Enriching Connections

Baltimore ..... Here We Come

2012-01-23T23:21:00.004-07:00

We are heading off to Baltimore for the Task Force's annual Creating Change Conference this week. Look for updates, commentary and images from the inside beginning with out arrival on Wednesday evening.

The official Creating Change Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/CreatingChange?sk=info

The official Creating Change Website http://www.creatingchange.org/

Centers Organization To Present At Creating Change

2012-01-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

New Mexico GLBTQ Centers will host a Caucus, Saturday, January 28, 6:30PM – 7:30 PM at the 24th NationalConference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change. The conference is in Baltimore,Maryland at the Hilton Baltimore, January 25–29, 2012.

More Information

Advancing LGBTQIssues and Services in Small Communities

This caucus will explore ways of creating community, building a movementand providing services in small, rural states and communities. States andcommunities with smaller populations face unique issues when working to provideservices to the LGBTQ population or advancing LGBTQ issues in the politicalarena. Bring your questions, ideas, examples of materials and resources toshare as we create a lively dialogue and discussion. The objective of thiscaucus is for participants to learn from their peers ways to make their work insmall states, rural communities and small towns or cities more effective. Anadditional objective is to indentify gaps in resources and begin creating anaction plan to fill those gaps. Smaller communities often feel separated fromthe larger LGBTQ movement, this caucus attempts to put needed focus on smallcommunity issues.

New Mexico GLBTQ Centers Director Named To National Board

2012-01-08T17:43:00.001-07:00

More Information

New Mexico GLBTQ (NMCenters) Centers Executive Director, David Stocum, was elected to the Board ofDirectors of CenterLink, the Community of LGBT Centers on December 14,2011. CenterLink is the nationalorganization for GLBTQ community centers.

Terry Stone,Executive Director of CenterLink wrote, “Congratulations on your election tothe CenterLink Board of Directors. I am thrilled that you will be workingwith us.”

Serving over 200LGBT community centers across the country in 46 states and the District ofColumbia, as well as centers in Canada, Israel, Mexico, China and Peru,CenterLink assists newly forming community centers and helps strengthenexisting LGBT centers, through networking opportunities for center leaders,peer-based technical assistance and training and a variety of capacity buildingservices.

NM Centers is theonly organization in New Mexico whose sole purpose is to establish and operategay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community centers and relatedprograms. NM Centers currently operatesthe Las Cruces GLBTQ Center and plans to open a center in Gallup during 2012.

NM Centers Establishes SAGE New Mexico

2012-01-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

New Mexico GLBTQ Centers (NM Centers) has created a senior services program and applied to become an affiliate of SAGE USA.

SAGE (Service and Advocacy for GLBTQ Elders) is the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. SAGE has pioneered programs and services for the aging LGBT community, provided technical assistance and training to expand opportunities for LGBT older people across the country, and provided a national voice on LGBT aging issues. In 2005, SAGE became the first official LGBT delegate at the White House Conference on Aging. In 2010, SAGE was awarded a three-year $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration on Aging to seed the creation of the nation's only National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.

“Our relationship with SAGE will provide us with resources, technical assistance and training to create a robust senior’s program,” states David Stocum, Executive Director of NM Centers. An advisory committee of seniors, advocates and service providers help develop the proposal to SAGE USA and will help guide SAGE New Mexico.

Mission Statement
SAGE New Mexico actively promotes a community culture of acceptance and inclusion related to LGBT aging. In partnership with constituents and allies, SAGE New Mexico works to achieve opportunities for LGBT seniors to reduce their isolation, connect with their communities, and access needed services. SAGE New Mexico advocates for LGBT Seniors rights, a greater understanding of aging in all communities, and positive images of LGBT life in later years.

SAGE New Mexico will formally begin operations upon final approve of the affiliation, expected early in 2012.

Las Cruces Production of Dear Harvey Remembers Gay Rights Pioneer

2011-05-13T14:24:00.000-06:00

New Mexico GLBTQ Centers, PFLAG Las Cruces, Court Youth Center and AmeriCorps will present the play Dear Harvey at the Rio Grande Theatre, Sunday May 22nd at 2:00 PM. The play directed by Katy Taylor with an all youth cast was commissioned by the Diversionary Theatre thirty years after the assassination of Harvey Milk, as a tribute to the civil rights activist.

Dear Harvey written by Patricia Loughrey with original music by Thomas Hodges features stories about Harvey Milk and the lives he changed by people who knew him. Ms. Loughrey is excited about the Las Cruces production stating, “I have not seen the show produced with high school students and would love to see them connect with the message and claim the vision as their own.”

New Mexico GLBTQ Centers Board President, Richard Scramstad is acting as Producer. “When I first heard about the play, I thought of young people and others not knowing of Harvey Milk. We wanted a young cast and to make the play an educational experience,” Scramstad stated. He continued, “We have a very talented Director in Katy Taylor and the cast has been working extremely hard to bring this together in a short time. The audience is in for a treat.”

There will be a “Meet the Cast” reception at the Rio Grande following the performance with catering provided by Alma d’Arte Culinary Arts students. Tickets for the performance are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, $8 for seniors and $5 for Students. Advance tickets are available at the Las Cruces GLBTQ Center at 1210 N. Main St, the Rio Grande Theatre and Spirit Winds. Tickets are also available online at www.newmexicoglbtqcenters.org. Phone the GLBTQ Center at 635-4902 for more information.

Stand Up! - Don't Stand for Homophobic Bullying

2011-04-02T15:47:00.002-06:00

Join Us Next Friday, April 8th for a Gold, Silver & Platinum Party!!

2011-03-31T17:32:00.000-06:00

New Mexico GLBTQ Centers and Living Tree Community Center invite you to join us for a Gold, Silver & Platinum Party next Friday, April 8, 2011! Bring in all those jewels and bling that just don't do it for you anymore and leave with cash in your hand! We look forward to seeing you at 1210 N. Main Street from 7-9pm. If you have any questions, please call us at 575-635-4902 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 575-635-4902 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. See our flyer below and pass on the word!

"Like" us on Facebook to stay posted on all of our events and happenings!

Same-sex Marriage Documentary "The Sandoval 64"

2011-03-17T10:10:00.004-06:00

Nina has presented to our Writers Group and is a friend of NM GLBTQ Centers. Please consider supporting her project......

Hello Friends,

I need your help, and in doing so, you become a part of this documentary.

The final push has begun to complete the same-sex marriage documentary, "The Sandoval 64," which covers the same-sex marriage issue as it has occurred in New Mexico - an historical overview. I am in the final post-production and distribution phase of the film. Also, I am currently setting up ending interviews that will provide updated, 2011, information on activities in New Mexico, in and out of the state legislature; also, still photos will be taken for more couples that will screen with the end credits. For those of you outside of New Mexico, you may be interested to know that the 64 marriage licenses granted to gay and lesbian couples on February 20, 2004, at the Sandoval County Courthouse, are still legal. There have been no court battles or state legislation that nullifies these marriages.

Visit Crone Productions at http://www.croneproductions.com/

I need to raise $5000 to bring this project to completion. I will be posting the project on IndieGoGo in late April and currently working on the trailer to post as well. In the meantime, I have set up information and a donation button on my Crone Productions website. All "early" contributors will receive the same incentive gifts that will be posted on IndieGoGo. For instance, any donation of $25 will receive a free copy of the completed film. All contributors, whether it's $1 or $100+ will see their name listed in the film credits.

I would greatly appreciate your visit to the site, and consideration for making a donation. And, perhaps you would be so kind as to pass along this email/information to your friends. I can't finish it without you! And I am sincerely grateful for your support.

Sincerely,

Nina Knapp

www.croneproductions.com

You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter

Rollins Chastises Boehner

2011-03-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

In his column for VanityFair.com, rocker Henry Rollins blasts former president Clinton for establishing the Defense of Marriage Act as well as current House leader John Boehner for defending it.

"When things threaten to become too constitutional, thankfully, there’s someone like John Boehner, owner of every third tear cried in America, to step in and attempt to push America back into the good old days of darkness," Rollins writes. "Rather than shoulder the awesome burden of creating some damned jobs in America, he goes for the easy cheap shot of going after gay Americans. Again."

Rollins says that same-sex marriage is undeniably constitutional and that Boehner should be focusing on job creation, not defending DOMA.

Read the full column here.

SOURCE

Lance Lundsten's Death Ruled Suicide Due to Mixed Drug Ingestion

2011-03-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

ALEXANDRIA, Minn. (KSAX) - The mystery surrounding the January death of Lance Lundsten, the Miltona teen whose controversial death sparked a conversation about teen suicide across the nation, has now been revealed by the Douglas County Medical Examiner.

Dr. Mark Spanbauer confirmed Monday, March 7, that the teen's manner of death was ruled suicide. The toxicology report from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and MEDTOX, determined the cause of death to be a mixed drug ingestion, according to Spanbauer.

"It was a mixed drug ingestion and suicide was the manner of death," Spanbauer said. READ MORE HERE...

Be Gay, Get Out of Jury Duty

2011-03-07T23:34:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors
A gay man was excused from jury duty in New York last week because he said that discrimination against gays makes him a second-class citizen and therefore he couldn’t be impartial.

Jonathan D. Lovitz, an actor, model, and singer who will be on Logo’s upcoming show Setup Squad, wrote on his Facebook page, “I raised my hand and said, ‘Since I can’t get married or adopt a child in the state of New York, I can’t possibly be an impartial judge of a citizen when I am considered a second class citizen in the eyes of the justice system.’”

“And he got off the case!” reported Village Voice columnist Michael Musto. “And that’s how the new phenomenon of ‘jury duty blocking’ was born.”

New York party promoter and blogger Justin Luke encourages others to use the strategy. Read more here.

SOURCE

Civil Unions Bill Introduced in Colorado

2011-03-07T23:32:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Colorado lawmakers are discussing a civil union bill starting Monday that would grant same-sex couples throughout the state the same rights as married heterosexual couples.

Two gay Democrats from Denver, Sen. Pat Steadman (pictured) and Rep. Mark Ferrandino, are sponsoring a bill that would extend to same-sex couples several rights and responsibilities, including enhancing inheritance rights and the right to make medical decisions, according to the Associated Press.

Democrats expect the bill will have no trouble passing the senate, where Steadman introduced it on Valentine's Day. Every Democrat has signed on as a cosponsor of the bill, and they enjoy a 20-15 majority.

The bill might have a tougher time passing the House, where Republicans have a slight majority.

Since the beginning of the year, Hawaii and Illinois have enacted similar civil union bills. Gay and lesbian couples in Colorado would not be allowed to marry, so the civil union bill would not violate the state's constitutional amendment banning marriage equality.

SOURCE

U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) Pens Op-Ed in Support of Marriage Equality in Rhode Island, Nation

2011-03-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

Justin Ward, GLAAD's Media Field Strategist

“As the debate about same-sex marriage continues in Rhode Island and in Washington, I have taken time to reflect carefully on my own position. Based on my own experiences and my firm belief that all Americans should be treated equally under the law, I am now convinced that affording full marriage equality rights to same-sex couples is the only fair and responsible approach for both Rhode Island and the nation. If our nation expects to provide equal protection to all, then our civic institutions must reflect that noble goal.” -U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-Rhode Island)

With those words appearing in Saturday’s edition of The Providence Journal – Rhode Island’s highest-circulation newspaper, U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin made it very clear that he now fully supports marriage equality in his home state and the nation.

The blogosphere was quickly abuzz Saturday morning as Journal readers first learned that Langevin’s position has changed. His remarks above even earned him the “Quote of the Day” from popular blogger Joe Jervis (of Joe. My. God.).

A devout Catholic who previously supported civil unions, Langevin wrote in the Journal that his position on marriage equality changed after attending the commitment ceremony of a longtime staff member and his partner of nine years. He wrote in the Journal:

“Before their friends and family, they professed their love, commitment and respect for each other. Their sentiments were just as moving, heartfelt and sincere as any of the vows I had heard at other weddings, yet I realized that their union would not be treated the same under the law. That difference struck me as fundamentally unjust, and I began to challenge the wisdom of creating separate categories of rights for certain groups of citizens. I began to see that civil unions fell short of the equality I believed that same-sex couples deserved.”

That commitment ceremony took place three years ago, and since then, Langevin says that he has taken the time to reflect carefully on his position.

This is not the first time Langevin has been vocal about his support of LGBT equality. In previous years, he has opposed discrimination based on sexual orientation at both the state and federal level. He has co-sponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and hate crimes legislation. He also supported efforts to repeal the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.

Langevin’s op-ed in Saturday’s edition of The Providence Journal is very much worthwhile reading in its entirety. To do so, please click here.

Langevin concluded his op-ed by urging Rhode Island lawmakers to make 2011 the year that marriage equality becomes a reality in the state.

“As the General Assembly considers this important topic, I ask lawmakers and all Rhode Islanders to honor our state’s founding principles of tolerance and freedom and to support marriage equality in our state. It’s time to do the right thing.”

In a statement, the board of directors of Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI) thanked Rep. Langevin for supporting the passage of marriage equality legislation in Rhode Island.

“Today is another clear indication that the marriage equality initiative in Rhode Island continues to build momentum. On behalf of MERI, I want to thank Congressman Langevin for exhibiting the courage and reason to allow his position to evolve on this critically important issue which has adversely affected thousands of Rhode Islanders for far too long,” said Martha Holt, MERI board member.

