Rep. Paul Ryan—the GOP vice-presidential candidate in the last election—said he now regrets voting against adoption rights for Washington, D.C.'s, same-sex couples, according to Advocate.com . Ryan made the statement at a town-hall meeting in Wisconsin after a constituent confronted him on his poor rating on the Human Rights Campaign's legislative index. He said he regretted voting against the bill, and said same-sex couples are capable of providing loving homes for children.
The Philadelphia City Council passed a first-of-its-kind LGBT equality bill April 25, according to Philadelphia Gay News. The measure, which passed 14 votes to three, would not only give a tax-credit incentive to businesses that offered employee health plans that would include same-sex partners and children, but it would also include a substantial amount of benefits to the transgender community as well. The bill, which Councilman Jim Kenney introduced, would revamp the city's health care plan to ban discrimination against non-union transgender city employees and would instate a transgender health tax credit that would allow companies to offer healthcare-specific needs to the transgender community.
Several students and parents in Indiana are campaigning to have a local high school throw a "traditional prom" that bans gays and lesbians from attending, according to the New York Daily News. The group, which also includes a teacher, met at the Sullivan First Christian Church recently to discuss why Sullivan High School in Sullivan, Ind., should bar out gay people from its annual event. Sullivan High School principal David Springer said the school is not affiliated with the "traditional prom" plans in any way.
Apple is under fire for blocking the sale of a comic book that features two "postage stamp-sized" images of gay sex, after previous issues of the comic that featured larger issues of heterosexual orgies were allowed through its censors, according to the New Statesman. The comic in question is issue number 12 of Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples' SAGA. However, David Steinberger—the CEO of digital-comics distribution platform comiXology has said that—said that his company actually blocked the issue, claiming that the censorship was not because of "depictions of gay sex."
The Idaho Transportation Department is now allowing transgender people to correct the gender marker on their license without showing proof that they have undergone surgery, Advocate.com reported. The revision comes after the ACLU approached the department with concerns about two transgender Idahoans, who tried to amend their licenses to list their accurate gender identity; however, the department cancelled after realizing the residents had not submitted proof of gender-confirming surgery.
A Democratic state senator who holds what many have seen as a swing vote on Minnesota's gay-marriage bill said he will vote to legalize it, according to SouthFloridaGayNews.com . State Sen. Kent Eken—who represents a northwestern Minnesota district where 53 percent of voters backed last fall's failed bid to outlaw same-sex marriage—said he came to his decision to support the current marriage-equality bill after hearing from many constituents.
Rhode Island moved toward becoming the 10th state in the nation and the last in New England to approve same-sex marriage after its state Senate voted 26-12 to approve a bill extending marriage rights, CNN reported. Though the House version of the bill passed by a vote of 51 -19 in January, the Senate amended it, "so it needs to go back to the House, where it has solid support," Senate press secretary Greg Pare said. Gov. Lincoln Chafee, an independent, backs the measure.
GLSEN is launching a revamped tool as part of its ThinkB4YouSpeak Ad Council campaign to demonstrate how often anti-LGBT language is used on Twitter, according to a press release. The #ThinkB4YouSpeak Twitter Counter shows in real time the number of tweets containing anti-LGBT language, with a live feed showing actual tweets containing "fag," "dyke" or "so gay."
In Pennsylvania, transgender high school student Issak Wolfe, who was denied a bid to become prom king, is getting support from social media communities, the Huffington Post reported. Instead of putting Wolfe's name on the ballot for "king," school principal Mark Shue allegedly put his birth name on the ballot for "prom queen" in a situation Wolfe called humiliating. Wolfe's story was posted to the Facebook page "Have a Gay Day" on April 20, where it has since garnered more than 3,000 "likes." In addition, a Change.org petition involving Wolfe has more than 2,000 signatures.
The deputy chief of staff to former Minnesota Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has written an op-ed calling for acceptance of same-sex marriage within the state's GOP, according to Advocate.com . Brian McClung, who now runs a PR firm, published an op-ed in the Star-Tribune entitled "Minnesota GOP should back same-sex marriage." Among other thinsg, McClung warns that unless the GOP finds a way to reach out to younger voters—who overwhelmingly support marriage equality—the party risks "losing their support for decades."
