Iowa Sen. Harkin Changes Views on Marriage for Gay Couples
Posted on May 11, 2009 at 10:31 am
Washington Blade
May 11, 2009
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin says he's changed his views on gay marriage and would oppose any effort to overturn an Iowa Supreme Court decision last month that legalized same-sex unions.
Harkin acknowledges his views on the subject have changed since he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1998. That measure defined marriage as between one man and one woman.
[link]
May 11, 2009
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin says he's changed his views on gay marriage and would oppose any effort to overturn an Iowa Supreme Court decision last month that legalized same-sex unions.
Harkin acknowledges his views on the subject have changed since he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1998. That measure defined marriage as between one man and one woman.
[link]
Eugene Robinson: Is Obama MIA on Marriage Equality?
Posted on May 08, 2009 at 10:55 am
Washington Post Op-Ed
May 8, 2009
"Before his inauguration, President Obama called himself a "fierce advocate of equality for gay and lesbian Americans." Now, with the issue of same-sex marriage percolating in state after state and with the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy ripe for repeal, it's time for Obama to put some of his political capital where his rhetoric is." [link]
May 8, 2009
"Before his inauguration, President Obama called himself a "fierce advocate of equality for gay and lesbian Americans." Now, with the issue of same-sex marriage percolating in state after state and with the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy ripe for repeal, it's time for Obama to put some of his political capital where his rhetoric is." [link]
A strange dual citizenship for gay couples
Posted on Apr 17, 2009 at 05:07 pm
The Boston Globe
April 17, 2009
The so-called Defense of Marriage Act passed in the panic of 1996 when it looked as if Hawaii would become the first state with gay marriage. The purpose was as obvious and discriminatory as Representative Henry Hyde's declaration that DOMA was to express "disapprobation" for homosexuality.... Much has changed since 1996. Even former representative Bob Barr, who wrote DOMA, now disavows it. So what do you say about an out-of-date law that enforces an identity crisis? What do you say about a law that "defends" marriage by denying it? The winds are blowing, but in a very different direction. [Link]
April 17, 2009
The so-called Defense of Marriage Act passed in the panic of 1996 when it looked as if Hawaii would become the first state with gay marriage. The purpose was as obvious and discriminatory as Representative Henry Hyde's declaration that DOMA was to express "disapprobation" for homosexuality.... Much has changed since 1996. Even former representative Bob Barr, who wrote DOMA, now disavows it. So what do you say about an out-of-date law that enforces an identity crisis? What do you say about a law that "defends" marriage by denying it? The winds are blowing, but in a very different direction. [Link]
Congressional Leaders Mull Partial DOMA Repeal
Posted on Apr 15, 2009 at 09:48 am
Advocate
April 14, 2009
Discussions around repealing a portion of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act that prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex couples' marriages have heated up in the wake of recent legal challenges filed and the addition of two new states legalizing same-sex marriages. [Link]
April 14, 2009
Discussions around repealing a portion of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act that prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex couples' marriages have heated up in the wake of recent legal challenges filed and the addition of two new states legalizing same-sex marriages. [Link]
DC Vote Puts Gay Marriage in Front of Congress
Posted on Apr 09, 2009 at 01:56 pm
The Associated Press
April 8, 2009
The Washington, D.C. Council's vote to recognize marriages of gay couples performed elsewhere puts the issue on the path to Congress, which has final say over D.C.'s laws. It could gauge the new Congress' "appetite for re-examining" the federal so-called DOMA, though many are optimistic that the law will clear Congress after a final council vote in May. [Link]
Binational, Same-Sex Couples Face Immigration Problems
Posted on Mar 30, 2009 at 11:49 am
San Jose Mercury News
March 29, 2009
Binational gay couples discuss how the so-called DOMA and non-inclusive federal immigration laws negatively effect their lives, affirming their support for a change in federal law that would grant gay partners the immigration protections afforded to straight married couples.[Link]
Binational gay couples discuss how the so-called DOMA and non-inclusive federal immigration laws negatively effect their lives, affirming their support for a change in federal law that would grant gay partners the immigration protections afforded to straight married couples.[Link]
LETTER: Benefits for Gay Couples
Posted on Mar 20, 2009 at 10:27 am
New York Times
March 19, 2009
Gary Buseck, legal director for Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, responds to a Times article about Obama's looming decision on whether to extend health benefits to partners of gay federal employees: "The path of destruction of the Defense of Marriage Act is wide. It must be removed from our laws [...]" [Link]
Obama administration mum on DOMA challenge
Posted on Mar 05, 2009 at 04:48 pm
Bay Windows
March 4, 2009
Evan Wolfson, one of the pioneers in the marriage equality movement, called on Obama to make good on his promise to repeal the DOMA, regardless of the administration's legal response to the suit. "I think we’re just going to have to wait and see what the government says, both whether they choose to defend this discriminatory law and, if so, how?" said Wolfson. "Whatever they decide to do in court they can compensate for by moving forward on the Hill as they promised they would do." [Link]
March 4, 2009
Evan Wolfson, one of the pioneers in the marriage equality movement, called on Obama to make good on his promise to repeal the DOMA, regardless of the administration's legal response to the suit. "I think we’re just going to have to wait and see what the government says, both whether they choose to defend this discriminatory law and, if so, how?" said Wolfson. "Whatever they decide to do in court they can compensate for by moving forward on the Hill as they promised they would do." [Link]
COLUMN: A Daring Test Case for Marriage
Posted on Mar 05, 2009 at 04:37 pm
Washington Post
March 4, 2009
Ruth Marcus on GLAD's federal lawsuit in Mass. challenging DOMA: "Its claims are inevitable, obvious -- and potentially revolutionary [...] How courts address the relatively limited question at issue here could shape the broader contours of the law in this area for years -- for better or for worse." [Link]
March 4, 2009
Ruth Marcus on GLAD's federal lawsuit in Mass. challenging DOMA: "Its claims are inevitable, obvious -- and potentially revolutionary [...] How courts address the relatively limited question at issue here could shape the broader contours of the law in this area for years -- for better or for worse." [Link]
BLOG: A bright, shining light
Posted on Mar 04, 2009 at 12:14 pm
The Bilerico Project
March 3, 2009
Blogger Sara Whitman voices support for the legal challenge filed by the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders to Section 3 of the federal "Defense of Marriage Act." [Link]