democratic

With cautious support from Republicans, ENDA seems to have gained a majority of support in the Senate.

The Democratic Party made history at its national convention Tuesday when it became the first major American political party to endorse marriage equality in its platform, drawing a sharp contrast with the Republican Party’s official stance on the issue.

When I was young and perhaps a little naïve, I thought then when someone said they were a Democrat it meant they were pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-worker, pro-access to health care . . . you know for all the things that meant being socially progressive.

Three Democrats are asking House Speaker John Boehner for more information about the new law firm hired by House Republicans to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court. House Administration Committee Ranking Member Robert A. Brady, joined with fellow committee members Zoe Lofgren of California and Charles A. Gonzalez of Texas said in a joint letter to Boehner after the law firm of King & Spalding decided to step down from the case, when one of its partners, former Solicitor General Paul Clement, signed on to defend the government. Soon after King & Spalding withdrew their resources, Clement resigned from the firm and joined Bancroft PLLC.

Democrats in Congress have renewed their efforts for legislative repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act following the decision by President Barack Obama to stop defending the discriminatory law against gay and lesbian couples. The Huffington Post reports on the plan from Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, to introduce the Respect for Marriage Act to repeal DOMA “very soon,” according to the congressman from New York, and with “quite a few cosponsors.”

Alejandara Salinas, president of the College Democrats of America, who just graduated from the University of Texas, made a stop in Charlotte to address the Democratic National Convention before heading to Boston College for her first year at law school.

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former president John Kennedy, is urging Democrats to embrace marriage equality.

Democrat Kathy Hochul’s victory in a special election for an upstate New York congressional seat was also a defeat of antigay groups, such as the National Organization for Marriage, that supported her opponent, Republican Jane Corwin.

Democratic Representatives from Wisconsin Gwen Moore and openly gay Rep. Mark Pocan, have proposed legislation that would provide assistance for runaway and homeless LGBT youth.

A statement of support for marriage equality will be subject to approval by the Democratic Platform Committee meeting this weekend. The Democrats' Drafting Committee released the proposed language to Buzzfeed Thursday. The draft language, expresses the party's support for marriage equality, while also supporting the "freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference."

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was among several others who was  shot at close range at a public event at a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Ariz. on Saturday.  Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was among several others who were shot at close range at a public event at a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Ariz. on Saturday. There are conflicting reports on whether she was killed but a hospital spokesperson says that she is alive and in critical condition, Giffords, a Democrat, was first elected to the House in 2006. She scored a 92% on the Human Rights Campaign's Congressional Scorecard during the 111th session of Congres. She voted to repeal "don't ask, dont' tell," and was a cosponsor on several gay rights bills, including the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, and the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which passed in 2009.

More Congressional Democrats are pressing House Speaker John Boehner for answers on the leadership’s planned legal defense of the Defense of Marriage Act.