Week in Review: Big Gains for the Freedom to Marry
For Immediate Release
April 26, 2013
Contact: Respect for Marriage Coalition Office / 202-567-5720
Washington D.C– With Rhode Island poised to become the 10th state in the nation to allow same-sex couples to marry, and Delaware, Illinois, and Minnesota close behind, this week brought major gains for the freedom to marry across America.
Bolstered by growing Republican support, an increasing majority of voters is pushing toward greater equality for gay couples and their families. The Rhode Island Senate GOP Caucus became the first legislative caucus in history – from either party – to unanimously vote for marriage equality legislation. In Minnesota, a senior aide to former Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty stepped forward to embrace the freedom to marry. And, in the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and Paul Wolfowitz – a senior appointee in three Republican administrations – penned a joint oped calling for Democrats and Republicans to unite in support of same-sex marriage rights.
On Saturday, Iowa celebrates the fourth anniversary of legal same-sex marriage in the Hawkeye State. Today, sixth-generation Iowan Zach Wahls movingly describes what marriage has meant to his mothers – and to gay couples and their families across his home state – in the Quad-City Times.
Here’s a recap of this week’s headlines and must-reads in the push for the freedom to marry:
Rhode Island Poised to Become 10th State to Recognize Same-Sex Marriages: “Rhode Island will be the 10th state to allow gay marriage when the legislation takes effect Aug. 1. Supporters in Delaware and Illinois are also hoping to pass gay marriage this year, and efforts are underway in other states, including New Jersey, Oregon and Minnesota. Polls show support has surged since 1996, when Gallup found that 27 percent of Americans backed same-sex marriage. Now Gallup finds that 53 percent support giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. The momentum is clear in Rhode Island. Two years ago, gay marriage legislation didn't even get a vote in the General Assembly. This year, it passed the House 51-19 and the Senate 26-12.” [AP, RI on Track to Be 10th State With Gay Marriage, 4/24/13]
WP: In Rhode Island, every Republican state senator backs gay marriage: “In Rhode Island, an entire delegation to the state Senate backs gay marriage — and it’s the Republicans. Rhode Island Public Radio reports that all five Republican members of the state’s upper chamber will support a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. The state House voted in favor of gay marriage earlier this year; it’s now before the Senate Judiciary Committee and could see a vote in the full Senate by the end of the week.” [The Washington Post, 4/23/13]
Delaware Moves Closer to Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage: “Five days after Delaware Democrats introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, the legislation is moving forward. Marriage equality passed the Delaware House on Tuesday afternoon by a 23-18 vote. According to the (Wilmington, Del.) News-Journal, 21 votes were needed for passage, and five Democrats broke rank. The bill heads to the state Senate. Gov. Jack Markell (D) has expressed support for the bill, telling the Huffington Post in mid-April that he is behind advocates’ efforts. [The Huffington Post, Delaware Marriage Equality Bill Passed By State's House, 4/24/13]
Mayor Castro, Former Secretary Paul Wolfowitz Pen Joint Oped for the Freedom to Marry: “As the Young Republicans converge in San Antonio to discuss so many important issues facing our country today, they have an opportunity to lead the way towards civil equality under the law. Marriage is not the province of any one party, or any one ideology. It is the dream of every parent for their child and the foundation of family life. The issue of marriage equality should not divide our country. It’s time to put this issue behind us.” [Houston Chronicle, Political Support Grows for Same-Sex Marriage, 4/26/13]
Iowa Marks Fourth Anniversary of Gay Marriage on Saturday: “[A]s important and meaningful as this date is to my family and thousands of others, it’s also a reminder, to families like mine, of what hasn't changed. Even though my moms' relationship is legally recognized by our state, they are still ignored by the federal government. When our family travels, my moms still have to worry about other states failing to acknowledge their legal union. And as federal employees – both of my moms work for the Veterans Affairs hospital in Iowa city – my parents still face an array of other legal and tax-related challenges not endured by male-female couples.” [Quad-City Times, I Believe Supreme Court Will Accept My Two Moms, 4/26/13]
Kansas, Arkansas Mayors Announce Support for Same-Sex Marriage: “This week, a number of new mayors joined the coalition - including Mayor Lioneld Jordan from Fayetteville, AR and Mayor Barb Shirley from Salina, KS. With their support, a total of 359 mayors from 35 different states (plus the District of Columbia) have pledged their support with Mayors for the Freedom to Marry… ‘I have zero tolerance for any discrimination,’ Shirley said Wednesday. ‘As a mother, wife and community leader, I want people to know that no matter who you are, you are loved and deserving. I want all people to have the same civil rights. United we stand, divided we fall, so I, Barb Shirley, stand for gay rights.’”[Freedom to Marry, 4/25/13]
Senior Pawlenty Aide Urges GOP to Support the Freedom to Marry: “The trajectory of human history is toward greater freedom and tolerance. It is equally true that political discourse often lags the public as freedom moves inevitably forward. That’s the case now as legislators consider allowing all Minnesotans the freedom to marry the person they choose. In my party, some Republicans have been reluctant to support same-sex marriage. But it shouldn’t be so difficult — this is another area where less government is better government… We should get government out of the way and allow individuals and their faiths to decide how they should live their lives. Then we can return to the issues of less spending, lower taxes and more accountability that matter to all of us.” [Star Tribune¸ Minnesota GOP should back same-sex marriage, 4/25/13]
France Legalizes Gay Marriage: “Lawmakers in the lower house National Assembly, where President Francois Hollande’s Socialists have an absolute majority, passed the bill by 331 votes for and 225 against. The law also allows same-sex couples to adopt children. ‘I hope people across the country will celebrate this moment,’ Martin Gaillard, a 31-year-old advocate of gay marriage, told English-language news site France24.com.” [NBC News, NBC NEWS: France legalizes marriage/adoption for gay couples, 4/23/13]
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