365 Gay

Recent legal developments in the Prop 8 litigation and – surprisingly – Mexican gay rights have me asking this question: What is the logical, legal sequence of gay rights, and why does it matter? First, let’s look at what might be thought of as the logical sequence:  First up would be the abolition of laws criminalizing same-sex intimacy. It’s hard to see how rights can be built before acts that are “closely correlated with being homosexual” (to borrow Justice O’Connor’s phrase from Lawrence v. Texas) are made legal.  Indeed, Justice Scalia’s principal objection to the Lawrence decision appears to have been that the decriminalization of homosexual acts undermined the foundation of laws that walled us off from many other rights of citizenship; for example, one federal court had justified the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy by the fact that homosexual intimacy was illegal. [caption id="attachment_16416" align="aligncenter" width="345" caption="Photo credit: Celeste Lavin"] [1][/caption] Next in the chain of achievements might come laws that would prohibit discrimination in the private sector, such as housing or employment. Since everyone (or many of us, anyway) need a job and a place to live, permitting our exclusion from these necessities works a substantial hardship – when compared to, say, the right to marry. But I want to put anti-discrimination laws to one side, because there’s a crucial difference between government-sponsored inequality and discrimination in the private sector. That’s not to say government shouldn’t get involved in passing laws directing private conduct, but that at least government isn’t directly doing the discriminating. Moving on, we reach the last few markers of full citizenship that have been denied to the LGBT community: the right to serve in the military and the right to marry. It seems like DADT is about to be lifted, so that leaves marriage.  So, on the federal level at least, things seem to be proceeding in the kind of neat, pyramid-like structure that builds from broad foundations to a pinnacle of equality. And in states, too, the most progressive places on LGBT issues seem to move in some kind of predictable sequence, although different laws apply: decriminalizing same-sex intimacy; passing hate crimes law covering sexual orientation; then on to anti-discrimination law; inclusive family legislation (including adoption); and, for a few, all the way through to marriage equality. One reason we might care about this sequence is for the reality check it provides: It’s hard to expect progress on marriage equality in, say, Florida, where a whole battery of laws and underlying public attitudes construct a pervasive subordination of LGBT lives. Perhaps surprisingly, my home state of Pennsylvania isn’t much better; although several cities (including Philadelphia, where my family and I live) have anti-discriminations law, the state does not. So it’s not surprising that State Senator Daylin Leach told me that he couldn’t even get hearings scheduled on his marriage equality bill. The groundwork’s not been laid for this monumental a shift. That’s why some of us are so invested in the Prop 8 case and the challenge to DOMA: If we can win marriage equality on a federal level, the rest of the pieces should fall quickly into place. There’s one jarring, non-sequential step, though: Here in the U.S., the rights of gays and lesbians to adopt has preceded the right to marry. In European countries, it’s often been the other way around; first, establish the right to have same-sex unions declared equal to opposite-sex ones, and then move towards gay and lesbian parents. That’s what happened, albeit at warp speed, in Mexico, where the Supreme Court first declared that all states within Mexico had to recognize same-sex marriages from Mexico City, and only then resolved to permit these couples to adopt children. (Here’s [2] a good summary of how it unfolded.) In the U.S., of course, it’s been quite the opposite: most states allow same-sex couples to adopt (or at least don’t specifically restrict our doing so), but withhold the right to marry. This creates the upside-down situation in which we can create families, but are legal strangers to our parental partners and de facto spouses. Why? I’d be interested in readers’ thoughts on this (and readers of this column aren’t known for holding back), but I think the reasons have to do with some kind of unarticulated and inconsistent mix of practicality (we need all the adoptive parents we can get) and, sadly, a lack of real concern about these same children by conservative forces who’d be the ones to squawk; or at least enough of a hands-off approach from them that the state and private agencies seeking to place children retain the political and rhetorical power to act in children’s best interests. In the long run, though, this situation is untenable. By creating (or allowing) this situation to exist, the anti-equality forces have only helped to ensure that marriage equality is inevitable. It doesn’t even scare Glenn Beck [3] any more. John Culhane is Professor of Law and Director of the Health Law Institute at Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Del. He blogs about the role of law in everyday life, and about a bunch of other things at: http://wordinedgewise.org [4]. [1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-national-equality-march-protest-sign-rights-top.jpg [2] http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0817/Mexico-court-upholds-gay-adoption-law.-Is-Mexico-more-tolerant-than-US [3] http://www.365gay.com/topics/news_politics/weekend-watercooler-is-glenn-beck-a-gay-rights-supporter/ [4] http://wordinedgewise.org/

