CNN Suspends Commentator Against Anti-LGBT Violence

CNN suspended political analyst Roland Martin after he posted a series of tweets which advocated for anti-gay violence during Sunday’s Super Bowl game. CNN released the following statement regarding its decision:

“Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.”

CNN took a strong stand against anti-LGBT violence and language that demeans any community. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that violence against LGBT people was up 23 percent last year. Seventy percent of the victims murdered were people of color, and 44 percent were transgender women.

On Sunday, Martin tweeted:

“If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl”

“Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass”

Martin attempted to explain his first tweet by writing that he “was not referring to sexuality directly or indirectly regarding the David Beckham ad, and I’m sorry folks took it otherwise.” However, Martin did not respond to a question from LGBT news outlet Metro Weekly about why, if the tweet was about soccer and not based in anti-gay sentiment, he only referenced his concern about "a dude ... hyped" about the ad.

Bloggers, advocates and thousands of supporters joined in calling on the network to take action against Roland. 

Sharon Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition, the nation’s largest black LGBT civil rights organization, also spoke out:

“Even if he meant it in a jovial manner, Roland Martin’s words carry a real impact on the everyday lives of Black LGBT people, especially our youth. Given the number of rash murders, attacks and violent acts involving LGBT people of color, we cannot let statements such as this go unchecked. Silence is a form of acceptance and only perpetuates the problem.”

Washington State Makes History with Marriage Equality Law

Governor’s Signature Puts State on the Road to Fairness for All Families

February 13, 2012 Washington state Gov. Christine Gregoire signed her signature of the historic bill extending marriage to gay and lesbian couples. 

Pending the referendum process, Washington now joins six other states – Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont – plus the District of Columbia in recognizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples under state law.  At this time, 8 states—California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island—provide same-sex couples with access to the state level benefits and responsibilities of marriage, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Colorado, Maine, and Wisconsin provide same-sex couples with limited rights and benefits. Maryland recognizes marriages of same-sex couples validly entered into outside of the jurisdiction. California recognized marriage by same-sex couples between June and November of 2008, before voters approved Proposition 8, which purports to amend the state constitution to prohibit marriage equality. Couples married in that window remain married under California law, but all other same-sex couples can only receive a domestic partnership within the state. The state will recognize out of state same-sex marriages that occurred before November 5, 2008 as marriages and those that occurred on or after November 5, 2008 somewhere between domestic partnerships and marriage. The Proposition 8 vote has been struck down in federal court, but the decision has been stayed on pending review.

Same-sex couples do not receive federal rights and benefits in any state.  

California: Same-sex marriages that took place between June 16, 2008 and Nov. 4, 2008 continue to be defined as marriages. On Oct. 12, 2009, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that recognizes out-of-jurisdiction same-sex marriages that occurred between the June to Nov.2008 time frame as marriages in California, and all other out-of-jurisdiction same-sex marriages as domestic partnerships. 

Maine: Gov. John Baldacci signed marriage equality legislation May 6, 2009. However, the new law was repealed by a ballot measure in November 2009. 

Maryland: does not have a registry but does provide certain benefits to statutorily defined domestic partners. Also, in 2010, the Maryland Attorney General issued an advisory opinion declaring that the state can recognize out-of-jurisdiction marriages. 

New Mexico: In Jan. 2011, the New Mexico Attorney General issued an advisory opinion declaring that the state can recognize outof-jurisdiction same-sex marriages. At this time, it is unclear what affect this opinion will have.  

Wyoming: On June 6, 2011, the Wyoming Supreme Court decided Christensen v. Christensen, ruling that Wyoming trial courts have the ability to hear divorce proceedings terminating same-sex marriages created in other jurisdictions.

California: Same-sex marriages that took place between June 16, 2008 and Nov. 4, 2008 continue to be defined as marriages. On Oct. 12, 2009, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that recognizes out-of-jurisdiction same-sex marriages that occurred between the June to Nov.2008 time frame as marriages in California, and all other out-of-jurisdiction same-sex marriages as domestic partnerships. 

Federal Appeals Court Agrees: California’s Proposition 8 Is Unconstitutional

Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Discriminatory Amendment

Today, the historic decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirming the August 2010 conclusion of U.S. Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown) that the amendment to the California Constitution barring marriage for same-sex couples, adopted in November 2008 as Proposition 8, violates the U.S. Constitution.  In a 2-1 decision authored by Judge Reinhardt, the court agreed that Proposition 8’s only purpose in denying gay and lesbian Californians the freedom to marry was anti-gay animus, something the Constitution does not permit. 

In response to a 2008 decision by the California Supreme Court ending marriage discrimination in the state, anti-equality forces succeeded in placing a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. Despite over 18,000 same-sex couples having married, California voters adopted the amendment, known as Proposition 8. After the California Supreme Court determined in 2009 that the adoption of Prop 8 did not itself violate the California Constitution, two plaintiff couples -- Kris Perry and Sandy Stier and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo – filed suit against the State of California in federal court, represented by attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies and supported by the American Foundation for Equal Rights. The proponents of Prop 8 intervened in the case to defend the constitutionality of the amendment. Judge Walker held a historic trial in January, in which the plaintiffs presented substantial testimony and evidence to show that Prop 8’s only purpose is to discriminate against same-sex couples. His historic decision in August 2010 was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.    

