April 16, 2008
Nation Report
Trans equality group honors reps for stand on ENDA
WASHINGTON—The National Center for Transgender Equality honored seven members of Congress last week for their support of a fully inclusive federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. NCTE leaders said the representatives deserved praise for refusing to back a limited version of ENDA—without civil... Full Story
Principal apologizes after teacher comes out to class
EAU CLAIRE, Wis.—A middle school principal said last week he made “an error in judgment” by not more fully discussing a teacher’s plan to tell seventh-grade students her sexual orientation during health classes. South Middle School Principal John Wallace said in a letter to parents of about 125 students in Stephanie Rowe’s health classes... Full Story
Anti-gay group launches referendum effort in Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine—The leader of the Christian Civic League of Maine has taken a first step to launch a referendum drive to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions in Maine. The proposal advanced by Michael Heath would also strike the sexual orientation category from the Maine Human Rights Act... Full Story
Judge tosses out anti-gay student’s lawsuit in Kentucky
ASHLAND, Ky.—A high school student won’t be allowed to proceed with a lawsuit against his school district for instituting a policy that barred him from expressing his opposition to homosexuality, a federal appeals court ruled April 9... Full Story
Ohio Episcopal diocese sues breakaway churches
CLEVELAND—The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio is suing parishes that have left the church in protest over the election of a gay bishop and other doctrinal issues over who owns the parishes’ land and buildings... Full Story
Judge dismisses student’s lawsuit over GLBT club
OKEECHOBEE, Fla.—A federal lawsuit over whether an Okeechobee High School club based on sexual orientation should be allowed to meet on school grounds has been dismissed. In an order April 9, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore said the suit was moot because it was filed on behalf of a student who has... Full Story
Pennsylvania lawmakers hold hearing on marriage ban
PITTSBURGH—Pennsylvania state lawmakers heard testimony April 10 on a proposed state constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman exclusively... Full Story
Editorial
Here we go again. Last fall we thought our community made it crystal clear that we aren’t interested in pushing through Congress a version of the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act that doesn’t include protections based on gender identity. In an unprecedented display of community unity more than... Full Story
As you might be aware, the work of many organizations and individuals across the state of Illinois has made civil unions a real possibility here. Illinois House Bill 1826, the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and... Full Story
Opinion
I used to write a will before I traveled. They were always capricious documents, written in longhand the night before I left, on paper torn from some notebook or other and pushed into a standard envelope labeled in capital letters: JAY’S WILL... Full Story
Each year as my birthday anniversary inexorably rolls around and passes by with a merry wave, I take the opportunity to reflect on the aging process as it affects the gay community and me personally. This was year number 67, not a particularly interesting number, just another hatch mark in... Full Story
Freetime
In Science magazine researchers from the University of Oregon describe how they discovered 14 fecal fragments in caves near a lake in northwest Oregon. The fossilized poop, dating back 14,000 years, is thought to be the manuscript of the first excremental... Full Story
GEMINI: MAY 21-JUNE 20: In spite of all your efforts, no one seems to appreciate you or what you do for them. If it hurts to be taken for granted, keep in mind that you never gave anyone any indication that you deserved any better. More
Back in the day: Moments in Chicago's GLBT history
One of Chicago hosts its 12th Annual Banquet at the Como Inn, 546 N. Milwaukee Ave. The guest speaker for the event is Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, famous for his fight against the Armed Forces after being discharged for announcing his homosexual... Full Story
“Nina’s Heavenly Delights” (here!/Regent)—Pratibha Parmar’s “Nina’s Heavenly Delights” begins with the death of a beloved father and follows a queer character’s struggles with coming out in the aftermath. Nina (Shelly Conn), who’s lived in London for three years after leaving her intended Sanjay (Raji James) at the altar, returns to her... Full Story
CFP reviews "Brotherhood" & "One in a Billion". Full Story
News
Their recent Wacky Week turned into something a bit wackier than the kids at Pineview Elementary School, in Reedsburg, Wis., expected after an anti-gay radio network took a dim view of some of their activities... Full Story
Documentary highlights need for equal marriage rights
Equality Illinois kicked off its Lobby Day in Springfield with a screening of the Academy Award-winning documentary “Freeheld” at Center on Halsted April 8. “Freeheld,” directed by Brooklyn-based filmmaker Cynthia Wade, centers on the late Lt. Laurel Hester, a police... Full Story
Lakeview’s BYC offers numerous programs for GLBT youths
For many youth who identify as trans, finding a safe space in which to be yourself is one of the hardest facets of life. The likelihood of a trans-identifying youth becoming the victim of violence is extremely high. Joe Hollendoner, director of... Full Story
