As we mentioned here last week, the reelection effort for President Barack Obama includes a horde of A-List celebrities who have ponied-up in bringing their Tinseltown pals onboard the chief executive’s campaign donor bandwagon. Federal Election Commission (FEC) records indicate that those fundraising dynamos—called “bundlers” in the parlance of election slang—who list entertainment (TV/Movies/Music) as their profession are among the president’s high-roller bundlers, accounting for close to $7 million in donor money as of April. The names that top Obama’s famous contributors include actor and activist George Clooney, “Lost” co-creator and “Star Trek” director J.J. Abrams, and Hollywood powerhouses Steven Spielberg, Leonardo Di Caprio, and Tobey Maguire.

On the LGBT side of things, the Commander-in-Chief counts among his troops “Nip/Tuck” and “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy, talk show host Suze Orman, television stars Jane Lynch, Neil Patrick Harris, and EllenDeGeneres, Scottish stage and film actor Alan Cumming, screen writer Dustin Lance Black, performer Ricky Martin, and openly gay children’s author Maurice Sendak, who—prior to his death last month donated to the president’s reelection effort. (The president has said that “Where the Wild Things Are” is one of his favorite books, and has read it to children during the White House Easter Egg Roll.)

The president’s presumptive Republican opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, lags behind the Democratic incumbent in terms of campaign star power—although his presidential campaign shot past the president’s last month in fundraising, bringing in close to $77 million, nearly $17 million more than Obama’s—but it does include some familiar names and faces.

According to FEC filings, and records of the Center for Responsive Politics, Romney’s celebrity supporters include country performer Trace Adkins, former “Happy Days” star Scott Baio—who has appearances on the GOP candidate’s behalf, and donated the legal limit to Romney’s campaign in November—1960s game show staple Orson Bean, a well-known conservative and father-in-law to the late conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart, “Pirates of the Caribbean” producer and “CSI” creator Jerry Bruckheimer—one of Hollywood’s richest men—who donated the max individual amount to Romney in March. (OpenSecrets.org reports that since 1990, Bruckheimer and his wife have contributed over $120,000 to political campaigns—since 2002, most of them Republicans.)

Former 1970s teen idol and fellow Mormon Donny Osmond contributed the $2,500 legal limit in December to Romney’s campaign. His sister, Marie Osmond, is also a supporter, although has not made any financial contribution to the Romney campaign. KISS bass player and reality television star Gene Simmons endorsed Romney in April on Twitter. “America is a business, and should be run by a businessman,” Simmons said, although he is not listed as a Romney donor in FEC records. Jon Voight, father of actress Angelina Jolie, and star of “Midnight Cowboy,” has called Romney “strong” and “honest,” and told CNN’s Piers Morgan that the Republican candidate is “a fellow who shoots from the hip … He’s got great values.” The praise has not yet translated to a campaign donation. One of the McCain campaign’s top bundlers in 2008, Donald Trump donated the legal limit to Romney’s campaign in December. After toying with his own run for president, the billionaire real estate mogul endorsed Romney in February, saying that the former Massachusetts governor is “not going to continue to allow bad things to happen to this country.”

The endorsement last month of President Obama for same sex marriage has all the usual suspects up in arms— social and religious conservatives, Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and traditionalists who are nervous about governmental intervention into an institution older than God (the word itself, I mean, which dates back to around the 6th Century), as well as the center-right candidates who are anxious to assuage them, and thereby earn their political backing.

But the president has been making all the right noises for an important constituency, and his campaign coffers are seeing the windfall results. So stoked is this segment of moneyed Democratic supporters—which comprise wealthy LGBT donors—that an Obama campaign fundraiser held yesterday required a larger venue, after organizers were bombarded with a barrage of RSVPs for the event, which featured pop performer Pink, after Obama’s May announcement.

According to an analysis by CNN, among President Obama’s biggest fundraisers—known in the parlance of campaign finance as “bundlers”—at least 33, or about one out of every 16 of them—is openly gay. The Washington Post reports that as many as one out of six bundlers who supports Obama is gay.