The Rhode Island Marriage Coalition (RIMC) released a poll that found that 59 percent of Rhode Island voters support legalizing gay marriage [1] in the state. This is a 10 percent increase in support since its last poll in 2008. It is about equal to a Brown University [2] poll showing 60 percent support for gay marriage in 2009. [caption id="attachment_16413" align="aligncenter" width="352" caption="Rhode Island statehouse"] [3][/caption] "This poll makes clear that there is no reason why we can't enact a marriage equality law in Rhode Island within the next year," said Kathy Kushnir, executive director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI), one of the RIMC organizations. "Rhode Islanders are ready to allow loving, committed same-sex couples to gain the dignity and respect that marriage brings, along with all of the legal rights and obligations that marriage brings. That is great news." Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research conducted the poll by surveying 502 likely voters in Rhode Island. Rhode Island and Maine are the only two New England states wihtout legalized gay marriage. Earlier this month, a CNN [4] poll found that 52 percent of the nation agreed that gays and lesbians should have the right to marry. It was the first national poll that showed a majority of Americans supporting marriage equality. Rhode Island pollsters also asked voters whether they would support gay marriage if it did not infringe on a church's right deny same-sex couples a wedding; support then increased to 66 percent. [1] http://www.glad.org/uploads/docs/news/ri-marriage-survey-results-2010.pdf [2] http://www.projo.com/news/content/BROWN_POLL_05-28-09_0AEH43P_v30.43b82e7.html [3] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-rhode-island-statehouse-capitol-top.jpg [4] http://www.365gay.com/news/support-for-marriage-equality-accelerating/

Cheney, who is an out-lesbian and a supporter of gay marriage, donated [1] $500 to Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire’s Republican senate candidate. In a 2006 interview with People Magazine [2], Cheney said, “It would be great to have the luxury of being a one-issue voter, but I didn't, and quite frankly, I don't think our country does.” [3] The former vice president’s daughter last year donated $1000 to Rob Portman [4] who was running for senate in Ohio. He, too, opposed gay marriage. Ayotte is running to fill the seat of Republican Senator Judy Gregg, who is retiring. Ayotte [5] told the Concord Monitor that she is “against same-sex marriage and believes marriage is between a man and a woman.” Cheney and her partner, Heather Pope, live in Virginia with their two children. [1] http://newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=VA&last=cheney&first=mary [2] http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1191271_1,00.html [3] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/mary-cheney-top.jpg [4] http://www.365gay.com/blog/090109-mary-cheney-donates-cash-to-anti-gay-pol/ [5] http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0818/mary-cheney-500-antigay/

Jeremy Walters, who is running for the State House in District 67 in Iowa, posted a rant on his Facebook [1] page against gay people. He included the classic homophobic rhetoric that AIDS is God’s method of punishing gay people. Here’s his post: [2] One Iowa [3], the state’s largest LGBT group, called for the Republican Party of Iowa to denounce Walters’ remarks. Matt Strawn, the state GOP’s chair, quickly released a statement condemning [4] Walters’ comments. “Mr. Walters' comments are inappropriate and in no way represent the beliefs of the Republican Party of Iowa. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate, and our hearts and prayers go out to any Iowa family facing this disease,” he said. Walters, who initially told the Des Moines Register that he would not remove the comments, eventually did and apologized [5]. [6] “I am not against people having a gay lifestyle, and the statements made on Facebook have been taken the wrong way. The statement regarding gay homosexuality was not meant to be offensive and I deeply apologize,” he wrote. “As far as the quote from Bible; I was replying to someone else’s post. It should have been posted as a comment on their page, not my Facebook wall. I apologize for the mistake and if this statement offended anyone. Both postings have been removed and these comments do not pertain to my campaign or the Republican Party of Iowa. My passion is to listen and learn from the people so I can represent them at the statehouse. Everyone makes mistakes, please forgive me.” Since the posts, he changed his Facebook privacy settings to block the public from seeing what he writes. Walters has run three previous times in three different legislative races. He lost by 20 points in his 2004 race. He served as a precinct chair for Texas Congressman Ron Paul’s Iowa Caucus campaign in 2008 Walters is running against the Democratic incumbent, Kevin McCarthy, who the Iowa Independent called the “second highest ranking Democrat in the Iowa House.” There are four times as many registered Democrats than Republicans in HD 67; McCarthy is the likely winner. [1] http://www.facebook.com/jeremylwalters?v=wall [2] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-jeremy-walters-rant-facebook-top.jpg [3] http://www.oneiowa.org/news-events/iowa-gop-condemns-candidates-anti-gay-comments [4] http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100818/NEWS10/8180360/-1/BOYSSTATEHOOPS/Iowa-GOP-condemns-candidate-s-anti-gay-comments [5] http://iowaindependent.com/41491/gop-candidate-apologizes-for-anti-gay-statements [6] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-jeremy-walters-iowa-top.jpg

