The Episcopal Church will not elect any new bishops—gay or straight—anywhere in the country until mid-2006 under a self-imposed moratorium adopted by church bishops, BeliefNet.com reported. The bishops, facing international condemnation for the election of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire, also agreed not to bless same-sex unions, at least until the entire church gathers next year in Columbus, Ohio.
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) , in a release, praised the Senate's passage of an amendment to the budget that would ensure no funds would be cut to Medicaid, which provides coverage to 55 percent of adults and 90 percent of children living with AIDS. The amendment offered by Sens. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., passed by a vote of 52 to 48.
In New York, the state's Superior Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, has ruled against William Valentine, the surviving same-sex partner of a flight attendant who died in an air crash off Long Island a few weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, the New York Law Journal reported. The claimant was seeking survivor benefits under the state's Workers Compensation Law. The court decided the language of the statute limits survivorship benefit rights to legal spouses.
In New York City, councilmembers said that they would continue their legal push for a law requiring companies that do business with the city to extend the same benefits to employees' domestic partners, The New York Times reported. The measure, known as the Equal Benefits Law, has been vigorously opposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, which said its adoption would increase costs for taxpayers by limiting the city's ability to choose low-cost bidders. A panel of five judges from the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court, First Department, ruled unanimously to overturn a lower court decision that required Bloomberg to begin enforcing the law, which was passed last year.
In Georgia, a proposal aimed at gay clubs would require high school students to get written parental permission before taking part in extracurricular activities, essentially forcing them to 'out' themselves. According to 365Gay.com, the rule, proposed by Superintendent Kathy Cox, does not specifically target clubs for LGBT students. However, it was requested by lawmakers who have tried for several years to squelch gay student support groups in Georgia high schools.
A prominent Utah gay-rights activist and philanthropist has agreed to match $100,000 in funds to help resuscitate a financially struggling activity center for the state's LGBT community, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) , in a statement, criticized the introduction in the U.S. House of an amendment that would deny marriage and likely civil union and domestic-partnership rights to same-sex couples. Introduced by Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., the bill would have the same effects as last year's failed amendment.
In New Jersey, a judge granted full tax break to a disabled gay veteran and his partner. NewJersey.com reported that Judge Vito Bianco ruled that L. Paul Hennefeld, 72, and Blair O'Dell, 60 should be 100 percent exempt from property taxes, the same as a 100 percent disabled veteran would get, even if he or she was not the sole owner of the home. Bianco's decision hinged on New Jersey's new Domestic Partnership Act and overturned a judgment of the Essex County Board of Taxation. In 2000, the men were joined in a civil union in Vermont and in 2003, the couple legally married under Canadian law in Ontario.
A bill that would allow religious organizations receiving federal funds to maintain anti-gay hiring policies passed the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month, according to the Washington Blade. The measure, which passed by a 224-200 vote, was approved after the House rejected an amendment that would have protected the civil rights of workers. The Workforce Investment Act, H.R. 27, now moves to the U.S. Senate. The White House has indicated that should the measure fail in the Senate, the president will issue an executive order.
