LGBT publication The Advocate, much like Time magazine, has selected Pope Francis as its person of the year. In selecting him, The Advocate stated, "Pope Francis' stark change in rhetoric from his two predecessors—both who were at one time or another among The Advocate's annual Phobie Awards—makes what he's done in 2013 all the more daring." However, The Advocate added that he's not "pro-gay." As for Edie Windsor, a plaintiff in the federal case that saw the invalidation of the Defense of Marriage Act, The Advocate said, "Edie Windsor is a hero, one well worth recording in history books that retell the story of DOMA's demise. But she is not the Person of the Year. She couldn't possibly be, not for The Advocate, where we celebrate the work of so many who contributed to that landmark Supreme Court victory."
Edith "Edie" Windsor, the plaintiff in the June 2013 Supreme Court decision that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, came in at number three for Time magazine's person of the year, according to a press release. ( Pope Francis was the publication's top choice for the honor while whistleblower Edward Snowden was runner-up. ) Windsor has also launched a website, EdieWindsor.com, that includes a video chronicling her life and causes as well as a glimpse into Windsor and the late Thea Spyer's relationship.
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy has seen its first same-sex engagement announcement, Advocate.com noted. It was announced, "Over the weekend, Cadet First Class Kaitlin Ward got down on one knee and proposed to her longtime girlfriend, Lauren Bloch. This is the first announcement of its type," and cheers followed. The couple were initially platonic friends, then began dating in September 2011—the month the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" took effect. They plan to marry in 2015.
The founders of a website designed in part to fund gender-confirmation surgeries have shut down operations after allegations that their organization resembled a pyramid scheme, Advocate.com noted. Recently, transgender men Buck Angel and Jody Rose launched Transgasm as a platform where trans men and women interested in receiving surgical care would have the opportunity to list themselves on a "surgery list." When the site launched, bloggers said the concept of "paying it forward" through 25 percent of sales going toward those on a waiting list was very similar in nature to that of a pyramid scheme, which is illegal in the United States.
The Obama administration is set to re-examine the ban that prohibits Medicare from covering gender-reassignment surgery, according to a Washington Blade article. A Dec. 2 document from the Department of Health & Human Services finds that the reasoning for the ban is "not complete and adequate" to support denying Medicare coverage for transgender people seeking the procedure. The next step, the memo states, is proceeding into a "discovery" phase for the taking of evidence to determine whether the ban can be justified.
Extending marriage rights to same-sex couples in New Mexico would bring an estimated $20.4 million to the state economy over the first three years, according to a study released by Williams Institute public policy research fellow Erin Fitzgerald and Steven Homer, senior lecturer at the University of New Mexico School of Law. There are currently more than 5,800 same-sex couples living in New Mexico. An estimated 50 percent of those couples would marry in the first three years, according to the pattern that has been observed in Massachusetts.
Members of the activist group Queer Nation demonstrated at NBC's holiday party for the staff of the Today Show, according to a press release. Two dozen protesters held two giant rainbow banners that read, "NBC: WTF?" and "We Interrupt This Program." ( Gilbert Baker, the originator of the LGBT movement's rainbow flag, sewed the banners. ) The protesters felt that NBC is misinforming its viewers about the circumstances of LGBT Russians ahead of its broadcast of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Queer Nation NY has also launched "Olympic Jive," a video ( www.youtube.com/watch ) by member Scott Wooledge that is meant as an ironic Christmas gift for NBC.
The National Center for Transgender Equality ( NCTE ) issued a statement congratulating Commissioner Chai Feldblum on her confirmation for a second term to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling said, "I couldn't be more pleased that remarkable public servants like Chai Feldblum continue to be appointed to positions that matter so much to transgender working people." The Senate approved Feldblum 54-41, according to Frontiers LA; while a commissioner, Feldblum—who once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun—is on leave from her position as Professor of Law at Georgetown University where her partner, Nan Hunter, is also a law professor.
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance ( NQAPIA ) delivered more than 2,700 postcards to members of the U.S. House of Representatives last month as part of a stepped up lobbying campaign to push for immigration reform legislation, The Washington Blade reported. In meetings with at least five House members, including gay Rep. Jared Polis ( D-Colo. ), a contingent of activists affiliated with the NQAPIA urged the lawmakers to push for a compromise immigration reform bill the Senate passed in July. The bipartisan bill the Senate passed, among other things, calls for a path to citizenship over a 13-year period for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
In Connecticut, transgender police officer Francesca Quaranta has filed a complaint with a state agency, alleging her supervisors created a hostile work environment because of her gender identity, according to the Associated Press. Quaranta said her Middletown colleagues were initially supportive, but things changed over time—with the situation becoming so bad she took paid leave. Among the conflicts Quaranta alleges is having to remove her earrings even though female officers had been allowed to wear them.
