More gays to serve in Obama White House

Is Obama sending signals to the rest of the country about his commitment to the LGBT community by hiring LGBT people? The Washington Blade is reporting that a three new lesbian and gay American's have been asked to join the Obama administration, including one HRC board memeber!

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team has selected three more openly gay people to serve in his administration, according to a prominent Democratic activist.

The activist, who spoke to the Blade on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the selections, said David Medina, a gay man who is a former national political director for John Edwards’ presidential campaign, has been tapped as deputy chief of staff for Michelle Obama.

Medina is a member of the Human Rights Campaign’s board of directors and has a seat on the organization’s public policy committee.

Dave Noble, a gay man led efforts to mobilize gay voters for Obama’s presidential campaign, will serve as the White House’s liaison to NASA, the activist said.

Noble was formerly an official with the National Stonewall Democrats and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.

Karine Jean-Pierre, a lesbian, has been selected to be the White House liaison to the Department of Labor, the activist said.

Jean-Pierre was a regional political director for Obama’s presidential campaign, after working on John Edwards’ 2008 presidential campaign. She has also worked at the Center for Community & Corporate Ethics in a program called “Wal-Mart Watch,” an initiative aimed at encouraging the retailer to change its business practices.

You can find the original article here...

2 men, teen charged in gang rape of Calif. lesbian

In this world, it's hard enough being a woman and feeling safe. The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that a woman was gang raped because she was a lesbian:

Two men and a teenager were charged Tuesday in the alleged gang rape of a lesbian in the San Francisco Bay area.

Humberto Hernandez Salvador, 31, and Josue Gonzalez, 21, were charged with kidnapping, carjacking and gang rape in the attack last month in Richmond.

Hate-crime enhancements were added to charges against Salvador, which could mean a more severe sentence if he is convicted. Authorities say the woman was taunted for being a lesbian during the 45-minute assault. Salvador was also charged with being armed with a gun.

The pair did not enter pleas when they appeared in Contra Costa County Superior Court, but they asked to be represented by court-appointed attorneys. Bail was set at $2.2 million for Salvador and $1.9 million for Gonzalez. Both were being held at the county jail.

They face a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty, prosecutors said.

Darrell Hodges, 16, was charged as an adult with similar offenses Monday. A 15-year-old boy whose name has not been released was also arrested last week on suspicion of participating in the attack.

You can read the rest of this story after the jump...

Grassroots push for gay Cabinet member

Some in the LGBT community believe that one way to exemplify LGBT equality is for President-Elect Obama to nominate an LGBT person to the Cabinet. Some see Gov. Bill Richardson's exit as an opportunity the NY Blade reports:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson’s decision to quit his nomination as commerce secretary has prompted activist groups to ask President-elect Barack Obama to name an openly gay official to the post.

The vacancy, announced earlier this week, gives Obama an opportunity to nominate a gay person to his Cabinet, something that transition officials have heavily hinted would happen in private meetings with gay rights activists.
Some of those activists publicly expressed their disappointment and frustration when Obama failed to include a gay nominee after making his final Cabinet picks.

Richardson, who initially competed against Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination but later endorsed him, withdrew as the commerce secretary nominee amidst a federal investigation into how his political donors landed a transportation contract in New Mexico.

According to the Associated Press, a grand jury is looking into possible dealings between CDR Financial Products, a national capital markets group, and someone in a position to push contracts through New Mexico’s state government.

You can find the rest of the article after the jump...

Civil Rights Leaders Support Eric Holder for Attorney General

Please read the following media advisory about HRC's enthusiastic support for the potential Attorney General:

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, will join with other civil rights leaders at a press conference tomorrow in support of Attorney General nominee Eric Holder. The Human Rights Campaign announced its support of Holder in a December 18, 2008 letter along with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. The letter is available from the Senate Judiciary Committee here: http://judiciary.senate.gov/resources/documents/upload/121808-LeadershipCouncilOnCivilRights.pdf



“In Eric Holder, President-elect Obama has chosen an attorney general who has demonstrated his dedication to civil rights, protecting communities from hate violence, and the fair and equal application of our laws,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Eric Holder has recognized the deleterious effect that hate and bias crimes have not just on victims, but on entire communities. President-elect Obama’s appointment continues to prove his commitment to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.”



