State Department Reverses Decision To Replace Gender-Specific Parental Identification, Ogden Utah Ordinance Prohibiting Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation Or Gender Identity Proceeds, Wyoming Republicans Want Bill Passed To Ban Same Sex Marriage, New Hampshire Republicans Want Measure To Pass Reversing Same Sex Marriage Law

An update on a previous post: oddly, the Associated Press reports that the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has ordered the State Department to amend a change that would have replaced the terms “mother” and “father” with the gender neutral terms “parent” in reports of overseas births. The State Department Saturday said Clinton has instructed the department to retain “mother” and “father” as titles in a form known as a “Consular Report of Birth Abroad” used by U.S. embassies to document the birth of a child to expatriate Americans. The form will now ask for the names of the child’s “mother or parent 1” and “father or parent 2.” The original revisions were announced on December 22nd, and were meant to reflect changing definitions of family.

The Standard Examiner reports that Ogden, Utah City attorney Gary Williams has received approval to begin drafting a municipal ordinance prohibiting employing and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The announcement arrives after a meeting Friday between administration, city council officials, and Equality Utah, the gay rights advocacy group. Brandie Balken, executive director of Equality Utah, said “It was quite a productive meeting. It’s definitely our intention to work with local governments to have an ordinance that represents the best policy for each municipality,” adding that the ordinance could be ready for review within three weeks. Equality Utah fought for the ordinance instead of resolution, which is non-binding.

In Wyoming, according to a report by the Star Tribune, this Tuesday, when the state Legislature convenes for its 2011 session, the Republican Party will hold the largest majority in both the House and the Senate in the United States – a 50-10 majority in the House, and 23-7 majority in the Senate. That power is an encouraging sign for social conservatives, who hope that legislators will address the issue of gay marriage. Wyoming remains the sole state that bans gay marriage, but recognises gay and lesbian marriages performed in other states. In 2009, the House voted to kill a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as that only existing between a man and a woman. Representative Peterson (Republican-Mountain View) and state Senator Curt Meier (Republican-LaGrange) have already announced they will sponsor legislation meant to close “inconsistencies” in the Wyoming marriage law, Peterson saying that HB 74 would change state law. It would appear, based on numbers, that there will be more support for the bills than in previous years, however, according to reports “The greatest threat to Petersen's bill could come in the House Judiciary Committee. Of the nine committee members, three voted for the 2009 constitutional amendment, while three voted against it. That means the bill's fate will likely rest in the hands of three freshmen legislators: state Reps. Sam Krone (Republican-Cody), Bob Nicholas (Republican-Cheyenne) and Matt Greene (Republican-Laramie) Greene, a Wyoming National Guard major who opposes gay marriage in principle but supports the idea of civil unions, said Thursday he hasn't decided how he'll vote on the House bill. Krone and Nicholas couldn't be reached for comment. Becky Vandeberghe of WyWatch Family Action, a Wyoming-based family values group that opposes gay marriage, said the Judiciary Committee ‘is a concern.’ But Vandeberghe predicted that Petersen's bill would ultimately pass the Legislature. Meier's proposed constitutional amendment, which requires a two-thirds majority from both chambers to pass, has the votes in the Senate, she said, though she said she hasn't yet polled House members. State Rep. Dan Zwonitzer (Republican-Cheyenne) said it was "extremely unlikely" that a constitutional amendment would pass the House, noting that 21 legislators who voted "no" on the bill in 2009 are still in the House this year. To pass, the proposed amendment needs support from 40 of the 60 House members. Zwontizer said he ‘didn't have a clear thought’ about whether Petersen's bill, which only needs a simple majority to pass, would be approved.”

Gay marriage – legal in New Hampshire since January 1st, 2010 – is under attack, the Eagle Tribune reporting that although more 1,000 same sex couples have legally married in the state but the Republican-dominated Legislature wants repeal the law. Representative David Bates (Republican-Windham) has filed two bills to return the state marriage law to exactly as it was four years, the bill defining marriage as that only existing between one man and one woman, but a caveat that those same sex marriages performed in the past year would remain legal. Bates says “I’m quite comfortable that the bill will pass the House and the Senate. I think the real challenge will be if the governor chooses to veto this.” Mo Baxley, the executive director of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, said that attempts to repeal the law are a profound misuse of the Legislature’s time, saying “It seems foolhardy to pursue this when they know they can’t win. The governor has already publicly stated he will veto the bill, and I don’t believe they’ll be able to round up the votes to override a veto.”