THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Tea Party figure Christine O'Donnell walked off the set of Piers Morgan Tonight Aug. 17 after he asked her about same-sex marriage, according to a Chicago Tribune item. "I'm not being weird, you're being a little rude," the former U.S. Senate candidate from Delaware said to the host right before storming off the program's set. Morgan later tweeted, "Ms. O'Donnell wasn't happy about me quizzing her re views on witchcraft and sex. But really flipped at gay marriage Qs. Ripped mike and fled." The Wall Street Journal reported that O'Donnell doesn't harbor any hard feelings toward Morgan, but declined an invitation to return. O'Donnell later said on the Today Show that Morgan's line of question was "creepy."

In an interview with The Advocate, openly gay California State Sen. Mark Leno talked about politics and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In part, Leno said, "Something I want to bring up is that we, collectively, the Democrats of the California Legislature, have passed more legal protections for LGBT Californians than any other state has for its LGBT population. ... We take great pride that California's state legislature, six years before New York's, put a marriage-equality bill on our governor's desk—not just in 2005, but again in 2007. Of course, our own governor [Schwarzenegger] didn't understand his own marriage vows but that's another story."

Peter E. Waldron—who runs outreach to faith-based communities for Republican Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign—has been linked to a key supporter of Uganda's "Kill the Gays" bill, Advocate.com reported. Garance Franke-Ruta, a journalist with The Atlantic, discovered that Waldron, an evangelical pastor, was once imprisoned in Uganda for a supposed terrorism plot. While in Uganda, Waldron also visited the church of anti-gay pastor Martin Ssempa, who reportedly backs the measure.

The Vatican has published a set of files documenting the Catholic Church's case involving sex-abuse allegations against a U.S. priest, according to the Wall Street Journal. Vatican attorney Jeffrey Lena said in a statement that the Holy See posted the info on the Vatican Radio's website after a federal court in Portland, Ore., ordered the Vatican to turn over the documents to lawyers of a man who claims to have been abused by the late Rev. Andrew Ronan in the 1960s.

Lambda Legal announced the resolution of a discrimination complaint with the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) against the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Youth Study Center (YSC), among others, according to a press release. Lambda Legal filed the complaint on behalf of L.P., a now-18-year-old transgender woman whom other residents physically attacked and whom staff verbally abused every day for almost a year and a half when she lived in the youth facility. "Youth Study Center's new policies and trainings adopted as a result of this settlement will help to ensure that other transgender youth under the facility's care are safe and don't face discrimination because of who they are," said Flor Bermudez, youth in out-of-home care staff attorney for Lambda Legal.

The Obama administration has unveiled a new immigration policy that could enable many undocumented immigrants facing deportation to stay within the United States—and help binational same-sex couples in the process, according to the Washington Blade. Under the new rule, immigration authorities within the Obama administration will conduct a case-by-case review of the approximately 300,000 undocumented immigrants facing possible deportation to determine which cases are high-priority and low-priority. Those who have been convicted of crimes or pose a security risk will be a higher priority for deportation, while those who are deemed lower priority will have their cases pushed back.

In Pennsylvania, photographer Jennifer McKendrick nixed shooting senior photos for a group of high school girls she saw cyberbullying others, according to WTAE.com . "It was beyond 'your clothes are ugly' or 'you don't have any brand clothes' or 'you are ugly, your hair is not right.' It was vicious. It was talking about sexuality," McKendrick said. McKendrick took screen shots of the online comments and sent them to her clients' parents, canceling their sessions and refunding their $200 deposits.

Virginia's State Board of Social Services has added 30 days for public comment on new anti-discrimination language regarding adoption regulations—but it remains to be seen if that will result in a gay-inclusive policy, according to Advocate.com . The extension begins in September and will end Oct. 12, approximately a week before the board meets again. In April, after opposition from social conservatives, the board removed language from pending regulations that would have banned discrimination against prospective adoptive and foster parents on several bases, including sexual orientation.

The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board has dismissed a pair of campaign finance complaints filed by Common Cause Minnesota against the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and the Minnesota Family Council, the Minnesota Independent reported. Common Cause alleged that advertising by the two groups on an anti-gay marriage amendment in 2010 constituted lobbying. The board dismissed the complaint against the Minnesota Family Council because the group did not pay for the ads; regarding NOM, the board said, "There is no probable cause to believe that NOM engaged in activities during 2010 that would require it to report as a principal [lobbyist]."

Queer porn star/artist Madison Young has been accused of pedophilia for breast-feeding her baby, Advocate.com reported. At her art exhibit, "Becoming MILF," Young served self-made breast-milk shakes; discussed breast health; and displayed a baby quilt composed of burp cloths and porn-star panties. However, fellow porn star Furry Girl has criticized Young, tweeting that only "creeps and pedophiles" want to see a porn star breast-feed (referring to a photo of Young doing just that) and intimated that exposing her child to that audience was abusive.

