Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

National roundup: Miss. ruling, lesbian N.C. politician, Iowa case settled
Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2016-07-05

This article shared 523 times since Tue Jul 5, 2016
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


A federal judge ruled that Mississippi clerks cannot cite their own religious beliefs to recuse themselves from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the Associated Press reported. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves' ruling blocks the state from enforcing part of a religious objections bill that was supposed to become law July 1. Mississippi's religious-objections measure, House Bill 1523, was filed in response to last summer's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

LaWana Mayfield—the first openly gay council person to serve in Charlotte, North Carolina, and only the second African-American woman—has opened up about the state's anti-LGBT law known as House Bill 2, The Huffington Post reported. In part, she said, "I honestly think that the media can do a better job because the conversation was reduced to bathrooms —not looking at how what Charlotte passed as an fully-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance that wasn't groundbreaking or earth-shattering. [I]t took away the rights of everyone if you're a minority, whether that's African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Latino, female, a senior, if you have a disability—everybody's rights were taken away when it comes to filing a discrimination case to at least be heard on a state level."

In Iowa, the case of a Black transgender woman who alleged she was harassed at a local hotel because of her gender identity and race has been resolved, The Des Moines Register reported, citing an ACLU of Iowa update. "The ACLU of Iowa is pleased to report we have successfully settled Meagan Taylor's case to the satisfaction of the parties involved," the post read. In November, Taylor filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission claiming the harassment occurred in July when she and a friend stopped for the night at the West Des Moines Drury Inn.

In Baltimore, a landmark lawsuit alleging sex discrimination based on sexual orientation has been settled for more than $200,000, the Associated Press noted. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a statement that Pallet Companies, doing business as IFCO Systems, will pay more than $182,000 to Yolanda Boone, who alleged she was fired after complaining that her supervisor made comments regarding her sexual orientation and appearance. IFCO Systems had hired Boone as a forklift operator in 2013 and fired her in 2014.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law six gun-safety bills that ban possession of high capacity assault rifle magazines, regulate the sale and possession of ammunition, expand background checks, limit loans of firearms and ban the resale of a gun to someone legally barred from purchasing it, according to an Equality California press release. The new laws were supported by Equality California and 19 other LGBT and HIV organizations as part of Equality California's Safe and Equal campaign against gun violence.

Virginia man Kyler Schmitz is accused of threatening to shoot at least two U.S. senators, including Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, in the days immediately following the Orlando shooting, LGBTQ Nation reported. Gawker shows Schmitz tweeted to the official House Republicans ( @HouseGOP ) and Senate Republicans ( @SenateGOP ) Twitter accounts, saying, "I can't wait to shoot you in the face one by one." Judge Theresa Buchanan ordered Schmitz ( who was unable to obtain a gun ) into home detention, in the custody of his aunt, according to The Washington Blade. He has also been prohibited from using Twitter, must stay away from Washington, D.C., and must undergo mental-health testing and treatment.

Talking with SiriusXM's Michelangelo Signorile, lesbian Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan criticized the inaction of GOP politicians like Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, LGBTQ Nation noted. Sheehan called out the politicians for their hypocrisy in expressing their sympathy for victims of the Pulse shooting and then voting against gun control. The commissioner also pointed out that many of these officials failed to acknowledge the sexuality of the victims, dismissing the homophobia that fueled the violence.

The attorney who successfully argued that the Long Beach ( Calif. ) Police Department unfairly targeted gay men when conducting lewd conduct stings earlier this year has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the city, claiming hundreds of other men were victims of discriminatory policing, The L.A. Times reported. Bruce Nickerson filed the 18-page suit in federal court, naming the city, Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna and several officers from the department's vice unit as defendants. The suit ( which seeks monetary damages ) asks the court to declare the conduct of Long Beach's vice unit to be a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures, and the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection.

Gay Dallas advocate Jack Evans—who made national headlines when he and his partner of 56 years became the first same-sex couple to legally wed in Dallas County—passed away at age 86 after a battle with lung cancer, LGBTQ Nation noted. Evans just days before his first wedding anniversary with husband George Harris. Evans and Harris—who met in 1961—founded the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce, and were involved with The Dallas GLBT History Project.

