The videotaped trial of the 2010 U.S. court case challenging California's ban on same-sex marriage should not be released to the public, defenders of the since-overturned state Proposition 8 told the U.S. Supreme Court in a new petition, Reuters reported. The proponents of California's one-time ban on gay marriage said in their filing on March 28 that the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year wrongly concluded the video could be disclosed. The Supreme Court, in January 2010, declined to allow the trial to be broadcast live via audio and video streamed to other federal courthouses.
Republican Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini told Newsweek that Disney's proclamation that it will somehow force an overturn of Florida's "Parental Rights in Education" bill that GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law could mean the loss of government perks that will lead to "a living hell" for the company best known for family-friendly theme parks and movies. DeSantis actually signaled during a press conference that he's open to the idea of reversing special privileges that had been carved for Disney; however, repealing corporate state tax breaks is off the table since all businesses qualify for them.
Speaking of Disney, the company is eliminating the use of "ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls" from its theme parks to make them more welcoming, Newsweek noted. Vivian Ware, Disney's diversity and inclusion manager, made the remarks in a video posted to Twitter by writer Christopher F. Rufo. The video came as the entertainment giant has found itself in the middle of culture war battles, facing pressure to oppose Florida measures critics say undermine LGBTQ+ rights.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a dispute involving pop artist Andy Warhol and a rock photographer who claimed Warhol violated her rights in creating images of Prince based on her photo, NBC News noted. The court will consider an issue that arises when a new work of art is based on an existing one: How different does the new work have to be to become something new, not simply an appropriation of someone else's creation? At the heart of the case is a picture of Prince, then a rising star, taken in 1981 by photographer Lynn Goldsmith; three years later, Vanity Fair licensed the photo and asked Warhol to produce a series of 16 silkscreen prints based on it, which became a cover for an issue of the magazine.
For the first time in the state's history, the governor of California appointed a transgender state judge, LGBTQ Nation noted. Andi Mudryk, a disability-rights lawyer, was appointed to the bench at the Sacramento County Superior Court by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Judge Victoria Kolakowski was the first out transgender judge in California when she was elected in 2010, but Mudryk is the first to be appointed.
A lawsuit alleging priests at Jesuit College Preparatory School Dallas sexually abused students in the late 1970s and early 1980s has been settled, WFAA reported. President of the Jesuit College Preparatory School Mike Earsing sent a letter to the local Jesuit community, which said he believed the nine Dallas-area men who brought a lawsuit against the school. In 2018, Jesuit Dallas named 11 priests "credibly accused" of sexually abusing minors. The names were posted in a statement written by Earsing and published on the school's site. According to the statement, the allegations date as far back as 1955.
Despite facing opposition from LGBTQ advocates before the meeting even began, a GOP-led Pennsylvania House panel approved legislation aiming to ban transgender women from competing on women's high school and college sports teams, City & State Pennsylvania reported. The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Barbara Gleim (R-Cumberland County), would make Pennsylvania the latest in a series of states to prohibit trans women from playing on women's school sports teams. Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has removed Fox News from its Corporate Equality Index as an LGBT preferred employer after nearly one week of relentless attacks on transgender Americans, The Washington Blade reported. "At a time when transgender peopleespecially transgender childrenare under attack in statehouses across the country, rhetoric has real consequences," HRC Senior Press Secretary Aryn Fields said.
LGBTQ activist/leader Cleve Jones has decided to stay in the Castro neighborhood apartment where he's lived for 12 years, telling a rally in San Francisco that he'll fight any effort by the building's new owner that would more than double his current rent, per The San Francisco Chronicle. "This is not a fight I chose, it's not a fight I wanted, it's certainly not a fight I'm prepared for," Jones said. "But it has become clear to me that this is not a fight from which I can walk away." Among the 200 to 250 rally attendees at Harvey Milk Plaza were state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Tyler TerMeer.
