A murder case involving 39-year-old gay victim Edgard Mercado has ended in a mistrial, Gay City News reported. Judge Daniel P. FitzGerald dismissed the Manhattan jury Dec. 22 after the jury could not agree on the top charge of second-degree murder against Davawn Robinson in the strangling death of Mercado in his Avenue C apartment. The prosecution charged that Robinson, who is 24 and also gay, intended to kill Mercado; however, the defense argued that Robinson did not fulfill the intent criterion for murder.
Almost 40,000 people have called for the resignation of the regional director of Detroit's Great Expressions Dental Care after an ex-employee said he was on the receiving end of HIV-related discrimination while on the job, according to the Huffington Post. A Change.org petition said James White was "banned from touching doorknobs, was followed around by coworkers with bottles of Lysol, and subjected to sudden and abrupt schedule changes" after being diagnosed with HIV"—even though the billing clerk didn't work directly with patients. Great Expressions, a national chain, has 150 offices in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia.
A Colorado-based Girl Scouts troop's acceptance of a 7-year-old transgender child has spurred three Louisiana leaders to resign and disband their groups, according to the Huffington Post. The leaders were affiliated with the Northlake Christian School in Covington, La. Susan Bryant-Snure, one of the leaders who resigned, said that the Colorado troop's action is "extremely confusing" and an "almost dangerous situation" for children.
GOP presidential candidate and marriage-equality opponent Rick Santorum has outlines his plan to win over gay voters, the Huffington Post reported. Journalist Greta Van Susteren asked Santorum how he would get support from gay Iowans after anti-gay activist Bob Vander Plaats endorsed him. Santorum said, "I have nothing against gay people. They have rights of every other citizen. But what they did in Iowa and what some are trying to do ... is change the laws of this country with respect to what the definition of marriage is. We have a public policy disagreement. I know there are a lot of gays who are strong on national security and believe in lower taxes and getting this economy moving, and welcome them to join our campaign."
Also in Iowa, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich reportedly told a gay Oskaloosa resident he should vote for President Obama, the Des Moines Register noted. Scott Arnold, an adjunct professor of writing at William Penn University, said, "I asked [Gingrich] if he's elected, how does he plan to engage gay Americans. How are we to support him? And he told me to support Obama." Gingrich has said that same-sex marriage "is a temporary aberration that will dissipate."
U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., has apologized for comments he made about First Lady Michelle Obama, including that she has a "big butt" for someone who's always encouraging the nation to exercise and eat right, the Chicago Tribune reported. The legislator apparently made two separate comments about the first lady's derriere, both made when he appeared at a church's Christmas bazaar in Hartford, Wis.
Transgender man Mel Wymore has started campaigning for a seat on the New York City Council, according to Queerty.com . If Wymore wins, he'll be the state's first transgender elected official. Wymore told the New York Observer, "I do realize, however, that I'm an exemplar of a certain kind of difference that's in a very small minority, so recognizing that, I have a particular responsibility and a voice to speak about difference and inclusion."
Barbara Wold, a lesbian progressive activist who made a name for herself as a blogger and advocate for LGBT rights died Dec. 18 at age 63. A native Chicagoan who later moved to Albuquerque, N.M., Wold passed away after a two-month battle with metastatic colon cancer. She is survived by her partner, Mary Ellen Broderick. "She was a force to be reckoned with," said Broderick. "I don't know that she knew what a big voice she had."
In Michigan, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill into law that ends health-insurance coverage for domestic partners of government workers, Advocate.com reported. GOP state Rep. Dave Agema introduced the measure. "Gov. Snyder's support for this bill is appalling," Emily Dievendorf, director of policy for Equality Michigan, said in a statement. "Today, the governor told unmarried public employees that they can no longer care for their partners or children."
In Illinois, Springfield's city government has voted not to extend health benefits to spouses in civil unions. "It was decided strictly as a cost-saving measure to not expand the benefits at this time," said committee co-chair Melina Tomaras-Collins, who is also the city's director of human resources. "The City of Springfield is facing serious financial constraints."
In New Jersey, congregants in Black churches are slowly becoming more accepting of LGBT individuals, according to NJ.com . Rev. Reginald T. Jackson—pastor of St. Matthew AME Church in Orange and executive director of the 600-member Black Ministers' Council of New Jersey—said, "You have gay people in [church] leadership positions already, just not openly." Also, a poll of African-American ministers showed that many are aware of LGBT people in their congregations, with many welcoming them. However, most ministers stop short of supporting marriage equality.
In Detroit, the Salvation Army is having difficulty getting donations, in part because of a "gay boycott," according to the Greeley Gazette. The Salvation Army had set a goal of raising more than $8.2 million to help —but had only raised about $3 million as of late December. LGBT-rights activists have maintained that the organization exercises anti-gay policies; however, Jennifer Byrd, national public relations director for the Salvation Army, said the group helps everyone, regardless of sexual orientation.
Openly gay CNN anchor Don Lemon said in an interview with Creative Loafing Atlanta that the network wants him "to be the good-looking Black guy," according to the Huffington Post. He also said, "I don't know what will happen when my contract comes up. ... People want to have a box to put you in and I don't fit in anyone's box."
