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November 3, 2009 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise A free twice-weekly news summary for the LGBT community       Top Story  How will LGBT rights fare on Election Day and in coming months? This editorial makes note of a half dozen places where LGBT-equality measures are likely to be decided today by voters or in the coming months by lawmakers. Voters in Maine and Washington state today will decide the fate of a marriage-equality law and a domestic-partnership law, while marriage measures in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., are on lawmakers' post-election agendas. The New York Times (11/1)   Politics and Policy  Will Houston become first major U.S. city to elect an out mayor? Houston City Controller Annise Parker, who is bidding to become the first out mayor of her city, and Simone Bell, who is vying for a seat in the Georgia state House, are featured in the 56 races featuring LGBT candidates on this Election Day. High-profile ballot questions on whether to keep a marriage-rights law on the books in Maine and a domestic-partnership law in Washington also are to be decided. GayPolitics.com (11/2) , Advocate.com (11/3) , CNN (11/3) Maine takes center stage in fight over marriage equality A referendum today on Maine's marriage-equality law is considered a toss-up. A vote to keep the law would the be first such win for the marriage-rights movement. In an interview, Maine Gov. John Baldacci discussed why he supports marriage equality. Google/The Associated Press (11/2) , The New York Times (10/29) End is in sight for U.S. ban on HIV-positive visitors President Barack Obama's move to finalize the process of ending the nearly 20-year-old ban on travel to the U.S. by people with HIV won praise from public health officials and AIDS experts at a meeting last weekend in San Francisco. The ban is on track to be removed by early 2010. Meanwhile, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon called on the remaining few countries that maintain such travel bans to take similar actions to end them. San Francisco Chronicle (10/30) , Google/Agence France-Presse (11/1) Lone Star conservatives are upset over GOP's choice of out candidate Some Texas conservatives are upset that one of the two candidates for U.S. attorney for San Antonio that were submitted to the White House by the state's Republican U.S. senators, Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, is openly gay. According to Cornyn's spokesman: "A person's sexuality has no bearing on his qualifications for a job. ... It's just not even remotely considered." The Dallas Morning News (11/1) Other News Oregon group looks to overturn marriage ban in 2012 The Oregonian (Portland) (11/1) Workplace anti-bias bill to be subject of Senate panel hearing Washington Blade (11/2)   Register now for the 25th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference Twenty-five years ago a handful of out elected officials met to share experiences and talk about how to build their ranks. This December 3-6 hundreds of openly LGBT leaders from government, community organizations and business will gather in San Francisco to celebrate this silver anniversary and talk about the future of LGBT leadership. Register today to take advantage of early discounts and we'll send you a discount code for rooms at the Parc 55 Hotel. But hurry-conference rate rooms are in limited supply. Register here today.   ADVERTISEMENT   Viewpoint  Lawyer challenging Proposition 8 makes his case David Boies, who is co-counsel in a federal lawsuit challenging California's Proposition 8 marriage ban, makes the case for the constitutional right to marriage equality. He cites Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's landmark ruling overturning Texas' sodomy law on the basis that those who have always faced discrimination still are entitled to their rights under the Constitution. The Philadelphia Inquirer (11/1) Military ban is likely to fall, despite some opposition among chiefs Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway's reported continuing opposition to ending the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is unlikely to stop the seeming inevitability of the policy's demise, according to Aaron Belkin, an associate professor of political science and director of the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "The question is when, not whether, repeal will happen," Belkin writes. The Huffington Post (11/2) Would you feel comfortable reporting your LGBT status on a Census form? Yes No Not sure   Issues and Society  Focus on Family founder to exit group in February James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, at the end of February will leave the anti-gay group. His successor as the host of a radio show, which has an audience of about 1.5 million people, has not been named. The Denver Post (10/31) Other News Census data show gay, straight married couples have much in common Google/The Associated Press (11/2) Georgetown students rally against hate crimes after 2nd anti-gay assault The Washington Post (11/3)   Marketplace  Mixed martial arts throws down welcome mat for gay athletes Writer Thaddeus Russell looks at Ultimate Fighting Championship and mixed martial arts' growing appeal among gay men and straight women. The league reportedly is the first professional sports organization to open its doors to out athletes. "Any guy involved in grappling is the furthest thing from homophobic in the world," said UFC President Dana White. The Daily Beast (10/31) Other News Chicago Cubs' new ownership team includes lesbian Windy City Times (Chicago) (11/1) West Hollywood wants to be LGBT travel hot spot Los Angeles Times (11/2) Development Officer for Corporate Relations NYC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center New York Major Gifts Officer Equality California (EQCA) San Diego, CA Executive Director California Faith for Equality Los Angeles, CA CFO - Chief Financial Officer LAMBDA LEGAL New York NY Director of New Media Freedom to Marry New York, NY Major Gifts Officer Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Washington, DC Executive Director Equality Ohio Columbus, Ohio Public Policy Associate - State and Federal GLSEN Washington D.C.   Campaign Watch  GOP candidate for Va. attorney general takes anti-gay stance The Republican candidate for attorney general in Virginia, in a newspaper interview, described "homosexual acts" as being "intrinsically wrong." "I think in a natural law based country it's appropriate to have policies that reflect that," said state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax. His Democratic opponent, Steve Shannon, condemned Cuccinelli's anti-gay stance. Washington Blade (10/30)   SmartQuote  We're not roommates or just hanging out. She is my longtime partner. Marriage legitimizes a relationship in a way that a piece of paper or going to an attorney doesn't." --Portland, Ore., resident Becky Blumer, on the importance of marriage, as quoted by The Oregonian         A resource from the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute Home | About | Officials | Training | Conference | Harvard Fellows Subscribe to The Network, Victory's monthly e-newsletter.     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful Web site for SmartBrief readers including: Readers' Choice Archive       Recent Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrief Issues: Friday, October 30, 2009 Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Friday, October 23, 2009 Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Friday, October 16, 2009     Lead Editor:  Adam Mazmanian | Robert DiGiacomo       Media Inquiries and Sponsorships: Denis Dison Job Board: Lee Vanderwerff 202-737-5500 x 248 Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2009 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information