The student body of Uniformed Services University (USU), the Department of Defense health sciences university, this week voted for an openly gay student council president. Patrick M. High will represent graduate students at the school, who include uniformed armed services’ personnel. (Thanks, Nico.) As reported here earlier, the Alabama Democratic Party reinstated out lesbian Patricia
Today is the National Day of Remembrance of Hurricane Katrina. Despite an outpouring of public support last year (in the face of what most agree were monumental government snafus), many Gulf Coast residents are still struggling to rebuild their lives. For stories of how LGBT residents of New Orleans are doing so, take a look
A quick follow up to one item from last Friday’s Weekly Political Roundup: The Alabama Democratic Party reinstated out lesbian Patricia Todd as its candidate for the state legislature, after disqualifying both her and her opponent for failing to file election forms in time. This means Todd will almost certainly become the first out legislator
It’s Women’s Equality Day, marking the ratification of the U. S. Constitution’s 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Don’t forget to exercise that right this fall. Still a lot of other inequalities to work on . . . .
A lengthy roundup this week, so I’ll put most of it after the jump. Read on for news about Alabama, Arizona, California, and Washington, as well as Australia, Canada, South Africa, and Sweden.
A public-service announcement for my U. S. readers: Primary elections are upon us. If you’re not registered to vote, do so online now. Mid-term elections never seem as exciting as presidential-year ones, but with the congressional majority hanging in the balance, these are as crucial as any. (In the Senate, Democrats need six seats for
In federal news, the Pension Protection Act signed into law by President Bush includes two provisions extending important financial protections to same-sex couples as well as other Americans. Across the U. S., LGBT activists have begun a “Right to Serve” campaign, trying to enlist at military recruiting offices and staging sit-ins if they are rejected.
I was going to write a short post about the definition of “planet” recently proposed by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). I thought some moms would find it useful when helping their children with science homework. Geoffrey Pullam’s post at Language Log on “Gay Marriage and Counting the Planets” made me realize I was thinking
Thanks to HRC for this hot-off-the-presses news: The federal Pension Protection Act signed into law today by President Bush includes two provisions extending important financial protections to same-sex couples as well as other Americans. HRC explains: The first provision, called “Non-Spousal Rollover”: Allows the transfer of an individual’s retirement plan benefits, like a 401(k), to
The Vermont Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Vermont courts, not Virginia ones, have sole jurisdiction in a custody battle between two women. The women were residents of Virginia, traveled to Vermont for a civil union, and returned to Virginia, where one gave birth to their child. They then returned to Vermont. A year later, they
