By Dana Rudolph on September 21, 2011
When repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” goes into effect September 20, children of gay servicemembers will reap many benefits. But they will still lack many of the protections available to children with opposite-sex parents because of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Posted in Don't Ask Don't Tell, National Politics
By Lisa Keen on September 19, 2011
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin has had to address the “L word” in recent interviews, now that she’s running for the U.S. Senate. Not just because she’s a lesbian, but because she’s a liberal.
Posted in Campaigns, Election 2012, National Politics, Senate
By Dana Rudolph on September 14, 2011
The North Carolina legislature approved a ballot question this week that seeks to amend the state constitution to ban marriage of same-sex couples.
Posted in Ballot Measures, Marriage/Relationships, Politics, State Politics
By Lisa Keen on September 12, 2011
There were no LGBT-related questions during Monday night’s Republican presidential debate (September 12), even though the driving interest behind the debate was the Republican Party’s far right-wing.
Posted in Campaigns, Election 2012, Politics, Presidential 2012
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 Lisa Keen on September 8, 2011
There was a complete absence of questions about LGBT-related issues at last night’s (September 7) debate among eight of the announced Republican presidential candidates. That stood in stark contrast to just two days earlier (September 5).
Posted in Campaigns, Election 2012, News, Politics, Presidential 2012
By Lisa Keen on September 7, 2011
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin said Wednesday that her campaign for a U.S. Senate seat from Wisconsin “will not be about me,” but she’s “prepared to respond to any number of likely attacks in this political age,” including ones based on her being gay.
Posted in Campaigns, Election 2012, News, Politics, Senate
By Lisa Keen on September 6, 2011
The news became official Tuesday: U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin is running for the U.S. Senate in 2012. Baldwin made her announcement on her campaign website tammybaldwin.com and via email to supporters Tuesday morning.
Posted in Campaigns, Election 2012, News, Politics, Senate
By Lisa Keen on August 29, 2011
The Human Rights Campaign announced in a press release Saturday, August 27, that its president, Joe Solmonese, “will not renew his contract, which expires March 31, 2012.”
Posted in News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on August 28, 2011
The anti-gay National Organization for Marriage announced Friday, August 26, that Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has signed its pledge to vigorously oppose marriage equality for same-sex couples.
Posted in Campaigns, Election 2012, News, Politics, Presidential 2012
By Dana Rudolph on August 18, 2011
Opponents of equal rights for LGBT people have been using “bathroom scare” tactics for some years now to try and stop bills that would prohibit discrimination against transgender people, but fears about who can use public restrooms have a long history in the struggle for civil rights.
Posted in Issues, Politics, State Politics
By Lisa Keen on August 15, 2011
The Republican presidential campaign field took another big lurch to the right over the weekend, welcoming its newest and most dogmatic competitor, weeding out an early entry, and giving a boost to its most anti-gay voices.
Posted in Campaigns, Election 2012, News, Politics, Presidential 2012
By Lisa Keen on August 12, 2011
There were several head-turning zingers, and combative attacks on fellow candidates in Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate, but overall, the forum delivered a hard push to the right-wing on same-sex marriage and a stony silence for equality.
Posted in Campaigns, News, Politics, Presidential 2012
By Dana Rudolph on August 11, 2011
A right-wing group in Massachusetts has launched a new ad campaign using an old scare tactic–the fear of sexual predators in public bathrooms. The aim is not to shore up security in public restrooms. It’s to destroy a bill to prohibit discrimination against people based on their gender identity.
Posted in Politics, State Politics
By Lisa Keen on August 9, 2011
With only 35 states and Puerto Rico counted, the 2010 Census has already topped the 2000 Census count of same-sex couples in all 50 states.
Posted in Census, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on August 2, 2011
The U.S. Senate gave final Congressional approval Tuesday to a bill raising the nation’s current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by $2 trillion, but it’s a bill that calls for $2 trillion in federal spending cuts that worry LGBT and AIDS organizations.
Posted in Congress, News, Politics
By Dana Rudolph on July 26, 2011
Just as the Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969 gave a lift to the nascent movement for equal rights for gays across the country, marriage equality in the Empire State appears to be giving a boost to marriage equality efforts outside its borders.
Posted in Issues, Marriage/Relationships, News, Politics, State Politics, Uncategorized
By Lisa Keen on July 20, 2011
U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a legendary civil rights activist, led off Wednesday’s historic hearing to discuss repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, likening it to laws decades ago that requires separate water fountains and restrooms for “whites” and “coloreds.”
Posted in Congress, Issues, Marriage/Relationships, National Politics, News, Politics
By Lisa Keen on July 19, 2011
The U.S. Senate Monday evening (July 18) approved the confirmation of openly gay attorney J. Paul Oetken to serve as a U.S. district court judge.
Posted in Congress, Issues, National Politics, News, Nominees
By Lisa Keen on July 14, 2011
There was a hint of trouble ahead for the nomination of lesbian attorney Alison Nathan to the U.S. District Court for Southern New York.
Posted in Campaigns, Congress, Federal Courts, Issues, Law, News, Nominees, Politics, Senate
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
President praises pro athlete Jason Collins for courage to come out
Rhode Island marriage bill clears final hurdle with all Republicans