In time for the holidays, the Human Rights Campaign has released Buying for Equality 2010, according to a press release.The guide divides businesses and their consumer products into red, yellow and green categories based on their score on the HRC Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, a nationally recognized benchmark of LGBT inclusion. See www.hrc.org/BuyersGuide.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and SAGE ( Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders ) have jointly released "Outing Age 2010: Public Policy Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender ( LGBT ) Elders," an update to the groundbreaking Outing Age report issued in 2000, a press release stated. "Outing Age 2010" presents an in-depth look at public policy issues and challenges facing millions of aging LGBT people in the United States. Among the findings are that federal and state bans on employment discrimination are necessary to prevent LGBT elder poverty, and that sSignificant health differences persist, with no federal commitment to identifying or addressing them. See www.thetaskforce.org/reports_and_research/outing_age_2010.
David Huebner, an openly gay attorney recently nominated by President Barack Obama to be the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate, according to the Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Huebner, a founding board member of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( GLAAD ) , headed the China Practice and International Disputes Practice of the U.S. law firm of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP. Huebner is the third openly gay ambassador in U.S. history and the first picked by the Obama administration.
Nate Berkus, Oprah Winfrey's openly gay design guru, has filed a lawsuit against Pierport Roofing & Construction, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The lawsuit claims that construction on the roof four years ago caused water damage to Berkus' Chicago office two years later. Berkus claims that after defendants re-caulked the area, the roof continued to leak. He is seeking more than $50,000.
In New York, gay activists Allen Roskoff and Corey Johnson heckled state Sen. Carl Kruger after he voted against a marriage-equality bill, according to an Advocate.com item. ( The bill was defeated 38-24 on Dec. 2. ) After the politician was leaving senate chambers in Albany, Johnson and Roskoff "screamed at" Kruger, making comments about the single politician's sexuality and saying they will support gay-supportive challenger Lew Fidler when he vies for Kruger's seat next year.
Controversial minister the Rev. Rick Warren has yet to publicly criticize a bill the Ugandan government is considering that would call for the death penalty for so-called acts of "aggravated homosexuality," Advocate.com reported. On TV's Meet the Press, Warren refused to outright condemn the bill, which is sponsored in part by a conservative religious group, saying, "It is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations."
David Bentkowski, the mayor of Seven Hills, Ohio, has written a book about his brush with celebritybut it's a chapter about a very different subject that has generated controversy, according to Fox8.com . Bentkowskiin what he said are responses to cybertaunts about his sexuality and penis sizehas written a chapter that includes information about his genitalia, including exact measurements. Bentkowski, 36, said that talking about his private parts ( in a chapter that includes an interview with rapper/actor LL Cool J, according to CleveScene.com ) was meant to minimize the harassment.
U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., has introduced a bill that would grant temporary immunity ( at least ) to gay servicemembers so they can testify about their experiences as Congress ponders overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell ( DADT ) ," according to WashingtonTimes.com . Nathaniel Franka senior fellow at the Palm Center, which researches sexuality and the militarypraised the move, saying, "You can't expect a legitimate and informed debate over repeal if you keep gay troops in the closet." Hastings, annoyed at the slow pace of action to end DADT, has sent two letters to President Barack Obama urging faster developments.
In Pennsylvania, prison guard John J. Yanik, Jr., has filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit, claiming he suffered discrimination after co-workers thought he was gay, according to PittsburghLive.com . A male corrections officer supposedly started a rumor indicating he had obtained a protection-from-abuse order against Yanikfueling speculation that Yanik was in a same-sex relationship, according to the lawsuit. Yanik claimed that co-workers slammed doors on him and locked him out of his computer, among other things.
In North Carolina, Frank Lombarda former Duke University employee and adoptive gay father charged with molesting his 5-year-old son, and offering the boy to pedophiles on the Internetmade a plea deal, according to The Herald-Sun. The U.S. Attorney's Office and attorneys for Lombard announced the agreement Dec. 1; a plea hearing is set for Dec. 17, when the details will be announced. The arrest resulted from a sting that included the FBI, the State Bureau of Investigation and an Internet crime task force in addition to police.
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.