Jeff Merkley formally announced his intention to introduce a comprehensive LGBT-rights bill in the next Congress, according to Metro Weekly. During remarks at the Center for American Progress, the Oregon Democrat said he will spearhead efforts to pass federal legislation that would protect LGBT people in nearly every aspect of life, including employment, housing, public accommodations, housing and credit. Merkley said that while the Senate's passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in November 2013 by a 64-32 vote after the bill failed by one vote in 1996 was a "tremendous victory," he reasoned that if discrimination is wrong in employment, it also must be wrong in areas such as housing, public accommodations and financial transactions.
Now that the U.S. military has opened more jobs to women and allowed gay men and lesbians to serve openly, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the ban on transgender troops is likely to be reassessed and should be lifted, according to USA Today. "Times change," she told Capital Download, saying the policy "is likely to come under review in the next year or so." In a wide-ranging interview at the Pentagon, James also described progress in the bombing campaign against the radical group Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS, and said the U.S.-led military coalition has gotten help from an unlikely source: Iran.
U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin ( D-Wis. ), Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass. ), and Tom Harkin ( D-Iowa ), and Representatives Mike Quigley ( D-Ill. ) and Barbara Lee ( D-Calif. ), led a letter with 75 of their congressional colleagues calling on Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell to replace the o lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men ( MSM ), according to a press release. The legislators expressed deep concerns with the recent recommendations made by the HHS Advisory Committee on Blood & Tissue Safety & Availability ( ACBTSA ).
Nearly 60 House members demanded in a letter sent to the Obama administration that it provide more information on when it will implement new rules to protect unaccompanied immigrant minors, particularly LGBT children and teenagers, who are in the government's custody, according to The Huffington Post. The letter to Health and Human Services ( HHS ) Secretary Sylvia Burwell was endorsed by 25 human- and civil-rights groups. Their complaint is that HHS's interim rule on sexual abuse, required by the Prison Rape Elimination Act, is still waiting approval from the Office of Management and Budget.
Members of New York's transgender community and advocates are praising the city council's vote to pass legislation making it easier for residents to correct the gender designation on their birth certificates, The Huffington Post reported. The bill—which passed passed 39 to four, with three abstentions—will allow transgender New Yorkers to change the birth certificate designation without proof they have had gender-confirmation surgery. The ruling follows an earlier statewide move in June, which granted transgender people born in New York state ( which the exception of New York City ) similar rights.
Several Kansas state lawmakers are hoping to revive a religious-freedom bill that would allow public and private employees to refuse to serve same-sex couples based on their religious beliefs, according to LGBTQ Nation. The measure passed in the state House earlier this year, but died in the Senate after lawmakers were flooded with angry phone calls and emails. Some supporters of the bill want to revisit the issue now that a federal court has struck down the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and same-sex couples have begun to wed across the state.
In a similar matter, a South Carolina state senator has introduced a bill that would allow judges and other public officials refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples without facing punishment, Advocate.com noted. State Sen. Lee Bright, a Republican, pre-filed the legislation ahead of the legislative session that begins in January. Marriage equality came to South Carolina in November, after a federal judge struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage and higher courts refused to extend the brief stay he placed on his ruling.
Republican Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka—long known for being outspoken and colorful—died the morning of Dec. 10 from complications of a stroke she suffered Dec. 9, the Chicago Tribune reported. She was 70. Last month, she defeated outgoing Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon to retain her comptroller post. A staunch supporter of gay rights and marriage equality, she recently told Windy City Times, "I voted for the Equal Rights Amendment when I was in the legislature, gay rights—I could never understand what the problem was with gay rights. Jeepers, gay people are people. There's rights under the constitution, everybody's supposed to have them, and it bugs me when folks pick on gays or anybody else."
Ross M. Ramsey—the founder of House of Infiniti who lived in New York and had direct ties to many national ballroom cities, particularly Chicago—died Dec. 2. He was in his 50s. A memorial was held Dec. 9 in New York, and services were held Dec. 13 at St. John Fire Baptized Holiness Church in Brooklyn. The House of Infiniti, founded in 1990, is a community-based organization and family that utilizes performing and visual arts to uplift and celebrate art, community, talent and family.
In Missouri, Dionte Green—a 22-year-old gay, Black man—was fatally shot while sitting in the front seat of his car, according to Gay Star News. It is believed by Greene's family and friends that he was killed by a man on the down-low who is struggling with his attraction to other men. There has not been an arrest in the case or a known suspect.
