SATURDAY POLITICS: President Obama Is OUT Magazine's "Ally of the Year"

These are some awesome pictures that President Obama took as part of an interview he did with Out magazine when he was named their Ally of the Year in the current issue where the Out 100 is also revealed.

Celebrity Friday: The Straight Guy Who Will Argue Gay Marriage Before The Supreme Court

Chris Geidner has an interesting profile of Doug Hallward-Driemeier, the straight Canadian lawyer who on Tuesday April 28 will argue before the United States Supreme Court that states should not be allowed to ban recognition of the marriages of same-sex couples from another state.

While he said that the recognition question presents “a distinctive harm” to his clients because it amounts to Tennessee “destroy[ing], as a legal matter, families and marriages that have already been created,” he also said he does not expect the court to reach different answers on the two issues because “the arguments that the states have made are the same on both” questions.
“One of the things that I hope the justices appreciate is that this is not an issue that only affects — we are very clear in our brief that this is not about ‘gay marriage’ … it’s not a different kind of marriage, it’s about marriage and about allowing people who love each other to join in that institution,” he said. “It’s about my family members, my friends, my children. It affects me as it affects others.”
More than that, Doug Hallward-Dreiemeier knows that — while there are no cameras in the courtroom — the audio set to be released that day will be listened to by same-sex couples across the country, looking for signs about whether they will be able to marry or have their marriage recognized elsewhere once a decision comes down.
“It is a huge, huge honor,” he said, “and I sense the hopes and aspirations of so many people that are at stake here. That’s something I carry with me. And I’m just going to do everything I can.”

Hat/tip to Buzzfeed 

QUEER QUOTE: Obama Says Right To Same-Sex Marriage Exists In Federal Constitution

Ptersident Barack Obama gave an interview with The New Yorker where he expresses his belief explicitly that the United States Constitution's Equal Protection clause guarantees marriage equality for same-sex couples.

This excerpt from his conversation with Jeffrey Toobin is today's Queer Quote:

“Ultimately, I think the Equal Protection Clause does guarantee same-sex marriage in all fifty states. But, as you know, courts have always been strategic. There have been times where the stars were aligned and the Court, like a thunderbolt, issues a ruling like Brown v. Board of Education, but that’s pretty rare. And, given the direction of society, for the Court to have allowed the process to play out the way it has may make the shift less controversial and more lasting.”

Obama also named the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to refuse to hear appeals from three appellate circuits on Monday October 6th and effectively causing marriage equality to go into effect in roughly 35 states as the "the best Supreme Court decision of his tenure."

“In some ways, the decision that was just handed down to not do anything about what states are doing on same-sex marriage may end up being as consequential—from my perspective, a positive sense—as anything that’s been done. Because I think it really signals that although the Court was not quite ready—it didn’t have sufficient votes to follow Loving v. Virginia and go ahead and indicate an equal-protection right across the board—it was a consequential and powerful signal of the changes that have taken place in society and that the law is having to catch up.”

Elections have consequences, people!

Eric Holder, 1st Black U.S. Attorney General, Announces Resignation

Eric Holder, the United States' first African American Attorney General, announced his resignation today in Washington. Holder is a staunch ally of LGBT equality, a champion for social justice and a strong supporter of civil rights.

Here is what he said today:

