Protesters Don’t Want Boxers in Hell’s Kitchen
NEW YORK, NY – Owners of the popular Boxers gay sports bar located in the Chelsea section of New York City had planned to open a second location in Hell’s Kitchen; however, the neighbors in that new location say that the bar would be too close to a school and playground.
According to the New York Post, the Hell’s Kitchen site is right around the corner from Sacred Heart School and next to the playground of PS 111. Protesters are saying the problem is not that Boxers would be a gay bar, just that it’s a bar in general. The building that Boxers wants to locate to would be within 200 feet of Sacred Heart, which is too close under zoning laws. But the owners of the building want to subdivide the site so that the bar itself sits just outside the mandated limit.
“Daddy Bear” Competes in “Survivor”
NEW YORK, NY – Mark-Anthony Caruso, a 48-year-old gay retired NYPD detective and self-described “daddy bear,” has been announced as a cast member of the upcoming “Survivor: South Pacific”.
Caruso’s “Survivor” profile on CBS.com:
‘”I call myself Daddy Bear,” says the openly gay former NYPD morgue detective. ‘“I’m older, wiser, and cuter, I guess. No, I’m kidding. I’m not cuter.’” One thing he’s not kidding about, however, is which two former players he’d like to see return this season. ‘”I would like to see Jane. And I know people may not like hearing this, but I like Russell. I do! I just like him! I worked in the New York City police department for 20 years. There’s a thousand Russells!”
Rick Perry Signs Anti-Same-Sex Marriage Pledge
WASHINGTON, D.C. – G.O.P. presidential hopeful Rick Perry has joined Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and former candidate Tim Pawlenty in signing the National Organization for Marriage’s anti-gay marriage pledge.
By signing the pledge, the candidates promise to:
“Support and send to the states a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman; defend DOMA in court; appoint judges and an attorney general who will respect the original meaning of the Constitution; appoint a presidential commission to investigate harassment of traditional marriage supporters; support legislation that would return to the people of D.C. their right to vote for marriage.”
California State G.O.P. Will Permit Openly Gay Candidate to Speak at Their Convention
LOS ANGELES, CA – After originally denying him permission to speak, the Republican Party has changed their mind and will permit openly gay presidential candidate Fred Karger to speak at their upcoming state convention, scheduled to take place September 16 through 18.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the party had originally given Karger what he called the “cold shoulder” in his attempts to speak at the convention. However, when the Chronicle reported the story, the party extended an invitation.
Karger said that Republican officials offered him a chance to speak and introduce himself to G.O.P. delegates at a Saturday pre-luncheon event and other gatherings during the party’s upcoming weekend.
Crack in Washington Monument was a “Sign from God”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After last week’s earthquake in Washington D.C., Reverend Pat Robertson proclaimed that the damage done to the Washington Monument was a sign from God.
Robertson made his statement during the 700 Club’s “The Sign of the Times” series on the end of the world. The earthquake, which caused a four-foot crack in the monument, claimed that it was a sign from God because of sin, legal abortion and the country’s tolerance of homosexuality. He then said that America will receive the same lethal punishment as Sodom and Gomorrah, and that the crack was just a symbolic message of more to come if the country didn’t change its ways soon.
Cyndi Lauper Shows Her “True Colors”
NEW YORK, NY – Cindy Lauper is opening housing for LGBT youth. The opening is scheduled for September 1 and is going to be called The True Colors Residence. Lauper explained that New York City has a very disproportionate number of homeless youth who identify as LGBT. She said that even more disturbing are reports that these young people often face discrimination and, at times, physical assault in some of the very places they have to go to for help.
The idea behind the 30-bed facility, which is on West 154th Street near Frederick Douglass Boulevard in the Harlem area, was conceived by Lauper, her manager and the West End Intergenerational Residence, a non-profit group that provides housing and support for homeless families and seniors.
The True Colors Residence will be the first permanent housing facility in New York for homeless LGBT youth.
Perry Equates Homosexuality to Alcoholism
NEW YORK, NY – Time Magazine has reported that in Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry’s first book, “On My Honor,” Perry equates homosexuality to alcoholism.
“Even if an alcoholic is powerless over alcohol once it enters his body, he still makes a choice to drink,” he wrote. “And, even if someone is attracted to a person of the same sex, he or she still makes a choice to engage in sexual activity with someone of the same gender.”
Perry also wrote that he is “no expert on the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate,” but that gays should simply choose abstinence.
Perry’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on whether he maintains this view, but the candidate has either reversed his stance or refused to comment on several other issues he wrote about in his book.
Lady Gaga Declared More Powerful than Oprah
NEW YORK, NY – Forbes Magazine has released their list of the world’s most powerful women, and Lady Gaga has beaten Oprah Winfrey. German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped this list, followed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. First Lady Michele Obama came in at #8, Lady Gaga ranked #11 and Oprah Winfrey came in at #14.
State Representative Admits Giving a Teen Boy Money for an Encounter
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Indian State Representative Phil Hinkle admitted last week that he paid a young man $80 to have a good time, but insisted he isn’t gay and doesn’t know why he did it.
According to the Indianapolis Star, Hinkle has been stripped of his committee chairmanships and, despite pressure from the Speaker of House to resign, he will not do so. But he also said that he will not seek re-election.
Hinkle maintains that he did nothing illegal, there was no sex involved and that he himself was a victim of a crime, but would not file a police report.
NOM Links Homosexuality to Pedophilia
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Twice last week, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) claimed there was a link between pedophilia and homosexuality. According to Equality Matters, NOM posted on their blog that the effort to normalize pedophilia is following the same pattern as the effort to normalize and legalize same-sex marriages.
Elmhurst College Asks Prospective Students About their Sexual Orientation
CHICAGO, IL – The newest version of the application to become a student at Elmhurst College asks students if they consider themselves a member of the LGBT community. That question made Elmhurst the first college or university to ask a potential student about their sexual orientation.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, officials of the college said that the question is in a group of questions asking about race and religion and is completely optional and is not taken into consideration on accepting or rejecting the new students. The college said that the purpose of the question was intended to increase diversity among their student body.
Ecstasy Could Be Used to Cure Cancer
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – The Daily Telegraph reported that researchers from Birmingham University claim that the designer drug Ecstasy may one day be used as a cure for cancer after scientists modify the drug to increase its tumor-killing properties. The drug, also known as MDMA, could be used to treat leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma after making it 100 times more effective at suppressing growth.
Ecstasy was already known to be effective against more than half of white blood cell cancers, but previously the large dose required to treat a tumor would also have killed the patient.
HRC President to Resign in 2012
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The co-chairs of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Board of Directors and the HRC Foundation Board announced that HRC President Joe Solmonese has informed the boards he will not renew his contract, which expires March 31, 2012.
Solmonese will remain at the helm of the organization until the completion of his contract to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
At the same time, the co-chairs announced the formation of a search committee to be co-chaired by board members Joni Madison of Hillsborough, N.C., and Dana Perlman of Los Angeles.
“Joe Solmonese is an outstanding leader,” said Anne Fay, who co-chairs the Foundation Board of Directors with Andy Linsky. “While we will miss his extraordinary leadership, we enter this next phase, thanks to Joe, in the best place the organization has ever been. Not only has our community secured historic victories, but our membership is larger and more active than at any time in our history, and our financial health is secure even in these difficult economic times.”
“From the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ to the recent passage of marriage equality in New York, Joe has made sure that HRC is an effective and strategic force for positive change,” said Tim Downing, who co-chairs the HRC Board of Directors with Rebecca Tillet.
“Over the course of his tenure, he’s set the tone for delivering real reform that matters in peoples’ everyday lives.”
“Leading HRC has been an inspiring experience and a complete privilege,” said Solmonese. “I could not be more proud of our staff, our volunteer leadership and of the extraordinary progress we’ve made together as a community.”
Solmonese’s leadership has taken the organization from 750,000 members and supporters to more than 1,000,000. Additionally, he oversaw significant expansion of HRC’s public education and outreach programs, including the launch of the Healthcare Equality index, a more robust Religion and Faith Program and wider reach and success of the Corporate Equality Index. The HRC Foundation also launched the Welcoming Schools program to address family diversity, gender stereotyping, bullying and name calling in schools, as well as the All Children All Families initiative that helps open up adoption agencies to prospective LGBT parents. The grassroots field operation also expanded – most recently mounting the largest state-level campaign in LGBT movement history resulting in the passage of marriage equality in New York.
Gay Days Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, NV – Next year, Las Vegas will host the first Gay Days Las Vegas, September 4-10, 2012. As in Gay Days Orlando, the Las Vegas event will include a Travel-Retail Expo, pool parties and events all around town with a portion of proceeds benefiting local non-profit organizations.
Gay Days co-owner, Chris Alexander-Manley, President of Gay Days, Inc., said, “We’re proud to announce our 2012 schedule which includes Las Vegas. This event will now allow our loyal attendees vacation options that include the two largest vacation destinations in the country. After twenty-one years hosting one of the largest GLBT vacation events in the world, Gay Days Orlando, we feel we have grown up, and Las Vegas is the perfect city for adults.”
Gay Days Orlando, the first weekend in June each year, attracts over 150,000 from around the world to the central Florida area, and the event generates over $600 million in economic benefits. Gay Days Las Vegas will always start the day after
Labor Day each year, and run through the following Monday. Organizers believe the Las Vegas Gay Days will grow to be as large or larger than the Orlando Gay Days.
The Gay Groupon
WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI – A new daily deals site catering to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LBGT) and allied communities has just launched, and it’s called Gaypon. The site provides its subscribers with daily offers from local and regional businesses – but only those businesses known to be gay-friendly.
In addition, Gaypon says a portion of its proceeds will be donated to local and national LGBT organizations and charities.
Gaypon was founded by Robert Graham, formerly of Clear Channel Radio, and Jason Buszta. It’s based in West Bloomfield, Michigan, which is where the majority of
the deals are now located. Check it out at www.dailygaypon.com.
