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News (USA)
Suspect in killing of Puerto Rico teen may claim ‘gay panic’ defense
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The man charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a gay teenager in Puerto Rico will likely use “gay panic” as a defense, reports UPI. Juan A. Martinez Matos, 26, a married father of four (pictured), confessed he was cruising the “red light” district of Caguas, a city south […]
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News (USA)
Inaction on New Jersey gay marriage bill angers bill’s sponsor
State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) is angry Thursday about what she sees as a broken promise by Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) to move legislation in the upper house during the lameduck session that would legalize same-sex marriage, reports newjerseynewsroom.com. Sweeney told reporters that while gay marriage is an important issue, the Legislature should […]
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Life
Lambert on ‘Out’ controversy: ‘I’m not a politician, I’m an entertainer’
American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert has been in the news this week for more than just the upcoming release of his debut album, For Your Entertainment: After putting Lambert on the cover of OUT magazine, Aaron Hicklin, OUT’s editor, wrote the singer an open letter, complaining about certain stipulations placed on the interview and cover […]
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News (USA)
Rutgers-Eagleton poll: New Jersey supports gay marriage
Supporters of gay marriage may find New Jersey more hospitable than many other states, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Thursday. By a 46 percent to 42 percent margin, adults in New Jerseyans favor legalizing same-sex nuptials, with 12 percent unsure. The survey also shows that if the state Legislature passes a bill legalizing gay […]
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News (USA)
Gay marriage opponents sue to force DC ballot measure
The decision by the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics to block a ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage reverberated on Capitol Hill and in the courts Wednesday as the battle continued over whether voters should have a say in the debate, reports the Washington Post. Bishop Harry Jackson (pictured), represented by lawyers from a […]
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News (USA)
NY court rules married gay couples entitled to benefits
ALBANY — The state’s highest court on Thursday upheld policies giving some government benefits to same-sex couples who are legally married outside the state, but did not rule on whether gay marriage should be legal in New York, leaving that issue for the Legislature to decide, the New York Times reports. Though the majority in […]
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News (USA)
Suit aims to protect domestic partner benefits for AZ state employees
A gay rights group has filed suit seeking damages for state employees whose families will lose their health-care coverage following the elimination this year of domestic-partner benefits.
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News (USA)
Family ‘friend’ admits to murdering Baltimore gay teen
As LGBT advocates around the country are planning candlelight vigils in memory of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado — the 19-year-old boy who was burned, dismembered and decapitated last week in Puerto Rico — word comes out of Baltimore about another murdered gay teen. Jason Mattison Jr., a 15-year old openly gay sophomore at the Vivian […]
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News (USA)
Judge orders compensation to gay couple denied spousal benefits
A federal judge today ordered compensation for a Los Angeles couple denied spousal benefits by the federal government because they are gay men, reports the Los Angeles Times. U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt deemed the denial of healthcare and other benefits to the spouse of federal public defender Brad Levenson to […]
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News (USA)
Suspect to be charged with murder in slaying of gay teen in Puerto Rico
The suspect in the brutal slaying of a gay teenager in Puerto Rico will be charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and four other counts, the prosecutor in the case told CNN. Juan A. Martinez Matos was arrested late Monday in connection with the slaying of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado (pictured), whose decapitated, dismembered and partially […]
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Life
Lambert to ‘Out’ editor via Twitter: Chill!
Adam Lambert had a simple response to the impassioned open letter penned by the editor in chief of Out magazine, alleging that the flamboyant “American Idol” runner-up’s management team is attempting to push him back into the closet: Chill out. Lambert took to his Twitter account on Tuesday to respond to Aaron Hicklin’s tirade, reports […]
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News (USA)
Suspect arrested in brutal murder of gay Puerto Rican teen
A suspect has been arrested in the slaying of a 19-year-old Puerto Rican man, police said Tuesday. Jorge Steven López Mercado (pictured) was found decapitated, dismembered and partially burned Friday in a wooded area near Cayey on the island of Puerto Rico. “The brutality of the slaying and the fact that he was openly gay […]
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News (World)
Austria to allow civil partnerships for gay couples
Austria’s government agreed a new law Tuesday allowing civil partnerships for homosexual couples, although ceremonies at the civil registry’s office will still be banned, AFP reports. The compromise, achieved after weeks of wrangling between the ruling Social Democrats and their conservative coalition partner in government, will give gay couples equal rights to heterosexuals with regards […]
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News (USA)
DC board rejects effort to put gay marriage on the ballot
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled Tuesday that a proposed ballot initiative defining marriage as between a man and a woman cannot go forward, reaffirming an earlier ruling that such a vote would be discriminatory, reports the Washington Post. The elections board said allowing residents to vote on a ban would conflict with […]
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Life
‘Out’ magazine reveals annual list of gays and allies who ‘made our year’
Adam Lambert, Wanda Sykes and Cyndi Lauper are among the Out 100 “Class of 2009” – a group of 100 gay men, lesbians, transgender people and allies who “made our year” – in the magazine’s upcoming December 2009 issue. Lambert, the 27-year-old American Idol runner-up alum was named the Breakout Star, Sykes earned Entertainer of […]
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Commentary
Who do we have to blow to get gay marriage in New York?
From the Village Voice: In Europe, Gay Pride parades are held each year on the occasion known as “Christopher Street Day”—a nod to the New York street that gave birth to the worldwide gay rights movement with the Stonewall riots. But if this city once signified the leading edge of that movement, what does it […]
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Life
‘Out’ editor publically criticizes Lambert, handlers
In the new “Out 100” issue of Out magazine, editor Aaron Hicklin pens a sharp letter criticizing Lambert’s management for their efforts to re-cloak his sexuality. Lambert gave the magazine a terrific interview, but his handlers were not so glorious, according to Michael Musto at the Village Voice. Says Hicklin (according to Musto): *Adam’s people […]
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Life
Dolly Parton talks with Joy Behar about her gay following
HLN’s Joy Behar talks with singer Dolly Parton about her gay following, and Joel Osteen saying gays are “not God’s best.” Says Parton replies: “I just think they [gays] appreciate the fact that I just love everybody for who they are, and love them as they are.” Taking a Twitter question from a viewer about […]
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News (USA)
‘Washington Blade,’ gay publications fold in surprise company shutdown
The Washington Blade, the weekly newspaper that chronicled the coming-out of the capital’s gay community, was born amid the idealism of 1960s street protests. Monday, the paper died, victim of the unforgiving realities of the nation’s sagging newspaper industry, reports The Washington Post. The paper’s nearly two-dozen employees arrived at their downtown offices Monday, only […]
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News (USA)
Gay teen found brutally murdered in Puerto Rico
The body of a gay teenager was discovered this past weekend, found burned and decapitated on the island of Puerto Rico. Jorge Steven López Mercado’s body was found decapitated, dismembered and partially burned in a wooded area near Cayey on Friday, Nov. 13. His friends became concerned after he failed to meet them at a […]