The Advocate.com estimates one in five. All told, they raised at least $8 million for the Obama reelection campaign from January to the end of March. That compares to the efforts of bundlers from the entertainment industry—which includes some of the biggest names in film, music, and television, among them actor and director George Clooney— who, during the same timeframe, raised $6.8 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Laws on campaign finance require that donors disclose their names, addresses, jobs, and employers, but there is no such disclosure required for sexual orientation. The law also doesn’t require that candidates release information about their bundlers. The Obama campaign has released its list, but the campaign of his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, hasn’t.

After the initial excitement of his 2008 campaign wore off, support for the president in the LGBT community waned—in large measure a result of what was seen as Obama’s lukewarm support for a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In 2010, actor Alan Cumming wrote, “We keep hearing that Obama is an ally—that DADT will end under his watch—but what do we actually get? Diddly squat.” DADT—the Pentagon policy that banned openly-gay men and women from serving in the armed forces— officially ended on September 20, 2011.

Among the wealthy LGBT Americans who have opened their checkbooks to Obama’s reelection efforts are software entrepreneur and Gill Foundation benefactor Tim Gill, who has donated, with partner Scott Miller, $672,800 to Obama for America. Fred Eychaner, the owner of Chicagobased Newsweb Corp., has given $1,220,550, and co-hosted in February a $35,800-per-person LGBT fundraiser for Obama. Kathy Levinson, the former President and CEO of E-Trade, has donated $202,150. Karen K. Dixon and Dr. Nan Schaffer, her partner, hosted a Washington, D.C. fundraiser that was reported to have raised over a million dollars for Obama’s campaign.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney has not disclosed his bundler list, which makes it hard to know if there are any openly gay bundlers working for the GOP. But the presumptive Republican nominee is on record opposing same sex marriage and civil unions, and supports a Constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality for all Americans.

(PHOTO: Neil Patrick Harris, Suze Orman, Ricky Martin, Ellen DeGeneres, Dustin Lance Black)

The endorsement last month of President Obama for same sex marriage has all the usual suspects up in arms— social and religious conservatives, Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and traditionalists who are nervous about governmental intervention into an institution older than God (the word itself, I mean, which dates back to around the 6th Century), as well as the center-right candidates who are anxious to assuage them, and thereby earn their political backing.

But the president has been making all the right noises for an important constituency, and his campaign coffers are seeing the windfall results. So stoked is this segment of moneyed Democratic supporters—which comprise wealthy LGBT donors—that an Obama campaign fundraiser held yesterday required a larger venue, after organizers were bombarded with a barrage of RSVPs for the event, which featured pop performer Pink, after Obama’s May announcement. According to an analysis by CNN, among President Obama’s biggest fundraisers—known in the parlance of campaign finance as “bundlers”—at least 33, or about one out of every 16 of them—is openly gay.

The Washington Post reports that as many as one out of six bundlers who supports Obama is gay. The Advocate.com estimates one in five. All told, they raised at least $8 million for the Obama reelection campaign from January to the end of March. That compares to the efforts of bundlers from the entertainment industry—which includes some of the biggest names in film, music, and television, among them actor and director George Clooney— who, during the same timeframe, raised $6.8 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Laws on campaign finance require that donors disclose their names, addresses, jobs, and employers, but there is no such disclosure required for sexual orientation. The law also doesn’t require that candidates release information about their bundlers. The Obama campaign has released its list, but the campaign of his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, hasn’t. After the initial excitement of his 2008 campaign wore off, support for the president in the LGBT community waned—in large measure a result of what was seen as Obama’s lukewarm support for a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In 2010, actor Alan Cumming wrote, “We keep hearing that Obama is an ally—that DADT will end under his watch—but what do we actually get? Diddly squat.”

