March 01, 2004 - 05:27pm [US West]

Contact: Geoffrey Kors, EQCA Executive Director, 415-596-6810
FIRST SAME-SEX COUPLE MARRIED IN U.S. AND CALIFORNIA’S LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION MOVE TO JOIN CASES BEFORE SUPREME COURT
Equality California and Five Couples are Represented by NCLR, ACLU and Lambda
SAN FRANCISCO- Equality California and five couples, including Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, today filed requests to intervene in two lawsuits before the California Supreme Court in order to defend the interests of lesbian and gay couples who have married or who wish to marry. Equality California, California’s advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and the couples have already been granted the right to participate as parties in the two other Superior Court lawsuits filed by anti-gay groups seeking to stop San Francisco from treating same-sex couples equally. Equality California and the couples are represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal and the ACLU in those lawsuits as well.
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HRC DENOUNCES ROLLBACK OF RIGHTS AND POSSIBLE COVER UP IN U.S. OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL
Marks Second Major Assault on Gay Civil Rights in Ten Days
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign today strongly denounced the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) for actively trying to roll back a 23 year old interpretation of a statute that prevents federal workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. The OSC is the office responsible for investigating and prosecuting federal workplace discrimination, and in recent weeks has removed all information about filing claims of discrimination based on sexual orientation from its website and handbooks.


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MARIN ORGANIZATIONS URGE COUNTY OFFICIALS TO OPPOSE PROPOSED DISCRIMINATORY CONSTITUTIONAL MARRIAGE BAN
Key leaders, including San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Mabel Teng, to address impact on Marin Monday, March 15th.
San Anselmo - Spectrum Center of Marin criticized President George W. Bush for advocating the unprecedented addition of a discriminatory constitutional amendment that would ban same-gender marriages, and announced a community forum to discuss its impact on Marin residents. The event is scheduled for Monday, March 15, 2004 from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at the Acqua Hotel Conference Center, 555 Redwood Highway, Mill Valley. "With the marriage issue coming to the fore in local, state and national politics and affecting the lives of thousands of families in Marin, we believe it is critical for the community to be informed," said Spectrum Executive Director Paula Pilecki. "Most Marin residents do not know of the vast differences between civil marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships; nor do they know that a constitutional amendment could reverse existing protections, including such basic rights as hospital visitation."