U.S. National News
- The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee marked up and passed the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, which would provide benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
- While the above churns through the system, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) concluded that it does not have the legal authority to provide benefits to the spouse of Karen Golinski, an attorney at the U.S. court of appeals for the ninth circuit. Ninth circuit chief judge Alex Kozinski had previously said same-sex spouses were entitled to benefits under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan. OPM, working with the Department of Justice, said Kozinski was presiding over an administrative proceeding, not serving in his official capacity as a judge, and therefore the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) took precedence. Even worse? OPM is now headed by the openly gay John Berry.
- Newsweek opines that President Obama will do nothing about gay rights (or, presumably, LBT rights) in 2010, because he wants to avoid a culture war before midterm elections. Clearly, avoiding an actual war (vid. Afghanistan) is less of an issue.
U.S. State News
- The federal challenge to California’s Prop 8 could be televised under a pilot program authorized by the Judicial Council of the ninth circuit. We’ve already had Prop 8: The Musical, so why not?
- Now that Washington, D.C. has passed a marriage equality bill (see below), the pressure is on neighboring Maryland. Gov. Martin O’Malley has said he would like to be able to recognize legal same-sex marriages from other states, but is waiting for a legal opinion from Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler.
- Reed Gusciora (D), the only out state legislator in New Jersey, said the state’s pending marriage legislation “still has a shot” but “could go either way.” He seems to be covering all bases, there, but his warning against bringing the bill to a vote if it doesn’t seem to have enough support seems well advised.
- New Mexico Sen. William Sharer (R) has filed a bill proposing a constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman. (Thanks, PageOneQ.)
- New York Gov. David Paterson (D) signed an executive order protecting transgender state workers—but not those in the private sector—from discrimination in the workplace. He urged state lawmakers to remedy the gap and pass the Gender Expression Non Discrimination Act (GENDA).
- A lesbian in Texas is fighting for the right to divorce her spouse after the couple married in Massachusetts five years ago. Her spouse is contesting the request on the grounds that same-sex marriage is not recognized in Texas.
- Washington, D.C. Mayor Mayor Adrian Fenty signed a bill to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. Congress now has 30 days to review the bill before it becomes law.
Around the World
- An England and Wales Court of Appeal held that public employees working as registrars can be required to to register same-sex partners regardless of the employee’s religious beliefs.
- Portugal’s government is drawing up a marriage equality law that could be voted on by legislators in January.
- The Rwandan lower house of parliament is expected to vote soon on legislation that would impose a prison term of five to 10 years and a “hefty” fine on those who “practice,” “encourage,” or “sensitize” someone of the same sex towards homosexual relations.
- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said the U.S. government had contacted Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni to express its opposition to a measure imposing life imprisonment or the death penalty for being convicted of homosexuality.
- The director of the BBC World Service apologized for posting a poll on its Web site, near an article about the proposed Ugandan law, asking, “Should homosexuals face execution?”
- The U.K. Crown Prosecution Service says there has been a ten percent rise in four years in the numbers of people being convicted for homophobic and transphobic hate crimes.
