In North Carolina, a combination of the Democratic Party's strategy, steady opposition from gay-rights groups and no court challenges to state law has kept the issue of a gay-marriage ban off the ballot, the Associated Press reported. For example, after a recent pro-ban rally, Democratic leaders in the House required that a marriage-amendment bill go through four committees before floor debate can begin—an unheard number of committees for a bill.
In California, twin employees Jed and Wyatt Lorenzen won a case against two gay restaurant owners who made sexually inappropriate comments about them, GayWired.com reported. The brothers—who were awarded $1,000 each following a nine-day trial—claimed that the owners, Michael Gelzhiser and Manuel Mesta, made sexually explicit comments to them.
MyPartner.com is scouring the country for the most eligible bachelor in the 2nd Annual America's Gay Bachelor contest, according to a press release. To nominate yourself or someone else, go to www.AmericasGayBachelor.com; the deadline is April 30. Voting begins on May 1. The winner—chosen at a live show June 20—will receive, among other things, a romantic getaway for two and a chance to be featured in a national publication and reality TV series.
In Texas, Jonathan Gunter has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his part in an anti-gay attack last year in Oak Lawn, according to the Dallas Morning News. The victim, Jimmy Lee Dean, is still in pain from the attack and has lost his sense of smell; also, his face will likely never be fixed through surgery. Another man, Bobby Singleton, is awaiting trial for also attacking Dean.
In California, several Newport Beach police officers testified that Sgt. Neil Harvey has dealt with hostility from fellow cops and was even denied promotions for years because of the perception that he was gay, the Orange County Register reported. A forensic economist estimated that Harvey, 48—who is due to retire in three years—would have earned roughly another $600,000 to $870,000, depending on when the promotion occurred.
In Los Angeles, Calif., Dr. George Kooshian has pled guilty to administering diluted doses of medicine to HIV, AIDS and hepatitis patients, and to improperly billing Medicare at least $350,000, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Kooshian admitted that he and his assistant, Virgil Opinion, bill patients for treatments even after the patients were no longer taking the drugs. Kooshian will be sentenced May 11.
Military officials exaggerated the threat to unit cohesion and ignored research information when coming up with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," according to Dr. Nathaniel Franks' new book, Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America, according to a press release from The Palm Center. The book is based on a a decade of research and hundreds of interviews. The center has started "Send UNFRIENDLY FIRE to Congress," an online campaign to make sure every Congressperson reads a copy of the book.
Former members of the Gay Liberation Front ( GLF ) —the organization that launched the modern gay-rights movement in the wake of the June 1969 Stonewall Rebellion in New York City—are seeking information about "lost" colleagues as they plan reunions in June to mark the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. Anyone with information should contact Nikos Diaman at nadiaman@aol.com .
In Kentucky, a proposed measure banning unmarried couples from adopting children failed to make the agenda for a senate vote, according to Advocate.com . The bill stated that anyone "cohabitating with a sexual partner outside of marriage" cannot be a foster or adoptive parent. Republican State Sen. Gary Tapp plans to file the bill again next year.
The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the FC2 Female Condom, a second-generation item made by the Female Health Company, Advocate.com reported. The condom, which functions similarly to the company's first-generation contraceptive, costs less than the original thanks to a new material.
In response to a Washington Post report that 4 percent of Black individuals—and 7 percent of Black men—in Washington, D.C., are HIV-positive, the Black AIDS Institute issued a statement saying that the results emphasize "the degree to which America has lost its way in the fight against AIDS." Institute Founder/CEO Phill Wilson added, "The AIDS epidemic in Washington DC is an unmitigated disaster and a national disgrace." HIV prevalence among Black men in the district is 40 percent higher than in sub-Saharan Africa.
Tom Baker, owner of Houston-based LGBT cruise-event business Aquafest, recently received the coveted Condè Nast Traveler magazine award for "World's Leading Large Ship Specialist," according to a press release. Since launching seven years ago, Aquafest ( www.aquafestcruises.com ) has produced 23 cruise events for more than 7,000 clients.
New Hampshire legislators will soon vote on two LGBT-centered bills. One measure would allow same-sex couples to marry and the other would expand the state's human-rights laws to include protections for trans individuals, according to 365Gay.com . The House Judiciary Committee deadlocked 10-10 on both measures, meaning that they proceed to the full chamber without recommendations.
In Ohio, transwoman Chris Mason has been found guilty of exercising her husband, 73-year-old James Mason, to death, the Associated Press reported. Authorities said that Chris, 41, forced James to engage in stressful activity in a pool for over two hours; he collapsed and died the following day after Chris had him removed from life support.
Craig Shniderman, executive director of Food & Friends—Washington, D.C.'s largest provider of grocery services to homebound people living with AIDS—received a nearly 7 percent increase in salary and benefits last year after there was public outcry about his pay, the Washington Blade reported. Shniderman received $382,200 in salary and benefits in 2008, which included a $25,000 raise. San Francisco-based gay activist Michael Petrelis initially published Shniderman's 2006 compensation on his blog, hoping that the executive would reduce "his quite excessive compensation package."
Former minister Ted Haggard has said he wanted his wife to divorce him after his sex scandal with male escort Mike Jones but she refused, the Associated Press reported. Haggard made the comments in a two-part episode of the syndicated TV show Divorce Court to be broadcast April 1-2.
Trans youth face extremely high levels of victimization in school, but are also more likely to speak out about LGBT issues in the classroom, according to "Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools," the first comprehensive study on transgender students, released by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Among the specific findings is that almost nine out of 10 trans students experienced verbal harassment at school in the past year.
In Arizona, the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) has demanded that the Peoria Unified School District change its decision after it asked a 14-year-old student to turn his rainbow wristband inside-out or stop wearing it to school, according to an ACLU press release. The ACLU said that the principal's demand violates Chris Quintanilla's constitutional rights to free speech and expression.
In Gainesville, Fla., 58 percent of voters have rejected a measure that would have done away with the city's anti-discrimination protections for LGBT residents, the Associated Press reported. "Gainesville is a place that will not allow discrimination," said Craig Lowe, a city commissioner who led the group known as Equality is Gainesville's Business to defeat the charter amendment.
Also in California, jurors awarded $1.2 million to Newport Beach Police Sgt. Neil Harvey after he said that untrue statements about his sexual orientation cost him promotions, MSNBC reported. In addition, the seven-woman, five-man jury agreed that Harvey faced retaliation for, among other things, standing up for another officer he thought was being unfairly criticized.
