When referring to the “LGBT” community, most people mean a group that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. When referring to legislation, however, the LGBT label is often slapped on anything that benefits lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals. The change in conjunction is small, but far from harmless. Protections based on sexual orientation…
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and entrepreneur Donald Trump both announced their entry into the race for the Republican presidential nomination last week, bringing the total number of candidates to an even dozen. The number of characters will eventually shrink like an Agatha Christie murder mystery, but given the candidates still on the sidelines the…
In 2008, then Sen. Barack Obama beat Sen. John McCain by 14 percentage points among female voters, despite the presence of Gov. Sarah Palin on the Republican ticket. In his 2012 re-election, President Obama did arguably better, besting Gov. Mitt Romney by 12 points among women while losing men by eight points (Obama tied McCain…
Three names that were mentioned early at the 2015 Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast. Three transgender youth who were taken from our San Diego community far too soon. Three drops in a tragically growing pool that fed an undercurrent of sadness permeating the usually uplifting event. Sage. Taylor. Kyler. One Lifetime achievement award celebrated our progress…
A recent Quinnipiac poll showed 54 percent of registered voters believing that former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is not honest or trustworthy. Despite Clinton beating the entire Republican field, pundits have pounced on the data as a harbinger of doom for the nascent Clinton campaign. Conservative columnists and panelists argue that…
Democratic discussions of the 2016 San Diego mayoral race were long focused on one question: “Todd or Toni?” Some thought Assembly Speaker Atkins fundraising and connections gave her the best chance to defeat Mayor Faulconer. Others thought “iMayor” Gloria, who skipped the special election to put the city first, was the better option. Most were…
Last week, I ranked the Supreme Court Justices by their likelihood of supporting marriage equality. In light of Tuesday’s oral arguments, I want to update some of those predictions. Justice Thomas, to the surprise of no one, said nothing. Still a “No” vote on marriage equality. Justice Scalia seemed convinced that a Federal right to…
1971, the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision to deny a marriage license to a couple because they were the same sex. The couple’s appeal, known as Baker v. Nelson, was the last time the U.S. Supreme Court considered a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. To say they considered it is an overstatement,…
Politicians, pundits and preachers arguing in favor of Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs) have coalesced behind a metaphor: Tolerance is a two way street. All they want is the same respect for religion that the LGBT community is requesting for sexual orientation and gender identity. In their view, LGBT activists are on the march, aggressively…
On Monday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz announced his bid for president in 2016, skipping the fundraising exploratory phase in which many of his potential competitors are lingering. Dozens of people you’ll never hear of file paperwork to run for president each cycle, so Cruz wasn’t the first candidate, but he’s the first one you’re likely…
