Equally Speaking
Good morning and thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking, your morning dose of GLBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Monday, January 28th. I'm Tommy Lodge.
And I'm David Paul. First up, an update on the presidential campaigns.
Senator Barack Obama won the South Carolina Democratic Primary by a decisive margin on Saturday. Last weekend, Senator John McCain won the Republican Primary in the state. Both parties now move on to Florida, where HRC staffers have been on the ground working to mobilize GLBT voters for several weeks. To learn more about all HRC's election activities, go to the Back Story blog at H-R-C Back Story dot org.
The New Mexico House of Representatives has approved legislation that would legally recognize same-sex relationships in the state. The Domestic Partnership Rights and Responsibilities Act would grant unmarried couples - same or opposite sex - the same rights and benefits as married couples. Similar legislation in the state failed by just one vote last year.
Marriage equality legislation was introduced in Maryland's State Legislature on Friday. The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act would provide equal access to civil marriage for same-sex couples. The bill also ensures that religious institutions will continue to have the right to perform and recognize only the marriages of their choosing.
A conservative group has launched an effort to prohibit same- or opposite-sex unmarried couples from adopting or becoming foster parents in Arkansas. The Family Council Action Committee hopes to gather enough signatures to put the measure on the November ballot. HRC field staff is on the ground in Arkansas working to organize fair-minded voters to oppose the initiative.
Two cohabitating elderly sisters say they are victims of discrimination under Britain's civil partner law. Their case will be heard in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The sisters say that when one of them dies, the other would be forced to pay high inheritance taxes, which they say is unfair because unmarried same-sex couples are exempt from the tax under Britain's civil partnership law.
Fox News Radio host John Gibson apologized for mocking actor Heath Ledger's death on his radio show Tuesday. Gibson played audio clips of the famous "I wish I knew how to quit you" line from Brokeback Mountain and called Ledger a "weirdo" with a "serious drug problem." In his apology, Gibson said he was sorry that some interpreted his remarks as "anti-gay."
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.