The proponents of Prop 8 are now likely to appeal this decision, either to be considered by a larger panel of the Ninth Circuit (referred to as an en banc rehearing) or for review by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Today’s decision affirms what we all know to be true – our Constitution protects the basic civil rights of all Americans, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Proposition 8 does nothing to strengthen or protect any marriage. Instead, it singles out thousands of loving California families for different treatment, simply because they are gay and lesbian couples.

Anti Gay Group Unsuccessfully Demands J.C. Penny to Fire Ellen

J.C. Penney’s decided to keep Ellen DeGeneres as their national spokesperson after “OneMillionMoms.com – a project of the American Family Association” – which is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) – demanded that J.C. Penney fire Ellen DeGeneres because she is gay last week. 

In an emailed statement to Yahoo! Shine and RumorFix.com, J.C. Penney confirmed it "stands behind its partnership with Ellen DeGeneres.”

“This week Americans spoke out in overwhelming support of LGBT people and J.C. Penney’s decision not to fire Ellen simply for who she happens to love,” said Herndon Graddick, Senior Director of Programs and Communications at GLAAD. “But while Ellen has the nation on her side, in 29 states today, Americans can still be legally fired just for being gay. Our elected officials should use this incident as yet another example of the support for legal protections for all hard working employees.”

Today, Americans can be fired in 29 states because of their sexual orientation, and in 34 states because of their gender identity.

In an overwhelming display of support, a poll on the Los Angeles Times site shows 94% of readers polled agree that Ellen should not only maintain her post as J.C. Penney’s spokesperson, but call Ellen “a symbol of equality.”

Jeremy Hooper of Good As You notes that "One Million Moms- a project of the American Family Association" has a long history of working to strip LGBT people of vital protections, including actions against Johnson & Johnson after the company extended domestic partner benefits to LGBT employees and Cracker Barrel after the chain added workplace protections for gay and lesbian employees.

Yahoo! Removes Violent Anti-Gay Comments: Adam Lambert Interview

Yahoo! has removed violent, anti-gay comments posted to the site’s Y! Music ‘Reality Rocks’ blog and will continue work to address anti-LGBT comments on its platforms.

Readers alerted GLAAD to violent comments that violated Yahoo! Terms of Services posted in response to an interview with openly gay recording artist Adam Lambert. Some comments promoted anti-gay violence and even encouraged suicide. Among the most egregious of responses was: “It would make my day if someone was to do to [Lambert] what those men did to Matthew Shepard.” Shepard was the 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who was brutally beaten and left for dead on the outskirts of Laramie, WY in 1998.

GLAAD reached out to Yahoo! and alerted the company. In response, Yahoo! quickly suspended all commenting on this post and will continue to work with GLAAD on addressing the issue of comments that violate Terms of Service by promoting hatred and violence toward LGBT people.

"Young music fans should be able to interact and comment on sites without seeing violent, hateful comments directed at LGBT people," said GLAAD's Director of Digital Initiatives, Allison Palmer. "Yahoo! did the right thing by taking immediate action to enforce their Terms of Service, setting an important example for other leading websites and tech companies."

Yahoo! stated that the company “does not allow content that promotes hatred against users or groups of users. Protected categories include, but are not limited to race, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Yahoo! takes issues like this very seriously. We provide methods for users to report content that they believe to be abusive.  Yahoo! reviews these reports and takes appropriate action according to our Terms of Service.”

Both Yahoo! and GLAAD urge users to report violent, hateful comments to site administrators.

New Housing and Urban Development Non-Discrimination Regulations

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced new regulations aimed at addressing discrimination in federal housing programs would become official. The draft regulations were announced in January 2011 and Secretary Donovan made the announcement at the Creating Change conference in Baltimore.

The new regulations from HUD will help protect LGBT people and families in one of the most fundamental aspects of life - finding and keeping a home. The new rule makes three important changes to federal regulations.

First, it includes language that ensures same-sex couples and their children are recognized as families covered by HUD programs, including affordable housing assistance.

Second it prohibits owners and operators of HUD-assisted housing, or housing whose financing is insured by HUD, from inquiring about the sexual orientation or gender identity of an applicant or basing a decision on their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Third it prohibits consideration of factors other than creditworthiness, including sexual orientation and gender identity, in the awarding of mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

Rep. Huelskamp Ignores Reality of Post-DADT Military, Seeks to Micromanage Pentagon

Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) introduced legislation banning marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples on military facilities and requiring regulations that micromanage established Pentagon policies on personnel matters. H.R.3828 - Military Religious Freedom Protection Act.

These antics coming from Rep. Huelskamp shouldn’t be a surprise as he was the one forced to admit on the floor of the U.S. House last summer that he wanted to strip funding for training materials that he hadn’t even read.