The spotlight may shift from Chick-fil-A to Amway after it was discovered that the health/beauty company's co-owner, Doug DeVos, has given $500,000 to the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage (NOM), according to Advocate.com . The Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation gave to several schools and organizations such as Michigan State University and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but also donated an unrestricted half-million-dollar grant to NOM. In an open letter to DeVos, gay activist Fred Karger wrote that a boycott against Chick-fil-A and Amway was just like NOM's boycott efforts against gay-friendly companies like Starbucks and General Mills.
Jack Fertig—a professional astrologer who became famous as Sister Boom Boom, one of the early members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence—died Aug. 5 in San Francisco at age 57, according to SFGate.com . Elias Trevino, his partner of 18 years, said that Fertig was diagnosed with liver cancer last year. In 1982, running as Sister Boom Boom and listing his occupation as "nun of the above," Fertig received more than 23,000 votes as a candidate for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
The Iowa Republican Party Chairman, AJ Spiker, released a statement calling on Iowa voters to oust Justice David Wiggins in the November election, according to a press release from pro-equality group OneIowa. Wiggins is the only justice up for a retention vote this year who served in 2009 when the court unanimously ruled in favor of marriage equality in the case Varnum v. Brien. In response, One Iowa Executive Director Donna Red Wing said labeled the call for Wiggins' ouster "politics at its worst."
On Aug. 1, 81 members of Congress joined Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Congressman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Mike Honda, D-Calif., sent a letter again to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to recognize the ties of same-sex couples in immigration enforcement deportation cases, a press release stated. "Keeping loving families together, particularly in cases in which one partner or spouse is a U.S. citizen, should be a priority for immigration enforcement," Pelosi said. The letter was a follow-up to one sent Sept. 27, 2011.
In more Chick-fil-A news, gay-rights supporters said they'd like to meet with company president Dan Cathy, the L.A. Times reported. Atlanta resident Marci Alt started a Change.org petition Tasking Cathy to meet with her family and talk about the issues same-sex couples face when denied the chance to marry. GLAAD has since backed the petition.
Lambda Legal announced that DSA Management, Inc., a New York City-based management company, and Nicholas Place LLC, the building owner, will comply with state and city law and add the wife of lesbian tenant, Regina Hawkins-Balducci, to her rent-stabilized lease, a press release stated. After marrying her partner of more than 11 years in January, Hawkins-Balducci provided a copy of her marriage certificate to DSA Management requesting to have her wife added to the lease. DSA and Nicholas Place denied her request.
The Human Rights Campaign released a comprehensive survey of the marriage equality positions of members of Congress, according to a press release. The new resource, available at www.hrc.org/resources/entry/your-elected-officials, combines members' marriage positions with their record on other critical LGBT issues in one searchable database. Among both the House and Senate, 181 members support marriage equality (34 percent).
Amtrak has launched its "Ride with Pride" campaign, which targets families headed by same-sex couples for the first time, according to On Top Magazine. The national passenger rail company's campaign features two dads traveling with their son in one ad and two moms in a second under the caption "Priceless family moments are now affordable."
Openly gay Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer, Frontiers L.A. reported. In a letter to his friends, he said the "cancer is in my pelvic area and is pinching some of my nerves, causing a lot of pain and discomfort, which has kept me away from City Hall for the past week." He added, "My doctors feel there is abundant reason for optimism. ... To keep up my strength, the doctors have given me permission to eat anything I want (to which, as a longtime diabetic, I say: 'Great! Great! Great! Great! Great!')."
President Obama has nominated lesbian Pamela Ki Mai Chen to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, according to a press release. Obama said, "Pamela Chen has a long and distinguished record of service, and I am confident she will serve on the federal bench with distinction." The Washington Blade noted that "[i]n addition to being one the few openly LGBT people to serve on the federal bench upon confirmation, she would be the second female Chinese-American judge in history."
In Texas, one half of a gay couple that has been arrested for criminal trespass when they requested a marriage license was arrested again, the Dallas Voice reported. Mark "Major" Jimenez (the one arrested a second time) and partner Beau Chandler went back to the County Records Building after a court hearing; they refused to leave without a license, with Jimenez handcuffing himself to with waiting-line rope. Chandler didn't handcuff himself so he could get bail money in case Jimenez was arrested.
The Trevor Project—which provides crisis-intervention and suicide-prevention services to LGBTQ youth—has made Meredith Kadlec its first-ever lesbian board chair, SheWired.com reported. Kadlec, recently a senior vice president at Here Media, has served on the Trevor Project's board since 2007; she'll hold the post for two years. In a statement, Kadlec said her goals include ensuring "fiscal stability for the organization's future" and creating "deeper awareness of The Trevor Project nationally."
