One of my good friends is a palliative care specialist, the kind of physician who might work at San Diego Hospice. When he rushes off the phone, I typically say, “What’s the hurry? Afraid someone will live?” I thought I was joking. If their investigation into San Diego Hospice is any indication, the federal government…
By Suze Orman Editor’s note: Suze Orman is a personal finance expert and hosts The Suze Orman Show on CNBC. She is a bestselling author of ten books, including The Money Class. (CNN) — That nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage is encouraging progress for those of us who believe that…
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — While same-sex couples are excluded from many tax benefits, there is one tax break they qualify for that opposite-sex married couples don’t — if they adopt a partner’s child. A tax credit for what is known as a “second parent adoption” grants qualifying taxpayers up to $12,650 per child for certain…
WASHINGTON (CNN) — In a preview of a major constitutional showdown at the Supreme Court over same-sex marriage, the Obama administration said on Friday that a federal law denying financial benefits to legally wed gay and lesbian couples is unconstitutional. The Justice Department filed the first of a series of briefs in a pair of…
WASHINGTON –More than 50 civil rights, religious, professional, labor, civic and education organizations have sent a letter to President Obama calling for an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating in employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Because of a lack of federal protections, it remains legal in 29 states to…
SACRAMENTO – Sen. Mark Leno announced today the introduction of legislation modernizing California’s HIV confidentiality and data sharing laws. Co-sponsored by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, AIDS Legal Referral Panel and Conference of California Bar Associations, SB 249 protects the privacy of HIV and AIDS patients while allowing the…
WASHINGTON – Thirty-seven United States senators, led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, have today sent a letter to President Obama urging him to issue an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Because of a lack of federal protections, it remains legal to fire or…
Last September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill protecting LGBT youth from the psychological abuse of reparative therapy (sometimes referred to as conversion therapy). SB 1172, due to a temporary injunction by the federal courts, isn’t currently being enforced. The Liberty Counsel argued for three plaintiffs who practiced reparative therapy that implementation of the law…
The White House released today a fact sheet outlining the key principles President Obama believes should be included in commonsense immigration reform. From the fact sheet: FACT SHEET: Fixing our Broken Immigration System so Everyone Plays by the Rules America’s immigration system is broken. Too many employers game the system by hiring undocumented workers and there…
WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, announced today the formation of a business coalition made up of Fortune 500 and brand name companies that support ending federal discrimination against legally married gay and lesbian couples. Currently, because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), lawfully married same-sex couples are not recognized by the federal government…
