With so much news and entertainment for the LGBT community each week it can be hard to keep up!
This weekly wrap up post features some of the top LGBT news stories that we saw around the internet as we were covering other features…
Equality on the move in Delaware
Delaware is taking hopeful steps toward equality. The state Senate has defeated a proposed amendment to the state constitution seeking to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The state House has passed a non-discrimination bill – unfortunately, it does not include gender identity.
Teen Charged for Killing Gay Journalist
The teenage boy accused of stabbing a New York journalist pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and weapons charges. Sixteen-year-old John Katehis, who was arraigned Wednesday night in Brooklyn, is being held without bail.
Gay and lesbian couples are more likely to be poor, study finds
“The myth of gay and lesbian affluence is just that–a myth,” says a study published March 20 by the Williams Institute. The study, titled “Poverty in the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community” is not the first to challenge the myth of gay and lesbian affluence. But it is the most complete, and the first to use actual census data and other well-regarded studies to track family growth and health indicators.
Gov’t to enable Japanese to marry foreign gay partners overseas
The Justice Ministry plans to enable Japanese nationals to marry same-sex partners who have citizenship in countries where gay marriage is legally approved, ministry sources said Thursday. The ministry will issue certificates necessary for such marriage of Japanese citizens and foreigners, the sources said, adding the ministry will soon convey the decision to its legal affairs bureaus across the nation, the sources said.
Wichita pastor gets $14,000 settlement from city
The city of Wichita will pay a Wichita pastor more than $14,000 as part of a settlement in a case stemming from his 2007 arrest at a gay pride event. In a consent order, issued this week, the city said Wichita police officers and the city violated Pastor Mark Holick’s “rights to free speech, due process, and free exercise of religion by arresting him based on his religious speech in a traditional public forum.”
Catholic Churches Sign Up to Administer ‘Gay Test’
The Vatican — arguably the most out of touch religious leadership in the world — strongly urges Catholic Churches to test wannabe preachers on their sexuality. Now, is that a urine or a blood test?
Demand Wal-Mart Support GLBT Employees
The worlds largest grocery retailer, Wal-Mart has been fairing well in this fragile economy where consumers seek out lower prices. GLBT employees among other groups of workers at Wal-Mart’s stores are not being given the fair end of the deal.
Therapists offer gay ‘treatment’
A significant minority of mental health professionals had agreed to help at least one patient “reduce” their gay or lesbian feelings when asked to do so. The survey, published in the journal BMC Psychiatry and conducted by London researchers, involved 1,400 therapists. Many were acting with the “best of intentions”, said the lead author.
Bloomberg Pushes for N.Y. Marriage-Equality
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg urged state legislators to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Wednesday night, citing increased support for marriage equality in his appeal for lawmakers to “do the right thing.”
John Kerry’s Plea for Asylum for Gay Brazilian Married to U.S. Citizen
Sen. John Kerry is asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to grant asylum to a 29-year-old gay Brazilian man, allowing him to reunite with his American husband in Massachusetts, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
Gay worker sues Microsoft for discrimination
A British worker for Microsoft is suing the computer giant in London, alleging discrimination. Jamie Durrant, 38, claims in his complaint to the labor tribunal that the company failed to take action despite numerous complaints he was being harassed by fellow workers.
Jim Carrey gay movie “too risque” for American audiences
Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor’s upcoming dark comedy may have problems acquiring U.S. distribution, thanks to an explicit sex scene in the film.
Gay Clubs: No Bachelorettes Allowed
Gay bar patrons in Chicago — and across the country — have decided they don’t want the fact that they can’t marry rubbed in their faces on a Friday night.
Microsoft Funding Gay Cruises?
Times are good for young tech entrepreneur Lorenzo Thione, an Italian wiz whose search-engine company Powerset was recently purchased by Microsoft for $100 million.
Secret AIDS Charity Spreading Lies?
The Beverly Hills-based Center for AIDS Prevention appears to have no history, no financial records, no ties, no outreach, and loads of false information — but one massive advertising campaign.
Ms. Cleo Is Now A Lesbian – Wonder If She Saw It Coming?
Ms. Cleo is now a lesbian, wonder if she saw that coming. The woman also known as Youree Dell Cleomili Harris moved from Davie to Lake Worth, came out as a lesbian, released a spoken-word CD, and started a radio show. Sounds as if people are still willing to free a scammer with precious green.
LGBT workers call for ‘dignity and respect’ at work
The top priority of LGBT staff is “dignity and respect” at work, a Unite survey has shown. The union’s Have Your Say survey also revealed that workers believe trade unions must use education to eliminate homophobia and tackle discrimination.
