NYC Mayor Bloomberg Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is!

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $250K to the campaign for marriage equality in Maryland.

Plus+ Zach Wahls and Scouts for Equality Hitting The Boy Scouts of America Where it Counts - Their Bank Account; And + Washington Catholics Come Out for Marriage Equality

1. NYC Mayor Bloomberg

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $250K to the marriage equality campaign in the state of Maryland. Michael M. Grynbaum wrote about the billionaire Mayor’s donation for The New York Times - City Room blog.

Expanding his support for same-sex marriage onto the national stage, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg donated $250,000 this month to support an effort in Maryland to do what no state has done so far: legalize same-sex marriage at the ballot box.

The mayor’s donation, to be announced on Friday, is the largest individual contribution received by proponents of same-sex marriage in Maryland, where voters will face a referendum in November on whether to affirm or reject a state law passed this year to allow same-sex couples to marry.

Bravo Mayor Bloomberg!

Zach Wahls delivers petitions to the Boy Scouts of America demanding that they change their discriminatory ways.

 2. LGBT Group Targets Boy Scout Donors

The advocacy group Scouts for Equality, founded by Zach Wahls, a former Eagle Scout, successfully lobbied silicon valley chip maker Intel, to stop donating to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) councils that do not have LGBT non-discrimination policies in place.

Intel was BSA’s largest corporate supporter, according to the Dallas Voice. They donated $700K to the Boy Scouts in 2010.

Scouts for Equality has named UPS as their next corporate target. They donated $167K to BSA in 2010.

Dallas Voice staff writer David Taffett reports:

“We have no problem with councils that have stated nondiscrimination policies,” said Wahls, a straight ally who was raised by two moms.

Although UPS is not the next-largest funder of the Scouts, Wahls said the company is highly visible, the Christmas package delivery season is approaching and of its total donation, $100,000 went directly to national headquarters.

Other major funders of the Boy Scouts include local United Way chapters, which may or may not take the Scouts’ ban on gays into account.

“Some United Ways are doing that by their own volition,” Wahls said.

Congratulations to Zach Wahls and Scouts for Equality - for doing such GREAT work!

Zach Wahls delivered the change.org petition with 300,000+ signatures, demanding that BSA reinstate den mother Jennifer Tyrell, and change their homophobic and discriminatory anti-gay policies.

3. Washington state Catholics Voice Support for Marriage Equality

A group of 63 former Catholic priests in the state of Washington announced their support for marriage equality, in order to challenge the Catholic Bishops who have been actively campaigning against same-sex marriage.

Reuters reporter Jonathan Kaminsky reports in the Chicago Tribune:

"We feel the bishops are abusing their power in attempting to direct Catholics on how to vote on this civil matter and impose their position on all citizens, Catholic and non-Catholic," the former priests said in a statement.

Washington state's Democratic-controlled legislature voted this year to legalize same-sex marriage and Governor Chris Gregoire, a Democrat and a Catholic, signed the measure into law in February.

The former clergy's petition was organized by Patrick Callahan, who was a Catholic priest for 15 years and remains a Catholic churchgoer.

"Progressive-thinking Catholics need the reassurance that there is more than one authentic Catholic position," he told Reuters.

Washington state voters will consider the marriage equality ballot initiative in the November 2012 election.

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