One more nice story of same-sex parents getting married in New York: Jo-Ann Shain and Mary Jo Kennedy were among the plaintiffs in the 2004-5 marriage equality case Hernandez v. Robles. They won in a lower court before the ruling was overturned by the state Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court. They finally married last […]
Lesbian moms and grandmoms Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd were among the first same-sex couples to marry in New York on Sunday, the first day they could legally do so. While there is some debate over which same-sex couple was actually the first to marry, it’s rather an irrelevant question destined for the trivia books. The
The biggest news this week? Don’t ask. No, really. President Obama has certified that the requirements for repealing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ban on openly lesbian and gay servicemembers have been met. The ban will end September 20. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held the first-ever hearing on repeal of the Defense of Marriage
Here’s more from the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), showing how central arguments about children’s well being have been. First, Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) takes Focus on the Family’s Thomas Minnery to task for sloppy interpretation of research about children, then Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of
Here’s Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) getting Focus on the Family’s Thomas Minnery to admit, at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), that children of same-sex couples are at a disadvantage because their parents don’t have the same financial benefits as children of married couples. (Thanks to Think Progress.)
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) delivered a stirring speech today at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on proposals to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Lewis is a lion of the civil rights movement; if you don’t know anything about him, it’s worth reading his bio to get a sense of the importance of having
As always, parenting/youth related news will show up in my separate LGBT Parenting Roundup. Here are some of the top general LGBT news stories of the week. It’s been a period of ups and downs for Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, as the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday granted an emergency order temporarily
A 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel issued an order that the Defense Department stop enforcing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). The order lifts an injunction against an earlier ruling to halt DADT. The U.S. Department of Justice made the first legal filing in the country in which they have fully argued to a court
New York enacted marriage equality on June 24. Here’s a short video by the Family Equality Council showing the responses of some LGBT parents and their children. If you are considering getting married in the Empire State, you might want to check out this list of Frequently Asked Questions from Lambda Legal.
President Obama continued to avoid answering questions about his stance on marriage equality. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to begin collecting health data on LGBT populations. Immigration officials canceled the deportation of a Venezuelan man living in New Jersey who is married to an American man. President Obama nominated Robert
