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"LGBT Writers in Schools" brings writers into classrooms
- From a Lambda Literary Foundation: press release - Lambda Literary Foundation, in partnership with the Gay/Straight Educators Alliance and the National Council of Teachers of English, is proud to announce a new pilot program aimed at including LGBT issues and texts in English studies and English language arts classrooms. LGBT Writers in Schools will connect authors with classrooms via free Skype or inclass visit to discuss the author's ...
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Report: Treat HIV infection without Drugs?
- by Frank Pizzoli - "This is elegant scientific research that needs lots of further study," Dr. Anthony Fauci told Windy City Times about yesterday's (March 5, 2014) blockbuster news that investigators had initial success with thwarting HIV through an intentional genetic altering of human cells. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, a study with 12 HIV-infected individuals indicates it is possible to curb ...
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Des Moines poll: Iowa marriage equality is new normal
- From a One Iowa press release - DES MOINES—A poll from The Des Moines Register released today shows a plurality of Iowans—36 percent—have come to terms with marriage equality in Iowa, saying that it doesn't affect them. In addition, 28 percent of Iowans say they are proud that Iowa is a marriage equality state. Similarly, in a February 2012 poll from The Des Moines Register, 56 percent ...
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National report issued on state legislative progress
- From an HRC press release - WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of HRC, has released a state-by-state report detailing LGBT-related legislation in 2013. The report indicates that the majority of pro-LGBT legislation came in the form of marriage equality legislation, including for Illinois. In 2014, HRC expects bills providing comprehensive, inclusive non-discrimination protections will take center stage, including those aimed at ...
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tellofilms' #Hashtag explores lesbian love online
- From a tellofilms press release - tellofilms presents "#Hashtag", a new web series about the online lives and loves of a pair of lesbian twenty-somethings. ¢ #Hashtag stars/writers Caitlin Bergh and Laura Zak, both formerly of Chicago and presently of the West Coast, agree that having their first series produced by tello is "a dream come true": "We can't believe that Liv and Skylar, who've been ...
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9th Circuit juror bias case will not be appealed
- From an HRC press release - WASHINGTON — In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in a pharmaceutical contract dispute, Abbott Laboratories v. SmithKline Beecham, that it violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection to exclude someone from jury service because of his or her sexual orientation. In doing so, the court also concluded that discrimination based on sexual orientation ...
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Obama, Holder criticize Adegbile attacks
- President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder are among a wide range of people criticizing the move by some U.S. Senators, including Democrats, to block the nomination of attorney Debo Adegbile to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. They are upset that he did his job as an attorney—when he was litigation director of the ...
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Lambda book finalists announced
- From a press release - Los Angeles, CA - The 26th Annual Lambda Literary Awards - or the "Lammys," as they are known - mark another record-breaking year and usher in the debut of the new category of Graphic Novel. Finalists for the Lammys were announced today by the Lambda Literary Foundation ( LLF ) in Los Angeles after reviewing a record 746 submissions ( ...
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ACT UP protests anti-gay laws at NY Ugandan Consulate
- From a press release - Approximately 50 LGBTI activists protested outside the Ugandan Consulate on March 5 for over an hour decrying President Yoweri Museveni's February 24th passage of three Draconian measures: the Anti-Homosexuality Law, Anti-Pornography Law, and Public Order Management Law. Members of ACT UP New York, Queer Nation, Health GAP, LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent, and the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition ( ...
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New IRS video helps same-sex couples with tax tips
- From a White House Office of Communications press release - WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service released a new YouTube video designed to provide useful tax tips to married same-sex couples. The video is the latest addition to an online library featuring short IRS instructional videos covering more than 100 topics ranging from tips for victims of identity theft to taking advantage of the new simplified home office deduction. These ...
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Steve Grand: New music and a very successful campaign
- Openly gay singer Steve Grand made national headlines last year when his video for the song "All American Boy"—which featured him falling for a guy who turned out to be straight ( but understanding )—went viral. Now, he's in the media spotlight again, as he launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund his debut album, augmenting the announcement with appearances on ...
