Marriage Equality USA

Periodically we’ll feature one of our vendors here to let our readers know about some great people who can help you plan the perfect wedding.

Gay Wedding Officiants in Paramus, NJ, USA. I am honored to offer my services to same-gender couples who wish to express their love and commitment to each other in a beautiful and meaningful ceremony. Your individuality and faith in each other will be honored as well as your intent to unite as a couple in mind, heart, body, and soul.

See Bari’s Expanded Listing on Purple Unions Here

Gay Friendly Wedding Vendors in New Jersey

Aloha Mai Kakou.  Meaning, “May there be love between us, including myself.”   I am Billie Lewis, this is not only my first blog for Purple Union, but my first ever.  What subject should this promising writer spotlight?  Being locked away in a closet, possessed my heart and soul with rage from not seeing the light.  My writing at most were attempts to fire up that anger in others.  Today I will attempt the more at peace route, maybe find rays of sunshine to rain down on my former flaming fingers.  This should be interesting.

The  subject?  How about I write a few lines about the beautiful month of June, that is approaching quickly.   This wonderfully warm Summer month that carries nine monthly distinction, Fight the filthy fly to Turkey Lover month, to name a few.  A month with such character we must have something said special about the first and second weeks of the month, followed by each day of the month having it’s own distinction.  And yes, we have some great gems to look forward to, such as Repeat Day and National Bubba Day.  There twenty-eight more, but I don’t want to put down to much information and find myself having to repeat myself later because there is to much to remember all at once.

But one distinction rises above celebrating Roses or hugging your cat on the fourth, Gay Pride.  With any great recipe, the adage of breaking a few eggs does apply for our prideful celebrations.  The cosmic bakers got it right, even making a correlations for me to write this, I share the same birth year as Pride Day, 1969.  What began as a simple day of protest riots over the police raid at Stonewall Inn, has grown world wide support and attendance.  What begin as a single day of Pride was expanded to a week long celebration by  “The Mother of Pride”,  Brenda Howard.  Ever since, many pieces have been written about the festive at hand, the eclectic soup of people and yes, keeping to the true beginnings, Protesters.  I don’t wish to pontificate, but rather add my own ingredient.

Now you may have notice through out this piece, I have failed to mention the label of, “GLBT”.  Once the revelations of our true sexual and gender identity comes dancing out of the closet, we are affixed with some kind of label.  Setting the trend that a person’s value is solely based on a label and not the person themselves.  Just a mere mention of the acronym and a your privacy has been violated.  Anything sexual in nature should remain private.  A proper greeting should be as followed, a smile, a nice handshake, eye contact, exchange of names and treating the person you just met, as you like to be treated.

The “GLBT” label also sounds as if we are putting a limit on who should and shouldn’t partake in celebrating the pride of our individual uniqueness.  I know we don’t check a person gay card at the gate, but for some people, they would feel like they are not invited to come and celebrate with us.  How many years flew by before men were accepted as a nurse or females were welcomed into the forbidden zone of the local mechanic shop.  If we are to move forward in search for equality, we need to drop the labels society has placed upon us.  Who we sleep with or gender identification shouldn’t be brought up, how we treat people based on nothing more then the proper greeting, should be.

As I mentioned early, the cosmic bakers got the recipe right.  The month of June is named after Juno (Hera).  Juno was known as the Goddess of marriage and a married couple’s household.  With June being known for the large number of marriages that occur over the course of the month, combine with our struggle inside the courts, what better way to end this, then with a prayer for firmer equal rights and recognitions.  And increase June’s accomplishment in the universe of marriage, with penning our names onto the sign here lines of a marriage certificate.  With out rushing for fear of laws being repelled, worry of lynch mob, mob of media or having to make travel plans because only 12 states has acknowledge and validated our humanity.

Salutations readers, I am Billy (Billie) Lewis
Artist / Writer / Photographer / Actress / Multifaceted in other areas that do not define me.
I am a 43 years young, male to female transgender in her early stages and growth towards my true self.  I am Lady Katherine’s ball and chain, for whom I have spent the better part of ten years together, six of which being legally padlocked. She is my anomaly, being the only woman, that feelings were genuine. She has proven to be the best friend a mentally messed up man and future Goddess can ever pray for. Claiming to stand by my side, with no foreseeable plans to leave, claiming not to have the strength or desire to housebreak a new partner.

