I think same sex couples should be able to get married.

Barack Obama. Watch it.

Updates! Michelle Goldberg says Obama’s come full circle. Our favorite #FutureBidenGaffes. David Frum says it changes nothing—and everything. A position made possible by a movement. Howard Kurtz on the “political bombshell.” Andrew Sullivan says “Obama lets go of fear.” Reactions. More reactions. Are we headed towards culture war?

erincandescence:

But I think everyone should read this article. It’s called The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage by Ted Olson, who, if you didn’t know, was half of the team that overturned Prop 8. Even though it was published in Newsweek almost two years ago, so much of it is still so relevant and his position as a conservative lawyer makes it even more powerful.

Thanks for digging this up. Here are the first three paragraphs to give a taste:

Together with my good friend and occasional courtroom adversary David Boies, I am attempting to persuade a federal court to invalidate California’s Proposition 8—the voter-approved measure that overturned California’s constitutional right to marry a person of the same sex.

My involvement in this case has generated a certain degree of consternation among conservatives. How could a politically active, lifelong Republican, a veteran of the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush administrations, challenge the “traditional” definition of marriage and press for an “activist” interpretation of the Constitution to create another “new” constitutional right?

My answer to this seeming conundrum rests on a lifetime of exposure to persons of different backgrounds, histories, viewpoints, and intrinsic characteristics, and on my rejection of what I see as superficially appealing but ultimately false perceptions about our Constitution and its protection of equality and fundamental rights.

(Source: fuckbitches-getpesos)

A chart that displays the percentage of a state’s population that supports same-sex marriage with the current realities in the law.

Related: How the 2012 Election Will Determine the Future of Gay Marriage

Our wedding was about much, much more than a certificate and a platinum band. It was about two people and two families coming together to celebrate as one. For most of my life as a gay man, I thought I would never have the opportunity to get married, and so I wrote the whole wedding thing off as some silly ritual. Yet given the window of opportunity in 2008 to say “I do,” I did—with the enthusiasm of the fiercest Bridezilla.

Newsweek & The Daily Beast editor David Jefferson writes on his four gay marriages—and the significance of his one wedding, a human rite of passage.

From Lt. Dan Choi to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, we used Storify to curate the best tweets as Prop 8 was ruled unconstitutional. See any we’ve missed!? Please do shoot us a message with the recommendation.

Whether I’m gay, straight, or bisexual, tall or short, male or female, white or black, successful go-getter or slacker, is entirely immaterial. I happen to be a go-getter student-turned-activist speaking out in defense of his moms, but this isn’t—and shouldn’t be—the norm. Nobody wants to spend all of his or her time defending his family, and I’m looking forward to mine no longer needing defending.

Zach Wahls, Iowa student-turned-activist and defender of his two lesbian moms, writing of his newfound fame & mission after that video you’ve most definitely seen went crazy-viral (15.3 million views!) last week. Ah, and yes, he’s single.

Niagara Falls Goes Rainbow

The falls hosted what is believed to be New York’s first gay marriage early this morning, presided over by the city’s mayor. 

(photo via lgbtqnation)

To be considered for a feature in Newsweek/The Daily Beast. What we’re looking for:

* Couples who are legally married, whether it be in Argentina or Massachusetts.

* Couples who’ve wed in interesting ways or places (ie, we’re not looking for 100 of the same posed wedding photo)

* A High-res version of your photo

* Info about your wedding, including names of partners, who you are, what you do, where you wed, date of wedding, contact info, etc.

* Email us! nwktumblr (at) gmail (dot) com

When we found out the bill had passed, we were in a large group of people. There was, of course, a moment of celebration. But then we both looked at each other, like, ‘Oh, crap.’ Because we knew what was coming next.

Brandon Voss, a contributing editor at The Advocate, on the newly discovered pressure among New York gays and lesbians to suddenly tie the knot. READ: Gay Marriage Gets Cold Feet.

apsies:

Photo: Stonewall. Right now. 42 years later.