Event This Wednesday: Why Only Marriage Will Do

We are at a turning point in the history of the struggle for gay and lesbian equality. The last barrier is our ability to marry those we love. Join FSIX (Financial Services Industry eXchange)members and others for a discussion of where we are today, learn what you can do to participate in winning this fight, and learn how you can protect yourself and your family until we claim this most basic of human rights.

Topics include Marriage Equality:

• Rights and privileges of marriage
• Conflicting same-sex marriage laws across the country
• Current state of same-sex marriage in New York
• Same-sex marriage laws abroad
• How to get involved

and two financial advisors will discuss Protection Issues for LGBT Families:

• Legacy Planning
• Health Planning
• Financial and Retirement Planning
• Employee Benefits

Light refreshments will be served. Q&A to follow.

RSVP.

Hosted by MARRIAGE EQUALITY NEW YORK – NYC Chapter

Konstantinos Dean Dafis: Education Bureau Speaker, Volunteer Director, Community Board & District Community Board Organizing Committee, and MENY PAC. A former securities lawyer on Wall Street, Dean began his legal career in public interest serving indigent clients and serving pro-bono LGBT clients via referral from Lambda Legal and LeGal. After Prop 8 was passed in California, Dean joined MENY following the National Equality March in Washington DC in the fall of 2009.

Dan Gabbe: Education Bureau Speaker. Dan earned his MBA from University of Southern Indiana in 2000 and is currently the Director of Sales for a leading holiday gift company. Dan has been with his partner for over six years and joined the marriage equality movement after the Proposition 8 vote in 2008.

RSVP.

Gay Blues

Wanna laugh and get angry but still have fun? Some of the proceeds from this event go to MENY, so please come out and join us.

Get your tickets now to this clever show at the historic Barrow Theatre!

Love and __________. We're filling in the blank.

GAY BLUES

Written & Performed by Matthew Cleaver

Directed by Michael Page

Gay marriage. What the hell is that? Have you ever heard it called white people marriage? Or diabetic marriage? Or microbrew enthusiast marriage? Why the modifier? There's something about the word gay in front of the word marriage that gets people mad. Makes some people hold up signs with Bible verses you have to go look up. Makes me pissed, too. I can't get married, because I'd be getting gay married. In most places, that word is enough to make it illegal. We're looking to change that, and nothing gives people that get up and go like wailing the blues. Gay Blues. Come out and get pissed.

Performances:
FRIDAY, JULY 2nd at 10PM (Equality Dance Party following the performance)
SATURDAY, JULY 3rd at 10PM (Post-Show Party for Equality at The Duplex)
MONDAY, JULY 5th at 7:30PM (Pre-Show Gay-la Reception at 6:30PM)

All performances at the Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow Street (on the corner of Seventh Avenue, 1 block south of Christopher Street).

Why Marriage Matters: Health Care

Marriage equality is important for literally thousands of reasons. One of the most important is health care, and a new study from Lambda Legal and the UCLA School of Public Health shows why. The study, "The Effects Of Unequal Access to Health Insurance for Same-Sex Couples in California," "finds a close correlation between state and federal marriage discrimination against same-sex couples and disparities in health coverage between married heterosexuals and partnered gay men and lesbians." Read the study at Health Affairs.

California Activists Working to Defeat Prop 8 Supporter

Andrew Pugno, the author of Proposition 8 and a major figure in the recent federal trial over the same-sex marriage ban, is running for an Assembly seat in California. His Democratic opponent, Dr. Richard Pan, supports marriage equality. LGBT rights activists in California are working hard to defeat Pugno, with Geoff Kors of Equality California calling the race a "top priority (LA Weekly).

Freedom to Marry Announces Counter-Rallies

The anti-gay National Organization for Marriage (NOM) recently announced plans to hold 22 rallies across the country this summer to whip up opposition to same-sex marriage. In response, Freedom to Marry says it intends to hold counter-rallies in each of those cities in order to “spread the word across the country about the importance of ending exclusion from marriage” (Iowa Independent).

Hawaii Governor May Veto Civil Unions

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle has placed a recently passed civil unions bill on a list of potential vetos. Lingle, a Republican, is under pressure from social conservatives to reject the measure. It is unlikely that the Legislature has enough votes to override a veto (Lez Get Real).

Monserrate Up to His Old Tricks

Here we go again. Disgraced former State Senator Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) is attempting to get on the ballot for a Queens Assembly seat, and apparently he hasn't learned anything since he was ousted from the Senate for assaulting his girlfriend and then overwhelmingly rejected by voters when he tried to regain his seat. According to Francisco Moya, who is also running to represent the 39th Assembly District, two of Monserrate's volunteers showed up at Moya's church on June 13 and accosted Moya and his father while they were petitioning. What's more, they claim that Monserrate joined in the fun. The Daily Politics has more.

Pro-Marrige Equality Video from NYCLU

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) has a new video urging the New York State Senate to pass marriage equality. The video features State Senators Craig Johnson, Eric Adams, Suzi Oppenheimer, Eric Schneiderman, Liz Krueger, Velmanette Montgomery, and Diane Savino. Read about the video and watch it at the Daily Politics.

MENY PAC Video Takes On Diaz

MENY PAC has a new video targeting anti-gay State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. (D-Bronx) and supporting Charlie Ramos, his challenger in this year's election. Celeste Katz at the Daily Politics covers it here, where you can also see the video.

