In Iowa, former gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats has announced a campaign to get rid of three state supreme court judges who are seeking retention, according to an On Top Magazine item. The three justices are among the seven who unanimously ruled to legalize same-sex marriage in 2009. Vander Plaats—who made the announcement after Judge Vaughn Walker ruled against Prop 8 in California—said, "If the judges can do this to marriage, every one of your freedoms is up for grabs."
Servicemembers United's new lobbying arm, the Servicemembers United Action Fund, has launched its first Internet ad urging the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell ( DADT ) ," according to a press release. The new ad is the first in a series that will be air in August and September. The first ad, launched Aug. 10, features former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Brian Muller, a combat veteran and bomb disposal technician discharged under DADT. View the ad at www.MilitaryReadiness.org .
The JetBlue flight attendant who garnered the nation's attention when he cursed a passenger over the PA system and slid down the plane's emergency chute is openly gay New Yorker Steven Slater, according to the South Florida Gay News. A federal court has charged Slater, 38, with reckless endangerment, criminal trespass and criminal mischief; if convicted on all charges, he could receive seven years in prison. Slater's Facebook page now features a YouTube video of the Johnny Paycheck song "Take This Job and Shove It."
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has gone on the record regarding gay foster parents, saying that he is against having them. McCollum, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, believes that the state's strict adoption law ( preventing gay people from doing so ) should go further and ban
gay foster parents as well. He said, "I really do not think that we should have homosexuals guiding our children. ... You need a mother and a father. You need a man and a woman. That's what God intended."
In Georgia, transgender worker Vandy Beth Glenn won back her job as a legislative editor with the state's general assembly—but she won't be working in the office, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Glenn's boss, Sewell Brumby ( who fired Glenn ) preferred that she not be in the office, saying that her presence could be disruptive, so Glenn will be working at home. Glenn will still be fully compensated, and will get benefits and seniority as well.
Queer painter Riva Lehrer is among 54 artists whose works are being exhibited in the Smithsonian Institution's International Gallery, according to a VSA press release. "Revealing Culture"—a contemporary-art exhibition on disability—will run through Aug. 29. Lehrer has had solo exhibitions in Chicago, San Francisco and Indianapolis.
The American Psychological Association ( APA ) has reaffirmed its support for same-sex marriage, according to a press release. In so doing, the APA noted that its annual convention—which took place Aug. 12-15 in San Diego, Calif.—would provide an opportunity to call attention to the science supporting its stance. "As the world's largest organization of psychologists, we felt it was important to make a statement here and now to demonstrate APA's unwavering support of marriage equality," said APA President Carol D. Goodheart, EdD.
In Michigan, the Wayne State University's board of governors has announced the appointment of Allan D. Gilmour as interim president, according to PR Newswire. Gilmour, a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan, is best known for his career at Ford Motor Company, where he was vice chairman ( twice ) for a total of 38 years. According to Harbus.org, Gilmour officially came out of the closet in 1996. He will begin his term Aug. 31.
Refusing to hide her sexual orientation and citing her classmates' anti-gay attitudes, lesbian U.S. Military Academy student Katherine Miller has asked to leave the facility, according to Advocate.com . In a resignation letter, Miller wrote, "I intend for my resignation to offer a concrete example of the consequences of a failed law and social policy." Miller, a 2010 Point Foundation scholarship recipient, is ranked in the top 1 percent of the corps of cadets and received the Superintendent's Award for Excellence, among other achievements.
Point Foundation—the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit—has announced that actress Brittany Snow ( from the movie Hairspray, among other productions ) is the recipient of its inaugural Point Horizon Award, according to a press release. The award will be presented at the foundation's fourth annual Los Angeles benefit, Point Honors, to be held Sept. 25 at Raleigh Studios Hollywood. Executive Director/CEO Jorge Valencia said that Snow would be honored "for her vocal support of the LGBT community and Point Foundation."
Radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger has apologized for saying the N-word in an on-air conversation with a caller, according to a Radio-Info.com item. The caller was a Black woman in an interracial marriage who was wondering how to deal with derogatory language. Schlessinger has had a controversial past with the gay community; according to StopDrLaura.com, which was instrumental in the 2001 cancellation of her TV show, Schlessinger had repeatedly called gays and lesbians "biological errors" and deviant.
The remains of 24-year-old lesbian Mitrice Richardson, who had been missing for almost a year, have been found in Los Angeles' Malibu Canyon, Advocate.com reported. Richardson went missing last Sept. 17, when the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff's station released her from police custody; she had been arrested for pot possession and failure to pay an $89 restaurant bill. Several people had reported seeing Richardson in Las Vegas, but investigators never confirmed those claims.
In Minnesota, Paul Koering is saying that his political career is done after losing his state senate seat Aug. 10 in the Republican primary, according to Advocate.com . Koering, who is openly gay, was the subject of derision in his own party; GOP members focused on his personal life, which included having dinner with 20-year-old gay-porn actor Brandon Wilde. Koering is now supporting Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate Taylor Stevenson.
In New York City, lesbian cop Ekeythia Dunston shot partner Erica LeGall after LeGall attacked her with a clothing iron, according to an Advocate.com item. LeGall, 42, allegedly went after Dunston after the latter, 32, received a text message from another woman; both were supposedly intoxicated. Dunston has been charged with weapons possession, assault and endangering a child's welfare; the couple was raising two sons.
In Hollywood, Fla., former police officer Michael Verdugo, who was fired after officials learned he was in a gay-porn movie, has sued to keep his police certification, the Miami Herald reported. Verdugo's attorneys have said that he was fired for not disclosing his part in the film on a job application. The 36-year-old Verdugo, who once competed on the HGTV reality show Design Star, has said, "I still want to be a cop. My goal—not a practical one—is to go back to Hollywood.''
In California, at least 15 people have come forward to adopt Red, a transgender dog, according to NBC Los Angeles. Red, a Pomeranian puppy, was born with partial male and female reproductive organs, and needed surgery to reduce the chance of getting cancer and contracting an infection. Red, who resides in San Bernardino, is considered an "altered male."
In Washington state, King County Juvenile Court Judge Chris Washington found a 16-year-old student not guilty of second-degree assault when he fought a 14-year-old freshman, according to the Seattle Times. The younger student said that he was standing up for a friend who the older student taunted as being gay. However, Washington ruled that the two agreed to fight, thereby nullifying the assault charge.
The gay-rights group known as Equality Forum has invited First Lady Michelle Obama to launch GLBT History Month 2010 in October, according to a press release. Obama and the White House have held celebrations for Women's History Month, Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. "GLBT History Month teaches history, provides role models, builds community and celebrates the GLBT community's national and international contributions," stated Executive Director Malcolm Lazin. "The White House celebration of GLBT History Month is an important demonstration of the Administration's support of our equality."
Interfaith Alliance will honor out lesbian MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and the Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, director of the department of religion at the Chautauqua Institution, with the 2010 Walter Cronkite Faith & Freedom Award in New York City Oct. 24, according to a press release. The award, established in 1998, recognizes individuals who courageously promote democratic values, defend religious freedom and reinvigorate informed civic participation. Past recipients include actor/activist George Clooney, gay-rights activist Judy Shepard and former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Mississippi have filed a lawsuit against the Wesson Attendance Center, a Mississippi high school that excluded student Ceara Sturgis' name and portrait from the yearbook because she wore a tuxedo, according to a joint press release. The lawsuit alleges that the school violated Sturgis' rights under Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on gender and stereotypes, as well as the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ( SLDN ) and Morrison & Foerster LLP, representing Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, reached an agreement with the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, U.S. Department of Justiceand the U.S. Air Force, preventing the Air Force from discharging Lt. Col. Fehrenbach under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," according to a press release. In filing its motion, Fehrenbach's attorneys argued that the government could not establish that his continued service on active duty hinders "morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion." According to Advocate.com, openly gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank has asked the Air Force secretary to stop discharge proceedings permanently.