I am an abuse survivor.  I have spent my time in the hell trenches of families, friends, bullies and self. Over three have past since I had enough of carrying the baggage from the past and lying and hurting the people I cared for the most, including myself. Honesty has greatly improved my life, allowing my vocal support for our community to leave the nose bleed section and place myself at the 50 yard line. And has allowed for me to find definition of my true self.

Also I am an avid reader, and consumer of many forms of musical entertainment. The eclectic taste of music carries over to my cinematic tastes. Recently I have lost faith in television and it’s programming, so I have uprooted the potato on the couch and replanted it into the pot of life.  Clicking off the television has helped me with finding the heart of information as it comes in.  I can go online and read about the happening and surf around for the same news but from another source and compile the facts with out too much between the lines issues.

I do have my faults, so of which has to do with being dyslexic and attending schools when I a child that considered me retarded.  So most of what I know I have had to teach myself, so if typos are caught in my writing, please be kind.  My other fault is that my analytical mind doesn’t allow for B.S. and has lead me to be to quick with my temper.  I no longer seek out physical fight, my wars are on the verbal battle grounds.  But as I have grown in my honesty, so has my maturity and the work I do.  I am learning that a lot of my anger has slipped on by and that words can be as strong as a rock, with out using a fist or words that would make a sailor blush in shame.  So if you, the readers are for my insight, I am ready to share.  Thank you.

Why should I personally go forward as a trans activist pushing for change? Why do anything for trans and LGBT community members when I have received a significant amount of pushback through the years from the religious right, LGBT community members, radical lesbian feminist separatists and even transsexual separatists?

I’ve written in the past about why there is trans activism and what are the major goals of trans activism, but have never really spelled out what motivates me personally.

I began by blogging and archiving LGBT stories for the SD-GLBT and transgendernews Yahoo groups. At the time I was studying for an information systems undergraduate degree – that degree being a feeder degree for a library science graduate degree. Archiving articles that dealt with gay and transgender issues was a way to combine my interests in current events and library work, and combining these with my then recent coming out as trans.

Authored by Autumn Sandeen – See the Full Story at LGBT Weekly

In a moving speech before the Nevada Assembly yesterday, a teenager spoke out for marriage equality. Towleroad.com reports:

18-year-old Riley Roberts delivered an emotional, compelling speech before the Nevada Assembly yesterday before it voted 27-14 to pass a resolution advancing efforts toward marriage equality in the state. With, anger, love, and some tears, Roberts moved the room, and he will move you.

You can hear the raw emotion, love and anger in his voice – it’s very moving as he defends his lesbian parents.

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Nevada.

There are a number of other stories today that either aren’t big enough for their own posting or that we just don’t have time to get to on their own. So here’s our recap of the ones that would otherwise fall through the cracks.

MARRIAGE EQUALITY TESTS ILLINOIS MODERATES

Kyle Hillman sees marriage equality as a litmus test for moderate democratic politicians in the state, and for republicans too. The Huffington Post reports:

With a looming vote here in the Illinois House, SB10 is going to force conservative legislators in the state to choose to support this societal shift toward equal marriage or else risk being labeled extreme and out of touch in future statewide races. One only has to look to the most recent gubernatorial race to see how the politics of association and fear work in non-presidential elections in Illinois.

MARRIAGE EQUALITY USA TO HONOR GAVIN NEWSOM NEXT WEEK

MEUSA plans to honor former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at a fundraiser next Wednesday night in San Francisco. Gay USA reports:

The Marriage Equality USA San Francisco Awards Reception, honoring Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Bingham McCutchen LLP and the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, will bring together LGBT community members and leaders, straight allies, entertainment industry and corporate leaders, and celebrities to raise funds for and highlight contributions to the marriage equality movement, on Wednesday, May 29th, from 6:00-8:30pm at Chambers Eat + Drink, 601 Eddy Street, San Francisco.

TRANSGENDER STUDENT WILL SKIP GRADUATION INSTEAD OF WEARING A FEMALE GOWN

It’s sad that some people are so small-minded that they’d try to force this on a transgender person. LGBTQ Nation reports:

Damian Garcia, a graduating senior at St. Pius X who identifies as male and had a legal name change last year, was told by the school officials that he must wear the white gown reserved for females, or not participate in the ceremony. And so, Garcia elected to stay home. “I’m fully respecting this and myself by not walking and/or attending the ceremony at all,” Garcia said, in a post Wednesday on Facebook, in which he thanked his supporters and said the school refused to amend its decision.

