A founding member of one of the first gay rights organizations, the Mattachine Society, has passed away. Kennith Burns died Dec. 16 of lung failure. Burns was president of Mattachine Society in the mid- and late- '50s, according to L.A. Times.
Iowa's Supreme Court ruled that it is legal for a same-sex parents to co-adopt children. A district court had previously ruled that co-adoptions by same-sex parents was illegal during a case where a lesbian was trying to obtain visitation rights with her and her ex-partner's children after the relationship dissolved. The Supreme Court said that it is considered legal 'second parent adoption,' according to 365gay.com .
A Minneapolis Lutheran Church recently ordained a lesbian pastor during an 'Extraordinary Ordination,' called so because it takes place outside ordinary guidelines for Lutheran ordinations. Ordinary Lutheran guidelines ban non-celibate LGBT people from serving as pastors. Rev. Jennifer Nagel was ordained as pastor of Salem English Lutheran Church on Jan. 19.
The Mautner Project has announced its new executive director. The national lesbian health organization announced Leslie Calman as its executive director. According to The Mautner Project, Calman has a long track record in non-profit work, with a primary focus on women's rights.
National gay-rights organization Freedom To Marry has announced the launch of a new Web site at www.freedomtomarry.org . The site, according to the organization, is more user-friendly, and contains info on marriage equality, an archive of tools and more.
A University of Utah study finds that bisexuality in women should qualify as a distinct orientation, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The study, which was published in Developmental Psychology, strives to debunk the myth that bisexuality is a phase. The study also suggested that sexuality appears to be very fluid among many women.