Mark Sanford and Anthony Weiner

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Politics is full of second chances.

Mark Sanford is living proof.

Now Anthony Weiner is hoping to travel the same route in seeking political redemption.

Weiner was in his seventh term in Congress, representing parts of the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn, when he resigned from the House in 2011 amid scandal over lewd photos sent via Twitter.

Weiner talked about his controversy in a video that went up online early Wednesday where he announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City.

“Look, I made some big mistakes, and I know I let a lot of people down. But I’ve also learned some tough lessons. I’m running for mayor because I’ve been fighting for the middle class and those struggling my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance to work for you.”

The video also features his wife, Huma Abedin, a former top adviser to Hillary Clinton, and their young son.

Later in the video, Abedin says “we love this city, and no one will work harder to make it better than Anthony.”

Sound familiar?

Flash back a few months to Mark Sanford, another well-known politician looking for a second chance.

Sanford’s political career was left for dead following an infamous affair, but he made a bid for political redemption, running in a special election to fill a vacant congressional seat.

Sanford succeeded in his comeback by winning this month’s election and is again representing South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, a seat he once held before he became governor.

Sanford talked about his affair in his first campaign commercial.

Most special elections for a vacant House seat don’t grab national attention, but thanks to Sanford (and his Democratic opponent being the sister of Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert), the race was in the headlines.

The media loves a comeback story, if only because it allows them an opportunity to revisit what brought down that politician in the first place.

So Weiner, like Sanford, will be in the spotlight, for better or for worse.

“Voters love a good comeback story. We identify with the underdog and cheer for him as we would for ourselves,” says Republican strategist and CNN contributor Alex Castellanos. “But voters also love justice. We want people to pay for their mistakes. Anthony Weiner hasn’t yet paid for his. He probably will in this election. But who knows?”

“Anthony was of the most talented politicians in either party, and this race is going to be steep climb for any of the candidates. Anthony definitely has a shot,” says a Democratic strategist who’s worked in New York City politics.

“When you have someone as skillful as a messenger as Anthony, that makes a big difference in a race where TV ad spending is limited due to New York City election laws and the fact that it’s the most expensive media market in county,” adds the strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely.

The big question is what the voters think.

As of now, nearly half of New York City voters don’t think Weiner should run for mayor this year, according to a new poll.

According to a Quinnipiac University survey, which was conducted in the week before Weiner’s announcement and released Wednesday, 49% of New York City voters said Weiner should not run for mayor, with 38% saying he should make a bid and 12% unsure.

The 49% figure is up five percentage points from a Quinnipiac poll conducted in mid-April. The survey indicates Democratic voters are divided, with 41% saying Weiner should run and 44% disagreeing.

But Weiner’s entry into the race finds him in the second spot for his party’s nomination, according to the poll, with 15% of registered Democrats saying they would vote for Weiner if the primary were held today.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn remains in the top spot, at 25%. Quinn has long been the Democratic front-runner in the race, and if she’s elected in the November general election, she’ll become Gotham’s first female and first openly gay mayor.

The other Democratic candidates are at 10% or less in the survey, with more than a quarter of voters undecided. The poll also indicates that at this stage in the campaign, the eventual Democratic nominee would be the front-runner in the November election.

NEW YORK (CNN) — Police in New York are stepping up their presence in neighborhoods with large gay and lesbian communities after a string of recent attacks on residents based on their sexual orientation.

“Hate crimes are down this year, almost 30%, but anti-gay hate crimes are up over 70%,” Commissioner Ray Kelly said Tuesday, hours after the latest incident in which a gay couple walking in the city’s SoHo district were assaulted by two men shouting homophobic slurs. One of the victims suffered an eye injury. Two men, Fabian Ortiz and Pedro Jimenez, were arrested and charged with assault in the third degree as a hate crime, Kelly said.

And late Monday, another man was left unconscious after being struck in the face and head several times when he revealed he was gay to another man.

The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Roman Gornell — “became enraged, and yelled anti-gay expletives,” Kelly said. Gornell has been charged with assault and harassment as hate crimes in the incident.

The rash of violence has caught the attention of city leaders, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who addressed the issue at a news conference Tuesday.

“No person — regardless of what they look like or who they love — should ever walk down the street in fear,” Bloomberg said.

In the past two weeks, five crimes against those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have occurred throughout Manhattan’s West Side, according to the New York City Council.

In the most violent incident, 32-year-old Marc Carson was shot and killed in Greenwich Village early Saturday by a gunman who allegedly made multiple anti-gay comments before the shooting. Elliot Morales faces a charge of second-degree murder as a hate crime in the shooting, authorities said.

In response, police are setting up temporary headquarter command vehicles in LGBT neighborhoods at least through the end of June — the city’s Gay Pride month.

“Investigators say there’s no pattern in these types of crimes,” Kelly said Tuesday. “These types of crimes are outrageous. And we are going to do everything in our power to see to it that they certainly don’t occur but if they do occur we’re going to very aggressively investigate them and bring people to justice.”

Carson’s killing inspired a march Monday by city leaders and members of the LGBT community to the spot where Carson was slain.

After the march, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn announced a five-point plan for keeping the city’s LGBT residents safe. In addition to an increased police presence in LGBT neighborhoods, the plan calls for lessons in schools that address hate crimes and bullying.

“It was a cold-blooded hate crime that cut short a life full of promise — and brought back awful memories for people who were once afraid to walk down the street with the person that they loved. New York City has zero tolerance for intolerance,” Bloomberg said of Carson’s killing.

Herndon Graddick

NEW YORK – GLAAD, the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization, today announced the resignation of President Herndon Graddick.

Under Graddick’s tenure, GLAAD began campaigns including a national call for the Boy Scouts of America to end their ban on gay scouts and scout leaders. The organization also announced a continuation of its commitment to incorporate bisexual and transgender people as well as allies from diverse backgrounds in GLAAD’s work to shape the media narrative and build public support for LGBT people.

“GLAAD is very grateful for Herndon’s work championing LGBT rights, especially his work on behalf of the trans community,” said GLAAD Board of Directors Chair Thom Reilly. “On behalf of the entire organization, I want to wish him the best.”

“I’m proud to leave GLAAD with a stronger, more efficient organization and an incredibly talented and experienced board and staff. I’m happy the role I was able to play in advancing the need for our community to fully support the rights of our transgender brothers and sisters. Our movement is benefited by the leadership not only of heroes like Evan Wolfson, Chad Griffin, Mara Keisling, and Kate Kendell, but of the necessary and vital blogger and grassroots communities. I look forward to returning to a private life and supporting the fight from behind the scenes,” said Graddick.

GLAAD’s Chief of Staff Dave Montez is serving as acting president. In addition to continuing to lead GLAAD’s development team, he will oversee GLAAD’s staff on the ground in Dallas next week throughout the Boy Scouts of America’s vote on whether to end their ban on gay scouts and leaders as part of GLAAD’s Boy Scouts campaign. GLAAD staff members are continuing work to share stories in the media of marriage equality in advance of next month’s Supreme Court decision as well as pushing for comprehensive immigration reform, increased trans visibility in the media, LGBT acceptance in professional sports, and building acceptance of LGBT people.

“GLAAD makes a great impact and the board has complete confidence that Dave’s proven leadership in building coalitions across diverse communities, advocating for lasting change, as well as fundraising for social justice causes will continue to forward the work of GLAAD in his role as acting president,” said Reilly.

The GLAAD board of directors is scheduled to meet later this month in New York City to determine next steps.

Franklin Graham

(CNN) — Franklin Graham, one of the country’s most prominent evangelicals, says the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service included two of his ministries.

“I am bringing this to your attention because I believe that someone in the administration was targeting and attempting to intimidate us,” Graham wrote in a letter Tuesday to President Barack Obama. The evangelical leader is the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham.

Graham said the IRS contacted the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, a North Carolina-based ministry, after it ran newspaper ads in that state in April encouraging support for an amendment against same-sex marriage. The group also bought newspaper ads in November encouraging Christians to vote for candidates who oppose same-sex marriage, support Israel and “base their decisions on biblical principles.”

Graham said the ads were purchased by funds donated by “friends of our ministry.”

In September, the IRS informed the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, an international aid group, that it would review the groups’ records for the tax year ending in 2010, according to Graham. IRS agents conducted the review in October, Graham said.

The organizations, both of which are run by Graham, later received notice that they remain eligible for federal tax exemptions, he said.

“I do not believe the IRS audits of our two organizations last year is a coincidence — or justifiable,” Graham said in the letter to Obama.

The IRS did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. The agency has acknowledged that it gave extra scrutiny to tea party groups applying for federal tax exemptions. The Treasury Department’s inspector general said in a report that the IRS’ use of “inappropriate criteria” ended in May 2012.

Obama said Tuesday that he has directed Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to hold IRS employees accountable for “these failures.”

“But regardless of how this conduct was allowed to take place, the bottom line is, it was wrong,” Obama said.

David and Jason are a married bi-national couple fighting the Defense of Marriage Act which denies gay Americans more than 1,100 federal rights. This includes preventing gay Americans from gaining green cards for their foreign born spouses.

Since meeting in the Spring of 2007, Jason has returned to L.A. more than a dozen times for expensive lengthy visits but is now being warned he will no longer be allowed to visit as a tourist. Aside from separating the pair on birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and countless other occasions DOMA has cost the couple upward of $12,000 on flights alone and forced Jason to put his career on hold.

Pat Brady

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady resigned Tuesday, citing a handful of reasons including an ongoing struggle with several members of the state GOP over his support for same-sex marriage.

“There were several reasons,” why he decided to step down, Brady said in a telephone interview with CNN. “I’ve been going at it hard for six years, I need to focus on my family, and obviously I had lost the support of the state Central Committee because of my position on gay marriage.”

Brady was elected chair in August 2009. His wife is battling cancer.

Brady is a close confidante of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Illinois. Kirk announced his support for same-sex marriage last month, while Brady did so earlier this year. Brady’s public support of same-sex marriage angered social conservatives because it went against the state GOP platform on the issue. At the time Brady said it was a personal endorsement and reiterated that in the interview Tuesday with CNN.

The Illinois state legislature is considering legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. In speaking about Kirk and same-sex marriage, Brady said, “I agree with him, we need to get on the right side of history.”

Brady also suggested the party is at a crossroads and needs to decide if it can be a party where “people can disagree on some issues” but agree on many others.

The RNC is currently working on a plan to help broaden the GOP’s appeal beyond its traditional political base such as reaching out to minorities and younger voters — voting blocs it lost to Democrats by wide margins in 2012.

Under pressure from social conservatives, the RNC approved two resolutions last month re-affirming its position of only recognizing that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.

Paul Singer

As the Republican Party continues to find ways out of its electoral grumpy, old white men quagmire, some in the party are bucking the trend by encouraging Republicans to support same-sex marriage. A new PAC formed by some of the party’s wealthier donors called American Unity PAC – including Paul Singer as first among equals – are betting that shifts in the political and demographic landscape are lending new momentum to Republican minority outreach efforts in the hopes that the party can shed its longstanding image as ‘intolerant.’

“What you have is this network of influential Republicans who really want to see the party embrace the freedom to marry, and believe it’s not only the right thing for the country but also good politics,” American Unity Pac spokesman Jeff Cook-McCormac told the Associated Press.

The PAC, and by extension their lobbying arm the American Unity Fund, have already spent more than $250,000 in Minnesota, a state many gay activists consider in play to legalize same-sex marriage.

But while Minnesota has historically remained one of handful of states that elect a moderate brand of Republican to statewide office, the return on American Unity Fund’s investment has been paltry. Currently, only one Republican, Sen. Branden Petersen, of Andover.

“I think there will be some more. There are legislators out there that are struggling with this,” said Carl Kuhl, a former political aide to former GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer.

But if efforts in the land of a thousand lakes have been less than noteworthy, Singer and his cohorts should be absolutely ebullient over their lobbying efforts in Rhode Island where just last week they voted on a same-sex marriage bill – including the votes of all five Republicans in the Senate – which makes the tiny state on track to become the 11th one to legalize same-sex marriage in America.

