Out in America Features» New York

16 Reasons We Should Be Protesting – General Gayety

OIA Staff — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:38:19 +0000

My view of the Occupy Wall Street protest is that it’s an unfocused jumble, but at least somebody’s doing something. At last. What began with a few dozen demonstrators on Wall Street has grown into a national conniption over corporate greed and government collusion. It’s easy for those in power to dismiss the protesters as [...]

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NYC Expands Gay Weddings to Include All Applicants

OIA Staff — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:09:47 +0000

New York City is expanding its same-sex marriage plans for Sunday so all 823 couples who entered the city’s nuptial lottery will have the chance to wed on the first day gay marriage is legal, the mayor’s office said Thursday. Initially, city officials had projected that about 2,500 couples might show up at the city [...]

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New York Issues New Marriage Licenses to Recognize Same-Sex Couples

OIA Staff — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:31:35 +0000

New York’s Health Department has issued new marriage licenses, adding the word “spouse” to language already on the documents, in preparation for enactment of marriage equality laws on July 24. via. Read the full article @ New York Issues New Marriage Licenses to Recognize Same-Sex Couples Read more articles @ our blogBecome a fan on [...]

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Obama: Marriage Should Be Left To States

OIA Staff — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:03:09 +0000

President Obama was asked if he believes that civil marriage is a constitutional right during his press conference this morning. Rather than answering that question, Obama reiterated his record on LGBT issues and argued that marriage is best left to the states. What happened in New York “was a good thing,” Obama said. “I think [...]

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Congratulations: Marriage Equality for New York

OIA Staff — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 11:34:50 +0000

We did it: the NY State Senate just voted to legalize same-sex marriage and Gov. Cuomo has already signed the bill, and NY will become the largest state in the union to grant couples the equal rights they deserve on July 24th. New York State proudly joins five other states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New [...]

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Andrew Cuomo Hopeful New York Will Legalize Gay Marriage

OIA Staff — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:45:44 +0000

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that he’s “optimistic” that lawmakers will approve a gay marriage bill. “I’m optimistic that marriage equality will pass,” Cuomo told reporters, the New York Daily News reported. “I think it is long overdue. I’ve been talking about that issue for a year. I know it’s failed before, but [...]

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Both Sides Push New Laws on Same-sex Marriage

OIA Staff — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:20:57 +0000

Lawmakers in Rhode Island and Maryland are taking up bills to legalize same-sex marriage, advocates in New York are making a renewed push, and opponents are fighting for constitutional bans in Indiana and Wyoming and to reimpose bans in Iowa and New Hampshire. The flurry of activity nationwide has activists on both sides of the [...]

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NY GOP Rep. Christopher Lee Resigns Following Craigslist Photos, Emails

OIA Staff — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:30:39 +0000

NY GOP Rep. Chris Lee, who was exposed by Gawker for sending out shirtless photos of himself to a woman on Craigslist, has resigned in a statement read on the House floor. Said Lee in the statement: “It has been a tremendous honor to serve the people of Western New York. I regret the harm [...]

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Comedian Joan Rivers Supports Marriage Equality

OIA Staff — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:04:32 +0000

Joan Rivers is the latest celeb to lend her voice to New York’s ongoing fight for marriage equality. Check out this short, but sweet video she filmed for the cause! via. Read the full article @ Comedian Joan Rivers Supports Marriage Equality Read more articles @ our blogBecome a fan on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

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New York’s Thomas Duane To Introduce Gay Marriage Bill

OIA Staff — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:41:28 +0000

New York State Senator Thomas Duane will introduce a gay marriage bill “within weeks,” the New York Daily News reported. Duane said he’ll press for a vote before the end of June. “I think everyone is aware that we have to make the lives of New Yorkers better in every way – economically, as well [...]

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Will marriage equality come to New York in 2011?

OIA Staff — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:44:10 +0000

The head of New York’s statewide LGBT organization remains confident marriage for same-sex couples will become a reality in the Empire State in 2011. Ross Levi, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, told reporters on Thursday, Dec. 16, the election results put activists in a better position to advance marriage equality legislation in [...]

