A little political news this week, hmm? I already covered some Prop 8 stories on Tuesday, but I’ll start with a few more, because I just can’t help myself: Alec Baldwin (yes, that Alec Baldwin) tells us Why Childless Straight Couples Make the Case for Gay Marriage. Hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons adds to my collection […]
The California Supreme Court has announced they will make the Prop 8 ruling this coming Tuesday, May 26. HRC Backstory has a good analogy about the legal issues under consideration. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has promised equal benefits to same-sex partners of U.S. diplomatic corps employees stationed overseas, according to Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA),
Another big week: President Obama “is under pressure to engage on a variety of gay issues that are coming to the fore” reports the New York Times. Perhaps obvious, but the article is a good summary of where things stand. Lawyer Emma Ruby-Sachs looks at the two lesbians who are under consideration for the U.S.
Another week of political milestones: The Hate Crimes Bill, aka the Matthew Shepard Act, aka the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, passed the House. It would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the categories covered by federal hate crimes laws. The bill now moves to the Senate. President Obama has expressed his
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee voted 15-12 to advance the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913), aka the Matthew Shepard Act. The bill now goes up for a full House floor vote, which could happen next week. John Berry was officially sworn in as director of the Office of Personnel
(Parenting-related news gets its own roundup around here.) Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s campaign manager, said, “There is a sound conservative argument to be made for same-sex marriage.” (I leave it as a matter of discussion as to whether there is a sound argument for conservatism.) A new poll also shows Republican insiders are almost evenly
Was there any news this week? Things seemed kind of slow . . . . Lots of good news on the marriage front, of course. First, some other national news: President Barack Obama asked former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy to be part of his Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Dungy has
Mostly good news this week, huzzah! First, one that didn’t make it into this week’s LGBT Parenting Roundup, but which is excellent news for LGBT families: Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) reintroduced the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) into the U.S. House, adding important updates that would provide paid leave for all workers to care
The U.S. State Department declared its support for the UN Statement on “Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity,” joining 66 other UN member states who have done so, condemning human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity wherever they occur. The Washington Post endorsed the Uniting American Families Act that would allow
Bay Windows has more on GLAD’s DOMA challenge, the likely response from the Obama administration, and reactions from the LGBT community around the country. In two separate rulings, the federal appeals court in California said that employees of their court were entitled to health benefits for their same-sex partners under the benefits program for federal
