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 Tuesday, June 24th. I’m Janice Hughes.
And I’m Sultan Shakir. First up, news from California.
GLBT advocacy groups are asking California’s highest court to block a November ballot initiative that would ban marriage for gay and lesbian couples. A legal brief filed by lawyers for Equality California argues that the initiative is a revision — not an amendment — of the state Constitution, thus requiring state legislative involvement rather than a majority vote in an election. The court announced it would rule on the petition this summer.
Members of the Tennessee Equality Project are asking for an open dialogue between the GLBT community and state law enforcement after a tape showing a police officer attacking a transgender woman inside the Memphis police station surfaced last week. One officer has been fired and another is on desk duty pending an internal hearing. The Tennessee Equality Project is asking the Memphis police department to appoint a liaison from the GLBT community and to implement more diversity training.
Information gathered by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network suggests that the Army and Air Force discharged a disproportionate number of women last year under the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. While women make up only 14 percent of Army personnel and 20 percent of Air Force personnel, almost half of those discharged under the discriminatory policy last year were women. Since its inception, more than 10,000 personnel have been discharged, 800 of which having possessed skills deemed ‘mission critical,’ such as pilots, combat engineers, and linguists.
Authorities in Norfolk, Virginia may file misdemeanor charges against a couple who were wed in the state in March. Officials at the Newport Circuit Court discovered the bride in question is actually a man. A prosecutor says the decision to press charges could turn on whether the pair knowingly misled officials when they applied for the license. If the bride is transgender, and identifies as a woman, however, it is unclear whether the marriage will be considered illegal.
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl signed into law legislation that creates a partner registry for couples living together in committed relationships. The measure, which passed the city council on a 7 to 1 vote earlier this month, will help gay and lesbian couples legitimize their relationships when applying for domestic partner benefits with private companies. Additionally, if one partner is a city employee, the registry will give health benefits to that person’s partner under Pittsburgh's health plan.
In a landmark ruling in Northern Ireland last Wednesday, unmarried couples in the country will now be allowed to adopt children. The ruling brings Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom. The decision was made in response to the case of a lesbian couple who sought adoption rights for the non-biological mother of the pair’s daughter.
That’s the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow morning.