Same sex marriage supporters gather at Arlington County, Va., courthouse.

BY STEVE WILLIAMS
Care2.com

Proposition 8 legal super team David Boies and Ted Olson have set their sights on a new target: Virginia. Their aim? To bring marriage equality to the entire nation.

David Boies and Theodore “Ted” Olson once argued for opposite sides during the Bush v. Gore United States Supreme Court Case of 2000 that ultimately led to George W. Bush taking office as President of the United States for another term.

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In light of the recent Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) ruling, OneGoodLove, the Internet’s leading relationship-focused online dating service for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) singles, announced the release of its “Marriage Equality State of the Date Report.” Findings of the report, based on a survey of 875 LGBT singles, suggest that while the Supreme Court ruling on DOMA and California’s Proposition 8 aren’t putting social pressure on gay and lesbian people to immediately “tie the knot,” many gay and lesbian singles are now more likely to consider marriage their ultimate relationship goal because of the court’s recent landmark decisions.

Improved Outlook on Marriage Since the DOMA Ruling

Sixty-three percent of LGBT singles surveyed said they were more likely to think of marriage as their ultimate dating goal now that the Supreme Court has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), with only 35 percent saying that their outlooks have not changed.

When asked whether or not the recent cultural shifts and gains in marriage equality would help their parents see their same-sex relationships in a more positive light, 37 percent of the LGBT participants said yes, 22 percent said no, and 41 percent said that their parents already see their relationships as a positive thing.

Thirty-eight percent of the transgender respondents said that the cultural shifts and gains in marriage equality would help their parents see their relationships in a more positive light, but only 13 percent said that their parents already see their relationships as a positive thing.

Eighty-seven percent of all LGBT singles reported that increases in same-sex marriage rights would not increase the societal pressure on them to settle down and tie the knot.

LGBT Marriage Material

Forty-four percent of gay and lesbian singles reported that honesty was the most important quality for a future husband or wife to have. Thirteen percent of lesbian women reported intelligence as the most important quality in a future wife, and 15 percent of gay men said a sense of humor was the most important quality in a husband.

Thirty-seven percent of all participants said that communication was the most important personal quality they would have to improve to make a future marriage work. Twenty percent said they would have to get their lives in better financial order to marry and live happily ever after.

Seventy-six percent of all gay and lesbian singles surveyed said they see marriage in their future. Only 66 percent of bisexual and 50 percent of transgender singles see marriage in their future.

LGBT Wedding Bells Ringing

Forty-two percent of all LGBT participants said they wanted a small wedding gathering of just friends and family, and 24 percent said they wanted a low-key ceremony and reception.

Only six percent of gay men wanted an “over the top party with everyone they had ever known,” while 18 percent of bisexual and 14 percent of lesbian singles wanted the same. None of the transgender respondents wanted an over the top wedding.

“This survey points to the tangible, romantic hopefulness in the gay and lesbian community right now,” said Frank Mastronuzzi, Co-founder and Chief Love Officer at OneGoodLove.com. “ Commemorating that hopefulness, on July 17, OneGoodLove.com launched a billboard in West Hollywood, California, reflecting the shifting dating and relationship goals emerging in the LGBT community. The billboard features two men kissing, with copy that reads: “First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage.”

For survey details, and to see the billboard, visit the OneGoodLove blog at: blog.onegoodlove.com

The post OneGoodLove poll: Marriage now ultimate dating goal for majority of LGBT singles first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Michelle Coccari, left, and Kindra Fesmire Coccari celebrate in San Diego (Photo: Goldy Valiente/Aurela Valencia)

BY ZOE AMOS
Lesbian.com

It’s not a stretch to say the vast majority in the LGBT community in California were absolutely thrilled when the Supreme Court struck down DOMA and threw Proposition 8 into the Pacific Ocean where it could swim with the fishes. On that auspicious day, I joined a crowd estimated of around two hundred people gathered at the North San Diego County LGBTQ Center where speeches were met with cheers.

Putting the exclamation point on our celebratory mood was a proposal from one woman to another. On bended knee with ring in hand, Kindra asked her beloved, Michelle, to be her wife. Tears of joy and overwhelming emotion choked her voice as she proclaimed her love, and the two cried together as the ring was placed on her fiancee’s finger. Get out the hankies!