I come to this moment with very mixed emotions.  Proud of what the men and women of the Department of Justice have accomplished over the last six years and, at the same time, very sad that I will not be a formal part of the great things that this department and this President will accomplish over the next two. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity you gave me to serve and for giving me the greatest honor of my professional life.  We have been great colleagues, but the bonds between us are much deeper than that.  In good times and bad, in things personal and professional, you have been there for me.  I am proud to call you my friend.  I am also grateful for the support you have given me and the department as we have made real the visions that you and I have always shared.  I often think of those early talks between us and our belief that we might help to craft a more perfect Union.  Work remains to be done – but our list of accomplishments is real.  Over the last six years, our Administration has made historic gains in realizing the principles of the founding documents, and fought to protect the most sacred of American rights: the right to vote.  We have begun to realize the promise of equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters and their families.  We have begun to significantly reform our criminal justice system and reconnect those who bravely serve in law enforcement with the communities they protect.  We have kept faith with our belief in the power of the greatest judicial system the world has ever known to fairly and effectively adjudicate any cases that are brought before it, including those that involve the security of the nation we both love so dearly.  We have taken steps to protect the environment and make more fair the rules by which our commercial enterprises operate.  And we have held accountable those who would harm the American people either through violent means or the misuse of economic or political power. I have loved the Department of Justice ever since, as a young boy, I watched Robert Kennedy prove during the Civil Rights Movement how the department can – and must – always be a force for that which is right.  I hope that I have done honor to the faith you placed in me, Mr. President, and to the legacy of all those that served before me. I would also like to thank the Vice President, who I have known for so many years and in whom I have found great wisdom, unwavering support, and a shared vision of what America can, and should, be.  I want to recognize my good friend Valerie Jarrett, whom I’ve been fortunate to work with from the beginning of what started as an improbable, idealistic effort by a young senator from Illinois who we were both right to believe would achieve greatness.  I have had the opportunity to serve in your distinguished Cabinet and worked with a White House staff, ably led by Denis McDonough, that has done much to make real the promise of our democracy.  And each of the men and women who I have come to know will be lifelong friends. Whatever my accomplishments, they could not have been achieved without the love, support, and guidance of two people who are not with me today.  My parents, Eric and Miriam Holder, nurtured me and my accomplished brother William and made us believe in the value of individual effort and the greatness of this nation.
 My time in public service, which now comes to an end, would not have been possible without the sacrifices – too often unfair – made by the best three kids a father could ask for.  Thank you, Maya, Brooke, and Buddy.
 And finally I want to thank the woman who sacrificed the most and allowed me to follow my dreams.  She is the foundation of all that our family is and the basis of all that I have become.  My wife, Sharon, is the unsung hero and my life partner.  Thank you for all that you have done.  I love you. In the months ahead, I will leave the Department of Justice – but I will never leave the work.  I will continue to serve and try to find ways to make our nation even more true to its founding ideals.  I thank the dedicated public servants who form the backbone of the United States Department of Justice for their tireless work over the past six years, for the efforts they will continue, and for the progress they made that will outlast us all. And I thank you all for joining me on a journey that now moves in another direction, but that will always be guided by the pursuit of justice and aimed at the North Star.    

It will be interesting to see who replaces him to lead the Department of Justice, and how obstreperous the Republicans in the Senate will be towards any potential nominee, especially since that nomination will probably not happen until after the 2014 elections.

9th U.S. Circuit Finally Has No Vacancy (All 29 Seats Filled)

More judicial good news today! The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is the nation's largest (and decidedly most liberal) federal appellate court now has a full complement of judges with the confirmation of straight ally Michelle Friedland to the court by a vote of 51-40 this week.

Friedland, 41, attended Stanford University and its law school, from which she graduated second in her class in 2000, and was a Fulbright scholar at Oxford University in England. She worked as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and taught law at Stanford before joining the law firm of Munger, Tolles and Olson in 2004. 

While handling business cases at her firm, she has also represented the gay-rights group Equality California in challenging California's now-overturned ban on same-sex marriage and in defending a state law that prohibits therapy aimed at turning gay youths straight. 

Obama first nominated her to the court in August, but Republicans blocked a Senate floor vote. Democratic leaders cleared the way for the confirmation of Friedland and other stalled Obama nominees by pushing through a repeal of filibusters in November for executive-branch appointments and judicial nominations below the Supreme Court level. Those nominations formerly needed 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate but now require only 51 votes to end debate, and a majority among senators taking part in the confirmation vote. The Ninth Circuit handles federal appeals from California and eight other Western states. Congress expanded its authorized judgeships to 28 in 1984 and to 29 in 2009, but the court has had at least one vacancy since 1992.

If the Senate had passed the filibuster reform earlier in President Obama's term then Goodwin Liu would be a federal judge instead of on the California Supreme Court.