In Texas, Matthew Sheetsa member of the Rice PRIDE advocacy group for LGBTQ students on campusintroduced a resolution to the Rice Student Association (along with two other students) calling for Rice to sever its athletic ties, wherever possible, with Brigham Young University (BYU), a Mormon school with a long anti-LGBTQ history, OutSmart Magazine noted. The student resolution passed unanimously on March 7. "It's not so much a conflict with BYU [athletics] per se, as much as it is Rice pointing out the unfair conditions for queer students, faculty, and staff there," Sheets said. "My relationship with many BYU students and alumni has been very positive and collaborative."
A gay Reddit user with the handle LargeSeat3093 recently took to the"Am I the A**hole?" subreddit to share how his daughter isn't only barring him from bringing his husband and his son to her upcoming nuptials, but she's also expecting him to pay for the entire affair out of his pocket, per out.com . LargeSeat3093 (39) had his daughter (now 21) with his ex-wife at a very young age before he came to terms with his sexuality. "I told her that if her in-laws are so important, they should pay for the wedding," he continued. "She was furious and said I was being selfish, picking favorites, and not thinking about her at all." Commenters overwhelmingly sided with LargeSeat3093.
Tennis player Coco Gauff voiced her opposition to the "Don't Say Gay" bill in her home state of Florida, per ESPN. "I'm against it," Gauff recently told reporters. "I think these conversations are important and, for me, who has friends in the LGBTQ+ community, I couldn't imagine not being able to talk about your identity. I feel that's something that is normal." Gauff said she sees parallels between the Florida bill and the struggle for racial justice, another issue she is passionate about. Gauff, 18, rose to prominence when she defeated Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019, taking the tennis world by storm before falling in the fourth round to eventual champion Simona Halep.
A press release noted that Black Lives Matter protests not only brought public attention to incidents of police brutality, such as the killing of George Floyd in 2020, but they also have shifted public discourse and increased interest in anti-racist ideas, according to research led by Indiana University researchers. The paper, "Black Lives Matter protests shift public discourse," is at https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2117320119?utm_source=31-black-lives-matter-protests-shift-public-discourse&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Black+Lives+Matter+protests+shift+public+discourse&utm_campaign=ag.
Fox News Channel named conservative trans reality star and former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner as a contributor, per Variety. "Caitlyn's story is an inspiration to us all. She is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community and her illustrious career spans a variety of fields that will be a tremendous asset for our audience," said Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott in a statement. Jenner has spoken about transgender girls playing sports on girls' teams, telling The Daily Mail, "I don't think biological boys should compete in women's sports; we have to protect women's sports. That's the bottom line," according to The Washington Blade.
Michigan's Calvin University split with its Center for Social Research (CSR) over employee Nicole Sweda, who recently married her girlfriend, Inside Higher Ed noted. Calvin, a private college in Grand Rapids, considers non-heterosexual sexual relationships to be sexual misconducta common belief among evangelical institutions. According to Sweda (who has since quit), Calvin officials didn't fire her on the spot; instead, they decided to part ways with the CSR, effectively allowing Sweda to keep her job without violating university policies. The school paper's reporting on the chain of events led to Calvin's split with the CSR prompted Sweda to resign so she could speak out.
The Eastern Iowa Airport plans to host an LGBTQ aviation event in June, CBS2Iowa.com noted. The Worldwide LGBTQ Aviation Community's "Wings Over Iowa" will be held June 3-5; the event is being put on by the NGPA (National Gay Pilots Association). The NGPA said it wanted to hold an event in Iowa to step outside of its normal event locations, mainly on the East and West coasts of the country.
Descanso Resort has opened in Palm Springs, according to a press release. Descanso is the first men's resort to open in Palm Springs in more than 10 years. The property, located on the northern side of the city, was purchased by the owners of Santiago Resort in Palm Springs last summer. There are 16 rooms and suites, and they all feature custom-designed furniture, luxury linens, and bespoke materials and finishes.