Weekly Political Roundup

• Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA) introduced the Reuniting Families Act, an immigration bill that includes allowing Americans to sponsor same-sex partners for residency. The Senate version does not include that provision, but the Senate Judiciary Committee this week held hearings on a separate immigration bill, the Uniting American Families Act, that would end discrimination against LGBT families.
• Knights Out, the organization of gay and lesbian West Point alumni, has released a statement telling the President to sign a stop-loss order immediately and allow gay and lesbian military personnel to continue serving for the sake of national security.
• Illinois State Rep. Greg Harris did not bring a civil union bill to the floor last weekend, effectively killing it for this session. He cited the need to focus on the economy rather than other issues. (About which, see under “New England” below.)
• Maryland’s attorney general is investigating whether the state can recognize marriages of same-sex performed in other states. His office plans to issue an opinion in the coming weeks.
• Lawyer Nan Hunter points us to an article that explains how the new Nevada domestic partnership bill is unique.
• Reuters reports on the “economic windfall” that New England could see from same-sex couples coming to the area to wed and stay.
• New Hampshire became the seventh state to enact marriage equality, after Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine, and California (which enacted and then rescinded it for all but 18,000 couples lucky enough to schedule their weddings in the five-month period of legality).
• Pennsylvania State Sen. Daylin Leach (D) introduced the state’s first bill to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. Sen. John Eichelberger (R.) will soon introduce a constitutional amendment to ban it.

Around the world:

• The Scottish Parliament passed legislation that bans hate crimes against LGBT people.
• The Church of Sweden has appointed Eva Brunne, an out lesbian, as the Lutheran bishop of Stockholm. She is believed to be the world’s first lesbian bishop. (Between this and the LGBT-inclusiveness of IKEA, I’m thinking Sweden might be rising in our “places to vacation” list.)
• Councillor Jeff Hook was elected mayor of Southwark, south-east London, making him the first openly gay person in the role. Pinknews.co.uk notes that his civil partner will be “his official consort.”