Bill Reintroduced in U.S. Senate To Remove Unfair Tax Burden On LGBT Families

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Created on Friday, 26 April 2013 16:24

Published on Friday, 26 April 2013 16:24

Written by Scott

Two US Senators, a Democrat and Republican, are introducing a bill that would help level the tax playing field for LGBT citizens. LGBTQ Nation reports:

U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Monday introducing the Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, a bill that would end the taxation of employer-provided health insurance for domestic partners, as well as the penalty imposed on employers who provide equal benefits to their LGBT employees. The bill, which was also introduced in the 112th Congress, addresses inequality in the U.S. tax code dealing with same-sex partners and spouses.

While the bill is highly unlikely to pass in the current gridlocked environment in Congress, we applaud Senators Collins and Schumer for making the attempt.

Why the GOP Is (Slowly) Coming Around on Marriage Equality

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Created on Sunday, 14 April 2013 13:10

Published on Sunday, 14 April 2013 13:10

Written by scott

Will the next Republican nominee for President support gay marriage? It is a question that was unthinkable years ago, but amid a rapid shift in public opinion and demographics, it is being seriously considered in GOP circles.

“At the rate this issue is changing within the party, I think it’s not out of the question,” said Margaret Hoover, a former George W. Bush White House aide and one of the leading Republican Party operatives calling for the recognition of same-sex marriages. “It’s not if, it’s when — 2016 or 2020,” said another Republican operative.

The confidence to even ask the question is buoyed by a sea change in Republican Party thinking on the issue over the past several weeks. Dozens of top party operatives and former politicians — including six former aides to Mitt Romney and seven current or former members of Congress — have signed onto an amicus brief supporting the legal challenge to California’s Proposition 8 in advance of oral arguments on the constitutionality of the gay-marriage ban. Ohio Senator Rob Portman endorsed gay marriage on Friday after revealing that his son is gay. And new polling has brought to light a clear shift in the opinions of Republicans and the nation at large.

Authored By Zeke J. Miller – See the Full Story at Time Magazine

Rep. Jim Costa Endorses Marriage Equality

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Created on Saturday, 20 April 2013 19:32

Published on Saturday, 20 April 2013 19:32

Written by Scott

Just as US Senate Democrats opposed to marriage equality quickly dwindled last month, House Democrats are doing the same. The latest – California representative Jim Costa. Towleroad reports:

“In the San Joaquin Valley, family always comes first but what that family looks like is not always the same. While I respect the opinion of those who might disagree, I support marriage for all couples who wish to make this life-long commitment.”

The six remaining house Democrats? Cedric Richmond (LA), Kurt Schrader (OR), David Scott (GA), Terry Sewell (AL), Bennie Thompson (MS), and freshman Filemon Vela (TX).

Why So Many US Senators Come Out for Marriage Equality Lately?

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Created on Sunday, 07 April 2013 13:33

Published on Sunday, 07 April 2013 13:41

Written by Scott

Why has the last month seen such a rush of Senators supporting marriage equality? Nate Silver, our community’s statistics guru, explains. From 538.com:

The hypothesis implied by the model is that this timing reflects when same-sex marriage began to reach a national majority (or at least a plurality) in some polls. Otherwise, it is hard to understand why same-sex marriage endorsements increased considerably in the Senate in 2011. Democrats had just come off a very bad election year, in which they were punished by voters in part for being too liberal. President Obama had not yet endorsed same-sex marriage. It had not yet won any victories at the ballot booth (as it would in 2012). However, by 2011, it had become possible to argue that support for same-sex marriage had become the majority position. By extension, it was also reaching majority status in more and more states. The perception of majority status may influence the politics of the issue in profound ways. Mr. Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage last year may have been typical in this sense. Once it became arguable that support for same-sex marriage represented a majority view, it became harder for a blue-state Democratic president not to support it.

So basically it’s because marriage equality is now perceived to be be the majority position, and the Supreme Court hearings just goosed the whole thing along. But will it last?

While there will almost certainly be a few more endorsements over the next year or two, it’s very likely that the rate of increase will slow down. Some of this is just a mathematical necessity: a bounded quantity (there are only 100 senators) cannot continue to grow exponentially forever. More than that, however, if the recent cavalcade of endorsements is caused in part by senators perceiving that same-sex marriage has potentially become the national majority position, endorsements will begin to decelerate once it has become unambiguously the majority stance. Some senators will continue to oppose it, either because it does not yet constitute a majority position in their states (like Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, they may say it should be decided at the state level), or because they oppose it on moral grounds, or because they are more concerned about a primary challenge than the general election.

So let’s keep the pressure on the Democratic Senators now (strike while the iron is hot, and all that)!

Politico says that even with the change of heart, Senators are being remarkably careful about how they’re endorsing marriage equality:

There’s clearly a new playbook for senators just now coming out for gay marriage: quietly post something on Facebook, slip it into your Tumblr feed or release a statement to friendly media outlets. What most lawmakers are not doing is talking for the cameras… But for all the hoopla over their announcements, combined with media coverage of last month’s Supreme Court arguments on the issue, these moments are scripted to be public — but not too public. There’s little footage available for opponents to use in the next campaign or live interviews with reporters who might ask difficult or inconvenient questions. The fact that so many of these announcements are coming from lawmakers who are retiring or just reelected helps make it even safer for them to take a stand.

Gotta be gay friendly. But not too gay friendly, if you know what I mean.

Which GOP Senators might be next? Elahe Izadi at the National Journal has some guesses:

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – What she’s said: If there’s only one more Republican that flips, it’s probably going to be Murkowski. She told the Chugiak-Eagle River Star that her views are “evolving” but stopped short of endorsing gay marriage. “I think it’s important to acknowledge that there is a change afoot in this country in terms of how marriage is viewed,” she told the paper.

The political calculus: Murkowski indicated that where she falls on gay marriage could depend on where Alaskans stand. The state passed an amendment in 1998 that defines marriage as between a man and woman. But there are signs that it’s not political suicide to support gay marriage even in a heavily Republican state like Alaska. Her Democratic colleague, Sen. Mark Begich, has come out in favor of gay marriage, and he is up for reelection in 2014.

Hit the link above for the other four.