Hat/tip to Joe Jervis

2014 GRAMMYS: My Predictions For The Top 4 Categories

Here are my pics for the winners in the Top 4 categories of the Grammy awards, which are being handed out at 8pm EST (5pm PST) in Los Angeles. Not only is prominent straight ally Macklemore & Lewis nominated in 3 of the top 4 categories for their marriage equality anthem "Same Love," they are going to be conducting a group marriage ceremony on stage while they perform the song, with Queen Latifah presiding and Madonna herself appearing as well. Macklemore & Lewis are an independent hip-hop act who had the #1 song of 2013 according to Billboard, the infectious "Thrift Shop."

RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Get Lucky" - Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Royals" - Lorde
"Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars
"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell 

SHOULD WIN: "Get Lucky"
WILL WIN: Blurred Lines"

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"The Blessed Unrest" - Sara Bareilles
"Random Access Memories" - Daft Punk
"Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" - Kendrick Lamar
"The Heist" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
"Red" - Taylor Swift  

SHOULD WIN: "The Heist"
WILL WIN: "The Heist"

SONG OF THE YEAR
"Just Give Me A Reason" - Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters
(Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
"Locked Out Of Heaven" - Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars,
songwriters (Bruno Mars)
"Roar" - Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry
Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
"Royals" - Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
"Same Love" - Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis, songwriters
(Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert)  

SHOULD WIN: "Same Love"
WILL WIN: "Royals"

BEST NEW ARTIST
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran 

SHOULD WIN: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
WILL WIN: Kendrick Lamar

I don't know too much what "the kids are listening to these days" but I do know what I like and that Macklemore & Lewis album has numerous killer tracks on it.

"Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Named #1 Song of 2013

Just a week after they received seven Grammy nominations, the independent rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have had their smash hit "Thrift Shop" acknowledged as the #1 hit song for 2013 by Billboard magazine.

1. Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz2. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke featuring T.I. + Pharrell3. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons4. Harlem Shake - Baauer5. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton6. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake7. Just Give Me A Reason - Pink featuring Nate Ruess8. When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars9. Cruise - Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly10. Roar - Katy Perry

In fact, as you can see, Macklemore & Lewis have two of the top 5 biggest songs of 2013, with their other huge smash "Can't Hold Us" coming in at #5. This is something of a surprise because "Blurred Lines" was a #1 song for a ridiculous 12 weeks this summer.  "Royals" by New Zealand teen phenom Lorde spent 8 weeks in 2013 but because the song was released late in the year it came in at #15. As Joe Jervis says, it is "f***ing awesome" that the most visible straight allies in pop music have the #1 song of 2013. "Thrift Shop" has nearly a half-billion views on YouTube.

How many of these tracks do you recognize? I think I could recognize them all if I heard them except for #9. My favorite of this group is probably a tie between #5 and #10.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Macklemore & Lewis "Same Love" Gets Grammy Nod for Song of the Year

The Grammy nominations were announced Friday night and one of the key results was the nomination of the gay marriage anthem "Same Love" by Macklemore & Lewis in the Song of the Year category. In fact, Macklemore & Lewis received 7 nominations overall, 2 behind the leader Jay-Z and tied with Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell Williams. Macklemore & Lewis are named in three of the top four categories.

RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Get Lucky" - Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Royals" - Lorde
"Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars
"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"The Blessed Unrest" - Sara Bareilles
"Random Access Memories" - Daft Punk
"Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" - Kendrick Lamar
"The Heist" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
"Red" - Taylor Swift 

SONG OF THE YEAR
"Just Give Me A Reason" - Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters
(Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
"Locked Out Of Heaven" - Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars,
songwriters (Bruno Mars)
"Roar" - Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry
Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
"Royals" - Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
"Same Love" - Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis, songwriters
(Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert) 

BEST NEW ARTIST
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran

It would be very cool if "Same Love" won song of the year when the winners are announced, on January 26, 2014.

