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

Restructuring professional Ted Gavin and outgoing Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) President Joe Solmonese have announced the formation of Gavin/Solmonese, a new consulting firm, according to Marketwatch.com . The consulting firm will offer services that fall into two categories: corporate restructuring and corporate public-affairs strategies. Upon his exit from HRC in June, Solmonese will head Gavin/Solmonese's public-affairs practice.

Gay students at Utah's Brigham Young University ( BYU ) are risking excommunication from the Mormon faith by recording a video for the "It Gets Better" project, according to the New York Daily News. The YouTube video, called "It Gets Better at Brigham Young University," features testimonies from 22 current and former students about their sexuality and religion. BYU is one of the most unfriendly campuses for gay students, according to the Princeton Review; until five years ago, students could be expelled for even discussing their sexual orientation.

The FBI has arrested Indiana resident Leon Finkbiner, 39, who allegedly blackmailed 14-year-old boys into sending sexually explicit images and videos of themselves, according to a Newser.com item. Court documents state that Finkbiner befriended the boys online and coaxed them into uploading the explicit material. He would then threaten to show the images to the victims' families or friends unless they uploaded more. Finkbiner has been charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on both counts.

GLAAD and the Miss Universe Organization have announced that, after more than two weeks of discussions, the Miss Universe Organization is close to finalizing an official policy change that will allow transgender women to participate in its beauty competitions, according to a press release. GLAAD first contacted the Miss Universe Organization after news broke that Jenna Talackova was disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada competition; she has since been allowed to compete.

Out former Olympic diver Greg Louganis has spoken out regarding the death of another ex-diver, 43-year-old Mark Lenzi, according to the Sporting News. "Mark and I spoke just a few weeks ago, my heart goes out to you," Louganis wrote on the USA Diving web site. "There are no words to express how heartfelt a loss this is. Healing hugs, Greg." Lenzi, the last American male diver to win Olympic gold, died in Greenville, N.C.; he had been hospitalized because of fainting spells caused by low blood pressure.

Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of eight gay and lesbian couples in Nevada seeking marriage equality, according to an American Foundation for Equal Rights ( AFER ) press release. In the case, Sevcik v. Sandoval, the plaintiffs contend that Nevada's decision to not recognize marriage equality violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. AFER Executive Director Adam Umhoefer announced a contribution of $25,000 to the plaintiffs' legal fund in support of the lawsuit.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese and Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, sent a letter to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, according to a press release. Solmonese and Wolfson called on the Catholic Church and affiliated groups such as the Knights of Columbus to stop supporting the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage ( NOM ) . The letter cites the recent revelation that NOM intended to drive a wedge between Blacks and the gay demographic in the organization's fight against marriage equality.

Actors Megan Mullally ( TV's Will & Grace ) and Nick Offerman are featured in the Human Rights Campaign's most recent video ad for its "Americans for Marriage Equality" campaign, according to a press release. In the ad, the couple, who have been married since 2003, complain that "Any random man and woman can casually show up at a 24-hour wedding chapel in Vegas, exchange 'I do's' and boom—they're married."

The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) is asking presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to immediately reject the endorsement of the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage ( NOM ) . Romney donated $10,000 to NOM in 2008, according to financial documents recently obtained and released by HRC. "If Romney does not reject NOM's endorsement, his silence—coupled with his 2008 donation—is tantamount to his approval of NOM's ruthless, racially divisive strategy," said HRC president Joe Solmonese.

In Virginia, transgender woman Lori Wright is fighting to change the state DMV's anti-trans policy, Advocate.com reported. Wright wants to alter Virginia's policy of requiring proof of gender-reassignment surgery to change the sex listed on a driver's license. Trans-rights activists say this policy hurts those who are in transition or who are androgynous in appearance.

GLAAD has released the report "Missing Voices: A study of religious voices in mainstream media reports about LGBT equality" in partnership with the University of Missouri Center on Religion & the Professions, a press release stated. The study analyzes messages presented in national news outlets by religious voices about issues affecting LGBT individuals. Among the findings is that pro-LGBT or LGBT-identified sources are predominantly presented without any religious affiliation, thus contributing to a false and overly sensational "religion vs. gay" frame.

