Openly gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank has clarified a joke he made during a commencement address at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth May 27, according to Politico.com . During the address, he joked about a hooded academic robe that civil-rights leader Hubie Jones received during the event by saying, "You now have a hoodie you can wear and no one will shoot at you"—a reference to the Trayvon Martin shooting that took place in February in Florida. After receiving some criticism Frank said, "I wore a hooded gown in three ceremonies earlier this year, and in my remarks at those events I used the same joke on myself."
Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi apologized for spying on late ex-roommate Tyler Clementi, saying in a letter that the spying on Clementi's rendezvous with another man was "stupid" and "insensitive," according to ABC News. Ravi also said he would surrender and start his 30-day prison sentence May 31 despite the prosecution's continuing appeal for a longer jail term. Ravi was convicted of spying and hate crimes against Clementi, who took his life days after he found out about what Ravi did.
In Minnesota, two men have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a gay man during a May 26 party, Advocate.com reported. Duluth resident Max Pelofske, 21, said at least nine men beat him at the graduation party for a friend's sister. After a stranger asked him about his sexuality—to which Pelofske said he is gay—the victim "was struck in the head by a flying beer can, and a crowd of young men surrounded him, threw him to the ground and began punching and kicking him," according to the Duluth News Tribune.
In New York City, Long Island high school student Jessica Barba was suspended for five days after she made an anti-bullying video featuring a fictitious suicide for a class project and posted it online, according to NBC New York. Barba, 15, shot the six-minute video for an assignment in her business and communications class at Longwood High School. After the video ( which states it's fictitious ) moved some students to tears, it apparently alarmed at least one parent. Barba said that "the principal told me I would be suspended for five days because my video disrupted the school."
In San Diego, Blaine Avenue was renamed Harvey Milk Street during a May 22 ceremony. City officials believe the street is the first in the country to honor the late gay-rights activist, who would've turned 82 that day. Milk was one of the first openly gay politicians to hold public office when elected to the board of supervisors in San Francisco in 1977. Former Supervisor Dan White fatally shot Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone the following year.
Freedom to Marry and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ( SLDN ) have launched a grassroots petition calling on Congress to end marriage discrimination against service members and veterans, according to a press release. The petition builds support for repealing the so-called Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) and passing the Respect for Marriage Act. It is part of the new "Freedom to Serve, Freedom to Marry" national campaign highlighting the stories of military families harmed by DOMA.
The seventh biennial Deaf Lesbian Festival is coming to the Midwest for the first time, featuring workshops, entertainment, socializing, sightseeing and more. The festival is July 18-21 at the Center on Halsted in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. "The Deaf Lesbian Festival is a celebration of who we are," said Debby Sampson, DLF 2012 committee chairperson, who lives in suburban Glenview. See www.deaflesbianfestival.org .
Gen. Colin Powell has come out in favor of marriage equality, according to CNN. "I have no problem with it," he said. "In terms of the legal matter of creating a contract between two people that's called marriage, and allowing them to live together with the protection of law, it seems to me is the way we should be moving in this country—and so I support the president's decision." Powell, a moderate Republican, backed President Obama in 2008; however, he has not announced if he's supporting Obama or Mitt Romney in this election.
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) joined the Dallas Morning News in calling on ExxonMobil to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the company's Equal Employment Opportunity ( EEO ) policy, according to an HRC press release. On May 24, the Dallas Morning News editorial board weighed in on ExxonMobil's 13-year refusal to add the protections, publishing a scathing editorial. HRC President Joe Solmonese said, "With each passing year, it becomes more apparent that instituting inclusive non-discrimination policies is the right thing to do. This year alone, the New York State Comptroller said it's fiscally responsible, the SEC cleared a path to progress, and the oil giant's hometown newspaper, the Dallas Morning News, called on the company to protect all workers."
A new Public Policy Poll of Maryland voters shows a decisive majority ( 57 percent ) would vote in favor of same-sex marriage if it's on the ballot this fall, while 37 percent would vote against, according to a Human Rights Campaign press release. This is a 12-point swing in support from two months earlier and is due to growing African-American support in Maryland since both President Obama and the NAACP endorsed same-sex marriage. Josh Levin, campaign manager for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, said, "The message of stronger families and greater fairness is resonating, and we're confident Maryland will be the first state to win a ballot measure on marriage equality and religious freedom."
Fred P. Hochberg, an out gay man, is among the latest round of people President Obama plans to appoint to key administrative posts, according to a White House press release. Hochberg, president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, will be appointed as part of the board of trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Hochberg's partner is writer Tom Healy, according to ExIm.gov .
The first out gay cadets graduated May 23 from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Advocate.com reported. The event happened eight months after the official repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" took effect. President Obama delivered the commencement address—his last such speech of the season.
Gay Cuban-Americans in Miami are upset that Cuban activist Mariela Castro—Fidel Castro's niece—is meeting with LGBT-rights activists in San Francisco and New York City, according to the Miami Herald. Mariela is in the United States on a visa granted about a month ago. Herb Sosa, executive director of the pro-LGBT group Unity Coalition, said, "For Mariela Castro, or anybody else under the Castro dictatorship, to say they are representing the rights of anyone is an insult to the hundreds of thousands who have either been killed, jailed or assassinated by their own hands, or the nearly 100,000 people who've jumped into the ocean looking for freedom who haven't made it here."
