THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Mary Cheney, a lesbian political consultant and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, made the case for Republicans to back gay rights during a keynote speech at the National Log Cabin Republicans annual "Spirit of Lincoln" dinner in Washington, D.C., The Washington Blade noted. "Simply and clearly affirming the rights and dignity of gay men and women will not make us a weaker party—it will help make us a majority party," Mary Cheney said. "We haven't come this far without an awful lot of confidence in the justness of our cause." Cheney said support for gay rights is a natural fit for Republicans because "freedom and equality" are the founding principles of the party.

Chelsea Manning—the U.S. Army private convicted of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks—is suing the federal government to receive appropriate medical care for the gender disorder she was diagnosed with in 2010, according to the L.A. Times. In the suit, the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) contends that Army medical personnel diagnosed Manning with gender dysphoria in 2010, an identity disorder where a person rejects the gender they were assigned with at birth. An ACLU statement reads, "Chelsea, like so many transgender women in prison, is experiencing the unrelenting anguish of being denied life-saving treatment. ... The days of government discrimination in providing healthcare for transgender people are numbered."

A federal judge has reinstated four same-sex couples' claim against Indiana Gov. Mike Pence over the state's refusal to recognize gay marriages performed out of state, the Associated Press reported. Judge Richard Young said he had initially dismissed the couples' claim against Pence, but he reinstated part of the lawsuit because Pence had shown he had power to enforce the ban despite claims that he had no such control. Young did not reinstate a part of the lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the ban's basic provision that only opposite-sex couples may marry in Indiana.

A judge in Louisiana has ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional—in part, because he says it violates equal protection rights, according to The Huffington Post. Judge Edward Rubin ruled that the ban violated the 14th Amendment and the constitutional requirement that states give "full faith and credit" to each other's laws. His ruling came in the same-sex adoption case of Angela Costanza and her partner, Chasity Brewer.

Pride at Work, the LGBT constituency group of organized labor, has selected Jerame Davis as executive director, a press release stated. Davis will continue his responsibilities at Pride at Work's headquarters in Washington, D.C., after a successful period as the organization's interim executive director. Davis has been leading the organization since June.

The 19-year-old Republican candidate for the Wisconsin state Assembly who apologized last week for calling gays "fags" in a Twiiter post last year, has suspended his campaign and dropped out of the race after additional racist and anti-gay comments he made on social media surfaced, LGBTQ Nation reported. Jacob Dorsey told The Janesville Gazette he was ending his campaign for the Assembly, just five days after apologizing for a Christmas Day 2013 tweet in which he said "fags need 2 leave my favorite state alone." The tweets were first reported by the website NOManiacs, a group that exposes hate speech by the National Organization for Marriage ( NOM ) and others.

The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) and Freedom to Marry, on behalf of the Respect for Marriage Coalition, sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking that the Department of Justice act to ensure federal respect for the marriages of same-sex couples in Arkansas, Indiana, and Wisconsin, consistent with the approach taken by the federal government in other states, according to an HRC release. Nearly 2,000 couples married in the three states in the past five months before marriage equality rulings there were placed on hold pending appeal. Truth Wins Out, HRC, GLAAD, BiNet USA, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lambda Legal are among the dozens of groups that make up the Respect for Marriage Coalition.

The chief sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ( ENDA ) has initiated a legislative procedure known as a discharge petition to compel House leadership to bring the bill up for a vote, the Washington Blade reported. Rep. Jared Polis ( D-Colo. ), who's gay and an co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, filed the discharge petition with the House clerk's office. It would force a vote on ENDA—which would bar employers from discriminating on sexual orientation and gender identity—if a majority of House members sign the petition.

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders' Mary Bonauto, lesbian author Alison Bechdel and gay playwriter Samuel Hunter are among the 21 newly named 2014 MacArthur fellows, according to the organization's website. Bonauto is a civil-rights lawyer whose arguments and long-term legal strategies have led to historic strides in the effort to achieve marriage equality for same-sex couples across the United States. Bechdel was responsible for the long-running comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For ( 1983—2008 ), and has written works such as Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic ( 2006 ). Hunter has written plays like The Whale ( 2012 ) and A Bright New Boise ( 2010 ). Each "genius grant" provides $625,000 over five years.

A federal judge has ruled that Arizona must recognize the California marriage of a gay military veteran whose husband died of cancer in August—and allow the vet to be named as the survivor on his husband's death certificate, according to Courthouse News Service. U.S. District Judge John Sedwick granted Fred McQuire's request for recognition of his marriage to George Martinez, 62, who died Aug. 28 of pancreatic cancer. The couple, who were together for 45 years, married in July in California after learning of Martinez's diagnosis.

A report the Human Rights Campaign Foundation published has revealed that 40 percent of more than 10,000 LGBT youth ( aged 13-17 ) surveyed by the organization identify as bisexual—and many of them say they face more challenges coming out and gaining acceptance than their lesbian and gay peers, according to a press release. Among other things, the "Supporting and Caring for Our Bisexual Youth" report found that only 5 percent of bisexual youth reported being "very happy," compared to 21 percent of non-LGBT youth surveyed separately. The findings, released on the 15th annual Celebrate Bisexuality Day, also showed that bisexual youth are overwhelmingly female, and they confront broad skepticism and misunderstanding about their sexual identities.

