A new poll from Vanderbilt University shows that support for legally recognizing same-sex couples continues to grow in Tennessee, but at rates slower than the rest of the country. A 49 percent plurality now support civil unions or marriage equality, while 46 percent remain opposed to both. Still, 62 percent believe that gays and lesbians should receive health insurance and other employee benefits for their partners, while only 31 percent oppose that idea.

A number of anti-gay bills related to education died in the Tennessee legislature this year, but lawmakers did designate August 31 as “ido4life Traditional Marriage Day,” a day committed to condemning same-sex marriage.

As of 12:01 this morning, civil unions for same-sex couples are now legal in Colorado, having passed in the legislature in March. Denver and Boulder began issuing licenses immediately. The first couple to receive a civil union certificate — at 12:02 — were Fran and Anna Simon, who wore the wedding dresses they wore for their commitment ceremony seven years ago. They were joined by their five-year-old son, Jeremy and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock officiated:

(Credit: One Colorado)

The clerk’s office in Denver remained open until 3 A.M. while Boulder’s closed at 2 A.M., and hundreds of other couples were on hand to get their civil unions as well:

(Credit: One Colorado)

Eight other states currently offer some form of civil union or domestic partnership that is not called a marriage: Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Hawaii, Illinois, Delaware, and Rhode Island. Rhode Island will become the tenth state with marriage equality after a pro forma vote Thursday. Delaware could also pass marriage equality incredibly soon, with the penultimate vote expected to pass the Senate Executive Committee this afternoon.

Watch a news report about the couples who were waiting in line for civil union last night (HT: Towleroad):

The National Organization for Marriage is frantically trying to organize against marriage equality in Delaware, even though the legislation is expected to pass fairly easily. A House committee already advanced the bill this week with a 4-1 vote. NOM’s urgent email sent out on Thursday points out that Delaware does not have a referendum process, so once marriage for same-sex couples is law, there is no popular mechanism for undoing it. Furthermore, NOM is quite bitter that the civil unions passed two years ago are already giving way to marriage, calling them a “Trojan Horse”:

So much for civil unions being a compromise.

Just two years ago, gay marriage advocates pushed through a civil unions bill, claiming it would be a compromise that respected the definition of marriage and the rights of religious believers, while at the same time guaranteeing protections for same-sex couples.

And once again, civil unions are being exposed as nothing more than a Trojan Horse.

NOM has consistently proven it’s duplicity when it comes to the flip-flopping positions it takes on civil unions. In Rhode Island, where NOM has been more active in the past, the organization strongly opposed civil unions, but when The Ocean State began considering marriage, NOM suddenly began defending civil unions. It is now attempting this same tactic in Delaware, claiming that civil unions are good because they “guarantee protections” for same-sex couples and were a “compromise,” even though NOM has never actually demonstrated concern for same-sex couples, let alone agreed to support civil unions.

It’s worth noting that NOM’s email is also rife with violent rhetoric: Delaware is a “target” that same-sex marriage activists “have already placed… in the crosshairs,” “support the battle for marriage,” “this is a critical fight,” and of course the Trojan Horse was a war tactic. With such rhetoric trying to prevent same-sex families from enjoying legal protections, it’s hard to actually believe NOM has any concern for those couples’ “protections,” which makes this rhetorical strategy the real Trojan Horse.

The city council in Bisbee, Arizona voted 5-2 Tuesday to approve civil unions for same-sex couples. Bisbee is a former mining town that has now become an artist’s haven of about 5,600  people. Same-sex couples there will now be able to go to City Hall, pay $76 (the same cost of a marriage license in the outlying county), and receive a civil union.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has said the ordinance would be unconstitutional, promising his office would challenge it in court. However, the courts would have an interesting precedent with which to make that decision. In 2006, Arizona voters rejected Proposition 107, which would have banned same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships. Though they did pass Proposition 102 two years later, that provision only banned marriage and made no mention of civil unions. A court could easily conclude that civil unions are thus meant to be protected by the constitution.

Moreover, Bisbee City Attorney John MacKinnon made it clear the civil unions would only apply to policies within the city’s control, such as personnel policies and the city cemetery.

Thursday afternoon, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) officially signed into law civil unions after years of conflict over the issue. It takes effect just six weeks from now on May 1. Colorado joins eight other states that offer civil unions or domestic partnerships for same-sex couples: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Rhode Island.

State Sen. Pat Steadman, who is openly gay and was one of the bill’s sponsors, opened his remarks Thursday by saying, “Dearly beloved… we’re going to make history.” Watch the Denver Post’s video of Steadman and Hickenlooper’s remarks, the signing, and reactions from those who attended:

Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) briefly wavered on his staunch opposition to all forms of same-sex unions in an interview on Thursday morning. When pressed about fellow Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman’s recent embrace of gay marriage, Kasich claimed he supported civil unions but not marriage for gay couples:

Kasich was asked if he could imagine a situation that might cause him to change his position.
“I really can’t see one, I mean, I talked to Rob and encouraged him,” Kasich said. “If people want to have civil unions and have some way to transfer their resources, I’m for that. I don’t support gay marriage.”
“I’ve got friends that are gay and I’ve told them ‘Look, (same sex marriage) is just not something I agree with’ and I’m not doing it out of a sense of anger or judgment, it’s just my opinion on this issue.”
“I just think marriage is between a man and a woman, but if you want to have a civil union that’s fine with me,” Kasich said.