DADT—the Pentagon policy that banned openly-gay men and women from serving in the armed forces— officially ended on September 20, 2011. Among the wealthy LGBT Americans who have opened their checkbooks to Obama’s reelection efforts are software entrepreneur and Gill Foundation benefactor Tim Gill, who has donated, with partner Scott Miller, $672,800 to Obama for America. Fred Eychaner, the owner of Chicagobased Newsweb Corp., has given $1,220,550, and co-hosted in February a $35,800-per-person LGBT fundraiser for Obama.

Kathy Levinson, the former President and CEO of E-Trade, has donated $202,150. Karen K. Dixon and Dr. Nan Schaffer, her partner, hosted a Washington, D.C. fundraiser that was reported to have raised over a million dollars for Obama’s campaign. On the Republican side, Mitt Romney has not disclosed his bundler list, which makes it hard to know if there are any openly gay bundlers working for the GOP. But the presumptive Republican nominee is on record opposing same sex marriage and civil unions, and supports a Constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality for all Americans.

Openly-gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) is trying to explain away a joke he made on May 27 during a commencement address at the University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth. Frank—who has announced his intention to retire from the House of Representatives in January, after 32 years as a Member— was commenting about an academic robe given to civil-rights leader Hubie Jones during the ceremony. “You now have a ‘hoodie’ you can wear and no one will shoot at you,” said Frank, making reference to the February shooting in Florida of Trayvon Martin. Frank was himself the subject of a cruel comment in 1995 from then-House Republican leader Dick Armey, who called the Massachusetts liberal “Barney Fag” during an interview. Attempting an explanation for the joke, Frank said after the hoodie fracas, “I wore a hooded gown in three ceremonies earlier this year, and in my remarks at those events, I used the same joke on myself.”

President Obama was on hand to deliver the commencement address as the first openly-gay United States Air Force Academy cadets graduated on May 23, just eight months after the official repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” went into effect. “The whole thing is we don’t want to be identified as anything different,” said Trish Heller, who serves of the Board of Directors on the Blue Alliance, a group of LGBT Air Force Academy alumni. “We want to serve, to be professional and to be symbols of what it means to be Air Force Academy graduates.” According to Heller, a Colorado-based attorney and 1987 Air Force Academy graduate, at least four openly-gay members of the Academy’s Class of 2012 received their diplomas last week. Heller said that there were likely others, as well.

Presently, LGBT cadets at all five of the nation’s military service academies have formed gay-straight alliances and support groups. Spectrum, the U.S. Air Force Academy group, was officially sanctioned this month, and includes approximately 30 members from the Academy’s seniors and underclassmen.

Blue Alliance alumni flew Rainbow flags in November during a home game for the Academy’s Falcons football squad. The group also hosted a dinner attended by Brigadier General Dana Born, the institution’s dean of faculty.

Not long after President Obama’s historic endorsement of gay marriage this month, Bristol Palin, the daughter of 2008 GOP Veep candidate Sarah Palin, took her own turn weighing in on the most pivotal social issue of our time. The 21-year-old author of the 2011 autobiography “Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far” flexed her muscles as a religious historian—while building her street cred as a youth counselor—when she railed against Obama’s reference to his daughters and to the gay parents of some of their friends. “It would’ve been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that while her friends’ parents are no doubt lovely people, that’s not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage,” said Palin. She also suggested helpfully that the Obamas may be watching “too many episodes of ‘Glee.’”

“In general, kids do better growing up in a mother/father home. Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview,” added Palin, whose own experience of life “so far” includes a teen pregnancy that was aided by the moral titan Levi Johnston, who was painted in her memoir as a date rapist who had sex with a waytoo- drunk and blacked-out Palin. Palin will also get to showcase her mothering chops in full view of a global audience when her 10-episode reality TV program, “Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp,” premiers this year, a perfect vehicle for this Mother of the Year-in-waiting.«

The pastor of a North Carolina Baptist congregation this month denounced homosexuality, and called for the extermination of all gays and lesbians, through the construction of an electrified fence, and waiting for them to die. A video posted on YouTube this week shows the sermon from Sunday, May 13, at Providence Road Baptist Church, in which the pastor of the Maiden, North Carolinabased parish, Charles Worley, tells his congregation, “I figured a way to get rid of all the lesbians and queers.

