The Advocate has come up with its list of the 50 most influential LGBT individuals working in mainstream media. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and TMZ creator/managing editor Harvey Levin tied for the top spot, with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, CNN's Anderson Cooper and The Intercept Editor Glenn Greenwald completing the top five. Others on the list include activist Dan Savage, Marie Claire contributing editor Janet Mock, NPR reporter Ari Shapiro, Internet figure Perez Hilton, Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner, radio host Stephanie Miller, freelance journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and ESPN writer Kate Fagan.
On Oct. 6, the United States Supreme Court denied review of all petitions for writ of certiorari in the cases currently before it that regarded the question of marriage equality. The decision, which will surely surprise legal observers who expected the Court to take up the matter this term, has far-reaching impact, bringing gay marriage to five states and potentially opening the door for it in six others. The rejection applied to seven cases that had been spread across five states: Indiana, Wisconsin, Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia. With the Supreme Court rejection, Virginia becomes the first state in the South to have same-sex marriage.
Also, the Ninth Circuit has ruled that the bans on same-sex marriage in Nevada and Idaho are unconstitutional, ThinkProgress.org reported. Judge Stephen Reinhardt, writing for the majority, dismissed the many arguments put forth by Idaho Gov. Butch Otter ( R ) and the Nevada Coalition to Protect Marriage, a conservative group that intervened when Nevada state officials stopped defending their ban. Idaho does not currently offer LGBT nondiscrimination protections in employment, housing, or public accommodations, although Nevada does.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court action this morning denying review of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in McQuigg v. Bostic, Lambda Legal asked the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia immediately to lift its stay on the West Virginia marriage case, McGee v. Cole, and to enter a judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, according to a press release. Lambda Legal contends that the Supreme Court's action means the 4th Circuit's decision in Bostic—striking down Virginia's marriage ban as unconstitutional—is now final, and that its legal reasoning is controlling in all the states within the 4th Circuit including West Virginia.
In a related development, Minnesota's largest newspaper is coming under fire for the decision to publish a full-page anti-transgender ad from the Minnesota Child Protection League, The Huffington Post reported. The league's ad is reportedly an effort to help stop the Minnesota State High School League from adopting an inclusive policy for transgender athletes. In response to a media inquiry, Steve Yaeger, the paper's VP of marketing and public relations, said, "In Minnesota, organizations and individuals of all kinds—left, right, other—know that if you want to reach the largest audience and have the biggest impact with your message, the best way to do it is advertising in the Star Tribune."
A landmark report paints a stark picture of the added financial burdens LGBT individuals face because of discriminatory laws at the national, state and local levels, according to a press release. The report, "Paying an Unfair Price: The Financial Penalty for Being LGBT in America," says these laws contribute to significantly higher rates of poverty among LGBT residents, and create unfair financial penalties in the form of higher taxes, reduced wages and Social Security income, increased healthcare costs and more. It is available online at www.lgbtmap.org/unfair-price.
The Human Rights Campaign is joining with LGBT Catholics and their supporters in seven cities to pray the rosary and hold vigils as part of a national effort to send a message of acceptance during a bishops' meeting with Pope Francis through Oct. 19, according to a press release. The two-week faith sojourn, "Pray, Listen, Discern—Raising the Voices of LGBT Catholics," is scheduled to coincide with the Vatican's Extraordinary Synod, a gathering of 150 Catholic Church leaders in Rome to consider family issues and challenges facing the church. Events are being held in San Francisco; Chicago; Springfield, Illinois; Philadelphia; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Baltimore, Maryland.
A Williams Institute study has revealed that the number of same-sex married couples in the United States increased by 50 percent between 2010 and 2013, Advocate.com reported. At the end of 2013, there were approximately 690,000 same-sex couples in the country, of which at least 124,000 and perhaps as many as 130,000 were married. Other findings from the report, "LGB Families and Relationships: Analyses of the 2013 National Health Interview Survey," include the geographic distribution of married same-sex couples, with 39 percent living in the Northeast, where equal marriage rights have been available the longest.
