Around Wisconsin
... Mrs. & Mrs. Terry? Milwaukee judge rules marriage of transgendered convicted rapist and Australian lesbian lega
... "Death with Dignity" bill resurfaces...again
... Madison middle schools receive national attention for gay-straight alliances

Around the Nation
... Judge finds 1998 Child Online Protection Act unconstitutional
... Hate crimes legislation reintroducted in House of Representatives

Around Wisconsin Family Council
... Updated list of legislation Wisconsin Family Council is tracking

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Around Wisconsin

... Mrs. & Mrs. Terry? Milwaukee judge rules marriage of transgendered convicted rapist and Australian lesbian legal
Milwaukee Circuit Judge David Hansher found no legal impediment to a transgendered convicted rapist marrying a lesbian last Friday. Barbara Lynn Terry, 58, was born a man, Ronald Francis Terry, and lives as a woman. His/her wife/husband is Nicole Winstanley, 22, who arrived in Milwaukee from Australia less than 30 days ago. Because Barbara/Ronald had not undergone surgery to "become" a woman, he/she is still a man under the law, according to Judge Hansher. Read more...

... "Death with Dignity" bill resurfaces...again
Sen. Fred Risser (D-Madison) and Rep. Frank Boyle (D-Superior) are co-sponsoring a so-called "Death with Dignity" bill for co-sponsors, as they have done every legislative session since at least 1995. The bill would allow individuals who are of sound mind, be at least 18 years old, a Wisconsin resident and have six months or less to live to request, in writing, medication to kill themselves. It is modeled after the Oregon assisted suicide law.

Contact your legislators via e-mail to let them know any concerns you may have about this bill. Or call the legislative hotline at 800-362-9472. Give your name and address and your message will get to your officials.

... Madison middle schools receive national attention for gay-straight alliances
Madison currently has the highest per capita concentration of middle-school Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), according to the Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools (GSASS). Although GSAs are fairly common in high schools, the Gay. Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) deputy director Eliza Byrd sees middle schools as "an important focus for behaviorial change," citing the "name-calling environment" in middle school. Read more...

Around the Nation

... Judge finds 1998 Child Online Protection Act unconstitutional
Late last week federal district Judge Lowell Reed in Philadelphia found the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (COPA) unconstitutional. COPA forced pornography sites to hide explicit images through an age-verification system and was challenged immediately after it passed Congress. The legal wrangles since 1998 have made the law unenforceable. Judge Reed found the law "overbroad" and also said it "suppresses a large amount of speech that adults have a constitutional right to receive." He said internet filters better protected children against pornography. Read more...

... Hate crimes legislation reintroducted in House of Representatives
U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) reintroduced the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 1592, on March 20, 2007, with 137 co-sponsors, including Wisconsin's U.S. Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison); Ron Kind (D-La Crosse); and Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee); the bill was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary the same day. The bill would give federal assistance to state, local and tribal law enforcement to prosecute crimes committed "because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or national origin of any person." [Emphasis added.] Penalties for such crimes would be enhanced. Robert Knight and Lindsay Douthit in their article "'Hate Crime' Laws Threaten Religious Freedom" point out that "'hate crime' laws are unnecessary. Criminal acts are already illegal. What's more, 'hate crime' laws violate the constitutional right to equal protection, create the un-American offense of 'thought crime,' and abridge the freedoms of speech, religion and association.

Around Wisconsin Family Council

... Updated list of legislation Wisconsin Family Council is tracking

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