Rev. Meg Riley

Senior Minister, Church of the Larger Fellowship

I know in my heart and in my cells that we are going to make it. It will happen. Right here in Minnesota, there will be marriage equality.

Adam Pertman

Executive Director, Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute; author, 'Adoption Nation' and 'Adoption by Lesbians and Gay Men'

We also should address another vital question, one on which most people of every political and religious stripe presumably would agree: Shouldn't our nation's laws, policies and practices serve "the best interests of the child?"

John Becker

LGBT activist, writer and blogger

Think about it: if coming out as an ally and publicly supporting equality is considered a "distraction," how will an NFL team react to the avalanche of media attention, accolades, hate mail, death threats, etc. when an active player actually comes out as gay?

Charlotte Robinson

Broadcast journalist and host, 'OUTTAKE VOICES'

I talked with Cathy about homophobia, the gay marriage cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and the media hype surrounding NBA center Jason Collins' coming out despite the fact that tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Billy Jean King came out way back in 1981.

Rev. Vicki Flippin

Pastor, The Church of the Village

I pray for this church. I adore this church too much to allow it to sin. And I am determined to do everything in my power to love this church into righteousness.

Myisha Cherry

Adjunct Philosophy Professor, CUNY and LIU

Let's face it: None of the members of the "Christian minority" are committing suicide for fear of being outed, bullied or rejected by society. They can walk down the street and embrace their partners without fear of being attacked. They are allowed to marry the people they love.

Roger Doughty

Executive Director, Horizons Foundation

I remember that October day so clearly. It was 1987, the day of the second great LGBTQ march on Washington - and the first time I'd found myself with so many others like me. Seas of ... us.

Louis Virtel

West Coast Entertainment Editor, TheBacklot.com

In this edition of Weeklings!, I argue for why Illinois deserves gay matrimonial splendor. Hint: Illinois might be the gayest state in the union. And not just because it's where Oprah built Nate Berkus.

Matt Baume

Writer, online strategist and video producer, American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER)

Sean Yazbeck

Winner, 'The Apprentice' Season 5; co-founder, Wavsys

Gay marriage has advanced not just on rational arguments of equality and common sense, but because it makes good business sense.

Nathaniel Frank

Author, 'Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America'

Maybe all the outbursts are doing us a favor by allowing us to understand and address homophobia. But the outbursts can only be helpful if they are taken seriously and not dismissed or censored by the outrage police.

Melinda Hill

Comedian, writer and actress responsible for creating the series Romantic Encounters

My longest relationship has been with commitment phobia. But I seriously do think I could get married if I could do it with a month-to-month lease.

Blair Late

Co-star, Bravo's 'Newlyweds: The First Year'

Why get married on Bravo? Our hope is to show viewers that we are just like everyone else. We have the same issues that many couples deal with: the same fights, disagreements, personality clashes and hopes and dreams.

Charles J. Reid, Jr.

Professor of Law, University of St. Thomas

I long feared the confusion that might arise from marriage grounded solely on affection. How do we know what to honor as "marriage" and how do we distinguish that from "friendship"? I can now see that the boundary line must be the strength of commitment shared by two loving hearts.

Jonathan Rauch

Author, 'Denial: My 25 Years Without a Soul'

I am always bitterly amused when I hear people say that homosexuality is a choice. I could only imagine, as a prepubescent boy, the relief I would feel when nature finally flipped that hormone switch, when at last I would begin to slaver and tremble over pictures of boobs in dog-eared copies of Playboy, stashed lovingly under my bed. Truly, I looked forward to it.

Nigel Barber

Biopsychologist; blogger, Psychology Today's 'The Human Beast'

Redefining marriage as a civil right strips it of its defining feature as a reproductive union. This problem is seldom explicitly acknowledged. Yet, it is expressed indirectly in the semantics of the gay marriage debate.