Mississippi's governor, Phil Bryant, has responded to a racial incident involving a church by issuing an anti-gay statement. According to Advocate.com, First Baptish Church in Crystal Springs, Miss., would allow Black couple Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson to marry because some white parishioners objected. Talking about the situation, Bryant said, "Look, when people want to get married, we ought to let them get married." When a reporter asked if that extended to same-sex couples, Bryant said, "I wouldn't say gay couples, no. ... When I say couples, I automatically assume it's a man and a woman."
Adam Smith—who was the CFO of Vante, Inc., in Tucson, Ariz.—posted a video of himself online ranting to a Chick-fil-A drive-thru employee, according to AZFamily.com . Smith has since been fired for the clip, which shows him saying to the employee, "You know why I'm getting my free water, right? Because Chick-fil-A is a hateful corporation." Vante released a statement after firing Smith, saying, in part, that it expects "our company officers to behave in a manner commensurate with their position and in a respectful fashion that conveys these values of civility with others." Smith has since apologized in another video—while reaffirming his support of gay rights, the Daily Mail noted.
In West Virginia, environmental activists want state officials to investigate allegations that state troopers beat queer anti-mountaintop coal-mining activist Dustin Steele, according to the Washington Blade. CREDO Action and Energy Action Coalition want an investigation into Steele's claims that officers dragged him across a sidewalk and asphalt at the Hobet mine in Lincoln County. Steele, 21, also claims that the troopers kicked and punched him while he was in custody.
A gay man, Peter TerVeer, is suing the Library of Congress, saying he was fired after being harassed for more than a year by a supervisor who constantly quoted Biblical passages condemning homosexuality, the Washington Blade noted. TerVeer, 30—who was a management analyst—is alleging employment discrimination based on his gender, gender stereotyping and his religious beliefs in violation of Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964. Four years ago, a judge ruled that the library illegally discriminated against a transgender woman.
Because of a Congressional bill, congregants of the notoriously anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas will soon be severely limited in their ability to disrupt military funerals, the Huffington Post reported. According to The Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012, demonstrators will no longer be allowed to picket military funerals two hours before or after a service. The church often holds displays at funerals, contending that U.S. soldiers have been killed as God's vengeance for support of gay rights.
Several Chick-fil-A restaurants across the nation held a joint "Kiss Off" Aug. 3—two days after huge crowds turned out to support the fast-food chain and company president Dan Cathy, according to the L.A. Times. However, the Aug. 3 counterprotests appeared to draw far fewer people than the Aug. 1 demonstrations, which resulted in Chick-fil-A establishing sales records.
The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center issued a press release condemning the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek. At least seven died, including gunman Wade Michael Page, in an incident that has been seen a hate crime. The release read, in part, "We stand in solidarity with the Sikh community and all groups targeted by hate crimes and discrimination. Regardless of the motives of the assailant(s), we send our thoughts and prayers to the victims, their families, and the entire Sikh community."
Northern California author James Olson says he's discovered the missing link that explains the biological source of sexual orientation, according to Advocate.com . In his book The Whole-Brain Path to Peace, Olson theorizes that heterosexual men and lesbians are generally dominated by the left hemisphere of the brain, which is committed to sequential, thought-oriented processes. He adds that heterosexual women and gay men are much more likely to be dominated by the brain's right hemisphere, which regulates feeling and cultural awareness.
A new report out of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine details the experiementation that's been going on in the field of fetal engineering, according to Advocate.com . The report claims that doctors are using a synthetic steroid to prevent female babies with a propensity toward lesbianism, bisexuality, tomboyism and intersexuality from being born. The paper's authors—Alice Dreger, Ellen Feder and Anne Tamar-Mathis—used the Freedom of Information Act findings to "detail an extremely troubling off-label medical intervention employed in the U.S. on pregnant women."
Ruth Ellis Center (located in Highland Park, Mich.) is launching a major crowd-funding and awareness campaign, "End the Chill: Where Homeless Youth Sleep this Winter," to aid Detroit's homeless LGBTQ youth, according to a press release. The center's goal is to raise $20,000 by the night of its annual benefit, "Voices," to be held Sept. 20 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and which will feature out comic/actress Wanda Sykes. See www.RuthEllisCenter.org .
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced a further cash investment of $1 million in the four states facing marriage-related ballot measures in November: Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington, according to a press release. The cash infusion brings HRC's contributions to legislative and electoral marriage issues in the 2011-2012 cycle to $4.8 million. "This is a tipping point year in the fight for marriage equality that requires significant investment," said HRC President Chad Griffin. "We are committed to making sure this is the year that our opponents can no longer claim Americans will not support marriage equality at the ballot box."
