New York

Four Republicans Who Supported NY Gay Marriage Getting A Big Fundraiser

Jillian Rayfield | October 13, 2011, 1:42PM

The four Republican lawmakers in New York who supported the gay marriage law are getting a big cash infusion Thursday night, with a fundraiser in Manhattan that is expected to raise $1.25 million.

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Eric Schneiderman

New York AG Asks Court To Throw Out Anti-Gay Marriage Suit

Jillian Rayfield | September 19, 2011, 1:03PM

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has asked a state court to toss a lawsuit challenging New York's marriage equality law, which was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo back in June.

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North Carolina

UPDATED: North Carolina House Passes Ballot Initiative To Ban Gay Marriage

Jillian Rayfield | September 13, 2011, 10:45AM

Protestors gather at a National Organization for Marriage rally in St. Paul Minnesota on July 28, 2010.

Updated, September 13, 1:30PM : The state Senate has passed the measure by a vote of 30-16, meaning that it will be taken up by voters in the May primary.

Original report:

The North Carolina House has passed a measure that would bring a ballot initiative in 2012 to ban gay marriage in the state's constitution.

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North Carolina

North Carolina Debating Ballot Initiative To Ban Gay Marriage

Jillian Rayfield | September 12, 2011, 12:47PM

Protestors gather at a National Organization for Marriage rally in St. Paul Minnesota on July 28, 2010.

The Republican-led North Carolina legislature is convening this week to debate whether to put a constitutional ban on gay marriage on the 2012 ballot.

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Gay Rights

Tolerance Wave? Multiple Polls In Red and Purple States Show Support For Gay Rights

Kyle Leighton | August 23, 2011, 6:25AM

Pro Same-Sex Marriage Parade, Maplewood, NJ

As gay rights advocates have made gains over the last few years, the public seems to be moving in the same direction. Friday saw the release of a new poll sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Citizens for Equal Protection showing citizens deep in the middle of conservative America - in Nebraska - are solidly for non-discrimination protections for members of the gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, even if the current state laws are not. 73 percent of Nebraskans surveyed support protecting LGBT people from discrimination in employment, protections which currently don't exist there.

The survey comes as Public Policy Polling (D) has been polling a diversity of states on the question of gay marriage and civil unions. Those polls have shown that some version of recognition for same sex couples is popular: even in the most Republican state in the union, Utah, 60 percent supported either gay marriage or civil unions, a trend also reflected in a separate HRC polling of the state.

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Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: I Don't 'Judge' Gays, Everyone Has 'Dignity' And 'Honor'

David Taintor | August 14, 2011, 2:35PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Fresh off her win at the Iowa straw poll, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) on Sunday launched a media blitz on the morning talk shows.

For the most part, Bachmann stayed on message, calling for the repeal of "Obamacare" and reigning in government spending. But an interesting moment came when Meet The Press host David Gregory challenged Bachmann's position on homosexuality.

It's no secret Bachmann isn't the biggest fan of gays. But when Gregory played a clip of Bachmann saying homosexuality leads to "personal enslavement" and "bondage," she responded simply by saying "I am running for the presidency of the United States."

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Gay Marriage

Vermont Poll: Across Ideology, Most Agree World Didn't End After Gay Marriage Legalization

Kyle Leighton | August 9, 2011, 12:15PM

Proponents of gay marriage scored a huge victory in June when the New York Legislature passed a law legalizing it, advocates celebrated when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it, and Mayor Bloomberg marked the occasion by officiating the wedding of two top staffers. In short, the political establishment embraced gay marriage in New York, and now it's a part of life in the state.

In Vermont, it's been part of life since April of 2009. A new survey from Public Policy Polling provides a look into how the law is viewed by Vermont residents, who have clearly accepted it as part of the state's social fabric: 58% say that same sex marriage should be legal.

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Gay Marriage

Michele Bachmann Attends Anti-Gay Sermon in Iowa

August 8, 2011, 11:49AM

Michele Bachmann spoke at a church service in Iowa on Sunday that featured a separate sermon about "immoral" gays as well as a video presentation promoting gay conversion therapy.

