Wow. Another week of major news. I’ll keep this fairly short, though, as there’s bound to be lots of news next week after the elections, one way or another.
U.S. National News
- President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. It’s worth reading his remarks (link above) and Judy Shepard’s remarks, of course; I also enjoyed the comments by Allyson Robinson, Associate Director of Diversity at HRC. She says, “Today, my human value, as a transgender person and a lesbian, is explicitly acknowledged, for the first time in history, in the law of the land,” but also acknowledges that passing laws is in many ways the easy part—it is changing a culture that is difficult.
- President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, re-funding the largest federal program specifically dedicated to providing HIV care and treatment. He also announced the elimination of the HIV entry ban, so that people who have HIV and are not U.S. citizens will be able to enter the U.S. starting in January 2010.
- On the “more work to be done” side, a gay Brazilian man has been denied asylum by the Obama administration. He had previously tried to claim asylum because he had been raped as a teenager in Brazil. It was denied, and he returned to Brazil, but not before marrying his now-husband in Massachusetts. An opposite-sex spouse, of course, would have been able to claim U.S. residency.
- The Obama administration also argued, in a lawsuit brought by Massachusetts, that states that allow same-sex couples to marry can’t force the federal government to provide benefits to those couples. At the same time, it said the administration supports repeal of DOMA but still must defend its constitutionality. As Nancy Polikoff points out, too, the government also said that in making its case, it will not use the argument that opposite-sex marriage is the best place for procreation and child-rearing. That’s a small step forward.
- Catherine Rampell has a thought-provoking piece in the New York Times, in which she notes that in many states legal and policy responses on gay rights lags behind much more liberal popular opinion, although marriage rights in California may be an exception.
U.S. State News
- Maine Gov. John Baldacci announced his re-endorsement of full marriage equality. He signed the legislation into law last spring. (He also spoke with Rachel Maddow Thursday.)
- Lest we paint any of these debates too much in terms of religion vs. LGBT rights: Pamella Starbird Beliveau of Lewiston, Maine, was removed as a lector and Eucharistic Minister at her Catholic church after it was discovered that she wrote an opinion piece for the local newspaper in support of marriage equality.
- The Kalamazoo Gazette came out in support of the ballot measure seeking to add “sexual orientation or gender identity” to the city’s non-discrimination ordinance.
Around the World
- The Argentine Congress began debate on whether to allow same-sex couples to marry.
- U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent a letter of support for a hate crime vigil being held to honor Ian Baynhan, murdered in a homophobic attack two weeks ago.
- The U.K.’s Europe Minister Chris Bryant says he is “delighted” that British consulates have been able to register almost 500 civil partnerships across the world, in countries that would not otherwise permit them.