Around The Nation

Massachusetts

Gay State Lawmaker Announces Run For House In Special Election

Carl Sciortino via Facebook

MEDFORD, MA -- Massachusetts State Representative Carl Sciortino, (D) announced his plans to run for the Fifth Congressional District seat in Congress according to an announcement Friday posted on his Facebook page. That seat is currently held by Democratic Congressman Edward Markey, who is currently the frontrunner in a special Senate election to replace senior Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who was nominated to serve as Secretary of State by President Obama.

In his announcement Sciortino said;

"I am running to continue the strong progressive leadership that the families of the Fifth District have always counted on. I look forward to bringing my record of accomplishment to Washington to fight for our progressive values."

Sciortino also endorsed Markey's run for the Senate adding;

“I am proud to call Ed Markey my Congressman and I am dedicated to helping elect him as our next U.S. Senator,” said Sciortino. “His record on behalf of Massachusetts families – fighting for jobs, consumers’ rights, and a healthier environment— is the kind of leadership Massachusetts needs in the Senate and it is a record I look forward to continuing in Congress.”

Sciortino was first elected to the Massachusetts state legislature in 2004, upsetting a 14-year incumbent at the age of 25. He is one of the Commonwealth’s seven openly-gay legislators and a leading voice for LGBT rights, championing the fight for marriage equality and co-authoring the 2011 Transgender Equal Rights Bill. In 2007, Sciortino co-authored a bill which created the 35-foot buffer zone that protects the entrances to women’s reproductive health centers.

Sciortino graduated from Tufts University in 2000 and holds a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

He and his fiancé reside in Medford, a northern suburban Boston city.

Kansas

Kansas LGBTQ Equality Coalition Okays Revised Religious Preservation Act

TOPEKA, KS -- This past Friday the Kansas House of Representatives introduced the 2013 version of the "Religious Freedom Preservation Act," HB 2203 which, greatly differed from last year's legislative session's measure HB2260 as the anti-LGBT language from the previous measure is missing.

"We don’t have an issue with the bill,” said Tom Witt, executive director of the Kansas Equality Coalition, adding; "We have asked the ACLU and our board counsel for their input on HB2203, and they agree - while still a dangerous bill, it is no longer targeted at local non-discrimination policies and ordinances."

Sponsored and introduced by Republican State Representative Lance Kinzer, the original version of the bill would have prohibited government from "substantially burdening a person’s exercise of religion unless it furthered a compelling interest and was done in the least restrictive way possible."

During the 2012 legislative session Kinzer had said “Free exercise of religion is at the core of who we are as a people.” The exception being that a person couldn't use religious beliefs to discriminate against individuals covered by the Kansas Act Against Discrimination. This includes discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin or ancestry.

But, according to Kansas LGBTQ equality groups, because sexual orientation wasn't covered by the Kansas Act Against Discrimination, the new law would have left the possibility open that would have allowed someone to use his or her religious beliefs to discriminate against LGBT people.

During the debate last year, the Lawrence Journal-World reported that House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, asked Kinzer whether under his bill an apartment owner could cite religious beliefs to fight a complaint if refusing to rent to a same-sex couple.

“That is generally correct,” Kinzer said.

The House approved the bill, but it was ignored by Senate leaders.

Lesbians and gays opposed the bill at the time, with Witt calling it “nothing more than legislative gay-bashing.”

The City of Lawrence city officials said the Religious Freedom Act would have trumped a city of Lawrence anti-discrimination ordinance that protects sexual orientation.

Witt said the new version — House Bill 2203 — is not limited by acts of discrimination under the Kansas Act Against Discrimination.

“It was a surprise when I saw the bill,” he said.

Kinzer told the Journal-World he believes the new version of the bill accomplishes the same goal as the old version.

“The bill was always intended just to be a shield for people who want to basically make sure that governmental action is not impinging on people’s religious liberties,” Kinzer said. 

“My hope is that the way the bill is drafted now will take an issue off the table that I personally always felt was a red herring, but then obviously some people were concerned about,” he said.

Witt said he will continue to watch the bill closely, noting that it can always be amended.

“It’s a long process,” he said.

Virginia

Bill Allowing Rejection Of Prospective College Club Members Passes Senate

RICHMOND, VA --  A Virginia House measure allowing student clubs at Virginia's public colleges and universities to reject would-be potential members- who do not share the group’s political or religious mission- passed the state Senate Monday in a 21-18 vote.

HB1617 had passed the House of Delegates on January 31 in a 80-19 vote. The Senate version which is currently before a House committee, SB1074 is expected to receive a full vote by the House within the next week.

Both versions will then be bundled together and sent to Republican Governor Bob McDonnell for his signature.

Tucker Martin, the Governor's spokesperson, told media outlets that “We will review the legislation when we receive it,” declining to speculate on whether or not McDonnell would sign the bill.

The bill permits religious or political student organizations to exclude from membership anyone not “committed to the organization’s mission.” The bill also prohibits public universities from punishing clubs that have rejected potential members, prohibiting the schools from “discriminating against a student organization that makes such a determination.”

LGBT-rights organization Equality Virginia, which opposed both bills, claimed that the measures would could potentially allow student groups to deny membership to LGBT individuals by claiming religious, moral or philosophical opposition to homosexuality. Kevin Clay, a spokesman for Equality Virginia said;

"The effects of this law will become evident in the next few years,” he said. "We'll keep monitoring it, and it's up to the General Assembly to repeal the law in future sessions."

Democratic State Senator Adam Ebbin, the Senate's only openly gay member who represents Alexandria noted;

“Under this bill, student groups benefiting from our taxpayer dollars can deny membership to students for any reason, from religion to sexual orientation.”

GOP State Senator Mark Obenshain who sponsored the Senate version now before the House, said in debate last week that the measure is “viewpoint neutral.”

Without it, he told The Washington Post:

“A vegan group couldn’t require that its members be vegans,” said Obenshain, a candidate for attorney general. ... “It will protect the vegans, it will protect Republicans, it will protect Democrats. It’s an equal-opportunity bill.”