The invoking of New Jersey's civil rights law in the Boy Scouts decision highlights the necessity of anti-discrimination laws and the disappointment in the repeal of Maine's law. These recent decisions further underscore the importance of civil rights laws for our community. Ten states have laws banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. They have been introduced in 33 states and Puerto Rico. The Task Force has classified 67 of these bills as unfavorable and 79 as favorable to the GLBT community.
Attacks appear to be most pronounced against gay and lesbian families.
Combining the areas of marriage, domestic partnership, and families, there are 27 measures that are hostile to GLBT families. On February 27, a Superior Court in Alaska rejected the state's request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two men for the right to marry. Similar to the way the Hawaii court case progressed, the judge ruled the State of Alaska must show a compelling reason to prohibit same gender couples from marrying. The state will likely appeal the ruling to the State Supreme Court. An anti-gay lawmaker has since introduced a state constitutional amendment that would restrict marriage to a man and woman.