Build a great, big, large fence — 150- or 100-mile long — put all the lesbians in there, do the same thing for the queers and the homosexuals, and have that fence electrified so they can’t get out.” “In a few years they’ll die. Do you know why? They can’t reproduce,” added Worley, who has served as pastor of Providence Road Baptist since 1976. The minister also condemned President Obama’s endorsement of marriage equality and support for reproductive rights, saying that he couldn’t vote for “a baby killer and a homosexual lover,” adding that “It makes me pukin’ sick to think about—I don’t even know whether y’all can say this in the pulpit or not—can you imagine kissing some man?”

During a 1978 sermon, Worley also preached about violence against LGBT persons, protesting that, “We’re living in a day when it saddens my heart to think homosexuals can go around, bless God, and get the applause of a lot of people, lesbians and all the rest of it. Forty years ago they would’ve hung, bless God, from a white oak tree, wouldn’t they,” he asked, before adding, “Amen.” North Carolina has been at the center of LGBT rights-related news in May. Voters there amended the state constitution this month to define marriage as between a man and a woman, and another pastor suggested that parents beat their children for displaying homosexual characteristics.

“Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist. Man up. Give him a good punch,” Bearean Baptist Church pastor J Sean Harris advised during a sermon. He later said that although he doesn’t advocate abuse, “effeminate behavior is ungodly.” Elsewhere in the Old South, despite bipartisan support for his nomination, a gay Virginia prosecutor’s judicial appointment was blocked last week by Republican members of Virginia’s House of Delegates. Tracy Thorne-Begland, a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot, lost his bid for the judicial vacancy by a vote of 33 to 31, with 10 abstentions.

The vote came as a shocker to Richmond pundits, who saw the broad bipartisan support for Thorne- Begland’s candidacy as a signpost of success. But after heavy lobbying from the Family Foundation, a socially conservative group which opposed his candidacy, and strongarming from conservative legislators, the May 15 vote—which was called by GOP House leaders after 1 a.m., when many lawmakers had already gone home—ended in defeat for the 45-year-old father of twins, who had disclosed his sexual orientation almost 20 years ago during an appearance on ABC’s “Nightline” to protest the military’s policies towards gay servicemembers. Following that disclosure, Thorne- Begland was honorably discharged from the Navy, after which he was reinstated by a federal court, and then re-discharged again under the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

He also served on the board of Equality Virginia, a gay rights nonprofit group. Conservative Republicans criticized Thorne-Begland’s biography, and pointed to it as a possible challenge to his impartiality on the bench. “It’s about a pattern of behavior that is just notorious for homosexual advocacy,” argued Delegate Bob Marshall, a Republican who opposed the nomination. “The fact that he defied his oath and could not have been candid on the application—that’s highly problematic, and it stays with you,” Marshall added.

President Barack Obama’s endorsement last week for marriage equality is only the most recent sign of a major shift in attitudes towards same-sex marriage more than 15 years ago, when the first indications appeared that American attitudes were changing towards gay marriage.

In 1996, the year President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), barely a quarter of Americans—27 percent— said that same-sex matrimony should be legalized, a far cry from last year, when 53 percent voiced support for marriage equality. In the 2008 presidential election, Obama won 17 states which have passed laws that define marriage as the union of a man and a woman— including Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, with a combined 82 electoral votes, nearly a third of the 270 needed to win the presidency; the Sunshine State alone bring over 10 percent of that total, with 29 electoral votes). Another 21 states have similar laws—including North Carolina, which Obama won in 2008 and which last week enshrined that law in the state constitution.

Unlike the presidential election years 2004 and 2008, when several states created laws or amendments to their state constitutions that banned all but male-female marriages, the issue is not likely to define statewide races or to motivate voters to cast their ballots for one party or another because of personal bias about marriage equality. Meanwhile, the fight over DOMA continues to work its way through the federal courts.

