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Chuck Colbert
Chuck Colbert
By Chuck Colbert on April 1, 2012
When a panel of three judges on a federal appeals court hears arguments against the federal Defense of Marriage Act, three openly gay lawyers will argue the law is unconstitutional. Opposing them, one straight attorney.
Posted in Federal Courts, Marriage/Relationships
By Chuck Colbert on January 20, 2012
A group of nearly 40 conservative religious leaders released an open letter this month (January 12) that seeks to reframe the battle over same-sex civil marriage as a threat to their freedom of religion.
Posted in Marriage/Relationships
By Chuck Colbert on September 8, 2011
A new national report provides data to back up what many have sensed for a long time: that the positive shift in America’s attitudes toward equal rights for LGBT people has a lot to do with age.
Posted in Demographics, News, Politics
By Chuck Colbert on August 23, 2011
A lesbian’s surviving spouse is fighting her parents in two different courts. In probate court in Illinois, they are fighting over her will. In a federal court in Pennsylvania, they are trying to influence a judge’s determination of who should receive the benefits of her profit-sharing plan.
Posted in Federal Courts, Law, Lawsuits
By Chuck Colbert on January 3, 2011
In an important win for LGBT people and U.S. international diplomacy, the General Assembly of the United Nations voted to restore a reference to “sexual orientation” in a resolution against the killing of vulnerable minority groups—a reference that had been removed only a month earlier.
Posted in International, News, Politics
By Chuck Colbert on October 26, 2010
There are no anti-gay initiatives or referenda on any statewide ballots November 2, but that doesn’t mean that same-sex marriages is no longer a political hot potato. Quite the contrary.
Posted in Marriage/Relationships, News
By Chuck Colbert on July 26, 2010
In yet another important win for marriage equality, the District of Columbia’s highest court ruled July 15 that the city government acted lawfully when it rejected a local minister attempt to place a referendum before voters that sought to roll back equal marriage rights for gay couples in the nation’s capital. The ruling leaves intact [...]
Posted in A closer look, Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News
By Chuck Colbert on May 22, 2010
Leaders of gay civil rights groups and LGBT veterans organizations are optimistic about the next two-week time period, one that may well determine whether Congress moves forward this year to repeal the federal statute commonly referred to as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” that has banned openly gay people from the military for nearly 17 years.
But that is despite some disappointments.
Posted in A closer look, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, News
By Chuck Colbert on March 21, 2010
Rep. Tammy Baldwin acknowledged that the pro-gay provisions she sought in the health care reform legislation have not survived. But Baldwin also said that she has counted the votes in the House on two major pro-gay pieces of legislation and believes the votes for passage are there.
Posted in Congress, Health, Issues, News, Politics
By Chuck Colbert on March 3, 2010
A new law takes effect today in the nation’s capital, granting equal rights in marriage licensing for gay couples. Washington, D.C.’s marriage equality legislation becomes law in spite of a Herculean effort by opponents to block its implementation.
Posted in Issues, Law, Marriage/Relationships, News, State Courts
By Chuck Colbert on February 5, 2010
A ruling this week by the U.S. Tax Court held that a Massachusetts woman should be permitted to deduct the medical costs associated with her transition (male to female) for the purposes of filing federal income tax returns—a ruling that could have significant implications for transgender people.
Posted in Cases, Federal Courts, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, News
By Chuck Colbert on February 3, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen told a Senate committee they have appointed a high-level working group to report on how the military can adapt should Congress choose to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Chuck Colbert on January 20, 2010
It’s a double victory for Republicans: Republican Scott Brown has won the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts and taken away from the Democratic majority in Congress its critical 60th vote in the Senate.
Posted in Campaigns, Politics, Senate
By Chuck Colbert on January 16, 2010
Tuesday’s special election for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts took an ugly turn in the last few days, with a national anti-gay organization now playing the anti-gay marriage card in an apparent move to turn out social conservatives to vote for Republican Scott Brown.
Posted in Campaigns, Issues, Marriage/Relationships, National Politics, News, Politics
By Chuck Colbert on January 14, 2010
It may well be shaping up as nail-bitter. The race to fill the U. S. Senate seat held by the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy has tightened up considerably in the past few days.
Posted in Campaigns, National Politics, News, Politics
By Chuck Colbert on January 8, 2010
Even before the votes were tallied Thursday in the New Jersey Senate on a marriage equality bill, advocates of the bill knew they would fall short.
The marriage equality bill needed 21 votes to pass; it garnered only 14.
Posted in Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News, Politics, State Politics
By Chuck Colbert on December 8, 2009
The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee handed proponents of marriage equality an important first-round victory last night, approving a bill that could make New Jersey the sixth state to allow same-sex marriage.
The panel’s 7 to 6 approval came shortly after ten o’clock Monday night, after more than seven hours of emotional and at times highly personal testimony and discussion.
Posted in Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News, Politics, State Politics
Five Top LGBT Supreme Court Cases–for now
Obama names three more gay ambassadors; nearly doubles Clinton’s LGBT appointments
DOJ nominee gets GOP booster
Immigration bill advances without provisions for same-sex couples
Leahy submits language to help bi-national same-sex couples
Delaware votes for marriage equality; becomes 11th state to make it the law