Sometimes I read something that is just so mind-blowingly irrational I don’t know where to begin. Robert P. George, in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled, “Gay Marriage, Democracy, and the Courts,” begins by stating that it would be “disastrous” for the U.S. Supreme Court justices to rule on a federal lawsuit that “has […]
President Obama named 16 recipients for this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. They include tennis and women’s rights legend Billie Jean King and LGBT-rights pioneer Harvey Milk, and very many other worthy people. I’m a bit disappointed not to see Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon on the list, but maybe next
The U.S. Senate unanimously adopted the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill. This means its fate is tied to whether the president will veto the bill because it also includes funding for F-22 fighter jets, which he opposes. The NAACP announced a partnership with National
Yee hah. Another huge week in LGBT political news. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court challenging the constitutionality of Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The suit claims that DOMA “unfairly excludes more than 16,000 Massachusetts married same-sex couples and their families from critically important rights
Federal news dominated this week: The Senate Judiciary committee held a hearing on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Attorney General Eric Holder gave a statement in support. There is some buzz that the Act will be attached to the Defense Authorization bill, which happened to a previous version of the bill and helped
This week Reps. Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin, and Jared Polis introduced an LGBT-inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding a hearing on the LGBT-inclusive Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Within a week or so, the Supreme Court should file a response to the case
The big news this week is the LGBT community’s reaction to President Obama’s grant of limited benefits to partners of federal employees. Here’s my take on it. The Washington Blade has more analysis. The news comes on the heels of Obama’s decision to defend a Department of Justice filing that supports DOMA. On that case,
What a day. My son is out of school for the summer, so I spent most of my time at the playground with him and a friend, watching them go up and down on the swings. Recent national LGBT political news has been rather like that, too. It has gone something like this: President Obama
A little political news this week, hmm? I already covered some Prop 8 stories on Tuesday, but I’ll start with a few more, because I just can’t help myself: Alec Baldwin (yes, that Alec Baldwin) tells us Why Childless Straight Couples Make the Case for Gay Marriage. Hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons adds to my collection
In honor of Memorial Day, let me draw your attention to this post on the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network blog, written by the daughter of a lesbian servicemember. Among other things, she asserts, “No child should have to lie about their family just to ensure they have a roof over their head.” Hear, hear. When
