Equally Speaking
Good morning and thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking, your morning dose of GLBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Wednesday, March 19th. I’m John Greene.
And I’m Shelena Williams. First up, news from Maryland.
Maryland’s state Senate voted to grant unmarried couples more rights to make medical decisions for each other. The Senate voted 30-17 to allow domestic partners, who could be gay or straight, to make medical or funeral decisions for each other if they meet certain criteria to show they are a committed couple. The measure now heads to the House.
In other Maryland news, a group of registered voters in Montgomery County has filed a lawsuit alleging improprieties in the certification of a ballot measure to overturn a gender identity anti-discrimination law. The suit says that there were errors in the way the signatures were collected and that the County Board of Elections should have been more careful in verifying the names were legitimate.
The Israeli government has registered a Tel Aviv gay couple as the fathers of a five year old boy. One of the men had adopted the boy four years ago in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. His longtime partner then applied to Israel's Interior Ministry to be registered as second father. Though the government initially balked at the request, a family court in Tel Aviv ruled for the family and the government agreed to amend the forms.
A Pennsylvania state Senate committee has passed a proposal to amend the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions. Marriage equality proponents say the wording of the proposal that bans civil unions is so poorly defined that it could endanger the rights that gay and lesbian couples have now. Equality foes say the wording isn't meant to take away current rights, such as a partner's health care coverage or ability to grant power of attorney.
A thirty-four year veteran of the Austin, Texas Police Department has been suspended for twenty days for statements he made indicating personal bias against gay officers. Commander Calvin Smith made the questionable comments during a discussion of the possible transfer of a lesbian officer. Commander Larry Oliver was fired for his participation in the discussion.
"Days of Our Lives," Barbara Walters, and Rufus Wainwright were among those honored at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards on Monday. Judy Shepard won the Excellence in Media Award for her efforts to stop anti-gay violence after the death of her son Matthew Shepard, and "For the Bible Tells Me So," which HRC has actively promoted since its inception, received the Outstanding Documentary Film Award.
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.