Category: Uncategorized

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First Lady Michelle Obama to appear at LGBT event during DNC

In addition to opening the Democratic National Convention this evening, First Lady Michelle Obama will appear at an event for equality allies in Charlotte this week.

Gay Politics offers the details on hosts and guests:

The sold-out event is jointly sponsored by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and the Human Rights Campaign, along with partners including the National Stonewall Democrats and local LGBT political organizations.

Other speakers scheduled to participate include: Victory Fund president and CEO Chuck Wolfe; HRC President Chad Griffin; Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles.

An estimated 600 people are expected to attend the event.

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Breaking: Ohio Secretary of State refuses to follow court order to restore early voting days

Via ThinkProgress: Jon Husted, Republican Secretary of State in Ohio, is refusing to change his restrictive early voting schedule even after a federal court restored in-person early voting to all Ohioans during the three day period before the general election.

Husted claims expanding hours before an appeals court hears his case will “only serve to confuse voters.”

Husted first restricted the voting hours in Democratic-leaning urban counties to weekdays only, then restricted all counties’ voting schedules after complaints of unfairness.

In spite of several counties’ requests to stay open on weekends, when most employed people have time to vote, Husted has flatly refused to accommodate them.

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Expedia endorses marriage equality in Washington state

Washington United for Marriage, the coalition working to defend the state’s bipartisan marriage law, today announced that Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company with household brands like Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Classic Vacations and Hotwire, has endorsed the freedom to marry and the effort to approve Referendum 74 this November.

Washington United for Marriage, the coalition working to defend the state’s bipartisan marriage law, today announced that Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company with household brands like Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Classic Vacations and Hotwire, has endorsed the freedom to marry and the effort to approve Referendum 74 this November. Headquartered in Bellevue, Expedia has 2,270 employees in Washington State and 8,900 worldwide.

In its statement President and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wrote, in part “As the world’s largest online travel company — with operations in well over 30 countries — we know firsthand that the world is a diverse place. [snip] Supporting the legislation recently passed in Washington State — which provides same-sex couples with the same right to civil marriage that opposite sex couples already enjoy — is a natural extension of our ongoing commitment to the LGBT community.”

Thanks Expedia!

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Dublin passes marriage equality into law

In Dublin, Ireland, the city council has passed marriage equality by a vote of 38-4.

Via press release:

Two motions in support of marriage equality were put forward – by councillors from Labour and Sinn Féin – and passed at last night’s council meeting, having been considered jointly. Dublin City Council joins Cork City Council and Belfast City Council, who passed similar motions in June, as well as Omagh, Down, Moyle and Magherafelt District Councils who passed motions during the summer months.

“This is a wonderful step by Dublin City Council to raise awareness of this important issue at a local level. We’d like to thank the councillors from both Labour and Sinn Féin for their initiative, and our supporters in Dublin who spoke to their councillors over the last few months about raising the issue,” said Marriage Equality Director Moninne Griffith.

“Marriage equality is not just a national issue, it’s a local one. It’s about respecting and protecting loving couples and families who are part of our communities and treating them as equal. That is why putting the issue on the agenda at local level is so important.”

Dublin City Council has strongly supported lesbian and gay inclusion in Dublin city over many years, including the second-largest public parade – Dublin Pride – each year, and support many other LGBT cultural events.

Recent polls show marriage equality supported by 73% of Ireland.

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Democrats 2012 Platform includes support for marriage equality

Monday, in Charlotte, at the Democratic National Convention, the DNC released the text of it’s 2012 Platform including full support for marriage equality.

This is in stark contrast with the Republican Platform that affords no support for LGBT American’s rights. In fact, the GOP Platform stridently denounces any marriage or partnership rights for gays and lesbians.

Here is the language in the platform that addresses marriage equality for all:

“We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law,” says the document. “We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.”

“We oppose discriminatory federal and state constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny equal protection of the laws to committed same-sex couples who seek the same respect and responsibilities as other married couples,” continues the platform. “We support the full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act.”

In addition, before the marriage equality plank, the platform revisits President Obama’s achievements on behalf of LGBT Americans:

“This administration hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Bullying Prevention and we must continue our work to prevent vicious bullying of young people and support LGBT youth.

The President’s record, from ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in full cooperation with our military leadership, to passing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to ensuring same-sex couples can visit each other in the hospital, reflects Democrats’ belief that all Americans deserve the same chance to pursue happiness, earn a living, be safe in their communities, serve their country, and take care of the ones they love.

The Administration has said that the word ‘family’ in immigration includes LGBT relationships in order to protect bi-national families threatened with deportation.”

(source)