The U.S. Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriages to proceed in Kansas Nov. 12, lifting a temporary stay issued Nov. 10 by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, The New York Times reported. The two-sentence order was similar to recent ones from the court, which has repeatedly declined to intercede in the legal battles over same-sex marriage. But there was one difference: The earlier orders had apparently been unanimous, while this one noted that Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas would have granted the stay.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation ( EJAF ) announced nearly $1.5 million in new grants, including a new program aimed at addressing the rampant stigma against HIV-positive people and the LGBTQ community, a press release stated. With this round of grant-making, EJAF is awarding seven new and six renewal grants that fund innovative projects addressing the health and human rights challenges facing LGBTQ people, and supporting cutting-edge advocacy work on drug policy and HIV decriminalization. The initiative also includes a particular emphasis on programs for transgender people, with Transgender Law Center among the organizational partners.
Leaders in Philadelphia's LGBT community joined Mayor Michael Nutter to announce plans for the 50th-anniversary celebration of the LGBT-rights movement, CBS Philadelphia noted. It was July 4, 1965, when 40 gay and lesbian protesters stood outside Independence Hall in what is believed to be the nation's first protest for LGBT civil rights. The LGBT 50th anniversary celebration will take place July 2-4, and will include panel discussions, receptions and a one-hour salute on Independence Day. Details are at LGBT50th.org .
Clay Aiken may not have won a seat in the House of Representatives after the Nov. 4 election results, but he did score a four-hour docuseries on Esquire, The Wrap noted. After the American Idol runner-up's defeat was confirmed, the network revealed that camera crews had been following Aiken throughout his Congressional campaign. The currently untitled documentary is scheduled to premiere in early 2015.
Just days the Nov. 4 election in the tight race for San Diego's 52nd Congressional District seat, a second former staffer for Republican candidate Carl DeMaio accused him of sexual harassment, KPBS.org . Navy veteran Justin Harper, 25, said he began interning with DeMaio's campaign in February and was hired as a regional political director a month later. Harper said he quit July 12, two days after an incident allegedly involving DeMaio in a restroom at campaign headquarters. Another campaign staffer, Todd Bosnich, claimed DeMaio grabbed his crotch last December and masturbated in front of him on April 30. With 100 percent of the votes counted, DeMaio and Rep. Scott Peters were both at 50 percent—with DeMaio leading by 752 votes, 10News.com noted.
Democrat Maura Healey won the race to become Massachusetts' next attorney general, filling the seat vacated by Martha Coakley, Boston.com noted. Healey—who played professional basketball in Europe before attending law school, and who served seven years in Coakley's office—will be the first openly gay state attorney general in the United States.
Also in Massachusetts, Seth Moulton—an Iraq war veteran and first-time candidate—won the Sixth Congressional District Nov. 4 as he defeated gay Republican Richard Tisei, The Boston Globe reported. Moulton defeated nine-time incumbent U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney in the September primary. Moulton's win dealt a second loss to Tisei, whose bid two years ago for the same seat fell short by less than 1 percentage point.
Sean Eldridge, the husband of New Republic owner and Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, lost to Republican incumbent Chris Gibson in New York's 19th Congressional District race, Politico reported. Eldridge and Hughes had bought a $5 million estate in Garrison so that Eldridge could run for Congress in the 18th district, then bought a $2 million home up the river, in the 19th, when that seat seemed unattainable.
A Nevada Republican has failed in her bid to become the first openly transgender state lawmaker in the United States, according to KOLOTV.com . Democratic Assemblyman Mike Sprinkle defeated Lauren Scott by a 54 percent-to-46 percent margin to win re-election Nov. 4. Scott won the June primary with the help of an endorsement from Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who appointed her to the Nevada Equal Rights Commission in 2012.
On Nov. 5, a Missouri judge ruled that the state's same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional, ordering St. Louis registrars to begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples who want to get married. "Fundamental rights are not dependent on the person seeking to exercise the right," St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex M. Burlinson wrote in his decision, according to NBC News. Attorney General Chris Koster appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court. However, he is not asking for a stay of the judge's order, prompting couples to rush to get married.
On the eve of Veterans Day, the American Military Partner Association—the nation's largest organization for the partners, spouses, families and allies of LGBT service members and veterans—once again called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to immediately begin granting full and equal benefits to legally married LGBT veterans and their spouses, according to a press release. Gene Silvestri, a U.S. Army veteran and AMPA's veterans affairs coordinator, said, "It's unconscionable that legally married LGBT veterans are still being denied their full veterans benefits if they happen to live in a state that doesn't respect their marriage. These are earned federal benefits, not benefits from the state."
