The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) blasted former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for supporting the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed into law, according to a press release. Bush said in a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt, "I think, if you, if they actually got briefed on the law that [sic] they wouldn't be blasting this law. I think Gov. Pence has done the right thing." HRC President Chad Griffin has responded, "Does he support legal non-discrimination protections for LGBT Americans, or does he believe businesses should have the legal right to fire gay and lesbian employees, evict LGBT Americans from their apartments, or refuse them service at a restaurant? Now that he's weighed in, he has an obligation to tell the country what he stands for."
The U.S. Justice Department is asking a federal judge in Texas to reconsider his order temporarily blocking federal rules that would have expanded medical leave benefits to some gay couples, the Associated Press ( AP ) reported. Attorneys sought an April 13 hearing to argue that the preliminary injunction shouldn't have been issued. Previously, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Wichita Falls stayed expansion of the definition of "spouse" under the Family and Medical Leave Act to include same-sex couples.
Gay columnist Dan Savage appeared on MSNBC to talk about the controversial religious-freedom laws in Indiana and Arkansas—and responded to a senator's comments, Mediaite noted. Senator Tom Cotton said, "I think it's important we have a sense of perspective about our priorities. In Iran they hang you for the crime of being gay." Savage responded, "The hypocrisy of people like Tom Cotton—who wants America to get credit for being better on gay issues but will point to how bad it is elsewhere to justify making it worse here... How do you rationalize that except through some bigot blender brain?"
The White House recently hosted the first-ever briefing on issues facing trans women of color, The Huffington Post reported. Convened by the National LGBTQ Task Force, the briefing was held on the International Transgender Day of Visibility ( March 31 ) and during Women's History Month. Panelists who took part in the briefing were Black, Asian American, American Indian and Latina trans people from from all over the country, with varied immigration statuses.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky entered the campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, declaring that he's running for the White House to "return our country to the principles of liberty and limited government," LGBTQ Nation noted. On social issues, Paul opposes a federal ban on same-sex marriage, arguing states should decide for themselves, but says the Republican Party has room for people on both sides of the issue. He was criticized recently for a 2013 interview that resurfaced online in which he said he has never used the term "gay rights" because he doesn't believe "in rights based on your behavior."
The Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) announced more than $185 million in funding to fight HIV among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men ( MSM ) and transgender people—particularly among African-Americans and Latinos, according to a press release. The amount includes up to $125 million to help state and local health departments expand the use of two new HIV-prevention strategies: pre-exposure prophylaxis ( PrEP ) for MSM and transgender people who are HIV-negative but at substantial risk, and ongoing medical care and antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV to prevent transmission to others.
Trans individuals flooded Twitter with selfies to mark the Transgender Day of Visibility ( TDOV ) on March 31, according to MTV.com . TDOV originated in 2009 when Rachel Crandall, a trans activist from Michigan, wanted to celebrate the positive things in the trans community. Unlike November's Transgender Day of Remembrance, which remembers those who have been lost, TDOV is a day for empowerment, education and recognition.
The Indiana legislature proposed a limited fix-it bill ( SB50 ) that would amend the recently passed Religious Freedom Restoration Act ( RFRA ), according to a Lambda Legal press release. Jennifer C. Pizer, national director of Lambda Legal's Law and Policy Project, said, "This bill reduces the threat but is far less than this situation requires. It recognizes there are problems, but does not fix it as LGBT Hoosiers and others urgently need."
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ( R ) told Meet the Press that it was possible to pass laws that both protect religious liberty and refrain from licensing discrimination against gays and lesbians—although he cautioned against making gays a protected class, as they are in New Orleans, according to Mediaite. Louisiana is considering a so-called "religious freedom" act similar to Indiana's. Critics say the bills are Trojan Horses that allow for discrimination against gays and lesbians.
The Washington state florist who turned away a pair of gay grooms-to-be who sought flowers for their wedding has been ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, plus $1 for court costs and fees, The Huffington Post reported. Arlene's Flowers and Gifts owner Barronelle Stutzman was given 60 days to pay Washington state for discriminating against Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed, who officially tied the knot in 2013. Attorney General Bob Ferguson, whose office requested the fine, told the Associated Press he was "pleased" by the ruling, adding, "My primary goal has always been to end illegal discrimination."
