Today in History: July 23

Federal Judge Strikes Down Colorado's Marriage Ban- July 23, 2014

The Order from Burns v. Hickenlooper:

Astronaut Sally Ride Dies- July 23, 2012

From Slate:

Sally Ride was very good at keeping secrets. As the first American woman in space, she protected countless confidences during a lifetime of public appearances. During her post-NASA years, she regularly wrote and reviewed classified government material on high-profile commissions. When she died in 2012 of pancreatic cancer, a diagnosis hidden from all but a tiny handful of family and close friends, I started unraveling the mysteries for her biography. She was a brilliant, mischievous enigma.

But the most surprising revelation was the one that came at the end of her obituary: that for 27 years, she’d been in a loving relationship with another woman, Tam O’Shaughnessy. The collective gasp from an admiring public reverberated for days. A small minority complained that she’d squandered an opportunity to speak out for their rights. A few spouted homophobic hatred. Selfishly, as her pal of more than three decades, I was stunned; hurt, that I did not know Sally fully, that I could not celebrate her happiness with Tam. Then I thought, why does her sexual orientation matter? Finally, I got it.

Complaint Filed in Appling v. Doyle- July 23, 2009

Appling v. Doyle was case from Wisconsin where a petitioner (Appling) filed suit against the  State of Wisconsin trying to bar domestic partnerships, which provided limited legal rights such as hospital visitation rights to same sex couples.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Supporters of Wisconsin's ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions Thursday asked the state Supreme Court to declare a system of recognizing domestic partnerships unconstitutional.

Under a provision that was part of the budget Gov. Jim Doyle signed in June, couples will be able to apply for a declaration of domestic partnership with their county of residence starting next month.

The lawsuit filed against the state says that allowing such domestic partnerships establishes a legal status that resembles marriage - which the suit calls a violation of the state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and any identical or substantially similar legal status. 

Today in History: July 22

Federal Judge Orders Ohio to Recognize Obergefell & Arthur's Marriage- July 22, 2013

From Buzzfeed:

A federal judge in Ohio ordered state officials Monday to recognize the marriage of two men that was performed in Maryland on the death certificate of an Ohio resident in hospice care who the judge says “is certain to die soon.”

“The end result here and now is that the local Ohio Registrar of death certificates is hereby ORDERED not to accept for recording a death certificate for John Arthur that does not record Mr. Arthur’s status at death as ‘married’ and James Obergefell as his ‘surviving spouse,’” Judge Timothy Black wrote in granting the couple a temporary restraining order Monday. The order is in effect until 5 p.m. Aug. 5, unless the court extends the order at a later date.

“By treating lawful same sex marriages differently than it treats lawful opposite sex marriages,” the judge concluded, Ohio’s 2004 constitutional amendment banning recognition of same-sex couples’ marriages and Ohio’s statute addressing the same issue “likely violate[] the United States Constitution.”

Today in History: July 21

Obama Signs Executive Order on LGBT Workplace Discrimination- July 21, 2014

From the Whitehouse's Youtube Account:

GA Grad Student Files Complaint over LGBT Sensitivity Training- July 21, 2010

From ABC News:

Backed by the Alliance Defense Fund, Jennifer Keeton has filed suit against Augusta State University after, she said, school officials threatened to dismiss her from its counseling program when she refused to participate in a "remediation" plan to increase her tolerance of gays and lesbians after she made it known that she believed homosexuality was a personal choice[...]

According to the lawsuit, which included several e-mails between Keeton and faculty, school officials said that they weren't trying to change her views or religious beliefs, but that it was "unethical" for her to apply her own personal viewpoints to other people "and not truly accepting that others can have different beliefs and values that are equally valid as your own."

W. Mark Hamilton, executive director of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, said he couldn't speak to the specific lawsuit against Augusta State University, but that's it's not unreasonable that a student be requested to take additional diversity training.

From the ACLU:

Jennifer Keeton, a student at Augusta State University (ASU), sought a court order requiring ASU to reinstate her in a graduate-level counseling program even though she insisted on a right – rooted in her religious beliefs – to counsel lesbian, gay and bisexual clients that being gay is immoral. ASU's counseling program requires its graduate students to adhere to the American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics, which prohibits counselors from discriminating based on sexual orientation, among other characteristics, and requires them to avoid imposing their values on their clients.  

Today in History: July 20

Canada Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in All Provinces- July 20, 2005

From the CBC:

Legislation giving same-sex couples the legal right to marry received royal assent on Wednesday and is now the law of the land.

In a late-night vote on Tuesday, the Senate approved the Liberal government's controversial Bill C-38 by a 46-22 vote. Three senators abstained.

The historic vote comes after gay and lesbian couples launched lawsuits in different provinces demanding the right to marry.

Today in History: July 19

Bloomberg Announce Lottery for First Day Same Sex Marriages- July 19, 2011

From CNN:

On July 24, the first day New York's recently passed marriage law goes into effect, the city will conduct a public lottery to allow 764 couples to marry, according to a state press statement Tuesday.

Bloomberg, Council Speaker Christine Quinn and City Clerk Michael McSweeney made the announcement due to the high demand for services, they said in the announcement. The lottery, which started at noon Tuesday, will remain open until noon Thursday on the City Clerk's website.

Today in History: July 18

10th Circuit Rule on Bishop v. Smith- July 18, 2014

From the Washington Blade:

The ban on same-sex marriage in Oklahoma violates the constitutional rights of same-sex couples living in the state, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the case of Bishop v. Smith that Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional on the basis of a similar decision the court reached against Utah’s marriage ban.

Writing for the majority in a 46-page decision, U.S. Circuit Judge Carlos Lucero, a Clinton appointee, said the court’s ruling in the Oklahoma case “is governed by our ruling” in the Utah lawsuit, Kitchen v. Herbert.

Senate Confirms First Out Gay Man For Federal Bench- July 18, 2011

From the Washington Blade:

The U.S. Senate made history on Monday by confirming for the first time ever an openly gay male to serve as a federal judge.

By a vote of 80-13, the Senate confirmed J. Paul Oetken, whom President Obama nominated in January to sit on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. A simple majority was required to confirm Oetken.

Today in History: July 17

EEOC Rules on LGBT Discrimination- July 17, 2015

From the Hill:

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that existing federal protections against workplace discrimination based on sex also apply to sexual orientation.

In its opinion, following a 3-2 vote, the EEOC said " 'sexual orientation' as a concept cannot be defined or understood without reference to sex," The Washington Post reported.

The final ruling, which stems from a complaint filed in 2012 by a man who claimed he was denied a job because he is gay, constitutes the EEOC’s official interpretations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the primary statute governing employment discrimination claims against both public and private employers that will guide future EEOC enforcement of federal nondiscrimination laws.

Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in the UK- July 17, 2013

From the BBC:

Same-sex couples will be able to get married in England and Wales after new measures became law.

The government's controversial legislation on the issue received Royal Assent on Wednesday.

The Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat leaderships all backed the proposals, which were finally approved by MPs and peers earlier this week.

It is expected that the first gay and lesbian wedding ceremonies will take place by summer next year.

Protests begin over COO of Chick-Fil-A Comments & Donations- July 17, 2012 

From the Advocate:

Dan Cathy, the chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, said there is no denying that his company opposes marriage equality.

Cathy said that he does not feel right billing Chick-fil-A as a Christian business because, as Christian business mentor Fred Roach once said, "There is no such thing as a Christian business ... Christ never died for a corporation."

However, Cathy told the Baptist Press he aims to operate the restaurant chain "on biblical principles." When asked whether his company had an established position against marriage equality, Cathy said, "guilty as charged."