The California Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments on the issue of whether the proponents of Proposition 8 have legal standing to appeal a ruling that found the law to be unconstitutional. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the court "signaled" that it appeared to agree that the proponents of Proposition 8 have legal standing to defend the law. The hearing came at the behest of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The American Foundation for Equal Rights posted a video of the press conference the organization held after the hearing.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a temporary block on a law, signed by Gov. Jan Brewer in 2009, that sought to take health protections away from the domestic partners of gay and lesbian Arizona state employees. Lambda Legal's Tara Borelli responded to the ruling and said, "Today's decision [...] means Arizona's lesbian and gay state employees will not suddenly find themselves without vital family health coverage."
A study appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association found that the medical schools surveyed spent five hours on average on curriculum related to LGBT patients. More than a quarter of the medical school deans surveyed said their school's coverage of related topics was "poor" or "very poor." Earlier this year, the Institute of Medicine reported that there is little research to guide doctors in the treatment of LGBT people.
The Department of Health and Human Services this week announced new guidance to support enforcement of rules that protect the rights of patients to choose their own visitors during hospital stays. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius: "Couples take a vow to be with each other in sickness and in health and it is unacceptable that, in the past, some same-sex partners were denied the right to visit their loved ones in times of need.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a second lawsuit is expected to be filed Friday against the Atlanta Police Department on behalf of some of the patrons of the Atlanta Eagle who were involved in the 2009 raid on the establishment. The suit will include men who came forward too late to be part of the first case, as well as those who initially stayed out of the issue for professional reasons.
Two separate news conferences were held Tuesday in support of and in opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment aiming to ban marriage for same-sex couples in North Carolina. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and other state officials are scheduled to attend a fundraiser for Equality Maryland on Wednesday.. O’Malley is scheduled to be joined by Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Attorney General Doug Gansler and Comptroller Peter Franchot.
The View co-host Joy Behar on Tuesday discussed why she married her longtime partner Steve Janowitz. Behar recounted the story of a lesbian she knows who was prevented from visiting her partner in the hospital, and cited New York’s new marriage equality law as part of the reason behind why she tied the knot.
In other New York marriage news, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Tim Gill, and Paul Singer are scheduled to chair a fundraiser for Republican New York state Senators James Alesi, Mark Grisanti, Roy McDonald, and Stephen Saland. The National Organization for Marriage is targeting Alesi, Grisanti McDonald and Saland because of their voites in favor of marriage equality legislation in June.