First, the story that should be making the most headlines next week:
A New Jersey Senate committee will consider a marriage equality proposal on Monday. The proposal could be posted for a full senate vote later in the week.
Steven Goldstein, the indefatigable chair of Garden State Equality, has been doing a heroic job of organizing supporters and lobbying politicians. In this piece at Blue Jersey, however, he writes of a very personal moment in the struggle for equality. It’s well worth a read, and doubly so because Hanukkah starts next week.
U.S. National News
- It looks like the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) is dead for the year, although Jillian Weiss at Bilerico says you should still call the House Committee to get it moving again. She also offers her thoughts on why the bill hasn’t yet gone through, opining that there has been too much focus by both the media and activists on marriage battles, to the detriment of other rights.
- David Huebner was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden as the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand. Huebner is the first openly gay person to be nominated to an ambassadorship in the Obama administration, but the third gay man to hold such a post in U.S. history. James Hormel served as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg during the Clinton administration, and Michael Guest was appointed by President George W. Bush as U.S. ambassador to Romania. Both Elizabeth Huebner, David’s mother, and Dora McWaine, the mother of Huebner’s spouse Duane McWaine, attended. Vice President Biden led both moms to their seats.
- Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL) introduced a bill to allow gay and lesbian servicemembers to testify at Congressional Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell hearings without jeopardizing their military careers. The bill also protects straight troops from retaliation.
U.S. State News
- The Courage Campaign and Lambda Legal are withdrawing their support from a 2010 campaign to repeal California’s Prop 8, saying they need to do more research and outreach first.
- The new Speaker of the California Assembly, John Perez, is gay, making him the first openly gay (and maybe first openly LGBT) speaker of any state legislature in the country.
- Voters in Georgia have elected Simone Bell to represent Georgia State House District 58, making her the first openly lesbian African-American state legislator in the United States. She is, however, the second openly LGBT member of the Georgia State House, joining Rep. Karla Drenner. Atlanta voters also elected Alex Wan to the city council, making him the first gay man and first Asian-American to hold the position.
- New York residents and straight spouses Rachel Murch D’Olimpio and Matthew D’Olimpio are seeking to have their marriage annulled on the grounds that because same-sex couples can’t marry, their own marriage contract violates constitutional equality guarantees and is thus void.
- The Charleston, South Carolina City Council added protection for LGBT people to its legislation banning discrimination in public accommodations and housing.
- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) has told his staff to implement a proposal so that same-sex partners of state employees would be covered under the state’s employee health plan. Other state officials say that this could take up to 18 months, long after Kaine has ceded office to the incoming governor, Robert McDonnell (R). McDonnell has not been a strong supporter of LGBT rights, and has questioned the costs to the state of Kaine’s proposal.
- Expanded domestic partner benefits went into effect in Washington State Thursday.
Around the World
- An Argentine judge put a hold on the decision to permit the first same-sex marriage in Latin America, saying the issue should be considered by the Supreme Court.
- The Irish government will next year consider laws to grant greater legal recognition to transgender people.
- Ireland’s minister for justice, equality and law reform Dermot Ahern introduced a bill to allow civil partnerships with some, but not all the rights and benefits of marriage. Couples would gain rights related to domestic violence, residential tenancies, succession, refugee law, pensions and immigration. The rights would not include legal support to children of same-sex couples or the right of non-biological parents to adopt their own children.
- The Swedish development assistance minister Gunilla Carlsson reportedly said her country could cut its $50 million aid funding to Uganda because of Uganda’s proposed law sentencing those convicted of homosexuality to life imprisonment or death.