“Consequences of Marriage Equality” [Image]

August 8, 2010 by savvyplanners.com ·  

consequences Consequences of Marriage Equality [Image]

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Prop.8: There is NO Gray Area In Equality!

August 4, 2010 by savvyplanners.com ·  

I give thanks today!  Thanks and gratitude for the fact that Proposition 8 has been overturned this afternoon.

Thanks to the Governor, Arnold Schwartzenegger, and AG Jerry Brown for their tireless support in the matter.  I give thanks to Mayor Gavin Newsom for his leadership and courage. I also give thanks to the universe for reminding me that miracles happen, beyond all coapacity to hope and against all odds.  And, of course to the brave plaintiffs in the case: 

KRISTIN M. PERRY, SANDRA B. STIER, PAUL T. KATAMI and JEFFREY J. ZARRILLO!  Thank you all so very much!

There is more to be done and we’ll continue to be here in the trenches, as we have been all along, standing with Californians in the battle for full marriage equality.  I’ll have more specific comments in the very near future, however, I am enthralled at the ruling and remain focused, prayerful and devoted to serving couples which have been so disgustingly abused and mistreated.

I rejoice today!  A cautious, heartful and encouraged joy, with the knowledge that the war isn’t yet won! :-)

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savvyplanners.com has won the coveted 2010 Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Awards™!

January 20, 2010 by savvyplanners.com ·  

wwbrideschoice2010 savvyplanners.com has won the coveted 2010 Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Awards™!

EDISON, NJ – January 19, 2010 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced savvyplanners.com ™  has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Planners/Designers!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

savvyplanners.com ™ is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that savvyplanners.com ™ is among the very best Wedding Planners/Designers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire, thebestmiamiweddings.com and Martha Stewart Weddings.

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We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

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“Savoir!” e-Zine Launches with Story of the Defeat of “The Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act” today in NJ

January 7, 2010 by savvyplanners.com ·  

Read about the NJ Bill vote in the premiere issue of “Savoir!” (.pdf)


savoir mastheada2 “Savoir!” e Zine Launches with Story of the Defeat of “The Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act” today in NJ

Read about the NJ Bill vote in the premiere issue of “Savoir!” (.pdf)


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LIVE TV Coverage of NJ’s “The Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act” Delayed

January 7, 2010 by savvyplanners.com ·  

The video coverage of the Senate debate and vote on “The Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act” is delayed until further notice.

There is other programing being aired on New Jersey Network, with an occasional crawl indicating that they will pick up coverage “once the Senate takes up the bill”.

You should be able to watch live once coverage begins, here.

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Cynthia Nixon Joins Campaign Kick Off to End Florida’s Adoption Ban

January 7, 2010 by savvyplanners.com ·  

Posted by Tina Walker-Morin :  The Family Equality Council Blog

cynthia nixon Cynthia Nixon Joins Campaign Kick Off to End Florida’s Adoption Ban

via The Family Equality Council Blog

The Family Equality Council is thrilled that Cynthia Nixon, lesbian mom and star of Sex and the City, will be joining the kick off event for the campaign to end Florida’s adoption ban. Nixon is a leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocate, for which Family Equality Council honored her at our National Awards Dinner in 2008. The Family Equality Council has joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and SAVE Dade in the campaign to end Florida’s adoption ban.

Join us to Overturn Florida’s Adoption Ban!

The Florida ban is the only law in the county that categorically prohibits gay men and lesbians from adopting children. The Family Equality Council, the ACLU of Florida, GLAAD, and SAVE Dade are hosting a training in Orlando, Florida that will provide participants with the basic skills to take a stand against Florida’s adoption ban.

Date: Saturday, January 23, 2010
Time: 2:00-6:00 pm
Location: Marriott Orlando Downtown 400 W. Livingston Street Orlando, FL 32801 407.843.6664

Registration: www.aclufl.org/training
Pre-registration is required. Space is limited!

Adult Programming
GLAAD will be providing training for adults ages 18 and up. Training participants will learn how to prepare and deliver short talks on adoption to local groups (PTA, etc.), have one-on-one conversations with non-LGBT people, conduct media interviews and utilize other skills to educate the public and change people’s hearts and minds on this critical issue.

Tween/Teen & Children’s Programming
The Family Equality Council will be providing age-appropriate educational programming for youth aged 3 to 17 that will run concurrently with the adult training.

* Children’s Programming for children aged 3 to 8 focuses on developing self-esteem and celebrating family diversity through arts & crafts, games, and activities.
* Tween/Teen Programming for youth aged 9 to 17 focuses on increasing self-esteem, building community, and developing leadership skills in the context of age-specific issues such as responding to bullying and engaging social media. In addition to providing a platform of support, this training is intended to prepare youth to tell their personal stories in support of efforts to repeal Florida’s adoption ban.

Do you have questions about whether your child is appropriate for this programming? Would you like to volunteer to help with the youth trainings? Please contact Volunteer Manager Sara Leckey at sara.leckey@familyequality.org.

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New Williams Institute study estimates that extending marriage to same-sex couples in New Jersey would boost state economy by $200 Million; create over 1,400 jobs

January 7, 2010 by savvyplanners.com ·  

via SDGLN Staff;  San Diego Gay and Lesbian News

(LOS ANGELES) – The Williams Institute released this week a new study estimating the financial impact of New Jersey extending marriage to same-sex couples. The report estimates that extending marriage to same-sex couples would boost the New Jersey economy by almost $200 million during the next three years, creating approximately 1,400 jobs and generating over $15 million in revenues for the state budget.