I was so moved, the next day I decided to act upon a thought I entertained in 2008 when for a short time same-sex marriages were legal in California; I got my minister’s license and can now perform a wedding ceremony. I did it to become more involved in my community, to share in a couple’s happiness — straight or gay, and to support this hard won right. Plus, I thought I would really enjoy it.

To the surprise of many, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals acted with record speed to reinstate the right to marry and ceremonies have now been performed for eager couples ready to move on with this exciting stage in their lives. In a moment of serendipity, the aforementioned engaged women won a last-minute wedding package at the Del Mar Fairgrounds where they received food, drinks, the services of an officiant and access to a lovely arbor setting where they were legally united among friends. A few days later, a distant male cousin of mine from the Bay area married his love. Two women I know who got married five years ago during that small window of time when it was legal, asked me to officiate at the renewal of their vows.

I could go on about the battle itself or the long drive ahead to ensure equal legal treatment across all of the United States, but this message is meant to be personal. It’s stories like the ones above that give the fight meaning. The ruling affirms the love, commitment and future vision two adults share — irrespective of their gender, gender identification, gender preference, gender confusion, gender configuration, or gender whatever(!) – and treats it equally within the bounds of the law.

Now it is up to us as individuals to respect the institution of marriage by treating our wives and husbands with love and respect, honoring the spoken vows, and abiding by the laws of the land. For as the language in many ceremonies state in reference to this point, “Marriage…is not to be entered into lightly or in jest and only after much consideration.”

Zoe Amos brings her lesbian point of view to articles and stories on diverse topics. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. Read her stories on Kindle and Nook. Check out her other life at www.janetfwilliams.com

The post From A to Zoe: The celebration continues first appeared on Lesbian.com.

When the Supreme Court struck down part of an anti-gay marriage law, Justice Anthony Kennedy took pains in his majority opinion to say the ruling applied only to legally married same-sex couples seeking benefits from the federal government.

But judges and lawyers representing same-sex couples are already using Kennedy’s language and reasoning in other cases about the right to marry.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post SCOTUS gay marriage ruling already impacting other cases first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY MOLLIE REILLY

The Supreme Court has rejected a petition from an anti-gay marriage group to halt same-sex weddings in California. Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., one of the attorneys who challenged California’s gay marriage ban in federal court, told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday that Justice Anthony Kennedy had denied the petition by Proposition 8’s sponsors to put an immediate hold on all gay weddings in the state. According to Boutros, Kennedy did not comment on the decision.

“We have never before upheld the standing of a private party to defend the constitutionality of a state statute when state officials have chosen not to,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the Supreme Court’s majority opinion. “We decline to do so for the first time here.” The Ninth Circuit’s order came as a surprise to many, as the three-judge panel had previously said it would wait to lift the hold for 25 days.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Petition to stop gay marriages in California rejected first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY ANNIE-ROSE STRASSER

On Friday afternoon, the ninth circuit court lifted its stay on same-sex marriages in the state of California, acknowledging the Supreme Court’s opinion in Hollingsworth v. Perry that supporters of anti-gay Proposition 8 did not have standing to appeal a lower court judge’s ruling that the ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The move, which came earlier than expected, allows gay and lesbian couples to begin getting married immediately.

As soon as the news came down from the ninth circuit on Friday, California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris began marrying couples — starting with Proposition 8 plaintiffs Kristin Perry and Sandra Stier. UCLA estimates that 37,000 same-sex couples in California will get married in the next three years.

Read more at ThinkProgress.org

The post In California, no more waiting for same-sex marriages first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Sandy Stier and Kris Perry at the rally. (Photo: Gail Ehrlich)

BY GAIL EHRLICH
Lesbian.com

On Wednesday June 26, the Supreme Court eliminated the part of DOMA that caused the Federal Government to ignore same-sex marriages. The Court also reinstated Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision striking down Prop 8. That evening, a boisterous West Hollywood crowd welcomed the Prop 8 plaintiffs, Kris Perry, Sandy Stier, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarillo, back home.

