April 2010
2 posts
4 tags
God Hates Fags church too extreme for KKK
The Ku Klux Klan has distanced itself from Westboro Baptist Church, saying it “absolutely repudiates” the church’s activities.
The KKK, which is an extreme right-wing hate group in the US, said in a press release about its aims that it did not have any connection with the homophobic church.
Led by pastor Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church is notorious for causing distress...
2 tags
Lady Gaga Supports Teen Sent Home For 'Lady Gay...
‘I love you Cole, you just be yourself,’ Gaga tweets to Tennessee student.
Lady Gaga makes a point of taking care of her “little monsters.” That explains why the singer took time out from her busy touring and recording schedule on Wednesday to voice her support for 15-year-old Tennessee high school student Cole Goforth, who was sent home by officials at Greenbrier High...
March 2010
14 posts
2 tags
Ricky Martin: 'I Am a Fortunate Homosexual Man'
NEW YORK, N.Y. — After years of keeping quiet about his personal life, pop star Ricky Martin has announced that he is gay.
“I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man,” Ricky said in a message posted on his offical Web site. “I am very blessed to be who I am.”
[Click here to read more.]
1 tag
Parents boot out teen son who was given...
COCHRAN, Ga. – The teenager who made national news this week for being allowed to take his boyfriend to the prom has been kicked out of his house because of the media attention.
Derrick Martin, 18, an honor student at Bleckley County High School, told macon.com in a posting today that he was staying with a friend after his parents ordered him to leave home.
Since Derrick’s story hit the news,...
1 tag
Indonesian police ban regional gay conference
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian police ordered the cancellation Wednesday of a conference of Asian gay activists, saying it could prompt violent protests by conservative Muslim groups.
The conference, organized by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, or ILGA, was due to take place this weekend with participants from 16 countries.
The ban was issued by police...
2 tags
N.J. gay-marriage battle back in court
Advocates for same-sex marriage are taking their case back to the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Lambda Legal filed a motion Thursday seeking a court ruling to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
“We are here today to ask the New Jersey Supreme Court to make equality real,” said Hayley Gorenberg, Lambda Legal’s deputy legal director. The civil-rights group filed a motion on...
1 tag
Malawi gay couple to be tried
The two Malawi men detained for three months over homosexual acts will face a full trial in April, a Blantyre court ruled today. The two risk prison sentences of up to 14 years. The two men were detained almost three months ago and have been in custody since then. They are accused of “unnatural offences” and “indecent practices between males” - in reality homosexuality -...
1 tag
Hillsdale High students prepare counter-rally to...
SAN MATEO — Hillsdale High School students are preparing for a real-life drama.
They are organizing a counterprotest to an anti-gay church’s planned picketing of the school’s production next week of “The Laramie Project,” a play about the town in Wyoming near where 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was kidnapped and severely beaten in 1998 because he was gay. Shepard died a few...
1 tag
Gay couple 'turned away from B&B'
A gay couple have claimed they were turned away from a bed & breakfast because the owner said it was “against her convictions” to allow them to share a bed.
Michael Black, 62, and John Morgan, 56, from Brampton, Cambridgeshire, have reported the owner of the Swiss B&B in Cookham to police for discriminating against them.
The couple arrived at the guest house near Maidenhead,...
1 tag
College instructor faces rebuke for anti-gay...
FRESNO – An instructor at Fresno City College who made anti-gay remarks is in trouble with the administration after students complained that he was using the Bible to teach his Health Sciences class.
Administrators at the publicly funded school promised to take appropriate action against Dr. Bradley Lopez, who told his students that homosexuality is a mental disorder and should be treated with...
Two things:
I’m sorry for being so inconsistent with posting. Hopefully this will change in the future, but school has been pretty inconsistent for me, so that affects most of what I do. I’m going to try to queue posts so that I will have a more regular posting schedule.
Thank you to all my followers! Right now there are 93 of you, which surprises me. :] I hope I don’t disappoint any...
2 tags
NJ gay marriage battle back in court
TRENTON, N.J. — Gay couples who sued New Jersey for the right to marry once before are taking their case back to court.
Six couples plus the surviving partner from a seventh filed a motion Thursday claiming the state continues to discriminate against them even though it offers civil unions to same-sex couples.
