Weekly Political Roundup

• The U.S. State Department declared its support for the UN Statement on “Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity,” joining 66 other UN member states who have done so, condemning human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity wherever they occur.
• The Washington Post endorsed the Uniting American Families Act that would allow Americans and permanent residents to sponsor foreign-born same-sex partners for legal residency in the U.S. The bill was introduced last month in House and Senate.
• The Obama administration appointed lesbian attorney Elaine Kaplan as general counsel for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The OPM’s director, John Berry, is also gay.
• President Obama invited seven LGBT small business owners to attend the White House briefing when he announced his administration’s small business initiative.
• Gay alumni of West Point have formed a new support and advocacy group called Knights Out.
• William McInerney, whose 15-year-old son Brandon McInerney shot and killed classmate Larry King, was found dead at his Ventura County, California home after “an accidental fall.” He was discovered by an acquaintance planning to take him to his son’s preliminary hearing.
• LGBT advocates and lawmakers rallied outside the Florida capitol in support of adoption rights for lesbian and gay people. With them was Broward County resident Stuart Milk, the nephew of slain San Francisco city official Harvey Milk.
• Conservatives in Minnesota groups are beginning a new effort for a constitutional amendment banning marriage of same-sex couples.
• The New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee split its votes on a bill to allow marriage for same-sex couples and on a bill to ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity, which means no recommendation will be made to the full House when the bills go to the floor.
• The Vermont House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously in favor of a bill to legalize marriage for same-sex couples.

Around the world:

• The European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee approved the extension of protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in areas such as healthcare and commercial services.
• LGBT activists in Queensland, Australia are claiming that both leading political parties are ignoring the needs of the LGBT community.
• A Northern Ireland assembly member will not be prosecuted for comparing homosexuality to pedophilia or making other homophobic comments.
• LGBT activists asked the Scottish Parliament to review the Marriage Act and explain why it is refusing to amend it to include same-sex couples. In separate news, Scottish hate crime laws will now cover sexual orientation and gender identity.