A California appeals court ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriage does not violate the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians, according to media reports. In reversing the March 2005 ruling of a San Francisco trial judge, the 1st District Court of Appeal decided that the ban does not discriminate because of the California's domestic partner law. Marriage Equality USA expressed disappointment with the decision and will hold pro-gay marriage community events.
Wendy Becker and Mary Norton, the Rhode Island lesbian couple that won a won a court battle to get married in Massachusetts, exchanged vows on Oct. 8 in Attleboro, Mass., 365Gay.com reported. In doing so, they becoame the first out-of-state same-sex couple to legally wed in the state. On Sept. 29, Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly ruled that local officials may issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian residents of Rhode Island.
New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine said that if the legislature tries to override the Supreme Court of New Jersey and ban same-sex marriage, he would refuse to sign the measure, 365Gay.com reported. The court is expected to rule any day now on a case involving gay couples who want to marry.
West Virginia State Sen. Randy White, D-11th District, said that he would continue his campaign for a second term despite the embarrassment of revealing photos of him aired on a Charleston television station, according to The Washington Post. White blamed a former employee for stealing the photos from his computer, in which some show him nude and others show at least two men whose bodies were painted.
In California, the GLBT and AIDS communities are stunned by the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's latest message that HIV is a gay disease and the accompanying tag line, 'Own It. End It,' according to the L.A. Times. The center contends that it is trying to reach gay men who have become complacent about HIV and AIDS. In Los Angeles County, about three-quarters of HIV cases are among men who have had sex with other men.
Sen Sam Brownback, R-Kan., is delaying a Michigan judge's nomination to the federal bench because she reportedly helped lead a commitment ceremony for a lesbian couple in Massachusetts four years ago, 365Gay.com reported. Brownback, an opponent of gay marriage, also wants to question Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Janet T. Neff about her views on the issue.
The Stonewall Libertarians have released a statement saying that former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's, R-Fla., did nothing illegal or immoral. 'If [ Foley's ] conduct took place in Washington D.C., where the age of consent is 16, [ he ] could have had consensual sex with those male pages without committing any crime,' the statement reads. 'Written communication with male pages who registered on Mark Foley's gaydar screen shouldn't be turned into a shameful or immoral act.'
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, D-California, was one of several members of the Congressional Black Caucus who took an HIV test on Capitol Hill recently, according to an item on BlackAIDS.org . Among those joining Lee were Corrine Brown of Florida, Donna Christian-Christensen of the Virgin Islands and Melvin L. Watt of North Carolina.
Family Pride will honor Rev. Gene Robinson at its national awards dinner on Oct. 14 in Los Angeles's Bel Age Hotel. Robinson is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States—and first openly gay priest to be ordained to the episcopate.
In Missouri, a crowd jammed the Marshall City Council chamber during a public hearing held by the city's public library board of trustees to discuss removing two books, including Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, according to The Marshall Democrat-News. ( Bechdel draws Dykes To Watch Out For, which has appeared in gay papers, including Windy City Times, for years. ) A decision is expected Oct. 11.
The Ivy League is now unanimous in banning discrimination against student, faculty or staff based on gender identity or expression after Yale University announced that it will adopt such protections in its employment and student admissions policies, according to a press release from the advocacy group GenderPAC. Hugh Baran, GenderYOUTH activist and coordinator of Yale's Queer Political Action Committee ( QPAC ) , said in the statement that ' [ t ] his is a tremendous first step toward making Yale a more safe place for all its students, faculty and staff, regardless of their gender identity or expression.'
University of Missouri-Columbia students have launched a crusade to rename the student union building because it is named in honor of Thomas A. Brady, a former dean tried to rid the campus of gay students and professors more than a 50 years ago, Advocate.com reported. However, Brady's son, also named Thomas A. Brady, an emeritus professor at the University of California-Berkeley, feels that his father is being held to an unfair standard.
