Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

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

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Southern Decadence goes on despite tropical storm; Houston's lesbian mayor running for re-election
National Roundup: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2011-09-07

This article shared 5575 times since Wed Sep 7, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


The Rev. Tracey Lind, a married lesbian priest, is one of five finalists to become the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, according to SDGLN.com . Lind, 57, is dean of Cleveland's Trinity Cathedral; she married Emily Ingalls last year in New Hampshire. Bishop Mark Sisk has planned to retire by August 2014, so a panel has chosen the finalists who would succeed him.

Former Wisconsin Rep. Mark Neumann has announced he's running for the U.S. Senate next year as a Republican—setting up a contest with lesbian Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, according to On Top Magazine. Neumann has an anti-gay background, saying in 1996, "If I were elected God for a day, homosexuality wouldn't be permitted." He has also said that being out of the closet is "inappropriate."

Openly lesbian U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., has announced her official bid for the U.S. Senate, CNN.com reported. In a three-minute online video, she compared herself to retiring Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl and former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold. Feingold lost his re-election bid last year. Baldwin said, "The fact is we have to create jobs and get the economy back on track, and it's time politicians looked out for seniors, working families and the middle class instead of protecting the profits of big oil and Wall Street."

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) called for community members and allies to demand an apology and retraction from the Huffington Post after the website featured a piece by Amanda Fairbanks Aug. 30 titled "Sex For Tuition: Gay Students Using 'Sugar Daddies' To Pay Off Loan Debt," according to a GLAAD press release. GLAAD contacted Fairbanks and the website over what it called "a string of stereotypes about the LGBT community in the article that were left unchallenged," adding that the author trivialized prostitution by using terms such as the "sugar lifestyle." The post emailed a response that said, in part, "We found that for many gay men, the use of escort services and the exchange of money for sex appear to carry less of a stigma, according to extensive interviews with gay escorts and members of the gay community." GLAAD was not satisfied with the reply.

In Texas, the Catholic diocese of El Paso has distanced itself four a multipart advertisement in the El Paso Times titled "True Pastoral Care for Homosexuals," according to Advocate.com . Officials with the diocese contend that the ads are the opinions of Rev. Michael Rodriguez of San Juan Bautista Catholic Church (although an unidentified couple reportedly paid for them). In the ads, Rodriguez says that gays and lesbians need compassion—but then adds, for example, "Engaging in depraved and unnatural sexual acts will lead directly to the ruin of both the homosexual's body and soul. Our very anatomy cries out against the lie that homosexual acts are 'ok.'"

In California, a jury has been unable to reach a verdict in the murder trial of teenager Brandon McInerney, who is accused of shooting gay classmate Lawrence King three years ago, the L.A. Times reported. McInerney, then 14, shot King twice in the back of the head; prosecutors claim that McInerney committed the crime because he didn't like gay people while the defense contended McInerney snapped after King allegedly sexually harassed him. The jury began deliberating Aug. 26 after eight weeks of testimony.

In Florida, a former student of teacher Jerry Buell—who was recently reinstated after posting anti-gay views on Facebook—said that the instructor made the classroom was not all-inclusive when he attended, according to Advocate.com . Bryan Blaise said that when he attended Mount Dora High School, Buell answered another student's question about gays in the military by stating he supported the concept—but that they should be put on the front lines while everyone else pulled back. Blaise added that he never reported the incident or anti-gay bullying he experienced at the school because it would be "futile."

Poet Maya Angelou has criticized the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, saying that an inscription makes the civil-rights leader look like an "arrogant twit," the Washington Post reported. The inscription reads, "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness"—which paraphrases what King said during a 1968 sermon. Angelou added, "The 'if' clause that is left out is salient. Leaving it out changes the meaning completely." The memorial's executive architect, Ed Jackson Jr., said that Angelou was among those picked to select inscriptions but that she did not attend the meetings.

Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin will be the keynote speaker at the Black Tie Dinner Nov. 12, the Dallas Voice reported. At the event (held this year at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel), Iraq War veteran Eric Alva will receive the Elizabeth Birch Equality Award while local activist Chet Flake and his partner, the late Bud Knight, will receive the 2011 Raymond Kuchling Humanitarian Award, with Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson receiving the Media Award. According to its website, since it started in 1982, Black Tie Dinner has been the largest fundraising dinner for the LGBT community in the country, raising more than $15 million to date.

