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 Wednesday, January
9th. I'm Sultan Shakir.
And I'm Cuc Vu. First up, an update on the presidential primaries.
Yesterday, voters in New Hampshire went to the polls in record numbers
to indicate their preferences for the Democratic and Republican nominees
for President. HRC has had a strong presence in New Hampshire for months
with a field office to educate and activate GLBT and allied voters in
the primary process. Check out HRC's Back Story blog for news from New Hampshire and updates on the presidential race.
More than 20,000 people-mostly women-attended 39 "L Word" premiere
parties across the nation on Sunday evening. Guests saw a sneak preview
of the show's fifth season premiere and received the second episode on
DVD. "The L Word" airs on Showtime at 9 pm on Sundays.
A Michigan United Church of Christ church has been denied property
insurance because of its support for GLBT equality. The West Adrian
United Church of Christ's application for insurance was denied by
Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co. of Fort Wayne, Indiana, because of its
national governing body's approval of gay marriage and the ordination of
gays and lesbians. West Adrian was denied coverage because of fears
about a destructive backlash against its stance.
New Jersey's state assembly has overwhelmingly approved a bill that
would toughen hate crimes and bullying laws. The measure amends an
existing bias intimidation law by adding the terms "gender identity''
and "national origin'' to the list of classes of protected people. The
bill also mandates two hours of anti-bias training for police officers,
and it requires school districts to update their anti-bullying policies.
The bill now heads to the governor's desk for signature.
A conservative Christian pastor announced plans to launch a high-profile
campaign urging religious followers to by Microsoft stock, in an attempt
to force the company to "stop financing ungodly ventures." The Rev. Ken
Hutcherson, who leads Antioch Bible Church in Microsoft's hometown of
Redmond, says that he will create a global and powerful group to promote
traditional family values, including marriage exclusively between a man
and a woman.
A Philadelphia TV station has fired a local anchorwoman who has been off
the air since she was charged with striking a New York City police
officer and uttering a homophobic slur. Alycia Lane "has been released
from her contract effective immediately," KYW-TV said in a statement
Monday, the day she had been due back on air. Lane is accused of
scuffling with a plainclothes female officer during a traffic dispute
last month. Lane has denied the allegations.
That's the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
Have a great day and we'll see you back here again tomorrow morning. Have a great day and we'll see you right back here again tomorrow
morning.