Following its quadrennial meeting last month, the United Methodist Church has two U.S jurisdictions considering three openly gay candidates for bishop in July, the National Catholic Reporter noted. The Rev. Karen Oliveto, the Rev. Frank Wulf and the Rev. David Meredith have been nominated for election at the meetings of the denomination's Western and North Central jurisdictions July 13-16. In the United States, United Methodist bishops are elected by the denomination's five jurisdictional conferences. Like its worldwide General Conference, those jurisdictional conferences meet every four years.

In Oklahoma, a customer left IHOP server Taylor Stewart, a lesbian, a note that read, "Gay is wrong," The Enid News & Eagle noted. Stewart was cleaning the table when she found the receipt for a $36 ticket—with the message and no tip. Since the story broke, Stewart said she has received an overwhelming amount of support from friends and strangers. "People are telling me they're going to come in [to eat] and ask for me," she said. "And, just now, someone came in and gave me a card with $10 in it."

After claiming to be the victim of a hate crime outside a West Hollywood gay bar, LGBTQ and lifestyle YouTuber Calum McSwiggan has been charged with filing a false police report, according to an LGBTQ Nation item that cites the L.A. Times. Los Angeles County prosecutors say he lied to sheriff's deputies when he told them three men beat him. The London resident has pleaded not guilty to charges of filing a false report; if found guilty, he could face up to 364 days in county jail.

In New Jersey, the Democratic group House Majority PAC will have a plane with a banner reading "SCOTT GARRETT: ANTI-GAY BIGOTRY WONT FLY" and directing people to its new anti-Garrett website, The Huffington Post reported. Garrett, a state congressman, has been targeted ever since Politico reported last year that he told fellow Republicans in a closed-door meeting that he wouldn't pay his dues to the National Republican Congressional Committee because of the organization's support for gay candidates. Since then, Wall Street and corporate donors have stopped donating to Garrett.

An anti-discrimination bill offering protections in the workplace and housing has cleared a Pennsylvania Senate committee, The Meadville Tribune reported. To get the Senate committee to act on the bill, language barring discrimination in public accommodations—like stores and restaurants—was scrapped. "Over 70 percent of Pennsylvanians support the Fairness Act, and they are watching Harrisburg, even more so after the Orlando mass murder that has reminded everyone of the second-class status LGBT people face on a daily basis in most of Pennsylvania and much of the nation," said Rep. Brian Sims, D-Philadelphia, the first out LGBT person elected to the Legislature.

Fashion designer and AIDS activist Kenneth Cole was named an international goodwill ambassador June 7 by the head of the the United Nations' ( UN's ) AIDS-fighting organization, the Associated Press noted. Cole told reporters at a news conference at UN headquarters he hopes to combine his United Nations work with his work at The Foundation for AIDS Research, known as amfAR, and its goal of finding a cure for the disease by 2020. Cole has long been involved in the global effort to end HIV and AIDS, joining the board of amfAR in 1987 and initiating its public awareness campaigns.

In Illinois, a McHenry County gun shop has called off its controversial raffle of a semi-automatic rifle to raise money for the victims of the Orlando, Florida, mass shooting, The Chicago Tribune reported. The owners of Second Amendment Sports in McHenry said they canceled the raffle after questions were raised about the legality of the event. State law allows only nonprofit organizations to run raffles. Store owner Bert Irslinger Jr. said the store is considering other options—such as partnering with a nonprofit for a possible future raffle—and will continue taking donations for the Orlando victims "because we believe this is a good case."

The accepted theory is that French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi chose his mother, Charlotte, as the inspiration for the Statue of Liberty's face, but historian Elizabeth Mitchell has a different theory, NewNowNext noted. On Discovery Channel's Secrets of America's Favorite Places, Mitchell said she believes the face actually belongs to Bartholdi's brother, Jean-Charles. "As I was looking at it more carefully, the structure of the face isn't really the same. [His mother] has a more arched eyebrow, has a thinner nose, has thinner lips, even in her youth," Mitchell said.

