Compiled by Dawn Wolfe Gutterman
Politics
Transgender Republican takes on Blunt
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Midge Potts, a self-described fiscal conservative and Eisenhower Republican is running a one-person primary campaign against five-term congressman and House Majority Whip Roy Blunt in southwest Missouri's 7th District.
Potts transitioned from male to female over two years and is one of Missouri's first openly transgender political candidates.
Potts' campaign web site is http://www.pottsforcongress.com.
Family Rights
Catholic adoption agencies not penalized for refusing gays
BOSTON – Catholic adoption agencies won't be penalized by the state for refusing to consider gays and lesbians as adoptive parents, though doing so violates state anti-discrimination laws.
The state Department of Early Education, which regulates adoption agencies, said it is not taking action because Gov. Mitt Romney has proposed legislation that could allow the agencies to refrain from considering gays on religious grounds.
Court: Same-sex couples can jointly file for adoption
INDIANAPOLIS – Unmarried couples, including those of the same sex, can adopt a child through a joint petition that gives both partners equal custody simultaneously, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled April 13.
The 2-1 ruling involved a lesbian couple whose attempt to adopt an infant girl was approved by a judge in one county but denied by a judge in another.
The decision overturned a ruling by a Morgan Circuit Court judge who opposed the joint petition of Becki Hamilton and Kim Brennan because he said Indiana law limits adoption to married couples and individuals. State law prohibits recognition of equal marriage rights.
Civil Rights
Group petitions to get Cincinnati gay-rights issue on ballot
CINCINNATI – A group opposing a city ordinance update that extends discrimination protection to gay people has blocked the change from taking effect by asking that the matter go before voters.
Citizens for Community Values, which pushed Ohio's discriminatory marriage amendment in 2004, said on April 14 they submitted signatures of 14,000 to 15,000 city residents who want to see the issue on the November ballot.
The Hamilton County Board of elections must verify the signatures before the petition can be accepted.
The City Council voted in March to add gays and transgender people to its human right ordinance, which protects people from discrimination based on race, gender, age, color, religion, disability status, marital status or ethnic, national or Appalachian regional origin.
National Security
ACLU challenges Air Force's discharge of lesbian major
SEATTLE – The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the U.S. Air Force Reserves' discharge of a decorated major and flight nurse who had been in a lesbian relationship for several years.
Maj. Margaret Witt, 42, of Spokane, was discharged last month, about a year and a half after the Air Force placed her on unpaid leave, telling her she could no longer take part in any military duties.
During her 18-year career, Witt served in the Persian Gulf and received various honors, including the Air Force Commendation Medal for saving the life of a Department of Defense employee who had collapsed aboard a government-chartered flight from Bahrain.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction barring Witt's discharge and a declaration that doing so would violate her rights to engage in private activities without government interference.
