From NBC News:
After losing some 30 ballots on same-sex marriage across the country over the past decade, advocates of lesbian and gay couples are encouraged by polls showing they have a good chance of finally logging their first victory in a statewide popular vote.
Polls show majorities back same-sex marriage in Maryland, Washington and Maine, and they indicate a tight battle in Minnesota – the four states holding votes on the issue in November.
“We’re feeling positive. The reality is, we haven’t won a ballot measure on marriage yet,” said Sarah Warbelow, state legislative director for the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. “I think it’s very reasonable and realistic to expect that we’ll win one or more of these ballot measures; certainly the polling suggests that all four are … a possibility.”
Read the rest from NBC News — click here.
Mark my words. Minnesota will defeat this thing. It’s a shame this is on the ballot, but we are better than this.
I’m sure I won’t be the only one doing a dance of JOY!
I can just see the spittle flying from Brian Brown’s mouth!
3/4 or half-and-half is fine by me.
even ONE is fine by me!! then FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY they’ll drop that MADDENING talking point, “every time, for 32 ballot votes, the people have spoken and gays cannot marry!”
The likelihood is that if a couple of these ballot initiatives are defeated, it will mark the end of this tactic by the right wing. They were started shortly after DOMA was enacted, as a future delaying tactic, because DOMA was questionable from a constitutional standpoint even in 1996 and the right wingers knew it.
Fast-forward to 2012. DOMA is on the ropes, and Prop. 8′s constitutionality is in serious doubt. Hahahaha!
Matthew–Yes my beloved homestate where all the children are above equal; the civic minded home of Hubert Humphrey; that now elects professional wrestlers, comedians, and shrill housewives to do the nations’ business.
This is good news, *but*, I still think it’s outrageous (and should be illegal) for one group of citizens to vote on the equality and civil rights of another group of citizens!
@Gary, it IS already illegal under the US Constitution. It just hasn’t been FOUND illegal…yet.
Well that must be the next big revolution then. Lets start putting all sorts of ballot initiatives out there that would limit the civil rights of christofascists and see how they like their rights being tossed to the whims of fellow citizens who might be antipathetic to them. Religious scum pigs.
We DID win once….a couple years ago, in Arizona I think. Everyone forgets that. The amendment was anto gay marriage and anti civil unions. Two years later they put up an anti gay marriage (marriage equality) amendment that made no mention of banning civil unions, and it passed.
Actually, DaveTheWave makes a good point: start a ballot initiative that prohibits Baptist, Catholic, Mormon, etc. clergy from solemnizing marriage contracts. People wishing to have a wedding in churches of those denominations would have to get it done before a Justice of the Piece/Judge, etc. and then have the religious rite performed. It’s about as legal as banning any type of union between LGBT people.
Make that “Justice of the PEACE.” Some kind of Freudian slip……
Thank you, Gene. It was Arizona in ’06. You’d think that the state legislative director for the Human Rights Campaign would know that.
[...] via Truth Wins Out – Marriage Equality May Win at Ballot Box in November for the First Time. [...]
PJB863, I think I would rather have a ceremony performed by a Justice of the Piece. Sounds more fun…
[...] shrieking about so-called attacks on religious liberty, especially with marriage on the ballot in four states in November and the Supreme Court almost certain to hear challenges to DOMA and/or Proposition 8 [...]
How about referendums to rescind all tax exemptions for all churches… in most states it would fail but if these types of things got on ballots over and over, it might start the right wing religious wackos to thinking… what if next time it passes? They would be getting a taste of their own hateful ignorant medicine.