Virginia Adoption Bill Passed

Governor expected to sign legislation, which could further restrict LGBT adoption and foster parenting in the state

Published on February 9, 2012, 3:58pm

The Virginia Senate today passed a bill that critics say indirectly bans LGBT people, and potentially other subgroups, from becoming adoptive or foster parents. All Republicans in the upper chamber, and two Democrats, Chuck Colgan (D-Manassas, Manassas Park and Prince William Co.) and Phil Puckett (D-Norton, Radford, Wise, Buchanan, Russell, Tazewell and Pulaski counties), voted for passage in the 22-18 vote. {Adam Ebbin (Photo by Todd Franson)} The bill, SB 349, allows private child placement agencies to refuse to place ...[more]

Honoring an Artist

Local lesbian photographer and activist Joan Biren receives prestigious award at Creating Change

Published on February 9, 2012, 7:34am

Coming to Baltimore for the first time, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change, ''The National Conference on LGBT Equality,'' was bound to have local flavor. D.C.-based Benjamin Jealous, president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), for example, delivered the keynote address at the Jan. 25 to 29 event. The conference also put a spotlight on the area's richness of diversity by honoring local lesbian photographer, filmmaker and activist Joan E. ...[more]

News Briefs: Left to Right

HRC takes Occupy heat in New York, while AFA attacks Ellen

Published on February 9, 2012, 7:25am

Queer OWS Hits HRC in New York LGBT grassroots activists calling themselves the Queer Occupy Wall Street Caucus united outside of New York City's Waldorf-Astoria hotel Feb. 4 to demonstrate against a Human Rights Campaign gala honoring, among others, global investment banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs for its commitment to LGBT equality. The Queer OWS Caucus released a statement reading, in part, ''You do not speak for us.'' According to the statement, the group's chants included, ''Hey, hey, HRC. ...[more]

Time To Talk

WWH launches monthly ''Community Conversations'' series

Published on February 9, 2012, 7:25am

Whitman-Walker Health kicked off a new series of dialogues Jan. 26 titled ''Community Conversations.'' The first, ''New Year, New Start: Substance Abuse,'' will be followed this month with ''Healthier Hookups'' Feb. 23. ''The idea is from [WWH Executive Director] Don Blanchon,'' says WWH's Chip Lewis. ''He really wanted to spark some dialogue between Whitman-Walker and the community.'' Lewis adds that the particular form these conversations are taking is thanks to Christopher Dyer, founder of D.C.'s Youth Pride Alliance and former-Mayor ...[more]

Remembering Deoni Jones

Vigil draws crowd to bus stop memorial, community calls for justice for slain transgender woman

Published on February 8, 2012, 1:52pm

About 200 people gathered Tuesday evening at the intersection of East Capitol Street and Sycamore Road NE in the city's Benning Heights neighborhood for a candlelight vigil to remember 23-year-old Deoni Jones, the transgender woman who was stabbed in the head while waiting at a bus stop on the evening of Feb. 2. Jones, whose birth name was JaParker and was also known as Logan, died at around 2:35 a.m. on the morning of Feb. 3 after being transported to ...[more]

PFOX Pushes Student Outreach

Montgomery County ''ex-gay'' group sends its message home with high school students' report cards

Published on February 4, 2012, 12:30am

Parents of students at Kensington's Albert Einstein High School got a surprise along with their children's report cards, Feb 1. Typically, individual public schools will send home approved fliers four times a year with quarterly report cards. Most fliers are from the county school system, the local PTA, government agencies, local businesses and local nonprofits, often advertising groups or afterschool activities such as scouting, clubs or summer camps. But last Wednesday students received fliers from Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays ...[more]

Transgender Woman Killed [UPDATED]

Victim suffers fatal stabbing at Northeast bus stop

Published on February 3, 2012, 4:13pm

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the death of a transgender woman who was stabbed yesterday at a bus stop in the District's Benning Heights neighborhood, on the border of Northeast and Southeast D.C. According to police reports from the Sixth Police District, the woman was stabbed at the bus stop at the intersection of East Capitol Street SE and Sycamore Road NE at around 8:15 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2. {Bus stop at East Capitol and Sycamore NE (Photo by ...[more]

Gender Rights Bill Stuck in Senate

With marriage equality front and center, the proposed Maryland gender identity nondiscrimination bill has been pushed to the sidelines

Published on February 2, 2012, 7:32am

A bill in the Maryland General Assembly that would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity in public accommodations, housing, employment, licensing and commercial leasing looks to be treading water as advocates try to sway Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert, Prince George's counties) to allow a vote on it during this year's legislative session. The transgender rights organization Gender Rights Maryland announced on its website Jan. 25 that the gender identity bill, SB 212, would be introduced by lead ...[more]

National News Briefs

Two referendums: Maine set to re-equalize, while one Jersey boy takes a step back

Published on February 2, 2012, 4:57am

Maine Ready To Take Back Marriage Rights This November, it looks like marriage equality may once again surrender itself to the judgment of Maine's voters. EqualityMaine has submitted more than 105,000 signatures to Secretary of State Charles E. Summers Jr. in support of a proposed ''freedom to marry'' referendum. The move comes two years after opponents voted to strike down a law that had made Maine the first state to pass marriage equality through its Legislature. Since then, organizations such ...[more]

A Sudden Loss

Long-time Metro Weekly distributor Gary Teter's passing leaves behind a 25-year partnership and a reputation for quiet accomplishment

Published on February 1, 2012, 3:41pm

For regular readers of Metro Weekly or the Washington Blade, it's a good chance that Gary Teter handled more than one of the magazines or newspapers they read before it landed on the stands. Starting with the Blade in the 1990s and moving onto Metro Weekly in the early 2000s – which included the Capital Pride Guide and later the Reel Affirmations Guide – Teter literally had a hand on the content LGBT D.C. reads. It's what he was doing ...[more]