Under the law— passed by a Republican-majority Congress and signed reluctantly into law by Clinton, who faced reelection that year—no state or other U.S. political subdivision (overseas territory, possession, etc.) is required to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in another state. DOMA also codifies nonrecognition of gay marriages for federal purposes, which includes survivor benefits under Social Security, the filing of joint tax returns, as well as insurance and other benefits for federal employees.

In two Massachusetts court decisions and a California bankruptcy court ruling, Section 3 of DOMA, which deals with such matter, has been ruled unconstitutional. All three cases are currently under appeal. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney raised the ire of LGBT advocates in February when he told attendants at the conservative CPAC convention, “When I am president,” Romney continued, “I will preserve the Defense of Marriage Act and I will fight for a federal amendment defining marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman.”

Romney is toeing a difficult line, trying hard to energize the GOP’s conservative base to support him in November while still attempting the political legerdemain necessary to hold onto centrist and independent voters, who are more concerned with bread and butter issues than denying a right of citizenship to their fellow countrymen and –women.

With the nod from Obama, the Democrat mandarins are rushing to voice their support for marriage equality. Although some of the party’s most eminent names—including former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well as Al Gore, John Kerry, Andrew Cuomo, and Howard Dean—have previously endorsed marriage equality, some earlier holdouts have begun to sing a different tune. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate Majority Leader and the highestranking Latter Day Saint (Mormon) in U.S. government, said last week, “My personal belief is that marriage is between a man and a woman.

But in a civil society, I believe that people should be able to marry whomever they want, and it’s no business of mine if two men or two women want to get married.” And Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and, under the Constitution, third in line for the presidency, announced his own support last week for same-sex marriage .

According to the State Board of Elections, approximately 500,000 people cast ballots in early voting— primary record for the state. The victory by a margin of more than 20 points came after acrimonious weeks of campaigning by opponents and supporters of the measure, and millions of dollars spent to win the hearts and minds of the electorate.

“We are not anti-gay—e are promarriage,” said Tami Fitzgerald, the chairwoman of Vote for Marriage NC, at a victory rally in Raleigh. “And the point, the whole point is simply that you don’t rewrite the nature of God’s design for marriage based on the demands of a group of adults.”

Marriage equality supporters raised record amounts of donation money to fight the amendment, which reads “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”

Opponents of Amendment One warned that along with denying the legality of all types of same-sex unions, the measure could also affect over 150,000 heterosexual couples who cohabitate but aren’t married, invalidating domestic violence regulations, child visitation and custody arrangements, and hospital access.

PITTSBURGH, PA ? Although he publicly defended the hiring of Richard Grenell?the openly gay foreign policy spokesman hired by Republican Mitt Romney?s presidential campaign two weeks ago?he departure of the former Bush State Department aide sent a signal to the religious and social conservative wing of the Republican Party, who remain unconvinced of the presumptive nominee?s commitment to their principles in the public policy arena. While Romney called Grenell, who resigned on May 1, a ?capable individual? and said that he had wanted him to stay on his job, within hours the former Massachusetts governor was meeting behind closed doors with former rival Rick Santorum, who had won his conservative credentials early in the primary season.

LGBT rights groups say that Grenell?s appointment?nd sudden departure?underscore the discomfort with which the religious and social conservative elements of the Republican Party?s base feel towards a GOP ?big tent? that includes gay members. Grenell, who was hired in late April as the spokesman for Romney on matters of foreign policy and national security, previously served as communications director for the U.S. mission to the United Nations.

Grenell?s support for marriage equality earned him sharp rebukes from members of the religious right because of his sexual identity. ?Romney picks out & loud gay as a spokesman,? tweeted American Family Association (AFA) spokesman Bryan Fischer after Grenell?s appointment. Referring to Romney, Fischer added ?If personnel is policy, his message to the pro-family community: drop dead.? Later, appearing on CNN, Fischer declared that ?The homosexual agenda represents the single-greatest threat to religious liberty and freedom of association in America today.?

