Monthly Archives: March 2010

Massacring History

Retired Marine General John Sheehan told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 18 that he believes the Dutch Army’s willingness to accept gays into the service was the reason the Serb Army was able to carry out its

No gay provisions in health care

Rep. Tammy Baldwin acknowledged that the pro-gay provisions she sought in the health care reform legislation have not survived. But Baldwin also said that she has counted the votes in the House on two major pro-gay pieces of legislation and

DADT reports: Study or stall?

A “study” in the nation’s capitol is special kind of political capital. It can buy rationale with which to justify a change in policy or it can buy time to stop a change. President Obama

Carry Me Back

Virginia’s new Republican leadership apparently longs for the days of yore, when gays knew their place—the closet. But this month, they’re longing for the days when their discriminatory proclivities were not so well known.

Tickle Monster

Rep. Eric Massa, a first-term member of the House, told reporters March 3 that, because of health reasons, he would not seek re-election this November. But in just a few hours, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer revealed that his staff learned

High court to examine limits on Phelps protests

The U.S. Supreme Court continues its unpredictable foray into LGBT-related legal conflicts—this week announcing that it will decide whether a protester has a First Amendment right to use a private funeral service as a staging ground for their hate speech

Marriage inequality extracts a price on mental health

Same-sex marriage bans may be harmful to the mental health of gay people in those states. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

DADT repeal teeters on the mid-term elections

Google “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and you’ll get more than 2 million links. Add the word “repeal” to the search, and you’ll get about half a million. Add the words “this year,” and you’re down to 135,000. That’s probably a good

Rep. Frank: ENDA will get House vote this month

Legislation can be like a train: It runs on a track, makes certain stops along the way, and is often attached to other trains. But, in Congress, the train doesn’t run on time. Last October, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said the

DC marriage law in effect but trouble could lie ahead

A new law takes effect today in the nation’s capital, granting equal rights in marriage licensing for gay couples. Washington, D.C.’s marriage equality legislation becomes law in spite of a Herculean effort by opponents to block its implementation.