Politics and Law Two big wins this past week: Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to adopt each other’s children. Uruguay’s lower house of Congress approved a bill to allow same-sex couples to adopt children. The Senate must vote before September 15, and is also expected to approve. Uruguay approved […]
(There’s been a lot of parenting-related news this week, which I’m putting into a roundup for Monday. Stay tuned. Below is more general news.) The death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) this week touched people of all orientations and identities. For many in the LGBT community, his death meant the loss of a long-time advocate
[Editor’s note: Passing along this press release as-is. —Dana] Do you have/had one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer parents? Do you want to connect with a fabulous and fun community of others who share that experience? Do you want to learn and strengthen your skills for making change in the world? Join
Johanna Sigurdardottir, the prime minister of Iceland and a lesbian mom, was just named to Forbes annual list of the world’s 100 Most Powerful Women. She comes in at number 75, which seems quite respectable, considering she only became prime minister this year. Sigurdardottir and her spouse, author and playwright Jonina Leosdottir, have two adult
A very many congratulations to Mayor E. Denise Simmons of Cambridge, Mass., and her partner Mattie B. Hayes, who will wed on August 30. Mayor Simmons is the country’s first out, lesbian, African American mayor. She is also the mother of four and grandmother of three, and is raising her grandchildren. I’m thinking I could
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division hired Matt Nosanchuk, a former Senate staffer and advisor to Barack Obama’s campaign, as a senior counselor who will serve as a representative to the LGBT community. Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) voted to lift its ban on noncelibate lesbian and gay pastors and to
Diane Silver’s piece “Children suffer when the religious right wins,” in the Gay and Lesbian Times is worth a read. She writes of the relief she felt when her son Tony turned 18, relief in knowing no one could take him away from her. She is Tony’s non-biological mom, and almost lost him to her
Politics and Law The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled to preserve an adoption by the state’s only openly gay or lesbian legislator. Sen. Julia Boseman’s (D-New Hanover) former partner, Melissa Jarrell, the biological mother, was trying to deny Boseman’s parental rights, although a separate court had earlier approved the couple’s request for Boseman’s second-parent
The Department of Justice today filed its reply brief in Smelt v. United States, one of the legal challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act. Things look cautiously promising: With respect to the merits, this Administration does not support DOMA as a matter of policy, believes that it is discriminatory, and supports its repeal. Consistent
Former President Bill Clinton spoke at the progressive conference Netroots Nation. Blogger Lane Hudson confronted him on DADT and DOMA. Hudson explains why. The Anchorage Assembly approved an ordinance that bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, credit, public accommodations, and housing. It includes exemptions for churches and other