In Utah, several people attacked Dane Hall, a gay Salt Lake City man, while reportedly using anti-gay slurs, according to Advocate.com . Hall, 20, was walking home from Club Sound's gay night when four men attacked him. Hall lost six teeth, suffered a broken jaw and had a piece of bone shoved into his brain; friends have set up a bank account to pay Hall's medical expenses since he lacks health insurance. A separate incident that same night involved a group of men breaking into a man's apartment and attacking his boyfriend.

Among the items Hurricane Irene destroyed was Brooklyn's famous "vagina tree," Advocate.com reported. Irene's winds knocked over the decades-old tree with the distinctive trunk. Last April, an artist pierced the top of the trunk's mark with a five-inch metal ring.

The anti-gay National Organization for Marriage started a fund-raising challenge in June in which an anonymous donor offered $1 for every Facebook like, Twitter follower and text message the group received—up to $100,000; however, the group is $98,000 short so far, according to Advocate.com . NOM has pledged to spend $2 million next year to fight politicians who helped legalize marriage equality in New York.

Longtime civil-rights activist Cleve Jones has issued a press release criticizing Prohibition, which apparently promotes itself as the first LGBT venue in an Atlantic City, N.J., casino, according to Philebrity.com . Jones said, "Being an ally means more than flying a [rainbow] flag and trying to cash in on an untapped source of income. Being an ally means supporting our community in fights that are important to us, like fighting for marriage equality, ending sexism, and ensuring workers are paid fairly." Jones goes on to cite several examples of anti-gay and -woman behavior, such as Resorts owner Morris Bailey and his family donating $100,000 to anti-gay politicians.

The New Orleans gay event known as Southern Decadence included more of a focus on gay-rights issues this year in addition to the partying, according to NOLA.com . The nighttime bashes and daytime pool parties that bring more than 100,000 party-seekers to the French Quarter were still there; however, the five-day festival featured appearances from organizations such as the NOH8 campaign and the Human Rights Campaign.

Speaking of Decadence, the event was in full swing despite the presence of Tropical Storm Lee, according to the L.A. Times. Vernon Tucker, a cashier at New Orleans' Quartermaster Store, said of Friday, Sept. 2, "It's been just raining sheets all night," but added, "[Y]ou could literally say it was raining men. There were lots of leather-clad, half-naked men being blown around by the rain and wind."

Kenneth Furr—the Washington, D.C., police officer accused of drunkenly shooting at transgender women and their friends—has been punished at least twice previously for alcohol-related incidents, according to the Washington Examiner. Furr was placed on administrative leave in 1996 after a drunken argument with a mother and son; he was also arrested in 2004 for driving while intoxicated and operating while impaired. One person suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the arm and hand in the most recent incident, while two others were hurt.

In Florida, Frankly Forte and Eliut Hazzi—Miami Beach cops who were fired after allegedly beating and wrongly arrested two gay men two years ago—say they are victims and should get their jobs back, according to the Miami Herald. In city documents they filed to get their jobs and back pay, both men wrote that "[t]he investigation was unfair and tainted with bias from the outset." In 2009, the officers charged both Oscar Daniel Mendoza and Strickland with loitering and prowling, saying the men were suspiciously walking around the park; prosecutors eventually dropped all charges.

In Iowa, vigils were recently held for 19-year-old Marcellus Andrews, a gay man who died after a fight in Waterloo, according to WHBF.com . Witnesses said the attackers shouted anti-gay slurs before the fight but police said a previous argument actually motivated the beating. Vigils took place around the state, including one in Davenport that drew hundreds. "We want to send this young man to his eternity with grace and respect because he didn't get that in this life," said QC Pride's Jeff Simpson.

The Lambda Literary Awards will now be awarded to authors of all sexual orientations and not just LGBT writers, according to Autostraddle.com . There will now be three awards marking various stages of a writer's career: the Betty Berzon Debut Fiction Award (to one gay man and one lesbian), the Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize (to one male-identified and one female-identified author), and the Pioneer Award (to one male-identified and one female-identified individual or group). Previous winners include Alison Bechdel, Audre Lorde, David Sedaris and Michelle Tea.

