Sen. Jeff Sessions Irked By Lesbian Mom’s Crying Child: “Enough With The Histrionics” (VIDEO)

Yesterday the had a hearing on the Uniting , a bill that will “amend the and Nationality to eliminate in the laws by permitting of and lawful to obtain lawful in the same manner as spouses of and lawful and to penalize in connection with permanent .” Of course, some of the that the bill would eliminate would same- , so, !

One of the who testified in support of the bill was a named Shirley Tan, who is in a same- and thus caught in the crosshairs of existing law. The New Republic’s James Kirchick documents her circumstances thusly:

Testifying was Shirley Tan, a Fillipino who has been with her American for 23 years. Together, they are raising twelve-year-old twin boys. She originally left the Phillipines after suffering a from a man who murdered her (one of the reasons why Tan does not want to return to her native country, aside from the fact that her and children live in the U.S., is that the man who brutalized her has since been released from prison.) Tan was originally scheduled to be deported on 3rd, but won a reprieve after Senator introduced a allowing her to stay in the country temporarily.

Almost right from the start of Tan’s , one of Tan’s young children started crying. The committee chairman, , paused the and offered the child some measure of comfort. According to Kirchick, these kindly sentiments were not shared by everyone on the committee:

For most , the sight of a 12-year-old boy in tears at the prospect of his mother being deported halfway around the world would invoke some . Unmoved, however, was Alabama , ranking minority member of the Committee and the only to bother to attend the hearing. At the sight of the weeping boy, according to a who was at the hearing, Sessions leaned towards one of his aides and sighed, “Enough with the .” Sessions’s press secretary did not return a call seeking comment.

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Senate to Hold First-Ever Hearing Addressing Anti-Gay Discrimination in U.S. Immigration Law

June 3rd Hearing Will Uniting

The will hold its first-ever hearing on The Uniting (UAFA), a bill to end against and Americans in U.S. law and allow and to sponsor their partners for residency in the .

The hearing was scheduled by Senator (D-VT), Chairman of the and the sponsor of UAFA. Witnesses will include binational who have been separated, or separation, because of discriminatory U.S. law.

 An estimated 36,000 binational are affected by U.S. laws prohibiting and Americans from sponsoring their partners for residency. Countless and families, including many with children, are torn apart by U.S. law, or are forced to leave the to remain together. While 19 other nations allow and to sponsor their partners, the continues to discriminate against of families. As the nation prepares to consider reform, the hearing will provide an important opportunity for to hear from some of those families.

The session is set for Wednesday, , 2009, 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 – Dirksen Office Building, Washington, D.C.

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Same-Sex Unions Supplant Abortion As Social Priority for Conservatives In Fight Over High Court Pick

As prepares to name his first justice, in Washington are making clear that his nominee will plenty of questions during the process on the legal of same- .

In addition to shedding more light on the nation’s most contentious unfolding and , say the could provide a road to an nominee’s .

“It may reflect the degree to which they think that they’re not by the classical meaning of the , and that they may want to let a personal go beyond what the law said,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the senior on the .

Questions on in hearings have tended for the past 30 years to squarely on , with partisans from both sides poring over a nominee’s writings and rulings and presidents typically denying that any “” was employed in the selection.

Same- carries the same freighted potential to dominate a hearing, say.

“It is now the flash point where and law meet. That flash point used to be . I don’t think anybody thinks that’s going to be the flash point in this ,” said William A. Jacobson, a Cornell University and .

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (Utah), another member of the , said are particularly eager to avoid a ruling akin to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized and has divided the country ever since. “I don’t think of the court, or any of us, ever want to see a decision like that again,” Hatch said. assured the senator in a recent meeting that he will not pick a “radical” to replace Souter, but Hatch added: “Presidents always say that. That’s why we have the hearing process.”

Same- gained national resonance in the wake of last month’s Iowa ruling that legalized the practice in that state. And in the two weeks since Justice David H. Souter announced his retirement, also legalized same- , becoming the fifth state to do so; the legislature sent a - bill to the governor; the Assembly approved - ; and the District of voted to recognize same- marriages performed elsewhere.

Those actions, in so short a time, have outstripped the ability of in Washington to out their on the issue. MORE at

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Bill Making Identification Change More Accessible for Transgender Persons Passes Key Assembly Committee, Moves One Step Closer to Becoming State Law

Sacramento – The Equal ID took one step closer to becoming law today when it passed the by a 7-3 . The bill, sponsored by California () and introduced by Lieu (D – ), increases the legal rights and recognition enjoyed by by clarifying that qualified born in California can return to the county of their birth to obtain a court order reflecting their correct gender and accompanying name change. The court order is then used to obtain a corrected California .

“All deserve that accurately reflects who they are,” Geoff Kors said. “Once passed, this law will make it easier for both in California and beyond to obtain , apply for , and live their lives as full and equal of society.”

Until recently, only allowed persons to the court for an order recognizing a change of gender in the county in which they presently reside. Last month, the Law Center successfully challenged the in the California . In Somers v. , the court held that the violated the equal protection rights of California-born residing out of state. The Equal ID is the next step in ensuring that all are able to obtain accurate .

