Statement by NCLR Federal Policy Attorney Maya Rupert (Washington D.C., April 14, 2011)—Today, Congress members in both the upper and lower chambers introduced the Uniting American Families Act of 2011, which would grant United States citizens and lawful permanent residents the right to sponsor their same-sex permanent partners to immigrate into the country. Representative Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., introduced the bill in the House, where it has more than 90 co-sponsors. Senator Patrick Leahy,...
Tag
Federal Legislation
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, March 16, 2011)—Today, members of Congress reintroduced the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill to repeal the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act,” or DOMA, the 1996 law that prohibits the federal government from recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples and excludes same-sex couples from all marriage-based protections under federal law. Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Barney Frank (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin...
(San Francisco, CA, March 11, 2011)—Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Equality California, National Center for Transgender Equality, Transgender Law Center, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, and Lambda Legal join together to express outrage over U.S. Representative Peter King’s ongoing “Muslim Radicalization” hearings—the first of which was held yesterday—in the House of Representatives. The groups join Americans from many diverse backgrounds to condemn the...
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, December 18, 2010)—Today, the U.S. Senate voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the discriminatory 17-year-old policy that bars lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military. The House approved the measure on Wednesday, December 15. With the Senate’s 65 to 31 vote today, the bill now goes to President Barack Obama, who campaigned on the promise that he would work with Congress to repeal the policy....
Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, December 9, 2010)—Today, the U.S. Senate voted against a motion to begin debate on the National Defense Authorization Act, which contains a provision to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the 17-year-old federal policy that bars lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military. A statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell: “It’s shameful and appalling that a small clique of U.S....
Statement from Federal Policy Attorney Maya Rupert (San Francisco, CA, September 30, 2010)—Today, Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010. This legislation, which provides many urgently needed changes to our national immigration law, protects same-sex couples by incorporating the substance of the Uniting Americans Families Act (UAFA), which would grant U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the right to sponsor...
A statement from Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, September 21, 2010)—Today, the U.S. Senate failed to break a filibuster to start a debate on the National Defense Authorization Act, which contains an amendment that would enable the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the federal government’s policy barring lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military. Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell: “It is unfathomable that the largest government...
A statement from Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, September 09, 2010)—Today, a federal district court judge in the Central District of California held that the federal government’s policy of barring lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military violates the United States Constitution. In a sweeping decision, Judge Virginia Phillips ruled that the government’s policy—popularly known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—is unconstitutional on its face, and must be...
A Statement by Executive Director Kate Kendell (San Francisco, CA, September 24, 2010)—Today, a federal district court judge in Tacoma, Washington held that the discharge of Air Force flight nurse Major Margaret Witt under the federal government’s policy barring lesbian, gay, and bisexual people from serving openly in the military violated the United States Constitution. Judge Ronald B. Leighton ruled that the government violated Major Witt’s constitutional rights by discharging her under the...
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation Must Include Protections for Binational Couples among The Family Unity Provisions (Washington, D.C., July 15, 2010)—Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights joined a coalition of organizations and leaders calling on Congress to insist that the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) be included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation going forward. This approach is consistent with the Senate framework announced on April 29, 2010 by...