Marriage Equality: February 2008 Archives

When Republican State Rep. Jon Elrod (left) of Indiana refused to sign an anti-gay petition, people noticed. Out of 49 Republicans in the Indiana House, Elrod was the only one who did not sign the petition demanding a floor vote on an amendment that would make marriages for gay and lesbian couples, already illegal, also unconstitutional. In fact, Elrod has stated that he is willing to become the first Hoosier Republican legislator to vote against a marriage ban, even as he runs for a congressional seat in a special election to be held March 11.

During its first go-around, the amendment passed the Senate last year, but it died in the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee. The Republican-controlled Senate approved the amendment again this January, but it is currently stalled in the House, where it must pass before coming up for a popular vote. Elrod’s fellow Republicans have said this stance on the marriage ban puts him at odds with his party, and bloggers have christened him a “fake Republican.”

A reporter for The Indianapolis Star recently contemplated that Elrod “leaves you wondering whether [he] just enjoys sticking a thumb in the eye of the establishment.” To others familiar with Elrod, his stance against the marriage ban might not be much of a surprise. Elrod himself has criticized the Republican Party’s emphasis on social issues over economic issues: “As long as they got fired up about the definition of marriage amendment or the Terri Schiavo case, that was fine—then you could spend whatever it is you want to spend.”

The Indianapolis Star’s latest article calls Elrod “his own conservative” in the article’s headline. This characterization of Elrod represents a turning point in the media. Not only are opponents of anti-gay legislation garnering media coverage, but their stances are also receiving thoughtful analysis. The Indianapolis Star made the distinction between being politically conservative and being anti-gay. Coverage like this gives advocates hope that we can begin to break down stereotypes and change hearts and minds about our lives and our issues, regardless of politics.

h/t Log Cabin Republicans

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy.

New Jersey’s civil union law is making headlines as a result of a report released Tuesday by a 12-member commission looking into complaints that New Jersey’s civil union law creates “second-class citizenship.” The commission, composed of government, community and faith leaders, agrees with the findings of the report.  

In response to the commission’s findings, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine has signaled a willingness to sign a bill opening up marriage to gay and lesbian couples, but has said that he will not do so in an election year.  After Mayor Gavin Newsom made marriage a reality in San Francisco in 2004, national Democrats worried about going out on a limb on an issue that could be seen as controversial.  Corzine is suggesting that 2009 is a better time for the legislature to take up action on a marriage equality bill.

Since the law took effect, over 2,300 couples in New Jersey have entered into civil unions, but 568 couples have come forward to file complaints about problematic situations that have arisen from the law as it is currently structured.

Despite New Jersey’s commitment to equality, Gov. Corzine’s unwillingness to address the issue during such an important election year should raise concerns for lesbian and gay advocates, especially in contrast to the fair media coverage of the commission’s report.

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy

For the past few months, gay folks in Indiana have been on the edge of their seats. The news media across the state have been reporting one week that an anti-gay constitutional amendment has so much support it has a chance of getting on the November 2008 ballot, and then the next week reporting that it’s highly unlikely the amendment will be up for a vote.

SJR-7, the proposed anti-gay legislation, would ban marriage for gay and lesbian couples and was originally introduced in 2005. When SJR-7 was up for a Senate vote last month, prominent bloggers called the marriage ban dead-on-arrival, and members of the House were quoted in mainstream press as saying that marriage for gay couples was not a relevant issue this year.

SJR-7 was approved by the Republican-controlled Senate this January, but the House needs to approve the anti-marriage ban before it comes up for a popular vote. House Rules Committee Chair Rep. Scott Peleath (D) decided not to hear the Senate version of the proposal. Gay and mainstream news articles have picked up Peleath’s comments for weeks, and stories that assured folks the anti-gay legislation is unlikely to move forward have been published since the beginning of the year.

