Thirteen Massachusetts city and town clerks are taking the historic step of asking the Supreme Judicial Court to allow them to challenge orders by Gov. Mitt Romney and Attorney General Tom Reilly that the clerks say would require them to illegally discriminate against same-sex couples who come to Massachusetts to marry, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
A federal appeals court ruled that a gay Lebanese man suffering from AIDS has enough reason to fear persecution in his homeland that he should not be deported while seeking asylum in the U.S., according to the Washington Post. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, reversing the decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals in Washington, found Nassier Mustapha Karouni's fear of being arrested, tortured, or killed in a country where homosexuality is considered a crime was based on fact.
In Indiana, state police had to separate pro- and anti-gay marriage demonstrators inside the Indiana Statehouse. Nearly 2,000 people on both sides of the same-sex marriage issue converged on the Capitol to lobby legislators over a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay weddings. The resolution has been approved by the Senate and is now pending before the House.
A $25 million lawsuit was filed against the conservative group USA Next and political consulting firm Mark Montini International for stealing a Oregon couple's wedding photo and using it without permission in a high-profile gay-bashing ad designed to drum up support for Social Security privatization. Following an admission of photo theft by the creator, advertiser, and publisher of the ad, the couple whose image was stolen—Rick Raymen and Steve Hansen of Portland, Ore.—filed a four-count lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C.
The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition expressed support for Dawn Dawson, whose employment discrimination lawsuit against a New York City hair salon was dismissed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Dawson claimed discrimination on the basis of sex, sex stereotyping, and/or sexual orientation. Dawson, who is openly gay, stated in her suit that she was harassed for her masculine appearance, called 'Donald,' and told that she looked so much like a male that she would scare away wealthy customers.
In Ohio, the village of Yellow Springs is challenging Ohio's new gay marriage ban, the Associated Press reported. A resolution passed by the village council calls the constitutional amendment anti-family, saying it threatens not only gays, but a variety of heterosexual unmarried couples and unmarried women who seek maternity leave.
In Iowa, legislation that would help curb bullying and harassment in state schools died after a week of stonewalling by senators opposed to the inclusion of gays and lesbians, 365Gay.com reported. The issue was scheduled to be debated in the Senate Education Committee, but Sen. Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, struck it from the list of measures to be considered.
In Chapel Hill, N.C., the town council agreed to oppose a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would define marriage as being only the union of a man and a woman, the Durham Herald Sun reported. The 8-0 vote also backed the repeal of North Carolina's 'defense of marriage' act and sought passage of a bill to make sexual orientation a protected category under the state's hate-crimes law.
However, a federal district court judge has issued a preliminary injunction against officials at the U. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, forcing the college to recognize a fraternity on campus that has refused to admit gays, according to the Greensboro News-Record. The article said 'the [ legal ruling ] put the Christian fraternity' on the same footing as non-religious groups that select their members on the basis of commitment.
