During an impassioned legislative debate over a measure to repeal Nevada's gay marriage ban, Sen. Kelvin Atkinson (D-North Las Vegas) announced that he's gay, according to the Huffington Post. In what has been described as an "emotional moment," Atkinson told of his father's interracial re-marriage that would've been banned earlier in U.S. history. Then the senator announced, "I'm Black. I'm gay," adding, "I know this is the first time many of you have heard me say that I am a Black, gay male." The Nevada Senate voted 12-9 to begin the process of repealing the gay-marriage ban from the state constitution.
In Iowa, Republican state Sen. Dennis Guth said that gay people pose a health risk to him and his family, drawing sharp criticism, according to KCCI.com . Guth said the media has "bamboozled" the public into a growing acceptance of same-sex relationships, and argues his family faces "health risks" because of sexually transmitted infections he said are associated with being gay. State Sen. Matt McCoy said Guth was using "warmed-over rhetoric that has been invented by the Christian-right extremist groups."
National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell issued a statement saying that a senatorial proposal for comprehensive immigration reform legislation falls short in some areas, according to a press release. While praising the attempt to repair "our broken immigration system," Kendell added, "It is unacceptable that low-income immigrants and families will be barred from accessing the benefits of the [Affordable Care Act], Medicaid, and CHIP for 10 years." She added, "While we are extremely troubled that the current bill excludes UAFA principles, we remain confident that we will be able to add protections for same-sex binational couples to the final version of the bill."
Patti Davis, the daughter of former President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, made headlines recently when she said her father would have backed same-sex marriage. Now, in a new interview, she says that her mother, who rarely speaks on public policy issues, supports marriage equality, the Huffington Post reported. Davis noted that Michael Reagan lived with her and her parents while gay friends and family members were present—and knew of her parents' tolerance. Michael recently wrote an op-ed attacking same-sex marriage, saying it could lead to acceptance of bestiality, polygamy and even murder.
Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) released "Health Equity and LGBT Elders of Color," a new report that examines health disparities faced by LGBT older people of color, and offers policy solutions in 10 areas to address these challenges, according to a press release. Among the policy areas are federal funding and programs for LGBT elders of color; federal support for older adults with HIV; and elder abuse among LGBT seniors. The report is at http://sageusa.org/resources/publications.cfm?ID=203.
A transgender woman from New York who was arrested in Savannah, Ga., for allegedly exposing her breasts was placed in an all-male jail, according to Advocate.com . After Ashley Del Valle was arrested, a nurse examined her genitals and determined she was "technically a male." Del Valle was alone in various cells in the men's ward for three days before her family posted her $3,500 bail. The chief deputy at the jail said his employees followed current protocol to keep Del Valle in a private cell, but did admit to misgendering her.
In Nebraska, Charlie Rogers received 24 months of probation, including seven days in jail, for falsely reporting that she had been the victim of a hate crime, according to Omaha.com . Rogers, 34, pleaded no contest in December to the misdemeanor charge of false reporting. The charge stems from a July 2012 incident in which she reported that three masked men had broken into her Lincoln home, stripped her and cut anti-gay slurs into her arms, abdomen and legs before trying to set the house on fire.
Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to HRC.org . SNDA would prohibit discrimination against any public school student on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, SNDA prevents discrimination against students because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of a person with whom that student associates or has associated.
In Ohio, students and supporters are rallying around a lesbian teacher recently fired from her job at a Catholic school. The Huffington Post reported that Carla Hale, a longtime teacher at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, was fired after her partner's name, Julie, was listed among the survivors in a public obituary for Hale's mother. A Change.org petition supporting Hale has garnered more than 8,000 signatures; the document reads in part, "Discrimination and injustice is something that we all have a duty to fight in today's society. It's unfair that someone who cared so much about her students and her job should lose them on the basis of something she cannot even control."
In Michigan, city officials in Royal Oak have voted to put a human-rights proposal on the November ballot, according to FreeP.com . At least 18 other communities in Michigan have human-rights ordinances, aimed at protecting gay people from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. Voters in Royal Oak defeated a similar effort in 2001.
