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 Friday, February 8. I'm Tommy Lodge.
And I'm Bradley Mayer. First up, news from the entertainment world.
This week, Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, appeared on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." He was interviewed in a new segment called "Better Know a Lobbyist." To watch the interview, visit the Backstory blog at http://www.hrcbackstory.org.
Thursday marked the ninth annual National Black H-I-V AIDS Awareness Day.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, of the 1.2 million Americans living with H-I-V AIDS, nearly half are African-American. Only 14 percent of African Americans living with H-I-V AIDS have access to private health insurance, while 59 percent rely on Medicaid and nearly a quarter are uninsured.
In election news, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has suspended his campaign after he failed to win big on Super Tuesday. Romney is a vocal opponent of marriage equality. He is the former governor of Massachusetts, the only state in the country to recognize same-sex marriage.
A Maryland judge has ended the legal battle over a new, GLBT-inclusive sex education curriculum. Those who filed the lawsuit objected to a lesson where sexual orientation is described as being innate. The judge upheld earlier decisions that found the curriculum to be legal.
The California Supreme court has set a March 4th date to hear arguments over the legality of same-sex marriage. The Justices will then have 90 days to rule. The court has temporarily banned same-sex marriages in the state until it decides the issue.
In other state news, the Wisconsin Supreme court has upheld a ruling that bars eight Wisconsin towns from joining a same-sex partner benefits lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed against the state of Wisconsin by current and former GLBT state employees. The court's opinion was split, with three justices dissenting.
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 Monday morning.