 Hi, I'm Matt Baume at the American Foundation for Equal Rights. We're nearly halfway into 2012 and so much is happening. Just five months in and Obama endorses marriage equality. We've had a huge ruling in the Prop 8 case and big changes in state laws and federal litigation. And coming up on the horizon are some super important ballot measures and oh, yeah, a presidential campaign. 2012 is going to be the most important year yet for all those LGBT couples who are in love and just want to get married. So let's take a quick look at the year so far and what lies ahead. Starting on New Year's Day, nearly half of U.S. residents now live in states with some form of relationship recognition, with new civil unions laws taking effect in Delaware and Hawaii. Legislatures in Washington, New Jersey and Maryland convene with marriage bills on the table. Colorado introduces a civil unions bill and Freedom to Marry announces that 80 mayors have endorsed marriage equality. By April, that'll be up to 207 mayors. February, the Ninth Circuit upholds the district court ruling that Prop 8 is unconstitutional, but couples still can't get married, since the Prop 8 proponents immediately petition for a re-hearing. In Washington and Maryland, lawmakers pass marriage bills, but they're put on hold while anti-equality activists try to force them to referendum. New Jersey legislators pass a marriage bill, but Governor Chris Christie vetoes now it's up to state leaders to try to secure enough votes for an override. Colorado's civil unions bill passes its first committee and marriage bills appear in Rhode Island and Illinois. Civil unions bill pops up in West Virginia, which is a bit of a long shot, but you've got to start somewhere. On the national front in February, the Department of Justice announces that it won't defend the parts of Title 38 that prevent the government from recognizing the same sex spouses of service members and veterans. A judge in California is the second federal judge to rule that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. Nancy Pelosi wants marriage equality in the official Democratic Party platform, and a main court rules that NAM must reveal its secret donors. Now we're into March. AFER livestreams a star-studded reading of eight. It's the first to participate in YouTube's new live streaming program for nonprofits. It gets a quarter million live views, and half a million more in the days following. Democrats and Republicans unite in New Hampshire to reject an attempt to overturn that state's marriage equality law, and with less than two months to go before the vote in North Carolina, President Obama condemns the proposed constitutional amendment. Voters, however, are still confused about what it does. April, Obama also opposes an anti-gay constitutional amendment in Minnesota. The Department of Justice takes an even firmer stand against DOMA as the number of cases challenging the anti-gay law continues to grow. Lambda Legal files a federal marriage equality lawsuit in Nevada, and national polling shows that a majority of young people and Latinos support marriage equality. And in early May, Colorado's legislative session ends before lawmakers can vote on the Civil Unions bill. North Carolina's amendment 1 lost its edge in the polls as voters learned just how far it goes, but it wasn't enough, and the measure passed, leaving North Carolina with no LGBT relationship recognition. No civil unions, no domestic partnerships, no rights, no protections. It's a setback, but there's still a silver lining. The margin by which amendments like this pass has been shrinking over time, and voters who knew that amendment 1 would ban civil unions opposed the measure by 61 to 37%. Even one of its big supporters, House Speaker Tom Tillis, said that it'll probably be repealed within 20 years. And then there's the big news from the White House that President Obama now fully supports the freedom to marry. That's a huge milestone, and a reminder that marriage equality is a unifying and fundamental American value. Obama's announcement is a defining moment in the fight for freedom. All attention now turns to the November election. Aside from the presidential election, our next big showdowns are likely to be in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington. Those of the states likely to have marriage equality-related ballot measures this fall. They need our attention right now, from today to November. And nationally, watch for big legal developments around DOMA throughout the year. We're currently tracking 17 lawsuits that involve DOMA. You can also expect news in AFER's case against Prop 8. The proponents have petitioned for a rehearing, which, if granted, would mean several more months of deliberation by the Ninth Circuit. But if the court rejects the petition, then the proponents will probably turn to the Supreme Court of the United States right away. Now, obviously, this is a lot of stuff to keep track of, but luckily, you don't have to. We're keeping track of it for you. You can subscribe here on YouTube, or on Twitter, or on Facebook, and we'll send you news alerts whenever there's something you need to know, or some way that you can help. Also, remember to give this video a thumbs up and to share it with everyone you know, because every conversation that we have about the freedom to marry wins more people over to our side. It's been an amazing year so far, with plenty of ups and downs, but mostly ups. And it's not even half over. Now let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I'm Matt Baume.