Big Gay News: 506
BigGayNews from Washington, DC:
Supreme Court Declines To Review Same-Sex Marriage Cases
The Washington Post reports that the Supreme Court on Monday decided not to review rulings that cleared the way for same-sex marriage in Virginia, Utah, Oklahoma, Indiana and Wisconsin, a surprising decision that shows the court is comfortable with the expansion of such unions throughout the nation.
Although the decision puts off the decision on whether the constitutionality of same-sex marriage would apply to all states in the union, it does send a clear signal that at least the majority of justices felts that there was no need to overturn lower court decisions that have found state prohibitions to be unconstitutional.
The decision proved surprising to those who closely watch the court’s actions, primarily because many feel that it’s significant that the Supreme Court would not allow such significant change to occur without their input.
James Esseks of the American Civil Liberties Union commented that he was “blown away by this. It is a watershed moment for the entire country.” Esseks also said that today’s action seems to show that it doesn’t matter whether an appeals court now rules that state prohibitions are constitutional, but that if such does happen, this would be a fairly good hint at what the court would do if they did decide to take the case.
BigGayNews from California:
Iconic Gay Photographer John Palatinus Dies
The Desert Sun reports that photographer John Palatinus of Palm Springs, who in the 1950s dared to showcase the male physique as a form of beauty and desire, died on September 22 at age 85.
Palatinus’ earliest works tended to be showcased in “Tomorrow’s Man” and other bodybuilding magazines popular amongst the gay community, and usually depicted models alone and in nonsexual poses to keep with the conservative mindset of the time.
His career took a turn in 1961 when police raided his New York City apartment and studio, investigating accusations of him sending explicit photos through the mail, which was a criminal offense. After being found guilty, Palatinus veered away from physique photography and into more commercial pursuits until there was a resurgence in interest in his works in 2009.
BigGayNews from Minnesota:
High School League Proposal On Transgender Athletes Draw Impassioned Pleas
The Star Tribune reports that with an estimated 10,000 e-mails about a controversial proposal to guide the participation of transgender athletes in high school sports already in hand, officials of the Minnesota State High School League heard the impassioned voices of parents, students and advocates Wednesday.
The crowd of over 150 people overflowed the league’s Brooklyn Center boardroom, with three city police officers on hand to provide security and to ensure civility as the proceedings commenced.
Twenty-eight speakers out of 55 in line were heard during the meeting, with Zeam Porter, a junior in high school who identifies as “trans genderqueer”, being one of them. Porter made an emotional speech detailing the difficulties and heartache of trying to play a sport that she loves but being forced to play on the girls’ team.
BigGayNews from Arizona:
Arizona High School Throws Out Ballots For Lesbian Homecoming Couple
Advocate.com reports that administrators at Willow Canyon High School in Surprise, Arizona, are refusing to consider student ballots cast for a lesbian couple to be homecoming queens, regardless of broad support the young women have received from the student body.
Students at the school such as senior Megan Sanchez say that people are arguing about whether to defer to tradition or to equality, and that disregarding the wishes of the majority of the student body is standing in the way of progress.
A statement released by officials of the Dysart Unified School District, however, states that tradition should be honored, and that “one person is voted in by fellow students to represent female students at Homecoming and one male student is voted in by the students to represent the boys. Who that female and male student is, is up to the student vote.”
BigGayNews from New York:
Gay Marriage Debate Splinters GOP Into Three Camps
The Huffington Post reports that as same-sex marriage cases cascade through the federal courts, Republican politicians find themselves split into three camps.
There’s a small but growing number who favor legalizing gay marriage, a hard-core faction that continues to denounce it, and a sizable group in between that seems to wish the issue would disappear.
At one end of the spectrum, at least eight GOP members of Congress have endorsed same-sex marriage, and two openly gay GOP candidates for the House hope to join them.
BigGayNews from California:
GLAAD Study: Gay Depictions Increase On TV
Philly.com reports that television has increased its depiction of gay, lesbian and bisexual characters, with the edge going to cable and the Internet over broadcast networks, according to a study released Wednesday by the advocacy group GLAAD.
The study found that, in the 2014-2015 season, there will be a total of 32 characters out of 813 regular characters on primetime network series, which translates as 3.9% of regularly seen characters and an increase over the 3.3% from last year. Fox has the most GLBT characters among networks.
In regards to cable shows, the study found that there are 64 regular GLBT characters, in increase over the 42 characters from last season.
BigGayNews from France:
Tens Of Thousands Rally In France Against IVF, Surrogacy For Same-Sex Families
RT reports that over 500,000 opponents of same-sex marriage have flooded the streets of Paris and Bordeaux to protest against medically-assisted reproduction for gay couples, rally organizers said.
The protests were organized by the Manif pour Tous (Protest for Everyone) group, who feels that all children need to be raised with both a mother and a father, and they are supporting “traditional family values”.
Gay marriage is legal in France and homosexuals are allowed to adopt children, but are still barred from using in vitro fertilization in order to conceive children.
