By Raphael Abantés
Voters in Oregon will likely have the chance to ban gay marriage, according to Reuters. The Defense of Marriage Coalition delivered 244,000 signatures—more than twice the required number—to the Secretary of State to place the referendum on the November ballot. More than 3,000 couples were married in Portland this spring before a judge halted further marriages. Proponents of gay marriage challenge that signatures were obtained through force. They allege that food bank customers were required to sign petitions to receive food baskets and that petitions were left unattended at churches before circulators swore the signatures were witnessed.
Meanwhile, North Carolina Senators failed to bring a proposed state constitutional amendment to a full-floor vote, reports the Shelby Star. Senators fell two votes short of forcing the amendment to the floor. Senators who oppose gay marriage said they did not support 'tinkering' with the constitution.
The United States Court of Appeals ruled last week that the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts did not violate the federal constitution's guarantee of a republican form of government when it ruled in favor of marriage for gay and lesbian couples. 'We were confident that this attempt by our opponents to block marriage for gay and lesbian couples would fail,' said Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders. 'This argument had no merit before May 17 and it has no merit after May 17.'
Supporters of a Michigan ban on gay marriage submitted nearly 500,000 signatures this week for a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The amendment would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Gay
Saying that 'tradition' is not a valid reason to prevent same-sex couples from marrying, the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union have formally asked a New York judge to strike down the state's ban on marriage for same-sex couples. In an 83-page motion filed with a state trial court in Albany, 13 same-sex couples asked the court to rule that excluding them and others from marriage violates the state constitution. The couples also said that preventing them from marrying denies them equal protection of the law and denies them the fundamental right to marry.
The Washington Blade reports on the new outing campaign targeting closeted congressional aides who work for elected officials supportive of the Federal Marriages Amendment.
Continental Airlines will not allow gay early retirees to share spousal travel privileges with their same-sex partners, reports AP. The airline rejected a request from David Lee who married his partner in Canada last year. The airline, which does allow same-sex partners of current employees to use the benefit, said they are following IRS guidelines. Southwest Airlines refuses benefits as well, while American Airlines and United Airlines offer spousal benefits to gay partners of retirees.
Coors Brewing Company released an ad that will run in major markets throughout the country. In the ad, Coors makes its position regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment clear: 'We don't support amending the Constitution.' Coors CEO Leo Kiely outlines the company's official position as follows: 'We do not support discrimination against the GLBT community—via legislation or otherwise.'
The extremists behind the Federal Marriage Amendment are placing this egregious ad in newspapers across the country (Ohio example below), reports HRC: 'Why Don't [Ohio] Senators DeWine and Voinovich Believe Every Child Needs a Mother and a Father?' and continues with: '... Here's the bottom line: homosexual marriage intentionally creates fatherless families or motherless families. Think about it. Every child understands how important a mom and a dad are. Help make your senators as smart as a kid. Pick up the phone and tell their staffs you support the Federal Marriage Amendment, and they should too.'
Two factions in the National Education Association protested the teachers' union's plan to honor Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. Jennings received the Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights. Reps from the NEA Republican Caucus and the Ex-Gay caucus both objected to the award presentation.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) voted narrowly to retain its ban on ordaining gay clergy, reports AP. The 259-255 vote last week by the legislative assembly is binding on the national organization and on regional bodies. The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick was elected as the Church's chief executive officer with 66 percent of the vote. Some conservative church members have criticized Kirkpatrick for not enforcing the Church's ban on gay clergy.
A former police officer was arrested in Columbia, Missouri, for the murder of a 23-year-old college student, reports AP. Steve Rios was arrested for the murder of Jesse James Valencia, a student who allegedly threatened to reveal his sexual relationship with Rios. Investigators say DNA evidence matching Rios was found under the fingernails of the slain student. A murder conviction can result in the death penalty.
The conservative anti-gay group Family Research Council is using the breakup of Michael Meehan and Thomas Dysarz as fuel in the fight against gay marriage and gay parenting. The two men made news in 2002 when they became parents of quadruplets via a surrogate mother. They had a fifth child earlier this year. Now the two are apparently split with Meehan charging Dysarz with domestic violence. FRC says this 'tragic case' is an example of children suffering with gay parents. The group claims that gay couples have a 'much higher rate of violence in a relationship than normal married heterosexual couples.'
The mother of slain California teen Gwen Araujo received some good news last week. Her request to have her daughter's name legally changed to Gwen was approved. Sylvia Guerrero said she hopes media outlets will use Gwen's new legal name when reporting on the re-trial likely to begin later this year.
Foot Locker, Inc. is under fire from Lambda Legal and an ex-employee who says he was harassed and then fired because he's gay, reports 365gay.com . Foot Locker has an official policy banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but Kevin Dunbar says the harassment grew stronger when he complained. Several customers who overheard the verbal abuse have provided sworn statements. One witness said the Lord told her to help when she saw the 'intense' pain on Dunbar's face. Lambda is calling for employees at Foot Locker nationwide to report abuses.
The Los Angeles Times reports that health officials in Los Angeles County are urging the Board of Supervisors to increase regulation of gay bathhouses and sex clubs. 'The proposal already has drawn fire from bathhouse owners and some gay activists, who say it infringes on the privacy and civil rights of gay men,' the paper said. On its editorial pages, the Times said the bathhouses should be shut down. San Francisco closed its bathhouses 20 years ago.
Gay and lesbian couples in the Quad-Cities (Illinois/Iowa) plan to have a public 'I do' ceremony Aug. 29, reports the Quad-City Times. Equality Quad-Cities is putting together events that will place the spotlight on the issue.
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