On her CNN program, The Joy Behar Show, the host wondered if Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is out, according to Advocate.com .In an exchange with gay writer Dan Savage, Behar asked, "Isn't she gay?" when Savage said that Napolitano has done nothing to advance gay rights. Savage answered, "I've never slept with her." Napolitano has repeatedly said she is not lesbian.
In a video, gay blogger/activist Andrew Sullivan has called for Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) President Joe Solmonese to resign, according to an Advocate.com item. Sullivan has said that HRC "has 20 years of zero achievement for gay rights in Washington, D.C." Sullivan spoke Oct. 10 at the Equality to End HIV/AIDS Rally and Vigil in front of the White House, just before President Barack Obama addressed HRC at its annual dinner.
In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a measure recognizing May 22 as Harvey Milk Day throughout the state, according to Advocate.com . According to Equality California, the bill "would require the governor proclaim May 22 each year as Harvey Milk Day. It would encourage public schools and educational institutions to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on that date."
Tom Perez, the head of the Justice Department's civil-rights division, has said that he is making LGBT-related claims a top priority, according to a 365Gay.com item. Among other things, Perez said, "We must fight for fairness and basic equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters who so frequently are being left in the shadows," and "ensure that there's a level playing field in which our LGBT brothers and sisters are judged by the content of their character."
In California, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker refused to dismiss a lawsuit that challenges the anti-same-sex-marriage initiative Proposition 8, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Walker had already said that a trial is necessary to resolve issues involving Prop 8's constitutionality. The judge also said that federal courts have not yet dealt with laws that treat gays and heterosexuals differently.
President Barack Obama has nominated Minneapolis Assistant Chief of Police Sharon Lubinski as the U.S. marshal for the District of Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Independent. In the process, Lubinski has become one of the first—if not the first—openly gay people to be nominated for the post. If confirmed, she would be the 13th female marshal in the history of the United States.
The Mississippi chapter of the ACLU has taken up the case of 17-year-old high school student Ceara Sturgis, a lesbian whose photo—with her in a tuxedo—was excluded from the yearbook by school officials at Wesson Attendance Center, according to ClarionLedger.com . The ACLU chapter has sent a letter to Copiah County School District Superintendent Rickey Clopton, stating that there is an issue involving the violation of Sturgis' constitutionally protected freedom of expression. Sturgis is a straight-A student who is on the soccer team and in the band.
In Kalamazoo, Mich., gay-rights group One Kalamazoo has aired a 30-second ad supporting an anti-discrimination measure, according to On Top Magazine. City officials have approved a measure that makes it illegal to discriminate on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity. However, the organization Kalamazoo Citizens Voting No to Special Rights opposes the legislation, saying it discriminates against religious groups.
In Georgia, administrators at Morehouse College, an all-male historically Black school, have banned the wearing of women's clothes and make-up in a crackdown on campus attire, according to CNN.com . The school's new "Appropriate Attire Policy" also bans sagging pants, pajamas in public and walking barefoot. The move comes after school officials took disciplinary action against two female staff members who sent anti-gay e-mails.
Gay and lesbian couples are now able to apply for marriage licenses in New Hampshire, although they cannot wed until Jan. 1, 2010, according to Advocate.com . The licenses cost $45 each and are valid for 90 days. Couples in civil unions will automatically be considered married on Jan. 1, 2011, when such unions will be dissolved.
In Montana, the state supreme court ruled 6-1 in favor of lesbian Michelle Kulstad, who sued former partner Barbara Maniaci for parental rights of the children they had raised together, according to Advocate.com . The court ruled that Kulstad had established a parental relationship while in a 10-year relationship with Maniaci, who is now married to a man.
On Oct. 8, the U.S. House voted 281-146 to pass a Defense Department funding measure that includes a bill that extends hate-crimes protections to people based on gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability, Advocate.com reported. The U.S. Senate will debate and vote on the conference report for the defense measure as soon as the week of Oct. 12.
