The Massachusetts House just voted to repeal the 1913 law that prevented most out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying in the Bay State. The bill now goes to Governor Deval Patrick, who has said he will sign it. Massachusetts was, of course, the first state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples, although California was the first […]
The U.S. House approved repeal of a law barring HIV-positive visitors and immigrants to the country. It now goes to the President. The Personnel Subcommittee of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee heard testimony for and against the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. SLDN executive director Aubrey Sarvis notes the irony that this was
The U.S. Senate voted to drop travel and immigration restrictions on persons who are HIV-positive. The House Armed Services personnel subcommittee has scheduled a hearing on the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for July 23. The Washington Blade reports, though, that “as of Wednesday, the subcommittee was not scheduled to hear from even one
Four retired officers, each from a different branch of the U.S. military, recommended that the military repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and let gay men and lesbians serve openly. In the “Report of the General/Flag Officers’ Study Group” released by the Michael D. Palm Center of the University of California at Santa Barbara,
Headline from 365gay.com: “LA Mayor Weds Gay Couple” (Or am I the only one who parsed it this way? Compare, for example, “Gay Bishop Weds Longtime Partner,” or, on a straight note, “‘SNL’ alum Chris Kattan weds model Sunshine Tutt,” not to mention, from the amusing annals of straight, marriage-themed reality shows, “Ex-Bachelor Firestone Weds
Thirty million dollars. That’s what consultants are estimating both sides could spend on Proposition 8, the November ballot initiative that would amend California’s constitution to ban marriage of same-sex couples. Rather than wasting money trying to stop loving couples from marrying (or having to fight for their right to do the same), here’s a rough
Publishing this early because of my vacation schedule; I’ll catch late-Friday news next week. The U.S. House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on workplace discrimination against transgender people, “the first ever hearing in Congress exclusively on transgender issues.” HRC has coverage here and here and here. Bilerico’s Alex Blaze has
Despite my earlier qualms, it looks like I will be online this week. I’m sitting here in the middle of King’s Canyon National Park in California, in the common room of the rustic John Muir Lodge, rough-hewn beams overhead, with six other people and their laptops, all taking advantage of the free WiFi. Gotta love
In my last post, I put up photos of California weddings with children in attendance because it was obvious to me that same-sex couples couldn’t until now follow the traditional order of marriage first, kids second. When parents marry, it of course affects their children. (See also our vlog from a couple of weeks back,
