A federal judge ruled DOMA was unconstitutional based on a states rights argument — irony! — but Obama will probs defend the law on appeal. Meh.
The military began its study on DADT yesterday, and — surprise! — it’s a mess. Gay people have been advised not to fill it out, which is a shame because we’d really like to know how they feel about showering with gay people.
Hawaii’s governor vetoes civil unions bill, Today Show excludes gays from its Modern Weddings contest and a lesbian is denied the malpractice settlement from her deceased ex-wife — seems gays can’t get a break in the US these days. It’s okay though, because new studies show that straight people are married & have kids & they HATE IT. But also there’s the super-cute new issue of gay wedding mag EquallyWed… gawd, it’s so hard to choose a number one feeling today!
If you thought there wasn’t room for one more controversy to sweep Toronto, well, you were wrong. This officially marks the first time ever we haven’t wanted to move to Canada. Also: Judith Butler turns down an award, bisexuality gets surveyed, gay marriage in NY and the lives of gay youths.
Gay people can’t get married in Wisconsin, and domestic partnerships are barred from having the same rights as marriage. Plus, you can’t adopt children without being married there. MADISON REVOLT!
For example, I just wrote half of this excerpt and then had no idea what it was about. And then it disappeared. Anyway, the Elena Kagan nomination hearings are mostly boring, though still important. She talks about DADT, legal progressivism, and cameras in the court room.
Happy Elena Kagan Confirmation Hearing Day! We give you the preview here. Also, thoughts on the future of gay marriage, hate from the Virginia attorney general, a women’s radio station in the West Bank, marriage in Iceland, and a look back at Stonewall on Pride weekend.
Obama and Hillary are making efforts to assure us that gay rights are still a priority. Also gays will get more rights to take time off work to care for partners or kids. New York is about to have a gay/trans inclusive anti-bullying bill. And we’re still cautiously optimistic about the Prop 8 trial.
The violent drunk-driving bigamist stalkers in Texas had better not think about getting gay married, because THAT could turn out to be a felony. Also, we talk about putting the politics back in Pride, unsettling developments on DADT, protests over violence in Savannah, new life for the Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative, and the Lisa Miller/Janet Jenkins custody case going back to court.
We recap last night’s press conference on the Prop 8 Trial’s closing arguments and affirm our personal feeling that we’ve got this sh*t in the bag, amirite? Also; Stonewall Uprising, Boy Scouts still hate gays, Rachel Maddow on the oil spill and lesbians raise better kids.
Are you ready to get this Prop 8 thing taken care of once and for all? SO ARE WE. We recap today’s closing arguments on the Prop 8 trial on gay marriage in California, with characteristic Autostraddle style and class.
Judge Walker will begin hearing closing arguments in the Prop 8 trial today. Oh, and the Prop 8 supporters are going to ask him to expand the reach of the ban. Catch yourself up so we can process everything tomorrow!
The beating of a gay man in Georgia gave us some feelings about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and pervasive homophobia in the military. Plus, gay men still can’t give blood, the 16-year-old sailor has been found, culture wars are here to stay, and a lesbian cop is suing the NYPD for sexual harrassment.
The State and Justice Departments are teaming up to give you kind of a nice Friday – it should now be a lot easier for trans people to get accurate passports, and new guidelines on partner violence are also going to apply to queer relationships. Also, gay Republicans at LA Pride, angry gay Bostonians, the superstar teen sailor is missing, Exodus International wants you to know it’s sorry but you’re still going to hell, and a Jewish/Arab lesbian feminist has some thoughts to share.
Judge Walker released NINE PAGES of critical thinking questions about the arguments in the Prop 8 trial. Closing arguments start in a week! Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were pardoned last week and now Steven seeks a “normal life” with a new girlfriend. Also, White House on DADT and MORMONS ARE GETTING SUED for failure to disclose its Prop 8 contributions.
There are a lot of numbers in here but they’re all important, so get out your calculator and let’s do this. Statistics indicate that Iowans want to have a referendum on gay marriage, but also maybe that they don’t care that much, and Tea Partiers still hate us. The directors of GetEQUAL are making more than anyone you know, we don’t know anything about Elena Kagan still, Gawker might want to check out an AP stylebook, we might be one step closer to finding Lisa Miller and her daughter, and happy tales of reunited gays in love!
Today Obama did another thing for gay people, and we can hear the icicles of our soul slowly melting. Which got me thinking about relationships — are we in an emotionally manipulative short-term on-and-off relationship with Obama, or is he in fact being a better man?
One half of the queer couple pardoned in Malawi has gone missing. Another couple — a trans woman and gay man — were arrested in Pakistan for trying to get married (allegedly). Gay haters use the Bible as an excuse, not a legit argument. There’s a lot of the top 10 cute animals harmed by the oil spill. Arizona’s immigration law targets women. And thank god for Jon Stewart for bringing the lulz and the awesome social commentary & Barack Obama for tweeting his love for gays this month.
Join us as we gape open-mouthed at Senator Roy Ashburn’s homosexual 360, and think about the ramifications of observing Memorial Day while DADT is still in effect. Also, a new gay travel site, a lesbian confirmed to the South California District Court in San Diego, Tammy Baldwin is splitting with her partner, and Mary Cheney is supporting a homophobic candidate.
GOOD NEWS! Following a meeting with U.N Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika pardoned the “gay” couple who had been sentenced to 14 years of jail and hard labor, announcing, “I have done this on humanitarian grounds but this does not mean that I support this.” Also,