John Berry, whose nomination as U.S. ambassador to Australia was recently approved by the Senate, married Curtis Yee, his partner of 17 years, in Washington D.C., On Top Magazine reported. Yee, a former lawyer, will join Berry in Australia.Marriage-equality supporters in Australia expressed regret that the government there will not recognize the couple's wedding.
In Ferndale, Mich., a man who was said to be Michigan's first openly gay mayor in 2008 now wants the job back—but he's running against a friend said to be Michigan's second openly gay mayor, according to KSDK.com . Some gay people said the former mayor, Craig Covey, will halt their political gains by targeting another gay politician, Mayor Dave Coulter. Covey said the two have similarities—"We're both gay, we've both run AIDS organizations, we're both liberal on social issues, we're both white Anglo guys in our 50s," he said. However, Covey is fiscally conservative and is pushing for the legalization of marijuana.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker moved one step closer to becoming the nation's only elected African-American senator when he won New Jersey's Democratic primary Aug. 13, according to New York magazine. The pro-gay Booker defeated Rep. Frank Pallone, who was endorsed by the family of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg—the man whom Booker is attempting to succeed. Booker will now face Republican Steven Lonegan, the former mayor of Bogota, N.J., in the special general election in October.
The Department of Defense, on Aug. 14, announced its plan to extend benefits to same-sex spouses of uniformed service members and Department of Defense civilian employees, according to a press statement. Following the Supreme Court's ruling that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional, and in consultation with the Department of Justice and other executive branch agencies, the Defense Department will make spousal and family benefits available no later than Sept. 3, regardless of sexual orientation, as long as service member-sponsors provide a valid marriage certificate.
In New York City, two gay men (ages 53 and 27) were attacked after leaving a movie theater in Chelsea, according to CBS New York. The two victims were holding hands two other men yelling anti-gay slurs approached them. "I am appalled by reports that two men were senselessly beaten in Chelsea simply because they were perceived to be gay," lesbian City Council speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn said. "The cowardly individuals who committed this crime do not represent New Yorkers and our community will not be cowed by such violence.
Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi will host the Ali Forney Center's (AFC's) annual A Place at the Table benefit dinner, which is being held Oct. 25, according to a press release. The 2013 honorees, chosen for their for their work in the LGBT community and their support and advocacy of homeless LGBT youth, include Frank Selvaggi, a leading LGBT activist and philanthropist; transgender model/actress Isis King, who was at one time a resident in the AFC transitional living program; and Room and Board.
Anti-gay protesters reportedly booed Eric Alva, a gay Marine veteran who lost his leg in the Iraq War, while he was speaking in favor of a nondiscrimination ordinance at a San Antonio City Council meeting, the Dallas Voice reported. "To all you people that preach the word of God, shame on you because God loves me, like the day I laid bleeding on the sands of Iraq and that's why he saved me," Alva (who resides in San Antonio) said before he left the podium. The City Council is expected to vote on the ordinance on Sept. 5.
In California, Hesperia Unified School District administrators sent a letter to the ACLU Foundation of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) and the law firm Nixon Peabody stating they are implementing concrete changes to improve the climate for LGBTQ students in the district, according to an ACLU press release. The district, among other things, has allowed students to wear gender non-conforming clothes to prom and instituted anti-bias training for teachers. The situation started when students at Sultana High School reported numerous incidents where they were verbally harassed by teachers—including instructors repeatedly using "gay" as an insult in the classroom.
Public Citizen Litigation Group has told a federal court in Texas that it should dismiss a lawsuit from Clark Baker, who is seeking to suppress blogger Todd DeShong's criticism, according to a media release. Baker, a Los Angeles resident, founded the Office of Medical and Scientific Justice, and contends that HIV doesn't cause AIDS and that HIV medical treatments are fraudulent. Fort Worth, Texas, resident DeShong operates two blogs about Baker's activities, claiming Baker relies on overstatements and innuendo and that science does not support Baker's contentions. On July 9, Baker sued DeShong in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
In Georgia, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed now has an official "advisor on LGBT issues" after appointing gay attorney Robin Shahar to the position, according to TheGaVoice.com . In 2010, Reed told GA Voice he would not have a designated LGBT liaison for his mayoral office, preferring instead a policy of full inclusion that puts gay people in prominent positions based on merit. Shahar is also the chief counsel in the city of Atlanta's Department of Law and has worked in the city's law department since 1993.