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld same-sex marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee—becoming the first federal appeals court in the nation to rule against marriage equality since the Defense of Marriage Act ( DOMA ) was struck down last year, MSNBC reported. The break with tradition is important because it provides a "circuit split" that the U.S. Supreme Court will probably have to resolve. Last month, the justices declined to hear marriage equality cases out of five states: Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
In the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit against the Social Security Administration ( SSA ) on behalf of widower Dave Williams, according to a media release. Williams, formerly of Arkansas, is now a Chicagoan who was denied spousal benefits after the death of his husband, Carl Allen. In October, Lambda Legal filed a similar lawsuit in Washington D.C. federal district court on behalf of Texas widow Kathy Murphy and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Outgoing Gov. Neil Abercrombie will be given an award for his work to legalize same-sex marriage in Hawaii, the Associated Press reported. The Equality Hawaii Foundation will present Abercrombie with the Steven H. Levinson Trailblazer Award at its annual gala Nov. 22. Abercrombie called a special legislation in 2013 to pass a bill that allowed same-sex couples to legally wed in Hawaii for the first time.
A new White House liaison to the LGBT community has started in her role, the Washington Blade reported. A White House official said Aditi Hardikar started on the same day as the new associate director of public engagement in the White House Office of Public Engagement. In that role, she's the White House primary liaison to the LGBT community as well as the Asian American and Pacific Islander ( AAPI ) community. Other roles for Hardikar include working as LGBT finance director for the Presidential Inaugural Committee in 2013, and being deputy director of LGBT voter outreach and LGBT finance for the 2012 Obama-Biden campaign.
An apparently drunken man captured on video assaulting an airline passenger while shouting anti-gay slurs at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport has been charged with disorderly conduct and simple assault, Advocate.com reported. The alleged assailant is 27-year-old McCleish Christmas Benham of Shelbyville, Tennessee. Cellphone video allegedly showing Benham assaulting an airline passenger he thought was gay went viral, with numerous accolades directed at the airport bystanders who tackled the intoxicated Benham until police arrived to take the man into custody.
The transition team for Republican Illinois Gov.-Elect Bruce Rauner includes at least three members of the LGBT community. They are Ron Huberman, a former Chicago Public Schools CEO who is now a private equity manager; Mark Cozzi, president of Lincoln Park Capital Group, a private equity firm; and Ryan Ruskin, who heads the Ruskin Group, a sustainable packaging firm. Some of the others on the team ( which Lt. Gov.-elect Evelyn Sanguinetti will head ) are former Gov. Jim Edgar, former U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard, anti-gay minister Rev. James Meeks, University of Illinois Chancellor Phyllis Wise and U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock.
Queerty.com published an article on the five anti-gay issues that could arise now that Republicans control the U.S. House and Senate. Among them are "endless attacks on marriage equality," a battle over U.S. Supreme Court nominees, using legislation to protect religious liberty, ENDA being killed or postponed, and what the piece implies is so-called expert testimony from anti-gay activists.
Upon news that President Obama will nominate Loretta Lynch to replace outgoing LGBT equality champion Eric Holder as attorney general of the United States, the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) praised the decision based on her record on civil rights, according to a press statement. "Loretta Lynch will have big shoes to fill thanks to the incredible leadership of outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder and his unprecedented commitment to LGBT equality," said HRC President Chad Griffin. Lynch currently serves as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. She was appointed by President Obama in 2010, and previously served in the same role during 1999-2001.
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) announced a new public education and engagement campaign—the first of its kind in the history of the Deep South—that aims to strengthen the foundation of public support for LGBT Mississippians; aid in the passage of pro-equality legislation; and bolster efforts to win marriage equality for Mississippi's gay and lesbian couples, a press release stated.
In Texas, a state district judge signed an order to stop offering health and life insurance benefits to the same-sex spouses of married city employees in Houston, according to ABC13.com . Attorney Jared Woodfill said that, by extending those benefits, Mayor Annise Parker ( who's an out lesbian ) put her personal agenda above the law. He cited the Texas Defense of Marriage Act and the state's legal definition of marriage, as between one man and one woman.
A monument honoring LGBT veterans from Illinois has been approved by Department of Veterans Affairs Acting Undersecretary of Memorial Affairs Robert E. Walters. The endeavor was spearheaded by Stan Jenczyk, chairperson of the monument committee and junior board member of the Chicago Chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights ( AVER ). The monument will consist of a slab of black granite with a pink granite triangle in the center and two pink granite ends. The pink granite ends will have six bronze emblems representing the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.
