The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: The Gay Rights Edition

Basically good, but not without a lot of ugly back-drop to it:

PROVIDENCE — With protesters gathering outside the State House, Rep. Peter J. Petrarca added a new layer to the debate over same-sex marriage Tuesday by introducing a bill that would make civil unions legal in Rhode Island.

Calling his bill an important first step, the Lincoln Democrat said the legislation — while falling short of legalized same-sex marriage — would give same-sex couples the same rights that married couples now have under Rhode Island law.

“Some sort of progress is better than nothing,” he said just minutes before the House session got under way.

But outside, more than 200 same-sex marriage supporters made it clear that the push for passage of a same-sex marriage bill this year is not over.

The Rhode Island State House Speaker, Gordon Fox (who is gay) originally supported a same-sex marriage bill, but withdrew his support while insisting the measure would die in the Senate. Now there are some serious legislative machinations going on, with talk of some sort of counter strategy in the wings – a yet unwritten amendment that would in the end, force a vote on gay marriage. Rhode Island has indeed been on the forefront of the civil unions vs. marriage debate, at least in terms of political implication.

Very bad. From The Washington Post.  The emphasis is mine:

Shortly after he retired, the federal judge who struck down California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage acknowledged publicly what had been rumored for months: He is gay and in a long-term relationship with another man.

Opponents of same-sex marriage seized on Vaughn Walker’s revelation and filed a motion last week to have his ruling on Proposition 8 vacated, arguing that he could benefit personally from his decision if he wanted to marry his partner.

Although unusual, the effort could have legal merit, some experts say. If successful, it could mark the first time a judge has been disqualified or rebuked for issues related to his sexual orientation. And it would be a setback for gay rights groups, which view his opinion on Proposition 8 as one of their most significant victories in the quest for equal rights for same-sex couples.

But, The New York Times, on its editorial page counters:

The claim is bogus. It is well established that personal characteristics, like race, sex, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation, do not by themselves invoke the rule that judges must step aside if their “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.”

Our justice system relies on trusting members of the nation’s diverse bench to put aside their personal characteristics and abide by their duty of even-handedness. Any other approach would invite foolish and unacceptable results — female judges being kept from hearing rape or sexual discrimination cases, or black judges from hearing cases involving racial bias or civil rights.

Gotta love it when The New York Times takes on The Washington Post...

And now for the very, very, very good:

Legislation that would bar adoption discrimination against LGBT people is set for introduction in the U.S. House on Tuesday, according to the Family Equality Council.

Steve Majors, a spokesperson for Family Equality Council, confirmed in a statement to the Washington Blade that Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) would on Tuesday introduce the bill, which is known as the Every Child Deserves a Family Act.

“The bill will drop on Tuesday in the House,” Majors said. “[Stark] wanted to do so in conjunction with National Foster Care Awareness Month.”

As it was previously written, the Every Child Deserves a Family Act would restrict federal funds for states if they have laws or practices that discriminate in adoption on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The 111th Congress was the first time the legislation had been introduced in the House.

No matter obstacles, we must continue to do the right thing. Particularly proud today of Rep. Pete Stark, who represents a congressional district next door to mine.