Next Tuesday, Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Jared Polis (D-CO) will introduce legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Lisa Keen has a nice summary of all the LGBT-related bills poised for action in Congress. A new report from the Congressional Research Service Supreme Court says it is unclear whether […]
(There’s been a lot of parenting-related news this week, which I’m putting into a roundup for Monday. Stay tuned. Below is more general news.) The death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) this week touched people of all orientations and identities. For many in the LGBT community, his death meant the loss of a long-time advocate
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) introduced a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) into the U.S. Senate. Co-sponsors were Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Susan Collins (R-ME). The American Bar Association’s House of Delegates passed a resolution calling on Congress to repeal the section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that denies federal marital benefits and
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,
President Obama has appointed Alison J. Nathan, who is openly lesbian, as his associate counsel. Nathan was recently the Fritz Alexander Fellow at New York University School of Law and a visiting assistant professor at Fordham Law School. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Nathan was the national voter protection senior advisor to the Obama campaign
The ACLU won a federal court decision that ruled discrimination against a transgender person constitutes per se sex discrimination in violation of Title VII. Nan Hunter at Bilerico has further analysis of what this means for ENDA, and warns that it is a trial-level court decision, which the Justice Department is likely to appeal. The
Two bills expected to come before Congress this week could have a direct impact on many families across the U.S. The first, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), adds protections on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability to existing anti-discrimination laws. The House will likely vote this week. Openly gay Representative Barney Frank
