Two Moms Welcome One of 1st Babies of 2015
Two moms had the first baby in their county and one of the first in the nation this year.
north carolina
Yes, Virginia, There Is an Equality Clause
Yesterday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Virginia’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples violates the 14th Amendment’s Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses. That paves the way for Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to allow same-sex couples to marry.
LGBT Parenting Roundup
It’s a big, fat roundup to close out the week — some of the stories I haven’t covered already. Enjoy!
New Federal Case for Second-Parent Adoptions Could Affect Families in Many States
The ACLU has filed a new federal case in North Carolina, seeking to overturn the state’s ban on second-parent adoption. A win would mean that kids being raised by same-sex couples could have “legally protected relationships with both of the parents who are raising them.” Because the case was brought under the federal constitution, a win could have an impact on other states as well.
North Carolina Votes to Ban Same-Sex Relationship Recognition Under State Constitution
North Carolina voters have approved a state constitutional amendment that bans not only marriage for same-sex couples, but also any form of relationship recognition. The state already banned marriage for same-sex couples by statute; putting it into the state constitution makes it harder to challenge.
LGBT Parenting Roundup
Here are some of the LGBT parenting stories that caught my eye this week, which I haven’t written about in other posts:
North Carolina Ad Shows Harm Marriage Inequality Does to Children
Marriage inequality harms children. Obvious to most readers here, I imagine—but the right-wing has long owned the “best interests of the children” argument in advertising and media. Now, however, one LGBT advocacy coalition is taking back that argument, in hopes of defeating yet another state constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples, this time Amendment One in North Carolina. See their new ad after the jump.
Weekly Political Roundup
The Michigan House voted to ban benefits for domestic partners of all public employees in the state. The bill now goes to the Senate. North Carolina’s legislature approved a ballot measure to ask voters whether to ban marriage for same-sex couples under the state constitution. It is already banned by statute. I covered the story
Weekly Political Roundup
What’s going on with the ban on openly gay servicemembers? Don’t ask. On Thursday, results from the upcoming Pentagon report on the impact of a repeal leaked to the Washington Post. The good news is that the ban could be repealed “with only minimal and isolated incidents of risk to the current war efforts.” Then
LGBT Parenting Roundup
It’s a big roundup this week, so grab some coffee: Personal Stories The U.K.’s Mirror brings us the story of Emma and Laura Flanagan, who used the same known donor to get pregnant five months apart, and plan for their children to know the man as their father, though not a legal one. It’s pretty