Conservative website Word Net Daily dropped Ann Coulter from its speaker list for its Miami conference next month. Coulter is headlining an event hosted by Republican gay group GOProud [1] and Word Net Daily officials said because of this, Coulter would no longer be invited to speak at their conference. [2] Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of Word Net Daily, said it was a tough decision because he supports Coulter in most ways. "Ultimately, as a matter of principle, it would not make sense for us to have Ann speak to a conference about 'taking America back' when she clearly does not recognize that the ideals to be espoused there simply do not include the radical and very 'unconservative' agenda represented by GOProud," said Farah. When Farah discussed her speech to GOProud with Coulter, he said that by addressing the group, she was legitimizing them. According to an article by World Net Daily [3], Coulter responded, "That's silly, I speak to a lot of groups and do not endorse them. I speak at Harvard and I certainly don't endorse their views. I've spoken to Democratic groups and liberal Republican groups that love abortion. The main thing I do is speak on college campuses, which is about the equivalent of speaking at an al-Qaida conference.” She added, “I'm sure I agree with GOProud more than I do with at least half of my college audiences. But in any event, giving a speech is not an endorsement of every position held by the people I'm speaking to.” The idea that Coulter could be too gay-friendly surprised many, as she often uses the word “faggot [4]” to attack the left and she is a strong opponent of gay rights. Coulter will remain a weekly columnist on Word Net Daily, because Farah said there are different standards for columnists then conference speakers. [1] http://www.365gay.com/topics/news_politics/weekend-watercooler-goprouds-conservative-judy-garland/ [2] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-go-proud-ann-coulter-top.jpg [3] http://www.365gay.com http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=192405 [4] http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/04/coulter.edwards/index.html

Terry Kemple [1], an “anti-gay crusader [2]” is running against incumbent April Griffin [3] in the Hillsborough school board election in the Florida primary elections next week. [4] [5] Kemple asks donors to sign an anti-gay pledge. He fought to eliminate all gay-straight alliances from schools, and in 2008 he campaigned for Florida’s Proposition 2, which banned same-sex marriage. April Griffin, however, has been endorsed by Equality Florida, Florida’s largest LGBT rights organization. She said in a campaign video that she helped lead the successful effort to add gender identity to the list of protected classes from discrimination in schools. Kemple sent an email to his supporters criticizing Griffin, saying she is “running to advance the homosexual agenda.” He also wrote, “My hope is that you'll decide that our children have suffered under enough failed liberal leadership in our school district and forward this email to 10 Christian friends and tell them they need to vote for me and forward the message to 10 more.” Kemple has argued for abstinence-only education in all levels of schooling in Florida, and has advocated for teaching the Bible in schools. According to Tampa Bay Online [6], Kemple out-funded Griffin from the start; as of July 6, he had raised $16,100 compared to Griffin’s $ 3,024. The election is on August 24. [1] http://www.vote4terrykemple.com/ [2] http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/11/883426/-Teach-Your-Children-Hell:-Fundie-Winning-Money-RaceTampa-Schools [3] http://www.voteapril.com/Default.htm [4] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-april-griffin-top1.jpg [5] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-terry-kemple-top.jpg [6] http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jul/06/060848/na-campaign-dollars-scarce/

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/Troy261WeddedBlissMeets_1.jpg [2] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/Troy261WeddedBlissMeets_2.jpg [3] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/Troy261WeddedBlissMeets_3.jpg [4] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/Troy261WeddedBlissMeets_4.jpg [5] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/Troy261WeddedBlissMeets_5.jpg [6] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/Troy261WeddedBlissMeets_6.jpg

