State Department policy change the latest gay rights win (WashingtonPost)
Riding the momentum from the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," and the State Department's adoption of more gender-neutral language on passport applications, gay activists are pressing for more changes to federal policies that they say are unfavorable to gay Americans.
The State Department's change - unveiled quietly in late December and widely reported last weekend - arrived the same day that President Obama signed legislation ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Amid the news reports and potential political backlash from conservatives, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pulled back Saturday, deciding that the forms required for first-time passport applicants younger than16 will retain"Mother" and "Father," but ask instead for the names of a child's "Mother or Parent 1" and "Father or Parent 2." The "parent" reference is seen by gay rights groups as a more gender-neutral reference for same-sex parents.
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Complete article at Washington Post : http://wapo.st/ibaYNn
