September 2011
You are browsing the archive for September 2011.
By Dana Rudolph on September 29, 2011
Americans are becoming “dramatically” more accepting of gay men and lesbians, according to a new report from a respected, long-running social survey. And, as suggested by other recent surveys, this latest report indicates younger generations are driving that trend.
Posted in Demographics, Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News
By Lisa Keen on September 28, 2011
The Census Bureau on Tuesday released a new estimate for the number of same-sex couple households in the United States in 2010, and it is almost 40 percent fewer than it actually counted. But it’s 80 percent higher than the number counted in the 2000 Census.
Posted in Census, Demographics
By Lisa Keen on September 27, 2011
The full U.S. Senate is expected to take up the nomination of lesbian attorney Allison Nathan sometime on or before October 11, says a staffer for the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on September 27, 2011
The White House has not made any announcement of the appointment, but two gay newspapers in Washington, D.C., reported September 23 that there is a new White House liaison to the LGBT community.
Posted in News Briefs
By Dana Rudolph on September 25, 2011
The government of the United Kingdom announced September 17 that it would begin a “consultation”–a formal process of soliciting input–on how to implement civil marriage for same-sex couples. But some LGBT activists have criticized what they see as delay over the issue.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on September 22, 2011
The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was driven home before a national television audience Thursday, September 22. That’s when an active duty soldier in Iraq identified himself as being gay and asked Republican presidential hopefuls whether they would, as president, try to reinstate the ban on openly gay servicemembers.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on September 22, 2011
Attorneys for the proponents of California’s same-sex marriage ban filed notice Thursday, September 22, that they intend to ask a federal appeals court to overturn a recent decision to make public videotapes of the landmark trial.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on September 22, 2011
The current fiscal year’s budget was cut to the bone; next year’s will be cut to the marrow, said Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the U.S. Senate subcommittee on appropriations for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on September 22, 2011
President Obama has agreed to deliver the keynote address to this year’s annual Human Rights Campaign dinner October 1 in Washington, D.C.
Posted in News Briefs
By Dana Rudolph on September 21, 2011
When repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” goes into effect September 20, children of gay servicemembers will reap many benefits. But they will still lack many of the protections available to children with opposite-sex parents because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Posted in Don't Ask Don't Tell, National Politics
By Lisa Keen on September 20, 2011
U.S. Justice Antonin Scalia has already conceded that laws banning same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, according to one constitutional scholar. And the U.S. Supreme Court is “very likely” to invalidate the federal Defense of Marriage Act once it reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, says another, generally conservative, expert.
These are just two of the conclusions from more than a dozen constitutional law jurists who participated in a recent two-week long discussion of what most consider an inevitable case before the nation’s highest court.
Posted in A closer look
By Lisa Keen on September 19, 2011
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin has had to address the “L word” in recent interviews, now that she’s running for the U.S. Senate. Not just because she’s a lesbian, but because she’s a liberal.
Posted in Campaigns, Election 2012, National Politics, Senate
By Lisa Keen on September 19, 2011
On the same day a Broadway play is to premiere to highlight the transcripts from the landmark Proposition 8 trial, a federal judge has ordered release of videotapes of the trial.
Posted in Federal Courts, Law, Marriage/Relationships, News, U.S. District Courts
By Lisa Keen on September 15, 2011
In a request that seems more like political theatre than political combat, the House Armed Services Committee sent a plea to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta asking that repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell be delayed.
Posted in A closer look
By Dana Rudolph on September 14, 2011
The North Carolina legislature approved a ballot question this week that seeks to amend the state constitution to ban marriage of same-sex couples.
Posted in Ballot Measures, Marriage/Relationships, Politics, State Politics
By Lisa Keen on September 14, 2011
A new national poll demonstrates once again that a majority of Americans now favor giving legal recognition to marriages between same-sex partners.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on September 14, 2011
A subcommittee in the New Hampshire House passed a bill September 14 that will seek to repeal the marriage equality law enacted there in January 2010. While the bill does not seek to amend the state constitution and would not invalidate existing marriage licenses for same-sex couples, it would ban future such licenses and leave same-sex couples with the option of civil unions only.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on September 14, 2011
Remember last year’s Pledge to America from the Republican Party? It promised three times to make government “more transparent.”
Well, apparently, that pledge had a hidden expiration date.
Posted in Federal Courts, Marriage/Relationships, U.S. District Courts
By Lisa Keen on September 12, 2011
There were no LGBT-related questions during Monday night’s Republican presidential debate (September 12), even though the driving interest behind the debate was the Republican Party’s far right-wing.
Posted in Campaigns, Election 2012, Politics, Presidential 2012
By Dana Rudolph on September 8, 2011
Many contentious lawsuits involving the rights of LGBT people have occurred when a biological parent uses anti-LGBT laws to try and deny a child’s non-biological parent custody or visitation. Several LGBT organizations have published a revised set of standards aimed at stopping such behavior.
Posted in Adoption, Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News, State Courts
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
President praises pro athlete Jason Collins for courage to come out
Rhode Island marriage bill clears final hurdle with all Republicans