News
In
Memoriam:
Baroness IV Ariel
The Rest of Our World
The
Rest of Our World
Queer
Philatelists
Dallas, TX - According to a press release, there is now an expanded and
up-to-date 2004 revision of the Handbook of the Gay and Lesbian History
on Stamps Club (GLHSC). Who knew that gay and lesbian history could be
found on postage stamps? Two club cofounders took over a year to complete
the book, the second revision. The authors of the Handbook are Paul Hennefeld
and his life partner, Blair O'Dell.
The 116-page Handbook contains an
alphabetical listing by person, many with brief biographies, as well as
a separate listing in 'country' sequence. Nearly 400 gays, lesbians and
bisexuals are represented in the Handbook.
For more info, email the club at glhsc@aol.com
We Had to Ask?
Washington, DC - In mid-May, leaders of the Democratic minority in the
U.S. Senate pledged they would block any proposed amendment to the U.S.
Constitution that would prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriage.
The commitment was made at a meeting in the Capitol between the Senate
Leadership Council and leaders of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) community.
"We are gratified that our allies
in the Democratic minority have committed to killing any attempt to enshrine
anti-gay discrimination into our nation’s most sacred document,"
said Matt Foreman, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force.
Three senators –Schumer (NY),
Boxer (CA), and Stabenow (MI) - reaffirmed the solidity of their support
against an amendment, regardless of any changes in language.
Anti-marriage state constitutional
amendments will be on the November ballot in at least five states (Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Utah). Other imperiled states include
the key 2004 battleground states of Michigan, Ohio and Oregon.
Keeping Queers Out of the Army
Washington, DC - The House and Senate Armed Services Committees added
language to the FY2005 Defense Authorization Bill, allowing the military
to avoid compliance with universities' non-discrimination policies.
The legislation requires colleges
and universities to grant military recruiters access to campus in "a
manner that is at least equal in quality and scope" to that provided
any other employer.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
(SLDN) opposes the legislation. "This isn't about recruiting,"
Sharra E. Greer, SLDN's Director of Law & Policy, said. "The
Pentagon is simply trying to maintain its federally sanctioned discrimination
on our nation's campuses."
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) included an amendment
that exempts student aid from the federal funding which may be withheld
from institutions that continue to bar recruiters.
David Reimer Dies
Winnipeg, Canada - A man who was born a boy but raised as a girl in a
famous nurture-versus-nature experiment has died at the age of 38. David
Reimer, who shared his story in the pages of a book and on Oprah, took
his own life last month, according to a news report.
After a botched circumcision as a
toddler, David became the subject of an experiment dubbed the John/Joan
case in the '60s and '70s.
The gender transformation was widely
reported as a success and proof that children are not by nature feminine
or masculine. David's identical twin brother, Brian, offered researchers
a matched control subject.
When David discovered the truth about
his past during his teenage years, he resumed his male identity, eventually
marrying and becoming a stepfather. At the time of his death, David had
lost his job and was divorced from his wife.
David's twin brother had died two
years before, possibly of an overdose.
Censorship in Utah
Salt Lake City, UT - The American Civil Liberties Union came to the defense
of a group of Utah high school students who were punished for wearing
"Queers Kick Ash" t-shirts to school. School officials also
threatened to ban the school's gay-straight alliance.
Assistant Principal David Breen told
students that the shirts were inappropriate and that he disapproved of
the word "queer." Two gay male students had to take the shirts
off, turn them inside out, or be suspended. One turned his shirt inside
out and stayed at school; the other refused and was suspended. A heterosexual
girl who wore the same shirt was sent home without suspension.
When more students wore the shirts
to school and were punished, Breen threatened to bring the school's gay-straight
alliance - uninvolved in distributing the t-shirts - to "a screeching
halt."
The ACLU of Utah demanded that officials
remove suspensions from the students' records, allow the students to wear
the shirts, and drop its threats against the school's GSA.
"Not only are the school's reasons
for censoring these students unlawful, but the assistant principal's treating
a straight student differently from the gay students and his threats to
ban the school's gay-straight alliance are completely unjustifiable,"
said Margaret Plane, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Utah.
No More Butterflies
West Palm Beach, FL - The butterfly ballot will spread and close its wings
for the last time at the third annual Stonewall Ball on Saturday, June
26. The Compass Gay and Lesbian Community Center and Equality Florida
are holding the black-tie benefit with the theme Madame Butterfly Ballot.
"Much has changed over three years;
we have transitioned from dimpled chads to computer pads," said Tony
Plakas, president and CEO of Compass, Inc.
