University Senate passes transgender protections
Board of Regents must approve code change
By Heather Keels
The University Senate approved the addition of gender identity and expression discrimination protections to the Campus Human Relations Code yesterday, expressed support for universitywide course evaluations and debated for nearly an hour on suggested improvements to faculty appointment, promotion and tenure procedures.

The vote to approve the discrimination protections at yesterday's meeting was unanimous, reflecting the senate's original vote on the proposal last spring. The new vote approves a change in the definitions of gender identity and gender expression to match Baltimore legislation, but the new version must still pass the Board of Regents.

Senators also voted overwhelmingly in support of course evaluations, but only after stripping the recommendation to state that the senate recommends universitywide requirements for student evaluations in all undergraduate and graduate courses. Senators quibbled over the use of the words "all" and "courses," arguing that some learning experiences are not suited for evaluation.

Details of the course evaluations, including the specific questions, mechanisms for filling them out, incentives for completing them and availability to students are still being developed by a committee, and will come before the senate later.


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Gay union ban awaits House vote

BY STEVE PAINTER
The Wichita Eagle
TOPEKA - The House of Representatives is expected to vote today on a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

House leaders postponed a vote scheduled Monday because two Republican members were absent, said House Majority Leader Clay Aurand, R-Courtland. Rep. Larry Powell, R-Kalvesta, and Rep. Dan Williams, R-Olathe, were out of state on personal business.

The proposed amendment defines marriage as a civil contract between one man and one woman only. It also includes language aimed at prohibiting recognition of civil unions in Kansas or from other states.


Earlier this session, the House approved a similar proposal with four more than the 84 votes required for a two-thirds majority


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More clerks plan to ignore marriage-form residency rule
By Yvonne Abraham and Matthew Rodriguez, Globe Staff And Globe Correspondent  | 

With the issuance of marriage licenses to gay couples just 12 days away, more Massachusetts communities say they will probably defy Governor Mitt Romney's directive to ask same-sex couples for proof of residency when they apply for permission to marry.

Clerks in Northampton and Lowell said yesterday they hope to ignore Romney's instructions. Other clerks said yesterday that they were also considering refusing to ask for proof of residency, but will decide after they attend training sessions on the new procedures, the first of which is slated in Barnstable today.

"I'm pretty angry over the whole thing, that we have to be the residency police," said Northampton Clerk Wendy Mazza, who is seeking an opinion from her city's attorney on the legality of ignoring the governor's directive. "This has never been an issue before. Now all of a sudden, it's an issue. When a couple comes in here, they sign an [oath] that there is no impediment to their marriage, and that's as far as any city clerk should have to take it."

Lowell Clerk Richard C. Johnson said that once gay marriage is legal in the state, beginning May 17, he will not ask gay couples for proof of their Massachusetts residency because he is "trying to treat everyone equally, and presently, we do not ask heterosexual couples whether or not they are residents of Massachusetts."


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County commission to introduce gay marriage resolution
PNT Staff
new mexico
All signs point towards the approval of a resolution of No. 04-06, prohibiting the issuance of marriage license to couples of the same sex in Roosevelt County in today’s county commission meeting.

Roosevelt County Clerk Joyce Fraze said originally, the commissioners were going to pass a ordinance to disallow the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but she said it would take 30 days to pass the ordinance and they would need to advertise the ordinance and hold public hearings.

Instead, the county attorneys recommended a resolution. A resolution makes prohibits county clerks from granting marriage licenses, while an ordinance states that the clerk can be arrested for trying to issue a license.

Fraze said the state law currently reads, “a male and female applicant must sign the marriage certificate.”