Tenn. Gov. Bill Haslam has said he wishes the "don't say gay" bill would go away—even though members of his own party proposed it, according to Advocate.com . Haslam told WPLN that the bill "is not something I think is particularly helpful or needed right now." Last year, Haslam predicted the measure would not pass; however, the state Senate approved it, even though the House ran out of time.
In the trial of Dharun Ravi—who's accused of spying on Rutgers University roommate Tyler Clementi's tryst with another man—it was revealed that Clementi was also keeping tabs on Ravi, according to the New York Post. Clementi visited Ravi's Twitter page 38 time between Sept. 20 and Sept. 22, 2010, when Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge. Ravi, 20, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of bias intimidation and invasion of privacy.
In Virginia, Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law a controversial bill that requires women to have abdominal ultrasound exams before having abortions, USA Today reported. The law takes effect in July for abortion providers across the state.
Also in Virginia, the Suffolk Public School Board has reworded a proposed policy that would prohibit "cross-dressing," according to WAVY.com . The new code removes words concerning a student's gender and states, "any clothing worn by a student that causes a substantial disruption and/or distraction, or serious health concern caused by student clothing, must be sufficiently documented in writing by the building principal or his or her designee." Board member originally meant to keep male students from dressing in female clothes and vice versa.
The Utah Senate passed a bill that would allow schools to drop sex education and ban the discussion of homosexuality in class, according to a Huffington Post item. Legislators passed Senate bill HB363 19-10 after some senators said they believe sex education should be taught at home, not school. Teachers would be prohibited from talking about homosexuality, even if a student asks about it.
LGBT teens have a new social-networking site they can call their own. JustLeftTheCloset.com launched in February and is a social-networking space for kids just coming out or not quite out yet to connect with one another. The site is for kids age 13-18 and has already added nearly 800 members in its first three weeks.
It took years of revised plans and fundraising, but on March 3 Chicago HIV/AIDS agency Vida/SIDA cut the ribbon on its much-anticipated LGBT homeless youth shelter, the first of its kind in the Midwest. The transitional housing facility, located on the 4th floor of Vida/SIDA in Humboldt Park, will house up to 12 LGBT youths ages 18-24 and provide young people with social services like employment and education resources, skills training and case management. The brightly painted space contains bedrooms with bunk beds and desks, a lounge and a full kitchen/dining area.
The GOP-controlled New Hampshire House of Representatives has voted to exclude religious institutions from being required to include contraceptive coverage in health insurance plans, according to the Chicago Tribune. The development is the most recent in reaction to provisions of the president's 2010 healthcare reform law that would require all insurance plans to provide contraception.
Former South Carolina school principal Louis "Skip" ReVille was indicted on 22 counts of sexually molesting boys, including some at a military-college summer camp, according to GayToday.com . A grand jury indicted ReVille for molesting and showing obscene materials to 15 boys in Charleston County. ReVille's case came to light when The Citadel announced shortly after the Penn State University sex-abuse scandal erupted that it failed to tell police about the allegations against ReVille in 2007.
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) has asked GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to fire his national finance chair, Frank VanderSloot, who has a long history of anti-LGBT extremism, according to an HRC press release. Citing a Salon.com article, HRC mentioned VanderSloot's wife, Belinda, donating $100,000 to the Prop 8 effort in California. The article also says that Frank VanderSloot outed a reporter when the journalist investigated the cover-up of child-molestation incidents by the Boy Scouts and local Mormon church members.
The Southern Poverty Law Center ( SPLC ) has issued a report that adds 11 groups to the organization's list of designated anti-gay hate groups, Towleroad.com reported. The additional groups are United Families International, Save California, Sons of Thundr ( Faith Baptist Church ) , You Can Run, But You Cannot Hide, Parents Action League, Jewish Political Action Committee, Mission: America, Windsor Hills Baptist Church, True Light Pentecost Church, Tom Brown Ministries and Public Advocate of the United States.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker is feeling the heat from social conservatives who feel she's becoming a gay activist to the detriment of the city, according to the Houston Chronicle. In the first two months of her second term, Parker has ( among other things ) proclaimed Valentine's Day as Freedom to Marry Day in Houston and taken part in a mayors' call for marriage equality. Conservatives say that Parker is reneging on a promise to put Houston before social advocacy.
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has said that same-sex marriage is "inevitable" in his state, Reuters reported. The comment came a day after neighboring Maryland became the eighth state to legalize marriage equality. Markell said that he expects his state to debate same-sex marriage legislation "probably within the next few years." Delaware currently allows civil unions.
