Legislators support DOMA repeal

Some legislators are taking aim at the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) after President Obama affirmed his support for same-sex marriage last week, reports Politico. Since then, according to congressional records, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) and Del. Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands) have signed onto the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal DOMA. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) have also announced support for legal same-sex marriages.

Kansas City’s new Mid-America Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to celebrate

Dan Nilsen, president, MAGLCC

Kansas City’s new Mid-America Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (MAGLCC) will celebrate with kickoff party May 31 at the Bishop-McCann advertising agency, 1701 Walnut St., in Kansas City, Missouri. According to “Camp,” Kansas City’s local LGBT news publication, the new chamber will “advocate, promote and facilitate the success of the LGBT business community and their allies through the guiding principles of equality, inclusion, economics and education.” 

Wall Street’s gay heavyweights weigh presidential politics

Bank of America tower, New York City

On Wednesday, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein joined Paul Singer, founder of hedge-fund firm Elliott Management and a Republican activist behind same-sex marriage legalization in New York, to talk about the choice Wall Street gay-rights advocates must make in this year’s presidential race between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. The discussion, which took place at Bank of America’s midtown Manhattan offices as part of a forum for the “Out on the Street” LGBT Leadership Conference, focused on the financial industry’s role in advancing gay rights. Read more in this report from Bloomberg News.