Massachusetts Among States Offering The Most LGBT Rights [Poll]

In the wake of North Carolina's decision to amend its Constitution to ban same sex unions and President Barack Obama's announcement that he supports same sex marriage, The Guardian website has created a model looking at gay rights in each state.

According to the graphic, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, along with Washington state, Iowa and the District of Columbia, have the most rights afforded to gays.

Massachusetts allows:

• same sex marriage;
• hospital visitation by same sex partners or spouses;
• gays to adopt, either singly or as a couple.

Massachusetts prohibits:

• employment discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation;
• housing discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation;
• harassment in schools based on gender identity or sexual orientation

Also, Massachusetts' hate crime laws include crimes committed based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

In addition to comparing states' level of gay rights, the Guardian graphic allows you to log in through Facebook and see what rights are afforded in the states where all your Facebook friends live.

Changing Times

Polls have shown increasing support for same sex marriage nationally, especially among young people. Recently, Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh a statement endorsing a marriage equality plank in the national Democratic Party platform. The Massachusetts Democratic Party already has that in its platform.

“Ensuring that all Americans are free to marry whomever they love will move our nation one step closer to becoming a more perfect union with liberty and justice for all," Walsh wrote.

State Rep. David Torrisi has supported same sex marriage since the state's Supreme Judicial Court ordered it legalized in 2003. His Democratic opponent, Diana DiZoglio, said that she supports having a discussion on it but has not said if she supports marriage equality.

"Massachusetts has been a leader in recognizing the equal rights guaranteed
to us in the U.S. Constitution, and I’m glad the Democratic Party is having a
discussion as to how best to reflect those rights," DiZoglio said.

And Wednesday, President Barack Obama made headlines when he announced that he now supports same sex marriage.

And it's not just Democrats. Pro-gay rights Republican groups like the Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud have emerged as prominent voices in the Republican party.

Sen. Scott Brown, while opposed to same sex marriage, voted in favor of repealing the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

And former State Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, now a Republican candidate for the state's 6th District congressional seat, is openly gay and a longtime supporter of gay rights. He released a statement Wednesday praising the president's decision to come out in support of same sex marriage.

“I support the evolution, as he has called it, of President Obama’s position on gay marriage," Massachusetts 6th District congressional candidate Richard Tisei said. "I’ve been a strong advocate for equal rights for all people in the area of marriage equality and elsewhere for years. As a country, we need to respect one another even when we sometimes don’t understand each other – especially when we don’t understand each other. In Massachusetts, I joined with other elected officials in both parties in support of these rights – not special rights, but equality."