gay

May 7 2013

Should include gay adult volunteers and staff members

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A Boy Scouts of America policy change that would admit gay boys should be extended to include gay adult volunteers and staff members, the Western Los Angeles County Council of the Scouts said today.

The council, which represents more than 14,000 local Scouts, is calling for a policy that would include gay Scout leaders as well as gay Scouts. The resolution to allow homosexual Scouts will be voted on this month by the 285 Boy Scout Councils across the country.

Jan 18 2013

Richard Blanco, 46, who is openly gay, is a Cuban born in Spain

Richard Blanco, the poet who likes to describe himself as being made in Cuba, assembled in Spain and imported to the United States, will serve as the inaugural poet when President Barack Obama takes the oath of office for a second term this month.

Blanco will be the first Latino, the first openly gay person and the youngest poet to serve in the highly coveted role.

A statement from the inaugural committee said Blanco was chosen because the power of his poetry is rooted in American identity.

Nov 7 2012

Hurtful comments can cause great harm

Suicide is the fate met by many youth across the country who feel unwanted in their communities and schools due to their sexuality.

They go day to day hearing comments about how being gay/lesbian or any deviation from heterosexual is unnatural and wrong. They are particularly vulnerable to suicide, and more susceptible to depression, substance abuse, and homelessness than other youth.

Jun 5 2012

90-day window for appeal

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Los Angeles-based sponsor of the federal challenge to Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage lauded today’s appellate ruling not to review the contentious case.

“Today’s order is yet another federal court victory for loving, committed gay and lesbian couples in California and around the nation,” said Chad Griffin, co-founder of American Foundation for Equal Rights, sponsor of Perry vs. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to Proposition 8.

May 17 2012

The yeas and the nays

The president’s public support of same-sex marriage could either be a boon or a curse for his re-election campaign. It’s too soon to tell, despite the fact that he’s just received a million dollars in campaign contributions. But one thing is certain: the president’s public stance in favor of homosexual marriage has drawn a dividing line among voters. Will it have an effect among African American voters, some members of the clergy think it will.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.