Feature Story:
Outside, it's a cold and sunny January afternoon. Inside the sixth-floor offices of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the entryway is piled high with dozens of boxes representing an organization on the move -- to Denver, specifically. The boxes contain those papers and pieces of the Task Force being shipped out to the organization's Creating Change conference of grassroots activism, now through Feb. 1, in Executive Director Rea Carey's hometown.
After 20 years in D.C., Carey, who agreed to transition from acting to permanent director during the summer, following the departure of former boss Matt Foreman, is more Washingtonian than Denver-ite. Though not quite so much as her new deputy executive director, Darlene Nipper, a born-and-raised Washingtonian, best known to D.C.'s GLBT community for taking over as the director of former Mayor Anthony Williams' Office of GLBT Affairs after the horrific March 2005 stabbing death of Wanda Alston, the first to head that office on a permanent basis.
Together the pair presents a sort of radiance, as bright as the rays beaming in through the windows of their Thomas Circle perch. With Carey comes the veteran activist who headed the D.C.-based National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) before coming to the Task Force. With Nipper comes a champion of substance-abuse issues and a minister who has explored spirituality in India. There's no arguing this is not a dynamic duo. ...more
Outside, it's a cold and sunny January afternoon. Inside the sixth-floor offices of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the entryway is piled high with dozens of boxes representing an organization on the move -- to Denver, specifically. The boxes contain those papers and pieces of the Task Force being shipped out to the organization's Creating Change conference of grassroots activism, now through Feb. 1, in Executive Director Rea Carey's hometown.
After 20 years in D.C., Carey, who agreed to transition from acting to permanent director during the summer, following the departure of former boss Matt Foreman, is more Washingtonian than Denver-ite. Though not quite so much as her new deputy executive director, Darlene Nipper, a born-and-raised Washingtonian, best known to D.C.'s GLBT community for taking over as the director of former Mayor Anthony Williams' Office of GLBT Affairs after the horrific March 2005 stabbing death of Wanda Alston, the first to head that office on a permanent basis.
Together the pair presents a sort of radiance, as bright as the rays beaming in through the windows of their Thomas Circle perch. With Carey comes the veteran activist who headed the D.C.-based National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) before coming to the Task Force. With Nipper comes a champion of substance-abuse issues and a minister who has explored spirituality in India. There's no arguing this is not a dynamic duo. ...more
Gauge: If you're confused about what has changed in D.C. jails since Virginia Soto, a woman who was wrongfully placed in a male facility for two days in July 2007, leading to the firing of three corrections officers, you're not alone. And GLBT activists say the latest policy memorandum regarding gender identity, released from the D.C. Department of Corrections on Jan. 5, leaves them wondering if any progress has been made.
The general feeling from GLBT activists is that the memo's language for dealing with inmates who are transgender or who are of ambiguous gender is too vague. Furthermore, they say the memo places too much emphasis on genitalia rather than an inmate's stated identity.
''They're still clinging to the genetalia as a criterion,'' says Richard Rosendall, vice president for political affairs of the Gay and Lesbian Activist Alliance of Washington, D.C. ''They still don't want to adjust their pronouns. And then there's this vague language. It seems to be a little better than what we had before, but it's just not clear what it's going to translate to in the ground.'' ...more
The general feeling from GLBT activists is that the memo's language for dealing with inmates who are transgender or who are of ambiguous gender is too vague. Furthermore, they say the memo places too much emphasis on genitalia rather than an inmate's stated identity.
''They're still clinging to the genetalia as a criterion,'' says Richard Rosendall, vice president for political affairs of the Gay and Lesbian Activist Alliance of Washington, D.C. ''They still don't want to adjust their pronouns. And then there's this vague language. It seems to be a little better than what we had before, but it's just not clear what it's going to translate to in the ground.'' ...more
Gauge: Through all the barriers to immigration, all the legal wrangling that comes with manmade international borders, one institution has seemed superior: marriage. Even at the height of the Cold War, a marriage could trump immigration complications. ''I do'' is practically the equivalent of being handed a passport by your spouse's homeland, if it differs from your own. It's long been a quaint nod to a notion that love is more important than politics -- heterosexual love, to be precise.
In the United States, where the federal government refuses to recognize same-sex relationships, there is no protection whatsoever. If an American woman and a Canadian woman fall in love, that American had better be ready to say good-bye to the U.S., because the U.S. is under no obligation to say ''welcome'' to her Canadian bride.
''I am more optimistic,'' says Julie A. Kruse of correcting that wrong. As the policy director of New York-based Immigration Equality, she has reason to be. Joining Immigration Equality in August, Kruse is the group's first dedicated D.C. staff member, working in office space rented since early October on Thomas Circle. ...more
In the United States, where the federal government refuses to recognize same-sex relationships, there is no protection whatsoever. If an American woman and a Canadian woman fall in love, that American had better be ready to say good-bye to the U.S., because the U.S. is under no obligation to say ''welcome'' to her Canadian bride.