Germany has had civil unions since 2001, but gay couples had higher inheritance taxes than their straight counterparts. Reuters [1]reported that gay widows and widowers could be taxed up to 20 percent more than straight ones. The Federal Constitutional Court found this inequity to be unconstitutional. [caption id="attachment_16384" align="aligncenter" width="325" caption="The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany"] [2][/caption] A German lesbian and gay association, LSVD, applauded the decision as a good first step. "Lawmakers must now act as quickly as possible to ensure there is complete equality on income tax and provisioning for civil servants," spokesman Manfred Bruns said in a statement. "It's against our constitution for civil partnerships to be put at a disadvantage compared to married couples," he added. The court gave lawmakers until 2011 to create new tax guidelines and compensate those who suffered under the previous enforcement. [1] http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67G2EX20100817 [2] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-federal-constitutional-crourt-of-germany-top.jpg

The Interfaith Alliance announced that the 2010 Walter Cronkite Faith & Freedom award would go to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow for her journalistic work covering religion and politics. It will also be awarded to Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, Director of the Department of Religion at the Chautauqua Institution. [1] “Walter Cronkite once told me that no less than the future of our nation was at stake in the work of Interfaith Alliance, and I can think of no two people who contribute more to advancing our mission than Rachel Maddow and Joan Brown Campbell,” said Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, President of Interfaith Alliance. “Rachel’s passionate coverage of the intersection of religion and politics exhibits a strong personal intellect coupled with constitutional sensitivity to the proper boundaries between religion and government,” he said. The Interfaith Alliance website says that the award goes to individuals who “promote democratic values, defend religious freedom and reinvigorate informed civic participation.” [1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/feat-rachel-maddow-spymusic-top.jpg

[1] Gay porn and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" do not mix well. Especially if a soldier is charged with wearing a uniform in a production. Marine Sgt. Matthew W. Simmons [2], known to porn aficionados as Christian Jade, faces a DADT investigation. For two years Simmons (who could leave crumbs in my bed), performed for various porn sites such as Corbin Fisher, College Dudes 24/7, and Active Duty [3]. Dink Flamingo's Active Duty is a provocative sidebar in the whole DADT debate. The studio specializes in straight, bisexual, and gay military men engaging in  gay sex; the site was in the news approximately four years back when one of its models, a Fort Bragg soldier [4], pleaded guilty to sodomy, conduct considered detrimental to the Army and the unit, and drug use. His sentence was 90 days in prison. No matter Simmons' extracurricular activities, if he gets booted  because of DADT, that's a problem. Sure we can wonder what did he expect, especially after laying pipe all over the world wide webs. That's a whole lot of telling (no complaining from me). I do wonder how the brass found out. This is pure speculation, but I have money on someone who got off of Jade's work, was rebuffed by the Marine in some way, and then decided to rat him out. We all know how bitter queens act. If the military does kick him out, I hope a smart gay porn studio makes him an exclusive. Granted few are doing that nowadays, but Simmons would be worth the effort. [1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/flag-2-top.jpg [2] http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/08/marine-gay-porn-081610w/ [3] http://thesword.com/index.php/all-stories/42-depts/3905-another-marine-caught-doing-gay-porn.html [4] http://www.advocate.com/article.aspx?id=36644

(Jackson, Miss.) Another teenage lesbian is suing a Mississippi school district, this time over a policy banning females from wearing tuxedos in yearbook portraits. Ceara Sturgis [1]' dispute with the Copiah County School District started in 2009, before another lesbian [2] student in another Mississippi school district fought to wear a tuxedo to prom and bring a same-sex date. [3] The American Civil Liberties Union [4] filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday for Sturgis, contending the Copiah schools discriminated against her on the basis of sex and gender stereotypes. Her photo and name were left out of the senior section of the yearbook. The district's superintendent didn't immediately return a call seeking comment. [1] http://www.365gay.com/news/lesbian-teen-left-out-of-high-school-yearbook/ [2] http://www.365gay.com/news/aclu-demands-miss-high-school-allow-lesbian-at-prom/ [3] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-ceara-sturgis-lesbian-tuxedo-top.jpg [4] http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/aclu-sues-mississippi-school-excluding-teenager-wearing-tuxedo-yearbook

