President Obama signs HIV Organ Policy Equity act into law

Today, President Barack Obama signed the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act into law. Authored by Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, the HOPE Act creates a science-based path for medical research to proceed on the feasibility, effectiveness and safety of organ transplants between HIV-positive patients. The HOPE Act replaces an outdated policy banning HIV-positive organs from…

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Nail biter

So the battle is engaged. Two city councilmen will face off in the upcoming mayoral runoff election; Kevin Faulconer versus David Alvarez. Both of the parties got what they wanted, the Democratic Party wanted David Alvarez and the Republican Party wanted to run against Alvarez in February. Wasn’t it obvious? Francine Busby and the Democratic…

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Georgia’s gay marriage ban forces same-sex couples to remain legally married

ATLANTA, — Despite having passed a 2004 constitutional amendment prohibiting Georgia courts from recognizing same-sex marriages, some married gay and lesbian couples are now finding that Georgia law obligates them to stay married – even after they have ended their romantic relationships. According to Atlanta attorney Jeff Cleghorn, who manages the family law practice at the law firm of Kitchens New Cleghorn, LLC, since Massachusetts became the…

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Bayard Rustin, Sally Ride honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom

Two members of the LGBT community have posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at this year’s ceremony at the White House. Civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and pioneering astronaut Sally Ride were honored at the White House ceremony Nov. 20. Their surviving partners – Walter Naegle and Tam O’Shaughnessy, respectively – accepted the awards….

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HRC previews Corporate Equality Index 2014 at Qualcomm panel discussion

With almost two hundred people in attendance, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), in conjunction with the Equality Professionals Network (EPN), sponsored a discussion and live panel yesterday to preview their widely anticipated report: Corporate Equality Index 2014. The event was held at the newly constructed auditorium of the Qualcomm headquarters off Lusk Blvd in Sorrento…

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San Diego LGBTQ rights groups rally to ‘Defend Trans Rights:’ Nov. 22

This year, California became the first state in the nation to proactively support transgender students’ rights with the signing of Assembly Bill 1266, the School Success and Opportunity Act. The bill guarantees transgender students safe access to restrooms, locker rooms and sports teams that corresponds with the student’s gender identity. Prohibiting a student from doing…

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Holmes and Watson take on queer bent in Chinese fan fiction

As cross-cultural pollinization accelerates, its various permutations can seem both jarring and perfectly normal. Take, for example, the wholly natural assimilation of the story of Sherlock Holmes and his unwavering sidekick Dr. Watson in Chinese culture. Since 2011, when millions of television viewers first laid eyes on Benedict Cumberbatch as the iconic sleuth and Martin…

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