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Maryland Senator will Co-Sponsor Repeal of DOMA

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Posted by Melanie Nathan,

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md, ) the senior U.S. senator from Maryland has agreed to co-sponsor The Respect for Marriage Act, S.598  which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act after LGBT rights supporters sent a petition of nearly 3,000 names to her office urging her to support the bill.

The Respect for Marriage Act, is sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

The status update for Senator Mikulski’s Facebook page reads: “Will co-sponsor bill 2 repeal #DOMA — All Americans entitled 2 equal protection under law & 2 be treated w/dignity & respect. #ItGetsBetter.”

In a statement provided to the Washington Blade via e-mail, Mikulski confirmed she’s a co-sponsor of the legislation.

“I am proud to co-sponsor legislation to repeal key provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act,” Mikulski said. “I believe all Americans are entitled to equal protection under the law and all of our citizens deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

She continued, “The Respect for Marriage Act, S.598, will allow couples who have a legal marriage in a state to have the same federal protections as every other married couple. This includes the right to receive spousal benefits under Social Security; to file joint federal tax returns and to take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act when a spouse falls seriously ill.”   Read The Washington Blade Article .

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Africa: A Hotbed of Homophobia

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

The announcement by the U.S. Department of Defense that it will consider lifting a military policy that discriminates against gays and lesbians is a laudable move. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this week that it was time to repeal the military’s 17-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Yet in most countries of Africa, homosexuals have become even more endangered after several governments recently created laws to criminalize their sexual orientation. Political leaders in many African countries have made a deliberate attempt to ostracize people who engaged in same-sex relationships.

In West Africa, the Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh has threatened to behead any gay person found in his country. A report published in the BBC’s Focus on Africa Web site quotes Jammeh issuing a 24-hour ultimatum to all gays to get out of the Gambia or he would cut off their heads. The Gambia had become a safe haven for gay refugees fleeing persecution from the country’s neighbor, Senegal. Jammeh embarked on a countrywide anti-gay campaign, and the BBC reported that he told a political rally, “The Gambia is a country of believers where sinful and immoral practices such as homosexuality will not be tolerated.”

Full Story from KansasCity.com
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Posted in africa, gambia, homophobia, legislation, malawai, rwanda, uganda | No Responses »

USA: 2009 Saw 50 Positive LGBT Bills Passed, and Only 4 Negative Bills

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

The number of pro-LGBT bills passed at state levels in 2009 totaled more than those passed in 2007 and 2008 combined. That, according to a report from the Human Rights Campaign, marks great progress despite a year wherein community members felt stinging defeats. At the same time HRC was releasing its annual rankings of LGBT-friendly companies, the national organization also unveiled its “Equality State by State,” a report of legislative actions across the country written by HRC State Legislative Director Sara Warbelow.

Overall, the LGBT community saw success on state-level legislation. A total of 332 pro-LGBT bills were introduced and 50 were passed. Only 69 negative pieces of legislation were introduced. Of those, only four passed.

Despite a setback in Maine, when voters chose to overturn their state legislature’s decision to offer marriage to all couples, other states and jurisdictions moved forward on marriage. On April 7, 2009, Vermont passed legislation opening marriage to all couples. New Hampshire decided to join Vermont on June 3, 2009. Their law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2010. And, on Dec. 18, 2009, the Washington, D.C. City Council passed legislation extending marriage rights there. In April, Iowa’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of a gay couple seeking a marriage license there.

Full Story from QNotes
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Posted in 2009, bills, Gay Marriage, gay rights, hrc, legislation, marriage equality, same sex marriage | No Responses »

USA: HRC Releases New State by State Report on LGBT Legislative Action in 2009

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

The comprehensive state-by-state report provides a complete summary of all the state legislation introduced and passed in 2009 that affected lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families. The report indicates that despite disappointments in 2009, it was a banner year for positive legislation affecting the LGBT community, with as many positive bills passed this past year as in 2007 and 2008 combined. The report also details expectations for 2010.

Download the Report from HRC Here
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To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in 2009, bisexual, gay, Gay Marriage, hrc, human rights campaign, legislation, lesbian, marriage equality, report, same sex marriage, transgender | No Responses »

Rights Groups Fighting Proposed Homophobic Legislation in Uganda

Friday, October 16th, 2009

A coalition of 17 local and international human rights groups have joined together to fight wide-ranging anti-homosexual legislation introduced this week in Uganda’s parliament. The coalition says restrictions move beyond bedroom conduct to challenge basic freedoms of expression and assembly and place barriers against the promotion of HIV/AIDS prevention projects.

 Executive director Cary Alan Johnson of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) says the law’s discriminative and harsh punitive features represent a last-ditch effort by anti-gay and evangelical groups to restrict personal freedoms in Uganda and in other African countries, and he hopes the rights groups can prevent the bill’s passage.

“Over the course of the last year, there’s been an increasing pattern of homophobic discourse at play in Uganda, including a conference that occurred several months ago, in which a number of US evangelical leaders came to Uganda to promote reparative therapy and other types of human rights violations against Ugandan LGBT people…and our feeling is that the bill is targeting not just LGBT people, but freedom of expression and a broad level of political discourse in general,” he noted.

Full Story from VOA News: http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-10-16-voa5.cfm

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Posted in homophobic, legislation, rights groups, uganda | No Responses »