MSNBC will not air an ad criticizing the network for hosting anti-gay figure Tony Perkins, according to DeathAndTaxesMag.com . Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council and a regular guest on the network, has called gay people "vile" and even said negative things about a Star Wars video game that allowed players to find same-sex virtual love. A group of Christian leaders called Faithful America gathered more than 20,000 signatures, asking MSNBC to stop hosting Perkins.
More than 100,000 people have joined Freedom to Work President Tico Almeida's campaign on Change.org urging President Obama to sign an executive order banning anti-gay discrimination among federal contractors, a press release stated. Almeida started the petition to call attention to the millions of workers at U.S. federal contractors who could be fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Estimates from the Williams Institute at UCLA indicate that more than 16 million workers with federal contractors are currently unprotected from anti-gay discrimination in the workplace.
Chick-fil-A recently responded to a fake flyer advertising jobs, according to the Huffington Post. Two men handed out the flyer, which partly stated, "Chick-Fil-A reserves the right to question, in detail, your sexual relationship history. Anyone living in sin need not apply." The company replied on Facebook, "Chick-fil-A fans, we're aware of a fake and inappropriate flyer that is circulating the web right now. We can assure you that this was not created or distributed by any Chick-fil-A Restaurant or any of its independent operators."
Three Iowa Supreme Court Justices who were ousted in the 2010 judicial retention vote will receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in May, according to a press release. This is the highest and most prestigious award that can be bestowed upon public servants and was created to celebrate political courage. Justices Marsha Ternus, Michael Streit and David Baker will receive the award May 6.
For the first time ever, an American Bar Association commission will formally honor lawyers who have considerably advanced LGBT individuals in the legal profession and successfully championed LGBT legal causes, according to a press release. The ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity is taking nominations of exceptional lawyers, judges and legal academics for its inaugural Stonewall Award. Nominations must be submitted electronically by 6 p.m. ET May 31. The commission will announce award recipients in September, and the presentation ceremony will take place February 2013. See www.americanbar.org/groups/sexual_orientation/stonewall_award.html .
On March 7, the White House honored Carol Attak as one of 11 local leaders being recognized as Champions of Change for outstanding leadership in entrepreneurial mentoring, counseling and training, according to a press release. Attak helps manage Accenture's diverse supplier development program, a formal mentoring program in which Accenture executives team with selected minority-owned, women-owned, LGBT-owned, small and other diverse suppliers to help them develop and grow their businesses.
Lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will marry fiancee Kim Catullo May 19, according to Advocate.com . Quinn, a 2013 mayoral frontrunner, sent out "save the date" cards recently in the style of vintage subway maps. Before marriage equality became legal in New York, Quinn said that she and Catullo wanted their own fathers to be able to dance at their wedding in that state.
Members of Congress and celebrities have signed high school student Katy Butler's petition to change the rating of the documentary Bully, according to Advocate.com . At least 20 people in Congress, along with Ellen DeGeneres, Demi Lovato and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees are among the signatories. Butler—a Michigan student who identifies as lesbian and who launched a Change.org petition to change the R rating of the movie to a more accessible PG-13 rating—personally delivered 200,000 signatures to the Motion Picture Association of America March 7.
In Pennsylvania, the GOP-controlled state House killed a proposed bill, HB 1434, that would ban same-sex marriage, Advocate.com reported. Equality Pennsylvania thanked legislators for terminating the measure, which it called "mean-spirited and nonsensical." A press release from the organization read, "In 2012, this is not an issue. ... It takes even the discussion of granting civil unions or domestic partnership benefits off the table. And as polls show, it is out of touch with the point of view of most Pennsylvanians."
In Colorado Springs, Colo., students Rudolpho Tribulio and Anna Carmichael were reportedly kicked off the Palmer High School yearbook staff after they approved a photo of a lesbian couple holding hands, according to ABC News. "She told me to, in these exact words, 'You either cut the gay couple or I cut the page,'" Tribulio told KRDO-TV. District 11 public information officer Devra Ashby said the photo was pulled—along with another of a straight couple kissing—because it violated the school's policy regarding public displays of affection.
In San Diego, Will X. Walters, a gay man, claims he is the first person in the city's history to be arrested for public nudity for wearing a thong under a gladiator kilt at a gay-pride event, according to Courthouse News Service. Walters claims city police selectively enforced the nudity policy, which allows women, but not gay men, to wear G-strings and thongs. The city and several police officers are named as defendants.
In Florida, teacher Shawn Loftis—who was fired for his past work as a gay-porn star—has been allowed to return to the classroom, according to a Huffington Post article. Loftis, who directed and acted under the name Colin O'Neal, will be able to teach and apply for a permanent position as an educator. He will, however, reportedly stay on probation for two years.
