Author Archives: Lisa Keen
Michigan marks 9th win in post-Windsor federal court challenges
A federal judge in Detroit ruled Friday that Michigan’s ban against same-sex couples marrying violates the couples’ constitutional rights to due process and equal protection. The Michigan decision, from U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Friedman (a Reagan appointee) falls squarely in
Speed Read: Straight is great
Heritage (NYC) Pride group announced Thursday that it will allow a right-wing Catholic group, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, to march in the June 29 Pride parade carrying a banner saying “Straight is Great.” A federal judge in
Fred Phelps, notorious for hate, dies
The leader of a small Baptist church in Westboro, Kansas, who made a name for himself by traveling the country to hoist up “God Hates Fags” placards, is dead. A spokesman for Westboro Baptist Church, whose website address is godhatesfags.com, told
Speed Read: Booted from the closet
Oregon group is seeking religious belief exemptions through ballot measure. Congressional Black Caucus pressures U.S. to do more about anti-gay laws in Uganda and other countries. And a former Idaho state senator loses her visiting privileges after being found hanging
Speed Read: Voluntary appeal
Tennessee’s attorney general on Tuesday asked a federal judge in Nashville to stay enforcement of her injunction to require the state to recognize the marriages of three same-sex couples, and is appealing the order to the federal appeals court. A
Speed Read: ‘Revenge for my views’
President Obama’s second executive order calling for sanctions against the Russian government over its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula identifies Yelena Mizulina, author of the anti-gay laws, as one of seven individual Russian leaders for specific sanctions. New Hampshire is
Lambda and others weigh in on ‘religious employers’ at Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear two cases next week that test the degree to which employers may use their personal religious beliefs to deny certain health coverage for employees. Neither case involves any LGBT-related health coverage; but the decisions
Speed Read: Crowd cheers rainbows
The crowd at Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade Sunday cheered a group of gay men who walked behind a "diversity" float, tossing rainbow-colored beads to observers. Sam Adams beer makers and Heineken withdrew their sponsorship of the parades for excluding
Tennesse judge’s ruling orders state to recognize marriages of three couples
In an important but narrow ruling, a U.S. district court judge in Nashville issued a preliminary injunction late Friday afternoon, barring the state of Tennessee from denying recognition of marriage licenses obtained by three same-sex couples in other states.
Speed Read: 55 years together
Lawsuits challenging bans on same-sex couples marrying have been filed in three mores states: Arizona, Indiana, and Florida. And Uganda says the U.S. has suspended a significant amount of its AIDS funding over the U.S.'s displeasure with Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act.
