Did Palin Flip-Flop on Gay Rights? | Newsweek Scope

A Modest Proposal
10/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
Germany is getting a new foreign minister. Cabinet officials come and go in Europe's democracies, but this is different: Guido Westerwelle, the leader of the German Free Democratic Party, will become the first openly gay foreign minister in the world. The prevalence of openly gay politicians in Europe is hardly big news: Iceland's prime minister, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, is the world's first openly gay head of state; the mayors of Paris and Berlin are also out of the closet. And yes, it's a milestone that this could occur in Germany, a nation that only 70 years ago attempted to exterminate homosexuals. But the truly significant thing about Westerwelle's new job is not what it means for Europe's economic powerhouse—already a country very tolerant of gays—but what it means for the rest of the world.
Death, Republican Style
Jacob Weisberg 8/29/2009 12:00:00 AM
The republicans charge that Democratic health care reform would, in Sen. Charles Grassley's words, "pull the plug on Grandma." According to Sen. Jon Kyl, the bills before Congress would ration medical treatment by age. Rep. John Boehner says they promote euthanasia. Sarah Palin has raised the specter of "death panels." Such fears are understandable. It's not preposterous to imagine laws that would try to save money by encouraging the inconvenient elderly to make an early exit. After all, that's been the Republican policy for years.
The Sins of the Fathers
Lisa Miller 6/11/2009 12:00:00 AM
First comes love, then comes marriage. Then come all the thorny issues that arise with raising kids in a religious tradition when that religious tradition doesn't see you as married.
Gay-onomics and the Marriage Debate
6/3/2009 12:00:00 AM
In the five years since legalizing same-sex marriage, Massachusetts has gained $111 million in spending from gay weddings, according to a new study published by UCLA's Williams Institute, which studies sexual-orientation law and public policy. "That's money buying flowers, hotels, caterers, hiring a band—all the things that go into a wedding," explains M. V. Lee Badgett, a coauthor of the study.
The ‘Lucky’ Ones
5/28/2009 12:00:00 AM
I trekked from Seattle to Los Angeles with my guy of seven years to tie the knot in September 2008. We did this because we love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together, but also because we really wanted to see Dolly Parton's 9 to 5: The Musical, which began its pre-Broadway run in L.A. soon after the state approved same-sex marriage. "It's a sign from God," joked Jake as we set about planning "the gayest weekend ever!"—an event that might've stayed awash in wryness if not for our parents, both sets of which greeted news of our upcoming nuptials by hopping on cross-country flights to join us for an impromptu Beverly Hills wedding dinner, where between the fully legal license on the table and the teary-eyed toasts from our fathers, Jake and I came to understand that we were actually truly, finally married.
THE DIGNITY INDEX
Next Time, Einstein, How About a Heads-Up?
5/2/2009 12:00:00 AM