GLAAD also thanks Rep. Langevin for publicly supporting the passage of marriage equality legislation in Rhode Island. To our readers, we also underscore the importance of sharing your lives and stories with friends, family and colleagues. As Rep. Langevin demonstrates in his op-ed, it’s sharing our lives that often makes all the difference when it comes to changing hearts and minds.

In November 2010, GLAAD was on the ground in Providence to train couples, along with MERI staff and volunteers, on how to share their stories of love and commitment with the media. We will continue to be supportive of MERI until the day when marriage equality becomes a reality in Rhode Island.

SOURCE

WA bill recognizes out-of-state same-sex marriages

2011-03-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

By MOLLY ROSBACH/Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. —

State House lawmakers voted 58-39 Friday night to approve a bill to recognize same-sex marriages from out of state as valid domestic partnerships in Washington.

The bill sponsor, Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said she wants to correct what she sees as the unjust exclusion of same-sex marriages from protections for state-registered domestic partnerships.

"This bill is about fairness for all families," Jinkins said. "Right now, there's a hole in the law."

In 2009, voters moved to extend to domestic partnerships all the rights and protections granted to marriages.

Current law recognizes out-of-state domestic partnerships and civil unions, but excludes same-sex marriage from that recognition. Jinkins said her bill would correct that disparity.

"This is not a big deal - we're not extending any new rights," she said. "It says if you have a marriage in another state, you get a domestic partnership here. You don't get marriage here - you get a domestic partnership."

Opponents argued this is just one step closer to allowing same-sex marriage in Washington state, and is directly undermining the state's Defense of Marriage Act that was passed in 1998 to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

Several representatives also voiced displeasure that this debate was taking place late on a Friday night, rather than "in broad daylight," when voters had a chance to hear what was going on.

But supporters said it's a technical correction, updating the law to include the several states and countries that now allow same-sex marriage.

The measure, HB 1649, now goes to the Senate.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Coleman introduces ‘Asher’s Law’

2011-03-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

by Tammye Nash

Today as LGBT citizens from around the state converged on Austin to lobby lawmakers on LGBT issues, state Rep. Garnet Coleman, a Democrat from Houston, introduced “Asher’s Law,” a bill that would “help protect our children before they are terrorized and traumatized both physically and mentally,” according to a press release from Coleman’s office.

Before this session of the Texas Legislature even began, Coleman had prefiled HB 1386. Asher’s Law — HB 2343 — is identical to that earlier legislation except that Coleman renamed it in honor of Asher Brown, a gay 13-year-old from Houston who committed suicide last year after enduring relentless bullying from his classmates and peers.

Coleman said that he renamed the legislation with the permission of Asher’s parents, Amy and David Truong. Coleman said, “The Truongs are acting with grace and courage. They are allowing a tremendous personal tragedy be a catalyst for change in state statute. We should honor them.”

Coleman said that Asher’s Law, if passed, would direct the Department of State Health Services and the Texas Education Agency to implement a program to recognize students at risk of emtoional trauma or committing suicide, intervene effectively and refer students to mental health services if necessary. The bill would require school districts to report incidents of harassment and bullying to the TEA annually and to train district employees on preventing bullying and harassment. It also addresses harassment and discrimination by school district employees toward students and other employees.

In addition, Asher’s Law gives school districts the option of transferring a bully, instead of current practice which is to transfer the student being bullied.

Coleman has filed similar bills in every legislative session since 2003. Prior to that year, he supported similar bills filed in each session by then state Rep. Harryette Ehrhardt, a Dallas Democrat.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

DOMA for Dummies

2011-03-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

by Bill Donius

In case you don't know what "DOMA" is, it is the legislation titled, "Defense of Marriage Act," enacted in 1996. DOMA enshrines discrimination against gays and lesbians by permitting states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

Does DOMA matter? If you're in a heterosexual marriage, recognition of same sex marriages may not matter to you. Your marriage is recognized by the state and federal government, not to mention your family, friends and co-workers -- society in general. If you have one of these, you are entitled the automatic rights and privileges that go along with a civil marriage. i.e. if your spouse dies, you collect the benefits, you get the tax breaks, the hospital visitation rights and a myriad of other benefits conveyed by law. No problems, no questions asked.

When does DOMA matter? When you are in a same-sex marriage, DOMA matters. When two people are in love, share a commitment, and wish to take that next step DOMA matters... a lot. If your home state does not recognize your marriage and marital rights, same sex couples must make a choice no heterosexual couple need make. Must same-sex married couples move out of their home state, assuming their home state does not recognize their marriage? What if it was your marriage, same-sex or not? Should you and your spouse have to make the choice to move away from family, friends and job? Pack up for Massachusetts or Idaho to protect your marital rights -- you know, the over 1,100 rights and benefits currently enjoyed by heterosexual couples in all 50 states?

It's unfair and unjust to force any married couple to make this choice or suffer the consequences. The Edie Windsor case before the federal court has brought this issue to the fore. An American same-sex couple, together for four decades, married in Canada, were treated as strangers by being charged estate taxes that a heterosexual couple under identical facts and circumstances, would not be forced to pay. Basing their conclusion on this and many other similar cases, the Obama administration concluded last week that disparate treatment of same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. Hurrah!

What are the implications for future discrimination against gays and lesbians? Perhaps they will be short lived? Let's stop defending civil marriage by defining its parameters in a discriminatory manner. Let's start embracing it for what it is, a governmental -- not religious -- right that tax paying and consenting adult citizens can exercise.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Obama: Our First Gay President

2011-03-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

In 1998, Toni Morrison dubbed Bill Clinton “the first black president.” Advocate contributor Charles Perez says President Obama is on track to earn a title of his own.

By Charles Perez

COMMENTARY: Barack Obama could turn out to be America’s first gay president. Many of us thought it would have been Bill Clinton. It wasn’t. Excepting James Buchanan, our 15th and only never-married president, and Abraham Lincoln, who was rumored to have shared his bed with a male friend for reasons of economy and warmth, it’s beginning to look as if Barack Obama may be it.

Nobel Prize–winning author Toni Morrison dubbed Bill Clinton “the first black president” back in 1998. The first gay president may be the closeted Obama, who has stealthily hidden a very progressive gay rights agenda behind garments made of compromise and incrementalism. But now he’s stepping out. According to Andrew Sullivan in a recent Atlantic article, “He is coming through — more cunningly than most of us grasped.”

Two weeks ago, Atty. Gen. Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department will no longer defend antigay legislation passed by Congress and signed into law in 1996 by President Clinton. It was a bold move with little precedent.

According to the attorney general, both he and President Obama concluded that at least part of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. At issue is the third section, which denies federal benefits to gay and lesbian couples married in states that recognize gay unions.

The decision came in part because of the marriage and death of Thea Spyer. Back in 1963, Spyer met and fell in love with Edith Windsor. The two went on to build a life together for over four decades, each wearing a pearl pin in place of a ring, so as not to give away their often-secret relationship. Finally, after a 40-year engagement, they were married in Canada.

Two years ago Thea Spyer died, where they lived, in New York State, leaving her estate to her wife, Edith Windsor. Though gay marriage is not legal in New York, the Empire State does recognize legal same-sex unions performed in other states, territories, and nations. The federal government, however, does not.

Spyer’s death not only brought an end to their 46-year relationship, it also brought a federal tax bill of $363,053. Windsor would have been exempt had she been married to a man. READ MORE HERE....

St. Lucia: Gay Men Survive Brutal Attack

2011-03-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

A gay couple and their friend were brutally attacked while staying at a rented cottage on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia last week.

Michael Baker, boyfriend Nick Smith, and their friend Todd Wiggins were returning to their mountaintop cottage Wednesday after taking in the sunset that evening. While Baker and Smith were in the shower, they heard Wiggins scream, warning them to stay in the bathroom. According to Baker's Facebook account, he looked into the cabin's common area to see two men with knives and guns, wearing masks, beating Wiggins.

Despite a struggle to keep the violent intruders out of the bathroom, they broke through, assaulting Smith and Baker, while telling them they hated white people, gay people, and Americans. The attackers tied the men up, threw them in the shower, and ordered them to get off the island.

"They said they would check on us in five minutes, and if we had untied ourselves, they would kill us," Baker wrote. After the attackers left, the men freed themselves from the bindings, and fled the cabin through a back exit, forced to leave their shoes behind, as they left them on the front porch. The three, without shoes, climbed down the mountain, and then walked down an unpaved gravel road until eventually arriving at the home of Wiggins's friends. Baker and Smith returned to the U.S. the following day, and Wiggins came back the day after.

"I don't know the full motivation that drove these five men, but I do know that I can feel pity for them," Baker wrote. "As Todd said, how horrible that this was the only option that they felt [they had]."

SOURCE

About A Stud

2011-03-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I posted a link on our Facebook Page that was an article from the Dallas Voice. It was about the various labels that "butch" lesbians give themselves to describe who they are. After reading it, it reminded me of an experience that I had when I was 36. It happened when I went to the Social Security Office in Dallas and while in the waiting room, some girls struck up a conversation with me and that was the first time that I was first called a "stud". I had no idea what that meant, maybe because of my age. I think it were the younger lesbians that were using that label. So anyway, I thought I'd share my story here. I'd love to have any feedback in the comments section.

THE WAITING ROOM

"Pssst! Psst!" I look over to my left and see if the oh-so-subtle distraction is for me. It sure is. She brings her left hand to the side of her mouth, I guess so nobody else can overhear us, then she whispers something that I can't hear.

"What?"

"Are you a..."

"What?" I seriously couldn't hear her.

"Are you.."

"Sorry, I can't hear you."

"Well, I'm not going to say this so everyone can hear me.."

I just stare at her. Then she tries again, "Are you a stud?"

"A stud?"

"Yeah."

"What's that?"

"You know, a stud..."

"Nooo, I don't know..."

Then she sorta whispers and sorta mouths out, "Are you gay?"

"Oh... Yeah, why?"

Then she starts laughing at me. Not AT me, but I guess at the silliness of all the questions? No, she's not laughing, she's giggling. I just sit there and wonder what's the big deal and shrug my shoulders. She was sitting over there with a friend.. waiting along with me until our names were called. I guess she was observing people, just like me. People watching. But, shoot, I never ask anybody anything. I keep my mouth shut. These two girls, though.. felt the 'need' to talk to me. The one that started the conversation with me came and sat beside me. She said she wanted to talk to me. And for some reason, I'm not put off by all this nosiness. I guess I've been through worse...

"How long have you been gay? A week?"

"What? Uh, no. why?"

"Because you don't know what a stud is... you've never heard of that?"

"No. Never. I've heard of a stud in a wall..."

More giggles. She starts saying that she's not gay, but that she's asking me because her friend wanted to know. Again, she questions me to see if I'm really gay. I simply say, "I am SO gay."

She giggles, then her friend wonders what we're talking about, so she comes over and sits on the other side of me. Great. More attention. They start talking to each other as if I'm not there. The first girl telling the second girl what little conversation we've been having.

Then the second girl asks, "Do you know what fish is?" Or maybe she said, "fishes".. I have no idea. I didn't dare ask "what" again.

"No, never heard of that either."

She starts explaining that studs are girls who look all cute dressing boyishly and acting boyishly and fishes are the girls that dress in girl clothes and such.

In my head, I'm thinking, "Oh, Butch and Femme.. surely they don't think i'm Butch?.. I don't care. Or do I?" So, she says because of what I'm wearing, (jeans, sweater over t-shirt, a "Life is Good" baseball cap and a green jacket of some sort), I look like I'm a stud.

Then, she points to what she's wearing and says that she's a 'fish' or whatever she called it. I laughed at the stupidity of everything. Also, because she wasn't dressed so 'fish-y' or femme. At least, not in my book.

Then, soon the convo just got too much to keep up with. Apparently these studs are also called thuggs. I told them that I am NOT one of those. One of them asked if I had a girlfriend that I "keep" at home, "Maybe slap around every once in a while..."

"I don't slap anybody around."

"Oooh.. where have you been? We need more like you."

Then the first girl goes into this long story of how she saw this girl last night who she thought was a guy. "She was sooo cute. I couldn't believe she wasn't a guy..."

"Uh huh. Where at?"

"North Dallas."

"Oh."

I just look at both of them, laughing to myself because of how they see things.. see other people.. labeling each other.. all that hoopla. Right around then is when The Only Pretty Girl in the whole place starts moving her stuff closer to us. I'm wondering, "Why in the world is she moving closer? Does she really want to hear this conversation?"

Then the second girl starts asking if I live in the area. I tell her, no, not in that particular area. She asks if I live over by where I actually live and I play dumb pretending that I've never heard of the street. Then she says that she thinks she's seen me at "the store" before. I laugh because I start thinking, "of alllll the stores in the Dallas area, she thinks she's seen me 'at the store.' That's unlikely."

"A store?"

"Yeah, you know, like a grocery store? What? You never shop?" More giggles.

"Yeah, of course I do.. just there's sooo many stores..."

"Well, I think I've seen you at the Sack-N-Save before."

I quickly say, "No, I've never been there." (Because I haven't.) But I think she was waiting for me to tell her where I shop at. Like I'm going to offer any information.

All this time, The Only Pretty Girl is listening to us talk. I wonder if she's ever heard of 'stud' before. I'm starting to get really uncomfortable.

The first girl gets up and leaves and then it's just me and the second girl. She's all smiles with me and I have a stupid smirk on my face. "Does she know I'm laughing at her? Does The Only Pretty Girl really think I'm interested in either of these girls? Why the hell do I care about that? Oh yeah, cause she's really, really Pretty.

Then the second girl asks me if I ever date out of my race. And I say, "Of course." I mean, who stays in their own race anymore? All day I saw White women with Mexicans, White women with Blacks, White women with White guys.. yet I only see single Mexican women and single Black women... Hmm. Why is that? White women are taking all the men? My mind starts wandering.. drifting..

Second girl would not stop smiling at me and making small talk. I wasn't even encouraging any further conversation because after that race question, I was wondering if she was thinking I would ask her out or something. Um, hello? Are you kidding me? Who does that here at The Social Security Office? Just scumbags. I start playing with the plastic that I've taken off of my lip balm, rolling the sticky sides together, making a pretend cig or toothpick, nervous.. nervous.. nervous. And I keep looking over at The Only Pretty Girl for some kind of help. Help me get out of this awkwardness. No, she just watches. She likes watching.. another people watcher.

Then my name is called. I don't think it took me but a second to get out of my chair and head towards that door. Thank goodness. When I came back out, both girls were gone. Good! What if she wanted my number? Ugh!

The Only Pretty Girl is still there, waiting for her name to be called. I look her way and she gives me a wink, "bye." I KNEW she was listening!

O'Reilly Slams Westboro Baptist Church

2011-03-04T00:31:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Bill O'Reilly and Fox News anchor and attorney Megyn Kelly get into it on the air over the Westboro Baptist Church verdict, with O'Reilly calling them "vile idiots who are happy our soldiers are coming home dead."

Kelly supports the SCOTUS verdict, saying she doesn't like what Westboro stands for, but she does like the First Amendment.

Watch their argument here.

SOURCE

N.H. Marriage Repeal Held to 2012

2011-03-04T00:27:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

The New Hampshire house judiciary committee unanimously decided to hold two bills that would repeal a marriage equality law that was approved in 2009.

Lawmakers decided Thursday that such a vote would be held off until the 2012 election cycle, the Associated Press reports. The decision comes after house majority leader D.J. Bettencourt indicated in January that it would be better if the committee held the bill until next year, because marriage equality is a contentious issue that could take away time from working on fixes to the economy.

After being introduced to the committee, a hearing concerning the issue attracted 600 people testifying against repeal in February. According to recent polling, a majority of New Hampshire residents want to keep marriage equality on the books.

New Hampshire Freedom to Marry executive director Mo Baxley said locals are getting more used to the law, which makes them more sympathetic toward gay and lesbian couples and families.

"This is why legislation overturning marriage equality should not be 'retained' until next year but defeated and removed from consideration entirely," Baxley said in a statement Thursday. "It should be sent to the dustbin of history."

Lew Feldstein, cochair of Standing Up for New Hampshire Families, added that two thirds of independent voters and one third of Republican voters support keeping the law.

Gov. John Lynch, who signed the marriage bill into law, said he would veto a repeal if it reached his desk. Still, Republicans hold large enough majorities to override his veto.

SOURCE

Meredith Baxter: I Never Lived a Lie

2011-03-04T00:18:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Meredith Baxter appeared on The Joy Behar Show to talk about her book Untied and the two women got to talking about women who come out later in life and if that means they were living a lie when they were with men.

“I can’t speak for anyone else,” Baxter says. “People would say to me, ‘You were living a lie,’ which, truly, I wasn’t. I was so un-self-examined. I was just looking to keep my head above water.”

Baxter says she convinced herself she could get through the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband David Birney, and when she got married again, she was treated much better, but it still didn’t feel right.

She tells Behar she first got the sense she might be gay when a lesbian who was 25 years her junior moved into her guesthouse and Baxter found herself really interested in her comings and goings.

Watch here.

SOURCE

Mich. Moves to Cut DP Benefits

2011-03-04T00:15:00.000-07:00

Michigan state officials are seeking to cut costs by rescinding state employees’ domestic-partner benefits — but Sen. Rebekah Warren (pictured) says if state leaders want to be businesslike, they should remember that many top businesses offer such benefits.

By Advocate.com Editors

The Michigan senate has taken the first step toward overturning a state commission’s ruling granting domestic-partner benefits to state employees, the Lansing State Journal reports.

The senate reforms, restructuring, and reinventing committee Wednesday approved a resolution that would overturn the state civil service commission’s January ruling that extended health benefits to state workers’ same-sex partners and other household members. The measure now goes to the full senate; it will take a two-thirds majority vote in both the house and senate to override the ruling.

Proponents of the repeal say it’s not a social issue but a matter of money. “We don’t have the funds to cover a benefit that could be in the tens of millions of dollars,” said Jan Winters, director of the Office of the State Employer. Winters estimated the benefits would cost $8 million the first year and more thereafter.

Michigan has a $1.4 billion budget deficit, and the benefits represent one cost that new Republican governor Rick Snyder would like to cut. They were negotiated by unions with his predecessor, Democrat Jennifer Granholm, who was term-limited out of office, then approved by the civil service commission for both union and nonunion workers. Winters said the benefits granted by the commission go far beyond what was negotiated with Granholm — for instance, they cover the children of dependent adults living in the employee’s home, something few employers do.

Mark Jansen, the Republican senator sponsoring the repeal legislation, was optimistic that it would pass the full senate, where Republicans hold a wide majority; they have a slimmer one in the house. An opponent of the measure, Democratic senator Rebekah Warren (pictured), protested that the move goes against Snyder’s stated intention to run the state more like a business, as many top U.S. and Michigan corporations offer domestic-partner benefits. “If we’re going to run it like a business, why not run it like other businesses in the state?” she said.

SOURCE

Lesbian Couple Needs Help After Arson

2011-03-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Carol Ann and Laura Stutte are looking for help after arson destroyed their Tennessee home. The couple were out of town celebrating their 16th anniversary last September, only to return home to their house burned to the ground and their free-standing garage vandalized with the word "queers" spray-painted across it.

Making matters worse, staff members of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation who were sent to the scene several days after the fire made jokes and left their investigation dog in the truck, according to GetEqual. Now the women are living in an undisclosed location, and only $610.18 has been offered to them by the American National Property and Casualty Company to cover a cumulative $361,000 in property damages and personal item loss.

Their neighbor Janice Millsaps, who the Stuttes believe is involved in setting their home ablaze last year, has not been arrested and has been seen on their property since the fire. The couple are suing their neighbor for damages, but in the meantime, they have turned to GetEqual to make sure the insurance company assists them. The organization is asking people to sign a petition that will be sent to American National Property and Casualty Company's executive staff and every agent in the state of Tennessee. They are also asking for people to call the insurer's customer service hotline to address the situation, and the organizers of the Knoxville Pride Festival are raising $7,000 to get the couple's daughter a new insulin pump.

Watch Carol Ann Stutte share her story below:

SOURCE

Public More Positive on Marriage Equality

2011-03-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Independent voters have become more supportive of marriage equality in recent years, with 51% now in favor of it, up from 37% in 2009, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Thursday.

Overall, voters have shown an eight-percentage-point increase in support of marriage equality since 2009. Currently, 45% say gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry, 46% are opposed, and 9% are undecided.

Additionally, 34% of survey respondents have a favorable view of Congress, up from 26% a year ago. In contrast, President Barack Obama's approval rating is at 51% while 39% disapprove of his performance.

SOURCE

Pastor on Emanuel Team Antigay?

2011-03-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

Chicago mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel’s transition team cochairs include the Reverend Byron Brazier (pictured), whose denomination denounces homosexuality.

By Advocate.com Editors

Chicago mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel’s transition team has no LGBT people among its cochairs, but it does have a minister from an antigay religious denomination, Windy City Times reports.

The Reverend Byron Brazier (pictured), pastor of the Apostolic Church of God on Chicago’s south side, is one of the six cochairs of the team. He is “an eyebrow-raising choice,” the paper reports, because his church is affiliated with the Pentecostal movement, which generally denounces homosexuality, and his father and predecessor as pastor, the late Arthur Brazier, spoke in support of amending the U.S. Constitution to ban marriage equality. Byron Brazier’s views are less well-known, and he had not responded to Windy City Times’ request for an interview by the time the article was published.

The Reverend Irene Monroe, a lesbian and feminist theologian, told the paper that Brazier’s selection is troubling. “Why that particular church when there are so many progressive churches he can choose from?” she said. The team’s makeup, she said, brought to mind President Obama’s friendships with antigay religious leaders: “Rahm and Obama don’t mind taking LGBT money for their campaigns and don’t mind our vote, but when it comes to full-throated advocacy, they invariably either let us down or leave us waiting.”

Some gay leaders were more optimistic. Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of the gay rights group Equality Illinois, said he wasn’t alarmed by the lack of LGBT representation among the cochairs and looked forward to working with the team to discuss priorities for LGBT Chicagoans. His group is collaborating with the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute to identify potential LGBT appointees for the new mayor’s administration. The Equality Illinois PAC had endorsed Emanuel.

Robert Kohl, cochair of an LGBT coalition that backed Emanuel’s candidacy, expressed confidence that the new city administration would be inclusive. “Rahm recognizes and has always recognized the need to identify and recruit qualified LGBT candidates and he’s committed to diverse hiring across all the departments,” Kohl told the Times.

SOURCE

Marriage Dead in Maryland?

2011-03-03T23:51:00.000-07:00

Two delegates whose yes votes are needed to pass marriage equality in Maryland were nowhere to be found during a scheduled vote Thursday, and now Sam Arora, who cosponsored the bill, is reportedly planning to vote no.

By Advocate.com Editors

Two delegates whose yes votes are needed to pass marriage equality in Maryland were nowhere to be found during a scheduled vote Thursday, and now Sam Arora, who cosponsored the bill, is reportedly planning to vote no.

Del. Jill Carter has pledged support for the bill but was out sick today (previously she raised concerns about the legislation). Arora, who has been wavering on his support for the bill, reportedly told Del. Kumar Barve he's now planning to vote against it. He was missing in action for the scheduled vote Thursday.

"I don't know what to think," Barve, who is the lead sponsor of the bill, told Metro Weekly Thursday night. "He told me that he was going to vote against it on the floor. I've been in the legislature for quite a while and nothing is a reality until you actually push the button. And these are hard issues. But he came to me and told me that he was having difficulty with the concept of it."

Arora campaigned heavily on a gay rights platform, including support for marriage equality. On Thursday, he tweeted that he had been "hearing from constituents, friends. Please keep sending your thoughts (sam.arora@house.state.md.us). Thinking & praying hard."

Barve said he has no idea what caused Arora to change his mind.

"Is it unusual for a sponsor to change his mind on a piece of legislation that they've sponsored? No, it's not. People do that all the time, but not on big social issues like this. It's somewhat unheard of."

Hours before the decision to delay the vote, Gov. Martin O'Malley urged lawmakers to pass the legislation.

There is a chance a vote could happen Friday — 12 votes are needed to pass.

Read the full story here.

SOURCE

We Are Greater Than AIDS

2011-03-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Philanthropist (and famous husband!) David Furnish reflects on three decades of life around the world with HIV/AIDS.

By David Furnish

This year marks 30 years since the discovery of the first case of what was later identified as AIDS. With that news, our lives and relationships as gay men were forever altered. We witnessed an unthinkable tragedy that has taken the lives of more than a quarter million of our gay and bisexual friends and lovers.

In the face of this devastation leaders emerged. The crisis helped to shape our community's political agenda, and it provided a platform around which gay leaders could advocate for rights and equality. We realized that if we informed ourselves and acted on what we learned, we could be greater than the disease. Thanks to the efforts of gay men and our allies, our community saw a dramatic decline in new infections by the late 1980s.

Many of us can look back with immense pride at the collective response in those early years. The availability of effective combination drug therapies in 1996 fundamentally changed how we thought about HIV. No longer was HIV the death sentence it had once been. We had new hope. For many, HIV was a manageable chronic disease. Many of us turned our attention to marriage equality, adoption rights, the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and other pressing issues facing our community. While we broadened our focus, AIDS did not.

When we become complacent, HIV thrives. New HIV infections among gay and bisexual men in the United States are on the rise. Yes, on the rise. We are the only risk group for whom this is the case. According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five of us – that is gay and bisexual men – in some of the largest U.S. cities today are living with HIV – and half of those who are positive do not know it. Unless we act now, we will see these numbers rise even higher, and quickly.

My partner, Sir Elton John, often talks of his friend Ryan White – a boy whose tremendous courage in the face of AIDS forced our leaders to take action and inspired many of us. Today, Ryan's story continues to remind us that just as HIV began one person at a time, it will end one person a time.

Elton and I recently had a baby boy. Becoming fathers has given us new perspective on what it means to take care of one another – as parents, as partners, and as members of a community. And, it reminds us that we cannot be complacent in helping to create the kind of society in which we want our son to grow up. In short, we must take responsibility and each do our part to create a future free of HIV – by being informed, using protection, getting tested and treated, and getting involved.

And so, as we mark 30 years of this disease, Elton and I have recommitted ourselves to being greater than AIDS. As chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, I'm proud of the community organizations with which we are working to fight stigma and prevent the spread of the disease. And, I'm proud that leading LGBT companies, like Here Media, Logo TV, and the Bay Area Reporter, are refocusing attention on this epidemic, and I hope more will join us.

As a community, we once showed that we could be greater than AIDS. Now is our time to do it again. Visit GreaterThan.org to get started.

David Furnish is chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is a supporting partner of Greater Than AIDS, a national movement organized in response to AIDS in America with a focus on the most affected communities.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Court Rules Students Can Sport Antigay T-Shirts

2011-03-02T23:35:00.000-07:00

The seventh circuit court of appeals has ruled that students at Neuqua Valley High School in Illinois can wear T-shirts that criticize gay people.