Four Illinois colleges and universities were among almost 50 schools recruiting students April 11 at the Campus Pride College Admission Fair in San Diego. The event was sponsored by Campus Pride to offer prospective college students an opportunity to talk with officials from colleges that actively recruit GLBT students... Full Story
Schwarzenegger opposes marriage ban
SAN DIEGO—California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said April 11 that he would fight an initiative to amend the California Constitution to ban gay marriage if it qualifies for the November ballot. Schwarzenegger said he was confident that such an amendment, which are on the books in 26 other states, would never pass in California and called it a “waste of time... Full Story
New Mexico tells photo studio owners they have to serve lesbian couple
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—A professional photographer who refused to take pictures of a gay couple’s commitment ceremony because of her religious beliefs violated New Mexico discrimination law, a human rights panel ruled... Full Story
Tax time reminds gay and lesbian couples of inequality
MOUNT LAUREL, New Jersey—For gay couples in the U.S., the April 15 tax filing deadline is a reminder of the disparities they face, even in a nation that is becoming more accepting of same-sex couples. Gay couples often pay higher taxes because they do not get... Full Story
Obama won't make Joint Chiefs nominees oppose gay ban
Sen. Barack Obama gave an interview with a national gay magazine last week, seeking to mollify criticism of his refusal to talk with local GLBT community newspapers around the country... Full Story
CAIRO, Egypt—An Egyptian court convicted five men April 9 on charges of homosexual behavior and sentenced them to three years in prison, officials said. Defense lawyer Adel Ramadan said the judge found the men guilty of the “habitual practice of debauchery,” a term used in the Egyptian legal... Full Story
Famed Austrian artist’s sex-filled ‘Last Supper’ provokes outrage in conservative Vienna
VIENNA, Austria—Is it art or is it blasphemy? Austrians are locked in a nationwide debate touched off by the brief display in a prestigious Roman Catholic museum of an etching that depicts Jesus Christ and his disciples having an orgy during the biblical Last Supper... Full Story
One of the Midwest’s most famous gay nightclubs, Minneapolis’ Gay 90s, has been sold to a man who owns straight strip clubs in the Twin Cities. Peter Hafiz, whose holdings include the Déjà Vu and Dreamgirls strip clubs, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune April 11 that he expects to take over the Gay 90s May 1, pending Minneapolis city approval... Full Story
Freestyle: arts, entertainment & lifestyle
The April exhibition of gay and lesbian art at the Center on Halsted focuses on the seasonally appropriate theme of flowers—flowers of all sorts: Roses, water lilies, daisies, dahlias and hyacinths among them... Full Story
Green, as one T-shirt slogan proclaims, is the new black.
So in celebration of Earth Day, which takes place April 22, CFP decided to offer a quick guide to green clothes for a blue planet: Last spring Anvil Knitwear introduced a line of organic cotton T-shirts—not fancy, but super soft and in cool... Full Story
A ‘Beautiful’ mind: an interview with Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho never really gives us a chance to miss her. Even when she’s not doing stand-up comedy, as she does in her new show “Beautiful,” she’s writing books, appearing in movies, tantalizing us with a burlesque routine or acting... Full Story
It seems Julie Andrews’ assertion that “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” is not only applicable to family-based musicals but also to serious issues explored in contemporary adult theater. This notion of applying sweet to the sting is utilized to grand effect by... Full Story
Vitalist Theatre’s new production of that old chestnut, “A Passage to India,” has many things going for it—including some gorgeous design elements, a few thrillingly theatrical moments and a committed cast—but one thing this... Full Story
Republican presidential nominee John McCain can’t tell his Sunnis from his Shiites, Democratic front-runner Barack Obama identifies bitterness as a reason small-town Americans cling to God and guns and perpetual second-placer Hillary Clinton spends weeks talking up... Full Story
“Chapter 27” (Peace Arch)—Actor Jared Leto, best known as dreamboat Jordan Catalano on “My So-Called Life,” gets all Robert DeNiro on us after gaining 60 (!) pounds to portray John Lennon’s assassin Mark David... Full Story
Thurs., April 17: The Vic, 3145 N. Sheffield, heats up with Hot Chip and opener Free Blood at 7:30 p.m. Call (773) 472-0366. More
Singing in a style that can best be described as TV talent show (see “The X Factor,” from the U.K., which she won) crossed with late 20th -Century diva (see Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston), Leona Lewis makes her domestic debut... Full Story
Frankie’s is a gem of a neighborhood restaurant
There’s nothing better than a neighborhood Italian restaurant. Décor and service can vary, but not the food. It may be possible to make bad Italian food—my mother proved that—but when you’re dealing with pasta and cheese, c’mon! That’s why I prefer living in a... Full Story
May is right around the corner, and for many Chicagoans, that can only mean one thing: Moving day is right around the corner too. The Chicago tradition of moving on the first day of May can be traced back to English and Dutch practices that were... Full Story
