Amazon restores book rankings after ‘glitch’
Yahoo News reports two days after Amazon claimed a “glitch” had caused the sales rank to be dropped from thousands of gay and lesbian books, the numbers returned April 14 for Annie Proulx’s “Brokeback Mountain,” James Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room” and other notable titles.
Some authors whose rankings were dropped have posted messages from Amazon that said their books had been categorized as “adult” and were being removed from some best-seller lists and search functions.
Amazon has yet to comment on the author messages, but called the deletions an “embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error” and promised “to implement new measures” to prevent them in the future.
Lawmakers stall trans- protection bill
The Baltimore Sun reports Maryland’s transgender residents are worried the legislature will adjourn for the second year in a row without taking action on a bill that would prohibit discrimination against them in housing and employment.
Committees in the Senate and the House of Delegates heard testimony on the bill more than a month ago, but neither has taken a vote.
“I think the committees would rather go along with delay tactics than actually have to take a tough vote on this,” said bill sponsor Sen. Richard Madaleno (D-Montgomery). “Do us a favor and take the vote; we’re grownups, we can take defeat.”
The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee has scheduled several votes on the bill this year, but chairman Sen. Brian Frosh (D-Montgomery) said committee members keep requesting he delay votes.
Maine marriage hearing moved
Seacoast Online.com reports that because so many people are expected to turn out, Maine’s Legislature has moved a public hearing on a gay-marriage proposal to the Augusta Civic Center.
The Judiciary Committee also moved up the date of its daylong public hearing, from April 24 to April 22.
The proposal is co-sponsored by more than 60 lawmakers. It would repeal a state law that limits marriage to a man and a woman and replace it with authorization of marriage between any two people. It also would recognize same-sex marriage in other states where it is legal.
— Larry Nichols