Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean fired Donald Hitchcock, the out director of the party's gay fundraising arm. Hitchcock's partner and party heavyweight, Paul Yandura, publicly critiziced both Dean and the Democratic Party for not taking greater strides in standing up for LGBTs in an April 20 open letter, the Washington Blade reported. Replacing Hitchcock is Brian Bond, who served as executive director of the Victory Fund between 1996-2003. Bond worked at the DNC for six years, partly as director of its gay and lesbian outreach office—an office closed last year during a controversial elimination of constituency desks. In a May 3 DNC press release, Dean described Bond as a 'proven leader.'
Former U.S. Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo., labeled the effort to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage as 'silly' when he spoke at the recent Log Cabin Republican national convention, Gay.com reported. Danforth, who has been an advocate for developments such as stem-cell research, received the organization's Spirit of Lincoln Award.
A book penned by and about former New Jersey Gov. James McGreeve will examine his life as a closeted gay man, the New York Blade reported. But it will not venture into anyone else's bedroom. McGreevey, who was in office from 2002-2004, announced in a speech that he is gay, was resigning and was involved in an extramarital affair with a man.
The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has ruled that Ohio officials can punish public employees who discriminate, even if the bias is steeped in religion, according to The Plain Dealer. The case involved a dispute between a Protestant prison chaplain and his bosses in the state prison system; the chaplain had refused to let an openly gay inmate direct a penitentiary choir.
In Vermont, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington settled a suit alleging abuse by the Rev. Edward O. Paquette Jr., for $965,000—the largest such settlement in the state, according to an item on MassLive.com . There are 11 more suits against Paquette.
In Alaska, more than 800 people were expected to attend 'Embracing Our Traditions, Values and Teachings: Native Peoples of North America HIV/AIDS Conference' in Anchorage, KXMA.com reported. Participants included representatives from more than 600 sovereign nations.
Bertrand Delanoë, Paris' openly gay mayor, visited San Francisco for three days to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship between the two cities, according to The Bay Area Reporter. Delanoë is the first Parisian mayor to visit 'the Paris of the West' since the sister cities' agreement was signed in 1996 by then-Mayor Willie Brown.
Christina Machado, a lesbian mom wrongfully accused of raping her teenaged foster daughter, and her partner, Joanne Ferreira, have filed a suit against the Fall River ( Mass. ) police and the Department of Social Services ( DSS ) for $2 million, 365Gay.com reported. In the complaint,DSS Supervisor Joseph Silvia is accused of changing the findings of an investigator who did not believe the teen.
Promoters of Chloe, a gay dance club in Washington, D.C., have changed their advertising approach after it was discovered that the club was using a photo of convicted killer Josh Puckett, the Washington Blade noted. Puckett, 17 at the time of the shoot, pleaded guilty in 1999 to killing Vitaly Poliakov, a gay acquaintance; he is still serving his 14-year prison sentence.
Showing a conservative bent, delegates from the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest voted 1,125-209 to recommend cutting off ties with the national denomination over the issue of homosexuality, Gay.com reported. The matter now goes to the region's board of directors May 11.
A new study published in the journal Military Psychology suggests that a disproportionate number of military commanders appear to tolerate anti-gay harrassment in the military when compared to civilians. The study was done by University of Florida professor Bonnie Moradi. More than 71,000 active-duty members were surveyed. Eighty percent said they heard anti-gay speech, and 5 percent said they saw a violent anti-gay assault.
According to The Detroit News, Ford is feeling the hit from the right-wing Christian boycott of the car company for its decision to not pull advertising in LGBT publications, as well as its sponsorship of LGBT events and support for gay organizations. The item stated that some dealerships across the country say the boycott is starting to impact sales.
Students at a California high school are considering filing a lawsuit after being suspended for wearing anti-gay shirts, reported 365gay.com . During the National Day of Silence, several conservative students wore shirts that said 'Homosexuality is a sin. Jesus can set you free.' Thirteen students were suspended for two days.
Two gay California figure skaters are suing an ice skating rink for twice ordering the pair to stop holding hands while they skated. The suit against Berkeley Iceland has been filed in Alameda County Superior Court. The Argus reported that management claims the skaters were asked to stop due to safety concerns.