Queer Quote: Cory Booker Responds To Speculation He's Gay

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from New Jersey and current Newark mayor Cory Booker gave an interview to the Washington Post yesterday where he responded to question about his status as a 44-year-old single Black man leading to speculation he might be gay with the following remark, which is today's Queer Quote:

"And people who think I’m gay, some part of me thinks it’s wonderful. Because I want to challenge people on their homophobia. I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I’m gay, and I say, ‘So what does it matter if I am? So be it. I hope you are not voting for me because you are making the presumption that I’m straight.’ "

That being said, the article does go on to quote Booker discussing his dates with women, so presumably he is heterosexual. Regardless, it is very cool to see a response to inquiries about  a public figure's sexual orientation which does not stigmatize homosexuality.

Booker is a strong LGBT ally and has supported marriage equality for years. If he wins the special election to the United States senate in October, he will be a great addition to the LGBT Equality caucus.

GUEST POST: Happy Birthday, Tom Hanks!

July 9th is Tom Hanks’ 58th birthday, and as a long time supporter of the LGBT community, it’s important to celebrate him as one of those who have stepped out to support equality for all.
Since his Oscar-winning portrayal of a gay lawyer wrongfully terminated due to having AIDS in 1993’s Philadelphia, Tom has had a large following in the LGBT community. He boldly took this role during a time when AIDS was viewed much differently by the general public and almost never discussed. By introducing the struggle that millions of those in the LGBT community deal with, he opened up a dialog that was unprecedented.

Since Philadelphia, Tom has never stopped vocally supporting equal rights for the LGBT community, even when other actors were not so bold. He has publicly praised the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and blasted the Mormon Church and the State of California, calling them “un-American” for their role in the passing of Prop 8 and stating "I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper in any of the 50 states in America.” He later apologized to Mormons for calling them "un-American."

So, let’s celebrate one of the most influential and groundbreaking LGBT allies in honor of his 58th birthday. Happy birthday Tom, and thanks for all of your support.

---

About the Author: Spencer Blohm is an entertainment and culture blogger for SatelliteTVFamily.com. He enjoys long walks on the beach, a nice glass of wine and equality for all. He currently lives in Chicago with his cat Rupert.

Queer Quote: Andy Roddick Joint Athlete Ally

Other sports stars have been responding to Jason Collins groundbreaking announcement yesterday as the first gay male athlete in American professional team sports. American tennis players Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish have joined the organization Athlete Ally, whose mission is to "encourage athletes, coaches, parents, fans and other members of the sports community to respect all individuals involved in sports"


Quoth Andy:

Yesterday was an incredible day for athletes everywhere. Jason Collin’s courage and leadership in coming out reminds me of how important it is for an athlete to be able to be true to him or herself. As an Athlete Ally, I want to support every athlete to feel comfortable and confident being themselves and to make sure that all people - players and fans alike – are welcome and included in tennis.

Other tennis stars like Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King also tweeted their support yesterday.

hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Jason Collins on cover of Spors Illustrated

Jason Collins, "the first openly gay athlete in a major American team sport" is on the cover of the latest Sports Illustrated. Reactions so far have generally been quite positive, with even President Barack Obama calling Collins to offer his support.

Celebrity Friday: Brendon Ayanbadejo, (Smoking Hot) Straight Ally

Brendon Ayanbadejo is an awesome straight ally for marriage equality who used his prominence as  member of the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl winning team to raise awareness for LGBT equality and helped pass marriage equality in Maryland last November. He, along with fellow NFL players Scott Kluwe and Scott Fujita, filed an amicus brief in opposition to Proposition 8  before the Supreme Court.

Earlier this week it was announced that he was being let go from the Ravens (as they are limiting the number of over-30 players on the team)  but he has repeatedly proven himself to be an excellent and emphatic spokesperson for LGBT equality in different media. Hopefully someone else will find use for his talents. And it doesn't hurt that he's hella phyne. He posted the above picture to Facebook. (Look at those legs, are those tree trunks? Hot damn!) He could probably find work as a model or spokesperson.

According to his Wikipedia page, Ayanabadejo is 36 years old, married (to a woman) with two kids and is 6-foot-1, 225 pounds. He is active on both Facebook and Twitter.

