YouTube.com
Asheville Citizen-Times
The Associated Press 
The Associated Press 
San Francisco Chronicle 
Mary J. Blige is an American recording artist, record producer, and actress. A recipient of nine Grammy Awards and many other honors, Blige has recorded eight multi-platinum albums and is known as "the queen of hip-hop soul" for blending elements of soul, funk, R&B and rap in her music. She has also made numerous television acting appearances including: The Jamie Foxx Show, Strong Medicine, Ghost Whisperer and 30 Rock. Charities she actively supports include: MAC AIDS Fund, American Association for Cancer Research and Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc. Learn more here.
On October 21, 2008, supermarket mogul, Ron Burkle, held a star-studded, no-press-allowed fund raiser in Beverly Hills to raise money to combat Prop 8 in California and secure marriage equality for gay couples. Mary J. Blige performed U2's One and two others songs at the sold-out event which had a minimum $1,000 donation requirement to attend. Blige—an outspoken gay rights supporter—was actually at the end of her tour and made a special effort to attend the fundraiser. In the end, the evening raised over $4 million for the cause. [Link] Karen Ocamb described the scene for The Bilerico Project: The audience erupted as she [Blige] came to the stage, telling everyone she was pleased to be there - "This is what tonight is about - love." With heads bobbing, and couples clutching each other's hands...the scene looked and felt more like a secular revival than a political concert. Blige opened up about how she had survived being her own worst enemy, when no one would accept her - and "you say, 'No more...no more pain, no more tears..." as tears started welling up in the eyes of those listening, identifying. "I chose to win!" she said, raising her fist in the air - to screams of glee and thunderous applause. "I am so sick and tired of people judging me..." This song, she said, was for all the people who felt the same. "Keep doing what you're doing," Blige said, and feel "how close we are in the universe." [Link]Freedom to Marry salutes Mary J. Blige as a Voice for Equality! Learn about other Voices for Equality here.
Equality CaliforniaSaturday, February 13
Sunday, February 14
PerezHilton.com 
Comedy Central: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
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Immigration Equality 
The Gainesville Times
The Associated Press 
nj.com 
The Associated Press
Pink, is an American singer, songwriter and occasional actress who rose to fame in early 2000 as an R&B singer, but then switched to a more rock and pop rock sound after her sophomore record. She has sold more than 10 million albums in the US and over 30 million records worldwide, and scored eight Top 10 US hits, won two Grammy Awards and became one of the best known female pop rock acts of the decade. On September 13, 2009, Pink performed "Sober" while doing a trapeze act at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, and on January 31, 2010, Pink did another trapeze act in the form of aerial silks at the 2010 Grammy Awards, this time performing the song "Glitter in the Air". Her Grammy performance was a sensation, receiving a standing ovation at the award show and tremendous interest online. Learn more here.
In April of 2004, Pink, a longtime LGBT advocate and Human Rights Campaign member, was asked by The Advocate for her thoughts on the freedom to marry and she sent the following response in less than 30 minutes: If you wanna marry 'Joe millionaire,' go ahead. If you're a celebrity and you wanna marry your high school sweetheart for 55 hours, go right ahead. If you're J.Lo, and you wanna marry 18 people, for 6 days each, hey! Go right on ahead! But if you happen to be reasonably minded and have fallen in love and wanna marry your soul mate and make a life of it, and you just so happen to be the same sex, then NO! How dare you! You demon creatures! We'd rather you just buy gasoline and support our war and continue to consume and fear in our country so we can make money off you. But do us a favor — don't hold hands in public. Love, Pink. [Link]Freedom to Marry salutes Pink as a Voice for Equality! Learn about other Voices for Equality here.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
The Task Force
Equality Maryland 
San Francisco Chronicle 
The New York Times 
Garden State Equality
Marriage Equality USA
The Reverend Albert Pennybacker is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and serves as Religious Advisor to the Kentucky Fairness Alliance (kentuckyfairness.org). He served for over thirty-five years as a pastor in local congregations including Taftville Congregational Church in Norwich, Connecticut and Central Christian Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio. His concluding pastoral service for over 16 years was as Senior Minister of the University Christian Church, Fort Worth, Texas. In the summer of 2000 he returned to Texas as the summer pastor for the Creekwood Christian Church of Flower Mound in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Currently he is active as a consultant to religious and community bodies in ecumenical and interfaith relations as well as on public policy issues. Learn more here.The sad truth is that religious bodies have done more than any other single force to stigmatize and demean people over their sexual orientation. The current opposition to same-sex marriage is one more example. It is simply duplicitous for those holding that view to claim “we embrace the dignity of those with same-sex orientation.” It is not unlike the frequent disclaimer “we hate the sin but love the sinner.” How ingenuous! Remember, those religious leaders who hold to such opposition are the ones who also oppose legal abortion, divorce, embryonic stem cell research, the use of contraceptives and any living together outside of marriage. It is a flawed religious mind-set toward all human sexuality, with little sense of the need for apology or change. [Link]Freedom to Marry salutes Rev. Albert Pennybacker as a Voice for Equality! Learn about other Voices for Equality here.
