Author Archives: Chuck Colbert
Lawyers arguing DOMA appeal Wednesday
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.
Religious leaders see bigotry in marriage equality
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.
New generations are advancing equality
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.
A new era of litigation: The complications of defining spouse
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
U.N. votes to restore ‘sexual orientation’ to resolution against killings
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
No initiatives, but marriage still an issue
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.
D.C. marriage victory: Supreme Court and Congress still loom
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
DC marriage law in effect but trouble could lie ahead
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.