"We inherently know that homosexual behavior is immoral and unnatural," Pastor Jeff Mullen told churchgoers during a half-hour presentation, according to NBC. Afterward he played a recorded testimonial from a man who claimed to have been cured of his homosexual urges through the power of prayer and is now married with an expecting wife "I am so happy God has given me natural affection for a woman," he says in the video.

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Iowa caucus

Santorum Denounces 'Super-Right' Of 'Sexual Liberty,' And The 'Pursuit Of Pleasure'

Eric Kleefeld | August 5, 2011, 2:27PM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Rick Santorum is continuing his staunch opposition to gay rights -- warning that courts have created a "super-right" to sex, which overrides the constitutional right of religious freedom.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register's editorial board, Santorum claimed that same-sex marriage was a threat to religious liberty, alleging for example that government could threaten the licenses of marriage counselors who don't treat gay couples.

"Religious liberty is now trumped because we have now created a super-right," said Santorum. "We have a right [in] the Constitution of religious liberty but now the courts have created a super-right that's above a right that's actually in the Constitution, and that's of sexual liberty. And I think that's a wrong, that's a destructive element."

Also, the paper reports: "Santorum says if 'pursuit of happiness' means 'pursuit of pleasure,' we won't be a country very long."

New Jersey

Poll: Plurality Of New Jersey Voters Thinks Gay Marriage Should Be Legal

Jillian Rayfield | August 3, 2011, 6:00AM

Pro Same-Sex Marriage Parade, Maplewood, NJ

Gay marriage is not likely to become legal in New Jersey as long as Chris Christie is running things, but according to a recent poll, more New Jersey voters would support marriage equality than would not.

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Gay Marriage

Rick Perry Flip Flops On Gay Marriage, Backs Federal Ban

Benjy Sarlin | July 28, 2011, 1:35PM

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

So much for states' rights.

Texas Governor Rick Perry (R), one of the country's most prominent defenders of the 10th Amendment, is making an exception when it comes to gay marriage. After initially telling reporters that it's "fine with me" if states like New York legalize same-sex unions through their own legislature, Perry is pulling a 180 and calling for a Federal Marriage Amendment.

Perry, who is flirting with a presidential bid, clarified his position to Family Research Council president Tony Perkins in an interview.

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Gay Marriage

New York Group Files Suit To Nullify Gay Marriages

Jillian Rayfield | July 25, 2011, 5:06PM

The anti-gay marriage group New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms filed suit Monday to overturn New York's marriage equality law, claiming that in the process of enacting the law, "constitutional liberties were violated."

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Martin O'Malley

Martin O'Malley Preps New, More Aggressive Push For Gay Marriage In Maryland

Brian Beutler | July 20, 2011, 1:19PM

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-MD)

At the end of this week, or the beginning of the next, Gov. Martin O'Malley -- the chair of the Democratic Governor's Association -- is preparing a bold push for gay marriage rights in Maryland.

In a sit-down interview with TPM at DGA headquarters in downtown Washington, DC, O'Malley explained what's changed since the last time Maryland tried to enact marriage equality, and why he plans to be at the front of the issue this time around.

"There is a broad coalition of people coming together -- broader than we had in the last session," O'Malley said. "And this coalition is encouraged by the fact that our neighbors in New York found a way to protect religious freedom and the quality of marital rights at the same time.... Sometimes in the history of our Republic, fundamental rights appear to eclipse each other for a time, and this is one of those times, and we need to sort it out."

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Andrew Cuomo

New York, I Love You: Cuomo Continues To Roll

Kyle Leighton | July 14, 2011, 11:40AM

New Yorkers have never been accused of having the sunniest outlook on politics in their state. But that was before Andrew Cuomo became their governor.

Cuomo continues to be held in very high esteem, notching a 71% favorability rating in the latest poll from Siena College, with only 21% of New York voters having an unfavorable view of him. Despite inheriting a nine billion dollar deficit, the TPM Poll Average of Cuomo's favorability remains at a high 75.9%, having scored victories with a budget deal that cut spending while not raising income tax rates and pushing through a bill legalizing gay marriage in the state.

