In Ohio, prospective juror John Backderf was excused from jury service after claiming he knew the late serial killer/cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, according to the Herald Sun. When asked if he knew anyone who was convicted of a crime, Backderf said, "I had a close friend in high school who killed 17 people," causing the judge and attorneys to freeze. Backderf is a graphic novelist who is about to publish My Friend Dahmer. Dahmer confessed to killing and dismembering men and boys in Milwaukee, Wis.; he was killed in a prison in 1994.
There has been another gay teen who committed suicide, allegedly because of anti-gay bullying. In Pennsylvania, 14-year-old Brandon Bitner walked in front of an 18-wheeler Nov. 5, according to Advocate.com . Bitner's friend Takara Jo Folk wrote in a letter to a local newspaper that Bitner committed suicide "because of bullying. t was not about race, or gender, but they bullied him for his sexual preferences and the way he dressed. Which they wrongly accused him of." Students at Bitner's school, Midd-West High in Middleburg, attended an anti-bullying assembly just days before Bitner's death; however, students said that no one took the event seriously.
In Michigan, assistant attorney general Andrew Shirvell has lost his job because of reasons related to his harassment of the University of Michigan's student body president, who happens to be gay, according to CBS News. Shirvell, 30, had been on leave after his blog accused student Chris Armstrong of promoting a "radical homosexual agenda." Attorney General Mike Cox let Shirvell go for "conduct unbecoming a state employee, especially that of an assistant attorney general." However, Shirvell has defended his actions, relying on the First Amendment and saying that he was exercising his free speech.
Openly gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said that no LGBT-related measures will pass Congress next year because the House is under the control of the GOP, according to Advocate.com . In an interview with the Washington Blade, Frank—who recently was re-elected to a 16th term—also said that the Democrat-controlled Senate and President Obama would team to block any anti-gay measures from passing over the next two years.
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the appeal of a woman who lost biological custody of her daughter after a state court granted custody to her former lesbian partner, according to Advocate.com . In Vermont, the state supreme court unanimously granted custody to Vermont resident Janet Jenkins in her fight with Lisa Miller, who is still in hiding with daughter Isabella Miller-Jenkins.
Genesio Oliveira, a gay Brazilian man, could be deported even though he is legally married to Massachusetts citizen Tim Coco, according to the Daily Mail. Oliveira's bid for asylum ( over claims he was raped in his home country as a teen ) were rejected; however, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., intervened, allowing the Brazilian to return. However, Attorney General Eric Holder refuses to overturn the original decision.
In Tennessee, two ex-members of Vanderbilt University's Christian fraternity, Beta Upsilon Chi, said they were asked to leave the group because of their sexual orientation, InsideVandy.com reported. A former Beta Upsilon Chi brother and Vanderbilt 2010 alumnus who wanted to remain anonymous e-mailed the campus publication, The Hustler, that fraternity president Greg Wigger approached him—and which point he came out to Wigger. Wigger then allegedly said the information would remain confidential—but then the alumnus was "deactivated" 10 days later. The fraternity's code of conduct does not condone homosexuality.
A U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study has found that none of the 78 children of lesbian parents have been physically or sexually abused, according to a Williams Institute press release. The result was in stark contrast to the 26 percent of U.S. adolescents who report physical abuse and the 8.3 percent who report sexual abuse at the hands of a parent or caregiver. The children in the lesbian-family study were each 17 years old.
Book-selling giant Amazon.com has at least temporarily stopped selling copies of the e-book The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-Lover's Code of Conduct, according to the Daily Mail. Initially, Amazon defended its decision to sell the book, saying "it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable." However, people blogging on Twitter asked the retailer to pull the book, with some threatening to boycott. The book's author, Philip R. Greaves II, said that the book "is a guide to love and pleasure. It is not a guide to abusing children."
Wells Fargo Bank recently presented Palm Springs, Calif.'s, AIDS Assistance Program with a check for $150,000, according to Advocate.com . The money will help provide food vouchers for at least 500 HIV-positive individuals. The program's executive director, Mark Anton, said, "Wells Fargo has really come through for us in a time of great need, and their support encourages others to give."
In Florida, Lords South Beach, a new gay hotel, is slated to open soon in Miami Beach, according to Advocate.com . The 53-room boutique hotel will open at 1120 Collins Avenue. On its website, the hotel is described as "a home away from home—just a lot more fun, posh, friendly, sexy, easy, satisfying, and gratifying." Among its amenities are three pools; access to the Crunch gym next door; and the Cha Cha Rooster bar.
