February 2a 2004 • Ju st out 2 1
HTinTTTiTI news
S O MANY SHOES...'
Calif., that was set to consider relocating to
Cleveland if Taft vetoed the measure.
“This bill is a giant step backward for the
state of Ohio,” said Patrick Guerriero, Log
Cabin Republicans executive director. “Gov.
Taft, part of a legendary family in Republican
history, did grave disservice to our party.”
Ohio becomes the 39th state with a law
banning marriage rights for same-sex couples;
however, no other state prohibits the exten
sion of benefits to all unmarried couples.
South Carolina state Rep. G loria Haskins, a
Republican, introduced a measure Jan. 29
that also would prohibit such benefits for
unmarried couples.
TENNESSEE
he Tennessee Court of Appeals will re
consider a lower court order that prevents a
gay father from “exposing” his son to his partner,
the American Civil Liberties Union of Ten
nessee announced Feh. 9.
During Joe Hogue’s divorce, the lower
court judge issued a restraining order barring
him from “taking the child around or other
wise exposing the child to his gay lover(s)
and/or his gay lifestyle." In September 2002,
Hogue was found in contempt of the order
and was sentenced to two days in jail after his
ex-wife complained that he told his son that
he was gay. The judge also significantly
reduced Hogue’s visitation with his son and
gave the ex-wife all decision-making power
over the child.
Hogue appealed the contempt charge to the
Tennessee Court of Appeals, which cleared him
in January because revealing his sexual orienta
tion to his son was not part of the restraining
order. However, the court went on to say that
the restraining order was valid. Folkwing a
request by the A C LU , the court has agreed to
reconsider its decision.
“For two years now, I have had to hide an
important part of my life from my son. 1 hope
the court will understand that visitation restric
tions like these deny children honest relation
ships with their parents,” Hogue said. “It’s hard
to teach your child how to he honest and stand
up for what’s right if you aren’t even allowed to
be tmthful about who you are.”
T
A California country club denied benefits to B. Birgit Koebke and Kendall French because
they are gay
benefits to married couples and occasionally to
engaged couples in these circumstances.
The Labor Department as well as the U n
employment Insurance Appeal Board initially
denied Newland’s request for benefits. Last June,
after the ACLU filed suit, the hoard agreed to
reconsider its ruling.
“The Department of Labor understands that
love and commitment makes a family,” said
Alan Van Capelle, Empire State Pride Agenda
executive director. “We applaud the depart
ment’s decision to permanently change its poli
cy to recognize that all New York families need
to he supported hy their government.”
The Labor Department outlined its change
of policy in a letter to the hoard, asking it to give
Newland the benefits. It pointed out that, like
married couples, unmarried couples in commit
ted relationships may also have “gcxxl cause” for
leaving a job to follow their partners.'
Because of the change of policy, gay and les
bian New Yorkers who relo
cate to he with their part
ners can seek unemploy
ment benefits. Couples in
this position will have to
provide proof of a “long
term committed relation
ship."
have been domestic partners since 1993, the club
refuses to recognize their relationship and forces
them to pay additional greens fees whenever
French seeks to play golf as Koebke’s “guest.”
Since 1995, Koebke has worked to obtain a
change to the membership transfer policy, citing
heterosexual couples who were not married but
able to extend club privileges to their partners. By
excluding Koebke and French from its membership
transfer policy. Lambda Legal says, the club is in
violation of state laws prohibiting discrimination
based on sexual orientation, marital status and sex.
“Other members have their ‘better half’ rec
ognized and accepted at the club, while Kendall
is only my ‘guest,’ ” Koebke said. “We just want
to he treated equally and play golf together. It’s
not rocket science.”
OHIO
hio banned marriage and marriage-related
benefits for same-sex and other unmarried
couples Feh. 6. The law not 1
GEO R G IA
only prohibits any recogni
tion of marriages between
.S. Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., who has com-
same-sex couples hut also
mitted to campaign for the re-
precludes the “recognition
election of President
or extension of the specific
Bush, voiced support
statutory benefits of a legal
Feh. 9 for the anti-gay
marriage” to any unmarried
Federal Marriage Amend
ment. He is the only
couple.
C A L IF O R N IA
It also prevents state
Democratic senator in
employees from ever re favor of the proposal.
A state appeals court
ceiving health insurance
“Sen.
Miller
has
heard arguments Feb. 9
benefits for their unmarried
turned his hack on thou
in the case of a San Diego
sands of Georgia families
partners. Additionally, out-
lesbian couple whose coun
as well as his own party,” Zell Miller
of-state same-sex couples
try club refused to treat them
who are both legal parents said Dave Noble, Nation
like other committed cou
of their children may see al Stonewall Democrats executive director. “In
ples. Lambda Legal, which
doing Si), he has joined a small fringe of politi-
these adoptions invalidated
represents the women, is ask
or not honored when they ciaas who have chosen to trample on state rights,
ing the court to order the
ignore human rights and radically rewrite our
come to Ohio.
club to treat same-sex cou
A broad range of O hio own Constitution.”
ples equally and fairly.
Karen Holbrook says an anti-gay law
Senate Joint Resolution 26 would force
ans
spoke out against
“Gay men and lesbians will binder Ohio State University
House Bill 272— includ states to deny recognition of same-sex marital
currently cannot marry from attracting top-tier researchers
relationships and would require any state that
ing O hio State University
under California law," attor
president Karen Holbrook, who urged Repub recognizes such relationships to amend their
ney Jon Davidson said. “By adopting policies that
own constitution. The resolution has six
only give privileges to married couples, the coun lican Gov. Bob Taft to veto the legislation,
Republican sponsors in the U .S. Senate. A
saying
it
would
have
an
“adverse
impact
try club automatically discriminates against les
similar resolution has been introduced in the
o n ...o n e of O h io ’s largest employers to
bian and gay people.”
U .S. House with 103 Republican and six
attract
and
retain
employees.”
Several
other
B. Birgit Koebke and Kendall French were
denied full benefit of Koebke s Bernardo Heights companies expressed opposition to the m ea Democratic sponsors. JH!
sure, including Fortune 500-ranked N C R
Country Club membership because they are not
married. Club policy allows a spouse to be Corp., based in Dayton, and Missing Lynx, a Compiled by News Editor JlM R a d o s t a , who can
be reached at jim@justnut .com.
software company based in San Ramon,
included in membership. Although the couple
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