In Rhode Island, marriage-equality advocate Patricia Baker has died of cancer, according to Boston.com . Baker was in the final stages of lung cancer when she testified on behalf of same-sex marriage legislation this year at the Statehouse. Baker and Deborah Tevyaw (pronounced TEV'-yah) married in Massachusetts but wanted their relationship recognized in their home state.

In Philadelphia, the William Way LGBT Community Center has withdrawn its partnership from a senior-housing initiative, according to the Philadelphia Gay News. The center's board of directors voted unanimously Aug. 9 to leave the project. Jeff Sotland, co-chair of the center's board of directors, said, "We continue to support the project, but our organizational priorities and the immediate needs of the center do not allow us to postpone our strategic planning or the renovation of the center for another year." The Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund—which is leading the project, along with development company Pennrose Properties—will seek another location for the residences.

Ouyang Wen Feng—Malaysia's first openly gay pastor—plans to marry his American partner, Broadway producer Phineas Newborn III, in New York Aug. 31, which is his home country's independence day, according to Reuters. Ouyang co-founded a gay-friendly Christian church in Kuala Lumpur in 2007 that conservative religious groups have condemned. Homosexuality is punishable in Malaysia by caning and receiving up to 20 years in jail.

In Washington state a Seattle doctor, Louis Chen, 39, has been held in custody in connection with in homicide of his partner and their toddler son, according to an Advocate.com item. Chen allegedly confessed to Madonna Carlson, a registered nurse who discovered the scene during a welfare check when he didn't show up for work. Carlson discovered Chen and his partner, Eric Cooper, 29, in the living room while police found the couple's nearly 3-year-old son in the bathroom. All had knife wounds; only Chen was alive, and his injuries were not life-threatening.

Openly gay GOP presidential candidate Fred Karger hand-delivered a legal complaint to Fox News headquarters in New York, according to Advocate.com . A 158-page document was also sent to the Federal Election Commission, detailing how he was barred from the Fox News Channel's debate in Iowa. Karger claims the network changed the rules for who qualifies after he met the previous criteria, saying that five polls showed him averaging the 1 percent needed nationally to qualify for the debate.

A Somers Point, N.J., bridal shop has reportedly dropped a woman as a client because she's a lesbian, according to Advocate.com . Alix Genter claimed that after crossing out the groom's space on an application and filling in her partner's name, a woman named Donna at the store Here Comes the Bride phoned her and said that Genter was being dropped because of her sexual orientation. "She also said that I came from a nice Jewish family, and that it was a shame that I was gay," Genter added. Donna plans to meet with Genter's parents to mend the situation.

On a related note, the social-networking website Yelp.com is weeding out negative reviews for the Here Comes the Bride shop that appeared after an anti-gay situation was made public. The Somers Point, N.J., bridal shop has reportedly dropped a woman as a client because she's a lesbian. Approximately 70 one-star reviews were posted on Yelp.com; a spokeswoman said that the reviews should be about the customers' experience "and not the views of a business or its employees."

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin married a lesbian couple, making this event a first for a sitting U.S. governor, Advocate.com reported. Shumlin, a first-term Democrat, officiated the wedding of Ann and Michele "Mitch" Beck. During the ceremony, Shumlin—who spent $100 to obtain a certificate as a "temporary officiant"—read a poem, among other things. The Becks met in 2002 through personal ads in a newspaper.

In Oregon, Robert Bosket, 50, was arrested after he physically attacked a gay neighbor and used slurs, according to The Oregonian. Bosket—upset that neighbor David Christensen and his partner trimmed trees that shade Bosket's deck—went over to their residence, allegedly pushed Christensen, strangled him and used anti-gay slurs. A police spokesman said that Bosket admitted to the slurs and pushing, but denied choking Christensen.

Jerome J. Shestack, former president of the American Bar Association and a giant in the legal and international human-rights communities, died Aug. 18 of renal failure at the age of 88, according to BizJournals.com . Shestack received the 2006 American Bar Association Medal; other past winners include U.S. Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall, William J. Brennan Jr. and Sandra Day O'Connor. His first civil-rights challenge was as a student at Harvard Law School, as he fought for the admission of women to the same institution.

