Another Week of Progress!

(Posted by Nick, '11)
HAPPY MAY!

It has been another hugely progressive week in the fight for equal marriage rights!

On Monday, a new NY Times/CBS poll was released. It found that 42% of those polled believe queer couples should be able to legally marry; 25% think that they should be granted civil unions. This figure is up NINE points from just last month, when 33% of those polled thought gay people should be allowed to marry. Personally, I think this is largely because of the momentum that’s been building with states all over the country either passing or considering gay marriage statutes.

On Wednesday, the New Hampshire Senate voted 13 to 11 to legalize same-sex marriage. The law goes into effect on January 1st, assuming the governor does not veto it. In the past, he has spoken out against gay marriage, though has not indicated what he would do should such a bill cross his desk. Read more here.

Also this week, there was a very interesting article in the NY Times about how the GOP is considering changing its stance on gay marriage because they’re bleeding support. The article also delves into the age divide when it comes to this issue—in a poll, 31% of respondents over 40 were in favor of same-sex marriage, whereas 57% under 40 supported it. Read the article here.

On Thursday, the Maine Senate passed by a vote of 21 to 14 a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state, making it the sixth to do so. It appears to have broader support in the state House of Representatives. Read more here.

Finally, on Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Matthew Shepard Act. If it passes in the Senate, President Obama has indicated that he would sign it into law. This would be a huge victory for equal rights – the bill is an anti-hate crimes act that defines such crimes as “those motivated by prejudice and based on a victim’s race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.” This would make it the first bill to protect people by virtue of their sexual orientation AND gender identity. Read more here.