Courage—a Pennsylvania-based Catholic organization—hosted an annual sports camp that reportedly tries to help men resist same-sex urges, the Huffington Post reported. On the organization's website, it's stated that " [ b ] y developing an interior life of chastity, which is the universal call to all Christians, one can move beyond the confines of the homosexual identity to a more complete one in Christ." The site also links to a subsidiary group, EnCourage, which "ministers to relatives, spouses, and friends of persons with same-sex attraction."
After a student complained to the U.S. Department of Justice, the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is changing its policy regarding restroom use by transgender people, according to Inside Higher Ed. Transgender woman Jennifer Braly, a 38-year-old junior at the school, was upset after being told to use only gender-neutral restrooms on campus. ( Another student had complained about Braly using the women's restroom. ) Braly is again allowed to use women's restrooms, said R. Mark Horn, a vice chancellor.
An Arizona court has granted Thomas Beatie—the so-called "pregnant man"—at least temporary custody of his three children, according to the Daily Mail. Beatie is a transgender man who made headlines around the world four years ago when he became pregnant. Last month, video footage caught estranged wife Nancy violent attacking Beatie, mishandling their children and even destroying their computer.
On May 24, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted judgment in favor of gay and lesbian state workers who, together with their registered domestic partners, are excluded from equal access to California's Long-Term Care Program, according to a press release. Judge Claudia Wilken issued the ruling in Dragovich v. CalPERS, a class action lawsuit challenging federal and state laws—including the Defense of Marriage Act—that regulate state-sponsored long-term care plans.
In New Jersey, Alrashin Chambers, 25, was acquitted of the 2010 murder of transgender lingerie model Victoria Carmen White, Advocate.com reported. An Essex County jury found Chambers not guilty of murder, two weapons charges and bias intimidation. Chambers, who took the stand in his own defense, said another man ( Marquise Foster ) —who took a plea deal in exchange for testimony against Chambers—actually shot White.
Two years after a major situation occurred over Target supporting anti-gay gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, the corporation is now launching an online charitable partnership that supports gay pride, according to StarTribune.com . Ten T-shirts are now on Target's website with gay-friendly themes, including two designed by singer Gwen Stefani. Interestingly, the Minneapolis-based chain has partnered with the Family Equality Council—which backs LGBT families—for more than a decade.
In North Carolina, more than 1,000 people protested Providence Road Baptist Church pastor Charles Worley's May 13 sermon that called for gays and lesbians to be locked up behind an electric fence, according to the Huffington Post. Protesters gathered in front of the Justice Center in Newton, N.C., waving signs that read "Will God judge me for loving or hating?" and "Don't Fence Me In." A Georgia pastor, Rev. Billy Ball, said Worley had the right to speak his mind—but criticized him for not being at the May 27 protest.
Woody Woodruff ( Mr. Michigan Leather 2012 ) was chosen as the new International Mr. Leather on May 27 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. First runner-up A.C. Demidont ( Mr. Eagle New York 2012 ) and second runner-up Kevin Jordan ( Mr. DC Eagle 2012 ) shared the spotlight at the contest, now in its 34th year. The popular weekend—which annually draws thousands—also included International Mr. and Ms. Bootblack contests, plus many parties and workshops.
In Michigan, openly gay Congressional candidate Trevor Thomas is offering potential donors a unique prize: an award Madonna received. Every person who makes a contribution through a page on Thomas' website to the "Campaign For Us All" will be entered in a random drawing to win a rare, RIAA-certified double platinum award for "Vogue" as a thank you from the group Blue America. Madonna, a Michigan native, gave the rare award to Howie Klein, the head of her record company—and now he's offering it as a thank you to one lucky supporter of Thomas' campaign.
A parasitic infection called Chagas Disease is being called "the new AIDS of the Americas," according to the New York Daily News. Experts say that, like AIDS, Chagas is hard to detect and has a long incubation period before symptoms emerge. The disease—transmitted by a parasite that can make its way to the heart—has symptoms such as arrhythmia and heart failure. As many as 8 million people are infected in the Western Hemisphere.
In Florida, lesbian Debbie Fernandez filed a lawsuit in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court accusing North Miami Beach of discrimination and violation of city, county and state laws, according to South Florida Gay News. One of the counts alleges a violation of the Florida Whistle Blower Act, pertaining to Fernandez's bringing a 2002 marijuana incident to light. Her attorney, Loring Spolter, hopes that Fernandez will regain the job she once had with one of the city's water plants.
Oklahoma state Sen. Al McAffrey and partner David Stinson woke up recently to find the U.S. flag in their front yard on fire, according to the Dallas Voice. "Early this morning sometime someone came to ou [ r ] house and set our American Flag on fire on the pole," Stinson wrote on his Facebook page. "You can see the black in the grass. Set the grass on fire a bit. Could have been a lot wors [ e ] ." The couple didn't feel the incident was a hate crime but condemned it as sacrilege on Memorial Day weekend.
New York's Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art has received a museum accreditation from the state, according to EDGE Boston. In doing so, the New York City facility has become the world's first gay museum. The museum—named in honor of founders Fritz Lohman and Charles Leslie—was established in 1990.
Zach Wahls—an Eagle Scout whose YouTube video in support of his two gay moms went viral last year—delivered a petition urging the Boy Scouts of America to reinstate Jennifer Tyrrell, an Ohio mother ousted as den leader of her 7-year-old's Cub Scout troop because of her sexual orientation, according to SheWired.com . Kelly Osbourne, Ricky Martin and Julianne Moore are among those supporting the petition, which had more than 275,000 signatures. Wahls delivered the document during the Boy Scouts' national annual meeting in Florida May 30.
