Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) bravely decided to reverse his staunch opposition, and support same-sex marriage.
After his son came out.
Two years after.
A half-year after he was passed over as GOP vice presidential candidate.
9 years after voting for a constitutional amendment banning marriage equality.
17 years after voting for the anti-equality Defense of Marriage Act.
“The man who accused Kevin Clash, the voice and puppeteer of the Sesame Street character Elmo, of an under-age sexual relationship has recanted that claim, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
The reversal came a day after the claim was published by the gossip Web site TMZ, threatening Mr. Clash’s reputation and alarming parents and other fans of the beloved children’s television franchise.”
In a remarkable act of decency and understanding, the voters of the state of Maryland approved legal status for same-sex civil marriage. In a political year marked by hate speech and fear-mongering, it’s a significant triumph for tolerance and love.
____________
Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-eVs
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
It was a June wedding for Mary Cheney and her longtime partner Heather Poe in Washington DC last Friday. The happy couple, who have two children, were congratulated by Ms. Cheney’s father, former vice president Dick Cheney.
Ms. Cheney, a conservative political consultant, and Ms. Poe, a former park ranger, met 20 years ago while playing ice hockey. The two live in Virginia but married in the District of Columbia, one of six U.S. jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal.
___________________
Short Link:
http://wp.me/p6sb6-dqo
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
Among the many celebrations this season, the museum of San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society marks its first year of operation. From the website:
“Often referred to as San Francisco’s ‘queer Smithsonian,’ the GLBT Historical Society houses one of the world’s largest collections of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender historical materials. The society’s new GLBT History Museum is the first full-scale, stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States.”
More:
“GLBT museum celebrates fight for social justice.” Steven Short, KALW-FM
___________________
Short Link:
http://wp.me/p6sb6-bY2
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
“Hundreds of same-sex couples say ‘I do’ in New York,” Patrick Wall, Christian Science Monitor
“Hundreds of gay, lesbian couples wed in New York on first day same-sex marriage is legal,” Lukas I. Alpert, New York Daily News
“After Long Wait, Same-Sex Couples Marry in New York,” Thomas Kaplan and Michael Barbaro, New York Times
Short link:
http://wp.me/p6sb6-aJN
Image (“The Wedding Couple, after Abbot Handerson Thayer and Richard E. Miller”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length
The New York State Senate has passed the Marriage Equality Act legalizing same-sex marriage, and Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed it into law. Same-sex marriage is legally recognized in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa and the District of Columbia.
The Senate voted to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that prohibits openly gay people from serving in the U.S. military. The policy forced 14,000 men and women to leave military service since 1993. 10,000 of these personnel were language specialists, so it’s no wonder that we have no idea what is going on in Iraq or Afghanistan.
“I don’t care who you love. If you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you should be able to serve as you are. Today the Senate has the opportunity to be on the right side of history. ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ is a wrong that should never have been perpetrated.”
– Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Both houses of Congress have passed the measure, and it will now go to the White House for the President’s signature.
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
The Washington Post is observing Veterans Day with a story previewing the Pentagon report on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy:
“More than 70 percent of respondents to a survey sent to active-duty and reserve troops over the summer said the effect of repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy would be positive, mixed or nonexistent, said two sources familiar with the document. The survey results led the report’s authors to conclude that objections to openly gay colleagues would drop once troops were able to live and serve alongside them.”
– “Sources: Pentagon group finds there is minimal risk to lifting gay ban during war,” Ed O’Keefe and Greg Jaffe, Washington Post.
The chief authors of the study are Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson and the Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe, General Carter Ham.
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
The Liberace Museum, a Las Vegas fixture since 1979, closes today, October 17, 2010. The Liberace Foundation promises that the museum’s collection of flamboyant … objets d’art will tour the country.
