May 21, 2008
Nation Report
Ball State student says attack was a hate crime
MUNCIE, Ind.—A gay Ball State University student said he and his friends were attacked because of their sexuality, leaving him with a scratched cornea, a swollen eye, cuts and bruises. Kyle Flood, 21, of Indianapolis said the attack occurred around 3 a.m. May 9 as he and four friends were leaving Moe’s... Full Story
Florida judge says school can’t ban gay T-shirts
PANAMA CITY, Fla.—After a two-day trial in which a Florida high school principal testified that he believed clothing or stickers featuring rainbows would make students automatically picture gay people having sex, a federal judge ruled May 13 that the school violated students’ First Amendment rights of students. The case... Full Story
Restaurant settles with trans woman on bathroom case
NEW YORK—A restaurant has settled a lawsuit with a lesbian who said a bouncer chased her out of the women’s bathroom and forced her to leave because she looked masculine. The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund announced the settlement May 13 on behalf of Khadijah Farmer... Full Story
HIV-positive man convicted for spitting on policeman
DALLAS—A gay-rights group is protesting a 35-year prison sentence given to an HIV-positive man who was convicted of spitting on a police officer, and public health officials say the risk of contracting the AIDS virus from saliva is extremely low... Full Story
Maine initiative could repeal gay rights law
AUGUSTA, Maine—A day after the California Supreme Court ruled that gay couples in that state can marry, an initiative to repeal Maine’s gay rights law and reaffirm its law against gay marriages is moving forward... Full Story
Playboy Spice plans to offer gay porn features
CHICAGO—Playboy Enterprises is moving into the gay porn business, with plans to offer cable TV subscribers 20 hours of gay porn features starting next month. The move, initially reported by XBIZ.com... Full Story
Arizona House sends anti-gay measure to state senate
PHOENIX—Arizona voters who rejected a ballot measure on same-sex marriage two years ago may tackle the issue again in November. The Arizona House voted May 12 to put a proposed state... Full Story
Opinion
A friend of mine has a tradition. Every Memorial Day she and her family visit the graves of the loved ones they’ve lost—the parents and cousins, the grandparents and friends. She remembers them and honors them... Full Story
The May 15 decision by the California Supreme Court overturning the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is clearly major news for all of us. It was a robust, comprehensive decision that examined nearly all the traditional arguments against... Full Story
Freetime
Midlife Crisis No. 212: Don't talk to strangers
I’ve just read a fascinating article about the arrest of 13 sorcerers in Kinshasa, the capitol of the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the crime of stealing or shriveling other men’s penises using black magic and witchcraft... Full Story
SCORPIO: You have been looking for clarification. Your worst fears will be confirmed soon enough. Once you have a grip on the truth you won’t feel half so crazy. You can’t do much but wait. Life will resolve all of this in a few more weeks. More
“Jumper” (Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment)—When he was in high school in Ann Arbor, David once fell through the ice in an incident with a bully and came above ground in the stacks of a library... Full Story
Back in the day: Moments in Chicago's GLBT History
1968 George C. Pontikes, Chicago attorney and member of the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union, is the speaker at the May meeting of Mattachine Midwest... Full Story
CFP reviews "Hungry Hole" & "Fleet Week". Full Story
Theater
For Koreans of Boo-Seng Lee’s generation, success in life is measured by the accomplishments of one’s children. Toward that end, he turned his back on his deepest yearnings and... Full Story
Shakespeare’s shortest play isn’t meant to run almost three hours. But Barbara Gaines’ revival employs a ton of additional dialogue by Second City maven Ron West to create a curious frame... Full Story
Summer 2008 is, by apparent Hollywood decree, the summer of the superhero: Iron Man’s already on screen, with Batman, the Hulk and Hellboy all on tap. Plugging into this zeitgeist... Full Story
News
The Emily Litella of Oklahoma politics, state Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City), continued her one-woman campaign to make Oklahoma look more backwards than Texas last week. Kern, who gained notoriety in March when she called gays... Full Story
Marriage ruling has implications in Illinois
Advocates for marriage equality in Illinois praised the California Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples last week, saying it shows where the trend is heading on the issue in the rest of the country and in the Land of Lincoln... Full Story
Court’s decision vindicates Newsom’s bold move
SAN FRANCISCO—Hours before the California Supreme Court issued its decision on gay marriage, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom heard rumblings that the justices would uphold the state’s ban... Full Story
Ellen says she and partner plan California wedding