The Washington Post
The Commonwealth Club
Gay City News 
The New York Times
Ponderings on a Faith Journey 
Orlando Sentinel 
The Advocate I thought what Brendan wrote was incredibly insightful, thought-provoking, and completely on point. And many people would call it courageous. But if Brendan's like me, I don't know if he'd consider what we've done all that courageous. We have strong feelings about equal rights, and to me, expressing those feelings isn't courageous, it's the right thing to do. I think there will be a third player who expresses support for gay marriage ... and a fourth player, and a fifth, and so on. [Link]
MarriageTrial.com 
The Washington Post
The Associated Press 
The Reverend James Forbes is the Senior Minister Emeritus of the Riverside Church, an interdenominational (American Baptist and United Church of Christ) church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. He was the first African American minister to lead this multicultural congregation, and served it for 18 years. On June 1, 2007, after 18 years of service, Forbes officially retired from this position to become president of the Healing of the Nations Foundation, a national ministry of healing and spiritual revitalization. Forbes hosts the radio program The Time Is Now, which airs weekends on the Air America Radio network. Learn more here.Because marriage is a basic human right and an individual choice, RESOLVED, the State should not interfere with same-gender couples who choose to marry and share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities, and commitment of civil marriage.Visit the Marriage Resolution page on our website and sign the Marriage Resolution today!
Metro Weekly February 3, 2010
On Faith (Newsweek)February 3, 2010
The Arcus Foundation's Tom Kam writes about how he thinks Catholics should react to the hostile attitude that many Catholic leaders have towards LGBT people: "We must challenge the words and actions of the leadership of our Church and acknowledge the great wrong that is being done. In doing so, we must remember that we speak as good and faithful Catholics bearing witness to God's call to truth and justice." [Link]
February 2, 2010
Harold Ford Jr., who is considering a primary challenge against incumbent Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, appeared Monday night on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report where the host joked about the former Tennessee lawmaker’s newfound New York residency and his contortions on the freedom to marry:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
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BBC NewsFebruary 3, 2010
Malawian police have arrested a man for putting up gay-rights posters, amid a national debate over homosexuality - which is banned in Malawi. Peter Sawali had put up posters saying: “Gay rights are human rights”, on a main road in Blantyre, police said. A controversy has erupted in the country after a gay couple was prosecuted for public indecency because they got engaged. [Link]
Patrik-Ian Polk is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, singer, and actor. Polk, who is gay, is noted for his films that explore the LGBT experience and relationships. He made his feature film directorial debut with Punks, an independent feature that he also wrote and produced. Often described as a male Waiting to Exhale, Punks had its world premiere in January 2000 at the Sundance Film Festival, as part of its American Spectrum series. The film won several awards at festivals around the world and was released theatrically in November 2001. Mr. Polk is also the creator of the TV series Noah's Arc, which made its debut on the Logo television network in October 2005. He directed a feature film version of Noah's Arc, titled Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom, which had a limited release in October 2008. Mr. Polk was honored by the LOGO network as part of its Legacy Campaign for his ground-breaking work on Noah's Arc, and as Michael Jensen wrote on AfterElton.com, "When it comes to thinking of gay men who have had a genuine impact on gay visibility, especially for gay men of color, it's pretty hard to think of someone who's had a bigger impact than Noah's Arc creator Patrik-Ian Polk." Learn more here.See video of Mr. Polk discussing making Noah's Arc and making LGBT people of color more visible below:
Mr. Polk posed for the NoH8 (No Hate) campaign to demonstrate his support for the freedom to marry. NoH8’s Adam Bouska has photographed thousands of subjects since California passed Proposition 8 in 2008. Subjects are photographed with duct tape over their mouths to symbolize their voices not being heard on the subject of the freedom to marry. [Link] 
Freedom to Marry salutes Patrik-Ian Polk as a Voice for Equality! Learn about other Voices for Equality here.
If Mr. Polk's support inspires you, get involved!
**Make your NOMINATION for a Voice for Equality today!
The Dallas Morning News February 3, 2010
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's National Conference on LGBT Equality, Creating Change, begins Wednesday in Dallas, Texas. The conference is estimated to attract over 2,000 LGBT advocates from across the country including the newly-expanded team from Freedom to Marry. [Link]
JohnCorvino.com February 3, 2010
Upcoming appearance dates for Freedom to Marry Voice for Equality, Dr. John Corvino:
Feb. 4: Otterbein College, "Born or Made-and What's the Difference?"