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Michael Bloomberg

Wedding Bells Will Ring on July 24 in New York City

Megan Reback | July 8, 2011, 1:12PM

New York City will open its clerk's offices on Sunday, July 24, to allow same-sex couples to wed on the first day the state's gay marriage bill goes into effect, officials said this week. Although clerk's offices in the five boroughs are normally closed on weekends, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that for this momentous occasion, they will open.

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Gay Marriage

NJ Same-Sex Couples File Lawsuit For Marriage Equality

Jillian Rayfield | June 29, 2011, 5:10PM

Pro Same-Sex Marriage Parade, Maplewood, NJ

The New Jersey gay advocacy group Garden State Equality and seven same-sex couples and their children filed suit Wednesday, arguing that same-sex marriages should be recognized by the state.

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Barack Obama

Obama Dodges On Personal View Of Gay Marriage: 'Not Going To Make News On That Today'

Jillian Rayfield | June 29, 2011, 1:26PM

In his Wednesday press conference, President Obama dodged a question about whether he personally supports same-sex marriage: "I'm not going to make news on that today -- good try though."

Obama also wouldn't say whether he thinks marriage is a civil right, instead characterizing it as a state level issue: "What you saw was the people of New York having a debate, talking through these issues. It was contentious, it was emotional, but ultimately they made a decision to recognize civil marriages. And I think that's exactly how things should work."

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Gay Marriage

Rudy Giuliani Breaks His Gay Wedding Vows

Benjy Sarlin | June 29, 2011, 10:53AM

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R)

After promising a close friend he would officiate his same-sex wedding, Rudy Giuliani is reportedly dodging efforts to hold him to his word in the wake of New York's landmark gay marriage law.

"I asked if he would marry us," Howard Koeppel, who put Giuliani up in his home during a tough divorce with then-wife Donna Hanover, told the New York Post. "He said, 'Howard, I don't ever do anything that's not legal. If it becomes legal in New York, you'll be one of the first ones I would marry.'"

Well, it's legal now. And Koeppel is eager to have the state recognize his marriage to his longtime partner. But he says Giuliani is no longer returning his calls and his spokesman isn't responding to the Post's requests for comment.

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New York

New York State Senate Passes Marriage Equality Bill

Jillian Rayfield | June 24, 2011, 10:34PM

The New York state Senate has approved the marriage equality bill by a vote of 33-29.

An amendment to the bill, which carved out exemptions for religious groups, passed by a vote of 36-26.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: NYC Celebrates After Marriage Equality Passes The State Senate]

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Gay Marriage

New York State Senate Voting On Marriage Equality Friday Night

Jillian Rayfield | June 24, 2011, 5:59PM

New York's marriage equality bill will come up for a vote in the state Senate Friday night, after lawmakers reached a deal on the final language of the bill earlier in the day.

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New York

Still No Deal In New York's Fight Over Marriage Equality

Jillian Rayfield | June 23, 2011, 6:55AM

Leaders of the New York legislature have not yet reached a deal on the final language of the state's marriage equality bill, nor has there been a decision about bringing the legislation up for a vote.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D) said today that though there are some amendments to the bill that address the Republicans' concerns over religious exemptions, "there's no final agreement on exact language."

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James Alesi

Pro-Gay Marriage NY Lawmaker: 'I'm A Republican -- I Was Born That Way'

Jillian Rayfield | June 21, 2011, 3:34PM

State Sen. James Alesi (R-NY)

Though no deal has been reached yet in the fight over the New York marriage equality bill, there's one Republican state Senator who's dropped his poker face.

James Alesi told a crowd in Albany Tuesday that he's supporting the bill, adding: "I'm a Republican -- I was born that way."

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New York

New York Same Sex Marriage Vote Likely Delayed

Jillian Rayfield | June 20, 2011, 3:25PM

The New York state Senate will likely push the vote on marriage equality to later this week, as Republicans continue to negotiate with supporters of the bill over its language.

