Weekly Political Roundup

Federal news dominated this week:

• The Senate Judiciary committee held a hearing on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Attorney General Eric Holder gave a statement in support. There is some buzz that the Act will be attached to the Defense Authorization bill, which happened to a previous version of the bill and helped kill it.
• Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Jared Polis (D-CO) along with eight other House members reintroduced a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that includes protections for LGBT people.
• The White House press secretary said there will be no stop order to prevent dismissals of military personnel under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell because the administration wants a “durable legislative solution.”
• The Department of Justice’s response to GLAD’s DOMA lawsuit had been due Monday, June 29, but has been postponed. GLAD explains: “Per agreement between the parties (but still waiting court approval which is a virtual certainty) we will be filing an amended complaint in late July. It will include all of our tax plaintiffs, reflect the fact that the Toneys are no longer plaintiffs because their issue has been resolved, and perhaps make some other changes. The government’s response will be due on September 18, or 45 days after our amended complaint is filed.”
• The ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the federal challenge to Prop 8 led by the American Foundation for Equal Rights and attorneys Theodore Olson and David Boies, although the groups had originally criticized the wisdom of the suit.
• Lawyers for President Obama are drafting guidelines barring workplace discrimination against transgender federal employees.
• Although parts of the LGBT community have vehemently criticized the Obama administration for its slow action on LGBT rights and apparent support of DOMA, the 10th annual LGBT Leadership Council fundraiser brought in nearly $1 million. Protesters outside carried signs criticizing those who chose to attend.
• The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and allied organizations announced the New Beginning Initiative, “to push for concrete federal administration policy and regulatory changes directly benefiting the lives of LGBT people and eliminating discrimination from federal policies.” The initiative’s first recommendations focus on “pro-LGBT public policy changes the Obama administration can implement without legislative action.”
• Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Ending Health Disparities for LGBT Americans Act (ELHDA), the first comprehensive approach to establish LGBT nondiscrimination policies for all federal health programs.
• The U.S. Government apologized to Dr. Frank Kameny for dismissing him 52 years ago from his job as an astronomer in the Army Map Service because he is gay.

And around the states:

• The Delaware legislature voted to add sexual orientation (but not gender identity) to its list of protected classes. It now goes to the governor, who is expected to sign it.
• A U.S. District Court in Georgia denied the state General Assembly’s motion to dismiss Lambda Legal’s federal lawsuit on behalf of Vandy Beth Glenn, a transgender woman who was fired after she told her employer she planned to transition from male to female.
• Michigan state Rep. Pam Byrnes said she wants to repeal a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and have the state recognize marriages of same-sex couples.

Around the world:

• Ireland now has its first openly gay council leader, Ruth Illingworth of Mullingar.
• The Irish minister for justice said he will soon seek cabinet approval for a civil partnerships bill that could be enacted by the end of the year.
• The President of Lithuania vetoed legislation that had been approved by the Seimas (Parliament), and would have banned “propaganda for homosexuality and bisexuality” in schools and”other places accessible to youngsters.”
• The AP has a profile of Aaron Katz, Poland’s first openly gay rabbi.
• A Turkish football (soccer) referee has sued his country’s football federation after he was fired for being gay. Despite widespread homophobia in the country, his stance has gained him much support from his family, fellow referees, and others.