Massachusetts

Defense of Marriage Act Struck Down by Appeals Court

Submitted by ONE Community on May 31, 2012 - 8:25am

An appeals court ruled Thursday that the heart of a law that denies a host of federal benefits to gay married couples is unconstitutional.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, discriminates against married same-sex couples by denying them federal benefits.

The law was passed in 1996 at a time when it appeared Hawaii would legalize gay marriage. Since then, many states have instituted their own bans on gay marriage, while eight states have approved it, led by Massachusetts in 2004. Read more »

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Gay Adults Rejected by Parents Have Worse Health, Study Finds

Submitted by ONE Community on April 14, 2012 - 3:27pm

From US News Health:

FRIDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) -- Receiving emotional support and acceptance from parents benefits the long-term health of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults, a new study shows.

About three-quarters of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults aged 18 to 64 surveyed in Massachusetts said they had revealed their sexual orientation to their parents, typically when they were about 25 years old. About two-thirds said their parents were supportive.

Rates of mental health and substance-abuse problems were significantly lower among those who received support from their parents than among those who felt rejected, the study found.

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Seniors Nationwide Struggle To Pay For Basic Needs

Submitted by Maryglenn Boals on March 12, 2012 - 8:28am

A new report based on the Elder Economic Security Standard Index has calculated the economic needs of seniors in every county in the country. The report, from Wider Opportunities for Women, measured the median income of older adults against the amount seniors would need to be able to afford basic living expenses. The results found that Massachusetts is the state most economically insecure for seniors, followed by New York, D.C., Connecticut, and Hawaii. The Northeast and Southeast populated most of the top 20 states where seniors have difficulty affording basic needs. Read more »

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Documents: Babeu ran private boarding school with history of physical abuse

Submitted by ONE Community on February 27, 2012 - 6:12am

The DeSisto School sits abandoned in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It was a private boarding school for troubled teens with a long and troubled history of its own. Pinal County Sheriff and U.S. Congressional candidate Paul Babeu was the school's Headmaster and Executive Director from 1999 to 2001. While Babeu ran the school, the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services launched an investigation into repeated allegations of abuse. The ABC15 Investigators traveled across Massachusetts and tracked down reports that have never been released. The documents show that during Babeu’s tenure the school was not licensed. Other allegations include detailed instances of physical and sexual abuse. Holli Nielsen was a student of DeSisto while Babeu was Headmaster. Read more »

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National Health Scorecard Shows There’s Room For Improvement

Submitted by Maryglenn Boals on December 12, 2011 - 9:17am

Despite a growing number of people who have quit smoking and a drop in heart-disease deaths, the United Health Foundation’s annual ranking shows there’s room to improve the nation’s health. According to the report, there are an increasing number of Americans who are obese or diabetic. The percentage of Americans with diabetes rose to 8.7 percent from 8.3 percent in 2010. The number of obese Americans increased to 27.5 percent of the population, up from 26.9 percent the year before. Among the more positive developments, the number of heart-disease deaths per 100,000 people dropped to 270 from 278 last year. Read more »

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Kennedy remembered as champion of gay rights

Submitted by ONE Community on August 30, 2009 - 6:47pm
By DENISE LAVOIE (AP) – August 26, 2009 BOSTON — For decades, Edward Kennedy was considered the most powerful voice in the Senate for gay rights as a strong supporter of HIV/AIDS funding, hate crimes legislation and same-sex marriage. His death struck a blow to gay rights advocates, who say they've lost a key ally. "Having somebody in the Senate who was never afraid to stand up and say, 'This is the right thing to do' lifted all of our spirits and made all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people know that there was hope," said Chuck Wolfe, president of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a political action committee. Kennedy was an early advocate for AIDS research and treatment, securing federal funding so patients could have easier access to experimental drugs, expanded home care and outpatient mental health care. In 1996, he was one of only 14 senators who voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars the federal government from recognizing gay unions. He also was a leading supporter of gay marriage in his home state of Massachusetts, which was the first to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004.
Read more »
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Massachusets sues U.S. over gay marriage

Submitted by ONE Community on July 13, 2009 - 8:21am
By Jason Szep BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts sued the U.S. government on Wednesday to seek federal marriage benefits for about 16,000 gay and lesbian couples who have wed since the state became the nation's first to legalize same-sex marriage. The state is challenging the constitutionality of the federal 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, saying it denies "essential rights and protections" to married gay couples. The federal government is interfering with the state's "sovereign authority to define and regulate marriage," said the lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston. It calls the law "overreaching and discriminatory." Others have challenged the law in the past but Massachusetts is the first state to do so. "We view all married persons equally and identically," Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley told a news conference.
Read more »
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Vermont becomes the 4th State to say yes to same-sex marriage!

Submitted by ONE Community on April 13, 2009 - 12:08pm
Vermont joined Iowa, Connecticut and Massachusetts last week in allowing same-sex marriages and Washington D.C. says they will recognize same sex marriages performed in other states. Do you think these recent decisions will effect the outcome in California? Let us know your opinion!
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