The US Supreme Court is due to rule on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 by the end of June.  Decision Day events are being planned across the country so folks can learn about the rulings and celebrate (or commiserate?) together.  Check out the website to see if an event [...]

When it comes to discussing the place of religion and the expansion of basic civil rights to the LGBT community, legend Julian Bond delivers a passionate, common-sense view often missing from the debate. This civil rights hero and ally – the chairman emeritus of the NAACP – so effortlessly states the obvious:  discrimination is wrong. As we await [...]

This evening the Illinois state House ended the year’s legislative session without calling the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act (SB 10) to a vote.  The next time that the marriage equality bill could be considered is this November. The Senate passed the bill on Valentines Day on a vote of 34 to 21. The [...]

The three Massachusetts Republicans vying for the Bay State’s open U.S. Senate seat held their first debate on Wednesday night.  Candidates Mike Sullivan, Dan Winslow and Gabriel Gomez were asked to give their views on two marriage-related questions: Is the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) constitutional? Should states have the right to maintain discriminatory [...]

Facebook has gone Valentine’s Day red this week as Americans show their support for marriage equality while the U.S. Supreme Court hears the Proposition 8 and federal Defense of Marriage Act cases. The Congressional delegation from Massachusetts has not missed this opportunity to reiterate their unequivocal support for the right of loving, committed same-sex couples [...]

UPDATE: Audio and transcript are up at the SCOTUS  web site. There are several ways this can go, but only one way to morally and legally handle the institutionalized discrimination that exists in this country today when it comes to the freedom to marry. Today the Prop 8 arguments were presented to the U.S. Supreme Court. [...]

Considering Big Dog was the guy who signed the horror known as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) into law, seeing this turn of events is welcome, it still leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. But it’s a different world than it was 17 years ago and there was almost zero political courage to [...]

I take Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) at his word that an e-mail glitch caused him to be the only member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation not to sign on to the amicus brief asking the US Supreme Court to strike down Section 3 of DOMA.  After all, Rep. Lynch is a co-sponsor of the Respect [...]

The Obama admin does another half-measure, calling for marriage equality — in a limited scope. It won’t weigh in to clear the way for equality nationwide – punting to SCOTUS. Here is the fairly deflating news (if you’re in a state with a marriage amendment), or elating endorsement if you’re in a handful of states [...]

Over 100 prominent Republicans have now signed onto a legal brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to declare that civil marriage is a constitutional right for same-sex couples.  Click on the image below to watch Margaret Hoover, a Republican strategist, speaking to Marcus Mabry at the New York Times “about why she wants her party [...]