Marriage Showdown at State Senate

Maryland Gov. O'Malley testifies in support of bill extending marriage equality to gays and lesbians

Published on February 1, 2012, 2:38pm

The Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard more than four hours of testimony Tuesday from supporters and opponents of marriage equality as part of the debate over Senate Bill 241, a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland, recently introduced by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) as part of his 2012 legislative agenda. O'Malley appeared at the Jan. 31 hearing as the first witness to testify in favor of the bill, appealing to lawmakers to provide protections for children of same-sex ...[more]

Seeking Order

Advocates see movement on federal action to ban contractors from anti-LGBT discrimination, but thus far the White House is silent

Published on January 31, 2012, 6:43pm

Although the White House will not confirm the claim, several sources outside the administration familiar with the process tell Metro Weekly that a proposed expansion of the federal contractor nondiscrimination executive order to include sexual orientation and gender identity has been given the OK by both the Labor Department, which oversees federal contract compliance, and the Justice Department and that the executive order proposal is at the White House. More than one of these sources add, however, that there is ...[more]

The Next Battle

The question of trans service could be getting a big boost with the focus OutServe has decided to give it

Published on January 29, 2012, 8:20pm

The new issue of OutServe Magazine, which is available online and at select military bases and outside of certain installations across the world, takes on what it calls ''The New DADT: Transgender Service.'' One of the six current or former servicemembers who are transgender and profiled in the fifth issue of OutServe's publication, who goes by Bryan in the article to protect his identity, says, ''I want to speak out about it because I know a lot of people are ...[more]

Metro Weekly distribution driver dead in crash

Early morning accident in Northeast does not appear to be cause of death

Published on January 27, 2012, 6:45pm

A distribution manager for Metro Weekly was killed in a single-car crash near the intersection of 4th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE in the early morning hours of Friday, Jan. 27. The driver has been identified as 50-year-old Gary Teter. Teter's partner, Dennis Havrilla, told Metro Weekly that he had identified the body and that the crash was low-impact, meaning the crash was not likely the cause of death, but the result of other trauma. {Gary Teter (l) with Dennis ...[more]

Gay Republican Jumps into Crowded Field for Ward 5 Council Race

Published on January 27, 2012, 1:31pm

Tim Day, an openly gay Republican who ran against former Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. (D-Ward 5) in 2010, announced his candidacy for the May 15 special election to replace Thomas. Day, the only announced Republican in a field of 18 candidates, made the announcement on Channel 8's ''NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt'' on Thursday morning. Later, Day took to Twitter just before noon to respond to a tweet from LGBT activist Bob Summersgill that asked when Day was going to inform ...[more]

Prostitution Proposal Sparks Debate in DC

Councilmember Alexander's bill to make prostitution-free zones permanent draws both sides to heated hearing

Published on January 26, 2012, 6:48am

City Councilmembers Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) and Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7) presided over a contentious hearing of the Judiciary Committee Tuesday that saw passionate testimony from both supporters and opponents of a bill that would grant the chief of police the ability to declare any public area a permanent ''prostitution-free zone.'' The measure, introduced by Alexander and co-sponsored by six other councilmembers, would allow the police chief to declare areas such as the Eastern Avenue corridor in Ward 7, near ...[more]

Martin O'Malley Introduces Gay Marriage Bill

Maryland governor's 2012 legislative agenda includes push to legalize same-sex unions

Published on January 26, 2012, 5:50am

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) announced his 2012 legislative agenda Monday evening, which includes support for same-sex marriage, continuing a commitment he made in July 2011. The move sets off what supporters of the measure expect to be a hard-fought campaign to put marriage equality into law, followed by a likely referendum fight. ''This session, our legislative agenda will help us create jobs for Maryland families, protect the quality of life for all Marylanders, and continue our push for a ...[more]

Lobbying Legislators in Richmond

Despite Republican control of the legislature, Equality Virginia hopes for small incremental victories on LGBT rights

Published on January 26, 2012, 3:08am

On the surface, Election Night 2011 looked bad for supporters of LGBT rights in Virginia. Republicans, many of them social conservatives, picked up two seats in the state senate, leaving the partisan balance of the upper chamber at 20 seats for each party. But with Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling (R) able to cast tie-breaking votes, Republicans essentially control all levels of government, leaving many to speculate that LGBT progress would be stymied. Yet despite what many in the LGBT community ...[more]

National News Briefs

Posthumous honor for Kameny, while One Colorado releases LGBT health care findings and National Strategy for Black Gay Youth enters first phase

Published on January 26, 2012, 3:04am

Astronomical Society Honors Kameny Frank Kameny's lifetime efforts to ensure equal employment rights for all were inscribed on a certificate of appreciation presented on the behalf of the American Astronomical Society at its 219th semiannual meeting, Jan. 8 to 12, in Austin, Texas. Charles Francis, cofounder of the Kameny Papers Project, accepted the certificate. ''The American Astronomical Society, in light of its commitment to diversity and equality, hereby honors the memory of the astronomer Dr. Franklin Edward Kameny for his ...[more]

Recognition, and Limitations

Lorelei Kilker will be attending tonight's State of the Union for fighting workplace discrimination, but her attendance also highlights ongoing LGBT limits

Published on January 24, 2012, 1:41am

Sitting with First Lady Michelle Obama at President Obama's State of the Union Address this evening will be Lorelei Kilker, a woman who came forward to challenge discriminatory treatment at her workplace and, after several years, was part of a settlement the Equal Opportunity Commission reached with the employer in October 2011. Kilker and her partner, Sara Nelson, are traveling to D.C. today, and Kilker's case, though being touted as a sign of the administration's success, is a stark sign ...[more]