
Lisa Miller (left) disappeared with seven-year-old
Isabella nearly two months ago after a judge ruled she had to hand the
child over to her former civil partner Janet Jenkins (right). Virginia
Governor Bob McDonnell has reversed an executive order that protected
gay state employees from discrimination. New York Senator Charles E. Schumer
announced he is recommending a gay man to serve as a judge in New York's
Southern District federal court. Former Vice President Dick Cheney has
endorsed the repeal of the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Conservative
California state senator comes out
GayPolitics.com, March 9, 2010
California State Sen. Roy Ashburn, a conservative Republican with a solidly
anti-gay voting record, came out as gay today on a Bakersfield radio station
talk show. Ashburn’s sexual orientation had been the talk of Sacramento
since the legislator was arrested for drunk driving after leaving a gay
bar in the state capital last week.
DC
gay couples begin marrying today
PinkNews.co.uk, March 9, 2010
The first gay couples to marry in Washington DC held their ceremonies
today. They were able to apply for marriage licenses last Wednesday and,
due to a mandatory waiting period, the first ceremonies were set to take
place today.
Anti-gay
protestors under Supreme Court scrutiny
AFP, March 9, 2010
The US Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether vitriolic anti-gay
protestors who picket the funerals of US soldiers are protected by free
speech laws. The emotionally-charged case was brought by the family of
US Marine Matthew Snyder, who was killed in combat in Iraq in 2006.
House
Democrat days party drove him from office
New York Times, March 9, 2010
Representative Eric J. Massa, a Democrat from upstate New York accused
of sexually harassing a male aide, charged in a radio interview over the
weekend that Democratic Party leaders were behind an effort to drive him
out of office and that the White House chief of staff was the "son
of the devil’s spawn."
Lesbian
couple not allowed to re-enroll child in Boulder Catholic school
ABC26.com, March 8, 2010
A lesbian couple, who have attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Boulder
for years, has been denied the right to re-enroll their child in the church's
preschool. That ruling was made by Fr. Bill Breslin last week. He told
staff at the school, "It was the hardest decision I have ever made
in my life."
Rove
addresses his dad's sexuality
Advocate, March 8, 2010
Karl Rove, who served as senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to former
President George W. Bush, addresses questions about his father's sexual
orientation in his new memoir, "Courage and Confidence: My Life as
a Conservative in the Fight," The Washington Post reports.
Joe
Lieberman presses on 'Don't Ask'
Politico.com, March 5, 2010
On Thursday, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the sponsor of a Senate bill
to repeal the policy, asked top military and civilian leaders personal
opinions during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on whether men
and women, otherwise able to live by the military’s standards of
conduct, should be discharged just because of their sexual orientation.
Rep.
Frank: ENDA will get House vote this month
Keen News Service, March 5, 2010
Rep. Barney Frank’s prediction this week is that ENDA will have
its vote in the House Committee this month. And he said House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has assured him it will go swiftly to the floor.
Senators
seek repeal on blood-donation ban for gay men
Wall Street Journal, March 5, 2010
The time has come to change a policy that imposes a lifetime ban on donating
blood for any man who has had gay sex since 1977, 18 senators said Thursday.
The lawmakers said that the science has changed dramatically since the
ban was established in 1983 at the advent of the HIV-AIDS crisis.
Repeal
of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy filed in Senate
New York Times, March 4, 2010
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, introduced a
bill on Wednesday to repeal the ban on openly gay service members in the
military, but at a hearing later in the day Republican lawmakers questioned
why lifting the ban was necessary.
Gay
marriage is legal in U.S. capital
New York Times, March 4, 2010
Gay rights advocates hailed the day as a milestone for equal rights and
a symbolic victory as same-sex marriage became legal in the nation’s
capital. Washington is now the sixth place in the nation where same-sex
marriages can take place.
Four
candidates for Rhode Island governor support same-sex marriage
Providence Journal, March 4, 2010
They filled the State House rotunda and lined the balconies on the second
floor - so many that organizers said it was the largest turnout yet for
a marriage-equality rally in the building where Rhode Island makes its
laws.
