Your weekday morning blend from Instant Tea:
1. The U.S. Department Justice has filed an unprecedented court brief explaining why the Obama administration believes the Defense of Marriage Act — which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages — is unconstitutional. And the brief, filed in a California case in which a federal employee is seeking benefits for her lesbian partner, cites the Rainbow Lounge raid as an example of how gays and lesbians have historically been oppressed. The citation is on Page 11 of the brief, which you can read here.
2. A San Antonio coffee company’s anti-gay tweet heard ’round the world has prompted the coffee culture website Sprudge.com to launch a #YesEqual campaign (right) benefiting Equality Texas. The owner of The Brown Coffee Co. eventually apologized for the anti-gay tweet he sent out after the New York Senate voted to legalize same-sex marriage. But Gawker reports that he rescinded his apology after his hatred appeared to become profitable. In response, Sprudge.com is calling for people to submit photos of themselves wearing the #YesEqual hashtag and make donations to Equality Texas.
3. Gov. Rick Perry on Friday appointed Barbara Cargill, a Republican from The Woodlands, to chair the State Board of Education. Cargill, who votes with the board’s socially conservative bloc, successfully pushed last year for the elimination of “sex and gender and social constructs” from the sociology curriculum, The Texas Tribune reports. “This allows students to go into the world of transvestites, transsexuals and God-knows-what-else,” Cargill said at the time. Perry appointed Cargill after previous SBOE chair Gail Lowe failed to win confirmation from the Senate due to her extreme views. Because she was appointed after the Legislature adjourned, Cargill won’t face confirmation until lawmakers meet again in 2013.