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CONTEST: Win tickets to see John Roberts at Carolines on Broadway on Friday, December 17!

OIA Staff — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:34:55 +0000

John Roberts has been wowing audiences with his live performance skills and original character work across the country and on television. This fall, he has been performing in a national tour with Margaret Cho. He first gained attention as one of the standout performer/writers on YouTube. His first viral video “The Christmas Tree” was hailed [...]

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Nine Activists Arrested Protesting Michael Bloomberg’s World AIDS Day Event

OIA Staff — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:13:23 +0000

Nine AIDS activists were arrested on Wednesday protesting New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s AIDS services cuts. The arrests took place on World AIDS Day outside the mayor’s annual World AIDS Day Bagel Breakfast at the Brooklyn Public Library. VIA. Read the full article @ Nine Activists Arrested Protesting Michael Bloomberg’s World AIDS Day Event [...]

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Another Suicide Tragedy – NYC Community Mourns

OIA Staff — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:35:50 +0000

Another young gay person of color took his own life this weekend. Joseph Jefferson committed suicide less than two weeks after his 26th birthday. Unlike so many others that have made headlines, Jefferson’s suicide does not appear to have been motivated by bullying, but rather by ignorance and non-acceptance. Rod McCullom at Rod 2.0 writes: [...]

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3 Bare Bears for BearCity

OIA Staff — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:37:36 +0000

A bear walks into a bar… No, that’s not the setup for a joke, it’s the premise of BearCity, Doug Langway’s romantic comedy that took the gay film festival circuit by storm this summer and is getting a theatrical release this weekend in New York, where it was conceived and filmed. The film, about a [...]

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Arrest in Another NYC West Village Gay Bar Attack

OIA Staff — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:00:55 +0000

A 45-year-old man has been charged in attacks on two patrons of a West Tenth Street gay bar, the second such incident in a West Village bar in the past two weeks. According to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., Frederick Giunta has been arraigned on charges of assault in the third [...]

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CONTEST: Win Tickets to Cho Dependent at The Beacon Theatre

OIA Staff — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 06:00:42 +0000

Enter To Win! THE NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL PRESENTS MARGARET CHO: CHO DEPENDENT Featuring special guests john roberts and ben lee Friday, November 5 At 8:00 PM The Beacon Theatre For more info and to purchase tickets visit www.nycomedyfestival.com Read the full article @ CONTEST: Win Tickets to Cho Dependent at The Beacon Theatre Read [...]

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9th member of Latin King Goonies gang accused of torturing gay man is in custody

OIA Staff — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:56:56 +0000

The ninth and last member of the sadistic Bronx crew accused of torturing a man and two teens because they were gay was finally in custody Monday, police said. Police officials say Vargas-Perez is the final suspect in the cruel, homophobic crime spree that turned a vacant, three-story house on Osborne Place in Morris Heights into [...]

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Two arrested in anti-gay beating at famed New York City gay bar

OIA Staff — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:43:50 +0000

A patron at the Stonewall Inn, a powerful symbol of the gay rights movement since protests over a 1969 police raid there, was tackled to the floor and beaten in an anti-gay bias attack over the weekend, authorities said Monday. Two men were arrested in the early Sunday beating, which came little more than a [...]

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Gay and Lesbian Couples Allowed to Adopt in New York State

OIA Staff — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 18:54:32 +0000

A new law signed by New York Governor David Paterson on Sunday will allow unmarried couples (including gay couples) to jointly adopt a child. Previously, gay couples could not adopt together because the adoption statute read “husband and wife.” VIA. Read the full article @ Gay and Lesbian Couples Allowed to Adopt in New York [...]

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NY Gov signs anti-bullying act that includes LGBTs

OIA Staff — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:17:42 +0000

Gov. David Paterson signed the Dignity for All Students Act on Wednesday, which protects students – including gay and transgender students – from bullying and harassment in schools. This is the first New York law that includes protections for gender identity and expression. VIA. Read the full article @ NY Gov signs anti-bullying act that [...]

