Due to a San Diego businessman's support for a California amendment to ban same-sex marriage, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( GLAAD ) will not participate in the 'Pride Rocks' event this summer at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. Although the national LGBT organization will participate in other Global Hyatt Corporation's 'Pride Rocks' events, which celebrate gay pride, GLAAD will skip over the San Diego stop because the hotel's owner, Doug Manchester, supports an anti-gay California marriage amendment. In a recent statement, GLAAD encouraged other LGBT people to withdraw their support of that particular venue's event.
A study done by the Rockway Institute revealed that most young gay and lesbian people want to raise children and be in a long-term relationship when they are adults. According to the study, over 90 percent of young lesbians and 80 percent of gay males want to be in a monogamous relationship after they turn 30. In addition, young queers want to raise kids. Two-thirds of young lesbians and over half of young gay men said that children will be a part of their future.
A coalition of gay-rights organizations is urging Ventura County prosecutors to try the 14-year-old boy that murdered gay classmate Larry King in February as a juvenile. A coalition of gay rights groups such as Lambda Legal and the Transgender Law Center are dismayed that Brandon McInerney has been charged as an adult. In a recent statement, the coalition said, 'We are saddened and outraged by the murder of junior high school student Lawrence King. At the same time, we call on prosecutors not to compound this tragedy with another wrong. We call on them to treat the suspect as a juvenile, not as an adult.'
A record number of schools observed the national Day of Silence on April 25, according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ( GLSEN ) . Over 7,400 middle and high schools observed the 12th annual Day of Silence event, which was created in hopes of shedding light on anti-gay harassment and violence. The Day of Silence was created by University of Virginia students in 1996. This year's observance was held in memory of Lawrence King, who was murdered by a fellow classmate in February.
The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the Peace Corps demanding that the organization change its policies regarding HIV-positive individuals. The Peace Corps has a policy that prohibits HIV-positive people from becoming volunteers. Recently a Denver man was fired from his post after he tested positive in January of this year. The volunteer had been working in Ukraine, and was sent home. The ACLU sent a letter on behalf of the man, stating that the policy is discriminatory.
Proponents of placing an amendment banning same-sex marriage in California say that they have collected over 1.1 million signatures—more than enough to get the measure on the ballot—according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Limit on Marriage initiative needs 694,354 valid signatures to place the measure on the November ballot for voters to decide. The signatures, delivered by a coalition of conservative groups called Protect Marriage, need to be verified by the California Secretary of State's Office.
During the National Day of Silence, the gay California teen murdered by a fellow classmate found an unlikely ally. Talk show host Larry King spoke out against intolerance of LGBT students on his show, and vowed to participate in the annual Day of Silence event. Lawrence King, 15, was gunned down by classmate Brandon McInerney in February after allegedly asking him to be his Valentine. The national Day of Silence aims to shed light on the violence and harassment LGBT students face in schools. This year, the event honors the life of student Lawrence King.
According to a national survey done by Harris Interactive, gays and lesbians read more blogs than heterosexuals. Over half of gay and lesbian adults surveyed said they read a blog, compared to just 36 percent of straight adults. The study also showed that are more active within blog channels because they are more likely to leave comments and respond positively to online ads. Gay and lesbian adults are more active online, in general, according to the study. For instance, they are more likely to send instant messages, and gay men are more likely to be a member of a social networking or visit a dating/match up site.
American Airlines will tap into leaders of the LGBT and women's communities to continue to expand its diversity and inclusion. The company announced the formation of two new advisory councils focusing on LGBT and women travelers. Advisory Council members provide ongoing feedback, such as marketing trends and community concerns, about particular customer groups. Windy City Times publisher and executive editor Tracy Baim will serve on the LGBT Advisory Council. American Airlines has been reaching out to the LGBT community for years, and has an LGBT Web portal at www.aa.com/rainbow.
