Equally Speaking
The following is a transcript of HRC’s morning news webcast "Equally Speaking." To view the current videos visit the main Equally Speaking page.
Good morning and thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking, your morning dose of LGBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Thursday, September 4th. I’m Sarah Birnie.
And I’m Tommy Lodge. First up, an update on the presidential race.
The Log Cabin Republicans announced Tuesday that they would endorse Senator John McCain for president. The organization said that John McCain is known as a maverick within his party. McCain, the organization said, would fight for marriage equality, despite the fact that the official Republican Party platform supports a federal amendment banning same-sex marriage. The party platform also supports the military’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy. McCain himself actively campaigned for a marriage ban in his home state of Arizona and supports the effort to end marriage equality in California.
In other news from the Republican National Convention, new details are coming to light about Senator McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin. In a revealing questionnaire Palin filled out during her bid to become the governor of Alaska in 2006, she said she would not support efforts to expand hate crimes legislation. Palin went on to say that she would not support the expansion of spousal benefits to same-sex couples and vowed “to preserve the institution of marriage as a defined by the state constitution.”
And on Tuesday, the New York Supreme Court said Governor David A. Paterson was acting within his power by mandating that marriages for same-sex couples performed out of state be recognized by New York government agencies. The ruling was the latest in a series of decisions that upheld Governor Paterson’s actions. Opponents of marriage equality, including members of the state legislature and the Alliance Defense Fund, brought the matter to the courtroom. Justice Lucy A. Billings said state laws were consistent with the governor’s decision and no ruling explicitly denied marriage rights to same-sex couples.
A California school board voted yesterday to reject a resolution that would support a proposed constitutional amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples in the state. The resolution was met with opposition from some community members who expressed concern over how Proposition 8 was related to education. A board member who voted for the resolution justified the connection by saying that traditional marriage was the best way to raise and educate children.
A new ballot initiative in Gainesville, Florida would repeal the city’s law banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity in public accommodations, such as restrooms. The group Citizens for Good Public Policy obtained enough signatures to put the initiative to vote on the March 2009 ballot. The group claims that removing the gender identity ordinance from city policy would protect public safety. Some city officials are worried that the language of the group’s petition will also deny discrimination protection to gays, lesbians and bisexuals.
A transgender inmate in a Pennsylvania correctional facility has filed two federal lawsuits against guards and prison officials after allegedly suffering physical abuse and sexually explicit taunting. Shawn Shannon Quinnones filed the suits on behalf of herself and another inmate, who also says she was physically abused at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. Both are seeking a combined total of more than one million dollars in compensatory and punitive damages.
Alright, that’s the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow.