The Empire State Building played host to its first same-sex weddings this Valentine’s Day, offering breathtaking views to two gay couples.

Weddings are a perfectly usual event at the towering landmark, yet the marriage of Stephanie Figarelle, 29, and Lela McArthur, 24, will go down in history as the first same-sex union there. The couple’s wedding was scheduled before those of three other couples, including another same-sex ceremony.

All four couples were winners of a contest on Facebook. For weeks, fans voted on planning details, and the lucky victors had their dream day laid out by celebrity event planner Colin Cowie. Facebook users decided on the tiniest of details, including floral arrangements, the reception menu, and the color scheme.

All couples received wedding rings from DeBeers, hair and makeup by Estee Lauder, a two-night stay at some of New York’s poshest digs, and gowns from Kleinfeld. They were also treated to a celebrity photographer, and one of the couples will win $100,000 in a follow-up vote.

Although the ceremonies themselves were conducted on the 61st floor, photos were snapped on the famous 86th floor observation deck.

According to Huff Post Weddings, Figarelle wore a black tuxedo, while McArthur dazzled in a strapless white gown. They were followed by New Yorkers Phil Fung and Shawn Klein, who wore matching suits and ties for their ceremony.

Same-sex marriage became legal in the Empire State last year. Figarelle and McArthur both travelled to New York from Alaska to get hitched – the pair told press they hope their home state will one day legalize gay marriage.

Empire State Building Hosts First Same-Sex Weddings is a post from: The Inquisitr

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire on Monday gave gay rights a boost in the state when signing into law a measure that legalizes same-sex marriage in the state. Washington is now the seventh state in the U.S to hand gay rights advocates a major victory.

The law officially goes into effect on June 7 and homophobic groups have already promised to fight the law until the bitter end.

The bills opponents said they were already prepared to challenge the law by attempting to put it on hold until the outcome of a November vote.

As the law was signed the state reception room at the Capitol was packed with at least 40 lawmakers and various gay rights supporters.

In front of a cheering crowd Sen. Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat who sponsored the bill and is also gay told the audience:

“My friends, welcome to the other side of the rainbow. No matter what the future holds, nothing will take this moment away from us.”

While the audience was mostly friendly one crazy religious fanatic could be heard screaming ”Do not betray Christ!”  however his chants were soon drowned out by cheers from gay-marriage supporters.

Gregoire’s bill signing comes just one week after a federal appeals court declared California’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.

Domestic partnership laws have been on the books in Washington since 2007 and in 2009 the state passed an expansion of its laws known as “everything but marriage.”

At the start of session a new anti-gay marriage initiative was also filed however no signatures have been collected since the wording for the opposition has not yet been worked out.

With Washington on-board the following states now allow for gay marriage:

New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C.

Anyone interested in ready the new gay marriage law in Washington can view Senate Bill 6239.

Washington Governor Signs Gay Marriage Law, Opponents Immediately File Anti-Gay Marriage Initiative is a post from: The Inquisitr

The New Jersey State Senate has voted in favor of making New Jersey the 8th State in the United States to legalize same sex marriage.  The New Jersey State Assembly is expected to take up the measure for a vote soon.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to veto the measure.  He says he prefers putting the measure to a popular referendum.  Christie has indicated if the measure is put to the people for a vote and they vote in favor he will accept it.

New Jersey already has a system of civil unions for gay couples to wed.  Although the system promises gay couple all the rights and privileges of married couples.  The issue is that the system has not worked as promised.  Partners in civil unions are encouraged to carry powers of attorney or health care proxy statements so that the hospitals will honor their decisions and similar abuses have been well documented across the state.

Christie has vowed to veto the measure if passed by the assembly because he said that he believes that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.  The State Senate appears to be three votes shy of a veto proof majority.

Washington State voted today to also legalize gay marriage but their governor has promised to sign the legislation into law.  The Governor of Washington State has offered to discuss the issue with Christie to give him her perspective on the issue and how she came to her decision to sign the law.

Upon passing of the Senate vote, US Senator Frank Lautenberg had the following to say to NJ.com,

“I am proud that New Jersey’s State Senate has taken this important step toward providing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Marriage equality is one of the most significant civil rights battles of our time, and we cannot stand by while same-sex couples are treated as second class citizens in our state. It’s time to allow same-sex couples to marry and provide the same legal protections for all of New Jersey’s families.”

Do you think that Chris Christie should veto the bill allowing same sex marriage in New Jersey?

New Jersey Assembly To Vote On Same Sex Marriage is a post from: The Inquisitr

Marriage Equality has gotten a big boost in Washington State.  In addition to Group Health, Nike and Microsoft now Starbucks has added its name to a list of corporate powerhouses that support same sex marriage.

The Seattle Times has published a statement from Kalen Holmes, Executive Vice President of Starbucks. the statement read,

“Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples … This important legislation is aligned with Starbucks business practices and upholds our belief in the equal treatment of partners. It is core to who we are and what we value as a company. We are deeply dedicated to embracing diversity and treating one another with respect and dignity, and remain committed to providing an inclusive, supportive and safe work environment for all of our partners. We look forward to seeing this legislation enacted into law.”

Microsoft is another Washington State mega corporation that has lent its own support to the cause.   Microsoft issued a statement this month on its own blog titled “Marriage Equality in Washington State Would Be Good for Business”.

