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  WINDY CITY TIMES

GLAAD's president leaves; ex-GOP Congressman weds partner
National roundup: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2013-05-21

This article shared 4622 times since Tue May 21, 2013
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Barely a year after GLAAD named its new president, Herndon Graddick is resigning from his position with the LGBT media-watchdog group, Advocate.com reported. (Graddick's resignation is effective immediately.) Under Graddick's leadership, GLAAD launched a highly visible campaign against the Boy Scouts of America's ban on gay Scouts as well as gay and lesbian scoutmasters, and Graddick led the organization's efforts to educate the mainstream media on how to report on transgender people. GLAAD's chief of staff, Dave Montez, will serve as acting president, and the organization's board of directors is scheduled to meet next month to determine its next steps.

Former Republican U.S. Congressman Jim Kolbe married partner Hector Alfonso in a ceremony at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C., before about 125 friends on May 18, the Washington Post reported. Kolbe, 70, is a fellow at the German Marshall Fund who spent 22 years representing Arizona in Congress; Alfonso, in his mid-40s, is a Panama native and longtime special-education teacher who is now involved in real estate.

A gay man was allegedly attacked outside a popular New York nightspot in what appears to be a wave of citywide assaults, the Huffington Post reported. The victim, who was not identified, was coming out of Pieces, a gay bar in Manhattan's West Village, when two men attacked him while yelling anti-gay statements. The attack does not appear to be related to the case of Nick Porto and Kevin Atkins, the couple knocked down by four men emerging from a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden May 5.

With the passage of marriage equality in Minnesota, 18 percent of the entire U.S. population and 22 percent of same-sex couples now live in areas (including the District of Columbia) where same-sex couples can legally marry, according to a press release. In 2009, only 3 percent of the U.S. population and 5 percent of same-sex couples lived in marriage-equality states. If Illinois extended marriage to same-sex couples and the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Prop 8 in California, 41 percent of gay and lesbian couples would live areas allowing marriage equality.

In South Carolina, Mark and Pam Crawford are suing the state's department of social services, a hospital, a medical school and individual hospital employees, alleging that "medically unnecessary" genital-removal surgery violated their adopted intersex child's constitutional rights, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Crawfords say that their child, identified as M.C., is now 8 years old and chooses to identify as a boy, despite doctors deciding that M.C. should be a girl at 16 months old. The couple say that they chose to adopt M.C., who was in state custody at the time of adoption, knowing about the intersex condition.

Former Republican U.S. Congressman Jim Kolbe plans to marry his partner of eight years on Saturday in Washington, D.C., where same-sex marriage is allowed by law, according to AZStarNet.com . Kolbe said he met Hector Alfonso, a teacher from Panama, at a farewell party at his home in Washington, D.C. The two have talked about marrying for a long time, Kolbe said; after sorting out Alfonso's immigration status, Kolbe said the two are ready to marry.

A new Washington Post poll released May 15 shows 56 percent of Virginians favor marriage equality, Gay Star News reported. It was just seven years ago that 57 percent of the state's voters passed an amendment to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

In Oregon, a couple planning a marriage say they were denied a wedding cake by a Hood River baker because they are lesbians, HeraldNet.com reported. Erin Hanson and Katie Pugh told a TV station that when they went for a tasting at Fleur Cakes, owner Pam Regentin refused service because of the same-sex wedding. Regentin said despite anti-discrimination law, she believes she has "the liberty to live by my principles." In February, a bakery in Gresham, Ore., also turned away a same-sex couple.

California education officials took the first step toward complying with a law that requires public schools to include prominent gay people and gay rights' milestones in the curriculum, according to SouthFloridaGayNews.com . The California Board of Education unanimously approved new standards stating that textbooks, workbooks and other teaching materials purchased with state funds must avoid "descriptions, depictions, labels, or rejoinders that tend to demean, stereotype, or patronize individuals" who are LGBT.

In Florida, Hollywood Hills High School football captain Leo Washington told a Miami TV station that he is gay—a public revelation inspired by NBA player Jason Collins' coming-out, according to Outsports.com . Washington said his high school football team at his previous school in Georgia made him change in the women's locker room because of his sexual orientation. However, at his new high school, he's been embraced by the team and the school; he's even a finalist for prom king.

The Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America will not support a proposed policy change that would open membership to young people who are openly gay, according to Tennessean.com . The Executive Committee of the National Boy Scouts announced in April that it would submit the proposed change to the roughly 1,400 voting members of its National Council at an annual meeting May 23 in Texas. "That current policy is a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy and that's what we've been operating under for 103 years," Hugh Travis, Scout executive for the Middle Tennessee Council, said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) recently revealed a personal reason for wanting the passage of ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act: His niece is a lesbian, according to the Huffington Post. Reid added, "She's a school teacher. Her employment shouldn't be affected with that. We should have a law that says that, not just the good graces of wherever you work." Reid's niece declined to be interviewed or to give her name; however, per Reid's spokesman, she was fine with Reid making her sexual orientation public.

The LGBT Technology Partnership—a nonpartisan, non-profit organization focused on ensuring that the implementation of public policies address the unique technological needs of LGBT communities—announced a new collaboration with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), according to a press release. The collaboration will kick off with the joint launch of a series of cybersecurity tips to encourage greater awareness about cybersecurity and safety issues affecting LGBT communities. This collaborative effort includes working with the NCSA to incorporate "STOP. THINK. CONNECT." messaging into an LGBT cyber-education toolkit with fact sheets, tip sheets and posters.

In response to the anti-gay group One Million Moms' campaign against Gay Days at Disney World, straight mother Darcy Christ has created her own Facebook page, Millions of Moms for Love ( www.facebook.com/MillionsOfMomsForLove&, according to a press release. Christ is hoping to receive as many "likes" as possible on Facebook to prove anti-gay beliefs are not shared by most mothers.

Dr. Susan Stryker (University of Arizona) and Dr. Paisley Currah (CUNY-Brooklyn) are collaborating with Duke University Press to bring forth Transgender Studies Quarterly, an interdisciplinary academic journal that will debut next year, according to the Huffington Post. The two professors first collaborated back in 2008 as co-editors of a special transgender studies edition of Women's Studies Quarterly. Stryker and Currah are currently raising start-up funds for the project via a Kickstarter campaign, and are more than halfway to their goal.

On the campus of the University of California-Davis, men driving a jeep beat a man on a trail after shouting anti-gay insults at the victim, according to CBS Sacramento. A father and son were walking on the trail when the jeep drove up and the occupants began shouting insults at the men; they eventually got out of the vehicle and beat up one of the men, sending him to the hospital. iIt's the second anti-gay attack in Davis this year.

After a long series of paperwork was filed, the Department of Defense has recognized a veteran as a transgender woman, according to Advocate.com . Autumn Sandeen served on four ships during 20 years in the military before retiring and coming out as transgender. The military's system that manages retiree pay and services, however, had always tracked Sandeen as male. Sandeen said that after completing seven documents that were required before the change was acknowledged.

Minneapolis restaurant Hell's Kitchen is offering a free wedding celebration for one couple Aug. 1, the first day same-sex pairs can apparently wed in Minnesota, according to NewNowNext.com . The restaurant's owners posted a message on Facebook saying, "Our wedding for up to 100 guests will include champagne, a beautiful dinner buffet, bartenders, servers (who love to gussy up for weddings), candles, linen-covered tables, live music during dinner, and even free parking." They added that if the couple wishes to marry at the restaurant, they will "provide the officiants, because not just one, but two of our owners (Mitch and Tony) are non-denominational ordained ministers."

Florist Barronelle Stutzman—who told her longtime gay customer that she couldn't provide flowers for his wedding—is countersuing the state of Washington, which says her decision was illegal discrimination, according to Advocate.com . Stutzman, of Arlene's Flowers, argues it's not her who is in the wrong, and that the state is violating her right to religious freedom. Stutzman told the customer that her "relationship with Jesus Christ" prevented her from selling flowers for his wedding.

