Out in America Features» sexual orientation

The Man Machine – life beyond therapy

OIA Staff — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:40:49 +0000

Sometimes I wonder what to write about in this column. This week, I didn’t have to wonder for long. Two media images hit me over the head like a hammer: ‘We’ve assembled the hottest guys” claims a gay website with a photo of a beautiful young man in a Frankenstein-like laboratory. The image encourages us [...]

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Another strike against DOMA

OIA Staff — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:23:57 +0000

The Task Force applauds the U.S. Department of Justice’s filing of a legal brief that argues that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. The brief was filed in the case of Karen Golinski, a staff attorney of a federal court in California whose wife was unable to be added to [...]

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New Study Places Number of LGBT Americans Near 9 Million

OIA Staff — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:19:47 +0000

The Williams Institute, a leading think tank dedicated to the field of sexual orientation and gender identity-related law and public policy, released new research that estimates the size of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in the United States. Drawing on information from four recent national and two state-level population-based surveys, the analyses [...]

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Statement by the Press Secretary on Ending Violence Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

OIA Staff — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:51:21 +0000

Statement by the Press Secretary on Ending Violence Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity President Obama believes that advancing the human rights of minorities and the marginalized is a fundamental American value. The President was pleased to announce during his trip to Brazil that he and President Rousseff agreed to promote respect for the [...]

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HRC Applauds Administration for Joining United Nations on Ending Violence Towards LGBT People

OIA Staff — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:19:19 +0000

Today, the U.S. joined over 80 countries to issue a statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council entitled “Ending Acts of Violence and Related Human Rights Violations Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.” The statement “express[es] concern at continued evidence in every region of acts of violence and related human rights violations based [...]

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Obama Urged To Sign Gay Protections Order Tied To DADT Repeal

OIA Staff — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:11:33 +0000

Gay rights advocates are calling on President Obama to sign an executive order to coincide with repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” that would ban discrimination in the military based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In a letter addressed to Obama, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), which lobbied for repeal of the law, urged [...]

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New LGBT Hospital Visitation Rules in Effect

OIA Staff — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:44:11 +0000

Last year, President Barack Obama announced federal regulations that prohibit hospitals from discriminating against visitors based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Today those new regulations correcting that injustice take effect. via. Read the full article @ New LGBT Hospital Visitation Rules in Effect Read more articles @ our blogBecome a fan on FacebookFollow us [...]

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SECRETARY CLINTON: UN General Assembly Action on Sexual Orientation

OIA Staff — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:11:50 +0000

I am pleased by the UN General Assembly’s action today to include sexual orientation in a resolution condemning extrajudicial and summary executions. The United States introduced this language to send an unequivocal message in concert with our many international partners: No one should be killed for who they are. Sadly, many people around the world [...]

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Orange County Commission Approves LGBT Protections

OIA Staff — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:17:55 +0000

By a 6-1 vote, yesterday the commissioners of Orange County, Florida banned sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. VIA. Read the full article @ Orange County Commission Approves LGBT Protections Read more articles @ our blogBecome a fan on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

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55% of Utah Mormons Believe LGBT People can “Change”

OIA Staff — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:25:33 +0000

A new poll released today by the Salt Lake Tribune shows that among Utah Mormons surveyed, 55% believe it is possible for people who are attracted to members of the same sex to change their sexual orientation. Twenty-five percent of Utah Mormons reported being “unsure,” and 15% believed gay people could not voluntarily “change” their [...]

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Maine man wins $1 million gay discrimination suit

OIA Staff — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:35:12 +0000

A jury has awarded a Maine man more than $1 million in a discrimination case based on sexual orientation – the largest such award to date in Maine. Edward Russell’s attorney, Guy Loranger, argued in Cumberland County Superior Court that his client was repeatedly passed up for promotion because he is gay. In late June, a [...]

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DADT Survey Biased, Derogatory

OIA Staff — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:51:49 +0000

Servicemembers United, the nation’s largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, today strongly condemned the biased and derogatory design of the long-awaited Defense Department survey on issues related to the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. The survey, which was created and administered by the research firm Westat in conjunction with [...]

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Supreme Court rules religious group can’t bar gays

OIA Staff — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:10:38 +0000

The U.S. Supreme Court this morning said a Christian student group that sought both funding and recognition by the University of California’s Hastings College of Law cannot deny membership to gays and lesbians. Hastings’ policy forbids official recognition of student groups that discriminate on the basis of religious views or sexual orientation. But the Christian [...]

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HUD Adds Important Civil Rights Protections to its Grant Programs

OIA Staff — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:31:51 +0000

For the first time in its history, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will require grant applicants seeking HUD funding to comply with state and local anti-discrimination laws that protect lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Today, HUD published a notice detailing the general requirements that will apply to all of [...]