The White House has decided to delay an executive order banning discrimination in federal contracting based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to an ACLU press release. ACLU legislative representative Ian Thompson responded to the development thusly: "The ACLU continues to view this executive order as the single most important step President Obama could take this year to eradicate LGBT discrimination from our country's workplaces. It is extremely disappointing that the administration has apparently decided to delay doing so."

A photo of CHiPs star Erik Estrada—with a gay slur written on it—was found on the desk of a supervisor with Atlanta's police department, Advocate.com reported. "I've worked with this particular supervisor for a number of years," Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Renee Propes told MyFoxAtlanta. "It's not something I would expect of this supervisor at all." Internal affairs is currently investigating.

At least one priest is not going along with a plan to use Catholic churches in Washington state to gather signatures to try to repeal the marriage-equality law, according to Advocate.com . Father Michael Ryan of Seattle's St. James Cathedral said it would be "hurtful and seriously divisive" to go along with the plan from Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain. State Sen. Ed Murray, who is gay and Catholic, has called Sartain's decision "repressible."

The first PTA group for LGBT students has been approved in Garden City, N.Y., Advocate.com reported. David Kilmnick, executive director of the Long Island GLBT Services Network, said the new organization will campaign for stronger anti-bullying measures that target LGBT students, and seek to have the contributions of gays incorporated into lesson plans.

Two Harlan County, Ky., men were indicted ( formally accused ) April 12 for kidnapping and assaulting a gay man because of his sexual orientation—marking the first federal hate crime charging a violation of the sexual orientation provision of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. A federal grand jury in London, Ky., returned a three-count indictment charging David Jason Jenkins, 37, and Anthony Ray Jenkins, 20, for kidnapping and assaulting Kevin Pennington, and for conspiring to commit the kidnapping.

Among the 30,000 or so families attending the annual White House Easter Egg Roll were Jarrod Scarbrough and Les Sewell, a gay couple from New Mexico. According to MSNBC.com, Scarbrough and Sewell brought their 8-year-old daughter to press President Obama to sign an executive order banning discrimination by federal contractors on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity. Scarbrough, who works for a federal contractor, cited the fat that the Justice and Labor departments have approved the order.

The national board of directors of GLAAD has selected Herndon Graddick as its new president, according to a press release. Graddick is currently GLAAD's vice president of programs and communications, a position he assumed in 2010. Prior to his work at GLAAD, Graddick was executive producer of the Global Observatory, which aimed to bring public awareness to climate change. Graddick will be formally introduced at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles April 21.

Scholars, professionals, advocates and students gathered April 13 at the UCLA School of Law for the Williams Institute's signature annual conference addressing legal and political issues impacting the LGBT community. This year's conference explored if LGBT people are equal participants in the political process. The theme for the conference was "Fair Play? LGBT People, Civic Participation & Political Process." U.S. Census Director Robert Groves was the keynote speaker.

A new study released by the Williams Institute shows that nine states' voter-ID laws may create substantial barriers to voting and possible disenfranchisement for more than 25,000 transgender voters this November, according to a press release. "As lawmakers consider enacting stricter voter ID laws and contemplate their potential impact in the upcoming November elections, the consequences of these laws for transgender voters should not be overlooked," said the study's author, Jody L. Herman, Ph.D.

UCLA researchers have announced that they have developed stem cells that can be genetically engineered to attack HIV-infected cells in a living being, according to Advocate.com . In 2009, the scientists said they believed stem cells could be engineered to kill HIV. "We believe that this study lays the groundwork for the potential use of this type of an approach in combating HIV infection in infected individuals, in hopes of eradicating the virus from the body," said lead investigator Scott Kitchen.

In Texas, a new report shows that Dallas County's rate of new HIV infections hit a five-year high in 2010, the Dallas Voice reported. Dallas County also recorded its highest total number of new HIV cases since 2005, and had the highest HIV-infection rate of any urban county in the state. By race, African Americans had the most new diagnoses and make up the largest group of people living with HIV.

Documentary filmmaker Kristina Lapinski, who is working on GAY U.S.A.: The Movie, is claiming that Minnesota clinic Bachmann & Associates—co-owned by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and husband Marcus—is again conducting so-called "reparative" therapy that supposedly can change sexual orientation, according to the Huffington Post. Lapinski said she played the role of "a confused 24-year-old lesbian" and said the clinic experience left her "nauseous." Previously, the organization Truth Wins Out had taped a conversion-therapy session at the clinic.

