Get Kissed Off! Approve Referendum 71

It’s been a good news/bad news kind of week for all of us at Interactive Male’s Big Gay Kiss Contest.

First the good: On Tuesday, the state of Vermont began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, four months after their historic decision to legalize gay marriage. Minutes after midnight, Bill Slimback and Bob Sullivan, and Claire Williams and Cori Giroux, became the first couples to marry under the new law.

Adding to the celebration, Vermont-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s showed their support by renaming their Chubby Hubby ice cream Hubby Hubby for the month of September.

And then the bad: Being proud Vancouverites, yesterday’s ruling on Referendum 71 hit close to home. Ref 71 is officially on the ballot for November 3 in Washington State, after conservative sponsors collected enough signatures to force a vote on expanding domestic partnership rights.

What’s at stake? If voters don't approve Referendum 71, same-sex partners will not be entitled to victims’ rights, business succession rights, legal process rights, and the right to use sick care for a spouse. That this is even still an issue is sad, and it's wrong.

So where does that leave us? Six states (and Canada) now allow same-sex marriages; four of those states adopted their law within the last four months.

We are making progress.

Sponsors of Referendum 71 may have gathered enough signatures to make the ballot, but if we keep working together, expanded rights are only delayed, not defeated. No matter where you are in America, a little act of love—some may call it defiance—can help ensure domestic partnerships rights for everyone.

How? You do what comes naturally: KISS! Make a kissing video and enter it in the Big Gay Kiss Contest.

Marriage Equality USA gets a $5 donation for every kissing video we receive. The money's used to educate voters in Washington and across the country.

Want to learn more? Read our news release or visit the Big Gay Kiss website.