In a statement, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) expressed its concern about a recent homicide that occurred in Clark, N.J. Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, an Internet celebrity also known as "Kai the Hitchhiker," was arrested in a Philadelphia bus station in connection to the homicide of New Jersey lawyer Joseph Galfy Jr. According to media reports, a day after Galfy's body was discovered, McGillvary indicated on Facebook that he had been drugged and raped. "This incident is complicated, and we do not have all the answers about what happened, but we do know that this looks very much like the hook-up violence we are seeing in our work," said Sharon Stapel, executive firector of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, which coordinates NCAVP.

The Puerto Rican Senate approved antidiscrimination legislation that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in housing, employment, public accommodations and government services, according to an Advocate.com item. The vote was 15-11, with the bill going to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Earlier this month, native Puerto Rican and out gay entertainer Ricky Martin wrote a letter asking his home island to respect the LGBT community.

During the Hillsborough County Republican Party's 2013 Lincoln Day Dinner, a group of Latino, youth and LGBT Floridians interrupted U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's speech, demanding that he put an end to recent comments that the inclusion of LGBT families in an immigration bill would cause him to withdraw his support for the bill, according to a GetEQUAL press release. Those interrupting the speech yelled, "Include our families in immigration reform! All families matter!" Rubio—reportedly eyeing a run for the White House—is part of the "Gang of 8" working on an immigration bill in the Senate.

In New York, thousands of protesters of anti-gay violence held a march in Greenwich Village that began at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center and ended at the site where Mark Carson, 32, was fatally shot May 18, according to the New York Times. The police filed murder and weapons charges against Elliot Morales, 33, who was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court. However, Advocate.com reported that multiple attacks on gay men, including nightlife promoter Dan Contarino, occurred in the city hours after the rally.

More than 1,500 people gathered May 18 to celebrate the National Center for Lesbian Rights' (NCLR's) 36th-anniversary celebration in San Francisco, according to a press release. The sold-out event honored LGBT DREAMers, who have adopted the LGBT movement's principle of being out about their immigration status. The evening closed with California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom presenting the 2013 Founder's Award to NCLR Legal Director Shannon Price Minter.

In New Mexico, transgender student Damian Garcia is being denied the opportunity to walk during his graduation ceremony in the cap and gown designated for boys, according to the Huffington Post. Albuquerque's Saint Pius High School requires male students to wear black gowns while females wear white; the school insists that Garcia wear white even though Garcia recently legally changed his name and his family and teachers refer to him as "Damian." An online petition urging Saint Pius to allow Garcia to wear a black gown has gotten more than 13,000 signatures.

In Florida, teenager Kaitlyn Hunt has been expelled from school and is facing criminal charges as a result of her same-sex relationship, according to Advocate.com . Hunt, who attended Sebastian River High School, began dating another another girl when Hunt was 17 and the other girl 15; when Hunt turned 18, her girlfriend's parents had Hunt arrested. Hunt was charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child; then, weeks before her graduation, she was expelled from school. Hunt's parents have started a petition on Change.org .

The 28th annual AIDS Walk New York brought a crowd of 30,000 brave participants to Central Park in the non-stop rain, raising more than $5.5 million, according to a GMHC press release. Political figures and entertainers such as Bebe Neuwirth, Michael Urie and Megan Hilty participated, while singer Martha Wash closed the opening ceremony with a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone." The 10-kilometer walk benefits GMHC and more than 40 other vital AIDS service organizations throughout the tri-state area.

The Senate confirmed a gay Oregon judge to the federal bench—nearly eight months after President Obama nominated him, the Washington Blade reported. By voice vote, U.S. senators confirmed the nomination of Michael McShane for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, making him the sixth openly gay person to serve on the federal bench.

On Monday, June 3, people will celebrate the eighth annual Blogging for LGBT Families Day, according to a press release. The event—developed and run by the LGBT-parenting site Mombian, and sponsored by the Family Equality Council—aims to raise awareness of LGBT families, their diverse natures, and how current prejudices and laws have a negative impact on their lives and children. Visit www.mombian.com for more info.

In an effort to encourage condom use and safer sex practices, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health will begin distributing its official "L.A. Condom" in a 40-foot condom mobile that made its debut at Long Beach Pride, according to a press release. Condoms being distributed feature new wrappers designed by local residents as part of last summer's "L.A. Condom" wrapper design contest. Gay athletes from the LA Flag Football League, Lambda Basketball and The Greater L.A. Softball Association volunteered to be featured in the new campaign ads.

