Equally Speaking
Equally Speaking
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
In our top story on HRC's daily newscast, marriage equality could be on its way to California. Today, a state Assembly committee is set to consider a bill that would extend marriage rights to same-sex couples in the Golden State. But if the bill passes, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will veto it again. The California Legislature passed a marriage equality bill two years ago, only to have it vetoed by Schwarzenegger.
Sunday was the White House’s Easter Egg Roll, and once again this year, dozens of GLBT families joined in the festivities. Wearing rainbow-colored leis, same-sex couples and their children showed onlookers that families come in all shapes and sizes. The gay families’ participation, organized by Family Pride, did not raise nearly as much attention as it did last year, when right-wing groups protested the event.
A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for a hate crime attack against Kevin Aviance. The openly gay singer had been leaving a popular gay bar in New York when he was beaten by four men yelling homophobic slurs. All four recently pled guilty to assault. The other three attackers still await sentencing.
Turning to international news, in Nepal, a lesbian couple reportedly escaped, after being held captive for more than a month. The two young women, ages 16 and 20, had been on their way to work when Maoist guerilla forces kidnapped them. The women said they were beaten until they renounced homosexuality. Finally, the couple escaped and sought refuge with a GLBT rights group. Nepal’s government is notorious for human rights abuses against GLBT people.
A new study has found that Japan’s GLBT residents have tremendous buying power. The nation’s 2.7 million GLBT people represent a market worth 6.6 trillion yen # or $55 billion. The marketing company that conducted the study also found that GLBT Japanese people spent significantly more on cosmetics and international travel than their straight counterparts.