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 Monday, August 18th. I’m Cuc Vu.
And I’m Tommy Lodge. First up, news from Massachusetts.
A conservative group is attempting to force a ballot measure on the repeal of a law used to prevent out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from marrying in Massachusetts. Mass Resistance filed paperwork with the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office that would allow it to begin collecting signatures on a petition to force a vote on the issue. If successful, the measure would not appear before 2010.
In Oregon, a federal appeals court upheld state election officials' findings that a referendum to repeal the state’s partnership law had fallen 96 signatures short of qualifying for the November ballot. The law, passed last year, made Oregon one of nine states to give legal recognition to unions for gay and lesbian couples. The law provides registered partners with the same benefits held by married couples under state law, including property and inheritance rights and hospital visitation.
The parents of slain 15-year-old Lawrence King are suing the Oxnard school district, claiming King died because his school failed to enforce its dress code. In the claim, Dawn and Gregory King allege that school administrators were aware that their son was subject to abuse because of his sexuality and gender expression. The attorney of Brandon McInerney, the student charged with killing King, has also suggested that some of the blame for the murder must rest with the school.
During an interview on potential running mates, John McCain suggested that the Republican Party could exclude candidates for being pro-LGBT rights but not for other issues such as being pro-choice. An anonymous McCain adviser later told reporters that McCain’s comment was meant to be a message of inclusion.
A man was sentenced to life in prison last week for killing a Southwest Airlines flight attendant because he was gay. Terry Mark Mangum, who claimed that God appointed him to kill a gay man because it was a sin, originally admitted to the crime and then later pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Psychologists testified during the trial that Mangum is delusional and schizophrenic.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi wed this past weekend in an intimate ceremony in California. DeGeneres announced her plans to marry de Rossi on a taping of her show in May. The couple has been dating since December 2004.
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.