President Barack Obama has named AIDS physician Eric Goosby to serve as U.S. Global AIDS coordinator, according to the Southern Voice. Goosby, who is straight, replaces gay physician Mark Dybul, who was appointed by President George W. Bush. Goosby has served since 2001 as CEO and chief medical officer at the California-based Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, a non-profit organization.
Charles Pugh, an openly gay individual who used to be an anchorman, is running for Detroit City Council, EDGE Boston reported. Pugh—who is Black—is the first out candidate to pursue a position on the city council, testing Detroit's large African-American population, which is considered to be socially conservative.
In Michigan, the Kalamazoo City Commission could re-adopt an ordinance that protects gay and lesbian individuals from discrimination in the areas of employment and housing, MLive.com reported. Opponents of the proposed measure have not said if they will launch a second petition drive that would put the issue to the city's voters. Mary Balkema, who helped organize a petition drive to challenge the 2008 ordinance, said that they will wait to see the final language before deciding.
In Washington State, Steven Mahoney pled guilty to committing immigration fraud by advising illegal immigrants to pose as persecuted gay individuals, according to Advocate.com . Mahoney and his wife, Helen ( who has a separate plea hearing forthcoming ) , were arrested in January; Steven could be sentenced to five years in prison at his August sentencing.
Lesbian New York City finance commissioner Martha Stark recently resigned after charges were leveled that she had a romantic relationship with a female subordinate and hired relatives to work in her agency, Advocate.com reported. Mayor Michael Bloomberg requested an investigation into Stark's relationship with former assistant commissioner Dara Ottley-Brown. It is policy that city employees cannot date their bosses or subordinates.
Under terms of an agreement, former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey and his ex-wife, Dina Matos, will split a $135,000 pension account, according to WTSP.com . McGreevey resigned five years ago after describing himself as "a gay American" and saying he'd had an extramarital affair with a man. McGreevey and Matos got divorced last year.
In Florida, Coral Gables lawyer Scott Allen Burr has claimed in a lawsuit that the firm Astigarraga Davis fired him because he is gay, according to Law.com . Burr, who is now an international litigation attorney at Concepcion Sexton & Martinez, alleges that firm chairman Jose Astigarraga criticized him "for not 'fitting in' with the attorneys at the firm" and suggested that Burr leave. However, Astigarraga Davis has responded that its partners knew of Burr's orientation and that Burr quit.
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta announced the city's first-ever marketing campaign to promote gay travel to the Big Apple, according to NYCgo.com . The campaign is a yearlong initiative designed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. As part of the initiative, Rainbow Pilgrimage travel packages ( in connection with Travelocity ) will be bookable at nycgo.com/gay for the LGBT community.
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick—who has been cited as one of the founders of queer theory—passed away April 12 at the age of 58, Advocate.com reported. Sedgwick was reportedly diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991, and died by her partner Hal's side, according to Cathy Davidson, a friend of Sedgwick.
Conservative personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger has given a vague recommendation for same-sex relationships. According to BoxTurtleBulletin.com, Schlessinger was on Larry King Live to promote her newest book, In Praise of Stay-At-Home Moms. When asked about same-sex marriage, she said, "I still believe, as just every president has, and all the people who ran for office, that marriage is a sacrament between a man and a woman. So not calling it marriage works for me. But that two people would have that sort of commitment to me is very healthy and very positive thing in their lives and society as a whole."
Retired U.S. Army Gen. James L. Lindsay has warned in an editorial that there will be "mass resignations" from the military is "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is repealed. Writing in the Concord Monitor, Lindsay stated, "We don't need a study commission to know that tensions are inevitable in conditions offering little or no privacy, increasing the stress of daily military life. ... Everyone can serve America in some way, but there is no constitutional right to serve in the military."
The Kansas City Police Department has cut off health-insurance coverage for the domestic partners of department members to help deal with a $15 million budget gap, according to Advocate.com . Although the develoment reportedly affects only one gay person ( out of eight department members ) , LGBT-rights leaders are protesting the cut.
In Tennessee, the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) has said in a letter to school officials that as many as 107 public school districts could be illegally preventing students from accessing online info about LGBT issues, according to 365Gay.com . In its letter, the ACLU gives the districts and the Tennessee Schools Cooperative until April 29 to devise a plan to restore access to the LGBT sites; otherwise, the union will file a lawsuit.
For the third consecutive year, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell's award-winning book And Tango Makes Three—a children's story about two male penguins caring for an orphaned egg—leads the American Library Association's ( ALA ) Top 10 list of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2008, according to ResourceShelf.com . Other books incorporated gay themes that made the list include Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Sarah S. Brannen's Uncle Bobby's Wedding.
Hoping to recoup church property and millions of dollars in endowed funds, the national Episcopal Church has filed a lawsuit against a local group that split from the church late last year, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The group, led by Bishop Jack Iker, has opposed the Episcopal Church for accepting a gay bishop and same-sex unions as well as ordaining female priests.
In Iowa, openly gay State Sen. Matt McCoy has received a death threat, according to the Chicago Tribune. The threat was made as same-sex marriage foes continue to pressure legislators to reverse a ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court that legalized gay marriages in Iowa.
Imagine having Elton John sing at your wedding. That actually happened when tennis superstar Andy Roddick recently married Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker at Roddick's Texas home, according to CBSSports.com . LGBT and tennis icon Billie Jean King was among the attendees.
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., has been thrust into the spotlight after she described the reason for the 1997 murder of gay student Matthew Shepard as a "hoax," according to the Caspar Star-Tribune. Foxx, who argued against the measure, also said that Shepard "was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn't because he was gay." Foxx has since backtracked, saying that she was referring to a 2004 news report on ABC's 20/20 that questioned if Shepard's death was truly a hate crime, according to Advocate.com . Foxx has said more recently that " [ t ] he term 'hoax' was a poor choice of words used in the discussion of the hate-crimes bill."