After three Iowa supreme court justices were removed from office following the Nov. 2 general elections, Republican state senate leader Paul McKinley said that the remaining justices could lose their seats unless state residents get a chance to vote on marriage equality, according to Advocate.com . McKinley wants people to vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage—but the Democratic Party holds 26 of the 50 seats in the state senate.
In Mississippi, Mendenhall High School student Coy Sheppard was allowed back on the football team after agreeing to leave his pink cleats home, according to USA Today. Sheppard was dismissed from the team after wearing the shoes for a game and practice; he was reinstated Nov. 11 after reaching an agreement with school officials. Sheppard said that he wore the shoes—a gift from his great-grandmother—to raise awareness about breast cancer.
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth administrators are taking an anti-gay incident very seriously, according to HeraldNews.com . At the school, someone sprayed an anti-gay slur on the car of an openly gay student. Chancellor Jean MacCormack said, "This incident is a crime against an individual but also an affront to the very essence of our community." She also expressed in a letter to students that the school is planning to open a center for LGBT students in January.
In Kentucky, approximately 100 people turned up at a candlelight vigil in downtown Lexington for LGBT youths who have committed suicide because of anti-gay bullying, Kentucky.com reported. Speakers included former state Sen. and current Fayette Circuit Court Judge Ernesto Scorsone; and Mary Crone, facilitator of the Gay Student Alliance for Youth in Lexington. Scorsone said, "a stigma still persists, and its corrosive effects on young minds and souls continue to take its toll."
Cindy McCain—the wife of Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain—has apparently changed her mind regarding "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ( DADT ) . According to the Huffington Post, on Nov. 10, Cindy was in an ad for the NOH8 campaign talking about how LGBT individuals "can't serve our country openly." However, on Nov. 12, she tweeted that she supports her husband's stance on DADT even though she fully supports the NOH8 campaign.
Three generations of LGBT veterans and advocates went to the White House fence Nov. 15 to call for the U.S. Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and President Obama to make good on their promises to secure the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" during the abbreviated, lame-duck session of Congress that started that day, according to a press release. The 13 individuals—who ended up being arrested—included Lt. Dan Choi ( who had previously been arrested ) , former U.S. Army Arabic Linguist Ian Finkenbinder and Robin McGehee, co-founder/director of GetEQUAL, the group that organized the protest.
In Oklahoma, two female high school students are talking after officials stopped them from graduating upon discovering the girls are a couple, according to Advocate.com . Melissa McKenzie, 18, said that she was expelled from Del City High School in Del City, Okla., after administrators found out she was living with her girlfriend, Kelsey Hicks, who subsequently dropped out of school. Hicks wanted to return to school to achieve her dream of being a firefighter; however, Hicks has claimed that school officials discouraged her from returning.
Harvey Milk School teacher Fred Goldhaber passed away Nov. 15 at age 63 of liver cancer, according to Advocate.com . Goldhaber—who resided in Jersey City, N.J.—volunteered to become the first teacher at the New York City, N.Y., school when it opened in 1985. Goldhaber is survived by his partner, Wilfredo Hinds.
In Illinois, Americans For Truth About Homosexuality President Peter LaBarbera has weighed in on the airport pat-down situation, wondering if gay Transportation Security Administration agents might go too far when examining travelers of the same sex, according to Christian News Wire. After Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano explained that the pat-downs are "same gender," LaBarbera later asked, "Isn't it just as inappropriate for a 'gay' male TSA agent to pat down male travelers as it is for a normal, heterosexual male TSA agent to pat down female travelers? ... The reality is, most traveling men would not want Barney Frank to pat them down at the airport security checkpoint."
In Michigan, high school students have backed teacher Jay McDowell, who told a student to leave because of the latter's anti-gay comments, according to Advocate.com . McDowell was suspended without pay for a day after kicking out the student, who cited religious reasons for his anti-gay stance. However, at a recent school-board meeting, 14-year-old openly gay Graeme Taylor ( among others ) asked the board to reverse its decision.
In New York City, HIV/AIDS activists plan to organize a "schmear" campaign to protest Mayor Michael Bloomberg's annual World AIDS Day Bagel Breakfast, according to Advocate.com . Dozens of activists, outfitted as bagels, plan to picket the event outside the Brooklyn Public Library; they will then attend the 24-hour vigil in City Hall Park, where the names of people who have died of AIDS will be read. Activists say that Bloomberg has proposed HIV/AIDS budget cuts after saying for the past three breakfasts that he is committed to AIDS funding.
