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

Gay blogger Joe Jervis of Joe.My.God said he received death threats after tweeting information about the conservative group the Family Research Council (FRC), according to an Advocate.com item. After the recent shooting at the headquarters of the FRC, Jervis tweeted links to examples of the organization's anti-gay activism and FRC President Tony Perkins' association with white-supremacist groups. One Twitter user sent Jervis a photo of a person hanging from a crane with the words, "We plan on celebrating your lifestyle with cranes." Jervis informed Twitter Support, but was told the message did not violate Twitter's rules.

A record 477 of the 2012 Fortune 500 companies (95.4 percent) voluntarily include sexual orientation in their employment non-discrimination policies, according to an Equality Forum press release. (Just eight years ago, only 64.6 percent of companies had that protection.) Among the 23 non-compliant companies are ExxonMobil (#1), DISH Network (#191), Las Vegas Sands (#278) and Catalyst Health Solutions (#455).

Army Veteran and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Eric Shinseki, according to an SLDN press release. The development came in light of allegations by the inspector general about excessive spending, including $5 million spent during conferences that included concert tickets and spa treatments for attendees. In part, Sarvis wrote, "This news is especially disconcerting to gay and lesbian veterans, who are blocked from providing their hard-earned VA benefits to their spouses because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and other federal statutes."

The New Hampshire Pride Fest took place Aug. 11 at Manchester's Veterans Park, Boston.com reported. Among other things, it featured a march and a family-friendly drag show. The event recently made news because it received support from Anthony Piccola, a franchise operator for the Chick-fil-A restaurant in Nashua. In offering to donate sandwiches to the festival, Piccola said the aim of Chick-fil-A "is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect, regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.''

Andrew Shirvell—the Michigan attorney general who was fired after harassing gay Univ. of Michigan student-body president Chris Armstrong—has been ordered to pay $4.5 million in damages, according to an Advocate.com item. Shirvell lost his job in 2010 after repeatedly harassing Armstrong with his blog postings. Before the trial, Shirvell had been offered a deal to apologize, with all charges being dropped; however, he refused and the case moved forward.

The Rev. Anita C. Hill, an openly lesbian and partnered pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was installed Aug. 11 as a regional director for ReconcilingWorks at a worship service held at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minn., according to a ReconcilingWorks press release. Hill began in her position with ReconcilingWorks, an organization that works for the full participation of LGBT people, May 1. The worship service was a formal installation of Hill in her position following the action of the of the ELCA's St. Paul Area Synod council to issue a letter of call for her to serve in the position as a pastor.

However, on a related note, the celebration of Hill's installation ended with a possible hate crime, according to KSTP.com . As those in attendance headed to their cars to go home, one attendee noticed his car had been damaged. A back window was smashed, apparently by a golf ball that was in the back seat; in addition, a gay slur was scrawled on the ball. Investigators are determining if the development constitutes a hate crime.

A 1992 bar-mitzvah video featuring gay Chicago man Shaun Sperling has gone viral. In the video, Sperling, who was then 13, can be seen dancing to Madonna's "Vogue"—and he even has the singer's image on the back of his dress shirt. Since the video's reposting, media outlets from ABC News to the Today Show have featured Sperling, now a 33-year-old attorney.

In Utah, a Salt Lake City bar literally came under fire when a group of men launched "flaming projectiles" into the nightspot's patio area, according to an Advocate.com item. Witness Fernando Noriega estimated that approximately 35 people filled the outdoor space at the nightclub JAM when the flares were thrown; he added it was "a miracle" no one was injured. Noreiga and several other patrons pursued the assailants—described as blonde young adults—on foot, but the group escaped in a vehicle.

In Washington, D.C., a security guard at the Family Research Council (FRC) was shot the morning of Aug. 14 after scuffling with a man who disagreed with the group's conservative viewpoints, according to the Washington Post. The gunman has been identified as Floyd Lee Corkins II, 28, a resident of Herndon, Va., who worked at the LGBT-rights organization The DC Center. Afterwards, Perkins accused the Southern Poverty Law Center of sparking the hatred that led to Corkins' actions, calling the shooting "an act of domestic terrorism." Gay-rights groups responded to the charge with outrage.

The anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church has now set its sights on GaymerCon, which has been called the "first gaming and geek lifestyle convention with a focus on LGBT culture," the Huffington Post reported. Congregant Rebekah Phelps-Roper tweeted, "What we've all been longing for: a fag-focused gaming convention! #MustPicket @GaymerCon." Gaymercon is slated to take place in San Francisco in August 2013.