A CDC report says that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men ( MSM ) make up 2 percent of the U.S. population but are the group most definitively affected by HIV, with 63 percent of those newly infected by HIV representing this group, CBS noted. The report added that among U.S. residents living with HIV, 52 percent were MSM—and a significant number of men with HIV are not receiving treatment.
Larissa Sneider, a transgender woman from Evanston, Wyoming, recently secured a Democratic nomination to run for that state's House of Representatives, according to Pink News. In the Republican-dominated state, Sneider will be vying in the upcoming midterm election to represent District 49, running against Republican incumbent Garry C. Piiparinen. Trans candidates are running in major and minor elections across the country, including Republican nominee Lauren Scott, who is running for the Nevada General Assembly.
Gender Proud—a trans-rights organization founded in early 2014—released an inaugural video featuring its founder, transgender model and activist Geena Rocero and trans reality-show personality Carmen Carrera, calling for broader legal rights to self-identify, according to a press release. The new video is a pivotal part of Gender Proud's awareness campaign, which aims to start new and more enlightened conversations about transgender justice and equality. See genderproud.com .
In Ohio, a white mother in a lesbian relationship is suing a sperm bank for sending her vials from a Black donor, saying her biracial 2-year-old daughter will be stigmatized by her family and the "intolerant" town where they live, according to NBC News. Jennifer Cramblett thought she was being inseminated with a white man's sperm in 2011—only to discover after she was pregnant that the Downers Grove, Illinois-based Midwest Sperm Bank sent the wrong batch. Court papers ( filed in Cook County, Illinois ) state that the child Payton, is now 2 years old and already experiencing prejudice in Uniontown.
Illinois Safe Schools Alliance is working on a transgender-rights policy with Chicago Public Schools ( CPS ). The organization—which promotes safety, support and healthy development for LGBT students—is drafting a model policy with CPS "with the broader hopes that it would be implemented in school districts across the state," said Anthony Papini, the alliance's executive director.
Transgender high school student Zeam Porter recently delivered a speech about the way policies surrounding trans students and sports teams have affected them, The Huffington Post noted. Porter, who uses the pronouns them/they, gave the speech in conjunction with a hearing about Minnesota State High School League's policy for transgender athletes. In part, Porter said, "Constantly being misgendered and called the wrong name took away my soul. I already feel like I don't have my body—now I am soulless."
Surveillance video has been released in the fatal shooting of transgender woman Aniya Parker in East Hollywood, California, ABC7.com reported. In the video, Parker is seen turning around after 2-4 suspects say something, then surround her underneath a tree. One suddenly throws a punch and Parker runs off; that's when one suspect fires a single shot, hitting her in the head. Anyone with information should contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-LAPD-24-7.
The gay social-networking app Scruff has announced a new year-long partnership with the National Minority AIDS Council ( NMAC ), according to a press release. Scruff will be donating a portion of its national ad inventory to NMAC through its newly launched Benevolads ad platform. Through this initiative, SCRUFF and NMAC will help educate members about HIV prevention and raise awareness about the stigma of living with HIV or AIDS.
Catholic University told a student group to postpone a screening of the movie Milk, about gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk, after officials raised questions about a flier linking the event to LGBT Awareness Month., The Washington Post noted. "Kick off LGBT awareness month with The CUA College Democrats!," read the promotional flier. Also on the flier were images of a rainbow flag and the actor Sean Penn, who starred in the 2008 movie. University spokesman Victor Nakas said, "For university administrators, it called into question whether the event had changed in nature from one of education to one of advocacy."
Tennis icon Billie Jean King, actress Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels and author Armistead Maupin will be the keynote speakers for the 2014 Out & Equal Workplace Summit, a press release stated. The event will take place Nov. 3-6 at San Francisco's Moscone Center West.
