Governor Patrick Signs Repeal of "1913" Law
Same-Sex Couples from all States Can Now Marry in MA
July 31, 2008 - In a State House signing ceremony today, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a bill repealing the "1913" law that prevented same-sex couples from most other states from marrying here. The bill passed in the Senate on July 15, and in the House July 29. The new law goes into effect today, and couples from all states are now able to come to Massachusetts to marry.
This is great news for all of us who support equality and possibly even greater news for couples who wish to marry. If you are considering getting married in Massachusetts, please refer to the following documents for helpful information. If you have specific questions, please contact GLAD's InfoLine.
Maine Voters Refuse to Sign Anti-Gay Ballot Petition
June 20, 2008 -- The organization spearheading Maine's recent anti-gay referenda withdrew its most recent petition effort when state primary voters refused to sign the petition in sufficient numbers.
The measure would have eliminated sexual orientation from the non-discrimination law, reversed GLAD's 2007 judicial victory on co-parent adoptions, created more anti-gay policies on marriage and civil unions, and eliminated civil rights teams in public schools. GLAD led the legal effort on behalf of coalition partners to ensure the petition told the truth to voters about what it would do if passed. With several detailed letters to the Maine Secretary of State about the Secretary's obligations to ensure accuracy, GLAD and the coalition persuaded the Secretary to change the title, summary and portions of the proposed law. While the group initially called its measure "An Act to Define Marriage, Preserve Equality and Eliminate Special Rights for Homosexuality," the final title was the one voters couldn't swallow: "An Act to Remove Protections Based on Sexual Orientation From the Maine Human Rights Act, Eliminate Funding of Civil Rights Teams in Public Schools, Prohibit Adoptions by Unmarried Couples, Add A Definition of Marriage, and Declare Civil Unions Unlawful."
Congratulations to Maine voters, our coalition partners EqualityMaine, Maine Civil Liberties Union, and Maine Women's Lobby, and to Attorney Patricia Peard at Bernstein Shur and Catherine Connors at Pierce Atwood LLP.
Read the coalition letters sent to Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap:
GLAD Launches Transgender Rights Project
June 18, 2008 -- GLAD has announced the launch of a Transgender Rights Project, to be led by attorney Jennifer Levi (left). Levi, a nationally-recognized expert in transgender legal issues, has been on GLAD's staff since 1998.
A Toast to Happiness and Equality: GLAD Congratulates California on its Wedding Day
June 17, 2008 -- Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, the organization whose successful lawsuit brought marriage equality to Massachusetts, today offered congratulations to California's marrying same-sex couples, their families, friends, and allies.
GLAD Applauds AMA's Support for Transgender Health Care
June 16, 2008 -- Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) applauded the American Medical Association's (AMA) support for transgender health care, declared today by a resolution passed by the AMA's House of Delegates.
LGBT Organizations Urge Couples Marrying in California to "Make Change, Not Lawsuits"
June 10, 2008 -- Four LGBT legal organizations, including GLAD, and five other leading national LGBT groups have issued a statement entitled "Make Change, Not Lawsuits."
The statement explains that while couples who go to California to marry should ask friends, neighbors and institutions to honor their marriages, they generally shouldn't sue.
The statement says that ill-timed lawsuits are likely to set the fight for marriage back, and that there are other ways to fight which are more likely to win.
California Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Marriage Equality!
May 15, 2008 -- The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of marriage equality for same-sex couples. The Court issued its decision today stating that California laws barring same-sex couples from marrying are unconstitutional.
The California court has affirmed what we already know: that a society pledged to equality and fairness simply cannot deny same-sex couples access to the dignity and security that can only be provided by marriage.
We congratulate our colleagues at NCLR, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU for this victory, and welcome California as the second state in the union to embrace marriage equality.
Update, June 4:The CA Supreme Court today refused to stay its May 15 decision in favor of marriage equality for same-sex couples, saying its decision would be final at 5 p.m. on June 16. Couples should be able to begin marrying as of June 17.
GLAD Receives Belynda Dunn Award of Recognition
May 3, 2008 --
GLAD was honored to receive the 2008 Belynda Dunn Award at the annual Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast, in recognition of groundbreaking legal work securing rights and protections for people with HIV/AIDS.
In 2001, GLAD represented AIDS activist Belynda Dunn in her quest to get her private insurer to pay for a liver transplant.
The Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast is an annual forum created by the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts to recognize the roles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from communities of color in the fight against the AIDS epidemic.
GLAD Joins Amicus Brief in Immigration/Asylum Case
April 30, 2008 --
GLAD has joined an amicus brief in an immigration/asylum case at the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit authored by Attorney Ilana Greenstein and the law firm of Kaplan, O'Sullivan & Friedman LLP on behalf of GLAD and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers' Guild. The case, Kadri v. Mukasey, involves an Indonesian gay man, Zulkifly Kadri, a doctor who was fired from his position at a clinic and ostracized at a hospital where he worked when rumors spread that he is gay. Now in the United States, he has sought asylum based on past persecution in his home country, as well as his fear of future persecution should he be required to return to Indonesia.
Kadri's application for political asylum was granted by US Immigration Judge Leonard Shapiro on April 22, 2005. That finding was subsequently overturned by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) on October 13, 2006, partially on the grounds that "closeted homosexuality" is tolerated in Indonesia and, therefore, that Kadri could avoid persecution by hiding the fact that he is gay and thus could not establish a well-founded fear of persecution. He was "ordered removed to Indonesia."
GLAD worked with Attorney Greenstein on the portion of the amicus brief that demonstrates that the BIA's assertion that a person must hide something fundamental to his or her nature - such as sexual orientation - as a valid alternative to refugee protection violates both domestic and international law.
Verdict Watch is On in Transgender/IRS Trial
February 15, 2008 --
GLAD and the IRS have completed post-trial briefing in the case of O'Donnabhain v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
In this case, Rhiannon O'Donnabhain sued the IRS after their refusal to treat her expenses for hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery as a legitimate medical deduction.
A four-day trial was held in U.S. Tax Court in July and August 2007, and with the completion of briefing, Ms. O'Donnabhain and GLAD now await a potentially precedent-setting decision.
