regional
December 12, 2007
RI Court Rejects Same-Sex Divorce
Rhode Island's Supreme Court said Friday that a lesbian couple who married in Massachusetts cannot get divorced in their home state of Rhode Island.August 8, 2007
RI May Grant Same-Sex Divorce
A state court can grant two Providence women a divorce without answering the highly charged question of whether a same-sex marriage performed in Massachusetts should be recognized in Rhode Island, Governor Carcieri and Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch agreed in legal briefs filed with the state Supreme Court yesterday.October 21, 2006
PA Legislator Introduces GLBT Rights Act
HARRISBURG—Rep. Dan Frankel (D) reintroduced legislation that would prohibit several forms of anti-gay discrimination, including employment, housing and credit. The bill, which is similar to the protection provided by the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, previously failed to win support...July 6, 2006
NY High Court Rejects Marriage Equality
The New York Court of Appeals, that state's highest court, rejected full marriage equality in a 4-2 decision.July 3, 2006
PA Marriage Amendment Fails
The Pennsylvania Legislature recessed for the summer without passing an amendment that would have prohibited same-sex marriage and, perhaps, civil unions and domestic partnerships.June 22, 2006
PA Senate Approves Marriage Ban
By a 38-12 vote, the Pennsylvania Senate approved a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would ban recognition of same-sex marriage.March 8, 2006
DE Lesbian Wins Joint Custody Battle
The Delaware Supreme Court today allowed a lesbian to retain joint custody of three children she helped raise with her former partner, the triplets' biological mother.February 6, 2006
NY Couples Get Funeral Rights
New York State Gov. George Pataki has signed into law legislation that provides domestic partners, both same-sex and opposite-sex, the ability to make decisions about the funerals of partners.
January 26, 2006
PA State Senator Blasts Anti-Gay Amendment
Pennsylvania State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, said a state constitutional amendment being introduced today would harm same-sex families and unmarried opposite-sex couples, including many senior citizens. Sponsors of the amendment say it would prevent Pennsylvania judges from authorizing same-sex marriage.
January 24, 2006
PA House Introduces Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment
Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Boyd (R-Lancaster) and 88 co-sponsors reintroduced a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution limiting marriage to one man-one woman.
January 12, 2006
NJ Legislature Recognizes Additional DP Rights
The New Jersey Legislature has clarified that registered domestic partners have rights of inheritance and guardianship equal to that of married spouses.
December 27, 2005
Monmouth County Votes to Add DP Pension Benefits
Unlike the freeholders in neighboring Ocean County, the Republican freeholders of Monmouth County showed that thecompassionate conservativelabel is not an empty slogan when they voted on December 22, 2005 to extend pension benefits to the registered domestic partners of county employees.
October 26, 2005
Rosa Parks RIP
DETROIT—Rosa Parks died yesterday at age 92. There is really very little I can say, except "Thank you. You taught us all to refuse to take a back seat to anyone." Great story on the NY Times and other sites....September 28, 2005
PA Court Upholds Co-parent Custody
The Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld the award of custody of twins to the lesbian ex-partner of the biological mother.
September 20, 2005
CT AG: State May Recognize NJ Domestic Partners
Connecticut's Attorney General issued a legal opinion indicating today that the state will recognize New Jersey's domestic partnerships, to the extent that they do not conflict with that state's laws. The state will not, however, recognize same-sex marriages entered elsewhere.
September 16, 2005
NJ Woman Sues State Over Denial of Inheritance Rights
Attorneys from Hill Wallack and Malapero & Prisco, LLP, filed a lawsuit today against the Middlesex County Surrogate and the State of New Jersey on behalf of Betty Jordan, of Perth Amboy, seeking recognition of her right to inherit from her deceased spouse.
September 8, 2005
Former Student Alleges Bullying at Holmdel High
A former student at Holmdel High School has filed suit alleging that she was verbally and physically abused because she is a lesbian and that school authorities failed to stop it.
July 20, 2005
PA Republicans Sue to Stop DP Benefits
Two top Republican lawmakers are suing the panel that sets benefits for state workers in a bid to stop its members from meeting privately tomorrow to consider extending same sex benefits to the 84,000 commonwealth employees.
July 11, 2005
NJ Marks 1st Year of Domestic Partnership
Over 400 people showed up in Maplewood on Sunday, July 10, to celebrate the first year of the New Jersey Domestic Partnership and to call for full marriage rights.
June 29, 2005
NY DPs Get Burial Rights
The New York State Legislature passed a bill that provides domestic partners, both same-sex and opposite-sex, the ability to make decisions about the funerals of partners.
June 26, 2005
Penn State Adds DP Benefits
Penn State University is now formally offering health benefits to workers with same-sex partners, adding one of Pennsylvania's largest employers to the dozens of colleges and universities around the country offering such benefits.
June 23, 2005
Issues Affecting Same-Sex Couples
The New York State Bar Association's Special Committee to Study Issues Affecting Same Sex Couples has prepared a report that provides a detailed discussion and analysis of the legal and constitutional issues surrounding same-sex relationships, an examination of the approaches that have been used to address those issues, and a series of conclusions about ways in which the New York state Legislature might address this subject. (Originally issued in fall 2004)June 23, 2005
NJ Appellate Court Lets Seton Hall Continue GLBTI Discrimination
A student's efforts to establish a gay and lesbian group at Seton Hall University, a Roman Catholic institution, suffered a setback Wednesday when a state appeals court dismissed his lawsuit.
