President-elect Barack Obama has laid out his commitment to LGBT civil rights in an eight-point plan posted on his transition Web site. It calls for passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act; a gender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act; repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act; opposition to any [...]
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will not submit a legal brief to the California Supreme Court arguing for the overturn of Proposition 8, the voter initiative that bans same-sex marriage, nor will he join a group of state lawmakers in their brief despite making statements he believes the court should declare the measure illegal. Appearing on ABC’s [...]
They both oppose same-sex marriage, but Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain differ over Proposition 8, the ballot measure that would ban gay marriage in California. “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions just to [...]
Aetna has become the first health benefits company in the U.S. to link its online provider directory – DocFind- to the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association’s online database of more than 1,200 health care providers. The database includes primary care providers, specialists, therapists, and dentists who welcome LGBT patients. In addition, Aetna has awarded GLMA [...]
Law enforcement agencies reported a slight decrease in hate crimes last year, despite an increase against gays and lesbians. The FBI reported more than 7,600 hate crime incidents in 2007, down about 1 percent from last year. Racially motivated hate crimes accounted for more than half of that total. Religious bias was the second-leading motive [...]
Openly gay former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell will host a live, hour-long special on NBC on Nov. 26 called Rosie’s Variety Show, it was announced in The Hollywood Reporter today. The show — a 2009 version of classic variety shows like The Carol Burnett Show or The Ed Sullivan Show — will feature celebrity [...]
The American Family Association is calling off a boycott of McDonald’s after the fast-food giant agreed to end its support for the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. In addition, a company employee appointed to the chamber’s board of directors has resigned. McDonald’s incurred the wrath of the AFA after it made a $20,000 [...]
Nine in 10 LGBT teens have been verbally harassed in the past school year, and almost half have been physically harassed. Homophobic remarks such as “that’s so gay” are the most commonly heard type of biased remarks at school “The 2007 National School Climate Survey reveals that, on a whole, the situation is still dire [...]
A woman whose dogs viciously attacked and killed her neighbor in the hallway of their apartment building seven years ago was sentenced Monday to 15 years to life in prison. Marjorie Knoller was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2001 mauling death of Dianne Whipple, but a judge later reduced the charge to involuntary manslaughter [...]