The original suit, filed in 2002, resulted in a 2006 New Jersey Supreme Court decision...
2 tags
ACLU steps in to save prom for lesbian couple
Controversy is erupting after a Fulton, MS, high school cancelled the prom shortly after a student requested to bring a same-sex date.
The Itawamba County School District in Mississippi and the Itawamba Agricultural High School in particular received a lot of unwanted attention recently when officials decided to cancel the annual prom. It was allegedly canceled when two lesbian students announced...
2 tags
Catholic adoption agency can turn away gay couples
Roman Catholic bishops have welcomed a high court ruling that will allow a Catholic adoption agency to reject gay couples as parents.
Catholic Care, which serves Leeds, Middlesbrough and Hallam in South Yorkshire, won its appeal for an exemption from sexual orientation regulations that say it must consider applications from gay couples. The agency warned it would abandon its work of finding homes...
1 tag
Episcopal Church Approves 2nd Openly Gay Bishop
A majority of bishops and dioceses of the Episcopal Church have approved the election of the church’s second openly gay bishop, the Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, a decision likely to increase the tension with fellow Anglican churches around the world that do not approve of homosexuality.
The worldwide Anglican Communion, the network of churches connected to the Church of England, has been in turmoil...
5 tags
Lesbian Air Force Sergeant Dischared After Being...
In another case of unfair third-party outing under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, a lesbian Air Force sergeant was discharged, after the local police revealed her sexual identity to her military superiors. Air Force Sgt. Jene Newsome, complied with the DADT policy by keeping her homosexuality private. But when the Rapid City, SD police arrived at Newsome’s home with an...
February 2010
3 posts
Hundreds march in support of gay men attacked...
Trailing a banner that read “Austin March Against Hate,” hundreds of people walked from a downtown gay bar to City Hall on Saturday to retrace the path of two gay men who were attacked last weekend.
“Ignorance is not the way. Fear is not the answer. Love will conquer hate,” one of the victims, Emmanuel Winston, told the crowd. “Hate will not be tolerated, and we will...
Beverly Hills Slams Beauty Contestant for Speaking...
Former Miss California Carrie Prejean isn’t the only beauty queen open to expressing her objection to same-sex marriage. Miss Beverly Hills 2010 Lauren Ashley is also speaking out in support of traditional nuptials. Miss Beverly Hills and upcoming Miss California contender Lauren Ashley spoke out to Pop Tarts earlier this week against gay marriage — and as a result she has been...
1 tag
The Maryland attorney general takes a step in the...
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL of Maryland does not have the power to legalize same-sex marriage; the legislature almost 40 years ago determined that “only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid in this state.” His opinions do not carry the weight of law; only legislative pronouncements and court rulings do.
What he can do is provide an authoritative reading of what the law commands....
January 2010
18 posts
1 tag
Gay Marriage on Trial: 'Today Could Be the Start...
Perry v. Schwarzenneger kicked off today, with early morning candle-light vigils outside the courtroom and, inside the courtroom, a line of civilians hoping to view history in the making. With broadcast footage of the trial currently blocked by the Supreme Court, the four young lawyers who were first in line at 6:30 in the morning were lucky to make it in. All four just passed the bar. “I’m here...
1 tag
Pope slams gay marriage as 'attack' on creation
Pope Benedict XVI has called laws ignoring the difference between the sexes an “attack” on creation just days after Portugal moved to legalise gay marriage.
Creatures, including humans, “can be protected or endangered”, the Pope, 82, told the Vatican diplomatic corps in a traditional January address focusing mainly on environmental issues.
“One such attack comes...
2 tags
Catholic Portugal Moves to Allow Gay Marriage
Portugal’s parliament approved a measure Friday to legalize gay marriage, paving the way for the conservative Catholic nation to become the sixth in Europe to allow homosexuals to get married. The bill now goes back to a committee for review before a final vote. Then if the president signs it – as he’s expected to do – Portugal’s first gay wedding could take place around April.
...
2 tags
Gay marriage foes want to appeal ruling allowing...
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sponsors of California’s gay marriage ban want a judge to delay implementing his order allowing cameras at the federal trial considering the constitutionality of the voter-approved law. They say they want time to appeal his decision to allow video of the court proceedings on Youtube.com because they oppose having cameras in the courtroom. The trial is scheduled to...
