Summer is just around the corner! Are you ready for Memorial Day? I still need to buy food, decorations, a swimsuit,… a BBQ… Yep. Summer sort of snuck up on me. How about you?
Speaking of something that is sneaking up on us… Pride is just over a week away! Don’t forget Dine Out for Pride… click here for a coupon… a portion of your bill will be donated to Rainbow Pride.
Also, click here to find out how you can be part of the Parade and here to help us out with a MUCH NEEDED donation.
And now… on to a few note worthy news bits you might have missed…
In order to combat the research that suggests that gay, lesbian and transgender patients were more likely than others to avoid medical care because they feared encountering unsympathetic or even hostile health care workers, New York’s Health and Hospitals Corporation, which runs public hospitals, with the help of an advocacy group, the National LGBT Cancer Network has decided that it needs to reduce the likelihood that such awkward, inconsiderate, questions, and has put together a training program for the staff.
In Maine, a gay couple won Prom King and Prom Queen
Scotland’s largest Protestant church will now allow gay and lesbian clergy.
An action alert by the HRC sent so many emails to the Minnesota Senate that their servers crashed. The gay marriage amendment is set to be voted on by the Minnesota public in 2012.
A lot of fuss and attention has been paid to the recent Gallup poll that showed “the majority of Americans support same sex marriage.” Just a word of caution… the sample size was small and the questions were about the validity of same sex marriages. Many activists warn to not over-celebrate as of yet. This fight is FAR from over. Still, it is an optimistic trend.
I know a lot of our faithful readers are aware of the situation in Tennessee. But besides the flurry of attention the media has been giving to the “Say No to Gay” campaign, something else has happened that we need to be aware of. The legislature quietly passed the equally odious “Special Access to Discriminate” bill, forbids municipalities from enacting any anti-discrimination ordinances that are broader than state anti-discrimination laws. The law doesn’t actually refer to members of the LGBT community, but the state’s current anti-discrimination laws do not include them. Read more here.
On June 1st Illinois becomes the sixth state to allow civil unions.
And lastly in the “not related but how can I resist” category… this news story about a woman arrested while driving and shaving her privates is funny and then a bit sad and then funny again.
There you have it. Have a great, and safe, weekend… and Happy Memorial Day!
