Six arrested at Chicago marriage bureau
The Windy City Times reports six activists were arrested Feb. 14 at the marriage-bureau office in Daley Plaza after they insisted on a marriage license for a same-sex couple.
The activists, from area pro-LGBTQ groups, were responding to a call from GetEQUAL and Marriage Equality USA to raise awareness about marriage equality.
Cassandra Avenatti, Lindsey Dietzler, Corrine Mina and Noa Francis Shayden approached the marriage counter and asked for a license for the couple, Judy Heithmar and Danelle Wylder. The others took turns reading from the list of 1,138 rights denied to LGBTQ couples by the federal government.
Although Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a civil-unions bill into law recently, activists wanted to convey that it’s not enough.
School district, teacher settle complaint
MyCentralOregon.com reports the Beaverton School District has agreed to pay $75,000 to settle a discrimination complaint by a student teacher reassigned last fall for talking to a fourth-grader about gay marriage.
The district and Seth Stambaugh said Feb. 11 they reached a settlement after mediation.
A joint statement said the school district also agreed to “provide leadership training concerning issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.”
Stambaugh’s lawyer says he will finish his internship at Sexton Mountain Elementary School in June and plans to graduate this summer from Lewis & Clark College.
In October, a 9-year-old Sexton Mountain student asked why Stambaugh wasn’t married. Stambaugh, who is gay, said it was not legal for him to marry. A parent overheard this and complained to the district.
AF predicts smooth end to gay ban
The Denver Channel reports some gay and lesbian graduates of the Air Force Academy predict the school will make a smooth transition when the military ends its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule this year.
Greg Mooneyham, an academy graduate, says he doesn’t think the change will be a big issue. Mooneyham is executive director of the Blue Alliance, an association of gay and lesbian alumni.
The Defense Department is moving to lift the ban on openly gay servicemembers at the direction of Congress and President Obama.
Air Force Academy officials say they can’t discuss their preparations because they’re waiting for guidance from Air Force higher-ups. But the academy superintendent told cadets, faculty and staff in late January, “We will get this right.”
Spanish radio drama tackles LGBT issues
The San Francisco Chronicle reports a new Spanish-language radio drama is helping to break the silence surrounding homosexuality in California’s rural communities.
The radio novela premiered Feb. 11 across the Central Valley. The program, “Bienvenidos a Casa,” or “Welcome Home,” tells the story of Carlos, a gay Latino teen who is rejected by his community, then eventually finds acceptance.
Radio novelas are popular in Latin America, and agricultural workers here often listen to the radio when working in the fields.
Activists say this is the first time information about LGBT issues is reaching rural Latinos in an accessible format.
Motor City Pride moves to Detroit
Advocate.com reports the annual Motor City Pride festival plans to move from Ferndale to downtown Detroit this year and to expand from one day of celebration to two days.
After a 10-year run in Ferndale, organizers say the move to Hart Plaza will allow the June 4-5 Motor City Pride festival to draw a larger crowd and expand.
The festival, which turns 25 this year, aims to accommodate more people and expand activities.
University prez says policy should protect gays
Anchorage Daily News reports University of Alaska president Pat Gamble is recommending adding sexual orientation as a protected status under the system’s non-discrimination policies.
Some UA students and employees have lobbied for years to amend the policy to include LGBT individuals. The proposed amendment will be considered by regents at their meeting in Anchorage.
The change would add “sexual orientation” to a list of protected categories in the existing nondiscrimination policies.
— Larry Nichols