A regional judicial body of the Presbyterian Church has found that the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr violated church law for officiating the wedding ceremonies of two lesbian couples, reversing a previous ruling, according to a press release. In so ruling, the Synod of the Pacific Permanent Judicial Commission decided that 'although the Rev. Dr. Spahr had acted with conscience and conviction, her actions were contrary to the [ PresbyterianChurch ( U.S.A. ) ] Constitution as it is authoritatively interpreted.'
In New Jersey, a state senator showed his support of same-sex marriage online, according to Advocate.com . Legislator Raymond Lesniak posted on his blog that 'allowing gay couples to marry is not going to repair the fabric of society, but it's not going to tear it apart either. To paraphrase John Lennon, let's give love a chance. We might just find it works.' A recent state poll revealed that well over 60 percent of the respondents 'would be fine' with same-sex marriage.
After fighting for two years, California resident Marvin Burrows has won the right to collect his late partner's benefits, according to Advocate.com . Burrows' partner, William Swenor, was a member of the Industrial Employers and Distributors Association; after he passed away, Burrows filed a claim to receive his benefits, but his request was turned down twice. Burrows and Swenor were together for over 50 years.
Conservative Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle is the subject of a campaign by The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau's tourism board to stop what it calls his 'hurtful, mean-spirited rhetoric' toward the LGBT community, Advocate.com reported. On July 4, Naugle told a local paper about his idea for pay toilets at a popular gay beach spot, saying, 'Homosexuals...they're engaging in sex, anonymous sex, illegal sex.'
In Florida, AIDS advocates are claiming that some HIV-positive inmates have to wait months before they receive antiretroviral drugs, 365Gay.com reported. Legal aid lawyers told The Sun-Sentinel newspaper that over a dozen inmates in Broward and Palm Beach County jails have been getting the drugs at very irregular intervals, which would wreak havoc on their bodies if true. Jail officials deny the charges.
In Massachusetts, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz testified in a case that transsexuality has no medical foundation, according to a 365Gay.com item. ( Rhiannon O'Donnabhain has filed a lawsuit against the IRS after the agency would not let her deduct the cost of her sex-reassignment surgery. ) Dietz said that all disorders must have 'an underlying pathological process' to be considered a disease, and that transsexuality does not have one.
In Vermont, a state commission had its first hearing regarding the possibility of the state moving from having civil unions to same-sex marriage, according to 365Gay.com . The committee will report its findings to the state legislature next spring, but a measure may not appear until 2009.
Susan Stanton—who once served as city manager of Largo, Fla., as Steve Stanton—has reportedly applied for the same position in Tempe, Ariz., according to ABCActionNews.com . Recently, Steve Stanton was let go in Largo after announcing plans to undergo sex-reassignment surgery.
The late Rev. Jerry Falwell has left $34 million to the school he founded, Liberty University, according to the Associated Press. Falwell, a leader of the conservative group known as the Moral Majority, passed away in May.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has said that its investigation of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's online messages with teenage boys has hit a snag, according to the Associated Press. Department spokeswoman Heather Smith said that neither Foley nor the House will let investigators examine his congressional computers because they contain government documents.