A D.C. Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order requiring a city-funded shelter for homeless women to allow transgender women access to the facility, according to the Washington Blade. Judge Geoffrey Alprin issued the order after the executive director of New Hope Ministries, which operates the John L. Young Shelter for Women, chose not to contest a request for the restraining order filed by an attorney on behalf of Lakiesha Washington, a transgender woman who was denied admission to the shelter.
In Philadelphia, a longtime Gayborhood bathhouse is set to reopen next month, and backers are promising major changes, according to the Philadelphia Gay News. The former Club Body Center will open its doors as Club Philadelphia May 17; it had been closed since a fire last August. The renovated facility will feature, among other things, a new roof, plumbing, dungeon, performance stage and washrooms, along with a private shower and heated floors.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill into law that removes obsolete language from state law deeming gay sex as deviant and criminal, USA Today reported. The Democratic governor signed Senate Bill 107 at a ceremony in the Capitol's Rotunda, amid cheers from lawmakers and gay-rights activists. Both the state House and Senate showed bipartisan support for the measure.
Truth Wins Out (TWO) commended former "ex-gay" poster-boy John Paulk for taking an important first step in being honest about who he is, but stated that Paulk must do much more to make up for the damage he, his estranged wife and the religious right have done to the LGBT community over the last 20 years, according to a press release. In a piece in PQ Monthly, Paulk states for the record that he no longer endorses efforts to change people's sexuality. TWO Executive Director Wayne Besen said, "It is not enough to simply send an e-mail that says, 'I'm sorry,'" adding that Paulk should go "on a speaking tour to show that he truly has changed" and should "advocate for a bill in Oregon that would ban so-called 'reparative therapy' for minors."
A same-sex couple is getting a dream wedding courtesy of a Maine magazine, App.com reported. Real Maine Weddings says Jenna Eagleton and Caroline Currie were chosen from three finalist couples at the Maine Wedding Association Bridal Show in Freeport. The Portland couple plans to get married in October in Kennebunkport, and he $100,000 prize includes the reception, a wedding dress, tuxedos, rings, flowers and limousine service. Same-sex couples have been allowed to marry in Maine since December after voters approved a marriage-equality referendum.
Louisiana State University (LSU) running back Alfred Blue has apologized after making anti-gay comments that surfaced in the campus student paper The Daily Reveille, according to Yahoo! Sports. The article was about how football players would feel about having gay teammates—and Blue was the only player in the piece who took a negative approach. At one point, he said, "Football is supposed to be this violent sport. ... So if you gay, we look at you as a sissy." However, according to the full audio of Blue's quote, he added that a teammate's sexual preference wouldn't matter if they were "doing their job contributing to help us win a national championship."
Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is poised to remove its ban on openly gay scouts, the organization has announced. The ban on openly gay adult leaders, however, would remain, according to Windy City Times. After years of controversy surrounding the ban on openly gay scouts and leaders, the organization's executive committee has drafted a resolution "that would remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone and would maintain the current membership policy for all adult leaders of the Boy Scouts of America," a BSA statement said.
The Time 100, which lists 100 people Time believes to be the most influential in the world, is now out. It includes obvious choices such as President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, but also gay fashion designer Michael Kors and gay singer Frank Ocean. However, the word "gay" does not appear with their entries. Lesbian actress Jodie Foster writes the essay about Time 100 selection Jennifer Lawrence. Also, AIDS researchers Hannah Gay, Katherine Luzuriaga and Deborah Persaud were selected for the list.
Rutgers University has reached a $475,000 settlement agreement with now-former men's basketball coach Mike Rice, the Washington Post reported. President Robert Barchi fired Rice on April 3 after the coach was caught on video hitting, kicking and taunting players with anti-gay slurs at practice. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is among those who have said Rice should have been fired for cause.