GLAAD has announced the launch of the "Go Purple for #spiritday" app, according to a press release. The free app provides users with anti-bullying resources, calls to action, and helps users take part in Spirit Day, the largest and most visible anti-bullying campaign in the world that supports LGBT youth. The app is available now for Apple, Andorid and Amazon devices; visit glaad.org/spiritday/app.
A Maryland law that bans anti-transgender discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations has taken effect, The Washington Blade reported. "This law is critical in the lives of transgender Marylanders," said Carrie Evans, executive director of Equality Maryland, in a statement. "For too long it has been okay to fire transgender people, kick them out of their apartments and deny them services at a restaurant; tomorrow this will be rectified." Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the law in May.
Two prominent LGBT groups are urging journalists to stop conflating religious belief with anti-LGBT attitudes in their coverage of the upcoming midterm elections, pointing to the dramatic rise in support for LGBT equality in communities of faith across the country, according to a press release. GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign released a resource guide for journalists covering the 2014 midterm elections. The guide, "Faith, LGBT People, & The Midterm Elections," is aimed at helping journalists "challenge anti-LGBT talking heads who mask bias as a 'tenet of faith'" by highlighting growing support for LGBT equality in religious communities. Visit http://issuu.com/glaad/docs/infocus_faith/7?e=6038659/9510304.
The Chicago Transit Authority ( CTA ) is completing training on gender-identity and sexual-orientation discrimination that the city's Commission on Human Relations mandated in 2010, DNAInfo.com reported. The training began in May with more than 500 CTA managers taking part in a two-hour, in-person training session. In addition, more than 10,000 frontline workers, including train operators and bus drivers, will be required to watch a one-hour training video aimed at educating workers on gender-identity and sexual-orientation discrimination, The Civil Rights Agenda Executive Director Anthony Martinez said.
An Alabama mother has asked a federal judge not to recognize her late son's marriage to another man, On Top Magazine reported. Paul Hard and Charles David Fancher married in 2011 in Massachusetts; however, about three months after the wedding, Fancher was killed in a car crash in Alabama, which led to a wrongful-death case. Hard sued the state, asking a federal judge to force Alabama officials to issue a corrected death certificate for Fancher that lists him as the surviving spouse. But Pat Fancher, Charles' mother, intervened and asked the court to not recognize the union.
Minnesota-based retailer Target released a one-minute ad featuring a married, pregnant lesbian couple, according to On Top Magazine. In the ad, "Baby Digs: The Magic of Space," actress/writer Amanda Deibert and comic-book illustrator Cat Staggs discuss their hopes and dreams for their child. The couple, who married in Central Park three years ago, told lesbian entertainment blog AfterEllen.com that Target compensated their appearance in the ad with a nursery.
In Philadelphia, city councilmembers Blondell Reynolds Brown and James Kenney introduced legislation that would extend punishment for hate crimes to LGBT people, Philadelphia Gay News reported. The bill would add a new chapter to the Philadelphia Code to provide additional penalties for hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity and disabilities as defined in the city's Fair Practices Ordinance. The measure was introduced in direct response to the gay-bashing incident that took place Sept. 11.
Lily McBeth—the teacher whose battles with school boards in conservative areas of New Jersey made her a reluctant symbol of the transgender rights movement—has died at age 80, the Associated Press noted. McBeth had undergone gender-reassignment surgery in 2005 after nine years of substitute teaching in Eagleswood Township, and she sought to continue the job. However, vocal opposition from some parents concerned about the impact of a transgender teacher on young students led to a contentious debate that ended with her rehiring.
In California, Coronado residents and merchants have joined together in an effort to save a wedding, and maybe even the city's reputation, UTSanDiego.com reported. A "do-over" wedding is scheduled Oct. 11 at one of the city's fanciest hotels for a gay couple whose August nuptials were marred because of a heckler shouting hateful slurs. The goal of the second ceremony is giving the couple a more positive experience and showing that Coronado is a welcoming community where discrimination won't be tolerated.