Stumped on when to send out your STDs (save-the-date announcements)? Don't know who should be invited to your rehearsal dinner? Get the answers to all your etiquette questions for your gay wedding by submitting your dilemma to etiquette@equallywed.com. Q My brother and his wife, Sally, were married for 12 years and have two gorgeous children together, ages 5 and 7. They divorced three years ago, but his ex-wife stayed in good with our mom—even though she (Sally) treated my brother like sh*t. I want the kids to be in my upcoming wedding, and my mom thinks we also need to invite Sally, because she’s “still a part of this family” and “she’s the mother of my grandchildren.”  Sigh.  I know my brother would be hurt. What do I do? [caption id="attachment_16387" align="aligncenter" width="235" caption="Photo credit: Andrew Turner"] [1][/caption]   A Weddings are, at the core, about family: bringing families together as well as creating a new family. When making out your guest list and sending invitations, you should do two things: 1) Respect marriage:  meaning you should invite your relatives’ spouses to honor their choices of who they chose to spend the rest of their lives with. 2) Respect divorce. Your brother and Sally chose to end their relationship, severing her relationship with his family. Respect his wishes and choices, and don’t invite her. If your mother wants to continue to hurt your brother and be chummy with the ex, they can socialize on their own time—not at your wedding.   Kirsten Palladino is the editor in chief of Equally Wed, the nation’s premier same-sex wedding magazine, online at http://www.equallywed.com [2]. Equally Wed offers gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer couples a guide to their weddings, a social community and a marketplace of vetted LGBT-friendly wedding vendors. Follow Equally Wed on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/equallywed [3]. [1] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-groom-happy-best-man-sad-top.jpg [2] http://www.equallywed.com/ [3] http://www.twitter.com/equallywed

It’s been 40 days since U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Tauro ruled—in two cases [1]—that the federal benefits provision in the Defense of Marriage Act [2] is unconstitutional. But the Department of Justice has still not indicated whether it intends to appeal those decisions to the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. [3] In fact, according to DOJ attorney Scott Simpson, who is leading the case filed by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, the government has not yet decided whether it will appeal. Simpson declined to discuss the process further and directed a reporter to a media specialist at DOJ, who said only that she has “no updates” on that matter at this time. The cases are Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, brought by GLAD, and Massachusetts v. Health and Human Services, brought by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Both lawsuits challenged Section 3 of DOMA, which limits the definition of marriage for federal benefits to straight couples. Tauro ruled that Section 3 violates the right of gay people to equal protection under the constitution, as well as the state’s right to the sovereign authority to define and regulate the marital status of its residents. The rules of procedure for federal courts indicates the government has 60 days from when a judge “enters” his or decision to file its appeal. Although Judge Tauro issued his opinion in the two DOMA cases on July 8, he did not “enter” the decisions –a procedural formality—until August 12.  According to court spokesman Frank Perry, the most recent federal court rules of procedures specify that the count is a simple calendar day one. So, barring some unforeseen development or request for extension of the ordinary deadline, the government has until October 11 –which will be easy enough for the LGBT community to remember because  it’s National Coming Out Day [4]. [1] http://www.365gay.com/news/culhane-doma-decision-is-a-ruling-for-equality/ [2] http://www.365gay.com/news/explanation-of-the-doma-decision/ [3] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-justice-courts-law-scale-top.jpg [4] http://gaylife.about.com/od/comingout/a/nationalcoming.htm

Governor Chris Christie [1] denied allegations that he intimidated state Supreme Court judges from addressing a marriage equality case. Two legislators said that the three judges who are up for reappointment were the only judges who did not want to take the case because they did not want to risk their jobs. [2] Christie, who opposes same-sex marriage, did not reappoint Justice John Wallace in May, allegedly because he was too liberal. The legislators said that other judges fear the same fate as Wallace. Christie responded to this accusation: "I would assume the three justices who voted not to hear the case based their decision on the interpretations of the law and the facts.” He added, "When you accuse them of putting their jobs ahead of their duty, you impugn the Judiciary when you make that kind of allegation. I am not going to participate in that. I have more respect for the Judiciary than that.” [1] http://www.365gay.com/news/nj-court-avoiding-gay-marriage/ [2] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/new-Chris-Christie-top.jpg

(Mexico City) Mexico City's leftist mayor says he will take legal action if a Roman Catholic cardinal doesn't apologize for suggesting he bribed the Supreme Court to uphold a city law allowing adoptions by same-sex couples. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard says that if Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez does not apologize by midnight, he is going to file a slander complaint. The church opposes the Mexico City law, but the Supreme Court has ruled it constitutional. Ebrard made the demand Tuesday after the cardinal suggested the justices may have been paid to uphold the law. The cardinal used a word for corruption that refers to giving feed to cattle. The court has denied and condemned the accusation. Iniguez's office had no immediate comment.

