Equally Speaking
Good morning, and thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking, your morning dose of GLBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Thursday, July 24th. I'm Candace Gingrich.
And I'm Sultan Shakir. First up, the latest on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
The first hearing held by Congress on the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy since it was first enacted in 1993 was held yesterday. The Military Personnel Subcommittee of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee heard testimony from a range of military experts including former Marine Staff Sergeant and HRC spokesperson Eric Alva, who is openly gay. To check out HRC's coverage of the hearing, go to H-R-C back story dot org.
An openly gay senator in the Arizona legislature is calling for an investigation into alleged broken rules that led to the approval of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Democratic Senator Ken Cheuvront (SHEH vront) has asked the Senate Ethics Committee to issue a formal complaint against Republican Senator Jack Harper, claiming that he conspired with other Republican leaders to cut off microphones during a filibuster aimed at killing the anti-marriage measure. The proposed amendment passed on a 16 to 4 vote, which places it on the November ballot.
AIDS rates in the nation's Latino community are increasing dramatically and have reached what experts are calling a public health crisis. According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Hispanics in Washington, D.C. have the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the country. In major U.S. cities, as many as 1 in 4 gay Hispanic men has HIV, a rate on par with sub-Saharan Africa. It is believed that, for Hispanics who arrived illegally, fear of arrest and deportation is a major obstacle to seeking diagnosis and treatment.
Laguna Beach is the first California city to oppose Proposition 8, an initiative that could deny marriage for gay and lesbian couples. It was decided unanimously by City Council members during a meeting Tuesday night. HRC has partnered with Equality for All in California to defeat the ballot measure. Donations to preserve marriage equality can be made online through a link on HRC's homepage at H R C dot org.
A former state employee filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, claiming she was illegally fired from her job as a legislative editor for the Georgia General Assembly after she told her boss she would transition from male to female. Vandy Beth Glenn says she was fired because her transition would make members of the assembly uncomfortable. The lawsuit, filed by civil rights group Lambda Legal, claims that the firing violated the Constitution's equal protection clause.
Attorneys are back in court today to argue whether trying 14-year-old Brandon McInerney in the adult criminal justice system is cruel and unusual punishment. McInerney is charged with first-degree murder and a hate crime in the killing of out California student Lawrence King. McInerney's attorney, William Quest, is petitioning that his client's case be sent to juvenile court. If McInerney is convicted as an adult, his sentence ranges from 41 years to life.
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.