In Florida, the Tampa City Council voted 5-1 to ban gender-identity and -expression discrimination in employment, housing and public facilities, according to the Tampa Tribune. Council Chairman Tom Scott, an ordained minister who had previously campaigned against many gay-rights measures, voted in favor of the new proposal after asking himself, "What would Jesus do if he were here?" Councilman Charlie Miranda, who supported the changes two weeks ago, voted no, citing possible "disruption" in the workplace.
Also in Florida, vandals spray-painted a swastika and anti-gay slurs on two gay businesses in Orlando, including the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Community Center of Central Florida, according to LezGetReal.com . Center Executive Director Michael Vance said, "We feel this act is clearly homophobic and transphobic in nature. It is meant to invoke fear in our community; however, we will not act in fear and we will not close our doors." Damage has been estimated at approximately $1,000.
In Georgia, Mill High School teacher Randolph Forde has been accused of pursuing a "hit" on a 16-year-old student, according to CNN.com . According to a statement from Terance Madden, who represents the alleged target and his family, "Not only did my client report the verbal altercation and verbal threat to the vice principal of Mundy's Mill HS, he also reported that Mr. Forde asked him outside the classroom ... the inappropriate question of whether he was gay." Forde is currently on paid administrative leave, and faces an employment hearing in December.
In Baltimore, Md., a memorial service has been held for 15-year-old James Mattison, Jr., who was recently raped, repeatedly stabbed and left in a closet, BET.com reported. Dante Parish, 35—a convicted murderer who frequented the teen's aunt's home—forced Mattison into a sexual relationship. Parish has reportedly confessed to killing Mattison.
Mary Cheney—former Vice President Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter—gave birth to six-pound-14-ounce Sarah Lynne Cheney Nov. 18 at Washington, D.C.'s, Sibley Hospital, according to MyStateLine.com . The newborn is the second child for Mary and her longtime partner, Heather Poe. ( Samuel David Cheney was born two years ago. ) There is no word regarding the identity of the biological father.
On Nov. 17, openly gay Ken Keechl was elected mayor of Broward County ( Fort Lauderdale ) , Fla., for 2009-10, according to Passport Magazine. The Board of County Commissioners unanimously elected Keechl, making him the first out mayor in Fort Lauderdale. Among other things, Keechl sponsored Broward County's amendment to include trans individuals in the local Human Rights Act.
In New Hampshire, conservative radio host/blogger Doug Lambert has been fired after calling openly gay state Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley a "faggot," according to On Top Magazine. On his show Meet the New Press, Lambert sarcastically wished Buckley a happy birthday Nov. 14, adding, "Yeah, you faggot. That's right I said it, and I meant it. You are reprobate. ... You are a disgrace to yourself, to humanity, to mankind and to your party." The following day, Nassau Broadcasting, owner of the station that hosted Meet the New Press, announced it was immediately terminating the show.
In Rhode Island, U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy said that Bishop Thomas J. Tobin prevented him from receiving the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion because of Kennedy's support of abortion rights, the Providence Journal reported. Kennedy, the son of the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, said that Tobin explained the penalty by telling him "that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I've taken as a public official," particularly on abortion. Kennedy did not say if he obeyed the bishop's order.
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) has joined leaders and advocates in launching Our Families Count ( www.ourfamiliescount.org ) , a new voluntary public education initiative promoting LGBT visibility and participation in next year's U.S. Census, according to a press release. "It is vital that every LGBT person participate in the Census," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "Census data allows LGBT families to be visible in a way like no other, and that is why HRC is a proud member of the Our Families Count partnership."
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) report reveals that adolescent girls 15—19 had the largest reported number of chlamydia and gonorrhea cases ( 409,531 ) when compared to any other age group, followed closely by women ages 20-24, according to a press release. The report—Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2008, which tracks reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the United States—also showed that African Americans continue to be more disproportionately affected by STDs than any other racial or ethnic group.
In Arizona, Lambda Legal has filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Tucson to block an attempt to take away domestic-partner benefits from gay and lesbian state employees, according to an organizational release. Lambda Legal represents 10 state employees, including people from the Arizona Highway Patrol; the State Department of Game and Fish; and state universities. Staff attorney Tara Borelli said that " [ b ] y stripping away these vital benefits from loyal state employees, the state isn't just paying them less for the same work than their heterosexual colleagues—it's pulling away a vital lifeline that all workers need."
A Web site, ChurchOuting.org, aims to pull priests out of the closet. Claiming that it wants to "end the cycle of spiritual abuse," the site asks visitors to share stories of priests in the archdiocese of Washington, D.C., who are either gay or having heterosexual affairs. The site's home page states, in part, "It is shameful that in many Catholic churches, this [ emotional, physical and spiritual ] abuse is being supported by men, who are gay themselves, leading closeted lives of self-persecution and quiet desperation." The site also features a Clergy United for Marriage Equality pledge.
