This Week in Lesbian News…

Hawaii says no to civil unions, New Hampshire moves forward with marriage equality, Denmark allows gays to adopt, and Delaware says no to an anti-gay Constitutional change. All that and more in a week of lesbian news…

New Hampshire sends gay marriage bill to Senate. The New Hampshire House voted last Thursday to make the state the third one to allow same sex couples to marry. The chamber voted 186-179 to send a gay marriage bill to the Senate. Democratic Gov. John Lynch has said he opposes gay marriage, but hasn’t said whether he would veto the legislation if it made it to his desk.

Hawaii Civil Unions Bill killed in State Senate. It was a very disappointing day in Hawaii last Wednesday when a motion to pull the Hawaii civil unions bill from the deadlocked Senate Judiciary Committee failed 18 to 6, effectively killing the measure. Senate President Colleen Hanabusa helped convince senators to vote against bringing the bill to the floor. The HRC and the Family Equality Coalition pledge to continue their efforts on behalf of couples and families in Hawaii who want equal rights.

Amendment 1 defeated in Florida. Voters in Gainesville, Florida rejected a proposed amendment to the city charter last week that would have repealed existing laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Amendment 1 was defeated with a vote of 58 percent to 42 percent.

Safe schools for all. Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education, told representatives from the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network last week that he plans to promote safe schools for all students, including the LGBT community. The meeting marked the first time a Secretary of Education has ever met with the LGBT advocates.

Yes on Equality gets to work. In California, the Yes on Equality organization, which was created to establish Marriage Equality by submitting a ballot measure for 2010, has been cleared to start collecting signatures. They will now have until August 17 to collect nearly 700,000 signatures. The measure seeks to repeal the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment passed in the state last November.

Another Senator for marriage equality. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer announced last week that he now supports marriage equality for lesbian and gay couples and recommends the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.  In 1996 Schumer voted in favor of the Act but in his change of heart he now joins at least nine other U.S. Senators who support full marriage equality.

Gays and lesbians can adopt in Denmark. The parliament in Denmark recently passed legislation, by a vote of 62 to 53, that allows gay and lesbian couples to adopt in the country. Denmark now joins Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and other European countries that allow gay adoption.

“Beneficiary agreement” passed in Colorado. Two Republican Senators, along with all 21 Democratic Senators, passed a bill in Colorado last week that allows any two adults to enter into a “beneficiary agreement” in the state. The beneficiary agreements provide the right to inherit and the right to make medical decisions and could be used by both same-sex and different-sex couples.

Family Leave Insurance Act re-introduced. On Thursday, the Family Leave Insurance Act was re-introduced in the 111th Congress. The bill, sponsored by Representative Pete Stark (D-CA), would expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide paid leave for all workers to care for their families. “This bill will allow families headed by lesbian and gay couples to take the time they need to care for their families while maintaining their financial security,” explained HRC President Joe Solmonese in a press release.  “We thank Representative Stark and all of the congressional supporters of this legislation for their leadership on LGBT family issues.”

Obama nominates out lesbian for DC Superior Court. In press release issued by the White House Press Secretary on Tuesday, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Marisa J. Demeo to be an Associate Judge in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  Demeo, an out lesbian, currently works as a Magistrate Judge in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Delaware State Senate rejects proposed Constitutional Amendment. On Friday, the Delaware state Senate defeated a proposed amendment to the state constitution seeking to define marriage as between a man and a woman.  The vote was 9 to 11, with one senator not voting; 14 votes would have been needed for the Senate to advance the amendment.  This vote means the amendment is dead for this legislative session.

Lesbian moms get help in NYC. On Tuesday night, the New York City Board of Health voted in favor of allowing lesbian couples who are legally married to have both names put on their children’s birth certificates.

Bill seeking to ban adoption and foster parenting dies in Kentucky legislature. Senate Bill 68, a bill that would prohibit adoption or foster parenting by any person “cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of a marriage that is valid in Kentucky,” has died in the Kentucky legislature. The Kentucky House of Representatives adjourned without voting on the legislation, which had been approved by a Senate committee and was pending in the Senate.