A group of prominent U.S. African-American ministers is launching "The Fellowship Global Tour to Africa," aimed at "counteracting the aggressive anti-gay movement in these African countries led by white evangelical leaders like Rick Warren," according to a press release. Spearheaded by The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries; its founder and presiding Bishop Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder, and executive director, Bishop-Elect Pastor Joseph Tolton, the organization's international outreach ministry, The Fellowship Global, has launched a monthlong tour of key African nations where LGBTI communities continue to experience extreme discrimination and persecution. For more information, visit www.TheFellowshipGlobal.org .
Transgender Colorado residents moved a step closer to being able to change the gender listings on their birth certificates without getting surgery, the Associated Press reported. The Democrat-led House gave preliminary approval to the plan over objections from some Republicans who opposed a provision allowing original birth certificates to be sealed, instead of having them marked to say the gender has been changed. Rep. Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, said the surgery requirement and the process for getting a judge to approve the change need to be dismantled.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights ( NCLR ) will honor a retired Navy veteran and NCLR client who is fighting to bring LGBT equality to Idaho and the plaintiff couples and legal team in NCLR's historic Tennessee marriage equality case at its 2015 anniversary celebration on May 2, according to a press release. Idaho Navy veteran Madelynn "Lee" Taylor, 74, will be honored with the Courage Award. The plaintiffs in the Tennessee marriage case who will receive the Justice Award are Dr. Valeria Tanco and Dr. Sophy Jesty, Army Reserve Sergeant First Class Ijpe DeKoe and Thom Kostura, and Matthew Mansell and Johno Espejo. The attorney honorees are Abby Rubenfeld, Maureen Holland, and Regina Lambert, and the law firms of Sherrard & Roe PLC and Ropes & Gray LLP.
Also, the organizers of the National LGBT 50th-anniversary celebration ( July 2-5 ) announced that Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, will pay tribute to gay pioneer Barbara Gittings July 4 at Independence Hall, according to a press release. The ceremony will commemorate the gay pioneers, celebrate 50 years of LGBT-rights progress and address future challenge. For more information, visit www.lgbt50th.org and www.gaypioneers.com .
Federal prosecutors said a gay-porn star threatened to publicly reveal intimate details and photos of a wealthy Los Angeles man unless he forked over $500,000 and the keys to his car, The New York Daily News reported. Teofil Brank, aka Jarec Wentworth, was arrested last month by FBI agents after allegedly blackmailing his victim, only identified in court documents as D.B, for $1 million cash and ownership of the man's condo. If D.B. failed to meet his demands, Brank pledged to post photos and other embarrassing details of the man's trysts through his Twitter account, according to an affidavit.
A gay Kentucky basketball player who was chased out of a high school by a rival team for coming out is using the traumatizing moment to change lives, The New York Daily News noted. Dalton Maldonado's team rallied to his defense, forming a human barricade to prevent the violent teens from getting near him. Maldonado, who had come out to his parents earlier that week in December, said he's using the experience now to reach other young athletes who might be hiding their pain in states where same-sex marriage is illegal.
The union presidents of the Association of Flight Attendants, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters sent a joint letter to the U.S. Travel Association Board questioning their continued support of the policies of three Gulf carriers: Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates, according to a press release. These carriers require their female employees to obtain permission before getting married or pregnant, and ban LGBT people from employment. In the letter, they ask why U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow would continue to support these companies
The Boy Scouts' New York chapter said it has hired the nation's first openly gay Eagle Scout as a summer camp leader—a direct and public challenge to the national scouting organization's ban on openly gay adult members, AOL News noted. The Boy Scouts' Greater New York Councils hired Pascal Tessier, an 18-year-old Eagle Scout. The Boy Scouts' national spokesman, Deron Smith, said there was no change in that policy, which has been highly divisive.
Supporters of the Indiana pizzeria owners who said they wouldn't cater a wedding for a gay couple have contributed nearly $1,000,000 to a Gofundme campaign backed by Glenn Beck's television station, according to MarketWatch. Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, has temporarily closed because of the public outcry over the remarks and Crystal O'Connor, one of the co-owners, said that it may not be safe to reopen. The initial goal of the Gofundme campaign was to raise $25,000.
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from a transgender man who alleged the University of Pittsburgh expelled and subjected him to FBI scrutiny after a dispute over using a men's locker room, according to the Associated Press. U.S. District Judge Kim Gibson ruled the university didn't discriminate against 25-year-old Seamus Johnston because he was medically a woman when the school barred him from men's facilities at its Johnstown campus.
