The Vatican says it has no liability in a case involving a allegedly predatory priest who worked in the United States, according to the New York Times. A man identified only as "John Doe" has filed a lawsuit against the Vatican, claiming a Roman Catholic priest named Father Andrew Ronan allegedly abused the victim in Portland, Ore., after he had reportedly molested boys in Ireland and Chicago, Ill. ( Donan passed away in 1992. ) The Vatican's attorney, Jeffrey Lena, said his client would prove that Ronan was not an employee of the Vatican.
In Tennessee, a three-judge panel of the state's appellate court unanimously ruled in favor of a lesbian mother whose partner had been barred from being at home during the mother's overnight visits with her children, according to an ACLU press release. In so ruling, the court overturned a lower-court decision that had used a so-called "paramour provision" to ban said partner. James Esseks—director of the ACLU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project—said, "Hopefully such a stern rebuke from the appeals court will send a loud and clear message to judges across the state that these kinds of restrictions are unduly burdensome on lesbian and gay parents who are just as capable of being good parents but don't have the option of marrying."
At the recent Twin Cities Pride festival in Minneapolis, Minn., members of the local chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans distributed condoms with wrappers that read, "Drill, baby, drill! ...just don't spill" in the wake of the Gulf Coast oil spill, according to Advocate.com . The wrapper added "just don't spill" to the "Drill, baby, drill" slogan first invoked by Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele two years ago. Log Cabin Republicans of Minnesota spokesman Alan Shilepsky said that the wording "was such a no-brainer."
Speaking of the Twin Cities Pride Festival, anti-gay evangelist Brian Johnson handed out Bibles at the event—a day after a federal judge allowed him to do so, according to KSTP.com . Johnson—who was arrested last year and charged with trespassing while at the festival—traveled from Wisconsin to be in Minneapolis' Loring Park. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. District Judge John Tunheim ruled that banning Johnson would have limited his freedom of expression.
Alan Medinger, a leader in the "ex-gay" organization Exodus International, died June 28, according to an Advocate.com item. Medinger was the first executive director of Exodus North America, and then started Regeneration Ministries, which reportedly offers "healing and support for men and women wanting to overcome homosexual brokenness," according to its website.
In California, two people were shot at a June 28 vigil in San Francisco for Stephen Powell, 19, who himself was fatally gunned down June 26 during that city's Gay Pride celebration, according to MercuryNews.com . The two victims of the June 28 shootings, men aged 20 and 21, were expected to fully recover. Ed Perkins, 20, has been charged with murder in Powell's case.
In Connecticut, people are investigating the death of revered gay journalist Michael Collins, 63, an ex-Associated Press broadcast editor who succumbed to antifreeze poisoning, according to an Advocate.com item. Orange, Conn., Police Chief Robert Gagne said that detectives are looking into "some unusual circumstances." Collins was in the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.
Google has begun covering an additional cost gay and lesbian workers have to pay for domestic-partner health benefits, according to the New York Times. Federal law dictates that domestic-partner health benefits are taxable income. The increase will be retroactive to the start of 2010, and adds to a list of unusual benefits Google provides, including free laundry, free food and five months of maternity leave with full benefits and pay.
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, will honor Out & Equal Workplace Advocates at the Respect Awards-Los Angeles, Oct. 8 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, according to a GLSEN press release. The Respect Awards, held yearly in Los Angeles and New York, recognize leaders who have helped GLSEN's efforts to ensure safe schools for all students. Past award recipients include Lance Bass, producer Darren Star, producer/director Shonda Rhimes and Disney/ABC Television Group.
In California, lesbian councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan is running for Oakland's mayoral seat, according to 365Gay.com . Kaplan, 39, was elected to city council two years ago; if she becomes mayor, she would be the first out mayor in a mayor Bay Area city. The Bay Citizen has reported that Oakland has the largest per capita lesbian population in the country.
In New York, a Brooklyn court found Keith Phoenix guilty for beating a man to death because he thought the victim was gay, Advocate.com reported. Phoenix fatally beat José Sucuzhañay in 2008 after the attacker and a friend, Keith Scott, mistakenly thought Sucuzhañay and his brother, Romel, were a couple. Phoenix could receive 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced in August; Scott could get 25 years.
