Presidential candidate and Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd told students in New Hampshire that people debating gay marriage should ask themselves what they would do if their child was gay. He added that if his daughters were lesbians he would want them to have “marriage-like rights” through civil unions. He stopped short of supporting same-sex marriage, however, and when asked about the difference, said “I don’t think probably much in people’s minds. If you’re allowing that, all the protections you have there, you’ve covered it.” I was with him until that point—though on the scale of candidates, he’s not so bad on LGBT rights.- Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA), introduced legislation to end the tax inequities on employer-provided health insurance for domestic partners. Currently, employees receiving insurance premiums and benefits for domestic partners must count them as taxable income. Employees receiving such benefits for federally-recognized spouses can exclude them from income.
- Despite a low voter turnout, the unofficial results of a poll in Alaska indicated that 55 percent of voters are in favor of taking a vote on a constitutional amendment to strip benefits from the gay partners of public employees, and 45 percent are against it. The poll is non binding. (Thanks, PageOneQ.)
- San Francisco city officials and civil rights groups formally asked the California Supreme Court to reverse the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying it is unconstitutional. The Court agreed last December to review the case.
- A Colorado Senate committee passed the “Second Parent Adoption Bill” that would allow two people other than married couples or single parents to adopt together. They did so despite the dubious “scientific” testimony of ultra-conservative Paul Cameron, who claimed that gay men and lesbians have short life spans and thus shouldn’t be parents. Perhaps Pam is right, and the fundamentalist movement is losing its clout.
- A Federal judge has ruled the Okeechobee County school board in Florida cannot stop students from organizing a Gay-Straight Alliance. 365Gay reports “It is the first ruling in Florida to find that GSAs are not by definition ‘sex-based’ clubs, something that the school board had claimed.”
- An Indiana House committee did not pass a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, thus killing it for this year. Some say it could come up again next year, however.
- Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has ordered the Department of Public Health to record the marriages of 26 out-of-state gay couples. This reverses the decision by his predecessor, Mitt Romney, to prevent out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying. The 26 couples in question received their licenses from clerks who ignored Romney’s ban. Patrick’s move does not allow other out-of-state same-sex couples to marry, though it is clearly a move in that direction.
- The New Hampshire House voted nearly 2-to-1 in favor of a civil union bill for same-sex couples. The bill now goes to the Senate.
- Same-sex couples married in Massachusetts gathered at the Rhode Island Statehouse to advocate for same-sex marriage in Rhode Island. Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch issued a nonbinding opinion in February saying that his state should recognize same-sex marriages from Massachusetts.
- A trial court judge in Virginia granted joint custody to a gay man and his ex-wife, even though the ex-wife (the children’s mother) said his “‘homosexual lifestyle’ was not good for their children
Around the world:
- The Melbourne City Council in Australia launched a relationship register that will allow same- and opposite-sex couples to have their relationships legally recognized. Couples will still have no legal rights at State or Commonwealth level. (Thanks, PageOneQ.)
- Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams said he is “disappointed” the 2011 UK Census will not include a question about sexual orientation, although it will ask about civil partnerships. He said such a question “would help to monitor equality legislation and improve service provision” to LGBT people.