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council (FRC) condemned Grenell?s political activism in seeking to classify ?sexual orientation? as a basic human right under the U.N. Charter, and speculated that a Grenell who was highly-placed in the State Department would in effect serve as a gay ?mole.? ?While past performance is not a guarantee of future results,? Perkins offered, ?there is strong evidence that Grenell would lobby for foreign policy more in line with the current administration than the last Republican one.?

Former FRC president Gary Bauer added, ?His appointment was disappointing because it comes at a time when the Romney campaign should be reaching out to the conservative base.

Instead, this appointment seems like a slap at the base.?

?It?s a little disconcerting to see a man just hired by the Romney campaign write passionately about how ?gays are going to win support for their political issues,?? posted Matthew J. Franck, Director of the William E. and Carol G. Simon Center on Religion and the Constitution at the Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, New Jersey, online at nationalreview.com.

Grenell, 45, graduated with a master?s degree from Harvard University?s John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Director of Communications and Public Diplomacy for the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Following his resignation from the Romney campaign, Grenell said that felt his ability to perform his job was ?greatly diminished by the hyper-partisan discussion of personal issues.?

If legalized, Washington would become the seventh state to recognize marriage equality.

A study by the University of California-Los Angeles law school’s Williams Institute reports that “the total spending on wedding arrangements and tourism by resident same-sex couples and their guests will add an $88-million boost to the Washington economy over the first three years.

This spending is likely to generate $8 million in tax revenue for state and local governments.”

According to a press release from the report’s sponsors, estimates show that “same-sex couples will spend $39 million on weddings in Washington in the first year alone.” Study co-author Angeliki Kastanis, a Public Policy Research Fellow at the Williams Institute, noted: “That translates to approximately $3.4 million in tax revenue, given Washington sales tax rates.”

State Rep. Matt Shea (R-Spokane Valley) offered two amendments to the House bill, one which would require six months’ residency in Washington State before applying for any type of marriage. During the committee vote, Shea warned that passage of the law could lead to discrimination suits against wedding-industry professionals, such as photographers or florists
who refuse to provide their services to gay couples.

Photo: L-R:  Senator Ed Murray (D), Governor Christine Gregoire (D), and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown (D) All Support Same-Sex Marriage Legislation for Washington.

OLYMPIA, WA Last week, the state’s top lawmakers were divided over what priority to give the same-sex marriage debate at a time Washington is facing a budget crisis. Republican leaders threatened to bring budget talks to a standstill if Democrats insist on making a stand on “social issues.”

State Senate Republican Leader Mike Hewitt told the annual Associated Press Legislative Preview on Jan. 5 that the legislature’s time would be best occupied with matters other than same-sex marriage. “This is not the session for social reforms,” Hewitt told reporters. “The last thing we need to do is be down here in turmoil over social issues.”

Hewitt also took a swipe at fellow Washington state lawmaker Ed Murray, who is gay and a leading supporter of gay marriage legislation. Hewitt accused him of being too close to the issue to be objective, saying that Murray, a Democrat, is “vested in this personally.”

Murray shot back at the Republican leader: “We’re more than one-issue members,” adding, “I’m a little surprised he’s questioning my ability.”
State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, accused the Republican minority of trying to run down the clock on an issue whose time has come. “This is the right time to move forward with marriage equality,” she said.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire echoed Brown’s remarks, noting that the long-view of history.

“To those who say we don’t have the time, what will history say when we say, ’Sorry, we had a budget to pass, so we continued to discriminate.’ That answer does not work,” Brown said. “This is our test. This is what leadership is about. Now is our time.”

Gregoire announced last week that she will introduce legislation that would allow same-sex marriages in Washington state. The announcement represents a change for Gregoire. While she has supported gay and lesbian partners having the same rights that straight married couples enjoy, she has never specifically endorsed same-sex marriage publicly.

Currently, same-sex marriage is legal in six states: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont and the District of Columbia. Nine states, including California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington, provide same-sex couples with access to the state level benefits and responsibilities of marriage, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships.