The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to approve legislation that would repeal a travel and immigration ban on those who are HIV positive. A new study shows that the California Supreme Court wields an influence far beyond the Golden State’s borders, when one counts up the number of times the decisions of state high courts […]
Originally published in Bay Windows, December 20, 2007 (online); December 27, 2007 (print). Was 2007 a good year for LGBT parents and our children? Politically, it was a mixed bag. Here are some highlights. In Massachusetts, we stopped marriage equality from going to the ballot. New Hampshire and Oregon approved relationship-recognition measures to give same-sex
In a case that bounced between the jurisdictions of Vermont and Virginia and was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in April, a Vermont judge awarded Lisa Miller (formerly Miller-Jenkins) custody of her biological daughter, Isabella, though he mandated regular visitation rights for the girl’s non-biological mother, Janet Jenkins (formerly Miller-Jenkins). I’ve written about this
The Alabama House voted not to consider a bill that would add sexual orientation as a protected category to the state’s hate crimes law, despite urging from Patricia Todd, the state’s first out legislator. Opponents said existing legislation was sufficient. (Thanks to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund Smartbrief.) The California Assembly passed legislation that
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (LLEHCPA), aka the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act. The Senate must now vote on the measure, although the White House has already threatened a veto. Pam’s House Blend has fuller coverage and a breakdown of the vote. The U.S.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected without comment an appeal by Lisa Miller-Jenkins, a biological mother who has been trying to deny visitation rights to her former partner Janet Miller-Jenkins. (Thanks, PageOneQ.) The case has bounced between the jurisdictions of Vermont and Virginia. Lisa Miller-Jenkins was attempting to appeal a Vermont Supreme Court ruling that the
Some good news for the holiday weekend: A Vermont court has given non-bio mom Janet Miller-Jenkins the right to visit her five-year-old daughter Isabella, whom she hasn’t been able to see or contact in over two years. Her former partner, Lisa Miller-Jenkins, kept their daughter from her in a headline case that bounced between the
An Ohio court ruled yesterday that a custody arrangement between two lesbian parents is valid despite the state’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The couple had signed a court-approved joint custody agreement, and then split. One of the women refused to let the other have contact with their son, and claimed their agreement was invalid
This coming Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the U. S. His work and the movement he led represent values that resonate with many of us, regardless of race. I thought it would be appropriate to honor the holiday by showcasing a number of books for young children about Dr. King. What
Custody cases involving non-bio moms have been in the news lately, including this just in from Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday that a lesbian non-bio mom had no parental rights over the five-year-old daughter she and her former partner had agreed to raise together. The women separated before marriage was an option