Love and Pride—a website designed "for people who believe in equality, diversity and tolerance"—has expanded beyond its jewelry and accessories to include a web portal with various fashion accessories, according to a press release. Since 2004, Udi Behr has devoted proceeds from the brand to help in fundraising for the fight for equality; see www.LoveAndPride.com .

On May 22, the White House honored 10 openly LGBT elected or appointed officials as "Harvey Milk Champions of Change," according to a press release. The event falls on Harvey Milk's birthday and recognizes these individuals for their commitment to equality and public service. Among those honored were Colorado state Sen. Pat Steadman, Calif. state Sen. Ricardo Lara, Hawaii state Civil Rights Commissioner Kim Coco Iwamoto and Ga. state Rep. Simone Bell.

President Obama announced he will award a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dr. Sally Ride, the first female U.S. astronaut to travel to space, a press release stated. Ride, died of pancreatic cancer July 23, 2012, at age 61; she was survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy. Ride's partner, mother and sister were notified the previous week of Obama's decision to award her with the nation's highest civilian honor for her contributions to the U.S. space program and education system.

Speaking of Obama, he mentioned gays and lesbians twice in his May 19 commencement address at historically African-American Morehouse College, Advocate.com noted. At one point, the president told the graduating class of mostly Black men, "That's what I'm asking all of you to do: Keep setting an example for what it means to be a man. Be the best husband to your wife, or your boyfriend, or your partner." Obama also drew parallels between the civil- and LGBT-rights movements.

A man is facing prison time after threatening to bomb a Puerto Rico gay pride march on Twitter, according to Gay Star News. Joseph Morales Serrano was taken into custody at his home in San Juan, charged with cyberbullying a gay activist on the social-networking site. Morales is accused of posting a Twitter message in Spanish that read, "Watch out during the demonstration, it can end like in Boston"—seemingly, a reference to the bombs set off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April.

In Texas, gay former state employee Vic Gardner is appealing the dismissal of his employment discrimination lawsuit, alleging his boss created a hostile work environment after the employee came to a Halloween party dressed as a geisha, Advocate.com noted. Gardner worked for the Texas attorney general's office for approximately three years, and received excellent performance reviews at the time. Gardner's attorney, Jason Smith, said Gardner's former supervisor admitted he had a "religious objection" to Gardner being gay.

Dr. Saul Levin, who last year became the first openly gay head of the D.C. Department of Health (DOH), has been named the new chief executive officer and medical director of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the Washington Blade reported. An APA spokesperson said Levin, who has specialized in substance-abuse treatment, is the first known out gay person to head the association, which represents more than 33,000 psychiatric physicians in the United States and abroad. Levin is slated to remain in his DOH post until July 12, when he will join the Arlington, Va.-based APA as CEO-designate.

Archie Comics' only out gay character, Kevin Keller, locks lips with boyfriend Devon in issue 10 of "Kevin Keller," which will be released Aug. 7, according to the New York Daily News. The scene takes place in Pop Tate's diner, and one woman "gets very offended and kind of pitches a bit of a fit," said Dan Parent, who writes and draws the issue. Parent said he wrote the story after efforts to remove a comic magazine showing Keller getting married drew complaints; the anti-gay group One Million Moms asked Toys R Us not to display "Life With Archie" No. 16, featuring Keller, near its checkout aisles. Toys R Us did not, and the issue went on to sell out its print run.

The world's largest collection of LGBT historical artifacts and documents—the Stonewall National Museum & Archives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.—has a new executive director, according to a press release. After a national search, David Jobin has been named to the position following a unanimous vote of both the search committee and board of directors. Jobin—who has been executive director of the 250-voice Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., since 2009—takes over June 1.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed into law SB139, legislation adding gender identity and expression to the state's hate-crimes law, according to a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) press release. Under the new law, transgender Nevadans will have the same protections against hate crimes as all other vulnerable communities. HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse said, "We thank Gov. Sandoval for standing with the transgender citizens of his state against hate-based violence."


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