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New Jersey

New Jersey Assemblyman Introduces Marriage Equality Bill

Jillian Rayfield | June 20, 2011, 1:54PM

Pro Same-Sex Marriage Parade, Maplewood, NJ

On the heels of the big marriage equality fight in New York, a New Jersey Democrat has introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state.

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Andrew Cuomo

Down To The Wire On Marriage Equality In New York

Jillian Rayfield | June 20, 2011, 10:18AM

The New York legislature entered its final day of the session Monday, with lawmakers and gay rights advocates continuing to pursue a deal to pass marriage equality legislation in the state Senate.

The New York Post reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R) are closing in on a deal to get the legislation passed. The Senate Republicans had still not decided whether to bring the legislation up for a vote at the end of last week, as some in the caucus pushed for more specific exemptions for religious groups.

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Andrew Cuomo

Behind Scenes, NY Advocacy Groups Fight For Same-Sex Marriage

Michael R. Corjulo | June 17, 2011, 1:37PM

The fate of a much-anticipated bill legalizing same-sex marriage in New York remains uncertain, with the state Senate having yet to act on the measure as of early Friday afternoon.

No matter the result, a vote will mark the end of months of political positioning by Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) and legislative leaders, who have been working to secure enough support to pass the legislation.

The marriage-equality bill has considerably more momentum on its side than it did in 2009, when it passed the Assembly but fell in the Senate by a vote of 38 to 24.

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New York

New York's Marriage Equality Bill Passes The State Assembly

Jillian Rayfield | June 15, 2011, 9:33PM

The New York Assembly passed the state's marriage equality bill Wednesday by a vote of 80-63, paving the way for it to be taken up in the state Senate later this week.

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Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum: I Love My Gay Friends (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | June 15, 2011, 9:55AM

Former Senator and GOP Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Of course Rick Santorum has gay friends, and he loves them! They're awesome!

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Gay Marriage

Second NY Republican Says He'll Back Gay Marriage Bill

Jillian Rayfield | June 14, 2011, 5:14PM

Sen. Roy J. McDonald (R-NY)

Republican state Sen. Roy McDonald announced Tuesday that he'll back New York's marriage equality bill when it comes up in the Senate this week.

"I'm trying to do the right thing," McDonald said, Capitol Confidential reports. "Rather than wait I worked with the governor. ... I'm not out to alienate anybody. This is driven by compassion."

He added that he thinks the vote will be on Friday.

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Andrew Cuomo

Andrew Cuomo Sends NY Gay Marriage Bill To State Legislature

Jillian Rayfield | June 14, 2011, 3:58PM

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) sent New York's gay marriage bill to the state legislature Tuesday, effectively kicking the state's battle over marriage equality into high gear in the last week of the legislative session.

Capital Tonight reports that it will be ready for a vote in about three days.

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Gay Marriage

New Yorkers Rally Against -- And For -- Gay Marriage At City Hall

Jillian Rayfield | June 14, 2011, 2:31PM

A group of gay marriage opponents gathered Tuesday at New York's City Hall to rally against Mayor Bloomberg's support for marriage equality, as a bill to legalize same-sex marriage gains momentum in the state legislature this week.

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Andrew Cuomo

First NY Republican Says He'll Back Marriage Equality Bill

Jillian Rayfield | June 13, 2011, 5:58PM

State Sen. James Alesi (R-NY)

New York State Sen. James Alesi is the first Republican to say he'll back a bill to legalize gay marriage when it's brought up, which likely means the legislation only needs two more votes to pass.

Alesi announced his support after a private meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who says the bill will get a vote in the state Senate before the end of the legislative session next Monday. "This becomes a matter of equality for people, our sons and daughters, (who) deserve the same freedom and the same equality in this great country and in the state of New York that each of every one of us enjoy in our everyday life," Alesi said of his decision, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.

