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Lez Wrap It Up: Gay Prostitutes, Trans Toilets, Death of Species

With so much news and entertainment for the LGBT community each week it can be hard to keep up!

This weekly wrap up post features some of the top LGBT news stories that we saw around the internet this week as we were covering other features…

Police arrest protester for throwing green custard at gay government minister

Pink News UK 03/08/09 – Police have arrested the protester who threw green custard at the openly gay Business Secretary Peter Mandelson. Leila Deen, from the group Plane Stupid, which is campaigning against expansion of Heathrow airport, threw the coffee cup of green custard over him, covering his face and jacket.

MassEquality’s Solomon to lead Equality California’s marriage effort

Bay Windows 03/09/09 – After successfully leading the effort to preserve marriage equality in Massachusetts and overseeing his organization’s transition from a single-issue political campaign into a broad-based LGBT political organization, MassEquality executive director Marc Solomon is leaving to head up Equality California’s (EQCA) effort to restore marriage equality in that state.

Korean Man Nabbed for Pimping Gay Prostitutes in Japan

Gay News Blog 03/09/09 – Police have uncovered a prostitution ring that sent dozens of Korean gays and transgenders to engage in the male sex trade in Japan.

Colombian Gay Activist Murdered

Vivir Latino 03/09/09 – Alvaro Miguel Rivera, who had finished a degree in Agricultural Engineering, worked in a region known for it’s cattle ranches and was already known as a public advocate for sexual minorities and those who were HIV positive.

Bill makes Iowa marriage law gender neutral

Iowa Independent 03/09/09 – A bill was proposed by Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, that would remove the words “husband” and “wife” from Iowa laws and replace them with the word “spouse.” The point of the legislation would be to properly respond should the Iowa Supreme Court rule that the state’s Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. If that is the case, same-sex marriage would be legal in Iowa and the language in laws would have to reflect that.

UK Parents could face criminal charges for opposing gay history month

365Gay 03/09/09 – (London) Parents who removed their children from a London elementary school over lessons marking LGBT history month could face prosecution, officials say. The UK observes gay history month in February each year and schools are encouraged to mark it with special classes as a way to teach tolerance. More than 30 students were pulled out of classes at the George Tomlinson School in East London. The area is made up mainly of immigrant families, many of them Muslim.

Indian city to build trans toilets

Pink News UK 03/09/09 – The Indian city of Chennai is to build new toilets for trans people. Officials from the Chennai Municipal Corporation have identified three areas with the largest trans populations which will benefit from the new facilities. The move is part of a pilot project to recognise the considerable trans community in south and central Chennai.

Lesbian Likely To Be Wooed For CEO Jobs

The Wall Street Journal 03/09/09 – In stepping down from a top post at Procter & Gamble Co., Susan Arnold , a longtime trailblazer at the consumer-products giant, becomes a hot commodity for other major corporations in the market for a CEO.

Obama names lesbian to White House political affairs post

Southern Voice 03/10/09 – President Barack Obama recently appointed a lesbian to serve as a regional director in the White House Office of Political Affairs, according to the National Stonewall Democrats. Campbell Spencer, the new appointee, started her role as director of the office’s Midwest desk a couple weeks ago and will act as a liaison for the region’s Democratic governors and state Democratic parties.

Trans children ‘will be protected under Equality bill’

Pink News UK 03/10/09 – The government in the UK has announced that protection under the forthcoming Equality bill will be extended to trans pupils. “The intention is to harmonise the protection against discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment with that of the protection on the ground of sexual orientation in schools.”

Homosexuals Blamed for Death of Species

Queers United 03/11/09 – Blue Ducks, a threatened species which are native to New Zealand, look set to die out in the UK after Cherry, the last remaining female at a bird sanctuary in West Sussex, failed to mate with two males, named Ben and Jerry, at the same compound. “Neither male duck appeared interested and are now inseparable at the Arundel Wetland Centre, leaving Cherry to her own devices.”

Lesbian scenes to steam up soapie

9News Australia 03/11/09 – Plans for a lesbian affair between two characters on Home and Away have angered some conservative family groups.

