Today the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld California SB 1172 which prohibits dangerous and disproved efforts designed to change a young person’s sexual orientation or gender expression that have proven to inflict great emotional harm. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill into law last year. A similar bill in New Jersey…
Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a memo clarifying that all beneficiaries in private Medicare plans have access to equal coverage when it comes to care in a nursing home where their spouse lives. This is the first guidance issued by HHS in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling, which…
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced a ruling that will ensure all legally-married same-sex couples, regardless of where they live, will be recognized for federal tax purposes. Recently the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which…
WASHINGTON – With LGBTQ young people facing disproportionate levels of harassment at school and a lack of acceptance in their homes and communities, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation announces the launch of its Youth Well-Being Project – promoting safety, inclusion and well-being for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. Anchored by a new national conference…
Not many singers have the distinction of winning both an Oscar and two Grammy awards and have starred in one of Broadway’s most acclaimed rock musicals. Not to mention also being a cancer survivor, mother of four children and a political activist; but that’s exactly what life is like if you’re Melissa Etheridge. Etheridge does…
Lee Daniels’ The Butler One of the problems with starting a movie with the words “Inspired by a true story” written on the screen is that most people will focus on “true story” and not on “inspired by.” That phrase opens Lee Daniels’ The Butler – which I will refer to as The Butler from…
San Diego is a relatively small town when it comes to art, so I am always rather astonished to learn about a new gallery or art-oriented event that has been active for a while. I am even more surprised when the gallery and/or event in question are showing work that is very relevant to the…
More than 220 people showed up to see Alisan Rowland ordained Aug. 18 as a minister in the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in San Diego. “Ali, feel the love in this room,” said Senior Pastor Dan Koeshall as the service started while ushers put out extra chairs to accommodate the crowd. There was standing room…
The recent TV talent shows featuring elaborate and intricate displays of amazing abilities bring back fond memories of the less sophisticated, yet in many ways more enjoyable, local contests of long ago. Remember, seniors, the hard wooden chairs of the grange hall, lodge or auditorium and our home-grown stars; some appearing yearly and some nervously…
