National
Boehner says no House vote on DOMA repeal
‘It is the law of the land and should remain the law of the land’
House Speaker John Boehner (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) indicated on Thursday he wouldn’t bring to a vote before the House legislation pending before Congress that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
Asked by the Washington Blade if he’s be open to bringing the measure to a floor vote, Boehner replied, “Congress has acted on this issue some number of years ago, and I think that the Congress acted on [it] in a bi-partisan way. It is the law of the land and should remain the law of the land.”
DOMA repeal legislation has received renewed legislation since the White House announced on Tuesday that President Obama supports the DOMA repeal legislation, known as the Respect for Marriage Act. The president campaigned on legislative repeal of DOMA, but not until this week did not he articulate support for the Respect for Marriage Act as the vehicle to repeal the anti-gay law.
On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on DOMA repeal featuring testimony from individuals in same-sex marriage who were negatively affected by the statute, which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage.
Boehner’s indication during his weekly news conference that he wouldn’t hold a vote on DOMA repeal shouldn’t come as a surprise. When Obama declared that the law was unconstitutional in February and that he would no longer defend the law in court, Boehner directed House general counsel to take up defense of the law in March following a party-line vote in the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group.
Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, said he hopes Boehner would change his mind about DOMA repeal and recalled testimony that took place before the Senate in favor of DOMA repeal on Wednesday.
“I hope Speaker Boehner will reconsider his apparent refusal to allow for a vote on repealing the so-called ‘Defense of Marriage Act,’ which civil rights hero, Congressman John Lewis, rightly called a stain on our democracy,” Wolfson said. “Much has changed since 1996 — including the fact that we now have tens of thousands of married same-sex couples, many with children, directly harmed by DOMA’s departure from the traditional federal practice of honoring lawful marriages.”
Wolfson, among those who testified before the Senate, noted that former Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia, the sponsor of DOMA in 1996, has since come out for full repeal of the legislation.
“Just as the Republican sponsor of DOMA then now supports its immediate repeal, so should other members of Congress be permitted to reconsider bad legislation, the unfairness of which was powerfully demonstrated at the Senate hearing yesterday,” Wolfson added.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), sponsor of DOMA repeal legislation and witness at the Senate hearing, said in a statement that despite Boehner’s remarks, he’s confident “we will soon see growing Republican congressional support for repealing DOMA” in the wake of passage of same-sex marriage legislation in New York thanks in part to a Republican-controlled Legislature.
“A number of House Republicans have told me privately that they feel the same way,” Nadler said. “This, coupled with the fact that there is now a majority of Americans who support equality and with the recent polling data showing that a majority of Republican voters want GOP leadership to give up their position on this matter, means that it is only a matter of time before we act in a bipartisan manner and repeal DOMA. And, believe me, we will keep pushing to get it done until we have succeeded.”
But one of the prominent voices in the movement against same-sex marriage commended Boehner for his apparent assurance that DOMA repeal legislation wouldn’t come before the House.
Maggie Gallagher, chair of the National Organization for Marriage, said a vote to repeal DOMA on the House floor would be a wasted effort.
“We applaud Boehner for saying he sees no good reason for wasting time on a vote to repeal DOMA,” she said. “The House just voted to re-affirm DOMA by a powerful bi-partisan majority in the context of the military.”
Earlier this month, the House approved an amendment as part of major defense spending legislation that reaffirmed DOMA. The measure passed by a vote of 248-175.
Federal Government
US Census Bureau testing survey on LGBTQ households
Agency proposing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity
The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking public comment on a proposed test of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on the American Community Survey. The test would begin this summer and continue into next year.
The Census Bureau published the request as a Federal Register notice. In its press release the agency noted that the ACS is an ongoing survey that collects detailed housing and socioeconomic data. It allows the Census Bureau to provide timely and relevant housing and socioeconomic statistics, even for low levels of geography.
As part of the process for adding new questions to the ACS, the Census Bureau tests potential questions to evaluate the quality of the data collected.
The Census Bureau proposes testing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to meet the needs of other federal agencies that have expressed interest in or have identified legal uses for the information, such as enforcing civil rights and equal employment measures.
The test would follow the protocols of the actual ACS — with one person asked to respond to the survey on behalf of the entire household. These particular questions are asked about people 15 years of age or older. Households are invited to respond to the survey online, by paper questionnaire or by phone.
