New York marriage deadline looms
Advocate. com reports that a New York state marriage-equality bill could be passed by June 20, the end of the legislative session.
According to strategists, the outcome of the vote is contingent both on the support of three undecided Democratic senators and persuading several Republican senators that they can vote “yes” and win reelection.
Recent poll numbers may encourage such a choice, as they indicate record-high support for marriage equality in New York, with 58 percent in favor and 36 percent opposed.
Support reaches across all regions of the state, and notably in the Republican-represented Long Island suburbs where Gov. Cuomo is popular.
If the bill is passed, New York will become the sixth state and the most populous — due to Proposition 8’s repeal of California’s law — to legalize same-sex marriage.
Tennesseans challenge discriminatory law
The Tennessean reports that a lawsuit has been filed to repeal a new state law that prohibits cities and counties from creating antidiscrimination regulations stricter than the state’s.
The legislation, signed into law by Gov. Bill Haslam in May, repealed a Nashville ordinance barring companies that discriminate against gays and lesbians from doing business with the city.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed June 13 in Davidson County Chancery Court include three Nashville council members who supported the ordinance and Lisa Howe, a former Belmont University coach who left the private university after revealing that she and her same-sex partner were having a baby.
Abby Rubenfeld, the plaintiffs’ attorney, said in a news conference that the statute unfairly targets gay and transgender Tennesseans.
A Haslam spokesperson said it was inappropriate to comment on pending litigation.
Mass for LGBT community canceled
Boston.com reports that the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston canceled a Mass scheduled for June 19 at St. Cecilia Parish that was themed “All Are Welcome,” saying it didn’t want to give the impression that the archdiocese sanctioned gay Pride.
The church’s Rainbow Ministry invited all members of the LGBT community and their supporters to a Mass celebrating both Boston Pride and, in the words of the announcement, the “diverse community that finds its home at St. Cecilia’s.”
Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, an organization that promotes the inclusion of LGBT Catholics in the Church, encouraged members of the parish to “resist the calls for canceling” and relocate the event.
— compiled by Chandlee Taylor