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Category: LGBT issues

ENDA clears Senate after nearly 20 years

In a 64-33 vote, including 10 Republicans, the Senate overwhelmingly passed, 64-32, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, or ENDA, Thursday. The first version of the bill was introduced in 1994, but none has ever passed either chamber. The bill bans discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, pushed a broad religious […]

ENDA debate reaffirms religious exemption

The fight over a broad religious exemption in the Employment Nondiscrimination Act is all but over. The question is whether the House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco will attempt to force the bill to a vote in the House this year. Pelosi has said all options are on the table. The Senate Wednesday approved 

Gay discrimination bill going to Senate floor

Senate majority leader Harry Reid will bring the Employment Nondiscrimination Act to the Senate floor between now and Thanksgiving, his office confirmed Monday. The bill would ban workforce discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgendered people. A vote is likely but Reid’s office cautioned that the actual vote could come after Thanksgiving. In any event Senate 

Senate committee passes ENDA with Republican votes

Rapid movement continued on the gay rights front Wednesday as three moderate Republicans joined Democrats in a historic vote to approve a long-languishing workplace non-discrimination bill out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, was first introduced in Congress in 1994. Three Republicans joined all Democrats on  

Dianne Feinstein, Jerrold Nadler re-introduce DOMA repeal

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, reintroduced the Respect for Marriage Act Wednesday that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, even though the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the 1996 law known as DOMA. We said things wouldn’t be over and they aren’t. Section 3 denies all of 1,138  

Nancy Pelosi on Supreme Court rulings

San Francisco married couple Bradford Wells and Anthony John Makk, who faced deportation to Australia, gave a special thank you to House minority leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco for intervening, and said today’s court rulings end 21 years of worry and fear. They also thanked Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Immigration Equality. “It’s a beautiful  

House defense of DOMA gave court grounds to strike it down

When House Speaker John Boehner, supported by former Sacto Rep. Dan Lungren, decided to defend DOMA when President Obama and AG Holder refused, little did they know that they would provide the justification for the Supreme Court to strike down the law on sweeping equal protection and due process grounds, setting the stage for marriage  

Complete text of Supreme Court’s decision on California’s Proposition 8

Here is the complete text of the Supreme Court opinions in the case of California’s Proposition 8, which sought to ban same-sex marriage.

LGBT groups raise stakes in Chuck Hagel nomination

Despite the enthusiastic support of California gay activist Rick Jacobs, the Chuck Hagel nomination for Defense Secretary is getting more flack from LGBT groups Tuesday. On Monday, Jacobs called out the Log Cabin Republicans, saying the group’s hypocrisy on Hagel (after supporting Romney) is worthy of The Onion. A sleeper issue is how Hagel would […]

LGBT groups fight over Chuck Hagel nomination

Log Cabin Republicans, a gay group, is running expensive full-page ads in the Washington Post and New York Times opposing Obama’s nomination former Nebraska GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense to replace Californian Leon Panetta. Log Cabin cites a 1998 Hagel statement opposing Clinton-nominated Luxembourg ambassador James Hormel as “openly, aggressively, gay,” Hagel’s […]