Equality Matters Picks Of The Week, April 18 - 22, 2011

Equality Matters staff offers our picks for the most interesting, outrageous, or thought provoking stories of the week:

• Under Oath, DOMA Supporters Continue Spewing Misinformation: During last Friday’s House “Defending Marriage” hearing, Maggie Gallagher and Edward Whelan demonstrated that, even under oath, they’re willing to skew the truth in order to justify denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry.
• Tennessee Senate Advances “Don’t Say Gay” Bill: The Tennessee Senate Education Committee voted 6-3 to advance a bill that would prohibit public middle and elementary school teachers from discussing any sexuality other than heterosexuality, despite existing regulations that already prohibit lessons not part of the state’s “family life curriculum.”
• Obama Shifting His Position On Marriage Equality?: During a fundraiser in San Francisco this week, Obama made a comment that has led some to believe he may be preparing to announce his support for full marriage equality.
• Boehner Announces He Will Dish Out $500,000 To Defend DOMA: Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced that he will be tapping former Solicitor General Paul Clement to defend DOMA in court for a price of up to $500,000. He recommended the cost of the defense should be siphoned away from the Justice Department’s budget.
• Tucker Carlson Wants Kids To Know The “Unhappy Facts” About Gay People: Fox News contributor Tucker Carlson can’t believe that the California legislature was attempting to teach kids about LGBT history, calling the effort “propaganda” and accusing them of having a pro-Islam agenda.
• Another Poll Shows Majority Support For Marriage Equality: A new poll from CNN confirmed what several previous polls have shown; A majority of Americans now support allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. As this trend continues, the GOP will have to decide between staying in power or clinging to their anti-gay base.
• Obama’s New DOMA Dilemma: Equality Matters’ Kerry Eleveld breaks down the emerging controversy surrounding married gay and lesbian foreign nationals deported under DOMA and what the future might hold for same-sex bi-national couples.