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 Friday, December 7th. I’m Janice Hughes.
And I’m John Greene. We’ll start with an update on federal hate crimes legislation.
Yesterday, House-Senate conferees confirmed that the Matthew Shepard Act, which had passed the Senate as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill, would be removed from the final version of the bill. This announcement was made after the House leadership concluded there were not enough votes for passage of the bill if it included the hate crimes provision. HRC will continue to look for another legislative vehicle, in the second half of this Congress, to move the Matthew Shepard Act.
A Green Bay man who changed his sex to female on his birth certificate has failed in his attempt to have it revised yet again. Stephanie Calewarts asked for the sex on his certificate to be changed back to male after marrying a woman last year. Brown County has revoked their marriage license because same-sex couples cannot marry in Wisconsin.
The city council of Brighton, England has decided to prohibit homophobic music in the town’s bars and clubs. There will be a ban on music by reggae and rap artists that promotes hatred against gays and lesbians. The so-called “Murder Music” has been linked to violent attacks on gays in both the United Kingdom and Jamaica.
A three-judge panel recently heard arguments in the appeal of Parker v. Lexington. The federal lawsuit was brought by four Lexington parents who object to the use of pro-gay materials in the classroom without prior parental notice. A U.S. district court judge dismissed the suit in February, saying that parents do not have the right to dictate public school curriculum.
The Golden Gate Business Association, which represents nearly 500 GLBT businesses in the San Francisco Bay area, announced the appointment of transgender business leader Katherine Dean as its new executive director. Dean will be taking the helm of the nation's oldest GLBT Chamber of Commerce.
The Pierce County Council in Washington state has narrowly approved plans to extend health benefits to the domestic partners of county employees. Employees who have same-sex or opposite-sex partners will now get the same medical, dental and other benefits that married employees currently enjoy.