In Louisiana, Carroll High School Principal Patrick Taylor and Monroe City School Board President Bishop Rodney McFarland Sr. contacted Claudetteia Love to inform her that she will be allowed to wear a tuxedo to her senior prom on April 24, according to a National Center for Lesbian Rights ( NCLR ) press release. Recently, Taylor told Love that she would not be allowed to attend her prom if she wore a tuxedo. However, two members of the Monroe County Board of Education, which oversees Carroll High School, vowed to ensure that Love would be allowed to wear a tuxedo to her prom. NCLR represented Love throughout the process.
Chelsea Manning is on Twitter while serving a 35-year sentence for leaking classified documents to Wikileaks—and has 40,000 followers, according to a Newser item. "Tweeting from prison reqs a lot of effort and using a voice phone to dictate #90sproblems," she recently posted. Manning's Twitter feed includes a drawing of her "as she would like to be seen, with long hair," a look that military authorities have forbidden. She recently won her legal battle to undergo gender-reassignment hormone therapy—a first for a member serving actively in the armed services.
A West Hollywood, California, city councilman has confessed to having sex with a man he later hired for a well-paid government position, according to The New York Daily News. John Duran—who holds one of five council seats in the municipality in western Los Angeles County known for being home to the Sunset Strip—admitted he slept with Ian Owens one time but says he broke off the intimacy after appointing Owens his council deputy. Duran said he wanted to make it clear that he hired Owens to the $99,838-to-$137,487-per-year gig because of Owens' finance degree and business experience.
A video shows Florida teens shouting anti-gay slurs while pummeling a gay man with lawn furniture as he attempted to crawl away, according to The New York Daily News. Orlando cops busted two teenage brothers on hate crime charges and are searching for others after releasing footage of the chaotic attack. "No More Violence," police tweeted along with the mug shots of Deandre Florence, 14, and Dennis Florence, 16. "We do not tolerate hate." Approximately 10 youths attacked the man while stealing his pants and wallet.
Alexia Daskalakis, a 22-year-old trans woman from Brooklyn, is suing Forever 21, claiming her managers fired her unfairly and harassed her while she transitioned, NewNowNext.com noted. Daskalakis began working at the store as Anthony Daskalakis in 2011, and was later promoted to visual merchandiser. She began her transition in January 2014, despite concerns it might affect her job. But in the suit, Daskalakis claims she was singled her out in front of her coworkers, and referred to as "useless," "disgusting" and "a hot mess."
Former CBS reporter Kenneth Lombardi is suing the network, claiming he suffered sexual harassment from two of his managers while working for the company and that the employer retaliated against him when he complained, TheWrap reported. In one instance, Lombardi claims that a "highly intoxicated" senior producer Duane Tollison "slid his hand down Plaintiff Lombardi's pants and grabbed Plaintiff's penis and testicles." Tollison and CBS Evening News director Albert "Chip" Colley are also named as defendants in the suit, as is Paula Cohen, described in the complaint as having "supervisory authority" over Lombardi.
A Seattle man accused of taking "upskirt" videos of several women at the city's gay-pride festival says he feels ashamed by his actions and explained to police he's been watching "too much porn," CBS Seattle reported. Shane Shibayama, 51, used a hidden camera and a hollowed out book to secretly record videos under at least seven women's skirts at the Seattle Pride Festival. Seattle Police say they found 11 videos from his cell phone; Shibayama has been charged in King County Superior Court with voyeurism, a felony sex crime, but has not been jailed.
The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association ( NLGJA ) and Meredith Vieira will hold its 20th annual New York benefit, "Headlines & Headliners," on April 16 at The Prince George Ballroom, according to a press release. At the event, Vieira will present NLGJA's 10th Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship and the fifth Kay Longcope Scholarship. Among the many other slated guests are Ronan Farrow, CNN's Ashleigh Banfield, LZ Granderson, Don Lemon, The New York Times' Frank Bruni, Gio Benitez and Jenna Wolfe.
The National LGBTQ Task Force has announced that Victoria Kirby York has joined the organization as the new national campaigns director of religious exemptions and welcoming movements, according to a press release. Prior to joining the Task Force, she worked as the director for Organizing for Action ( OFA ) Florida. She has also served as a trustee for Howard University, and a board member for the Center for Black Equity.
A gay Republican who was former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich's legal counsel has announced he is considering a run for U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski ( D-Md. )'s seat once her term expires next year, The Washington Blade reported. Chrysovalantis Kefalas said as he discussed his decision to consider a run for the U.S. Senate that he feels "the same old ways, the same old politicians aren't the best way to restore hope again." Kefalas, who is the son of Greek immigrants, conceded there are "a number of headwinds" he would face if he were to formally declare his candidacy—including that he'd be a first-time candidate.
