Ed Hornick
CNN
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/POLITICS/06/18/prop.8.implications/t1larg.prop8.jpg caption="Protesters make their case at an anti-Proposition 8 rally in east Los Angeles, California, on May 26, 2009." width=300 height=169]
Washington - While closing arguments have ended in California's Proposition 8 trial - a case that will determine the constitutionality of California's same-sex marriage ban - the outcome may not have an impact on states considering similar legislation.
The reason: State budget crises and the upcoming elections have shifted the focus from social issues to fiscal stability, which will sidetrack same-sex marriage legislation in other states, a policy expert said.
"I have also seen this issue pushed aside since the recession started. States are just so focused on budgets and the shortfalls," said Christine Nelson, a program director at the National Council of State Legislatures. "I had a legislator tell me 'Are you kidding? Our state needs money and job creation. So why in the world would we be tackling that?' "
Nelson, who follows the issue of same-sex marriage, said there's been very little legislative activity this year, which she attributes to a year where most legislators are up for re-election.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/01/30/afghanistan.troops.killed/story.afganistan.soldiers.gi.jpg caption="The U.S. military employs the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy." width=300 height=169]
Chris Mould
CNN
More than 13,000 gay and lesbian service members have been discharged under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. President Bill Clinton tried to lift the military's ban on gays altogether in 1993, but settled for the "don't ask, don't tell" compromise amid opposition from Congress and the military. Now, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is launching a yearlong study on how to phase out the policy.
Amid the ongoing debate over its effectiveness, Rep. Jim Moran, D-Virginia, said that the number of troops discharged under "don't ask, don't tell" in 2009 was roughly one-third the number dismissed in 2001. "This shows that during wartime, DADT is not being pursued aggressively because one's orientation has nothing to do with their ability to fight," he said in a written statement.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/HEALTH/08/20/gender.athlete.intersex/art.semenya.jpg caption="Semenya celebrates her gold, which came just hours after the IAAF called for a gender test on the athlete."]
Stephanie Busari
CNN
The case of South African athlete Caster Semenya has sparked worldwide interest following reports that she will be tested by sporting officials to determine whether she is male or female.
The 18-year-old won gold in the 800 meters race Wednesday but she may be forced to return the medal if she fails a gender-verification test imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
According to media reports, the IAAF are testing to see whether Semenya has a rare genetic disorder that means she has female genitalia but male chromosomes.
This condition, known as intersex, is commonly referred to as hermaphroditism. (Some support groups say that the term "hermaphroditism" can be inaccurate and offensive, as it implies that someone is both fully male and fully female, which is a physiologic impossibility.)
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Jerry Brewer
Seattle Times
As bad as I am at making predictions, I'd bet my career on one bit of soothsaying.
No one will ever peep into my hotel room and videotape me naked.
It just won't happen. If you're waiting for that shocker, go ahead and invite Sasquatch to your next dinner party, too.
I'm not Internet-ogling material. Too husky. Too male. Too fortunate.
Which brings me to ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who's been victimized by a cowardly pervert. Someone actually peeped into her hotel room, taped her in the nude and put the recording on the Internet. It's a sad and sick incident that has the sports world abuzz, especially the blogosphere, and ultimately, a bunch of dudes dominate the chatter by feigning outrage or making light of an embarrassing situation that men can't possibly understand.
So instead of offering flimsy perspective, I went to KING 5 sports reporter Lisa Gangel and asked for her take. In some ways, Gangel is like Andrews: blonde, female and hoping to be respected rather than gawked. Seeing a colleague suffer struck Gangel on a personal level.
"It deflated me," Gangel said. "You never know what can happen, and in our profession, being so visible, you never know who's watching you. I'm very critical of women in sports because I'm very critical of myself. I'm always looking at them and wondering how I can improve to get to their level, or what I can do better than they do.
Program Note: Tune in tonight for more details from Jeffrey Toobin about legalizing same-sex marriage in America on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.
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CNN
Vermont's House and Senate voted Tuesday to override the governor's veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.
The Senate voted 23-5 to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto, according to the Senate office. Shortly afterward, the House overrode the veto on a 100-49 vote. The votes surpassed the number needed - two-thirds of those present - to override the veto.
The action makes Vermont the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriages. The others are Massachusetts, Connecticut and, as of last week, Iowa.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/POLITICS/04/03/iowa.same.sex/art.david.larry.kcci.jpg caption="Larry Hoch, left, and David Twombley, one of six couples that filed suit, celebrate Friday at a news conference.
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Michael Judge
The Wall Street Journal
I often tell friends that a part of me is gay, even though I've been happily married to my wife for 12 years. What I mean is that in April 2003 I donated a kidney to my older brother David, who is gay. The transplant took place at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics - and it was, in a very real sense, a miraculous event for our entire family.
So when David called me last Friday excited about the Iowa Supreme Court decision making same-sex marriage legal, I wasn't surprised. "You know what this means, don't you?" he asked. "It means we can visit those we love when they're dying in the hospital; it means we're finally treated like family."
Most hospitals in America only allow spouses and immediate family members to visit a patient during a medical emergency, when a patient is unconscious or in critical condition after a car accident, heart attack or kidney failure, for example. These are the moments when our spouses are most needed, the moments when life and death decisions are made - and, if necessary, goodbyes are said. My brother, whose kidneys failed when he was in his 30s, understands these moments.
It seems to me, the answer is an unequivocal "yes." And not just because I've written a book called Why Women Should Rule the World, which comes out tomorrow.
Actually, the book isn't about Hillary Clinton, though I do mention her. And it's not really a case for a woman president, though I think that would be great. Rather it's an argument that more women in public life makes things better, not because women are the same as men, but often because of the ways they are different. It's important to note here that my book isn't "anti-men."
I love men. My father is a man. I'm married to man. And I gave birth to a baby man. I don't think women should replace men; I think they should have more opportunities to shape the world alongside men. What's more, I don't think we should create opportunities for women because it's the "right" thing to do; we should do it because it's the "smart" thing to do.
Empowering women strengthens the economy. It makes our government more responsive. It improves the quality of life for women, children and men. In short, everybody wins.