''I am more optimistic,'' says Julie A. Kruse of correcting that wrong. As the policy director of New York-based Immigration Equality, she has reason to be. Joining Immigration Equality in August, Kruse is the group's first dedicated D.C. staff member, working in office space rented since early October on Thomas Circle. ...more
Judge: Anti-gay marriage donors must be public
Supporters of Prop 8 said public disclosure put donors at risk
SACRAMENTO (AP) | Jan. 29 at 5:13 PM Jan. 29 at 5:13 PM
A federal judge on Thursday denied a request to keep the names of donors to California's anti-gay marriage initiative secret, saying the public has a right to know who's giving money to state ballot measures.
Supporters of Prop 8 said public disclosure put donors at risk
SACRAMENTO (AP) | Jan. 29 at 5:13 PM Jan. 29 at 5:13 PM
A federal judge on Thursday denied a request to keep the names of donors to California's anti-gay marriage initiative secret, saying the public has a right to know who's giving money to state ballot measures.
Supporters of the initiative, which was approved by voters in November, had sought a preliminary injunction to hide the identities of those who contributed to their campaign.
They asked the judge to block the release of late donors, who will be included in a report scheduled to be released publicly on Monday.
They also asked him to order the state to remove the names of all contributors to Proposition 8, which overtu ...
NH lawmaker says wait on civil union bill
Hearings scheduled for Feb. 5
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) | Jan. 29 at 3:50 PM Jan. 29 at 3:50 PM
Hearings scheduled for Feb. 5
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) | Jan. 29 at 3:50 PM Jan. 29 at 3:50 PM
A New Hampshire lawmaker is holding off on a bill to add civil union partners to all state insurance laws. Democratic state Rep. Edward Butler, the bill's sponsor, is vice-chair of the House commerce committee. He asked the committee Thursday to recommend that the full House kill the bill. He said lawmakers should resolve other civil union bills first.
Those include a bill to grant civil unions to straight couples and a bill to recognize gay marriages in other states as civil unions in New Hampshire. Another bill would institute gay marriage in the Granite State, while a competing measure would ban same-sex marriage.
Hearings on the mar ...
Catania assails Whitman-Walker's CEO
Charge of 'gross negligence,' investigation may result
By AMY CAVANAUGH, Washington Blade | Jan. 29 at 2:58 PM Jan. 29 at 2:58 PM
Whitman-Walker Clinic’s chief executive officer took a beating Wednesday from D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At-Large) during a contentious public oversight hearing.
Catania pointedly accused Donald Blanchon, the Clinic’s chief executive officer, of demonstrating “gross negligence” during his time at the helm of the health care facility. He also said “an investigation” of recent Clinic decisions could be warranted.
The Clinic announced last month it would close its Northern Virginia location, outsource some programs and lay off 45 employees. Blanchon has said the changes were spurred by declining revenue and an increase ...
Charge of 'gross negligence,' investigation may result
By AMY CAVANAUGH, Washington Blade | Jan. 29 at 2:58 PM Jan. 29 at 2:58 PM
Whitman-Walker Clinic’s chief executive officer took a beating Wednesday from D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At-Large) during a contentious public oversight hearing.
Catania pointedly accused Donald Blanchon, the Clinic’s chief executive officer, of demonstrating “gross negligence” during his time at the helm of the health care facility. He also said “an investigation” of recent Clinic decisions could be warranted.
The Clinic announced last month it would close its Northern Virginia location, outsource some programs and lay off 45 employees. Blanchon has said the changes were spurred by declining revenue and an increase ...
The president of the Bar Association of San Francisco sent a letter to the state bar today encouraging the state group to reconsider holding its September convention at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. But if you just looked at the headline of a press release BASF sent, you might think the group’s 8,000 members [...]
The San Diego Gay and Lesbian Times weekly newspaper is calling for Portland’s embattled gay mayor to resign. It is the second LGBT publication to ask Sam Adams to step down after he admitted this month that he lied about a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old lover during his campaign. In its January 29 editorial, the [...]
Its aim is to advocate for the rights of LGBT veterans in San Francisco. But so far, the new LGBT Veterans Caucus within the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club is off to a rocky start. Infighting has erupted over just who should serve as chairs of the caucus. At its meeting earlier this month, those in [...]
The first in a series of LGBT rights bills to be introduced in the Utah legislature has already died, reports the The Salt Lake Tribune. In a 4-2 vote Tuesday, the senate judiciary committee voted against sending a bill to the senate floor that would have amended state law to allow financial dependents (beyond spouses, parents, and children) to file wrongful death suits if their main provider was killed. 
In a historic decision handed down Wednesday, Colombia's Constitutional Court ruled same-sex couples must be granted the same rights as heterosexuals in common-law marriages. 
GLAAD announced Wednesday that its president, Neil Giuliano, will step down later this year to pursue “personal interests†and complete a book. 