An excerpt from the statement reads as follows,

“Marriage equality in Washington would put employers here on an equal footing with employers in the six other states that already recognize the committed relationships of same-sex couples – Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. This in turn will help us continue to compete for talent.”

Several states over the last few years have legalized same sex marriage. Some have had it legalized through the courts and others through legislation.  The issue is taking center stage in the presidential elections coming up in 2012 elections also.

How do you feel about marriage equality?  Do you support same sex marriage?

Starbucks Supports Same Sex Marriage in Washington State is a post from: The Inquisitr

Rick Santorum might want to find a better comparison for gay marriage then polygamy. During an address to a New Hampshire college crowd the GOP presidential hopeful was booed when comparing gay marriage to the practice of wedding several wives.

When a student said she believed everybody had the right to get married Santorum quickly shot back:

“So anyone can marry anybody else?”

He then added:

“So if that’s the case, then everyone can marry several people. So you can be married to five people. Is that OK?”

The conversation then turned towards the use of federal force to stop state laws regarding gay marriage and medical marijuana to which Rick Santorum admitted:

“I don’t know my medical marijuana laws very well.”

Santorum then went on to call drugs a hazard to society and said he learned about their negative effects when he was in “college too” a response that immediately received more boos from the crowd.

As Rick Santorum left his address boos and jeers easily drowned out the sound of applause according to several people in attendance.

Santorum has made his opposition to abortion and gay rights known for a very long time while preaching his close alignment to his religion, while that type of pandering to social conservatives may win him respect in some circles perhaps a college crowd wasn’t the right place to spread his message out outward discuss for various groups.

Do you believe that the GOP’s hard stance against gay marriage, the legalization of medical marijuana and various other issues that the youth vote believes in is hurting their political aspirations?

Rick Santorum Compares Gay Marriage To Polygamy, Gets Booed By Crowd is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you went to bed early and didn’t log on to any social media sites yet, you may have missed the news that gay marriage became legal in New York late last night.

Reaction to the news was almost overwhelmingly positive, especially on sites like Facebook and Twitter, where gay marriage in New York dominated nearly half of the trending topics list for most of the evening. One of the most tweeted words was “Stonewall,” a reference to riots that occurred in 1969 in New York’s West Village between gay residents and the NYPD. In the 42 intervening years, the gay rights movement has progressed significantly- but New York becoming the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage is a massive coup for the movement.

A giant crowd gathered at the historic site to celebrate the victory, and below are images posted to Twitter by attendees. (And one video.) As a New Yorker, it is especially moving to watch the Empire State Building lit up in rainbows to celebrate.

Did you follow the events on social media? Are you proud of New York for stepping up?

[Images: @emofly, @laurenleto, @joshtpm, @maureenjohnson, goodasyou.com]

[History] Gay Marriage Passes in New York, Six Iconic Twitter Images is a post from: The Inquisitr

On May 26, two men, one wearing a wedding dress, applied for a marriage license in New York City. The licence was granted and the couple were married by city officials, even though same-sex marriage is not recognized in the state of New York.

After a string of snafus by city officials, Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson ended up married to each other, even though they are both men. In April, Nelson was issued a stade ID card that had the letter “F” as his gender, because the clerk who issued the card assumed he was female because of his feminine appearance. On May 26 Nelson and Stenson arrived at a local government office and applied for a marriage license. Since one of them was wearing a wedding dress and had a female ID card, the pair were issued the license and were married by city officials.

Once the city clerks office found out about the mistake they were understandably embarrassed and issued the following statement to the New York Post:

“Is our system 100 percent foolproof? What system is? We do the best job we can.

“If someone is trying to willfully sneak through, we try to stop it. But you have instances of females [who] have male names and vice versa.

“You’ve heard of a boy named Sue, right?”

The marriage will not be recognized by the state of New York – no same-sex marriages are, but Hakim Nelson and Jason Stenson now have bragging rights that they were the first same sex couple to ever be married in New York.

[Via Snafu-ed]

Same Sex Couple Married in New York City – Even though it’s not legal there is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a move that many gay rights advocates feel is at best backpedalling, and at worst outright betrayal, the Department of Justice filed a brief Thursday upholding the controversial Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Discontent began in May, when information regarding the repeal of DOMA was removed from the White House website. The brief filed this week, which has greatly alarmed gay rights advocates, upholds the rights of individual states to legislate same-sex marriage. Most troubling to proponents of same-sex rights is this portion of the brief, which is, according to gay-rights group The Human Rights Campaign, “neither grounded in fact nor law.”

[DOMA amounts to] a cautious policy of federal neutrality towards a new form of marriage. DOMA maintains federal policies that have long sought to promote the traditional and uniformly-recognized form of marriage, recognizes the right of each State to expand the traditional definition if it so chooses, but declines to obligate federal taxpayers in other States to subsidize a form of marriage that their own states do not recognize.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, in a statement, condemned the decision to determine the rights of millions of Americans based on fiscal policy.

“Same-sex couples and their families are not seeking subsidies. We pay taxes equally, contribute to our communities equally, support each other equally, pay equally into Social Security, and participate equally in our democracy.  Equal protection is not a handout.  It is our right as citizens.”

As long as the Defense of Marriage Act stands, legal same-sex unions will not be recognized in states that allow only for “opposite marriage.”

Obama administration draws ire by upholding the Defense of Marriage act is a post from: The Inquisitr