Website Resources

National and Regional LGBT Organizations

• Equal Marriage for Same-Sex Partners
  www.samesexmarriage.ca
  
  Resources on same-sex marriage, based out of Canada. Includes resources on equality, legal issues, links, and more.

• Freedom To Marry
  www.freedomtomarry.org
  
  Freedom to Marry brings together LGBT and non-LGBT people to win marriage equality nationwide. The above link includes these materials:
  • The Case for Marriage Equality
  • Conservative Support
  • En Español
  • Opposition
  • Quotes

• GLAAD Resource Kit: Same-Sex Civil Marriage
  www.glaad.org
  
  According to its mission statement GLAAD (The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) is "dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation." Check out their Same-Sex Civil Marriage Resource Kit which includes materials on the following: Media Coverage; Broadcast Images & B-Roll; Facts, Statistics & Talking Points; Terminology Suggestions; and Media Spokespeople.

• Human Rights Campaign (HRC): Marriage Center
  www.hrc.org
  
  The Human Rights Campaign is the largest Lesbian and Gay advocacy organization in the United States. Check out this site for a long list of valuable resources, including: "Marriage for Same-Sex Couples: What's at Stake;" "Top 10 Reasons for Marriage Equality;" and "Current Marriage Cases in the U.S."

• Just Matrimony
  www.justmatrimony.org
  
  Just Matrimony asks participating clergy and wedding officiates to take a moment during the pre-wedding interview to present basic information on the inequality of marriage laws in America. Further, it asks clergy and officiates to request that the couple make a small donation to national efforts to bring marriage equality, or to notify the couple that a portion of their fees will be sent to Just Matrimony for this use.

• Independent Gay Forum: Marriage and Relationships
  www.indegayforum.org
  
  The Independent Gay Forum is "a group of gay writers, academics, attorneys, and activists" who characterize themselves as "libertarians, moderates, and classical liberals." A few dozen articles relating to same-sex marriage are posted on their website; authors featured include Norah Vincent, Eric Marcus, and Andrew Sullivan.

• Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund: The Marriage Project
  www.lambdalegal.org
  
  The Lambda Marriage Project works to end the second-class status of lesbian and gay couples who share in the same responsibilities as married couples but are denied the same legal and social support. Lamdba Legal served as co-counsel in the landmark Hawaii marriage case and has launched a national coalition working to win and keep the freedom to marry nationwide.

• Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund: The Marriage Project
  www.lambdalegal.org
  
  A listing of organizations in the following states that support same-sex marriage: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachussetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington state.

• Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund: National Freedom to Marry Day
  www.lambdalegal.org
  
  "National Freedom to Marry Day—February 12th—is a time to call attention to the ever-growing support for ending discrimination in marriage. Currently, same-sex couples cannot enter into a civil marriage, and are therefore denied access to thousands of rights, responsibilities, and protections that are provided by the government. Linking the themes of equality and love, as we remember Abraham Lincoln's birthday and Valentine's Day, NFMD is a great chance to engage and educate allies about the importance of marriage equality."

• Marriage Equality
  www.marriageequality.org
  
  Marriage Equality, committed to the belief that "same-sex couples should have the freedom and the right to civil marriage" was officially founded in 1998 and has state chapters in New York, California, and New Jersey. Their "Marriage Primer" [PDF format] offers a valuable listing of facts about same-sex marriage as well as the economic disadvantages for same-sex couples who are refused the right to marry.

• Mass Equality
  www.massequality.org
  
  "MassEquality.org is an unprecedented coalition of twenty local and national groups dedicated to ensuring that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision on marriage equality is upheld, and that any anti-gay amendment or legislation is defeated." Their "About the Issue" section of their website provides valuable background information on recent legal developments concerning same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.

• The National Black Justice Coalition
  www.nbjcoalition.org
  
  "The National Black Justice Coalition is an ad hoc coalition of black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered leaders who have come together to fight against discrimination in our communities. The goal of the organization in 2004 is to build black support for marriage equality and to educate the community on the dangers of the proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to discriminate against gays and lesbians."

• National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR): Publications on Marriage
  www.nclrights.org
  
  "NCLR is a national legal resource center with a primary commitment to advancing the rights and safety of lesbians and their families through a program of litigation, public policy advocacy, free legal advice and counseling, and public education. In addition, NCLR provides representation and resources to gay men, and bisexual and transgender individuals on key issues that also significantly advance lesbian rights."
  
  NCLR has posted three documents relating to same-sex marriage:
  • Frequently Asked Questions from US couples who are considering getting married in Canada.
  • Preguntas hechas frecuentemente por parejas de Los Estados Unidos quienes están considerando casarse en Canadá
  • Thinking of Getting Married in Canada?

• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF): Marriage Center
  www.ngltf.org
  
  "The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has created this Marriage Information Resource Center as a resource for activists, policymakers, opinion leaders and Americans who are grappling with the issue of marriage equality for same-sex couples. This site will continually be updated with helpful information and publications from the Task Force, as well as links to resources from partner organizations at both the state and federal level."
  