A man from Kent, Wash., has been arrested and charged with felony rape and robbery after he allegedly sexually assaulted at least one man he met through the gay-networking site Growlr, Advocate.com noted. Leverne Lee Maxwell, 32,has seven felony counts related to a weeklong crime spree where police say he contacted men on Growlr, arranged dates and then sexually assaulted his victims at gunpoint before robbing them.
The Mormon Church, which has historically opposed same-sex marriage, said that it supported the Boy Scouts of America's recently proposed rule change that "no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone," according to the L.A. Times. The new policy, which officials said would be voted upon at a May meeting for enactment in 2014, still bans openly gay leaders—a move that infuriated some activists, who said it implied gays were likely to be child molesters.
Reacting to a wave of criticism, the president of San Francisco's annual gay pride celebration said that Bradley Manning—the U.S. Army private charged in a massive leak of U.S. secrets to the WikiLeaks website—will not be an honorary grand marshal after all, according to an Associated Press item. SF Pride Board President Lisa Williams said in a statement that an employee of the organization had prematurely notified Manning that he had been selected for the distinction. Some gay-rights activists, especially those with military connections, were against celebrating Manning, who is in custody at a military prison in Kansas while he awaits court-martial and would have been unable to attend the June 30 parade.
A U.S. government study of an experimental HIV vaccine has been halted effective immediately because the vaccine did not prevent HIV infection in some volunteers, according to CBS News. The study, called the "HVTN 505 clinical trial," kicked off in 2009 and had enrolled about 2,500 people in 19 cities. A scheduled safety review on April 22 found that slightly more volunteers—men who have sex with men and transgender people who have sex with men—who had received the vaccine later became infected with HIV.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) issued a statement criticizing the choice of Pastor Greg Laurie as honorary chairman of the National Day of Prayer (May 2). The statement says that Laurie's organization, Harvest Ministries, claims LGBT people are "denying and disobeying God." Dr. Sharon Groves, director of HRC's Religion & Faith Program, said, "Pastor Laurie's offensive teachings stand in direct contradiction to the core values of many people of faith and an increasing number of religious institutions that have encouraged full inclusion. It is time for him to listen to the religious voices that recognize supporting all LGBT people as a faith value."
Lambda Legal will host the 27th Annual Liberty Awards National Dinner May 6 at Chelsea Piers, according to a press release. The organization is marking its 40th anniversary at the gala, which will honor Jeffrey Fashion Cares on its 10th anniversary of providing funding and events for LGBT and HIV awareness. Lesbian comedian Kate Clinton will host.
Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro, eventually received the go-ahead to attend the Equality Forum conference in Philadelphia, where she will receive an award, according to Pink News. The State Department had previously refused Mariela entry, citing a rule that bars Cuban diplomats from traveling more than 25 miles from central Manhattan. Mariela Castro—the niece of retired leader Fidel Castro and the director of Cuba's National Centre for Sex Education—is to speak at a panel May 4.
On the same day the Employment Non-Discrimination Act was re-introduced in Congress, Oregon elementary school principal Tom Klansnic said goodbye to his students after the district declined to renew his contract—allegedly because the educator revealed he is gay, according to Advocate.com . Klansnic had been the principal of North Gresham Elementary School in Gresham, Ore., for 10 years. Klansnic contends that the school's decision not to rehire him is related to the principal's divorce from his wife three years ago, after which he publicly came out as gay.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate April 25, according to the Huffington Post. Co-sponsors include Democrats Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Tom Harkin (Iowa) and Tammy Baldwin (Wis.) as well as Republicans Mark Kirk (Ill.) and Susan Collins (Maine); a companion bill has been introduced in the House by Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). A joint statement from the ACLU, Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Transgender Law Center reflected a mixed reaction to the development because of a religious exemption in the new bill.
Carla Hale—the Ohio high school physical-education teacher fighting her dismissal because the name of her lesbian partner appeared in Hale's mother's obituary—lost a request to be reinstated, according to Gay Star News. Hale, who taught at Columbus' Bishop Watterson High School, has garnered plenty of support, including an online petition with more than 60,000 signatures.
The Medical College of Wisconsin's (MCW) Center for AIDS Intervention Research (CAIR) will present a one-day conference, "Fronteras y Barreras/Borders and Barriers: Addressing Latino Immigrant Experiences with Health, Healthcare, and HIV in the United States," Monday, May 13, at the Italian Conference Center in Milwaukee, according to a press release. Nationally recognized experts will present recent research on issues facing Latino immigrants, and provide opportunities for attendees to discuss best practices for addressing these barriers.
