Military officials exaggerated the threat to unit cohesion and ignored research information when coming up with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," according to Dr. Nathaniel Franks' new book, Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America, according to a press release from The Palm Center. The book is based on a a decade of research and hundreds of interviews. The center has started "Send UNFRIENDLY FIRE to Congress," an online campaign to make sure every Congressperson reads a copy of the book.
Former members of the Gay Liberation Front ( GLF ) —the organization that launched the modern gay-rights movement in the wake of the June 1969 Stonewall Rebellion in New York City—are seeking information about "lost" colleagues as they plan reunions in June to mark the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. Anyone with information should contact Nikos Diaman at nadiaman@aol.com .
Point Foundation—the country's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit—will partner with Jeffrey Fashion Cares to create a scholarship in the memory of Lawrence King, the 15-year-old Californian who was killed last year allegedly because of his sexual orientation, PR Newswire reported. Point Foundation Executive Director/CEO Jorge Valencia said in a statement that " [ i ] t is an honor to create a scholarship in the name of a young man who, from what I've read, showed so much promise and was a light for many around him."
Genre Magazine—a division of Window Media LLC, the nation's largest gay publishing group—announced the appointment of veteran LGBT journalist Kevin Naff as editor-in-chief, according to PR Newswire. Naff joins Genre after more than six years with the Washington Blade, including nearly three as editor.
The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund has announced that St. Louis, Mo., is getting its first gay alderman, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Shane Cohn—who, at 28, will be the second-youngest member of the aldermanic board—won his primary March 3. "Shane is part of a new generation of leaders who insist on being open and honest about themselves," said Chuck Wolfe, president of the Victory Fund, which supports gay candidates across the country and endorsed Cohn.
In Nyack, N.Y., Mayor John Shields—who issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples back in 2004—has announced that he will not run for re-election, according to EDGE Boston. However, Shields—who also wanted his own marriage license with then-partner Bob Streams—will leave the Democratic Party as well, saying that neither Republicans or Democrats are "serving the LGBT community."
In California, protesters against the Church of Scientology claim that the organization's attorneys have procured medical data about two of the activists and are using their HIV-positive status to try to stop the picketing a compound known as "Gold Base," EDGE Boston reported. Scientology has a policy stating that homosexuals are "low on the tone scale" and should be "disposed of quietly and without sorrow." At last year's Toronto Gay Pride Parade, Scientologists said they could cure homosexuality.
In Michigan, the Kalamazoo City Commission has voted unanimously to repeal its new anti-discrimination ordinance—halting the city's referendum that would create a protected class for LGBT individuals, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette. However, Mayor Bobby Hopewell said that he hopes to eventually "have an ordinance that will provide protections to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals."
PFLAG ( Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays ) is urging people to call PepsiCo's customer-relations line at 800-433-2652 to thank the company for supporting the organization's Straight for Equality in the Workplace project. Recently, the conservative group the American Family Association announced it would boycott PepsiCo in part because of the project.
In Texas, John Paul Barnich, the state's first openly gay city court judge, died in Houston Feb. 2 from diabetes-related complications at the age of 63, Advocate.com reported. As a lawyer, Barnich was also the founder of the Bar Association for Human Rights and volunteered pro bono service, especially for LGBT- and HIV-related cases.
In New York City, the legendary Oscar Wilde Bookshop will close in March after being open for over four decades, Advocate.com reported. The late Craig Rodwell—who organized the city's first pride parade in 1970—established the store, often called "the world's oldest gay and lesbian bookshop," in 1967.
At New York's Cornell University, a group of approximately 20 students held a colorful banner that read "QUEER KISSIN' … in progress" and then proceeded to have a queer kiss-in Feb. 13 at the campus' Ho Plaza, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. Direct Action to Stop Heterosexism sponsored the event. According to participant Ashley McGovern, heterosexism is "kind of like homophobia, except heterosexism has to do with all facets of society … so the normalization of heterosexuality in society."
Former professional baseball player John Rocker has again caused a stir by saying anti-gay slurs and anti-Semitic remarks against radio talk-show host Steak Shapiro during an Atlanta, Ga., hotel's opening, the Southern Voice reported. Ten years ago, Rocker ridiculed minority groups to a reporter by talking about the New York City transit system: "Imagine having to take the No. 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're [ riding ] through Beirut, next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids."
Shared Differences: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students of Color in Our Nation's Schools—a report released by GLSEN ( the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ) —reveals the unique challenges LGBT students of color face at school, according to a GLSEN press release. Among other things, the study—which followed 2,000 LGBT middle and high school students of color—found that more than four out of five students within each racial/ethnic group reported verbal harassment because of their sexual orientation. The report can be downloaded at www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/2374.html .
A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,370 Florida residents revealed that 55 percent favor banning a state law that prohibits gays from adopting while 39 percent want to keep the ban, according to the Associated Press. However, only 27 percent approve of same-sex marriage, while 35 percent favor civil unions and 31 percent support no legal recognition of same-sex unions.
Several student groups recently met at the University of Missouri to discuss adding gender identity to the school's anti-discrimination policy, according to the UM Maneater. "We think people are realizing this isn't just about transgender people," Triangle Coalition President Ashe Kolieboi said. "People in general don't want to go to a school that isn't accepting."
In Maryland, a state Senate panel is slated to hear testimony on a measure that would ban discrimination against transgender individuals, according to WJZ.com . Montgomery County Senator Richard Madaleno, Jr., is sponsoring the measure, which would protect transgender residents from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( GLAAD ) has announced three new board members: Roxanne Jones and Will Trinkle of New York City as well as Marissa Nance of Los Angeles. Jones was one of the founding editors of ESPN The Magazine; Trinkle is CEO of the real-estate development and management firm C.W. Francis and Son, Inc.; and Nance is the director of media production at the media/marketing agency OMD USA.