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Elaine Stritch: Still dancing
- The 89-year-old stage and screen legend reveals all in the new film Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me "If somebody doesn't understand me, they can just go fly a kite," drawled Elaine Stritch, star of stage and screen. "Their loss, my gain, because I get rid of them!" While well-known and beloved for her prickly, brassy demeanor; characters like Alec Baldwin's ...
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Bass speaks out in Miss.; ex-Miss Kentucky comes out
- National roundup: Special to the online version of Windy CIty Times - The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) is calling on Mississippi lawmakers to reject anti-gay legislation that would allow businesses to deny services to LGBT people, according to a press release. SB 2681, which passed the Mississippi Senate in January, would allow businesses to deny services to anyone if they felt doing so was a "burden" on their "exercise of ...
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Billy Masters
- "And I have to say, one of the most amazing Liza Minnelli impersonators I've ever seen in my entire life. Just really, seriously, good job sir!"—Ellen DeGeneres acknowledges the real Liza Minnelli, wearing a daring off-the-shoulder dress at the Academy Awards. After watching this year's Academy Awards, it was clear to me that these Oscars featured the most mispronounced names ...
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Genetically modified cells may be effective in treating HIV
- According to a March 5 White House statement, researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have reported successful results from a study wherein cells from HIV-infected individuals were genetically modified to slow the progress to AIDS. Scientists hope that strategy might eventually lead to a drug-free treatment for HIV infection. Researchers removed key cells from individuals who ...
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HIV is Not a Crime conference June 2 in Grinnell, Iowa
- HIV, LGBT, and social justice groups unite to end HIV criminalization - From a Press Release GRINNELL, IA, March 5, 2014 — The first-ever national HIV is Not a Crime conference will be held from June 2nd to 5th, 2014, at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, to unite and train advocates living with HIV and allies from across the country in the effort to end the criminalization of people with HIV. ...
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Wyoming marriage lawsuit filed
- ( Cheyenne, WY, March 5, 2014 )—Today, four same-sex couples and Wyoming Equality filed a lawsuit in state court in Cheyenne challenging Wyoming's laws that prohibit same-sex couples from marrying and refuse to respect the legal marriages of same-sex couples who married in other states. The couples include a university professor, a Major in the Army Reserve, a sheepherder, and ...
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Oprah, Lindsay clash; Travolta on Menzel's name
- Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The first trailer for the reality show Lindsay Lohan filmed for Oprah Winfrey's network shows the two stars clashing, according to EW.com. The series from Oprah Winfrey's OWN network promises an "honest, no-holds-barred account" and "an intimate, unflinching look" at the actress after she left rehab last year. At one point, Winfrey says to Lohan, "This is exactly what everybody ...
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Kentucky AG won't defend state's ban on marriage equality
- From an HRC press release - WASHINGTON - Today Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway announced he will not appeal a judge's order to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states or jurisdictions. Instead, Governor Steve Beshear will hire outside counsel to appeal the ruling. Last month U.S. District Court Judge John G. Heyburn II ruled that Kentucky 's marriage amendment violates the constitutional principal of equal ...
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Very gay Oscars has 'Dallas' wins, Ellen as host
- The 86th Academy Awards, which aired March 2 on ABC, could have been the most LGBT-oriented Oscars ever. —Start with the show's producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Maron—who are both openly gay. ( They also produced last year's Oscars. ) They have also been behind productions such as TV's Smash and the movie Hairspray, among many others. —The host was ...
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DHS finalizes Prison Rape Elimination Act
- From a news release - WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) finalized Prison Rape Elimination Act ( PREA ) regulations to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse and assault in DHS confinement facilities, meeting a May 2012 Presidential Directive. PREA was enacted in 2003 with strong bipartisan support. Today's announcement finalizes a rule first proposed last year and follows ...
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State Dept. issues global rights report
- From the U.S. Dept. of State - On February 27, 2014, Secretary Kerry submitted the 2013 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices ( commonly known as the Human Rights Reports ) to the United States Congress. It includes LGBT rights issues in Russia, Nigeria and Uganda. The reports, now in their 38th year, are available on State.gov and HumanRights.gov. Mandated by Congress, the Human Rights Reports help ...
