SGN July 12, 2013 - Section 1

Page 1

Issue 28 Volume 41

FRIDAY July 12, 2013 FREE! 25¢ in bookstores & newsstands

Celebrating 40 Years!

A candid conversation with the author of City of Night Sec 2, Page 1

Seattle Gay News SEATTLE’S LGBT NEWS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Senate committee OKs Trans-inclusive ENDA Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved a Transinclusive ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) on July

protections passed the House in 2007, but was never introduced in the Senate because then-president George W. Bush promised to veto it. Washington Senator Patty Murray, a member of the HELP Committee, immediately issued a state-

“Qualified workers should not be turned away or have to fear losing their livelihood for reasons that have nothing to do with their qualifications, skills or performance.” 10. ENDA would ban workplace discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity. The vote to send the bill to the full Senate was 15-7 with three Republicans joining all the committee’s Democrats in approving it. It was the first time a version of ENDA protecting Transgender workers passed any Congressional committee. The House Education and Labor Committee had a version before them in 2009, but it was never scheduled for a hearing. A version of the bill without Trans

ment on the historic vote. “Despite the incredible gains we’ve made toward full equality for LGBT Americans, many businesses throughout the United States can still legally discriminate against an employee or an applicant simply because of who they love or how they identify themselves,” Murray wrote. “That is simply wrong, and it has to change. “I’m proud that Washington

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

gal to file suit in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. ACLU filed on its own in North Carolina. And suits are also going forward in Michigan and Arkansas. “The ACLU’s actions are part of Out for Freedom, a nation-wide initiative by the ACLU that seeks to advance the freedom to marry

see enda page 21

AP Photo / Matt Rourke

Pennsylvania AG won’t defend Marriage equality state’s Gay marriage ban lawsuits sweep the country

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced on July 11 that she will decline to defend the constitutionality of the state’s law barring same-sex marriages. “I cannot ethically defend the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s version of [DOMA] as I believe it to be wholly unconstitutional,” Kane said. Kane added that her decision was based both on her constitutional obligations and her commitment to Pennsylvania residents. She had a choice between defending the law and serving the public, she said, and “I choose you.” Pennsylvania is one of several states where the ACLU and Lambda Legal have filed suits to overturn state laws on grounds they violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Kane, a Democrat, and Republican Governor Tom Corbett are named as defendants in the suit, as the state’s top executive officers. Kane’s move places the burden of defending the law on the governor’s general counsel. Corbett supports the law prohibiting same-sex marriage, which passed the state

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling striking down DOMA in United States v. Windsor, lawsuits to overturn state laws barring same-sex marriage have been filed in at least six states. see pennsylvania page 9 The ACLU joined Lambda Le-

see lawsuits page 9


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