Tag Archives: Tammy Baldwin

Led by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), sixty members of the congressional LGBT Equality Caucus have co-signed a letter calling on the president and Congress to reform the immigration laws that block LGBT citizens from sponsoring their partners for residency in the United States. “No one,” the letter insists, “should be forced to choose between the person they love and the …

Yesterday the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 23-12 to approve Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s bill granting benefits for the partners of federal employees. The bill is now likely to move to a full House floor vote, which many anticipate could take place before the end of the year. “Last I talked to the majority leader who sets the floor …

Openly lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) urges LGBT Americans to support President Obama’s health care reform bill, speaking about the fact that gays tend to be less insured than the general public, often because they cannot get spousal or family insurance through their employers.

The Washington Blade reports on last night’s action.

Washington Blade reports that seven Democrats and four Republicans have signed on as cosponsors of Barney Frank’s transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which Frank has announced he will introduce next week. Both other openly gay reps Tammy Baldwin and Jared Polis are cosponsors. The lead GOP cosponsor is Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. In 2007, Frank’s version of ENDA without transgender protection …

The openly gay members of Congress have all issued statements on the DOMA hate brief. Barney Frank (D-MA): “I think the administration made a big mistake. The wording they used was inappropriate. I’ve been in touch with the White House and I’m hoping the president will make clear these were not his views.” Frank says that the DNC fundraiser boycott …

Some time this month, openly lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) plans to introduce legislation to grant benefits to the domestic partners of federal employees. The bill would grant the partners of gay federal employees the same benefits that are available to the spouses of straight employees. Versions of the bill considered in the last session of Congress would have granted …

Via- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Democrat Tammy Baldwin joined the only other openly gay member of Congress, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), on Wednesday to unveil a new House caucus focusing on gay rights. The group, called the LGBT Equality Caucus, has received the support of 50 other members of the House, most of them from California, New York and the Northeast. None …

The Pentagon is having problems dealing with the travel rules for the partners of gay members of Congress. Prior to the Easter recess, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was forced to intervene with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in order to get Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s domestic partner on a military flight for a congressional fact-finding trip to Europe. The speaker succeeded, …

HRC’s Back Story blog has the video of yesterday’s celebratory post-ENDA press conference. Choice quotes: Barney Frank: “Knowing the feeling of pride and support and vindication that many of us who are gay and lesbians feel, underlines the importance of our extending that to others who aren’t allowed to feel that today, and yet they are entitled to that same …

ABOVE LEFT: Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) angrily rips the Republicans for the attempt to kill the bill by recommitting it. If you only watch one of these clips, make it this one. ABOVE RIGHT: Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) on her t-inclusive amendment. ABOVE LEFT: Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks in favor of ENDA, just prior to the vote. ABOVE RIGHT: Rep. …

ENDA comes to a vote in the House on Wednesday, when Republicans (and a few Democrats) will argue to send it back to committee, which would effectively kill it for the current session. If ENDA does indeed pass, Rep. Tammy Baldwin will then propose an amendment reattaching transgender protections. Wednesday promises to be nerve-wracking. I will be following the vote …

The trans-less version of ENDA passed its first legislative hurdle yesterday when the House Committee on Education and Labor voted 27-21 to approve the bill. Four Democrats, including presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich voted against the bill in protest of the removal of transgender protections, but with the votes of four gay-friendly Republicans, the measure passed. Republicans voting yes: Reps. Michael …

Reflecting the disunity I spoke of in the post below, 12 LGBT rights groups have signed onto a letter decrying the removal of transgenders from ENDA, including the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Empire State Pride Agenda, Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, P-FLAG, the National Stonewall Democrats, and …

Openly gay reps Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank have written to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, demanding an inquiry into the abuse and murder of LGBT people in Iraq. The full text of the letter is here. Islamic militias continue to abuct Iraqis suspected of being gay, often leaving their battered corpses for their families to find. In April, the …