Two hundred Manhattan restaurants have boycotted Russian vodka because of that country's anti-gay policy, according to the New York Daily News. The streets ran with Russian vodka recently when advocates and restauranteurs poured out bottles of the liquor in protest of the country's harsh anti-gay laws. The United Restaurant and Tavern Owners Association of New York organized the protest at Desmond's Steak House.
Convicted information revealer Army Pfc. Bradley Manning acknowledged Aug. 14 that he "hurt people and hurt the United States" by leaking thousands of pages of classified documents, according to CNN. "I understood what I was doing was wrong but I didn't appreciate the broader effects of my actions," the out former Army intelligence analyst said during his sentencing hearing at Maryland's Fort Meade. "I only wanted to help people, not hurt people." His statement followed testimony from a military psychologist who said Manning appeared to be under intense pressure as a male soldier struggling with gender-identity issues.
In Virginia, gay Democratic activist Jeff Trammell—also the outgoing leader of the College of William and Mary's governing Board of Visitors—has warned that the state may lose professors of Virginia's ban on marriage equality, according to the Washington Post. (The state also does not offer health benefits to domestic partners of state employees.) He said that "at a minimum, the state should immediately allow our public colleges and universities to offer health insurance and other equal benefits to the same-sex partners of their faculty and staff." Trammell added that he was "stunned to realize that there are fewer than 10 openly gay trustees at the hundreds of public universities and colleges across the nation."
Carla Hale, a teacher who was fired from Ohio's Bishop Watterson High School after her lesbianism was made public, has agreed with the Columbus Diocese that she will not return to her former job, according to Patheos.com . Hale will not be reinstated to her former phys-ed teaching position at Bishop Watterson, but will "receive acknowledgement for her years of service" to the school. School principal Mary Hutson has denied accusations that Hale was fired because of her homosexuality, instead saying that Hale was let go because of her relationship with her partner.
In New Jersey, U.S. District Judge Joseph Irenas ruled that a school district may have retaliated against a gay teacher (identified only as "T.V.") by accusing him of sexually abusing his autistic, 11-year-old nephew ("D.V."), according to Courthouse News Service. The uncle and D.V.'s grandmother, B.V., claim that the allegations were made in retaliation for their attempts to advocate on behalf of the autistic D.V., in retaliation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and federal civil-rights law. Irenas will also let T.V. pursue claims that the defendants reported him because he is gay, in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.
Evan Low, the mayor of Campbell, Calif., was asked to help organize a blood drive; however, he couldn't donate because he is openly gay, according to Opposing Views. Low and Rich Waterman, Campbell's mayor and vice mayor, tried to donate blood at a Red Cross Blood Drive, but they were rejected. Low said that it was discriminatory to ban gay donors because there is the perception that they have a higher risk for HIV and heterosexual donors carry the same risks. The mayor believes the focus should be on proper blood testing.
In New Hampshire, Dartmouth College President Philip Hanlon has rescinded a prestigious appointment for Bishop James Tengatenga of the Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi because of the religious official's anti-gay stance, according to Opposing Views. When Tengatenga won the appointment as head of Dartmouth's William J. Tucker Foundation—charged with leading "spiritual and moral work at the College"—he resigned his bishop's post and publicly stated his new support for same-sex marriage and gay rights. However, before announcing the "evolution" of his views, Tengatenga had called for, among other things, the excommunication of Anglican bishops who supported same-sex marriage. Those earlier statements outweighed Tengatenga's more recent announcement, in Hanlon's opinion.