In its opinion, the court said a “school that permits advocacy of the rights of homosexual students cannot be allowed to stifle criticism of homosexuality.”

The shirts were worn by antigay students in 2006 and carried the message, "Be Happy, Not Gay." The shirts were later changed to "Be Happy, Be Straight" — later a dean crossed the words "Be Straight" off one of the shirts. The students wore the shirts in response to the Day of Silence, which draws attention to bullying of LGBT teens.

The Indian Prairie School District argued that the antigay shirts should be prohibited because they cause emotional distress to some students.

“The school argued (and still argues) that banning ‘Be Happy, Not Gay’ was just a matter of protecting the ‘rights’ of the students against whom derogatory comments are directed,” the court said. “But people in our society do not have a legal right to prevent criticism of their beliefs or even their way of life.”

SOURCE

Maryland Holdout Says Yes to Marriage

2011-03-02T23:33:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Maryland delegate Jill Carter is no longer holding hostage a vote for marriage equality, saying important issues she wanted addressed have been discussed and she's now ready to back the bill.

Carter, a Democrat, said she was ready to vote no on the bill Tuesday night because she wants $15 million in funding restored to Baltimore schools and passage of her bill to more evenly divide child custody for divorced parents.

"I was always ready to vote for the bill," she said Wednesday. "There were some things that I wanted to have discussed and I knew if we took the vote first, they wouldn't be discussed. They were discussed [Tuesday]. I was happy. I'm content and ready to vote for the bill."

Earlier, she said she was willing to take a hit for withdrawing her support if it makes a larger point about her favored issues.

According to the The Baltimore Sun, on Tuesday, Carter said she didn't see the need to "fast-track" marriage since the 90-day session is only about half over and lawmakers are in their first year of a four-year term.

On Wednesday, another potential holdout, Delegate Tiffany Alston, committed a yes vote to the marriage equality bill, saying she, like many other delegates, had wanted more time to weigh her final decision, but ultimately feels that “all people should be treated equally regardless of their sexual orientation.”

The marriage equality bill has already passed the Maryland state senate, and a vote in the general assembly was expected Tuesday night but failed to happen. A vote is likely this week.

SOURCE

Gaga Debuts “Government Hooker”

2011-03-02T23:28:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Lady Gaga made her runway debut in Paris at the Thierry Mugler fashion show, strutting like a natural down the catwalk, according to critics. She also took the opportunity to premiere a new song, “Government Hooker.”

Models walked down the runway to the new track and her current hit, “Born This Way.”

Click here to listen to the new track and watch video below.

Also, click here to enter to win a chance to see Lady Gaga live in Miami.

SOURCE

Utah: No Hearing on LGBT Rights

2011-03-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

Utah state senator Ben McAdams tried to force a hearing on his bill to prohibit antigay discrimination, but saw his move rejected in a party-line vote.

By Advocate.com Editors

In a party-line vote, the Utah state senate Monday declined to schedule a hearing for a bill that would prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in housing and employment, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Democratic senator Ben McAdams (pictured), the sponsor, had tried to force a hearing on the bill, which is stalled in the senate rules committee, but senators rejected the move by a vote of 21-7, with Republicans in the majority.

In encouraging his fellow senators to allow a hearing, McAdams said, “Some of you may worry about the controversy and hateful e-mails you might receive. I believe the dialogue will be respectful and it will be constructive. ... I refuse to accept that religious liberty is incompatible with protection of gay and transgender people in their home and on the job.”

Rules committee chair Margaret Dayton, however, said not every one of the 1,200 bill requests filed in the senate can get a hearing, and McAdams should not expect special treatment for his. Republican senator Chris Buttars added that he saw no need for the antidiscrimination bill: “I don’t know why we try to press these things out like this when there isn’t a demand for it.”

SOURCE

Obama to Hold Antibullying Conference

2011-03-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

President Barack Obama will host a conference about bullying prevention at the White House next Thursday.

Melody Barnes, the chief domestic policy adviser, announced the conference Tuesday afternoon on a call with reporters. She said that participants would have the opportunity to speak with President Obama and high-level administration representatives about bullying and ways to prevent it in their communities.

The White House also released an official statement about the conference.

“On Thursday, March 10, President Obama, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services will welcome students, parents, teachers and others to The White House for a Conference on Bullying Prevention,” the statement said. “The conference will bring together communities from across the nation who have been affected by bullying as well as those who are taking action to address it. Participants will have the opportunity to talk with the President and representatives from the highest levels of his Administration about how all communities can work together to prevent bullying.”

Last fall, President Obama appeared in an “It Gets Better” video following a highly publicized series of LGBT teen suicides because of bullying.

SOURCE

Edie Windsor and ACLU Challenge Defense of Marriage Act

2011-03-02T00:35:00.000-07:00

Rutgers To Allow Gender-Neutral Housing

2011-03-02T00:33:00.000-07:00

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — New Jersey's flagship state university has decided to allow male and female students to share rooms in three dorms in an effort to make the Rutgers' New Brunswick campus more inclusive for gay students after a highly publicized suicide last year.

Starting this fall, all students – whether gay, lesbian, transgender or heterosexual – can choose either male or female roommates under the pilot program. Men and women will share bathrooms.

A similar, but smaller, pilot program is being launched at the Newark campus.

A number of other schools, including the University of Maryland, New York's Columbia University and Washington's George Washington University, offer similar housing options, according to the National Student Genderblind Campaign.

The organization is pressing for more programs like them, saying they're a way for students to have roommates they're comfortable with. READ MORE HERE...

Antigay Pastor Wasn't Masturbating, Just Had Pants Open

2011-03-02T00:26:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

The antigay pastor who was arrested Monday for allegedly masturbating in a park in front of children held a press conference today to apologize for his actions — and say he wasn't masturbating, he just had his hand down his unzipped pants.

"That Friday I was reclined in the chair in the van, and I had opened my pants and I had my hand in my underwear," Grant Storms said. "I'm not a pedophile. I'm not a child molester, and I don't go exposing myself to children."

Storms also apologized for his purity marches and campaigns against gay people, saying he hopes "they can find it in their heart to forgive me."

Watch Storms speak on Towleroad.com.

SOURCE

Half of All Men Have HPV

2011-03-02T00:23:00.000-07:00

Half of all men may be infected with human papillomavirus, or HPV, researchers in Tampa, Fla., said Monday.

Because HPV causes anal, penile, and head and neck cancers in men, in addition to cervical cancer in women, the discovery may bolster the argument that vaccinating boys against the virus is necessary, Reuters reports.

The H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute studied infection rates among more than 1,100 men aged 18-70 in the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico. Fifty percent had HPV at the time the study began.

Over time, it was shown that men became infected with HPV at about the same rate as women, who are currently being urged to receive the vaccine Gardasil against the virus at an early age. However, researcher Anna Giuliano told Reuters that while women are able to naturally fight the virus, men are not as inherently able.

The full study was published in The Lancet

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Top Men Responsible for the Defense of Marriage Act Cheated on Their Wives

2011-03-02T00:17:00.000-07:00

You’d have to go back to the Jim Crow era to find a law as imbued with bigotry and hatred as DOMA, the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which Pres. Clinton signed into law in 1996. It’s back in the news now because Attorney General Eric Holder announced last week that the administration would no longer defend it in court.

It’s adulterers — not gays — who are the real threat to traditional marriage
DOJ has made it clear, however, that the Legislative Branch is free to defend DOMA in upcoming hearings, which would put Speaker Boehner and his tea party bosses in the same position as the defenders of Proposition 8, California’s anti-gay constitutional amendment. The Prop 8 defenders lost in federal court last year because their “expert” witnesses’ biblical-based testimony that gay marriage should be illegal because homosexuality is a sin was deemed inadmissible in court and because they were unable to provide any evidence that same-sex marriage harms society. READ MORE HERE...

Influential Gay Rev. Dies at 68

2011-03-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Garcia

The Reverend Peter Gomes, one of the most prominent theologians in the U.S., died Monday in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, succumbing to complications from a stroke in December. He was 68.

Gomes, who was gay, was the first black minister of Harvard's Memorial Church, according to Reuters. He was named one of the seven most distinguished preachers in America in 1979 by Time magazine. In his career, Gomes was awarded 39 honorary degrees, wrote several best-selling books, and taught classes for Harvard's school of arts and sciences and divinity school.

"To generations of Harvard students, he was a wise counselor and an admired teacher who presided at every commencement," Harvard president Drew Faust said in a statement Tuesday. "To many of his faculty colleagues, he was a cherished conversationalist and a steadfast advocate of Harvard’s best traditions. But to me, and I suspect to many others, Professor Gomes was first and foremost a trusted advisor and a true friend."

Gomes spent the early part of his career as a conservative Republican, and he had participated in the inaugurations of presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. A gay bashing on the Harvard campus prompted him to come out in 1991. He changed his political affiliation in 2006 to support current Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat who became the first African-American governor of Massachusetts.

After coming out, Gomes became a vocal advocate for gay marriage and became known for his tome The Good Book: Reading the Bible With Mind and Heart, in which he wrote about how the Bible is used to discriminate, notably against gay people.

"If Jesus came today, the people he would be most interested in dealing with would be homosexuals, racial minorities," Gomes said in a 2007 interview on NPR, Reuters reports.

Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry and author of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry, told The Advocate that Gomes's contributions to the fight to legalize marriage equality were integral.

"In my book, Why Marriage Matters, I quoted again and again Reverend Peter Gomes's passionate eloquence in defense of the freedom to marry. 'Our whole constitutional history has been the enlargement of rights, not their restriction,' Reverend Gomes told Massachusetts state senators, manifesting his moral witness for justice as he did throughout his life his religious vocation," Wolfson said. "We need more voices like his, in the clergy and in the corridors of power, and his and he will be missed."

Watch an interview below in which Gomes makes the conservative argument for legalizing marriage equality.

SOURCE

AFA's Lawyer: DOMA Is Unconstitutional

2011-03-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Garcia

The American Family Association's in-house attorney says that while he and many members of his organization believe that marriage should be reserved only for heterosexual adults, the Defense of Marriage Act is "probably unconstitutional."

Pat Vaughn appeared on the Tuesday edition of the AFA Report to talk about President Barack Obama's recent directive to the Department of Justice to stop defending the 15-year-old law barring federal recognition of state-sanctioned marriages or civil unions for same-sex couples.

Cohost Ed Vitagliano asked Vaughn whether former House speaker Newt Gingrich is right to say Obama's actions were an "impeachable offense." Vaughn replied, "I think that Newt Gingrich is an astute politician and he is playing this for all it's worth. I think that marriage is defined by God as between a man and a woman. However, the Defense of Marriage Act is probably unconstitutional, particularly ... if you attempt to apply it so that to say that a marriage conducted in one state is not in effect in another. That clearly violates the Constitution."

SOURCE

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes costar Jane Russell Dies

2011-02-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Jane Russell, voluptuous star of films The Outlaw and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, has died at 89, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The actress first came to Hollywood's attention as a discovery of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, who attempted to capitalize on Russell's staggering figure in his controversial film The Outlaw, which was shot in 1941 but not released until 1946.

Russell was a favorite of gay audiences primarily for her costarring role opposite late screen legend Marilyn Monroe in Blondes, arguably her most famous film. Though the film was a showcase for two of cinema's sexiest bombshells, it is appreciated by gay audiences for Russell's unbelievably homoerotic number, "Ain't There Anyone Here For Love," in which the brunet actress cavorts with musclemen clad only in flesh-colored shorts.

Read her full obituary here. Watch a clip from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes below.

SOURCE

Man Confesses to Raping Lesbian Teen

2011-02-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

A man who has pleaded guilty to raping a teenage girl told authorties the sex was consensual—until he learned the young woman was gay.

According to U.K. site This Is Nottingham, the 17-year-old girl had stopped to go to the bathroom in the bushes on the grounds of Nottingham’s Open University when James Hamilton appeared and forced himself on her. When the young woman screamed, he threatened to kill her and hit her until she passed out. He was still raping her when she came to.

Eventually he left the scene and the victim was able to call police.

When Hamilton was arrested following DNA identification, he claimed the encounter was consensual and that 17-year-old had instigated encounter.

But after police told the man his victim was a lesbian, he changed his tune and pleaded guilty to raping her. He will be sentenced next month.

Read the full article here.

SOURCE

'Jose Luis Sin Censura' comes under fire; GLAAD, NHMC want FCC to shut down show for indecency violations

2011-02-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

by Joe Flint

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the National Hispanic Media Coalition want the Federal Communications Commission to shut down "Jose Luis Sin Censura," a raunchy talk show that might best be described as a Spanish-language version of Jerry Springer's program.

"We want it off the air," said NHMC President and Chief Executive Alex Nogales, who called the show "pornography" "Jose Luis Sin Censura" is carried by Liberman Broadcasting's Estrella TV.

The show, which airs in the afternoons across the country, including on KRCA-TV in Los Angeles, often turns into a shouting match between young men who often insult each other with anti-gay slurs. Fists fly as well.

"We are put at risk by this content," said Jarrett Barrios, President of GLAAD. "This is far and away the most outrageous and defamatory television show."

"They encourage people to go and beat up the people who are declaring themselves to be gay," Nogales said.

When guys aren't calling each other names, scantily clad women get into the act. One clip that GLAAD and the NHMC sent to the FCC shows a young woman giving what looks to be a tutorial on lap dances to the men in the studio audience.