The estimate, based on Census Bureau data, includes data from states that have extended marriage to same-sex couples, and a recent survey of Massachusetts gay couples asking them to report how much they spent on their weddings.

nj 1111 New Williams Institute study estimates that extending marriage to same sex couples in New Jersey would boost state economy by $200 Million; create over 1,400 jobs

Credit: San Diego Gay and Lesbian News

This is the fourth analysis of the fiscal impact of extending the rights and obligations of marriage to same-sex couples conducted by the Williams Institute for New Jersey. Prior studies analyzed the impact of New Jersey’s domestic partnership and civil union laws. In the summer of 2008, the Institute presented an analysis of the fiscal impact of marriage to the New Jersey Civil Union Commission.

“The new report takes into account the changing legal landscape and the recession,” says study co-author Brad Sears, Executive Director of the Williams Institute. “When we conducted our last analysis in 2008, New Jersey would have only competed with one other state in attracting out-of-state same-sex couples seeking to marry. Now same-sex couples can marry in five other states.”

The recession has also reduced the amount that couples in the United States and New Jersey spend, on average, on their weddings.

Sears testified about the new analysis before the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, December 7. The marriage legislation was passed by a 7-6 vote.

The new report also takes into account that New York same-sex couples now have a greater incentive to come to New Jersey to marry. “While the legislature did not extend marriage to same-sex couples this month, the New York Court of Appeals recently upheld the decision of state agencies to recognize the relationships of New York same-sex couples who marry in other states” says study co-author Christopher Ramos. “This makes it likely that many New York couples will make the short trip to New Jersey to marry.”

This new estimate only includes direct spending by same-sex couples on their weddings, and tourism spending by out-of-state couples who travel to marry in New Jersey and the guests of in-state couples who marry. It does not include spending by family members and friends on gifts or by those traveling within New Jersey to attend weddings. The estimate also does not include the standard multiplier for tourism spending, that each $1 spent in the state generates over $2 in additional spending.

“If these factors are taken into account,” says Sears, “the total impact on the New Jersey could be close to half a billion dollars.

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GSE: “…news of a lifetime: STATE SENATE TO VOTE THURSDAY ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL”

January 5, 2010 by savvyplanners.com ·  

GSE: “Savvyplanners, news of a lifetime: STATE SENATE TO VOTE THURSDAY ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL”

MEMBERS:  BREAKING NEWS FOR YOU TO FORWARD IMMEDIATELY TO YOUR FRIENDS, RELATIVES, ORGANIZATIONAL AND CONGREGATIONAL COLLEAGUES — AND TO YOUR LIST SERVS AND BLOGS:

The New Jersey State Senate has just announced it is voting this Thursday, January 7, 2010 on the marriage equality bill.  We need each of you to join us for this most momentus (sic) day  in our lives.


We ask you to meet us in front of the State House in Trenton Thursday at 10:30 am, when we will march from the State House to the State House Annex, and then talk to legislators before the vote.
You may meet us in front of the State House earlier than 10:30 am Thursday to help us organize.  We will be there earlier whenever you arrive.

The address of the State House, for GPS and MapQuest purposes, is 125 West State Street.  Park at the Trenton Marriott garage, 1 West Lafayette Street.


Thursday afternoon, immediately after the Senate vote, Garden State Equality will hold a news conference and a free member reception at the Trenton Marriott Ballroom, 1 West Lafayette Street.  We ask all of you, members and journalists, to be there.


For further information
Journalists:  Contact Chair Steven Goldstein, cell (917) 449-8918.
Members: Contact Co-Field Director Dani Bernstein, cell (909) 561-3738.

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NJ Senate schedules gay marriage vote for Thursday

January 5, 2010 by savvyplanners.com ·  

By MICHAEL SYMONS • GANNETT STATE BUREAU • via Dailyrecord.com January 5, 2010

TRENTON — A vote has been scheduled for Thursday in the state Senate on a bill allowing gay couples to marry in New Jersey, state Senate President Richard J. Codey announced Tuesday afternoon.

A Senate vote had been expected in mid-December but was postponed when it was apparent the measure didn’t have the 21 votes needed to pass. It’s still not clear whether the bill will pass, but Codey said the bill will be considered.

“Given the intensely personal nature of this issue, I think the people of this state deserve the right to a formal debate on the Senate floor,” said Codey, D-Essex. “”I’d like to commend both sides of this issue for their passionate advocacy thus far and the heartfelt testimony that we have heard.”

Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr., D-Camden, announced last week that the Assembly Judiciary Committee would not hold a hearing on the bill, as had been expected. But he said he would send the bill to the Assembly floor for a vote, bypassing a hearing, if the Senate approves the bill.

The Senate has 22 Democrats — one short now that former Sen. Dana Redd has become Camden’s mayor — and 17 Republicans. Just one Republican senator, Bill Baroni Jr. of Mercer County, in expected to support the bill. But a handful of Democrats also oppose.

Michael Symons: msymons@gannett.com

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California: 2 significant GLBTI laws go into effect with the new year.

December 31, 2009 by savvyplanners.com ·  

By News Channel 3
newsline3@kesq.com

PALM DESERT – A long list of new laws take effect on January 1, 2010.  Here is a list of a few of the highlights:

Harvey Milk Day 2010: California Law Stipulates May 22
SB572 institutes an official Harvey Milk Day on May 22nd. It includes a provision that encourages public schools to hold commemorative exercises that familiarize students with Harvey Milk’s accomplishments and the contributions he made to California.

Recognition of Same Sex Marriage (minus the designation):
SB54 specifies that same sex marriages are recognized in California. The marriages must meet one of two qualifications: a) they must have been entered into legally during the period of time when California offered gay marriage; b) they must have taken place before 11-05-2008 in a state that legally performs same sex marriage.

Continue to full article here.

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