Over Half of All Americans Favor National Recognition of Same-Sex Marriages

NEW YORK, NY – A new poll reveals that nearly have of U.S. adults support marriage equality. According to the latest survey conducted by Harris Interactive, more than half (53%) of all U.S. adults agreed that regardless of their own personal views, “a same-sex marriage legally granted in one state should be recognized as a legal marriage in all other states in the same way generally that heterosexual marriages are recognized across state lines.” Just as significantly, 49% of all U.S. adults say they “support the right for same-sex couples to marry,” when contrasted with 41% who oppose the right, and 10% who are not at all sure.

This week, President Obama endorsed repeal of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, arguing that it is unconstitutional to deny same-sex marriages equal recognition by the federal government or for the federal government to stand in the way of any state that chooses to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.

Presbyterian Minister to Defy Church Over Gay Marriage

GLEN CHURCH, NY – Reverend Elizabeth Simpson will defy orders from the First Presbyterian Church and perform same-sex marriages.

According to WCBS in New York City, Simpson understands she can be defrocked by performing same-sex marriages but she said that she sees loving gay couples in her church every Sunday and doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about because love is love, regardless of the gender of the marriage.

She is scheduled to perform her first same-sex marriage next March.

Students File Lawsuit Against Harassment in School

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of Minneapolis students complaining that the Minnesota School district perpetuates harassment of LGBT students. The lawsuit was joined by the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of five students who have faced severe anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in school. It charges that the district’s gag policy perpetuates the abuses suffered by these students and others.

The groups filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota after the school district failed to address the persistent abuse or repeal its discriminatory policy.

“We are disappointed that the district fails to see the serious harm this policy is causing its students,” said Sam Wolfe, the SPLC’s lead attorney in the case. “School and district officials who are entrusted with the safety and education of all students continue to ignore, minimize, dismiss and even blame victims for the abusive behavior of other students.”

Actor Zach Braff  Contends He’s Not Gay

HOLLYWOOD, CA – TMZ reported that actor Zach Braff is not gay despite a notice recently posted on his old website.
Braff says that the computer hackers placed the message on an old website which hasn’t been used since 2006.

The message read:
“To all my local fans,  I have been hiding this secret inside me for too long … The human mind can only bare so much before it explodes in emotions, and well… it is time I let the world know.

I am excited and proud to announce that I am an open member of the homosexual community.

This is not news to those closest to me, and I honor that they have kept it a secret for such a long time. This doesn’t change anything. I am still Zack Braff, and I am the same man I’ve always been, gay or not

Thank you to all my supporters and look forward to seeing me soon! I couldn’t be happier about this announcement ”

Braff posted his own statement to his Facebook saying, “My old website got hacked. Someone issued a ‘coming out’ statement on my behalf. I’m still straight and in love with my girlfriend. But not too straight; I still love musicals, brunch and Doogie Howser.”

Obama Filling Federal Court Vacancies with  Gay Judges

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The White House has nominated Michael Fitzgerald to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Fitzgerald, 51, a graduate of Harvard University and the University of California Berkley Law School, previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in California and has been a practicing trial lawyer for 20 years.

“I am honored to nominate Michael Walter Fitzgerald to the United States District Court,” President Obama said.  “His impressive career stands as a testament to his formidable intellect and integrity.  I am confident he will serve the people of California with distinction on the District Court bench.”

Another Obama nominee, J. Paul Oetken, was confirmed last week as U.S. District Judge for Southern New York and will be the first out gay man to serve on the federal judiciary.

Two other confirmations are still pending:

Alison Nathan, another openly gay nominee to the Southern District of New York, was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. Edward DuMont, who was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, has not yet been reported out of the Judiciary Committee.

David Atlanta Sold

ATLANTA, GA – David Magazine, the gay Atlanta nightlife and event publication, has been sold to new owners, according to the magazine’s Chief Operating Officer Chip O’Kelley. The sale officially occurred on July 18, 2011.

The sale of David Atlanta also includes the rights to the Southern Voice, an Atlanta-based LGBT newspaper founded in 1988 by GA Voice founder Christina Cash and eventually sold to the media conglomerate Windows Media. Windows Media shut its doors in 2009 and the naming rights to Southern Voice and David Atlanta were purchased by Neumann in bankruptcy court several months later.

Former owner and David Magazine publisher Matt Neumann will remain an adviser to the new owners for one or two weeks while the transition takes place, according to O’Kelly.

“Probably no more than two weeks,” O’Kelley said today by phone when asked how long Neumann will remain in an advisory position with David Atlanta. “Our goal is to transition him out in two weeks. Matt [Neuman] has been coordinating with the printer. It’s necessary to do that kind of hand-off. There is information that only he knows or has dealt with.”

The new owners of David Atlanta were not named in a press release announcing the sale.

O’Kelley said that the new owners did not want to be named publicly.

O’Kelley said that the sale did not affect David Florida, a similarly styled magazine based in South Florida. “[David Florida] has always been an independent entity.”

Neumann published Southern Voice sporadically over several months, though it’s been months since a print paper hit the street. Its website has not been updated since January of this year. Southern Voice could return, according to O’Kelley, but the current focus is improving David Magazine.

“That is a potential. It’s been discussed,” O’Kelley said of a possible Southern Voice return.