Ken Mehlman, President Bush’s 2004 campaign manager and a former chair of the Republican National Committee, has come out as gay. He led the party when it was increasing its anti-gay campaign rhetoric and trying to rally voters around anti-gay initiatives. After harshly criticizing the Pentagon survey of military spouses regarding Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, […]
President Obama included an openly gay man, Richard Sorian, in his list of recess appointments. Sorian would become Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs in the Department of Health and Human Services. Lanae Erickson and Jon Cowan have a thought-provoking piece in Politico on how to sway the “persuadable middle” on marriage equality. Lt. Col. Victor
Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach has filed a suit to try and stop his discharge under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). And high-ranking West Point Cadet Katherine Miller resigned because she is a lesbian and unwilling to compromise her integrity over the policy. Rachel Maddow also has a few pointed words about DADT. A
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Carl Levin said he expects the full Senate to take up Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DSDT) repeal in September, after the August recess. Former National Guard Lt. Dan Choi, one of the leading advocates for the repeal of DADT, has been officially discharged from the military. Choi and others were
A light week for news, as we head into the summer doldrums: The Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) looks to be dead for this session of Congress. A federal district court heard testimony in a case to overturn Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) wrote that he believes the recent rulings against Section 3
Big, huge victories against DOMA lead the news for the week, as already mentioned. The battle against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is getting even more interesting as two groups for LGBT servicemembers issue conflicting advice about whether to complete the Pentagon’s survey about DADT.
A light news week before the U.S. holiday weekend: The Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan over Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, among other issues. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued new guidance for LGBT people facing housing discrimination. New York attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo (D) said
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
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