MoDo On Marriage

In case you missed it, Maureen Dowd -- New York Times columnist, diva, and friend of the gays -- had a great column last week on the recently concluded Prop 8 trial. Check it out.

A Big, Gay Benefit for Marriage Equality

Last night, some of the cast members from The Real Housewives of New Jersey hosted a performance of the Off-Broadway comedy "My Big Gay Italian Wedding" to benefit Marriage Equality New York. The show revolves around the wedding of Anthony and Andrew, and the chaos that ensues when their families try to get involved in planning the festivities. My Fox NY and Playbill have more. Thanks, ladies!

Family and Medical Leave for LGBT Workers

The New York Times reports that the Labor Department is planning to issue a new ruling which would make individuals in same-sex relationships eligible for benefits under the Family and Medical Leave Act. This is the latest in a string of moves by the Obama Administration to provide benefits to same-sex couples while operating within the constraints of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. However, as the AP reports, this piecemeal approach is leaving many LGBT activists frustrated.

Eminem: Now With More Tolerance!

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, Eminem, who has been accused of homophobia, endorsed marriage equality. When asked whether he would support same-sex marriage in his home state of Michigan, the rapper replied: "I think if two people love each other, then what the hell? I think that everyone should have the chance to be equally miserable, if they want." Read the whole interview.

Prop 8 Trial Ends

Closing arguments in the Prop 8 trial took place yesterday at the Federal District Court in San Francisco. The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The San Jose Mercury News recap the day's events. Courage Campaign and the Mercury News also live-blogged from the courtroom. Margot Talbot of The New Yorker spoke to David Boies, one of attorneys leading the plaintiffs' case. Boies expects that the judge, Vaughn R. Walker, will issue his verdict in August. It is virtually certain that the case will be appealed to the San Francisco-based United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit regardless of the outcome.

Closing Arguments in Prop 8 Trial

Closing arguments in Perry v. Schwarzenegger are taking place today in San Francisco. The San Jose Mercury News is live-blogging the proceedings, as are Firedog Lake and the Courage Campaign. Dig in.

The Lay of the Land

Keene News Service has a helpful primer on the status of 25 LGBT-specific bills currently pending in Congress.

Get Thee to Vermont (Or Connecticut, Or Massachusetts...)

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has proposed requiring the City Clerk's office to inform same-sex couples of states where they can legally marry when they apply for a domestic partnership. Quinn believes that when state lawmakers see the number of couples traveling elsewhere for their nuptials, they will reconsider their opposition to marriage equality (NY1). New York State does not offer same-sex marriage, although it does recognize legal same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.

Violence Against Women Act Covers Same-Sex Couples

The U.S. Justice Department has concluded that the 1994 Violence Against Women Act applies in cases of domestic violence irrespective of the gender of the victim or the assailant. The Human Rights Campaign had asked the Obama transition team following the 2008 election to clarify whether the law covers domestic violence in same-sex relationships (New York Times).

That's Rich

Frank Rich has a must-read in Sunday's New York Times about marriage equality.

The Dream Team

With the closing arguments in Perry v. Schwarzenegger scheduled for Wednesday, David Boies and Theodore Olson, the attorneys representing the plaintiffs who are trying to overturn Proposition 8, talk to The Daily Beast about the case.

Iceland!

Iceland's parliament has voted unanimously to allow same-sex marriages. In 2009, Iceland became the first nation nation in the world with an openly gay head of government (Reuters).

Closing Arguments Approaching in Prop 8 Trial

Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which amended California's constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The New York Times has an editorial in favor of repeal, noting that "defenders of Proposition 8 produced no evidence to back up their claim that marriage between same-sex couples would hurt heterosexual marriage." In preparation for Wednesday, Judge Vaughn Walker issued numerous questions to both sides of the lawsuit "to assist the parties in focusing their closing arguments." Nan Hunter at the Bilerico Project has analyzed the questions, and believes that they signal Walker's willingness to issue a broad ruling on Proposition 8's constitutionality.

IRS to Recognize Domestic Partnerships

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Internal Revenue Service has decided to recognize the legal partnerships of same-sex couples. As a result of the IRS's ruling, same-sex couples in domestic partnerships in California will be required to report half of their combined incomes on individual tax returns. The change in policy could result in significant tax advantages for affected couples. It may also apply to other states that offer domestic partnerships, such as Washington and Nevada. TaxProf Blog has more here.

MENY PAC in the News

MENY PAC, the political action committee recently formed by Marriage Equality New York, was the subject of an post this morning on the Daily News's Daily Politics blog. The PAC will be supporting candidates in the 2010 legislative races who work on behalf of marriage equality. Stay tuned in the next few weeks for endorsements!

Illegal Wedding Fair Gets Props

Daily Candy, which sends out a daily e-mail to subscribers looking for tips on "the latest in fashion, food, and fun," has given a shout out in their Weekend Guide to the Illegal Wedding Fair, which takes place this Sunday, June 6, and will raise funds to support Marriage Equality New York.

The Illegal Wedding Fair will be held at 632 on Hudson, 632 Hudson Street, between Horatio and Jane Streets in Manhattan (212-620-7631). There will be two open bars and a wide array of food, floral, photography, and apparel vendors. The fair is this Sunday from noon to 4:00 PM. Tickets are $30-$35 and available at brownpapertickets.com.

Thanks, Daily Candy!