Two men have pled guilty to federal hate-crimes charges arising from the beating of a gay Atlanta man in 2012, Advocate.com reported. In a beating caught on video, Christopher Cain and Dorian Moragne attacked Brandon White because of the victim's sexual orientation. Cain, Moragne, and Dareal Demare Williams all pleaded guilty last July to state charges resulting from the attack; however, is the first case to be prosecuted in Georgia under the sexual orientation portion of the federal hate-crimes law.
In Idaho, a proposed new ordinance designed to protect the LGBT community in Pocatello from discrimination in housing, accommodations and employment was rejected April 18, according to Advocate.com . The Pocatello City Council was deadlocked 3-3 when Mayor Brian Blad cast the deciding vote. The outcome of Pocatello's vote stands in contrast to Idaho cities Boise, Moscow and Sandpoint, which have all passed similar measures.
The U.S. Senate has confirmed a gay official to the second-highest civilian position within the Air Force, according to the Washington Blade. Eric Fanning was confirmed as Air Force under secretary as part of a group of other military nominees; President Obama nominated Fanning for the position Aug. 1, 2012. In a statement, OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson praised the confirmation, saying, "This appointment is yet another example of this Administration's commitment to affirming the contributions and service of the LGBT community, and underscores the new reality of open gay and lesbian service in our ranks."
A gay man, Gary Schiff, is running for mayor of Minneapolis, Minn., according to VictoryFund.org . Schiff currently serves as the Ward 9 City Councilman on the Minneapolis City Council; he was elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2005 and 2009 (the latter time with 60 percent of the vote). Schiff graduated from the University of Minnesota, after which he briefly worked in Washington, D.C., for the Human Rights Campaign before returning to Minneapolis to work with Progressive Minnesota.
Major sponsorships have been announced for next year's Gay Games to be held in Cleveland, according to WKYC.com . The Cleveland Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant that makes it the top sponsor of the Games. Ernst & Young LLP announced it has also signed on as a national sponsor of the Games, with a $100,000 donation. The Games will be held Aug. 9-16, 2014.
In Ohio, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman's approval numbers have declined slightly since declaring his support of same-sex marriage, Gay Star News reported. According to a Quinnipiac University survey, the Ohio senator's job approval rating is at 40 percent; in late February, it was 44 percent. Quinnipiac University Polling Institute's Peter Brown said that Portman's support has dipped only among Republicans, with little impact on Democrats and independent voters.
Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady recently survived a move to immediately oust him as party chairman over his support for same-sex marriage, according to the Chicago Tribune. However, top state GOP leaders approved a succession strategy that could find him replaced within the next several weeks. The plan for a succession committee was approved as the Illinois Republican State Central Committee met behind closed doors for nearly three hours at the Tinley Park Convention Center.
Family Equality Council announced that the cast of the Cyndi Lauper/Harvey Fierstein show Kinky Boots will perform at Night at the Pier, the organization's annual New York City event that will take place April 29, according to a press release. In addition, couple Melissa Etheridge and Linda Wallem will present an award to actor/writer/producer Dan Bucatinsky. Also, Edie Windsor, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), will present an award to lawyer Roberta Kaplan and Broadway producer Daryl Roth will honor former Family Equality Council Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler.
In Rhode Island, all five Republican state senators back same-sex marriage, according to the Washington Post. The state House voted in favor of gay marriage earlier this year; the measure is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee. "This is a game-changer," said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin in a statement. The regional chapter of the National Organization for Marriage has threatened to unseat Senate Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere (a Republican) over the vote.
Delaware's House approved a bill to establish legal marriage equality for the state's same-sex couples with a 23-18 vote April 23, according to Advocate.com . The bill, which was introduced less than two weeks prior, will go to the state Senate for a vote before heading to the desk of Gov. Jack Markell, who has said he would sign such a bill into law.
Police in Oklahoma are investigating an attack on one of the state's first openly gay politicians, according to Pink News. Former county commissioner Jim Roth was assaulted outside the Grandad's bar in Oklahoma City earlier this month. On Facebook, the bar's owner condemned the attack, saying, "We will not tolerate bigotry and hate. ... Gay, straight, black, white, plumber, politician, whatever… let's just all have a drink and be cool."
