Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has defended a radio ad by his Super PAC that suggests Senator Ted Cruz is misleading Iowa voters on his opposition to marriage equality, according to On Top Magazine. At a Manhattan fundraiser, Cruz, an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, told a Republican supporter that "fighting gay marriage" would not be a "top-three priority" in his administration. Huckabee has defended the ad against critics who say it selectively edited Cruz's remarks, telling Fox News Sunday, "There was nothing selected. There was nothing deceptive."
Calling a person "she" instead of "ze" could be grounds for a $250,000 fine in New York City under new civil-rights guidelines published just before Christmas that ban the "misgendering" of individuals, Daily Caller reported. Discrimination based on gender identity has been illegal in New York since 2002, but the New York Commission on Human Rights released a new set of guidelines that specify the many ways one can violate the law. New York officials claim the new policy makes it the most aggressive city in the country in terms of protecting the rights of the transgender community.
A Virginia man who was savagely attacked over the holiday weekend says he's "so very thankful to be alive," LGBTQ Nation noted. Robert Drew Inge claims he's the victim of a hate crime after he was brutally beaten inside his own home on Christmas night. Among other things, Inge said he will need "dental work to have teeth that were stomped out of my face fixed."
In Pennsylvania, a former York College student who's openly gay has settled his more than $75,000 lawsuit against the school, which alleged he was discriminated against during a judicial hearing "so procedurally flawed as to virtually ensure the outcome against him," YDR.com reported. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane on Nov. 23 signed an order dismissing the case, which can be restored if the settlement is not completed.
In a recent interview with UBN Radio, trans activist/attorney Kylar W. Broadus, Esq. spoke openly about the state of the trans community along with its newest and most high-profiled member, Caitlyn Jenner, according to a press release. Broadus said it's hard for most trans people to relate to Caitlyn Jenner because they make less than $10K annually, and don't have access to the same resources. Also, despite a banner year of visibility for trans people, "most trans people are not employed because we're discriminated against in employment, in housing and in public," said Broadus. Lastly, Broadus described the violence against trans individuals as "an epidemic."
The National LGBTQ Task Force released a statement in response to the decision by a grand jury not to indict two Cleveland police officers for the killing of Tamir Rice, a 12-year old African-American child. National LGBTQ Task Force Deputy Executive Director said, in part, "Our court system failed Tamir Rice. Police should not be given a free pass to target and kill Black people with impunity. We must end excessive force and institute systems that actually hold police accountable. Police should be protecting communities from violence, not contributing to violence against marginalized communities, including Black people."
Supporters of amending Michigan's constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity cleared an initial procedural step, The Detroit News reported. The Board of State Canvassers approved the Fair Michigan ballot committee's petition form. The group must gather roughly 315,000 valid voter signatures to put the measure on the November statewide ballot. The amendment would add gender, gender identity, sex and sexual orientation protections to religion, race, color and national origin.
Commissioners in one small Tennessee county voted to advance a resolution they believe will ultimately lead to the legal reinstatement of their state law defining marriage as between only one man and one woman—and the overturning of the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision, according to The New Civil Rights Movement. The Unicoi County Commission voted unanimously to direct its county attorney to review two resolutions that ask the Tennessee General Assembly to uphold the state's unconstitutional law banning same-sex marriage. The Family Action Council of Tennessee ( FACT )—an anti-gay and anti-choice group—gave a presentation before the vote that reportedly claimed these resolutions will lead to a constitutional convention that would overturn Obergefell.
Texas state officials will fund a long-standing Planned Parenthood program that has conducted 140,000 HIV tests and given out 300,000 condoms to Houston-area residents over the past two decades, Chron.com reported. The Department of State Health Services informed Planned Parenthood of the decision, saying it would not renew a contract that was set to expire Dec. 31. The move will deprive the women's-health organization of $600,000 in annual federal funding for HIV testing and counseling as well as condom distribution, among other services.
An Oregon bakery that refused to make a cake for a lesbian couple and then refused to pay the $135,000 damages award that ensued has decided to finally pay up, according to a Newser item. Aaron Klein, co-owner of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, paid $136,927.07 to settle the damages and interest. Klein and wife Melissa were ordered to pay damages after authorities decided they had violated the civil rights of the two women who ordered a wedding cake.