"This event is about restoring voter
confidence in our democracy," said Nadine Smith, executive director
of Equality Florida. "There is no place where the importance of voting
is more vivid than Palm Beach County and the state of Florida."
Among the items to be auctioned are Palm
Beach County butterfly ballots.
A Win in Kansas
Washington, DC - When the Kansas Legislature adjourned
May 8, it effectively killed a proposed anti-gay amendment to the state
Constitution that would have denied marriage to same-sex couples in the
state. The measure, which failed in Senate and House votes, would have
also denied the legal protections of marriage to same-sex couples in civil
unions or domestic partnerships.
"Legislators recognized that resurrecting
an anti-gay amendment to the Kansas Constitution was a bad idea and waste
of time," said HRC President Cheryl Jacques. "It's heartening
to see fairness won out."
No CU Divorce
Des Moines, Iowa - Lambda Legal and local organizations are asking the
Iowa State Supreme Court to reject an attempt by antigay groups to intervene
in a case in which an Iowa district court granted two Sioux City women's
request to terminate their civil union.
Camilla Taylor, staff attorney in Lambda
Legal's Midwest Regional Office, said, "Iowa courts consistently
resolve matters between couples living together, regardless of the status
of their relationship, whether married or not. A handful of legislators
and others have tried to insinuate themselves into this particular case
because this time it involves two lesbians. It's clear these groups don't
like gay people, but that doesn't give them the right to interfere in
other people’s personal lives."
Wanna Dance?
Lago Vista, TX - In response to a demand letter from attorneys representing
Lago Vista High School student Sherrell Ingram, the Texas school "suspended"
its policy prohibiting same-sex prom dates in time for Sherrell, who is
straight, to bring her best friend, another female, as her guest to the
Lago Vista High School Prom.
In seeking relief from the school's discriminatory
policy, Sherrell and her mother, Ginger White, were represented by attorneys
from People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF), a national civil
liberties group.
"I'm delighted with this result,"
said White. "Now Sherrell can concentrate on other pressing issues,
like finding a pair of shoes to match her prom dress."
Anti-Gay Violence Grows
New York - After an 8 percent increase in anti-LGBT violence for 2003,
and a 26 percent increase in such incidents during the last six months
of the year, anti-violence advocates from across the country convened
for a meeting in Denver, Colorado to plan, strategize and organize their
responses.
The annual gathering of members of
the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) this year has
special significance as LGBT people find themselves increasingly under
attack politically, culturally and physically in the wake of the US Supreme
Court's June 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas and the decision of the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court legalizing same-sex marriage in that
state.
KKK Goes to Dollywood
Nashville, TN - A group of Ku Klux Klan members protested outside the
Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on May 22 when a group
of gay men and lesbians are expected for a second annual "Gay Day"
event.
A small group of about 20 KKK protesters
demonstrated against the group's attendance, Klansman Randy Gray told
The Tennessean. Gray said his group organized the protest because Gay
Day is "totally opposite of what theme parks are for."
"Theme parks have always been for families.
They're going there, I believe, to rub it in our faces, to be like 'ha,
ha, we're finally getting our way,'" he said.
Last year the Gay Day event drew about 1,300
people but no protests, said Ryan Salyer, executive director of the Knoxville-based
gay, lesbian and transgender group Tri-Cities Pride, which organized the
event.
This year, Salyer said he expects
around 5,000 attendees from as far away as New York and Philadelphia who
plan to attend the gathering.
Oklahoma Rejects Gay Adoption
Washington, DC - According to a press release from the Human Rights Campaign,
Oklahoma has passed a law that denies recognition to adoptions by same-sex
couples from out of state.
The law, signed by the governor last
month, requires the state, its agencies and the courts of Oklahoma to
not recognize adoptions from other jurisdictions by same-sex couples.
The effects of this bill are potentially harmful to same-sex couples who
are both legal parents of their children and move to or travel through
Oklahoma. The non-biological parent(s) may be denied access to their children
in the hospital or barred from making medical decisions for them.
Maine Gets Domesticated
Augusta, ME - The Maine Legislature passed a domestic partnership registry
bill providing inheritance rights, next-of-kin status, victim's compensation,
and guardian and conservator rights to domestic partners. Gov. John Baldacci
signed the measure - which applies to unmarried couples of any gender
- into law.
Maine became the fifth state to pass
statewide laws that provide rights to unmarried couples.
Compiled this month by Editor Euan Bear.