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 GLBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Wednesday, March 26th. I'm Shelena Williams.
And I'm David Paul. First up, news from Connecticut.
Connecticut's General Assembly has chosen to kill a bill that would have resolved many technicalities and loopholes in the state's 2005 civil union law. The assembly is currently in the middle of a short session, which occurs every other year. During the short sessions, more controversial legislation is often set aside in favor of bills that can be passed with little debate.
The Georgia Court of Appeals has overturned a criminal contempt charge against a woman who was sentenced to 10 days in jail for not handing her foster daughter over to authorities. Elizabeth Hadaway was ordered to return the little girl to foster care after her adoption request was denied because she is a lesbian. The adoption was eventually approved, and mother and daughter were reunited in May of last year.
A high school in Hawaii has come under attack for a sex education presentation some parents say is too graphic. Principal Gerald Teramae says this is only the second complaint the school has received in the eight years the program has been in use. The presentation includes references to sexual diversity, and is intended to educate students about their sexual health.
Alabama Corrections Commissioner Richard Allen has said his department is reviewing a 2004 restriction that bars qualified HIV positive inmates from participating in the state's work release program. Alabama is the only state with such a restriction. Some Alabama lawmakers and the American Civil Liberties Union have been pressing officials to remove the discriminatory ban.
The Massachusetts state Senate is considering a bill that would grant state benefits to GLBT service members discharged under the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The state benefits and tax breaks would be the same as those offered to straight veterans. However, federal benefits would not apply under the proposed legislation.
London protestors took to the streets last Saturday, hoping to bring attention to the plight of GLBT people seeking asylum in the United Kingdom. The protestors urged the British government to approve the asylum requests of 14 people who face deportation to Iran, where they face possible execution for their sexuality. In related news, Israeli authorities have granted a Palestinian gay man a rare residency permit to live with his Israeli partner in Tel Aviv.
That's the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
Have a great day, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow morning.