April 2013
2 posts
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September 2012
1 post
4 tags
“If proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who...”
– First Lady Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention.
July 2012
2 posts
The Month Before -- And Hours After -- Anderson...
Less than a month ago, Kathy Griffin talked with Metro Weekly about people coming out on their own timeline, in part, because, “keep in mind it’s a big world out there and there are people – you know, obviously journalists – that go to parts of the world where they will assassinate you the minute they think you’re gay.”
Then, Anderson Cooper went on Griffin’s Bravo...
June 2012
6 posts
Obama Talks About Maryland Marriage Equality...
This afternoon in Baltimore, Maryland, President Obama spoke about LGBT issues at a campaign event.
According to the transcript provided by the White House, he said, “We’re not going back to the days when you could be kicked out of the United States military just because of who you are and who you love. (Applause.) We’re moving forward to a country where we treat everybody fairly and...
“I’d like to think that hitting the ‘share’ button on FaceBook late...”
– High-school volleyball player Galen Dodd, who came out in a Facebook post in August 2011, to OutSports
Fundraiser Line About "Going Down" That Pool...
President Barack Obama, in Beverly Hills, California: “I want to thank my wonderful friend who accepts a little bit of teasing about Michelle beating her in pushups — (laughter) — but I think she claims Michelle didn’t go all the way down. (Laughter.) That’s what I heard. I just want to set the record straight — Michelle outdoes me in pushups as well. (Laughter.)...
From the White House Press Gaggle en route to...
Q Can I ask you one fundraiser question about tonight? The President is going to be serenaded by Darren Criss. He’s going to be in Ryan Murphy’s house. When was the last time he watched “Glee”? How often does he watch it? Does he have a favorite character?
MR. CARNEY: I haven’t heard the President talk about that. I think he has referenced some of the shows he does watch, so...
President Obama's LGBT Pride Month Proclamation,...
From generation to generation, ordinary Americans have led
a proud and inexorable march toward freedom, fairness, and full
equality under the law — not just for some, but for all. Ours
is a heritage forged by those who organized, agitated, and
advocated for change; who wielded love stronger than hate and
hope more powerful than insult or injury; who fought to build
for themselves and...
News Analysis: The DOMA Decision Is A Narrow One... →
Read what our senior political editor, Chris Geidner, thinks about Thursday’s federal appellate court decision striking down the federal definition of “marriage” and “spouse” as unconstitutional.
May 2012
7 posts
Bring Your "Plus One" to Dinner With Mitt
“My wife Ann has been my ‘plus one’ for over 40 years now. And since I’m inviting her to join me for our next Grab a Bite meal, I want each lucky winner to bring his or her favorite ‘plus one’ along too,” Mitt Romney wrote in an email to supporters on Wednesday, May 23.
Romney opposes marriage equality or civil unions for same-sex couples, but apparently...
Obama "Saddened" by Donna Summer's Death
From President Barack Obama: “Michelle and I were saddened to hear about the passing of Donna Summer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Donna truly was the ‘Queen of Disco.’ Her voice was unforgettable, and the music industry has lost a legend far too soon. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Donna’s family and her dedicated fans.”
“Women are receivers and men are givers. Two homosexuals cannot do that. One is...”
– Rev. Dwight McKissic of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Texas, as quoted in National Review Online
Will Smith Backs Obama's Marriage Equality Support
In Berlin, Will Smith called President Obama’s move “brave,” according to the Associated Press.
Of marriage equality, Smith said, “[I]f anybody can find someone to love them and to help them through this difficult thing that we call life, I support that in any shape or form.”
GOProud Threatens Not to Support Romney
GOProud executive director Jimmy LaSalvia was not happy with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R)’s speech at Liberty University today.
“We have said since our founding in 2009, that we are committed to defeating Barack Obama. We remain committed to Obama’s defeat. However, if Governor Romney expects to be the candidate who can beat Obama in November then he needs to embrace a...
VP Biden Is "Absolutely Comfortable With" Marriage...
“It is as if the administration wants to be on record not opposing marriage equality — while at the same time not actually supporting it, either.”
- Metro Weekly senior political editor Chris Geidner, looking at the White House and Obama campaign’s response to Vice President Biden’s comments supporting marriage equality today on Meet the Press, “Through the...
April 2012
10 posts
Exclusive: EEOC Rules for Trans Woman in...
Big news exclusively at Metro Weekly:
An employer who discriminates against an employee or applicant on the basis of the person’s gender identity is violating the prohibition on sex discrimination contained in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to an opinion issued on April 20 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The opinion, experts say, could dramatically...
Metro Weekly Sneak Peek: Dining Out for Life...... →
This week’s issue!
"Radical Feminist" Nuns Run Amok, Vatican Says
From today’s New York Times:
The Vatican has appointed an American bishop to rein in the largest and most influential group of Catholic nuns in the United States, saying that an investigation found that the group had “serious doctrinal problems.”