  Check out the following links on the NGLTF Marriage Center Site:
  • U.S. Map Showing States with Defense of Marriage Laws or Anti-Marriage
  • Marriage: Legal Protections for Families and Children - A Policy Brief from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute
  • Speak From Your Heart With Family and Friends
  • Conservatives Against the Federal Marriage Amendment
  • African American Leaders Support Marriage Equality
  • Marriage Protection Week Report
  • Public Opinion Polls on Marriage Equality for Same-Sex Couples
  • The Democratic Presidential Candidates on Marriage Equality and Other Forms of Partner Recognition
  • President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on Marriage Equality and Other Forms of Partner Recognition
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Parents and Their Children
  • Talking Points on Gay and Lesbian Parenting
  • A Family Story: A Profile of Akilah Monifa and Ruth Bolden
  • Growing Up With a Lesbian Mom: A Profile of Tina Fakhrid-Deen
  • Lesbian Family Denied Health Coverage for Terminal Cancer: A Profile of Lisa Stewart
  • Talking Points On Marriage Equality for Same-Sex Couples
  • Forced to Move to Canada to Stay Together: A Profile of Charles Zhang and Wayne Griffin
  • Lost in the Twin Towers: A Profile of Larry Courtney and Eugene Clark

Websites Dealing Specifically with Religious Issues Involved in Same-Sex Marriage and Civil Unions

• Dignity USA: "Couples' Ministry Resource Guide"
  www.dignityusa.org
  
  "This document outlines a three-part response, recommended by the Task Force and affirmed by Dignity USA's Board of Directors. It includes:
  • Ongoing support for same-sex couples, through social and spiritually focused activities at the local level;
  • Guidelines for Holy Union services;
  • Maintenance of a national Registry of couples whose relationships have been blessed by Dignity."

• Soulforce: "The Current State of the Struggle for Equal Civil Marriage Rights"
  www.soulforce.org
  
  Soulforce, "an interfaith movement committed to ending spiritual violence perpetuated by religious policies and teachings against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people", offers three particularly valuable resources on same-sex marriage:
  • Talking Points: on "defining and obtaining equal civil marriage rights and defeating the anti-gay, anti-family federal 'marriage' amendment"
  • Media Message Points: "Soulforce's four main message points regarding civil marriage and the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment"
  • Community Action Plan: "for educating and advocating for equal civil marriage rights in your community"

• United Church of Christ: New Resources on Marriage—God Is Still Speaking, About Marriage
  www.ucc.org/justice/marriage.htm
  
  "These resources are provided to help facilitate conversations and study throughout the church and society on this complex and challenging matter which has important implications for individuals, families and the wider community. They are intended to get people of faith talking about the purposes of marriage, looking more closely at how marriage has evolved and changed through time biblically and socially, exploring the theology of marriage, and critically discerning the appropriate roles for the church and the state in marriage."

• Religion Link: Resources for Reporters—A Guide to Covering Marriage Issues
  www.religionwriters.com
  
  This is the official website of The Religions Newswriters Association and Its Foundation. Their "Guide to Covering Marriage Issues" provides "legal and religious background on the issues of same-sex marriage and 'traditional' marriage promotion, along with national and regional experts on all sides of the debate."

• UUA: Regarding Massachusetts Court Decision in Support of Same-Sex Marriage—"Talking Points for Religious Professionals in Communicating with the Media"
  www.uua.org
  
  Rev. Keith Kron, Director of the Unitarian Universalist Association's Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Concerns provides talking points on same-sex marriage for ministers.

• The Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Religion (CISR)
  www.law.emory.edu
  
  This link chronicles CISR's March 2003 international conference on "Sex, Marriage and Family and the Religions of the Book: Modern Problems, Enduring Solutions." Speakers featured included Robert N. Bellah, University of California at Berkeley; Rebecca S. Chopp, Colgate University; and Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago. CLGS Executive Director Mary Tolbert was a featured speaker on a conference panel entitled "Authorizing Marriage? Canon, Tradition, and Critique in the Blessing of Same-Sex Unions."

Academic and Legal Resources

• Same-Sex Marriage: A Selective Bibliography of the Legal Literature—Rutgers Law Library - Newark
  www.law-library.rutgers.edu/SSM.html
  
  Books, websites, and articles from scholarly journals, on the topic of same-sex marriage. Articles are from 1997 forward. Browse by geographic area (state or country) or by topic, such as arguments for or against legalizing gay and lesbian marriages.

• GOA Report Concerning Federal Laws on Marriage
  www.gao.gov/new.items/d04353r.pdf [PDF document]
  
  The GAO Report from 1997 was updated in late January 2004 to reflect statutory changes since DOMA went into effect. This updated report, a companion to the 1997 report, reflects that there are now 1,138 Federal laws concerning marriage rights.

Other Web Resources and Sites of Interest

• The Anti-Miscegenation Amendment
  http://www.corante.com
  
  A thread in Ernest Miller's (of Yale Law School) blog citing examples of the history of marriage and civil rights.

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