Speaking to the LGBT group Log Cabin Republicans, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge—also the first homeland security secretary—said he plans to urge the GOP to become more inclusive, among other things, according to BuzzFeed.com . "I truly believe Americans are more conservative than liberal, but ... they are far more practical than ideological and I know, particularly among young people, they are far more tolerant than judgmental," Ridge told BuzzFeed. "If we're going to change the party, we should accept those simple notions and build a positive agenda rather than just saying no around them."
New York journalist and gay-rights activist Doug Ireland died this past weekend at 67, according to Gay City News. Ireland died Oct. 26 at his home in the East Village, according to the publication, where he once served as a contributing editor for international affairs. Friends said that Ireland suffered in recent years from diabetes, kidney disease, severe sciatica, and weakened lungs and progressive muscle deterioration related to childhood polio. Despite chronic pain, Ireland—a reporter and book critic—wrote articles for nearly every issue of Gay City News since mid-2005 and also reported on U.S. politics for French-language publications in France.
In Arkansas, Mount St. Mary Academy teacher Tippi McCullough was fired for marrying her female partner in New Mexico, the Arkansas Times reported. McCullough, a 29-year teaching veteran who taught English at the Catholic academy for 15 years, married her partner of 14 years, Barb Mariani, a lawyer in the prosecuting attorney's office in Albuquerque. McCullough said a contract clause allows dismissal for a lifestyle contrary to church teaching.
Lambda Legal filed an appeal in the Iowa Supreme Court regarding the conviction of Nick Rhoades, an HIV-positive Iowan who was initially sentenced to 25 years in prison and required to register as a sex offender based on a one-time sexual encounter with another man during which they used a condom, according to a press release. In June 2008, Rhoades had a one-time sexual encounter with Adam Plendl, during which they used a condom. Several days later, Plendl was told by a friend that Rhoades might be HIV-positive. In September, the Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed a lower-court decision convicting Rhoades.
Texas judge Carlo Key said he's leaving the Republican Party and becoming a Democrat, in part because of the GOP's anti-gay stances, according to Advocate.com . "I cannot tolerate a political party that demeans Texans based on their sexual orientation, the color of their skin, or their economic status," said Key, a judge in Bexar County, which includes San Antonio. He has also said, "Make no mistake: I not leave the Republican Party—it left me."
John Arthur—the marriage-equality advocate who made headlines in July after a federal judge ordered Ohio state officials to recognize his marriage, performed in Maryland, to his longtime partner, James Obergefell—died Oct. 22, according to an Advocate.com item. Arthur and Obergefell had been together for more than 20 years; on July 11, the Cincinnati couple took a specially equipped medical jet to marry on the tarmac of Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The couple also successfully sued Ohio Gov. John Kasich so they could be buried alongside each other in Arthur's family plot.
Gay Iowa teen Jake Stallman received the Spirit of Matthew award from the Matthew Shepard Foundation for overcoming bullying and starting an anti-bullying coalition in his high school, according to Queerty.com . Stallman was on the receiving end of anti-gay bullying that escalated from teasing to death threats after he came out in the seventh grade. After Stallman and his mother turned to the Matthew Shepard foundation, they invited him to blog for the organization, in turn becoming a symbol and ally for other gay students in his school and his town of Tipton.
Talking with the Milwuakee Journal Sentinel, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke said she supports gay marriage and opposed a 2006 constitutional amendment in Wisconsin that barred gay marriage and civil unions, according to SouthFloridaGayNews.com . Burke announced her candidacy for governor in October, and she is the only announced challenger to Republican Gov. Scott Walker so far. Burke also said she opposes a Wisconsin law put on hold by the courts that would require voters to show photo identification before voting.
Elton John honored Hillary Rodham Clinton for her work to help those affected by HIV and AIDS at an annual event for his foundation, SouthFloridaGayNews.com . Clinton accepted the first founders award from the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York, saying she wants to see an "AIDS-free generation" and that accomplishing that must be "our north star." Among those attending the event were Lisa Marie Presley, Billy Joel, Alec Baldwin, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Courtney Love, and the band Heart performed several songs, including "Alone."
