Tag Archives: LGBT rights

Stonewall Democrats “Senate Republicans have tragically blocked the National Defense Authorization Act because it contains language to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” showing themselves to be far outside of the American mainstream. Their actions today are just more obstructionism and willful disregard of what 8 in 10 Americans want. It is a sad the lengths the GOP will go to …

The cloture vote on DADT has failed 56-43 with zero Republicans voting “yes.” I’ll have the complete roll call in this post shortly. Knowing that cloture would fail, Sen. Harry Reid voted “no” too, so he’ll have the chance to reintroduce the bill. That bit of maneuvering was lost on GOProud. UPDATE: All Republicans voted “no.” Aside from Reid as …

The live video stream has resumed. Things don’t look good. UPDATE: The live stream has concluded. The cloture vote on DADT lost 56-43. Sixty votes were needed.

Gov. David Paterson has signed a bill allowing all unmarried couples to jointly adopt in New York state. The measure signed by Gov. David Paterson also substitutes the gender-neutral term “married couple” in the adoption statute for “husband and wife.” According to sponsors, that partly codifies state appeals court rulings and clears up complications from joint adoption as a two-step …

Chris Geidner reports at Metro Weekly that the White House has issued a statement supporting the National Defense Authorization Act to which the compromised repeal of DADT is attached. A portion of the statement mentions DADT specifically. Policy Concerning Homosexuality in the Armed Forces: The Administration supports section 591 as it would allow for completion of the Comprehensive Review, enable …

“While, Castro had no notion, of course, of what he was doing in this context at that time, in my view and in my interpretation of the dynamics of the 1960s Gay Movement, he triggered Stonewall and all that has followed.News of Castro’s incarceration of gays in detention camps in Cuba came out early in 1965 — probably in March …

Speaking to a San Francisco law school on Friday, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee gay people protection against discrimination. And the same goes for women. “If the current society wants to outlaw discrimination by sex, you have legislatures,” Scalia said during a 90-minute question-and-answer session with a professor at UC Hastings College …

Earlier this week FL Gov. Charlie Crist announced that he was considered dropping the state’s appeal of a ruling allowing a Miami Beach gay couple to adopt. But dropping the appeal could mean the court never rules on the law’s constitutionality, leaving the issue in limbo. “We’d still be left with the statute” that bans gay adoptions, said Miami Beach …

Saying he is “appalled” at the revelation, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has ordered his state’s Homeland Security agency to stop spying on LGBT groups and other activism movements. Information about an anti-BP candlelight vigil, a gay and lesbian festival and other peaceful gatherings became the subject of anti-terrorism bulletins being distributed by Pennsylvania’s homeland security office, an apologetic Gov. Ed …

More than 70 gay activists were arrested in Kathmandu as they rallied for government IDs for transgender citizens. It’s an unexpected development for Nepal, which has been expanding LGBT rights, encouraging gay tourism, and recently saw its first large-scale gay pride celebration. Nepali men and women who identify as transgender are seeking citizenship certificates with their gender marked as “third …

Trailing GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio by several points in the polls, FL Gov. Charlie Crist will today announce support for a long list of LGBT rights, but not marriage equality. On a list exclusively attained by Raw Story, Crist gives the thumbs-up to gay adoption, ENDA, civil unions, and repealing DADT. Crist’s announcement also includes the following: Federal Safe …

Interesting. And hypocritical. Their follow-up tweet says: “DADT has nothing to do with the tradition of marriage between a man and a woman and everything to do with citizens’ rights.” (One Man-One Woman is a NOM affiliate.)

The California Supreme Court has refused to force the state government to defend Proposition 8. The state officials’ decision not to argue in support of Proposition 8 has raised questions about whether anyone is legally qualified to defend it in court. The Pacific Justice Institute filed suit last week, arguing that the California Constitution requires Brown to defend the state’s …

Target currently does not have a location in San Francisco, but it wants one, which is perhaps why it has offered to provide services to the trauma unit at San Francisco General. But to get that contract, the city would have to waive its long-standing requirement that all companies involved in city business offer the same benefits to LGBT employees …

Nate Silver explains his chart: I studied the campaign Web sites of Republican and Democratic candidates for the House in the 33 Congressional districts currently labeled toss-ups by The New York Times political desk. Although a few candidates did not highlight particular issues on their official Web pages, and a few others remain engaged in primaries where there is no …

Calling it a “heterosexual pride parade,” about 100 skinheads and their supporters marched through Budapest this weekend to highlight their demand that the local government deny homosexuals the right to use the city’s public spaces. The participants addressed a petition to two MPs of the radical nationalist Jobbik party, Dora Duro and Elod Novak, who attended the march, which asks …

An Orthodox bishop in Bulgaria has awarded his diocese’s highest honor to two men for “defending Christianity” against Satanic homosexuals. The medals went to a local mayor and prosecutor who are behind an attempt to outlaw any public expression of homosexuality such as hand-holding or gay pride parades. “There is something called public morality. The society is not obliged to …

“We all bear responsibility for the choices we make, especially when one chooses to improve one’s own life at the expense of others. Mehlman’s plea for understanding that it was ‘very hard, personally,’ rings hollow when compared to the lives of those who chose to live their lives honestly, even when that choice ended careers or divided families. “Choices have …