Ten Things You Should Know

Ten Things You Should Know

Ten important things to know in the LGBT community

1. Serviceman from Arizona marries as DADT ends

A officer in the U.S. Navy and his same-sex partner were married at midnight on Sept. 20, just as the repeal of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy formally took effect. Lt. Gary Ross and his partner of 11 years, Daniel Swezy, reportedly traveled from their home in Tucson to be married in Vermont, a location selected in part because the state is in the Eastern Time Zone. Vermont is one of six states that have legalized same-sex marriage. The men's Tucson home is about two hours from Fort Huachuca near the Mexican border.

2. Social Security ends gender matching practices

The Social Security Administration has has ended the practice of allowing gender to be matched in its Social Security Number Verification System. This will result in the cessation of the agency's practice of sending notifications that alert employers when the gender marker on an employee's W-2 does not match Social Security records. A Freedom of Information Act request showed that 711,488 gender no-match letters were sent in 2010. "Alerting employers about differences in someone's gender threatened people's jobs and did not accomplish what this verification system was designed for," said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

3. GOP debate audience boos gay solider

Several members of the audience at a debate of Republican presidential candidates in Florida booed a gay soldier who asked via video whether the Republican candidates would reinstitute the recently repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy banning openly gay soldiers from military service. After Stephen Hill, who is serving in the Army in Iraq, asked his question, a handful of people could be heard booing. None of the candidates responded to the audience's reaction.

4. Marriage proposal advances in Great Britain

Liberal Democrat Lynne Featherstone has unveiled plans that could legalize same-sex marriage before 2015 in Great Britain. Featherstone announced that a consultation will begin next March on allowing homosexuals to get married. Prime Minister David Cameron's office made it clear that he had taken a strong personal interest in the move, and had insisted that progress be speeded up.

5. Bachmann says bullying not a federal issue

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is coming under fire from LGBT advocates for saying anti-gay bullying isn't a problem for the federal government. At a rally in Costa Mesa, Calif., Bachmann was asked what she intends to do about the rash of anti-gay school bullying in the Minnesota district that she represents in the U.S. House. Bachmann reportedly said: "That's not a federal issue."

6. Judge rules for release of Prop. 8 trial video

A federal judge has ruled that the video records of the trial leading to Proposition 8 being found unconstitutional should be released to the public. Marriage parity advocates hailed the verdict, which names Sept. 30 as the date when the records can be made available to the public. Proponents of marriage equality had long decried the Supreme Court directive that the trial not be broadcast on YouTube and via closed-circuit television to courthouses around the nation, as the federal judge in the case, Vaughn Walker, had initially agreed to do.

7. Iowa could revisit same-sex marriage rights

The resignation of a Democratic member of the Iowa Senate, where Democrats hold a one-seat majority, could lead to a vote on a constitutional amendment to end marriage equality there if a Republican captures the seat in November. Sen. Swati Dandekar resigned her seat to accept an appointment to the Iowa Utilities Board. Her district has more registered Republicans than Democrats. Same-sex marriage became legal in Iowa in 2009 after a court case. In 2010, state voters removed some judges involved in the decision.

8. N.H. House to consider repealing same-sex marriage

A House subcommittee in New Hampshire has approved a bill that would repeal the state's gay marriage law and bring back a form of civil unions. The full House cannot vote on the bill until 2012. The bill would allow both same-sex couples and heterosexual couples to form civil unions. The bill preserves marriage for gays who have married under the current law. New Hampshire law allowing gay couples to marry took effect in January 2010.

9. Michigan legislation would bar partner benefits

The Michigan House of Representatives has approved two pieces of legislation which will prohibit Michigan's public employers from offering benefits to unmarried partners of employees. Several lawmakers slammed the legislation as violating several Michigan constitutional provisions. Among those highlighted were the independence of the state's universities, the Michigan Civil Service Commission's authority to set benefits and compensation for state employees and provisions which provide for local control.

10. N.Y. teen who did "It Gets Better" video found dead

Jamey Rodemeyer recorded an "It Gets Better" video last spring in which he said, "I promise you, it will get better." But despite his words of encouragement to other gay teens, the 14-year-old Buffalo, N.Y., boy apparently ended his own life. Rodemeyer had blogged about being the target of homophobic bullies who harassed him online. "I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens," Jamey posted on Sept. 9, local newspaper the Buffalo News reported. "What do I have to do so people will listen to me?" -E