New
legislation targets same-sex divorce
Los Angeles Times, March 4, 2010
You've heard the debate about same-sex marriage. Now one San Francisco
lawmaker wants to simplify same-sex divorce. A new bill by Assemblywoman
Fiona Ma, a Democrat, would make it easier for gay and lesbian couples
to legally separate.
Supreme
Court refuses to stop DC's gay marriage law
New York Times, March 3, 2010
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block the District of Columbia's
gay marriage law, freeing the city to issue its first marriage licenses
to same-sex couples the following day.
Gates
previews study on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
WXIA-TV Atlanta, March 3, 2010
A Pentagon study on how to implement a plan to allow gays to serve openly
in the military, "can only be successful if it is managed in a way
that minimizes disruption to a force engaged in combat operations,"
according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
D.C.
Catholic Charities limits same-sex couple benefits
Washington Times, March 3, 2010
On the eve of the enactment of the District of Columbia's law allowing
gay marriages, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington limited
employee health care benefits Tuesday to avoid coverage of same-sex couples.
'Don't
Ask, Don't Tell' repeal moves closer
Guardian Unlimited, March 3, 2010
Five senators to introduce bill aimed at repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
policy barring gays serving in the US military The end of the " Don't
Ask, Don't Tell " military code a ' barring gays and lesbians from
serving openly in the US armed forces a ' is in sight, as five senators
will launch legislation on Wednesday designed to scrap the policy.
GOP
dismisses military study on gays as biased
WKBT, March 3, 2010
Some Republicans are dismissing a planned nine-month Pentagon study on
gays in the military as biased because it assumes Congress will eventually
repeal the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't tell."
California
Assembly swears in its first gay speaker
Los Angeles Times, March 2, 2010
John A. Pérez takes the oath in an untraditional ceremony. His
priorities include restoring simple majority rule on budget issues and
barring lobbyists from texting legislators during floor debate.
D.C.
gears up for marriage license rush
NBC Washington, March 2, 2010
Same-sex couples in D.C. have been waiting a long time to tie the knot,
so a big rush is expected March 3 at superior court, the first day for
couples to get their marriage licenses.
Supreme
Court asked to halt start of DC gay marriage
On Top Magazine, March 2, 2010
The Associated Press is reporting that foes of a DC gay marriage law set
to take effect Wednesday are asking the Supreme Court to halt its start.
HRC's
Solmonese signals softening of gay rights support
On Top Magazine, March 1, 2010
Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Joe Solmonese suggested Saturday
that support for gay rights would likely soften after the November elections.
The admission from the helm of the nation's largest gay advocacy group
left bloggers who've been pressuring the group to up the ante stunned.
Anti-gay
bill filed in Illinois state senate
Windy City Times, March 1, 2010
A measure that would roll back some of the protections that the Illinois
Human Rights Bill—which prohibits discrimination on the bases of
sexual orientation and gender identity—currently provides has been
filed in the Illinois Senate.
Help
wanted on gay housing study
Advocate.com, February 26, 2010
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wants gay input for
a new study designed to measure housing discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation and gender identity.
Gay
marriage makes gain in Maryland
New York Times, February 25, 2010
State agencies in Maryland should recognize same-sex marriages performed
in other states until the legislature or courts decide otherwise, Maryland's
attorney general said Wednesday in a long-awaited legal opinion.
Top
Marine softens stance on 'don't ask'
TwinCities.com, February 25, 2010
The commandant of the Marine Corps, who previously had publicly opposed
lifting the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, on
Wednesday softened his position by endorsing a Pentagon study of the issue.
New
York campaign goes after opponents of gay marriage
New York Times, February 25, 2010
Leading national advocates of gay marriage have formed a group to campaign
against New York State senators who opposed same-sex marriage. In total,
the political action committee, called Fight Back New York, is prepared
to raise and spend in the high six figures range in the State Senate races
this year, according to people involved with the committee.
Harold
Ford admits "wrongness" on gay marriage, heckled by Stonewall
Democrats
The Village Voice, February 25, 2010
The papers have been giving Harold Ford Jr.'s undeclared run against Kirsten
Gillibrand lots of respect. But Gillibrand has a few friends, and Ford
ran into them at the LGBT Community Center in the West Village, where
he spoke to the Stonewall Democrats last night. Though candidates usually
get a respectable hearing, or at least suppressed disagreement, from the
gay Democratic club, Ford was heckled.
