Weekly Political Roundup

• Anglican leaders ruled yesterday that the American Episcopal Church could welcome gay men and lesbians into the communion, but could not install any more gay or lesbian bishops.
• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he won’t sign a bill allowing same-sex marriage if the Legislature passes the measure. “The people of California have voted on that issue,” he stated. Sigh. We’d be much further behind on black civil rights and women’s rights if we had waited for voters to come around on those issues. Yes, I’m all for democracy. But it gets tricky when a majority is asked to vote on the civil rights of a minority.
• In the meantime, some elected city clerks in Northern California gave open support, though not marriage licenses, to the same-sex couples who sought such licenses on Valentine’s Day.
• Florida Governor Charlie Crist said he does not want the state’s Republican Party spending any more money to promote a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. He said the party has other priorities.
• The Indiana State Senate approved a same-sex-marriage ban. The measure now goes to the House of Representatives. If it passes without changes, there will be a statewide referendum before the bill could become law.
• A Montana bill prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people failed to make it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• A week before New Jersey civil unions take effect, same-sex marriage opponents launched a petition drive for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
• New Jersey’s Attorney General has said out-of-state same-sex marriages would be recognized as civil unions by the state. This is better than no recognition, although both Lambda Legal and Garden State Equality (in an e-mail to supporters) contend out-of-state marriages should be considered marriages, just like those of out-of-state opposite-sex spouses. I agree, although this would create the odd position of giving out-of-state same-sex couples the marriage equality still sought by New Jersey citizens—and maybe that’s the point. That inequality, once realized, could lead to full marriage equality for all in the state.
• Gay marriage advocates in Rhode Island rallied at the Statehouse on Valentine’s Day to promote legislation extending several marriage protections to same-sex couples, without calling it marriage. The group Marriage Equality Rhode Island is also supporting a bill for full marriage equality.
• The Utah Supreme Court ruled that non-biological parents do not have the right to seek visitation with children not related by blood. The case involved two lesbian moms who split after planning and raising a child together. The ruling will also apply to unmarried opposite-sex couples who have children together. This doesn’t mean equality, though: the bio-mom’s attorney has argued “biological parents must have the ability to sever both their own and their child’s relationships with those they have chosen not to marry and who have not adopted their child.” Let’s review: same-sex marriage in Utah is illegal. Joint adoption by same-sex couples is illegal. Second-parent adoption may or may not be legal. [As Trista corrected in her comment, no unmarried person or couple may adopt in Utah, thus ruling out second-parent adoption.] It’s ridiculous to punish someone for not doing something that is illegal for them to do. This is only the latest in a string of news about non-bio moms’ rights, and one of at least two headline cases where the bio mom is claiming that she is no longer a lesbian. My previous comments apply. Meanwhile, a Utah Senate committee has promoted a bill to the full Senate, similarly limiting non-biological parents’ rights.

Around the world:

• On Valentine’s Day, half a dozen gay men and lesbians in Beijing, China made the country’s first public appeal for the legalization of same-sex marriage.
• Top Moscow officials, including the mayor, have vowed not to allow a Gay Pride march in the city this May. LGBT activists, however, are moving forward to organize this year’s event. They also claim proposed legislation to ban homosexuality has no real support in the country’s Parliament.
• In New Zealand, Georgina Beyer, the world’s first transsexual elected to a national office, stepped down from Parliament amid speculation she will run for mayor of Wellington.