Equality Forum has announced the 31 icons for LGBT History Month 2012 in October. Among the individuals are songwriter Katherine Lee Bates ("America the Beautiful"), actor Chris Colfer (TV's Glee), designer Jean Paul Gaultier, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, transgender pioneer Christine Jorgensen and entertainer RuPaul. Each day in October (Gay History Month), an icon will be featured with a video, biography, bibliography, downloadable images and other educational resources. These resources will be available at www.lgbtHistoryMonth.com .
The Trans Advocacy Network—a coalition for local and state level transgender advocacy organizations—has launched its new website, www.TransAdvocacyNetwork.org, according to a press release. The site will act as a resource-sharing hub for transgender organizations and programs across the country, allowing activists and allies to cross-collaborate on effective legislative strategies, among other things.
Mitt Romney's campaign team confirmed that the presidential candidate still believes gay Americans should be allowed to participate in the Boy Scouts, according to a Change.org press release. Campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said that Romney's 1994 comments, where he said that the Boy Scouts should welcome members who are gay, "remains Romney's position today." The announcement comes as Eagle Scout Zach Wahls (who became famous after a YouTube video of a pro-equality speech he gave in 2011 went viral) unveiled a new "Scouts for Equality" website.
In Michigan, openly gay candidate Trevor Thomas—who worked as an activist in D.C. before returning to his home state—lost the Democratic nomination for Michigan's 3rd Congressional District to Steve Pestka, a small business owner and former Kent County commissioner, according to the Washington Blade. Pestka will go on to challenge Republican incumbent Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., in the general election.
In Michigan, The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) asked a federal judge to strike down a state law that bans many public entities from providing health insurance to the domestic partners of their employees, according to an ACLU press release. The ACLU and the law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP are representing five gay and lesbian public employees as well as their long-term domestic partners; the clients either have lost their health insurance or will lose their insurance shortly as a result of the law.
In Montana, a man who reported to authorities that he was beaten outside the Missoula nightclub because he was gay has been cited for making a false report to law enforcement, according to Missoulian.com . Joseph Baken, 22, pled guilty in Missoula Municipal Court. "The decision to file criminal charges was due in part to the sense of fear and anger that quickly developed after Baken had identified a specific business and possible suspects in his allegations," Missoula Police Lt. Scott Brodie said in a statement.
In Grand Rapids, Mich., protesters of a gay day celebration were caught on camera threatening to rape members of the local LGBT-rights organization the Tolerance, Equality, and Awareness Movement (TEAM), according to Advocate.com . TEAM members reported receiving rape and death threats in reaction to Cherry Park's first Gay Day. Police were called to act on the threats, but crowds reportedly dispersed when it began to rain and no one was arrested.
Jury selection has begun in a defamation lawsuit against former Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell, who is accused to harassing gay University of Michigan alumnus Chris Armstrong, Advocate.com reported. Shirvell was fired from his job after starting an anti-gay blog in which he regularly criticized Armstrong, describing the former student as heading a "radical homosexual agenda" and calling him a representative of Satan. Armstrong's attorney said the charges would be dropped if Shirvell apologized, but he refused.
In New Jersey, lesbian mother Joianne Fraschilla is planning to protest a bed-and-breakfast after its owners made claims against LGBT people on Facebook, Advocate.com noted. Fraschilla noticed a sign outside the Whitebriar Bed and Breakfast that read "Marriage: One Man One Woman One God" and advertised "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day." After she expressed her disappointment on the establishment's Facebook page, the owners responded that that same-sex parents are "totally destroying the normal balance in a child's life" and that AIDS is God's punishment for gays.
In Missouri, a lesbian couple said that neighborhood kids attacked one of them, Advocate.com reported. Jeana Terry and Lisa Lange said that the kids showed up on their porch and then dragged Terry out of the home and administered a vicious beating. When police arrived, they arrested three young people (ages 16, 13 and 11), who live across the street from the couple. The two younger individuals pled guilty to trespassing and second-degree assault; the 16-year-old may face burglary and hate-crime charges.
So far, New York LGBT group the Empire State Pride Agenda is only backing one of the three Republican state senators seeking re-election who voted for marriage equality last year, according to Advocate.com . The organization is backing Buffalo's Mark Grisanti, but not state Sens. Roy McDonald and Stephen Saland. (Sen. James Alesi, the fourth "yes" vote, announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.) However, a Pride Agenda spokeswoman said the latest announcement represented only the second round of endorsements, and that more endorsements are still possible.
The anti-gay group the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) is urging parents to pull their children out of classrooms led by any teacher who supports a gay-straight alliance, uses LGBT-inclusive texts or supports LGBT students, according to the Huffington Post. In a document titled "Challenge Teachers, Not Books," the group encourages parents to "object to teachers rather than texts." Hemant Mehta, a math teacher in Naperville, Ill., writes in a Friendly Atheist blog that the IFI is merely fighting liberal teachers who keep religious beliefs out of the classroom.