2 tags
Anti-gay Bill includes death penalty deterrent
A UGANDAN parliamentarian who crafted a harsh anti-homosexuality Bill has vowed to push ahead with his bid to get the law passed despite mounting opposition from government ministers and an international backlash.
David Bahati said the Bill – which would impose severe punishment for homosexual behaviour, including the death penalty – may be amended once it comes out of committee in February in...
1 tag
California Elects First Gay Assembly Speaker
The California Assembly elected its first openly gay speaker on Thursday, Assemblyman John Perez, a Latino Democrat from Los Angeles, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The chamber’s Democratic caucus unanimously agreed to support Perez, 40, last month. The 48 to 26 vote split mainly along party lines.
Openly gay Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a Democrat from San Francisco, spoke on the...
1 tag
Redwood City man turns himself in, faces charges...
SANTA CRUZ — A Redwood City man wanted for allegedly beating up a man because of his sexual orientation turned himself in to the Sheriff’s Office around noon Wednesday.
Cole White, 24, surrendered a day after a judge signed a $50,000 arrest warrant charging him with assault and a hate crime allegation.
“He provided a brief statement and said he would like to speak to an...
1 tag
After New Jersey defeat, gay marriage advocates...
Hours after the New Jersey Senate voted against a bill Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage, a coalition of gay-rights advocates said they would make their case in the state’s Supreme Court.
With the nationwide campaign to legalize gay marriage suffering a series of setbacks in recent months – a ballot measure was defeated in Maine last November and a bill rejected by the New York Senate – many...
1 tag
ABC Dating Show Features Transgender Contestant?
Anyone watch ‘Conveyor Belt of Love’ on Monday night during ABC’s ‘Marry Me’ Monday night line up after ‘The Bachelor’? No? Just us? ABC describes their new reality show as “five women [who] take a shot at finding love when 30 men are given the chance to impress them as they pass by on a moving conveyor belt.” Why? Why not? Because why should...
2 tags
David Letterman under fire for transgender joke
The Human Rights Campaign — the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization — did not find find a David Letterman joke last night about the appointment of transgender Amanda Simpson to a senior position at the U.S. Department of Commerce funny.
In a skit during Letterman’s opening monologue, the Late Show host announced Simpson’s historic appointment...
1 tag
Delayed broadcast allowed for gay marriage trial
SAN FRANCISCO—The federal judge presiding over next week’s trial on California’s gay marriage ban says he’ll allow videotaping of court proceedings.
Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker says a court employee will record the proceedings, then upload the video to YouTube later the same day.
The governing body for federal courts in Western states recently approved a pilot...
1 tag
Houston now nation's largest city with gay mayor
HOUSTON — Annise Parker has been sworn in as Houston mayor, officially making her city the nation’s largest to be led by an openly gay person.
Parker took the oath of office in a private ceremony at City Hall on Saturday, two days before a public inauguration during which she will be sworn in again.
The 53-year-old Parker took the oath before state District Judge Steven Kirkland and...
1 tag
U.S. Job Site Bans Bias Over Gender Identity
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has inserted language into the federal jobs Web site explicitly banning employment discrimination based on gender identity.
The protection is expected to apply to the small transgender population — people who identify their gender differently from the information on their birth certificates — and it merely formalizes what had been increasingly unchallenged...
1 tag
Portugal expected to approve gay marriage this...
Portugal is expected to approve gay marriage this Friday when a bill comes up for debate in parliament.
It is thought the law is almost certain to pass, as left-wing parties who are supportive of gay marriage occupy a majority of seats.
If passed, it must go to a parliamentary committee before returning for final approval.
The bill would remove any references to gender in the country’s...
3 tags
Leads sought in Buffalo gay-bashing attack
BUFFALO, N.Y., Jan. 6 (UPI) — A Buffalo woman says she may permanently lose her sight in one eye because of an alleged gay-bashing incident outside a lesbian bar on New Year’s Eve.
Lindsay Harmon, 29, told The Buffalo (N.Y.) News she was apparently stabbed in the eye when she and two friends were allegedly jumped by two other women who shouted anti-gay slurs at them.