Jon Buice—the last of the so-called "Woodlands 10" still in prison for the Montrose bar district attack on gay Houston banker Paul Broussard—was released on parole to Montgomery County, Chron.com reported. The release of Buice on parole ( he agreed to serve 45 years in a plea bargain ) has been hotly contested through a series of hearings before members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Broussard, 27, was fatally stabbed as he and two companions left a Montrose-area nightclub early on July 4, 1991.
After more than 10 years and numerous appeals, a well-respected urologist has been expelled from a teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School for questioning its celebration of LGBT-related events, TheCollegeFix.com reported. The board of directors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center ( BIDMC ) revoked the appointment of Paul Church as a 28-year member of the medical staff. Church—who has claimed his appointments at two other hospitals have been jeopardized because of the board's rejection of his final appeal Dec. 8—said, "Medicine has an obligation, a commitment to be honest about the consequences of behaviors in the homosexual lifestyle, at the most remain neutral to it, and to not merely endorse such a dangerous behavior."
U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton denied FedEx's attempt to throw out a lawsuit filed by Stacey Schuett, a widow of a longtime FedEx employee who has been denied the survivor pension benefits her same-sex spouse earned during her career with the company, according to an NCLR press release. FedEx has not provided the benefits because its pension plan incorporates the now-unconstitutional federal Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ), which was struck down as unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in United States v. Windsor on June 26, 2013.
HIV-dating app Hzone experienced a data leak in mid-December during what organizers called a "service optimization process"—but the leak has reportedly been plugged, HIVPlusMag.com reported. According to DataBreaches.net—which tracks information leaks across technology, apps and websites—the data leak affected nearly 5,000 Hzone users. This included personal information such as birthdates, names, IP addresses, sexual orientation, credit-card information ( for premium accounts ) and HV status.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has announced that Jeff Guaracino, an openly gay man who formerly ran the Atlantic City Alliance in New Jersey, will now run the 4th of July party as head of he City of Brotherly Love's Welcome America, according to CBS Philly. Guaracino—who was a part of the marketing effort for Philadelphia tourism prior to taking the Atlantic City position—said he likes the challenge of tying in Welcome America with the Democratic National Convention that will be held in late July. Also, Kinney has appointed lesbian Anne Fadullon as director of the Planning and Development Cabinet, Philadelphia Gay News noted.
In Philadelphia, a man wielding a sledgehammer drew attention to himself when he began pounding away at a rainbow crosswalk in Center City, according to Queerty. Police say they don't have any suspects or motives in the case, which was installed last summer. The man was later identified as an employee of the city's water department who was on duty, according to NewNowNext.
Tom Dyer, founder of Florida LGBT biweekly newspaper Watermark, has sold the publication to his longtime publisher and associate Rick Claggett, TheGaVoice.com noted. Dyer founded Watermark in Orlando in 1994 with $20,000 borrowed from friends and expanded to Tampa Bay the following year, tripling the publication's size. Up to 20,000 of the newspapers are now distributed every Thursday at more than 500 locations in Orlando, Tampa Bay, Sarasota and other areas of Florida.
In Muncie, Indiana, the Mark III Tap Room, a gay bar, closed Dec. 31, IndyStar.com noted. Keith, Natasha and Heather Martz, who have owned the iconic downtown bar for the past four years, blame the pending closure on legal problems related to the previous owner. The Mark III dates back to at least 1974 at its current location, according to listings for 107 E. Main St. in Muncie city directories. Past newspaper accounts quote original owner Ralph Hannon as saying he started the bar in 1970 along Walnut Street before moving to the Main Street location.
Ride-sharing service Lyft has named West Hollywood spot The Abbey as the top U.S. bar destination, according to WeHoVille.com . The Abbey is one of more than 60 restaurants, bars, event venues, transit stops and local attractions that will receive "Lyftie Awards" in Lyft's top markets across the United States, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, Seattle, Austin, Nashville and Miami.
Two top aides in U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson's campaign have resigned, Fox Business reported. Communications director Doug Watts announced his and campaign manager Barry Bennett's resignations effective immediately in a statement, saying they respect the retired neurosurgeon and have enjoyed helping him reach "top tier status" in the crowded Republican field.