President Obama issued a statement on the fifth anniversary of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act. Obama said, in part, "Five years ago, I was proud to sign the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act into law—a law that strengthened the protections against crimes based on the color of our skin, the love in our hearts, the faith we practice, or the place of our birth. ... Our job isn't done. We must continue to stand together against intolerance and hate wherever they occur, and respond decisively when they lead to violence. Ours is a country built on the notion that all people are created equal."
Government employees who receive their health-insurance coverage through Aetna will be eligible for gender-reassignment operations next year, the company has announced, Newsmax.com reported. The company announced last month that it will cover the the surgery for federal employees in all 50 states. The company covers about 121,000 federal workers through the Federal Employee Health Benefits program, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
The National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, or NOGLSTP, recently recognized transgender Lockheed Martin engineer Christine Bland as its 2014 LGBT engineer of the year, according to The Denver Post. "It's hard to grasp it from a personal success standpoint. My name is up there with the list of the who's who in the LGBT engineering and science community," Bland said. "The fact is, not only has my career actually prospered, but I've had opportunities that I've never dreamed of before." Bland has worked on NASA's Juno and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter missions, among others, as an engineer at Lockheed Martin.
In Philadelphia, gayborhood bar Icandy could lose its liquor license in the wake of a legal situation involving serving alcohol to minors, PhillyMag.com reported. The violations occurred between April 2012 and July 2013, and fines totaling $3,550 have been paid; however, according to Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board ( PLCB ) Director of External Affairs Stacy Kriedeman, the bar could lose its license permanently. An administrative hearing will be scheduled, with a hearing officer deciding if the license can be renewed, Kriedeman said.
The health insurer Cigna has agreed to reduce the out-of-pocket costs that patients in Florida must pay for HIV drugs, settling a complaint filed by advocacy groups, who said the drug pricing system in the state's health care plans was discriminatory, The New York Times reported. The groups indicated Florida could serve as a test case for what they contend is discriminatory pricing by other insurers around the country. Under the settlement with Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation, Cigna will place a $200-a-month limit on the amount that patients have to pay for some commonly prescribed drugs like Atripla, and make other changes to make the drugs less costly and easier to get.
It's media patrolling media as Media Matters for America has claimed in a statement that a Cleveland.com article falsely suggested that the city's proposed gender identity non-discrimination ordinance would be exploited by men who want to sneak into women's restrooms and showers. The Cleveland City Council is considering an ordinance that would expand the city's non-discrimination law to prohibit business from denying transgender people access to restrooms or facilities that correspond with their gender identity. In a Nov. 6 article, Northeast Ohio Media Group ( NEOMG ) reporter Leila Atassi claimed the legislation would "open all public restrooms and showers to both sexes."
Kellogg's sponsorship of Atlanta's Gay Pride March and outspoken support of the LGBT community has incensed a national right-wing organization, The Huffington Post reported. On Facebook, members of the American Family Association slammed the appearance of an advertisement featuring Kellogg's icon Tony the Tiger, which touted the international food corporation's pro-LGBT accomplishments. Burger King, Starbucks and Nabisco's Honey Maid have also made headlines in recent months for pro-LGBT advertisements and gestures.
As the country's the oldest hate group, the Ku Klux Klan ( KKK ) is infamous for its discrimination against Blacks as well as Jews, immigrants, and gays and lesbians. However, according to ThinkProgress.org, Montana resident John Abarr claims that his views are changing, and he has started a new KKK group called the Rocky Mountain Knights that apparently has robust nondiscrimination protections. Abarr's champter will still fight against a "new world order" or a one-world government, and members will still be required to wear the robes and hoods and participate in secret rituals.
South Carolina's attorney general is asking a federal judge to toss out a challenge to the state's gay-marriage ban, according to The Huffington Post. Attorney General Alan Wilson argued in court documents that a federal case brought by a same-sex couple in Charleston should be dismissed. He said the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that states have the right to set rules for marriage supports South Carolina's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
In a related development, U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs has dismissed Gov. Nikki Haley as a defendant in a lawsuit challenging South Carolina's ban on same-sex marriage, the Associated Press reported. A lesbian couple married in Washington, D.C., is challenging South Carolina's ban on gay marriage. They are suing to force the state to recognize their union and say the law is unconstitutional.
Fox News host Megyn Kelly flubbed former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's name, accidentally calling him "F***abee," The Daily Mail noted. As she made the gaffe, Huckabee appeared to crack a smile before Kelly corrected herself. Kelly later addressed the mistake after it drew a wave of mockery on Twitter, saying, "Something else that happened on the program is also getting a lot of attention on Twitter and including this tweet from some nice man named Sean, who said, 'Megyn you're a delight to watch and gave a stoic performance after your slip up with Governor Huckabee's name.'"
