- Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) plans to introduce a bill as soon as next week to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He says it will still be hard to get it passed this year.
- Meanwhile the Marine Corps commandant said that while he supports a Pentagon assessment about how to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the repeal must be secondary to the military’s ability to protect our country.
- President Obama nominated federal prosecutor and out lesbian Laura Duffy as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California.
- The Attorney General of Maryland issued an opinion that the state should recognize out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples. While his opinion is not law, it may sway the courts.
- Minnesota held its first-ever legislative committee hearings on legalizing marriage (and/or recognizing out-of-state marriages) for same-sex couples, and on creating civil unions for both same- and opposite-sex couples
- A new political action committee, Fight Back New York, says it plans to raise and spend in the high six figures range to take aim at state senators who have opposed same-sex marriage.
- The Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals upheld a Superior Court ruling that rejected the request for a preliminary injunction against the start of marriage equality in the District. This means same-sex couples will be able to get married there starting March 3. Let’s hope the District clears out some of the snow before then. (Here are the details on how to get hitched in D.C.)
- A West Virginia lesbian couple was denied an apartment on the basis of their sexual orientation, reports Keori at Pam’s. Worth reading the full post to learn about the new Housing & Urban Development (HUD) initiative to conduct a study about the level of bias against LGBT people in housing.
Around the world:
- The Australian Senate voted 45-5 against a bill to legalize marriage for same-sex couples. More than a third of senators did not show up for the vote.
- The U.K.’s openly gay Europe Minister Chris Bryant predicted that marriage for same-sex couples will be available across the continent in 10 years. He also said Britain’s Foreign Office was working towards Europe-wide recognition of civil partnerships.
- Two new surveys have found that the majority of Conservative candidates in the U.K. support gay rights.