Lots of news this week, some of which I covered in a roundup of parenting-related posts on Wednesday. Here’s more: The AFL-CIO and other unions are coming out in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which the U.S. House of Representatives should vote on within a week. Openly gay Representative Barney Frank predicts it […]
A new poll shows that nearly two-thirds of American adults believe it is unfair that federal law allows an employer to fire someone because they are gay or lesbian. Sixty percent of non-LGBT adults were not aware that federal law allows this. Nearly 80 percent of non-LGBT people also feel an employee should be judged
The second round of hearings on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) got underway in the House. Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, calls it “a watershed moment.” It’s bad enough when no Republican candidates support marriage equality or gays and lesbians in the military. It’s worse when one doesn’t
It was all Larry Craig, all the time, for most of the week, and then things got really interesting Thursday. I’ve posted about a few hot items already, like the major wins for equality in Maine and Iowa, and the appalling decision to keep a film depicting same-sex families out of the school curriculum in
Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, offered his perspective on Marriage Equality and the Presidential Election. The ultra-conservative Arkansas Family Council has submitted a proposal to the state Attorney General as the first step in placing a measure on the November 2008 ballot to ban adoption by unmarried couples. The group failed earlier
New Jersey dominated the headlines this week, but there’s also good news from Oklahoma, a celebrity marriage in Canada, and some items of bad news from round and about to remind us why we need to keep fighting. On a lighter note, if you haven’t yet seen the Daily Show’s take on the HRC/LOGO Presidential
Openly gay New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson endorsed Barack Obama for president, citing Obama’s experience with racism and discrimination. Openly lesbian Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, however, announced her support for Hillary Clinton, “because she wants to see full equal rights for gays at the federal level and because of Clinton’s views on health care,” reports
“Capitol Hill sources” say the Matthew Shepard Act, an LGBT-inclusive hate crimes bill, will remain stalled in the Senate until at least September. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated, however, that she expects the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to come to the House floor for a vote in September. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reminded
A vote on the Matthew Shepard Act, which would extend current hate crimes laws to cover sexual orientation, gender identity, and physical disability, was delayed when the Senate suspended debate on the Defense Authorization bill to which it was attached. HRC reports that a vote on hate crimes may not occur before Congress adjourns for
Another slow week, though a few items popped up: TIME magazine has a long article about how some jurisdictions that have banned same-sex marriage are nevertheless endorsing adoption by same-sex couples. “But the gay adoption boom may be less about support for gay rights than it is about the urgency of finding homes for abandoned