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BREAKING: DADT Repeal Passes Committee 16-12

OIA Staff — Fri, 28 May 2010 02:28:07 +0000

After 17-Year Battle, Milestone Called “Historic First Step Forward” Servicemembers United, the nation’s largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, today proudly commended the passage of the amendment before the Senate Armed Services Committee to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. The amendment, which was offered by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and [...]

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ExxonMobil stockholders support discrimination

OIA Staff — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:09:35 +0000

When Exxon and Mobil merged, they removed all LGBT protections. A shareholder vote yesterday showed only 22 percent, down from last year’s 40 percent, voted in favor of adding anti-discrimination policies that cover sexual orientation. [ via Queerty ] Read the full article @ ExxonMobil stockholders support discrimination Read more articles @ our blogBecome a fan on [...]

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Congressman Steve King: If gays were more ‘quiet,’ they wouldn’t have to worry about getting fired

OIA Staff — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:24:38 +0000

Apparently when Congressman Steve King (Iowa) isn’t telling blatant lies about President Obama’s appointees, he is giving lgbts bad advice on how not to be discriminated against. On the radio program of Family Research Council’s head Tony Perkins (no slouch in lying about lgbt employment protections himself), King said if gays weren’t so open about [...]

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Obama Punting Military Gay Ban Repeal To 2013?

OIA Staff — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:02:41 +0000

A group opposed to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has accused President Barack Obama of punting repeal of the policy until 2013. While the president has been clear on his support for repealing the policy that forces gay troops to keep their sexual orientation a secret, he’s been vague about whether he supports repeal this year. [...]

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Vancouver Catholic school teacher fired for being a lesbian parent

OIA Staff — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:36:09 +0000

A well-known Vancouver music teacher and founder of a Vancouver children’s choir says she was told to stay home from Little Flower Academy, an independent Catholic school, after they learned she was a lesbian whose partner just gave birth. Neither Reimer nor the school would talk to reporters earlier today. But Reimer referred questions to [...]

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President of Duke College Republicans Forced Out After Fellow Students Discover He’s Gay

OIA Staff — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:14:57 +0000

Justin Robinette, the Chairman of the College Republicans at Duke University, was impeached last week for “conduct unbecoming of a person in a position of leadership” according to the Daily Tarheel. The paper reports: “Carter Boyle, the new chairman of the chapter, said Robinette disrespected members of the board, deliberately ignored members of UNC’s College Republicans, [...]

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President Obama Announces New Health Protections for LGBT Families

OIA Staff — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:50:56 +0000

Tonight President Obama issued a memorandum directing hospitals to allow same-sex couples visitation rights and medical power of attorney. MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SUBJECT: Respecting the Rights of Hospital Patients to Receive Visitors and to Designate Surrogate Decision Makers for Medical Emergencies There are few moments in our lives that [...]

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Senate Passes Resolution Condemning Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill

OIA Staff — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:05:59 +0000

The U.S. Senate yesterday unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Ugandan Parliament to reject a proposed bill that would impose harsh penalties—including life imprisonment and the death penalty—against gay people. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), “encourages” the U.S. Secretary of State to “closely monitor human rights abuses that occur because of [...]

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Europe Reaches Historic Accord on Gay Rights

OIA Staff — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:08:41 +0000

For the first time in history, the governments of several European nations have agreed on the text of a policy statement condemning discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. On March 31, 2010, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a recommendation for all member states to combat discrimination based on [...]

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Houston mayor issues sweeping non-discrimination order

OIA Staff — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:43:07 +0000

Lesbian Mayor Annise Parker has issued an executive order protecting LGBT city employees that is possibly the most comprehensive in the nation. Parker’s order replaces one signed by her predecessor, Bill White, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor. White’s order covered sexual orientation and was similar to protections for gay, lesbian and bisexual employees in [...]

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Army chief sees defacto moratorium on gay discharges

OIA Staff — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:02:33 +0000

The Army secretary said on Wednesday he would not discharge gay personnel who admitted their sexual orientation to him, despite the “don’t ask, don’t tell” stance that remains official military policy. “What the secretary (of defense) has placed a moratorium on is going forward on discharges,” Army Secretary John McHugh told defense reporters. The statement [...]

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No ‘rampant discrimination’ against gay employees to argue for law, McDonnell says

OIA Staff — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:54:42 +0000

Gov. Bob McDonnell said today that Virginia does not need to write protections for gays and lesbians into state statute because he has not seen evidence of discrimination in the state workforce. Breaking with the practice of his Democratic predecessors, McDonnell did not include sexual orientation in an executive order he issued barring discrimination in [...]

