The Advocate has apologized for reporting that legendary gay activist Frank Kameny died of AIDS recently, The Washington Blade reported. ( Actually, Kameny, 82, who has never had AIDS, is very much alive. ) Anne Stockwell, editor of the magazine, later wrote, 'Let's start with a heartfelt mea culpa. In our Pride issue, which hits the newsstands on May 22, we made one of the more embarrassing factual errors in our recent history.' In explaining how such an error could occur, Stockwell simply stated, 'We got our gay heroes mixed up.'
AfterElton.com has examined the experiences of out broadcast journalists as part of a two-part series. ( In a feature that came out May 21, the site looked at issues connected to being an openly gay journalist. ) Among the individuals profiled are ABC News correspondent Miguel Marquez, NBC News Washington journalist John Yang, CBS Newspath correspondent Manuel Gallegus and Madison, Wis., morning anchor Randol White. Yang said that, despite perceptions, the majority of politicians have no problem with his orientation.
President George Bush may veto the hate-crimes bill that passed through the U.S. House of Representatives on May 4, according to City on a Hill Press. The bill, H.R. 1592: Local Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 ( also known as The Matthew Shepard Act ) , would include sexual orientation and gender identity as categories against hate crimes. The measure still needs to be approved by the U.S. Senate before Bush sees it.
Speaking of the bill, a recent Gallup poll revealed that 68 percent of its respondents are in favor of passing the measure, according to a Human Rights Campaign press release. In breaking down the numbers, 60 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of conservatives ( as well as 82 percent of liberals ) approved the bill.
In South Carolina, 18-year-old Andrew Moller was arrested by Greenville County police after he killed 20-year-old Sean William Kennedy in an apparent hate crime, according to 365Gay.com . Witnesses contended that Moller made a disparaging comment about the sexuality of Kennedy, who was openly gay, and then hit him in the face. Authorities believe that Kennedy's head hit a curb or pavement after he collapsed from Moller's punch.
In New York, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly has ruled that gay couples from New York who got married in Massachusetts before last July have valid unions because they were joined before New York explicitly prohibited same-sex marriages, Advocate.com reported. Massachusetts allowed same-sex marriages in May 2004, but out-of-state couples are banned from marrying there if their home states forbid such unions.
A federal budget plan recently approved by the U.S. Congress contains an amendment that would allow low-income HIV-positive people more access to medical services, according to 365Gay.com . The amendment was based on the Early Treatment for HIV Act; Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., sponsored the new addendum.
Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes—Virginia Beach men accused of the murder of gay adult moviemaker Bryan Charles Kocis—have decided to not waive extradition from Virginia to Pennsylvania, the site of the crime, according to 365Gay.com . Police say that the men killed Kocis, the owner of Cobra Video, because they thought that he was a threat in the gay porn business. Kocis was stabbed almost 30 times and his throat was cut.
Electronics engineer Jan Stacy, a transsexual who lives in Ohio, has prevailed in a legal battle with her insurance company over her sexual reassignment surgery, according to 365Gay.com . Highmark Blue Shield refused to pay for the surgery after Stacy was told that the company would. Stacy was awarded over $14,000, which covers the majority of her medical bills.
Author Terry Ryan, who wrote the book-turned-movie The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, died at her home at the age of 60, 365Gay.com reported. Ryan's partner, Pat Holt, said that Ryan died of cancer.
Former N.J. Gov. Jim McGreevey has not only become an Episcopalian but has also been accepted into a seminary, according to Advocate.com . McGreevey, who was raised as a Roman Catholic, was received into the Episcopal religion at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York, joining a program for those wondering whether they should enter the priesthood.
Speaking of McGreevey, his estranged wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, has said in a divorce court document that she felt 'betrayed and abandoned' when she found out about her huband's sexual orientation, 365Gay.com reported. However, the former governor said that she knew that he was gay before they even married.
The Log Cabin Republicans recently held its annual national convention in Denver, according to the Associated Press. Many of the attendees favored Rudolph Giuliani, pointing to his record on everything from social issues to national defense. Several people also felt that the eventual Republican presidential candidate should not focus on controversial social issues—a statement that the event's main speaker, former Sen. Alan Simpson, concurred with. Also at the convention, out former NBA player John Amaechi said that the feedback he has gotten from the public since coming out of the closet has 'been overwhelmingly supportive and positive.'
In California, O'Brien Cellars has launched Wine for Hope, an Internet wine retail store designed to help raise funds for Academy of Friends, an organization designed to raise funds for HIV/AIDS agencies in the San Francisco Bay area. For more info or to purchase wine, see www.wineforhope.com .
