Morning Sweep

Gov. Paterson has appointed two lesbian judges to the NYS Appellate Division. They will be the first openly gay judges to serve at this level.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church protested in Albany yesterday at a local high school and AlbanyU. They were greatly outnumbered by counter-protesters.

The Executive Council of the AFL-CIO has passed a unanimous resolution calling on the California Supreme Court to invalidate Proposition 8. Bilerico has an interesting post on what the NAACP’s opposition to Prop. 8 means to the movement. And for more Prop. 8 news, we’ll be posting shortly on yesterday’s oral arguments.

A bill before the Connecticut legislature would amend the state’s marriage laws to be gender-neutral now that marriage for same-sex couples is legal in the state. It would also transform civil unions into fully valid marriages by 2010.

Vermont’s marriage equality bill is on a fast-track through the Senate, and is likely to pass. Although it is also likely to pass in the House, it’s not known whether Gov. Jim Douglas, an opponent of same-sex marriage legislation, plans to veto it. If he does, the legislature may not have enough votes to override his veto.

The Illinois civil union bill has moved out of committee and will not be put to the House floor for a vote.

Legislation has been introduced in Pennsylvania to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

In more drama over high school productions, an ethics teacher in Texas has been suspended for moving forward with a production of “The Laramie Project.”