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
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
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
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) says he will keep transgender rights in the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) even though some say that will kill the bill. House lawmakers are considering passing a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell this year that wouldn’t go into effect until later. Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, chair of the Senate
What happened to the ENDA vote Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said would happen this week? Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) now says she hopes it will happen in the next couple of weeks. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a House committee that Congress should not pass its own repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell before he
The Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation and is one of the key pieces of LGBT-related legislation pending this year. ENDA applies broadly across the LGBT community, and isn’t specific to those of us with children (as are, say, adoption rights), but some
President Obama issued a memo directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that same-sex partners have the same visitation rights as other immediate family members. HHS should “Initiate appropriate rulemaking . . . to ensure that hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid respect the rights of patients to designate visitors.” The
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement. Michael Jones at Change.org explores his LGBT-rights legacy. Back in February, Lisa Keen took at look at the LGBT-rights records of some potential nominees. The Pentagon grapples with the problem of “How do we ask gay and lesbian troops what they think if they can still
National Guard Lt. Dan Choi and former Army Capt. Jim Pietrangelo were arrested Thursday after chaining themselves to the White House fence to protest Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). Pietrangelo was discharged under DADT in 2004, and Choi is in the process of being discharged under it now. Also arrested was activist Robin McGehee of
