Strong Support for Washington's Gay Marriage Bill

Photo courtesy of Queerty.

Following Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire's statement in support of same-sex marriage, a bill to legalize it has now been introduced in the Washington state Senate with 23 sponsors, two of whom are Republicans. Currently, six Democrats have not signed onto the bill, but only two more votes are necessary to have a majority and pass the bill in the Senate. If successful the bill will move to the House, where the Democrats have an even larger majority, before heading to Gov. Gregoire's desk.

Religious Exemption Dropped from MI Anti-Bullying Law

Earlier this month the Michigan State Senate passed "Matt's Safe School Law", a piece of anti-bullying legislation named after Matt Epling, an East Lansing teen who committed suicide after being subjected to relentless homophobic bullying. The law, designed to prohibit harassment and bullying at school, was met with fierce opposition by anti-gay activists such as the Michigan AFA's Gary Glenn, who called it a "Trojan Horse" for "homosexual activists." Republican Senators briefly added an exemption for bullying based on "religious or moral convictions", igniting a firestorm of controversy and earning them a stinging rebuke from Democratic Senator Gretchen Whitmer. In response, Senator Rick Jones has agreed to drop the religious exemption and leave the bill as it was originally intended.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Pushes for LGBT Adoption Bill

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is now pushing for federal legislation which would legalize adoption of children by LGBT parents nationwide, even though 11 states currently prohibit adoption by gay individuals and same-sex couples. According to the text of the bill, the 'Every Child Deserves a Family Act' would "prohibit discrimination in adoption or foster care placements based on the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of any prospective adoptive or foster parent, or the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child involved."

Progress on Repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act"

Sen. Patrick Leahy

In July, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) chaired a hearing on a possible repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA). Under the act, passed in 1996, a marriage was legally defined as "only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife", and no State may be required to recognize as a marriage any same-sex relationship recognized as a marriage in another State. Furthermore, federal marriage benefits which are granted to heterosexual married couples may not be granted to their same-sex counterparts. On October 14th, 2011, Sen. Leahy issued a press release stating that he intends to schedule Committee consideration of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal and replace DOMA. The text of the bill is as follows:

‘(a) For the purposes of any Federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual’s marriage is valid in the State where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any State, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a State.

‘(b) In this section, the term ‘State’ means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States.’

Proposed Bill Would Ban Anti-LGBT Discrimination in Housing and Credit Markets

Senator John Kerry (D-MA) has introduced legislation which would prohibit discrimination against LGBT Americans in both the housing and credit markets. The bill, known as the Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Act, would amend the Fair Housing Act and Equal Opportunity Credit Act to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or source of income. The legislation has received endorsements from multiple organizations including the ACLU, NAACP, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund.

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke Honors Homophobic Artist

At the recent “Reggae Rhythm and Blues Festival”, Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) presented reggae singer Beenie Man with an award and welcomed him to the U.S., calling him an "outstanding performer" and saying he "made all Jamaicans proud." Beenie Man, like fellow murder musician Buju Banton, is well-known for his intensely homophobic views and song lyrics. From the "Dancehall Dossier":

"Han Up Deh":

Han chi chi gal wid a long piece of rope

[Hang lesbians with a long piece of rope]

"Damn":

I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays

"Batty Man Fi Dead" [Queers Must Be Killed]:

All batty men fi dead!

[All faggots must be killed!]

From you f--- batty den a coppa and lead

[If you f--- ass, then you get copper and lead [bullets]]

Nuh man nuh fi have a another man in a him bed.

[No man must have another man in his bed.]

"Roll Deep":

Roll deep motherf-----, kill p-----sucker

[P---- -sucker: a lesbian.]

Tek a Bazooka and kill batty-f---er

[Take a bazooka and kill bum-f---ers [gay men]]

Beenie Man remains unapologetic for his violent, anti-LGBT song lyrics. You can watch the video of the award presentation here: