Tag Archives: LGBT History

The Hill reports: Barack Obama on Friday afternoon tweeted once again from his personal Twitter, marking the official social media transition from president. He followed it with another tweet about the Obama Foundation, which he plans to launch in Chicago and run during his post-presidential life. Despite switching back to his personal twitter, Obama will still have a far reach …

The Hill reports: President Obama on Friday tweeted out his final goodbyes to the American public in the waning hours before Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the U.S. As he departed from the White House, Obama stopped to leave a note on the president’s desk for Trump. The gesture is a time-honored tradition that …

TIME recaps: To commemorate President Barack Obama’s final day in office, Ellen DeGeneres spent a few minutes of Thursday’s episode of The Ellen Show saying goodbye to him and First Lady Michelle Obama. DeGeneres began the segment by thanking POTUS for everything he accomplished during his White House tenure, including legalizing gay marriage.”I want to personally thank him for changing …

In the last week we’ve had a farewell speech, a final weekly YouTube address, and a final press conference. This afternoon we get President Obama’s official goodbye letter. From the White House press office: My fellow Americans, It’s a long-standing tradition for the sitting president of the United States to leave a parting letter in the Oval Office for the …

USA Today reports: The wife of Omar Mateen, the man who killed 49 people in a shooting rampage at an Orlando nightclub last June, was arrested Monday on a charge of obstructing justice, a federal law enforcement official told USA TODAY. Noor Salman was taken into custody by the FBI at her Northern California home. The law enforcement official, who …

A partial transcript: Our success depends on our participation, regardless of which way the pendulum of power swings. It falls on each of us to be guardians of our democracy; to embrace the joyous task we’ve been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours. Because for all our outward differences, we all share the same proud …

The BBC reports: Larry Steinbachek [center in photo], former keyboardist with 1980s synthpop group Bronski Beat, has died at the age of 56. Steinbachek formed the group with Jimmy Somerville and Steve Bronski in 1983 and they had chart success with songs including Smalltown Boy and Why?. Their cover of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love with Marc Almond was also …

From laughter at Trump to sorrow and deep abiding thanks to President Obama, whose farewell speech begins at 9PM Eastern. ABC News reports on what to expect: In a farewell address to the American people Tuesday night, President Obama is expected to reaffirm his belief in the ability of ordinary Americans to bring about positive change in country, according to …

Politico reports: Secretary of State John Kerry is formally apologizing to gay, lesbian and other employees of the State Department who faced past discrimination because of their sexual orientation. The apparently unprecedented apology, issued in a statement Monday, is the latest step that the Obama administration has taken to promote inclusion of the LGBT community in its ranks. It comes …

The Advocate reports: Survivors of the Pulse massacre took center stage at the 128th Rose Parade. Victor Baez Febo and Isaiah Henderson waved to the cheering crowd Monday at the annual New Years Day celebration in Pasadena, Calif. They rode on a float commissioned by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Impulse Group United, which honored the 49 victims and dozens …

We have a very special Swag Tuesday today – three autographed copies of Ending Anita, our own Father Tony Adams’ recounting of how two Key West bartenders become the first couple in Florida to win a same-sex marriage lawsuit. From the book’s Amazon description: ENDING ANITA is the story of Aaron Huntsman and Lee Jones, the two gay, outspoken and …

From the Indianapolis Star: Gay bars are going out of business fast. Since 2015 at least five have closed their doors in Indianapolis, about half the city’s total. Among the casualties: the venerable Varsity, the city’s oldest gay bar, dating back to the 1940s. In the past six months Talbott Street, long-known for its drag shows, closed, as did the …

Bloomberg reports: What’s perhaps most remarkable about the attorney general’s opinion is how it grounded its argument in Cherokee tradition. In a section titled “Perpetual Partnership and Marriage in the Cherokee Nation,” Hembree devoted significant attention to a ceremony of devotion that was traditionally performed between two men at an annual festival. Hembree quoted in its entirety an eyewitness description …

The Guardian reports: An amnesty for gay and bisexual men convicted of consensual sex with people of the same sex has been extended to Northern Ireland. Until Wednesday, the region was excluded from legislation that posthumously pardons men convicted of sexual offences that are no longer illegal and allows the living to apply to have convictions overturned. The legislation did …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Barbara Poma, the owner of Pulse, said Monday that she does not plan to sell the nightclub to the city of Orlando. Mayor Buddy Dyer’s staff recently revealed that the city had negotiated a $2.25 million purchase price for the club, where 49 people were killed and dozens more were injured in a mass shooting June …

CBS News reports: A special tribute was held in honor of World AIDS Day to the victims who died of the disease in New York City. The AIDS Memorial Park at Saint Vincent’s Triangle in Greenwich Village was dedicated on Thursday. The project was launched in 2011 to remember the men, women and children who have died from AIDS in …

ABOVE: At the 1985 Xmas party described below: Me, Michael, and Barney. Originally posted May 2004. Reposted for World AIDS Day. Michael didn’t look good. We were at his annual Christmas luau party. Tons and tons of people in the house and the backyard. Standing in his kitchen, wearing a grass skirt and a ridiculous Santa hat covered in sequins, …

Note that two of this year’s honorees, De Niro and Springsteen, are among the loudest Trump critics. CBS News reports: The White House on Wednesday announced the recipients of the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The prestigious accolade is given to people “who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the …

The Guardian reports: David Mancuso, DJ and pioneer of New York dance culture, has died aged 72. Kid Recordings owner Craig Shifty announced the death on Facebook on Monday, writing: “He will be greatly missed, but, thankfully, he left the world a lasting vibrant legacy that continues to inspire and influence countless generations of music lovers and clubbers.” Cause of …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: More than 150,000 people gathered in downtown Orlando Saturday for the 12th annual Come Out with Pride festival, the first since the Pulse nightclub massacre five months ago. The event, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, began at noon and featured an afternoon parade through Thornton Park. Pulse employees and relatives of the slain served as parade …