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 […]
President Obama extended certain benefits to the domestic partners of federal employees that are available to the opposite-sex spouses of employees. They do not include health insurance or retirement benefits, however. You’ve probably heard by now that President Obama has issued a proclamation for Pride Month. Here’s my more in-depth piece looking at how his
I’m doing an abbreviated roundup this week because a) it’s a holiday weekend; and b) this week has been pretty much all DADT, all the time, and you’re probably up to your eyeballs with DADT coverage. In brief, however, we need to remember: DADT is still in effect. Even if the full Senate follows the
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a group of LGBT leaders that both the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and a measure to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) will get votes this year, with one happening before Memorial Day. Tomorrow marks the first annual Harvey Milk Day in California. Equality California has details on events and
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) says he will keep transgender rights in the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) even though some say that will kill the bill. House lawmakers are considering passing a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell this year that wouldn’t go into effect until later. Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, chair of the Senate
A U.S. District Court judge heard arguments in the first federal district court hearing to examine the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Political infighting continues in the House around Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Hawaii state representative Blake Oshiro, who brought the state’s civil union bill up for its latest vote, came out
What happened to the ENDA vote Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said would happen this week? Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) now says she hopes it will happen in the next couple of weeks. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a House committee that Congress should not pass its own repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell before he
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case that explores whether student groups are able to exclude students based on “status or beliefs” if doing so violates the school’s anti-discrimination policy. President Obama’s administration is sending mixed messages about whether a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will happen
President Obama issued a memo directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that same-sex partners have the same visitation rights as other immediate family members. HHS should “Initiate appropriate rulemaking . . . to ensure that hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid respect the rights of patients to designate visitors.” The
Politics and Law Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida announced a series of improved policies “more responsive to the needs of the LGBT community.” The move was in response to a lawsuit brought by Janice Langbehn, who in 2007 was kept from her partner Lisa Pond who lay dying in the hospital. The couple’s three children
