Tag Archives: LGBT History

First Gay Marriage For Latin America

After being temporarily thwarted by a judge’s stay of a Buenos Aires court ruling in their favor, two men in Argentina have become the first gays to marry legally in Latin America. An official in Argentina’s southern Tierra del Fuego province says two Argentine men have wed there in Latin America’s first gay marriage. Provincial spokesman Eduardo Porter says the …

Read More »

Larry Kramer Profiled In NY Magazine

It’s too long and covers too many subjects to effectively excerpt here, but I encourage you to check out Jesse Green’s fascinating profile of Larry Kramer in New York Magazine. Kramer is working towards finally publishing his decades-in-the-works 4000 page book, The American People, which among other things, claims that George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other notable historical figures were …

Read More »

VIDEO: Mexico City Approves Marriage

(Via – Towleroad)

Read More »

Mexico City Approves Gay Marriage

Today lawmakers in Mexico City legalized same-sex marriage! Mexico City is now the largest city in the world to approve marriage equality and is the second national capital to do so in less than a week, following Washington DC. Mexico City lawmakers on Monday made the city the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage, a change that will …

Read More »

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty Signs Marriage Equality Bill (In A Church!)

Moments ago, Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the city’s historic marriage equality bill. Above, Fenty hands openly gay City Councilman David Catania the pen used to sign the bill Catania sponsored. In a raucous signing ceremony at a northwest Washington church, Mayor Fenty officially legalized same-sex marriage in the District, distributing ceremonial pens among the Council members standing behind …

Read More »

The Decade In LGBT Rights

Matt Foreman, director of Gay and Immigrant Rights at the Evelyn & Walter Haas Fund, points us to a just-released report (PDF) called A Decade of Progress on LGBT Rights. The report is a joint project of Foreman’s group and the LGBT Movement Advancement Project (MAP). The extensive report lists the advancements and challenges in LGBT rights over the last …

Read More »

DC Approves Same-Sex Marriage

UPDATE: DC marriage approved by 11-2! The bill now goes to Mayor Fenty for his promised immediate signature. Congratulations to all and BIG thanks to out gay Councilman David Catania. The Washington DC City Council will make its final vote legalizing same-sex marriage at any minute. Watch live here. Photo via Chris Geidner @ Twitter.

Read More »

Annise Parker’s Victory Speech

Read More »

Annise Parker Wins, Houston Becomes Largest U.S. City With Openly Gay Mayor

Annise Parker won her runoff election tonight, making Houston the largest American city with an openly gay mayor. The Houston Chronicle is calling the mayoral election for City Controller Annise Parker. With 89 percent of precincts counted, Parker holds a lead of nearly 8,000 voters, a divide that former City Attorney Gene Locke cannot make up with the relatively small …

Read More »

John Perez: Openly Gay Man Elected Speaker Of California Assembly

First term California Assembly member John Perez was today elected by his fellow Democrats as the first openly gay Speaker of that body. Members emerged from a closed-door caucus at the historic Stanford Mansion to announce that Democrats had chosen Perez, of Los Angeles, on an unanimous vote. A public vote on the Assembly floor is expected in January. Perez …

Read More »

The Decade From Hell

Dubya, 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, Wall Street. TIME Magazine gets it right when they call the aughties “the decade from hell.” Bookended by 9/11 at the start and a financial wipeout at the end, the first 10 years of this century will very likely go down as the most dispiriting and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post–World …

Read More »

DC Agenda: Replacement For Washington Blade Launches Tomorrow

Talk about quick! Staffers from the just-defunct Washington Blade will launch their new publication, DC Agenda, tomorrow. (With some help from the Gay Men’s Chorus.) Members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. presented the former Washington Blade with a check Wednesday night for a full-page ad in the newspaper’s new print iteration, the D.C. Agenda, which will be …

Read More »

Publisher Of Washington Blade And Other LGBT Print Titles Shuts Down

This weekend I noticed that the websites of the Washington Blade, Southern Voice, and several other titles published by Window Media had not been updated in a few days. Just now, Southern Voice posted this message to their Facebook fan page: With deepest regret, as editor of SoVo, I have to tell you that we arrived at the office to …

Read More »

The Diaries Of Benjamin Britten

My loyal companion Aaron writes from his exile in Oregon to suggest that opera fans here on JMG would enjoy Journeying Boy: The Diaries of the Young Benjamin Britten, which comes out today. A review in the Guardian UK headlined Boys, Bitching, Brilliance notes: Benjamin Britten’s early years are often ignored, overshadowed by the spectacular success of his opera Peter …

Read More »

Obama Signs Hate Crimes Act

A significant and historic step in our journey was achieved today when President Obama signed the hate crimes act. The wingnuts are screaming their heads off, but the day is ours. At last.

Read More »

Tomorrow: President Obama To Sign Hate Crimes Bill

On Wednesday, President Obama will sign the hate crimes bill into law in a White House ceremony as Matthew Shepard’s family looks on. I should have a link to the live stream of the event available here early in the day.

Read More »

Governator Signs Harvey Milk Day Bill

Yesterday California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill creating a Harvey Milk Day holiday. Slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk will get a special day of recognition in California, making him only the second person in state history — in addition to conservationist John Muir — to gain such a designation. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signing of the bill establishing “Harvey …

Read More »

Mister Marcus Dies At 77

Bay Area Reporter columnist Marcus Hernandez, known internationally to the leather community as Mister Marcus, has died at the age of 77 after a prolonged illness. His snark and gossip-filled column ran in the BAR for 38 years. The cause of death was complications from diabetes and arteriosclerosis. Mr. Hernandez was known to his legions of readers by his pen …

Read More »

80’s Flashback

The Weather Girls, It’s Raining Men, 1982. On Tuesday, David Letterman’s band leader Paul Shaffer took an unusual turn as Dave’s guest to promote his new book, recounting an amusing chapter which highlights his co-writing of the gay disco anthem It’s Raining Men with the late (and brilliant) Paul Jabara, who died of AIDS in 1992. Jabara had won an …

Read More »

Donna Sachet Makes Drag History

San Francisco drag legend Donna Sachet made history last week when she became the first drag performer to sing the national anthem at a major league baseball game. The home team Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-4. I think this is the first time I’ve seen Donna without her trademark red dress.

Read More »