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DOMA decisions released Thursday, 07/08/10
Bay Windows

In an enormous victory for same-sex marriage, a federal judge in Boston today (Thursday, July 8) ruled, in two separate cases, that a critical part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional.

In one challenge brought by the state of Massachusetts, Judge Joseph Tauro ruled that Congress violated the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution when it passed DOMA and took from the states decisions concerning which couples can be considered married. In the other, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, he ruled DOMA violates the equal protection principles embodied in the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

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Prop. 8 federal trial likely to conclude in June Tuesday, 05/04/10
Bay Windows

The trial in the federal lawsuit against Proposition 8 is likely to finally wrap up in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on June 16, when Judge Vaughn Walker has tentatively scheduled closing arguments.

The trial has been paused since testimony concluded on Jan. 27 because Walker said he wanted to study the record before hearing the attorneys' final statements.

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EQCA: Ripeness Is All Friday, 08/28/09
Bay Windows

Those who insist on returning to the ballot in 2010 should explain how EQCA's analysis is wrong, rather than merely serenade us with stirring rhetoric. Strategy is not a dirty word, and enthusiasm is not enough.

None of us with a stake in this fight wants to wait. Every day that I am separated from my own foreign partner is painful. Unfortunately, wanting is not having. There is a great deal of work remaining to overturn Prop. 8, not to mention the ballot fight looming this November in Maine, where our opponents hold a fundraising edge. Let us do the preparation needed to win a lasting victory in California, and not let our hearts rule our heads.

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60,000 Mainers sign on to defend marriage equality Friday, 07/31/09
Bay Windows

Marriage equality organization Maine Freedom to Marry announced today that 60,000 Mainers have signed pledges defending the state's marriage equality bill.

"Volunteers, ready and willing to go door to door and speak neighbor to neighbor to protect marriage equality, are the fuel of our campaign to defeat Question 1," Jesse Connolly, Campaign Manager of Maine Freedom to Marry, said in a statement today.

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Maine campaign heats up Thursday, 07/23/09
Bay Windows

The Gill Action Fund, a Colorado-based LGBT political action fund that, according to the Los Angeles Times, contributed more than $350,000 to California's failed "No on Prop 8" campaign, has not yet contributed to Maine Freedom to Marry. Joanne Kron, spokesperson for Gill Action Fund, said the fund does not comment on its donations to state campaigns.

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Vermont House deals a blow to equal marriage opponents Thursday, 04/02/09
Bay Windows

The Vermont House voted 52 to 96 Thursday to defeat a measure seeking to toss the same-sex marriage question to voters.

The amendment was an effort to stop passage of a bill that cleared the Senate last week. The bill would allow gay couples to obtain marriage licenses the same as heterosexual couples.

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Vermont Senate passes marriage equality bill Monday, 03/23/09
Bay Windows

Today's debate lasted just over an hour and was marked by considerable decorum. But behind the scenes, there was also considerable drama. The son of Republican state Sen. Kevin Mullin came out as gay in a Vermont daily newspaper today, and it was Mullin who offered an amendment to put off the vote on the bill and, instead, put the issue before voters. That amendment was struck down 11 to 19, and Mullin ultimately spoke in favor of and voted for the bill.

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MassEquality's Solomon to lead Equality California's marriage effort Monday, 03/09/09
Bay Windows

After successfully leading the effort to preserve marriage equality in Massachusetts and overseeing his organization's transition from a single-issue political campaign into a broad-based LGBT political organization, MassEquality executive director Marc Solomon is leaving to head up Equality California's (EQCA) effort to restore marriage equality in that state.

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Second wind for marriage movement Thursday, 12/04/08
Bay Windows

The goal of the campaign is to secure equal civil marriage rights for same-sex couples in the four New England states that have yet to grant them: Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

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