This post works as both today's Celebrity Friday and a Bonus Eye Candy.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

IL Marriage Bill Passes 6-5 To Reach House Floor

Hmmmm! By an uncomfortably close vote of 6-5 a marriage equality bill passed a the Illinois House Executive Committee and will next be heard on the House Floor. Although Democrats had a 7-5 majority on the committee, one Democrat, Eddie Lee Jackson, Sr. voted against the bill while every other Democratic member voted for the bill and every Republican bill voted against it.

Windy City Times reports:

Openly gay bill sponsor Rep. Greg Harris started off the hearing, discussing the many ways that civil unions have fallen short for LGBT couples. He noted that earlier in the day, top U.S. Republicans had signed onto a brief urging the Supreme Court to strike down of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which bans the recognition of same-sex marriages. 

Harris drove home exemptions in the bill for religious institutions.

Testifying was Rev. B. Herbert Martin of the Progressive Community Church. He said the bill lived up to its name by protecting religious freedom.

[...] 

The measure is expected to face its toughest challenge on the House floor, its last hurdle before it is sent to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk. Quinn strongly supports the measure.

It should be noted that Democrats have a 71-47 majority in the 118 member house, which needs 60 votes to pass. It is expected that there will be some Republicans voting in favor of the bill.

Bipartisan Respect For Marriage Coalition Launches

A new bipartisan coalition of prominent political organizations and individuals has launched called the Respect for Marriage Coalition. They are also launching a multi-million dollar media campaign that includes full-page ads in major newspapers as well as a television ad that features the voices of former First Lady Laura Bush, former Secretary of State (and Joint Chief of Staff) Colin Powell, former Vice President Darth Vader Dick Cheney and President Barack Obama.


Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed has the screenshots from the ad as well as the image to be used in the full page newspaper ads:

This is just another sign of how the heterosexual supremacists are losing the kulturkampf over LGBT equality that they started some twenty-plus years ago. Right now, incorrectly, marriage equality is viewed as a partisan issue, where Democrats overwhelmingly support the freedom to marry while Republicans overwhelmingly oppose it. But this partisan divide is falling, as more and more Republicans realize that giving more people the individual freedom to have legal recognition of the person they love is an ultimately conservative position.

Hopefully this campaign and coalition will accelerate the increase in bipartisan support for marriage equality and LGBT rights.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

LA TIMES Endorses Eric Garcetti For Mayor

The primary election for Los Angeles Mayor is in exactly 14 days, on Tuesday March 7, 2013. MadProfessah has endorsed Eric Garcetti, not just because he used to teach at Occidental College, where I am a mathematics professor, but simply because he was the first person to ask me, way back in October 2012, to endorse his candidacy for Mayor.

There is not much to separate the three major Democratic candidates, Garcetti, Wendy Greuel and Jan Perry regarding LGBT issues and other progressive issues that are important to me. That being said, the Stonewall Democrats, the Los Angeles-area LGBT Democratic club has endorsed Garcetti while the Los Angeles County Democratic Party was unable to come to consensus on an endorsement.

This past Sunday, the Los Angeles Times also endorsed Garcetti:

Los Angeles is an underachieving city led in recent decades by a succession of underachieving mayors — people who came in with big dreams or big talk but soon got bored with the day-to-day task of steering a municipality. Voters don't get to conduct a casting call or sift through hundreds of applicants until they identify the ideal candidate, but must instead choose from a field prescreened by the political and fundraising processes. This year that field fails to include a candidate who stands out as the obviously superior choice. The task for voters then becomes to scrutinize track records, eliminate the worst hazards and seek potential that can be forged, with the proper pressure and continued voter vigilance, into accomplishment.

The candidate with the most potential to rise to the occasion and lead Los Angeles out of its current malaise and into a more sustainable and confident future is Eric Garcetti.

Read the full endorsement yourself. Do you agree?

WATCH: Denver Nuggets Player Supports His Moms

Colorado is currently considering civil union legislation, it recently passed its first committee vote in the State Senate and is expected to be enacted this year. Republicans killed similar legislation back in 2011 and again in 2012 but in the November 2012 elections Democrats won legislative control and selected an openly gay man as Speaker of the House.

