New York Times business writers Tara Siegel Bernard and Ron Lieber have determined that the lifetime cost of being gay could run as much as $467,562, according to an Advocate.com item.
Putting a hypothetical same-sex couple in various situations, Bernard and Lieber looked at health benefits, income taxes and other areas where gay couples pay costs that heterosexual married couples do not. The final extra amount turned out to be almost half a million dollars in a worst-case scenario.
Lynn Vincent—a woman who gay blogger/activist Andrew Sullivan has labeled a "fanatical homophobe"—has written most of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's upcoming memoir, according to Advocate.com . On his blog at TheAtlantic.com, Sullivan cites quotes that Vincent has written for Christian publications. Among other things, Vincent's statements say that gay individuals have run roughshod over constitutional rights by insisting upon equal-marriage rights.
In California, Marcus Hernandez, a longtime leather columnist for the Bay Area Reporter, died Oct. 8 at Pacifica Nursing and Rehab Center in Pacifica at the age of 77, according to the newspaper; the cause of death involved complications from diabetes and arteriosclerosis. Hernandez—who, among other things, served in the military and was the appointment secretary for then-Mayor Joseph Alioto—wrote under the pen name "Mister Marcus."
In California, Guadalupe Benitez has settled a lawsuit ( filed in 2001 ) with Drs. Douglas Fenton and Christine Brody in which the physicians refused to inseminate her because their religious stance prevented them from carrying out the procedure on a lesbian couple, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. Benitez and her partner, Jane Clark, went to another doctor and became pregnant; however, Benitez sued Fenton and Brody, claiming that the discrimination was illegal. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled against Lambda Legal in a suit filed against Jackson Memorial Hospital, according to 365Gay.com . The suit was filed on behalf of Janice Langbehn, the estate of Lisa Pond ( Langbehn's partner ) and their three children, claiming that hospital staff kept the family apart as Pond slipped into a coma and passed away. The court ruled that Jackson Memorial has no obligation to allow visitors or families access to patients in their trauma unit.
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ( GLSEN ) has released a report that states that middle-school LGBT students are more likely to be harassed but less likely to have access to helpful resources than high school LGBT students, according to an organizational press release. The research brief—the first national research report to look specifically at the experiences of LGBT students in middle school—is based on data from 626 LGBT middle school students who participated in GLSEN's 2007 National School Climate Survey of 6,209 secondary school students.
In California, Donna Sachet recently made history by being the first drag queen to sing the national anthem at a Major League Baseball game when she belted the song before a San Francisco Giants game, according to Towleroad.com . After singing, Sachet said that " [ f ] or an hour afterwards, as I wandered the stadium finding friends and enjoying the moment, strangers frequently came up to congratulate me and compliment my singing," according to her blog entry at ca-ripple-effect.blogspot.com .
Scott Fujita of the National Football League's New Orleans Saints announced his support of the National Equality March in a Huffington Post item posted Oct. 6. In an interview with the Post's Dave Zirin, Fujita said, "I think for me [ the march ] was a cause that I truly believe in. By in large in this country the issue of gay rights and equality should be past the point of debate. Really, there should be no debate anymore." This development comes shortly after Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens expressed his support of same-sex marriage.
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce ( NGLCC ) corporate partner Comcast has an impending On Demand Gay Travel Guide highlighting popular gay-friendly travel destinations around the country, according to a press release. The first video—hosted by International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association Chairman, Bryan Herb—features Chicago's popular LGBT destinations and establishments. Businesspeople can learn more by contacting Nancy Newman at nancy_newman@cable.comcast.com or 312-327-5515.
In Florida, Craig Cohen, a 47-year-old gay man, recently died after a brutal attack back in April that left him comatose for six months, according to Advocate.com . Cohen was leaving a restaurant when he was assaulted by four men who fractured the victim's skull by repeatedly stomping his head against the pavement. Victor Gonzalez, 21, and Pargu Leandro, 25, have been arrested in connection with the crime.
A column in Britain's The Guardian states that U.S. civil-rights leader Malcolm X should be among the LGBT icons honored during England's Black History Month, which takes place in October. The article cites Bruce Perry's highly lauded biography Malcolm: The Life of a Man Who Changed Black America regarding the icon's bisexuality; the book documents his many same-sex relations and his activities as a male sex worker, which happened for a decade during his teenage and young-adult years. Other LGBT individuals mentioned in the column include singer Tracy Chapman, writer James Baldwin and political activist Angela Davis.
Former U.S. President George W. Bush recently spoke at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel while individuals protested outside the building, according to montreal.ctv.ca. The speech—for which Bush was paid $100,000—focused on his highlights as chief executive, and took place at the same hotel John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged a bed-in and recorded the 1969 anti-war song "Give Peace a Chance."
In San Diego, Calif., the U.S. Navy has censured Senior Chief Michael Toussaint and removed him from active duty after he hazed several sailors, including one on the basis of sexual orientation, according to SanDiego6.com . Gay veteran Joseph Rocha said that Toussaint's hazing included "being ordered to simulate gay sex on video, finding myself on my knees when I was just trying to serve in the Middle East, coached as to how to have gay sex—all on camera with military dogs around." Toussaint's retirement pay will be reviewed during a hearing in January.
A new study released by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law details the inequalities same-sex couples deal with regarding employer-related retirement plans, according to a press release. Among the things the study, entitled "The Impact of Inequality for Same-Sex Partners in Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans," shows is that men in same-sex couples earn less than their heterosexual counterparts, but appear to work for more years; and that female same-sex couples over 65 have almost 20 percent less income than different-sex married couples.
A group of LGBT activists associated with The Dallas Principles has announced a new Web-based activist hub located at ActOnPrinciples.org, according to a press release. The Web site is dedicated to putting The Dallas Principles ( eight points decided upon by 24 activists in Texas this past May ) into action by empowering the grassroots of the LGBT movement to demand full equality.