However, yesterday the Associated Press released a story about a petition the majority of House members have signed in support of the anti-gay amendment. With support like this, it is still possible that the marriage ban could be on the November 2008 ballot. Anti-gay ballot initiatives have been used in the past, most notably in the last presidential election year, as a wedge issue. In Indiana, a red state, this is especially important in 2008. If the bill does not pass this year, anti-gay activists will have to start the process over and the earliest it would be on the ballot would be 2012, another presidential election year.
 
Be sure to check back here at GLAAD’s Newsroom ’08 for the latest on media coverage of the status of Indiana’s ever-changing proposed marriage ban and other ballot issues around the country.

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy

Last week, Arizona’s legislative leadership submitted a bill that would once-again ask Arizona voters to decide on an anti-gay constitutional amendment – something voters there rejected in 2006. Now, the conversation about this legislation and the legislation that preceded it seems to taking center stage both locally and nationally.

The new legislation has some Arizona politicians nervous, and has brought new attention to a candidate currently running for Congress. In an article in The Arizona Daily Star, Senate President Tim Bee, who is also a candidate for Congress in 2008, avoided questions asked by the reporter, and tried to downplay the importance of this legislation. Meanwhile, in another part of Arizona, Steve May, an openly gay former Republican state legislator and a leader in the effort to defeat the anti-gay constitutional amendment in 2006, has announced his intention to seek his party’s nomination for Congress in an open seat.

The presence of the new legislation also figures into the presidential race, since Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is the likely Republican nominee for president.  Throughout the primary season, his conservative credentials have been called into question.  McCain voted against the anti-gay federal marriage amendment, but supported the 2006 effort to amend Arizona’s state constitution.  In 2008, McCain will be prominent in a year when his home state might be the epicenter of conversations about LGBT issues throughout election 2008.

The media attention to LGBT-related issues – from the anti-gay constitutional amendment to the possibility of an openly gay Republican congressional candidate – will be intense in Arizona this year. Check back here for updates on Arizona and other local races and ballot measures.

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy

In election coverage, the media too often wield a broad and fuzzy brush to paint the candidates' positions on legislation affecting the LGBT community. Pundit Tucker Carlson was using such a brush when discussing Republican candidate John McCain's position on civil unions during Thursday's episode of MSNBC's Live with Dan Abrams.  During a debate about whether McCain "flip-flopped" on his support of relationship recognition for gay and lesbian couples, Carlson asserted that McCain "has the same absurd position" as those politicians who support civil unions but not marriage equality.

Unfortunately, host Dan Abrams did not challenge Carlson with the reality that McCain has never clearly voiced support for civil unions. In fact, in April 2007, McCain told The New York Sun that he did not support New Hampshire's civil unions legislation. Furthermore, McCain backed Arizona's unsuccessful 2006 ballot initiative to deny gay residents the ability to marry and to block unmarried couples, gay and straight alike, from receiving government benefits.

Carlson's inaccurate and unchallenged contention that McCain supports civil unions reflects the tendency of some pundits and journalists to cursorily examine candidates' positions on issues affecting the LGBT community and make claims that don’t match up to the facts.

Throughout the election season, GLAAD will be reaching out to journalists to ensure that they employ accurate and thorough—rather than broad-brush—coverage of each candidate's stance on issues facing LGBT Americans.

Cindi Creager is the Director of National News.

In 2006, Arizona voters made history, becoming the first state to defeat an anti-gay amendment to their state constitution.  This happened in large part due to the successful media and public education efforts of a coalition of LGBT and progressive groups, who successfully used advertising and media campaigns to educate voters about the necessity of domestic partnership legal protections for families of all kinds in the state.
 
This year, the leadership in both the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate have introduced a scaled back version of that same proposed amendment.  This time, the amendment is solely focused on gay and lesbian partners - the updated amendment defines marriage in the constitution in a way that excludes gay and lesbian couples.
 
As the election approaches, GLAAD will be keeping an eye on media coverage of this continued debate, and working to support groups within Arizona to ensure that media coverage of this electoral conversation focuses on the direct impact such a measure will have on loving, committed couples.  We’ll be working to get the stories of Arizona residents into the media to get conversations going about the real life effects the proposal could have on members of the LGBT community in the state. 

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy