The Fourth District of the Louisiana Court of Appeal has affirmed a lower-court ruling that New Orleans made a valid decision when it granted health benefits to the domestic partners of its city employees and established a domestic-partner registry for its residents, according to a Lambda Legal press release. In so ruling, the three-judge panel overruled an appeal by the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund.
In New York, G. Donn Teal, one of the founders of the Gay Activists Alliance, died Feb. 3 at the age of 76, according to a Renna Communications press release. In addition to his organizational work, Teal wrote the first history of the gay liberation movement, The Gay Militants, as well as articles for publications such as The Advocate. Donations may be made in his memory to Gay Men's Health Crisis ( www.gmhc.org ) .
In Los Angeles, NBC's affiliate refused to run a pro-marriage equality TV commercial during the Super Bowl, according to Advocate.com . The ad—which showed a gay couple raising five children—was rejected after KNBC's legal team previewed the spot to the National Football League ( NFL ) . The NFL claimed that it does not run advocacy-related commercials.
The Justice Department has rehired Leslie Hagen after she was fired for being lesbian, Advocate.com reported. Despite being constantly praised by her supervisors, Hagen had been canned in February 2007 despite sexual orientation-discrimination protection within the department. ( It was discovered that conservative attorney Monica Goodling was instrumental in Hagen's departure. ) The department has not yet offered an apology.
In San Francisco, the city's department of public health, Black gay HIV working group, and LGBT community center held an all-day forum Feb. 2 to discuss the problems and then reveal some possible solutions, the San Francisco Bay Times reported. More than 80 activists convened to discuss issues such as the rising HIV infection rate among African-American men.
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) has issued a statement praising the confirmation of Eric Holder as the nation's newest attorney general. "Eric Holder has long been a voice for fairness and equality for all Americans, including LGBT citizens. The Department of Justice which will now be led by an Attorney General dedicated to civil rights, protecting communities from hate violence and the fair and equal application of our laws," said HRC President Joe Solmonese.
In California, 39-year-old prison parolee Thomas Jeffrey Brooks has confessed to killing Edward Clayton Andrews, 80, who was found in a large concrete "egg" Brooks had sculpted, On Top Magazine reported. Brooks allegedly asphyxiated the gay man, wrapped him in a blanket and tarp and buried his remains in the sculpture. Police arrested Brooks Aug. 8, and later discovered that over $90,000 had been drained from the Andrews' bank account. The two started a "pen pal" relationship while Brooks was in jail.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation has awarded $40,000 to the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project ( CHAMP ) to support Project UNSHACKLE, an initiative that deals with the problem of the disease in prisons, according to a CHAMP press release. Among the goals of Project UNSHACKLE are HIV awareness and prevention in jails as well as the reduction of the number of people in prison.
The Queer Foundation—a Seattle, Wash.-based nonprofit organization—is offering the winners of its 2009 High School Seniors English Essay Contest College $1,000 scholarships for studies in queer theory or a related field at a U.S. college or university. The deadline is Feb. 28; see more at www.QueerFoundation.org .
