I don’t usually just post press releases, but I think this one from the Matthew Shepard Foundation needs no explanation. The legislation is due in large part to parental love. After a decade of debate, persistent advocacy and 14 separate congressional floor votes, President Barack Obama today signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James
What a week in LGBT political news! Here are some of the highlights: National News The U.S. Senate approved the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. It now goes to President Obama, who has said he will sign it. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a series of
I’m breaking away from the bullet points for this roundup, and going for the “connected by vague trains of thought” approach. [Updated 8:30 p.m. Added an article by Jessica Cerretani that I’d missed earlier because the Boston Globe screwed up our delivery last Sunday.] Let’s start with the best news: U.S. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA)
The ultra-conservatives trying to revoke marriage equality in Maine look set to use the excellent LGBT-inclusive diversity-education film That’s a Family!, by Academy Award-winning filmmaker (and lesbian mom!) Debra Chasnoff for their own bigoted purposes, Frank Hogarth of San Francisco’s Beyond Chron reports. (Jeremy of Good As You independently confirmed a payment to Chasnoff’s Groundspark
U.S. National News The White House has issued a statement of President Barack Obama’s position on marriage equality referenda in Maine and Washington. The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, which would extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, flew through its Senate hearing.The similar bill House bill has already passed out of committee.
Just Awesome The Harry Potter Alliance, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit “dedicated to bringing the themes of Harry Potter into the real world” announced a grassroots effort to help defeat Ref. 1 and support marriage equality in Maine. As Jeremy at Good As You said, Dumbledore would be proud. Youth and Schools Fifty-three Republicans have signed a
Appalling. Ignorant and appalling. Keith Bardwell, a Louisiana justice of the peace, has refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple, citing concerns about the effect on any children. The AP, via NPR, reports: Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came
(Originally published in Bay Windows, September 15, 2009. I think Protect Maine Equality has gained some traction since I wrote it, but I believe much of the below still holds true.) My spouse and I took our six-year-old son camping in Maine right before the school year began. I have been camping there myself since
Lest we forget, in the communal excitement and debriefing over the National Equality March: Today marks eleven years since the death of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard after a brutal gay bashing. His mother Judy Shepard, one of the LGBT community’s staunchest advocates, spoke at the March yesterday: I had the honor of meeting
The National Equality March has come and gone, and every LGBT and mainstream news outlet is covering it. I’ll leave the immediate coverage to those who were there, and plan to do a roundup later in the week of what I think are the more insightful pieces. In the meantime, let us not forget that