Brooklyn Nets Center Jason Collins, the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of the four major North American pro sports leagues, and California Prop 8 legal team David Boies and Ted Olson will be at the annual Black Tie Dinner in Dallas Nov. 15, according to a press release. Boies and Olson will be honored with the Elizabeth Birch Equality Award, appearing along with comic Dana Goldberg, singer-songwriter Steve Grand, Dale Hansen and Kuchling Award recipient Mike Anglin. Black Tie Dinner is a non-profit organization that raises funds for pro-LGBT organizations serving North Texas through a premier event.

The gay Oregon man who helped overturn the state's decade-old ban on same-sex marriage is featured in a campaign ad for a Republican Senate candidate—and he now finds himself the subject of criticism from LGBT activists, CNN reported. Earlier this year, Ben West and husband Paul Rummell challenged the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage and won. However, West is backing Monica Wehby, the Republican nominee and same-sex marriage supporter who's challenging Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democratic incumbent with a long record of fighting for LGBT rights.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told a Minnesota audience that people seeking clues about how soon the Supreme Court might weigh in on states' gay marriage bans should pay close attention to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, The Huffington Post reported. Ginsburg said cases pending before the circuit covering Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee would probably play a role in the high court's timing. She said "there will be some urgency" if that appeals court allows same-sex marriage bans to stand.

A popular online safe-search filter is ending its practice of blocking links to mainstream gay and lesbian advocacy groups for users hoping to avoid obscene sites, MercuryNews.com reported. Online security firm Symantec told The Associated Press that while customers can still set their search to block offensive websites, there will no longer be an option to block websites just because they relate to sexual orientation. Symantec's shift is the latest in a series of Internet-filter revamps prompted after frustrated Web searchers found human-rights organizations and gay advocacy groups being grouped together with child porn sites.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Wilkinson Jr. has ruled that an HIV-positive gay man who sued his employer for discrimination cannot do so anonymously, Courthouse News Service noted. Wilkinson's rationale was that the plaintiff's HIV-positive, gay status provides him "no greater threat of retaliation" than a typical plaintiff alleging employment violations. Wilkinson wrote, "Although sexual preference is certainly a personal matter and homosexuality is one of the 'matters of a sensitive ... nature' identified in the above-cited Fifth Circuit opinion, public opinion about both homosexuality and HIV positive status has become more diverse and accepting during the 35 years since that decision."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) has launched "HIV Treatment Works," a communication campaign focused exclusively on encouraging treatment and care for people living with HIV, according to a White House press release. Developed with the input of more than 100 HIV-positive men and women, "HIV Treatment Works" aims to shows how treatment and care empowers people to lead full and healthier lives, and stops the spread of HIV.

The Roman Catholic Archidiocese of Philadelphia has fired an Archbishop Wood High School assistant coach due to his suspected involvement in the beating of a gay couple in the area of Center City, Advocate.com reported. Fran McGlinn, who was not a teacher, had been working at the school on a contractual basis and will not be allowed to work in an archdiocesan school. When charges are brought against the assailants, the attack will not be prosecuted as a hate crime under state law; Pennsylvania's hate-crime law does not cover crimes motivated by the victim's sexual orientation.

Republican Susanne Atanus, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky ( D-Illinois ) for her 9th District seat, has asked two federal courts to uphold state bans on same-sex marriage, On Top Magazine reported Sept. 18. Atanus submitted a four-page handwritten letter to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Fransisco, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, to make her case. In January, Atanus reached out to Windy City Times to say that she is not looking to alienate LGBT voters, but added that gay marriage, along with abortion, caused the Midwest's severe winter.

A Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law report says that if the current FDA blood ban on men who have sex with men ( MSM ) ban were completely lifted, it is estimated that an additional 360,600 men would likely donate 615,300 additional pints of blood each year. The study, "UPDATE: Effects of Lifting Blood Donation Bans on Men Who Have Sex with Men," says that lifting the ban would increase the total annual blood supply in the United States by 2 to 4 percent. The FDA's blood ban prohibits men who have had sex with men at any time since 1977 from donating blood.

North Carolina Rep. Robert Pittenger, a Republican, is facing criticism over comments interpreted as anti-gay at a recent town hall meeting, On Top Magazine noted. Pittenger was asked if he supports passage of ENDA, which would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. "It's like smoking bans," Pittenger answered. "Do you ban or do people have the right to private property? I think people have the right to private property. ... Why should government be there to impose on the freedoms we enjoy?"

In Virginia, when an anti-gay preacher stood outside of a James Madison University library to spread his thoughts about homosexuality, he was greeted with a song about love and tolerance, USA Today reported. JMU senior Ryan Gormley said, "[About 150] students were giving him attention so he just kept going. He did this for about an hour or so and some students were shouting back at him, but eventually instead of shouting, they started singing." The students sang "How He Loves," accompanied by a guitar.

