October 2011
You are browsing the archive for October 2011.
By Lisa Keen on October 28, 2011
Just one day after being served notice that a federal lawsuit has been launched against it, the Department of Defense issued a press release saying it has “now identified a total of 14 benefits” available to the “beneficiaries” of all service members “regardless of sexual orientation.”
Posted in News Briefs
By Dana Rudolph on October 28, 2011
In a blow to activists seeking to stop anti-gay bullying, two proposals to address bullying in schools were left out of an education reform bill approved by a U.S. Senate committee October 20.
Posted in Congress, National Politics, Schools/youth
By Lisa Keen on October 27, 2011
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund filed suit in a federal district court Thursday (October 27) challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act and its use in denying to gay service members spousal benefits equal to that given to their straight counterparts.
Posted in Don't Ask Don't Tell, Federal Courts, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, U.S. District Courts
By Lisa Keen on October 26, 2011
New Hampshire Republicans are taking advantage of their supermajorities in the state house to push for repeal of the state’s marriage equality law.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on October 26, 2011
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will debate and vote on a bill to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on Wednesday, November 3. Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced the scheduling Tuesday, October 25.
Posted in Congress, Marriage/Relationships, National Politics
By Lisa Keen on October 25, 2011
It was one of only four questions posed to each Republican presidential hopeful Saturday (October 22) at a conservative forum in Des Moines: “What, specifically, would you do to prevent abortion-on-demand and protect traditional marriage?”
Posted in A closer look
By Lisa Keen on October 18, 2011
Openly gay Democratic activist and political commentator Hilary Rosen predicted social issues, including those involving gays, would be a focus of the Nevada debate.
There was reason to expect so –Herman Cain, on Sunday’s Meet the Press, said he would not seek a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage but would leave the issue to the states.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on October 18, 2011
Lesbian attorney and civil rights activist Beth Robinson has been nominated to serve on the Vermont Supreme Court.
Robinson, one of the key attorneys to lead the case for civil unions and then marriage equality in Vermont, was nominated Tuesday (October 18) by Democratic Governor Pete Shumlin.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on October 18, 2011
The ACLU called it “one of the most important religious liberty cases in years” and said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the matter would determine whether religious organizations have “the right to discriminate based on non-religious grounds.”
Posted in News, U.S. Supreme Court
By Lisa Keen on October 13, 2011
The U.S. Senate voted Thursday (October 13) to confirm the nomination of lesbian attorney Alison Nathan to serve as a federal district court judge.
The roll call vote was 48 to 44, thus securing Nathan’s appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan.
Posted in News Briefs
By Dana Rudolph on October 12, 2011
Openly gay men face “significant” hiring discrimination in several parts of the country, but there are wide differences from state to state. That’s the finding of a new, large-scale study—a study that also found that employers in areas where antidiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation are less likely to discriminate. Additionally, the study found that employers are more likely to discriminate when job descriptions emphasize “stereotypically male heterosexual traits.”
Posted in A closer look
By Lisa Keen on October 11, 2011
Tuesday night’s Republican debate was devoted exclusively to economic issues, so LGBT issues did not arise. But Rick Santorum did manage to put in a plug for heterosexual marriage and families (as his best bet for fixing the economy).
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on October 11, 2011
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday (October 11) refused to hear a case that challenged a sort of “back door discrimination” against a gay couple by a Louisiana state official.
Posted in Adoption, Federal Courts, Issues, Law, U.S. Supreme Court
By Lisa Keen on October 10, 2011
It’s a big threat –shut down the budget for the entire Defense Department because a few same-sex couples might want to rent military base facilities to host their weddings.
Posted in News Briefs
By Lisa Keen on October 5, 2011
A fourth openly gay nominee–one who has been fairly heavily involved in both gay and non-gay legal and political issues and who spent “hundreds of hours” doing pro bono work that led to the elimination of a gay ban on FBI agents–has gone before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
Posted in Federal Courts, News, Nominees, U.S. District Courts
By Lisa Keen on October 3, 2011
President Obama dropped by the Human Rights Campaign’s annual national dinner to vow that he will “keep up the fight” to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and to stop bullying against LGBT youth.
Posted in News, Politics, White House
White House threatens veto as House omits LGBTs in two bills
House GOP shoot down effort to insert LGBT protections in VAWA
NC approves constitutional ban: 61 to 39
Iowa justices explain why they didn’t campaign to retain seats