A San Francisco lawmaker has abandoned a proposal to rename San Francisco International Airport after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, instead planning to pursue getting an airport terminal named in Milk's honor, according to SouthFloridaGayNews.com . Supervisor David Campos said he gave up on the idea of putting a question on the city ballot after the airport-related plan generated a fair amount of opposition, including from the city's daily newspaper and Mayor Edwin Lee. Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, said he thinks the airport's international terminal would be the most meaningful choice.
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has announced his support for same-sex marriage, according to MSNBC.com . Crist, who went from Republican to independent to Democrat in just two years, announced on Facebook, "I most certainly support marriage equality in Florida and look forward to the day it happens here." Last year, he said he regretted signing a petition in 2006 that called for a same-sex marriage ban. Florida is one of 30 states with a constitutional amendment restricting marriage to one man and one woman.
In Arkansas, a graduate of one of the local high schools claims the school canceled his appearance as this year's graduation speaker because his is gay, the Huffington Post reported. Bryant Huddleston, a 1990 graduate of Sloan-Hendrix High School, said he was slated to speak to this year's graduating class, which included his younger sister. Huddleston said his father, Steve Huddleston, and Superintendent Mitch Walton had worked out an informal agreement some months ago; however, Walton later said Arkansas State Police director Col. Stan Witt would be invited to speak at the ceremony. Huddleston and Walton later gave conflicting reasons for Huddleston not being the speaker.
Following criticism that it was hostile to a prospective transgender student, Massachusetts' Smith College will form a committee to revise its policies on trans women, according to Advocate.com . More than 4,000 signatures from a Change.org petition were recently delivered to Smith officials, criticizing the school for refusing to consider Calliope Wong, a trans woman, for admission. The committee will begin meeting in September; in the interim, Smith will stop denying admissions to trans girls and women listed as male on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms, which is what happened to Wong.
In the wake of Jason Collins' historic announcement that he is a gay professional athlete, former college football star Kevin Grayson has also come out of the closet, Advocate.com noted. Grayson played for the University of Richmond as a wide receiver for the Spiders, helping his college team win the national title in 2008. He went on to play professionally in Italy with the Parma Panthers; he not only helped the team win the Italian Football League, but he was named MVP as well.
Texas A&M University swimmer Amini Fonua—a 2012 Summer Olympic swimmer for Tonga and a New Zealand native—has come out as the first openly gay athlete at the school, the Houston Chronicle reported. Fonua cited the values of the college he attends as his reason behind coming out at the conservative school. "An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal," Fonua, a telecommunications and media studies major, told The Battalion, A&M's student newspaper. "And if you're living in the closet, you're living a lie."
Bryan Fischer—conservative radio host and director of issues analysis for the hate group American Family Association—may have recently revealed more about his sexuality than he intended, according to Advocate.com . Fischer recently appeared on Alan Colmes' radio program Liberaland to explain his views, such as his belief that homosexuality would cause the collapse of the western economy. Colmes asked Fischer if he had ever experienced any gay impulses of his own, but Fisher refused to answer the question and became irate when the radio host continued to press the issue.
A measure that gives parents the right to pull their children's' personal information off social-networking sites has passed the California Senate 28-10, according to Courthouse News Service. The Social Networking Privacy Act now moves to the Assembly, the lower house of the California legislature. LGBT-rights organization The Trevor Project warned the bill could prevent young people from accessing support services if they face family rejection.
For apparently the first time ever in the U.S. House, a gay member of Congress has obtained a congressional ID card identifying his same-sex partner as a spouse, according to the Washington Blade. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) told the publication that the House sergeant at arms informed him late last month that Philip Frank, whom Pocan legally married in Canada in 2006, would be able to obtain an ID labeling him as Congressional spouse. However, Pocan still noted that federal employees with same-sex partners are still denied many benefits—including health and pension benefits—because of the Defense of Marriage Act.
The Chicago City Council adopted a resolution May 8 calling on Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Soccer commissioners to publicly state support for LGBT athletes, Windy City Times reported. The resolution asks commissioners to sanction athletes who use anti-gay slurs and to say they would embrace openly LGBT players. The resolution was adopted without opposition in both the Committee on Human Relations May 7 and in the City Council May 8.
Pat Brady, the Illinois Republican chairman whose support for marriage equality earlier this year rocked his party, has resigned. Brady sent a letter to the party's Central Committee May 7 resigning his post effective immediately. Brady's resignation comes after months of turmoil surrounding his support for same-sex marriage in Illinois. Brady survived repeated attempts to oust him after he publicly backed equal marriage during the General Assembly's lame-duck session in January. State Sen. Jim Oberweis called for Brady's departure; however, Brady also had the support of prominent state Republicans like U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, and former Govs. Jim Edgar and Jim Thompson.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn called on the state House to send him marriage-equality legislation, saying lawmakers have had plenty of time to make up their mind on the issue, the Chicago Tribune noted. The state Senate passed the measure on Valentine's Day, and the governor has said he's ready to sign it. Quinn's comments come a day after Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a gay-marriage bill into law and the same day the Minnesota House endorsed a same-sex marriage bill.
