THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

A dozen individuals threw glitter all over the waiting room of Bachmann & Associates—the clinic headed by GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann and her husband, Marcus, according to the Minnesota Independent. The clinic reportedly is engaged in "reparative therapy," which some practitioners use to supposedly cure homosexuality. Nick Espinosa, who was behind a glittering of Newt Gingrich in May, organized this incident as well.

Speaking of Michele Bachmann, back in 2006 (when she was a Minnesota state legislator) she said that legalizing same-sex marriage would open the door to polygamy and even criticized the cable show Big Love, which was about a Mormon with three wives, according to the Atlantic. The liberal group American Bridge 21st Century posted the interview—which was conducted with a public-affairs television show called Capitol Report—on YouTube. Big Love, which had just begun airing on HBO at the time, ran for five seasons and ended this past March.

In Minnesota, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the law firm Faegre & Benson, LLP, filed a federal lawsuit challenging what they call "the pervasive anti-gay harassment in schools within the Anoka-Hennepin School District" in addition to the district's "gag policy" that prevents teachers from discussing LGBT-related issues, according to a press release. The lawsuit charges that students who were or were perceived as LGBT were subjected to slurs daily and were physically threatened or attacked by peers. The lawsuit contends that the district's gag policy and its alleged failure to protect these students violated the students' rights under the United States Constitution, Title IX and the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

Transwoman Lashai McLean, 23, was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., according to an Advocate.com item. The shooting allegedly took place about 10 blocks from a home for LGBT homeless youth where McLean had sought housing assistance. Mclean, who also went by the nickname "Shay," was reportedly a regular client of a D.C. nonprofit organization that provides housing, counseling and medical testing for LGBT youth. Authorities have not ruled out anti-transgender bias as a motive for the killing.

In North Carolina, Asheville police have classified an assault on a man perceived to be gay as a hate crime and arrested two suspects; however, the officer who failed to file an initial report is being investigated, according to Advocate.com . Luke Hankins, who said he is not gay, said that three men and one woman used anti-gay slurs before one of the men punched him. After going to the hospital, Hankins wondered about a report because the police officer who responded had not interviewed any witnesses. North Carolina state statutes do not recognize hate crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

In Colorado, a push to legalize same-sex marriage got a boost when a proposed ballot measure cleared the state title board, according to an On Top Magazine item. Supporters must now collect approximately 86,000 signatures to nail down a spot on next year's ballot. If approved, the measure would nullify the state's 2006 voter-approved constitutional amendment banning marriage equality, replacing it with new language that defines marriage as a union of two people.

Also in Colorado, Randy Bishop, 27, and Cornelius Bates, 22, were arrested after two gay homeless men said they were attacked by the suspects in a vacant home, Gazette.com reported. The homeless men, Geremiah Vargas and Marshall Hamilton-Parks, said Bishop and Bates called them homophobic slurs before stabbing them. The assault happened about two weeks after another reported hate crime.

In North Carolina, Durham's city council unanimously passed a resolution opposing a statewide referendum on a constitutional ban on marriage equality, according to NewsObserver.com . Carrboro and Chapel Hill, which offer domestic-partner benefits and allow people to register at their town halls as domestic partners, have already officially opposed the amendment. There is already a state law prohibiting same-sex marriage.

More evidence suggests that the hepatitis C virus can be transmitted sexually, according to the L.A. Times. The virus is normally thought to be transmitted through blood, but evidence shows that sexual activity—primarily anal sex among gay men—may play a role in the disease's transmission. Hepatitis C, which affects more than 3 million individuals in the United States, can cause severe liver disease and even death if untreated.

In New Hampshire, the Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) has sued to block the town of Gilsum from shutting down a group home for people with HIV, AIDS and hepatitis C, according to The Republic. GLAD sued the town on behalf of AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region to stop Gilsum from taking the Cleve Jones Wellness House for not paying property taxes. GLAD attorney Ben Klein said the home is tax-exempt.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared that clerks who do not wish to perform same-sex marriages should find another line of work, according to WNYC.org . "You don't get to say, 'I like this law and I'll enforce this law, or I don't like this law and I won't enforce this law'—you can't do that." Cuomo said. "If you can't enforce the law, then you shouldn't be in that position." Secretary of the New York State Association of City and Village Clerks Jim Koury said that two town clerks have resigned since the marriage measure passed.

