Melissa Sue Robinson, a transwoman, is running for mayor of Nampa, Idaho, according to a PinkNews.co.uk item. So far, Robinson has said, this campaign has been calm—unlike her mayoral runs in Lansing, Mich., which she said involved a lot of transphobia. Robinson is running against incumbent Mayor Tom Dale; the election is in November.
James Reid, a gay man, has alleged that park officers harassed him and a male friend at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Va., according to the Washington Blade. Reid said that he and his friend were talking on a bench for approximately 45 minutes and were apprehended by the officers allegedly because they left the park seven minutes after the closing time of midnight. One officer said that police were patrolling the park because of complaints that men were committing "lewd acts" there.
Lambda Legal has urged the U.S. government to end a ban on foreign HIV-positive individuals from traveling to the country or living in it, according to PinkNews.co.uk. The ban was enforced in 1987 and, in 2008, President George W. Bush signed the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Act ( PEPFAR ) , which allowed poz individuals to enter the U.S. However, seropositive people still cannot enter until the Department of Health and Human Services figures out what to do next.
In Texas, Fort Worth gay bar Stampede was severely damaged by a fire Sept. 10, according to a Dallas Voice item. Lt. Kent Worley of the Fort Worth Fire Department said that he did not believe that arson was involved in the fire, which caused approximately $60,000 in damage. Worley said the fire is probably electrical in origin because it started in an area with several plugs.
Former Miami, Fla., TV anchorman Charles Perez—who was fired from his station recently after filed a discrimination complaint against it—will marry boyfriend Keith Rinehard Sept. 27 in Connecticut, according to an On Top Magazine item. In his complaint, Perez contends that he was let go after his private life became public following allegations of domestic abuse against an ex-partner.
Almost half of military members released under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ( DADT ) in fiscal year 2008 were non-white, according to a release from Servicemembers United. Data obtained from the Department of Defense showed out of 619 DADT discharges, 279 ( just over 45 percent ) were from racial- and gender-minority groups. Women also really were affected; while they make up about 15 percent of the military, females comprised 34 percent of those discharged.
At the U.S. Open tennis tournament, a man was arrested after he ran onto the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium to kiss Spanish player Rafael Nadal after the athlete's win over Frenchman Gael Monfils Sept. 8, according to CBSSports.com . The fan—Noam U. Aorta of Queens, N.Y.—was arrested for interfering with a sporting event, and will be charged with trespassing. Nadal said, "For me, it wasn't a problem. The guy was really nice. He said, 'I love you,' and he kissed me."
