“I don’t recall.” From President Reagan to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, it has been the mantra of elected and appointed officials forced to testify. Should Mayor Filner’s alleged behavior indeed lead he or staffers to court, it’s a safe bet it will be uttered at least once by someone who has blocked a potentially damaging…
I was raised Catholic: First Communion, altar boy, confirmation – the whole 9 yards. My parents ran a group called “Pro-lifers For Survival,” though they were against the death penalty and for a preferential option for the poor, making them a bit more consistent on sanctity of life than many of today’s anti-abortion crusaders. Needless…
When President Obama delayed the implementation of the employer mandate for one year, Tea Party conservatives heard what they thought was the death knell of the Affordable Care Act. Had they listened more closely, they might have realized it was their own 2014 funeral march that had begun. House Speaker John Boehner and his caucus…
With the Supreme Court having made its decisions on DOMA and marriage equality, the spotlight is again on what President Obama can still do for the LGBT community. Dead center in the beam is the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prevent employers from firing workers for their sexual orientation or gender identity. While there…
A lot can happen in a decade. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and to dismiss the appeal of Proposition 8 came 10 years to the day after its Lawrence v. Texas decision. June 25, 2003, you could be arrested for intimate acts with your same-sex…
Unless the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) changes its calendar, we can expect to hear decisions on Hollingsworth v. Perry (Prop. 8) and United States v. Windsor (DOMA) today or Monday, so it seems a good time to do one last run through some of the language and scenarios. “Changes their calendar?” Yes,…
When I finally came out, I didn’t have much confidence. I would stare across the bar at boys, assuming they wouldn’t like me. A good friend finally said, “If you never ask, they’ve already said ‘No.’” Would then someone had given similar advice to Illinois state Rep. Greg Harris. As you likely know, the marriage…
Hillary Clinton Ask a Hillary Clinton supporter why we need her in 2016 and you’ll likely hear how difficult it will be for Democrats to win in 2016, and how important the election will be. I agree, but think they are missing an even stronger argument for a Clinton candidacy on both counts — 2020….
Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed an immigration reform bill that did not include language from the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which would have allowed same-sex couples equal access to spousal/partner immigration privileges. So much for the sinister Democratic plot to use equality to kill immigration reform for their union friends. The plot was…
I have three words for Republicans regarding the 2012 mayoral election, “Sorry ‘bout it.” For those not in the know, “Sorry ‘bout it” is the latest gay way of expressing faux sympathy. With the right intonation, it makes it clear that you’re not remotely sorry, they probably brought it on themselves, and you’re having at…