Denver Nuggets basketball player Kenneth Faried supports the legislation and appears in a video where he says "Nobody could ever tell me that  I can't have two mothers 'cause I really do!"

ANALYSIS: LGB Vote Crucial To Obama Victory

A quick analysis of the exit poll data from the 2012 presidential election by Gary Gates of the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School shows that the votes of the LGBT population (which was estimated to be 5% of the electorate (or 4.5 million votes), more than the Jewish or Asian-American populations) were crucial in Obama's popular vote win nationwide by 3 million votes.

As the above graphic shows, 76% of LGBT voters went for Obama-Biden 2012 while an astonishing 22% voted for Romney-Ryan 2012. So, among all voters the Democratic ticket had a 51%-48% advantage but among non-LGB voters the Republican ticket had a close 50-49% advantage, which means that if there were no LGB voters in the sample or if the margin of support had been significantly lower, Obama would not have won re-election.

Of course, mathematically this is not surprising. When an election is so close (51-48) then any group which overwhelmingly goes for the winning side (LGB voters, Latino voters, African American voters, Asian American voters, voters under age 29) can be considered to have provided the winning margin. But that is also precisely the point of building a winning coalition: identify your base voters that you will win by 40+ points and make sure that they turn out.

Gates points out that the LGB vote was aso important in the Blue team winning Florida:

The national LGBT vote was crucial to President Obama’s popular vote victory on Election Day, according to new analysis from Gary J. Gates, distinguished scholar at the Williams Institute. In a contest of razor-thin margins, the 4.5 million votes cast by the LGBT population was a critical component of the president’s winning coalition.

Similarly, analysis of preliminary returns from Florida show that the 420,000 total LGBT votes cast in the state may be a deciding factor in President Obama’s projected lead in Florida. Though final results aren’t yet known, an estimated 300,000 LGBT Floridians voted for the president—a margin many times larger than the current vote difference between the two candidates.

We can only talk about LGB voters because the exit poll did not ask about transgender voters.
Interesting, voters who support marriage equality also went for the Obama-Biden ticket in large numbers:

Another interesting feature of this result is that marriage equality is ahead 49%-46% but is not a majority position by the 2012 electorate so that the campaigns that won in Maryland, Maine, Minnesota and Washington actually did better than the national average.

It also goes to show that the President and the Democratic party being in favor of marriage equality is a vote-winning position.

WATCH: MN Pro-Equality Ad Talks About Values

I really like this ad from Minnesotans United for all Families, the group opposing the state constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality, because it talks about values, a topic that heterosexual supremacists always seem to be bringing up. Believers in equality have values as well, especially the value of the Golden Rule (Treat others as you want to be treated).

I think the effect of this ad is two fold: it discusses that children get values from their parents (thus blunting the ridiculous and misleading argument that somehow marriage equality will cause some kids to be taught particular values about marriage--there is no connection between the two things!) and that the most important value should be the Golden Rule, with the obvious implication that voting to ban someone else's marriage is clearly wrong because you wouldn't want your marriage banned by voters.

Minnesota is probably the toughest battle of the four marriage equality ballot measure fights we are facing this Fall, but it is good to see that some new and strong arguments are emerging that could be deployed in other, future fights over this issue.

WA: New Ad Features Republican Supporting R-74

As the race to defend marriage equality at the ballot box becomes more intense  as the pro-equality and anti-equality sides start airing ads this week in Maryland, in Washington state the "air war" started weeks ago. The latest ad features Washington State Representative Maureen Wash, a Republican legislator, who strongly supported the state's marriage equality law when it passed the legislature and was signed into law earlier this year.

Here's the video in which Shaw appears:

Note how different this ad is from the ads from the heterosexual supremacists in Minnesota ("[marriage] was made by God") and in Maryland ("no one has the right to redefine marriage"). The Washington state ad is about "fundamental fairness" and asks viewers to come up with a reason for why they should deny anyone the right to be married to the person that they love. It's a pretty hard question to answer unless viewers are willing to explicitly discriminate against same-sex couples in order to maintain their own heterosexual privilege.

We'll know the answer to these and other questions, in 29 days!