FRANCE MAY BAN ANTI MARRIAGE EQUALITY GROUP

No, not the one with the huge rallies. The more radical one with the guy who shot himself in Notre Dame in protest this week. France24 reports:

A radical far right group opposed to France’s recent legalisation of gay marriage could be banned following comments some have claimed amount to a call to violence, French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said Thursday. Known as the Printemps francais (French Spring), the group is among those set to take part in a major protest in Paris on Sunday against the ‘marriage for all’ bill, signed into law by President Francois Hollande earlier this month. Speaking to the radio station France Info, Valls said he was looking at the possibility of banning the group following “unnacceptable” recent statements, in which the organisation appeared to threaten the government and individuals supporting gay marriage.

Our semi-regular round-up of the crazy (and often unintentionally hilarious) things that anti-gay folks are saying about marriage equality and the LGBT community.

First off, perennial favorite Maggie Gallagher. She claims the proof’s in that marriage equality doesn’t strengthen marriage. Joe.My.God reports:

“Marriage is decaying so rapidly that it’s hard to pinpoint gay marriage as the cause. We can point out that the young, precisely the group most committed to gay marriage as a social ideal, do (and to me not surprisingly) increasingly disconnect marriage and children. The change in the law is a marker of the underlying cultural shift, and the campaign for gay marriages crystalize a particular vision of what marriage is and why it is valuable. All that may be debateable, but can we at least agree the noble dream of Jonathan Rauch, David Brooks, and others that gay marriage will strengthen marriage as a social institution just doesn’t happen?”

Notice how her uncertainty about gay marriage as the cause doesn’t stop her from blaming it anyway. That’s what happens when you choose your conclusion first and work backwards.

Our other entry this morning – UK MP Ian Paisley Jr. was challenged abut an earlier (2007) statement that he was repulsed by gays. Pink News reports:

At the time he said: “I am, unsurprisingly, a straight person. I am pretty repulsed by gay and lesbianism. I think it is wrong. I think that those people harm themselves and – without caring about it – harm society.” He added: “That doesn’t mean to say that I hate them. I mean, I hate what they do.” Responding to a question by David Dimbleby, Mr Paisley said: “I am repulsed by many things.The actions, and not specificly the individuals. I am repulsed by people who are not homosexual as well sometimes.”

But don’t you dare call him homophobic:

“I’ll be accused of being homophobic, almost as bad as being a racist, and everything else that’s nasty in the world.” He added that “Christians are scared off about expressing this sort of view.”

Isn’t being repulsed by gays kind of the textbook definition of being homophobic?

After France successfully passed the marriage equality bill earlier this month, the country’s first gay wedding will likely be performed in Montpellier this week. Joe.My.God reports:

On Wednesday May 29, Vincent Autin and Bruno Boileau from Montpellier will become the first gay couple to marry in France, at City Hall of Montpellier on Wednesday, May 29, Time TBA, 1 Place Georges Frêche. Vincent, 40 and Boileau, 30, met 7 years ago through their love of music. Both are fans of singer Christophe Willem and were members of the an online fan forum. Three of the ten members of the fan club decided to meet in Paris, two of them happened to be Vincent and Boileu. Vincent and Boileu hit it off right away. The third member of the fan club left them at the restaurant where they continued to talk. The next day, they met again, and their love for each other has been growing strong ever since.

Congratulations to the happy couple.

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in France.

We’ve long wondered why single, atheist, left-wing PM Julia Gillard has been so dead-set against marriage equality. A new article from Gay Star News offers a possibility:

A rift between marriage-equality supporting members and social conservative leaders has erupted in Australia’s largest trade union, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA). The conflict has potentially far-reaching consequences as the national leader of the SDA is Joe de Bruyn who is hugely influential in the Labor Party and rumored to be the reason Prime Minister Julia Gillard is so stubbornly opposed to marriage equality.

Of course. It’s politics.