“We intend to work on this effort until every American citizen is treated equally under the law,” Cook-McCormac said.

Mariela Castro

PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. State Department lifted its travel ban on Mariela Castro and has authorized Ms. Castro to visit Philadelphia to participate in Equality Forum 2013, a national and international LGBT civil rights summit with Cuba as the featured nation.

Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro, accepted being a panelist on the Cuba: Featured Nation Panel and being the recipient of the International Ally for LGBT Equality Award at the International Equality Dinner at Equality Forum 2013.

“Equality Forum is delighted that the State Department has affirmed democratic values by authorizing Mariela Castro to speak at Equality Forum 2013,” stated Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director, Equality Forum. “Equality Forum 2013 is an open forum which will include a discussion of the history, progress and challenges of LGBT Cubans.”

Ms. Castro, Director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), is the leading advocate for LGBT equality in Cuba. Ms. Castro is married and the mother of three children. She serves on international committees involving sexual issues and has published 13 scholarly articles and nine books.

Equality Forum 2013 from May 2 to 5 in Philadelphia has more than 30 programs including panels with national and international leaders.

Equality Forum is a national and international LGBT civil rights organization with an educational focus. Equality Forum coordinates LGBT History Month, produces documentary films, undertakes high-impact initiatives and presents the premier annual national and international LGBT civil rights summit.

In what doctors are hoping will be the second time in recorded medical history that a patient is cured of both leukemia and HIV, specialists at the University of Minnesota’s Amplatz Children’s Hospital are using a highly experimental transplant to rid the young patient of his diseases. A similar procedure, which was tried once before and succeeded on a patient who went to Germany in 2007, involves injecting the boy with blood cells that are genetically resistant to HIV (an occurrence that involves less than one percent of the world’s population) in an effort to rid the immune system of the infectious cells and ward off future recurrences.  The process itself took only ten minutes.

Afterwards, the patient, whose name is being withheld at this time, received well wishes from friends, family, staff and, much to the delight of the basketball-loving boy, Basketball Hall-of-Famer Julius Erving. According to a report on StarTribune.com, the boy shared his dreams of becoming a professional basketball player to which Erving replied, “Let’s take it one day at a time. I’ll be praying for you.” Erving also sent him a personally autographed basketball which the boy held snugly at his side during the transfusion.

The boy’s mother released a statement Tuesday saying, “This is the beginning of a new chance for me to have a healthier kid. I am thankful for the University of Minnesota giving him the chance to live.” The patient, who lives out of state, will remain at the hospital for at least four more weeks as doctors and others monitor him for any signs of infection. Furthermore, he will be unable to return home for another three months, although sources declined to say why.

Timothy Ray Brown, the man who was cured of both his leukemia and HIV (and has remained disease-free since) managed to sneak in a call to the boy to say, “As the first person in the world to be cured of HIV,” Brown, who lives in Las Vegas, told the boy, “I’m hoping that you’ll be the second.”

KENT, Wash. (KCPQ – CNN) — Police arrested a man accused of using an online dating site to help him and choose his robbery victims.

According to the Kent Police Department, a Kent man used a cellphone dating app frequented by members of the GLTB community that allows its subscribers to locate others via a GPS-generated map. The suspect used the app, called Scruff according to the Kent Reporter, to meet men before pointing a hand gun at them and demanding money.

The suspect was arrested following an April 14 robbery that occurred in the 10800 block of Southeast 240th Street. The victim told police he had met the man in his car for a date, when the suspect immediately demanded he pay for sex, the Kent Reporter said. When the man said he had no intention of sex, the suspect allegedly pulled out a handgun, grabbed the man’s iPhone and fled on foot. Police caught the man after he allegedly sold the iPhone at a used phone store.

Since the suspect’s arrest, police have identified at least five victims, and are concerned their are more who are afraid to come forward.

“With this suspect now in custody, we are urging any other victims to contact us and report if they were also victimized,” Kent Assistant Police chief Pat Lowery said.

The suspect is described as a 32-year-old black male that is 5’07? tall and has a medium build.

(CNN) — Rhode Island is moving toward becoming the 10th state in the nation and the last in New England to approve same-sex marriage, with a vote scheduled Wednesday in the full Senate.

“It’s the first item on the calendar” for the legislative body, which was to convene at 4 p.m., Senate Press Secretary Greg Pare said about the bill, called S38. “It will be debated an hour or two, and then the vote.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure Tuesday by a vote of 7 to 4.

Though the House version of the bill passed by a vote of 51 to 19 in January, the Senate amended it, “so it needs to go back to the House, where it has solid support,” Pare said. The House could vote on the amended version as soon as next week, he said.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee, an independent, has indicated support for the measure.

The Senate Republican Caucus on Tuesday expressed unanimous support for the bill.

The Rhode Island Catholic Conference said Tuesday in a statement posted on its website that it appreciated that exemptions for religious organizations had been included in the bill. “Unfortunately, the exemptions fail to protect individuals and small businesses who believe that marriage is a union of one man and one woman,” it said.

Scott Spear, an advisory board member of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Marriage, said he would have preferred the fate of the bill be decided in a public referendum rather than by the Senate.

“We believe the record of marriage as has existed throughout the history of civilization stands for an empirical truth, and that truth is a marriage is a union between one man and one woman,” he said in a telephone interview.

Iowa, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Washington and the District of Columbia have all approved same-sex marriage. Their combined populations, based on U.S. Census estimates for 2012, represent 15.8 percent of the U.S. population.

The addition of Rhode Island’s 1,050,292 residents would nudge that up to 16.1 percent.

Kelvin Atkinson

In a historic turn, Nevada became the first legislative body in the United States to vote to repeal a ban on same-sex marriage Monday night. The Nevada senate voted 12-9 to overturn a constitutional ban that was enacted in 2002 that permitted only opposite-sex couples to enter into marriage. The new language would permit Nevada to recognize all marriages “regardless of gender.”

During the one-hour debate, Democratic Senator Kelvin Atkinson , who previously represented the fourth House District which includes a wide swath of southern Nevada including Clark County, remarked, ““I’m black. I’m gay… I know this is the first time many of you have heard me say that I am a black, gay male. If this hurts your marriage, then your marriage was in trouble in the first place.” Atkinson went on to say that he is the byproduct of an interracial marriage that faced the same hurdles and rejection during its time.

Atkinson joins a growing club of out gay members of the Nevada senate including Sens. David Parks and Pat Spearman.

The bill, which surprised many, still has a long way to go. In Nevada, in order for a constitutional amendment to be overturned, it must be successfully vote on during two continuous legislative sessions before being put to a public vote the following year. This means the earliest gay couples could legally wed wouldn’t be before 2015.

Gary Costa

PALM SPRINGS – The LGBT Community Center of the Desert (The Center) has announced that it has named Gary Costa as their new executive director. Costa has served as The Center’s interim executive director since November, 2012.

A nationwide search for the position was conducted by McCormack & Associates, a national executive search provider specializing in diversity recruiting. Included in the search committee was The Center’s board chair, Randy Lowe: “Gary has worked at The Center as an executive assistant and has done an outstanding job on the operations of the organization.  I look forward to working with him as our new executive director. Gary fully understands our long term vision at The Center and is totally dedicated to the organization’s success.”

Costa has a wealth of experience in working with not-for-profit and LGBT organizations, including program director at The Center OC and as executive director of Being Alive, Los Angeles. “I am honored to have been selected to be the next executive director of the LGBT Community Center of the Desert.  This is an exciting time for our community, on both the local and national level; with same-sex marriage, and the overturning of DOMA both within reach,” states Costa.

Prior to coming to The LGBT Community Center of the Desert he was the resource coordinator for the Coachella Valley Autism Society. Additional credits include a 10-year stint as associate director at Dartmouth College, where he worked on their $1.5 billion capital campaign and coordinated major gifts and pledges for the entire Western Region. Through the years, Costa has served on more than a dozen non-profit boards, county and state commissions. “I envision a stronger vibrant community center that will continue to be welcoming to the senior population while offering additional programs and events on our path to be more inclusive of women, transgendered individuals, youth and gay men of all ages.  We have an incredible cadre of volunteers, a talented staff and an active, growing membership base. I anticipate that my transition into this new role will be seamless.”

New Zealand became the 13th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage today after their parliament  approved an amendment to their 1955 marriage laws 77-44. The country is the first in the Asia-Pacific region to allow gays and lesbians to marry.

Same-sex marriage supporters, Members of Parliament (MPs) and observers in parliament broke into applause and cheers, and then  started singing, “Pokarekare Ana,” a very popular Maori love song.

The new law will take effect this August.

NEW YORK— OutTraveler.com, the brand dedicated to travelers journeying in style, has announced the launch of its redesigned Web site. The updated, user-friendly Web site gives readers quick and easy access to the best news, advice, and tips for the LGBT traveler. The new OutTraveler.com features daily editorial and photos from the world’s hottest LGBT-friendly cities, as well as planning tools for the savvy traveler to utilize when preparing for an adventure. Visit the newOutTraveler.com now at www.outtraveler.com.

• Destination Finder – All the stories and travel tips from the most popular destinations as determined by OutTraveler.com readers, with new destinations added on a weekly basis.

• Vacation Packages – Tips on how to get the best deals and most of out of the city, including London, Los Angeles, Miami,New York, Paris, and more.

OutTraveler.com

VIETNAM — In what some are arguably calling the latest (and most controversial) salvo in the same-sex marriage debate, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien will deliver a speech today in Hanoi that calls for the immediate repeal on the ban on same-sex marriage. “[A]s human beings, homosexuals have the same rights as everyone else to live, eat, love and be loved. As citizens, they have the right to work, study, receive health care, register births and deaths, marry and discharge their duties to the state and the society.”

Vietnam, which codified its ban on same-sex marriages in 2000 with the Marriage and Family Law, recently scrapped the fines and penalties it assessed on people of the same gender who marry. And while this culturally conservative country in Southeast Asia still has overwhelming opposition to same-sex marriage – a recent poll by the Institute for Studies of Society, Economic and Environment (iSEE) revealed that 58 percent of Vietnamese oppose the idea of same-sex marriage – society seems to be changing at a breakneck pace.

Vietnam held its first public Gay Pride parade Aug. 5, 2012 in Hanoi and the country’s first publicized gay wedding went viral online in 2010. Furthermore the TV show, My Best Gay Friends, has been phenomenally successful on YouTube where the first episode has already garnered more than one million views.

Whether or not Vietnam is ready to take its place in history as the first Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage remains to be seen. But with the recognition that, as sexual minorities, the LGBT community suffers extreme discrimination and, more than in many societies, hides their sexuality deeply in a closet not always of their own making, Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien’s call to end the ban without further delay, study or review offers hope that a revolution may soon be at hand.

Analousia Valencia

(CNN) — At 7, Analouisa Valencia was crowned Palmetto Princess in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She relished it — and like a lot of little girls, she dreamed of becoming Miss America one day.

In a few months, Valencia, now 19, will take the stage for the Miss South Carolina contest, hoping for victory and a chance to compete for the coveted national title.

But she’s no ordinary contestant. She will mark a first in her conservative home state.

Valencia’s father is from Mexico; her mother, an African-American. Valencia came out as a lesbian when she was in the ninth grade and took her girlfriend Tamyra Bell to her high school prom.

She was already shredding stereotypes of beauty pageants because she’s biracial. But a lesbian beauty pageant contestant from South Carolina?

“I just really wanted to be an advocate for equality for everyone this year,” she says on the phone before heading off to classes at Spartanburg Community College. She eventually wants to earn a business degree at the University of South Carolina.

Her participation in the Miss South Carolina contest is in part a human rights campaign: she is promoting rights for people with special needs (she coaches Special Olympics gymnasts), for racial minorities, for gay people.

She has already thought about her answers if the judges question her on this score. She will be perfectly open and honest about who she is, about their opinions.

“I want to show the judges who I really am,” she says. “I want to show them how passionate I am about my platform, how passionate I am for being an advocate for equality.”

South Carolina ranks low nationally on LGBT rights. It bans same-sex marriage, does not afford employment, housing or hate-crime protections for LGBT people and has unconstitutional sodomy laws still on the books.

