Tag: LGBT rights

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Indiana House Speaker moves anti-marriage equality bill to different committee

Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma has taken an unusual move and transferred the “currently under consideration” same-sex marriage ban to a different committee — where it looks to have a better chance of passing — after the measure appeared to stall.

He said the proposed amendment to the state constitution, known as House Joint Resolution 3, will be moved from the House Judiciary Committee to the Elections and Apportionment Committee.

Democrats called the move “embarrassing.”

“This is what happens when you have a really bad idea and get over committed to it,” Democrat and Judiciary Committee member Rep. Ed DeLaney said. “You start breaking the procedures. You start attacking the structure of the system. That’s what the speaker has done.”

Senate Democratic Minority Leader Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, said, “Instead of letting hours of testimony and the democratic process play out, the Speaker of the House has decided to start the clock over.

“Sometimes the legislative process does not garner the expected result, but that does not mean one gets to change the rules in the middle of the game,” he added.

The measure had a hearing last week in the Judiciary Committee, but House Republican leaders decided against bringing it to a vote amid concerns that three GOP lawmakers might vote against it and kill the amendment.

Asked if he was worried about the perception of moving the bill because it might have been defeated, Bosma said he is more concerned about the questionable path the bill appeared to be taking in committee.

Read more at IndyStar.com

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Brendon Ayanbadejo on racial and LGBT civil rights

Brendon Ayanbadejo

Brendon Ayanbadejo pens an essay for Think Progress in support for LGBT rights in a manner that few can own as he does.

Many who oppose marriage equality repudiate the idea that this is a “civil rights” argument.  As readers of The Randy Report know, I’ve often said that when civil rights are assigned through a civil license issued by a civil government, we have an issue of “civil rights.”

Read just a portion of Brendon’s excellent op-ed:

The relationship we see between McGill and Marie — a young, inter-racial couple in the video — is no different from the relationship between my parents. And my parents’ relationship is no different from the relationship between two LGBT individuals. This video captures these similarities.

I’m an advocate for LGBT individuals because I believe they face the same dilemma many interracial couples faced in the 1960s and before. Today, many LGBT couples are discriminated against for simply being who they are. Some are kicked out of their houses; some are forced to live in fear due to societal pressures.

That’s why a new music video, released today by six-piece chamber rock band Great Caesar, is so inspiring. It’s a moving, courageous video for the song “Don’t Ask Me Why,” that draws parallels between the fight for racial equality and today’s struggle for LGBT rights. I was proud to support the band when they were raising money to make the video and I am even more proud to see the outstanding finished product.

Read the entire essay by Brendon at Think Progress.

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Houston: Federal judge refuses to halt same-sex benefits for city employees

A federal judge on Thursday denied a request for a stay that would have halted spousal benefits for gay Houston city employees, Lone Star Q reports:

U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal considered the request after the case was moved from state court to federal court by the defendants — Mayor Annise Parker and the city of Houston.

Harris County GOP Chair Jared Woodfill, on behalf of taxpayers Jack Pidgeon and Larry Hicks, sued Parker and the city in December after she extended benefits to the same-sex spouses of city employees who are legally married in other states.

State District Judge Lisa Millard, a Republican, issued a restraining order halting the benefits, before the city moved the case to federal court, where Woodfill sought another restraining order. Following a lengthy hearing on Thursday afternoon in Houston, Rosenthal denied the request.

(via Towleroad)

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NPR: The amazing year that was 2013

Utah’s surprise decision to legalize same-sex marriage caps a landmark year for gay rights. The last 12 months saw a huge string of victories, from state legislatures, to Congress, to the Supreme Court.

NPR put together this very well-done recap of the past 12 months in LGBT progress. Amazing to look back and realize all this happened in one year.

It’s a quick seven minutes.  Click below to listen.

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Global Day of Rage in support of India over recriminalization of homosexuality

Image via Twitter

More than 30 cities across the world united on Sunday’s Global Day of Rage to fight for India’s LGBT community after the country’s Supreme Court upheld Section 377 of the Constitution criminalizing homosexuality.

In Berlin – Annet Audehm / Via Facebook: aaudehm

Source: Queer Diasporic

Much more at Buzzfeed.

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Georgia complies with same-sex military benefits order

From The Washington Blade reports:

Major Jon Craig, a National Guard Bureau spokesperson, said Georgia had agreed to process applications to grant same-sex spouses military IDs last week in a decision along the lines of Texas and Louisiana.

“With Georgia, what it came down to was the authorization to put some state employees on temporary federal status,” Craig said.

Georgia had been one of two remaining states that had refused to enroll the spouses of gay troops into the benefit system in the aftermath of an edict for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel saying military spousal benefits should be available to troops in same-sex marriages nationwide. These states had cited state constitutional amendments barring same-sex marriage as the reasons why they couldn’t comply.

Only Mississippi continues to ignore the Defense Department’s order. Talks are ongoing and the state is not commenting.

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Croatian government to pursue civil unions in aftermath of marriage equality ban

After Sunday’s vote by the people of Croatia to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage, the Croatian government is signalling they may pass legislation legalizing civil unions instead.

From the New York Times:

Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic’s center-left government said on Monday that it would move ahead with a proposed bill to afford same-sex couples many of the legal rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples, including hospital visitation and inheritance rights, though the bill does not include the right to adopt children.

Mr. Milanovic said he regretted that the referendum had even been held. “I think it did not make us any better, smarter or prettier,” he said.

The state electoral commission said that 66 percent of those who voted answered yes to the question, “Do you agree that marriage is matrimony between a man and a woman?” Turnout was relatively low, with about 38 percent of registered voters casting ballots. Analysts said the turnout suggested that the sluggish economy and 18 percent unemployment rate were more on Croats’ minds than gay marriage.

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Senate set to hear ENDA before Thanksgiving

Senate Majority Leader announced today that he will bring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to the floor of the US Senate before Thanksgiving.

From Buzzfeed:

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban most employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, was passed out of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee with bipartisan support earlier this year.

“When the Senate convenes at 2 pm today, Senator Reid will announce that he will bring ENDA to the floor this work period, which ends just before Thanksgiving,” Reid adviser Faiz Shakir told BuzzFeed. “Exact floor timing remains to be determined based on how votes go this week, but it could come up as early as next week.”

In order to pass the legislation, it likely will require 60 votes to meet the threshold to overcome any filibuster attempt from opposition — a threshold advocates say they are “optimistic” they will secure by the time any vote is taken.

Due to Republican control of the House of Representatives, there is virtually no chance of the legislation passing in that chamber.

(via JMG)

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Bridegroom to premiere on OWN Network

After “It Could Happen to You,” a YouTube video made by Shane Bitney Crone in response to the accidental death of his boyfriend Tom Bridegroom became a viral sensation (more than 4.1 million views), the story was turned into an award winning film.

On October 27, Bridegroom, a crowd-funded documentary directed by Linda Bloodworth Thomason which broke Kickstarter records , will have its TV premiere on Oprah’s OWN network. It showed earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary.

Bridgeroom will be part of a special night of programming on OWN about being gay in America that will include an Oprah’s Next Chapter interview segment with Wanda Sykes, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Scandal’s Dan Bucatinsky.

(via Towleroad)