In Indiana, the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce has voted against the state's proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, according to USA Today. The capital city's largest business group is the latest high-profile business interest to oppose the amendment, which the General Assembly will consider for the second and final time early next year. If the legislature approves the amendment, called House Joint Resolution 6, it then heads to Indiana voters in a statewide referendum in November 2014.
Forbes has published an article about how high school students share intimate details about themselves, including sexual orientation, to hopefully win scholarships—and how those lists ( with said details ) are sometimes sold by direct marketers. One example is Chicago-area Scholarships.com, which does not charge for access to the site but makes money by selling personal information via list broker American Student Marketing. Larry Gerber, president of Scholarships.com, says the site offers a valuable service for students by matching them with the right funding sources.
In Wisconsin, the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center has announced that Colleen Carpenter will be the organization's new executive director, effective Nov. 18, according to a press release. As the center's first full-time executive director since 2011, Carpenter will help guide the organization as it continues to develop programs, build fiscal sustainability, and cultivate relationships throughout the greater Milwaukee area. Carpenter currently serves as executive director of Daystar, Inc., a Milwaukee-based organization that provides long-term transitional housing for women fleeing domestic violence.
A second suspect arrested in connection with the beating of a transgender woman in May on Hollywood Boulevard was identified by police Thursday as 21-year-old Samuel Garunts, the L.A. Times noted. Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison said Garunts had been a person of interest for some time in the investigation of the early-morning attack on May 31. ( Another man was arrested in June. ) The woman suffered broken bones and internal injuries and spent a week in the hospital.
In a new Harris Poll released and commissioned by Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, nearly half ( 49 percent ) of gay and lesbian adults would consider changing jobs if their employer required them to transfer to a state where same sex marriages were not recognized, compared to just 30 percent last year, according to a press release. The new survey also reveals that two-thirds ( 67 percent ) of all U.S. residents, regardless of their feelings of approval or disapproval, believe that marriage equality is "inevitable everywhere in" the country.
The Boy Scouts of America's ( BSA's ) continued ban on gay scout leaders has affected central Kentucky, where a United Way chapter has cut off nearly $100,000 in annual funding to a regional scouting council in response to the national scouting policy, according to a CourierPress.com item. United Way of the Bluegrass, based in Lexington, was the biggest single contributor to the Boy Scouts' Blue Grass Council until the funding was suspended. The BSA opened its ranks to gay Scouts but not gay Scout leaders in a policy compromise earlier this year.
Also in Kentucky, a Louisville middle school student says he was bullied for his perceived sexual orientation at two Jefferson County Public Schools middle schools, according to WDRB.com . The student, a cheerleader, has claimed he has been bullied, harassed, threatened physical harm and humiliated; also, anti-gay slurs have reportedly been directed at him. The school district says it has done everything in its power to protect the teen, and it believes a recent protection order filed in court would be impossible to fulfill.
Female bodybuilder Candice Armstrong has claimed that a steroid addiction has left her with stubble, broad shoulders—and a one-inch penis, according to a New York Post article. The former London barmaid said her nightmare began two years ago when she joined a gym to improve her physique. Armstrong's Trenbolone addiction resulted in, among other things, her clitoris transforming into a penis. She added she is now trying to beat her addiction, but still works out for at least three hours a day.
In Kansas, a server was thanked for good service during a recent meal at Carrabba's Italian Grill, an Overland Park restaurant, but also received an anti-gay message with no tip, KAKE.com reported. A server went to pick up a check from a meal, and found a message on the back of the bill. It read, "Thank you for your service, it was excellent. That being said, we cannot in good conscience tip you, for your homosexual lifestyle is an affront to God. May God have mercy on you." Carrabba's said the company embraces diversity and won't tolerate discrimination from employees or guests.
A transgender student at California's Chapman University is seeking $2,000 to start a gender-neutral "fraority," according to CampusReform.org . Addie Vincent has said she had hoped to become the first transgender woman to be initiated into a sorority at Chapman, but was cut from the process two days into rush. After she was cut, she decided to start a chapter of Theta Pi Sigma, a "gender-neutral, all-inclusive fraority." She is seeking donations on GoFundMe.com .
