In the News

4/9/2008

"She says she didn't get the job because she was born male.

"The company says it wasn't that, claiming she misrepresented herself.

"In a letter rescinding the job, the employer complained she presented herself as a woman at her interview, but the background check revealed she was a man.

3/30/2008

"A new flock of same-sex marriage supporters jumped into Iowa's constitutional battle over gay rights Friday with legal briefs they hope will influence the Iowa Supreme Court.

"At least 17 groups from across the nation were expected to file friend-of-the-court briefs in support of gay marriage, the gay-rights group Lambda Legal announced. The papers were filed on behalf of six same-sex couples who want to marry in Iowa.

3/28/2008

"A Franklin County appeals court judge expressed concerns yesterday about the tactics a lesbian mother is using in an effort to invalidate a joint custody agreement with her former partner.

"'I find it a little upsetting,' Judge Susan Brown said of Denise Fairchild's legal maneuvers.

"The comment came as lawyers delivered oral arguments before a three-judge panel of the Franklin County Court of Appeals.

3/11/20008

"A gay couple is suing the University of Hawaii for not allowing them to return to the student family housing area after living there last year.

"Joseph O'Leary and Phi Ngo said Monday that living in an off-campus apartment has cost them extra money in rent, transportation and food.

"The school informed them that they were denied family housing this year because state law does not recognize same-sex marriage.

3/6/2008

"On the way home from work in Rochester, Patricia Martinez stopped at a liquor store and bought a small bottle of Champagne to celebrate her marriage to another woman. The wedding took place in Canada nearly four years ago, but it wasn't until Feb. 1 that a New York appellate court declared it valid in the state.

3/5/2008

"The national gay marriage debate shifted to California on Tuesday, as the state's highest court was hearing arguments on the constitutionality of a voter-approved law banning same-sex marriage.

"...In briefs submitted to the court, same-sex marriage supporters argued that California's Constitution leaves no room for denying gays and lesbians the right to wed.

2/28/2008

"Lambda Legal Senior Counsel, Susan Sommer, discusses a case involving a married same-sex couple who are seeking a divorce in New York state after being legally married in Canada."

View the interview on abcnews.go.com

2/27/2008

"The estate of Ric Weiland, a high school classmate of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen and one of the first five people to work at the software giant, has left $65 million to gay rights and HIV/AIDS organizations.

"...Weiland donated tens of millions to various organizations -- from gay rights groups to environmental and education organizations -- before he died in 2006."

2/20/2008

"New Jersey's civil union law 'creates a second-class status' for same-sex couples and is particularly vexing for people in the military, transgender people, the poor and minorities, according to a report issued on Tuesday by a commission set up to review the law.

"The 12-member commission included lawyers and ministers who advocate gay rights, as well as government officials from agencies that provide benefits to couples. It based its report heavily on testimony at three public hearings last year and did not make any recommendations.

2/15/2008

"Under pressure from a lawsuit, the State Department is changing rules that had disqualified HIV-positive people from becoming U.S. diplomats.

"Effective Friday, the department removed HIV from a list of medical conditions that automatically prevent foreign service candidates from meeting an employment requirement that they be able to work anywhere in the world.