A group within the union is now challenging de Bruyn’s stance on the issue:

SDA Members for Marriage Equality was formed in response to de Bruyn’s public anti-gay-marriage statements in 2010. ‘He was committing the union to campaign against gay marriage,’ said Hart. ‘Since then we’ve made it our mission to try to show that the SDA leaders who act like they speak on behalf of their members, the 250,000 members of the SDA, do not represent the members.’ Last year SDA made a anti-gay-marriage submission to the Senate inquiry looking at proposed changes to the Marriage Act to allow same-sex marriage.

The union has repeatedly refused to survey its members on the issue, claiming they are overwhelmingly against marriage equality.

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Australia.

Another right-wing Member of Parliament, Wyatt Roy, who at 23 is the youngest member, just endorsed marriage equality. Gay Star News reports:

‘I support the right of same-sex couples to have their loving and committed relationships recognized in state-sanctioned marriage,’ said 23-year-old Wyatt Roy, parliament’s youngest MP. However Roy is currently barred from voting for same-sex marriage legislation because Abbott is not allowing opposition Liberal-National coalition MPs a conscience vote on the matter. But Abbott and other Liberal politicians have suggested that they will discuss allowing a conscience vote in the party room after the general election on 14 September.

There could be another vote as soon as June:

Greens MP Adam Bandt is pushing for another vote on same-sex marriage on 6 June, but this has not been confirmed.

Will the marriage equality vote have a different outcome this time around?

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Australia.

The legislature just completed the first part of a three part, multi-year process to repeal its constitutional ban on marriage equality. Think Progress reports:

Today the Nevada Assembly voted 27-14 to approve a constitutional amendment that would repeal the 2002 amendment banning same-sex marriage. Combined with the Senate approval from April, this completes the amendment’s first phase of approval. Both chambers must approve the measure a second time during 2015 legislative session, following which it will be advanced to the ballot in November, 2016.

Only one republican voted for the measure. LGBTQ Nation reports:

The final vote ran along party lines with Republicans opposing. Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, R-Las Vegas, voted with the Democrats for her mother, whom she recently revealed is gay. For many Republicans who voted against the measure in both the Senate and Assembly, personal beliefs and faith were at the center of their opposition. “I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God – that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children,” Assemblyman Cresent Hardy, R-Mesquite, said. “My respect for others and their beliefs do not cause me to abandon my commitment to the truth which I understand.”

Voters enacted the ban in 2002. Now they will likely have a chance to undo it, 14 years later.

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Nevada.

Thailand may consider a marriage equality bill later this year. The Voice of America reports:

This is a traditional Thai wedding, except there is no groom. There are two brides. This ceremony is only symbolic because Thailand, like all of Asia, does not recognize same sex marriage. But a draft law later this year could change that and make Thailand the first Asian nation to legalize gay marriage.

Wirat Kalayasiri is a member of the Thai parliament and deputy director of the committee drafting the same-sex law. He says the average age of lawmakers, older than 45, has made the promotion of the law more difficult.

The article also reports that, as of 2012, 58% of Thais oppose gay marriage. But still, it would be great if Thailand became the first asian country to embrace marriage equality.

So much news today – here’s a recap of some of the stories that don’t merit a full posting of their own (or that we just ran out of time for).

BALTIMORE MAYOR WILL MARRY GAY/LESBIAN COUPLES AT PRIDE

If you’re headed to Baltimore for Pride, why not get married too? The Washington Blade reports:

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake will serve as grand marshal of next month’s Pride parade and will officiate at a mass wedding of gay and lesbian couples at the Pride festival the following day, organizers announced this week. “Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s commitment to the LGBT community has been undoubtedly one of the best records in Maryland and for the City of Baltimore, from her early position in supporting marriage equality in Maryland to her commitment to combating gender identity anti-discrimination and violence in the city,” said Matt Thorn, interim executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore, which organizes Pride.

OHIO CHURCH CAUSES CONTROVERSY OVER STRAIGHT MARRIAGE REWARD

If you live in Dayton, Ohio and are a straight couple, you can get a reward at a local church. The Christian Post reports:

As America waits with bated breath for the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage, one Ohio church became the target of gay marriage supporters after it advertised an event celebrating biblical marriages that promised to reward husband and wife couples with free $25 Chick-fil-A gift cards. In the advertisement of the event hosted by the Cornerstone Baptist Temple in Dayton, Ohio, and boasting Chick-fil-A’s logo, the church noted: “We have been given a donation to provide a $25 Chick-fil-A gift card to honor every visiting husband and wife.” The ad also listed the church’s pastor, Jerry Siler, and Tom Raper as special speaker.