For Valencia to make a run for Miss South Carolina is “courageous,” says Ryan Wilson, the executive director of the South Carolina Equality Coalition, a statewide LGBT civil rights group.

“I think it takes a lot of courage for any young person to live openly and authentically. We are extremely proud of Analouisa,” Wilson says.

He says beauty pageant contestants can be stereotyped, but they can often afford young women a chance to show leadership.

“She can be a role model for LGBT youth,” Wilson says.

There hasn’t been negative feedback, Valencia says. So far.

But she’s prepared to cope with ugliness if it surfaces. For the time being, she’s enjoying her title of Miss Lyman, her hometown just a few miles from Spartanburg.

She’s been taking voice lessons every Friday. At the Miss South Carolina pageant in July, she will sing Leona Lewis’ “Footprints in the Sand.” She’s confident she will make an impression.

Olympia, WA (KCPQ-CNN) — State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a consumer protection lawsuit Tuesday against Arlene’s Flowers and Gifts of Richland, Wash., for refusing to provide wedding flowers for a same-sex marriage ceremony.

The Attorney General’s Office said that on March 1, Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers, refused to provide wedding flowers to longtime customer Robert Ingersoll based on her opposition to same-sex marriage.

Ferguson sent a letter to Stutzman on March 28 requesting she reconsider her position and sign an agreement indicating her intention to comply with Washington laws. Stutzman’s attorneys responded Monday and said that Stutzman would challenge any state action to enforce the law.

“As attorney general, it is my job to enforce the laws of the state of Washington,” Ferguson said in a news release. “Under the Consumer Protection Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against customers on the basis of sexual orientation. If a business provides a product or service to opposite-sex couples for their weddings, then it must provide same-sex couples the same product or service.”

In a complaint filed in Benton County Superior Court Tuesday, the Attorney General’s Office seeks a permanent injunction requiring Arlene’s Flowers to comply with the state’s consumer protection laws. The state also seeks $2,000 in fines for every violation of the law.

Olympia Snowe

(CNN) — Olympia Snowe, who after serving three terms in the U.S. Senate did not seek re-election last year, said in an interview Friday that as public opinion has shifted on same-sex marriage, so have her views.

“I think obviously this has evolved over time on the whole issue for the whole country and the nations,” Snowe, a moderate Republican, told CNN. “We’ve seen a sea change in society’s whole attitude on this particular issue and it’s only natural for government to be responsive to those changes.”

Snowe said she supported Maine’s provision permitting marriage between same-sex couples in November, a position she hasn’t previously stated. That measure passed, making Maine one of nine U.S. states that allow same-sex marriage.

On Friday Snowe said she no longer supports the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal law barring marriage between gays and lesbians that she voted for in 1996. The law is currently being contested at the U.S. Supreme Court.

“It’s up to the court now to make that decision, and depending on their decision I think ultimately other decisions will have to be made,” Snowe said.

“The time has come,” she continued. “I think what we’re seeing is, I think, changing societal conventions, that ultimately you see the transformation of society’s gradual thinking and evolving on issues. I think we’re seeing those sea changes on this particular question.”

During her time in the Senate, Snowe was a consistently moderate voice within the Republican Party. She has said the GOP is overly focused on social issues – like same-sex marriage and abortion – rather than on fiscal matters.

Senate of France Amphitheater

PARIS (CNN) — The French Senate will debate a controversial bill Thursday that would extend the right to marry and adopt to same-sex couples.

The lower house has already approved the legislation, in the face of protests from those opposed to the measure.

If it passes the Senate, it would mark the biggest step forward for French gay rights advocates in more than a decade.

But the plan faces stiff opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, other religious groups and social conservatives, with huge numbers turning out for protest marches in Paris in recent weeks.

At the same time, the legislation has won wide backing from gay rights advocates.

International question

France is not the only nation currently wrestling with the polarizing issue.

Uruguayan senators voted overwhelmingly in favor of a same-sex marriage measure Tuesday, despite vocal opposition from the Catholic Church. Next week, lawmakers in the lower house are expected to vote on the Senate’s version.

Legislators in the United Kingdom are also weighing proposals to legalize same-sex marriage.

In the United States, the issue went before the Supreme Court last week, and justices are now deliberating over the matter.

Nine states and the District of Columbia issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, including three states — Maryland, Washington, and Maine — where voters approved it in ballot initiatives last year. The other 41 states have specific laws blocking gays and lesbians from legally marrying.

The first same-sex couples walked down the aisle in the Netherlands in 2001. Since then, almost a dozen countries have passed laws allowing same-sex marriages and domestic partnerships, including Canada, South Africa, Belgium and Spain.

In Argentina, the push to legalize same-sex marriage met with fierce opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, with Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio — then the archbishop of Buenos Aires and now the pope — engaging in a notorious war of words with the government over the issue. It was approved in 2010.

The issue also has divided Australia, where lawmakers voted against a bill to legalize same-sex marriage last September. A poll for the advocacy group Australian Marriage Equality indicated that 64% of those surveyed “support marriage equality.”

‘It’s love that matters’

Extending the right to marry and adopt to same-sex couples in France was one of President Francois Hollande’s electoral pledges in campaigning last year.

The left, which includes Hollande’s governing Socialist Party, dominates the National Assembly, where the bill passed by a large majority in February. The party has only a slim majority in the Senate.

The Senate debate is expected to continue into next week.

The issue has sparked strong reactions among ordinary voters, as well as their legislators.

Some 300,000 people turned out for a protest march staged less than two weeks ago, police in Paris told CNN affiliate BFM-TV.

Engineer Driss Houat, 69, told CNN Thursday he opposes the measure. “I am completely against it because God created man and woman so that they could be married. Not for anything else. It’s absurd for me to see this bill pass,” he said.

But Myriam Duru, 37, a manager at a Tommy Hilfiger store, disagrees.

“I am Muslim, so I believe in God. I think it’s not a problem for me to accept. I don’t understand people who think that God exists and can say ‘I’m against the happiness of people,’” she said.

Alexis Nys, a 58-year-old salesman, said he supports same-sex marriage “because at the end it’s love that matters. Not old things and old fashions. I think we need to live like we should live today.”

A law legalizing civil unions was introduced in 1999 in France under a previous Socialist government.

Known in France as the PACS (pacte civil de solidarite), the civil union agreement can be entered into by same-sex or straight couples and confers many but not all of the rights of marriage.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — With his hand locked firmly in the grasp of his boyfriend’s, Earvin Johnson III, son of basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, was spotted by TMZ.com on Sunset Boulevard yesterday dressed in a none-too-subtle black fur coat, red hand bag and black stockings. The 20-year-old was approached by a reporter and asked if the L.A. Dodgers (his father is part owner) were going to make it this season. “I hope so. I’m going to hope and pray on it.” When the reporter pressed him on whether or not he knew of any insider trades that might be coming up, EJ, as he is called by his family, retorted, “Sir, I wish I could help you but I have no insider trades.”

The short interview quickly turned to more serious matters when the reporter, commenting on the recent multi-million dollar revamp of the Dodgers stadium, remarked, “I’ve got to be honest. The one thing I’m looking forward to is some new bathrooms up in there.” EJ stopped, turned to the reporter and commented, “I’m sure the bathrooms will be fabulous.”

Remarkably, there were no discussions of EJ’s couture or his personal life. (Nor are we are of any published reports of the name of the handsome young man he was with.)

For his part, Magic Johnson said in a published statement that “Cookie and I love EJ and support him in every way. We’re very proud of him.”

Magic Johnson is himself no stranger to controversy. In 1991 he went public with his admission that he had contracted the HIV virus and urged people not discriminate against those with HIV or AIDS. He also hoped to change the public debate on the disease which, in the minds of many Americans, was still largely associated with gay men and drug users.

J&D's Bacon Condoms

SEATTLE — From the files of the strange and unusual comes news that a company has manufactured the first bacon condom. J & D’s Foods, a maker of all things bacon, has announced that one of America’s favorite breakfast foods – bacon- will be the basis for the next product to roll off their production line. Their current list of products includes bacon salt, bacon croutons, bacon gravy, baconnaise (a bacon mayo blend) and, naturally, a bacon-flavored lip balm.

“Truly the new standard of animal protein themed prophylactics Bacon Condoms are proudly Made in America of the highest quality latex and rigorously tested to help ensure the utmost reliability and safety for when you’re makin’ Bacon,” states the company’s press release. The condom will of course be flavored with baconlube.

The Seattle-based company, whose motto is ‘everything should taste like bacon,’ started as a dream by the bacon-loving company’s founders – Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow – whose mutual love of the food (and $5000 in prize money Dave’s 3-year-old son won on America’s Favorite Home Videos)helped launch their pork-based vision.

And while there is an element of downright strangeness to the company’s roster of products – bacon-scented sunscreen anyone? – that very quirkiness may appeal to a generation of younger people who have seen a rise in HIV rates over the last several years. Almost 1-in-4 people between the ages of 18 and 29, reports LiveScience.com, use the word ‘hassle’ when asked to describe having to use a condom every time they engage in sexual intercourse.

Moreover, recent report s by the CDC indicate that almost 1000 young people aged 13-to-24 are contracting the HIV virus despite more than 30 years of familiarity with the disease.

In a note of mordant irony, the founders have also created the first bacon coffin which sells for just under$3,000.

Kwame Harris, former offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders thought that revealing his homosexuality during his professional playing days would not have been “compatible” with his NFL career.

“I love football. Football provided me with some experiences and some opportunities that I wouldn’t trade for anything else,” Harris told Coy Wire in an exclusive interview with CNN that aired on Friday. “But at the same time, the cost was great in asking me to not speak candidly or be able to be open about myself in this complete manner.”

Harris’ sexuality remained private until two months ago when he appeared in San Mateo County Superior Court regarding allegations he assaulted an ex-boyfriend.

Harris told Wire, “I want people – whether they’re gay athletes or athletes who are still in the closet or youth who aren’t quite sure of what their sexuality is – to realize that not only is that not unique but those feelings are common feelings. Don’t feel incredibly alone in having these questions.”

Watch the video above.

WASHINGTON – Over the past twenty four hours, many of America’s most recognized brand names and Hollywood’s biggest stars have joined millions of people around the world in sharing a modified red version of the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) logo in support of marriage equality.  HRC, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, launched a social media campaign Monday afternoon in conjunction with two marriage cases before the Supreme Court this week, in an effort to raise awareness and help showcase the broad and diverse support for marriage equality.

“Support for marriage equality is growing every day, but this one simple image gave countless millions a straightforward way to show their support for this civil rights cause—many for the very first time,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.

Dozens of celebrities have shared HRC’s red logo or messages via social media, including Beyonce,Leonardo DiCaprio, Fergie, Russell Simmons, Kristen Bell, Alicia Keys, Patrick Stewart, Carson Daly,Kathy Griffin, George Takei, the Ellen Degeneres Show, Jake Johnson, Jaime King, Mandy Moore,Whitney Cummings, Abby Wambach, Jason Mraz, Tegan & Sara, Sophia Bush, Lance Bass and Alyssa Milano, as well as the official Facebook page for HBO’s True Blood.

Some of America’s biggest brands, including Orbitz, Fab.com, and Kenneth Cole have also taken note of the logo’s viral popularity, launching personalized versions of their own.  Bud Light created a modified version of HRC’s logo, using two beer cans for the equal sign.  Popular clothing retailer Bonobos used khaki pants, and Kimpton Hotels used two pillows.  Martha Stewart Living posted a slice of red cake with icing as the equal sign to Facebook.

As part of HRC’s robust social media efforts around the two cases before the Supreme Court, the red logo launched on the HRC Facebook page at 1:00pm ET Monday.  Originally designed in 1995, HRC’s standard blue and yellow equality logo is one of the most visible and recognized symbols of the LGBT equality movement.

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts

(CNN) — Jean Podrasky, a lesbian whose cousin happens to be Chief Justice John Roberts, will attend this week’s Supreme Court oral arguments on two cases dealing with same-sex marriage, CNN confirmed Monday.

