DVD of the Week: ‘Soldier’s Girl’
Of course, if you’re less enamored with patriotism on July 4, Soldier’s Girl may be for you. The acclaimed 2003 film is about the events that led to the murder of Pfc. Barry Winchell (Troy Garity) on the July 4 weekend of 1999. He was killed following intense harassment about his relationship with transgender performer…
DVR This: ‘On the Town’
Turner Classic Movies, Sunday, July 3, 10 a.m. On July 4 weekend, the networks flood their schedules with the most American of films, and one of my favorites is On the Town, one of the greatest musicals ever made. Directed by the occasional lovers Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen (no, really, they were!) and starring…
Louis Marinelli, former NOA administrator, raises funds for Marriage Equality Tour
Last summer, Louis Marinelli was a power-player for the National Organization for Marriage’s “Summer for Marriage Tour” – an event designed specifically to discourage marriage equality and promote a strict, DOMA-inspired definition of marital union. But that was then. Fast forward one year, and Marinelli can now be found gearing up for what he hopes…
Southwest Airlines pilot issues apology for crude anti-gay rant
James Taylor, a Southwest Airlines pilot based in Argyle, Texas, issued a written apology Tuesday after accidentally recording an extended anti-gay and discriminatory conversation on the FAA’s radio system last week. MSNBC reports that Taylor unintentionally left his microphone on during a conversation in the cockpit, during which complained about a surfeit of “gays, grannies…
Christine Kehoe bows out of the San Diego mayoral race
State Sen. Christine Kehoe (D) announced today that she does not intend to throw her hat into the ring of official contenders for the mayoral race in San Diego. Kehoe explained her decision came in part through “lots of thought” and conversations with friends and supporters, ultimately guiding Kehoe into the direction of not running…
American Foundation for Equal Rights laments “desperate” efforts by Proposition 8 activists
The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) is speaking out against so-called “desperate” attempts by anti-gay marriage activists to continue challenging the August 2010 ruling that found Prop. 8 unconstitutional. Earlier this spring, Chief Judge James Ware of the U.S. District Court struck down an argument claiming that gay judges are less capable of impartiality…
Puerto Rico suffering “epidemic” of anti-LGBT violence
Puerto Rico’s LGBT community has suffered a devastating slew of murders in the last year and a half – some directly targeted, others so recent that shockwaves are still being felt throughout the island and beyond. Besides the slain eighteen, countless other Puerto Rican LGBT individuals have faced attacks and discrimination as a result of…
Brazilian judge approves nation’s first gay marriage
A state judge in Sao Paulo has ruled in favor of what the court claims is Brazil’s first legal gay marriage. Judge Fernando Henrique Pinto issued a decision Monday declaring that two men may convert their civil union into marriage, potentially paving the way for a change in the country’s current policy limiting official recognition…
CNN airs special highlighting struggles of LGBT immigrant couples
CNN Newsroom aired a special report Tuesday morning in which Soledad O’Brien covered the discrimination and difficulty faced by LGBT immigrant couples under current U.S. immigration laws. In addition to discussing the legal impediments involved in keeping LGBT immigrant couples together and interviewing activists such as Immigration Equality Executive Director Rachel Tiven, O’Brien also profiled…