“The Equal ID would bring the and up to date with ,” said Kristina Wertz, of the Law Center. “It would alleviate any and ensure that California-born residing in other states know that they, too, can be afforded the of a that reflects who they truly are.”

The new bill ensures that born in California know that they can return to the county of their birth to obtain a corrected . It also provides greater access to persons living in the state, allowing them for first time to the court in their home counties.

“The Equal ID would make it clear to others in my situation that they can go back to the counties in which they were born to get a court order changing their gender. It would save all the trouble I went through finding and spending nearly four years in the courts,” said Gigi Marie Somers, who testified at this morning’ hearing. Ms. Somers, a born in California, was unable to obtain a new in the , where she now resides. Ms. Somers was the in the legal action brought by the Law Center.

“The rights of should not end at our state’s borders,” Leiu said. “The Equal ID makes certain every Californian has the and liberty to be true to his or herself.”

are used as primary source of identification and are often necessary to secure other forms of identification, including cards and .
-30-
California () is the largest statewide , , , -rights advocacy in California. In the past , has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited for individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil-rights protections in the nation. has passed over of and continues to advance through legislative advocacy, public and . www.eqca.org
The Law Center (TLC) is a advocating for communities. TLC uses direct legal services, , community organizing, and advocacy to transform California into a state that recognizes and supports the needs of and their families. www.transgenderlawcenter.org

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California Assembly passes legislation that extends protections for the LGBT community

This week the passed that extends protections for the community with the most support of any -sponsored bill in history.
In a legislature that votes mostly on party lines on , your direct action with has resulted in increased support for our —proving that is not a .
The bill, which will require prisons to include and when identifying who need protection, passed by an of 65 to 9. 14 of the 29 voted for the and 6 abstained from the .
This recent is just one result of the hard work we have done together to gain more and more support for . Through your and lobby visits over the years you have shown all of the Legislature the vital importance of . have told me personally that hearing stories from their has only increased their support for ’s .

All of ’s continues to pass their committees, including yesterday’s Assembly to make changing one’s more accessible for persons and last week’s bipartisan in the Committee to designate May 22 as Day.

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

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Maine: Vote on Gay Marriage Expected

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

See

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Maine Judiciary Committee Endorses Gay Marriage

A same- bill is going to the and House with a strong committee endorsement.

Eleven of the 14 voted Tuesday to pass the bill, while two voted against it and one proposed sending it to voters in a November . Gov. remains undecided.

Supporters said the bill corrects an that’s long existed in law, while one of the pointed to overwhelming to the bill.

Sen. of said he prefers sending a to voters.

 See Maine Judiciary Committee Endorses Gay Marriage

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New Hampshire set for divisive gay marriage vote -

moves to the of America’s on on Wednesday when the state will decide whether to approve a bill to legalize same- and send it to the governor.

By a of 3-2 on Thursday, ’s said the bill was “inexpedient” to legislate, recommending the full defeat it.

The committee’s chairman, Senator Deborah Reynolds, said took a major step in legalizing civil last year — the fourth state in the country to do so — and needs some time to “build on this issue”.

The joined two to against it.

On Wednesday, the committee’s recommendation will get the first . Thirteen of the state’s 24 are needed to kill the bill. If the splits at 12-12 or if a majority wants to keep it alive, a motion to pass could be entertained.

The bill, which would redefine to include same- and make the fifth state in the country where is legal, could also end up tabled, where it could remain in political . If it passes, a likely by the governor could derail any law.

See New Hampshire set for divisive gay marriage vote

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Another lie from the far right: “All Violent Crimes Are ‘Hate Crimes”


Family Research Council is claiming “All Are ‘ after approval by the House of a proposed federal “” bill, H.R. 1913.

We offer these two to rebut his fatuous claim.

In the upper see Sydney man Chen (Anthony) Liuas he looked before being set upon by who killed him and left his body to decompose.

The lower shows what do: it is an x-ray showing how they used a to kill this man. The of 27 year old Mr Liu was discovered floating in the Georges River , the body been with and wrapped in a rug. He had been shot in the head 30 times with a high powered . The nails embedded in his skull were up to 85mm long.


See how many nails they shot into his skull?

This is typical of a : a level of that far exceeds that of a or mugging.

Does Perkins get that? No: he claims “All are , and every victim is equally important. All of our deserve . Do we somehow care less about victims violently assaulted because of or than we do about those assaulted because they belong in a federally designated category?”

Any criminal is hateful, but only some - those against because of their color or - are . We can be sure that Perkins would be singing a if those who followed his brand of “Christianity” were subject to the same level of that every day.

It is un-American for Perkins and his ilk to use as in their effort to generate fund raising dollars and build political power.

But to mislead about the need for to generate fund raising dollars and build political power is more of a ’’ than anything two men can do to each other.

on those seld-appointed “” who pervert Christ’s teachings into a cover for the kind of that killed Mr. Liuas.

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Gay Marriage Bill On The Move In NY Assembly

The Assembly’s will take up Gov. ’s same- program bill on Tuesday - the same day the is holding its &; Justice Lobby Day in Albany.

There was so much interest this year that ESPA, which created a Web video to promote the event, had to close registration. are expected to attend See Gay Marriage Bill On The Move In Assembly

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