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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: civil union

civil union stories: 15 news summaries
SATIRE DEPT.

 Keep Anti-Gays 
 in Closet: Colbert 

Anti-gay marriage petitioners in Washington value their privacy

Oct 27, 09 10:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - Stephen Colbert had a fine time last night espousing the rights of that “persecuted minority”—anti-gay-marriage activists. You see, the group that gathered signatures for a referendum against Washington state’s recently signed domestic partnership legislation is refusing to disclose the names of the signers, the Huffington... More »

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gay marriage • legislation • homosexuality • Washington state • civil union • Stephen Colbert • The Colbert Report • referendum

 150K Gay Couples Check 
 'Married' on Census 

Same-sex couples say knot tied, even in states where it can't be

Sep 22, 09 8:32 AM CDT
(AP) - Nearly 150,000 same-sex couples reported being in marriages last year, many more than the number of actual weddings and civil unions, according to the first US census figures released on same-sex marriages. About 27% of the estimated 564,743 total gay couples in the US said they were in... More »

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gay marriage • Census Bureau • civil union • Proposition 8 • same-sex couples

(Newser) - Gay marriage rights are spreading faster than ever, and it’s happening awfully quietly, reports Rick Klein of ABC News. Conservatives barely made a peep when gay marriage was legalized in Iowa or Vermont, and aren’t mounting much resistance to motions to do the same in New York, Connecticut,... More »

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religious right • gay marriage • civil union • social conservatives • conservatives

Vermont House Passes
Gay Marriage Bill

Measure now headed for likely veto by governor

Apr 3, 09 2:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Vermont House of Representatives has followed the state senate in voting to legalize gay marriage, reports the Wall Street Journal. The bill will now head to Gov. James Douglas, who has promised to veto it. The 95-52 House vote falls short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a... More »

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gay rights • gay marriage • Vermont • civil union • Defense of Marriage Act

Prop. 8 Fix: Dump Legal 'Marriage' Altogether

Gov't could create civil unions, while marriage would be religious

Mar 16, 09 9:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - Confirmations, bar mitzvahs—religious institutions mark a number of rites of passage, but marriage is the only one the government has mucked with. As the heated debate over gay marriage continues, two professors ask: Why not take the government out of the equation? Officially, any couple could have a civil... More »

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gay rights • gay marriage • marriage • civil union • marriage rights

OPINION

Ann Landers Would Advise Voting No on 8

LA Times highlights writers with varying opinions on Calif. prop

Nov 1, 08 5:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - From the schoolyard to the church, Californians are debating Prop 8, which would bar homosexuals from marriage if it passes Tuesday. The Los Angeles Times opened its opinion page to five more takes on it today:
  • Alexandra Cole, whose 8-year-old daughter polled her friends, says Prop 8's backers have
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
California • gay marriage • equality • civil union • Mormon • Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints • Proposition 8

(Newser) - Barack Obama and Democrats in general are "pretty squishy" on the issue of gay marriage, and that's a disgrace, writes Joshua Holland at AlterNet.org. The reticence to embrace full marriage rights for all is a betrayal of  the "very important progressive ideal that the law should apply... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • gay rights • gay marriage • civil union • Democratic Party • Election 2008

(Newser) - Hallmark has developed a line of four greeting cards themed for same-sex marriages, civil unions, and commitment ceremonies. The designs, in stores this summer, include two overlapping tuxedos, a cascade of rainbow-hued hearts, and a message, "Two hearts. One promise," reports Gaywire.com. "It's our goal to... More »

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gay marriage • civil union • Hallmark • Father's Day • greetings cards

 Gay Episcopal
 Bish Weds Partner 

Civil union in church with 20-year partner

Jun 9, 08 6:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - New Hampshire's openly gay Episcopal bishop has tied the knot with his longtime partner in a civil union. Undercover police were among the 120 guests at the private ceremony in case of trouble, reports the Concord Monitor. The civil ceremony by a justice uniting Bishop Gene Robinson and his partner... More »

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gay marriage • New Hampshire • Episcopal Church • Anglican Church • Mark Andrew • Gene Robinson • civil union • Anglican church conference • Lambeth Conference

Analysis

 Gay Unions Return
 as Campaign Issue 

All three candidates have similar views, but nuances could be a factor

May 16, 08 9:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - In the wake of the California decision, gay advocates hope to bring the issue of same-sex marriages to the forefront of the general election. But all three candidates have similar views—they support civil unions but think marriages should be between men and women, the New York Times reports. They... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • John McCain • gay marriage • civil union • Election 2008

 Boy Marries
 Boy: Then What? 

Young married gays seek balance between tradition and nonconformity

Apr 27, 08 7:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Wedding bells have rung for more than 700 homosexual couples in Massachusetts since the state started marrying gays in 2004, prompting the New York Times to profile young gay men who said “I do.” But there are many things the spouses don’t do, such as follow... More »

MORE ABOUT:
gay marriage • Boston • Vermont • Massachusetts • homosexuality • civil union

Gay Couple Marries Before Iowa Judge Stays Ruling

Window of opportunity was just 3½ hours

Aug 31, 07 7:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Two college students became Iowa's first—and, so far, only—legally married same-sex couple today before a judge stayed his own ruling that overturned a ban on gay marriage. About 20 couples completed the marriage-license application between 7:30 and 11am, when the county recorder stopped issuing them. “This... More »

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gay rights • Iowa • gay marriage • civil union

I Now Pronounce You Knight and Knight

15th-century Europe allowed civil unions

Aug 28, 07 9:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - The 21st-century social and political trend of same-sex civil unions has roots that go back a bit beyond Stonewall—to the Middle Ages. A history professor who analyzed legal documents and gravesites says medieval law was flexible enough to allow for a variety of non-nuclear family structures, including gay unions,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
gay rights • gay marriage • civil union • history • Middle Ages

Dems Raise Rainbow Flags

In about-face, frontrunners rush to endorse gay rights for political advantage

Aug 2, 07 3:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - It's only been 3 years since the Kerry campaign stumped for an anti-gay marriage amendment, but this cycle's Democrats are hopping on the rainbow bandwagon. The Politico's Ben Smith says the 2008 Dems are proud to be pro-gay, showcasing their full support of rights for same-sex couples—as long as... More »

MORE ABOUT:
gay rights • Democrats • gay marriage • marriage • homosexuality • civil union • Human Rights Campaign

Mass. Upholds Gay Marriage

Lawmakers reject call to give voters final say; issue won't face
ballot box in '08

Jun 15, 07 7:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Gay couples in Massachussetts scored a major victory yesterday, after state legislators threw out a proposed constitutional amendment that would have put gay marriage to a popular vote. The proposed ban was defeated 151-45, only 5 votes short of the 50 necessary to place the issue on a statewide ballot... More »

MORE ABOUT:
gay rights • gay marriage • constitutional amendment • Massachusetts • civil union

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