The Justice Department has announced the settlement of an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint against Modern Hairstyling Institute Inc. in Bayam in, Puerto Rico. The Justice Department initiated its investigation in response to an allegation that Modern Hairstyling Institute Inc. discriminated against an HIV-positive applicant by denying her enrollment. The institute made an offer of enrollment to the complainant; will cease requesting information about HIV/AIDS status from future applicants; will provide training to all employees about disability-based discrimination; and will pay a $5,000 civil penalty to the United States and $8,000 in damages to the complainant.
Mathew Staver, the president of the anti-gay group Liberty Counsel, is upset about the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ( DADT ) and plans to push Congress to bring the ban back, according to Advocate.com . After thanking its members for sending more than 6 million pro-DADT "message units to politicians, Staver stated, "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have totally disgraced their respective offices throughout the 111th Congress, and their handling of this vital issue is just the most recent example of their betrayal of the public trust." A recent poll found that eight out of 10 Americans supported the repeal of DADT.
In Colorado, Florida authorities have arrested the writer of a controversial "guide for pedophiles," according to WSBT.com . Phillip Ray Greaves II was arrested for distributing obscene material depicting minors in conductful harmful to minors. ( Greaves was arrested on obscenity charges connected to Florida because the author sold and mailed his book to undercover detectives. ) Greaves' book, The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover's Code of Conduct, was sold on Amazon.com—but the website stopped selling it after there was public outrage.
Vice President Joe Biden has said that same-sex marriage is inevitable in the United States, USA Today reported. On the ABC show Good Morning America, Biden said that what happened with the military—an evolving mindset that culminated in the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"—is being reflected on the issue of marriage. President Obama recently said that he struggles with his feelings on marriage equality, but is 100 percent behind civil unions.
In Texas, a high school student has filed a lawsuit against her coach and school after the coach allegedly told the student's mother that the student is a lesbian, Advocate.com reported. The student—"S.W.," a sophomre at Kilgore High School—is suing softball coach Cassie Newell, assistant coach Rhonda Fletcher and Assistant Athletic Director Douglas Duke for invasion of privacy. After the outing, Newell and Fletcher kicked the student off the team.
North Carolina community-college teacher Julie Ann Hopwood, 56, allegedly drove from Charlotte, N.C., to Livonia, Mich. to kill her transgender brother's fiancee, according to an Advocate.com item. Hopwood arrived in Livonia Dec. 16 and staked out the workplace of Amy Chesbro, who was the partner of Hopwood's brother, PJ Redbird Tworavens. Police Lt. Thomas Goralski said that Hopwood shot Chesbro five times in the parking area.
In the wake of news that the parents of the late Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi may file a lawsuit against the school, university officials denied responsibility for Clementi's death. Clementi, a freshman, jumped off the George Washington Bridge after discovering that two other students ( Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei ) allegedly broadcast his intimate encounter with another man over the Internet. A civil-litigation expert said that Clementi's parents had to file the notice within 90 days of the incident to protect their right to sue.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has returned a ring to Lt. Dan Choi, an activist who was discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell ( DADT ) ," according to Advocate.com . Choi gave the ring to Reid earlier this year, asking to have the item back once DADT was repealed. Choi later tweeted, "The next time I get a ring from a man, I expect it to be for full, equal, American marriage."
In Florida, a jury sentenced neo-Nazi John Ditullio to life in prison after he was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder, according to WatermarkOnline.com . Ditullio broke into a mobile home four years ago and fatally stabbed Kristofer King, 17, because he was gay; he also injured Patricia Wells because she befriended a Black man. Ditullio claimed that another neo-Nazi committed the crimes.
In New York, four Hasidic Jews picketed just outside the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to protest the repealing of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," LoHud.com reported. Solomon Diamant, one of the protesters, said, "Only God can establish what's wrong and what's right. We cannot uproot his rules. The whole LGBT agenda is evil." Jim Fox, a West Point spokesman, would not comment on the protest because the picketers were not on academy property.
The lawyer for John Katehis, the alleged killer of gay journalist George Weber, may claim that his client suffered from extreme emotional disturbance during the slaying, according to Advocate.com . Katehis, who was 16 when the killing took place in 2009, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, and this is the teen's second trial. If the jury finds that Katehis killed Weber under the influence of an extreme emotional disturbance, he would be guilty of manslaughter and could receive a maximum of 25 years in prison.
Media Matters for America founder and CEO David Brock has announced the launch of Equality Matters, a new media and communications initiative in support of LGBT equality. Joining Equality Matters as president is Richard Socarides. A leading gay-rights advocate for more than two decades, Socarides previously served as White House special assistant and principal adviser to President Bill Clinton on gay-rights issues. Award-winning journalist Kerry Eleveld will serve as editor of EqualityMatters.org .
Gay Brooklyn teen Manny Leyva has been selected as New Yorker of the Week by NY1, a 24-hour news channel, according to an Advocate.com item. NY1 honors one New Yorker each week, and Leyva was the selection during the week of Christmas. Leyva is the only out teen at Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies and one of the the founders of STEP ( Students Together for Empowerment and Peace ) .
In Utah, Grand County has now passed a resolution protecting LGBT residents from employment and housing discrimination, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. This development means that one in four of the state's residents are protected on the bases of sexual orientation and gender identity. Some state legislators feel that this latest addition might lead to the Utah legislature passing such a measure, and state Sen. Ben McAdams plans to introduce a bill.
Science magazine has named two HIV-related advances as its top 10 achievements of 2010, Advocate.com reported. Among the items on the publication's list was a study that showed that a microbicide can significantly reduce the rate of HIV transmission in women. Also named was the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Initiative, which revealed that daily use of the drug Truvada drastically lowered the HIV-transmission rate in men who have sex with men.
In New York, gay couple Jim and Dylan have answered letters that children have sent to Santa—and, along with a group of friends and co-workers, opened more than 400 this past holiday season, according to ChicagoPride. Dylan said, "I think it's more emotional than I expected it would be. Even when they're not sad, the expectation in them makes me a little sad." Regarding Jim, Dylan said that his partner "doesn't think about it, he just gives, and that's always been his way, and I love that about him."
In Texas, an Austin man claimed that he and a friend were attacked outside the bars on 4th Street, according to the Dallas Voice. Bobby Beltran , 26, said he and his friend had just left the gay bar Rain. When they hugged each other goodbye, some men in a passing vehicle yelled, "Fucking faggots, stop that queer shit!" After Beltran yelled at the men, all five of them jumped out of the vehicle and attacked him and his friend. Beltran suffered cuts and bruises and a black eye; his friend may have had his jaw broken.
