Last week, members of the Charlotte community and I met with the Legislative Correspondent of U.S. Representative Larry Kissell from the 8th District of North Carolina to talk about supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Kissell voted in favor of the Matthew Shepard Act, which passed last year, and voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Today, the Texas Court of Appeals for the Fifth District, located in Dallas, ruled that a same-sex couple that had married in Massachusetts could not legally seek a divorce, following their move to Texas. The case, entitled In re the Marriage of J.B. and H.B., was appealed by the state following a victory in the lower court in which the judge had granted the two men a divorce and declared Texas’ mini-Defense of Marriage Act (mini-DOMA) as violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The state argued that since Texas did not recognize the men’s marriage as valid, they were not eligible for the remedy of divorce. Specifically, Texas claimed that the courts did not have jurisdiction, or the right and power, to even hear the case and thus it should be dismissed.

“My daughter has risked her life in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and has a high security clearance from the United States government. We are her family and we accept her, why can’t the United States military?”, a mother asked me bright and early Saturday morning. I was surrounded by booth after booth celebrating the diversity of Manchester, NH at the fourth annual People Fest in Veteran’s Park.

On Saturday, August 28, Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network came together with other civil rights organizations to celebrate the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. The backdrop of that celebration however was around the Glenn Beck and the Tea Party sponsored rally in the same place that Dr. King spoke in 1963. Their event did not stop the civil rights organizations from commemorating that day as they have done for the past 47 years. Rev. Sharpton led the way to celebrate at the “Reclaim the Dream” Rally/March. Inclusion has always been first with the National Action Network, so LGBT civil rights organizations were asked to participate. HRC along with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Black Justice Coalition came together to support the march and I was proud to be a speaker for the LGBT community.

Today is the last day for public comments on proposed federal regulations requiring all hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding to adopt policies that protect the visitation rights of all patients, including LGBT people.

Last week, the Pentagon sent out 150,000 surveys to the heterosexual spouses of service members for their opinion on a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. With this family survey now in the field, our friends at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, will release a letter each day this week from family members and spouses of former service members impacted by DADT. As the Pentagon reaches out to 150,000 straight couples on how their lives are impacted, these letters will share the perspective of those forced to serve under this law alongside their loved ones.

Wrapping up this week’s letters, we hear from Angela Trumbauer. Angela’s brother is decorated Air Force Weapon Systems Officer Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, who faces the threat of discharge under DADT:

I’m in North Carolina working to build constituent support for the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. This is my first time in North Carolina and people here are very friendly! I love their southern drawl and appreciate their hospitality. Everyone I pass on the street seems to greet me with a smile—even when I’m wearing my “legalize gay” t-shirt (okay, some give me a sideways glance with that).

Last week, the Pentagon sent out 150,000 surveys to the heterosexual spouses of service members for their opinion on a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. With this family survey now in the field, our friends at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, will release a letter each day this week from family members and spouses of former service members impacted by DADT. As the Pentagon reaches out to 150,000 straight couples on how their lives are impacted, these letters will share the perspective of those forced to serve under this law alongside their loved ones.

Today’s letter comes from Jose J. Rocha, the father of a sailor who endured harassment and was eventually discharged because of DADT:

This week, the State Department submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council discussing what actions the U.S. has taken to address human rights issues in the U.S., including what it has done to address LGBT human rights issues in the U.S. The U.S. submitted this report as part of its upcoming Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Council, which is scheduled for November 2010.

One of the best opportunities for a marriage vote in the NY state Senate is Westchester County legislator Mike Kaplowitz. Meeting with Mike Kaplowitz at an event in Westchester recently, I got to hear directly from him how deep his commitment is to marriage equality and fairness for all.