House committee passes DP bill
Domestic partnership benefits for federal workers just made it through a key committee.
Tags: Domestic Partnership Benefits, House Committee, Key CommitteeMilk Day moves forward in Calif.
(Sacramento, California) A bill that would designate May 22 as Harvey Milk Day has been approved by a key committee in the California Senate. The measure now moves to the full Senate for a vote.
May 22 is Milk’s birth date. He would have been 80 this year.
It would then need …
Tags: Birth Date, California Senate, harvey milk, Key Committee, Sacramento California, VoteOscar Winner Dustin Lance Black Testifies in Support of Harvey Milk Day, Which Promply Passes Key Committee
Sacramento – Dustin Lance Black, the Academy Award winning writer of the film Milk, testified before the California State Senate Education Committee shortly before it passed the Harvey Milk Day Bill, SB 572, in a 7-2 vote that included bipartisan support from Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) who voted for the bill.
“When I was 14 years old, a theatre director in the Bay Area told me the story of Harvey Milk,” said Black, an advocate for equal rights. “It was a story about an out gay man who stood up to prejudice and bigotry, lived openly as who he was, was elected to public office, and lit the fire of today’s national and global LGBT civil rights movement. Not surprisingly, his story gave me hope,” he said.
The bill, sponsored by Equality California (EQCA) and introduced by Senator Mark Leno (D – San Francisco) calls for a “day of special significance” honoring Milk and is designed to educate Californians about the former San Francisco City Supervisor, who became the nation’s first openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) person elected to political office in a major city.
“We may have lost Harvey Milk, but we have not lost his passion, his commitment, and his courage,” said Geoff Kors, EQCA Executive Director. “Harvey Milk’s endurance in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges is a source of pride and inspiration for every Californian.”
Milk’s groundbreaking service as an openly gay official helped bring LGBT people out of the closet and into civic life. During his time in office, he was responsible for both passing San Francisco’s first gay-rights ordinance and helping to defeat the controversial Briggs Initiative, which sought to ban gay and lesbian teachers from public schools. Milk, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was assassinated in November 1978.
“Harvey Milk gave hope to an entire generation of gay and lesbian people whose basic humanity and freedom had been denied and dishonored,” said Senator Leno. “He literally gave his life so that I and other LGBT elected officials could serve in public office. Thanks to Dustin Lance Black and the creators and stars of the movie “Milk,” Harvey’s incredible story continues to be told around the world. It is only fitting that we continue our work to preserve his legacy for generations to come,” he said.
The legislation was originally introduced last year by Sen. Leno, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the measure at the time, claiming Harvey Milk was not well known enough beyond San Francisco. Since that time, however, Harvey Milk has become a focal point of national conversation following the successful release of Milk, the critically acclaimed film depicting the life of the slain civil rights leader for which Black and actor Sean Penn received Academy Awards.
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Kentucky anti-gay adoption bill advances
(Frankfort, Kentucky) Legislation that would bar unmarried couples in Kentucky from adopting or fostering children has passed a key committee and now advances to a vote on the floor of the Senate.
The measure states that anyone “cohabitating with a sexual partner outside of marriage” cannot be considered as a foster …
Tags: Adoption Bill, Anti Gay, Bill Advances, Cohabitating, Fostering Children, Frankfort Kentucky, Gay Adoption, Kentucky Adoption, Key Committee, Legislation, marriage, Senate, Sexual Partner, Unmarried Couples, VoteUtah Dems demand sanctions after Buttars’ homophobia
(Salt Lake City, Utah) Utah Senate Democrats on Tuesday called for the ouster of a GOP lawmaker from two additional key committee posts because of his anti-gay comments.
In recent comments to a documentary filmmaker, state Sen. Chris Buttars compared gay activists to radical Muslims and said they are “probably the …
Tags: Dems Demand, Documentary Filmmaker, Gay Activists, Gop, Gop Lawmaker, Key Committee, Muslims, Ouster, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City Utah, Sanctions, Senate Democrats, Utah Senate, Utah Utah