June 20, 2005
NJ Marriage Case Heading to Supreme Court
The fight to legalize gay marriage is headed to the highest court in New Jersey, where advocates say past decisions may give them an advantage.
June 18, 2005
NJ Minister Suspended Over Daughter's Wedding
Leaders of the Reformed Church in America suspended a New Jersey minister Friday night, ruling that he violated the Bible and the denomination's teachings when he officiated at his gay daughter's wedding.
June 14, 2005
Liberty PA Targets Santorum
The National Stonewall Democrats and a Pennsylvania political action group, Liberty PA, have formed a partnership to defeat Republican Senator Rick Santorum in 2006.
June 14, 2005
NJ Appeals Court Rejects Marriage Equality
A state appeals panel ruled Tuesday that New Jersey's Constitution does not require the recognition of gay marriage.
June 9, 2005
Legislative Action Updates
PRINCETON—This website is now tracking legislation that affects the New Jersey GLBTI community and that is currently before the New Jersey Legislature. If we have missed any legislation, please let us know by using our commenting system.
June 1, 2005
Are You a Registered Opposite-Sex Couple?
A reporter from the Associated Press is seeking to interview opposite-sex couples who have registered as domestic partners in New Jersey.
May 31, 2005
Central NJ LGBTI Community Survey
The Princeton Area Community Foundation (PACF) has established the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Partnership Fund to address the needs of central New Jersey's LGBT communities.
May 30, 2005
Lesbian Likely to Win Philadelphia Judge's Seat
Ann Butchart, a board member of the Liberty City Democratic Club, won the Democratic primary, almost assuring her election as Philadelphia's first openly gay judge.
May 26, 2005
NJ Lesbian Couple Wins Birth Certificate Battle
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) announced today that it successfully obtained a court order yesterday granting a lesbian couple the right to have both of their names listed on their child's birth certificate, pursuant to New Jersey's artificial insemination statute.
May 23, 2005
NY A.G. Voices Marriage Equality Support
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the man considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for New York governor has reaffirmed his support for same-sex marriage.
May 20, 2005
Briefs Filed in NY Marriage Equality Appeal
Lawyers for 13 same-sex couples told a New York court Thursday that state law preventing same-sex couples from marrying violates the equal protection, due process and free expression provisions of the New York Constitution.
May 14, 2005
NJ Allows DP to Sue for Loss of Consortium
Same sex couples in New Jersey will now be able to sue for a loss of consortium under a precedent-setting decision handed down by a judge in Newark.
May 3, 2005
Legislative Action Update
The following bills affecting the New Jersey GLBTI community were introduced or have had action taken on them recently.
May 2, 2005
Philadelphia Freedom Fest Honors GLBT Pioneers
A Methodist minister, an Episcopal bishop, a Canadian Primer Minister, and a gay pioneer who led one of the first protests were among those honored at Freedom Fest on Sunday.
April 29, 2005
Lesbian Minister to Be Reinstated
A Philadelphia Methodist minister, Elizabeth Stroud, defrocked last year for openly admitting to living with another woman has won her appeal against the church's decision, the United Methodist Church said on Friday.
April 23, 2005
There Is Hope for Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Democrat Robert P. Casey Jr. holds a 14-percentage-point lead over Republican Sen. Rick Santorum in the 2006 campaign for Santorum's seat, according to an independent poll released today.
April 22, 2005
Newark Teen's Murderer Receives 20 Year Sentence
NEWARK — A 30 year old man has has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for the murder of Sakia Gunn, a 15 year lesbian stabbed in a homophobic attack as she waited for a bus in in Newark in 2003.
April 7, 2005
NYC Extends Recognition to Same-Sex Relationships
NEW YORK — New York City will recognize same-sex marriages and civil unions - but only if they were performed outside the state in areas where they are already legal.
April 6, 2005
Date of Registration Required to Obtain DP Certificate
According to the registrar for Princeton Borough, an individual cannot obtain a copy of his or her certification of domestic partnership unless they provide complete information about the registration.March 29, 2005
PA Court Grants Visitation Rights to Lesbian Ex-partner
A woman should be able to visit her former partner's child, even though the birth mother does not want to her to do so, a Pennsylvania appeals court has ruled.
March 16, 2005
NJ Tax Court Grants Veterans' Tax Break to DP
A gay, disabled veteran who owns a home with his registered domestic partner should receive the same tax break that a married veteran would receive, a judge has ruled.March 10, 2005
NJ Seminary Head Forced to Quit Early Over Daughter's Wedding
The president of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary whose contract was not renewed after he performed the ceremony at his daughter's wedding to another woman has now been told to pack up and get out three months early.
March 8, 2005
NJ Legislation Advances DP Rights
The surviving partners of LGBT veterans would get a full property tax exemption under legislation being considered by the New Jersey legislature.March 4, 2005
Newark Man Pleads Guilty in Lesbian Teen's Death
NEWARK, NJ — A 30 year old man has pleaded guilty to the murder of Sakia Gunn, a 15 year lesbian stabbed in a homophobic attack as she waited for a bus in 2003....February 28, 2005
NJ Serial Killer on Trial for Gay Murders
TRENTON, NJ — A man accused of killing gay men and leaving their bodies along rural roads will stand trial in September....February 11, 2005
NJ Seminary President Loses Contract for Officiating at Daughter's Wedding
NEW BRUNSWICK — The New Brunswick Theological Seminary has ousted its president and reprimanded him for officiating at his gay daughter's wedding....
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