10. President Obama moves in the right direction on the journey to marriage
At a October 27th meeting with progressive bloggers, President Obama
signaled that he, like President Clinton before him, is making progress
on his personal journey to supporting the freedom to marry. A question
from AmericaBlog’s Joe Sudbay prompted President Obama to talk about couples
and say, “Attitudes evolve, including mine.”
9. Illinois enacts civil union, en route to the freedom to marry
In November, Illinois took steps toward marriage when, after heart-wrenching
speeches about loving and committed gay and lesbian couples, legislators
passed a civil union bill. Governor Pat Quinn has pledged to sign the
bill and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley immediately called for the next
step: marriage.
8. Marriage supporters outnumber opponents at every stop of
the Summer Tour for Marriage
The so-called “National Organization for Marriage” (NOM) launched
a 23-city “Summer for Marriage” tour of rallies to promote anti-gay
discrimination. Freedom to Marry led national and state groups in
responding, going head-to-head with NOM in every city, bringing
out more people, putting forward more stories, and showing America
what being FOR marriage is really all about.
7. Essence Magazine does its first feature on the wedding of
a same-sex couple
In October, Essence Magazine shared with its readers the story
of Aisha and Danielle, a beautiful African-American lesbian couple
who married in Washington, D.C. this year. It was the first time
the magazine had done a feature on a same-sex couple. The comments
from readers were overwhelmingly positive – a testament to the
importance of personal stories about why marriage matters.
6. Victory in federal challenges to so-called “DOMA”
Over the summer, District Court Judge Joseph Tauro found that the
federal government’s refusal to honor the marriages of same-sex
couples under the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” is
unconstitutional. “[Because] animus alone cannot constitute
a legitimate government interest, this court finds that DOMA
lacks a rational basis to support it,” said the Nixon-appointee
in cases brought by GLAD and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
now on appeal to the federal First Circuit.
5. Pro-marriage governors elected in CA, NY, MD, MN, RI, NH
While the mid-term elections brought a mixed bag of results as
Americans agonized over the economy, gubernatorial candidates
who openly supported the freedom to marry – including some who
ran on a promise to pass a marriage bill in their state and
others facing opposition from the likes of NOM – were elected
across the country from Rhode Island to California.
4. The freedom to marry comes to Latin America
The freedom to marry came to both Mexico City and Argentina this
year – a breathtaking advance in two nations with strong religious
roots. The Mexico Supreme Court affirmed the law, and with a foothold
for the freedom to marry in Latin America, alongside 2010 wins in
Portugal and Iceland, gay and lesbian couples can now marry in 12
countries on 4 continents – up from zero a decade ago.
3. Federal court finds California’s Proposition 8 unconstitutional
Chief Judge Vaughn Walker struck down California’s Proposition 8 as
unconstitutional, finding that "the essence of the right to marry is
freedom to join in marriage with the person of one's choice."
The anti-gay opponents are again shown to have no good reason
for excluding committed couples from marriage. Even with the
case itself on appeal before the Ninth Circuit, the authoritative
opinion based on powerful evidence and former Bush Solicitor-General
Ted Olson and Republican party chief Ken Mehlman as unlikely voices
for the freedom to marry continue to have a powerful impact. While
the appellate court deliberates, the outgoing and incoming governors
and attorneys general of California agreed with Judge Walker that
Prop 8 must fall.
2. Gay and lesbian couples begin marrying in our Nation’s Capital
In March, Washington, DC became the first majority-minority jurisdiction
in the country where gay couples can marry, joining 5 states. Mayor Adrian
Fenty signed the bill into law in a public ceremony at a church in front of
hundreds of people including his parents. At year-end, 40% of Americans
live in a state with marriage or at least some recognition for same-sex
couples and their families – up from virtually zero a decade ago.
1. Polls find for the first time that a majority of Americans support
the freedom to marry
2010 was the first year that polls showed a majority of Americans
in support of the freedom to marry! The milestone was further
proof that as more gay and lesbian people talk to their friends,
family, and coworkers about Why Marriage Matters, people around
the country are realizing that there is no good reason to continue
state-sponsored discrimination against loving and committed couples,
particularly in tough economic times.
Special Bonus: The new and improved Freedom to Marry campaign
To fill the gaps, meet the challenges, and seize the opportunities
to win marriage nationwide, Freedom to Marry spent 2010 ramping up
and reinventing itself to be the national campaign the movement needs
to get the job done. Freedom to Marry added capacity in communications,
field, messaging and research, and new media; prepared to roll out a
national public education campaign; and worked to increase support for
the work of key frontline partners to further the national strategy,
Freedom to Marry’s Roadmap to Victory, which calls for work to win more
states, grow and diversify the majority for marriage, and tackle federal
marriage discrimination. Working together in this campaign, we can
make 2011, like 2010, another winning year for the freedom to marry.
From: http://http://www.freedomtomarry.org/blog/entry/10-in-10-freedom-to-marrys-top-ten-moments-for-marriage-in-2010