Italian footballer calls homosexuality ‘a sin’
Juventus defender Nicola Legrottaglie has denounced homosexuality as a sin and said it is “seen like fashion” these days. According to Goal.com, which translated remarks made in the footballer’s newly-released autobiography, he discussed his Christian beliefs and recommended that gay people should read the Bible.
“Jersey Four” Lesbian Gets Jailed for Assault
A New Jersey lesbian pleaded guilty on Tuesday to assaulting a man in 2006. Renata Hill will serve the remainder of a three-year sentence for reportedly stabbing Dwayne Buckle after he made sexual comments to her and the group of women she was with, according to Newsday.
Spain Counters Pope, Sends Condoms to Africa
Spain announced that it will send a million condoms to Africa to fight the rampant spread of HIV on the continent. The announcement comes a day after Pope Benedict XVI stated that condoms do not slow the spread of HIV but rather “increase the problem.” On his way to Cameroon, the pope told reporters, “You can’t resolve [AIDS] with the distribution of condoms.” The disbursement of the condoms are to fight HIV with a proven method, the Spanish health ministry said in a statement today. “Condoms have been demonstrated to be a necessary element in prevention policies and an efficient barrier against the virus.”
Gay West Point grads come out
Thirty-eight West Point graduates came out of the closet Tuesday, announcing the formation of an organization to fight the ban on gays serving openly in the military. In a statement, the group said that they are prepared to help the military college make the transition to LGBT equality once the ban is lifted.
Gay-themed film cost Oklahoma teacher her job
Gay rights groups are complaining about the firing of a rural Oklahoma high school teacher who lost her job last week after assigning a play about the 1998 death of a gay college student. But the tiny school district says the move came after the teacher held a mock “funeral” for a canceled film production of the play.
Tyson Beckford Loves the Gays (But Not That Way)
Model Tyson Beckford hosts Bravo’s Make Me A Supermodel, a show we love to hate (and hate to love). And, like any attractive fella working in the runway biz — especially when he doesn’t sport lady arm candy like some others — Beckford’s often been lumped into the “Isn’t he gay?” category. Allow him to definitely put those rumors to rest…
Israel Grants Gay Dad 2 Months Off Work
The National Insurance Institute authorized Israel’s first-ever “maternity” leave for a male couple.
Lamba Legal urges court to reject Howard K Stern’s gay defamation claim
LGBT charity Lambda Legal has filed a brief arguing that a federal court should reject Howard K Stern’s claim that being called gay is defamatory and entitles him to collect damages. Stern’s lawsuit concerns passages in a book titled Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind the Death of Anna Nicole Smith.
Thoughts on Butchness Sparked by Rachel Maddow
“A butch lesbian, at least in the ideal, is not the best of both worlds, male and female — she is a new world. She is the discovery, every day, of how a woman can be a woman without the trappings of femininity.” –Malinda Lo, “Rachel Maddow, Butch Fatale,”
New Zealand: SMS service launched for teenagers questioning sexuality
Young people with questions about sexuality can now them ask via text message, with a personalised reply promised within 48 hours.
Surge in anti-gay hate crime cases
Hate crime cases involving anti-gay sentiment shot up in Santa Clara County last year, a striking increase that a leading prosecutor attributes to controversy over Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on gay marriage. Anti-gay incidents accounted for more than half of hate-crime cases last year — 56 percent — a big jump from only 15 percent in 2007. There were 14 anti-gay cases out of 25 hate-crime cases in 2008, compared with only 3 out of 20 in 2007.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Grand Marshall of Long Beach Pride Parade
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will serve as political grand marshal at the 26th annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Parade. Newsom is often credited with opening gay marriage in California.
Two Yakima lawmakers stand up for just rights for same-sex couples
For the third time in three years, lawmakers in Olympia are ready to pass legislation that would extend benefits to same-sex couples.
Mexico has its first openly gay mayoral candidate.
Mexico has its first openly gay mayoral candidate. Miguel Antonio Galan will be on the ballot this summer seeking to take Guadalajara City Hall, on the Mexican Social Democratic Party (PSD) ticket. The selection of Galan came on Friday when the PSD picked its official slate of candidates for local elections in the industrial region, reports the Spanish news agency EFE.
Extraordinary Conceptions Extends Helping Hand
If you are an Intended Parent and you have lost money with the disappearance of the Michael Charles Holding Company and Surrogenesis, Extraordinary Conceptions, LLC would like to offer a helping hand by discounting your Egg Donation and Surrogacy Cycle. We know how hard you have worked and how many years you have suffered and to have a company like Surrogenesis give you false hope that your dreams of having a child will come true, only to steal your life savings blind is appalling.
Iowa Gender-Neutral Marriage Bill Dies
Unfortunately, it looks like the Republican leaders in Iowa learned a little something from the headless Kentucky GOPers who were so busy suing each other that they forgot to be anti-gay and inadvertenly let their anti-gay adoption bill die.
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