Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach has filed a suit to try and stop his discharge under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). And high-ranking West Point Cadet Katherine Miller resigned because she is a lesbian and unwilling to compromise her integrity over the policy.- Rachel Maddow also has a few pointed words about DADT.
- A a new CNN Opinion Research Poll found that for the first time, a majority of Americans (52%) think that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry (even though they feel it is not a constitutional right). (Thanks, Think Progress.) Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight has done a meta-analysis of this and other marriage equality polls, and concluded there is “acceleration in the rate of support for gay marriage.”
- Judge Vaughn Walker denied the defense’s motion for a stay in California’s Prop 8 case, although he granted a temporary stay until August 18. It remains to be seen whether the 9th Circuit will grant a further stay, or same-sex couples will be able to marry as of that date. NCLR has a good overview on what this all means.
- Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) are among the politicians seeking re-election in November who are using their support of LGBT rights as a key part of their campaigns.
- U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle extended a restraining order to stop public release of signatures on a petition that called for a public vote on expanded domestic partnerships for same-sex couples in Washington state.
Around the world:
- Costa Rica’s constitutional court said that a voter referendum on same-sex marriage would be unconstitutional, putting a minority at a disadvantage.
- Mexico’s Supreme Court said that all 31 states must recognize marriages of same-sex couples performed in Mexico City (where they are legal), although the other states do not have to allow marriages to take place within their jurisdictions.