The LGBT organization Lambda Legal recently welcomed M. Dru Levasseur as its transgender-rights attorney, according to a press release.Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Levasseur was a staff attorney at the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and, before that, served for two years as a law clerk in the Massachusetts Superior Court. In 2007, Levasseur co-founded the Jim Collins Foundation, which raises money to fund gender-reassignment surgeries.
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide if the 138,000 people who signed the Referendum 71 petitions in Washington state should have their names made public, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Referendum 71 is meant to overthrow a new domestic-partner law that benefits same-sex couples. Gay-rights organizations have vowed to post signers' names on the Internet, and the referendum supporters fear harassment if the public knows their names.
Miami Beach Gay Pride has teamed up with Passport Magazine, Source Events and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau to host a vacation for two on April 16-23 that centers around Miami Beach Gay Pride, according to a press release. The Miami Beach Gay Pride vacation contest will be online at www.passportmagazine.com/miamipride through March 14; the winner will be announced March 15. For details and information on Miami Beach Gay Pride, visit www.miamibeachgaypride.com .
GLSEN ( the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ) , the Matthew Shepard Foundation and The Trevor Project—three organizations that work to improve the lives of LGBT youth—are among 100 finalists in Chase Community Giving, a campaign by Chase and Facebook to award $5 million to charities voted on by Facebook users. The top vote-getter receives $1 million, while five runners-up receive $100,000 each. Voting runs until Jan. 22; each Facebook user is eligible to vote for up to five charities.
The Human Rights Campaign has released a first-of-its-kind, free iPhone application for its "Buying for Equality" guide, according to an organizational press release. This new technology will allow shoppers to access the guide as they enter a store to see how hundreds of popular U.S. brands are rated, based on the businesses' treatment of their LGBT employees. See www.hrc.org/iPhone.
Beginning in 2010, the Obama administration, through the Office of Personnel Management, has listed gender identity among the classes protected by federal Equal Employment Opportunity ( EEO ) policies, according to an ACLU press release. "This new policy is a very significant development," said Christopher Anders, ACLU senior legislative counsel. "The inclusion of gender identity in federal EEO policies is a very clear statement that the federal government will not discriminate based on gender identity.
Minnesota's PRIDE Institute has partnered with GLBTQ Online High School to provide mental-health services as needed to the school's students, according to a joint press release. PRISM, the Minneapolis-based PRIDE-affiliate mental-health program, will provide Web and phone services, and will use its nationwide network of LGBTQ-friendly mental health services to help families find services in their own areas.
The anti-gay organization Focus on the Family will air a televised ad during the Super Bowl Feb. 7, according to the Denver Post. The 30-second commercial will feature senior University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow—a self-proclaimed virgin who is known for his strong Christian beliefs—and his mother. Focus on the Family has not revealed the exact content of the upcoming ad.
The American Foundation for Equal Rights has announced several prominents civil-rights leaders to its advisory board, according to a press release. Among the new board members are NAACP Board Chair Julian Bond, gay Iraq War vet Lt. Dan Choi, activist Cleve Jones, Huffington Post Editor-at-Large Hillary Rosen and Stuart Milk, the out nephew of the late San Francisco politician Harvey Milk.
Registration is underway for the 20th World Conference of GLBT Jews, to be held Aug. 13-15 in Los Angeles, Calif., on the UCLA campus. Early-bird discounts are available until Jan. 31; prices start at $225 per person. See www.la2010.org for more information.
In Georgia, teacher Randolph Forde lost his job after being arrested for allegedly putting out a hit on a student he believed was gay, according to ProjectQAtlanta.com . Forde has to deal with charges that he supposedly pulled the student, 16, out of class and asked him about his sexual orientation when he was seen dancing with another male student. A few days later, Forde reportedly asked a classmate to "put a hit" on that same student.
In Buffalo, N.Y., the LGBT community has come together after Lindsay Harmon was attacked outside lesbian club Roxy's on New Year's Day, WGRZ.com reported. On. Jan. 20 an event called "United We Stand: A Celebration of Diversity—A Plea for Peace" took place at Asbury Hall. Harmon was stabbed in the eye during the attack, which friends believed was a hate crime.