In Florida, a Broward County judge who last summer declared Florida's gay-marriage ban unconstitutional and then vacated his own order on a legal technicality, has now ordered that a woman should be allowed to divorce her same-sex partner, the Miami Herald reported. Heather Brassner, a Lake Worth art dealer, was seeking to dissolve a 2002 Vermont civil union with her now-estranged partner, Megan Lade. On Aug. 4, Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen became the third South Florida judge in 18 days to declare Florida's gay-marriage ban unconstitutional; he later vacated his own order and canceled the Brassner-Lade divorce hearing.
Danny Garvin, one of the few remaining "Stonewall veterans," died in New York, according to GayNZ.com . Garvin had been among only around 20 people still living to tell the tales of the June 28, 1969, event at New York's Stonewall Inn that gave rise to the gay-rights movement. A wake was held for Garvin Dec. 12; church services took place Dec. 13 at the Church of Notre Dame.
Equality Florida has launched TransAction Florida, a statewide initiative created to increase awareness and to educate and promote complete equality for the transgender community, according to a press release. Florida has hit the tipping point, with 50 percent of the population currently protected from gender identity and expression discrimination via local policies. The announcement also coincides with the introduction of a statewide bill in Tallahassee that would add gender identity and sexual orientation to the state's nondiscrimination law.
Medicare and Medicaid are proposing to broaden decision-making rights for same-sex couples in light of a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that struck down a ban on federal benefits for gay and lesbian spouses, according to The Hill. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ( CMS ) released a 26-page proposed rule requiring that providers and suppliers in the programs recognize same-sex spouses as a condition for participation. If finalized, the regulation would apply to hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, hospice providers and community mental health centers.
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago ( AFC ) has announced 18 award recipients of its 2014 Challenge Grants, a legacy program that awards financial support to organizations that are making a difference in the HIV epidemic and the lives of people living with the virus in Illinois. A combined total of $220,000 was awarded among the receiving organizations. Just a few of the organizations are AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, Chicago House & Social Service Agency, Open Door Clinic, Howard Brown Health Center and the Puerto Rican Cultural Center—Vida/SIDA/MSM Taskforce.
Although the Salvation Army has made an effort to reach out to the LGBT community over the past year, problems still persist, according to activists. The reported problems stem from the international scope of the organization and the fact that each territory of the Salvation Army U.S. operates with some autonomy. Some locations only have facilities that separate people based on their gender, and this impacts who can and can't have access to the Salvation Army's shelters and housing programs.
Dana Miller—an entertainment producer, AIDS advocate and longtime columnist for Frontiers magazine—was found dead in the South Pasadena, California, home of his late mother by his partner, Brody Darren Robertson, on Dec. 9, Frontiers Media reported. According to Detective-Sgt. Robert Bartl of the South Pasadena Police Department, Miller, 59, was supposed to meet with a real-estate agent, but he never showed up. Miller knew Elizabeth Taylor and helped AIDS Healthcare Foundation produce its Elizabeth Taylor tribute float in the 2011 New Year's Day Rose Parade in Pasadena, the first time a gay or AIDS float appeared in the parade seen around the world.
In Illinois, Warren Township High School board member Liz Biondi has apologized for saying she hopes the district does not hire a gay person to replace retiring Superintendent Mary Perry Bates, DailyHerald.com reported. Biondi made her comments at a public meeting while board members listed their criteria for the next boss of Gurnee-based Warren District 121. Biondi claimed some district residents would not want a gay superintendent, adding that a gay or lesbian person may wind up fighting "more personal fires than superintendent fires." Under the 2006 Illinois Human Rights Act, it's unlawful to discriminate against someone in employment matters on the basis of sexual orientation or gender-related identity.
Pastor Scott Lively, a far-right anti-gay activist and former spokesperson of the Oregon Citizen Alliance, will face "crimes against humanity" charges for his involvement with Uganda's "Kill the Gays" bill, according to GoLocalPDX.com . In 2009, Lively arrived in Uganda and helped inspire the country's Parliament to pass a bill which called for the death penalty for homosexuals in certain cases. In 2012, charges were filed against Lively in U.S. Federal Court by Sexual Minorities Uganda, accusing Lively of inciting persecution against gay men and lesbians in Uganda. An appeal was denied.
The principal of Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., who made national headlines when he came out as gay this year is losing his job, LGBTQ Nation reported. Peter Cahall was notified his contract will not be renewed after six years at the school because of test scores. During Cahall's tenure, Wilson High School has had one of the city's highest numbers of Advanced Placement offerings and a graduation rate well above the city average.