GAY MAN PROPOSES TO PARTNER IN CENTRAL PARK

From New York, we have a YouTube video of a gay man who proposed to his partner voa Flash Mob. LGBT Weekly reports:

May 11, New Yorker Carl Marucci insisted that his mother bring his boyfriend Drew Marsenison to Bethesda Fountain in Central park. Drew had no idea what was waiting for him … watch the video!

ELLEN AND PORTIA DISCUSS THEIR MARRIAGE

In California, Ellen Degeneres had her wife, Portia, on the show, and the two discussed their marriage. On Top Magazine reports:

Actress Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres talked about their marriage during Wednesday’s Ellen. De Rossi, 40, who will reprise the role of Lindsay Funke in Netflix’s upcoming fourth season of Arrested Development, and DeGeneres, 55, married in 2008 in California.

IS MARRIAGE EQUALITY MOMENTUM IN THE US ABOUT TO STALL?

As the Huffington Post reports, we’re almost out of states that don’t have marriage equality bans – where do we go from here?

But 36 states still ban such unions, and there’s little sign of change in those states anytime soon. While national public opinion polls show Americans warming to same-sex marriage, voters in many states remain staunchly opposed. And even where the politics and sentiment have changed, bans enshrined in many state constitutions could prove especially difficult to overturn — exactly the reason opponents pushed for constitutional measures in the first place.

Colorado, which legalized civil unions earlier this year, is a key example. Voters there approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in 2006. Changing it requires either a signature drive to get a referendum on the ballot or a supermajority in each chamber before it could go to voters. Those hurdles mean that despite Democratic majorities and public support for same-sex marriage in the state, advocates had to settle for civil unions this year. House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, the state’s first openly gay lawmaker, said that a same-sex marriage referendum optimistically could be sent to voters by the end of the decade.

SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER EXPLAINS THROWING BINATIONAL COUPLES UNDER THE BUS

No explanation needed. The Advocate reports:

The bottom line is that in the political reality in which we operate, the Senate and more broadly, the U.S. Congress, those who disagree with me have more than enough power to prevent passage, either as a stand-alone bill or as part of the immigration bill. And if we added it to S.744 in committee, they would have walked away and the bill would have failed. They have said it publicly, they have told me privately, and I believe them. The result: no equality, no immigration bill. Everyone loses. What can be accomplished via this comprehensive bill for 11 million people in the shadows, for the security and prosperity of our nation is too vital, too rare to let fail. I know that this provides little comfort. But I want you supporters of this amendment to know, I will be here and ready to work with you to advance the cause of legal equality. This is far from the last battle.

FRENCH ANTI-GAY GROUP DISTANCES ITSELF FROM MAN WHO KILLED HMSELF AT NOTRE DAME

The anti marriage equality group in France, la Manif pour tous, denided being connected with a man who shot himself in protest over the country’s new marriage equality law. Joe.My.God reports:

Yesterday a well-known anti-gay marriage activist shot himself in the head at the altar of Notre Dame Cathedral hours after writing a blog post denouncing France’s legalization of same-sex marriage. The French press, quite naturally, wants to know if the man was affiliated with Manif Pour Tous. Their leader Frigide Barjot says he was not: “This was a personal, isolated act. This man was part of a movement called the French Spring, which has nothing to do with us and we have condemned a long time ago. I did not know this man who belonged to the extreme-right. I pray for his soul.”

We also have a couple transgender updates:

TRANSGENDER ACTIVISTS FEEL BETRAYED BY GAY ALLIES OVER MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL

After an amendment was defeated that would have aided transgender citizens who transition and have to divorce, transgender activists are feeling betrayed. Gay Star News reports:

Trans activists say government proposals went a little way to fix what were widely seen as anomalies in the treatment of trans individuals when it came to marriage. But plans were rejected to compensate trans people for ‘stolen marriages’, where a husband and wife in a loving relationship are forced to divorce when one transitions. And the government failed to use the bill to rectify other aspects of already existing marriage law that trans people see as ‘offensive’.