In an op-ed emailed to members of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Podrasky expressed optimism that her first cousin, a conservative, will rule in favor of her–and countless others’–desire to marry.

“I know that my cousin is a good man,” she wrote. “I feel confident that John is wise enough to see that society is becoming more accepting of the humanity of same-sex couples and the simple truth that we deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality under the law.”

Podrasky, who lives in San Francisco, wants to marry her partner of four years, Grace Fasano. The high court will hear challenges to Proposition 8, the voter-approved same-sex marriage ban in California, and to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 congressional law that says for federal purposes, marriage is defined as only between one man and one woman.

Podrasky actively campaigned against Proposition 8 during its tumultuous ride through California courts.

Podrasky is an accountant and the first cousin of Roberts on his mother’s side. She told the Los Angeles Times last week that she hopes Roberts will get to meet her partner during her trip to Washington.

“I believe he sees where the tide is going,” she said. “I do trust him. I absolutely trust that he will go in a good direction.”

While Podrasky said she only sees Roberts on family occasions, she was invited to attend his Senate confirmation hearing in 2005, when he was nominated to the Supreme Court by then-President George W. Bush.

She was able to get her spot for this week’s hearings by emailing Roberts’ sister, then going through his secretary to get seats for her partner, her sister and her niece, according to the Times. The chief justice is aware that Podrasky will be in attendance.

“I believe he understands that ruling in favor of equality will not be out of step with where the majority of Americans now sit,” she wrote Monday in the NCLR op-ed. “I am hoping that the other justices (at least most of them) will share this view, because I am certain that I am not the only relative that will be directly affected by their rulings.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL/CNN) — Investigators are looking into a possible hate crime that happened around 10:30 Sunday night on the corner of 20th and D streets in Midtown.

Two men, armed with a baseball bat, first yelled derogatory anti-gay slurs at a man in his 40s and then struck him in the knees with the bat.

Neighbors tell FOX40 they didn’t hear anything, but are outraged at the attack.

“The guys who beat this guy was a coward. Anytime you get two people against one person with a baseball bat, they’re cowards. They wake up in the morning, they look in the mirror and go, ‘Oh, damn. It’s still me,’” said neighbor Steven Ybarra.

Physically, the victim will recover from the attack, but because of the words before the beating, this crime has moved from simple assault to a felony hate crime in the eyes of Sacramento detectives.

“Hate crimes like that, I wish I had been there. I would have been more than happy to help the gentleman,” said a neighbor.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — On the day that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced for the first time her support for same-sex marriage, a new national survey indicates a small majority of Americans backs such marriages, but that there are major generational and partisan divides, as well as a gender gap.

According to a CNN/ORC International poll, 53% of the public says that marriages between gay or lesbian couples should be legally recognized as valid, with 44% not supporting same-sex marriage.

“There are big differences among younger and older Americans, with the youngest age group twice as likely than senior citizens to support same-sex marriage,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “Women are also more likely to call for legal recognition of gay marriage than men. And only three in ten Americans who attend religious services every week support same-sex marriage while six in ten Americans who don’t attend church weekly feel that way.”

The survey also points to the expected partisan divide on the topic same-sex marriages, with support from seven in ten Democrats and 55% of independent voters but just a quarter of Republicans.

Support for same-sex marriages topped 50% in the spring of 2011, and the number has remained consistently in the low to mid 50′s ever since in CNN polling.

Clinton, the former first lady, 2008 Democratic presidential candidate and senator from New York, Monday announced that supports marriage rights for same-sex couples, saying that “gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.”

“America is at its best when we champion the freedom and dignity of every human being,” Clinton said in a video produced by the Human Rights Campaign, which is the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group and lobbying organization in the country.

Clinton had previously backed civil unions and partner benefits for same-sex couples, but had stopped short of a full endorsement for marriage. That was the position of most 2008 Democratic primary candidates, including then Sen. Barack Obama.

The poll was conducted March 15-17 for CNN by ORC International, with 1,021 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — For Amanda Ihnat, a millennial and a conservative, Sen. Rob Portman’s change of heart on supporting same-sex marriage was a much-needed — albeit tardy turnaround.

For fellow conservative Peter Konetchy, a baby boomer, the Ohio Republican’s switch signals a decided lack of principles.

The two divergent views illustrate the kind of challenges facing the Republican Party as it undergoes a major makeover after losing the 2012 presidential election.

The party is trying to figure out how to embrace and capitalize on the youthful energy of young members like Ihnat while not alienating long-standing members like Konetchy.

Last year, a poll by the Pew Research Center found the percentage of Republicans between 18 and 29 who opposed same-sex marriage dropped to 30% from 48% in 2004. Among those 50 to 64, the percentage also dropped, but less dramatically — 78% to 68%.

“Slowly, we are seeing a movement among some that identify as conservative that same-sex marriage is going to become a reality down the road,” said Craig Rimmerman, professor of public policy and political science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and author of “From Identity to Politics: The Lesbian and Gay Movements in the United States.”

“They are realizing that there are other issues that are much more important to them worth fighting,” he said. “Younger people who consider themselves conservatives just don’t care. And these younger conservatives are more concerned with the state of the economy and whether they are going to have a job when they come out of school.”

The generational split was especially stark at the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside of Washington on Friday.

Some younger conservatives like Ihnat warmly greeted the news that after Portman’s 21-year-old son, Will, told his parents that he was gay, Portman came to the conclusion that same-sex marriage “is something that we should allow people to do.”

Ihnat said that as a college student, she has a “liberal stance” on the issue.

“I think it is great for someone to come out and say they are in support of gay marriage. … The party kind of needs to be more welcoming and involved, so I think it is a good step.”

However, many older Republicans didn’t share Ihnat’s sentiments.

“I think it means that he has no principles, to be honest with you,” said Konetchy, 58. “He can support his son and love his son, but you have (to decide) something is either right or wrong.”

Nationally, polls have shown growing support for same-sex marriage.

A recent survey from Quinnipiac University found that 47% of those polled support same-sex marriage while 43% oppose it. The poll also indicates a wide partisan divide on the issue with Democrats supporting same-sex marriage at 65%, Independents 50% and Republicans 23%.

Same-sex couples can now legally marry in nine states and the District of Columbia.

“We’ve grown up with gay men and women being out of the closet. We have gay friends. It’s not as shocking as it is for boomers,” Amy Holmes, a CNN political contributor and conservative commentator said recently. “Older conservatives recognize that a lot of younger conservatives are more socially liberal.”

An upcoming, internal report by the Republican National Committee is expected to point to the wide popularity gap between Democrats and Republicans with women, minorities and young voters—three critical voting blocs that helped President Barack Obama win re-election.

The report comes as the U.S. Supreme Court considers two politically charged same-sex marriage cases. One involves the federal the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman and was supported by Portman. The other appeal involves a California law banning gay marriage.

But when it comes to same-sex marriage, the Republican Party will still face opposition from many members.

“These latest, sudden changes in opinion are classic examples of caving in to political pressure,” Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, said in a statement.

Portman called fellow Ohioan and House Speaker John Boehner to inform him of his revised position according to a Boehner spokesman.

“Senator Portman is a great friend and ally and the speaker respects his position, but the speaker continues to think that marriage is between a man and woman,” said Michael Steel, Boehner’s spokesman.

Hours after Portman announced that he had reversed his position on same-sex marriage, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he would not second-guess him. But he’s not entirely embracing Portman’s change of heart, either.

Portman told CNN’s Dana Bash that he wanted all of his children to experience the “joy and stability of marriage” that he and his wife have had for 26 years. This includes “our son, who is gay.”

Will Portman tweeted Friday that he is “especially proud of my dad today.”

Gingrich acknowledged on CNN’s “Starting Point” that when an immediate family member reveals that he or she is gay, there are typically three responses.

“You can say, ‘I believe my principles so much, I’m kicking you out.’ You can say, ‘I still believe in my principles, but I love you.’ Or you can say, ‘Gee, I love you so much, I am changing my principles,’” Gingrich said. “Rob picked the third path. That’s his prerogative.”

The former presidential candidate stands by his own belief that a marriage is between a man and a woman, and argued the traditional definition will stay in place “no matter what politicians” do.

“I don’t think they have the power to change what is a religiously inspired definition,” Gingrich said.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a social conservative who ran for president in 2012, said Portman’s about-face was personal and doesn’t reflect the party’s broader direction on social values.

“I’m not too sure the rationale behind what Senator Portman’s doing is something that has broad application to the base,” Santorum told CNN. “The fundamental principles that attach to the institution of marriage really haven’t changed as a result of that personal story. We need to look at what’s right, what’s right for the American public and more importantly, what’s right for children. So we need to try and fight for those things.”

Rimmerman said it will be up to younger conservatives who support same-sex marriage to help change views within the GOP.

“It’s going to take younger conservative voters to send a message to their party elders that that message is unacceptable,” he said.

Some on the right, however, applauded Portman’s decision.

Gregory T. Angelo, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, said in a statement “if there was any doubt that the conservative logjam on the issue of civil marriage for committed gay and lesbian couples has broken, Senator Portman’s support for the freedom to marry has erased it.”

“(His) evolution on this issue highlights how personal it is for Americans — whether they’re the junior senator from Ohio or your next-door neighbor, all Americans have a gay friend, colleague or family member, and understand them to be as deserving as their straight counterparts of the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that are the promise of the United States,” Angelo continued.

(CNN) — Republican Sen. Rob Portman’s flip-flop approval for same-sex marriage, is just the latest change of heart on the issue by conservatives.

Even Democrats like President Obama — have turned around after opposing it. This change in attitude is just one of many milestones for the movement.

Here are five of the most important turning points in the same-sex marriage debate:

1993: In a landmark case, Hawaii’s Supreme Court ruled that the state can’t deny same-sex couples the right to marry unless it finds “a compelling reason” to do so. It orders the issue back to the state legislature, which then voted to ban gay marriage. This was one of earliest debates on the issue at the state level, and was a precursor to the legal battles nationwide. Today, domestic partnerships and civil unions for same-sex couples are legal in Hawaii.

1996: President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, — which defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman. The law denies federal benefits to same-sex couples in the nine states where gay marriage is legal. Clinton said he signed it because it would have tamped down calls for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Only 81 out of 535 members of Congress opposed DOMA. Fast-forward seven years to March 2013, when Clinton urged the Supreme Court to overturn DOMA. He explained: “As the president who signed the act into law, I have come to believe that DOMA is contrary to those principles and, in fact, incompatible with our Constitution.”

2004: President Bush championed a constitutional amendment that would outlaw gay marriage. It was needed, he said, to stop “activist judges” from redefining marriage. The idea found support among Senate conservatives, but its supporters couldn’t gather enough votes. By the way, all this unfolded during a contentious presidential campaign. Democratic White House hopefuls Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards opposed the amendment, but they also were against creating a specific law making same-sex marriage legal.

2012: For the first time, voters approved same-sex marriage statewide at the ballot box. Similar measures had been rejected for years. Same-sex couples became free to marry in Maryland, Maine and Washington. Gay rights supporters also scored a smaller victory in Montana, where voters rejected a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Interestingly, support for same-sex marriage came from a mixed coalition of voters. Before 2012, six states had already legalized gay marriage — but via courts and legislatures — not voters.

2013: For the first time, the Obama administration joined the legal battle against California’s 2008 same-sex marriage ban. The Justice Department made it official in February when it filed a brief to the Supreme Court. The Obama administration urged the high court to invalidate the ban. Obama said that if he sat on the Supreme Court, he would vote to strike down Proposition 8. The court document expressed the president’s evolution on the issue. In a short time he evolved from a backer of civil unions to a supporter of equality in marriage. Dozens of high-profile Republicans also argued in favor of same-sex marriage, in a court brief.

WASHINGTON – John Hall, 27, an Aryan Brotherhood member and inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Seagoville, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor after pleading guilty to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act stemming from his assault of a fellow inmate, whom he believed to be gay, the Department of Justice announced.  Hall assaulted his fellow inmate with a dangerous weapon, causing bodily injury to the victim Dec. 20, 2011.  Hall was sentenced to serve 71 months in prison to be served consecutively with the sentence he is currently serving.