U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judge Harry Pregerson recently ruled that Oregon's ban on gay marriage violates the U.S. Constitution, according to On Top Magazine. In 2004, voters approved Measure 36, which amended the Oregon Constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual union. "Under rational basis review, Measure 36 does not pass constitutional muster," wrote Pregerson, who also ruled the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. "Here, Oregon does not state any reason for preventing same-sex couples from marrying."
Lesbian Georgia couple Kacey Frierson and Chwanda Nixon had a civil union in Illinois earlier this year—but decided to get all of their kids in a van and hit the road for an "I Do" Marathon: nine marriages in eight cities in 10 days, according to Out.com . In an interview, they said that their favorite place was New York City and that there were nine of them in a seven-passenger van—but that they'd do it all over again.
Journalist and feminist Mary Thom, a former executive editor of Ms. magazine, was killed Friday in a motorcycle accident in Yonkers, N.Y., according to NPR.org . She was 68. Thom, who was editor-in-chief of the nonprofit Women's Media Center, wrote Inside Ms.: 25 Years of the Magazine and the Feminist Movement, and co-edited an oral history of former congresswoman and feminist Bella Abzug.
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, announced Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School of Honolulu will receive the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) of the Year award at GLSEN's Respect Award in New York on May 20, according to a press release. Farrington was Honolulu's first public high school in the state to have a GSA. Writer and prominent transgender advocate Janet Mock graduated from Farrington High School in 2001; she will be present at the GLSEN Respect Awards to celebrate with her alma mater.
Seeking to make history, transgender woman Jamie Shiner is running for second vice chair of the Democratic Party in the state, according to the Wisconsin Gazette. Shiner is already the first out trans person elected from Wisconsin to the Democratic National Convention. She is the second vice chair of the Democratic Party of Brown County; a member of the resolution and platform committee in the 8th Congressional District; vice chair of the state party's LGBT caucus; and a member of Equality Wisconsin's endorsement board.
An assistant federal public defender and her wife are entitled to federal health benefits despite state and federal laws banning same-sex marriage, a 9th Circuit judge ruled, according to Courthouse News. Alison Clark—who works for the federal public defender's office in Portland, Ore.—sued the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts after it denied her request for spousal health benefits last July. Clark and her partner, Anna Campbell, were married in British Columbia in June 2012; their marriage is not recognized by the state of Oregon or the federal government.
A group of students delivered a petition with 4,000 signatures to all-women Smith College after refusing to consider the application of transgender student Calliope Wong, according to Advocate.com . Smith College does have protocol to welcome transgender students, only as long as they legally identify as female at the time of admission; the school's policy also accepts transgender men if they make the transition after they become students. Wong has identified as female throughout her adolescence, but her FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) identifies Wong as male.
Idaho GOP politician Walter Steed has been censured by members of his party for voting in support of an antidiscrimination law through his job as a city council member, according to Advocate.com . Members of the party voted 7-6 to censure Steed for voting in favor of a law that would make it a misdemeanor offense to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The city council unanimously passed the law April 1.
In Ohio, a body found in a pond near Cleveland was identified as that of a transgender woman who was reported missing a month ago, according to Advocate.com . Cemia Acoff, 20, had been stabbed to death, and there was a rope around her waist that was tied to a concrete block and a steel pipe. Activists have objected to the way Cleveland media reported the story, with references to Acoff's body being "oddly dressed" (in a tank top and bra); describing her as a man even after the discovery of her name and the fact that she identified as female; and discussion of her police record.
Las Vegas drag queen Kenny Kerr, known for his over-the-top impersonations of celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Cher, died at age 60, according to 8NewsNow.com . His very first show in town was at the Silver Slipper. In 1999, Kerr became the first female impersonator to be inducted into the Tropicana's Hall of Fame.
U.S. Senate Republicans have said that a gay-inclusive version of the immigration-reform bill will probably not pass, according to Politico.com . "It will virtually guarantee that it won't pass," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a member of the Gang of Eight negotiating group, said. "This issue is a difficult enough issue as it is. I respect everyone's views on it. But ultimately, if [the issue of allowing gay Americans to sponsor their foreign-born partners for green cards] is injected into this bill, the bill will fail and the coalition that helped put it together will fall apart."