Recently, four of seven gay candidates won elections in Atlanta, according to Project Q Atlanta. Three LGBT incumbent state lawmakers faced voters in contested Democratic primaries—Reps. Simone Bell, Keisha Waites and Rashad Taylor. A fourth incumbent, Rep. Karla Drenner, did not face any primary opposition. Bell and Waites won while Taylor lost, as did gay challengers Ken Britt and William Phelps. wo other gay men seeking seats in the state legislature—Tim Riley in Senate District 47 and Timothy Swiney in House District 101—did not face primary opponents but will face GOP foes in November.

In Florida, the Jacksonville City Council rejected the proposed 2012-296 "non-discrimination" ordinance, which would've protected individuals on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the Miami Herald. If passed, the measure would have created a cause of action for money damages against private citizens who felt they were being treated unfairly in workplace, housing and public accommodations. A version that removed gender identity was rejected 10-9 while the original bill was denied by a 17-2 vote.

In San Francisco, officials have approved a housing project for LGBT seniors, according to the Bay Area Reporter. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to accept several design changes that the project sponsors made in response to concerns from preservationists and nearby residents. Known as the 55 Laguna project, it will include 330 new multi-family rental units and 110 units of LGBT-friendly housing for low-income seniors; there will be a public park, community garden and community center as well.

In Florida, Steve Adkins, president of the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Foundation, announced that longtime hospitality executive Karen Brown has been chosen as the new executive director of the LGBT Visitor Center in Miami Beach, according to a press release. The center, the only facility of its kind in the United States supported by a gay and lesbian chamber—will mark its second anniversary next month.

In Washington, D.C., it's turned out that two lesbian police officers have filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police Department, the Washington Blade reported. The 38-page complaint—which Det. Kennis M. Weeks and Officer Tonia L. Jones filed in January 2011—charges the District with creating "an environment in which employees could harass plaintiffs on the basis of their sex and sexual orientation without any investigation or repercussions." Acting D.C. City Council Chair Phil Mendelson said he'd like to see the city's attorney general consider settling the suit.

In South Carolina, the Greenville County sheriff's office has been criticized for entrapping and arresting gay men and others for doing things that are not illegal, according to Gay Star News. The ACLU reportedly found cases where undercover sheriffs tried to entrap people into engaging in illegal sexual activity such as public sex and prostitution, but then arrested them anyway when their endeavors failed. "Consenting adults should not be arrested for acts that don't break any laws," said Victoria Middleton, executive director of the ACLU of South Carolina.

Journalist Geraldo Rivera has stirred controversy by wondering if a "lesbian cabal" might be running the Department of Homeland Security, according to Gay Star News. While on Fox and Friends, Rivera took part in a discussion about a top aide to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano who has taken leave amid charges of sexual harassment and anti-male discrimination. At one point, Rivera asked, "Is this [the] subtext of the Department of Homeland Security scandal—that there is some kind of lesbian cabal, that it's a same-sex takeover of the big agencies?"

Catholics for Marriage Equality MN (C4ME-MN) released a music video for the song "For All The Children," according to On Top Magazine. The song was recorded in April; the video premiered in August in Minneapolis at the C4ME-MN event "I Do! Believe in the Freedom to Marry." The video will be used during the campaign to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage in the state.

Campus Pride has released its first-ever list of the "Top 10 Trans-Friendly Colleges & Universities" for students, faculty and staff, according to Advocate.com . These institutions have demonstrated their commitment to the trans community by, among other things, implementing policies or offering gender-inclusive facilities. Among the schools on the list are Ithaca College, UCLA, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, among others.

The organization has also released its list of the top 25 LGBT-friendly colleges and universities, a press release noted. Among the schools on that list are Indiana University, Oberlin College, the University of Oregon, the University of Utah, Stanford University, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Ohio State University, among others. The Campus Pride Index lists nearly 350 publicly available campus climate reports online at www.campusprideindex.org .

Rep. Todd Akin, the new GOP Senate nominee in Missouri, said in an interview that "legitimate rape" rarely causes pregnancy, according to the Washington Post. When asked why he opposes abortion even in cases of rape, Akin said, "First of all, from what I understand from doctors, (pregnancy from rape) is really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." He later said he misspoke. GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan criticized Akin in a statement.