In Colorado, 20-year-old college student Peter Smith has pled guilty to a lesser charge of disturbing the peace after attempting to glitter-bomb GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney Feb. 7, according to the Huffington Post. Smith told KCNC-TV that prosecutors dismissed a more serious charge of throwing a missile. The student added he doesn't regret his protest but would opt for a different method next time.

On the TV show Oprah's Next Chapter, megachurch leader T.D. Jakes told Oprah Winfrey how sinful he thinks homosexuality is, the Dallas Voice reported. When Winfrey asked him he thought being gay is a sin, Jakes responded, "I think that sex between two people of the same sex is condemned in the scriptures, and as long as it is condemned in the scriptures, I don't get to say what I think. I get to say what the Bible says. ... I'm not anti-gay. I'm not anti-anything." Jakes' son, Jermaine, was arrested a few years ago in Dallas' Kiest Park for soliciting sex from a male vice officer.

The White House is launching the LGBT Pride Month Champions of Change Video Challenge "to explore the stories of unsung heroes and local leaders who are leading our march towards a more perfect union," according to a press release. Each video should fit one or more of various categories, including storytelling, the arts, community solutions, unsung heroes, culture/identity, social entrepreneurship/innovation, and friends and allies. The deadline to submit videos ( and essays if video isn't possible ) is May 4. See www.whitehouse.gov/webform/pride-month-champions-change-video-challenge.

The conservative group One Million Moms has issued a warning to its followers about a picture of two women kissing in an Urban Outfitters catalog. The organization has also asked its followers ( not nearly 1 million ) to boycott the chain. One Million Moms had previously tried to get JC Penney to fire Ellen DeGeneres as its spokeswoman.

The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) is launching a new speaker series entitled Equality Talks, according to a press release. The inaugural event, taking place April 23, will feature a reading and discussion with renowned developmental and clinical psychologist Diane Ehrensaft, an expert in the field of gender-nonconforming and transgender children. HRC President Joe Solmonese said that "Equality Talks will take a critical thinking approach to issues important to the LGBT community."

Gay Iowa teenager Kenneth Weishuhn Jr. has committed suicide after classmates made death threats on his cell phone and made him the subject of a Facebook hate group, according to the Huffington Post. Classmates at South O'Brien High School started teasing and bullying him after Weishuhn, 14, came out of the closet earlier this year. His sister, Kayla, said, "People that were originally his friends, they kind of turned on him. A lot of people, they either joined in or they were too scared to say anything."

In Chicago, the board of trustees of Roosevelt University has extended the contract of openly gay President Chuck Middleton for another five years, until June 30, 2017, according to a press release. Middleton, among other things, serves on the boards of directors of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning ( CAEL ) and Center on Halsted ( where he is board vice chair ) , and is co-chair of the LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education.

In Arizona, McClintock High School student River Flanary, a straight male, is upset after his school stopped him from running for prom queen, according to the Huffington Post. Flanary said he wanted to run to stand up for LGBT students. Flanary had still planned to wear what he has called "a perfect-fitting dress" to prom.

Transgender couple Seamus Johnston, 22, and Katherine Anne McCloskey, 55, was subpoenaed to appear in federal court in connection with a bomb investigation at the University of Pittsburgh, the Huffington Post reported. The couple contends that the school is unfairly targeting them because Johnston, a transgender man, was expelled from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown for taking a stand against discriminatory bathroom policies. Johnston has filed a civil lawsuit against the university and is appealing his expulsion.

In North Carolina, Raleigh resident Veda Renfrow claims she was fired from her job with the commissioners of Wake County a day after the commission voted to support the anti-gay Amendment One, Advocate.com reported. Renfrow came out to co-workers soon after the commission's vote Feb. 20. Renfrow, who works as a subcontractor for the county commission, says she was called in the next day and informed her services were no longer needed.

In Washington state, the Spokane City Council listened to public testimony for hours about if it should support the state's marriage-equality law, according to NWCN.com . The resolution is non-binding and will have no influence on city policy. Currently, anti-gay advocates are collecting signatures to get Referendum 74 on the ballot; if approved, the referendum would repeal the same-sex-marriage law.