W.Va. Supreme Court to consider same-sex adoption

Charleston Daily Mail 03/11/09 – The West Virginia Supreme Court is set to consider whether a foster baby would be better off adopted by a husband and wife or the same-sex couple who have cared for her since birth. Oral arguments in Kathryn Kutil and Cheryl Hess’ appeal are scheduled Wednesday. The lesbian couple are challenging a November ruling by Fayette County Circuit Judge Paul Blake to place the now 15-month-old girl under the care of a heterosexual couple who might adopt her. State law allows a single person or a married couple to adopt.

UK Registrar Sues Over Gay Weddings

Queerty 03/11/09 – “The Christian registrar threatened with the sack when she refused to marry gay couples is taking her case to the Court of Appeal. Lillian Ladele, 48, from Finsbury [UK], has vowed to win what has become a landmark Christian rights case.

Nigeria gay activists speak out

BBC 03/11/09 – Nigerian gay rights activists have told the country’s lawmakers that a new bill to outlaw same sex marriage would lead to widespread human rights abuses.

Moscow Police Spying On Gay Groups

On Top 03/11/09 – Moscow Police Chief Vladimir Pronin is allegedly spying on gay and lesbian groups via various electronic media, reports the Moscow-based website Gay Russia (www.gayrussia.ru). The website has published quotes from a letter it claims was written by Pronin, where he asserts that officials are “monitoring” gay and lesbian groups.

Religious groups urged to ‘ignore’ Baltic Pride event

Pinks News UK 03/11/09 – An official in the city of Rīga, Latvia, has called for religious groups to ‘ignore’ the city’s upcoming gay and lesbian march, saying that scant attention may dissuade organisers from holding future events. This year’s event will be the first Baltic Gay Pride – officially titled Baltic Friendship Days – which joins the LGBT communities of the three Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It is scheduled to run from the 15-17th of May.

Sundance Gets Gay Artistic Director

The Advocate 03/11/09 – One of the film industry’s most reputable film-festival will now be headed by a gay man: John Cooper. The Sundance Film Festival’s new artistic director has been with its parent organization for 20 years, building its global reach with new technologies and fostering diversity in programming. Actor Robert Redford, who founded the Sundance Institute in 1981, said Cooper “brings to the position an infectious enthusiasm as well as a deep understanding of the Sundance brand and culture. Forward thinking, he is a natural choice of succession to lead the Festival into the 21st century.”

Court permits Israeli gay couple to adopt son

Pinks News UK 03/11/09 – A Tel Aviv family court has ruled that a gay couple can adopt the son they took in 14 years ago. Uzi Even and Amit Kama, who married in 1994 in Canada, are the first same-sex male couple in the country whose right of adoption has been legally acknowledged. Their son, Yossi Even-Kama, 30, moved in with them at the age of 16, after his family could not accept he was gay.

Lesbian Couple’s Gay Pride Flag Returned: Slashed, X-ed, Pissed On

Towleroad 03/11/09 – The rainbow flag of Mary Shafer, a Bucks County, Pennsylvania woman and her longtime partner Shelly Sickbert, was stolen a month ago. This week they got it back: “A neighbor discovered it in Shafer’s front yard Sunday, balled up, with a black X drawn from corner to corner, stab marks and the stench of urine.”

Lesbian student sues over prom tuxedo ban

Pink News UK 03/12/09 – A lesbian student in Indiana, US, has sued her school after she was banned from wearing a tuxedo at a prom. The 17-year-old, who has not been named, does not wear dresses because she sees them as expressing a sexual identity she does not embrace, court filings said. According to reports, Lebanon High School has a special dress code for prom that requires female students to wear a formal dress.

Military gay firings continue, along with efforts to repeal ban

365Gay 03/12/09 – The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating the military’s policy that gay service members must keep their sexuality hidden, according to a Virginia congressman. The White House has said President Barack Obama has begun consulting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen on how to lift the ban.

Gay Porn Star Cuadra Found Guilty Of Murder

On Top Magazine 03/12/09 – In less than four short hours, a Luzerne County jury has found gay porn star Harlow Cuadra guilty of the first-degree murder of Bryan Kocis. Investigators allege Harlow Cuadra and his former lover Joseph Kerekes killed gay porn producer Bryan Kocis, 44, in his Dallas Township, Pennsylvania home.

Indian American Lesbian Comes Out in Beauty Pageant

After Ellen 03/14/09 – Kashish Chopra’s parents could not be more proud of her college studies, beauty pageant win, or musical talent. It’s her homosexuality that they don’t understand.