WHAT: Press Conference in Support of Attorney General nominee Eric Holder



WHEN: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. ET



WHERE: 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building



WHO: Sens. Whitehouse and Cardin along with leaders representing the civil rights community



BACKGROUND: After graduating from Columbia Law School, Mr. Holder joined the Department of Justice’s Attorney General's Honors Program. In 1988 he was nominated for and confirmed as Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In 1993 President Clinton nominated Mr. Holder for United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and he was confirmed later that year. In this role he worked vigorously to reduce crime and increase neighborhood safety. Notably, he emphasized hate crimes enforcement to ensure that bias-motivated crimes would receive adequate resources, attention, and punishment. Hate crimes continued to be a priority for Mr. Holder after his 1997 appointment by President Clinton to Deputy Attorney General. His dedication to the issue of addressing hate-based violence is exemplified in his 1999 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. The text of his remarks is available at: http://www.hrc.org/11605.htm

Homophobia: The issue of the era

The aftermath of the Prop 8 failures is still driving the discussion about equal rights in the country. The Coloradoan posits that homophobia could be the issue of our era:

Fifty years ago the Civil Rights movement was the issue of the era. Martin Luther King and several others fought to make blacks an equal part of this country, and his life was sacrificed for this cause. Now, we as a country can proudly say that we are past that sort of thing. I mean we have a black president now for Pete's sake. Two women were prominent figures in the presidential race. Discrimination against race and sex is a thing of the past, right? That's certainly cause for celebration, but there is still another hurdle or two for us to leap over before we can safely say that America is the land of equality.

Today there's a new battle being fought in the war against discrimination, and it is that of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) rights. Bigotry in this country has, for the most part, left behind the racist and sexist themes but that of homophobia is still around and as strong as ever. There are many definitions and ideas of the word homophobia, but what does it really mean? Merriam-Webster defines it in the following manner:
Homophobia (n.) [hoh-muh-foh-bee-uh] - The irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals; From the Greek words homs (one and the same) and phbos (fear, phobia).

To me, homophobia is that and a little more. Every true homophobe I've ever encountered has been repulsed by the very mention of homosexuality. Every one of these same people has probably never known a homosexual person, much less befriended them, much less tried to open their mind and understand the nature of homosexuality. It is, in many minds, a black-and-white matter. You choose to be gay or you choose not to be; if you so happen to choose to be gay, then you are so choosing a life of discrimination and intolerance. That is just how it is. Ok so perhaps that is a bit of an extreme outlook on the matter, but it's actually how a lot of people think, which is a scary concept. This is America, the land of the free; where people are welcome to be what they are and believe what they want, right? Wait, I said welcome. I should have said free, because while I have the legal right to be gay, I am not necessarily welcome to be gay wherever I want to be. If you looked at a fancy statistics map that gave different colors for different areas of the country where gays were accepted and tolerated, sure you'd see splotches here and there around the country where it's acceptable, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

You can read more after the jump...

Gay man shot, killed in Logan Circle

Here in Washington, DC, Durval V. Martins was killed last night on his way home from the 17th street bars in the area of 11th and Q. This is the same general area where Tony Hunter, another gay man, was killed a few months ago. The Washington Blade reports:

A 35-year-old gay man was shot in the head and killed shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday at 11th and Q streets, N.W., while walking home from the Fox & Hound, a restaurant and bar near Dupont Circle, according to D.C. police.

The victim was identified as Durval V. Martins of the 200 block of Bates Street, N.W. A police statement said Martins also suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body.

Acting Lt. Brett Parson, who oversees the police’s Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit, said the motive for the killing was unknown but could have been robbery. He noted that officers found the victim’s wallet in his hand.

Martins’ credit cards, cash, cell phone, and jewelry were still in his possession, Parson said.

The victim lived off of New Jersey Avenue near Q Street, Parson said. The residence is located about 16 blocks from the Fox & Hound.

Parson, who also responded to the scene, said a police officer on patrol along the 1000 block of Rhode Island Avenue, N.W., “heard multiple gunshots and observed several individuals fleeing north on 11th Street.”

Upon arriving on the scene, the officer found the victim unconscious with a gunshot wound to the head, Parson said. Emergency medical responders found no signs of life.

Parson told the Blade that people who knew the victim said he had patronized the Dupont Circle gay bar Omega and the 17th Street restaurant Jack’s before going to the Fox & Hound.

People who knew the victim said he was openly gay and apparently worked at a D.C. restaurant, Parson said.

You can find out more about this incident after the jump...

American gay rights advocate dies in Scotland

Sad news of a student activists death has crossed the Atlantic. 365gay.com reports:

(Edinburgh) Cody Lavender, an American exchange student, has fallen to his death from a dormitory room window at the University of Edinburgh.

Police are investigating but say there is nothing to indicate foul play.

Lavender, 20, had been watching television with friends when he suddenly plunged through the window witnesses said.

He was to have returned this week to the US for Christmas.

Lavender was raised in southern Arizona and in 2006 headed east to Dartmouth College to major in women and gender studies . He became co-chair of the student LGBT group Gender Sexuality XYZ and was an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights.

Earlier this year he went to Edinburgh as a part of Dartmouth’s foreign study program to take a religious studies course.

For the rest of this tragic story jump here...