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Fans fund gay country star's fundraising in 17 hours
- Steve Grand, All-American Boy - From a press release Just yesterday, Steve Grand — whose same-sex music video "All-American Boy" went viral last summer — launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $81K in a month to fund his first album. But as of today, fans have already pledged $118K, and that number is rising by the minute. This is truly a story of a grassroots ...
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Fed judge in KY orders recognition of out of state marriages
- A federal judge in Kentucky today ordered the state to recognize marriage licenses obtained by same-sex couples from other states. U.S. District Court Judge John Heyburn ( a nominee of George H.W. Bush ) issued the final order on a ruling ruled he made February 12. There were two questions at issue in the Bourke v. Beshear case, Heyburn said ...
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D.C. announces comprehensive coverage for transgender
- From a press release - Washington, DC - Today, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray announced that public and private health insurance plans that the D.C. government regulates—including Medicaid, D.C. government employee insurance, and private plans sold on D.C.'s health exchange—are required to cover transition-related care. The new announcement makes D.C. healthcare coverage the most comprehensive plans for transgender Americans in the United States, a direct result ...
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Racial disparities smilar among gay, straight couples
- From a news release - LOS ANGELES — Similar patterns of racial disparities in income and employment exist among individuals in same-sex and different-sex couples, according to a new report co-authored by Angeliki Kastanis, Policy Analyst, and Bianca Wilson, Williams Senior Scholar of Public Policy, of UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute. Consistent with prior Institute research, the report also found that racial/ethnic minority individuals ...
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AZ Gov. Jan Brewer vetos religious bias bill
- Republican Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has vetoed the religious bias bill. Nearly all political pundits were predicting she would veto the bill allowing people to discriminate based on self-claimed religious beliefs. On Wednesday, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney joined the chorus of prominent Republicans who said she should. Brewer vetoed a similar bill last year but that was part ...
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Billy Masters
- "The only way this film could be made worse would be to be eaten by a badger while watching it."—This lead from a review in London's The Guardian for A Winter's Tale ( released in the UK as A New York Winter's Tale ). Perhaps the best line from a review of a film ever! Prior to this, my favorite ...
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SCOTTISH PLAY SCOTT Sondheim times two
- Out director Gary Griffin finds it a bit odd when people ask if he's feeling overwhelmed at directing two works co-created by out composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim back-to-back for Chicago Shakespeare Theater. "To me, it feels very great because I'm still home at my home theater," said Griffin, who is Chicago Shakespeare Theater's associate artistic director and happy to have an ...
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Fed Court backs TX marriage equality
- A federal judge in San Antonio, Texas, ruled Wednesday that Texas' ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution and demeans the dignity of gay couples "for no legitimate reason." Judge Orlando Garcia then granted two plaintiff couples' request for an injunction barring the state from enforcing the ban. But, like federal district court judges in Virginia and Utah, Garcia ...
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Arizona Gov. Brewer vetos controversial anti-LGBT bill
- Arizona Gov, Jan Brewer, under pressure from those in both the Democratic and Republican parties, even from those who voted for the measure, has vetoed a controversial bill that would have allowed discrimination against LGBTs in the name of religious freedom. Also see related coverage at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/AZ-Gov-Jan-Brewer-vetos-religious-bias-bill/46410.html .] She said she spoke to lawyers, politicians and citizens in ...
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Knight at the Movies: The Oscars (aka gay men's holiday)
- In last year's column ruminating on the gay men's national holiday—otherwise known as the annual Academy Awards—I complained that the show didn't have nearly enough queer content. To me, there weren't enough queer-themed movies being honored, enough gay actors and filmmakers amongst the nominated ( were there any? ) and certainly the host and his not very funny hijinks weren't ...
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PASSAGES Gay ex-NFL player Roy Simmons dies
- Roy Simmons, a former New York Giants offensive lineman who later became the second former player in NFL history to come out as gay, died in his New York home at 57, The New York Daily News reported. Simmons, the only player in NFL history to acknowledge that he was HIV-positive, was known for his nice demeanor—but was also tortured ...