GLBT
provisions missing in president's new health care proposal
Bay Area Reporter, February 25, 2010
President Barack Obama released a new health care reform proposal Monday,
February 22 that he says incorporates work done in the House and Senate
and adds ideas from Republican members of Congress. But there's no inclusion
in this new proposal of any of the gay-related provisions in the original
House bill.
Gay
soldier killed in action in Afghanistan
Sun-Herald.com, February 25, 2010
Congressman Jim Moran read a letter on the floor of the House of Representatives
today from an active duty soldier in Afghanistan. Congressman Moran stated
that the soldier had, "learned that a fellow soldier was also gay,
only after he was killed by an IED in Iraq. The partner of the deceased
soldier wrote the unit to say how much the victim had loved the military;
how they were the only family he had ever known."
Two
generals wary about repealing gay policy
New York Times, February 24, 2010
The top generals from the Army and the Air Force expressed deep concern
on Tuesday about moving rapidly to lift the ban on openly gay service
members, saying it could make it harder for their forces to do their jobs
while fighting two wars.
Warrant
issued for Va. mom in lesbian child custody case
Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus, February 24, 2010
An arrest warrant has been issued in Vermont for a mother from Virginia
on the run with her daughter. But the order issued Tuesday by Rutland
Family Court Judge William Cohen would only put Lisa Miller in jail if
she and her 7-year-old daughter are found in Vermont.
Despite
defeat, same-sex marriage advocates rally in Albany
Press & Sun-Bulletin, February 24, 2010
Some might think that two months after the Senate nixed a same-sex marriage
bill and eight months before an election that could shift New York's balance
of power isn't the best time to lobby on the issue, but gay-rights advocates
disagreed Tuesday.
War
general: gay, straight should be OK to serve
Washington Post, February 24, 2010
Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top commanding general in Iraq, says he thinks
everyone - gay and straight - should be allowed to serve in the military
"as long as we are still able to fight our wars."
Would-be
Miss California says God wants gays dead
PinkNews.co.uk, February 24, 2010
A contestant for the 2010 Miss California pageant has given her views
on same-sex marriage, saying that the Bible is "pretty black and
white" on what should happen to gays. Miss Beverly Hills 2010 Lauren
Ashley, who evidently hopes to follow in the footsteps of last year's
Miss California Carrie Prejean, was speaking to Fox News.
Army
to oppose immediate suspension of gay firings
ABC News, February 23, 2010
The Army's top leaders say they would oppose any legislation to force
the Army to temporarily cease dismissals under its "don't ask, don't
tell" policy against gays in the military while a broader Pentagon
assessment is being done.
Date
set for trial of gay Puerto Rican teen’s alleged killer
Edge, February 23, 2010
A Puerto Rican judge has found probable cause to prosecute a man who prosecutors
contend brutally murdered a gay teenager last November. Prosecutors contend
Juan José Martínez, who faces a first degree murder and
three weapons charges, stabbed Jorge Steven López Mercado to death
on Nov. 12, 2009.
Virginia
Episcopalians backpedal on gay unions
Washington Times, February 23, 2010
The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia has backed away from recognizing same-sex
unions, instead voting over the weekend to form a panel of laity and clergy
that will set standards for church-sanctioned blessings of such unions
should they be approved by the entire 2-million-member Episcopal Church.
Gay
soldiers don’t cause disruption, study says
New York Times, February 23, 2010
A comprehensive new study on foreign militaries that have made transitions
to allowing openly gay service members concludes that a speedy implementation
of the change is not disruptive. The finding is in direct opposition to
the stated views of Pentagon leaders, who say repealing a ban on openly
gay men and women in the United States armed forces should take a year
or more.
Lieberman
to introduce "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal in Senate
NY Daily News, February 22, 2010
Just when you thought Joe Lieberman couldn't frustrate and perplex liberals
any further, he is going off to become chief sponsor of the most significant
piece of socially progressive legislation that Congress will deal with
this year.
Petraeus:
Troops may not mind gay ban repeal
Marine Corps Times, February 22, 2010
The U.S. commander overseeing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan says he's
not sure that troops in the field care about the sexual orientation of
fellow service members.
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