Naval Air Force ensign Steve Crowston [1] was assigned a call sign, a  military nickname that can stick with a servicemember for an entire career. It is used informally and officially- called over the radio, engraved onto mugs, stitched into name tags, and written on official documents. [2] That is part of the reason Crowston filed an official complaint when he was dubbed “Romo’s Bitch,” a reference to his affinity for the Dallas Cowboys football team, whose quarterback is Tony Romo. Crowston said the nickname was part of a pattern of anti-gay harassment he faced in the Navy, not just good natured teasing. Crowston said that in August 2009, he was called into a room where other servicemembers were brainstorming call signs for him. On a white board they had written his name and their list of call sign recommendations: “Cowboy,” “Gay Boy,” “Fagmeister,” “Cowgirl,” “Romo’s Bitch,” “TO,” “Terrell Owens” and “Redskins.” He filed a sexual harassment case in February. In May, the Naval Air Force Atlantic Inspector General’s office closed the case after calling his claims unsubstantiated. Since then, the case has been reopened. Crowston did not reveal his sexual orientation, calling it “irrelevant.” Crowston’s case has gone beyond his own call sign and called into question the entire tradition. "There needs to be acknowledgment that this is improper content — there's obviously an issue with call signs — and I'm seeking acknowledgment that this is improper conduct within the aviator community," Crowston told Fox News. "I hope that people that have the courage to step up and know right from wrong and say something. I'm standing up for what I feel is right." Crowston said, “I discovered 'Dicks.com' had been engraved on a coffee mug and beer stein in [his unit's] ready room and was hung next to the Admiral's and the Carrier Air Wing Commander's coffee cups. The chain of command is not willing to identify a systemic problem in the aviation community regarding inappropriate call signs." [caption id="attachment_16359" align="aligncenter" width="235" caption="Photo credit: Steve Crowston"] [3][/caption] A contributor to the Navy Times [4] wrote an op-ed chastising the call sign tradition. “Call signs can be self-deprecating, but you shouldn’t be ashamed to tell your mother, or the local TV station, what they are. And squadron members shouldn’t endure years of humiliation because their shipmates are immature. As Vice Adm. Allen Myers takes command of naval aviation, one of his first orders of business should be to write a policy to . . . pull the call sign tradition out of the gutter.” [1] http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011189,00.html?xid=rss-topstories [2] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-steve-crowston-romos-bitch-top.jpg [3] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-call_signs_mugs-military-dicks.com-top.jpg [4] http://www.navytimes.com/community/opinion/navy_editorial_call_signs_080910w/

(St. Paul, Minn.) A new TV ad from the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org goes after Target Corp. for making a political campaign donation in Minnesota. MoveOn.org spokeswoman Ilyse Hogue said Tuesday that the group will spend $35,000 to air the ad for a week on three networks in Minnesota and on the MSNBC cable channel nationally. The ad starts running Wednesday. The ad urges consumers to boycott the retail chain for getting involved in elections. Minneapolis-based Target has faced a backlash from gay rights groups and liberals after giving $150,000 to a business-oriented political fund supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer in Minnesota. The company has apologized for the donation and promised to carefully review future political giving.