The current Federal Register notice gives the public a final opportunity to provide feedback before the Census Bureau submits its recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget for approval. The public may provide feedback through May 30 online.
The White House
Judy Shepard to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Nancy Pelosi is also among this year’s honorees
Beloved LGBTQ advocate Judy Shepard is among the 19 honorees who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S., the White House announced on Friday.
The mother of Matthew Shepard, who was killed in 1998 in the country’s most notorious anti-gay hate crime, she co-founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation with her husband Dennis to raise awareness about anti-LGBTQ violence.
The organization runs education, outreach, and advocacy programs, many focused on schools.
In a statement shared via the Human Rights Campaign, Shepard said, “This unexpected honor has been very humbling for me, Dennis, and our family. What makes us proud is knowing our President and our nation share our lifelong commitment to making this world a safer, more loving, more respectful, and more peaceful place for everyone.
“I am grateful to everyone whose love and support for our work through the years has sustained me.
“If I had the power to change one thing, I can only dream of the example that Matt’s life and purpose would have shown, had he lived. This honor reminds the world that his life, and every life, is precious.”
Shepard was instrumental in working with then-President Barack Obama for passage of the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009, which was led in the House by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who will also be honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom during the ceremony on Friday.
Also in 2009, Shepard published a memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed,” and was honored with the Black Tie Dinner Elizabeth Birch Equality Award.
“Judy Shepard has been a champion for equality and President Biden’s choice to honor her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a testament to what she’s done to be a force of good in the world,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
“A mother who turned unspeakable grief over the loss of her son into a decades-long fight against anti-LGBTQ+ hatred and violence, Judy continues to make a lasting impact in the lives of the LGBTQ+ community,” she said.
“It is because of her advocacy that the first federal hate crimes legislation became law and that countless life-saving trainings, resources and conversations about equality and acceptance are provided each year by the Matthew Shepard Foundation,” Robinson said. “We are honored that Judy is a member of the HRC family and know that her work to create a more inclusive and just world will only continue.”
Other awardees who will be honored by the White House this year are: Actor Michelle Yeoh, entrepreneur and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jesuit Catholic priest Gregory Boyle, Assistant House Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), former Labor and Education Secretary and former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), journalist and former daytime talkshow host Phil Donahue, World War II veteran and civil rights activist Medgar Evers (posthumous), former Vice President Al Gore, civil rights activist and lawyer Clarence B. Jones, former Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), former U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) (posthumous), Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, educator and activist Opal Lee, astronaut and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa, astronomer Jane Rigby, United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero, and Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (posthumous).
National
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
Delegates also voted for other LGBTQ-inclusive measures
The United Methodist Church on Wednesday removed a ban on gay clergy that was in place for more than 40 years, voting to also allow LGBTQ weddings and end prohibitions on the use of United Methodist funds to “promote acceptance of homosexuality.”
Overturning the policy forbidding the church from ordaining “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” effectively formalized a practice that had caused an estimated quarter of U.S. congregations to leave the church.
The New York Times notes additional votes “affirming L.G.B.T.Q. inclusion in the church are expected before the meeting adjourns on Friday.” Wednesday’s measures were passed overwhelmingly and without debate. Delegates met in Charlotte, N.C.
According to the church’s General Council on Finance and Administration, there were 5,424,175 members in the U.S. in 2022 with an estimated global membership approaching 10 million.
The Times notes that other matters of business last week included a “regionalization” plan, which gave autonomy to different regions such that they can establish their own rules on matters including issues of sexuality — about which international factions are likelier to have more conservative views.
Rev. Kipp Nelson of St. Johns’s on the Lake Methodist Church in Miami shared a statement praising the new developments:
“It is a glorious day in the United Methodist Church. As a worldwide denomination, we have now publicly proclaimed the boundless love of God and finally slung open the doors of our church so that all people, no matter their identities or orientations, may pursue the calling of their hearts.
“Truly, all are loved and belong here among us. I am honored to serve as a pastor in the United Methodist Church for such a time as this, for our future is bright and filled with hope. Praise be, praise be.”
200 turn out for ’Love Fest’ Drag Story Hour at Freddie’s
More than 1 million people attend Madonna concert in Rio
Another successful Taste of Point fundraiser
Out in the World: LGBTQ news from Europe and Asia
PHOTOS: Gay Day at the Zoo
Judy Shepard to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Pride journey: Las Vegas
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
It’s game, set, and mismatch in unfulfilling ‘Challengers’
