In Pennsylvania, a judge has sentenced Harlow Cuadra to two consecutive life terms after a jury found him guilty of taking part in the murder of gay-porn entrepreneur Bryan Kocis in 2007, according to the Philadelphia Gay News. Because the jury found him guilty of arson and robbery charges connected with the killing, Cuadra actually faced the death penalty.
After initially barring a female student from wearing a tuxedo her school's prom, The Lebanon, Ind., school district has reversed its course, the Associated Press reported. The unidentified 17-year-old senior filed a lawsuit, saying that she is a lesbian and does not like wearing dresses because they represent a sexual identity she rejects.
In response to a Washington Post report that 4 percent of Black individuals—and 7 percent of Black men—in Washington, D.C., are HIV-positive, the Black AIDS Institute issued a statement saying that the results emphasize "the degree to which America has lost its way in the fight against AIDS." Institute Founder/CEO Phill Wilson added, "The AIDS epidemic in Washington DC is an unmitigated disaster and a national disgrace." HIV prevalence among Black men in the district is 40 percent higher than in sub-Saharan Africa.
Tom Baker, owner of Houston-based LGBT cruise-event business Aquafest, recently received the coveted Condè Nast Traveler magazine award for "World's Leading Large Ship Specialist," according to a press release. Since launching seven years ago, Aquafest ( www.aquafestcruises.com ) has produced 23 cruise events for more than 7,000 clients.
New Hampshire legislators will soon vote on two LGBT-centered bills. One measure would allow same-sex couples to marry and the other would expand the state's human-rights laws to include protections for trans individuals, according to 365Gay.com . The House Judiciary Committee deadlocked 10-10 on both measures, meaning that they proceed to the full chamber without recommendations.
In Ohio, transwoman Chris Mason has been found guilty of exercising her husband, 73-year-old James Mason, to death, the Associated Press reported. Authorities said that Chris, 41, forced James to engage in stressful activity in a pool for over two hours; he collapsed and died the following day after Chris had him removed from life support.
Craig Shniderman, executive director of Food & Friends—Washington, D.C.'s largest provider of grocery services to homebound people living with AIDS—received a nearly 7 percent increase in salary and benefits last year after there was public outcry about his pay, the Washington Blade reported. Shniderman received $382,200 in salary and benefits in 2008, which included a $25,000 raise. San Francisco-based gay activist Michael Petrelis initially published Shniderman's 2006 compensation on his blog, hoping that the executive would reduce "his quite excessive compensation package."
Trans youth face extremely high levels of victimization in school, but are also more likely to speak out about LGBT issues in the classroom, according to "Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools," the first comprehensive study on transgender students, released by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Among the specific findings is that almost nine out of 10 trans students experienced verbal harassment at school in the past year.
In Arizona, the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) has demanded that the Peoria Unified School District change its decision after it asked a 14-year-old student to turn his rainbow wristband inside-out or stop wearing it to school, according to an ACLU press release. The ACLU said that the principal's demand violates Chris Quintanilla's constitutional rights to free speech and expression.
Gilead Sciences, Inc.—manufacturers of anti-HIV drugs such as Viread—has announced its plans to begin testing an experimental four-in-one anti-HIV drug early in the second half of this year, according to a Positively Aware item. The so-called Quad Pill, if proven safe and effective, will offer an alternative for people who cannot tolerate side effects associated with the anti-HIV medication Sustiva; people of African descent are especially susceptible to Sustiva's effects.
Canadian Glen Race—who has been accused of killing two men in gay cruising areas in Halifax, Nova Scotia—has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of a third man, Darcy Manor, in New York, according to On Top Magazine. At his sentencing, Race displayed no remorse, saying: "By true wisdom in a reality without a doubt, I am innocent. I can do no wrong."
In Wisconsin, Sierra D. Broussard, a mixed-race trans individual, has sued Appleton nightclub Park Central, alleging she suffered racial and sexual-orientation discrimination at the spot, according to The Post-Crescent. Broussard—who does not plan to have the surgery needed to complete her transformation—claimed that one club employee said if she "used either bathroom, it would cause confusion for the other patrons."
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission's ( IGLHRC's ) board of directors has named Cary Alan Johnson as the organization's newest executive director, according to a group press release. He will succeed outgoing leader Paula Ettelbrick, whose six-year term ended March 1. Johnson is currently IGLHRC's senior Africa specialist, and is manager of the organization's office in Cape Town, South Africa.
The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado distributed more than $1.7 million in grants to Colorado non-gay nonprofit organizations last year, according to a press release. The philanthropy organization's donations supported programs involved in everything from arts and culture to public broadcasting.
A shirt/suit/tie ensemble worn by Sean Penn when he portrayed late gay-rights activist Harvey Milk in the film Milk was auctioned off for $12,500, according to BroadwayWorld.com . The Clothes Off Our Back Foundation hosted the online auction; the proceeds were split between Variety: The Children's Charity of Southern California and the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, in New York City.
The national office of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays ( PFLAG ) has reported that it has received at least 75 inquiries about starting new chapters across the country since Election Day 2008, according to an organizational press release. The organization, which already has almost 500 chapters and affiliates across the nation, is working with local allies who have expressed interest in bringing PFLAG to their communities in states such as Mississippi, California and Utah.
The Point Foundation—the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit—will bestow its Courage, Inspiration and Legend Award upon Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta; the Point Inspiration Award upon PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; and the inaugural Point Legend Award upon screenwriter, novelist and director, Arthur Laurents April 27 in New York City. All My Children's Susan Lucci and Cameron Mathison will co-host the event.
President Barack Obama has signed an executive order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls, according to a White House press release. The missions of the council will be to provide a federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls, and to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families.
In Pennsylvania, a rainbow flag belonging to Mary Shafer and her longtime partner Shelly Sickbert was stolen and then returned after the thief or thieves had drawn a black "X" on it, slashed it and urinated on it, according to PhillyBurbs.com . Shafer is calling the act a hate crime, and added that she and Sickbert are not intimidated by what happened.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary has same-sex marriage listed as an entry, according to 365Gay.com . Actually, back in 2003 the Springfield, Mass.-based company added a secondary meaning for "marriage" as "the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage." However, the development only recently was spotlighted because of a report from the conservative World Net Daily news site.