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VIEWS: MOMBIAN 'Jacob's New Dress' adds to growing genre
- A new picture book by Sarah and Ian Hoffman, Jacob's New Dress ( Albert Whitman, 2014 ), is a welcome addition to the small but growing number of books for and about young gender nonconforming and transgender children. The authors, a wife and husband who have a gender nonconforming child themselves, tell the story of a young boy who first ...
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Billy Porter album has classics with twist, Cyndi Lauper
- From a press release - It's been almost a decade since the Pittsburgh-born Billy Porter released a solo album, and since then much has changed for the award-winning artist, who grew up singing in the Pentecostal church. Perhaps best known for his Tony® Award-winning role as 'Lola' in the hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots, Porter's musical background is based in gospel, soul and R&B. He ...
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Black lesbian couple hosts series on TheGrio.com
- From a press release - WASHINGTON, D.C.— Married Politicos Danielle and Aisha Moodie-Mills of the weekly politics and pop culture talk show, Politini, are expanding their popular podcast from the airwaves to video with the production of a new series for theGrio.com. The eight-week mini-series will feature Politini's "Poliwood Round-Up," and "Is THIS the New Normal?" segments, staples of their weekly podcast, which covers the ...
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Oregon AG won't defend ban; gay ex-NFL player dies
- National roundup: Special to the online version of Windy CIty Times - Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced Feb. 20 that the state will not defend Oregon's constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples in the case Rummell v. Kitzhaber, according to an ACLU of Oregon press release. The state's legal filing stated that the Oregon marriage ban "cannot withstand a federal constitutional challenge under any standard of review." The plaintiffs in ...
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Quigley, Polis support LGBT concerns on solitary confinement
- Topic addressed in Senate Judiciary subcommittee - From a United States House of Representatives news release WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley ( D-IL ) and Jared Polis ( D-CO ) released the following statement supporting LGBT concerns being addressed in a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing taking place later today on the issue of solitary confinement in our federal prison system. "Merely replacing the threat of ...
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Deutsche Bank accused on housing discrimination
- From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and three of its member organizations announced that they have filed a federal housing discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development against Deutsche Bank. The civil rights organizations allege that Deutsche Bank maintains and markets foreclosed homes in majority white neighborhoods in a strikingly better manner ...
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SPLC: Far-right groups still at near-record levels
- From a press release - MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The number of far-right extremist groups fell significantly in 2013 for the first time in a decade, according to a report issued today by the Southern Poverty Law Center ( SPLC ). But with a total of more than 2,000 groups, the radical right remains at historically high levels. "The radical right is growing leaner and meaner," ...
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'Head over heels' for Iggy Azalea
- NUNN ON ONE: MUSIC Special to the online edition of Windy City Time - Headlining Club Skirts for Dinah Shore Weekend rapper Iggy Azalea is poise to takeover the biggest lesbian event in the world. The L.A.-based performer from New South Wales in Australia gained recognition on YouTube that led to being signed on Def Jam Records and being produced by T.I. on her EP, Glory. The Aussie bombshell has opened for Beyonce in ...
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Elton John, Frank Ocean; Alec Baldwin slams Rachel Maddow
- Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Elton John, Frank Ocean, Vampire Weekend, Lionel Richie, Skrillex, Kanye West and Ms. Lauryn Hill are among the 130-plus acts scheduled to perform at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival June 12-15 in Manchester, Tenn., according to Relix.com. John—the latest in a line of cross-generational icons such as Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, The Police, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty to ...
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Survivor benefits awarded to 92-Year-Old trans widow
- From a Lambda Legal news release - ( New York, February 24, 2014 ) - Today, after months of advocacy, Lambda Legal announced the Social Security Administration ( SSA ) paid Robina Asti, a 92-year-old transgender woman, the survivor benefits she was denied after her husband's death. The agency erroneously denied her benefits after it determined that she was "legally male" at the time of their marriage ...
