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High school says lesbian couple not eligible for homecoming royalty
PHOENIX — Students at Willow Canyon High School in Surprise, Ariz., are banding together behind a lesbian couple who has been denied the opportunity to be nominated as homecoming queen and queen due to a school practice where homecoming royalty must be made up of a male and female pair.
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Gay couple’s park wedding interrupted by string of homophobic slurs
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — An Arizona couple is speaking out, denouncing those responsible for a string of homophobic slurs that interrupted their wedding ceremony in a San Diego-area park last month. Oscar De Las Salas and Gary Jackson – frequent visitors to San Diego – picked Coronado’s Centennial Park for their Aug. 17 wedding, attended by dozens …
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Arizona Latino leaders announce support for marriage equality
Latino leaders from across the state kicked off National Hispanic Heritage Month by announcing their support for marriage equality, reports the Phoenix New Times. “There’s a perception out there that the Latino community does not support marriage equality, but that’s not the case,” says Jeremy Zegas, a project director for the coalition.
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Chandler police forming committee to connect with local LGBT community
CHANDLER, Ariz. — The Chandler Police Department is forming a new committee to help connect with the city’s LGBT community. Chandler Chief of Police Sean Duggan said the formation of the committee was not a reaction to anything that had happened involving the LGBT community, but rather an attempt to strengthen the bond the department has …
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Federal judge orders Ariz. to recognize deceased man’s same-sex marriage
A judge handed a victory Friday to a gay man who lost his spouse to cancer last month and was denied death benefits because Arizona does not recognize same-sex marriage. Fred McQuire and George Martinez were partners of 45 years who got married in California this summer, fulfilling one of their final wishes as they both dealt with serious health issues.
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Fred and George, 45 years together: An Arizona Love Story
PHOENIX — On Friday, Lambda Legal will ask the U.S. District Court in Phoenix to order the State of Arizona to provide an accurate death certificate to Fred McQuire for his husband, George Martinez, who died on August 28. Fred, 69, and his late husband, George, 62, of Green Valley, Ariz., both veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, met in 1969….
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Marriage News Watch: Massive victory in 7th Circuit, problems with ruling in La.
A massive victory for equality in Wisconsin and Indiana, with one of the most strongly-worded decisions yet. A judge in Louisiana has ruled against marriage equality, but there are some problems with his ruling. There are major oral arguments this week in multiple states, and more cases move closer to consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Emergency motion seeks recognition of deceased man’s surviving spouse
PHOENIX — A gay rights legal advocacy group on Wednesday filed an emergency motion asking the U.S. District Court in Arizona to order the State of Arizona to provide a death certificate naming a deceased man’s spouse as his survivor. Lambda Legal filed the motion on behalf of Fred McQuire and George Martinez, a Green Valley, Ariz., couple who are parties to a lawsuit…
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Tempe voters approve protections for LGBT workers in city charter
TEMPE, Ariz. — Voters in Tempe, Ariz., on Tuesday approved a proposition to change the city charter to ban discrimination against LGBT city workers. The vote follows a move by the city council last February approving a citywide ordinance banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of housing, employment and public accommodations…
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Tempe voters to consider adding protections for LGBT city workers
TEMPE, Ariz. — The city of Tempe could become the first city in Arizona to include sexual orientation as a protected class from workplace discrimination if voters approve a landmark city ordinance on Tuesday. Tempe City Councilman Kolby Granville says the amendment has been a longtime coming for LGBT residents of Tempe, but it’s up to the voters to pass.