Election Night was bitter sweet for many gay and lesbian Californians. Roughly 51 percent of California voters voted yes on Proposition 8. Its passage means that the marriages of the estimated 18,000 same-sex couples who wed are now invalid, including the marriages of high profile celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres. Already, several gay and lesbian couples have filed suit, challenging Proposition 8. According to 365gay.com, at least three different lawsuits are in the works.
Protesting against the passage of Proposition 8 has continued in California since Election Day. Its passage banned same-sex marriage in the state. In Los Angeles, 2,000 gay-rights advocates protested outside the gates of a Mormon temple. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a key supporter of Proposition 8. Those who organized the protest are seeking money to help invalidate Proposition 8, as well. Gay-rights advocates are also planning to protest outside Salt Lake City's LDS temple to show solidarity with those in California.
According to an Election Day exit poll conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International, of the 4 percent of voters who identified as LGBT, 27 percent of gay voters supported Sen. John McCain for President. According to the poll, 70 percent of gay voters cast their ballot of President-elect Barack Obama. In 2004, the same poll showed that 77 percent of gay voters supported Sen. John Kerry on Election Day.
Colorado voters elected the third openly gay member of Congress on Nov. 4. Democrat Jared Polis will join Reps. Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin when he is sworn in January. Polis is a 33-year-old entrepreneur from Boulder who was endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund in his run for Colorado's 2nd District. He was able to defeat Republican opponent Scott Starin.
In addition to Polis, several other LGBT politicians were elected or re-elected Nov. 4, according to a press release from The Victory Fund. Among the winners were John Perez, who became the first out person of color elected to the California Assembly; Lupe Valdez, a lesbian who was re-elected to a second term as sheriff of Dallas County, Texas; and Oregon's Kate Brown, a bisexual who is the first openly LGBT Secretary of State in the nation.
President-elect Barack Obama sought the advice of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson three times during his campaign, according to the British Web site Times Online. The meetings, which took place in May and June of last year, involved Obama asking Robinson—the Anglican Communion's only out bishop—what it was like to be the 'first' as well as the risks of being a high-profile leader.
According to Indiana police, there still are few clues as to why an elderly gay couple was murdered. Indianapolis couple Milton Lindgren, 70, and Eric Hendricks, 73, was found murdered over two weeks ago. So far, it appears that the couple was not robbed, either. Police still do not know how or why the couple was killed, but neighbors and friends fear that the murder was a hate crime because the couple had been targeted in the past and had their home vandalized.
Actress Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones in the hit series Sex and the City, recently confirmed that there will be a second Sex and the City movie. According to Cattrall, filming will start as early as next summer. In another interview, Cattrall said that the only roadblock is finding a time that works out for the busy original cast, which includes Cattrall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and lesbian Cynthia Nixon. The movie adaptation of Sex and the City came out in May 2008, and made over $390 million worldwide.
The hit show Grey's Anatomy ousted the only lesbian character on primetime television from its show. Actress Brooke Smith, who played the character Dr. Erica Hahn, was suddenly fired from the show. Smith had been on the show since May 2006. Her character was in a lesbian relationship with Callie Torres, played by Sara Ramirez. In an interview with Smith, the actress said she was 'really, really shocked' by the news. In a statement released by Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes, Smith was 'not fired for playing a lesbian.' Rhimes added that the lesbian character Callie, played by Ramirez, has 'magic,' and she 'did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke's character would sustain in the long run.'
According to Entertainment Weekly, out actor Nathan Lane is rumored to play the role of Brad Garrett's gay brother in an upcoming episode of 'Til Death. The episode will air on Nov. 18, during sweeps. Supposedly, Garrett's character, Eddie, gets paid a visit from his gay brother, who recently broke up with her longtime partner.
