Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Director, Maya Rupert, Esq. (Washington D.C., November 10, 2011)—Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-8 to move forward the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA), the 1996 law barring the federal government from recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples and excluding them from all marriage-based federal protections. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee,...
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Federal Legislation
Statement by NCLR Federal Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq. (San Francisco, CA, October 31, 2011)—Today, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, is expected to introduce the “Every Child Deserves a Family Act” (ECDF) in the Senate to help the nation’s 408,000 foster children find permanent and stable homes. The proposed legislation would prohibit states from excluding potential adoptive and foster parents because of their marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. This is...
(San Francisco, CA, September 23, 2011)—The National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a brief in federal district court in Pennsylvania yesterday arguing that private employers cannot hide behind the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to justify discriminating against same-sex spouses in private benefits plans. NCLR is representing Jennifer Tobits, the widow of Sarah “Ellyn” Farley, whose parents have challenged the couple’s marriage and now seek death benefits provided by...
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq. (San Francisco, CA, September 20, 2011)—Today, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—the discriminatory nearly two-decade old policy that bars lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military—is officially over. In July 2011, President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen certified that the military was prepared for the implementation of repeal,...
Tomorrow, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the discriminatory nearly two-decade old policy that bars lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military, will officially be repealed tomorrow. Watch this video for my take on this historic day. Then, read the blog entry by Huong Nguyen, who last year chronicled her personal story about how “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” changed the course of her life. And you don’t want to miss NCLR Federal Policy Director Maya...
On April 15, 2010, President Barack Obama issued a memo directing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to adopt new regulations that would require nearly all hospitals to grant equal visitation rights to all families, not just those based on marriage or biological ties. In the memo, President Obama specifically talked about same-sex couples as an example of families that have been unfairly kept apart when one partner is hospitalized. Open pdf
Widow’s In-laws Seeking Control of Estate and Death Benefits (San Francisco, August 3, 2011)—The National Center for Lesbian Rights is representing Jennifer Tobits, the widow of Sarah Ellyn Farley, whose parents are challenging the couple’s marriage and seeking control of Farley’s estate and death benefits provided by her employer. This week, Tobits filed court documents seeking to be named the executor of her wife’s estate and defending her status as a surviving spouse. Tobits’s in-laws had...
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq. (San Francisco, CA, July 22, 2011)—Today, President Barack Obama, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen notified Congress that the military is ready to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the discriminatory two-decade old policy that bars lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military. Under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Act passed by...
Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Director, Maya Rupert, Esq. (Washington, D.C., July 20, 2011)—Today, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held the first-ever hearing on the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Committee members heard from several supporters of the repeal measure, including people who have been harmed because of the discriminatory law. The Respect for Marriage Act was introduced on March 16, 2011 by Sen. Dianne...
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq. (San Francisco, CA, July 6, 2011)—Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that halts enforcement of the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy. The ruling lifts a stay that had previously been put in place, allowing U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips’s October 2010 ruling prohibiting enforcement of DADT to take effect immediately. The Ninth Circuit found that “the circumstances and balance of...