The University of California-Irvine suspended its chapter of the College Republicans for a year because the group wanted to invite gay libertarian provocateur Milo Yiannopolous back to campus, according to a Daily Caller item that cites Breitbart. The UC Irvine group hosted Yiannopolous about a month ago, during which he held a talk called "Social Justice Is Cancer." The school said the suspension happened because of a problem with insurance for the security that was needed for the event where Yiannopolous spoke.


This article shared 523 times since Tue Jul 5, 2016
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

ACTIVITIES Pickleball, fine eats and fun are all at SPF 2024-03-21
- Despite the fact that it was invented in 1965, pickleball has only really entered the national consciousness within the last few years. However, there really hadn't been a large indoor dedicated space in Chicago for the ...


Gay News

2024 OLYMPICS U.S. women's soccer team's opponents set 2024-03-20
- The United States women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported. The tournament will mark the Americans' first competitive games with ...


Gay News

Alyssa Naeher wins National Women's Soccer League Impact Save of the Week 2024-03-20
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 20, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Deloitte Impact Save of the Week honors, the league announced today. Seven minutes into the eight minutes of added ...


Gay News

RuPaul finds 'Hidden Meanings' in new memoir 2024-03-18
- RuPaul Andre Charles made a rare Chicago appearance for a book tour on March 12 at The Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Presented by National Public Radio station WBEZ 91.5 FM, the talk coincided with ...


Gay News

Red Stars start season with 2-0 win 2024-03-17
- On March 16, the Chicago Red Stars kicked off their 2024 campaign with a 2-0 road win over Utah Royals FC in the Royals' inaugural match back in the National Women's Soccer League. Ally Schlegel and ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release 2024 roster 2024-03-13
- CHICAGO (March 13, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced today their final roster ahead of the 2024 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) season. The club's roster is bolstered by an array of experience brought not ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health faces October trial if settlement isn't reached with union 2024-03-13
- Howard Brown Health could go to trial over unfair labor practice allegations if the LGBTQ+ health center doesn't reach a settlement with its agreement soon. Chicago's regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars sign midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth 2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO (March 6, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced the signing of draftee and midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth. Nesbeth, Chicago's first-round and tenth overall draft pick in the 2024 National ...


Gay News

Activists and others urge removal of Oklahoma schools superintendent after Nex Benedict death 2024-02-28
- TULSA, OKLAHOMA—Today more than 350 national, state, and local organizations advocating for equality across the U.S., alongside notable public figures, issued an open letter to Oklahoma legislative leadership urging justice ...


Gay News

Brittney Griner's jersey retired at Baylor University 2024-02-20
- On Feb. 18, Baylor University retired Brittney Griner's #42 jersey. Griner—a two-time AP national player of the year, two-time Olympic gold medalist and the NCAA women's career blocks leader (with 748)—attended a Bears home game ...


Gay News

As Chicago prepares to host DNC, former delegates reflect on LGBTQ+ inclusion at previous conventions 2024-02-19
- When Mark Ishaug, now the CEO of the mental health advocacy Thresholds, was a delegate at the 1996 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, representing the larger LGBTQ+ community was "critical," he said. The convention, where ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19
- In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Illinois Poor People's Campaign: National call for moral revival demands action against poverty 2024-02-15
--From a press release - Springfield, IL — The Illinois chapter of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival (ILPPC) will convene a critical press conference at the state capitol, alongside 32 other states across the nation on ...


Gay News

Tenn. legislators back bill that lets officials refuse to perform same-sex weddings 2024-02-15
- Defying a national ruling that authorized marriage equality, Tennessee lawmakers approved a measure that would allow public officials to refuse to perform weddings of same-sex couples, The Hill reported. Tennessee's House Bill 878/Senate Bill 596 says ...


Gay News

GLAAD, NFL host third annual pre-Super Bowl event 'A Night of Pride' 2024-02-08
- On Feb. 7, LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD, along with The National Football League (NFL), hosted the third annual "A Night of Pride" at Caesar's Palace in Super Bowl LVIII's host city of Las Vegas, a press ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.