Author Archives: Lisa Keen

LGBT support for Hagel remains split, but OutServe-SLDN is ‘comfortable’ with nominee

The LGBT community’s position on Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary remains quietly split as Hagel approaches his first key Senate vote, perhaps as early as Thursday, February 6. No LGBT organization, not even the Human Rights Campaign or OutServe-SLDN, has met

LGBT support for Hagel now cautious but growing

The Senate Committee on Armed Services will hold its first day of Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel’s confirmation hearing Friday, January 31. Many expect his positions on benefits for the families of gay service members and his willingness to update

Second inaugural boosts LGBT equality

President Obama, in his second inaugural address, emphasized the nation’s principle of equality for all and, in doing so, specifically included the struggles of LGBT Americans to achieve equality.

Inaugural pastors now more moderate

The Presidential Inaugural Committee has invited a moderate Methodist minister to deliver the sermon and the inaugural’s National Prayer Service Tuesday, January 22. The Committee announced Friday (January 18) that it has invited Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of the United

Inaugural names gay “citizen co-chair”

The Presidential Inauguration Committee announced Thursday (January 17) that an openly gay veteran of the Air Force will be among the eight “Citizen Co-Chairs” for President Obama’s second inaugural ceremony.

Pastor withdraws from inaugural stage

It was almost déjà vu all over again. To deliver the benediction at his second inauguration January 21, President Obama chose a pastor who had called homosexuality “probably the greatest addiction” and said marriage between same-sex partners is “absolutely undermining the

Scalia: The reasonable and the absurd. Part 2: A reduction to stone-throwing

The depth of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s discomfort for things gay became apparent in 1996, ten years after he joined the court. He had voted against the interests of gays before—allowing the U.S. Olympic Committee to bar Gay Games

LGBT groups split on Hagel as Secretary of Defense nominee

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin said that she wants to see whether Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel’s apology for anti-gay remarks 14 years ago is “sincere and sufficient.” But former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank said his opinion of Hagel has gone

Bills in Rhode Island and Illinois put states in race to become Number 10

The race to become the tenth state to provide marriage equality for same-sex couples is underway, with Rhode Island and Illinois running neck-and-neck. Marriage equality bills were launched in both states’ legislatures last week.

Supreme Court sets dates: March 26-27

The U.S. Supreme Court today (January 7) scheduled the dates for oral arguments in the two high-profile marriage equality cases before it this session. The Proposition 8 case will be heard on March 26; the Defense of Marriage Act case