10/31/2008

"Three states ? Massachusetts, California and Connecticut ? have legalized same-sex marriage.

"But...the question for gay couples is this: Is it worth it to tie the knot?

"For many couples, the answer is a resounding yes: the word "married" itself instantly conveys something that civil unions and domestic partnerships do not.

"...Still, the many rights that marriage confers vaporize the moment couples step into a state that does not recognize their unions.

10/30/2008

"Daniel McNeil and Patrick Canavan joke they've been married four times ? to each other.

"The 'I do's' started with a Washington, D.C., church wedding in 1998. Since then, the two men, have chased evolving laws across the U.S. to secure a civil union in Vermont, a domestic partnership in the District of Columbia and a marriage in California.

10/17/2008

"A state appeals court heard arguments today on whether New York can give equal benefits to same-sex couples married in other jurisdictions.

The case comes from a decision by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer in May 2007 to let gay couples married out of state and employed by the state receive health benefits for their families.

"...The court hearing was the latest battle in New York over whether same-sex couples can be afforded equal rights under state law.

10/06/2008

"Georgia's top court ruled in favor of a transgender politician who was slapped with a lawsuit by two political opponents who claimed she misled voters by running as a woman.

"The Georgia Supreme Court's unanimous ruling on Monday found that the two political opponents who filed the lawsuit failed to produce evidence of fraud, misconduct or illegal action after claiming that Michelle Bruce bamboozled voters by identifying herself as female."

"...Gay rights groups said the lawsuit appears to be a first in the country.

10/06/2008

"The Georgia Supreme Court ruled Monday that a transgender politician did not mislead voters by running for office as a woman.

"The court dismissed a lawsuit filed by two opponents of the politician, Michelle Bruce, who was born Michael Bruce, that said she disguised her sex while seeking re-election last year in Riverdale, Ga.

"...Gay rights groups celebrated the decision. 'Accusations of fraud only show the accuser's ignorance of transgender lives,' said Cole Thaler, a lawyer with Lambda Legal, a gay rights organization."

10/1/2008

"On May 16, 2006 K.K. Logan arrived at his senior prom in a dress, which was not unexpected since his classmates and teachers knew of his 'deeply-rooted femininity.' Principal Diane Rouse did not allow Logan to enter, claiming his attire violated school policy.

10/1/2008

"One of the 40 men charged in a city park sex sting last year filed a federal lawsuit against the city and Johnson City Police Chief John Lowry because he says the police department gave his arrest excessive publicity.

"Attorneys for Kenneth Giles filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Greeneville. It seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief because Lowry and the city violated Giles' right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, according to the complaint.

9/15/2008

"Eleven advocacy groups are taking issue with a claim that the East Meadow School District does not consider itself an 'education corporation or association.'

"The district made that claim in its appeal of a state Division of Human Rights decision that East Meadow violated human rights law in not allowing a hearing-impaired boy to bring his service dog to school.

9/2/2008

"Governor David A. Paterson was acting within his powers when he issued an executive order requiring government agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the state, a court ruled on Tuesday.

"The decision, issued by Justice Lucy A. Billings of State Supreme Court in the Bronx is the latest in a string of rulings by state courts that have upheld the right of same-sex couples who were married in other jurisdictions to have their marital status recognized in New York.

7/23/2008

"One of the nation's leading legal advocacy groups for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has urged the Newfield Central School District to reconsider its successful jurisdictional challenge of human rights law protection for students on the grounds that it will end a method of addressing discrimination for LGBT students.