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Readers react to photo of two men kissing

Washington Post | Andrew Alexander | March 9, 2010

Powerful photographs can have lasting impact, and a Post photo of two men kissing is an image that many readers can neither forget nor accept.

The photo, which ran on the newspaper’s front page and online last week, captured Jeremy Ames and Taka Ariga kissing outside D.C. Superior Court on the day that the District began accepting license applications for same-sex marriages.

First gay marriages in District performed

There were yellow roses, champagne toasts and tiered cakes.

There were tuxedos, lace dresses and Pachelbel’s Canon in D.

This D.C. watershed moment was bursting with pride and happiness. Yet it was also tinged with memories of political struggles and legal battles.

On Tuesday, the District for the first time issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples, some of whom married in ceremonies across the city — from a D.C. Superior Court chamber to a Unitarian church in Northwest.

D.C. gay couple caps a momentous first by tying the knot

Washington Post | Monica Hesse | March 9, 2010

They met in grad school. Angelisa Young and Sinjoyla Townsend were assigned to debate opposing sides of the same issue in a constitutional law class at the University of the District of Columbia, and both were so nerdily over-prepared — typical Washingtonians — that the other member of their group decided the debate was a draw.

Young felt the attraction first. Throughout the semester, she found excuses to pass Townsend fliers for the political activist group that she belonged to on campus; she was devastated when she later found those fliers left behind after class. She would go to watch Townsend shoot hoops, even though she hates sports.

REP. STARK TO HOLD PRESS EVENT ON LEGISLATION TO OPEN MORE HOMES TO FOSTER CHILDREN

Representative Pete Stark | PFLAG | March 10, 2010

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) is hosting a panel discussion on the “Every
Child Deserves a Family Act.” Panelists will include foster children who
will discuss their experiences in the foster care system, parents who have
been prevented from adopting their foster children because of state laws
prohibiting gays, lesbians and bisexuals from adopting, and experts on
foster care and LGBT family issues.

WILL STREAM LIVE ON MARCH 11 AT 1:30 PM: click here

NYT Op-ed On Gay Troops Distorts Evidence

The Huffington Post | Aaron Belkin | Palm Center

(March 5, 2010)—Former Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill McPeak published an op-ed in the New York Times today in which he claimed that during the 1993 debate over gays in the military, “A lot more heat than light was produced.” McPeak says that as Washington reconsiders the question this year, “I doubt that we’ll have a more enlightened public discussion in 2010.”

But the way to have an enlightened public conversation is to offer reasoned claims based on evidence and research, and to characterize and evaluate opposing arguments honestly. McPeak does no such thing.

Gay Marriage Is Legal in U.S. Capital

New York Times | Ian Urbina | March 4, 2010

WASHINGTON — It was cold and drizzling outside the City Courthouse just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, but no one seemed to mind among the same-sex couples waiting for the chance to apply for a marriage license.

“This is a dream come true,” said Sinjoyla Townsend, 41, as she smiled ear to ear and held up her ticket indicating she was first in line with her partner of 12 years, Angelisa Young, 47. “We wanted it so bad.”

D.C. begins licensing same-sex marriages

Washington Post | Keith L. Alexander and Ann E. Marimow | March 4, 2010

Just sitting down at a desk at the marriage bureau at D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday was too much for Angelisa Young. She cried so hard that she eventually had to bury her face in her fiancee’s chest.

About a half-hour later, Young and her partner, Sinjoyla Townsend, who met 13 years ago in a Constitutional Law class at the University of the District of Columbia, became the first same-sex couple to apply to be married in the District as the city officially joined five states in allowing gay marriage.

About 150 same-sex couples apply for marriage licenses on 1st day in nation's capital

Associated Press | Jessica Gresko | March 3, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) — One gay couple met on a Star Trek fan site, another dancing at a country western bar. Some have been together for months, others more than a decade.

About 150 pairs had something in common Wednesday, though, applying for wedding licenses on the first day same-sex unions became legal in the nation’s capital.

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Military experts, scholars ask Congress to take stand on 'don’t ask, don’t tell'

Stars and Stripes | Jeff Schogol | Palm Center

ARLINGTON, Va. (March 4, 2010) — Several military experts and scholars are urging lawmakers to make up their own minds on repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” rather than deferring to the service chiefs.

“It needs to be clear that the military doesn’t decide this question, that this is a decision for the civilian leadership, both congressional and presidential,” said. Martin Cook, a professor at the United States Naval War College.

Author Justin Reed Early to Receive National Network for Youth’s Golden Pen Media Award

National Network for Youth | January 4, 2010 | Los Angeles

Justin Reed Early, author of StreetChild: An Unpaved Passage will be honored at the National Network for Youth’s Annual Awards Dinner on January 26, 2010 with the prestigious organization’s annual Golden Pen Award.

PALM CENTER ISSUES KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ON GAY BAN TO PENTAGON WORKING GROUP

The Palm Center | February 17, 2010| Santa Barbara, CA

(Santa Barbara, CA) — The Palm Center has released eight key recommendations to the Pentagon Working Group on gays in the military. These recommendations are intended as a first step in providing full support to the Working Group and acknowledging the importance of a thorough and timely process.

EVENTS RELATED TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY BEGINNING 3/3 IN DC

DC Marriage | March 2, 2010 | Washington, DC

COUPLES, SPOKESPEOPLE AVAILABLE, LIST OF RELATED EVENTS AND MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES BELOW

HHS Awards Major Grant to SAGE to Create First-Ever National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders

New York, NY | SAGE | February 10, 2010

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the Administration on Aging have awarded Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders (SAGE) a three-year, $900,000 grant to create the nation¹s only national resource center on LGBT aging.

Joanne Herman, author of "Trangender Explained For Those Who Are Not," talks business with DiversityINC

DiversityINC | Joanne Herman | February 2010

You’re Trangender? You’re Fired!

In much of the country you can be fired just for being transgender. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, only 37 percent of Americans live in areas that explicitly ban discrimination based on gender identity and expression. For others, legal proceedings may be the only way you can establish your rights. This means that revealing your transgender status could have the same result as that experienced by Sarah Blanchette and Diane Schroer.

To read this full article, click here

THE BEST AT DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT: ANNOUNCING THE 2010 DIVERSITYINC TOP 50 COMPANIES FOR DIVERSITY®

DiversityINC | February 23, 2010 | Washington, DC

DIVERSITYINC CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF ITS CORPORATE INDEX WITH 2 DAYS OF EVENTS IN WASHINGTON, DC MARCH 9-10

February 23, 2010 (Washington, D.C.) ­ DiversityInc, the leading source of information on diversity management will announce The 2010 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® on March 9, 2010 as part of its two-day event March 9th and 10th in Washington, D.C.