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  WINDY CITY TIMES

NATIONAL ROUNDUP
Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis
2009-12-16

This article shared 1720 times since Wed Dec 16, 2009
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The Treatment Action Group ( TAG ) , one of the leading worldwide organizations in AIDS research advocacy, will host its 13th annual Research in Action Awards, a benefit honoring individuals who have made a significant impact in AIDS research and activism, Dec. 13 in New York City.

Among those receiving awards are author/activist Simon Doonan and actor David Hyde Pierce.

A marriage-equality bill vote that was slated to take place Dec. 10 in the New Jersey Senate was cancelled, according to the New York Times. Democratic Sens. Raymond J. Lesniak, District 20, and Loretta Weinberg, District 37—the measure's sponsors—withdrew the bill from the agenda. They said they want the bill heard first in the General Assembly, where support for marriage equality is believed to be stronger. The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure 7-6 Dec. 7.

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll has revealed that more than half of New Jersey's Catholics either favor or are undecided about same-sex marriage, according to MyCentralJersey.com . Forty-eight percent of those surveyed said they support gay marriage while 40 percent opposed it and 12 percent were unsure. Fifty-six of Jewish respondents said they supported same-sex marriage, while only 35 percent of Protestants felt the same way.

After being accused of quietly supporting Uganda's proposed anti-gay bill, the Rev. Rick Warren recorded a YouTube video in which he described the measure as "unjust, extreme and un-Christian towards homosexuals," Advocate.com reported. Warren said that he was never involved with the bill and advocated respect for gays, but added that he is against same-sex marriage.

In California, the state assembly's Democratic caucus has chosen John A. Perez as assembly speaker—and, if he's confirmed, he will be the first openly gay person in that position, according to Advocate.com . Perez, a cousin of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, could serve five years as speaker; assembly members have term limits of six years.

Juan Martinez Matos, who is charged with killing 19-year-old Puerto Rican Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation, Advocate.com reported. According to an e-mail journalist Christopher Pagan sent to the Web site Towleroad, "the psychological evaluation that was performed on Juan was in the total amount of thirty minutes. ... [ H ] e was noted to have anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, and was unable to remember the events of that gruesome night, when he beat, burned, decapitated and dismembered Jorge." The next pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2010.

In Kentucky, Jim Gray, the openly gay vice mayor of Lexington, has announced that he will run for mayor next year, according to Advocate.com . Gray—who will compete against, among others, former mayor Teresa Isaac and current mayor Jim Newberry—said that his decision is related to the city's current climate and its potential, adding that he and Newberry have clashed on a variety of issues. Gray, 56, came out in 2005.

In California, the Alameda Unified School District has dropped a lesson plan aimed at preventing gay-specific bullying, according to Queerty.com . In its place, there will be a program that teaches students about six forms of bias, including sexual orientation-based bias. However, not everyone is satisfied with the development: Kathy Passmore, a lesbian mother, urged the school board to retain the spirit of the original lesson plan.

In New York City, Tarlach MacNiallais—the spokesman for the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization—was beaten and kicked out of a Queens nightclub because he danced with another man, according to the New York Post. MacNiallais, 47, was hit, kicked and had a chair smashed over his head; he told police that a bouncer told him, "You can't do that here; this is not a gay bar." The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

In Florida, 16-year-old Teah Wimberly has been convicted of second-degree murder after shooting a female classmate last year who rejected her advances, according to an Advocate.com item. Wimberly killed Amanda Collette, 15, after the victim rejected Wimberly's text messages. Wimberly told police that she shot Collette "so she would feel pain, too."

In Florida, the staff at an Orlando McDonald's restaurant has fired one of its managers after he told a teenage trans job applicant, "You will not get hired. We do not hire faggots," according to Industry.BNet.com . In a statement, the restaurant said, "The behavior of the individual in question is not reflective of the employment policies in the organization. Further, this individual acted outside the scope of his authority and was not responsible for hiring." Florida is one of the few states where gender identity is protected in the area of employment discrimination.

In California, 62-year-old Texan Gerald Metcalf faced a jury—38 years after he allegedly murdered a gay man in San Diego, GayLesbianTimes.com reported. Metcalf is accused of stabbing Gerald Jackson back in 1971 after the victim picked up the alleged killer; Jackson ended up being stabbed 61 times in his own apartment. Metcalf's lawyer, David Lamb, told a jury that Jackson admitted to the killing but that the issue is his client's state of mind; Metcalf was allegedly diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago.

In Maine, newspaper reporter Larry Grard was fired after he criticized the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) in a private e-mail the morning after the state's residents approved an anti-gay-marriage referendum, according to EDGE Boston. After receiving an e-mail from HRC that stated that anti-gay feelings were behind the November approval of the "Yes on 1" referendum, Grard responded, later telling a Web site "I'm a Christian. I take offense at that. I e-mailed them back and said basically, 'We're not the ones doing the hating. You're the ones doing the hating.'" Grard worked for The Morning Sentinel for 18 years.


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