The U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Command has ruled lesbian Army National Guard Corporal Ciara Durkin's death a suicide. Durkin was found dead in Afghanistan last fall from a gunshot wound to the head. Durkin's family had publicly voiced concern over her death because she told family members that she was concerned about her safety. One family member also thought that Durkin may have been targeted because of her sexuality, although no evidence supported that speculation.
Arizona will not have a marriage amendment on the November ballot. State senators rejected a bill, 14-11, that would have placed a measure on the ballot to ban gay marriage by amending the state constitution. It needed 16 votes to pass. In 2006, Arizona voters rejected a ballot measure to ban gay marriage. Arizona became the first state in the U.S. to reject such a measure.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa showed his support for gay marriage by officiating his first gay marriage. The wedding took place a week after same-sex marriages became legal in California following a ground-breaking Supreme Court decision that lifted the state's ban on gay marriage. Villaraigosa wed filmmaker Bruce Cohen, who won an Oscar for 'American Beauty' and his partner, Gabriel Catone, at City Hall. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson has also officiated several same-sex marriages.
A Florida lesbian is suing a Miami hospital for being denied visitation of her partner, despite showing that she had power of attorney. In February 2007, Janice Langbehn's partner of 18 years, Lisa Marie Pond, suffered a stroke while they vacationed with their children. Langbehn recently filed a federal lawsuit that charges Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital with being anti-gay and negligent. Langbehn was only allowed to see her dying partner for five minutes during the nearly 20 hours she was admitted.
A second Memphis police officer has been fired for his role in the beating of a transgender woman. Duanna Johnson is a transgender prostitute who was allegedly beaten by cops while in police custody. The beating was caught on camera. So far, the officer that beat her and the officer who held her down while she was being assaulted have been fired. Johnson told local media that she plans to file suit against the city of Memphis.
Republican presidential nominee John McCain has secretly met with a national gay rights organization a number of times, but details of the meetings are being kept under wraps. According to the blog GayPatriot, McCain has met with the head of the Log Cabin Republicans, Patrick Sammon, but the personal meeting was kept off of McCain's published schedule and what was discussed is being kept secret. Sammon later confirmed to GayPatriot that the Log Cabin Republicans have had a 'series of productive meetings' with McCain's campaign, and anticipate more.
Longtime activist Rea Carey was recently appointed as the new executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. It took the national gay rights organization four months to name a replacement for former executive director Matt Foreman. Carey served as Foreman's deputy executive director for the past four years, and has been acting executive director since he left for a position at Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.
In recent poll shows that Americans are split on whether or not they think gay relations is morally acceptable. Results from Gallup's 2008 Values and Beliefs poll show that Americans are equally divided over the issue, with 48 percent believing homosexual relations to be morally acceptable and 48 percent believing such relations to be morally wrong. Out of 16 major social issues, homosexuality was the most divisive, according to the poll.
A Pennsylvania grandmother was recently charged with aggravated battery and simple assault for beating her 16-year-old granddaughter with a cane and a belt after she found her in bed with a girl. The 61-year-old grandmother was also charged with recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Associated Press.
The Coors Brewing Company, which battled accusations of homophobia for years, became the first corporation to commit funds to the Matthew Shepard Foundation's new campaign. The beer company will match 100 percent of the first $25,000 in individual donations made through the Foundation's 'Campaign to Erase Hate' Web site. In a press release, Coors manager of corporate relations Dog Sanborn said, 'Coors takes great pride in being a partner with an organization with such a powerful and important message.'
