HHS announces first guidance implementing Supreme Court’s decision on the Defense of Marriage Act

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a memo clarifying that all beneficiaries in private Medicare plans have access to equal coverage when it comes to care in a nursing home where their spouse lives.  This is the first guidance issued by HHS in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling, which…

Read More

All legal same-sex marriages will be recognized for federal tax purposes

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced a ruling that will ensure all legally-married same-sex couples, regardless of where they live, will be recognized for federal tax purposes.  Recently the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which…

Read More

HRC launches ‘Youth Well-Being Project’ with ‘Time to THRIVE’ conference

WASHINGTON – With LGBTQ young people facing disproportionate levels of harassment at school and a lack of acceptance in their homes and communities, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation announces the launch of its Youth Well-Being Project – promoting safety, inclusion and well-being for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. Anchored by a new national conference…

Read More

Leno resolution condemning Russian anti-gay laws clears committee

SACRAMENTO – A resolution introduced by Sen. Mark Leno that urges the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) not to invest future resources from their pension plans in Russia passed the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee today with a 4-1 bipartisan vote. Senate Resolution 18 was introduced in…

Read More

Council President Gloria: ‘It’s time to get to work’

SAN DIEGO – Council President Todd Gloria today gave remarks following the announcement of a settlement with Mayor Bob Filner.  The comments were made in the Council Chambers of the City Administration Building, and the Council President stood with his Council colleagues. Thank you all for joining me here today.  As you know, Mayor Bob Filner…

Read More

HRC: Pvt. Chelsea E. Manning ‘deserves respectful treatment by media and officials’

WASHINGTON – Pvt. Chelsea E. Manning announced today that she is female and wishes to begin hormone treatment therapy. In a statement read on NBC’s Today show, Thursday, Manning said,  “As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me,” Manning said in the statement. “I am…

Read More

Amnesty International calls on President Obama to commute Bradley Manning’s 35-year sentence

Military judge Col. Denise Lind today sentenced Bradley Manning to 35 years in military prison – out of a possible 90 – for leaking reams of classified information to Wikileaks. He has already served more than three years in pre-trial detention, including 11 months in conditions described by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture as…

Read More

New Mexico: Dona Ana County issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples

Same-sex couples in Doña Ana County, NM began receiving marriage licenses this morning after the county clerk announced he was issuing them based on a legal opinion endorsed earlier this year by the City of Santa Fe and a recent filing by the attorney general stating that New Mexico’s laws demanded that the state issue…

Read More