I’m posting below (with permission) an op-ed by Matt Foreman, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. In it, he brings us up to date with what NGLTF has been doing to push for a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that includes protections for gender identity and expression. Not all
The Family Pride Coalition has today changed its name to the Family Equality Council (FEC) and launched a new Web site. Many of us are familiar with Family Pride from their work coordinating Family Week in Provincetown and organizing LGBT families to attend the White House Egg Roll. David Jacques, eCommunications Coordinator for FEC, below
Some good news to start the week: By a mere 116 names, opponents of Oregon’s new same-sex domestic partnership law did not turn in enough valid signatures to suspend the measure and place it on the November 2008 ballot. This means the law will take effect next year, giving registered partners equal state rights related
There’s no ENDA news about ENDA, which means I still have lots of fodder for bad puns. The latest is that Lambda Legal has put out a statement (PDF link) in response to Representative Barney Frank’s (D-MA) criticism of Lambda’s analysis of the revised ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act). Among other things, they say Frank minimized
It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that President Bush vetoed a bipartisan bill to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). There’s lots of coverage about this in the mainstream press right now. Jennifer Vanasco of Visible Vote ’08, however, makes the excellent point: The news is especially bad for gay parents. Why? Well, The National
Britney Spears has lost custody of her children to ex-husband Kevin Federline. Unlike a surprising number of people around the world, I really don’t care much about the beleaguered pop star. She holds the honor, however, of being the leading example of why it’s ridiculous to grant or withhold either marriage or parenting rights based
My son is reaching the age where everything is a negotiation. “Finish your supper,” I tell him. “How about one more piece of broccoli?” he asks. I study his plate, calculating what he’s already had. “Five more.” “How about three?” he counters. “No, five,” I insist, though I tell myself I’ll settle for four. It’s
The ongoing ENDA story dominates the LGBT headlines right now. To follow up on my earlier post: HRC has finally issued a statement. They say it is “devastating” that the bill no longer includes gender identity, but state “The decision has been made,” and claim that: House leadership and the bill’s sponsors very firmly believe
It’s official. House Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and openly gay Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) are taking gender-identity protections out of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) because they fear it will not pass otherwise. This is reprehensible. There is a reason we use the unwieldy acronym L, G,
The Matthew Shepard Act, LGBT-inclusive hate crimes legislation, today passed the U.S. Senate. Judy and Dennis Shepard, parents of the slain college student for whom the bill is named, said “Today’s Senate vote sends a bold and unmistakable message that violent crimes committed in the name of hate must end.” The House version of the