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New York City clerk required to educate public about marriage equality

OIA Staff — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:11:16 +0000

NYC City Council Speaker Christine Quinn helped pass legislation which requires the City Clerk to inform couples registering for domestic partnerships about other states and countries where they can get married. Same sex marriages performed elsewhere are recognized as valid marriages by the state of New York. VIA. Read the full article @ New York [...]

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‘Today Show’ bans gays from Wedding Contest, GLAAD issues call to action

OIA Staff — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:55:03 +0000

NBC’s Today Show is taking applications for its “Modern Day Wedding Contest” through Friday, July 9th. The winning couple will be awarded a wedding to be broadcast live on the Today Show in October and an all-expense paid honeymoon. Unfortunately, the network has set up rules that deny committed gay and lesbian couples the ability [...]

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NY Senate Democrats Extend Rights to LGBT Couples

OIA Staff — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:39:12 +0000

Legislation grants bereavement leave to employees in same-sex relationships The Senate Democratic Majority passed legislation (S6177A/Montgomery) that allows individuals involved in same-sex relationships to be granted funeral or bereavement leave from their place of employment. The bill, spearheaded by Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D-Brooklyn), extends this privilege that was previously granted only to employees that are [...]

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NY Court Rulings Expand Rights for Gay Parents

OIA Staff — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:17:48 +0000

Gay couples with children have some of the same rights as biological parents, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled in two cases Tuesday. In a unanimous 7-0 decision, the court decided in one case that a non-biological mother who entered into a civil union in Vermont is entitled to seek custody of and [...]

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Cyndi Lauper to Open Shelter for LGBT Youth

OIA Staff — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:48:55 +0000

Pop singer and Celebrity Apprentice Cyndi Lauper is planning on opening a shelter in New York for LGBT young people. Lauper, who campaigns for equality and has been an advocate with her True Colors Fund, says the shelter in Harlem will be called True Colors Residence. Her plan is to support people between the ages [...]

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Hiram Monserrate’s Anti-Gay Flyers

OIA Staff — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:55:59 +0000

The Monserrate juggernaut is rolling across the 13th District. Liz Benjamin reproduces a flyer that his people are allegedly handing around. If you don’t have your glasses handy, the best part is, “At a gay fundraiser for Jose Peralta” — Monserrate’s chief opponent — “he is affectionately called ‘Peralta the gay caballero.’” This is not [...]

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New York State Senate Passes Family Health Care Decision Act

OIA Staff — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:27:30 +0000

The New York State Senate passed the Family Health Care Decisions Act. The act has already passed the Assembly. The act that enables a loved one to make health care decisions when the patient is not able to do so. The bill places a same-sex or opposite-sex domestic partner, just like a spouse, ahead of [...]

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Louisiana court rules state must issue birth certificate to same-sex adoptive parents

OIA Staff — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:20:29 +0000

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Louisiana Registrar of Vital Statistics must respect a New York adoption by a same-sex couple of a Louisiana-born baby boy. The three-member panel voted unanimously to uphold a lower court ruling in favor of Lambda Legal clients Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith. [ via ProudParenting.com [...]

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Buffalo Denied This Lesbian a Marriage License. A Moment Later She Grabbed a Stranger and Married Him

OIA Staff — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:00:20 +0000

Gay activist Kitty Lambert stopped by Buffalo’s City Hall this week to secure a marriage license for she and partner Cheryl. But as the staffer explained, she could not apply for one, because two women cannot marry in the State of New York. So (in a planned stunt, of course) Kitty grabbed a male stranger, [...]

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NY Senate Votes to Expel Anti-Gay Sen. Hiram Monserrate

OIA Staff — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:21:46 +0000

Citing his misdemeanor conviction assault on his girlfriend, the New York state senate has voted to expel Hiram Monserrate , by an overwhelming majority.Senators voted 53 to 8, with one abstention, to remove Monserrate effective immediately. [ Lez Get Real ] Read the full article @ NY Senate Votes to Expel Anti-Gay Sen. Hiram Monserrate [...]