The assault occurred Dec. 20, 2011, inside the FCI Seagoville when Hall targeted and attacked the victim, a fellow inmate, because he believed the victim was gay or involved in a sexual relationship with another male inmate.  Hall repeatedly punched, kicked and stomped on the victim’s face with his shod feet, a dangerous weapon, while yelling a homophobic slur.  The victim lost consciousness during the assault and suffered multiple lacerations to his face.  The victim also sustained a fractured eye socket, lost a tooth, fractured other teeth and was treated at a hospital for the injuries he sustained during Hall’s unprovoked attack.  Hall pleaded guilty to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act Nov. 8, 2012.

“Brutality and violence based on sexual orientation has no place in a civilized society,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to using all the tools in our law enforcement arsenal, including the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to prosecute acts motivated by hate.”

“This prosecution sends a clear message that this office, in partnership with attorneys in the department’s Civil Rights Division, will prioritize and aggressively prosecute hate crimes and others civil rights violations in North Texas,” said U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

This case was investigated by the FBI Dallas Division.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Errin Martin and Trial Attorney Adriana Vieco of the Civil Rights Division.

ROSEVILLE, Calif. (KTXL-CNN) — Love is love — that’s the message hundreds had for the Westfield Galleria at Roseville Saturday.

“It’s okay to be who you are!” one protestor said.

Exactly one week after Jose Guzman and Daniel Chesmore say they were asked to leave the Roseville Galleria for showing too much gay PDA, supporters stood outside the Galleria next to Starbucks, doing just that. The only difference is this time, the Galleria welcomed them.

“We are happy they are here. We want everyone to enjoy themselves here and feel comfortable,” says Stephanie Ringey, the Galleria spokesperson.

The peaceful protest formed early this week after FOX40 first broke this story. Supporters connected on Facebook, and more than 1,000 people RSVP’ed.

“We are here to support our fellow Americans,” one supporter said. “Everyone deserves to love who they want to love,” another told FOX40.

“Westfield has made efforts to correct the action,” said event organizer Beverly Kearney. “But, I hope that every person who has heard this story will stand up and fight for equality.”

After releasing four revised statements this week, the Galleria management office met with several LGBT community leaders.

“Our goal is to work with them,” Ringey told FOX40. “Right now, we’re reviewing everything, making sure our training is what it needs to be, adding to it if we need to.”

The mall would not say anything about whether the security guard, recorded by the gay couple, has received any disciplinary actions.

Alicia Keys wants to change the way people think about HIV.

Keys has taken up the issue of women and HIV in America, from who it affects to what a life with HIV can look like to how everyone can  make a difference.

LOS ANGELES – Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and protecting LGBT media, has announced its lineup for the 2013 Outfest Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival. Celebrating its 10^th anniversary, Fusion is the only multicultural LGBT film festival of its kind.

The festival will include world premieres and L.A. premieres of short films and feature films and a gala party that highlights and celebrates the diversity of the LGBT community. Fusion 2013 will be held March 22 – 23 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and REDCAT downtown, and is presented by HBO and NBC Universal.

Writer/director/producer Angela Robinson (True Blood, The L Word, Hung, D.E.B.S) will receive the 2013 Fusion Achievement Award.

“In the past decade Outfest Fusion has grown from a festival that showcases the best in LGBT films highlighting people of color, to a full-fledged program that works to nurture emerging artists through projects like OutSet, InFusion and Fusion Lab,” says Kirsten Schaffer, executive director of Outfest. “We are proud of all of the artists who have participated in Fusion, and we are thrilled to be honoring Angela Robinson whose film and television work have inspired so many.”

The award will be presented to Robinson prior to the Fusion Gala Shorts program Saturday, March 23.

Following its hugely successful introduction last year, Fusion will also unveil the world premiere of the latest work of OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Project from LifeWorks and Outfest, created to empower and educate LGBT youth to tell their stories through film. Last year’s OutSet graduate Janella Lacson not only won an audience award for her short, The First Date, at 2012 Outfest Los Angeles LBGT Film Festival, but also received two scholarships and entry into NYU film school.

In addition to the world and L.A. premieres, Fusion 2013 will also screen highlights from last year’s Outfest Film Festival, including Mosquita Y Mari, My Brother the Devil, White Frog, Audre Lorde – The Berlin Years and Homeboy.

2013 LINE-UP

Friday, March 22

7:00 pm – REDCAT Theatre

Homeboy

Dir. Dino Dinco, 2011, 56 min

HOMEBOY takes an unprecedented look at the lives of gay Latino men in the Los Angeles area who are former gang members. Through candid one-on-one interviews, the men vividly describe the realization and acceptance of their sexual orientation and desire, and their experience in a culture defined by masculinity, heterosexuality and violence.

PLUS SHORT:

Dawn

Dir. Leon Le, 2012, 10 min

In the dark of a New York City night, preconceived notions steal more than just peace of mind.

7:00 pm – Egyptian Theatre (smaller theater)

Fusion 10^th Anniversary Shorts

The Fusion Film Festival was founded to celebrate and support filmmaking devoted to bringing stories of queer people of color to the screen. In the decade since Fusion’s inaugural festival, we have had the honor of presenting the very best and most beloved films of queer people of color. This retrospective program is a sweet and poignant look back at the first decade of Fusion. See the stories that made us laugh, turned us on, brought us to tears and reminded us of our own struggles and triumphs.

Pura Lengua

Dir. Aurora Guerrero, 2004, 11 min

The blossoming of a young Xicana poet following a heart-breaking traumatic experience.

Fighter

Dir. Sharon Barnes, 2007, 11 min

Fighter AJ, an oil wrestler, is on a mission to rescue her girl from the clutches of a gay reformatory.

The Bath

Dir. Lee Mi-rang, 2007, 20 min

Two sisters share a poignant moment of realization, and work to overcome the space between them at a public bath house.

The Queen

Dir. Christina Choe, 2009, 8 min

Bobby, a Korean-American teenage outcast, is working at his parents’ dry cleaners on prom weekend. When the prom queen and her boyfriend stop by with their dress and tuxedo, Bobby has his own prom to remember.

The Kissing Bandito

Dir. Augie Robles, 1995, 2 min

A young boy relays his busy day at school.

El Abuelo

Dir. Dino Dinco, 2008, 3 min

An intimate portrait of local educator and poet Joe Jimenez, shot on location in San Antonio, Texas.

The Young And Evil

Dir. Julian Breece, 2008, 15 min

A highly intelligent but troubled gay black teen sets out to seduce an HIV-positive prevention advocate into giving him the virus.

Affirmations

Dir. Marlon Riggs, 1990, 10 min

Marlon Riggs’ poetic 1990 documentary captures the hopes, fears and desires that ignite an era past.

7:30pm – Egyptian Theatre

Fame

Dir. Alan Parker, 1980, 134 min

This sexy, gritty musical about ambitious teenagers looking to launch their show business careers at the legendary New York High School for the Performing Arts became a global phenomenon, winning two Academy Awards (for both its score and unforgettable title song) and spawning a TV series, stage musical and remake. A multi-cultural cast of talented actors, singers and dancers — including Irene Cara, Gene Anthony Ray, Barry Miller and Debbie Allen — create some of the most vibrant musical sequences ever captured on film. (And keep an eye peeled for a young Isaac Mizrahi, who was a student at the real-life high school during production.) Remember!

9:00pm – Egyptian Theatre

Strange Frame: Love & Sax

Dir. G.B. Hajim, 2013, 98 min

Calling all queer cyberpunk freaks, sci-fi lovers and fans of Octavia Butler: this you do not want to miss! Set on Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons, this gorgeous animated story follows Naia, a feisty singer-songwriter who falls for saxophonist Parker. A queer Afro-Futuristic time-warping race against impossible odds featuring an other-worldly original score along with sexy, mystical creatures brought to life with the voice talents of Claudia Black, Tara Strong, Cree Summer, Tim Curry, and the iconic George Takei.

9:00pm – REDCAT Theatre

My Brother The Devil

Dir. Sally El Hosaini, 2012, 101 min

This moving story about two British Arab brothers in London follows Mo, a lonely, sensitive boy who idolizes his older brother, Rashid, a charismatic, well-respected member of a local gang. Aching to be seen as a tough guy himself, Mo takes a job that unlocks a fateful turn of events and forces the brothers to confront their inner demons. Rich in beauty, humanity and authenticity, MY BROTHER THE DEVIL is an urban tale that burns with vision and passion.Winner of the World Cinema Cinematography Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and Grand Jury Award for Outstanding International Dramatic Feature Film at Outfest 2012.

PLUS SHORT:

Divorcio 2005/2012

Dir. Jacinto Astiazarán, 2012, 7 min

A reprisal of an episode of a feisty Spanish-language divorce court with a secret queer transcript at play.

10:00pm – Egyptian Theatre

The DL Chronicles Return, Chadwick Journals & Hot Guys With Guns

Dir. Deondray Gossett and Quincy LeNear; Dir. Doug Spearman

This eventful slate of eye candy features new episodes, webisodes, and a sneak peek of delicious manhood. The latest installment of Deondray Gossett and Quincy LeNear’s sultry drama “DL Chronicles,” filled with hot-bodied brothas working the down-low circuit, does not disappoint, and the gorgeousness continues with Gossett and LeNear’s new web series, “The Chadwick Journals,” which explores the DL life through a dangerously sensuous encounter between a writer and his subject. As a special bonus, we’ll top off the program with a preview of selected scenes from Doug Spearman’s (“Noah’s Arc“) upcoming sexy comedy Hot Guys With Guns.

Saturday, March 23

12:30pm – Egyptian Theatre

White Frog

Dir. Quentin Lee, 2012, 93 min

After the death of his popular brother Chaz (Harry Shum, Jr., “Glee”), Nick (Booboo Stewart, Twilight) struggles to carry on. Nick’s parents (B.D. Wong and Joan Chen) have their own problems coping with the loss, but Chaz’s best friend Randy takes Nick under his wing. As Chaz’s family comes to understand his secret life, they will be forced to reconcile the boy they thought they knew with the man he really was.

1:00pm – Egyptian Theatre

OutSet Shorts

Outfest is thrilled to present the second class of OutSet, the Young Filmmakers Project from LifeWorks and Outfest, created to empower and educate LGBT youth to tell their stories through film. Fifteen LGBTQ youth aged 16-24 years old participated in a filmmaking lab over the span of three months, taught by industry professionals and mentored by Outfest Alumni Filmmakers. Don’t miss the inspiring screening of five short films written, directed, produced and edited by a new generation of storytellers. Stick around for a great reception to celebrate this accomplishment after the screening.

3:00pm – Egyptian Theatre

Mosquita y Mari

Dir. Aurora Guerrero, 2012, 85 min

Studious, sweet-natured 15-year-old Yolanda feels the pressure to succeed under the eyes of her hard-working, immigrant parents. When she meets her new neighbor, the feisty and alluring, BMX-riding Mari, Yolanda’s humdrum high school routine gets a jolt. The two girls don’t have much in common on the surface but they become fast friends and their deep bond develops into a tension that neither one expected nor quite knows how to handle. MOSQUITA Y MARI, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, marks an impressive feature film debut from writer-director Aurora Guerrero, whose shorts have screened at both Outfest and Fusion. The atmospheric beauty and authenticity of Guerrero’s vision is deeply rooted in the cityscapes and community of Huntington Park, while skilled lead performances by Fenessa Pineda and Venecia Troncoso embody the awkwardness and cautious desire of two teenage girls experiencing love and desire for the first time. Winner of the Audience Award for Outstanding First U.S. Dramatic Feature Film and Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film at Outfest 2012.

3:15pm – Egyptian Theatre

Audre Lorde – The Berlin Years

Dir. Dagmar Shultz, 2012, 81 min

Famed lesbian African-American poet Audre Lorde empowered women to create allies within German society and abroad. She also became an important voice of support for South African women during their struggles against apartheid. Twenty years after her passing, never-before-seen archives reveal the private life and passions of the award-winning, influential woman who ignited a worldwide movement. Exploring her brilliant writings and her inspiration to feminist lesbians around the world, Lorde’s profound legacy is honored in this engrossing film.