According to the publication "Understanding Issues Facing LGBT Americans," LGBT Americans live in a two-tier system where they must navigate vastly differing state laws coupled with an ongoing lack of protections under federal law, a press release stated. For example, same-sex couples can now marry in 35 states, but a lack of widespread nondiscrimination protections means wearing a wedding ring to work can result in a gay worker being legally fired in 29 states. The report is at http://www.lgbtmap.org/understanding-issues-facing-lgbt-americans.
The Williams Institute has found that in states that allow same-sex couples to formalize their relationship through marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships, almost two-thirds ( 64 percent ) of all same-sex couples who entered legal relationships are female, a press release stated. State-level data also shows that, on average, 1.1 percvent of same-sex couples dissolve their relationships each year. Also, a different Williams Institute study showed that the Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Windsor contributed to a significant increase in the number of same-sex couples marrying—even in states that had marriage equality long before the decision.
The Williams Institute, in partnership with Credit Suisse, has released a new interactive resource exploring the amount of money state economies have to gain by allowing same-sex couples to marry, according to a press release. Based on a series of state-level studies authored by Williams Distinguished Scholar, M.V. Lee Badgett, and other Williams Institute scholars, the resource estimates that the nationwide economic boost from marriage of same-sex couples could be up to $2.6 billion in just the first three years. The resource is at williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/interactive-economic-impact/ .
In an article that Science magazine released, researchers from Columbia University and the University of California-Los Angeles detailed a rigorous study that found openly gay canvassers were far more effective than straight canvassers in shifting voters' views toward support for same-sex marriage, the Associated Press reported. The canvassers, 22 of them gay and 19 of them straight, were recruited and trained by the Los Angeles LGBT Center and had similar one-on-one conversations in June 2013 with 263 voters in Southern California precincts that had supported a still-in-effect state ban on same-sex marriage.
Truth Wins Out ( TWO ) expressed its disdain for Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays ( PFOX ) after the organization's billboard on a section of Interstate 95 in Richmond, Virginia, turned out to be a fraud, according to a press release. The billboard reads, "Identical Twins: One gay. One Not. We believe twins research studies show nobody is born gay." It turns out, however, that the model used on the billboard was a stock image of a South African man, Kyle Roux, who claimed he is gay and not a twin. "This latest episode solidifies PFOX's reputation as a gutter organization that is more than willing to scrape the bottom of the barrel to promote a discredited myth," said TWO Executive Director Wayne Besen.
In Pennsylvania, the same-sex domestic partner of former Edinboro University official is suing the school and an insurance company, claiming he was wrongly denied his partner's university life-insurance benefits, the Associated Press reported. Albert Celec of Boardman, Ohio, is suing the state-owned university and its life-insurance provider, Cigna Corp. Celec claims Cigna refused to pay him $100,000 even though he was listed as beneficiary on a policy held by Philip Ginnetti, the school's provost and vice president of academic affairs when he died in 2012.
Alabama's largest insurer ( Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama ) now offers spousal coverage to legally married, same-sex couples in order to comply with a federal rule that insurance companies must treat married couples the same regardless of sexual orientation, according to the Associated Press. The state of Alabama does not currently recognize same-sex marriages and has a ban on gay marriage written into the Alabama Constitution. However, the Department of Health and Human Services issued guidelines in March reiterating that same-sex couples who were legally married in any of the states that currently authorize gay marriage, are entitled to the same coverage as heterosexual couples.
Mike Jeffries, the gay CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, has announced he is stepping down after more than two decades leading the youth-centric retailer, according to NewNowNext. One of the few out business leaders, Jeffries was credited with breathing new life into the company in the 1990s. Jeffries had come under fire in recent years for some pretty odd behavior: He insisted the stores only hire good-looking staffers and once said the company didn't make plus sizes because "Abercrombie is only interested in people with washboard stomachs who look like they're about to jump on a surfboard."
The organizers of Boston's annual St. Patrick's Day parade voted to allow a group representing gay veterans to march next year—a dramatic turnaround for an organization that has long resisted the inclusion of gays, the Associated Press reported. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council—which won a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1995 upholding its right to ban gay groups from the annual parade that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators—voted five to four to allow the group OutVets to march in the parade scheduled for March 15.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was the guest of honor at Chelsea Piers at the Toys Party realtor Robby Browne founded 29 years ago because he felt left out at Christmastime, Page Six noted. "We didn't have the technology for creating families, and people were dying from AIDS left and right," Browne said, adding that Bloomberg came to the party nearly every year he was in office. Bloomberg also supports SAGE ( Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders ), for which $225,000 was raised at the event.