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Lt. Dan Choi Reactivated For Deployment By New York National Guard

OIA Staff — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:26:52 +0000

Lt. Dan Choi has been called back to duty. This is an unusual event given that Lt. Choi is openly gay, and it has been recommended that he be discharged from the military for being so. Unlike Colonel Victor Fehrenbach, Choi’s homosexuality was personally disclosed instead of him being outed by a third party. Lt. [...]

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NYPD hunting for gay lover after John Lea is found stabbed to death in Hell’s Kitchen apartment

OIA Staff — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:30:57 +0000

A man was found brutally stabbed to death inside his Hell’s Kitchen apartment Thursday – and detectives are looking to question his live-in lover. John Lea’s friends first went to his W. 46th St. pad Wednesday after the 41-year-old failed to show up to his job as an event planner with the New York Society [...]

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Straight Woman Offers Right to Marry on Ebay

John — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:50:14 +0000

In a clever bit of activism a straight unmarried woman named Jamie Frevele from New York is reacting to the NY Senate voting down marriage equality by offering her right to marry to the highest bidder. Proceeds will go to the Point Foundation A snippet of her ebay auction listing: “I’m an unmarried heterosexual woman, [...]

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Anti Gay New York Senator Gets Probation For Beating Up His Girlfriend

OIA Staff — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:06:58 +0000

New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate, one of the Democrats who helped “defend traditional marriage” in the New York Senate last week by voting against a bill that would have made same-sex marriage legal in the Empire State, was sentenced to 250 hours of community service. 52 weeks of domestic abuse counseling and three years [...]

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New York State Lawmakers Reject Gay Marriage Bill

OIA Staff — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:45:44 +0000

New York lawmakers rejected a bill Wednesday that would have made their state the sixth to allow gay marriage, disheartening advocates already stung by a similar decision by Maine voters just last month. Here is a list of State Senators and how they voted: Voted “Yes” Eric Adams, D-Brooklyn Neil Breslin, D-Delmar Martin Dilan, D-Brooklyn [...]

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Double Standard? Feds Seize Muslim Property… But is the Vatican Guilty too?

OIA Staff — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:25:48 +0000

After reading that the US has seized four Shiite Muslim mosques in the US and a New York City office building because of their ties to Iran, the blog LezGetReal, written by Paula Brooks, asks an intriguing question: If the same standards were applied to another theocratic dictatorship, the Vatican, would some US Catholic organizations [...]

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NYS Senate Promises Marriage Equality 09 Debate, Vote

OIA Staff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:15:45 +0000

Flanked by four members of the State Senate Democratic majority and the leader of New York’s LGBT lobby, Governor David A. Paterson announced an agreement by which the Senate leadership has, for the first time, agreed to debate and vote on a marriage equality bill before the end of 2009. “This is the first time [...]

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Bea Arthur Estate Leaves 300K To Homless LGBT Youth

OIA Staff — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:43:48 +0000

The Ali Forney Center received a gift of $300,000.00 today from the Estate of legendary actress Bea Arthur. The Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth, announced at Bea Arthur’s Memorial Service on September 14th that they planned to purchase a building to house 12 youths and name it her [...]

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New York top court to consider gay marriage benefits

OIA Staff — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:02:40 +0000

New York’s top court is set to hear arguments against providing government benefits to same sex couples married in Canada or other jurisdictions where such marriages are legal. The state Department of Civil Service extended health insurance benefits to those spouses of state and local government workers in 2007. A year earlier, Westchester County agencies [...]

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New York State Voters Support Same-Sex Couples to Marry

OIA Staff — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:39:24 +0000

New York State voters support 51 – 41 percent, with 8 percent undecided, a law allowing same-sex couples to marry, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. This is the first poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University showing support for same-sex marriage in New York State, where voters split 46 – 46 percent [...]

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