Openly gay U.S. Congressman Jared Polis has endorsed Adrian Fenty in the latter's bid to be re-elected mayor of Washington, D.C., according to the Washington Post. Polis voiced his support of Fenty in front of approximately 100 LGBT individuals in the district's Logan Circle club June 30. Although Fenty signed a marriage-equality bill last year, he recently lost the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club's mayoral endorsement to opponent/city council chair Vincent Gray.
In Connecticut, Hartford City Council President Pedro Segarra has been sworn in as mayor, giving the city its first openly gay leader ever, according to Bay Windows. Segarra is finishing the term of elected Mayor Eddie Perez, who resigned after being convicted on corruption charges. Segarra, who is also an attorney, said, "I'm stepping in at a time of crisis. That takes some of the [ political ] pressure off of the job."
In Oklahoma, members of the pro-LGBT Cimarron Alliance Foundation are upset that a person has taped the word "repent" next to the group's street banners, according to KFOR.com . Scott J. Hamilton, executive director of the foundation, said, "There's a sadness in that for me because it's saying that, for some people, hatred remains a family or state value. I don't believe that. I don't believe the general public feels that way." The foundation had planned on contacting officials to have the "repent" signs removed.
CityPages has listed its top five anti-gay individuals who turned out to be closeted gay people. Counting down from number five, they are Ted Haggard, George Rekers ( caught with the escort from Rentboy.com ) , California state Sen. Roy Ashburn ( who once voted against a day recognizing Harvey Milk ) , Florida state Rep. Bob Allen ( who offered an undercover cop $20 to perform a sex act ) and former U.S. Sen. Larry Craig.
Some good news for all people who are considered high-risk for lung cancer is a new blood test that assists doctors in risk assessment and early detection of lung cancer, which can improve the prognosis for lung cancer patients, according to a press release from Oncimmune LLC. The new test, EarlyCDT-Lung, has "40% sensitivity and 90% specificity," which means the test "detects 40% of lung cancers, including early stage disease ( stages I and II ) , and the overall accuracy of the test is greater than 88%." For more information about EarlyCDT-Lung and how to get the test visit www.oncimmune.com .
The Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for AIDS Intervention Research ( CAIR ) has received a five-year, $2.5-million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health to investigate the impact of criminal HIV-disclosure laws. Results of this study—entitled entitled "A Multi-State Analysis of the Impact of HIV Exposure Laws,"—will help inform HIV-related legislation, which is often drafted without the benefit of scientific evidence. Results will also inform policy discussions on the role of the criminal law in efforts to contain the disease.
Google honored Mexican bisexual artist Frida Kahlo July 6 on its homepage, marking her 103rd birthday. Kahlo, who died in 1954, was the subject of the Google Doodle, a special logo, according to Advocate.com . Kahlo endured many hardships, including polio at age 6 and a serious bus accident at age 18 that broke her spinal column and crushed her right foot, according to Wikipedia. She did marry artist Diego Rivera, but had affairs with men and women, including dancer Josephine Baker.
Carrie Prejean—who initially made headlines with her anti-same-sex-marriage stance during a Miss USA pageant—got married herself, tying the knot with Oakland Raiders quarterback Kyle Boller July 2 in San Diego, Calif., according to Advocate.com . They were married at the Grand Del Mar Hotel, which is owned by Doug Manchester, who supports the anti-marriage-equality initiative Prop 8. Prejean lost her Miss California crown after the pageant; she then tried to sue, but dropped the lawsuit when a sex tape involving her became public.
Zach Rosen, the web editor who promised to strip if he won the scholarship to the activist gathering NetRoots Nation, has captured the award—and will fulfill his promise, according to Advocate.com . Rosen was selected as the winner from 10 finalists for the meeting, which will be held in Las Vegas July 22-25. Rosen plans to send a photo ( showing full-frontal nudity ) to Fleshbot.com .
Amtrak is directing $250,000 toward a multimedia campaign for LGBT customers—marking the first such venture, Advocate.com reported. Representative Karina Romero said, "We are always looking for new ways to reach potential passengers and this community travels a lot." Not surprisingly, gay-rights groups applauded the move, while conservative organizations are against it.
