A little political news this week, hmm? I already covered some Prop 8 stories on Tuesday, but I’ll start with a few more, because I just can’t help myself:
- Alec Baldwin (yes, that Alec Baldwin) tells us Why Childless Straight Couples Make the Case for Gay Marriage.
- Hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons adds to my collection of says, “As an African-American, I urge my own people to take a deep look at our own struggles and not wish them upon anyone else. Simply, civil rights for all is about being connected as humans, united, tolerant, loving and brave. . . . In my heart, I know that marriage equality for every human being isn’t a question of if, but only a matter of when.”
- Joan Vennochi’s op-ed in the Boston Globe is a must-read on President Obama stance towards LGBT equality and his choice of Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Republican attorney Theodore Olson and Democratic attorney David Boies, who argued opposite sides in Bush v. Gore in 2004, have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on behalf of two same-sex couples who wish to marry. They say the case could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. Many LGBT rights groups are arguing that the time is not yet right for this.
- Finally, the Advocate asks a good question, relevant for when I’m visiting the in-laws: Are same-sex couples who married in Canada or Massachusetts before the November 4, 2008, passage of Prop 8 still married under California law?
In other U.S. news:
- The White House reinterated President Obama’s support for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), saying that President Obama feels “this is an issue that should be left to the states.” Because we never move or travel and having our marriages blink on and off like
- Steve Kornell, an openly gay candidate for City Council in St. Petersburg, Florida, deftly handles the “are you gay and how will this affect how you do your job?” question.
- Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) vetoed a bill that would have given same- and opposite-sex domestic partners many of the state rights and benefits of married couples. Because if Nevada can’t uphold the sanctity of marriage, who can?
- The New Hampshire Senate rejected a Republican attempt to put the issue of marriage equality in front of voters in 2010.
- A New Hampshire House and Senate committee also agreed on changes to a marriage equality bill that the House failed to pass last week. The Boston Globe observes, “The compromise reached Friday barely changes it.” The legislature is expected to vote on the new version Wednesday.
- Pennsylvania Sen. Daylin Leach (D) announced a marriage equality bill. It will compete with a one-man-one-woman amendment (can we abbreviate that OMOWA from now on?) introduced last month by Sen. John Eichelberger (R).
- A new poll found that 60% of registered voters in Rhode Island favor marriage equality.
- City election officials in Washington, D.C. said they will expedite their review of a request for a referendum on a bill recognizing marriages of same-sex couples performed in other jurisdictions.
- A Wisconsin legislative committee has approved a measure for same-sex couples to register as domestic partners and receive some of the same benefits as married couples. Passage by the full legislature and governor looks likely. Right-wing groups are having the usual fits.
Around the world:
- Cuba will reinstate sex-change operations previously banned in the country.
- Six gay men were killed in Baghdad’s Sadr City slum during a 10-day period after an unknown Shiite militia group urged a crackdown on “homosexuals.” The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said as many as 30 people have been killed during the last three months because they were gay or were perceived to be.
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke out in support of gay clergy at the Church of Scotland General Assembly.
- Despite the Archbishop’s words, the Church of Scotland imposed a two-year ban on new ordinations of gay ministers. A special commission will consider such ordinations and report in 2011. The decision does not affect the earlier one to allow openly gay Rev. Scott Rennie to serve as minister of Queen’s Cross Church in Aberdeen.
- In related news, a parishioner of Rev. Scott Rennie has filed a complaint, claiming the congregation was not aware of Rennie’s sexuality until a controversy arose becuase of his appointment.
- TransLondon, the largest group in the U.K. capitol for transgender people, is boycotting London Pride. The group says trans women were denied access to female toilets at last year’s Pride and one was sexually assaulted.