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Hi, I'm Matt Baume at the American Foundation for Equal Rights. We're nearly halfway into
2012, and so much is happening. Just five months in, and Obama endorses marriage equality,
we've had a huge ruling in the Prop 8 case, and big changes in state laws and federal
litigation. And coming up on the horizon are some super important ballot measures, and
oh yeah, a presidential election. 2012 is going to be the most important year yet for
all those LGBT couples who are in love and want to get married, so let's take a quick
look at the year so far, and what lies ahead.
January.
Starting on New Year's Day, nearly half of US residents now live in states that provide
some form of relationship recognition, with new civil unions laws taking effect in Delaware
and Hawaii.
Legislatures in Washington, New Jersey, and Maryland convene with marriage bills on the
table. Colorado introduces a civil unions bill. And Freedom to Marry announces that
80 mayors have endorsed marriage equality. By April, it'll be up to 207 mayors.
February.
The Ninth Circuit upholds the District Court ruling that Prop 8 is unconstitutional. But
couples still can't get married, since the Prop 8 Proponents immediately petition for
a re-hearing.
In Washington and Maryland, lawmakers pass marriage bills, but they're put on hold while
anti-equality activists try to force them to referendum. New Jersey legislators pass
a marriage bill, but Governor Chris Christie vetoes. Now it's up to state leaders to gather
enough votes for an override. Colorado's civil union bill passes its first committee, and
marriage bills appear in Rhode Island and Illinois. A civil unions bill pops up in West
Virginia, which is a bit of a long shot but you've got to start somewhere.
On the national front, the Department of Justice announces that it won't defend the parts of
Title 38 that prevent the government from recognizing the same-sex spouses of service-members
and veterans. A judge in California is the second federal judge to rule that the Defense
of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.
Nancy Pelosi wants marriage equality in the official Democratic Party platform. And a
Maine court rules that the National Organization for Marriage must reveal its secret donors.
March.
AFER livestreams a star-studded reading of "8." It's the first nonprofit to participate
in YouTube's new livestreaming program for nonprofits. It gets a quarter million live
views, and half a million more in the days following.
Democrats and Republicans unite in New Hampshire to reject an attempt to overturn the state's
marriage equality law. And with less than two months left before the vote in North Carolina,
President Obama condemns the proposed constitutional amendment. Voters, however, are still confused
about what it does.
April.
Obama also opposes an anti-gay constitutional amendment in Minnesota. The Department of
Justice takes an even firmer stand against DOMA as the number of lawsuits challenging
the anti-gay law continues to grow. Lambda Legal files a federal marriage equality lawsuit
in Nevada.
National polling shows that a majority of young people and Latinos support marriage
equality.
And in early May, Colorado's legislative session ended before lawmakers could vote on the civil
union bill.
North Carolina's Amendment One lost its edge in the polls as voters learned just how far
it goes. But it wasn't enough, and the measure passed, leaving North Carolina with no LGBT
relationship recognition -- no civil unions, no domestic partnerships, no rights, no protections.
It's a setback, but there's still a silver lining. The margin by which amendments like
these pass has been shrinking over time. And voters who knew that Amendment One banned
civil unions opposed the measure by a 61 to 37 margin. Even one of its big supporters,
House Speaker Thom Tillis, said that it'll probably be repealed within 20 years.
And then there's the big news from the White House: that President Obama now fully supports
marriage equality. That's a huge milestone, and it could radically alter the landscape
of this year's presidential campaign.
All attention now turns to the November election. Aside from the presidential election, our
next big showdowns are likely to be in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington -- those
are states likely to have marriage-related ballot measures this fall. They need our attention
now, from today to November.
And nationally, watch for big legal developments around DOMA throughout the year. We're currently
tracking 17 lawsuits that involve DOMA.
You can also expect news in AFER's case against Prop 8. The Proponents have petitioned for
a re-hearing, which if granted would involve several more months of deliberation by the
Ninth Circuit. But if the Court rejects that petition, the Proponents will probably turn
to the US Supreme Court right away.
Now obviously, this is a lot to keep track of. But luckily, you don't have to -- we're
keeping track of it for you. Subscribe here on YouTube, or on Twitter, or on Facebook,
and you'll get news alerts whenever there's something you need to know, or a way that
you can help. And remember to give this video a thumbs up and to share it so that as many
people as possible know what's going on. Because every conversation we have about the freedom
to marry wins more people over to our side.
It's been an amazing year so far, with plenty of ups and downs -- but mostly ups. And it's
not even half over. So let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. At the American Foundation
for Equal Rights, I'm Matt Baume.