Separated from about 350 or more counterprotesters by two chain-link
fences, an empty street and a line of police officers, three members of
the Westboro Baptist Church unfurled an American flag Thursday outside
East Lansing High School.
While counterprotesters jeered, shouted and pressed against the
chain-link for a better look, the three lifted signs with messages such
as "America is Doomed" and "God Hates Fags." Read More
Pentagon Probes Leak of Report's Verdict on Gays in Military 11/13/10 www.washingtonpost.com
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has ordered an investigation to
identify sources who leaked information to The Washington Post about a
forthcoming Pentagon report on the potential impact of allowing gays to
serve openly in the military.
"The Secretary strongly condemns the unauthorized release of information
related to this report," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said in
a statement released Friday. "Secretary Gates is very concerned and
extremely disappointed that unnamed sources within the Department of
Defense have selectively revealed aspects of the draft findings . . .
presumably to shape perceptions of the report prior to its release." Read More
The Supreme Court refused Friday to stop enforcement of the military's
"don't ask, don't tell" policy while a lower court hears a challenge to
the Pentagon's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit is preparing to hear legal
arguments in a case brought by the Log Cabin Republicans. The gay
rights group is challenging "don't ask, don't tell," and in September a
federal district judge found the policy to be unconstitutional and
blocked the Pentagon from enforcing the ban. Read More See Also in Christian Science Monitor
Cox Fires Andrew Shirvell, Says he Used State Resources in Attack on Gay Student 11/8/2010 www.freep.com
Shirvell
had been criticized for his blog in which he calls Chris Armstrong, the
president of the Michigan Student Assembly, a radical homosexual, a
Nazi and Satan’s representative on the assembly. Philip Thomas,
Shirvell's attorney, had said his client is expressing his free-speech
rights.
The firing was confirmed in a statement this afternoon
from AG Mike Cox, who said Shirvell was fired for conduct unbecoming a
state employee, especially that of an assistant attorney general. Read More See Also in Washington Post.
No Delay for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Ruling, so Pentagon Takes Gays - for Now 10/19/2010 www.csmonitor.com
A federal judge refuses to suspend last week's ruling that the
Pentagon must stop enforcement of 'don't ask, don't tell.' So the
Pentagon says it will comply and accept openly gay recruits. But it
cautions that the ruling is being appealed. Read More
The widely reported suicides of four gay male teenagers in September
that have been linked to school bullying or harassment has heightened
interest in two separate bills in Congress aimed at curtailing anti-LGBT
bullying and discrimination in the nation’s public schools.
A third bill expected to be introduced next month by Sen. Frank
Lautenberg (D-N.J.) would require colleges and universities to develop
campus anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies that cover LGBT
students. Read More
Michigan One of 10 States to File Gay Marriage Opposition 9/25/2010 www.detnews.com
Wyoming and nine other states have filed a gay marriage opposition brief to a federal appeals court in California.
The
amicus brief sent Friday to the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals says
that the Constitution does not require marriage to include same-sex
couples. It also says that states, not federal courts, have final say in
whether to allow same-sex marriages.
A federal judge ruled last
month that that California's Proposition 8, a voter-passed ban on
same-sex marriage, was unconstitutional. The Perry v. Schwarzenegger
case is on appeal.
The Casper Star-Tribune reports that other
states joining the brief are Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Indiana,
Louisiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.
Illinois lawmakers on Wednesday approved legislation allowing civil
unions in this state, and the governor has indicated he will sign it,
making Illinois one of only a handful of states to grant to same-sex
couples a broad array of legal rights and responsibilities similar to
those of marriage.
Advocates of the legislation, who had pressed the matter for years,
pointed to the outcome as a sign that acceptance of gay men and lesbians
is growing and not only on the coasts.
“Sober, clear-minded, cautious Midwesterners are taking this action,”
said Rick Garcia of Equality Illinois, a gay-rights group. Read More
Government Rules on LGBT Hospital Visitation Rights are Finalized 11/18/10 www.sdgln.com
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday
announced final regulations protecting the hospital visitation rights of
LGBT people.
The regulations require all hospitals that receive federal Medicare
and Medicaid funding – nearly every hospital in America – to allow
patients to designate who may visit them and prohibits discrimination in
visitation based on a number of factors, including sexual orientation
and gender identity.
Scheduled for publication in the Federal Register today, the
regulations will go into force 60 days later -- in mid-January 2011. Read More See Also in MedPage Today
'Straight Pride T-Shirts' with Bible Quotation Cause Stir at St. Charles North High School 11/12/10 www.huffingtonpost.com
Students who wore anti-gay T-shirts to their suburban Chicago high
school during "Ally Week" won't be punished, but the shirts have caused
an outcry among students and activists alike.
St. Charles North High School, about 60 miles northwest of Chicago,
had organized the anti-bullying week in response to the many tragic
suicides of gay teens around the country in recent months, according to the suburban Daily Herald. Nationally, Ally Week was observed in mid-October, through the efforts of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Read More
LGBT rights groups are continuing efforts to strike down the Defense
of Marriage Act with two new federal lawsuits challenging the
constitutionality of the statute.
On Tuesday, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders and the
American Civil Liberties Union filed two separate lawsuits against
Section 3 of DOMA, which prohibits the federal government from
recognizing same-sex marriage.
Mary Bonauto, GLAD’s civil rights project director, said Tuesday in a
conference call with reporters that the federal government has no valid
reason to engage in the regulation of marriage. Read More
In the growing legal confusion at the Pentagon over the “don't ask, don't tell” law, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates issued a directive on Thursday that appeared to be a near moratorium on discharges of openly gay service members.
In a memorandum dated Oct. 21, Mr. Gates said that “until further
notice,” only five senior Defense Department officials, all civilians,
would have the authority to expel openly gay service members. As the
memo explained it, the relevant service secretary — either the Secretary
of the Army, Navy or Air Force — has to consult with the Pentagon’s legal counsel, Jeh C. Johnson, and the undersecretary for personnel, Clifford L. Stanley, before the three can make a group decision on whether a gay service member should be forced out of the military. Read More
Fort Worth Councilman's Speech Goes Viral for the It Gets BetterProject. 10/17/2010
Judge Orders U.S. Military to Stop ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ 10/12/2010 www.nytimes.com
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the United States military to stop enforcing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law that prohibits openly gay men and women from serving.
Judge Virginia A. Phillips of Federal District Court for the Central District of California issued an injunction
banning enforcement of the law and ordered the military to immediately
“suspend and discontinue” any investigations or proceedings to dismiss
service members. Read More
Judge: Return Lesbian Air Force Major to Duty 9/24/2010 www.politico.com
In a landmark ruling, a federal judge in Washington state has ordered
the Air Force to reinstate a reserve flight nurse who was discharged in
2007 under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
In an opinion issued Friday,
U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton ruled that Margaret Witt, who
held the rank of major when she was dismissed, was entitled to be
returned to the 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at McChord Air
Force Base "at the earliest possible moment." Read More
This free website was made using Yola.
No HTML skills required. Build your website in minutes.
A federal judge refuses to suspend last week's ruling that the
Pentagon must stop enforcement of 'don't ask, don't tell.' So the
Pentagon says it will comply and accept openly gay recruits. But it
cautions that the ruling is being appealed.