By Lisa Keen on January 14, 2011
The U.S. Department of Justice filed its brief January 13 with a federal appeals court that will hear the government’s appeal of two district court decisions that found the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.
Posted in Federal Courts, Law, News, U.S. Circuit Courts
By Lisa Keen on January 11, 2011
The 112th Congress went barreling into all-out partisan warfare, as expected, in its opening week, and then the unexpected took over. A man gunned down a member of Congress in broad daylight.
Posted in Congress, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on January 4, 2011
A 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel surprised many Proposition 8 observers Tuesday when it suddenly issued five documents relating to the case. But there was no decision Tuesday in Perry v. Schwarzenegger.
Posted in Federal Courts, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, News, U.S. Circuit Courts
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 Lisa Keen on December 31, 2010
If past is prologue, 2011 should turn out to be a fairly decent one for the LGBT community. It’s not that everything turned out so rosy for the community in 2010, but the gains registered more powerfully than the losses.
Posted in Politics
By Dana Rudolph on December 31, 2010
The federally supported National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (NAASP) on December 30 officially announced a task force dedicated to suicide prevention among LGBT youth.
Posted in Health, Issues, News
By Dana Rudolph on December 28, 2010
The North Carolina Supreme Court on December 20 voided the adoption by a lesbian mother of the child who she and her former partner, the biological mother, were raising together. The ruling jeopardizes the legality of all other such “second-parent adoptions” in the state.
Posted in Adoption, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, News, State Courts, State Supreme Courts
By Lisa Keen on December 23, 2010
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to lesbian law professor Chai Feldblum as President Obama’s nominee to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Posted in Appointees, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on December 22, 2010
Following a dramatic and eloquent speech, President Obama Wednesday morning signed the legislation that will launch the repeal of a 17-year-old law that prohibits openly gay people from serving in the military.
Posted in Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics, White House
By Lisa Keen on December 18, 2010
The U.S. Senate approved a bill Saturday, December 18, to repeal the 17-year-old law banning openly gay people from serving in the military. The roll call vote on the measure, which came to the Senate Wednesday from the House, was 65 to 31.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on December 15, 2010
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday afternoon to approve a measure to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the second time this year the House approved such a measure.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, News, Politics
By Dana Rudolph on December 14, 2010
Three weeks before the end of a session of Congress may seem an odd time to introduce any new bills, much less one dealing with always-contentious LGBT civil rights. But three representatives introduced a bill 12/8 that would better protect LGBT people from discrimination in housing.
Posted in Congress, Issues, Misc, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on December 13, 2010
Activists pushing for repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell delivered on a threat Monday and filed a third lawsuit aimed at having the courts strike the military’s ban on openly gay people.
Posted in Don't Ask Don't Tell, Federal Courts, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, News
By Lisa Keen on December 9, 2010
Thu. Dec. 9 – 4:10 p.m.—The Senate has just rejected an attempt to bring the defense authorization bill to the floor, effectively killing the prospects for repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell this year, and likely for years to come. The vote was 57 to 40.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on December 8, 2010
All the focus was on Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins Wednesday, with the question being whether she could be persuaded to vote to end the Republican-led filibuster against the defense authorization bill.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on December 6, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO — Famed attorney Ted Olson told a 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel Monday that the reason proponents of Proposition 8 have proffered to justify their ban on same-sex marriage is “nonsense.”
Posted in Cases, Federal Courts, Issues, Law, Lawsuits, Marriage/Relationships, News, U.S. Circuit Courts
By Lisa Keen on December 6, 2010
The second and final day of the Senate hearing on repealing “Don’t ask, don’t tell” has adjourned and the battle lines are still very much where they were at the beginning, with one exception.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on December 2, 2010
The Pentagon’s top four leaders stood their ground Thursday during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Defense Department’s report concerning Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal. But there was considerable pushback from Republicans on the committee—and not just John McCain.
Posted in Congress, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on November 30, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates sent mixed signals Tuesday, in releasing the Pentagon’s long-awaited study about how to implement repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He said repeal “can and should be done,” but he urged Congress to consider the views of all-male combat units who expressed concern about negative consequences.
Posted in Don't Ask Don't Tell, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
By Dana Rudolph on November 19, 2010
A national task force dedicated to suicide prevention among LGBT youth will be part of the new National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a public-private partnership supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Posted in Congress, Health, Issues, National Politics, News, Politics
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