Log Cabin Republicans files suit over "don't ask, don't tell"


The gay political group Log Cabin Republicans planned to file a lawsuit Tuesday in a federal district court in Los Angeles to overturn the U.S. government's "don't ask, don't tell" policy covering gays in the military. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy, put into place in 1993 during the Clinton administration, allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military as long as they do not disclose their sexual orientation and do not engage in homosexual acts.

Log Cabin members serving in the military asked the group's leaders over the past four months to take legal action, the group's attorney, Marty Meekins, said Tuesday. They did not come forward because of a specific incident but simply because "of fear of the military finding out their sexual orientation if they are gay and lesbian," Meekins said. "This case is fundamentally about correcting a misguided governmental policy based on prejudice toward gay and lesbian Americans," he added.

While it's not the first challenge of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, Log Cabin officials say they are encouraged by a historic Supreme Court decision in 2003 that struck down a Texas law that made gay sex a crime. The court, in the ruling, said that what gay men and women do in the privacy of their bedrooms is their business and not the domain of government.


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Baby 'J' Gets Two Moms
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff


(Cincinnati, Ohio) An Ohio appeals court unanimously ruled Tuesday that lesbian and gay couples must be allowed to protect their relationships with children they are raising together.

The case involved Cheryl and Jennifer McKetrick who were denied a shared custody agreement for their child, "Baby J," by a Warren County court last year.

Breaking from legal precedent, the lower court found that because Cheryl and Jennifer might provide some security for "Baby J" through other documents like powers of attorney or wills, the court didn't need to approve a formal custody agreement.

Today, the 12th District of Ohio Appeals Court overturned the lower-court ruling. The judgment said that a child "benefits from having two caregivers, legally responsible for his welfare. Both will have the ability to make medical decision on his behalf and be able to interact with teachers and school administers without executing additional documents."