Author Archives: Lisa Keen

Hospital visitation memo will take months to implement

When President Obama signed a memorandum this month, calling for an end to discrimination against gays and lesbians in hospital visitation policies, many unmarried LGBT people assumed that meant hospitals would no longer be able to bar them from being

Contempt order looms in Prop 8 trial

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker issued a warning on Sunday afternoon to Equality California and the ACLU, giving them 48 hours to turn over documents sought by the proponents of Proposition 8. If the groups fail to comply, they

Openly gay man nominated to fed appeals court

In an historic move, President Obama this month nominated an openly gay person, Edward DuMont, to a federal appeals court judgeship—the first such openly gay nomination at that level. He also becomes the first openly gay man to be nominated

Prop 8 sideline fight rages on

A sidelines skirmish over document production in the Proposition 8 lawsuit rages on this month, forcing the continued delay of closing arguments and, ultimately, a decision on the constitutionality of California’s ban on same-sex marriage. And Ted Olson, the

Gay group sues gay group for bias against bisexuals

In what may be a legal first, a national gay legal group has filed suit against a national gay sports group for discriminating based on sexual orientation—against straights and bisexuals.

High court seems uncertain about beliefs v. bias conflict

By the time a lawsuit reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, the facts of the conflict are rarely in dispute. But Monday’s oral argument at the Supreme Court revealed a great deal of confusion over those very basic facts of the

Obama heckled but repeats DADT promise

President Obama, appearing at a fundraiser for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer in Los Angeles Monday, April 19, seemed initially irritated when his speech in support of Boxer’s re-election was interrupted with shouts that he do more to repeal “Don’t Ask,

Keen News Service Podcast, 4/18/2010

[powerpress]

9th Circuit nominee grilled over Prop 8

The confirmation hearing Friday, April 16, for a well-known liberal nominee to a federal appeals court deteriorated quickly into a political battlefield. Republicans seemed intent on settling old scores.

CBS pulls blog post that Kagan is gay

A mainstream news organization has published a story identifying as gay a prominent public official who has never identified as such. The subject of the story is U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan, reportedly one of President Obama’s leading contenders to