New Hampshire same-sex marriage ban loses committee vote

California Assembly passes legislation that extends protections for the LGBT community

This week the California Assembly passed legislation that extends protections for the LGBT community with the most support of any EQCA-sponsored bill in history.

In a legislature that votes mostly on party lines on social issues, your direct grassroots action with EQCA has resulted in increased support for our legislation—proving that equality is not a partisan issue.
The bill, which will require prisons to include sexual orientation and gender identity when identifying prisoners who need protection, passed by an overwhelming margin of 65 to 9. 14 of the 29 Republican members voted for the legislation and 6 members abstained from the vote.

This recent victory is just one result of the hard work we have done together to gain more and more support for LGBT equality. Through your countless emails and lobby visits over the years you have shown all members of the Legislature the vital importance of LGBT equality. Members have told me personally that hearing stories from their constituents has only increased their support for EQCA’s legislation.

All of EQCA’s current legislation continues to pass their committees, including yesterday’s Assembly Judiciary Committee vote to make changing one’s gender identification more accessible for transgender persons and last week’s bipartisan vote in the Senate Education Committee to designate May 22 as Harvey Milk Day.

And this recent activity is evidence that the arc of equality always bends toward progress.

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/california-as…

Calif. panel OKs honors for gay leader Harvey Milk

With encouragement from an Oscar-winning screenwriter, a state Senate committee approved legislation Wednesday that would designate a day honoring slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk.

The Senate Education Committee voted 7-2 to send the bill by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, to the full Senate.

It would designate each May 22 — Milk’s birthday — as Harvey Milk Day. The “day of special significance” would recognize Milk’s life and contributions to the state but would not be an official holiday, meaning there would be no cost to state government.

See Calif. panel OKs honors for gay leader Harvey Milk San Francisco Chronicle * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/calif-panel-o…

Maine: Vote on Gay Marriage Expected

The joint judiciary committee of the Legislature approved a bill to allow same-sex marriage in the state, setting the stage for the House and Senate to vote on it as soon as next week. Eleven of the 14 committee members voted in favor of the bill, two voted against it and one proposed letting voters decide the matter in a referendum. Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat, has not said whether he will sign the bill. The New Hampshire House of Representatives approved a same-sex marriage bill last month, and the Senate is scheduled to take it up Wednesday.

See

Maine: Vote on Gay Marriage Expected @ New York Times -
Maine Panel Strongly Endorses Same-Sex Marriage Bill FOXNews
Gay marriage bill moves on: Judiciary Committee votes 11-2-1 in favor Brunswick Times Record
Tears, resolve for gay marriage fight York Weekly

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/maine-vote-on…

Support for Hawaii civil union vote wavering – as usual (why do we keep traveling there?)

The drive to make Hawaii the fifth state in the country to allow same-sex civil unions is on the verge of failing, despite support from most state lawmakers.

Senate leaders had planned a vote before the full Senate as early as Tuesday, but deep divisions have emerged over whether Democrats should take an extraordinary legislative step to revive the measure after a tie committee vote.

A tie vote in committee usually is enough to kill a measure, but the bill could advance under a rarely used provision of the Hawaii Constitution if more than one-third of senators approve.

The Democratic leadership wants more than half the Senate to agree to put the bill before the full Senate. Some rank-and-file senators who support the bill, however, are unwilling to circumvent the normal legislative process.

The measure already has passed the Hawaii House.

Lawmakers’ hesitation comes after more than 6,000 opponents, most of them from religious groups, rallied against the legislation Feb. 22 at the state Capitol. Civil union supporters planned their own event at the Capitol on Saturday.

See Support for Hawaii civil union vote wavering

The Associated Press -