doma

Andy is away, so Chris Cooper joins Ann at the anchor desk. New polling shows a dramatic increase in U.S. support for same-sex marriage. A federal judge tells the Republican lawyer to answer some tough questions in defense of DOMA, and he comes up with some really stupid answers. The Constitutional Court of Colombia orders the legislature to give full recognition to same-sex couples within two years. But at Dollywood, in Tennessee, guards force a lesbian to turn her  "marriage is so gay" T-shirt inside out. The NAACP annual convention features its first panel on LGBT issues, and it gets a little contentious. We'll show you some of it. The Conservative Political Action Conference marginalizes GOProud, but out gay Republican Presidential candidate Fred Karger may be making progress on getting included in the Republican debates. We'll show you an amazing TV commercial from a bank in Argentina. Out gay Sen. David Norris withdraws from the race for president of  Ireland under a cloud. The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services will re-evaluate the ban on blood donations by gay men. And there's a new gay comic book superhero. NEXT WEEK: Andy and Ann's special hour-long interview with veteran  British activist Peter Tatchell. For more on Peter's work, go to www.petertatchell.net.

Out gay student Daniel Hernandez, who saved the life of Congress Member Gabby Giffords, is guest of the Obamas at the President's State of the Union address. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development bans discrimination in its housing projects on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.  A federal judge in California is letting a challenge to DOMA go forward over the objections of the Obama Administration. The New Hampshire same-sex marriage law may be safe for this year as the House Republican leader delays any repeal effort. Maryland may get same-sex marriage by April as polls show majority support. Anti-same-sex marriage measures advance in Iowa and Wyoming. A 2006 suit charging the NY Metropolitan Transit Authority with anti-transgender discrimination is allowed by a court to go forward. The leader of the Smithsonian defends his decision to censor the gay-themed "Hide/Seek" exhibit in Washington. There will be a demonstration outside the Smithsonian to protest censorship on Monday, Jan. 31 at 1 PM in Washington. For more information, go to www.artpositive.org. France's Constitutional Court is due to rule on opening marriage to gay couples while Spain's law could face a repeal effort under a conservative government

"The first step is to stop apologizing," says Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change. "We have ideas; we are often cowed by the ferociousness of the argument from conservatives." Indeed, in the wake of Larry Summers' departure from the Obama administration--and the news that the administration wants to head off criticism that it's been anti-business--as well as the failure of Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal and the DREAM Act in the Senate, it often seems like conservatives are winning. But, Bhargava notes, ordinary Americans are organizing as well, and the One Nation march in Washington will be a start toward holding the administration accountable, and building a real bottom-up movement. Fourteen years ago this week, Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law. DOMA, as it is known, allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, and laid the foundation for marriage bans across the country. Charlene Strong has been fighting DOMA since the death of her wife, Kate Fleming, in a flood in their Washington State home. Strong faced discrimination at the hospital and the funeral home while dealing with the loss of her partner, and a documentary was made of her struggle. For My Wife is available now on DVD to buy or to rent, and she joins Laura in studio to remind us all what the denial of marriage rights really means to couples. Finally, Larry Summers is out, off to make more money off his own policies, presumably. But what's next, and how can we get progressive voices in? Laura has some thoughts.

The economic crisis needs to be investigated using RICO laws used against organized crime, says Danny Schechter, author and director of Plunder: The Crime of Our Time. Wall Street made billions off mortgage fraud, and all the busts of mortgage lenders in the world won't get the real culprits. Schechter joins Laura in studio to talk about the unreported story of the economic crisis, which continues to haunt millions of Americans, and which Paul Krugman recently referred to as the third depression. "This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists." That's from the President's declaration on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride month this June. But other than pretty proclamations, what has this administration actually done to deliver on its promises of the campaign trail? Miriam Perez of Feministing.com and Cathy Renna, longtime activist and head of Renna Communications, join Laura in studio to talk about the state of things in the LGBT community: Don't Ask Don't Tell, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, marriage equality, and much more. Acclaimed women's a capella group Sweet Honey in the Rock were outraged at Arizona's anti-immigrant SB 1070, which basically legalized racial profiling in the state.