Yesterday, a federal district court ruled that a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)—the part that denies federal recognition to same-sex couples—is unconstitutional. The plaintiff in the case, Karen Golinski, is an attorney and lesbian mom. I interviewed her last December about her accidental path to the DOMA challenge and the case’s impact on her family.
I spent President’s Day weekend with my family in a most appropriate place: Washington, D.C. I’m still catching up on laundry and such, so for today, please enjoy an image from our visit to the National Museum of American History. The museum, part of the Smithsonian, is now the repository for the papers and materials of LGBT equality pioneer Frank Kameny, as explained in a museum blog post last October.
Spencer Perry, the 17-year-old son of plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Steir, lead plaintiffs in the Proposition 8 case to win marriage equality in California, talked at a press conference recently about the impact of Prop 8 on his family.
The state of Iowa has made two moves this week that challenge the rights of same-sex parents.
First, Governor Terry Branstad’s (R) administration announced it will appeal a state district court ruling that said a child born to a lesbian couple married in that state has the right to have the names of both her parents on her birth certificate.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has just ruled that Proposition 8, California’s ban on marriage of same-sex couples, is unconstitutional. The law “serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples.”
Madison Galluccio, who has two gay dads, gave emotional testimony last Thursday at the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing on marriage equality. Her grandfather followed, with heartfelt testimony of his own.
Lots of marriage-related news this week. I do like to cover other political topics here, but this week just happens to be matrimonially inclined.
A broad coalition of civil rights, labor, progressive, faith, student, health, legal, women’s, and LGBT organizations, led by Freedom to Marry and HRC, announced support of the federal Respect for Marriage Act that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
As most of you have likely heard by now, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the country’s leading breast cancer charity, is revoking its grant to Planned Parenthood.
There’s a myth that LGBT parents are all affluent—a myth perpetuated by many in the media, who tend to focus on upper-middle and upper class families when they do LGBT family stories. The reality is much different. Children being raised by same-sex couples are in fact twice as likely to live in poverty as those being
Passing along this message from Immigration Equality, a national organization fighting for equality under U.S. immigration law for LGBT and HIV-positive individuals. They are seeking binational same-sex couples with children for an awareness campaign. Please respond to them at the link below if you are interested. Immigration Equality is hoping to find binational couples, who are