Chip Stevenson—a longtime employee of The Advocate, Out and The Out Traveler—was found dead in his Manhattan apartment after an accidental fall; he was 42, according to Advocate.com . Stevenson worked at LPI Media (which then owned the publications) during 2002-08, leaving to start Big Daddy Productions. A fixture in his Chelsea neighborhood, he was also active in Toys for Tots.

In New York, Frank Mandelbaum has left a trust worth $180,000 to his grandson—but the will says the child of Frank's gay son, Robert, will only receive the money if Robert marries a woman, according to an Advocate.com item. Robert, who is a Manhattan Criminal Court judge, is arguing in a court battle that his longtime partner, tax counsel Jonathan O'Donnell, is the only "mother" their 16-month-old son, Cooper, knows.

After more than three quarters of a century, Georgia's Augusta National Golf Club—one of the most exclusive in the world—has admitted two women: former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and business executive Darla Moore, according to USA Today. Rice said, "I have long admired the important role Augusta National has played in the traditions and history of golf." Moore is vice president of the private investment company Rainwater, Inc.

Best In Drag Show—the long-running annual fundraiser for Aid For AIDS —has announced that Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Melora Hardin, Kathy Kinney and Judge Alex Ferrer will be part of the celebrity judging panel for the show's 10th anniversary, according to a press release. Best In Drag Show will be held Oct. 7 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. Visit www.bestindragshow.org or call 323-344-4880.

Kenneth Miller—an Amish-Mennonite pastor who helped a mother and her 10-year-old daughter flee the United States in 2009 so she wouldn't have to share custody with her former lesbian partner—was found guilty of aiding in a kidnapping, according to NBC News. Miller helped Lisa Miller (no relation) and her daughter to an airport in Canada for a destination in Nicaragua. The women had separated when the daughter was 17 months old.

The Indianapolis City-County Council has approved an ordinance to provide healthcare benefits to the domestic partners of city employees, according to LGBTQ Nation. The measure passed by a vote of 20-8, receiving bipartisan support; it now goes to Mayor Greg Ballard for his approval and signature. Conservative groups such as the American Family Association of Indiana and Indiana Family Action have opposed the legislation, which benefits opposite- as well as same-sex couples.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) issued a statement saying that the proposed Republican platform is "dramatically out of step with mainstep American values." HRC says that the GOP platform will not only reject marriage equality but will, among other things, "call for a vigorous defense of the Defense of Marriage Act." HRC President Chad Griffin said, "The party is poised to send a devastating message to LGBT youth—that they and the families they aspire to one day build are not worthy of the same protections as everyone else."

More than 2,000 people from the New York City area attended GMHC's (Gay Men's Health Crisis') 22nd annual House of Latex Ball at Roseland Ballroom, according to a press release. The Latex Ball, which raised almost $28,000, is considered the largest event for the house and ball communities in the world. The event incorporated HIV testing and sexual-health messages from GMHC and other community-based organizations as well as city and state health departments.

Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad stopped her attempt to make the 103-mile swim from Cuba to the United States, according to the Chicago Tribune. Nyad, 63, dealt with everything from rough seas to stinging jellyfish. Mark Sollinger, a leader of the crew and support team, said that Nyad's lips and face were very swollen, and she was suffering from exhaustion. Nyad, a lesbian, had hoped a completed swim would have helped relations between Cuba and the United States.

Nevada couple Brittney Leon and Ann Simonelli said they experienced discrimination at Spring Valley Hospital last month, according to Advocate.com . When Leon checked in while suffering pregnancy complications, regsitered domestic partner Simonelli told the facility she could make any necessary medical decisions; however, the hospital said Simonelli could not because the couple did not possess a power of attorney. Although medical professionals were mostly kind to the couple, Leon lost the child during the hospital stay. The couple hopes more will be done to help same-sex couples facing the same problems they had to endure.

Peter Thiel, the openly gay co-founder of PayPal, sold almost 21 million Class A Facebook shares, earning him approximately $400 million on his original $500,000 investment, Advocate.com reported. Thiel owned 9 million Class B shares from his original investment in Facebook several years ago; he had those shares converted to Class A, meaning he may sell off his investment. Thiel is still on Facebook's board of directors.

Minnesota state Rep. Kerry Gauthier has so far been silent regarding a situation involving a 17-year-old boy, according to the Huffington Post. Gauthier, a Democrat from Duluth, has not commented, although fellow Democratic leaders are asking him to with draw from his race. Authorities have said Gauthier, 56, admitted having a liason with the boy. However, he won't be charged because the boy was older than 16, the legal age of consent, and no money was exchanged.