LOS ANGELES—Ellen DeGeneres is putting the California Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage into action—she and actress Portia de Rossi plan to wed, DeGeneres announced during a taping of her talk show... Full Story
Referendum effort could reverse court’s decision
SAN FRANCISCO—The California Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage in the state will not be the last word. California voters will almost certainly hold a referendum on... Full Story
IDAHO events focus on gay rights in Iran, Russia
Members of the Gay Liberation Network May 17 marched from Women & Children First Bookstore, 5233 N. Clark St., to Gerber/Hart Library, 1127 W. Granville Ave., to call attention to GLBT struggles in Russia and Iran, among other nations around the world that have repressed GLBT... Full Story
McKeon remembered as a trailblazer for GLBTs
Larry McKeon, the former police officer who served for 10 years as Illinois’ first openly gay state legislator, was remembered last week as a courageous leader who impressed friends and foes with his dignity and graciousness... Full Story
Harris explains civil union benefits for seniors
State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) joined seniors and Illinois House and Senate co-sponsors at a press conference at the Illinois State Capitol May 14 to explain how HB 1826, legislation Harris is sponsoring... Full Story
BEHIV closing in Evanston, expanding in Edgewater
Better Existence with HIV officials last week announced that they would be closing the agency’s Evanston office and consolidating its resources on Chicago’s North Side... Full Story
Illinois Masonic gets perfect gay-friendly score
NEW YORK—Just over half of 88 hospitals got top marks under a new rating system created by two national gay-rights organizations which hope the standards will result in more compassionate treatment of gay and lesbian patients... Full Story
O’Faolain dies after brief battle with lung cancer
DUBLIN, Ireland—Nuala O’Faolain—a journalist and feminist who gained international fame with her outspoken 1996 memoir “Are You Somebody?”—has died of lung cancer, weeks after revealing her illness on state radio. She was 68... Full Story
Cuban government takes aim at homophobia
HAVANA—Cuba’s gay community celebrated unprecedented openness and high-ranking political alliances with a government-backed campaign against homophobia May 17... Full Story
Editorial
There is a train of thought that history shapes people far more than people shape history. The thinking goes that individuals may rise and fall as history moves forward, but that the general direction of things—the course of empires, the trends... Full Story
As the first same-sex couple from Illinois married in San Francisco on Feb. 19, 2004, Lee and I are very happy to hear that the California Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex couples do indeed have the right to marry. We are hoping that our own state of Illinois... Full Story
Freestyle: arts, entertainment & lifestyle
In recognition of Chicago’s International Mr. Leather contest over Memorial Day weekend, the gay community’s Center on Halsted is presenting an exhibit of leather-related posters, photography and cartoons produced over the last 30 years... Full Story
Put out a call in the fashion world for leather products for International Mr. Leather and just see what comes back. Pitch after pitch to consider reviewing stylish handbags, pretty clutches, fancy footwear and a plethora of leather offerings... Full Story
TAMPA, Fla.—Gay artist Robert Rauschenberg, whose use of odd and everyday articles earned him a reputation as a pioneer in pop art but whose talents spanned the worlds of painting, sculpture and dance, has died, his gallery representative said May 13. He was 82... Full Story
Sat., May 24: The always-splendid Rilo Kiley thrills tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Riviera, 4746 N. Racine. Call (773) 275-6800. More
Francis McDormand plays middle-aged London governess Guinevere Pettigrew in the screwball comedy “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,” screening at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th, on May 21 at 7:30 p.m. Call (773) 445-3838... Full Story
Masters of his domain: an interview with writer and comedian Billy Masters
Raise your hand if you’ve read Billy Masters’ legendary gossip column in any of the numerous gay publications in which it runs. Notorious for its humorous perspective on the lives and loves of the stars... Full Story
Madonna + Cyndi x Donna = Ashlee?
In all the buzz and fuss leading up to the big spring releases by Mariah Carey and Kylie Minogue, the focus seemed to be directed at how each would stack up sonically (and commercially, natch), against Madonna’s anticipated new album... Full Story
Foodies have reason to love summer
I just got back from a trip to New Orleans where, in addition to eating my way across the French Quarter and lounging in my suite at Harrah’s, I attended the annual Saints and Sinners GLBT Literary Festival... Full Story
Parking lots offer perfect venue to capture solar energy
EUGENE, Ore.—The solar energy explosion under way on business rooftops in Eugene is spilling out onto parking lots as firms erect freestanding solar carports to shield their employees and customers and give... Full Story
