Arkansas Supreme Court Strikes Down "Gay Adoption" Ban

Read the full article from The Advocate.

NOM Blog hotlinks to Pride Flag & Crashes

NOM (National Organization for Marriage) hotlinked to a comic that the bloggers assumed had an anti-gay undertone. When the creator discovered that NOM had used his comic, he changed the image to make his point. Read the whole story from The Advocate.

PA Senators vote against bill proposing a same-sex marriage ban

Neal Broverman of the Advocate reports:

"Pennsylvania legislators on Tuesday voted against advancing a bill that could have constitutionally banned same-sex marriage.

The state's senate judiciary committee tabled senate bill 707 by an 8-6 bipartisan vote. The bill, sponsored by antigay Republican senator John Eichelberger, could be brought up again, but it's unlikely the bill will be considered before the end of the 2010 legislative session, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.

“The efforts to embed discrimination against LGBT people into our constitution have failed for a third time,” Andy Hoover, legislative director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said in a press release, referring to failed attempts to pass similar legislation in 2006 and 2008. “This committee today recognized that LGBT people are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, and our family members and that they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Committee members who voted to table the bill included Republicans Pat Browne, Jane Earll, and Mary Jo White and Democrats Daylin Leach, Lisa Boscola, Wayne Fontana, Michael Stack, and Jay Costa."

Arrest warrant issued for Lisa Miller in custody battle

The Advocate reports:

Arrest Warrant Issued in Lesbian Parent Custody Case
By Advocate.com Editors

In a high-profile same-sex parent custody case, an arrest warrant has been issued for a woman who refused to transfer custody of her 7-year-old daughter to her former partner in Vermont before disappearing.

In late January a judge in Vermont family court had given Lisa Miller of Forest, Va., 30 days to appear in court with her daughter after she had failed to turn the child over to her ex-partner, Janet Jenkins, who had been granted full custody.

In 2000 the couple joined in a civil union in the state and had a daughter, Isabella, via artificial insemination in 2002.

A year later, Miller and Jenkins ended their relationship. Miller moved to Virginia and became an evangelical Christian.

The custody dispute has attracted national attention, with Jenkins appearing on Nightline in January to tell her story. “My goal has never been to separate Isabella from her other mother, Lisa,” Jenkins said. “I just want what is best for our child, and that is to know both of her parents.”

Miller’s whereabouts have been unknown since November. In December she wrote on her Facebook page that the Vermont judge’s decision to award custody to her former partner was a “dark ruling.”

The Advocate asks- "What can Brown do for you?"

The March issue of The Advocate has published an interesting read by Julie Bolcer.  What does the road ahead look like for LGBTQ equality following Senator Brown's election here in Massachusetts? Read Julie's article here.

Lt. Dan Choi is asked to return to his unit

Here is a great article by Michelle Garcia of The Advocate regarding Lt. Dan Choi, "the face" of the DADT repeal movement.

Texas AG intervenes in same-sex divorce case... again.

The Advocate's Julie Bolcer reports that Texas AG Greg Abbott has intervened in a second same-sex divorce case. The first case involved two men who filed for a divorce and it was granted by Judge Tena Callahan. Abbott said then, as he does now, that it is the wrong legal remedy because the couples were not legally married in Texas. Instead, Abbott says the marriage should be made legally void. The couple in the most recent case are two women who were married here in Massachusetts and now seek a divorce. More details about the couples and the interventions can be read in the full article on The Advocate's webiste.