BY ANDREW DAVIS
In Colorado, Lambda Legal has joined The Center's Legal initiative Project ( CLIP ) in representing Donald Moreau, who contends that he had to leave his job at Qwest Communications because of severe harassment related to his sexual orientation. Moreau, according to a Lambda Legal press release, began working for Qwest in 1999 and in 2001 was transferred to another department, where he suffered verbal attacks almost immediately.
Rex Ditto, one of two men on trial for the murder of Alan Shalleck, the man who collaborated on the 'Curious George' books, wants to fire his lawyer, 365Gay.com reported. Ditto and Vincent J. Puglisi are charged with last February's killing of the 76 year old, who was stabbed to death and robbed. Police determined that Shalleck met his killers through a gay sex listing service.
In Florida, Palm Beach County's school board is being criticized for blocking access to the Web sites of LGBT rights groups such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. However, the board still allows sites advocating the so-called ex-gay movement to be viewed, according to 365Gay.com .
Capitalizing on the promotion for www.hepteamchicago.com, the award-winning campaign it designed last summer in Chicago to promote hepatitis A and B vaccinations among men who have sex with men ( MSM ) , Toolbox has announced that it is creating similar campaigns in New York City, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Q-TV is no more. The company has announced that it is no longer transmitting, 365Gay.com reported. Lloyd Fan, Q's CEO, stated that he was unable to obtain sufficient financial backing for the company. When he took over, Fan fired the board of directors and founder Frank Olsen as well as the company's COO and CFO. Now, here! TV and Logo are the main LGBT stations in the country.
The Out in America Cities Network has announced a new partnership with the 'This Way Out' gay and lesbian radio program. On the air since 1988, 'This Way Out' is the multi-award-winning internationally distributed weekly gay and lesbian public radio program currently heard on more than 150 community radio stations globally.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced her support for legislation repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' 365Gay.com reported. She became the 116th member of Congress to do so.
Love Won Out, a controversial religious conference that, among other things, encourages gays and lesbians to change their sexual orientation, is coming to Maryland on June 10, the Washington Blade reported. Sponsored by the conservative group Focus on the Family, the event will be held at Immanuel's Church in Silver Spring.
In Maryland, the owner of the Happy Harbor Inn, a restaurant near the Chesapeake Bay, says an unidentified prankster changed a sign outside the restaurant's entrance to make it look like the site prohibits gays and Blacks from its premises, according to the Washington Blade. However, two people who saw the ''ATTENTION BIKERS: NO COLOREDS, FAGS, CLUB ATTIRE, ( no ) EXCEPTIONS' sign said it looked like it was professionally made.
Patrick Guerriero, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, will step down from his leadership post in September to helm the Gill Action Fund, a new non-partisan gay-rights organization. According to a Log Cabin press release, Guerriero's tenure is notable for, among other things, the increased visibility of women in the organization and his stance in opposing anti-gay constitutional amendments.
Rainbow Vision Santa Fe—a 183,000-square-foot full-service resort/retirement community for the LGBTA demographic—will celebrate its official grand opening on June 10, according to a press release. Among the amenities are the Billie Jean King Fitness Center & Spa, an on-site cabaret and biking trails.
The New York City-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, in a statement, applauded the United States for voting to support the applications of two lesbian and gay groups seeking United Nations consultative status. It was quite a different story in January, when the country voted with Iran and eight other nations to reject the applications.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has acquired information that shows that the armed forces discharged 742 LGB military personnel during the 2005 fiscal year—an average of two each day. The discharge rate has remained relatively consistent each year since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. According to an SLDN release, 668 people were discharged the previous fiscal year.
Lambda Legal's case for marriage for same-sex couples in New York will take place May 31 before the Court of Appeals. The organization won Hernandez v. Robles, the first case that the court has agreed to hear, at the trial-court level but the appellate court overturned that decision.