A non-profit organization in San Diego has donated an extensive home remodel to a gay Navy officer paralyzed from the armpits down, On Top Magazine reported. A motorcycle accident on Oct. 30, 2012 severed Cmdr. Brian DeLaney's spinal cord, ending his career as a skipper and leaving him a wheelchair. The charity Embrace has donated a full remodel of DeLaney's home worth approximately $85,000.
Former Pennsylvania senator and 2012 GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum has said that movie theaters are the "devil's playground," according to On Top Magazine. Santorum, a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage, has argued that popular culture is to blame for the country's shift in attitudes on the subject of same-sex marriage; he also blamed the show Will & Grace for sparking that change. However, Santorum is now actually part of the movie industry, running EchoLights Studios.
Richard Kurin has written The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects—a list that he winnowed down after choosing between the museum's 137 million artifacts, according to PublishersWeekly.com . Among some of the items Kurin ( the under secretary for history, art and culture at the museum ) chose are the Declaration of Independence, Dorothy's red ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, the AIDS Quilt and vials of Jonas Salk's polio vaccine. Each selected item comes with a backstory.
In California, a transgender woman is alleging in a federal lawsuit that an El Monte police officer detained her without legal cause and raped her on his patrol car, according to NBC Southern California. The plaintiff, who used the pseudonym "Jane Roe" in court documents, alleges the attack happened early Oct. 23, 2012. An officer has been placed on leave as the El Monte Police Department conducts an internal investigation and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department conducts a criminal investigation.
Also in California, Miguel Inostroz, 31, has been sentenced to 112 years to life for his second-degree murder conviction for fatally shooting a transgender woman, according to NBC Bay Area. Inostroz shot James "Lucie" Parkin at the La Quinta Inn in Hayward on Sept. 20, 2011, as he was trying to collect a debt from her. Inostroz's lawyer, James Giller, had argued that Inostroz didn't intend to shoot Parkin and the gun went off only because a companion pulled on his arm.
An organizer for the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) convinced the wife of Republican Sen. John McCain to support ENDA ( the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ), according to Advocate.com . HRC organizer John Gomez approached Cindy McCain at a Staples in Phoenix; she signed a postcard urging her husband to endorse ENDA, adding her signature to the tens of thousands the HRC has collected in support of the bill. Although Sen. McCain has not supported ENDA in the past, the bill passed a Senate committee in July and is expected to come to a floor vote in the near future.
On Oct. 28, the pro-LGBT group All Out hired three trucks to circle Coca-Cola's global headquarters in Atlanta, with billboards urging the company to call for a repeal of Russia's anti-gay laws before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, according to a press release. More than 140,000 All Out members sent messages to the company's CEO urging Coca-Cola to, among other things, donate funds to Russian human-rights activists and speak out against the measures.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the legislative body will vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ( ENDA ), a bill to expand gay rights in the workplace, before the Thanksgiving holiday, according to NBC. The bill is unlikely to gain much traction in the Republican controlled House; however, that scenario could provide Democrats with another opportunity to paint the GOP as out of step with most U.S. residents. ENDA has heavy Democratic support and, in July, passed a Senate committee with Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mark Kirk of Illinois voting in favor of it.
A coalition of LGBT advocates has asked the chairman of Jelly Belly Candy to meet after it was revealed that he donated $5,000 to repealing an equal access law for transgender students, Advocate.com noted. The chairman of the board of Jelly Belly, Herman Rowland Sr., has donated $5,000 to Privacy for All Students, a group dedicated solely to repealing Assembly Bill 1266, a pro-trans measure, according to Advocate.com . The legislature passed the law—which guarantees transgender students have equal access to bathrooms, locker rooms, sport teams and other gender-segregated facilities at school—and California Gov. Jerry Brown signed it in August.
Hawaii may be on track to become the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage, as lawmakers started a special session Oct. 28 to take up the issue, according to TIME.com . Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie ( who testified on that date ) called the session after state House and Senate members were unable to pass the same-sex marriage bill with the two-thirds support required. Abercrombie signed a same-sex civil unions bill into law in 2011. As of Oct. 29, the Hawaii Senate Judiciary & Labor Committee approved the marriage bill five to two, according to Joe.My.God.
