This week’s roundup is brought to you by the letter “N,” with happenings in Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Nigeria (as well as a few non-N places).
- The U.S. Senate approved the nomination of Michael Fitzgerald to the U.S. District Court for Los Angeles, making him the first openly gay federal judge for California, and the fifth one currently on the bench in the country.
- In Florida, the Tampa City Council voted unanimously to move forward a proposed Domestic Partnership Registry. The final vote will be April 5.
- The city of Omaha, Nebraska passed an ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination in employment and public accommodations.
- New Hampshire State Rep. David Bates (R-Windham), a long-time marriage equality opponent, has introduced a bill that would place a measure to rescind the state’s marriage equality law on the November ballot. A vote on the bill is expected March 21.
- In better Granite State news, New Hampshire House defeated a bill that would have allowed photographers, caterers, and other businesses to refuse services to any couple if they had a religious objection to their marriage.
- President Obama’s campaign issued a statement against North Carolina’s proposed constitutional amendment ban marriages and civil unions for same-sex couples.
Around the world:
- The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning Nigeria’s Same Gender Marriage Prohibition Bill, which sentences people in a same-sex union with 14 years’ imprisonment, and people ‘aiding or abetting’ such unions with 10 years in prison.
- The U.K. has launched a 12-week consultation on a government proposal to lift the ban on civil marriages for same-sex couples in England and Wales. Interested persons can submit comments at the Home Office Web site.