Texas troopers arrested five gay-rights protesters after they blocked traffic in front of the state Capitol in Austin to demand equal rights, according to KBTX.com . A dozen demonstrators screamed, "End discrimination now," on May 8. The group GetEQUAL wants Texas to pass a law making it illegal to discriminate against someone for being gay or trans in the workplace. Under current Texas law, employers may fire someone or deny health benefits based on that person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
In Washington, D.C., Maurice "Twan" Coplin, a 62-year-old gay man, took his own life April 7, 10 days after being evicted from the Columbia Heights apartment that had been his home for more than 10 years, the Washington Blade reported. D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), transgender activists Earline Budd and Toni Collins, and gay activist and acting program director Greg Mims of the local social services group RAP, Inc. each reportedly took steps to help Coplin. People who knew Coplin and those who took steps to help him said that numerous programs at D.C. government agencies and from private community organizations could've helped Coplin if he had reached out to them.
Advocate.com reported that nearly 70 percent of Americans support NBA center Jason Collins' decision to come out as gay, according to a new poll from ABC News and The Washington Post. While 68 percent of those surveyed said they support Collins coming out, 15 percent said they "strongly opposed" it. Also, 63 percent also support the Boy Scouts of America's pending decision to allow openly gay youth to serve in the organization, while 56 percvent simultaneously oppose the aspect of that proposed policy that would ban gay adults from being scout leaders or troop members.
In a press release, the pro-LGBT group Family Equality Council criticized lawmakers "for playing political games with the lives of families," as the organization responded to critics of the concept of including LGBT families in comprehensive immigration reform. Emily Hecht-McGowan, Family Equality Council director of public policy, said, "No one on Capitol Hill who says they are pro-family can ignore the plight of tens of thousands of LGBT immigrant families who risk a future of uncertainty, separation, and exile." Family Equality Council also lauded two amendments U.S. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) filed that include protections for LGBT immigrant families.
A gunman who supports gay marriage and tried to kill staff at a conservative pro-family group in Washington D.C. faces 45 years in prison, according to CharismaNews.com . Last August Floyd Corkins II, who had volunteered at an LGBT community center, walked into the headquarters of the Family Research Council and opened fire; he fired three shots before being overpowered by a security guard who had been injured by one of the bullets. A judge has scheduled sentencing for Corkins for July 15, according to NBCWashington.com .
In Maine, lesbian former prison guard Kristin King has filed a civil-rights discrimination suit against the Maine Department of Corrections after she was fired from Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport, according to the Bangor Daily News. King charges that she was disciplined differently than her male counterparts on the job and then fired, all based on her status as a gay woman. She is seeking a jury trial and more than $60,000 in back wages, as well as punitive damages and attorneys' fees.
A new petition on Change.org is asking Hallmark, the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States, to make Mother's Day and Father's Day cards for same-sex parents, according to a press release. Kristiana Johnston, a 23-year-old pharmacy technician from Lexington, S.C., said her moms have been together for eight years and wanted to recognize their unconditional love for each other. The petition is at www.change.org/petitions/hallmark-make-mother-s-day-and-father-s-day-cards-for-same-sex-parents.
In Ohio, authorities in the Cleveland suburb of Olmsted Township, have arrested a 36-year-old man for the murder of transgender woman Cemia "Ce Ce" Dove, 20, whose body was found April 17 in a pond tied to a concrete block and steel pipe, the Washington Blade reported. With the assistance of members of the FBI's Fugitive Task Force, Olmsted Township police apprehended Andrey Bridges at his residence in Palma on May 3. Dove—whose legal name, as released by police, is Carl Acoff Jr.—had been stabbed multiple times before being dumped in a pond in a remote section of Olmsted Township.
DignityUSA, the nation's largest organization of LGBT Catholics, will hold its national convention in Minneapolis, Minn., July 4-7, according to a press release. Among the featured speakers are Maureen Fiedler, host of Interfaith Voices; James B. Nickoloff, associate professor emeritus of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross; and Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, among others. There will also be a pre-convention women's retreat July 3-4 that invites women to "be part of the movement of spirited Catholic feminists for justice." Register at Conv2013.Dignityusa.org .
One Million Moms, a division of the anti-gay American Family Association, is now targeting Walt Disney World because of its unofficial event "Gay Days" tradition, according to an OutTraveler.com item. On its website, the group writes, "Homosexuals will be celebrating the 23rd Gay Day wearing matching Gay Day merchandise, such as T-shirts. There will also be transvestites dressed in drag showing their support for the event." One Million Moms recently threatened to boycott JC Penney after the retail chain hired Ellen DeGeneres to be its spokesperson.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is among those who believe that the NFL's Minnesota Vikings cut punter Chris Kluwe for reasons not related to football, Advocate.com reported. Dayton, among other things, criticized the Vikings' management for what he perceived as blatant dishonesty: "I just think sports officials ought to be honest about what the heck is going on." Kluwe is an outspoken supporter of the LGBT community.