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Johnny Weir Deemed “Not Family Friendly” Enough to Perform in Stars on Ice Tour

OIA Staff — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:02:04 +0000

GLAAD has learned from a source that wishes to remain anonymous that sponsors of the Stars on Ice Tour, which include Smuckers and IMG Entertainment, have refused to allow 3-time US National Champion and 2-time Olympian Johnny Weir to participate because they claim that he is “not family friendly.” To say that Weir is “not [...]

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No, Virginia, There Is No Nondiscrimination Policy

OIA Staff — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:42:00 +0000

News Analysis: Virginia Gov. McDonnell’s executive directive on employment discrimination is about appearances, not policy Over the past month, three differing documents produced by two statewide elected officials in Virginia have led to a whole lot of confusion about where the Commonwealth stands on protection of LGBT people from discrimination. Following outrage over Attorney General [...]

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Virginia House votes against consideration of gay protections bill

OIA Staff — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:23:21 +0000

A Northern Virginia delegate unsuccessfully tried a parliamentary maneuver Tuesday to force a floor vote on a measure that would ban discrimination in public employment on the basis of sexual orientation. The House has repeatedly rejected such legislation and voted against floor consideration of the bill 55 to 42. Del. Ken Plum, a Democrat from [...]

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Gay Protections Said Invalid In Virginia Universities

OIA Staff — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:57:41 +0000

Virginia’s public colleges and universities do not have the legal authority to protect gays against discrimination, the state’s attorney general has ruled. In a letter to the presidents and governing boards of the schools, Ken Cuccinelli said Thursday the institutions had “acted without proper authority” in adopting rules regarding sexual orientation. Such rules were “invalid,” [...]

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Immigration Minister pulled gay rights from citizenship guide, documents show

OIA Staff — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:56:12 +0000

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney blocked any reference to gay rights in a new study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, The Canadian Press has learned. Internal documents show an early draft of the guide contained sections noting that homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969; that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms forbids discrimination [...]

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U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Decision Protecting Children Born to Same-Sex Couples

OIA Staff — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:13:31 +0000

Today, the United States Supreme Court denied review in a custody dispute involving a non-biological lesbian mother whose former partner, the child’s biological mother, was seeking to strip her of any parental rights. “I am so grateful that my relationship with my six-year-old daughter is legally protected,” said Charisma. “I love my daughter dearly, and [...]

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Virginia: State Employees Lose Protections from Anti-LGBT Discrimination

OIA Staff — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:55:51 +0000

Gov. McDonnell has signed a new executive order that strips former protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation for employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia, while legislation to protect those employees has died in the state’s legislature. On Monday, Feb. 8, the state Senate passed legislation to protect public employees from discrimination based on sexual [...]

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Therapy Organizations Challenging Prop 8 Agree Quality of Parenting Is What Matters Not Gender

OIA Staff — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:23:34 +0000

A group of leading organizations for marriage and family therapists and other mental health professionals from across the nation have filed an amicus brief challenging Proposition 8 in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The therapy associations agree that what matters is the quality of the parenting, not the [...]

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Senator Schumer Nominates Openly Gay Man To Federal Bench

OIA Staff — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:53:42 +0000

While Federal Judge Vaughn Walker is openly gay, that fact was probably not known when he was first nominated to the Federal bench. New York Senator Charles Schumer has put forward for nomination Daniel Alter. As a Federal bench nominee, Alter would be the first openly gay man nominated whereby his sexual orientation is known [...]

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Ted Olson Opening Statement in Federal Challenge to Prop 8

OIA Staff — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:20:56 +0000

Ted Olson’s opening statement in the federal challenge to Prop 8: This case is about marriage and equality. Plaintiffs are being denied both the right to marry, and the right to equality under the law. The Supreme Court of the United States has repeatedly described the right to marriage as “one of the vital personal [...]

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Accurate Gaydar Is Nearly Instant?

OIA Staff — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:32:42 +0000

A new study by Tufts University shows that people can identify others’ sexual orientation after looking at them for just seconds. The most accurate time sequence was 50 milliseconds, with 62% projecting correctly. However, when students took their own amount of time to weigh the photos, the accuracy rate rose to 70%. How accurate is [...]

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Are Twilight: New Moon’s Muscled Wolf Boys a Pack of Gays?

OIA Staff — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:21:28 +0000

That’s the question reviewers are trying to answer, based on a line in the script about “lifestyle choice” and being “born this way” The Times writes: “The rest of New Moon concerns Bella’s growing relationship with local beefcake Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). The latter though, in another telegraphed allegory, is struggling with his sexual orientation [...]

