In Kansas, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has signed an order banning discrimination against LGBT state workers, according to an Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) press release. 'Today is a good day for all Kansans who reject discrimination. This is an important and meaningful statement in favor of equal rights,' said HRC President Joe Solmonese of the measure, which is effective immediately. However, Kansas is still one of 31 states that does not have sexual orientation discrimination laws for the private sector, Solmonese added.
In North Carolina, Duke University officials have moved a student who is planning to switch genders out of a women's dorm, according to ABC11TV.com . The school initially decided to allow a male student who is going to have sexual-reassignment surgery to live as a female in the dorm, but at least one shocked parent, Lee Chauncey, contacted Duke's officials. Chauncey said that he is fine with transgender individuals, but he didn't think it was right for someone who is currently male to reside in the building.
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey is now in the seminary, according to NBC10.com . McGreevey will soon begin studying at General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in Manhattan.
Speaking of McGreevey, his estranged wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, has said that only Suzanne Craig, wife of former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, can decide if she will stick with her husband, the Associated Press reported. Dina McGreevey said that when Jim announced that he is gay and would resign, 'I decided I was going to stand by my husband's side. I was in shock; I had not had an opportunity to absorb what was happening.'
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has unanimously overturned a lower court decision and is allowing a lesbian couple to adopt two children they have been caring for, the Associated Press reported. Portland residents Ann Courtney and Marilyn Kirby became the children's foster parents six years ago and filed adoption petitions last year; however, the petitions were not accepted.
Jeffrey Shapiro has filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, alleging that he was let go because he is straight, according to 365Gay.com . In his suit, Shapiro claims that he was told that 'everybody liked him as a person, but they needed somebody who better fit into the culture.'
In Washington, D.C., Superior Court Judge John Ramsey Johnson has dismissed charges against Phelps Collins and Michael Price for reportedly robbing a townhouse where attorney Robert Wone was stabbed to death mere months earlier, according to The Washington Blade. Price is one of three gay men who said they were sleeping in the house when Wone was killed in August 2006.
In Texas, Alton Police Chief Jose Luis Vela has allegedly sexually assaulted male workers, according to the Associated Press. Authorities say that Vela has violated two different men who passed out at parties at his home. Vela is currently on paid leave.
Texas legislators have passed a measure called the Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act, also called the Schoolchildren's Religious Liberties Act, according to Chron.com . The law states that as long as students do not engage in 'obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd or indecent speech,' certain student leaders can use an open mic to express their religious beliefs. School officials are concerned that the statute could prove to be disruptive.
In Florida, a 17-year-old who seriously beat a transwoman after learning she was biologically a man has been sentenced to a year's probation, according to The Palm Beach Post. The teen had been charged with aggravated battery, but Judge Peter Blanc decided not to call the incident a hate crime.
The leaders at Colorado's New Life Church have warned former leader the Rev. Ted Haggard that he violated an agreement after he e-mailed KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs and said he would become a counselor at a faith-based halfway house, according to 365Gay.com . After Haggard admitted he had an affair with and bought drugs from then-escort Mike Jones, the reverend signed an agreement saying that he would leave the ministry and not speak about the scandal in exchange for a year's salary and the church's continued support.
Conservative news commentator Tucker Carlson has admitted on an episode of MSNBC Live that he once assaulted a man who he claimed 'bothered' him in a restroom, according to Advocate.com . As he discussed the incident involving now-former Sen. Larry Craig, Carlson said that he responded to his own incident by going back to the bathroom 'with someone [ he ] knew and grabb [ ing ] the guy.' However, according to a Media Matters for America press release, Carlson later sent out a statement saying 'My friend and I seized the man and held him until a security guard arrived. ... I wasn't angry with the man because he was gay. I was angry because he assaulted me.'
Isentress, a new drug that fights HIV, may be the best bet for some patients who have stopped responding to current medications, according to an Associated Press item. The FDA has said that Merck & Co.'s studies of Isentress show that the drug is safe and effective for HIV patients resistant to other medications.
Sexual orientation may not be set in stone, according to one scientist. In Mother Jones magazine, psychotherapist Gary Greenberg said that even though gay and straight people exhibit some biological differences, there are studies that show, for example, that there are ex-straights in addition to ex-gays.
Easy banter marked Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's most recent appearance on Late Show with David Letterman, according to Advocate.com . She joked about everything from her husband, Bill Clinton, being her vice president to a summer in Alaska when she gutted salmon, describing the latter as the 'best preparation for being in Washington that you can possibly imagine.'
Public nudity will soon be allowed in Brattleboro, Vt., according to the AP. A month after a temporary ban that ends this month, the city's board voted 3-2 to reject a permanent one.