Jen Theulen, with Alaska's Air National Guard, and Nicole Carrier, a former Marine, left for Seattle, Wash., to get married so the U.S. military would legally recognize their union, Advocate.com reported. The military has said it will extend benefits to couples married in a state where it's legal, regardless of where the couple is stationed. The Pentagon is giving gay and lesbian service members up to seven days of nonchargeable leave to travel to states where they can legally marry—leading to the extension of important benefits.
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn wants to fix the quality-related "problems" involving the free, government-issued NYC condoms—but city health officials say New Yorkers think they're fine, according to the New York Post. A health-department spokeswoman said the office has not received any complaints regarding the "NYC"-brand condoms so far this year. Still, Quinn, a mayoral candidate who happens to be lesbian, insisted that complaints from sex educators, health-care workers and others have led her to crusade.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) passed a resolution to ban NBC and CNN from hosting GOP primary debates in 2016 if the networks move forward with their Hillary Clinton projects, Politico.com reported. GOP chair Reince Priebus had sent a letter to the networks Aug. 5. telling them to drop plans for the programs or face the RNC action. NBC News has said the fictionalized biography is being developed by the network's entertainment division, a separate entity from the news branch. CNN asked the RNC to "reserve judgment" until the documentary is further along.
Chicago-based deal website Groupon has endorsed same-sex marriage for Illinois, according to On Top Magazine. "We are Groupon and we are proud of being part of a diverse community of customers, merchants and employees," a man is heard saying in a two-minute video the company issued that features employees backing gay marriage. "We work better when everyone, including our LGBT co-workers, can bring their whole selves to work every day. That is why we support marriage equality."
Hawaii's Congressional delegation has called on state lawmakers to approve a stalled marriage-equality bill, On Top Magazine reported. Hawaii is one of four states that recognizes gay and lesbian couples with civil unions. (The other three are Illinois, New Jersey and Colorado.) In a statement released through Hawaii United for Marriage, U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz and U.S. Reps. Colleen Hanabusa and Tulsi Gabbard urged state lawmakers to "get this done."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Aug. 19 banning so-called gay conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, according to ABC News. Christie had previously said that while he opposes the practice, he did not want the government to interfere with parents' decisions about how to care for their children. The governor also noted that the American Psychological Association has found that efforts to change a person's sexual orientation can pose "critical health risks including, but not limited to, depression, substance abuse, social withdrawal, decreased self-esteem and suicidal thoughts. New Jersey is now the second state in the nation, after California, to ban the practice.
Gabriel Blau has been named the new executive director of the pro-LGBT organization Family Equality Council, according to a press release. Blau first joined Family Equality Council as deputy director of strategic advancement. Prior to joining Family Equality Council, he was director of development and communications at New York's Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, one of the country's oldest and most influential LGBT congregations.
Gay-rights icon Jose Julio Sarria passed away in his home in Albuquerque, N.M., Aug. 19, according to a press release from the Imperial Court System. He was 91. Sarria was a World War II veteran (discharged in 1945) and the very first openly gay candidate to run for public office in North America. He was a candidate for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961. Most notably, Sarria took what had been a loose alliance of social groups and developed it into what now is the International Court System of the United States, Canada and Mexico, with chapters in almost 70 cities across the three countries.
In Florida, 19-year-old Kaitlyn Hunt was booked into Indian River County Jail in Florida, charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery for having sex with a 14-year-old girl when she was 18, ABC News reported. Although Hunt's family and lawyers claim the relationship was consensual, Florida law states that no one younger than 16 can consent to sex. The state attorney's office pulled its plea offer following allegations Hunt violated her pre-trial conditions and contacted the girl.
Campus Pride—a nationally recognized organization dedicated to making colleges and universities more inclusive spaces for LGBT individuals—released its annual list of the "Top 25-LGBT Friendly Colleges And Universities," according to the Huffington Post. Some of the schools on the list include Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland), Ithaca College (Ithaca, N.Y.), Princeton University (Princeton, N.J.), Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.), The University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Southern California (Los Angeles). Colleges and universities self-assess their campus climate through a set of 50-plus questions corresponding to eight LGBT-friendly factors.
