HRC releases scorecard of 113th Congress
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) has released its Congressional Scorecard measuring support for LGBT equality in the 113th Congress—and, according to the organization, results show record gains in support for LGBT equality.
Members of Congress were scored based on their votes and co-sponsorships of pieces of legislation that are key indicators of support for LGBT equality and, for the first time ever, their public support of marriage equality.
A record number of members earned a perfect 100-percent score in this Congress. Out of 541 members of Congress ( including delegates ), 210 received a perfect rating, compared to 139 in the previous Congress.
Democrats in both the House and Senate earned an average score of 96 percent. In contrast, House Republicans earned an average of 10 percent while Senate Republicans averaged of 16 percent.
Regarding Illinois politicians, Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin had a perfect score while his Republican counterpart, Mark Kirk, rated a 78. In the House, those who scored 100 included Democrats Bobby Rush, Luis Gutierrez, Mike Quigley, Tammy Duckworth, Jan Schakowsky, Brad Schneider and Cheri Bustos. Those who scored a zero included Republicans Peter Roskam, Rodney Davis, Randy Hultgren, John Shimkus, Adam Kinzinger and Aaron Schock.
Those in between included Democrats Robin Kelly ( 89 ), Daniel Lipinski ( 38 ), Danny Davis ( 84 ), Bill Foster ( 92 ) and Bill Enyart ( 84 ).
See www.hrc.org/scorecard .
Alaska allows marriage
U.S. District Judge Timothy Burgess ruled in favor of the freedom to marry and respect for same-sex couples' marriages in Alaska on Oct. 12. Burgess said the ban violates the U.S. constitutional guarantee of due process and equal protection.
Judge Burgess was appointed by President George W. Bush and recommended by Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Stevens and Frank Murkowski.
The state could appeal to the 9th Circuit Court. However, chances of it winning seem to be slim, since the federal appeals court already has ruled against Idaho and Nevada, which made similar arguments, USA Today noted.
Five same-sex couples had asked the state of Alaska to overturn a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1998 that defined marriage as being between one man and one woman.
"According to today's federal court ruling in Alaska and numerous others over the last year, there is no justifiable reason to keep these discriminatory marriage bans on the books," said Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) Legal Director Sarah Warbelow in a statement. "The truth is, laws prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying serve no purpose other than to harm Americans who simply want to protect and provide for themselves and their families."
HRC added that with Alaska, same-sex couples will now be able to legally marry in 30 states and the District of Columbia.
White House addressing intersection of HIV/AIDS, violence with women, girls
The White House has announced developments in connection with October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Last year, the Interagency Federal Working Group released a report, "Addressing the Intersection of HIV/AIDS, Violence against Women and Girls, and Gender—Related Health Disparities." The report outlined five major recommendations and emphasized the need for cross-agency collaboration to better address how violence against women and girls influences HIV acquisition and negatively affects the health of women living with HIV.
There are now accomplishments stemming from this report. The U.S. Department of Justice ( DOJ ) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's ( HUD's ) Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS ( HOPWA ) program have partnered to coordinate their expertise and resources to address the housing needs of this vulnerable population.
Also, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ) is releasing a Trauma-Informed Approaches concept paper ( at store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA14-4884 ) that identifies a new framework to address trauma experiences and victimization. This framework aims to help individuals, like women living with HIV, to modify negative behaviors resulting from trauma and ultimately improve health outcomes.
In addition, the Office of National AIDS Policy, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President and Council on Women and Girls, has released a report with the first annual update on activities taking place across the federal government in response to these recommendations. It's at www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/hiv_vaw_grhd_report.pdf .
