Tag Archives: LGBT rights

MINNESOTA: Gov. Tim Pawlenty Vetoes Gay Burial Rights Bill

As he promised, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) has vetoed a bill that would have given gay couples the right to make burial decisions about their partners. Citing his support for “traditional marriage,” Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill on Saturday that would allow a surviving same-sex partner to sue to recover damages in the case of wrongful death and …

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The Condemned

French journalist Philippe Castetbon contacted men living in countries where homosexuality is against the law and asked them to provide a “self-portrait and a personal text, words of fear and anger.” Castetbon has turned their responses into a book, Les Condamnés.

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HAVANA: Fidel Castro’s Niece Leads Hundreds In LGBT Rights March

Yesterday Mariela Castro lead a parade of hundreds through the streets of Havana as part of the International Day Against Homophobia. Last year Mariela’s father, Raul Castro, replaced Fidel Castro as president of Cuba. Some of the marchers played drums and others walked on stilts as they made their way down a wide avenue in the capital’s hip Vedado neighborhood, …

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BELARUS: Gays Arrested And Roughed Up By Police At Slavic Pride

Today Minsk cops burst out of a police bus several times to chase and arrest young gay men displaying rainbow flags at the city’s Slavic Pride event. Early reports claim riot police beat and arrested several dozen participants. At times, the foreign press outnumbered both the police and the protesters. I’ll be updating this post all day, below are the …

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The Equality Tsunami Approaches

Today’s headline at Washington City Paper: “Gay Marriage Opponents Inch Closer To Death.” Hello, Lady Bluntness! The below graph vividly demonstrates how seniors remain the group most strongly opposed to marriage equality. Think of the chart as color-coded waves of acceptance. Still far offshore is the red wave, but it will arrive. (Via – Dan Savage)

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CA Assembly Calls For DADT Repeal

Yesterday the California Assembly approved a resolution calling for the repeal of DADT. (The state senate approved the resolution last year.) Speaking in the resolution’s support was GOP state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, a former Marine. Watch his speech.

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MINNESOTA: Gov. Tim Pawlenty Vows To Veto Burial Rights For Gay Couples

Minnesota GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty vows that he will veto a bill allowing gay couples to make burial decisions for their partners, saying that such a right is unnecessary. Supporters balked at the governor’s rationale, saying his suggestion that same-sex couples could achieve the same rights through a will still leaves gays on unequal footing with their heterosexual counterparts — …

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Military Bloggers Call For DADT Repeal

Ben Smith reports at Politico that a coalition of military bloggers have called for the repeal of DADT. The community of “mil-bloggers” — often hawkish, critical of White House and military leadership, devoted to both the First and Second Amendments — isn’t easy to define politically, but has proven an increasingly powerful voice from the ranks. The statement, which says …

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Leon County FL Passes LGBT Rights Law

Facing a packed chamber of opponents, yesterday Florida’s Leon County, home to the state capital, passed a sweeping LGBT rights law. In a 5-2 vote, the Leon County Commission approved the controversial changes to the county’s current human-rights ordinance. The changes are designed to deter discrimination and include more protection for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community. …

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MINNESOTA: Three Gay Couples File Suit To Overturn Marriage Ban

Three gay couples have filed suit against Minnesota in an attempt to compel the state to immediately being issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The couples say the state is violating what they say is their constitutional right to marry. They’re filing their lawsuit Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court. They say the 1997 Defense of Marriage Act was passed …

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Would Kagan Have To Recuse Herself On Some LGBT Issues?

According to the Advocate, should Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan be confirmed, she may have to recuse herself from several critical LGBT cases due to prior work on their issues she’s done as Solicitor General. The cases in question include Gill et al v. Office of Personnel Management et al, a suit challenging a section of the Defense of Marriage …

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Today: Veterans Lobby Day In DC

Iraq war veteran Eric Alva, who was the first U.S. soldier to be injured in the current war, tells us about the HRC’s Veterans Lobby Day in Washington DC.

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Harvey Fierstein On Nurse Jackie

Harvey Fierstein guest starred on last night’s episode of Nurse Jackie, playing the husband of a man being kept alive by a machine. Click over to this excellent commentary by Fierstein about the state of patient rights for LGBT people in New York.

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British Christianists Copy The Anti-Gay Manhattan Declaration

The creators of the anti-gay Manhattan Declaration, whose signers vow to disobey all LGBT rights laws, today announced that a British counterpart has been launched. From the Westminster Declaration: We pledge to support marriage – the lifelong covenantal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife. We believe it is divinely ordained, the only context for sexual …

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Obama To Tap Elena Kagan For SCOTUS

By now you should have heard that the president will be nominating U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. President Barack Obama will nominate Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, positioning the court to have three female justices for the first time, NBC News reported late Sunday. Kagan served as the Dean of Harvard Law School …

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Lithuania Pride Is Back On

A court in Lithuania has overturned the ban on Baltic Pride. A Lithuanian appeals court says a gay pride parade can go ahead as planned this weekend, overturning a ban imposed by a lower court that cited security concerns. Law enforcement officials have warned that Saturday’s parade in downtown Vilnius could spark violence and should be canceled, an argument that …

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GLAD Holds Presser After First Day Of Federal DOMA Challenge

You’ll have to listen closely as the audio is somewhat overwhelmed by traffic noise, but it appears that things are going well.

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Iowa Sen. Merlin Bart: Gay Families Don’t Deserve To Use State Parks

Iowa state Sen. Merlin Bartz wants to mark sure that state agencies don’t extend right or privileges to gay couples, even though his state legalized same sex marriage last year. One the things Bartz wants to stop is the plan to allow gay couples to use the family campground portion of state parks. The rates or fees for camp sites …

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Department Of Defense Launches Internal DADT Dialog Site For Active Duty Soldiers

Could this be part of the DADT repeal implementation study? A new online inbox that enables servicemembers and their families to comment anonymously about the impact of a possible repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law has gone live. The inbox will enable servicemembers and families to offer their thoughts about how a repeal of the law that prohibits …

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TOMORROW: GLAD Challenges DOMA In Federal Court

Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) will represent eight married same-sex couples and three widowers tomorrow in their Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) challenge against the federal government. Via press release: Represented by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the plaintiffs in Gill et al. v. Office of Personnel Management, all married in Massachusetts, have each been harmed …

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