In Arizona, 17 Equality Walkers are slated to walk 99 miles Aug. 5-14, according to a press release. The distance represents the 99 years the state has been without full marriage equality. "Walking 99 miles may seem like a crazy feat. But the purpose is to be bold, the length is meant to be challenging," said Meg Sneed, the co-director for the walk. "Walking symbolizes a journey and a destination, because it's time to end the days of second-class citizenship for LGBT people." Walkers include a lesbian and her heterosexual sister as well as a high-school student and a gay couple who has been together 18 years.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he would strongly push for a marriage-equality bill similar to the one that recently passed in New York state, according to Care2.com . While attending the National Governors Association meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, O'Malley said, ""I think we can learn from what they did. One of the things we're looking at in the drafting is how their clauses with regard to religious freedom were different from ours. That might improve our efforts." Legislators could discuss a marriage-equality measure as soon as early January.

In Chicago, more than 65 LGBT leaders and Lakeview residents packed into the 23rd District police community room July 20 to brainstorm solutions to neighborhood crime. The event was the first amicable gathering in recent weeks attended by residents in the community, many of whom had expressed concern that anti-crime efforts were targeting already marginalized queer youth. Leaders from groups such as Equality Illinois, the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, Project VIDA and the Chicago Gay Officers Action League attended the meeting.

At a recent guest appearance at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Okla., Randy Potts Roberts—the gay grandson of televangelist Oral Roberts—covered a wide range of topics, according to TheNewCivilRightsMovement.com . Potts Roberts talked about growing up in his evangelical family, his gay uncle who committed suicide, and coming out while being married; he also called his famous grandfather a "liar." Potts Roberts also has recorded a video for the "It Gets Better" campaign.

President Obama has certified a repeal of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" ban on gays serving openly in the military, ABC News reported. Obama called the statute a law that "undermines our military readiness and violates American principles of fairness and equality. Our military will no longer be deprived of the talents and skills of patriotic Americans just because they happen to be gay or lesbian." The repeal will take place in 60 days.

Stuart Milk, the nephew of the late gay activist Harvey Milk, has endorsed Bevan Dufty as mayor of San Francisco, Advocate.com reported. Dufty, formerly on the city's board of supervisors, is hoping to become San Francisco's first openly gay mayor in November. In a video, Stuart Milk says, "Putting Bevan Dufty into the mayor's seat in San Francisco reaches far beyond the shores of San Francisco, this reaches beyond California, this reaches across the nation."

Transgender activists criticized an NAACP town-hall discussion on LGBT issues that took place in Los Angeles July 25, saying that the "B" and "T" are missing from the panel, according to Advocate.com . Openly gay CNN anchor Don Lemon hosted the discussion, with lesbian comic/actress Wanda Sykes, civil-rights leader Julian Bond and Noah's Arc actor Darryl Stephens making up some of the panel. On the TransGriot blog, Stephanie Stevens wrote, "Not sure how the bi portion of our community feels about it, but I can say with certainty that the trans part of the rainbow community is not happy about the erasure of African descended trans people from this historic panel."

In New York City, the Pop-Up Museum of Queer History is gearing up for a new show in Soho, according to Advocate.com . It will feature items on 19th-century transgender individual Peter Sewally, the Mattachine Society, gay musician Billy Strayhorn and the "wimmin's" separatist movement, among other things. The museum will run Aug. 6-25 at the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said that he supports a state's right to decide issues such as same-sex marriage, although he personally opposes that institution, according to On Top Magazine. Perry, who may run for president on the GOP ticket, told a crowd he's fine with New York's recent decision to become the sixth state to legalize marriage equality. Perry's views mirror those of Republican presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who opposes same-sex marriage but backs states' rights.

In Portland, Ore., LGBT activists and allies marched along the streets the night of July 23 to protest three recent anti-gay crimes, according to KATU.com . The Oregon State Gay Pride Organization put on the march to send a message that such violence will not be tolerated. "I really hope this event encourages peace and love and tolerance of other people," co-organizer Bolivia said. "We are all people and we all deserve the same respect and the same love, and that these kinds of bias attacks and hate crimes are not acceptable in today's society and especially in Portland."