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Report: Two-mom homes score better for kids than opp-sex
- From a news release - LOS ANGELES — February 24, 2014 — Adolescents with continuously-coupled lesbian mothers had higher self-esteem and fewer conduct problems ( such as rule-breaking, vandalism, or getting into fights ) than adolescents with continuously-coupled heterosexual parents, according to a new study announced today by the Williams Institute. Across other indicators of psychological adjustment, substance usage, and relationships with their parents, the ...
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Opponents fail to force vote on pro-trans school sct
- Foes of the School Success and Opportunity Act—a new California measure that provides transgender students certain rights in public schools —have failed to gather enough voter signatures to place a referendum to repeal the law on the November ballot, according to the Associated Press. At least 504,760 signatures were required to force a public vote on the statute the California ...
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Collins to become first openly gay NBA active player
- History was made Sunday night, Feb. 23, when Jason Collins—a 7-foot, 35-year-old NBA veteran—strutted onto the court at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He sported Brooklyn Nets uniform No. 46, played about 11 minutes in what was his 714th career regular-season NBA game. It was his first, though, as an openly gay NBA player—and Collins is now the first ...
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Pressure on AZ gov to veto pro-discrimination law
- From HRC abd TWO press releases - Following the Senate passage of Arizona's so-called "Religious Freedom Restoration Act," Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin released the following statement: "This bill is bad for business, bad for the LGBT community and bad for all Arizonans. Governor Brewer, who herself described it as very controversial, must veto it and send a strong message that legally sanctioned discrimination has ...
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Maine House defeats religious bias bill
- From the Office of the Speaker, Maine - Augusta — In a largely party line vote of 89 to 52, the Maine House defeated a controversial bill that would undercut human rights protections and reproductive rights by creating a loophole in the state's strong non-discrimination laws. Democrats argued the religious discrimination bill, LD 1428, would carve out an exception for religious beliefs in the state's non-discrimination laws, such ...
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NM upholds freedom to marry with bipartisan support
- From a news release - New York — In an historic victory for the freedom to marry in New Mexico, the state's legislative session ended today and, by its inaction, resoundingly rejected a proposal that sought to strike down the state Supreme Court's unanimous ruling for marriage. The Senate bill, which threatened the Court's December 2013 ruling, failed to garner any support from either party. ...
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HRC video shows Americans exporting hate
- From a news release. Video link below - WASHINGTON — Today the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) released a new web video highlighting the role that American extremists have played in the passage of Russia's draconian anti-LGBT laws. The video details how more than a dozen Americans, including National Organization for Marriage ( NOM ) President Brian Brown have traveled to Russia in the last year to ...
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US ranked 40 in Global Index on LGBT Inclusion in military
- From an American Military Partner Association news release - The American Military Partner Association ( AMPA ), the nation's premier resource and support network for LGBT military spouses and their families, released the following statement today in response to the release by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies of the first-ever global index on LGBT inclusion in the Armed Forces, which ranked the United States at number 40 out ...
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Oregon Attorney General: Ban on same-sex marriage indefensible
- From a news release - PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced today that the state will not defend Oregon's constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples in the case Rummell v. Kitzhaber. The ACLU of Oregon and Basic Rights Oregon welcomed the announcement. The state's legal filing stated that the Oregon marriage ban "cannot withstand a federal constitutional challenge under any standard ...
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Billy Masters
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - "I like Tom Hardy's balls. I mean not literally. I've never seen Tom Hardy's balls, just for the record."—Jeremy Piven waxes rhapsodically about his Black Hawk Down co-star. If true, he's one of the few who hasn't seen Hardy's balls. If you wanna one-up Piven, check Tom out on www.BillyMasters.com. If you follow my musings with any regularity, you know ...
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Jarrett blogs about Windsor; L.A. store protests Russia
- National roundup: Special to the online version of Windy CIty Times - White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett recently posted a blog entry entitled "Thank You, Edie Windsor," according to WhiteHouse.gov. Windsor filed the case United States v. Windsor because she to pay nearly $400,000 in federal estate taxes after her wife, Thea Spyer, passed away in 2007. ( The U.S. Supreme Court eventually ruled in her favor, invalidating part of the ...
