Advocating

Where to Vote

A public service announcement before the start of Election Day here in the U. S.: If you don’t know where to vote, call 866-MY-VOTE1 (866-698-6831) to find out. You can also use that number (set up two years ago by the non-partisan National Constitution Center) to report any polling irregularities. If you prefer to get […]

Marital Bliss, Part I

My partner and I applied for a marriage license in Massachusetts Friday, though we weren’t sure we’d be able to do so. We explained to the very nice clerk in the Gloucester City Hall that we did not yet have a home in the state, but my partner will be starting work there on Monday.

Chicago Tribune Columnist: Same-Sex Marriage Affirms Traditional Marriage

It’s always good when someone writes intelligently in a mainstream publication about LGBT rights. Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune yesterday tackled the conservative claim that same-sex marriage “would grossly shortchange the needs of children ‘in order to further adult interests in sexual freedom’”: Now, it will come as a shock to heterosexual couples that

Weekly Political Update

Lots of new in advance of the U. S. elections this coming Tuesday. Here are some of the highlights: An Alaska Superior Court will order the state to change its proposed requirements for benefits given to same-sex partners of state employees. Among other things, it ordered that partners who are jointly responsible for a child

LGBT Family Visibility on National Adoption Day

November is National Adoption Month, first celebrated (as a single week) in 1976. The observance culminates on National Adoption Day, November 18, when “courts and communities coast-to-coast will come together to finalize thousands of adoptions of children from foster care and to celebrate all families who adopt.” President Bush, like his predecessors back to Gerald

Conservatism, Apathy, and Other Scary Things

Today is Halloween, but it’s also one week before the U. S. elections. I thought it was appropriate, therefore, to write about a few things that scare me. Less than 40 percent of those eligible have voted in midterm elections during the past 20 years. I’m scared Democratic voters will see Republicans reeling from the Mark

The Cash Value of Legal Unions

The New York Times has an article today on the financial impact of the New Jersey same-sex union/marriage ruling to couples in the state. (Registration required.) Featured in the article are partners Cynthia and Lucy Vandenberg, who ennumerate the thousands they have spent to secure rights and benefits that married couples rarely have to pay

Job Searches for Lesbian Moms and Other Niche Groups

The headline on Tech Crunch caught my eye this morning: “Simply Hired, Now for Senior Gay Mothers Who Love Dogs & the Environment.” The post was about job search engine Simply Hired, which offers specialty searches of gay-friendly companies, mom-friendly companies, eco-friendly companies, and even dog-friendly companies. Now they also offer a search for senior-friendly

Weekly Political Roundup

The New Jersey marriage decision dominated the political news this week. Time didn’t stand still elsewhere, however: The Human Rights Campaign has fired a “junior” staff member after that person admitted to the first—and unauthorized—Web publication of sexual e-mails sent by then-Congressman Mark Foley to former House pages. Polls in Arizona and Virginia show opposition

Marriage and Semantics: More on the New Jersey Decision

I’m left with very mixed feelings about the New Jersey marriage ruling. On the one hand, the ruling means definite progress and protections for same-sex couples in New Jersey. As Pam of Pam’s House Blend writes: The judges in this case may have split hairs over the word “marriage,” but in doing so provide a

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