CANADA: TRANSGENDER WOMAN FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST BRIDAL SHOP

A transgender woman who was thrown out of a Saskatoon wedding shop is filing a complaint against the business. Gay Star News reports:

Rohit Singh, from Saskatoon in southern Canada, says she asked to try on a dress in Jenny’s Bridal Boutique and was refused. The shop owner thought Singh was a man and said other people in the store would be uncomfortable with Singh trying on a dress, CBC News reports. ‘She said, “Sorry we don’t allow men to wear dresses here”,’ Singh said. ‘I said I’m not a man, I’m transgender.’

Now that England and Wales have advanced a marriage equality measure, the head of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland, Willie Rennie, is pushing for a Scottish vote. Pink News reports:

Mr Rennie said: “Modern, progressive nations are increasingly endorsing equal marriage as the change respects people who wish to commit to each other. How we treat each other is tremendously important and a mark of a nation’s maturity… It’s important that Scotland isn’t left behind. The Scottish Government should now set a clear timetable for the introduction of equal marriage into Scottish law so that gay people in Scotland can enjoy the same rights as those in the rest of the UK.”

Northern Ireland, are you listening?

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in the United Kingdom.

The chief sponsor of Illinois’ marriage equality bill says the bill will be passed in the House this session. The Advocate reports:

Rep. Greg Harris, the chief sponsor, said he will “absolutely” call a vote on the marriage equality bill by May 31, and “it’s going to win,” Chicago’s Windy City Times reports. Harris has previously said he would not bring the measure to a vote in the House of Representatives unless he was sure there was enough support to pass it. The state Senate approved it Valentine’s Day, and Gov. Pat Quinn has vowed to sign it.

Eight more days until the current legislative session ends.

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Illinois.

Things are moving along at the local level in Texas as Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins suggests the county create a domestic partner registry. The Dallas Voice reports:

Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins came out in support of marriage equality Tuesday and proposed that the county establish a domestic partner registry similar to one administered by Travis County. Watkins, a two-term incumbent who is facing a possible challenge in next year’s Democratic Primary from former Judge John Creuzot, addressed Stonewall Democrats of Dallas during the group’s monthly meeting at Ojeda’s Restaurant on Maple Avenue. Watkins delivered what appeared to be his standard stump speech to the group’s membership, and he didn’t mention LGBT issues. But he spoke to Dallas Voice in an exclusive interview after the meeting.

Small steps, but still, as with the civil unions ordinance in Bisbee, Arizona, it’s a start.

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Texas.

Many of the places that ban gay marriage are also among the places with the highest rates of gay and lesbian couples raising children. The Atlantic Cities reports:

Grand Forks, North Dakota, probably isn’t the first city that comes to mind when you think of same-sex couples. For one thing, it’s Grand Forks, North Dakota. Then of course there’s the matter of North Dakota having a state ban on same-sex marriage. But the law hasn’t discouraged these couples from starting a family; on the contrary, 65 percent of gay couples in Grand Forks are raising children. That’s according to a new infographic from the Williams Institute at UCLA. The figure shows that many of the highest percentages of same-sex couples raising children are found in states that ban gay marriage.

I wonder if the rates of straight couples raising children are similarly distributed?

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in North Dakota.

The group Minnesota United for All Families spent $2 Million lobbying to pass the successful marriage equality bill, LGBTQ Nation reports:

Minnesotans United for All Families leader Richard Carlbom disclosed the figure Wednesday to The Associated Press. That amount should rank Minnesotans United at or near the top of legislative lobbying this year if history is any guide. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and Xcel Energy are the only entities to recently surpass $2 million in a single year, and some of that includes lobbying state utilities regulators.

A cheap victory when you consider that we spent about $38 million in the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to block the passage of Prop 8.

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Minnesota.

Yesterday, we reported that 49% of folks in Tennessee supported either civil unions or marriage equality. Now we have a little more into – of that 49%, only 32% supports full marriage equality. Think Progress reports:

A new poll from Vanderbilt University shows that support for legally recognizing same-sex couples continues to grow in Tennessee, but at rates slower than the rest of the country. A 49 percent plurality now support civil unions or marriage equality, while 46 percent remain opposed to both. Still, 62 percent believe that gays and lesbians should receive health insurance and other employee benefits for their partners, while only 31 percent oppose that idea.

You can tell it’s a red state because they still ask about civil unions support when they poll. That’s so 2005.

Find more articles and gay wedding resources in Tennessee.