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Lea Michele gets 'Louder,' shows 'Ambition'
- NUNN ON ONE: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Many know Lea Michele from the hit Fox television show Glee, in which she plays overachiever Rachel Berry. The role has garnered her two Golden Globe nominations as well as an Emmy nod. Michele started at a very young age in musicals like Les Miserables and Fiddler on the Roof; then she originated the part of Wendla on Broadway in ...
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Knight at the Movies: Stranger by the Lake and Hawaii
- Stranger by the Lake and Hawaii, two sunlit and sex-soaked queer movies, are arriving this week to chase away the winter blahs of this eternal freeze for ice fatigued Chicagoans. Even better: Both films—one thematically dark, the other light—are tremendous. For the entire film, openly gay French writer-director Alain Guiraudie's Stranger by the Lake takes place at a nude beach ...
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Couples ask Idaho to declare marriage ban unconstitutional
- From a news release - ( Boise, ID, February 19, 2014 )—Late Tuesday, four couples suing the State of Idaho asked a federal court to declare unconstitutional Idaho's refusal to permit same-sex couples to marry or to recognize their existing marriages. In their request, the couples argue that Idaho's ban on marriage for same-sex couples violates the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the ...
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HRC: Recall Ambassadors to Uganda, Nigeria
- Kerry makes statement on Gambia anti-gay rhetoric - Washington — TheHuman Rights Campaign ( HRC ) has called on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to recall the nation's ambassadors to Uganda and Nigeria. HRC argued that urgent consultation is required before regular diplomacy can proceed with nations that recently enacted some of the world's most virulently anti-LGBT laws. "The Ugandan and Nigerian governments' decisions to treat their ...
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Tom and Lorenzo: Always in fashion
- BOOKS Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - After years of stargazing with a critical eye, and lampooning more than a few star personas in the process, fashion bloggers Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez offer a step-by-step guide on celebrity swag in their literary debut, Everyone Wants to Be Me or Do Me. The book hit shelves Feb. 4. Since the 2006 launch of their original blog, "Project ...
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Julianne Moore, Ellen Page in movie; Out.com's top bachelors
- Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Julianne Moore and Ellen Page will co-star in lesbian roles in the indie drama Freeheld, and Zach Galifianakis is poised to tackle a supporting role in indie drama, a press release stated. Based on the 2007 Academy Award-winning documentary short of the same name, the film chronicles the true story of the late Laurel Hester ( Moore ), a New ...
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Stun Gunn: Chicagoan up for 'America's Next Drag Superstar'
- TELEVISION - "I would love to say that I am the 'coy Asian girl,' but it's probably more the'aggressive Asian girl'," said Gia Gunn, 23, a resident of Rogers Park, when asked to describe her character on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race premiering February 24th. "I'm in character 24/7. I am the same personality in and out [of] drag," added ...
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GUNNing for the title
- Season number six of Logo's hit television show RuPaul's Drag Race is peeling out in a race to find America's next drag superstar. Chicago is represented by Japanese lady boy Gia Gunn. The competition promises to be fierce with a whole new batch of fishy queens. Nightspots talked to the son of a Gunn herself to find out the skinny ...
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DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE
- SPRING IS SPRINGING ... MUSICALLY SPEAKING - Chicago life in 2014, so far, keeps us in a perpetual state of waiting and hoping for something: snow melting; spring arriving; and getting out of our overall stagnant moods. Every glimmer or peek of something spring-like gets us sunbathing like it's 35 degrees. Up on the spring music horizon, there are some bright peeks of sunshine to look forward ...
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Left Out of the Narrative: LGBTQ undocumented detainees
- News analysis by Erika Sanchez, Truthout - Undocumented LGBTQ people are caught in a double bind of belonging neither in white mainstream LGBTQ narrative nor in the mainstream immigrant narrative. The consequences can range from difficult to deadly. On Halloween of 2011, Eddy ( who, for his personal safety prefers his last name not be disclosed ), an undocumented immigrant from Chiapas, Mexico, living in Texas, was ...