A North Texas music teacher has been arrested for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy he says he met on the gay dating app Grindr, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported. Roger Kessler, 43, who has taught music at RISD Academy in Richardson, told police that he and the boy ( who didn't attend the school ) met four times, and used protection every time except once. He said he has HIV but did not tell the boy, but acknowledged he knew the boy's age. Kessler was booked at the Collin County jail; his bail was set at $250,000.

Sweeping changes to Virginia's same-sex marriage laws helped draw a record crowd to Norfolk's PrideFest 2014, WVEC.com reported. Norfolk's Tim Bostic and Tony London—co-plaintiffs in the landmark case that overturned Virginia's same-sex marriage ban—were greeted as heroes. Hampton Roads Pride estimated that as many as 15,000 people showed up, the most the festival has seen in its 26-year history.

In Illinois, openly gay Roosevelt University President Charles Middleton will retire from the post he called "the opportunity of a lifetime in a unique circumstance" on June 30, 2015. When he took on the role, Middleton told Windy City times he was one of only two openly gay university presidents. Today, the organization LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education—which he co-chairs—has more than 50 members. Shortly before Middleton retires, the organization will gather at Roosevelt University Chicago for the first-ever national LGBTQ conference in higher education, entitled "Shaping Our Futures."

In his upcoming memoir Fire Shut Up in My Bones, New York Times columnist Charles Blow shares that he is attracted to both men and women but doesn't want to use the word bisexual, as he believes it has "derisive connotations," Advocate.com reported. "That possibility of male attraction was such a simple little harmless idea, the fight against which I had allowed to consume and almost ruin my life," the book reportedly states. "The attraction and my futile attempts to 'fix it' had cost me my dreams. The anguish, combined with a lifetime of watching hotheads brandishing cold steel, had put me within minutes of killing a man."

New York City restaurant Gallo Nero has taken down a sign advertising its "big STRAIGHT ice cream," according to The Huffington Post. Owners of Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, which is across Seventh Avenue from Gallo Nero, first tweeted a photo of the sign, and backlash against Gallo Nero began quickly. Eater published a short writeup about the sign with the headline "Gallo Nero Advertises Heteronormative Ice Cream." It was a "dumb joke," Gallo Nero's chef, who would only identify himself as Albano, said.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation ( AHF ) is continuing to take on HIV stigma with a new "One Community" billboard campaign in L.A. and New York that runs in both English and Spanish, according to Business Wire. The billboards feature a line of self-identified HIV-positive and HIV-negative gay men with colorful body-paint T-shirts lettered with their respective HIV sero-status across their chests. AHF has also recently been running another billboard campaign addressing HIV stigma entitled "God Loves HIV+ Me."

After an openly gay San Francisco supervisor announced that he's taking Truvada to reduce the risk of contracting HIV, a second official said he'll introduce a measure to subsidize the cost of the drug, according to On Top Magazine. Supervisor Scott Wiener disclosed that he's participating in the treatment known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. Since then, Supervisor David Campos announced he's backing a plan to make PrEP cheap or free for residents who can't afford the treatment.

AIDSWatch organizers have announced that The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation ( ETAF ) is the presenting sponsor for the two-day AIDSWatch 2015 program, according to a press release. AIDSWatch is the United States' largest constituent-based HIV advocacy event, bringing together hundreds of HIV advocates to Washington, D.C. from all around the country to educate members of Congress about the legislative priorities and resources needed to help bring an end to this epidemic. The event will take place April 13-14, 2015. Scandal actress/ETAF ambassador Kate Burton ( who was Taylor's stepdaughter ) made the announcement.

A British gay-porn star busted at Los Angeles International Airport ( LAX ) after he was found attempting to smuggle a half-pound of crystal meth in his body has pled guilty to a federal drug-possession charge, according to SMMirror.com . Philip Gizzie—who uses the stage name Bruno Knight—was arrested June 16 after he told LAX customs officers that he had "inserted three large objects containing methamphetamine" into his body cavity. Gizzie, 31, later pled guilty to a federal count of possession with intent to distribute meth, which carries a 20-year maximum sentence.

GLAAD is accepting submissions for the 26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, according to a press release. The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community, and the issues that affect their lives. Submitted materials must be received in the Los Angeles GLAAD office by Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. PT. More info is at glaad.org/mediaawards/submissions. Nominees for the 26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards will be announced in mid-January, 2015.

Arizona couple Oscar De Las Salas and Gary Jackson flew in 30 guests for their wedding in Coronado's Centennial Park in California—an event that people in a nearby condo complex marred with persistent anti-gay slurs, according to WXYZ.com . De Las Salas, who was bullied as a child, said he felt fear: "I'm thinking, 'God forbid this person has a gun and decides to open fire.'" The couple did write letters to the city of Coronado and the condo complex's homeowners association, and received letters that included apologies.