Mar. 2: Missouri State University (Springfield), Debate with Glenn Stanton on the Existence of God
Mar. 4: DePauw University (IN), Homosexuality/Morality talk
Mar. 5: University of Lethbridge (AB, Canada), Homosexuality/Morality talk
Mar. 9: St. Olaf College (MN), Marriage Debate with Glenn Stanton
Mar. 30: Millersville University (PA), Marriage Debate with Glenn Stanton
Mar. 31: University of Detroit-Mercy, Marriage Debate with Jeffrey Ventrella
Apr. 6: Drake University (IA), Homosexuality/Morality talk
Apr. 8: NE Pennsylvania Diversity Education Consortium (Wilkes-Barre), Workshop
Apr. 9: Delaware County Community College (PA), Homosexuality/Morality talk
Apr. 20: Wright State University (OH), Homosexuality/Morality talk
[Link]
The Associated Press In the wake of President Obama's comments on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in his State of the Union speech, the Associated Press details culture shifts on issues affecting lesbian and gay people over the last 17 years including: increased legal status for LGBT people as a protected class, the freedom to marry in five states and DC, nine other states with substantial domestic partner rights, more countries worldwide honoring the freedom to marry, increased openly-gay elected officials and the Census Bureau tabulating data on same-sex couples. [Link]
GLAA Forum February 2, 2010
Bob Summersgill reports on who is supplying the money for Rev. Harry Jackson's continuing court battles to deny marriage to gay couples in DC. It turns out there are four primary donors, all from well outside of the DC area: High Impact Leadership Coalition, Focus on the Family, National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and Family Research Council. [Link]
Amity Pierce Buxton, Ph.D. is the founder of Straight Spouse Network and author of The Other Side of the Closet: The Coming-Out Crisis for Straight Spouses and Families.She served as Executive Director of SSN from 1991 until 2007. SSN is a nonprofit organization that offers support and information to empower straight spouses of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans partners and mixed-orientation couples to lessen their hurt, to cope with coming-out issues constructively, and to rebuild their lives. Its mission is reaching out, healing, and building bridges of understanding between spouses, within families, and with the larger community.
Amity is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Bisexuality and the Journal of GLBT Family Studies. Amity served on the board of Family Equality Council (FEC), and currently collaborates with them as well as with Parents Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) (GLAAD), and Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE ).
She continues to publish articles on various aspects of the mixed-orientation relationship phenomenon for journals and edited books. See her blog post for Freedom to Marry here.
Freedom to Marry salutes Amity Pierce Buxton as a Voice for Equality! Learn about other Voices for Equality here.
If Ms. Buxton's support inspires you - get involved.
**Make your NOMINATION for a Voice for Equality today!
“Every year, right around President Lincoln's birthday and Valentine's Day, symbolizing equality and love, supporters of the freedom to marry take action and promote conversations about why marriage matters to American families, gay and non-gay alike," said Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry and author of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality and Gay People's Right to Marry. "This year, Freedom to Marry's partner organizations across the country - from Rhode Island to Washington state - are organizing Freedom to Marry Week rallies, house parties, film screenings, and lobby days. At Freedom to Marry, we will unveil an updated website and new social-media tools to serve the marriage movement and help build a majority for marriage nationwide."
Freedom to Marry Week events across the country will include:
The True Stories Project: Screenings of Inlaws and Outlaws across Washington, February 5-14, 2010
Freedom to Marry Pennsylvania: March and Rally at the Statehouse in Harrisburg on February 8, 2010
Equality Maryland: Lobby Day in Annapolis on February 9, 2010
One Iowa: Lobby Day at the Capitol in Des Moines on February 10, 2010
Marriage Equality Rhode Island: Rally for Marriage Equality in Providence on February 10, 2010
Outfront Minnesota: Freedom to Marry Rally in Saint Paul on February 11, 2010
Equality March Texas and Queer Liberaction: Freedom to Marry Rally in Dallas on February 12, 2010
Lambda Legal: 9th Annual Freedom to Marry Reception in Chicago on February 18, 2010
For more event listings and to learn more about Freedom to Marry Week, visit: http://www.freedomtomarry.org/get_involved/freedom_to_marry_week_2010.php
Dr. John Corvino has been speaking and writing on GLBT issues since the early 1990s. He has educated and entertained professional organizations, government contractors, churches, and hundreds of college and university audiences. John holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He is the editor of Same Sex: Debating the Ethics, Science and Culture of Homosexuality and the author of over 100 articles and opinion pieces, which have appeared in regional and national print media, at the online Independent Gay Forum (www.indegayforum.org), and in numerous academic journals and anthologies.
John’s column “The Gay Moralist” appears every Friday at LOGO Online’s 365gay.com, “America’s Most Read Gay News Source.” His DVD presentation of “What’s Morally Wrong With Homosexuality?” is available at www.gaymoralist.com.
John has been a guest on MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country” and on numerous radio programs. An award-winning teacher, he is also the recipient of a 2004 Spirit of Detroit Award from the Detroit City Council for his work on behalf of GLBT rights. Learn more here.
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ASK EVAN WOLFSON: Why Marriage Matters -- Short Answers for Big Questions
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