 One of the star witnesses who testified in favor of Prop 8 has switched sides, joining the majority of Americans who support the freedom to marry. Also this week, there's yet another DOMA lawsuit, more encouraging surveys in battleground states and new ads in Minnesota. At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I'm Matt Baume, and welcome to Marriage News Watch for June 25, 2012. This week we're happy to welcome a brand new supporter to our side, David Blankenhorn. He was one of the two witnesses who testified in favor of Prop 8 at the trial back in 2010. But now he's joined our side with the New York Times op-ed that reads, quote, Legally recognizing gay and lesbian couples and their children is a victory for basic fairness. We couldn't agree more, and we're very glad to welcome David Blankenhorn to the winning side of the fight for equality. The other major headline this week is a new lawsuit challenging the Defense of Marriage Act. That comes out of New York and involves a medical center that won't extend healthcare benefits to the spouses of gay and lesbian employees. DOMA has already been ruled unconstitutional several times, but pending appeals have delayed a final ruling on its constitutionality. This week, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced they'll file a brief in support of one of those cases. But on the other side of the battle, a congressional legal body announced they'll move quickly to defend DOMA. The House by Bartisan Legal Advisory Group led by Speaker John Boehner says that by the end of this week, it will ask the Supreme Court of the United States to review the case. Turning to the states, a new survey in Colorado shows widespread support for civil unions. 56 percent of Coloradans support a civil union's measure with just 38 percent opposed. That's a bit of a slide from last April when the same survey showed support for the bill at 62 percent, an opposition at 32 percent. The bill was defeated last month, but will almost certainly be back for next year's session. There's good news in Washington where a new survey shows 51 percent support marriage equality to 42 percent opposed. That nine-point lead is a big jump from the previous year when marriage was leading by only two points. Others will weigh in on that state's marriage equality law this November. A fundraising surge in Minnesota has pro-quality groups announcing 3.1 million in fundraising for the first half of the year. That coincides with the launch of new online ads for the campaign to stop the anti-gay amendment. The ads feature families talking about the importance of equality, similar to videos that ran in North Carolina, Maine, and California. In international news, a survey in Scotland shows 64 percent support marriage equality with just 26 percent opposed. The government there is expected to release the results of a consultation on marriage equality later this week. Meanwhile, the Mormon Church's area authority in Europe has spoken out, urging members to, quote, protect and promote marriage, as the union of one man and one woman, unquote. And vote on marriage may be coming sooner than expected in Australia. The two competing bills there had been heading for a vote by the end of the year, but now the Labor Party is moving towards a vote at the end of August. We'll be following the situation there very closely over the next few months. You can visit AFER.org to learn more about the fight to overturn Prop 8 here in the U.S. At the American Foundation for Equal Rights, I'm Matt Baume. We'll see you next week.