In California, U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt ordered compensation for a gay couple denied spousal benefits because of their sexual orientation, the Los Angeles Times reported. Reinhardt ruled that denying benefits to Tony Sears, the spouse of federal public defender Brad Levenson, violated the Constitution's guarantee of due process and was sexual-orientation discrimination, which state law bans.
The New York Court of Appeals has ruled that the State Department of Civil Service and Westchester County can extend government benefits to same-sex couples in out-of-state marriages, according to a Lambda Legal press release. The ruling came in cases in which Lambda Legal intervened on behalf of two married same-sex couples after the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund tried to overturn a state law recognizing out-of-state marriages.
During a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, retired Marine general Clifford Stanley provided little insight regarding his position on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," according to Advocate.com . When Colorado's Sen. Mark Udall asked Stanley if he is prepared to support President Barack Obama's recommendation that DADT be repealed, Stanley said, ""Senator, I clearly recognize that this is a very sensitive issue, it is an issue that I'm prepared to address if confirmed. ... This is a very very challenging subject, but one that I know we can get our arms around. I have to provide, based upon that input, a recommendation to [ Department of Defense ] Secretary [ Robert ] Gates."
"Ex-gay" gospel singer Donnie McClurkin again courted controversy by referring to "broken and feminie" gay youths at a Church of God in Christ convention in Memphis, Tenn., according to Advocate.com . McClurkin, among other things, compared his struggle to overcome his sexual orientation to being a diabetic who craves sugar he should not have. In addition, he called Tonex, a gospel singer who recently came out, a "perversion."
In Ohio, the Episcopal diocese in the southern part of the state will now allow same-sex unions, Advocate.com reported. Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal recently announced that he would end the prohibition. Clergy will not be required to perform the ceremonies, which will be available to same-sex couples starting April 4. The diocese includes approximately 25,000 members.
Anti-gay activist Matt Barber recently alerted the FBI about comments made on Joe Jervis' gay-news blog Joe.My.God, saying they were terrorist threats, Advocate.com reported. After Jervis wrote commented on a statement another anti-gay activist, Peter LaBarbera, made, one person said, "Maybe a bit of well organized terrorism is just what we need, er, I mean 'civil disobedience.'" Barber then alerted the FBI, bringing up the recent killings at Fort Hood, Texas. Jervis has removed the post.
A New York teen has been charged with a hate crime. According to the Long Island Press, 16-year-old Frank Carney was charged with menacing as a hate crime after he and and another individual allegedly harassed a 22-year-old man with anti-gay slurs and chased the victim.
In Niles, Mich., a Wal-Mart has banned a gay couple from all of its stores for life, according to Examiner.com . On Aug. 16, the couple—Chicago attorneys Thomas Hitchcock and Joe Paolucci—allegedly "caused a scene" and were placed in police custoday after reportedly stealing Bic lighters, which turned out to be false. The store's manager cited the lawyers' "uncooperative" behavior as the reason for the ban. Hitchcock and Paolucci have said that their children—11-year-old special-needs twins—have been traumatized by what transpired.
In Cleveland, Ohio, the pro-LGBT group Ask Cleveland brought more than 2,500 postcards to a city-council meeting in a push to make it illegal to discriminate against trans residents, according to the Plain Dealer. Last year, council members considered adding gender identity to the city's anti-discrimination statute along with a domestic-partner registry, which passed last fall. Cleveland was recently named the host of the 2014 Gay Games.
In Tennessee, 23-year-old Ross Burton was arrested after allegedly attempting to burn the gay-pride flag at the Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center, according to MemphisFlyer.com . Burton, a member of the Tennessee Air National Guard, was apprehended after authorities saw him and another man trying to set fire to the rope that hold the flag. The two fought with the police and even attempted to disarm one officer.
In a groundbreaking think tank sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights ( NCLR ) in partnership with the Women's Sports Foundation Initiative: It Takes a Team! Education Campaign for LGBT Issues in Sport, top sports leaders, legal experts, policymakers and student-athletes met recently in Indianapolis, Ind., to address equal opportunity for transgender student-athletes, according to an NCLR release. The two-day session provided an opportunity to identify best practices and develop model policies for high school and collegiate athletic leaders to ensure the full inclusion of transgender student-athletes.
GLAAD announced award recipients at the recent 1st GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising ceremony presented by Ogilvy and Southwest Airlines, according to a GLAAD press release. Actor Alan Cumming, who received the Vito Russo Award at the awards, hosted the event, and was joined by special guests such as Bryan Batt ( Mad Men ) and Jay Manuel ( America's Next Top Model ) . Subaru received the Corporate Responsibility Award while Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams ( of the furniture company Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams ) were presented with the Public Visibility Award.
Lambda Legal has sent a letter to SkyWest and Delta Airlines warning the companies that their policy toward gay employees' spouses and registered domestic partners is illegal, according to a press release. SkyWest employee Gilbert Caldwell, who married his partner of 34 years in 2008, has to pay fare for his spouse while spouses of heterosexual workers do not pay. Lambda Legal added, in part, "SkyWest's denial of equal travel benefits amounts to a reduction in gay and lesbian employees' pay."
