The American Civil Liberties Union asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal in a case challenging a Florida law that bars gay people from adopting, reports ACLU.org . The ACLU's request came after the federal Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit narrowly upheld the law. By a vote of six to six, the full court declined to reconsider a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of the appeals court upholding the ban. The ACLU urges the Supreme Court to take the case because lower courts have refused to follow the Court's earlier admonishments in two earlier cases, Romer v. Evans and Lawrence v. Texas, that states are barred from adopting laws designed to put gay people at a disadvantage.
Also, the ACLU has launched Fighting For Marriage, an online resource designed to give activists the tools to defeat proposals to amend state constitutions so same-sex couples would never be legally recognized. See www.aclu.org/getequal.
Organizers of the Boycott For Equality are expanding their nationwide walkout to include a coordinated cash withdrawal from the economy on Oct. 8. To demonstrate the need for equality in marriage and the workplace, supporters will each take out $80 from their local ATMs. Boycott For Equality expects the action will exhaust the cash in many ATMs, leaving a reminder of gay economic power to all who try to use ATMs throughout the long bank weekend. The $80 represents the amount the average member of the GLBT community contributes to the U.S. economy each day.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 213-186 in favor of passing the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, reports the Human Rights Campaign. (Thirty-one Republicans voted with the majority.) The vote was on a motion to instruct informing conference committee members that a bipartisan majority of the House wanted it to pass, even though House Majority Leader Tom Delay refused to bring the measure up for a vote. The act would add real or perceived sexual orientation, gender, and disability to federal hate-crime laws. A similar version of the bill was passed in the Senate as an amendment to the Defense Department authorization bill June 15.
A report released by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation called 'Justice for All' states that this country's courts play a pivotal role in the fight for equality. Part of an educational campaign funded by the Open Society Institute Network of the Soros Foundation's Network, the publication clearly outlines the unique relationships between GLBT voters, legislators, and judges as well as their allies.
According to a national Out & Equal Workplace Summit survey conducted by Witeck-Combs Communications, more than half of heterosexuals (55%) feel that married spouses and same-sex partners should receive the same adoption assistance, such as counseling and financial benefits, that many employers offer. Seventy percent of heterosexuals agree that 'leave rights' for family and medical emergencies (as outlined in the Family and Medical Leave Act) should apply equally to employees' married spouses and same-sex partners.
The effort to bring a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to Massachusetts voters in November 2006 suffered a major setback with the departure of House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran and the elevation of Salvatore F. DiMasi, according to the Boston Globe. DiMasi's arrival is expected to shift the state's legislative agenda to the left on social issues such as gay rights, abortion, and stem cell research. A key legislative backer of the proposed amendment to ban same-sex marriage and establish civil unions all but declared defeat.
mtvU, the 24-hour college network, spotlights GLBT students across America with 'Out On Campus' Week beginning Monday, Oct. 4 and ending on National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, according to Fenton Communications. Throughout the week, mtvU will explore the state of the college GLBT community and profile students who are out on campus and have compelling stories to tell. In addition, mtvU has teamed up with The Point Foundation to offer two $10,000 scholarships. The scholarships will be awarded to students who demonstrate leadership, scholastic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities;, involvement in the GLBT community, and financial or emotional need. See www.mtvU.com .
Lambda Legal launched its first national youth education campaign in an effort to make the nation's schools safer for GLBT and questioning youth. 'Many of our nation's schools simply aren't safe for gay students—we know that from the research but mostly from calls we get every day from young people," said Kevin Cathcart, Lambda Legal's executive director.
Lambda Legal also has filed court papers seeking full marriage equality in New York State. 'New York City attorneys are asking the courts to ignore our state's constitution and instead use public opinion polls to decide people's basic civil rights. That's the exact opposite of the principles our country was founded on. People's constitutional rights are not subject to the whim of public opinion polls,' said Susan Sommer, supervising attorney at Lambda Legal and the lead attorney handling the case. Lambda Legal said the city's argument for continuing to discriminate against same-sex couples—which the city says is an interest in 'preserving traditional marriage'—is an improper basis for denying rights to people and is unconstitutional. Lambda Legal also argues that public opinion and possible conflicts in marriage laws in different states should not play roles in what New York courts rule for New York gay and lesbian couples.