PLUS SHORTS:

Bottom

Dir. Chinoonye Chu Kwu, 2013, 7 min

A sweet moment between girlfriends takes an intense turn.

Brown

Dir. Kortney Ryan Ziegler, 2012, 2 min

A meditation on the power and beauty of tears.

5:00pm – Egyptian Theatre

Talking With The Taxman About Poetry

Dir. Lamont Pierre, 2012, 90 min

When an unconventional elementary school teacher (Kareem Ferguson) loses his job he meets a charming trumpet player (Steph Jones) who coaxes him out of his shell. Through jazz and the written word these men open up to each other but not without risking their pride. Their encounter awakens the artistic and sexual impulses of a frustrated author who dances that fine line between madness and brilliance.

PLUS SHORT:

Solipsist

Dir. Andrew Huang, 2012, 10 min

An experimental fantasy filled with elaborate costumes, stunning visual effects, and underwater puppets about otherworldly beings whose minds and bodies converge into one entity designed to transport viewers through a hypnotic, dream-like experience.

5:30pm – Egyptian Theatre (smaller theater)

Tribute To Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee was a groundbreaking and transgressive filmmaker whose work touched many lives.  His films Trappings of Transhood and Alley of the Tranny Boys were just part of his varied résumé — he was co-founder of Tranny Fest (which evolved into the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival) and also the first FTM grand marshall of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade. Devoting his energy to art and activism alike, he is remembered by his many friends and peers as a unifying force in the trans community, and his films resonate as boldly honest and fearless documentation of trans identity and sexuality. His tragic death by suicide at the age of 48 took him from us all too soon, but his work as a filmmaker and as a political force will continue to have an impact in the decades to come.

8pm – Egyptian Theatre

Gala Shorts

Chance meetings in the wilderness, love lost despite best intentions, and epic fails that forge stronger and deeper bonds make this year’s Gala Shorts program spectacular. Filmmakers from L.A. to Vietnam bring us stories that will quicken our heartbeats, make us dab away the tears, inspire hearty laughter, and let us revel in a little romance.

Heart’s Mouth

Dir. Erica Cho, 2013, 3 min

This chance encounter amidst lush greenery is a dance of queer-transgender desire.

Forgiving Heart

Dir. Adelina Anthony, 2013, 13 min

This throwback to the mid-’80s stays true to the music and fashion of the era and movingly captures the social pressures of high school that defy time and place.

Rookie and the Runner

Dir. Augie Robles, 2012, 10 min

A yearning for afternoon delight in a public park puts a wily young jogger’s stamina to the test.

Uncle and Son

Dir. Dinh Anh Nguyen, 2012, 15 min

This Vietnamese fable brought to life shows how a young boy’s naïveté threatens the precious bond that he and his uncle share.

Kimchi Fried Dumplings

Dir. Jason Karman, 2012, 15 min

The tension between brothers reaches a boiling point when they all come together to celebrate Christmas with their aging parents.

The First Date

Dir. Janella Lacson, 2012, 7 min

When commiserating in the bathroom goes wrong…this playful film sweetly captures the awkwardness and excitement of new love. Winner of theAudience Award for Outstanding Dramatic Short Film .

Maybe Next Season

Dir. Lex Kennedy, 2012, 7 min
Andrew arranges a fancy dinner under the stars to introduce his family to his boyfriend Dante. If the quaint setting doesn’t soften them up, maybe something else will.

Rad Queers

Dir. Graham Kolbeins, 2013, 9 min

A playful yet inspiring documentary about a group of Latino go-go dancers who bring a clown aesthetic to the leather scene.

The Fusion Party

Join us in celebrating our 10th Anniversary of Outfest Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival! We’ll gather together under the open sky in the courtyard of the historic Egyptian Theatre for dancing, mingling, and toasting our collective loveliness. For your pleasure we’ll offer cocktails and treats and some custom grooves to slide up next to that sexy someone.

Fusion Achievement Award Winner – Angela Robinson

Outfest is honored to present its annual Fusion Achievement Award to writer, director and producer Angela Robinson. In a relatively short period of time, Robinson has already distinguished herself as a prolific filmmaker comfortable in a variety of both genres and media, as she moves back and forth between film, television and the web. Her short film D.E.B.S. drew sufficient acclaim to provide Robinson the opportunity to make her feature debut with an expanded version of the action-comedy about schoolgirl super-spies and the villainesses who love them. Premiering at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival,D.E.B.S. opened many doors to Robinson, on the big screen (with Herbie: Fully Loaded, she became the first out lesbian to direct a Disney family comedy), the small screen (she has multiple episodes of hits like The L Word, True Blood and Hung, among others, to her credit) and the web, where she created the outrageous “Girltrash!” series that led to the upcoming feature Girltrash: All Night Long!, which Robinson wrote and produced). Outfest salutes Angela Robinson for an accomplished career that remains very much still in progress.

In a move that has become all too familiar to producers of gay content and gay-themed apps, Apple has rejected outright the inclusion of Lust Unearthed, a collection of over 200 erotic images from the library of Hollywood costume and set designer Ambrose Dubek. The book, which was assembled by Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema’s Thomas Waugh and published by Arsenal Pulp Fiction, was released during Canada’s ‘Freedom To Read’ week, an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom.

“It appears they have a very odd policy…about visuals that they are more or less completely opposed to visual nudity or sexuality of any sort in their eBooks, which is a very bizarre kind of model for a bookstore, if you consider what’s been published in the last thousands of years,” observed Arsenal Pulp Fiction’s  associate publisher Robert Ballantyne.

For their part, Apple stated, in their rejection of the erotic images, that, “Books must not contain prohibited explicit or objectionable content, which includes but is not limited to…Textual encouragement to commit a crime (e.g. books supporting, encouraging or defending rape, pedophilia, incest, or bestiality or books detailing how to commit a sexual crime) or Excessively objectionable or crude content.

But Barry McDermott, the creator of the ‘Li’l Flamer’ app, a soundboard that features a smiling, pink flame-shaped creature who says lighthearted phrases in what McDermott describes as an “extremely gay” voice, takes exception to what he sees as Apple’s random and subjective enforcement of its own rules. The app, which was rejected by Apple because it was deemed to have “defamatory or offensive content that would be considered objectionable by many audiences,” and the logic behind its demise rattles McDermott. “I believe their actions were more than likely homophobic because their reasons were tenuous and vague at best,” he says. “Sure, it could be considered ‘offensive,’ but that definition could be applied to anything.”

Anything including Apples initial decision to include a “gay cure” app for “strugglers.” The app, which was initially launched in the Spring of 2011 by Exodus International, received over 80,000 email protest signatures and was eventually pulled. This happened, ironically, after another app, ‘Confessions: A Roman Catholic  App,’ received howls of protest from gay rights groups not two months earlier who were indignant that one of the questions on the app asked, “Have I been guilty of homosexual activity?”

Further, in 2010, Apple came under fire after it rejected Tom Bouden’s all-male graphic novel adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest from the store for its mild sexual content.

“It’s part of the living archive of gay history and of homophobia, that this particular book came out of an archive by a guy…who collected gay erotica in an era when this stuff was illegal, illegal for reasons that you could be jailed for drawings of gay men having sex, any kind of expression of visual erotica, of gay culture, and they were passed on to secret bookstores. So it’s kind of a history of how we got here as a subculture, explained Ballantyne whose appeal for Lust Unearthed was rejected in what is being seen by many as Apple’s downright rejection of all things gay.

Lust Unearthed can be purchased directly from the publisher at ArsenalPulpPress.com.

(CNN) — Science has come a long way since HIV was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here are some of the most memorable moments in AIDS history.

1981

June 5, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report publishes the first mention of what later is determined to be HIV. The report mentions five cases of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in young men. The piece prompts reporting from New York, San Francisco and other cities of similar cases.

Six men in New York set up a hot line, receiving 100 calls the first night. The hot line becomes the world’s first HIV/AIDS service organization, the Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

1982

Health workers first begin to use the term “acquired immunodeficiency syndrome,” or AIDS, to describe the sudden cases of sarcoma or pneumonia infection in previously healthy people.

1984

Scientists identify the virus that causes AIDS, first named after the T-cells affected by the strain. Its name is later changed to HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus.

1985

The Food and Drug Administration approves the first licensed test for HIV.

Actor Rock Hudson shocks the nation when he appears on TV with Doris Day as a “gaunt, ravaged” version of his former leading-man self. Soon after, the actor announces that he is dying of AIDS. As People magazine said at the time, his fans “could not accept the idea of a clean-cut, virile star being felled by such an insidious disease.” Hudson dies on October 2.

Hudson’s good friend Elizabeth Taylor helps launch the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).

1986

Three brothers, Ricky, Robert and Randy Ray, are barred from a public school in Florida because of HIV infection. The Ray brothers are believed to have contracted the virus from tainted blood treatments for their hemophilia. After they win the ensuing court battle, the family’s home is burned down in 1987. The events lead to a nationwide push for education about AIDS transmission. President-elect Bill Clinton tells Ricky before his death in 1992 that he will fund the fight against AIDS.

1987

Activist Cleve Jones makes the first panel for the AIDS Memorial Quilt. By 2011, the quilt contains more than 40,000 panels.

The FDA approves AZT, the first antiretroviral drug for treating AIDS.

Activist Larry Kramer creates ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. ACT UP becomes the leader of many nonviolent protests through the 1990s.

1988

The Ad Council partners with amfAR and the National AIDS Network to launch a national AIDS education campaign. It’s the first ad campaign in the U.S. to use the word “condom.” One of the campaign’s taglines: “Using it won’t kill you. Not using it might.”

1990

Congress passes the Ryan White Care Act shortly after the death of Ryan White, a heterosexual teen in Indiana who contracted HIV through hemophilia treatments. White was expelled from school in the mid-1980s because of prejudice, but his maturity and grace taught the country a lesson about those living with HIV.

Life magazine publishes a photo of AIDS victim David Kirby as he takes one of his last breaths. The photo by grad student Therese Frare haunts the nation and becomes a symbol of the epidemic in America.

1991

Singer Paul Jabara starts the Red Ribbon Foundation, which begins distributing ribbons as a symbol of tolerance for those living with HIV/AIDS.

In June, the Visual AIDS Artists Caucus distributes red ribbons at the Tony Awards. Co-host Jeremy Irons becomes one of the first celebrities to wear one, creating a media stir.

In November, three-time NBA MVP Magic Johnson announces that he has HIV and will retire from the Lakers.

1993

The movie “Philadelphia” is released starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. In the drama, a man with AIDS is fired by a conservative law firm because of his condition, so he hires a homophobic lawyer to sue. The film makes more than $77 million at the domestic box office and is nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two.

1994

The rock opera “Rent” opens off-Broadway in New York. The show is an adaption of Puccini’s “La Boheme” but replaces the original’s tragic illness with HIV. It earns rave reviews, heads to Broadway and goes on to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama.

Elizabeth Glaser, wife of actor Paul Michael Glaser, loses her battle with AIDS, and her Pediatric AIDS Foundation is renamed. Glaser started the children’s research foundation after she contracted HIV while giving birth. She unknowingly passed the virus on to her daughter through breast milk and her son Jake in utero.

1996

The Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) is established by the United Nations. It combines experts from six agencies to fight the AIDS epidemic.

At the 11th International AIDS Conference in Vancouver, combination antiretroviral treatment is presented for the first time. These drugs are shown to be effective against HIV.

1997

Media outlets report that for the first time since the epidemic began, the AIDS death rate has declined in the U.S. thanks to the success of drug therapies.

1998

The company AIDSvax starts the first human trial of an AIDS vaccine using 5,000 U.S. volunteers.

Doctors in San Francisco start a trial of post-exposure prevention, a method similar to Plan B in that it aims to prevent HIV after possible exposure before the virus takes hold.

1999

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham report a discovery of HIV-1 in a subspecies of chimpanzee. They believe this to be the source of the virus and theorize that human hunters contracted it when exposed to infected blood.

