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 Wednesday, July 8th. I’m Sultan Shakir.
And I’m Sarah Birnie. First up, news on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
Today, the Human Rights Campaign, along with Servicemembers United, kicks off a national tour to encourage the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy barring openly gay individuals from serving in the military. U.S. Rep. and Iraq War veteran Patrick Murphy will speak at the event, along with Eric Alva, the first wounded veteran in the war; Jarrod Chlapowski, a former U.S. Army Korean linguist and current HRC public policy advocate who opted not to re-enlist due to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; and Servicemembers United executive director Alex Nicholson, a U.S. Army veteran fluent in Arabic who was discharged under the policy.
Today, the U.S. House will hold a hearing on the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act that would extend full benefits to the domestic partners of federal employees. Testifying at the hearing will be U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin and Office of Personnel Management director John Berry, among others. HRC President Joe Solmonese submitted testimony, which you can read at HRCBackStory.org.
The U.S. House will also hold a hearing today titled Strengthening School Safety Through the Prevention of Bullying. Scheduled witnesses will include Sirdeaner Walker, the mother of an 11-year-old boy who committed suicide in Massachusetts after incidents of anti-gay bullying.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said Monday that he is open to recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. Speaking on WTOP Radio’s “Ask the Governor” program, he said that Maryland should respect the rights of those married outside the state. Maryland Attorney Gen. Douglas Gansler will soon issue a formal opinion on whether the state can legally recognize such marriages.
West Virginia lawmakers have planned a public hearing for July 14 to discuss whether they should amend the state’s constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Several Republicans tried to bring the matter to a vote this year but were ultimately unsuccessful. Fairness West Virginia has pointed out that the state already has a law banning same-sex marriage, but marriage equality opponents say the law is vulnerable to court action.
Massachusetts State Sen. Stan Rosenberg came out to his constituents over the weekend in an Independence Day editorial. He said that, while he has always been a strong supporter of marriage equality, he has never spoken publicly about his sexuality. Rosenberg has been the president pro tem of the State Senate since 2003.
That’s the news from us today – thanks for tuning in.
Have a great day and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow morning.