Tag Archives: LGBT rights

“The Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest gay-rights group, recently announced plans to spend at least a half-million dollars to defeat the California Marriage Protection Act. What a waste; gays and lesbians have far more urgent needs. The Golden State constitutional amendment poses no substantive threat to them – it will take nothing away from same-sex couples but the word “marriage.” …

Continuing its expansion of LGBT rights, Cuba has announced that it will pay for sex reassignment surgery for any citizen that qualifies. The move is the latest in a series of changes implemented by President Raul Castro since he succeeded his elder brother, Fidel, in February. Raul Castro’s daughter, Mariela, heads Cuba’s National Center for Sex Education, which strongly backs …

This just in: California’s highest court has refused to stay until after the November election its decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. Conservative religious and legal groups had asked the California Supreme Court to stop its order from becoming effective until voters have the chance to weigh in on the issue. An initiative that would amend the state constitution …

Via the Empire State Pride Agenda: Today the New York State Assembly voted 102-33 to amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based upon gender identity and expression. The bill (A.6584a), known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) bans discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and other areas of everyday life. “The …

Not really big news as the haters had twice the necessary signatures: An initiative that would again outlaw gay marriage in California has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State announced Monday. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen said a random check of signatures submitted by the measure’s sponsors showed that they had gathered enough names for it …

Via the Los Angeles Times: Forget economic stimulus checks. Same-sex marriages may give California just the financial boost it needs. Wedding planners, bakers and hotels began booking more business almost immediately after the state Supreme Court’s May 15 decision overturning a ban on gay marriage. Citing pent-up demand, one UCLA study projects that same-sex unions could provide a $370-million shot …

The state of California is fighting the wingnuts that want a stay of the ruling approving marriage equality. After fighting same-sex marriage for four years, the state Thursday urged the California Supreme Court to reject petitions that would delay enforcement of the court’s landmark ruling permitting gays to wed. “This historic litigation is now concluded,” wrote Senior Assistant Atty. Gen. …

By a tiny margin, for the first time ever a majority of polled Californians say they now approve of gay marriage. In a dramatic reversal of decades of public opinion, California voters agree by a slim majority that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, according to a Field Poll released today. By 51-42 percent, registered voters said they believed …

Expanding on the May 5th decision by the New York State Court Of Appeals that the state must recognize legal gay marriages performed in other jurisdictions, Gov. David Paterson has issued a broad directive to New York state agencies commanding them to prepare policies and procedures to do so. Gov. David A. Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin …

An encouraging first: A US federal court of appeal has reinstated a lawsuit by a decorated Air Force nurse who is suing after she was discharged for being a lesbian. Major Margaret Witt’s case is the first time a court has not automatically backed the US military’s argument that gays hurt morale and operations as a good enough reason for …

Things are continuing to get better for Cuba’s gays. Cuba’s gay community celebrated unprecedented openness – and high-ranking political alliances – with a government-backed campaign against homophobia on the weekend. The meeting at a convention center in Havana’s Vedado district may have been the largest gathering of openly gay activists ever on the communist-run island. President Raul Castro’s daughter Mariela, …

No words. Two Indian women whose families had tried to break up their relationship set themselves on fire in what police describe as an apparent suicide. The charred bodies of Christy Jayanthi Malar, 38, and her partner identified only as Rukmani, 40, were discovered Saturday in the home of one of the women in the town of Sathangadu. Police said …

The decision comes at the 3:30 mark. Grab a Kleenex.

Some reactions to the ruling…. Obama campaign: Barack Obama has always believed that same-sex couples should enjoy equal rights under the law, and he will continue to fight for civil unions as President. He respects the decision of the California Supreme Court, and continues to believe that states should make their own decisions when it comes to the issue of …

Last week Washington DC approved 39 additional provisions to existing domestic partners laws. Provided that Congress doesn’t interfere, the new provisions will bring DC’s gays “very close” to marriage equality. Similar to its approval of earlier domestic partner law updates over the past several years, the Council passed the latest measure, the Omnibus Domestic Partnership Equality Amendment Act of 2008, …

A new report from the ILGA has raised the number of countries that criminalize same-sex act to 86. The International Lesbian and Gay Association’s 2008 report on state-sponsored homophobia says that being lesbian or gay is risking jail time in 86 countries and death penalty in seven. The figure normally quoted is 77 countries. The research deals only with legislation …

Khadijah Farmer, the butch lesbian who was thrown out of a West Village restaurant after last year’s Pride parade when she used the ladies room, has settled her suit against the restaurant. The bouncer had declared that Farmer was too masculine to be in the ladies room and refused to look at her identification, ejecting Farmer and her entire party. …

After being approved yesterday by Arizona’s House of Representatives, an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment is headed for the the state Senate. If approved there, the amendment will become a ballot measure in the general election in November. The proposed amendment defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The measure has had a roller coaster ride in …

In another step forward towards marriage equality, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed a law on Friday which mandates paid family leave for same-sex partners as well as married heterosexuals. Under the New Jersey law, workers can apply for up to six weeks off to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, or a sick parent, child, spouse or …

The Australian government has announced over 100 reforms giving gay couples almost the same rights as straight couples – with the notable exception of marriage. The move has been welcomed by LGBT groups but has drawn criticism over the refusal to legalise ‘gay marriage’. Under the changes, gay couples in long-term relationships would be treated the same as married couples …