Although some of the language on the show is bleeped, much of is not. To make things easier for the FCC, the almost 200-page complaint includes a dictionary of the Spanish words that are heard regularly on "Jose Luis Sin Censura" that GLAAD and the NHMC find particularly offensive.

Liberman Broadcasting Chief Operating Officer Winter Horton declined comment on the complaints of GLAAD and the NHMC.

Nogales has expressed concern in the past about the FCC's willingness and ability to enforce indecency regulations when it comes to Spanish programming. In a news release announcing the filing to the commission, Nogales expressed concern about a "pattern of weak FCC enforcement" against Spanish-language broadcasters.

"I think there is a question of whether the FCC is capable of handling complaints about Spanish-language programming," said Jessica Gonzalez, NHMC vice president of policy and legal affairs.

Asked for a response, the FCC forwarded examples of fines it had issued to Spanish-language broadcasters for indecent content in the past, and a spokesman said in an e-mail that the agency reviews all complaints and will take action when appropriate.

-- Joe Flint

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Flour Bluff High School Student Fights Discrimination

2011-02-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

by Shannon Cuttle

Bianca "Nikki" Peet, a senior at Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, will head back to school today, but says she now feels afraid for her safety.

Last week Flour Bluff High School gained national attention after Peet, who has been fighting to get a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) approved on campus, was told by school administrators that she couldn't start the club. The school administration even went so far as to ban all extra-curricular activities in order to prevent the GSA from forming.

According to Peet, she wants to create a safe space not just for LGBT students and allies, but one that is "open to all students to stop bullying for everyone and gives back to the community."

Peet says that she has been a victim of bullying and harassment at Flour Bluff High School, both for her disability and for standing up against bullying and harassment.

But even while some administrators and community members have opposed her plans to start a GSA, many others have expressed support.

"I have heard a lot of students say that they like the idea to start the GSA, that it is needed at our school, but the teachers tell me they are not allowed to talk to me about it," says Peet.

As of Monday, both the Flour Bluff Independent School District and the Flour Bluff High School website are no longer showing a listing of the student clubs for the high school, as the page now reads "error".

Paul Rodriguez, the President of the GSA at nearby Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, has been supporting Peet in her efforts to start the GSA at Flour Bluff High School. Rodriguez says that they have received support from the GetEQUAL Texas chapter and Equality Texas. The ACLU is now also in talks with Peet about next steps.

Tonight, Peet and the local Texas A&M GSA will host a community meeting open to students, parents and supporters about Flour Bluff ISD Superintendent Julie Carbajal's recent decision to ban all after-school clubs to prevent the GSA from forming. They hope to bring the community together against intolerance and discrimination.

"Other groups can disagree with the GSA or not like me because of it, but we need to respect each other and get along with each other and stand up to discrimination. Student clubs have a place at Flour Bluff High School", says Peet.

A peaceful protest has also been called for on Friday at 9am by local students outside Flour Bluff High School in support of having student clubs on campus to fight bullying.

We'll be updating this story all throughout the week as it moves along. Meanwhile, if you haven't added your name in support of Nikki Peet, urging Flour Bluff High School to allow a GSA on campus, please do so here.

Photo credit: basykes

ORIGINAL SOURCE

2011-02-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

Lady GaGa - Born This Way

2011-02-28T22:38:00.002-07:00

LA Times: Let Couples Marry Now

2011-02-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

As Californians wait for Prop. 8 to work its way through the courts, the Los Angeles Times says gay couple should be allowed to get married.

Reads the article: "Although the federal courts expedited their handling of the lawsuit challenging Proposition 8, the issues are far from resolved. And now that the California Supreme Court has been asked to weigh in, the case could be delayed for another year or more.

"Enough already. Gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to wed while the case works its way through the system."

Read the full article here.

SOURCE

Gay Couple Bashed at Burger King Awarded $3.15 Million

2011-02-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

By Winston Gieseke

Los Angeles – A gay New Jersey couple who were chased and beaten by Burger King employees following a 2007 altercation have been awarded $3.15 million by a Hudson County jury.

In a civil trial that began Feb. 7, victims Peter Casbar, 43, and Noel Robichaux, 46, testified that a dispute with the person taking their order escalated to involve other workers and then became violent, even after the couple had left the Union City restaurant.

"The manager and a group of angry restaurant employees chased the couple and then mercilessly kicked, beat, and spat upon the two men while screaming hate-filled anti-gay invectives," the couple’s attorney, James F. Fine said in a statement.

Casbar and Robichaux said they were victims of a hate crime and brought the lawsuit under New Jersey's antidiscrimination laws. The jury agreed and ordered Food Service Properties Corp. and Union City Restaurant Corp., which owned the Burger King where the incident occurred, to pay damages.

"Violence against anybody, including gay people, cannot be condoned,” said Fine after the verdict. “The jury spoke to this issue."

Read the full story here.

SOURCE

It's time, N.Y.

2011-02-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

Hear that, New York? The Obama administration says the federal law that banned recognition of same-sex marriage -- and with it, denied health and pension benefits to countless Americans -- is unconstitutional.

Unusual, if long overdue, clarity came Wednesday with the concession that a law passed 15 years ago, in a very different climate for sexual politics, couldn't pass constitutional muster. It's legally indefensible, to be quite blunt about it.

Politically difficult, too. The President, who says his personal position on same-sex marriage is an "evolving" matter, has given further momentum to the push for equal rights for gays.

In Albany, not even the most socially conservative or politically tone deaf state lawmakers can deny that continuing to prevent gays from legally marrying just got noticeably harder. So much so that its advocates -- from Governor Cuomo, in his position of resounding popularity, to Thomas Duane, in the trenches of the state Senate -- should push for another vote on gay marriage.

The 38-24 vote against same-sex marriage in the state Senate two years ago just might represent politics as obsolete as the Justice Department's vow last month to keep fighting in court against the very forces it's now joined in opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act. Even a closer, albeit losing vote, could upend the political dynamics.

It's a different Senate, remember, than the one that voted down gay marriage in 2009. The Republicans who voted unanimously against it have seven new members.

There will be more pressure to put on the old members, too. That means you, Roy McDonald of Wilton. You, too, Hugh Farley of Niskayuna.

As for the Democrats, there's little reason to think that eight of their members would oppose gay marriage, as was the case in 2009. Five of the 30 Democrats now in the Senate hadn't been elected then.

Keep in mind, too, the 50,000 or so gay couples who would be able to legally marry in New York if the Senate rewrote the law to reflect a more tolerant era. They have the public on their side. A Quinnipiac University poll last week showed that New Yorkers favor same-sex marriage, 54 percent to 39 percent.

Among them is Edith Windsor, an 81-year-old widow who filed a federal lawsuit seeking reimbursement of $360,000 she had to pay in estate taxes because the federal government did not recognize her marriage.

"I think it removes a great deal of the stigma," she said of the Obama administration's abandonment of a misguided law. "It's just great."

Imagine, New York, what Ms. Windsor might say when justice prevails here.

THE ISSUE:

The Obama administration's change in its position on gay marriage creates an opening.

THE STAKES:

It will be harder to resist equal rights here.

To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com, or at http://blogs.timesunion.com/opinion

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/It-s-time-N-Y-1032480.php#ixzz1FK0IQ0fK

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Update on lesbian TN couple who were victims of arson and hate crime

2011-02-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

We talked with Carol Ann Stutte on Saturday morning, learning more about the case and getting a sense of how the GetEQUAL community couple help out — I can’t tell you how wonderful these women are…they’re amazing. Here’s the situation:

Carol Ann and Laura Stutte owned a beautiful home on a beautiful piece of land in rural Tennessee — outside of Knoxville. Together for 16 years with a grown daughter, these women had developed a community for themselves in the heart of a very, very red state.

Their next-door neighbor began threatening them, repeatedly making direct threats that she would burn their home, poison their dog, and kill the couple. Shortly after each of the threats, those things came to pass — their dog suddenly died of poisoning and their beautiful home had been reduced to ashes.

It gets worse. The house was burned down while Carol Ann and Laura were out of town, celebrating their anniversary. When they returned, their home was burned to the ground and the word “QUEERS” was spray-painted on their free-standing garage.

It gets even worse. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation deployed staff to the scene…four days after the fire and following two rainstorms that destroyed much of the arson evidence. After the men drank coffee, cracked jokes, and kept their investigation dog in the truck, Carol Ann asked if they were going to investigate. The response? “I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but we have more important things to do right now.”

And, believe it or not, it gets even worse. The Stuttes immediately filed a claim with their insurance company and the insurance company didn’t send a team of investigators until a week and a half after the fire. After initially honoring their claim for living expenses while the Stuttes waited on the investigation to take place, the insurance company — American National Property & Casualty Company — kicked them out of their rental home and told them they were on their own.

It’s been almost six months since the fire, and American National Property & Casualty Company will now no longer return calls from the Stuttes — and have made clear that they will not honor their homeowners policy. Last week, the company offered to pay $610.18 — yes, $610.18 — toward the living expenses for the couple, which are now over $5,000 for the past 6 months. And it’s clearly nowhere close to the $206,000 property claim and the $155,000 claim for personal items.

The Stuttes were hoping to follow the rules, resolve the situation peacefully, and just wait on this investigation to end — but it’s clear that American National Property & Casualty Company believe that lesbian lives are worth a small fraction of the value of straight lives. And the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation refuses to give any updates, preventing this from being designated as a hate crime…while their neighbor not only walks free, but has been sighted on the property repeatedly since the fire.

The Stuttes were recently forced to file a lawsuit against their neighbor while they live in hiding in another area of Tennessee, since this woman remains free. They’re suing the neighbor for damages — in the hopes that it forces the investigation to move forward and they can again return to their normal lives.

The Stuttes have reached out to GetEQUAL for help, and we’re determined to make it very difficult for American National Property & Casualty Company to conduct business until/unless they honor the Stuttes policy. We’re starting a campaign targeting the company, and we’ll periodically be asking you to take coordinated action in order to make things very difficult for this company. We don’t believe a lesbian home is worth less than a straight home — and we’ll make it clear to American National Property & Casualty Company that they have a lot of work ahead of them.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you’d like to make a donation to help the Stuttes out, please head here: http://knoxvillepridefest.com/2011/02/03/insulin/. They’ve raised enough money to live on for the past few months, but they’ve reached the end of that money — and their daughter is in need of a new insulin pump. This is clearly an immediate need.

Additionally, we’ll be hammering away at the insurance company in a variety of ways this week, both online and offline. For now, start the calls — their 24-hour customer service line is 1-800-333-2860. Word is that they have a prepared statement at the ready — be sure they read the whole thing, and feel free to ask questions. We’re completely happy with tying up their phone lines all day long!

When you call, add a comment on this Facebook post with the results, including any new information you learn. We’ll be setting up a way for folks to quickly send emails to all/most of their staff, actions at their offices in Missouri, etc. But, for right now, call their offices and prevent them from doing business!

Original Source

James Franco's Own Private Idaho

2011-02-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

James Franco, the restless multihyphenate entertainer, has again collaborated with his Milk director, Gus Van Sant, on a two-film redo of the director's 1991 modern classic My Own Private Idaho. Franco was shown outtakes of the film, which he previously told The Advocate is his favorite, when the two men worked on the award-winning Harvey Milk biopic, so the actor decided to fashion it into two films.

The two films, Endless Idaho and My Own Private River, will be shown as part of an exhibition called "Unfinished" at Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills. A press release describes the 12-hours long Endless Idaho as an "unprecedented look into the workaday process of making a movie, from location scouting to repeated takes." My Own Private River is made up mostly of "shots of [River] Phoenix 's character, Mike, woven into a compelling portrait. Franco describes being mesmerized by Phoenix's 'uninhibited acting' in this unreleased footage, and his edit 'captures the gifted actor at his most emotionally expressive and physically dynamic."

Michael Stipe composed the score for the art project.

"Unfinished"will be on display at the Gagosian Gallery February 26-April 9.

source

Missing Trans Woman Found Dead

2011-02-23T23:57:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

A 25-year-old transgender woman who was reported as missing two weeks ago was found dead in the basement of a vacant city-owned home in Baltimore Saturday.

Tyra Trent was found by a person who wandered into the building. An autopsy revealed that she had died of asphyxiation, The Baltimore Sun reports.

Those who know Trent, born Anthony, said she had been known to disappear for days at a time, but typically would return home after a day or two. After a few days, her mother, Sundra, knew something was wrong.

Trent's family remembered her as a bold, good-natured person who liked to dance. She worked with people with disabilities but also had a police record for prostitution.

source

Hawaii Gov. Signs Civil Unions Bill

2011-02-23T23:53:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors
Hawaii governor Neil Abercrombie signed legislation Wednesday afternoon legalizing civil unions in the Aloha state.

The state senate passed the bill last week by an 18-5 vote. A similar bill was approved by the legislature in 2010 but vetoed by then-Gov. Linda Lingle after a long waiting period.

"This signing today of this measure says to all in the world that all are welcome – that everyone is a brother and a sister in paradise," Abercrombie said at the bill's signing.

"For me, this bill represents equal rights for everyone in Hawaii and everyone who comes here. This is for me the essence of the aloha spirit."

The governor spent about 10 minutes speaking before signing the bill, joking around with people in the audience and making clear this is an important bill for him.

"With its signing, I wanted to say, 'Welcome to the world. Welcome to paradise.'"

Civil unions aren't expected to go into effect until January 1, 2012.

source

Maryland Marriage Bill Advances

2011-02-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

By Julie Bolcer

A debate predicted to last the entire day and beyond took only two hours Wednesday morning as Maryland senators voted 25-22 shortly after noon to advance the marriage equality bill to a third and final reading on Thursday followed by a final vote.