In Florida, a former gay-porn actor who administrators fired two years ago from his position as gym manager at Miami Beach's Police Athletic League (PAL) program still isn't off the payroll, according to the Miami Herald. Even though Bruno Diaz, 47, was fired in 2009, he still provides personal training sessions at the gym, whose members include high school students. "He hasn't harassed any of the kids,'' said Robert Jenkins, PAL's president. "He is not a sexual predator.'' Among Diaz's movies are Wet Dreams: Part 2 and Thick as Thieves, according to the Miami New Times.
John G. Lawrence, whose same-sex encounter led to a pivotal moment in the gay-rights movement, died at his home in Houston Nov. 20 at age 68, the New York Times reported. Lawrence's partner, Jose Garcia, said he died of a heart ailment. The court case Lawrence v. Texas started in 1998, when police investigated a report of a "weapons disturbance" and entered Lawrence's apartment. The United States Supreme Court eventually decided 6-3 in 2003 the Texas law forbidding same-sex encounters was invalid.
A new analysis of the U.S. National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) has revealed some interesting shifts in the sexual activity of teenage girls over the past decade, according to the Huffington Post. For example, comparison of 2002 NSFG data to figures from 2006-2008 showed that 11 percent of 17-year-old girls in the latter pool had engaged in contact with other girls, compared with 5 percent in 2002. Those same girls also claim to have been significantly less active with the opposite sex.
In New Hampshire, repealing the marriage-equality law will be one of the hottest topics in the state legislature in 2012, according to Boston.com . The Republican-controlled House is expected to pass the same-sex marriage law with civil unions for any unmarried adults. The GOP-controlled Senate also is expected to repeal it, but Democratic Gov. John Lynch said he'll veto the bill if it reaches him.
As more controversy swirls around GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul about racist and anti-gay messages he published in the 1980s and '90s, former senior aide Eric Dondero is trying to clear the air, according to the Huffington Post. Dondero wrote on Right Wing News that Paul "is not all bigoted towards homosexuals"; however, Paul is "personally uncomfortable around" gay people. Dondero also claimed that Paul is not anti-Semitic is but is "most certainly anti-Israel."
Kevin Keller, the first gay character in the Archie Comics, will marry African-American physical therapist Clay Walker in "Life with Archie #16," according to CNN.com . The comic will debut in stores Jan. 4 and newsstands Jan. 10. It's part of a series that imagines the Riverdale gang a few years after graduation, with two alternate timelines—one in which Archie marries Betty and another in which he weds Veronica. The Keller-Walker marriage happens in the Archie-Betty timelines.
The North Carolina Psychological Association (NCPA) is criticizing a proposed state constitutional amendment that would ban any legal recognition of same-sex couples, including marriage, civil unions and possibly domestic partnerships, according to On Top Magazine. In a statement, the NCPA said, "The only reason for according same-sex relationships a different legal status than heterosexual relationships is ultimately the fact that the relationship is homosexual rather than heterosexual. This differentiation based on sexual orientation is an expression of prejudice and leads to stigma."
A new article in the William & Mary Journal of Women and the Law, "Turning Points: Challenges and Successes In Ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell," offers a new perspective on how DADT was overturned, according to a press release. Among other things, Michelle Benecke discusses how, with no seed money, she and colleague Dixon Osburn launched the DADT-repeal movement by starting the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network the day after President Clinton announced DADT in 1993.
The loose-knit hacking network known as Anonymous has infiltrated the accounts of companies and individuals, claiming it will make $1 million in donations to charities, the Financial Times reported. One such company is the private-security company Stratfor, whose confidential client list was also published. The hackers targeting Stratfor also want the release of Bradley Manning, the out gay U.S. soldier accused of submitting hundreds of classified army documents to WikiLeaks.
The Portland, Ore., LGBT newspaper Just Out has ceased publication, according to the Washington Blade. A statement on its website read, in part, "Effective December 26, 2011, Just Out newsmagazine, serving Portland's LGBTQ community since 1983, is no longer in business. Three years of recession have taken their toll. Thank you for your many years of readership and support." The paper was published free-of-charge twice monthly. There will be on online version of the newspaper.
Next November, Mark Takano could be the first out gay person of color elected to Congress, the Washington Blade reported. He is the only Democrat running in a newly created liberal-leaning district in California. "The significance of that achievement is the unique voice that an openly gay member of Congress of color can bring to the House floor and the House committee rooms," Takano said. U.S. Rep. Barney Frank is retiring and Tammy Baldwin is leaving to run for the U.S. Senate, leaving Jared Polis and David Cicilline as the only out reps in Congress.
An analysis conducted for CNNMoney shows that gay and lesbian spouses are paying as much as $6,000 annually in extra taxes because the federal government doesn't recognize same-sex marriage. Same-sex families don't enjoy the same perks as heterosexual ones because they are not allowed to file their federal returns jointly. More than 12 states now grant full or partial marriage rights to same-sex couples, and a Gallup poll revealed that, for the first time, most U.S. residents favor marriage equality.
