HONOLULU (AP) — Six gay couples in Hawaii are filing a lawsuit Thursday asking for the same rights as married couples, three weeks after Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a same-sex civil unions measure.
The lawsuit doesn’t seek the titles of “marriage” or “civil unions” for gay partners. Instead, it requests that the court system extend them the benefits and responsibilities of marriage based on the Hawaii Constitution’s prohibition against sex discrimination.
“We continue to be discriminated against,” said plaintiff Suzanne King, who has been in a relationship with her partner for 29 years. “We’re a family unit, and we live our lives just like everyone else, but we aren’t treated the same.”
The legal action in state court comes as a response to the Republican governor’s veto July 6, when she said voters should decide whether to reserve marriage for couples of a man and a woman.
Five other states and the District of Columbia permit same-sex marriage. Five more states essentially grant the rights of marriage to same-sex couples without authorizing marriage itself.
Hawaii passed the nation’s first “defense of marriage” constitutional amendment in 1998, giving the state’s legislature the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples. The amendment is silent on civil unions and rights for same-sex couples.
Most Hawaii residents don’t want the government to endorse equal rights for gay couples, said Garret Hashimoto, chairman for the Hawaii Christian Coalition.
“I feel insulted. They keep bringing up Martin Luther King, black rights and women’s sufferage. This is not about that. This is about two males or two females practicing sex,” he said. “It’s behavior. It’s no different from smokers or drinkers.”
The office of Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett declined comment Wednesday because it hadn’t yet been served with the lawsuit.
The state grants some rights to gay couples through its reciprocal beneficiaries system.
But they lack the same legal priviledges and obligations of adoption, child support, alimony and access to family court, said Jennifer Pizer, senior counsel for Lambda Legal, which is bringing the case along with the American Civil Liberties Union.
“This case is not about marriage. It’s about the right of same-sex couples to at least have a system that is understandable and complete,” Pizer said. “The state’s equality guarantee at least has to mean same-sex couples should have the same rights and responsibilities, even if it’s segmented off into a system that isn’t as respected, understood and revered as marriage.”
The case likely won’t be settled until it reaches the Hawaii Supreme Court, or if state lawmakers and the next governor approve a new civil unions bill, Pizer said.
by Ed Masley — Jul. 27, 2010 05:28 PM The Arizona Republic
Fresh from performing at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding reception, Elton John spoke out against musicians engaging in SB 1070 boycotts at a sold-out show last week at the Tucson Arena.According to the Arizona Daily Star, he told the crowd, “We are all very pleased to be playing in Arizona. I have read that some of the artists won’t come here. They are (expletive)wits! Let’s face it: I still play in California, and as a gay man I have no legal rights whatsoever. So what’s the (expletive) with these people?”
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Target Corp.‘s CEO on Tuesday defended the discount retailer’s political donations to a Minnesota group helping the state’s Republican candidate for governor, telling employees at its Minneapolis headquarters that the company’s support of the gay community is “unwavering.”
Chief Executive Gregg Steinhafel said gay employees have been raising concerns about the money helping state Rep. Tom Emmer, who opposes gay marriage. Target gave $150,000 to MN Forward, a group staffed by former insiders from outgoing Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s administration. MN Forward is running TV ads supporting Emmer.
“We rarely endorse all advocated positions of the organizations or candidates we support, and we do not have a political or social agenda,” Steinhafel said in an e-mail.
He added: “Let me be very clear, Target’s support of the GLBT community is unwavering, and inclusiveness remains a core value of our company.”
“The Real World” and “America’s Best Dance Crew” helped MTV became the first TV network to win an “excellent” rating for its portrayal of gay, lesbian and transgender people on television, the U.S. activist group GLAAD said on Friday. In its fourth annual report mapping the quantity and quality of gay images on TV, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation also gave high marks to young female-oriented network the CW for shows like “America’s Next Top Model”, “Gossip Girl” and “One Tree Hill.” But despite welcoming gay teen storylines on hit musical comedy “Glee” on Fox, and the appointment of lesbian Ellen DeGeneres as a judge on “American Idol”, the Fox network was slammed for offensive stereotypes on “Family Guy” and “The Cleveland Show”. GLAAD said that on both animated series last season, characters vomited at the thought of having sex with a transgender woman. “It is with great pride that GLAAD honors MTV with our highest mark of excellence in recognition of the network’s commitment to fair and accurate representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community,” said GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios. Read the rest of the story here.
azcentral.com: A federal judge has blocked Arizona from denying family health insurance to employees’ same-sex partners, saying the state violated the equal-protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. District Judge John Sedwick granted a temporary injunction that will prevent the state from enacting House Bill 2013, a 2009 law that changed eligibility requirements for insurance benefits in an effort to deny coverage to domestic partners.
The bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer in September, amended the definition of “dependent” under state law to mean either a child or “a spouse under the laws of this state.” That change prevented the partners of gay and lesbians, who are legally unable to marry, from receiving benefits.
The state argued that all unmarried couples were treated equally under HB 2013, which created a new part, known as Section O, of existing law. But in his ruling, Sedwick disagreed.
Phoenix, AZ, July 20, 2010……..The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned the recent activities of neo-Nazi J.T. Ready and his “citizen patrols” of the border, and lamented the lack of community outrage over those patrols. Readyhas long held ties with neo-Nazi groups, most recently the National Socialist Movement (NSM), a group ADL calls one of the largest of its kind in America. The NSM clings to an ideology that only non-Jewish, white heterosexuals should be American citizens and that everyone who isn’t white should leave the country “peacefully or by force.”
Bill Straus, the ADL Arizona Regional Director, and Miriam Weisman, Regional Board Chair, issued the following statement:
ADL is always concerned when insufficiently trained or untrained groups take it upon themselves to enforce our laws. But when those groups are directed by J.T. Ready, or anyone
who for that matter adheres to such a hateful ideology, that concern is heightened, and the potential for violence escalates, appreciably. ADL is also profoundly disappointed at the lack of community outrage over this despicable situation. Regardless of where one stands on the issue of illegal immigration, our hope would be that the community can at least come together in condemning law enforcement by neo-Nazis.
At the same time it condemned Ready and the patrols, the ADL commended Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu for his weekend comments discouraging Ready and “those who espouse hatred or bigotry such as his” from continuing the patrols.
See ADL’s website for information on the National Socialist Movement: NSM
(CNN) — A school district in Mississippi has agreed to pay a recent high school graduate $35,000 in damages and adopt a policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to a statement released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The settlement comes after the ACLU sued the school district in Fulton, Mississippi, on behalf of Constance McMillen, a lesbian teen who was told by Itawamba Agricultural High School officials she and her girlfriend would be ejected if they attended the school-sponsored prom.
The agreement, which was filed Tuesday, ends the lawsuit.
Local LGBT leaders gathered to promote signing up for Arizona’s permanent early voting list. One Community coordinated the effort and video shoot.
Click here to register for permanent early voting here!
He’s 24, he’d had a brush with death, and he hasn’t even finished college, but Matthew Vanderpool might be Kentucky’s best chance at ousting one of the state’s most antigay legislators.
At just 24 years old and with a meager $150 in campaign finances, earlier this week, Matthew Vanderpool pulled off the unthinkable, beating an Air Force veteran and a lawyer to win the Democratic primary for the 45th district of Kentucky’s house of representatives. Now, as the openly gay candidate gears up to face one of the state’s most notoriously antigay politicians, Vanderpool talks to The Advocate about what made him run, what he expects from campaign season, and why he’s sick of hearing politicians talk. Read the story here.
Now entering its 10th season, the hit teen TV show Degrassi is once again charting new territory — this time by featuring a transgender character.
As Degrassi prepares to celebrate a decade on TeenNick, Nickelodeon’s programming block geared toward a teenage audience, the cast is excited to welcome a new character to the story. The show will feature Adam, a biological female who presents himself as a boy.
Adam will be portrayed by Jordan Todosey, a 15-year-old actress from Life With Derek. For the role, she underwent a significant makeover, including adopting a more masculine gait. Todosey describes Adam as a character who “was born physically as a girl but between the ears, he feels like he’s a guy.“
The show’s director and producer, Stefan Brogren, who also plays the role of the school principal, explained the importance of the character, telling CTV News, “I can truly say that when we decided to do this episode we realized this is brand new territory for us. We’ve never even tried to breach this subject before. Of course, we’ve dealt with gay and lesbian stories, but you can’t approach this the same way.” Read the article here.
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