Philadelphia Mayor John Street recently presided over the commitment ceremony of his long-time colleague and friend Micah Mahjoubjan and partner Ryan Bunch, reported Gaywired.com . Mahjoubjan said he asked the mayor over brunch last year. Street previously told the Associated Press he agreed to it because Mahjoubjan is his friend.
According to 365gay.com, anti-gay U.S. Senator Trent Lott, R-Miss., will not be seeking re-election. Lott has consistently voiced his opposition of LGBT rights and protections during his four terms in the Senate. Lott was also the key sponsor of the proposed anti-gay marriage amendments to the Constitution in 2004 and 2006.
According to Queerty.com, students at Pasadena City College elected a 24-year-old trans man as their Homecoming King. A Homecoming Committee tried to veto the choice, saying Andrew Gomez was ineligible because he has a pierced ear. However, many students lodged complaints, accusing the committee of discrimination, and the decision was reversed.
Thousands of people have submitted video questions for the upcoming CNN/YouTube Republican Debate, including Florida parents Lynn and Pat Mulder, who talk about their gay son Ryan, who was murdered because of his sexual orientation. The couple have recently made headlines for their question about protecting LGBT citizens, as well as their activism since their son's death. Their 25-year-old son was killed in March, and police call his death a hate crime, reported The Ledger.
Openly gay councilman Gary Cloutier recently won the Vallejo, Calif., mayoral race by a mere four votes, according to The Advocate. Cloutier ran against Osby Davis, who was arrested prior to the election for public intoxication. Cloutier will be the Bay Area's first openly gay mayor.
Three men convicted in the 2006 death of a New York gay man were sentenced to prison. The three men had lured the victim, Michael Sandy, from a chat room to Brooklyn in hopes of robbing him, and when Sandy attempted to flee, he was struck and killed by a car on the highway. One of the convicted men, Anthony Fortunato, recently made headlines during his trial when his lawyers claimed their client is gay, therefore the crime was not inspired by hate.
V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls created by playwright Eve Ensler, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2008. A large two-day anniversary celebration, 'V to the Tenth,' will take place April 11-12, 2008, at the New Orleans Arena and Louisiana Superdome. 'V to the Tenth' will feature Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Fonda, Rosario Dawson, Oprah Winfrey and many more.
Wal-Mart is under fire by Human Rights Campaign for its refusal to offer domestic partner benefits to its workers. Wal-Mart received a red 'do not buy' rating in HRC's new consumer guide ( the 2008 Corporate Equality Index ) , receiving a 40 out of 100.
According to The Hill, The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is pressuring Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Senate Ethics Committee to put a stop to its investigation of Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, following the airport toilet scandal. The organization is calling for lawmakers to either drop the Craig investigation or start investigating Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and a female prostitute's claims Vitter used to be a regular customer.
Controversy has erupted over an anti-gay marriage sign a business owner placed in his Southport insurance agency's window, reported Star-Gazette.com . The business owner's sign reads, 'Save the kids. Say no to gay marriage in NY.' Some people have called the sign discriminatory.
The Charlotte Observer reported that North Carolina Baptists kicked out a church for being gay-friendly. The Baptist State Convention recently voted to cast out the welcoming Myers Park Baptist. One of the church's deacons is openly lesbian. The church had been a member of the Baptist State Convention since the early '40s.
A Baltimore federal judge recently unsealed the financial records of Rev. Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church, and according to 365gay.com, the records don't really indicate what funds the anti-gay group, enabling it to frequently travel the country. The group protested the funeral of a fallen Marine, and the soldier's family was recently awarded nearly $11 million in damages.
The City Council of Toledo, Ohio, passed an ordinance that allows gay and unmarried couples to register as domestic partners, according to the Toledo Blade. The ordinance passed 10-2, and was created to help employers that offer domestic partner benefits to verify relationships.
