Category Archives: LGBT Rights

CFP: Lavender Law 2012

From the FLP mailbox, this CFP: Lavender Law 2012, Washington, D.C., August 23-25 Invitation and Call for Papers Junior Scholars Forum This year the Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair (Lavender Law®) will be held August 23-25, 2012 at the … Continue reading

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Wicked Little Town: Transgendered Widow of Firefighter Fights the City of Wharton, Texas for Workers Compensation Benefits

When the Landmark Theater in Chicago announced that John Cameron Mitchell‘s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” would soon be playing as part of its Midnight Madness, I was not surprised at all. “Hedwig” is this generation’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” … Continue reading

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Posted in Courts and the Judiciary, LGBT Rights | 1 Comment

Yuvraj Joshi, “Respectable Queerness”

London-based writer Yuvraj Joshi has published Respectable Queerness, 43 Columbia Human Rights Law Review 415 (2012).  Here is the abstract: This Article proposes a new theoretical framework to understand public recognition of gay people and relationships. This framework — called … Continue reading

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Marc Spindelman, “Gay Men and Sex Equality”

Marc Spindelman (Ohio State) has published Gay Men and Sex Equality, 46 Tulsa L. Rev. 123 (2010).  Here is an excerpt from the introduction: As easy as it may be to apprehend why straight men have not endorsed sex equality … Continue reading

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Conference Announcement – Rainbow Rising: Community, Solidarity & Scholarship

From colleagues in Hawaii, this conference announcement: Rainbow Rising: Community, Solidarity & Scholarship, A Symposium on Sexuality and Gender Expression in Asian-Pacific Law & Policy will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at the William S. Richardson School of Law in Honolulu, … Continue reading

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Assisted Reproduction and Cross Border Travel

Richard F. Storrow, City University of New York School of Law, has published Assisted Reproduction on Treacherous Terrain: The Legal Hazards of Cross-Border Reproductive Travel at 23 Reproductive Biomedicine Online 538-545 (2011). The growing phenomenon of cross-border reproductive travel has four significant … Continue reading

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CFP: “Transecting Society: Critical Dialogues on Transsexual/Transgender Identities”

From the FLP mailbox, this CFP: TRANSECTING SOCIETY:Critical Dialogues on Transsexual/Transgender Identities in Politics, Media, Activism and Culture  Date: April 12 & 13, 2012 Location: University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH Memorial Union Building (MUB) Transecting Society is a two-day … Continue reading

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Posted in Call for Papers or Participation, LGBT Rights | 1 Comment

SCOTUS Declines to Hear Same-Sex Adoption Case

Reuters reports on the United States Supreme Court’s denial of cert today in Oren Adar v. Darlene Smith, No. 11-46: In a case closely watched by gay rights advocates, the high court rejected without comment an appeal by Oren Adar and … Continue reading

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More Census Snapshots

Following up on my earlier posts (here, here, here, here, here, here, and here), the Williams Institute has released snapshot reports from the 2010 census this week for Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, and Texas. According to the census, there are 7,004 same-sex couples in Arkansas (or 6.11 … Continue reading

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Nancy Polikoff receives LGBT Bar highest award

Nancy Polikoff, Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law and AY 2011-12 Visiting McDonald/Wright Chair of Law at UCLA, will receive the Dan Bradley award from the National LGBT Bar Association at its annual conference in September.  … Continue reading

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Posted in Academia, LGBT Rights | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Spindelman on “Sexual Freedom’s Shadows”

Marc Spindelman (Ohio State) has published his essay Sexual Freedom’s Shadows, 23 Yale J.L. & Feminism 179 (2011).  It is both review of a book by Tim Dean called Unlimited Intimacy: Reflections on the Subculture of Barebacking (UChicago Press, 2009), … Continue reading

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More Census Snapshots

Following up on my earlier posts (here, here, here, here, here, and here), the Williams Institute has released snapshot reports from the 2010 census this week for Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington. According to the census, there are 32,469 same-sex couples in Illinois (or 6.7 … Continue reading

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State College Settles DP Benefits Law Suit

Following up on my earlier post about how the school district in State College, PA (home of Penn State) provided benefits to the domestic partners of its heterosexual, but not its lesbian and gay employees, the school board there has … Continue reading

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More Census Snapshots

Following up on my earlier posts (here, here, here, here, and here), the Williams Institute has released snapshot reports from the 2010 census this week for Idaho, Missouri, Ohio, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. According to the census, there are 3,245 same-sex couples in Idaho (or 5.6 … Continue reading

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Letting Military Recruiters Back on Campus

Now that the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has been certified, Vermont Law School has dropped its ban on military recruiters. William Mitchell is also set to drop its own ban on military recruiters. Hat tip: The Advocate. -Tony Infanti

