TURKEY – Halil Ibrahim Dinçdag˘, 35, who was forced by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) to leave his position as a professional soccer referee, has said he will continue with his legal battle against the TFF. Dinçdag˘ was barred from officiating matches in 2008 after his medical report showed that he had been excused from…
San Diego LGBT Pride has hired business and management consultant Frank G. Scarpaci of The Vianova Group, LLC, to serve as interim executive director until a final candidate is selected for the position. According to San Diego Pride Co-chair Larry Ramey, the board has just completed its first round of interviews for the post. “Frank…
The 10th annual Hillcrest Mardi Gras takes over the San Diego streets on Fat Tuesday, March 8, with the party taking place on University Avenue between First and Fourth Avenues. The festival is 6-11 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Greater San Diego Business Association (GSDBA) Charitable Foundation and the Hillcrest Business Association. All…
Wendy Jo Smith wanted to be a singer and performer from a young age but she never imagined that her party girl alter ego, Wendy Ho, would be her ticket to success. Six years ago, Smith took the stage at a Broadway director’s New York City party for an impromptu performance as the fabulously flamboyant…
Two East County men received jail terms last week for beating Jacob Harshbarger in a North Park alley on Halloween 2010, but both of them will be released from jail within two months with credit for time served. Christopher Matthew Blount, 23, of El Cajon, was sentenced to one year in jail, but he received…
The Human Rights Campaign, San Diego’s third annual Bowling for Equality fundraiser, held last Saturday at the Kearny Mesa Bowl, is being called “by far our most successful” by the event’s organizers. “We are honored that over 200 bowlers and 26 businesses and organizations chose to partner with HRC in the fight for equality,” said…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democratic congressman Jerrold Nadler is to re-introduce a bill to overturn the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act this week. After the Obama administration said last week it would no longer defend the law, Nadler, a representative for New York, is calling on other politicians to support his Respect for Marriage Act. Last…
OKLAHOMA – The head of an Oklahoma LGBT center has been charged with one count of forcible sodomy and two counts of making lewd proposals to a child. Nathan Bowen, 32, is the president of the Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays community center in Enid, Oklahoma. Investigators say Bowen admitted he had…
MINNESOTA – After months of national protests from some of the largest LGBT organizations, it was Lady Gaga that finally convinced Target to change how it determines which organizations receive its charitable donations. Target, which has 1,743 stores across the country, donated $150,000 of corporate funds to support political action group, Minnesota Forward, who had…
HAWAII – Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie has signed same-sex civil unions into law. Hawaii will start civil unions Jan. 1, 2012, making it the seventh state to permit civil unions or similar legal recognitions for gay couples. “The legalization of civil unions in Hawaii is long overdue. People have worked long and hard for this…
