Joe.My.God. LGBT News

GOP Rep. Randy Forbes (VA) has introduced legislation which would require all federal documents to use only the words “mother” and “father” when describing parents. Forbes’ bill is meant to directly counter a recent compromise by Clinton’s State Department, which last month added the words “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” to passport applications. When we last heard from Forbes, he …

Openly gay Colorado state Sen. Pat Steadman introduced his civil unions bill today. One Colorado reports via press release: The Colorado Civil Unions Act provides committed gay and lesbian couples with critical legal protections and responsibilities, such as the ability to insure a partner, to inherit property, to take family leave to care for a partner, to visit a partner …

As a benefit for the Trevor Project, openly gay singer Matt Zarley has recorded a cover of Pat Benatar’s 1984 smash We Belong. Below is a snippet of DJ Bill Bennett’s remix. Both the single and its remix are now available on iTunes and at Amazon.

Longtime JMG reader Vivian Cummins has announced his candidacy for Ireland’s Parliament as a Green Party proponent of same-sex marriage. Via press release: Vivian Cummins, the Green Party candidate for Kildare South is believed to be the only gay and officially recognised civil partnered candidate in the forthcoming General Election in the Irish Republic to be held on 25th February …

Last year Arizona’s legislature voted to stop offering insurance to the gay partners of state employees. Purely to save money, don’t you know. That move was blocked by a judge thanks to a lawsuit from Lambda Legal, but now the state has filed a federal appeal of his ruling. Assistant Attorney General Charles Grube contends U.S. District Judge John Sedwick …

(Via – Wall Street Journal)

Via Your New Favoritest Song Ever here’s a charmingly retro song for Valentine’s Day from Swedish girl group Those Dancing Days.

This morning a gay couple was turned away at the New York City marriage bureau in a Valentine’s Day protest staged by Marriage Equality New York. That’s MENY head Cathy Marino-Thomas speaking behind the men.

From the New York Times editorial board. The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act is indefensible — officially sanctioned discrimination against one group of Americans imposed during an election year. President Obama seems to know that, or at least he has called on Congress to repeal it. So why do his government’s lawyers continue to defend the act in court? [snip] …