In a brief filed in the California Court of Appeal in San Francisco, Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the ACLU explained why the trial court was correct in ruling that under California's constitution, same-sex couples cannot be barred from marrying, according to a Lambda Legal press release. In part, the brief stated that ' [ m ] arriage is far more than a bundle of tangible benefits. It is a status of profound personal, social, and often spiritual affirmation.'
A College Republican leader at the University of Nevada-Reno ( UNR ) has gone to court over a campus 'kiss-in for justice' protest against military recruiters, according to Express Gay News. In a complaint filed in Washoe County District Court, group Vice-Chairman Matt Beiser accuses student protesters of intimidating and verbally abusing students trying to talk to recruiters at a UNR career fair. The complaint against the queer student union and two other student groups seeks a temporary restraining order and legal costs.
One hundred members of the U.S. Congress now support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act ( H.R. 1059 ) , a measure that would repeal the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ban on LGB personnel, according to a release from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The bill, introduced in March by Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., is co-sponsored by Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including nine members of the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., recently became the 100th co-sponsor.
The Supreme Court refused to consider shielding employers from discrimination lawsuits by transsexuals, according to the Associated Press. The court's refusal to intervene preserves a victory for Cincinnati police officer Philecia Barnes, who was born Phillip Barnes. A federal appeals court had upheld a jury's finding that Barnes was a victim of discrimination and ordered the city to pay the officer $320,000, plus another $550,000 in attorney fees.
A conservative push to ban gay marriage through a constitutional amendment regained momentum after a Senate panel led by Sam Brownback, R-Kan., narrowly approved the measure, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported. The 'Marriage Protection Amendment' would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, effectively nullifying the Massachusetts statute that made gay marriage legal last year.
More than 2,500 LGBT-rights advocates convened in Oakland, Calif., for the Creating Change Conference to prepare for the critical 2006 mid-term elections and build skills, according to a National Gay and Lesbian Task Force ( NGLTF ) press release. Speakers included NGLTF Executive Director Matt Foreman and Arcus Foundation Executive Director Urvashi Vaid.
On Nov. 7, hundreds of people marched in Washington, D.C., to protest what organizers called President Bush's campaign to increase AIDS, according to a Campaign to End AIDS release. ( The rally was sponsored by ACT UP Philadelphia, ACT UP New York, Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project, Health GA, and the Student Global AIDS Campaign. ) The event occurred independently of a four-day C2EA-sponsored series of events designed to urge politicians to enact policies that will help end AIDS. On Nov. 8, almost 500 people with HIV/AIDS and their supporters said tearful, triumphant goodbyes to one another in the nation's capital. Among other things, attendees highlighted the immediate need for Congress to reauthorize and fully fund the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides treatment and care to more than a half-million uninsured Americans with HIV/AIDS.
In Pennsylvania, an alleged gay-bashing victim turned the tables on a group of attackers, killing one of them, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. Lucas Dawson was returning from an American Idol audition when he was reportedly set upon by four teenagers; in the ensuing scuffle, Dawson stabbed one of the attackers.
In Danbury, Conn., a newspaper apologized and fired a copy editor for posting an online photo of a girls' soccer team that suggested one of the players was a lesbian, USA Today reported. The Immaculate High School team was celebrating a goal scored in a championship game; however, the caption on the Web site of The News-Times said the team was celebrating a teammate's decision to 'come out of the closet as a lesbian.'
