In shift, gay marriage racks up wins on the ballot

BY CURTIS TATE, MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON -- Supporters of same-sex marriage reached a major milestone in Tuesday’s elections, when Maryland and Maine became the first states where voters upheld marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

While gay marriage has gained the support of courts, state legislatures and even President Barack Obama, voters have rejected the question every time it has appeared as a ballot issue.

But Tuesday turned the tide. Washington state voters were poised to uphold gay marriage on Wednesday, with supporters of the referendum declaring victory. Voters in Minnesota turned down an effort to ban gay marriage in the state’s constitution.

“We can’t underestimate the importance of what we saw yesterday,” said David Masci, a senior researcher at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. “It’s a pretty big deal.”

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Video | State Rep.-elect David Richardson - Florida's first out gay lawmaker - says thank you

From state Rep.-elect David Richardson, the first out gay lawmaker elected to the the Florida Legislature:

"Our message was simple. Let's eliminate waste and fraud in our system so we can invest in our children's education, our local businesses, and our local communities.

"This campaign was powered by the people of District 113 and our work in Tallahassee will be no different. Let's continue to move forward together."

Thank you,

David Richardson
Representative-elect

Poll: 90 percent of gays, lesbians voted for Obama

From San Francisco-based Community Marketing, which specializes in the LGBT community:

CMI Election Poll:  90% of Gays and Lesbians Vote for Barack Obama and Helped the President Win Close Election

The Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) pre-election poll showed that 90% of gay men and lesbians voted for Barack Obama.

The election poll of 6,625 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) United States citizens was administered November 2-4, 2012 and responses were received from all 50 states. LGBTs represent an estimated 5% of United States voters and an overwhelming majority supported the coalition that produced Barack Obama’s victory. 90% support for Obama was seen in all Battleground States and the percentage was similar to the level that Obama received from the African American community.

Demonstrating the importance of the election, 95% of LGBTs indicated that they would vote in the election and 41% indicated that the had already voted before election day.

Final data indicated that 90% supported Barack Obama, 6% for Mitt Romney and 4% a third party candidate.

41% of gays and lesbians gave money to the Obama campaign.

Respondents were part of CMI’s international research panel of 70,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) people. Community Marketing is a an LGBT market research firm providing market intelligence and insights to over 100 corporate brands globally.

Gallery | SAVE Dade celebrates Election Night

SAVE Dade celebrated Election Night on Tuesday at Chalk Lounge in South Beach. Dozens of SAVE Dade volunteers streamed in and out of the club as election results trickled in.

Well after midnight Wednesday, the nonpartisan group celebrated President Barack Obama's reelection, as well as the election of several LGBT candidates in Florida (David Richardson and Joe Saunders)  and throughout the United States (Tammy Baldwin), and the passage of gay marriage laws in Maine, Maryland and Washington state and defeat of a gay-marriage ban in Minnesota. 

Click here for more pictures. Photos by STEVE ROTHAUS / Miami Herald Staff.

GLAAD: 'Congratulations to Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin, America's First-Ever Out Senator'

From GLAAD:

The Victory Fund has announced and Fox News has projected that Wisconsin U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin tonight will become the first openly gay person ever elected to the Senate in America's history.

"Tonight Tammy Baldwin made history and shone a bright light across America.  No longer is the United States Senate a place for only a select few but for every citizen, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans," said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. "Tammy Baldwin's victory showed what a majority of Americans already know: that candidates should be judged on their qualifications for the job and not their sexual orientation."

Thanks to all of Baldwin's supporters and everyone else around the country who voted for equality.

http://www.glaad.org/blog/congratulations-wisconsins-tammy-baldwin-americas-first-ever-out-senator

Maine, Maryland vote to legalize gay marriage

BY DAVID CRARY, AP NATIONAL WRITER

Voters a continent apart made history Tuesday on two divisive social issues, with Maine and Maryland becoming the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote while Washington state and Colorado legalized recreational use of marijuana.

The outcomes in Maine and Maryland broke a 32-state streak, dating back to 1998, in which gay marriage had been rebuffed by every state that held a vote on it. They will become the seventh and eighth states to allow same-sex couples to marry.

"For the first time, voters in Maine and Maryland voted to allow loving couples to make lifelong commitments through marriage - forever taking away the right-wing talking point that marriage equality couldn't win on the ballot," said Chad Griffin of the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay-rights group.

Washington state also was voting on a measure to legalize same-sex marriage, though results were not expected until Wednesday at the soonest. Minnesota voters were divided almost 50/50 on a conservative-backed amendment that would place a ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution.

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