During the morning’s discussion, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act was subjected to a barrage of proposed amendments. Proposals to exempt religious groups that provide educational services and insurance coverage succeeded, but attempts to obtain exemptions for public officials and teachers failed, as did an adoption amendment that generated intense but controlled discussion.

Sen. Bryan Simonaire, a Republican from Anne Arundel County who proposed to exempt teachers from presenting marriage equality based on their religious beliefs, repeatedly raised the specter of “unintended consequences” to the marriage equality bill, such as school children reading books about same-sex couples.

Sen. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Montgomery County, led the debate in favor of the marriage equality bill and consistently countered opponents’ arguments. At one point, he dismissed an effort by Sen. C. Anthony Muse, a Prince George’s County Democrat, to remove the phrase “religious freedom” from the bill’s title because, Muse argued, the bill was focused on legalizing same-sex marriage.

“We are for marriage that includes everybody,” said Raskin. “Those people don’t say, ‘Will you gay marry me?’ or ‘Will you same-sex marry me?’ They’re asking, ‘Will you marry me?”

As debate came to a close, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., who had promised and managed to deliver a civil discussion, suggested his colleagues were beginning to carry the amendment proposals too far.

The senate is scheduled to hold a third and final reading of the marriage equality bill on Thursday. Supporters have secured the required number of votes from 24 senators, and Gov. Martin O’Malley has pledged to sign the bill. Debate begins Friday in the house of delegates, where backers feel confident of passage.

If passed and signed into law, the bill would make Maryland, with a population of 5.7 million people, the sixth state, in addition to the District of Columbia, to allow marriage equality.

Opponents of marriage equality have said they will try to repeal the prospective law with a referendum in 2012. However, a similar attempt to challenge the addition of sexual orientation to the state’s human rights law was kept off the ballot in the previous decade.

source

Man Posed as Lesbian to Prey on Girls

2011-02-23T23:45:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

A former Glasgow, Scotland, nurse has confessed to 49 pedophile sex charges involving girls aged 10 to 15.

Authorities say Barry McCluskey, 39, posed as a teenage lesbian on social networking sites and preyed on nearly 50 victims between 2007 and 2010 from the home he shared with his wife and two children.

Despite having no face-to-face or physical contact with any of the girls, McCluskey was able to lure some of them to strip and perform sex acts for him via Web cam while he recorded the footage.

He also blackmailed some of the victims. According to prosecutor Alison Di Rollo, "Those who were, or became reluctant, he would ask to do more — telling them if they did not, he may have to forward the video they had already done to friends."

An investigation of his home computers yielded almost 10,000 indecent images of children.

McCluskey will be sentenced later this year.

Read the full story here.

source

Cheyenne in Broadway's Normal Heart?

2011-02-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Cheyenne Jackson is in talks to join the first Broadway production of The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer's landmark play about the early years of the AIDS epidemic, reports The New York Times.

Joe Mantello, a Tony award-nominated actor for Angels in America and Tony award-winning director of Take Me Out, will play Ned Weeks, the play's protagonist, based on Kramer. Love! Valour! Compassion!'s John Benjamin Hickey will play Ned's lover, Felix Turner. Ellen Barkin will make her Broadway debut as Emma Brookner, the wheelchair-bound doctor who realizes the seriousness of the AIDS crisis. Jackson will likely play Tommy, an activist. The production will be directed by Oscar- and Tony award-winner Joel Grey.

The Normal Heart will begin preview performances at the Golden Theater on April 19 and open on April 27, a day before the deadline to qualify for Tony award consideration. Kramer's play first opened on April 21, 1985 and ran for 294 performances. The revival follows an acclaimed staged reading of the play in New York last October, which raised $150,000 for charity.

A film adaptation to be directed by Ryan Murphy with Mark Ruffalo attached to star is in the works.

source

California Gay Marriage Supporters: Lift Prop. 8 Stay

2011-02-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

(from left) David Boies, Chad Griffin
Ted Olsen and Ted Boutrous.

By Advocate.com Editors

Attorneys who brought the federal case against Proposition 8 asked the U.S. court of appeals for the ninth circuit to lift the court-imposed stay on marriage equality in California.

A three-judge panel of the ninth circuit had imposed that stay last year without comment after U.S. district judge Vaughn Walker ruled the 2008 voter initiative unconstitutional. Gay couples are still unable to wed in California as a result.

“There there can be no justification for prolonging the suffering of plaintiffs and the tens of thousands of couples like them for an additional year,” attorney Ted Olson wrote in a court filing.

“Having prevailed at trial, having demonstrated that they had a fundamental right to marry, and having shown beyond dispute that Proposition 8 works irreparable harm upon gay and lesbian Californians by denying them that right,” Olson wrote, “it is simply intolerable for this Court to continue to deny them that right and to perpetuate their pain for such a length of time — especially given that this Court itself has recognized that Proponents may well have no right to appeal at all.”

The move comes on the same day the Department of Justice announced it will not defend section 3 of the 15-year-old Defense of Marriage Act in federal court after a directive from President Barack Obama.

Read more on that story here.

source

2011-02-23T23:18:00.001-07:00

Emanuel Wins Chicago Mayor Race

2011-02-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Rahm Emanuel has been elected the new mayor of Chicago in a landslide victory.

The former White House Chief of Staff has nearly 55 percent of the vote with 88 percent of precincts reporting. Former Board of Education President Gery Chico is in second place with 24 percent, City Clerk Miguel del Valle has nine percent and long time civil rights advocate Carol Moseley Braun is in fourth with eight percent of the vote.

Longtime LGBT ally Richard Daley decided not to seek reelection in September.

Emanuel, a former congressman from Illinois, stepped down as White House chief of staff last year to prepare his run. He has been endorsed by Equality Illinois PAC and the Human Rights Campaign.

ChicagoPride.com reported Tuesday morning: “Emanuel, who received the endorsement of over 200 LGBT community leaders and advocates including openly gay state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and state Rep. Deborah Mell (D-Chicago), has approached 50 percent in opinion polls but his numbers have since dropped in recent polling.”

source

Madonna Movie Poster Thought Too "Lesbian"

2011-02-23T04:55:00.001-07:00

Photos Herb Ritts took of Madonna and Rosanna Arquette during a publicity shoot for their hit film Desperately Seeking Susan were initially deemed too "lesbian," according to veteran publicist Reid Rosefelt on My Life as a Blog.

Rosefelt, who was working as a publicist on the 1985 mistaken identity comedy, recalls the day he first told Madonna that Ritts would be photographing her and costar Arquette for publicity photos and, possibly, the film's poster.

“Is he gay?” Madonna asked. “Gay men take good pictures of me.”

Rosefelt recalls that during the meeting for the film's ad campaign an agency was pitching a campaign that traded on the film's disillusioned housewife plot, with Arquette’s face on a toaster and Madonna’s face on a piece of toast. Thinking the images were terrible, Rosefelt pulled out photos from the Ritts session, causing a hush in the room.

"Some people at Orion thought that the image would make people think it was a lesbian movie," Roseflet writes. "Thankfully the film’s producers, Midge Sanford and Sarah Pillsbury, were able to make their case."

The late photographer would go on to capture some of the most famous images of the music icon, including the cover of her 1986 album True Blue, as well as direct the video for her single "Cherish."

Rosefelt writes about having spent a lot of time alone with pre-superstardom Madonna during the shoot, where she even asked his opinion of one of her unreleased songs. Years later he ran into Madonna at an art shop and re-introduced himself, saying that he worked with her on Susan.

“A lot of people worked on Desperately Seeking Susan,” she said, as she walked past him.

source

2011-02-23T04:48:00.000-07:00

Lesbian Embezzler Sentenced to 6 Years

2011-02-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Phyllis Stevens, who embezzled more than $6 million from Aviva USA, was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison. Her wife, Marla Stevens, who claimed to have “no conscious knowledge of the crime,” received a sentence of just more than three years.

The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Ronald Longstaff after Phyllis admitted guilt but blamed her actions on mental disorders caused by childhood abuse. Marla admitted only to spending large sums of money, including over $400,000 in room service at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.

Longstaff said the sentences were based on the amount of money stolen and how it was spent. "When you steal $6 million, you are going to jail, and you are going to go for a long time," he said.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas Klinefeldt agreed. "These sentences show that so-called 'white collar' offenses are serious crimes, and that committing these crimes can bring severe consequences," he said. "Phyllis and Marla Stevens lived a lavish lifestyle on stolen money, and now they are going to pay the price."

Phyllis Stevens blamed her actions on a dissociative identity disorder, and said an alter ego known as Peter was the one who’d taken the money.

Read the full story here.

source

Greg Louganis' Return to Diving

2011-02-23T04:38:00.001-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Diving legend Greg Louganis has decided to come back to the sport that propelled him into Olympic fame, but this time as a coach.

Louganis, who is openly gay and has HIV, became the only man to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the platform and springboard diving events. Now 51, Louganis spoke to the New York Times on Sunday about being hired in November to coach the members of SoCal Divers. His coaching follows a mechanical style, ensuring that divers master a move before moving on to the next, which is in contrast with other coaches who stress acrobatics.

At first, he admitted he was hesitant to return to the sport, but said after he thought about his skill set, and where he felt comfortable, the return was the right thing to do.

“I kind of speak their language,” he said of the divers he trains. “I know what it is to be afraid of a dive. I know what it’s like to put a new dive in a competition. I know what it’s like to feel a little insecure about a dive.”

source

Delaware: New Group Eyes Civil Unions

2011-02-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Garcia
Delaware's newly formed gay rights group has hit the ground running, launching a public push to legalize civil unions for the state's gay and lesbian couples.

Equality Delaware's first meeting, attended by about 120 people, resulted in the unveiling Thursday of the campaign to get civil unions. State Rep. Melanie George and Sen. David Sokola have signed on to be the lead sponsors of the bill, which they said will likely be filed in mid-March, according to the News Journal (Wilmington, Del.).

According to the group, about 700 Delaware couples would enter a civil union within the first few years the law takes effect.

In addition to granting gay and lesbian couples the same rights as married couples have in the state, the civil union law would also rescind current policies that fine and imprison same-sex couples who fraudulently present themselves as married couples. It would also establish religious freedom protections for clergy, and ensure that same-sex marriages from other states be recognized in Delaware.

Equality Delaware president Lisa Goodman told the News Journal that there is enough support to legalize civil unions, but full-on marriage equality would probably be an unsuccessful battle.

source

Banton Guilty of Cocaine Charges

2011-02-23T04:26:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Homophobic, Grammy-winning reggae star Buju Banton was convicted of three cocaine related charges in a Tampa, Fla., court on Monday.

A 12-person jury convicted Banton of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, attempting to possess five kilograms or more of cocaine, and aiding and abetting others in using a communication facility in the commission of a felony. The singer was found not guilty of a gun charge.

The Jamaican performer was arrested with two men in December 2009 after they tried to sell cocaine to undercover detectives in a Florida warehouse. While the two men pleaded guilty, Banton denied the charges. A previous case against Banton ended in a mistrial.

Earlier this month, Banton won the Grammy award for Best Reggae Album. Banton reportedly hugged his lawyer as the verdict was read — there is no word yet on when Banton will be sentenced.

Read the full story here.

source

AIDS Memoir Pulled from Library

2011-02-23T04:17:00.000-07:00

A memoir was pulled from the general circulation of a middle school library in Tennessee because of the author's accounts of promiscuity, the AIDS-related death of his lover and his use of profane language.

A 12-year-old student checked out Paul Monette's memoir, Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir, from the Cheatham Middle School library. Her mother, Misty Binkley, told WSMV News that the book was not appropriate to have in a middle school library, but was perhaps more appropriate for older students.

After Binkley complained, the school’s policy changed to adapt to parents' inquiries. Previously, books that were the subject of complaint would undergo a two week review process, which has been changed to take place over the course of two days.

source

Marriage Bill Introduced in Md. Senate

2011-02-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

The marriage equality bill was introduced in the Maryland senate Tuesday morning. Debate is scheduled to begin Wednesday on the measure, which has the required 24 votes to pass the chamber.

The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act passed the senate’s judicial proceedings committee last Thursday by a vote of 7 to 4. The bill included three amendments, including one on protecting religious institutions that is expected to be the subject of prolonged debate in the full senate this week.

The Wonk Room offers audio of the introduction.

Gov. Martin O'Mally has promised to sign the marriage equality bill, which is expected to pass the house of delegates.

source

Rosie O'Donnell, Tracy Kachtick-Anders Break Up: Comedienne, Girlfriend Split: Report

2011-02-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

Sadly, it seems that "The Gay-dy Bunch" has split apart.

The NY Post's Page Six reports that former "The View" co-host Rosie O'Donnell and her girlfriend, Tracy Kachtick-Anders, have split up after about a year of dating. The pair met through Rosie's blog, Kachtick-Anders said at the time.

This would be the second split in three years for O'Donnell, who broke up with longtime partner Kelli Carpenter, with whom she has four children, in 2007 -- though the breakup wasn't made public til November, 2009.

Kachtick-Anders, an artist and LGBT adoptive rights advocate, has six kids, five of whom are in fact adopted. O'Donnell said that Kachtick-Anders moved her children in with O'Donnell, creating a household of ten kids that O'Donnell coined "The Gay-dy Bunch".

