TRENTON — Reversing her November ruling, a Superior Court judge in Mercer County reinstated a count in a lawsuit Tuesday filed by seven same-sex couples, saying they could argue that the state’s 2006 law allowing civil unions violates the U.S. Constitution.

"At this juncture, the court is satisfied there is sufficient state action to permit the claim under the federal equal protection clause to proceed,’’ Judge Linda Feinberg wrote in her 27-page opinion.

The couples, along with the gay rights advocacy group Garden State Equality, filed the suit in June. They claimed they were refused the right to marry by being denied equal protection under the state constitution as well as equal protection and due process under the U.S. Constitution.

>>> Read the full article via NJ.com

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley remained firm in his support for a bill to legalize same-sex marriage Friday during a contentious joint hearing on the bill before two committees of the state’s House of Delegates.

After O’Malley and two prominent black ministers testified in support of the bill, the three were grilled with questions by two of the bill’s strongest opponents, Del. Don Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel County) and Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington County).

The two delegates disputed O’Malley’s claim that the bill would protect the religious rights of those who say same-sex marriage conflicts with their faith and asked the governor to support new language in the bill that would clear it for an immediate voter referendum.

“I think the people have already spoken in a real sense by sending each of you here to make the decision on this issue,” O’Malley said in response to the delegates’ calls for a referendum.

“It is not right or just that the children of gay couples should have lesser protections than the children of other families in our state,” he said in his testimony in support of the bill. “Nor would it be right to force religious institutions to conduct marriages that conflict with their own religious beliefs and teachings.”

>>> Read the full article via the Washington Blade

Great blog post on our ECDF letter-of-the-day campaign by our friends over at People for the American Way. Read the full post here: http://blog.pfaw.org/content/every-child-deserves-family. 

Successful parenting is not dependent on sexual orientation or gender identity. Laws and policies that discriminate against otherwise qualified LGBT parents are failing the half million children in the foster care system, 120,000 of whom are eligible for adoption. We should be giving these children more places to turn, instead of needlessly and cruelly closing the door to safe, loving homes. They deserve care and permanency with their best interests at heart, not placements that forsake them for ideology or political gain.

Representative Pete Stark (H.R. 1681) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (S. 1770) have sought to address the discrimination with the Every Child Deserves a Family Act. PFAW sent this letter as part of an ongoing letter-a-day campaign supporting the legislation with 21 groups and counting.

“This is a monumental development for families all across the Garden State. The New Jersey legislature has just affirmed the truth that same-sex couples deserve the opportunity to celebrate their love for each other through marriage, and have that commitment recognized by their government. We look forward to getting this done so that all families have access to this crucial freedom," said Family Equality Council Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler.

Jennifer Chrisler, Family Equality Council's Executive Director, applauded Rep. Gerry Connolly's promise to co-sponsor an adoption non-discrimination bill.

“We are thrilled with Rep. Connolly’s support and the support of a growing number of lawmakers for the the Every Child Deserves a Family Act,” Chrisler said. “They all understand that this issue is about the best interests of the 404,000 children in foster care in our country. The current laws and policies in Virginia and other states are a barrier to kids finding a forever home.”

Fresh off the heels of an eventful week of victories, LGBT family advocates gathered at University Studios Hollywood on Feb. 11 for the Family Equality Council’s eighth annual Los Angeles Awards Dinner.

This year’s honorees were Chad Griffin, the strategist behind the historic court challenge of California’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples; former Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy, who helped lead efforts to repeal the military’s ban on openly gay and lesbian servicemembers and award-winning children’s author Todd Parr.

How are those New Year’s Resolutions coming along?

At Family Equality Council, one of our New Year’s Resolutions was to find new ways to support local, LGBT Parent Groups doing amazing work across the country. To reach this goal, we’ve already put into place a few of our resolutions:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has rolled out new features on the Health Plan Finder tool at HealthCare.gov, which allows consumers to compare the cost sharing and benefit choices of health plans and choose the best option to meet their needs. Earlier this week, HHS announced that, as part of the plan finder refresh, domestic partners, including same-sex couples, can now filter plans that offer coverage for all members of their family.  It’s easy to use and now LGBT couples and families can find insurance plans specifically designed to include us!  Check it out at www.healthcare.gov