HRC Blog

Former New York City Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins join HRC’s New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign. Today HRC launched two new videos featuring the respected political leaders who speak candidly about fairness and equality in the Empire State. The new videos and our entire campaign can be viewed online at http://www.hrc.org/NY4marriage The f.ormer mayors join other prominent New Yorkers, from leaders and advocates, to actors and musicians who are letting America know that New York supports marriage equality.

You won’t want to miss the video that Abby recorded for HRC’s new project, We’re All Right. The Midwesterner speaks openly and passionately about herself and her family – her older brother, younger sister, mother and father. Abby’s father came out as gay when she was entering her teenage years. She’s now a college senior, and she wants everyone to know that she’s all right.

Last night on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day here in the Ocean State, volunteers for marriage equality turned out for our most successful phone bank yet. Having been on the ground for only a week, we’re starting to see volunteers show up in larger numbers – which is good, since we could see action in the RI House as soon as next week. Volunteers made phone calls to voters in Rep. Marcello’s district and the response was overwhelmingly positive and uplifting.

In the wake of new polling from HRC that shows Americans oppose the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), bills were filed in the House and Senate today to repeal DOMA and end federal discrimination against legally married same-sex couples.

As you’ll recall, last June, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum identifying additional changes that federal agencies could make to extend certain benefits to same-sex couples without action by Congress. One of the changes he identified will make it easier for federal employees to ensure that their same-sex partners can receive part of their retirement benefits after they die. Earlier this month, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued proposed regulations that will put that change into effect, making it easier for a retiring federal worker to set up a “insurable interest annuity” for his or her same-sex partner. These new regulations will eliminate an onerous and invasive process for same-sex couples, treating same-sex domestic partners in the same way as different-sex spouses, with the presumption that a partner, like a spouse, is eligible for the annuity. This proposed change was part of HRC’s Blueprint for Positive Change, a document recommending policy changes that could be made by the administration to better the lives of LGBT people.