Equality On Trial

Civil Unions Close in CO

May 1, 2012

Videos

By Matt Baume

Civil unions advance in Colorado, but old foes are joining forces in Maine. There’s just a few days left until North Carolina votes on an extreme constitutional amendment, and the race is getting closer and closer every day. And new research has shown a promising trend when it comes to public opinion.

The Colorado Senate passed a civil unions bill this week. Now it’s on to the House, where an identical bill was defeated last year along party lines. Republicans still have a one-vote lead in the House, but that doesn’t mean the bill’s doomed to fail: this year, three Senate Republicans voted for it, so there’s a chance it’s picked up new GOP support in the House. Time’s running out — the legislature adjourns on May 9.

We’ll be following the situation in Colorado very closely. You can subscribe to this channel on YouTube to make sure you get our weekly updates on marriage and civil union work around the country. And subscribe to AFER on Twitter and Facebook to stay connected to the fight for full federal marriage equality.

While progress continues in Colorado, marriages are on hold in Maryland, pending a vote in November. But a new study shows that legalizing marriage in the state could bring in 90 million dollars a year. That estimate comes from the Williams Institute at UCLA, and research director MV Lee Badgett. Badgett was one of the expert witnesses called by AFER in the Prop 8 trial, where she testified about the economic harm that Prop 8 continues to inflict.

In addition to Maryland, Maine will likely also have marriage on the ballot this November. This week the National Organization for Marriage and the Christian Civic League announced a new PAC to stop voters from overturning Maine’s marriage ban.

We’re about one week away from a vote in North Carolina on Amendment One. The latest polls show that the measure’s lead is rapidly shrinking. Voters have expressed a lot of confusion over what the amendment does, but a surge in voter education is rapidly turning public opinion against the measure. Amendment One could strip kids of health coverage and block domestic violence protection, as well as eliminate relationship recognition. Now if the campaign can bring that information to enough voters in the next week, they could close their narrowing gap.

Several new polls out this week. A Pew survey shows that Americans favor the legalization of marriage equality by four percentage points over those who want it banned. That quite a reversal from four years ago, when banning marriage had a 12-point lead over equality. Four years before that, it was a 29-point lead. At this rate, equality is gaining by about four percentage points every year. If it continues, by the next presidential election, 63% of Americans will support marriage equality.

That change may be due in part to changing demographics. A new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute shows that nearly 60% of college-age millennials support marriage equality.

And finally this week, a survey in New Hampshire shows that support for marriage has increased by 13 points in just the last year to over 55 percent. That’s a huge jump for one year, and a testimony to just how non-partisan marriage equality is. It’s a value that everyone can support when they see it in action.

And that’s why it’s so important to thumbs-up and share these weekly videos, so as many people see them as possible. By spreading the news about marriage to everyone you know, you’re doing your part to win the fight.

 

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