WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Supreme Court took no action Friday on a pending series of appeals over the divisive issue of same-sex marriage. The justices had a closed-door conference to consider whether to accept for review several challenges to federal and state laws restricting the ability of gay and lesbian couples to legally wed. But…
Today, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, issued the following statement regarding World AIDS Day 2012. “On December 1, World AIDS Day, we remember those we have lost, but also celebrate the remarkable progress made in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. When the first World AIDS Day was observed in 1988, we could not…
(CNN) – Edith “Edie” Windsor lost her spouse in 2009, her grief compounded by an estate tax bill much larger than other married couples would have to pay. Because her decades-long partner was also a woman, the federal government in legal terms did not recognize the same-sex marriage, even though their home state of New…
Despite the recent passage of same-sex marriage in Washington a union is alleging that Chicago-based aerospace company Boeing is intending to deny equal pension benefits to married same-sex couples in the state. The Windy City Times reported that The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) executive director, Ray Goforth said that despite Boeing’s progressive…
Brooke Fantelli, the transgender woman who was tazed by a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ranger, has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the BLM for the incident that occurred Oct. 16, 2011 near Ramona, Calif. Fantelli, 44, is an off-road vehicle race car driver, and one of her racing vehicles was being used as…
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – The International Association of LGBTI Pride Organizers (InterPride) has condemned the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill that the Ugandan government has committed to pass by the end of 2012. The bill will ensure that homosexuality is treated as a serious criminal offense and includes, but is not limited to introducing the death penalty…
After more than six hours of deliberations, a jury convicted the “Incense Bandit” of three robberies and one attempted robbery Nov. 9, but they ironically deadlocked 7-5 for acquittal in the hold-up of the candle store where the robber got his nickname. Jurors told San Diego Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza they were hopelessly deadlocked…
(CNN) – A man who alleged he was 16 when he started a relationship with the puppeteer who provides the voice of Elmo on “Sesame Street” now says it was an “adult consensual relationship,” according to his lawyers. The man, now 23, had told Sesame Workshop in June that he started a relationship with Kevin…
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) today released it 2013 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) in which a record 252 businesses achieved the top rating of 100 percent, earning the coveted distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.” As a point of comparison, 13 businesses earned a 100 percent in the inaugural CEI 11…
Special commentary When I woke up this morning, I think San Diego elected its first Democratic mayor in 20 years. Not that I did not try to stay awake to hear the news live, but after spending the evening politicking, my pillow beckoned me. As I left the U.S. Grant Hotel, City Councilman Carl DeMaio…