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More Census Snapshots

Following up on my earlier posts (here, here, here, and here), the Williams Institute has released snapshot reports from the 2010 census this week for Georgia, Maine, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Kentucky, and Virginia. According to the census, there are 29,844 same-sex couples in Georgia (or … Continue reading

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Conference Announcement, “Gender, Sexuality and Poverty,” March 31, 2012, Gettysburg College

From Temma Berg (English, Gettysburg College), this “Save the Date” notice: Saturday, March 31, 2012 2012 Annual Women’s Studies Conference sponsored by the Central Pennsylvania Consortium and the Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Programs of Dickinson College, Gettysburg College, and … Continue reading

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Posted in From the FLP mailbox, LGBT Rights, The Overrepresentation of Women, Upcoming Conferences, Women and Economics | 3 Comments

More Census Snapshots

Following up on my earlier posts (here, here, and here), the Williams Institute has released snapshot reports from the 2010 census this week for New York, Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, and Vermont. According to the census, there are 65,303 same-sex couples in New … Continue reading

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Rise in Anti-LGBTQ Violence in 2010

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs has released its 2010 National Report on Anti-LGBTQ Hate Violence. In 2010, NCAVP documented 27 anti-LGBTQ murders, which is the second highest yearly total ever recorded by the organization. For the highlights of the … Continue reading

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What does “coparent” mean?

Not so much, according to a 4-3 decision from the Ohio Supreme Court: “Coparenting” is not synonymous with an agreement by the biological parent to permanently relinquish sole custody in favor of shared legal parenting. “Coparenting” can have many different … Continue reading

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No Joint Tax Filing for Same-Sex Couples Who Marry in New York?

UPDATE: The word from Carl is that the Department of Taxation and Finance will permit joint filing by married same-sex couples, without a change in the Tax Law, based on the language in the Marriage Equality Act. Guidance to that effect … Continue reading

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Posted in LGBT Rights | 1 Comment

“Marriage Liberationism”? Sure, why not.

It’s funny, when I was writing my dissertation many years ago, my adviser said to me: “Katherine, you’re really a libertarian when it comes to gender, aren’t you?”  At the time I resisted the moniker, but is “libertarian” worse than … Continue reading

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Posted in LGBT Rights | 1 Comment

More Census Snapshots

The Williams Institute has issued another round of their census snapshots. This week: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Nebraska, and North Carolina. And they made my job a lot easier this week by including this table with the snapshots: The female/male ratio … Continue reading

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Obama Administration Appeals Bankruptcy Ruling Finding DOMA Unconstitutional

Two weeks ago, the Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional.  The case involved two men who were legally married in California (in that small window of legality back in … Continue reading

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Rhode Island Legislature Passes Flawed Civil Unions Bill

The Rhode Island legislature has passed a civil unions bill and sent it to the state’s governor for his signature. Governor Chafee has indicated that he will sign the bill even though it is opposed by LGBT rights organizations. The opposition … Continue reading

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HHS to Begin Collecting LGBT-Related Data

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced that HHS is going to begin collecting health data on LGBT populations: “Health disparities have persistent and costly affects for minority communities, and the whole country,” Secretary Sebelius said.  “Today we … Continue reading

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Arkansas Obit Update

I posted last week about an Arkansas newspaper that refused to publish the name of a deceased man’s surviving partner unless they were paid $85 (they print the names of surviving spouses for free). In the post, I criticized GLAAD … Continue reading

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Cost of Equality

I have written elsewhere about how the costs imposed on same-sex couples to have their relationships recognized can be reconceptualized as a tax on them. The Advocate has another example of such a cost–this one imposed privately but relying on … Continue reading

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More Census Snapshots

Following up on my post last week, the Williams Institute has released snapshot reports from the 2010 census this week for California, Delaware, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming. According to the census, there are 125,516 same-sex couples in California (or 9.98 … Continue reading

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List of Employers Who “Gross Up”

I’ve blogged before about employers who “gross up” their LGBT employees to cover the extra taxes that they pay on their domestic partner health insurance coverage. The New York Times has now put together a chart listing the growing number … Continue reading

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The More Things Change…

A disturbing piece on gender conformity and anti-LGBT attitudes in sports appeared in the forum section of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday. The title of the piece is “Ugly Pittsburghers, 1974: What would happen today if a top male athlete came out … Continue reading

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UN Human Rights Council Passes Resolution on Gay Rights

From The Advocate: The United Nation’s Human Rights Council has approved for the first time a resolution condemning discrimination and violence against LGBT individuals. In the resolution, passed Friday in Geneva, the council “[expresses] grave concern at acts of violence and … Continue reading

