- The U.S. Senate failed to move forward a defense spending bill that included provisions to repeal the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), along with co-sponsors Susan Collins (R-ME), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Mark Udall (D-CO) introduced a free-standing bill for repeal.
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice made remarks at UN High Level meeting on “Ending Violence and Criminal Sanctions on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity,” marking Human Rights Day.
- The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case to determine the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8, which bans same-sex couples from marriage.
- Equality Florida has published a new report on LGBT-rights progress in the Sunshine State.
- Could Maryland become the next state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples? I’m not holding my breath, but it’s possible.
Around the world:
- The European Union told the Czech Republic to stop its practice of trying to determine whether asylum seekers are gay by showing them “adult” movies to gauge their levels of sexual arousal.
- While the U.S. dithers over a repeal of DADT, the Canadian Forces have issued a new policy on how to accommodate transgender troops, allowing them to “comply with the dress code and standards of deportment of the gender to which he or she is changing.”
