CLEVELAND (AP) — Some taxi drivers who work at the Cleveland airport say they won’t drive cabs with rooftop placards advertising the upcoming Gay Games.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has released a statement saying two of the three taxi companies operating there were informed by several drivers that they will no longer participate in the airport’s dedicated cab program.
DETROIT (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union is filing a lawsuit to enforce the legal rights of about 300 same-sex couples who were married during a one-day window between separate federal court decisions.
Detroit U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled March 21 that Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Clerks in four counties held unscheduled Saturday openings the next day, issuing about 300 marriage licenses.
Red Ribbon Run, April 11 at Al Lopez Park, Tampa.
The Red Ribbon Run is a 5K and money raised benefitted the AIDS Institute and Metro Wellness and Community Centers.
DETROIT (AP) – A month after Michigan’s same-sex marriage ban was overturned, the state is vigorously defending another law that’s being challenged by gays and lesbians: a prohibition on domestic partner benefits for employees in public schools and local governments.
U.S. District Judge David Lawson halted the law with an injunction last summer, saying it was a clear case of discrimination against same-sex couples. He was unimpressed by the rationale of the attorney general’s office, even colorfully comparing it to the “force of a five-week-old, unrefrigerated dead fish.”
UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Many countries at last week’s U.N. population conference are objecting to the idea of enshrining the right of women to make their own sexual decisions, fearing it would tacitly condone same-sex relationships, the U.N. population chief said.
Gay rights emerged as an incendiary issue at the meeting of the U.N. Commission on Population and Development, where country delegates are reviewing progress made since the adoption of a breakthrough action plan at the 1994 U.N. population conference in Cairo, Babatunde Osotimehin, head of the U.N. Population Fund, said.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Jennifer Lopez has added a couple of more trophies to her block.
The pop star and “American Idol” judge was honored April 12 night at the 25th annual GLAAD Media Awards with the Vanguard Award, which lauds efforts to increase visibility and understanding of the gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender community. In addition to being an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Lopez serves as executive producer of the ABC Family series “The Fosters,” which centers on a lesbian couple raising their children. “The Fosters” also won the award for outstanding drama series.
CINCINNATI — A federal judge has ordered Ohio authorities to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples performed in other states, the latest court victory for gay-rights supporters.
Judge Timothy Black ruled April 14 that refusing to recognize gay marriage is a violation of constitutional rights and “unenforceable in all circumstances.”
Something new is coming to the parade of food festivals that has sprung up around the country — CookOUT/RockOUT, a food and music event celebrating LGBT chefs and other food luminaries.
“It’s a way to showcase, in a positive, fun light, diversity within the food world,” festival founder Bruce Seidel says of the event, which launches in Los Angeles in the fall. The goal is to show “people that, ‘Hey, gay people are everywhere and this is a way to celebrate that whether you’re gay or not.”’
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that the state must recognize the marriage of a gay couple before one of the women, who has cancer, dies.
The Indiana attorney general’s office says U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young granted the couple’s request for a temporary restraining order April 10 to keep the state from enforcing its ban on gay marriages against the couple.
Bullying has become a hot topic here in the U.S., specifically the rise in anti-gay bullying in schools ranging from the elementary level to colleges and universities. The International Day of Silence, April 11, is a student-led national event led by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) that brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A transgender Oklahoma City police officer who engaged in a legal battle with the department a decade ago has retired from the force and plans to run for an open seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Democrat Paula Sophia said she plans to file paperwork on April 10 to be a candidate for House District 88 in central Oklahoma City that includes trendy areas like Heritage Hills and the Midtown and Plaza districts.
ADDIS ABBA, Ethiopia (AP) – Two groups in Ethiopia said April 10 that they will hold an anti-gay demonstration later this month, a move that puts Ethiopia in line to become the next African country to increase the public demonization of gays.
The rally set for April 26 comes as Ethiopia’s parliament considers taking action on anti-gay legislation. New legislation in Uganda and Nigeria this year has increased penalties for gay acts in those two countries, sending many gays underground or out of the country.
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Watermark was founded by publisher Tom Dyer in Orlando in 1994, and expanded to Tampa Bay in 1995. Dyer is an attorney, former board member of the Metropolitan Business Association and Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and current advisory board member of the Harvey Milk Foundation.
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