By Josh Levs, Amy Roberts and Caitlin Stark (CNN) — As Hawaii and Illinois join the list of states approving same-sex marriage, the United States crosses a big mark on the issue: More than 1 in 3 Americans will live where same-sex marriage is legal. It’s a dramatic shift in a short period of time…
By Rosaria Champagne Butterfield In 1996, when Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), I grieved with my people. I was an atheist then, and lived in a monogamous lesbian relationship, working as a tenure-track professor specializing in English literature and Queer Theory. Now, some 17 years later, in the summer of 2013,…
By Pete Williams and Erin McClam, NBC News In a landmark ruling for gay rights, the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law blocking federal recognition of same-sex marriages. The decision was 5-4, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy. It said that the law amounted to the “deprivation of…
By Bethany Blankley Ocean Grove N.J., a one square mile town along the North Jersey seashore, is known for its state and national historic designation as having the largest aggregate of Victorian and early 20th century structures in America. Founded in 1869 during the holiness movement by a group of ministers and friends, its mission is…