Democratic U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (CA), Patrick Leahy (VT), Kristen Gillibrand (NY), Christopher Coons (DE) and Richard Blumenthal (CT) will hold a press conference Wednesday in order to announce legislation designed to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The conference will take place at 2:00 pm Wednesday in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in…
After significant media debate leading up to yesterday’s vote, House Republican leaders voted to authorize a legal defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The move comes in response to the Obama Administration’s decision to cease defense of Section 3 on constitutional grounds. Michael Steel, a spokesperson for Speaker of the House John Boehner,…
The New York Times reported today that Governor Andrew Cuomo has promised to devote his “full attention” to the cause of legalizing same-sex marriage in the state of New York. Cuomo’s announcement came after a closed door meeting Wednesday, where the Governor met with gay marriage supporters. Attendees at the meeting included openly gay New…
Pastor and assistant Boston University religion professor Jennifer Wright Knust spoke with NPR’s Terry Gross today about her new book, Unprotected Texts. In the book, Knust argues that the Bible should not be used as a guidebook for moral standards of marriage and sexuality due to the literal contradictions and subjective readings involved in the…
LGBT advocates have repeatedly urged the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to lift the stay preventing a definitive ruling in the Prop. 8 trial — and Palm Springs resident Ed Watson is no exception. Like so many gay couples, Ed and his partner Derence want desperately to see an end to the trial so they…
Led by House Speaker John Boehner, House Republicans are expected to take action this week in defense of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act. The move is in direct response to the Obama Administration’s landmark actions in support of greater scrutiny in sexual discrimination cases. With a Friday filing deadline in two related…
UNITED KINGDOM – Hundreds of people gathered outside the locked doors of the John Snow pub in Soho, London last week and staged a mass kiss-in at 7 p.m. as a protest at the London pub after a gay couple claimed they were thrown out for kissing. Several weeks ago two men were asked to…
In the immediate wake of yesterday’s Department of Justice announcement regarding the cessation of defense for Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, Ted Olsen announced that the California lawyers working against Proposition 8 in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to immediately allow same-sex…
Members of Equality Hawaii and the Human Rights Campaign gathered to congratulate Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie for Hawaii’s decision last week to enact civil unions into law. The new law will take effect on January 1, 2012, and will make Hawaii the 15th US jurisdiction to provide equal rights under law to same-sex couples. Alan…
In the wake of controversy surrounding contributions to a politically conservative action committee during the 2010 elections, Target Corp. has announced new policies concerning future political giving activity. Jessica Carlson, a spokesperson for the popular retail corporation, explains that the company’s revised giving protocol was enacted after a meeting between the corporate responsibility committee and…