(Minneapolis) Target Corp. said Monday it won't give money to gay-friendly causes to quiet the uproar over a $150,000 donation that helped support a Minnesota governor candidate who opposes gay marriage. The discount retailing giant said it was "best to wait" given the controversy stirred by its donation, which prompted Facebook calls for a boycott and scattered protests outside stores. An anti-boycott site also popped up on Facebook from conservatives supporting Target. "We believe that it is impossible to avoid turning any further actions into a political issue and will use the benefit of time to make thoughtful, careful decisions on how best to move forward," the company said in a statement. In response, the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights group, said it will contribute $150,000 of its own money to political candidates in Minnesota who support gay marriage, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton. Target has been under pressure for three weeks for contributing $150,000 to MN Forward, a group that has run ads supporting Republican Tom Emmer. Fred Sainz, an HRC spokesman, said Target and his group had reached two tentative agreements over the last couple weeks for the discount retail giant to give money to various gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender causes in Minnesota. "Then when we were ready to pull the trigger, literally at the 11th hour on two occasions, they pulled back and said they were not ready to proceed," Sainz said. "They said no deal. They said it was over." Minneapolis-based Target has cultivated a good relationship with the gay community and its image as an inclusive employer. The company has been a sponsor of the annual Twin Cities Gay Pride Festival. On Aug. 5, CEO Gregg Steinhafel wrote employees to say he was sorry for the hurt feelings over the donation, which he said was motivated by Emmer's stance on business issues, not social issues. Liberal groups reacted to news of Target's donation angrily. Their calls for a boycott and several scattered protests outside Target stores highlighted the risks companies face if they take advantage of their new freedom under a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows them to spend company funds directly on political campaigns. A Boycott Target page on Facebook had over 62,000 fans as of Monday. But conservatives also threatened a backlash from the right, and an anti-boycott page on Facebook had over 17,500 fans as of Monday. Sainz said the HRC has not decided how it will allocate the $150,000 it plans to spend on Minnesota campaigns. "But at the top of our agenda is the next governor of Minnesota will hopefully be in a position to sign a marriage equality bill," Sainz said. "Obviously, that is a priority for our community and having a Legislature that will pass that bill is equally important." In its latest statement, Target said it would "continue to seek thoughtful ways to demonstrate the strong support for inclusiveness that we have held throughout our history."

Among LGBT adults in the U.S., 73 percent agree that the U.S. still has a long way to go to reach complete gender equality, according to a new study [1] by Harris Interactive [2]. Among all adults in the U.S., just 63 percent agree. The market research firm conducted a poll of 2,412 adults to gauge their opinions on the progress of gender equality. Of these adults, 341 self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. [caption id="attachment_16351" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="President Obama signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009."] [3][/caption] In addition to polling the public on how far this country is from gender equality, Harris Interactive also asked respondents about “whether things are fine between men and women.” In the overall population, 43 percent said that things are fine, while 52 percent disagreed. Men outnumbered women in agreeing that relationships between men and women are fine: 55 percent of men agreed things are fine, while just 32 percent of women agreed. Only 22 percent of lesbians and 32 percent of gay men agreed that things are fine between men and women. Perhaps the most striking find was that nearly all (95 percent) lesbians said the U.S. still has a long way to go before the country reaches full gender equality. Of straight women, 74 percent agreed. The study noted that it was “designed to measure the general attitudes and beliefs of American adults about the changing roles of men and women in society” and not address issues of gender identity. Harris Interactive also asked respondents their opinions on equality in pay. Eighty percent of women, including 96 percent of lesbians, agreed that women often do not receive the same pay as men for the same job. Only 58 percent of men agreed, including 71 percent of gay men. According to the Government Accountability Offi [4]ce, working women earn an average of 80 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act [5] in 2009, but it is still unclear how effective it has been in implementation. [1] http://www.witeckcombs.com/news/releases/20100817_harris.pdf [2] http://www.harrisinteractive.com/ [3] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-Barack_Obama_signs_Lilly_Ledbetter_Fair_Pay_Act_of_2009_top.jpg [4] http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0435.pdf [5] http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1874954,00.html

New York’s first gay urban resort complex [1] is scheduled to be open in Fall 2011. The Out NYC will include 90,000 square feet of hotel, restaurant, retail and nightclub space on W 42nd street. [2] "We are going to be a hetero-friendly urban resort, which means we are going to turn Ian Schrager’s concept upside down. His hotels 20 years ago were more 80 percent straight and 20 percent gay-friendly," said Ian Reisner of Parkview Developers. "Here we hope to be more of a true hetero-friendly complex -- a gay environment where straight friends and family are welcome to come and enjoy our fun too." Run by Axel Hotels, Out NYC is set to have 127 rooms, that will run for less than $300 a night including several “SLA, shared luxury accommodations” that will cost $99 for younger visitors. The hotel will house a spa, pool club, and gym with membership open to the community and a 2,500 square foot catering facility. It will also include a 24-hour café and a restaurant. "In this nightlife venue we are going to have a day bar that will stay open until late in the night. We're also going to have a 5,000 square foot nightclub for enough room for 650 people to dance," Reisner said. The hotel will occupy the space that was once a homeless shelter, but has been abandoned for several years since. While the hotel is not scheduled to open until 2011, the club will be ready sooner. [1] http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/real_estate/123794/gay-friendly-resort-coming-to-west-42nd [2] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-out-nyc-urban-resort-top.jpg