Sen. John McCain's wife, Cindy, and daughter, Meghan, have shown their support for same-sex marriage by taking part in the "No H8" campaign, according to KansasCity.com . Cindy and Meghan, like everyone else who has participated in the campaign, has duct tape over their mouths and "No H8" written on their cheeks, a reference to Prop 8. In a statement, the senator said that he "respects the views of members of his family."
In Texas, an Amarillo minister is calling for a boycott of Houston, in part, because it now has lesbian mayor Annise Parker, according to Kens5.com . The pastor's Web site, BoycottHouston.com, states that part of its goal is " [ t ] o impose economic sanctions on the city of Houston, Texas for voting in an openly homosexual mayor and for allowing the largest Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in the United States." Parker said, "I trust that the citizens of Amarillo will make their own decisions about visiting us here in Houston."
The Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Joint Resolution 13 ( SJR-13 ) Jan. 20 by a 6-4 vote, according to a release from Indiana Equality. The measure, also known as the Marriage Discrimination Amendment because it would ban same-sex marriage in the state, is now eligible for consideration by the entire Senate. Although it's expected to pass the GOP-controlled Senate, it's also expected to fall in the Democrat-controlled House.
Talk-radio network Air America has stopped its live programs, citing a lack of revenue and increasing business costs, according to an Advocate.com item. Al Franken, who is now in the U.S. Senate representing Minnesota, was one of the founders of Air America, which was broadcast in 100 outlets around the nation. It will end all programming Jan. 25.
In Secaucus, N.J., three firefighters who were implicated in alleged harassment against a gay couple may be reinstated, according to HudsonReporter.com . Mayor Michael Gonnelli, a former volunteer fire supervisor, said he is waiting for legal opinions from Town Attorney Frank Leanza and a labor lawyer. A jury awarded the couple $2.8 million for harassment they said they suffered while living next to the North End firehouse; they also received $2 million to cover legal fees.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has criticized President Barack Obama, calling the chief executive's stance on same-sex marriage "fundamentally inexcusable," according to the Huffington Post. Newsom, who said that his own political future is cloudy, said, " [ I ] t's fundamentally inexcusable for a member of the Democratic party to stand on the principle that separate is now equal, but only on the basis of sexual orientation. We've always fought for the rights of minorities and against the whims of majorities."
The Washington, D.C., LGBT bookstore Lambda Rising recently closed after 35 years of business, according to DCist.com . Co-owner Deacon MacCubbin founded Lambda Rising with an initial investment of $3,000 plus another $1,000 borrowed from a local gay activist. In January, the store was egged, which Lambda spokesperson Dan Mecredy called "a childish prank."
In Hawaii, the state Senate passed a civil-union bill Jan. 22 by a vote of 18-7, according to the Honolulu Advertiser. The bill would let same- and opposite-sex couples to enter into civil unions and have the same rights, benefits and responsibilities as marriage. State Sen. Rosalyn Baker said that the measure "is about equal treatment." Last session, the state House passed a similar bill that only applied to gay and lesbian couples.
Three weeks after New Hampshire legalized same-sex marriage, opponents have asked a state House committee to repeal the law, according to DigitalJournal.com . State Rep. Jordan Ulery said, "A man and a woman together create a family where individuals of the same gender cannot create a family." However, gay state Rep. Ed Butler countered, "Marriage is an incredible acknowledgment of our equality. Please don't take it away after so shortly having given us the opportunity to feel the incredibly powerful stamp of access to that word. Marriage is a powerful word."
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has released a comprehensive state-by-state report detailing LGBT-related legislation in 2009 and an outlook for 2010, according to an organizational press release. The report indicates that despite some setbacks for the LGBT community in 2009, there were as many positive bills passed last year as in 2007 and 2008 combined. The report also details expectations for 2010 with the fight for marriage equality and relationship recognition now focused on Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico and Rhode Island as well as continuing state and local efforts to protect LGBT employees. To view the report online, visit www.hrc.org/StateToState.
