69 "Advocacy" Category Articles

US lawmakers want to overturn same-sex marriage equality, pass new child marriage bans & more ✔ Click to read proposed changes to state marriage laws in 2025

Read about legislation that would allow elected officials in South Carolina to recuse themselves from performing same-sex marriages or issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of their religious beliefs. (Rep. Thomas Beach / HB 3121 2025-2026)

Syracuse City Court judge refused to marry a same-sex couple in a courthouse wedding. Click to read more & learn how to support marriage equality in your community

Lawmakers in New Jersey urge U.S. Congress members to eliminate ‘marriage penalties’ on federal SSI and SSDI benefits for disabled adults who get married.

Congress considers a bill to study child marriage in US, may establish new state and federal policies & grants to assess, restrict or ban child marriage

American Marriage Ministries (AMM), a Seattle-based church, has sued officials in Tennessee, challenging the constitutionality of certain provisions of Tennessee law that restrict the rights of AMM ministers to officiate weddings.

American Marriage Ministries (AMM) interviews the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) about upcoming legislation to establish marriage equality for disabled and elderly adults receiving SSI and SSDI benefits. Learn how to get involved, share your story, and amplify this important social, financial, and constitutional issue ahead of the planned congressional briefing. (2023 / 2024; 2022 HB6405 / Jimmy Panetta)

Learn more about H.R. 4602, and how this legislation would help to protect marriage equality for LGBTQ+ couples at the federal level. The ‘Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023,' would remove gendered words like 'wife' and 'husband' from multiple federal marriage laws. This legislation was introduced by U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, D-California.

The Southern Baptist Convention voted this week to expel Saddleback megachurch and Fern Creek Baptist because they have women pastors, and introduced an amendment to the church’s constitution that would explicitly restrict a woman from becoming ordained or holding a leadership position within the denomination.

Proposed drag bans like the one in Tennessee impact LGBTQ+ weddings, ministers and wedding officiants, and the entire queer community. Drag performers belong at weddings! Learn ways to protect LGBTQ+ ministers and wedding performers. (TN SB0003 ; U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker)

Learn how HB878 and 2019’s paused anti-online ordination law work together in an ongoing attack against marriage equality in Tennessee. These bills would allow a person to refuse to solemnize (conduct) a marriage they object to based on their ‘conscience or religious beliefs,’ and make it illegal for an officiant ordained online to perform marriage. If passed, it will be easier for clerks and officiants to discriminate against same-sex, LGBTQ+, interfaith, and interracial couples in TN. (House Bill 878 / 2023 ; HB0213 / 2019)

Learn what HB878 might mean for the future of marriage equality in Tennessee. The bill, which recently passed the House, would allow a person to refuse to solemnize (conduct) a marriage they object to based on their ‘conscience or religious beliefs.’ Opponents believe the bill would make it easier for clerks and officiants to discriminate against same-sex, LGBTQ+, interfaith, and interracial couples in TN. (House Bill 878 / 2023)

Free ‘sip and see’ wedding planning event for same-sex and other LGBTQ couples in the Dallas Fort Worth area will bring together local LGBTQ+ wedding vendors and allied businesses on February 19, 2023. The LGBTQ+ Sip & See Spring Wedding Planning Event is organized by the North Texas LGBTQ Wedding Network and Chevy Chey Photography, and will be held at Apricus Venue in Corinth, TX.

It’s time to eliminate the ‘marriage penalty’ for disabled adults and ensure marriage equality for all Americans. Millions of Americans can lose their disability benefits and eligibility through Social Security SSDI, Medicare, and Medicaid by choosing to get married. These penalties affect DAC recipients, SSI recipients, and others who receive SSA supplemental income. Learn about recent legislation, including the 2022 Marriage Equality for Disabled Adults Act and California's SRJ-8, and what's next in the fight for equal marriage rights.

Lawmakers in New Jersey introduced a bill to codify protections for interracial marriage rights in the state. The bill would amend the current statute to ensure all NJ marriage laws are read with race neutral intent. This bill was introduced by Rep. McKeon in response to the recent Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v Wade, raising concern around future protections for interracial, same-sex and LGBTQ+ marriages.