The Vatican’s assessment, issued on Wednesday, said that members of the group, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, had challenged...
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Herndon Graddick Named GLAAD's New President →
From GLAAD: “The National Board of Directors of GLAAD announced that they have named Herndon Graddick as GLAAD’s new President. Herndon is currently serving as the organization’s Vice President of Programs and Communications.”
White House Says No Federal Contractor... →
President Obama does not plan to sign an executive order at this time banning federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, according to a statement from Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese. A senior administration official confirmed the news to Metro Weekly.
BREAKING: Lambda Legal Files Federal Lawsuit... →
Today, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund took what one of its lawyers calls “a strategic step” in the national effort to advance marriage equality by filing a federal lawsuit in Nevada seeking equal marriage rights for eight same-sex couples in the state.
The lawsuit, Sevcik v. Sandoval, marks the first time that Lambda Legal has sought equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian...
BREAKING: Metro Weekly Covers Historic DOMA...
At points in today’s appellate arguments over the constitutionality of the federal definition of marriage contained in the Defense of Marriage Act, the four lawyers arguing the two cases to three judges appeared to be operating from different worlds. One of the only points of complete agreement was that DOMA was an unprecedented attempt by Congress to define marriage across all federal...
TODAY: Appellate Arguments in Federal DOMA...
On Wednesday morning, April 3, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit will be considering whether the 1996 law defining “marriage” in federal law as only including opposite-sex couples is unconstitutional. The arguments, the first time a federal appellate court has considered the issue, will pit some of the leading lawyers in the nation against one...
March 2012
13 posts
From HRC: Previously Confidential Documents Shed... →
DOJ Statement on the Death of Trayvon Martin
“The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, and the FBI opened an investigation into the facts and circumstances of the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The department will conduct a thorough and independent review of all of the evidence and take appropriate action at the conclusion of the investigation. The department also...
Michael Fitzgerald, Approved on 91-6 Vote, Will Be... →
Vote Set Today for Out Gay Judicial Nominee →
It was announced today that, following an agreement reached between the parties’ leaders, the Senate will be voting in the coming weeks on 14 of President Obama’s judicial nominees — including out gay nominee Michael Fitzgerald, whose nomination for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California is due to be voted on about 2 p.m. Thursday, March 15.
3 tags
AARP wants your Martina vote
Just received from the D.C.-based AARP:
As you may or may not have heard, tennis legend, LGBT activist and AARP’s Fitness Ambassador Martina Navratilova will be competing on the new season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, which kicks off this Monday, March 19th.
WE NEED YOUR HELP IN GETTING THE WORD OUT TO THE LGBT COMMUNITY so folks know to tune in and watch! If you can post an item on...
EXCLUSIVE: Obama said he would support federal...
Despite the refusal of the White House to comment for months on whether the president supports a federal nondiscrimination policy based on sexual orientation or gender identity for federal contractors, then-Sen. Barack Obama told the Houston GLBT Political Caucus more than four years ago that he would support such a policy as president, Metro Weekly has learned.
Obama, as a candidate seeking the...
“As Governor, Romney signed ‘Gay Youth Pride Day’ proclamations, promoted...”
– from the script of a recorded call reportedly placed in Ohio, whose primary election was on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012
“Momentum is on our side, but that kid that I used to be, there are thousands if...”
– incoming Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin, who grew up in Arkansas, in comments made to Metro Weekly after the HRC announcement on Friday, March 2
1 tag
Kameny Congressional Cemetery service "on hold"
[UPDATE: Organizers of the planned March 3 service for Frank Kameny announced today, March 2, that the service is “on hold in deference to the estate of Dr. Kameny.” Inquiries were directed to the law offices of Ackerman Brown PLLC. Glen H. Ackerman, managing partner at the firm, who represents Kameny’s heir, Timothy Clark, had no immediate comment. Ackerman says a statement will be...
“If being conservative means rejecting gay conservatives because they are gay,...”
– Andrew Breitbart, who died overnight at 43, in a 2011 interview with Metro Weekly
February 2012
22 posts
Maryland Marriage Equality Foes Start Referendum...
The bill hasn’t been signed yet, but opponents seeking to overturn Maryland’s recently-passed marriage equality bill are already organizing in preparation for an expected referendum.
According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, for a referendum on a statewide law, those wishing to place it on the ballot must collect a number of signatures equal to 3 percent of the votes...
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Republicans Appeal DOMA Ruling
In a brief filing today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group has announced that it is appealing this week’s decision in Golinski v. Office of Personnel Management finding that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.
“I made my mind up two or three weeks ago. Santorum’s a conservative. He doesn’t...”
– Cathy Wharton, retired, in Slate
3 tags
“In this matter, the Court finds that DOMA, as applied to Ms. Golinski, violates...”
– U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey S. White, a George W. Bush appointee, in deciding Karen Golinski’s case 