At present, same-sex marriages are recognized in Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Spain, and the U.S. state of Massachusetts (for same-sex marriages performed within that state under its laws). Israel's High Court of Justice ruled to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other countries, although it is still illegal to perform them within the country and a bill has been filed in the Knesset to rescind the High Court's ruling. This past year, the United Kingdom adopted a Civil Partnership Bill that affords most of the rights of marriage to LGBT couples.

In November of last year, Mexico City passed legislation recognizing civil partnerships, as have Buenos Aires in Argentina and Brazil's southern-most state of Rio Grande du Sol. As recently as January of 2007, the Mexican state of Coahuila recognized such unions.

In the United States, the good news is that states are concerned that their laws may not withstand legal challenges in the courts.The bad news is that many states are moving to strengthen their existing statutory language to  recognize only marriages between opposite-gender couples or to amend their constitutions to preserve such an understanding of marriage.

States that Limit Marriage to Opposite-Gender Couples

In both Constitution and Statute: 24
In Statute Only: 17
In Constitution Only: 3

TOTAL: 44

Since the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, 27 states have adopted constitutional amendments preserving a non-inclusive form of marriage on a ballot. All ballot measures except one have passed by considerable majorities. The victory in favor of equality in Arizona was close -- 51.4% against and 48.6% in favor of the amendment.

The states that do NOT prohibit Same-Sex/Same-Gender Marriage are:

Connecticut
Iowa
Maryland
Massachusetts*
Minnesota
Nevada
New Jersey*
New Mexico*
New York*
Oregon
Rhode Island*
Vermont
Washington
Wyoming

*These states have no statute language defining marriage at all.

All states in the United States except the following have a state law defining marriage as being between opposite-gender couples:

Arizona
Delaware
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Massachusetts*
New Hampshire
New Jersey*
New Mexico*
New York*
Rhode Island*
South Carolina

*Again,these states have no statute language defining marriage at all.

In recent years, MCC has sponsored a Valentine's Day Action to go to local marriage license bureaus to  request marriage licenses, and we continue to encourage this in appropriate venues.

This year, we have added a new and simple plan that everyone can do. Regardless of local mandates or personal preferences, everyone can move the cause of marriage equality forward.

Below is a letter crafted for individual submission to CNN News Anchor Anderson Cooper. Because of his dedication to human rights and international justice -- as well as his occasionally non-conformist methods -- we believe that Anderson is a key public figure who could, if he chose, held advance the fight for marriage equality.

With nearly 300 churches worldwide, we ask all MCCers to generate individual letters (simply copy and paste this draft on your own stationery or letterhead) and then mail out Valentines message to Anderson Cooper. If each MCC congregation  generated at least 100 letters from members and friends, it would be a hefty 30,000 Valentines, putting this beloved cause in front of a major international media icon. And at the very least, it will put the cause of marriage equality "on the radar" of Anderson Cooper and CNN.

So we encourage you to insert this Action Alert in your church bulletins and newsletters (pastors and newsletter editors!) and feel free to forward this idea to your friends, acquaintances, and e-mail lists!

Anderson Cooper
c/o Anderson Cooper 360
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY 10019-8016

Valentine’s Day 2007

Dear Mr. Cooper:

Every Valentine's Day we hear countless stories celebrating human relationships and the love that binds us. For the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) community, Valentine's Day is also a reminder that LGBT are still second-class citizens in many parts of the world, without many civil liberties, including the right to marry.

This not only negates our common humanity, but continues the kind of social injustice that adversely affects all people. For example, many of the ballot initiatives recently passed in the United States not only eliminate the possibility of recognizing gay partnerships in the civil and legal arenas, but bear the added consequence of placing senior citizens of all persuasions in situations where they must choose between relationships and the social benefits necessary for their survival.

There are 77 countries in the world where our very existence is outlawed, and still many more where the cost of being out is high, and can include imprisonment and the death penalty. The battle for marriage equality is not a frivolous affair, but rather a  serious quest for the right to life and liberty for people everywhere.

From nations as disparate as Spain and Canada, to states like Massachusetts in the US and Coahuila in Mexico, from Boston to Buenos Aires, communities are awakening to the truth that we are all part of one human family, all equally-deserving of basic and protected civil liberties. You can help that awakening continue in very powerful and persuasive ways.

As a spiritual person, I write to appeal to your sense of fairness and your obvious compassion for people from all walks of life. Please join us in keeping this issue before the public eye as one of human equality.

With heartfelt thanks for your attention,

[signed]