Initial findings from a joint Uganda-U.S. study identify a new drug regimen as an effective and affordable way to reduce mother-to-baby transmission of the virus.

2000

The Clinton administration declares, for the first time, that AIDS is a threat to national security and to global stability.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson publicly takes an HIV test after the CDC reports that African-American and Hispanic infection rates have overtaken those of white gay men.

2001

UNAIDS marks the 20th anniversary of the first report of HIV. Executive Director Peter Piot says, “At the time, I read the report with great interest, but I never imagined I was looking at the first sign of an epidemic, that in just 20 years would have infected 60 million people, killed 22 million and achieved the status of the most devastating epidemic in human history.”

2002

The FDA approves the first rapid HIV test, which produces results in less than 20 minutes. The test uses a finger prick to draw blood.

2003

The FDA approves the first of a new type of anti-HIV drug called Fuzeon (also known as enfuvirtide or T-20). This drug is designed to prevent the entry of HIV into human cells.

The HBO TV miniseries “Angels in America” premieres, starring Al Pacino and Meryl Streep. Adapting a Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, it follows two couples as they struggle to stay together during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. It wins multiple Emmy and SAG awards.

2004

George W. Bush launches PEPFAR, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan to combat AIDS worldwide. “This historic commitment is the largest by any nation to combat a single disease internationally,” according to the PEPFAR website.

2005

For the first time, the FDA approves a generic AIDS drug made by a foreign country, allowing PEPFAR to provide cheaper medications overseas. The patent on AZT also reaches an end, allowing more generic versions of the drug.

2006

Singer Bono launches Product Red. Profits from the line of consumer goods are designated to fight the AIDS epidemic worldwide. “I feel a bit of a fraud, a bit of a loser because we are not winning in the war against AIDS,” Bono says.

Bill Gates announces that he will step down as the head of Microsoft in order to donate his time to the Gates Foundation, the largest private source of funding in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Atripla, the first effective one-a-day pill to treat HIV, is approved in the U.S.

2009

President Obama removes a travel ban preventing HIV-positive people from entering the U.S. This leads to the announcement that the International AIDS Conference will be held in the U.S. for the first time in more than 20 years.

Washington’s health department reports that D.C. has a higher rate of HIV and AIDS prevalence than West Africa, at 3%.

2010

The trial of a microbicide gel, CAPRISA 004, shows that it reduces the risk of a woman becoming infected with HIV during sex by almost 40%.

A third phase of a PrEP trial reveals that drugs used to treat HIV may also be effective in preventing infection. Subjects taking a once-daily antiretroviral pill were 44% less likely to be HIV-positive after male-to-male sex.

2011

The National Institutes of Health publishes the results of a study that says taking antiretroviral drugs at the onset of HIV leads to a dramatic reduction in HIV transmission to an uninfected heterosexual partner.

“These results represent another significant step forward in HIV prevention and reinforce the importance of people everywhere knowing their HIV status and being linked to services for HIV prevention, care and treatment,” CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden says.

2012

The 19th International AIDS Conference takes place in Washington, bringing together more than 25,000 doctors, scientists, AIDS activists, politicians, philanthropists, drug company representatives, people living with HIV and heads of state from around the world. One of the main themes is the launch of “Towards an HIV Cure.”

UNAIDS announces that new HIV infections have dropped more than 50% in 25 low- and middle-income countries, and the number of people getting antiretroviral treatment has increased 63% in the past two years. More than 34 million people are still living with HIV, according to global estimates.

2013

Researchers announce they have “functionally cured” a Mississippi toddler of HIV. They believe that early intervention — in this case within 30 hours of birth — with three antiviral drugs was key to the outcome.

The front of Seth Groody's T-shirt - via ACLU

WOLCOTT, Conn. (CTNow/CNN) — A high school student who was threatened with suspension or expulsion for wearing an anti-gay T-shirt last year will be allowed, in the future, to wear shirts expressing his views on homosexuality.

School officials said Tuesday that they recognized 17-year-old Seth Groody’s right to free speech, in response to a draft of a federal complaint prepared on his behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union.

“The Wolcott Public Schools has always and will continue to allow students their rights of free expression, so long as all students exercise their rights without creating a substantial disruption to the educational environment for all students,” Superintendent Joseph Macary said in a statement.

The Groody family declined to comment on the decision.

According to the ACLU, Groody wore the shirt in opposition to a “Day of Silence” at the school last April — a national event designed to bring attention to bullying and harassment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in schools.

The front of the shirt, which Groody designed himself, depicted a rainbow with a slash through it. The back showed a stick figure of a male and a female holding hands and the words, “Excessive Speech Day.”

Groody was confronted by school officials and told that he would be suspended or expelled if he refused to change his shirt, the ACLU said. He complied.

The ACLU contacted the school in June 2012, saying that Groody’s rights under both the U.S. Constitution and the state Constitution were violated by the school’s action. By not allowing Groody to wear his T-shirt, the school was causing “ongoing irreparable harm,” the complaint alleged.

The complaint never went to court. Earlier this month, the ACLU received a letter from attorney Christine Chinni, representing Wolcott Public Schools, assuring that in the future Groody would be allowed to wear that shirt or others expressing his views on homosexuality.

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a national organization behind the “Day of Silence” program, said that Groody’s T-shirt expression on a day when students throughout the country participated in the event to raise awareness about anti-gay bullying was ironic.

“We recognize the student has the First Amendment to express his views, but we hope he can agree with the basic premise that all of his peers deserve to feel safe and treated with respect regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Andy Marra, GLSEN’s public relations manager.

Although the ACLU strongly disagrees with Groody’s views, the organization was pleased with the school’s decision, said Sandra Staub, the group’s legal director.

“Public school students need to know that the First Amendment is not merely a theoretical discussion topic but a real and vital guarantee of freedom in America that entitles them to express their views,” she said.

Phoenix, AZ (KPHO) (CBS5) (CNN) – Security at a Phoenix gay bar now carry stun guns after an angry man tried to beat down the door with an ax.

Last Saturday night the staff at Oz Bar told CBS 5 News they had a run in with Lawrence Aguirre.

“He wasn’t wearing a tin suit, but he definitely brought the ax to the party,” said security manager Erik Sanchez.

Sanchez said the 40-year-old got kicked out of the gay bar after getting into a fight with his girlfriend. A couple hours later he came back. Bouncers saw him and escorted him out a second time. Witnesses said that’s when he went to his car and grabbed an ax from the backseat.

“We closed the door real quick and he hit the door twice. About 10 seconds later we opened the door to see if he left. He stormed in with an ax,” said Joey Garcia.

That’s when a go-go dancer stepped in to help.

“We have a little catty corner wall and there happened to be a dancer hiding behind the wall. As he walked past the dancer he then jumped on the guys back as he’s swinging the ax,” said Sanchez.

The manager used a pool stick to help take Aguirre down. He was arrested by Phoenix police.

Winner, Actor in a Leading Role, Daniel Day-Lewis with winner of Best Actress in a Leading Role, Jennifer Lawrence, winner Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Anne Hathaway and Best Actor in a supporting role, Actor Christoph Waltz in the press room at Hollywood & Highland Center Feb. 24, in Hollywood

(CNN) — Ben Affleck may not have earned recognition from the Academy in the directing category, but his movie “Argo” walked away on Sunday with the best picture Oscar.

“Life of Pi” was another big winner during the 85th Oscars ceremony as it claimed four awards, including the best director statue for Ang Lee.

Here’s a list of the rest of the night’s winners:

Best picture

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” “Silver Linings Playbook” “Zero Dark Thirty” “Lincoln” “Les Misérables” “Life of Pi” “Amour” “Django Unchained” “Argo” — WINNER

Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln” — WINNER Denzel Washington, “Flight” Hugh Jackman, “Les Misérables” Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook” Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”

Actress

Naomi Watts, “The Impossible” Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty” Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook” — WINNER Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour” Quvenzhané Wallis, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

Supporting actor

Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained” — WINNER Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master” Robert De Niro, “Silver Linings Playbook” Alan Arkin, “Argo” Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”

Supporting actress

Sally Field, “Lincoln” Anne Hathaway, “Les Misérables” — WINNER Jacki Weaver, “Silver Linings Playbook” Helen Hunt, “The Sessions” Amy Adams, “The Master”

Director

David O. Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook” Ang Lee, “Life of Pi” — WINNER Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln” Michael Haneke, “Amour” Benh Zeitlin, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

Animated feature

“Frankenweenie” “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” “Wreck-It Ralph” “Brave” — WINNER “ParaNorman”

Foreign language film

“Amour,” Austria — WINNER “No,” Chile “War Witch,” Canada “A Royal Affair,” Denmark “Kon-Tiki,” Norway

Adapted screenplay

“Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin “Argo,” Chris Terrio — WINNER “Lincoln,” Tony Kushner “Silver Linings Playbook,” David O. Russell “Life of Pi,” David Magee

Original screenplay

“Flight,” John Gatins “Zero Dark Thirty,” Mark Boal “Django Unchained,” Quentin Tarantino — WINNER “Amour,” Michael Haneke “Moonrise Kingdom,” Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola

Original song

“Before My Time” from “Chasing Ice,” music and lyrics by J. Ralph “Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from “Ted,” music by Walter Murphy and lyric by Seth MacFarlane “Pi’s Lullaby” from “Life of Pi,” music by Mychael Danna and lyric by Bombay Jayashri “Skyfall” from “Skyfall,” music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth — WINNER “Suddenly” from “Les Misérables,” music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Original score

Dario Marianelli, “Anna Karenina” Alexandre Desplat, “Argo” Mychael Danna, “Life of Pi” — WINNER John Williams, “Lincoln” Thomas Newman, “Skyfall”

Visual effects

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” “Life of Pi” — WINNER “Marvel’s The Avengers” “Prometheus” “Snow White and the Huntsman”

Makeup and hairstyling

“Hitchcock” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” “Les Misérables” — WINNER

Cinematography

Seamus McGarvey, “Anna Karenina” Robert Richardson, “Django Unchained” Claudio Miranda, “Life of Pi” — WINNER Janusz Kaminski, “Lincoln” Roger Deakins, “Skyfall”

Costume design

Jacqueline Durran, “Anna Karenina” — WINNER Paco Delgado, “Les Misérables” Joanna Johnston, “Lincoln” Eiko Ishioka, “Mirror Mirror” Colleen Atwood, “Snow White and the Huntsman”

Documentary

“5 Broken Cameras” “The Gatekeepers” “How to Survive a Plague” “The Invisible War” “Searching for Sugar Man” — WINNER

Documentary short

“Inocente” — WINNER “Kings Point” “Mondays at Racine” “Open Heart” “Redemption”

Animated short

“Adam and Dog” “Fresh Guacamole” “Head over Heels” “Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare” “Paperman” — WINNER

Live action short

“Asad” “Buzkashi Boys” “Curfew” — WINNER “Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)” “Henry”

Film editing

William Goldenberg, “Argo” — WINNER Tim Squyres, “Life of Pi” Michael Kahn, “Lincoln” Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers, “Silver Linings Playbook” Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg, “Zero Dark Thirty”

Sound mixing

“Argo” “Les Misérables” — WINNER “Life of Pi” “Lincoln” “Skyfall”

Sound editing — TIE

“Argo” “Django Unchained” “Life of Pi” “Skyfall” — WINNER “Zero Dark Thirty” — WINNER

Production design –

“Anna Karenina” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” “Les Misérables” “Life of Pi” “Lincoln” — WINNER

Jon Huntsman

Today, former Utah governor and ambassador to China Jon Huntsman published an op-ed in the American Conservative urging his fellow Republicans to get on board with the majority of Americans who support marriage equality.

Huntsman wrote:

While serving as governor of Utah, I pushed for civil unions and expanded reciprocal benefits for gay citizens. I did so not because of political pressure—indeed, at the time 70 percent of Utahns were opposed—but because as governor my role was to work for everybody, even those who didn’t have access to a powerful lobby. Civil unions, I believed, were a practical step that would bring all citizens more fully into the fabric of a state they already were—and always had been—a part of.