Former San Francisco Mayor and current California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was the keynote speaker at Equality Utah's 10th-anniversary Allies Dinner, according to the organization's website. Newsom made national news in 2004 when, as mayor of San Francisco, he directed the city clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples even though gay marriage was not legal in California. Later that year, the California Supreme Court annulled those marriages; however, the decision ultimately led to the temporarily legalization of same-sex marriage in California, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

The National Gay Pilots Association Education Fund (NGPA-EF) recently awarded $22,000 in scholarships to five students pursing careers as professional pilots, according to a press release. This year, four $3,750 scholarships were awarded; in addition, for the first time, the fund awarded an endowed scholarship of $7,000 to one student. NGPA-EF Board Chairman Captain Tom Little said that "this endowed scholarship is named in memory of David M. Charlebois, an NGPA member who lost his life while serving as First Officer on American Airlines Flight #77, which was hijacked by Al-Qaeda and crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001."

In California, Ruth Brinker—a retired grandmother who founded Project Open Hand in the late '80s to deliver meals to people living with AIDS—died Aug. 8 in San Francisco at age 89, according to the Bay Area Reporter. By 1988, Project Open Hand was serving 500 meals a day; in 1991 it served its 1 millionth meal. Tom Nolan, the executive director of Project Open Hand, emailed that "Ruth truly made a big difference in many people's lives, certainly including my own." The family requests that those who wish to honor Brinker make contributions to Project Open Hand at http://www.openhand.org/donate.

In The Life Media announced it will honor Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart and ABSOLUT Vodka at In The Life Media's 20th Anniversary Red Carpet season premiere, according to a press release. Capehart and ABSOLUT will receive In The Life Media's Pioneer Awards Sept. 26 at The Times Center in New York City. In The Life Media also announced that Patricia Clarkson, Edward Albee, Lesley Gore, Thomas Roberts, John Scagliotti, Charles Ignacio and Katherine Linton are among those serving on the event's honorary host committee; additional members and special guests will be announced soon.

The government publicly is dropping the deportation proceedings that threatened to tear apart Alex Benshimol and Douglas Gentry—a married, gay, binational couple in California—marking the second time in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has agreed to close a deportation case involving such a couple, according to a press release. On Aug. 18, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced a case-by-case review of all current and future deportation cases—what advocates cite as another milestone in the fight to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

Democratic New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind—who has actually spoken out against same-sex marriage—will not endorse lawmaker David Weprin, an Orthodox Jew, in the Sept. 13 special election for the seat vacated by former Rep. Anthony Weiner because Weprin has vote in favor of marriage equality, Advocate.com reported. Hikind may endorse Bob Turner, the Republican candidate for the congressional seat in the 9th District. The district covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens and includes a sizable Orthodox Jewish population that is very conservative.

In California, the defense rested in the trial of Brandon McInerney, the California teen charged with murdering gay classmate Lawrence King—without McInerney testifying, according to Advocate.com . The prosecution was slated to call one more rebuttal witness—a psychologist who is expected to counter testimony frm another psychologist who testified for the defense. Closing arguments will likely take place over the next few days.

In Philadelphia, transgender woman Jovanie Saldana—who spent the last 14 months at the Riverside Correctional Facility, the city's only prison for women—is being transferred to the men's prison, according to Advocate.com . The development occurred after Saldana complained that a corrections offer forced her to perform oral sex. Prison officials did not initially know that Saldana is transgender; pre-operative transgender prisoners like Saldana usually are housed with prisoners of the opposite sex, making them vulnerable to abuse and assault.

Legendary University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt has been diagnosed with dementia at the Mayo Clinic, according to USA Today. Summitt, 59, has won eight national titles; 1,071 games with the Vols; and coached an Olympic gold medal team. Summitt said, "There's not going to be any pity party and I'll make sure of that."

A 19-year-old man was reportedly beaten to death in an alleged anti-gay hate crime in Waterloo, Iowa. According to the WCF Courier, Marcellus Andrews died Aug. 21 after being removed from life support. Andrews was allegedly beaten by a group of people who yelled anti-gay slurs at him in the early hours of Aug. 19.

The ACLU has received and reviewed the Wildflower Inn's response to the discrimination lawsuit the organization filed July 19 following the Vermont inn's refusal to host a wedding reception for a same-sex couple, Kate Baker and Ming Linsley, according to an ACLU press release. "The ACLU plans to pursue this litigation vigorously," said Allen Gilbert, executive director of the ACLU of Vermont. "The Wildflower Inn owners do not deny that they refused to host Kate and Ming's wedding reception. Instead, they continue to claim a right to discriminate against the couple, which is in violation of Vermont law. We are confident that the owners' claim that they have a First Amendment right to discriminate will be found meritless by the courts."

In Texas, Harris County Associate Judge Charley E. Prine, Jr., has prohibited a father from leaving his children with any man he's not related to "by blood or adoption," even though there have been no allegations of abuse, according to Lez Get Real. The ruling—one that family-law practitioners are saying is an unheard-of infringement on the rights of parents—came because William Flowers, the father of three children with his ex-wife, is not only gay, but married to another man. Flowers married Jim Evans in Connecticut.