First OUTlaw meeting and elections

OUTlaw will hold its first meeting of 2010-2011 on Tuesday August 24th at noon in Room 2. We will be holding elections as well as discussing upcoming events for the new academic year. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

BREAKING: PROP 8 OVERTURNED!

Howard Mintz of San Jose Mercury news reported throughout the Prop 8 trial. Now he brings us the news that Judge Vaughn Walker has overturned California's ban on same-sex marriage, finding it unconstitutional.
Read the full article here.

Prop 8 decision to come today

The decision in the Prop 8 case should be handed down by Judge Vaughn Walker at some point today. Check back for further developments.

Text EQUAL to 69866 to receive a text message with the decision as soon as it happens.

OUTlaw back up on TWEN

If you haven't added OUTlaw as a "course" on TWEN, it's now available for you to do so. By adding OUTlaw, you'll have access to the event calendar, meeting minutes, bylaws, OUTlines and more.

Quick Links: Interesting Stories

ABC news reports that a Georgia student has filed a lawsuit against Augusta State University over "Gay Sensitivity Training".

The New York Times published a story on society's recognition of same-sex marriage in South Africa.

WNEC Law's Non-Discrimination Policy

WNEC Law was one of the first law schools in the nation to adopt a non-discrimination policy that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

Here's WNEC's policy:

"Western New England College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment. The College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities."

Also, if you haven't been to WNEC Law's LGBT Life page, you can check it out here.

Mississippi school to pay damages to Constance McMillen

Constance McMillen, a Mississippi teen who was not allowed to bring her girlfriend to the prom, came to an agreement today with the school. Read the whole article from CNN here.

President of Ireland signs Civil Partnership Bill

Below is a press release from GLEN (Gay & Lesbian Equality Network):

President Signs Civil Partnership Bill into Law:

A great day for Ireland.

Today the 19th of July, the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, signed the Civil Partnership Bill into law.

“This is a great day for Ireland. Lesbian and gay people, their parents, families, friends neighbours, colleagues can now look forward to celebrating their civil partnerships in the near future” according to Kieran rose.

“It is a tribute to the openness and welcoming nature of Irish society and the commitment of all our legislators and is a major civil rights milestone for lesbian and gay people” continued Kieran Rose.

The Bill will deliver a comprehensive set of protections, rights and obligations for same-sex couples across a wide range of areas including home protections, pensions, taxation, maintenance, next of kin, social welfare, domestic violence, inheritance, enduring power of attorney and creation of joint tenancies.

The Bill was passed without a vote in the Dáil and with an overwhelming majority in the Seanad at the beginning of July.

For Further Information, contact:

Eoin Collins,: +353 87 9273341 or

Brian Sheehan, +353 86 2330417

W: www.glen.ie info@glen.ie

Argentina legalizes same sex marriage

On Thursday, July 15, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage. Below is an excerpt from a longer AP article that can be found here.

"BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina became the first Latin American nation to legalize gay marriage Thursday, granting same-sex couples all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage brings to heterosexuals.

The law's passage — a priority for President Cristina Fernandez's government — has inspired activists to push for similar laws in other countries, and a wave of gay weddings are expected in Buenos Aires. Some gay business leaders are predicting an economic ripple effect from an increase in tourism among gays and lesbians who will see Argentina as an even more attractive destination."

DOMA Decision and D.C

• For those of you interested in reading the DOMA decision before jumping back into your casebooks, you can read it here at the GLAD website. GLAD has also posted an article about the plaintiffs' reactions.
• On Friday, the Washington D.C Court of Appeals struck down an initiative to put same-sex marriage on the ballot for popular vote. Below is a brief article from the AP:

WASHINGTON — D.C.'s highest court has ruled against opponents of the city's same-sex marriage law, saying they cannot ask voters to overturn it.

Opponents had wanted to challenge a law that took effect in Washington in March allowing same-sex couples to marry. They attempted to get approval to put an initiative on the ballot asking city voters to define marriage in the city as between one man and one woman. But city officials balked, saying a district human rights law barred initiatives that would authorize discrimination.

On Thursday, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled 5-4 that officials had the authority to keep the measure off the ballot and acted appropriately.