Nelson Mandela, the first Black president of South Africa, died today at the age of 95. His greatest legacy, of course, will be having led the country out of apartheid — but he also had a significant impact on LGBT equality.
It’s National Family Week. The President said so. And for the first time ever, he explicitly included same-sex parents in his proclamation. That’s great news — but he could do more.
Today marks 10 years of marriage equality in Massachusetts and seven years of legality (on top of 13 years of illegality) for my spouse Helen and me.
Jennifer Neuman-Roper, mother of three, spouse of Angelique Neuman-Roper, and a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit for the right to marry in New Mexico, died Friday at age 44 of brain cancer, The Advocate reports.
Don’t worry, there’s more than just custody cases here. We’ve got good news from France, a couple of long pieces exploring the legal and political status of LGBT parents today, some family stories, and a great ad campaign.
The scale of the disaster in the Philippines caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda is almost beyond imagining. The latest count is 10,000 dead and over 600,000 displaced by the strongest storm to make landfall in recorded history. As we enter a season when many of us are already called on to make charitable donations, I hope many of us will find a few extra dollars to donate to one or more of the organizations leading relief efforts. Here’s how to find them.
Not to be outdone by Illinois, Hawaii just moved closer to becoming the 16th state to pass a bill in favor of marriage equality. The Hawaii House approved a bill Friday night (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time) that now must now go back to the Senate for re-approval. Jumping on the I-state momentum, four same-sex couples in Idaho yesterday also sued for the right to marry.
Congratulations to Illinois, which today became the 15th state to pass marriage equality. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a lesbian mom of three, told her colleagues before the vote to think of future generations, reported the Windy City Times. “It is their opinion of your actions today that really matters,” she said.
I’m torn about the possibility that Hawaii could become the next state to enact marriage equality. Once same-sex couples can marry on a beach in Maui, why would they want to marry anyplace else? On the other hand, hearing the story of Maureen Kilian and Cindy Meneghin, two moms who were among the plaintiffs in the case that won marriage equality in New Jersey, I know I want marriage equality everywhere. Watch:
My hometown team, the Boston Red Sox, is in the World Series. Earlier this week, New Jersey became the 14th state to enact marriage equality, with the possibility of several more to follow. All this got me thinking about parallels between the Red Sox and marriage equality.
