISCO — After more than 30 years together, Brent Lok and Wade French have accumulated more than a few possessions, including a hilltop home, an impressive collection of Asian art and, alongside their diplomas, vacation photos and family portraits, a framed marriage license, dated June 17, 2008.

Wade French and Brent Lok, holding an invalid marriage license from 2004 and a valid one from 2008, are awaiting the California Supreme Court’s decision on their marriage and more than 18,000 others.

On Tuesday, Mr. Lok and Mr. French will discover what that license means in the eyes of the law, as the California Supreme Court hands down its decision on Proposition 8, the voter initiative passed in November that outlawed same-sex marriage. Previously, in May 2008, the court legalized same-sex marriage, and since the election, several groups have sued, saying the proposition’s revocation of that right was unconstitutional.

Share This Post
Posted in Equal Rights, Marriage Equality | Leave a comment