College junior becomes South Carolina’s first openly gay elected official

College of Charleston junior Nick Shalosky recently became South Carolina’s first openly gay elected official, winning a seat on the Charleston County District 20 Constituent School Board at the age of 21. Shalosky, secretary of the South Carolina Stonewall Democrats, organized a write-in campaign primarily through Facebook and won the seat with a mere 22 votes.

Note from Shalsoky on The Bilerico Project

h/t: GayPolitics.com

Thanks, Joe Brummer and get RI Magazine!

The February edition of get Magazine featured the following in Joe Brummer’s pg9 editorial.

“A recent study published by the group Freedom to Marry showed that legislators who support marriage equality are more likely to gain re-election.

The report, available on the (FTM website) states, ‘In the 17 different state legislatures that have voted on an anti-gay constitutional amendment since 2005, none of the 670 legislators who voted against discrimination lost their stand when they next faced voters…”

This should send a message to legislators in Rhode island to wake up and support equality.”

WE COULDN’T AGREE MORE! Let your elected officials know that it’s time to make marriage equality a reality for same-sex couples in Rhode Island with the message, Open Your Heart to Marriage Equality NOW.

See you at the State House Rally on Thursday, February 12!

Pro Marriage Equality = Strong Political Career

Freedom to Marry has recently released a study showing that “exhibiting leadership by voting to support the freedom to marry helps rather than hurts politicians.”

From the report:

A review of all of these votes from 2005 to the present shows that legislators who vote to end marriage discrimination for same-sex couples are consistently re-elected. The success of more than 1,100 state legislators who voted to support the freedom to marry stands in bold contrast to the commonly held belief that supporting marriage equality ends political campaigns and careers. In fact, these legislators are re-elected no matter what party they represent or if they changed their vote from opposing to supporting marriage equality. Even better, legislators who run for higher office win after voting in favor of marriage for same-sex couples.

This report supports what we are MERI believe, voting for equality is good for our elected officials. Freedom to Marry shows this unequivocally in their finding that those who voted to end marriage discrimination since 2005 have had a 100% re-election rate. Better yet, the finding goes beyond re-election and shows that even those who sought higher office in 2008 all won their seats.

READ THE REPORT

Vote Registration Deadline for Nov. 2 Election this Saturday

Voting is one of the most important things we can do to achieve marriage equality in Rhode Island and in addition to the presidential race this year sees the entire general assembly is up for election. In order to vote in the General Election, your registration must be up to date by Saturday, Oct. 4th.

Remember, if you’ve moved or haven’t voted in the last several elections, it is important to update your registration. Take a minute to check the Voter Information Center and make sure your info is up-to-date. If you need to make changes, click here for a copy of the form to print out. It can be returned by mail on in person; the directions are on the form.

Vote Equality!