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Marriage Equality video out featuring Jen Foster song
- Video link below - Writer/Director Nicole Conn —known for her lesbian films Claire Of The Moon ( 1992 ), Elena Undone ( 2010 ) and A Perfect Ending ( 2012 ), has directed a music video about marriage equality called SHE4ME. Marriage Equality USA ( MEUSA ) partnered with Melke Pty Ltd and Fosterchild Records to executive produce SHE4ME. SHE4ME centers on the production ...
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Gayness part of DNA say Northwestern Researchers
- Researchers from Northwestern University say that they've found two components of DNA that play a part in determining if a male will be gay, the Guardian reported Feb. 14. The findings, presented at the annual meeting American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago Feb. 13, suggest that genetics do have a significant role in determining sexual orientation, at ...
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Actress Ellen Page comes out as lesbian
- Actress Ellen Page came out as lesbian in a speech to the Human Rights Campaign in Las Vegas on Valentine's Day, according to TheWrap.com. "I'm here today because I am gay," the 26-year-old star of Juno and Hard Candy told the audience. "Maybe I can help others to have an easier time. I am tired of hiding." The actress delivered ...
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Facebook moves to gender inclusivity in U.S.
- From press releases - In a move that will make great strides in supporting young people with a range of gender identities, Facebook Feb. 13 announced it has expanded the way users can identify their gender on their profile. The need for the social media giant's change is bolstered by a new report released today on gender-expansive youth — or young respondents who identified ...
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SPLC challenges Alabama's marriage act
- From an SPLC release - MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Southern Poverty Law Center ( SPLC ) announced a federal lawsuit today challenging Alabama laws that refuse to recognize lawful same-sex marriages — unconstitutional laws that are creating legal obstacles for a man whose husband was killed in a car wreck. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama ...
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Virginia gay marriage ban struck down
- A federal judge in Norfolk, Virginia, today struck down the state's ban on same-sex couples marrying but stayed the execution of her order, that the state stop enforcing the law, pending appeal to the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The decision marks the first time a judge in a southern state has struck down a ban on same-sex couples ...
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Billy Masters
- "Right now—what me and my wife like to call it—I'm very fappy. I am very fat and very happy."—Channing Tatum tells Ellen DeGeneres all about his enormous weight gain during his downtime. How he constantly goes from being gigantic to ripped within an inch of his life is indeed an unsolved mystery. The most simple answer is that he's only ...
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Director Giuraudie dishes on erotic French film thriller
- MOVIES By Gary M. Kramer - Writer/director Alain Guiraudie's film Stranger by the Lake depicts a love triangle that develops at a cruising area as Franck ( Pierre Deadonchamps ) befriends Henri ( Patrick d'Assumcao ), but lusts after Michel ( Christophe Paou ). Even though Franck spies Michel drowning his boyfriend, Ramiere ( Francois-Renaud Labarthe ), he can't resist coupling up with the murdering hunk. ...
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Oprah on Broadway; Cheyenne Jackson is engaged
- Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Oprah Winfrey is in talks to make her Broadway acting debut in a revival of 'Night, Mother, according to Deadline. The TV legend and OWN founder would star opposite Tony winner Audra McDonald in a new production to be helmed by Broadway veteran George C. Wolfe that's targeting the 2015-16 season. Marsha Norman's Pulitzer-winning drama about a woman trying to ...
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National roundup: Barneys' trans campaign; Utah activists arrested
- National roundup: Barneys' trans campaign; Utah activists arrested COMPILED BY ANDREW DAVIS Barneys New York has become the first major retailer to launch a campaign exclusively featuring the lives and stories of diverse transgender models and their family members, according to a Transequality.org press release. "Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters" was shot by renowned fashion photographer/filmmaker Bruce Weber, whose photographs ...
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Eight married Missouri same-sex couples sue for recognition
- From an ACLU press release - February 12, 2014 ( Jefferson City, MO ): Today the ACLU of Missouri filed litigation in State Court in Kansas City, on behalf of same-sex couples throughout the state to seek recognition by Missouri of their marriages. In 2004, Constitutional Amendment 2, prohibiting same-sex marriages in Missouri, was voted on by the public and passed. Eight Missouri couples from across ...
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