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Census and Same-Sex Couples

The Williams Institute has begun releasing snapshot reports from the 2010 census and will continue doing so each week throughout the summer. This week: Hawaii and Alabama. According to the census, there are 4,248 same-sex couples in Hawaii (or 9.33 … Continue reading

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Prop. 8 Motion to Vacate Denied

Chief Judge James Ware of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has ruled that Judge Vaughn Walker need not have recused himself from the Prop. 8 case because he was in a long-term same-sex relationship. Judge … Continue reading

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Army’s New DADT Web Site

The Army now has a web site relating to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and its (hopefully imminent) repeal. A few interesting points from the FAQ section: 1. Unrelated to the repeal of DADT, courts have held that consensual sodomy is … Continue reading

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Posted in LGBT Rights | 1 Comment

DP Benefits for Different-Sex, but not Same-Sex Partners

What is going on up in State College, PA (home of Penn State University)? The local school district has a benefits policy that covers spouses (which in PA means only different-sex married couples) and the different-sex domestic partners of its … Continue reading

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Nevada Adopts Trans Protections

The Governor of Nevada has signed a bill banning job discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. The bill takes effect October 1. The Governor has apparently also promised to sign legislation banning discrimination on the basis of … Continue reading

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Tennessee, Open for Discrimination

Yesterday, Tennessee’s Governor signed HB 600 into law. This bill–with the appropriately Orwellian title “Equal Access to Intrastate Commerce Act”–“effectively reverses an ordinance passed by [Nashville] Metro Council that required contractors with the city to agree to follow Metro’s rules … Continue reading

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NY Times Coming Out Project

In the face of a society that is still deeply divided over LGBT issues, the New York Times has a new Coming Out project. Here is a description of the project from the accompanying story: The New York Times embarked … Continue reading

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Robson on “Lesbians and Abortions”

Now available on SSRN is Ruthann Robson’s article, “Lesbians and Abortions,” 35 N.Y.U. Rev. Law & Soc. Change 247 (2011).  Here is a portion of the abstract: While there are doctrinal and theoretical connections, the arguments for women’s freedom to be … Continue reading

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Wis. Governor Wants to Stop Defending State DP Registry

Taking a page from the Democratic playbook, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has asked a court to allow his administration to stop defending the state’s domestic partner registry from a constitutional attack. Here is an excerpt from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel … Continue reading

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Delaware Gets Civil Unions

Starting Jan. 1, 2012. For more on the story, click here. -Tony Infanti

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Gay Rights History at Library of Congress

As part of an exhibition on constitutional history and civil rights protections, the Library of Congress is, for the first time, displaying documents relating to gay rights history. The documents are from “gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny, who was fired … Continue reading

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Barbara Lenk Confirmed for Seat on Mass. SJC

Barbara Lenk has won confirmation for a seat on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. She now becomes the first openly gay or lesbian person to sit on Massachusetts’s highest court. Here is Justice Lenk’s bio from the Massachusetts Appeals Court’s … Continue reading

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ABA Launches LGBT Antibullying/Antidiscrimination Campaign

The American Bar Association’s Opening Doors Project has launched a new LGBT antibullying/antidiscrimination campaign–“the kids are listening.” Here is a video with a call for people to stand up against hate speech and discrimination that they produced and are encouraging … Continue reading

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Questioning Judge Walker’s Impartiality

As we warned might happen more than a year ago, the seeds planted by (since confirmed) rumors about Judge Walker’s sexual orientation have now borne fruit. Last week, proponents of Prop. 8 filed a motion to vacate Judge Walker’s judgment … Continue reading

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Posted in Academia, LGBT Rights | 1 Comment

PA Marriage Protection Amendment

At a time when our governor’s budget includes 50% cuts in funding for higher education and drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus shale is raising issues about (the lack of) a severance tax and (already occurring) environmental damage, Pennsylvania … Continue reading

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Discount for Lesbian Moms

A Brooklyn maternity store that is now giving a 10% discount to lesbian moms has prompted both criticism and now threats. In a one-week period, Paperno [the owner of the store] says she’s fielded five crazed callers — mostly homophobes … Continue reading

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King & Spalding Fired for “Obsequious Act of Weakness”

The notoriously anti-LGBT Attorney General for the State of Virginia has fired King & Spalding in retaliation for its withdrawal from representing the U.S. House of Representatives in defending the constitutionality of the federal DOMA in court: “King & Spalding’s … Continue reading

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DOL Adds Gender Identity and Pregnancy to Nondiscrimination Policy

Here is the press release: US Department of Labor announces renewed commitment to fair treatment and equal opportunity for all of its employees New policy statements prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and pregnancy WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of … Continue reading

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