Florida state Sen. Nan Rich is trying to revive a bill to allow gay foster parents to adopt, a move that would overturn the state’s decades-old prohibition. (Photo by Steve Cannon/AP)
Mass. chief justice unfazed by ‘activist judge’ label
Wash. gay rights repeal bid loses momentum
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(Gay)
Friday, March 17, 2006
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A bill is faltering that would let gay foster parents in Florida adopt children already in their care, but two legislators and advocates tried to drum up support for it last week before two Senate committees. A group of social workers, child advocates, foster parents and clergy members came to the capitol March 9 to support a bill that would modify Florida’s decades-old ban against gay adoption. "I just want to make it clear. The bill is not dead on the Senate side. It can be brought up at any time during the next 58 days of session," said Sen. Nan Rich (D-Sunrise). Opponents say the best environment for a child is in a mother-father household and placing children in gay homes would keep them from one day finding heterosexual adoptive parents. Florida is one of only a handful of states that bans all adoptions by gay adults, whether single or coupled. The National Center for Lesbian Rights also issued a report this month that concluded the state of Florida risks $220 million in federal funds if it does not do a better job of finding permanent adoptive homes for foster children, a task made much more difficult by the ban on adoption by gay foster parents.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Local libraries could face new guidelines adopted by an Oklahoma house panel March 8 to require materials with sexually explicit or gay themes to be removed from general reading areas for children and young adults, library officials said. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City), would withhold state funds from public libraries that do not place the materials in a special area of the library. The guidelines have already been adopted by the state’s two largest library systems, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, but officials said small libraries may have a hard time complying. "We’re really concerned about it," said Jeanie Johnson, president of the Oklahoma Library Association. "The idea that we would restrict books really restricts freedoms."
ATLANTA — Despite bipartisan, the Georgia Senate Rules Committee killed a hate crimes bill March 9 that would increase penalties for crimes motivated by bias against a variety of categories. Bill sponsor Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) vowed to fight for a hate crimes bill again in 2007. The bill was introduced in response to a 2004 decision by the Georgia Supreme Court that overturned the state’s existing hate crimes law. The new measure passed the Senate Judiciary Committee March 7 by an 8-3 vote, with support from both Democrats and Republicans. Chuck Bowen, executive director of statewide gay group Georgia Equality, said politics are being placed ahead of people. "How many victims does it take for our elected officials to realize that hatred and violence based on prejudice is not welcome in our state?" he said.
LONDON — The-British government took measures on March 13 aimed at outlawing discrimination by pubs, hotels and restaurants against gay customers, the Manchester Evening News reported. A notice was published seeking views over the next few weeks on banning discrimination based on sexuality in such public accommodations. "It’s easy to forget how far we have come in the past eight years," said Trade & Industry Secretary Alan Johnson, the Manchester Evening News reported. "We have repealed Clause 28 [banning discussion of homosexuality in schools], equalized the age of consent for gay men and introduced civil partnerships. Now we are going even further."
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Protesters who target the funerals of U.S. soldiers or anyone else will have to stand back at least 1,000 feet under a bill the state House passed unanimously March 9. Passage came just two weeks after anti-gay picketers disrupted the funeral of a local soldier killed in Iraq. The Senate is expected to follow suit. Members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church picketed the Anoka funeral and have targeted similar funerals around the country. The group’s message is that God is allowing U.S. soldiers to be killed because the U.S. is too tolerant of gays. More than a dozen other states have passed or are considering similar legislation in response to the Kansas group, which has previously protested at the funerals of those who have died of AIDS and of some hate crime victims, including Wyoming’s Matthew Shepard.
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