(Reposting this in honor of Memorial Day. Originally published in Bay Windows, January 10, 2008) Five-year-old William and three-year-old Ryan are the children of decorated U.S. Army officer Cheryl Parker. Like other children of service members, they have dealt with cross-country moves and months without their mother while she was deployed in Iraq. Unlike the […]
Just in time for Memorial Day, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a district court decision in the case of an Air Force major discharged for being a lesbian. It ruled “the government may only ‘intrude upon the personal and private lives of homosexuals’ to ‘advance an important governmental interest,’ such as maintaining troop
MP’s in the U.K. today defeated a proposed addition to the Government’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that would have required fertility clinics to consider a child’s “need for a father” before providing services to lesbians and single women. Clinics are required to consider the “welfare of the [potential] child”, but the new bill says
First, let’s revisit some good news about parental rights: Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) is the New England LGBT legal organization best known for its leading role in achieving marriage equality for same-sex couples in Massachusetts. Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director for GLAD, was also lead counsel in Goodridge v. Dept. of
Two days ago, California became the second state to legalize marriage of same-sex couples. Today marks the fourth anniversary of the first legal marriages of same-sex couples in Massachusetts; the 54th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, and the 18th anniversary of when the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental
The good folks at Bilerico are, not surprisingly, all over this like bridesmaids on a bouquet. Among them: Karen Ocamb has quotes from a number of luminaries, including Gov. Schwarzenegger, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Shannon Minter, Legal Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Phyllis Lyon, one of the plaintiffs. Lyon, 83, and
Ellen DeGeneres announced on her show this morning that she and Portia De Rossi are getting married, now that it is legal in California. Her audience is enthusiastic, to say the least. She didn’t go into details about the event, but I think it’s safe to say there will be dancing. The unfortunate rumor, however,
The California Supreme Court has ruled (PDF link): We conclude that to the extent the current California statutory provisions limit marriage to opposite-sex couples, these statutes are unconstitutional. . . . we determine that the language of section 300 limiting the designation of marriage to a union “between a man and a woman” is unconstitutional
The California Supreme Court will issue its ruling on marriage equality for same-sex couples tomorrow, May 15, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific. (Here’s the PDF of the announcement.) If you are in California, please see the Equality California site for details of “Celebration of Love and Family” events in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, regardless