The new Nashville Pride hosted an encore performance of Barb Neligan's comedy show titled "Kudzu, Cotillions, and Kissing Girls" at Mad Donna's in East Nashville. Nashville Pride raises funds for the annual LGBT Pride Festival held in June to affirm...
Bill filed in state senate by Memphis Republican. For the second year in a row, a bill has been filed in the Tennessee Senate that bans adoptions by gay and unmarried straight couples. Senator Paul Stanley (R-Memphis) filed the bill today (Thursday,...
By Jonathan Cole Shelby County Committee of TEP Tennessee Equality Project's fifth annual Advancing Equality Day on the Hill in Nashville is nearly upon us. On Tuesday, February 17 citizens from across the state will converge on Legislative Plaza and...
Judge: Anti-gay marriage donors must be public
Supporters of Prop 8 said public disclosure put donors at risk
SACRAMENTO (AP) | Jan. 29 at 5:13 PM Jan. 29 at 5:13 PM
A federal judge on Thursday denied a request to keep the names of donors to California's anti-gay marriage initiative secret, saying the public has a right to know who's giving money to state ballot measures.
Supporters of Prop 8 said public disclosure put donors at risk
SACRAMENTO (AP) | Jan. 29 at 5:13 PM Jan. 29 at 5:13 PM
A federal judge on Thursday denied a request to keep the names of donors to California's anti-gay marriage initiative secret, saying the public has a right to know who's giving money to state ballot measures.
Supporters of the initiative, which was approved by voters in November, had sought a preliminary injunction to hide the identities of those who contributed to their campaign.
They asked the judge to block the release of late donors, who will be included in a report scheduled to be released publicly on Monday.
They also asked him to order the state to remove the names of all contributors to Proposition 8, which overtu ...
NH lawmaker says wait on civil union bill
Hearings scheduled for Feb. 5
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) | Jan. 29 at 3:50 PM Jan. 29 at 3:50 PM
Hearings scheduled for Feb. 5
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) | Jan. 29 at 3:50 PM Jan. 29 at 3:50 PM
A New Hampshire lawmaker is holding off on a bill to add civil union partners to all state insurance laws. Democratic state Rep. Edward Butler, the bill's sponsor, is vice-chair of the House commerce committee. He asked the committee Thursday to recommend that the full House kill the bill. He said lawmakers should resolve other civil union bills first.
Those include a bill to grant civil unions to straight couples and a bill to recognize gay marriages in other states as civil unions in New Hampshire. Another bill would institute gay marriage in the Granite State, while a competing measure would ban same-sex marriage.
Hearings on the mar ...
Catania assails Whitman-Walker's CEO
Charge of 'gross negligence,' investigation may result
By AMY CAVANAUGH, Washington Blade | Jan. 29 at 2:58 PM Jan. 29 at 2:58 PM
Whitman-Walker Clinic’s chief executive officer took a beating Wednesday from D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At-Large) during a contentious public oversight hearing.
Catania pointedly accused Donald Blanchon, the Clinic’s chief executive officer, of demonstrating “gross negligence” during his time at the helm of the health care facility. He also said “an investigation” of recent Clinic decisions could be warranted.
The Clinic announced last month it would close its Northern Virginia location, outsource some programs and lay off 45 employees. Blanchon has said the changes were spurred by declining revenue and an increase ...
Charge of 'gross negligence,' investigation may result
By AMY CAVANAUGH, Washington Blade | Jan. 29 at 2:58 PM Jan. 29 at 2:58 PM
Whitman-Walker Clinic’s chief executive officer took a beating Wednesday from D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At-Large) during a contentious public oversight hearing.
Catania pointedly accused Donald Blanchon, the Clinic’s chief executive officer, of demonstrating “gross negligence” during his time at the helm of the health care facility. He also said “an investigation” of recent Clinic decisions could be warranted.
The Clinic announced last month it would close its Northern Virginia location, outsource some programs and lay off 45 employees. Blanchon has said the changes were spurred by declining revenue and an increase ...
An expansion of a domestic partnership law in Washington State would give “everything but marriage†to gay couples
A Wednesday ruling from Colombia's Constitutional Court grants gay couples common-law marriage benefits
Neil Giuliano is stepping down from his post as president of the nation's second largest gay rights organization
That’s the church itself, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Utah, not just individual Mormons. They did it on November 3, and that’s what they were so desperately trying to keep under wraps in their lawsuit asking to keep donor information private. Full story in my post at [...]
No, I’m still not back to blogging, and I owe you all a long post about that (which has been brewing in my head for more than a week), but I’d be unforgivably remiss not to share this bit of good news with you, which just broke about twenty minutes ago: Judge denies request to keep [...]
According to the FBI, there were officially 9,535 victims of hate crimes in 2007. Needless to say this doesn’t count those crimes that weren’t reported as hate crimes, or those that weren’t reported at all. However the numbers are still startling. As to anti-LGBT hate crimes, which increased by nearly 100 [...]
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