Our semi-regular round-up of the crazy (and often unintentionally hilarious) things that anti-gay folks are saying about marriage equality and the LGBT community.

Let’s start with an article that NOM is linking to, claiming young Christians will basically be banned from employment in the UK. Joe.My.God reports:

NOM just tweeted out the link to this story. ‘Young Christians will be shut out of all public professions, including teachers, doctors, nurses or any kind of public servant if the “gay marriage” bill is passed, a group of religious leaders has warned the government. The ministers issued the warning in a letter to the Daily Telegraph on the same day that the government came to an agreement with opposition parties over amendments. Should it be granted Royal Assent “in its present form,” the 17 Christian ministers said, the bill will “isolate hundreds of thousands of young students and workers across the country who hold a fuller view of marriage based on religion or a traditional view.”‘

Dot429 reports on homophobia a LGBT immigrants in the UK:

One Muslim woman who had children and didn’t want them or others in the Muslim community to know about her sexuality was told ‘all lesbians go to pride.’ As she had never been, and as she had children, she was deemed to not be a lesbian. The immigration judge told her ‘lesbians don’t have children.’ Another participant was told ‘you don’t look like a lesbian.’ Other women were asked ‘What sex toys do you use?’ ‘What shows do you watch?’ ‘Have you ever read Oscar Wilde?.’ All of these questions suggest that there is a view that lesbians can be easily identified.

NOM is also freaking out over the pending marriage quality vote in Illinois. Joe.My.God reports:

For months and months, NOM has been fighting hard to protect marriage in Illinois. Your emergency gift of $35, $75 or $150 could make the difference by helping stop gay marriage in Illinois — the last state that will debate marriage before the Supreme Court hands down its ruling later next month. Yes, even in this deep blue state where Democrats hold a supermajority and the governor is pushing for gay marriage, we’ve managed to stop them in their tracks — at least, so far. Scoring a victory… will force politicians and the media to take notice. Please take action and contact your lawmaker urging them to vote NO on gay marriage.

Also in the US, Tony Perkins is at it again, trying to make it seem as if a brochure out out by an employee group in the Justice Department is an Obama administration memo. Joe.My.God reports:

“In a chilling memo to DOJ staff, the Obama administration is warning managers that they’d better start embracing homosexuality–or else. In a not-so-veiled threat, the administration tells staff that when it comes to homosexuality and cross-dressing, ‘Silence will be interpreted as disapproval.’ That’s absolutely outrageous. Even criminals have the right to remain silent! President Obama’s so-called Department of Justice is actually telling workers that there’s no place in the government for people with unspoken objections to homosexuality. Forget tolerance. The DOJ wants–and expects–vocal support for sexual deviance.”

And our old friend Maggie Gallagher is back, claiming that marriage equality opponents can be pro-straight people without being anti-gay. Think Progress reports:

“I personally still cherish the hope that we can as a society eliminate cruel homophobia without jettisoning heteronormativity — which is the need for social norms and institutions to be oriented strongly around the problem and the blessing that sex between men and women makes babies. But so far, the disconnect between sex, marriage, and babies proceeds rapidly apace.”

Yes, if those uppity gay people would just stay in their place, we could respect them, and everything would be great.

And finally, Eugene Delguadio’s at it again, talking about “agents of the radical homosexual lobby” meeting in dark corners. I don’t know, it’s pretty lights where I’m sitting. Joe.My.God reports:

“Dear Joe, I see well-known agents of the radical Homosexual Lobby everywhere. They are huddled in dark corners scheming and plotting. They meet secretly with newly elected members of Congress in hopes of tempting them to advance their perverse agenda with campaign cash and the promise of votes. My health is suffering under the strain of fighting the radical Homosexual Lobby with limited help. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep and I am sick with worry. I must ask you to keep the information I am about to give you confidential. If it gets into the hands of the Homosexual Lobby, they will use it to destroy me while we are weak: My office owes $116,333.38 to Larry and other small businessmen in Virginia. A few weeks ago, I mailed some of my most loyal Christian supporters a letter about the hate campaign the radical homosexuals were waging against America. I asked my friends to sign an important petition. And I am so thankful to my friends who signed their petitions. But only 2 of every 10 people to whom I wrote responded. That was less than I hoped for. I felt as if I were all alone. And it hurt.”

We feel for the guy. Really.