The rally was kicked off by Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar winning screenwriter who wrote the screenplay “Milk.” Black is also a founding member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights (known as AFER). AFER is the organization that sponsored the Federal lawsuit which resulted in striking down Prop 8. At the rally, Black reminded the crowd that at the 2009 Oscars he promised the young people that very soon there will be equal rights federally. Black reminded ralliers that Harvey Milk exhorted the LGBT community to refuse to accept crumbs.

(Photo: Gail Ehrlich)

Also speaking at the rally was West Holllywood Mayor Pro Tempore John D’Amico. D’Amico said, “We are no longer the other! We are Americans!”

Kris Perry told the crowd that she grew up in Bakersfield California, a conservative town which overwhelmingly voted in favor of Prop 8. She said, “I grew up a tomboy, knowing I was a little different.” She added, “I still love the state…where I will marry the woman I love. California you are better today than you were yesterday. California you are the golden state. Not the silver state. Not the bronze state. But the golden state.”

Also speaking at the rally were renowned lawyers Ted Olson and David Bois, the political polar opposites who orchestrated the successful lawsuit. Olson told the crowd that the best legal strategy was to let the court hear the plaintiffs describe how Prop 8 negatively impacted their lives.

Robin Tyler, left, and Diane Olson were plaintiffs in the state lawsuit that initially granted same-sex marriage rights in California. Prop 8 was designed to overturn the results of their lawsuit. They were the first same sex couple in Los Angeles County to get married. (Photo: Gail Ehrlich)

Chad Griffin, the current President of the Human Rights Campaign and a founding AFER Board Member urged the crowd to continue the hard work of seeking equality. Griffin set a new goal stating, “within five years, we will bring marriage equality to all 50 states.”

Gail Ehrlich is a career prosecutor and is presently writing a book discussing the legal history of LGBT Americans.

The post WeHo responds to Prop 8 ruling first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The Supreme Court rulings against the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8 are providing new momentum to the LGBT rights movement as advocates are pushing for officials to interpret the decisions as broadly as possible.

The court ruling against DOMA is complex because it means that new benefits will be available to same-sex couples if they’re married. But there still is an issue with some of these benefits even with DOMA gone.

Some of these benefits, like Social Security survivor benefits and tax benefits, are in question because federal law governing these issues looks at a state where a couple lives as opposed to whether they were legally married. That means a gay couple that marries in a state like New York, but moves to Florida, won’t be able to apply for these benefits while living there.

Read more at Washington Blade

Washington Blade is America’s leading gay news source.

The post DOMA, Prop 8 defeated: What’s next for LGBT couples? first appeared on Lesbian.com.

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision to strike down parts of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and essentially nullify California’s gay marriage ban known as Proposition 8 had immediate repercussions for binational lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples trying to keep their families together in America. In particular, it had an immediate effect on deportation proceedings.

Sean and Steven Brooks are just one couple affected by the decision.

Sean Brooks, a New York musician, has been legally married to his Colombian husband, Steven, ever since New York State legalized gay marriage in 2011. But like about 28,500 other binational same-sex couples, Steven was not entitled to a spousal visa because his marriage to Sean was not legally recognized by the federal government, leaving Steven vulnerable to deportation proceedings.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post DOMA ruling stops deportation first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Marriage equality supporters who gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday erupted into cheers as they learned the justices had found the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

“I’m thrilled,” D.C. resident Justyn Hintze, who is originally from Florida, told the Washington Blade outside the court. “I think that it’s about time and that sexual freedom and same-sex marriage is a human right.”

D.C. resident Amanda Klinger and her fiancée, Caroline Hunt, held a sign that read “our wedding just got 1138 times more equal” as they anticipated the Supreme Court ruling on cases that challenged the constitutionality of Section 3 of DOMA that defined marriage as between a man and a woman in federal law and California’s Proposition 8. Rev. Rob Apgar-Taylor of Grace United Church of Christ and Varitas United Church in Hagerstown and Frederick, Md., who married his husband in Massachusetts in 2004, told the Blade before the justices issued their DOMA ruling that he hoped they would be “bold” in their ruling.

Read more at WashingtonBlade.com

Washington Blade is America’s leading gay news source

The post DOMA, Prop 8 rulings met with cheers first appeared on Lesbian.com.