She told the...
1 tag
Jersey gay marriage bill up for vote
TRENTON, N.J., Jan. 6 (UPI) — The president of the New Jersey State Senate has scheduled a Thursday vote on a bill that would legalize homosexual marriages in the Garden State.
[source]
1 tag
Gay partners in Rhode Island granted right to make...
(RHODE ISLAND) Yesterday lawmakers and members of the General Assembly in the state of Rhode Island overrode a veto by Governor Don Carcieri and passed into law legislation that allows domestic partners the right to make funeral arrangements for their deceased partners.
Although Rhode Island opposes same-sex marriage, many legislators and activists see this as a vital step towards equality.
In...
December 2009
1 post
Uganda Drops Death Penalty From Anti-Gay Bill →
(via rambutan)
November 2009
18 posts
Toronto woman becomes first trans Body Worlds...
transpride:
cassket:
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Toronto_woman_becomes_first_trans_Body_Worlds_donor-7891.aspx
Not many people spend time thinking about their deaths, but Dina Paige has. She’s made plans to put her body on display for the education of the world through the Body Worlds travelling science exhibits.
Paige is the first transgendered person to donate her body to the...
3 tags
Overall number of hate crimes drops in L.A. County...
Los Angeles County saw an overall 4% drop in hate crimes last year, while crimes against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people increased, prompted in part by last November’s highly charged Proposition 8 initiative, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California, according to a new report released today.
There were 134 sexual-orientation hate crimes reported last year, up...
3 tags
Texas marriages in legal limbo due to 2005 error,...
AUSTIN — Texans: Are you really married?
Maybe not.
Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state.
The amendment, approved by the Texas Legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by Texas...
2 tags
Gay Couple Awarded Benefits Compensation
A federal judge in California has awarded a couple benefits compensation previously denied because the couple is gay, the Los Angeles Times reported.
U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt’s opinion called the denial of benefits a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Public defender Brad Levenson was denied spousal benefits for his husband, Tony Sears. The couple married...
2 tags
New website will out gay priests
The Catholics better gird their loins for this one. The Village Voice is reporting that a new webiste, called Church Outing.org, will start outing closeted priests “to expose the hypocrisy of Archdiocese of Washington priests who go along with the church’s routine emotional assault on gays while living lives of quiet desperation that involve them having gay sex themselves.” ...
India Adds Third Gender Option to Voting Rolls:...
Transsexual and intersex people going to the polls in India will no longer have to choose between identifying themselves as male or female, now that a third category for gender has been added. The new option—“O” for “Other”—has been added alongside the “M” and “F” choices for use by transsexual people, eunuchs, intersex people (born with...
Tampa council's transgender vote ruffles some...
Last Thursday, the Tampa City Council preliminarily approved expanding the city’s human rights ordinance to offer protection to transgendered people. Other than a discussion about whether the new law would protect the occasional cross dresser, the vote came with little opposition, passing by a 7-0 vote.
Every speaker at the meeting spoke in favor of the change. But when the council takes...
Gwyneth Paltrow to Play Wife of Transsexual Nicole...
Gwyneth Paltrow has a gender-bending new role to add to her resume.
The actress, 37, has signed on to star in The Danish Girl opposite Nicole Kidman, in a role that brings the story of the first post-operative transsexual to the big screen.
[Click here to read more.]
Argentine judge allows gay wedding in legal first
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - An Argentine judge has granted a homosexual couple permission to get married, setting a precedent that could pave the way for the Catholic country to become the first in Latin America to allow same-sex marriage.
[Click here to read more.]
Lawmakers defy church pressure on DC gay marriage
WASHINGTON — The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is threatening to stop providing some social services unless lawmakers change a proposal to legalize same-sex marriages.
The city council has refused to change the measure, which is expected to pass next month.
The church says the marriage bill would force the church to offer employee benefits and adoptions to married same-sex couples. But...
RI gov opens door to domestic partnerships
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A socially conservative governor who has fought for years against gay marriage in Rhode Island has slightly softened his stance by suggesting he may back a domestic partnership system offering legal protections for same-sex couples. Republican Gov. Don Carcieri stridently opposes gay marriage, which remains illegal in Rhode Island, as well as civil unions. But after meeting...