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Andrew Cuomo

Report: Three New York Dems Say They Will Back Gay Marriage

Jillian Rayfield | June 13, 2011, 2:48PM

Three key New York Democrats in the state Senate reportedly said Monday that they will support marriage equality legislation, an important reversal for Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who is pushing to bring the measure up for a vote by the end of the week.

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Gay Marriage

Poll Shows Most NYers Support Gay Marriage -- Push To Legalize Could Come Down To Eight State Sens.

Jillian Rayfield | June 3, 2011, 8:55AM

Polls show the majority of New Yorkers have made up their minds that the state should legalize gay marriage, but ultimately the fight will likely come down to eight state Senators who are still undecided.

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New York

NY GOPers Push Bill To Void Out Of State Same Sex Marriages

Jillian Rayfield | May 20, 2011, 1:38PM

As New York Democrats prep for a fight to legalize gay marriage in the state, Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would invalidate any same sex marriages legally performed by other states.

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Same Sex Marriage

For First Time Ever, Gallup Finds Majority Support Same Sex Marriage

Jon Terbush | May 20, 2011, 11:11AM

In a historic shift, a Gallup poll released Friday morning finds that for the first time, a majority of Americans suport legalizing same sex marriage.

That result reinforces a trove of recent polls that have produced similar findings, and it furthers a trend of Americans gradually becoming more accepting of legal recognition for same sex couples. It comes as Republicans are taking legal action over the Obama administration's decision to no longer defend parts of the Defense of Marriage Act on grounds of constitutionality.

In the poll, 53% of Americans said they supported same sex marriage, compared to 45% who said they did not. That's almost exactly the opposite of what Gallup found last year, when 53% of Americans opposed same sex marriage, while 44% supported it.

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National Organization of Marriage

Same Sex Marriage Fight In New York Heats Up

Jillian Rayfield | May 12, 2011, 8:57AM

The Empire State is the next battleground in the fight over same sex marriage.

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Gay Marriage

Behind A Major Law Firm's Decision To Ditch Its Defense Of DOMA

Brian Beutler | April 25, 2011, 5:33PM

When the Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding announced on April 18 that it would represent the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, it apparently didn't realize what a mess it had made for itself.

Exactly one week later, the firm reversed its decision, prompting a high-profile partner -- former Solicitor General Paul Clement -- to resign publicly, and House Speaker John Boehner's staff to issue a statement criticizing the firm for "its careless disregard for its responsibilities to the House in this constitutional matter."

As public relations debacles go, this was a doozy. But the firm must have calculated that the alternative would have been worse. In the intervening week, a series of public and behind-the-scenes developments made it clear that the firm would suffer recriminations for defending what many of its top clients and future recruits -- not to mention gay rights advocates -- consider to be an anti-gay law.

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Gay Marriage

Poll: Majority Supports Legal Recognition For Same-Sex Marriage

Jon Terbush | April 19, 2011, 1:16PM

As Republicans and President Obama square off over the Defense of Marriage Act, a new CNN poll shows that a small majority of Americans now support legal recognition for same sex marriages.

In the poll, 51% of adult Americans said they thought same sex marriages should be recognized by law, while 47% said they should not. That's a significant reversal from the same poll two years ago when Americans opposed same sex marriage by a 10-point spread, with 44% in favor and 54% against.

It's the second time in as many months that a pollster has for the first time found majority support for legalizing same sex marriage. In March, a Washington Post/ABC News poll showed that 53% of adults supported legalizing same sex marriage, while 44% opposed it.

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Gay Marriage

For The First Time, Majority Of Americans Support Gay Marriage

Jon Terbush | March 18, 2011, 9:53AM

In another sign of Americans' rapidly changing attitudes toward gay rights, a new ABC News/Washington Post survey released today finds that, for the first time in a decade of polling, a majority of Americans now support same sex marriage.

That finding comes just weeks after the Obama administration announced that it would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act -- the law that prohibits the federal government from recognizing same sex marriages performed in states where they are legal -- in court. And it adds weight to the reinvigorated efforts of pro-gay-rights Democrats who, for the first time, see the issue as a political winner.

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