2011
San Diego Reader Revisits LGBT Community History
The retrospective story section of the San Diego Reader magazine, dubbed “Back When” and featuring local news stories celebrating a significant anniversary, carried a 35-year-old clip celebrating the San Diego gay community. Described as “one of the most conservative and low key in the country,” San Diego’s LGBT community circa 1986 created what the Reader…
Dan Savage Discusses Modern Struggles for Gay Teens
Things have changed when it comes to coming out in your teens. Popular advice columnist and rights activist Dan Savage reflected on the differences between his own youth in the 1970’s and that of LGBT youth in today’s increasingly open cultural climate during a recent interview with a popular Australian news outlet. Unlike the 1970’s…
Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” Voted Most Empowering LGBT Anthem of the Decade
1,000 online supporters recently cast votes in an online poll to determine the decade’s most empowering LGBT anthem. The poll, conducted by the equality charity Stonewall, revealed Christina Aguilera’s 2003 hit “Beautiful” as the big winner among lesbian, gay and bisexual voters. Aguilera was “delighted” with the results of the poll, and stated that “my…
Appeals Court Upholds Firing of San Diego Teacher for Explicit Personal Ad
The Los Angeles Times reported today that the 4th District Court of Appeals overturned a prior decision in the case of Frank Lampedusa, a teacher and dean of students at Farb Middle School in San Diego who was fired for placing an explicit “men seeking men” ad on Craigslist. The Commission on Professional Competence ruled…
Assembly Judiciary Committee Passes Gender Nondiscrimination Act
The Assembly Judiciary Committee today passed the Gender Nondiscrimination Act (AB 877) by a 7-1 vote. The bill was authored by Assemblymember Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and is sponsored by Equality California and co-sponsored by the Transgender Law Center. AB 887 seeks to strengthen employment, housing and other civil rights protections for transgender people and…
RNC “Hope Isn’t Hiring” Campaign Buries Popular Interest in Anti-Gay Barrage
In an attempt to detract from President Obama’s newly launched re-election campaign, the RNC responded with a web-based “Case against Obama,” citing the President’s stance on social issues despite recent poll results indicating widespread, bi-partisan support for LGBT equality measures. The republican campaign, entitled “Hope Isn’t Hiring,” cites Obama’s support for the repeal of DADT…
Indian State Bans Book Hinting at Gandhi’s Bisexual Past
Joseph Lelyveld, Pulitzer-Prize winner and author of Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India, found his book officially banned last week in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The Gujurat state assembly reached a unanimous decision to enact the ban of the book. Additional bans have been suggested throughout India, where until only…
Gay ‘Archie’ Character Scores Summer Mini-Series Slot
Kevin Keller, gay pal to Archie, Veronica and the rest of the “Archie” crew at Riverdale High, has earned himself a mini-series set for publication in June. After his introduction in “Veronica” No. 202, Kevin Keller caused Archie Comics publishers to do their first second printing in history. The character’s popularity and connection with fans…