In Minneapolis, delegates at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's biennial meeting voted 559-451 on Aug. 21 to ordain ministers in committed, same-sex relationships—although they did not endorse same-sex marriage, according to the Associated Baptist Press. In a statement, Emily Eastwood, executive director of Lutherans Concerned/North America, said, "Today I am proud to be a Lutheran. Supporters and advocates of full inclusion have longed for this day since the inception of the ELCA, and for many of us what seemed like a lifetime."
In Massachusetts, E. Denise Simmons—the first Black lesbian mayor in the country—will marry her longtime partner, Mattie B. Hayes, at the city's St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church Aug. 30, according to a press release run in the Cambridge Chronicle. "I believe this may be the very first African-American church to hold a same gender wedding, and that's something that just wouldn't have happened years ago," said Simmons.
In Alaska, Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan has vetoed a sexual orientation-discrimination ban passed by the city assembly, the New York Times reported. Sullivan, a Republican, said that it was not clear that such discrimination existed. The ordinance recently passed 7-4; it would have barred discrimination in areas such as employment, housing and education.
Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, 40, might be expelled from the military for violating "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" after coming out of the closet to clear himself of a rape charge, according to the Idaho Statesman. Fehrenbach, an 18-year veteran who fought in the Iraq War, was accused of raping a man—and admitted he had consensual sex with Cameron Shaner, 30. Although Fehrenbach was cleared by the prosecutor and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, his discharge is pending.
In Queens, N.Y., gay and lesbian residents of the Kew Gardens apartment complex have filed discrimination-based lawsuits, claiming co-op board members called them anti-gay slurs and refused to make repairs, the New York Daily News reported. The case of one resident, Estelle Torino, is going to court Sept. 9; another plaintiff, Kevin Uhrin, settled in June. Uhrin had said that in 2004, a flyer about repairs was taped to his door with the word "fags" written on it.
On Aug. 18, the North Carolina Court of Appeals allowed State Sen. Julia Boseman, D-New Hanover—the state's only out legislator—to keep her adopted child, according to Q-Notes.com . Boseman's former partner, Melissa Jarrell, was trying to have Boseman's parental rights denied. The three-judge panel said the pair's status as a former same-sex couple had nothing to do with the case.
Attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, who are challenging the anti-same-sex measure Prop 8, asked U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker Aug. 14 to stop three gay-rights groups from being parties in the case, according to the San Francisco Appeal. Walker honored the attorneys' request Aug. 19, denying the request of Our Family Coalition; Lavender Seniors of the East Bay; and Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays ( PFLAG ) to join Perry v. Schwarzenegger, eNewsPF.com reported.
On Aug. 20, a television ad supporting same-sex marriage starting running statewide through Maine, according to On Top Magazine. The 60-second ad—paid for by EqualityMaine Foundation, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders and the Maine Civil Liberties Union Foundation—is called "Together." Maine's gay-marriage law was slated to take effect Sept. 12, but has been put on hold because opponents have collected enough signatures to force a "people's veto."
In San Francisco, Calif., a streetcar dedicated to late gay-rights activist Harvey Milk was defaced with anti-gay graffiti, causing transportation officials to pull it from service, according to the Bay Area Reporter. A vandal or vandals defaced placards of Milk inside the car with the words "fag" and "faggot." Milk was among those recently honored by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Aug. 12.