Despite this fairly strong endorsement for civil unions, his office quickly walked back the governor’s statement, stressing that Kasich maintains his opposition to all forms of same-sex unions. Spokesperson Rob Nichols told Buzzfeed, “He’s opposed to discrimination against any Ohioan and, while he may have used the term ‘civil union’ loosely in this instance, he recognizes the existing rights of Ohioans to enter into private contracts to manage their personal property and health care issues.”

Kasich holds a long anti-gay record, beginning into his time in Congress, where he voted to ban adoptions by gay parents, as well as for the Defense of Marriage Act and the military’s defunct “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. As governor, Kasich broke his pledge to extend anti-discrimination protections for LGBT individuals, allowing state and contracted employers to fire anyone based on sexual orientation.

Kasich may have felt pressure on the spot to be flexible in his views, as his hardline stance on gay marriage and civil unions is now far outside the norm. Support for gay marriage is at an all-time high. Civil unions are currently banned in Ohio, but a ballot initiative this fall could change that.

Earlier this week, an ABC News/Washington Post poll found one of the highest levels of support for marriage equality, with 58 percent of voters endorsing same-sex marriage. Two more polls this week have found similar — though not quite as high — results.

A CNN/ORC International poll found that 53 percent support same-sex marriage with 44 percent opposed, a slight dip from last May’s 54-42 result in the wake of President Obama’s endorsement. As other polls have found, young people (71 percent for those 18-34), women (56 percent vs. 49 percent of men), and those who attended college (59 percent vs. 44 percent of those who didn’t) are more likely to support equality. Both Democrats (70 percent) and Independents (55 percent) side with equality more than average.

Similarly, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between January 1 and March 14 found similar results, though it fell into the trap of asking about civil unions without forcing respondents to choose between same-sex marriage and nothing. As a result, it found 63 percent support marriage or civil unions, with 41 percent favoring full marriage equality. Only a quarter of respondents opposed any form of relationship recognition, though opposition was stronger in regions like the South and lowest in the Northeast. The poll does note that support for marriage is surpassing support for civil unions.

Whatever arguments the Supreme Court considers next week, any claim the opponents of marriage equality make about having a majority of Americans on their side would be an outright lie.

A new Public Policy Polling poll shows overwhelming support for legally recognizing same-sex couples in Pennsylvania. Three quarters (74 percent) of Pennsylvania voters support either same-sex marriage or civil unions, including 68 percent of Republicans. Only 24 percent oppose any sort of legal recognition. On marriage itself, though, voters are more divided, with 45 percent in support and 47 percent opposed. Still, that’s a 14 percent increase since November 2011 when support was only 36-52. Though Pennsylvania law prohibits same-sex marriage, attempts to ban it through a constitutional amendment have repeatedly failed in the legislature.

Photo Credit: Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post

The Denver Post commemorated yesterday’s passage of civil unions in Colorado’s House with a front-page picture of Speaker Mark Ferrandino (D) kissing his partner Greg Wertsch — complete with a bottle of formula on the desk that belongs to their foster child. Anticipating negative reactions from readers, the editors published a defense for running the picture, arguing that it “shows the truth, no matter how objectionable” [see update below]:

One of the missions as journalists is to take our readers where they can’t go, and the speaker’s office is definitely one of those places. Ferrandino, who is gay, has been fighting to get this bill passed for at least the last three years, and he spoke eloquently on the subject while the bill was being debated. So it made sense to get his perspective. [...]

We have received objections to our photographs of gay couples before, so we all knew there would likely be a negative reaction to running the picture of Ferrandino. The civil unions vote was historic for Colorado and celebrating it was not a surprise. That led one editor to note, “We have no issues showing a straight couple kissing on election night.”

Another detail that made the photo so compelling was the baby bottle on Ferrandino’s desk. It belongs to the foster child he and his partner have; given that the civil unions bill offered protections for children and families, it was another element that gave context.

There is a difference between a picture that people object to and an “objectionable” photo. It’s disappointing that the editorial board thought the decision was “difficult.” Indeed, the one editor’s observation is key: it’s not kissing that people object to — it’s homosexuality . What has proven to be one the most effective ways to shift people’s opinions on gay rights is knowing gay people and learning about their lives and their families. No number of objections changes the reality that the Speaker of the Colorado House is a gay man with a loving partner and child; and reporting on reality is never a difficult decision.

Openly gay Colorado Speaker Mark Ferrandino (D)

Just now, the Colorado House voted 39-26 to grant final approval to a bill that would offer civil unions to same-sex couples, advancing  it to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s (D) desk for his promised signature. Colorado has a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, so civil unions are an important extension of partner benefits until that amendment can be repealed or overturned.

Lawmakers have attempted to pass civil unions for several years now. In 2012, enough Republicans supported the bill for it to pass, but Republican leadership in the House blocked it by sending it to a (fourth) committee whose members voted to kill it. The expediency with which the bill advanced this year reflects the large victories Democrats enjoyed in the November election.

Here is how the House voted: