By John Mack Freeman A jury returned a mixed verdict in the trial over whether the effort to repeal Houston’s equal rights ordinance (HERO) were improper. A little back story: the city passed HERO last year by an 11-6 vote that included protections for people due to sexual orientation and gender identity. Although religious exemptions […]
Year: 2015
Alabama starts same sex marriages in messy patchwork
By John Mack Freeman The state of Alabama started issuing same sex marriage licenses this week, but the process was anything but smooth. Due to conflicting instructions from the federal court judge and the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, many probate judges were unsure as to what they were legally empowered to do. […]
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown to win 2015 Lee Lynch Classic Award
Via press release Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) is pleased to announce thatRubyfruit Jungle by bestselling author Rita Mae Brown (Bantam Press) has been selected as the 2015 winner of the coveted Lee Lynch Classic Book Award. The award will be presented at the Annual GCLS Literary Awards Ceremony, July 25, 2015 in New Orleans, during the […]
Rainbow List 2015 Announced!
By John Mack Freeman The Rainbow List for 2015 was announced last week at ALA Midwinter. The top ten titles include: Anderson, Tim. Sweet Tooth. Bone, Jeffrey and Lisa Bone. Not Every Princess. Cameron, Janet E. Cinnamon Toast and the End of the World. Farizan, Sara. Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel. Golio, […]
2015 Over the Rainbow List Announced!
By John Mack Freeman Last week at Midwinter, the 2015 Over the Rainbow List was announced. The top ten titles are: Excluded: Making Feminist and Queer Movements More Inclusive. By Julia Serano. Gender Failure. By Ivan Coyote and Rae Spoon. Living Out Islam: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims. By Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle. […]
GLBTRT: Proposed Bylaws Change Tabled
Queer Quest: The Legend of Korra and how cartoons crack closets
By Ashley R. Lierman Last column, I talked about how our conservative television culture tends to classify any hint of LGBT themes as strictly “for adults,” and how frustrating that is. As has been pointed out, age-delimiting sexually explicit material is one issue, but the taboo on any discussion of queer issues on children’s TV […]
Canada finds alternate route for gay, bisexual blood donations
By John Mack Freeman A clinic in Canada has found an alternate way to accept blood donations from men who have sex with men. Currently, Canada has an MSM ban that lasts for five years from the last sexual encounter. Because this is clearly insane, the Canadian Blood Service is hosting a one-day event at […]
Study finds trans youth not confused about gender
By John Mack Freeman In a recent study that will doubtlessly not shock any of our consistent readers, Lead researcher Nicholas Eaton, Ph.D., of Stony Brook University and colleagues at the TransYouth Project found that trans youth had a clear understanding of what gender meant and a well-established idea of how their gender fit into their […]
US to appoint LGBT rights envoy
By John Mack Freeman The United States State Department is expected to announce the creation of an LGBT rights envoy some time during February. While the envoy’s name has yet to be released, sources inside the State Department say that it is an openly gay member of the Foreign Service who is going through the […]