News: Pennsylvania Hate Crimes, Hillary Clinton Heckled, Chad White

Via Pam Spaulding: By a 5-1 ruling, Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court declares "the expansion of hate crimes protections covering sexual orientation and gender identity [as] unconstitutional." The suit was brought brought by Christian right-wing activists arrested for a demonstration during Philadelphia gay pride. Gov. Ed Rendell urges the legislature to "immediately pass appropriate legislation to fully reinstate" the protections enacted by a bipartisan majority.

· Meanwhile, federal hate crimes bill unlikely to be acted upon before next year.

· Rod 2.0 crush object and cover boy deluxe Chad White works the OUT 100 crowd.

· New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer: Democratic state Senate should make legalization of gay marriage one of its first priorities in 2009.

· Thursday night, the Las Vegas crowd booed John Edwards and Barack Obama. This weekend, it was Hillary Clinton's turn as she "was peppered by anti-war hecklers at a presidential forum on climate change and energy policy. 'How can you say you're for the environment when you are always voting for war?'"

· On Tuesday, we mentioned the White House was considering bypassing the Senate with a "recess appointment" to make controversial, anti-gay Dr. James Holsinger the next surgeon general. It will not happen because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "will hold pro forma sessions over Thanksgiving break in order to prevent President Bush from using the congressional vacation to recess appoint controversial nominees."

· In "a surprising and historic development," Nicaragua's sodomy statute has been wiped from the books. Andrés Duque at Blabbeando believes this may have been "the last anti-gay sodomy statute in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries."

Comments

[Derrick from Philly]

Wow, Rod, thanks for the info on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision. I'd heard nothing about it. I don't think the other blogs have mentioned it accept you and Pam.

I don't know whether y'all realize it, but Pennsylvania has never been in the same class as New York, New Jersey, California or Massachusettes. It's basically a backwards state.