News

This month's politics promise to be as unpredictable as the March weather. A poignant and historical example is Senator Joseph Lieberman's (I-Conn.) introduction of legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and the fact that he was joined by Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Watch the video and read how you can help the two senators get the votes needed for the bill at www.sldn.org/

A major event in the long fight for LGBT equality occurred last week when the District of Columbia officially joined five states in allowing gay marriage. The signs that things were favorably changing became clearer in January when Supreme Court judge Judith N. Macaluso ruled that same-sex marriage opponents did not have the right to call for a referendum to determine whether such unions should be legal in the District.

Attorney General Douglas Gansler from Maryland issued an opinion that Maryland courts will likely rule that same-sex couples legally married in other states are recognized as married in Maryland. Though this opinion is not law, and though Gansler also said that Maryland's governor may not issue an executive order recognizing same-sex, out-of-state marriages, the opinion he issued will serve as a guide for state judges who may decide in such cases.

In one of the largest studies every released of gays in foreign militaries, the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, concludes that foreign militaries achieved success by implementing an inclusive policy quickly and under decisive leadership. England, Canada, France, Australia and Switzerland are some of the countries where openly gay service members have already proven that their presence in the military does not undermine morale, recruitment, retention, cohesion or discipline as some opponents of an inclusive policy claim.

Last week in Austin, Texas, Judge Scott Jenkins granted a divorce for same-sex couple Angelique Naylor and Sabina Daly, with instructions for them to put their agreement into writing and return to court in March for his signature. This week, Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott intervened, arguing they could not be legally granted a divorce because Texas law defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

With the nation's capital poised to begin allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, opinions nationwide remain closely divided, but two-thirds of all Americans now say gay and lesbian couples should be able to have the same rights as heterosexual couples through civil unions.

Republicans failed on Tuesday in their effort to start the process of amending the Iowa Constitution to ban gay marriage -- meaning it will likely be 2014 at the earliest before voters could decide on the issue.

The Republican lawmakers tried procedural moves to pull measures out of committees and force a vote, but they couldn't get enough votes in either the House or Senate. Read More

Two Los Angeles filmmakers are shedding light on a federal trial concerning same-sex marriage in California, whose proceedings were blacked out by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Using the work of courtroom bloggers, official transcripts and professional actors, John Ireland and John Ainsworth are bringing the trial to life, filming and publishing a 12-part series depicting each day of the proceedings in a San Francisco federal courtroom.

President Obama's top defense officials will tell the Senate on Tuesday that the military will no longer aggressively pursue disciplinary action against gay service members whose orientation is revealed against their will by third parties, sources say.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will unveil the Pentagon's plan to prepare for repealing the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" law regarding gay soldiers at a committee hearing Tuesday, a Pentagon spokesman said.

"The Defense Department leadership is actively working on an implementation plan and the secretary will have more to say about this next week," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said on Thursday. Read More