The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has decided that Lorenzo Taylor, a man who was denied a job as a Foreign Service Officer because of his HIV status, has 'more than enough' evidence for the case to go to trial, according to a press release from Lambda Legal, which filed the lawsuit. In charging Condoleezza Rice with HIV-based discrimination, Lambda Legal says that the policy used actually violates the Federal Rehabilitation Act.
In a unanimous decision cheered by child welfare advocates, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that the state cannot ban gays and lesbians from becoming foster parents because there is no link between their sexual orientation and a child's well-being, CBS5.com reported. Pointing to the findings of a lower court that overturned the ban, the court criticized the Child Welfare Agency Review Board's reasons for enacting the regulation. Rita Sklar, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, which fourght the legal battle for seven years, said that 'The Arkansas Supreme Court clearly understood what social scientists and every respected child welfare organization have been saying for years: There is no reason to deprive children of good homes by excluding lesbian and gay people from serving as foster parents.'
In his first appearance before a gay-rights organization, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told the Log Cabin Republicans that no one should be judged by his or her sexual orientation, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. 'Whether you're gay or straight, everyone needs someone to love,' Schwarzenegger told the crowd. According to the Los Angeles Times, the governor's chief of staff and personal assistant are both gay.
The White House issued its first statements ever regarding 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' during a press briefing, U.S. Newswire relayed. Press Secretary Tony Snow said the Bush Administration's position on the policy is 'well-established.' When asked about the law, Snow first stated 'I will defer all questions about military personnel policies to the Department of Defense.'
On National HIV Testing Day ( June 27 ) , The Know Now Organization ( TKNO ) launched its irapid HIV testing service, which produces results in 20 minutes. Metropolitan areas with the service include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami and Washington D.C. See www.tkno.org for more info.
The Pentagon no longer deems homosexuality a mental disorder, according to The Washington Post. However, the reversal has no impact on U.S. policy prohibiting openly gay people from serving in the military. After a 1996 Pentagon document placing homosexuality among a list of 'certain mental disorders' came to light, the American Psychiatric Association and some legislators asked the Defense Department to change its view.
A bipartisan group of U.S. House members condemned the recent anti-gay violence that occurred during Russia's first gay pride festival in the Moscow. Fifty federal lawmakers, including Barney Frank, D-Mass., Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin denouncing the violence and criticizing the actions of Moscow's mayor, which they viewed as homophobic, according to a release from Frank's office.
In California, the results of an official Democratic primary ballot recount revealed that openly gay Palm Springs Mayor Ron Oden lost his bid to run for the General Assembly in this November's election, 365Gay.com reported. Oden lost out to former Assemblyman Steve Clute by 89 votes.
In Florida, gay-rights advocate, AIDS activist and historic preservationist Luis Penelas, Jr., died of pancreatic cancer at 53. He was the outspoken brother of Alex Penelas, a former mayor of Miami-Dade County.