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Homosexuality Not Factor in Abuse by Catholic Priests

OIA Staff — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:46:02 +0000

A $2 million study commissioned by Roman Catholic Bishops at the height of the Church’s sexual abuse scandal has found no connection between sexual orientation and abuse of children by clergy, the AP reports: “The full report by researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice won’t be completed until the end of next [...]

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Children of Gay Parents

OIA Staff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:45:16 +0000

Parenting is a complex task, one that doesn’t lend itself to easy generalizations … So in our focus on raising good children, we should respect research that demonstrates that it’s not one’s sexual orientation that determines good parenting or not. (In fact, that’s a ridiculous assumption to begin with; why not suggest that people who [...]

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New study offers first demographic picture of same-sex spouses

OIA Staff — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:05:58 +0000

For the first time, the Census Bureau has released data in which same-sex couples who refer to one another as “husband” or “wife” are differentiated from those who refer to one another as “unmarried partners.” This study is the first to examine the difference and similarities among same-sex couples and married different-sex couples in the [...]

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Was Torontonian Chris Skinner Murdered Because He Was Gay?

OIA Staff — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:14:20 +0000

Chris Skinner was killed after being beaten and driven over by an SUV at 3 am on Sunday at Victoria and Adelaide Streets in the eastern part of downtown Toronto after a birthday celebration for his sister. He later died in the hospital. Skinner was gay. Toronto authorities are apparently not investigating if his murder [...]

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Tulsa man says he was beaten because he’s gay

OIA Staff — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:01:08 +0000

What should have been a 10-minute walk to a friend’s house ended with a trip to the hospital for Brandon Patrick, a Tulsan who said he was severely beaten Sunday night because of his sexual orientation. Three people followed Patrick down the 1300 block of South Rockford Avenue about 11:45 p.m., yelling homophobic slurs and [...]

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Remarks by the President at Human Rights Campaign Dinner

OIA Staff — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:06:22 +0000

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Please, you’re making me blush. (Laughter.) AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Barack! THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Applause.) To Joe Solmonese, who’s doing an outstanding job on behalf of HRC. (Applause.) To my great friend and supporter, Terry Bean, co-founder of HRC. (Applause.) Representative Patrick Kennedy. (Applause.) David Huebner, [...]

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Rachel Maddow Takes on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ with Kirsten Gillibrand

OIA Staff — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:18:58 +0000

“Since 1994, almost 13,000 gay servicemen and women have been discharged from the military based not on their performance but on their sexual orientation. In 2009 alone, we’ve had more than 400 of our brave men and women leave the military under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. This is simply unacceptable. It is time to repeal [...]

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Florida Gay Basher Arrested, Charged with Hate Crime

OIA Staff — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:15:43 +0000

One of two men who assaulted another man while shouting anti-gay epithets outside the Westend Package Bar in Newberry, Florida, near Gainesville, in early September, has been arrested and charged. Bracewell According to the North Florida Herald, “The Gainesville man, a 31-year-old white male, was badly beaten after several people questioned his sexual orientation, [Officer [...]

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Catholic church sex abuse ’caused by homosexuals, not paedophiles’

OIA Staff — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:31:24 +0000

A Vatican official has said that the child sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church was caused by gay men preying on teenage boys, rather than paedophilia. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the UN, read out a statement after a meeting of the UN human rights council in Geneva. He said: “Of [...]

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Doing The Right Thing

OIA Staff — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:30:07 +0000

In Utah it’s legal to fire someone for being gay. The state’s new governor has served notice he’ll change that the day the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings Metallica. In his first monthly televised news conference, Gary Herbert said discriminating against gay people shouldn’t be illegal, but gosh darn, he sure would like it if everyone [...]

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Minnesota Teachers Who Mocked Student for Being Gay Are On Leave

OIA Staff — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:40:22 +0000

A Minnesota school district which recently paid a family $25,000 after a high school junior was harassed by two teachers over his perceived sexual orientation, has announced that the teachers involved are on leave. The Star Tribune reported in August, “The boy’s ‘fence swings both ways,’ teacher Diane Cleveland commented during a class in the [...]

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Memphis Lesbian Couple Claims Church Members Assaulted Them

OIA Staff — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:53:06 +0000

Memphis Police responded to a 911 hang-up call yesterday at the New Olivet Baptist Church where two women said they were assaulted because of their sexual orientation. Monique Stephens and her partner, Yas Meen, say they were attending the service at the central Memphis church because they wanted to meet the church pastor, Rev. Kenneth [...]

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