 The Chick-fil-A saga continues with the day of protest coming this Wednesday. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos gives $2.5 million for a marriage equality vote in Washington state. The Democratic National Committee takes a big step towards endorsing the freedom to marry, pressure builds on the Supreme Court, and there's international progress from Scotland to Vietnam. I'm Matt Baume at the American Foundation for Equal Rights, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for July 30, 2012. Protest continue over Chick-fil-A with politicians from San Francisco to Chicago to Boston speaking out against the company. While cities can't outright ban companies for being anti-gay, several communities have organized protests. This weekend, Laguna Hills residents picketed a new CFA location, and the Human Rights Campaign organized a picket line in D.C. College students are petitioning to remove the chain from campuses in Illinois, Kansas, and Minnesota, among many others. This week, Jeremiah Silpham, owner of a CFA franchise in Hollywood, issued a statement distancing himself from the company's anti-gay history. But reports indicate that Silpham is a leader at a Christian ministry called Young Life, which says that gay and lesbian couples are guilty of quote, sexual misconduct, unquote, and prohibits LGBTs from serving as staff or volunteers. This Wednesday, organizer planning a Chick-fil-A depreciation day on August 1st, supporters are encouraged to buy a chicken sandwich at McDonald's and post a photo of themselves eating it on the Facebook wall of their closest Chick-fil-A. Once the latest news in sandwiches, turning now to the November election, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has donated $2.5 million to support a marriage equality referendum in Washington. Voters there will decide whether to approve or reject marriage equality in less than a hundred days. Polling on referendum 74 is currently too close to call, with 50% supporting the measure and 43% rejecting it. And there's confusion over what a vote means, with many not understanding that an approve vote means upholding the marriage equality law. In Maine, fundraisers have brought in $1.2 million for the marriage equality measure. The opposition, on the other hand, has raised less than $50,000. Polling shows residents strongly support the freedom to marry by a margin of 57 to 35%. The Democratic National Committee is moving towards officially approving marriage equality in the party platform. The plank was unanimously approved by a 15-member panel this weekend. Now it'll undergo discussion at an August 10 meeting in Detroit, and it'll be finalized at the Charlotte, North Carolina convention in early September. The pressure is on for a marriage ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, and a Pellet Court hearing in the Golinsky case was scheduled for September, but that's been put on hold pending a decision on whether the Supreme Court will take the case instead. Meanwhile, both New York City and Massachusetts asked the Supreme Court last week to rule on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. This comes on the heels of a report from New York City that their first year of marriage equality brought $259 million. And there's been plenty of international progress lately. Scotland has announced new marriage equality legislation that carries majority support in parliament. If approved, that law could go into effect in 2013. David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, pledged this week to legalize the freedom to marry by 2015. And John Key, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, pledged his support for a marriage equality bill that's been selected for a vote by the end of the year. And despite a spotty record on human rights, officials in Vietnam are now studying options for recognizing LGBT relationships. But there's bad news in Poland, where parliament blocked a debate on civil unions. Under some interpretations, Poland's constitution may prohibit any form of relationship recognition, but the ruling civic platform party will continue its work on partnership laws. Those are the headlines. Visit AFER.org for more on the fight to overturn Prop 8 at the American Foundation for Equal Rights. I'm Matt Baume. We'll see you next week.