June 2011
You are browsing the archive for June 2011.
By Dana Rudolph on June 30, 2011
The Rhode Island Senate passed a civil union bill 21 to 16 on Wednesday, June 29, which the governor has said he will sign but which LGBT civil rights advocates are not happy with and are urging he veto.
Posted in Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News, Politics, State Politics
By Dana Rudolph on June 30, 2011
Five days after the New York State legislature legalized marriage for same-sex couples, LGBT civil rights supporters in New Jersey are asking the state courts to rule that the state constitution there guarantees same-sex couples marriage equality.
Posted in Issues, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, News, State Courts
By Dana Rudolph on June 30, 2011
Although there has been research dating back to the early 1970s on LGBT suicide risk, it wasn’t widely used by mainstream researchers or mental health care practitioners specializing in suicide prevention, said the director of prevention projects for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Posted in Health, Issues, News
By Lisa Keen on June 29, 2011
President Obama at a mid-day nationally televised press conference on Wednesday was repeatedly pressed for his views on marriage equality. But he continued to dodge questions.
Posted in News, Politics, White House
By Lisa Keen on June 29, 2011
President Obama told the audience at an LGBT Pride Month event at the White House Wednesday evening, June 29, that he has “met my commitments to the LGBT community.” But he also kept true to his promise at a press conference earlier in the day and offered no new information about his personal view of same-sex marriage or his support of marriage equality bills.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on June 29, 2011
Supporters of Proposition 8 filed official notice Monday, June 27, that they intend to appeal a U.S. District Court ruling that rejected their request to vacate the landmark decision that found California’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
Posted in News Briefs
By Dana Rudolph on June 28, 2011
The U.S. Department of Education office once headed by openly gay appointee Kevin Jennings and charged with helping with efforts to stop bullying and harassment of students, including LGBT youth, is now gone–a victim of drastic federal budget cuts.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on June 27, 2011
The news that New York State passed a marriage equality law last Friday night was big news and, not surprisingly, drew comments from various presidential candidates over the weekend.
Posted in Campaigns, Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News, Politics, Presidential 2012
By Lisa Keen on June 26, 2011
The number of same-sex couples identifying themselves on the U.S. Census grew by 36 percent in California between 2000 and 2010, according to Census data analysis released Thursday by the Williams Institute. And, with the release of data available now for seven states, the total number of same-sex couples for 2010 already exceeds the total reported nationwide in 1990.
Posted in A closer look
By Dana Rudolph on June 24, 2011
New York State on Friday night, June 24, became the sixth and most populous state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples, after a tense several days past the scheduled end of the legislative session, in which it was unclear if Republican leaders in the state Senate would even allow a marriage bill to come up for a vote.
Posted in Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News, State Politics
By Lisa Keen on June 24, 2011
Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a French newspaper Thursday, June 23, that the Pentagon hopes to certify the military is ready to implement repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” “in the last half of July, early August.”
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on June 24, 2011
The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee did the unexpected last Thursday, June 23. It advanced an appropriations bill involving District of Columbia funding without attaching language to repeal the city’s marriage equality law.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on June 24, 2011
An audience of about 600 people gave President Obama money Thursday night at an LGBT fundraising event in New York City for the Obama 2012 campaign.
Posted in Politics, White House
By Lisa Keen on June 23, 2011
Republicans on the U.S. Judiciary Committee on Thursday asked to hold over the nominations of openly gay federal court nominee Alison Nathan and three other court nominees until next week.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on June 21, 2011
U.S. Census 2010 data on same-sex couples has begun trickling out and, if the first two states are any measure, there are dramatically more same-sex couples in the United States than previously counted.
Posted in A closer look
By Lisa Keen on June 19, 2011
The United Nations’ Human Rights Council voted to approve a resolution that expresses “grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Posted in International, News, Politics
By Dana Rudolph on June 16, 2011
Schools receiving federal funds must provide equal access to school resources for all student groups, including gay-straight alliances (GSAs), said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a “Dear Colleague” letter to educators on June 14.
Posted in Health, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Dana Rudolph on June 15, 2011
With only a few days remaining in the legislative session, marriage equality took a step closer to reality in New York State this week.
Posted in Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News, Politics, State Politics
By Lisa Keen on June 14, 2011
As expected, a federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday refused to vacate last year’s landmark ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.
Posted in Federal Courts, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, News
By Lisa Keen on June 14, 2011
The seven Republican presidential candidates showed some differences on gay-related issues in their first high-profile debate Monday night–with some surprises.
Posted in A closer look
Ginsburg on Roe: Is it a signal she’d curb a decision on marriage?
Leahy submits language to help bi-national same-sex couples
Delaware votes for marriage equality; becomes 11th state to make it the law
Rhode Island marriage law signed; Two more states could vote next week
Rhode Island marriage bill clears final hurdle with all Republicans