Immigration Equality is representing two gay men from India who have been detained in immigration jail in El Paso, Texas for six months, according to a press release. The couple, Jagdish Kumar and Sukhwinder Sukhwinder, arrived in the States in June and immediately asked for asylum based on their sexual orientation. Despite relatives who have volunteered to take the couple in, the government has reportedly denied their request for parole three times. Immigration Equality's legal team wants Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release Kumar and Sukhwinder.
The Pentagon says that all states are now complying with new rules allowing the same-sex spouses of military members to get ID cards in order to claim benefits, according to ABC News. Nine states—including Texas, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi—initially refused to allow National Guard facilities to issue the ID cards, triggering sharp criticism from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
As part of the U.S. Department of Education's ongoing efforts to implement inclusive policies that reflect the diversity of country's families, and consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) in United States v. Windsor, the department announced new guidance on the use of "marriage" and "spouse" in the federal student aid programs, including on the completion of the FAFSA, the federal student aid form. More information is at studentaid.ed.gov .
U.S. Customs and Border Protection sent a final rule to the Federal Register designed to broaden the definition of "members of a family residing in one household" to more accurately reflect relationships for U.S. citizens, residents and international visitors who are traveling together as a family. The expansion of the term will include long-term same-sex couples and other domestic relationships; the change in regulation will create less paperwork for people who are traveling together as a family. More information can be found at CBP.gov .
GLSEN ( the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network ) has announced the completion of its three-year Safe Space Campaign to distribute a GLSEN Safe Space Kit to every middle and high school in the country—a total of 63,000 schools, according to a press release. The kit includes GLSEN Safe Space posters and stickers as well as a 42-page guide to being an ally to LGBT students. Including orders for multiple Safe Space Kits, nearly 100,000 kits and 1 million stickers were distributed to schools as part of the campaign.
One day after two gay employees sued BNSF Railway in federal court, the National Railway Labor Conference announced that freight carriers will begin providing insurance coverage to same-sex spouses of railroad employees, beginning on New Year's Day, according to Courthouse News Service. Engineer Michael Hall and conductor Amie Garrand filed a class action under the Equal Pay Act, claiming BNSF discriminated in refusing to provide their same-sex spouses with health insurance. Hall claims his spouse, Elijah Hall Uber, has been repeatedly turned down for benefits "based solely on the fact Michael is male." The suit was filed in Seattle; Washington state legalized same-sex marriage last year.
The University of Southern Indiana's Faculty Senate has voted to oppose Indiana's proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, according to an LGBTQ Nation item. Eight senators voted in favor of a motion that opposes the ban, three voted against it and two abstained. Faculty at the University of Evansville, Indiana University, Purdue, Ball State, Butler and other Indiana schools have all gone on record opposing the proposed constitutional amendment.
In Oregon, authorities are investigating a possible hate crime attack on a gay man and his friend at the Bagby Hot Springs located in the Mount Hood National Forest, LGBTQ Nation noted. Mik Holland told PQ Monthly that he and a friend talked with two strangers; however, after the discussion turned to sexual orientation, the strangers reportedly attacked Holland and his friend. Holland says he beaten on the head with a heavy-duty industrial flashlight before the two strangers left.
The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center was recently victimized by a cyberattack that, according to data security and technology experts, was designed to collect credit card, social security numbers and other financial information, LGBTQ Nation reported. The Center said that although there is no evidence that anyone's information was actually accessed or acquired, it is working with law-enforcement officials to identify those responsible, and to notify about 59,000 current and former clients that personal information may have been compromised between Sept. 17 and Nov. 8.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) informed former Army Sgt. Earl Rector and Alan Rodriguez it couldn't guarantee a home loan for which they had been pre-approved, according to Lone Star Q. The VA told the couple it doesn't count the income of a non-veteran spouse in states like Texas, which don't recognize same-sex marriages. Rector and Rodriguez are now trying to get the financing back on track to avoid a breach of contract if they can't buy the house.
The owner of gay Atlanta publication Fenuxe claims that the CEO of the company suing him tried to rape him and launched a personal attack against him so intense that it prompted his hospitalization for anxiety, Project Q Atlanta noted. Pride Medical filed suit Nov. 8, alleging that the magazine, among other things, misrepresented its circulation numbers and overcharged it for advertising. In a countersuit, Fenuxe publisher Tyler Calkins said that Pride Medical's Dr. Lee Anisman tried to turn a platonic business relationship into a personal one, later becoming sexually aggressive.
