A 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel issued an order that the Defense Department stop enforcing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). The order lifts an injunction against an earlier ruling to halt DADT. The U.S. Department of Justice made the first legal filing in the country in which they have fully argued to a court
New York enacted marriage equality on June 24. Here’s a short video by the Family Equality Council showing the responses of some LGBT parents and their children. If you are considering getting married in the Empire State, you might want to check out this list of Frequently Asked Questions from Lambda Legal.
Opinion The New York Times asks “Who’s on the Family Tree?” and answers, “Now It’s Complicated,” in an article notable for including both same-sex couples and non-traditional opposite-sex couples. Joan Oliver Emmer, a straight ally in New Jersey, offers her opinion on “Why marriage equality is good for my kids…and yours.” Janice D’Arcy of the
President Obama continued to avoid answering questions about his stance on marriage equality. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to begin collecting health data on LGBT populations. Immigration officials canceled the deportation of a Venezuelan man living in New Jersey who is married to an American man. President Obama nominated Robert
Jewish LGBT organization Keshet has announced the winner of its first Jewish Children’s Book Writing Contest (mentioned here in February): The Purim Superhero, by Elisabeth Kushner, a public librarian in Vancouver, Canada—and a lesbian mom herself. Kushner told Keshet: When I heard about the Keshet contest, it seemed like a perfect fit: in the Purim story,
U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and his partner Marlon Reis are expecting a baby in September, reports the Denver Post. That will make him the first out LGBT parent in Congress. Polis has refused to tell the press how he and Reis will be creating their family—and I give him a lot of credit for
Remember Zach Wahls? The University of Iowa student with two moms shot to fame in February after testifying at an Iowa House hearing about a bill that would ban marriage for same-sex couples. He’s since spoken with Ellen and the Human Rights Campaign, among others. This month, he’s profiled in Lambda Legal’s Impact newsletter (PDF
No big roundup this week. As with many of you, I’m busy watching the marriage equality happenings in New York tonight. Stay tuned. [10:45 p.m. ET: A wee update, from my piece for Keen News Service.]
Data from Census 2010 is slowly rolling in, state by state, and so far, it looks like about one quarter of same-sex couples are raising children, in states as diverse as Alabama, California, Hawaii, and Wyoming. The diligent demographers at the Williams Institute of UCLA are doing the analysis; they have yet to release breakdowns
The Senate Armed Services Committee passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act without any of the anti-LGBT amendments that the House passed in its version—including one that would have delayed repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The Senate bill would also repeal the military’s long-standing anti-sodomy regulation. The U.S. Department of Health and
