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 Lisa Keen on March 27, 2012
One of the biggest lawsuits against the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is back in court next week, and for the first time for any DOMA challenge, it is at the federal appeals level.
Posted in Federal Courts, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships
By Lisa Keen on March 21, 2012
A robo-called aimed at attacking Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney over his positions–and alleged positions–on gay civil rights apparently had little effect in Illinois’ primary Tuesday. Romney won the primary with ease and racked up the lion’s share of its delegates.
Posted in Election 2012, Presidential 2012
By Lisa Keen on March 14, 2012
In a first of its kind case, a federal judge in Philadelphia Monday (March 12) heard arguments on whether the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) precludes a private company from recognizing a same-sex marriage when it comes to the distribution of an employee’s survivor benefits.
Posted in Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, U.S. District Courts
By Lisa Keen on March 2, 2012
The next president of the nation’s largest LGBT political group will be Chad Griffin, a California activist who has made a name for himself by initiating and orchestrating one of the most important legal challenges in LGBT history.
Posted in Misc
By Lisa Keen on March 1, 2012
Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum’s campaign appears to have begun to self-destruct from the candidate’s increasingly harsh rhetoric and statements on social issues.
Posted in Election 2012, Presidential 2012
By Lisa Keen on February 22, 2012
A federal district court judge in San Francisco ruled Tuesday (February 22) that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the rights of gays and lesbians to equal protection of the law.
Posted in Issues, Marriage/Relationships, U.S. District Courts
By Dana Rudolph on February 16, 2012
As the dust settles on the flashfire controversy over a decision by the nation’s largest organization fighting breast cancer to withdraw grants from the nation’s largest provider of services regarding reproduction, the LGBT community is taking stock of the damage and the potential damage.
Posted in Health
By Lisa Keen on February 7, 2012
Calling Proposition 8 “remarkably similar” to Colorado’s anti-gay Amendment 2 in 1992, a divided federal appeals court panel in San Francisco ruled Tuesday (February 7) that California’s same-sex marriage ban violates the federal constitution.
Posted in Marriage/Relationships, U.S. Circuit Courts
By Dana Rudolph on February 3, 2012
A first-ever study of how teens and young adults with LGB parents feel about marriage equality was published this month in the peer-reviewed Journal of Marriage and Family.
Posted in Marriage/Relationships
By Lisa Keen on February 2, 2012
Most gay legal activists issued a subtle yawn in reaction to the 22-page decision Thursday by a federal appeals panel to keep the Proposition 8 trial videotapes under seal.
Posted in Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships
By Lisa Keen on February 1, 2012
R. Clarke Cooper, head of the national Log Cabin Republicans group, said Mitt Romney won an “informal vote” among the leaders of Florida’s three chapters on the Saturday before Tuesday’s primary. And voters in Florida’s Republican primary on Tuesday gave Romney a victory, too, albeit a less resounding one than did Log Cabin Florida leaders. [...]
Posted in Election 2012, National Politics, Presidential 2012
By Lisa Keen on January 31, 2012
In a speech before a national LGBT conference on Saturday (January 28), U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said President Obama views the fight for LGBT equality “not as an issue, but as a priority.”
Posted in National Politics
By Lisa Keen on January 25, 2012
The battle lines between the constitutional right to free exercise of religion and laws prohibiting discrimination are seeing some action at the U.S. Supreme Court these days.
Posted in News, U.S. Supreme Court
By Lisa Keen on January 24, 2012
While there was only one direct reference to anything gay in President Obama’s third State of the Union address, the speech and a large number of White House activities surrounding it were inclusive of gays.
Posted in National Politics, Presidential 2012, White House
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 Lisa Keen on January 18, 2012
The South Carolina primary has distinguished itself in the past by bringing out the worst in campaign tactics. So it is no surprise that this week, some Republican contenders accused supporters of Rick Santorum of rigging a consensus vote by evangelical leaders.
Posted in Election 2012, Presidential 2012
By Lisa Keen on January 12, 2012
The Canadian Department of Justice told a court in Ontario this week that a lesbian couple from the U.S. and England who obtained a marriage license there in 2005 should not be granted a divorce now because they were not legally married in Canada.
Posted in Law, Marriage/Relationships
By Lisa Keen on January 4, 2012
The Republican presidential field’s most anti-gay candidate scored big Tuesday night when he landed in a virtual tie for first place in the Iowa caucuses with the candidate who has been seen by the media as the party’s most viable candidate against President Obama.
Posted in Election 2012, Presidential 2012
By Dana Rudolph on December 29, 2011
One leading advocate called 2011 an “epic” year for marriage equality. Was it? While only one state — New York — enacted full marriage rights for same-sex couples, it was the most populous state to do so. Five other states also moved closer to marriage equality than ever before.
Posted in Marriage/Relationships
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