Two New York City men were arrested following an early-morning attack on two gay men near Madison Square Garden, Advocate.com noted. Manhattan residents Asllan Berisha and Brian Ramirez, 21, were arrested on charges of with gang assault and assault as a hate crime. The victims said they were attacked by a group of five or six shortly before 5 a.m. after the two were turned away from a billiard parlor. Police also are trying to determine if there was any connection between this and an assault on two other gay men recently just outside Madison Square Garden.
Regarding that other attack adjacent to the Garden, the New York Police Department has released photos and video of eight suspects wanted for assaulting a gay couple near the venue in broad daylight during a New York Knicks game, according to Advocate.com . Nick Porto, 27, and his partner, Kevin Atkins, 22, say they were walking arm-in-arm down Eighth Avenue when a group of seven men, all in their mid 20s and wearing Knicks jerseys, began shouting anti-gay slurs at the couple. When Porto turned around to ask the men why they were shouting at the couple, the group reportedly knocked both men to the ground and allegedly began kicking and punching them.
Karen Peterson, a Democratic state senator in Delaware, came out of the closet during a debate on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, the Huffington Post reported. Peterson received applause after speaking publicly for the first time about her 24-year relationship with her partner, Vicki. The bill later passed 12-9, and Gov. Jack Markell signed it into law.
Musician Josh Ritter—who refused to perform again at a private Christian college because of the school's anti-gay beliefs—is now the target of backlash from students who say they and their school are not against the gay community, according to the Huffington Post. Ritter, who performed at Pennsylvania's Messiah College May 4, said he would not play at Messiah College again until the school welcomes all Christians, gay or straight. However, Messiah students are now striking back at Ritter, saying their school is actually very accepting. The school's "Community Covenant" urges students to avoid stealing, drunkenness, occult practices and "homosexual behavior," among other things.
Dallas will go another two years without an openly gay person on its 15-member city council, according to the Dallas Voice. Three gay candidates running in two districts were defeated in municipal elections May 11—the fourth consecutive cycle in which the city's voters have failed to elect an openly LGBT person to the council. Interestingly, one of the winners was Adam Medrano, who reportedly refused to answer questions about his sexual orientation during his city council race, despite an arrest 13 years ago in connection with same-sex activity in a public restroom.
Extending marriage rights to same-sex couples in Delaware will bring an estimated $7 million to the state and local economy, according to a study released by Angeliki Kastanis, Williams Institute public policy research fellow and M.V. Lee Badgett, Williams Institute research director and professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 2,646 same-sex couples live in Delaware. Of those couples, 50 percent will likely marry within the first three years after the passage of marriage equality, which occurred recently.
With privacy concerns addressed, Indiana University (IU) has re-released the free Kinsey Reporter app, a global mobile survey platform for collecting and reporting anonymous data about sexual and other intimate behaviors, according to a press release. The pilot project was announced in the fall. However, researchers from IU's School of Informatics and Computing and project partner The Kinsey Institute delayed the public release until the university could fully review the project for any potential privacy-related legal issues.
On National Teacher Appreciation Day, GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) announced the selection of Matthew Beck—a guidance counselor at Erie Elementary School in Erie, Ill.—as the 2013 Educator of the Year, according to a press release. The Educator of the Year award recognizes an "education professional who has enriched his or her community by ensuring that all students, particularly LGBT students, are safe from bullying and harassment."
National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is hiring Lisa Mottet as its deputy executive director, according to a press release. NCTE has worked with Mottet around federal policy and state and local advocacy since NCTE started 10 years ago. Mottet was one of the lead co-authors of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey that NCTE co-produced with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
The Minnesota Senate gave final approval May 13 to a marriage-equality bill and the governor has indicated he will sign it, making Minnesota the 12th state to approve allowing same-sex couples to obtain marriage licenses the same as male-female couples. The vote also continues an unprecedented momentum toward marriage equality, with Minnesota being the sixth state to approve marriage equality in the past six months and the third to do so in the past two weeks. Rhode Island's legislature and governor approved a marriage equality law there May 2. Delaware's legislature and governor did so May 7.
LGBT ally and celebrity psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers recently passed away at age 85 of natural causes, according to Advocate.com . However, she wasn't always supportive of the community, as she told a letter-writer in 1985 that effeminate gay men are unconsciously seeking to "humiliate women," although she no longer recommended "ex-gay" therapy at this point. However, her position changed more by the 21st century, as she told someone in 2003 that "usually, extreme homophobia is an indication of a deep fear of one's own homosexual feelings."
Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent Gray acknowledged that tax liens filed against Transgender Health Empowerment by the IRS has forced the city to discontinue its funding for the organization, according to the Washington Blade. The group is the district's oldest and most prominent transgender advocacy and services organization. Said Gray, "So we'll work with them to try to get this resolved. But they're going to have to pay the taxes."
Maryland state Del. Don Dwyer, who vehemently opposes same-sex marriage, pleaded guilty to operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol, the Washington Blade reported. Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel) entered the plea in connection with the August 2012 crash on the Magothy River in Anne Arundel County that left him, two other adults and four children injured. Dwyer will not have to resign under Maryland law because the crime to which he pleaded guilty was unrelated to his legislative duties.
