In his remarks at Tuesday’s memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela, President Obama included a mention of those persecuted for “who they love.” Â LGBT rights in India just suffered a major blow, however, with its Supreme Court finding the country’s sodomy law constitutional, recriminalizing same-sex relations.
Edie Windsor, the 84-year-old whose lawsuit brought down part of the Defense of Marriage Act, thus gaining federal recognition for married same-sex couples across the country, was a runner-up for TIME magazine’s Person of the Year. She lost out in the end to Pope Francis, coming in third behind Edward Snowdon. This is nevertheless a good time to acknowledge her many ongoing accomplishments and take a peek at her new website.
Nelson Mandela, the first Black president of South Africa, died today at the age of 95. His greatest legacy, of course, will be having led the country out of apartheid — but he also had a significant impact on LGBT equality.
It’s National Family Week. The President said so. And for the first time ever, he explicitly included same-sex parents in his proclamation. That’s great news — but he could do more.
Today marks 10 years of marriage equality in Massachusetts and seven years of legality (on top of 13 years of illegality) for my spouse Helen and me.
Jennifer Neuman-Roper, mother of three, spouse of Angelique Neuman-Roper, and a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit for the right to marry in New Mexico, died Friday at age 44 of brain cancer, The Advocate reports.
Not to be outdone by Illinois, Hawaii just moved closer to becoming the 16th state to pass a bill in favor of marriage equality. The Hawaii House approved a bill Friday night (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time) that now must now go back to the Senate for re-approval. Jumping on the I-state momentum, four same-sex couples in Idaho yesterday also sued for the right to marry.
Congratulations to Illinois, which today became the 15th state to pass marriage equality. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a lesbian mom of three, told her colleagues before the vote to think of future generations, reported the Windy City Times. “It is their opinion of your actions today that really matters,” she said.
I’m torn about the possibility that Hawaii could become the next state to enact marriage equality. Once same-sex couples can marry on a beach in Maui, why would they want to marry anyplace else? On the other hand, hearing the story of Maureen Kilian and Cindy Meneghin, two moms who were among the plaintiffs in the case that won marriage equality in New Jersey, I know I want marriage equality everywhere. Watch:
My hometown team, the Boston Red Sox, is in the World Series. Earlier this week, New Jersey became the 14th state to enact marriage equality, with the possibility of several more to follow. All this got me thinking about parallels between the Red Sox and marriage equality.
