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Index:

Updated May 20, 2013

• Marriage Equality Signed into Law in Minnesota - On May 14, Minnesota's governor signed a gay marriage bill into law after its passage by the state legislature. In November 2012, Minnesota voters defeated a ballot initiative that would have amended the state constitution to ban gay marriage. Gay marriage is now legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia.
• Following passage of the legislation last week in the state Senate, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chaffee (I) signed legislation Thursday legalizing same-sex marriage, making Rhode Island the 10th state in the nation to allow gay couples to marry.

  On a related note, Colorado began recognizing civil unions at midnight on Wednesday in accordance with a law signed by the governor last month.

• Civil Rights Office Issues Guidance on Retaliation - On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a guidance letter to school districts, postsecondary institutions, and other recipients of federal education funding to reinforce the legal prohibition of retaliation against anyone who brings forward a civil rights complaint. The letter contained no new policy or enforcement measures; instead it sought to clarify existing law and enforcement measures, especially in light of the fact that nearly one in five of all OCR complaints allege retaliation.
• Senate Confirms EEOC Commissioner - Late Thursday evening, Jenny R. Yang was confirmed as a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Yang has practiced civil rights and employment law at a Washington, D.C., law firm for the past 10 years, and prior to that she served in the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. She will serve as an EEOC commissioner through July 1, 2017.
• Texas A&M Student Body President Vetoes Anti-LGBT Bill - John Claybrook, student body president of Texas A&M College Station, vetoed a bill this week that would have allowed students with religious objections to homosexuality to opt out of funding the Campus Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Resource Center. The student senate could still override the student body president’s veto with a two-thirds majority, but it is unclear if the senators could reach that threshold.
• April 7-13: International Anti-Street Harassment Week will be observed by more than 130 groups in at least 19 countries. Any individual can participate in the week by sharing stories on and offline. Visit MeetUsontheStreet.org for more information about the week and how to be involved.
• AAUW CHEER OF THE WEEK: Colorado Legislature approves civil unions bill - AAUW of Colorado supported the bill, which grants same-sex couples similar rights to marriage and is expected to be signed into law.
• Obama Signs VAWA - On Thursday, President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) into law. This reauthorization will protect all victims, including Native American and immigrant women; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals; students on college campuses; and victims of human trafficking. AAUW is proud to have been part of VAWA's passage.
• In the News: House Passes Inclusive VAWA - The House passed the inclusive Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) on Thursday by a vote of 286 to 138. The House and Senate-passed bills will protect all victims, including Native American and immigrant women; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals; and students on college campuses. The bill now goes to the president's desk to become law.
• On Thursday, the Obama administration filed a brief encouraging the Supreme Court to declare Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage, unconstitutional. The court is hearing oral arguments in the case at the end of this month.
• In the News: No Scientific Basis for Prohibiting Same-Sex Marriage, Key Associations Argue
• In the News: GENDA Update: Transgender rights bill advances in NY Legislature
• Pentagon Extends Certain Benefits to Same-Sex Couples
• In the News: Schools Just Don't Have 'Zero' Sex Harassment By AAUW's Linda D. Hallman

Pentagon Extends Certain Benefits to Same-Sex Couples

As one of his last moves in President Obama’s Cabinet, outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta extended certain benefits to same-sex couples in the military. Among the benefits are access to family support initiatives and joint duty assignments. Yet even with this action, the federal Defense of Marriage Act prohibits gay service members and their families from accessing more than 100 other benefits, including burial rights at national cemeteries and on-base housing. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a court case challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act next month.

AAUW believes that no American should be denied the full range of civil rights and civil liberties due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. AAUW is committed to freedom in the definition of family and a guarantee of civil rights in all family structures.

- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 15, 2013.

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