That was four years ago. Today we have an opportunity to do more: conservatives should start to lead again and push their states to join the nine others that allow all their citizens to marry. I’ve been married for 29 years. My marriage has been the greatest joy of my life. There is nothing conservative about denying other Americans the ability to forge that same relationship with the person they love.

All Americans should be treated equally by the law, whether they marry in a church, another religious institution, or a town hall. This does not mean that any religious group would be forced by the state to recognize relationships that run counter to their conscience. Civil equality is compatible with, and indeed promotes, freedom of conscience.

Marriage is not an issue that people rationalize through the abstract lens of the law; rather it is something understood emotionally through one’s own experience with family, neighbors, and friends. The party of Lincoln should stand with our best tradition of equality and support full civil marriage for all Americans.

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin issued the following statement in response to Huntsman’s piece:

“Gov. Jon Huntsman is one of a growing number of Republicans to embrace the idea that marriage should be for all Americans. From former Vice President Dick Cheney to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Huntsman is yet another high profile Republican official to make the case that treating people equally under the law is an American value.”

The op-ed stresses that the party will end up on the wrong side of history unless it takes immediate action to shift its position in the direction of fairness. Huntsman’s argument echoes the results of a new poll released yesterday showing that 77 percent of Americans believe nationwide marriage equality will be a reality in just a few short years, including a majority of registered Republicans.

Tim Tebow Photo: Jack Hannah/CNN

(CNN) — NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has canceled an appearance at a controversial Dallas-area church. The outspoken Christian quarterback was scheduled to speak at First Baptist Church on April 28.

The church is led by Robert Jeffress, who has been widely criticized for views against homosexuality, Islam and Mormonism. Tebow, announcing his decision Thursday on Twitter, said that he was canceling his appearance “due to new information that has been brought to my attention.”

Tebow’s statement appeared over a series of four tweets on the social media site.

“I will continue to use the platform God has blessed me with to bring Faith, Hope and Love to all those needing a brighter day. Thank you for all of your love and support. God Bless!” he wrote to his Twitter followers.

Tebow was scheduled to speak at the 11,000-member Dallas church as part of a monthlong celebration of the megachurch’s completion of a new building campaign, a $130 million dollar project that encompasses five blocks of the downtown.

“Tim called me last night and explained to me that because of some things going on in his personal life and his career he needed to steer clear of controversy right now, but that at some other date he would like to come and speak at our church,” Jeffress told CNN by phone from Dallas. “Tim has to do what Tim thinks is best for him right now.”

The First Baptist Church of Dallas is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. Jeffress, who has been in its pulpit since 2007, is no stranger to controversy.

After introducing Texas Gov. Rick Perry at the Values Voter Summit in Washington in October 2011, Jeffress told reporters he believed Mormonism was a cult, expressing a personal position and one held by his denomination. The move was seen as a particular slight to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a lifelong Mormon.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while acknowledging sharp theological differences with the Southern Baptist Convention, bristles at the term cult and says it is inaccurate.

Jeffress has also drawn fire for his comments about homosexuality, Judiasm and Catholicism.

“This in no way is going to diminish what our church is teaching about salvation being available to all through faith in Jesus Christ,” Jeffress said.

Jeffress pointed out that Tebow is a member of the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, a fellow SBC church.

“They certainly believe what we do, that salvation is through Christ alone, and about homosexuality. Tim confirmed that to me last night, that they believe exactly what we do about homosexuality.”

Tebow and Jeffress differ dramatically in how they present their faith. Tebow in talking about his faith has used much softer language, while Jeffress has no trouble going after less popular and culturally sensitive issues in Christianity.

“I believe that homosexuality is a sin just like adultery is a sin, just like I believe premarital sex is a sin, because it’s a deviation from God’s standard,” Jeffress said.

“God’s plan for sex is that is should be between a man and a woman in a marriage relationship and any deviation from that is wrong.”

While he believes any sex outside a heterosexual marriage is wrong, he adds, “I never single out homosexuality as the only sin or the unpardonable sin. I think homosexuality, just like adultery, can be forgiven if we ask God for forgiveness.”

Jeffress said he thinks there is a genetic disposition toward homosexuality, a stance on sexual orientation taken by many theologically conservative Christians and one scorned as scientifically flawed by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Jeffress said he is sure there are gay members in his church. “We don’t ask all the gay members to stand up, but I’m sure that there are people who are gay in our church simply because of the letters I have received,” he said. “We have people who’ve committed adultery and who lie and who steal, but that doesn’t mean they’re not welcome to come to our church.”

As for comments about Mormons, Jews and Catholics, he is quick to point out that he believes “no one goes to hell in a group.”

“I’m not the one who decides who goes to heaven and hell. God does that. God has already given us the criteria for what it takes to go to heaven when you die. Jesus said in John 14:6, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the father except through me.’ When I quote that verse I like to remind people that Jesus who said that was not a Southern Baptist evangelist but a Jewish rabbi. Yet as a Jewish rabbi he said there is one way to heaven, and that is through faith in me.”

The controversy surrounding Tebow’s appearance won’t dampen the church’s plans, Jeffress said. He said Tebow, while escaping the spotlight now over his beliefs, will continue to face controversy.

“I think Tim is going to discover that no matter how hard you try to hide from controversy, if you stand for the simple truths of the Bible, like faith in Christ, necessary for salvation, and sex (being acceptable only) between a man and a woman in marriage, you can’t avoid controversy. That’s something Tim needs to discover on his own. We in no way want to impugn him. He’s a great man of God who sincerely loves the Lord.”

Sen. Adam Ebbin

RICHMOND, Va. – Senate Bill 701, a measure to protect Virginia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender state employees from workplace discrimination, passed today with a 24-16 vote in the Senate.  Now, the bill moves forward to the House of Delegates.

“We’re going to press forward with this momentum,” said Senator Adam Ebbin, a chief patron of the bill. “No state employee should ever doubt Virginia’s commitment to equal opportunity employment for all. This assures state employees that they will be judged solely on their merits and that discrimination has no place in Virginia.”

The bill, introduced by Senator Donald McEachin and Senator Ebbin extends protections for sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

The bill has received support from 46 co-patrons in both in the House and Senate.  Equality Virginia has recorded over 11,000 messages being sent in the past two months to the General Assembly in support of SB701 from citizens across the Commonwealth.

“SB701 is about fairness and all Virginians deserve equal opportunity, justice and fairness,” McEachin said.  “The people must continue to lead the legislature and remind the House that Virginia is an open state and welcoming to all folks as we move this bill ahead.”

Of Virginia’s top 25 private employers, 80 percent have policies protecting at least sexual orientation and 60 percent also protect gender identity and expression.

“In Virginia, LGBT protections will not pass without bi-partisan support.  We are pleased that four Republican senators joined their Democratic colleagues in passing SB701 to protect LGBT state employees,” Equality Virginia Executive Director James Parrish said.  “In the private sector, workplace protections are shown to decrease legal vulnerability while enhancing the employer’s reputation, increasing job satisfaction and boosting employee morale and productivity.”

Equality Virginia, the statewide LGBT advocacy organization, hosts its annual Day of Action in Richmond on Tuesday, Jan. 29 giving its membership an opportunity to speak with members of the House of Delegates about this legislation.

“Making sure elected official hear LGBT issues are important to all Virginians is the most important thing any citizen can do to open hearts and minds across the state,” Parrish adds. “We’re very fortunate the Senators that voted in support today are listening to their constituents.”

YEAS: A. Donald McEachin, Adam P. Ebbin, Kenneth C. Alexander, George L. Barker, R. Creigh Deeds, John S. Edwards, Barbara A. Favola, Mark R. Herring, Janet D. Howell, Mamie E. Locke, David W. Marsden, Henry L. Marsh III, John C. Miller, Ralph S. Northam, Phillip P. Puckett, Linda T. Puller, Richard L. Saslaw, Charles Colgan, Jill Holtzman Vogel, Chap Petersen, Louise L. Lucas, John Watkins, Thomas Norment, Frank Wagner

NAYS: Frank Ruff, Richard Black, Thomas Garrett, Stephen Martin, Bryce Reeves, Walter Stosch, Richard Stuart, Harry B. Blevins, Charles W. Carrico, Emmett W. Hanger, Jr., Ryan McDougle, Jeffrey McWaters, Stephen D. Newman, Jr., Ralph Smith, William M. Stanley, Mark D. Obenshain

The first set of national prevalence data on intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual violence (SV), and stalking victimization by sexual orientation was released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study found that lesbians and gay men reported IPV and SV over their lifetimes at levels equal to or higher than those of heterosexuals; with sexual orientation based on respondents’ identification at the time of the survey. The survey also found that bisexual women (61.1 percent) report a higher prevalence of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner compared to both lesbian (43.8 percent) and heterosexual women (35 percent). Of the bisexual women who experienced IPV, approximately 90 percent reported having only male perpetrators, while two -thirds of lesbians reported having only female perpetrators of IPV.

The data presented in this report do not indicate whether violence occurs more often in same-sex or opposite sex couples. Rather, the data show the prevalence of lifetime victimization of intimate partner violence, sexual violence and stalking of respondents who self-identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual at the time of the survey and describe violence experienced with both same-sex and opposite-sex partners.

“We know that violence affects everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. This report suggests that lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in this country suffer a heavy toll of sexual violence and stalking committed by an intimate partner.” said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden. “While intervening and providing services are important, prevention is equally critical.”

The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) is designed to better describe and understand the level of IPV, SV, and stalking victimization in the United States. Using 2010 data from NISVS, this report is the first to provide national data that examines IPV, SV and stalking by sexual orientation. Further research is needed in order to fully understand the experience of interpersonal violence that impact LGB individuals and their communities. This information is critical to informing prevention programs and policies aimed at reducing these types of victimization.

Other key findings include:

• The majority of women who reported experiencing sexual violence, regardless of their sexual orientation, reported that they were victimized by male perpetrators.
• Nearly half of female bisexual victims (48.2 percent) and more than one-quarter of female heterosexual victims (28.3 percent) experienced their first rape between the ages of 11 and 17 years.

CDC will work to create resources to bring attention to these issues within lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.

(CNN) — It apparently takes more than a few good men, according to the U.S. Marine Corps. It takes all kinds of people to support military families, including same-sex spouses of service members.

San Diego LGBT Weekly published a story this week about a woman married to a female lieutenant colonel at North Carolina’s Fort Bragg who believes she was rejected from an officers’ spouse club because she’s gay. Less than a day later, Maj. Gen. Vaughn Ary advised Marine Corps legal staff that such clubs conducting business on its bases must admit same-same spouses. If they do not, the clubs will be barred from meeting on any Marine Corps installation.

Ary wrote that clubs cannot discriminate against any member because of “race, color, creed, sex, age, disability, or national origin. We would interpret a spouse’s club’s decision to exclude a same-sex spouse as sexual discrimination because the exclusion was based upon the spouse’s sex.”

Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Eric Flanagan, who provided a portion of the memo to CNN, said, “We expect that all who are interested in supporting Marine Corps Family Readiness would be welcome to participate and will be treated with dignity and respect.”

Flanagan said the Marines Corps was clarifying its policy for its members and would not have control over activities concerning Fort Bragg, which is an Army installation.

Fort Bragg Garrison Commander Col. Jeffrey Sanborn told CNN earlier this week that he could do nothing about Ashley Broadway’s rejection by the Association of Bragg Officers’ club because the group was private. On Thursday, Bragg spokesman Ben Abel told CNN that Sanborn has not received any guidance from Army lawyers that would change what the garrison commander said previously.

Broadway told CNN she was happy about the statement the Marines gave, but said more could be done. She said that the spouse club at Bragg has not reached out to her.

“I hope that the Pentagon and Secretary of Defense will take some action on this,” she said. “They can step in and change some policies too so this wouldn’t be a problem for any service member, no matter their branch.”

The Defense Department has said that it must follow federal law set forth in the Defense of Marriage Act, a law passed in 1996 that denies many benefits to same-sex spouses. The military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was repealed in 2011, allowing members who are gay and lesbian to be open about their sexuality without facing legal rebuke.

This week, Broadway was named one of several nominees to be Military Spouse of the Year 2013. Tens of thousands of military personnel will vote on the nominees.