Politics and Law

Weekly Political Roundup

Big, huge victories against DOMA lead the news for the week, as already mentioned. The battle against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is getting even more interesting as two groups for LGBT servicemembers issue conflicting advice about whether to complete the Pentagon’s survey about DADT.

Breaking: Huge Marriage Equality Victories

In two separate cases today, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled that part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. In less than an hour, I’m sure, you won’t be able to swing a virtual cat in the LGBT blogosphere without hitting an article about this. To get you started, here’s Lisa Keen’s

How Marriage Bans Teach Children Marriage Isn’t Necessary

(Originally published as my Mombian newspaper column.) Parenting took center stage in the closing arguments of the Prop 8 case on June 16. Attorney Ted Olson, by most accounts, made a superb argument for marriage equality. There was one point he left out, however, that is worth exploring here. Attorney Charles Cooper, speaking for the

Weekly Political Roundup

A light news week before the U.S. holiday weekend: The Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan over Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, among other issues. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued new guidance for LGBT people facing housing discrimination. New York attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo (D) said

Less Is Paramour

A Tennessee court of appeals struck down a ruling that prohibited Angel Chandler’s same-sex partner of over 10 years from spending the night when Chandler’s two children from a previous relationship came to visit. Good news—although it’s unfortunate that this is in fact the second time the court has had to do this. Back in

Weekly Political Roundup

The U.S. Labor Department clarified that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives an employee who assumes the role of caring for a child the parental right to family leave—regardless of the legal or biological relationship. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at a State Department event commemorating Pride Month, and equated LGBT rights

Here and There

Mombian is my first home for parenting-related matters, but I have also been writing on LGBT issues elsewhere. Here are a few pieces I’ve done round and about that may be of interest to some of you: First, a couple that do touch on parenting: “Homosexuality, Porn, and the Classroom“: Children of same-sex couples should

Weekly Political Roundup: Prop 8 Closing Arguments Edition

Closing arguments in the Prop 8 trial dominated the LGBT news this week. Here are a few selections from the many channels that covered it: In “Fear v. Equality,” Lisa Keen reports on the closing from the courtroom. Chris Geidner offers excellent analysis at Metro Weekly as well. The New York Times also covered it,

Prop 8 Defense Attorney: Same-Sex Couples with Kids Are Responsible By Definition

Yes, that’s right. During closing arguments for the Prop 8 trial in California, defense attorney Charles Cooper said: I really think the state’s main concern or certainly among the state’s main concerns in regulating marriage, in seeking to channel naturally procreative sexual conduct into stable and enduring unions is to minimize what I would call

Weekly Political Roundup

The State Department announced it will now allow transgender people to receive a passport reflecting their new legal gender without requiring gender reassignment surgery. Certification from an attending medical physician that the person has undergone appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition is sufficient. The State Department also issued a proclamation in honor of LGBT Pride

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