In Oregon, the recent prohibition of gay marriage that was approved by the state's voters has been challenged in court, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported. Basic Rights Oregon filed a lawsuit in Marion County Circuit Court in Salem, arguing that the ban revises the fundamental principles of the Oregon Constitution rather than merely amending it. 'Using the constitution to treat some Oregonians differently violates every Oregon tradition of fairness and is an insult to the spirit of the Oregon Constitution,' said Roey Thorpe, the group's executive director.
As President Bush introduced his 2006 budget on Feb. 7, the Human Rights Campaign issued a statement expressing concern about the requested funding of crucial HIV/AIDS programs. With the exception of modest increases for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program ( ADAP ) and the National Institutes for Health, most other programs that affect people living with HIV/AIDS were flat-funded or saw budget cuts. 'This budget does not reflect the concern President Bush showed during his State of the Union for HIV and AIDS care and prevention,' said HRC Vice President of Policy David M. Smith. The Ryan White CARE Act, which addresses the unmet health needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS, received a modest $10 million increase, all of which is earmarked for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program ( ADAP ) . All other programs covered by the Ryan White CARE Act were flat funded.
In Utah, Democrats named gay-rights advocate Scott McCoy to the state Senate, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The move made him Utah's second openly gay lawmaker and set up a potentially interesting matchup in the conservative legislature. Recently, McCoy, as vice chairman of Equality Utah, criticized senators for defeating a Senate bill that would have given two adults marriage-like rights.
In Kansas, the state House approved an amendment to the Kansas Constitution banning gay marriage and civil unions, placing the measure on the April 5 ballot, PlanetOut reported. The vote was 86-37, three more than the two-thirds majority necessary. The proposed amendment declares that only couples in a traditional marriage of one man and one woman are entitled to the benefits associated with marriage. The Senate approved the measure last month.
A judge has awarded $6,150 to a Spokane ( Wash. ) woman to settle a dispute over property her lesbian partner bought during their 11-year relationship and sold after they separated, the Associated Press reported. The amount was far less than Roseanne Day wanted from Linda Kelsh, who retired Spokane County Superior Court Judge Harold Clarke said bore the majority of household costs during the couple's relationship that ended in December 2002.
The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association ( GLMA ) condemned the decision of the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS ) not to distribute an episode of Postcards From Buster that was scheduled to run Feb. 2 and included lesbian mothers. Earlier in the week Pat Mitchell, the president of PBS, and other PBS officials had deemed the episode entitled 'Sugarland' appropriate. However, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings later denounced the program, saying, according to The New York Times, that 'many parents would not want children exposed to a lesbian lifestyle.' In a statement, GLMA President Tri Do, MD, said that ' [ i ] t's unfortunate that PBS would cave into homophobic pressure from Secretary Spellings and the Department of Education.'
Parents in DeKalb County, Ga., challenged school district officials about a new federally funded abstinence-only sex education program being introduced in eighth-grade health classes, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Instead, the parents want more comprehensive information to be included. During a presentation for the abstinence-until-marriage Choosing the Best program, about 50 parents said students should receive more 'thorough' information about pregnancy and STD prevention.
In Virginia, the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston experienced what it had feared the most, as a vandal destroyed the sign the church put out in front several months ago in support of marriage for same-sex couples. TimesCommunity.com reported someone tore the sign, which states that 'Civil Marriage is a Civil Right,' sometime between 4 and 6 p.m. Feb. 2.
Also in Virginia, several groups, including Equality Fairfax; Equality Virginia; the national capital area chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network; and the Human Rights Campaign called for the resignation of Stephen Hunt, a member of the Fairfax County School Board. Hunt sent a letter to school principals in Fairfax County touting the junk science of 'ex-gay' reparative therapy that reputable health organizations have renounced.
Composer Leonard Bernstein's last love has won a $2 million verdict against New York University ( NYU ) Medical Center for firing him on the basis of sexual orientation. Mark Taylor, who says he endured office gay-bashing and taunts like 'pansy,' won big when a Manhattan jury decided in less than 30 minutes that the medical center and a former department head, Peter Ferrara, had violated his civil rights. NYU, which also faces possible punitive damages, plans to appeal. Ferrara, who now works at Yeshiva University, denies Taylor's charges.
POZ, America's leading AIDS publication, will launch POZ PERSONALS, a free online 'dating-plus' site for people with AIDS. In a statement, POZ founder Sean Strub declared that ' [ t ] oo many people with HIV have suffered rejection in dating situations when disclosing they are positive.' The site will officially launch Feb. 14 -Valentine's Day.