By Ramy Eletreby

Sen. Russ Feingold Pledges Support for Marriage Equality; McCain Confuses the Issue

Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wisc.) says he supports same-sex marriage. "Gay and lesbian people in our country are fighting a mean-spirited movement to harm them and to discriminate against them," Feingold told The Associated Press. "I stand with them against that movement, and I'm proud to stand with them." According to Feingold, who is expected to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, his announced support was is in response to a recent listening session in Wisconsin discussing a proposed state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions. "To me, that [listening session] was a moment to say, 'Not only do I oppose this, but as a citizen of Wisconsin, I want you to know that I think this is completely inconsistent with our state's progressive tradition,'" Feingold told the Advocate.

Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain, who is widely expected to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, further confused his position during an April 2 interview on NBC's Meet the Press. "My position has always been that I will vote against a [federal] constitutional amendment, which will come before the Senate, on this issue, because I think the states should decide. That's the essence of federalism. In my state of Arizona, we have a ballot initiative on this issue, which I am supporting. But ... if through the court process, they say that that's not constitutional, then I would support a constitutional amendment," McCain said.

That confused Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. "Last Sunday, [McCain] crossed over to the right side of the road when he told NBC's Tim Russert on Meet the Press that he supports Arizona's ballot initiative on marriage. But he crossed back over the yellow line again when he said he would support the U.S. Marriage Protection Amendment only if courts strike down Arizona's marriage amendment. This is like refusing to shut the barn door until the horse is gone," Perkins wrote in an April 4 statement.

Meanwhile The Hill reported on April 12 that 52 senators now support the Federal Marriage Amendment, which is expected to be introduced by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on June 5. The bill's sponsors need 67 votes to pass a constitutional amendment. The federal marriage ban bill is expected to be introduced in the House in late July and is expected to become a hot button issue during the November congressional elections.

Virginia Governor Opposes Same-Sex Marriage Ban

On April 10, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine of Virginia said that he will vote against a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage because of the potential adverse effects it could have on unmarried heterosexual couples in the state. Though Kaine believes marriage is between a man and a woman, he says that he has issues with the language of the proposed ban, reports The Washington Post. "The broad wording of the proposed constitutional amendment is threatening the constitutional rights of individuals to enter into private contracts, and also threatening the discretion of employers to extend certain benefits, such as health care coverage, to unmarried couples." Kaine said in a statement. "For those reasons, I will vote against the marriage amendment in November, and I urge other Virginians to vote against it as well."

Family Foundation Action, a Richmond non-profit group supporting the same-sex marriage ban, criticized the governor's refusal to sign the legislation, suggesting he is breaking a campaign promise.

Department of Defense Admits Surveillance of Gay Groups

On April 11, the Department of Defense (DoD) released documentation known as the TALON reports admitting "inappropriate" surveillance of gay groups conducting protests against the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on university campuses across the country. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), an LGBT military advocacy group, obtained the documents' release in January through a Freedom of Information Act request. The DoD previously admitted to collecting information on protestors in a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee, United Press International reported last February. The TALON reports may not be a complete list of groups monitored, but it confirms domestic surveillance of protests at New York University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. The DoD said that it would continue to search for other documents related to SLDN's FOIA request, SLDN reports.

"The Department of Defense has now confirmed the existence of a surveillance program monitoring LGBT groups," said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of SLDN. "That information should be destroyed and no similar surveillance should be authorized in the future. Free expression is not a threat to our national security."

"Fairy" Commercials Spark Controversy

The Commercial Closet, a nonprofit organization that monitors marketing tactics that could be offensive to gays and lesbians, decried a 30-second Dodge Caliber ad for stereotyping gays as prissy and not tough. The ad, titled "Too Tough," follows a female fairy flying around, transforming buildings and trains into dainty things like gingerbread houses. When the fairy tries to transform the car, she is repelled by its toughness and knocked against a concrete wall. A tough-looking man dressed in black, walking a tough-looking dog sees the fairy and says, "Silly little fairy," prompting her to transform his attire into white shorts with a pastel sweater, now walking four Pomeranians with pink leashes. "It directly finds humor with the term fairy, referring not just to the type that flies around with a magic wand, but also the universally recognizable gay stereotype of an effeminate gay man," reports CommercialCloset.com.

Another "fairy" ad, this time for Snack Well, features a snack fairy character that visits two cowboys leaning against a fence in a rural setting -- an obvious reference to Brokeback Mountain, associating fairies with the popular gay movie.

Connecticut Court Uses Same-Sex Relationships to Overturn Sexual Assault Law

In Connecticut, a state appellate court overturned a sexual assault statute regarding sex between stepparents and stepchildren because it violates the 14th Amendment providing equal protection under the law, reports AP. The state statute prohibits stepparents from engaging in sexual activity with opposite-sex stepchildren over the age of 16. Since the statute does not specifically bar sexual activity between stepparents and stepchildren of the same sex, the court ruled it unconstitutional. "Under (the statute), sexual intercourse between a stepfather and stepdaughter is prohibited, but sexual intercourse between a stepfather and stepson is not," wrote Appellate Court Judge William J. Lavery. "We can conceive of no rational basis for that distinction." On this basis, the court overturned the conviction of man for engaging in a sexual relationship with his stepdaughter, stating that the statute is unequal.

According to AP, Judge Barry R. Schaller issued an opposing opinion, stating that his colleagues went beyond their call of duty. "As a reviewing court, our obligation is clearly to avoid unnecessary constitutional adjudication," wrote Schaller. "Our Supreme Court expressly has instructed that appellate courts should avoid deciding constitutional issues where possible."

Gay and Lesbian Families Included in White House Easter Egg Hunt

Gay and lesbian families braved rain and cold weather, camping out over Easter weekend to participate in the annual White House Easter egg roll on Monday, April 17. "The message is that gay and lesbian families are everywhere in this country," said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition. Gay and lesbian families wore rainbow leis to differentiate themselves from the other families. Reportedly, hundreds of gay and lesbian families were among the thousands that participated in the event.