First, let’s revisit some good news about parental rights: Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) is the New England LGBT legal organization best known for its leading role in achieving marriage equality for same-sex couples in Massachusetts. Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director for GLAD, was also lead counsel in Goodridge v. Dept. of
Two days ago, California became the second state to legalize marriage of same-sex couples. Today marks the fourth anniversary of the first legal marriages of same-sex couples in Massachusetts; the 54th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, and the 18th anniversary of when the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental
The good folks at Bilerico are, not surprisingly, all over this like bridesmaids on a bouquet. Among them: Karen Ocamb has quotes from a number of luminaries, including Gov. Schwarzenegger, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Shannon Minter, Legal Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Phyllis Lyon, one of the plaintiffs. Lyon, 83, and
Ellen DeGeneres announced on her show this morning that she and Portia De Rossi are getting married, now that it is legal in California. Her audience is enthusiastic, to say the least. She didn’t go into details about the event, but I think it’s safe to say there will be dancing. The unfortunate rumor, however,
The California Supreme Court has ruled (PDF link): We conclude that to the extent the current California statutory provisions limit marriage to opposite-sex couples, these statutes are unconstitutional. . . . we determine that the language of section 300 limiting the designation of marriage to a union “between a man and a woman” is unconstitutional
The California Supreme Court will issue its ruling on marriage equality for same-sex couples tomorrow, May 15, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific. (Here’s the PDF of the announcement.) If you are in California, please see the Equality California site for details of “Celebration of Love and Family” events in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, regardless
Sarah Brannen, author of Uncle Bobby’s Wedding (about which see my Saturday post, if you haven’t been following the story), was kind enough to let me share this e-mail message she sent me: I read the book to a group of young children at a school book fair yesterday. They had a lot of questions:
Sometimes, I hate being right. It wasn’t a stretch of the imagination to foresee that the new storybook Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, by Sarah Brannen, would be a target for the right. I didn’t imagine they’d quote me while doing so, however. The conservative publication Town Hall just published the article “Librarians Against Censorship,” by Brent
Congressman Joe Sestak, the highest-ranking veteran in Congress, called for a repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told graduating West Point cadets that Congress, and not the military, is responsible for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Some say transgender rights could be the
Mildred Loving, a black woman whose marriage to a white man led to the seminal U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Virginia’s ban on interracial marriage, died today at age 68. NPR has a good interview with her from last year, on the 40th anniversary of the Court’s case. Pam at the Blend observes that Loving