However, the NY Post's story says that the move never officially happened:

"Rosie and Tracy never officially lived under one roof. They have lived near one another for quite some time, and their families still socialize and they see each other frequently."

Their source said that the ex-couple's children are still very close.

source

Allums' Mom Says Son Kept from Playing

2011-02-23T00:36:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

The mother of Kye Allums, a women’s basketball player for George Washington University, said that the school is preventing her son from playing despite medical clearance and stifling talk about his being the first openly transgender person to play NCAA Division I basketball.

Outsports.com spoke with Allums' mother about the allegations, which the university denies.

“Rolanda Delamartinez said in a phone interview [with Outsports.com] that Allums - who has missed all but eight games this season because of two concussions - has been prevented from playing, even though she says he no longer has any symptoms from the concussions. She said Allums was told he would have to run for two hours straight to be cleared,” the Washington Post reported.

GW athletic director Jack Kvancz said that Allums was not able to satisfactorily complete a 20-minute run. Delamartinez claimed that her son was cleared to play by a team doctor two weeks ago, and then the decision was reversed.

The Post also reports that, “Delamartinez said her son wants to help other transgender athletes but school officials have refused to allow him to tell his story to reporters. According to Delamartinez, school officials told her and Allums not to speak to any reporters because the school had arranged to give an exclusive to Oprah Winfrey.”

Kvancz said that he was not aware of any special arrangements with Winfrey, and that he told Allums to focus on academics and basketball until after the season.

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Anti-bullying bill passes easily in ND House

2011-02-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

Anti-bullying bill passes easily in ND House

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A measure that's intended to deter bullying in schools has won overwhelming approval in the North Dakota House.

The bill says each school district must adopt an anti-bullying policy by July 2012.

It instructs the state School Boards Association to develop a policy as a model for local schools.

The North Dakota Senate approved a similar bill last week that requires the state school superintendent to develop the model rules.

Both public and non-public schools must adopt anti-bullying policies. They must include instructions for reporting, investigating and punishing cases of bullying. School districts would also need to offer bullying prevention programs.

Schools wouldn't be liable for bullying that occurs if they adopt proper bullying policies.

The House approved the measure, 76-18, on Tuesday. It now goes to the Senate.

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Review: "Making the Boys" Tells the Fascinating Behind-the-Scenes Story of "The Boys in the Band"

2011-02-23T00:22:00.001-07:00

by Brent Hartinger

Can I make a confession? I didn't want to watch or review Making the Boys, the new documentary about the landmark 1968 play and 1970 film The Boys in the Band that opens in limited release in March.

Yes, yes, I know how important the movie is in gay entertainment history (which is why I put it as number one on my list of the most important gay movies of all time, even as I also put it on another list of my least favorite gay movies).

But it's also probably the most discussed gay movie of all time. As Making the Boys points out, it was hailed upon its first staging, then condemned by gays in the post-Stonewall era, then "rediscovered" in the 1990s. At every point in modern gay history, it's been there in the background, cited as an example of post-Stonewall "truth," or as hoary gay stereotypes in their purest form.

In short, is there really anything interesting left to be said about The Boys in the Band?

It turns out there is, in a new documentary that doesn't really discuss the play or the movie themselves (or even their impact on the stage or the cinema), so much as the two projects' role in gay history, and (even more interesting) their impact on all the people involved with their creation.

Who knew? As much as I and others have written and read and talked about The Boys in the Band, it turns out there is plenty didn't I know.

First, there's the role of The Boys in the Band in history, and how it acted as sort of a "counterweight" to the GLBT rights movement — a potent symbol of an earlier, much darker era before GLBT liberation. The play debuted in 1968, and by 1970, the world could see the film version.

What happened in between? The Stonewall Inn Riots, of course — the "birth" of the modern GLBT rights movement. But that symbolic moment didn't just set off a movement; it helped fundamentally change the way gay people thought of themselves, replacing self-hatred and the need to hide and be subservient with a forthright demand for dignity, openness, and pride.

In other words, at the height of its stage success and even before the release of the movie, The Boys in the Band was already an anachronism, a throw-back to an earlier era. Remember the famous phrase "Gay is good"? It turns out the man who coined it was doing it in direct response to two things: the famous African American expression "Black is beautiful," and the portrayal of self-(and other-)destructive gay people in The Boys in the Band.

It's inaccurate to say that The Boys in the Band helped sparked the Stonewall Inn Riots, but I think it's spot-on to say that whatever was in the air that sparked those riots is also deeply embedded in the DNA of the play: the incredible self-loathing and the dawning realization that that self-hatred was unfairly imposed by the greater culture.

Even more interesting than the project's role in history, however, is its impact on the men involved in its creation.

How did playwright Mart Crowley get the idea to write the play in the first place? From a snotty article in the New York Times that accused prominent gay playwrights like Edward Albee of writing "coded" plays about gays in the guise of heterosexuals. Why not just write about gay people, the article asked?

And for the first time, a playwright did — a fact that Crowley deserves enormous credit for. (Interestingly, Albee, who is interviewed in Making the Boys, was one of the early readers of the play, and he hated it for its portrayal of gay men, which he thought would set back a gay rights movement that he saw on the rise even in 1967. Albee still dislikes the play today — although he humorously kicks himself for not investing in it when he had the opportunity.)

The Boys in the Band was phenomenally successful as an Off-Broadway play, running five years with two national touring companies (Albee says the play was so popular with heterosexual audiences, because it gave them exactly the portrayal of gays they expected). The movie version was less successful, but it was still incredibly influential in the rise of GLBT portrayals in other films and on television.

So you'd think the principals involved would've made out okay, right?

Not so much. The actors all played the same roles on stage and in the movie, and two of the surviving cast members, Peter White (who played Alan) and Laurence Luckinbill (who played Hank), explain the incredible prejudice they faced in Hollywood as a result of appearing in the film. They also recount the profound bitterness on the part of some of the other cast members, who also faced what almost everyone agreed was a strong backlash.

Robert La Tourneaux (who played The Cowboy, a hustler) got involved in drugs and was even eventually reduced to turning tricks himself as "the Cowboy from The Boys in the Band." And Reuben Greene (who played Bernard) has long since disavowed his involvement in the projects and refuses all contact on the matter.

Four cast members, including La Tourneuax, and other production personnel eventually succumbed to AIDS.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: we all benefit from the courage of early pioneers, but very rarely do the pioneers themselves get rewarded. On the contrary, often they get totally screwed, at least in the GLBT movement.

As for Crowley, his next play in the wake of The Boys in the Band bombed badly, sending him into a decade-long alcohol bender, only to see his career eventually be revived when his very good friend Natalie Wood (who was instrumental in getting The Boys in the Band produced) convinced him to work on her husband Robert Wagner's hit 1970s television show Hart to Hart.

If you find none of this interesting, there is one more thing about this documentary that makes it "must see": its use of fascinating archival footage (including home movies of Roddy McDowell's Malibu beach parties with Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, Judy Garland, Sal Mineo, and just about anyone else who was a star of that era), footage of early GLBT rights leaders, old interviews with cast members, and much, much more.

The documentary also includes new interviews with Crowley, director William Friedkin, Michael Cunningham, Larry Kramer, Tony Kushner, Terrence McNally, Dan Savage, Robert Wagner, and many others.

I didn't want to watch Making the Boys, but I was wrong in that. For anyone with an interest in gay history or gay entertainment, I can't recommend it highly enough.

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Did Ugandan Brenda Namigadde Lie About Being A Lesbian To Score British Asylum?

2011-02-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

Brenda Namigadde, the 29-year-old Ugandan woman living in Britain who initially scored a reprieve from deportation by claiming her homosexuality would subject her to threats and violence, has renewed her appeal to avoid being shipped off. And it curiously leaves out any mention that she's a lesbian — only that she's been reported in the press to be one.

Now that she's been slapped with the "lesbian" title, Namigadde remains at risk, the Telegraph relays.

Her legal team managed to secure a last-minute delay in her removal from Britain by arguing that as a homosexual she would be at risk of persecution in her African homeland. But now lawyers acting for the woman, who can be identified only as "BN", have submitted a new appeal on her behalf – which no longer hinges on her sexuality. Instead, they say that because she has appeared in newspapers claiming to be gay, she would inevitably be at risk in Uganda whatever her true sexual orientation.

How come? Because a judge handling the case ruled Namigadde isn't gay at all.

Earlier this month this newspaper revealed how she was unable to remember the surname, age, employer or other details of a woman with whom she claimed she had a six-year relationship in Uganda. Nor could she describe a lesbian bar in London that she claimed she visited regularly.

BN came to Britain in 2002 and overstayed her visa, later lodging an asylum claim. She claimed to have been beaten and victimised over her sexuality. The Home Office refused her claim and began deportation proceedings. Last December, immigration judge Toby Davey ruled that BN should be sent back to Uganda. He criticised the 28-year-old for a "lack of candour" over her sexuality, and concluded: "I find that the appellant was and is not, on the evidence before me, a lesbian." Yet following the ruling, BN secured sympathetic coverage in several newspapers. Her lawyers, Luton-based Cardinal Solicitors, were quoted on the dangers she allegedly faced, and BN herself gave interviews from inside Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre.

Now Namigadde's lawyers claim "the credibility of the applicant's sexuality … is entirely irrelevant to the risk … that the applicant will face. … The risk derives from a widespread national public perception of the applicant being homosexual." Which, uh, she and her representatives, it appears, conveniently manufactured. In which case: shame on them. Because while Namigadde may have decent reasons to want to stay in Britain and away from her homeland, gaming the system — and casting more speculation and cynicism on actual LGBTs who need the safe haven that asylum offers — hurts everyone.

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New Mexico House Committee Says “NO” to DOMA Bills

2011-02-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

by Tony Wagner

Today, three anti-marriage bills being considered by the New Mexico legislature encountered a major setback in the House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee. Three Democrats from Bernalillo County (Albuquerque) voted to table the measures, effectively stalling, if not killing the bills for the session. The final vote was 3-2.

The bills, HJR 7 and HJR 8 which are constitutional amendments that would define marriage as only between one man and one woman, as well as HB 162, the “Retroactive Bar on Same Sex Marriages” bill, were attempts by social conservatives in the state to enshrine discrimination in the state’s constitution. These bills would deny thousands of New Mexican families the dignity that comes from having their relationships recognized.

Similar legislation was defeated last year, but with a more socially conservative slant at the Roundhouse following the 2010 elections, fending off this discriminatory legislation could have proved more difficult. To counter these efforts, HRC worked with a broad coalition in the state, and launched two statewide action alerts to thousands of members and supporters, which generated several thousand messages to legislators and Gov. Susana Martinez.

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2011-02-18T00:03:00.002-07:00

Poll: LGBT Students More Prone to Suicide

2011-02-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

By Winston Gieseke

LGBT students are more likely to be suicidal and harassed than their straight peers, says a new report from the Des Moines–based Iowa Pride Network.

Yesterday, the eight-year-old group released the results of their first-ever College Climate Survey, which tracked comfort levels, harassment, and depression for students on college campuses. According to the data collected, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students are 25% more likely to have suicidal thoughts while 44% have experienced some form of harassment while in school. Read more here...

Massachusetts governor signs order protecting transgender state employees

2011-02-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

by Inga Sarda-Sorensen

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 — Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today issued two executive orders, numbers 526 and 527, which extend nondiscrimination protections to state employees on the basis of gender identity and expression, and apply to all state agencies and programs, as well as businesses that contract with the state.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force was pleased to provide technical assistance to Massachusetts Equality and Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition in their effort to secure this order. Read more here...

Target Amends Giving Policy

2011-02-17T23:56:00.000-07:00

The big-box retailer has changed its political contribution policy in the wake of last year's uproar over its donation to a group supporting an antigay candidate.

By Advocate.com Editors

Target Corp., which angered gays last year with a donation to a political group supporting an antigay Minnesota gubernatorial candidate, has amended its policy for political contributions.

Among the changes, reports the Washington Blade, is the establishment of a committee of senior executives to oversee donations to candidates, parties, and political action committees. “The policy committee and our CEO are responsible for balancing our business interests with any other considerations that may be important to our team members, our guests or other stakeholders,” Target spokeswoman Jessica Carlson told the Blade. Read more here...

2011-02-17T23:53:00.001-07:00

High school newspaper editorial condemns homosexuality, same-sex dating

2011-02-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

By Eric Ethington

WICHITA, Kan. — A local high school student newspaper has published an editorial by one of their student reporters calling for a ban on same-sex dating.

In the editorial in Wichita High School East’s Messenger, student journalist Colin Johnson called homosexuality a disruption and said it should be kept out of school.

He also quoted two Bible verses, one which calls homosexuality an abomination, and another that says it should be punished by death. Read more here...

2011-02-16T23:32:00.002-07:00

California high court to rule on key Prop. 8 issue

2011-02-16T23:32:00.000-07:00

The California Supreme Court has rejoined the battle over same-sex marriage, agreeing to decide the crucial question of whether sponsors of an initiative can defend it in court when state officials refuse to do so.

The justices issued a unanimous order Wednesday granting a request by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to decide whether the backers of Proposition 8, the 2008 initiative banning gay and lesbian marriages, have the right under state law to appeal a judge's decision declaring the measure unconstitutional. Read more here...

Hawaii Same-Sex Civil Unions Bill Approved By State Legislature

2011-02-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

HONOLULU — Hawaii lawmakers approved a bill Wednesday to allow civil unions for same-sex couples, marking an end to what the governor called an "emotional process" for a longtime battleground in the gay rights movement.

Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie's office said he intends to sign the bill into law within 10 business days. Civil unions would begin Jan. 1, 2012, making the state the seventh in the nation to grant essentially the same rights of marriage to same-sex couples without authorizing marriage itself. Read more here...

Conservative Marine for Equality

2011-02-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

Craig Stowell is a conservative former Marine who takes “freedom and liberty very seriously.” And in a full-page ad running Wednesday in New Hampshire’s conservative-leaning Union Leader, he says he finds the effort to “take away marriage from loving gay and lesbian couples not only to be wrong, but completely off task.”

The ad is an open letter from Stowell to the New Hampshire legislature, urging lawmakers to focus on fixing the economy and creating jobs and not on stripping same-sex couples of marriage rights.

He says in the letter he is writing on behalf of his brother, who was the best man at his wedding to the woman of his dreams.

“I hope he will one day ask me to be his best man when he decides to marry,” he writes.

Read the full letter at GoodAsYou.org.

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BRUTAL MURDER: Teen Shoots + Hacks Gay Roommate To Death After He 'Turned Straight Again'

2011-02-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

Some people are mentally disturbed. And then there is Michael Anderson (pictured), a 19-year-old North Carolina man, who called 911 and told the dispatcher he had taken Mucinex cough medicine and then hacked his gay roommate to death with an axe after shooting him.

Facing murder charges in the death of Stephen Starr (pictured below), Anderson can be heard telling the 911 operator at 4:45am Monday, "I took some pills and, um, the pills made me go mad and I murdered my roommate. shot him three times and then I used an axe and mutilated his body." While being taken away from the home the two men shared, Anderson told reporters he loved ("as a friend") his slain roommate. But during the 911 call, Anderson says, "I was straight and I wanted to go bisexual just to experiment and I went to a gay club and I met him and I went to his house. And he took me in and I turned straight again and he wanted to touch me and stuff and I wouldn't let him and he kept trying and I waited until he went to sleep and then I shot him 3 times and then I mutilated him very badly." Yes, that's the sound of his defense attorney mounting a gay panic-by-medicine defense.

As for Starr, his lifeless body was found shot (by both a handgun and shotgun), stabbed (with the side of his body carved with a word), and torn up with the axe. Catawba County Sheriff Coy Reid says it's "probably one of the worst scenes I have seen in my 30 years of law enforcement."

Anderson's Facebook postings, however, indicate he may have planned the murder. Two successive posts on the site — where his status was listed "in a relationship" — declare his intent ("my killing starts tonight") and then appear to announce what he did ("i finally cracked guys i really did it this time").

In the middle of the 911 call (full recording below), Anderson says: "Oh lord, I don't know why I did this. … I can't believe I killed my roommate." He then tells the operator that when the police come they won't even recognize Starr's body. "The axe is inside his stomach."

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Hawaii Appoints Openly Lesbian Judge Sabrina McKenna to its Supreme Court

2011-02-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

by SheWired Editors

Sabrina McKenna was confirmed to the Hawaii supreme court Wednesday, making her the first openly gay judge to serve on the state's highest court.

McKenna, 53, was a senior judge on Oahu's family court, according to the Associated Press. She has 16 years of experience in serving the bench.

"This is the most important decision I have made in my career,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said in a statement when he nominated her as an associate justice in January. “This appointment sets the course for the state and its legal direction for the next several years. I am completely confident that Judge McKenna's appointment will be something I'm proud of for the rest of my life."

McKenna is Abercrombie's first judicial nominee.

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Fehrenbach assured retirement from Air Force with pension

2011-02-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

by Chris Johnson

An Air Force pilot who was facing potential discharge under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been assured that he will be allowed to retire from the service with his full rank and pension.

According to the South Bend Tribune, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, who’s served as a military pilot for 20 years, was told by the U.S. military recently that he’d be permitted to retire on Oct. 1.

Fehrenbach, who’s flown missions in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, reportedly said the news was unexpected and “a great sense of relief.”

In 2008, Fehrenbach placed on desk duty while he was investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting a male civilian and violating “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The assault allegation was dropped, but the investigation into his sexual orientation continued.

Had Fehrenbach been dismissed, he would have faced the loss of his military retirement entitlement of half pay and medical care for the remainder of his life.

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Virginia refuses to consider anti gay-discrimination proposal

2011-02-16T23:10:00.001-07:00

By Annie Rooney, 365gay.com

(Richmond, Va.) A Virginia House panel killed a recent proposal to protect state employees in Virginia from anti-gay discrimination, according to the Washington Post.

Democrats pushed the bill in response to last year’s letter from Attorney Gen. Ken Cuccinelli (R) instructing colleges and universities to exclude sexual orientation language from official non-discrimination policies.

Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) clarified the state does not discriminate based on sexual orientation and that those who do can be punished through an executive directive that he issued shortly after the letter.

Virginia universities and state agencies cannot allow employees take any state court action over discrimination based on sexual orientation until there is legislative approval, according to the Washington Post.

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Watch: Mormon Mom Reposts Video Speaking Out for Same-Sex Marriage Despite Threats from Church Officials

2011-02-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

Melanie, a married Mormon mother of five, a loyal member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and a self-described "disciple of Christ", made the following video in 2008 in reaction to the Mormon church's campaign to pass Proposition 8 and remove marriage rights from gay people.

After threats from church officials, she took it down, but this week reposted it.

Melanie writes:

I did not discuss the video with my local leaders before making it public, but they were directed to it by church headquarters. At the end of some very heart felt discussions, my speaking out with this video threatened my temple recommend and my calling, and I ultimately chose to take it down to protect my standing in the church.

I have lived to regret the decision. And so today, in honor of the Valentine legend and in support of the love that drives so many of us to share our lives with each other, I stand up once more in favor of marriage, all marriage, with my Prop 8 video.

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Garnet Coleman files suicide prevention bill that would ban anti-LGBT bullying, discrimination

2011-02-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

by John Wright

State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, has filed a bill that he says is designed to prevent future tragedies like the suicide of Asher Brown, a gay 13-year-old who took his own life last year in response to bullying at school.

Coleman’s HB 1386, filed today, calls on the state to develop a comprehensive suicide prevention program for middle, junior and high schools. The bill would also ban anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in public schools. Read more here...

Studies: Gay Marriage Boosts State Budgets

2011-02-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

Opinion by GLAAD

Recent studies are increasingly supportive of the idea that marriage equality will have not only moral and psychological impacts on the people involved, but could also bring economic prosperity to their states in the long term. Read more here...

Indiana state House approves constitutional ban on same-sex marriage

2011-02-15T23:52:00.001-07:00

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indiana House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a measure to create a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The bipartisan vote was 70-26.

The proposed amendment would also prohibit civil unions, stating that any legal status “substantially similar” to marriage for unmarried people is not valid.

The vote took place after less than 30 minutes of debate. Read more here...

Valentine’s Day marked with rallies, protests to call attention to marriage equality

2011-02-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

Advocates for same-sex marriage marked this year’s Valentine’s Day with rallies and protests across the nation, many responding to a call from GetEQUAL and Marriage Equality USA to raise awareness about federal marriage equality.

“As we cheer on our heterosexual fellow citizens who are able to marry on this wonderful day of love, we will remind the world that falling in love and the desire to marry the person you love is a universal sentiment and that all citizens should have the freedom to marry the one they love.” said Molly McKay, Marriage Equality U.S.A. media director, in a press statement.

In at least 25 cities nationwide, same-sex marriage couples requested marriage licenses Monday to highlight the fact that they are denied full marriage equality in 45 U.S. states, and also denied federal recognition in the five states and District of Columbia where same-sex marriage is legal. Read more here....

After Denying FTM Student Homecoming King Title, MI High School Does Away With Prom King + Queen

2011-02-15T23:44:00.001-07:00

Oakleigh Marshall, a FTM trans student at Mona Shores High School in Muskegon, Michigan, is registered under the name Oakleigh Reed. Last September when he mounted an impromptu campaign to be named homecoming king, Oakleigh won — and was then told by his principal that, because he was born a biological woman, and registered at the school as such, he would have to surrender the title. Flash-forward five months, and Mona Shores High has a new solution to gender-specific superlatives: do away with them. Which is why at this year's prom, there will be no king nor queen, but a pair of gender-neutral crown holders for both juniors and seniors. "I'm so glad that the rules have been changed," says Oakleigh in a statement. "All I wanted was a chance for all students to participate and be heard. Now, my classmates and I can just focus on having a great time at our school dance."

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On 3rd Anniversary Of Teen Lawrence King's Hate Murder, His Accused Killer Still Hasn't Gone To Trial

2011-02-15T23:39:00.001-07:00

Three years ago this week, 15-year-old Lawrence King was allegedly shot to death by classmate Brandon McInerney (pictured, right), who had a problem with King's gayness, given McInerney's subscription to white power beliefs. And just a month before McInerney was finally going to face trial for the crime, yet another delay has been issued.

"I'm really shocked that the judge has allowed it to drag on for so long," says Lawrence's father Greg, who was in the courtroom yesterday with other members of the family, including his wife Kendra the fallen boy's brother Rocky. "We are holding up the best we can. It's something that we don't have a lot of control over. It frustrates us. It tears on us emotionally. We'd like to see things finally get resolved so we can get some closure and justice for our son."

The judge overseeing the case has continued to postpone the start of the trial as McInerney's lawyers continue to argue for the release of Lawrence's juvenile records, something they've been trying to do for years, as if that changes the facts of the case: classmates saw McInerney shoot Lawrence (pictured, left). McInerney has pleaded not guilty to killing the eighth grader in his English class.

You'll recall Brenda and Greg King tried suing two dozen defendants, including the school district and a gay rights group, over the loss of their son — for nobody told little Lawrence he had the option to not be gay. Or at least not act so flamey. And really, that would've solved everything.

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Before “Born This Way”

2011-02-15T23:34:00.000-07:00

The Advocate counts down 13 other great LGBT empowerment anthems that preceded Lady Gaga’s latest.

By Advocate.com Editors

The unprecedented pre-release anticipation for Lady Gaga’s latest single “Born This Way” owed as much to its being touted as "the next great gay anthem" as it did to Gaga-mania. When the song, which the superstar claims to have composed in 10 minutes, finally arrived last Friday, some fans rejoiced while others were underwhelmed. But whether you love it or don't quite hate it, let’s give the lady her due. “Born This Way” is one of the few mainstream anthems that unapologetically embraces queerness. Just try to name another chart topper with “transgender” in its lyrics.

For decades we’ve appropriated countless songs as our own, reading gay subtext into vague lyrics, empathizing with the longing in Judy’s “Over the Rainbow,” the exuberant joy of The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men" or relating to the painful isolation in Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own,” but few actually wave a flag to flaunt our individualism. Here are a few favorites that do. Read more here....

Trump thinks gays are “great,” against marriage equality

2011-02-15T23:27:00.000-07:00

By Jon Fairbanks

On Fox News Monday night, real estate mogul and potential presidential candidate Donald Trump expressed opposition to marriage equality.

“New York is a place with lots of gays and I think it’s great, but I’m not in favor of gay marriage,” Trump said.

Trump told host Greta Van Susteren if he pursues a White House bid, he’ll run as a conservative Republican.

“The Donald” says he’s pro-life and supports strengthening the military.

“I’m a great guy for defense,” Trump said. “I am probably as conservative as anybody on your show and that’s going a pretty strong step.”

Republican gay group GOProud invited Trump to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week and promoted him as a write-in candidate for the yearly straw poll.

If Trump wins the election, he says his first move will be to implement a 25 percent tax on products imported from China.

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Hawaii Senate Postpones Civil Unions Vote

2011-02-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

By Advocate.com Editors

The Hawaii senate is scheduled to vote on a bill that would give same-sex couples long-awaited rights to civil unions, more than 12 years after voters approved an amendment giving the legislature power to ban marriage equality in the state.

Update: According to the state senate communications office, the civil unions bill vote has been postponed to Wednesday "to give senators more time to consider the bill." Read more here.....

Lesbian Minister Faces Trial

2011-02-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

Lesbian United Methodist minister Amy DeLong will be tried by a church court in April on charges of “being a self-avowed practicing homosexual” and “conducting ceremonies which celebrate homosexual unions.”

By Advocate.com Editors

A lesbian United Methodist minister in Wisconsin will be tried by a church court April 11 on charges relating to her sexual orientation and her performance of a same-sex commitment ceremony.

The Reverend Amy DeLong is charged with “being a self-avowed practicing homosexual” and “conducting ceremonies which celebrate homosexual unions,” both of which violate the church’s Book of Discipline, according to the United Methodist News Service. A guilty verdict could result in DeLong’s removal from the ministry. Read more here....

2011-02-15T23:13:00.002-07:00

Gay Marriage Reaches Majority Support In California

2011-02-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

A majority of Californian voters support gay marriage, a new poll found.

The survey released last week by Public Policy Polling found 51 percent of voters in the Golden State believe gay marriage should be legal, while 40 percent believe it should be illegal. That's an increase of 5 percentage points since September's results.

The largest increase in support came from Republicans and independents. Republican voters increased from 15 percent in support to 29, nearly doubling in 4 months. Sixty-six percent of self-identified Democrats say gay marriage should be legal.

In 2008, voters approved the state's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. The constitutional amendment was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court last year. A decision on an appeal to the case is expected within the next few months.

“The tide is turning toward equality in one of the bluest states in the country as the courts head toward a possible overturning of Prop 8,” Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, said in a statement.

The poll surveyed 892 California voters from January 28th to 30th. The survey's margin of error is +/- 3.3%.

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