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 12th. I'm Shelena Williams.
And I'm Brad Mayer. First up, an update on Oklahoma Representative Kern's anti-GLBT comments.
The Human Rights Campaign has sent a letter to Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, Speaker of the House Chris Benge, and Senate President Pro-Tempore Mike Morgan demanding that they publicly condemn Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern's hateful remarks. For the full text of the letter, visit the Back Story blog at hrcbackstory.org.
USA Today has published a story about the ongoing work of Judy Shepard to get Congress to pass hate crime legislation. Shepard founded The Matthew Shepard Foundation after the 1998 murder of her son brought national attention to the violence and persecution GLBT people face. For more information, and a link to the USA Today article, visit the Back Story blog at hrcbackstory.org.
In international news, Spain's Socialist Party won reelection against the anti-marriage equality People's Party. This was the first national election since Spain legalized same-sex marriage. 80% of Spanish citizens are Catholic, and some observers thought the influence of the Church, which opposes marriage equality, might result in a People's Party victory.
The first openly gay Episcopal bishop, V. Gene Robinson, has announced he will have no official role in this summer's Lambeth Conference, the once-a-decade meeting of world Anglican leaders. Episcopal leaders had been negotiating for Robinson's inclusion for the past year. The world Anglican Communion has been on the brink of schism since Robinson's 2003 election.
UPS, the world's largest shipping carrier, has just expanded its supplier diversity program to include GLBT owned businesses. The expansion is through a partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, which represents nearly a million and a half businesses. UPS has a perfect 100 score on HRC's Corporate Equality Index.
The city of New York is considering legislation that would expand protections for unmarried victims of domestic violence. This would allow individuals in same-sex relationships to seek a civil order of protection against an abusive partner through the Family Court system. The bill is supported by Mayor Bloomberg and City Council speaker Christine Quinn, who is a lesbian.
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.