Gay Apple CEO Tim Cook could face his first major crisis if it's true that company security officers have been impersonating police officers, CNET.com reported. An unreleased version of the iPhone was lost at Cava22, a bar in San Francisco's Mission District. Then, a Bernal Heights man claimed that six officials saying they were San Francisco cops questioned him and searched his family's home for a lost iPhone 5 prototype, according to SFWeekly.com . (In California, impersonating a police officer is punishable by up to a year in jail.)

In California, gay and lesbian congregants were told to leave a meeting of clergy and church members at Los Angeles' Southern Missionary Baptist Church, according to KTLA.com . The congregation gathered to pray for the repeal of The Fair Education Act (SB 48), which requires that the state add lessons about LGBT history to social-studies courses. Pastor Xavier Thompson said, "This is not about us hating anyone or being homophobic or guilty of bigotry. ... The fact of the matter is that we believe that we cannot sexualize history." Equality California's Roland Palencia responded, "We talk about Cesar Chavez or Martin Luther King. ... We don't talk about their intimate lives."

California legislators passed AB 9 (also known as Seth's Law)—a move prompted by a 13-year-boy's suicide, according to Advocate.com . The law requires schools to create anti-bullying policies and compels them to explicitly state that sexual orientation-based discrimination is not allowed. Seth Walsh was one of an apparent wave of suicides that took part last year.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker—the first LGBT person to hold that position in a large U.S. city—has officially filed re-election papers, according to the Dallas Voice. Parker is seeking a second two-year term in city elections this November. Speaking to supporters, she said, "I'm more in love with this city than I was when I started in this office on Jan. 2, 2010, and I do love this city. ... I love what I do, I'm excited every day to have the honor of representing the citizens of Houston and helping shape the future of this truly wonderful city." Two other candidates have officially filed so far.

An unusual matchmaking service specializes in setting up Orthodox Jewish gay men with Orthodox lesbians for marriage, according to a Newser.com item. The idea behind the site is that the couple can raise a family while still abiding by religious laws. Rabbi Arele Harel—who has wed 12 couples so far—said, "It allows them to become parents in a way that is permitted by religious Jewish law and prevents a conflict between their religious world and their sexual world."

U.S. officials have approved the distribution of the gay-themed publication OutServe at Army and Air Force bases—coinciding with the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)," according to Google News. It's the first time administrators have allowed such a publication on their bases. OutServe will deliver a special "repeal issue" Sept. 20, the day DADT officially ends. An OutServe co-director said, "This marks an incredible time in the history of our military. Gay, lesbian and bisexual servicemembers once had to conceal their true identities."

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has appeared in a video as part of the "It Gets Better" project, Advocate.com reported. In the video, which runs almost six minutes, Salazar says, "Bullying happens everywhere in every school all across America. Make sure you are seeking help, that you are telling someone about it." The video includes LGBT people from the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, among other agencies. Reportedly, not a single elected Republican has been in a video since the campaign started.

An adult-film actor who initially tested positive for HIV—causing Los Angeles' porn industry to temporarily shut down—has now tested negative, according to USA Today. Free Speech Coalition Executive Director Diane Duke said that filming can now resume, adding, "The industry will be abundantly cautious as we try to nail down the reasons for what now appears to have been a false positive result on a previous test." The Free Speech Coalition is working on a database to track STD testing among porn actors, a task the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation handled before it closed last December.

The LGBT-centered In The Life Media has announced it will honor New York State's Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart and ABSOLUT Vodka at its 20th-anniversary red carpet season premiere Sept. 26, according to a press release. Cuomo, Jonathan Capehart and ABSOLUT will receive In The Life Media's Producing Change and Pioneer Awards at The Times Center in New York City. In The Life also announced that Judy Shepard and Dr. Mathilde Krim are serving on the event's honorary host committee along with Patricia Clarkson, Edward Albee, Lesley Gore, Thomas Roberts, John Scagliotti, Charles Ignacio and Katherine Linton.

GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann's team has a different look, as campaign manager Ed Rollins and deputy campaign manager David Polyansky stepped down, according to the Chicago Tribune. Rollins, who said he would remain in a senior advisory position, said, "I just don't have the endurance to do 14-hour days, seven days a week anymore.'' He admitted that Texas Gov. Rick Perry's entry into the race slowed Bachmann's momentum.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) issued a statement praising a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit banning an Arizona law from taking effect that would have ended domestic-partner benefits for state employees. "Governor [Jan] Brewer's decision to take health care and insurance benefits away from state employees in same-sex relationships has been recognized for what it is: unconstitutional," said HRC President Joe Solmonese. "During a time of economic difficulty for many Arizonans, it makes no sense for the state to make our families less secure and deny health care to our partners."


This article shared 5575 times since Wed Sep 7, 2011
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

ACTIVITIES Pickleball, fine eats and fun are all at SPF 2024-03-21
- Despite the fact that it was invented in 1965, pickleball has only really entered the national consciousness within the last few years. However, there really hadn't been a large indoor dedicated space in Chicago for the ...


Gay News

2024 OLYMPICS U.S. women's soccer team's opponents set 2024-03-20
- The United States women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported. The tournament will mark the Americans' first competitive games with ...


Gay News

Alyssa Naeher wins National Women's Soccer League Impact Save of the Week 2024-03-20
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 20, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Deloitte Impact Save of the Week honors, the league announced today. Seven minutes into the eight minutes of added ...


Gay News

RuPaul finds 'Hidden Meanings' in new memoir 2024-03-18
- RuPaul Andre Charles made a rare Chicago appearance for a book tour on March 12 at The Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Presented by National Public Radio station WBEZ 91.5 FM, the talk coincided with ...


Gay News

Red Stars start season with 2-0 win 2024-03-17
- On March 16, the Chicago Red Stars kicked off their 2024 campaign with a 2-0 road win over Utah Royals FC in the Royals' inaugural match back in the National Women's Soccer League. Ally Schlegel and ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release 2024 roster 2024-03-13
- CHICAGO (March 13, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced today their final roster ahead of the 2024 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) season. The club's roster is bolstered by an array of experience brought not ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health faces October trial if settlement isn't reached with union 2024-03-13
- Howard Brown Health could go to trial over unfair labor practice allegations if the LGBTQ+ health center doesn't reach a settlement with its agreement soon. Chicago's regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars sign midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth 2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO (March 6, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced the signing of draftee and midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth. Nesbeth, Chicago's first-round and tenth overall draft pick in the 2024 National ...


Gay News

Activists and others urge removal of Oklahoma schools superintendent after Nex Benedict death 2024-02-28
- TULSA, OKLAHOMA—Today more than 350 national, state, and local organizations advocating for equality across the U.S., alongside notable public figures, issued an open letter to Oklahoma legislative leadership urging justice ...


Gay News

Brittney Griner's jersey retired at Baylor University 2024-02-20
- On Feb. 18, Baylor University retired Brittney Griner's #42 jersey. Griner—a two-time AP national player of the year, two-time Olympic gold medalist and the NCAA women's career blocks leader (with 748)—attended a Bears home game ...


Gay News

As Chicago prepares to host DNC, former delegates reflect on LGBTQ+ inclusion at previous conventions 2024-02-19
- When Mark Ishaug, now the CEO of the mental health advocacy Thresholds, was a delegate at the 1996 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, representing the larger LGBTQ+ community was "critical," he said. The convention, where ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19
- In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Illinois Poor People's Campaign: National call for moral revival demands action against poverty 2024-02-15
--From a press release - Springfield, IL — The Illinois chapter of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival (ILPPC) will convene a critical press conference at the state capitol, alongside 32 other states across the nation on ...


Gay News

Tenn. legislators back bill that lets officials refuse to perform same-sex weddings 2024-02-15
- Defying a national ruling that authorized marriage equality, Tennessee lawmakers approved a measure that would allow public officials to refuse to perform weddings of same-sex couples, The Hill reported. Tennessee's House Bill 878/Senate Bill 596 says ...


Gay News

GLAAD, NFL host third annual pre-Super Bowl event 'A Night of Pride' 2024-02-08
- On Feb. 7, LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD, along with The National Football League (NFL), hosted the third annual "A Night of Pride" at Caesar's Palace in Super Bowl LVIII's host city of Las Vegas, a press ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.