The pro-Sarah Palin documentary The Undefeated is heading for video-on-demand and pay-per-view starting Sept. 1, according to the Hollywood Reporter. A DVD of the film, with an initial shipping of 225,000 units, will follow Oct. 4. As of late July, the film has only grossed $101,000 in theaters.

In a review of studies, the Williams Institute reported that 38 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual employees who are out at work reported being harassed because of their sexual orientation, Advocate.com reported. More than one-third of respondents said they were not out to anyone at work. Another study found that transgender workers have experienced even more discrimination, with 78 percent of respondents reporting harassment on the job.

Vermont Law School lifted its campus ban on military recruiters the same day that President Barack Obama certified the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," according to Advocate.com . "This law school has stood fast to our position of principle, in the face of significant pressure, to insist that the 'don't ask, don't tell' law be repealed," Vermont Law School Dean Jeff Shields said. "That day is finally here." It was one of two law schools in the country (along with the William Mitchell College of Law, which will follow suit) that banned recruiters.

U.S. and South African high school students, along with their teachers and principals, launched a new HIV/AIDS-prevention project that will link Cape Town teenagers with their counterparts in Southern California, according to a press release. In the project backed by the American Federation of Teachers, students from Manenberg High School in Cape Town and from Artesia High School in the ABC School District in Los Angeles County, Calif., will use the Internet and Web-based interactive technology to exchange information about the impact of HIV/AIDS in their respective communities.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., were among those applauding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for outlining concrete steps toward ending the lifetime ban on gay men from donating blood, according to a press release. "We've been working on this a long time in a serious way and I'm glad Secretary Sebelius responded with concrete steps to finally remove this policy from the books," said Kerry. "HHS is doing their due-diligence and we plan to stay focused on the end game—a safe blood supply and an end to this discriminatory ban."

For the first time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has released data on employer-provided domestic partner benefits, according to a press release. The data was from the National Compensation Survey, which collected data on the employment-benefit policies from more than 15,000 employers in the public and private sectors. The report shows that 30 percent of civilian employees (private sector, state and local government employees, but not federal government employees) have access to health benefits for same-sex domestic partners, and 25 percent have access to health benefits for different-sex domestic partners. State and local employees (33 percent) have more access to health benefits for same-sex partners than private-sector employees (29 percent) do. To read the full report, visit http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ebs2.nr0.htm.

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) launched an online petition calling on President Obama to issue an executive order prohibiting discrimination and harassment in the armed forces based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to an organizational press release. SLDN renewed its call for the order recently, when the president, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen issued formal certification to the Congress that the military is ready for repeal. The petition is at http://www.change.org/petitions/white-house-issue-executive-order-prohibiting-lgbt-discrimination-in-the-military.

Tomorrow, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International, Inc.,—a foundation that says it is "dedicated to restoring morality and values in the nation's youth"—has sued MSNBC, Rachel Maddow and others for allegedly defaming its founder, Bradlee Dean, according to FreedomWatchUSA.org . According to the organization, Dean—while making an anti-gay statement—referenced Muslims as taking a stronger stance against the LGBT community. The organization then stated that Maddow and others said that Dean advocates the killing of gays, "as is the practice in some radical Islamic countries," allegedly causing him harm.

More than 3,000 public health officials, HIV-community leaders and researchers are slated to attend the 2011 National HIV Prevention Conference—the only major meeting in the United States to focus exclusively on HIV prevention—Aug. 14-17 in Atlanta, according to a press release from the CDC. The conference will include an official press briefing highlighting

research related to the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and a media roundtable for on-site reporters focused on HIV among Black gay and bisexual men—one of the groups hit hardest by HIV. See www.2011nhpc.org .

In Florida, Miami Beach officers Frankly Forte and Eliut Hazzi have been fired after gay tourist Harold Strickland accused them of hurling anti-gay slurs and arresting him without reason in 2009, according to Advocate.com . Strickland, a former Miami Beach resident of Miami Beach, claims he was visiting his old neighborhood when he saw two undercover cops beating and kicking Oscar Mendoza, who is also gay, in his head. Strickland called 911, but drew the attention of the officers, who allegedly called him "faggot" and "fag" before arresting him for loitering and prowling. The officers will be able to appeal at an Aug. 1 hearing.