Morning Sweep

“A Step Closer to Justice:” the New York Times’ editorial board backs Gov. Paterson’s same-sex marriage directive and highlights the Pride Agenda’s “1324 Rights & Responsibilities” report.

Good As you has the full video of Gov. Paterson’s bold and incredibly moving press conference yesterday, where he explained the purpose of his directive and more than once proclaimed his support for marriage equality.

After passing the Assembly Codes committee last week, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) is slated for a favorable vote very soon.

Gay couples can marry in California starting June 17 and State residents approve.

The Atlantic Monthly publishes “The Libertarian Argument for Gay Marriage.”

Senator John McCain’s recent appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show raises questions about his support of same-sex civil unions.

LGBT activists call for head doc to resign after APA issues an alarming gender diagnosis review, which recommends reparative therapy for transgender youth.

A transgender activist and fundraiser from Madison, Wisconsin was murdered while on vacation in Mexico.

Morning Sweep

Despite his support of DOMA in the past, new libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr says he would now repeal the act if elected (his support was all about states’ rights and not discrimination, who knew?), and he supports the California marriage decision.

A new poll of California voters says the majority actually do support same-sex marriage, as opposed to last week’s poll, which said they don't. Anyone confused?

That confusion will likely fuel the fire as dueling activists spend an estimated $30 million fighting both for and against the marriage ban amendment.

A Boy Scouts chapter in Philadelphia is suing the city for the right to continue its no-gays allowed policies. As a condition of the Scouts’ free rent, the city says it has to stop discriminating. How inconvenient!

Morning Sweep

Christine Quinn spoke with Ernst & Young’s LGBT employee group last week to help kick off their Pride Month activities.

Potential bad news for marriage in California: a poll shows that more than half of voters would vote for a same-sex marriage ban amendment in Nov., which would overrule the court’s recent decision.

Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr, who led the push for the creation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, has been chosen as the Libertarian party’s candidate for president.

A columnist at The Nation says that the Ca. gay marriage decision signals the end of the “culture war” era. Oh, so LGBT discrimination is a thing of the past? Wrong, wrong and wrong.

Gay couples in Maryland will now receive tax benefits and hospital visitation rights.

Following Thailand’s example, Russia has repealed its ban on gay blood donors.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has an interesting profile of a transgender ally who is engaged to the trans man who inspired her advocacy work.

The "Sex and the City" actresses reflect on the show’s gay fans.

Morning Sweep

Gay City News reports on the possibility that GENDA will get a floor vote in the Assembly by the end of the legislative session.

McCain has rejected an endorsement from Rev. John Hagee, the controversial Texas televangelist who has made many offensive remarks, including homophobic ones. Oh, and he also rejected Rod Parsley, who hates Islam and the gays.

A conservative legal group has asked the California Supreme Court to put the marriage ruling on hold until Nov. to see which way voters go on the gay marriage ban amendment.

Some San Diego county clerks might be allowed to opt-out of officiating same-sex marriages. San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is outraged.

The legal director of Lambda Legal and the senior counsel from the Alliance Defense Fund face off in the L.A. Times on the need for gay marriage.

You can call Alanis Morisette “Ally” for short – when singing her well-known tune “Ironic” on the “Today” show this morning, she changed the lyrics “It’s like meeting the man of my dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife” to “beautiful husband.”

Morning Sweep

The Ithaca Journal has a great guest column about the strong presence of constituents at State Sen. James Seward’s (R-51st Dist.) legislative meeting on E&J Day.

Also in E&J news, Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ website reports on the impact that the school’s 18 student participants made.

McCain faced off with Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show, saying that he wishes her “every happiness” – except the kind that comes with legal marriage.

A lesbian Air Force major who was dismissed under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will be able to continue her lawsuit against the military after an appeals court ruled that the government can only "intrude upon the personal and private lives of homosexuals" to "advance an important governmental interest." In other words, they can’t fire you just because you’re gay, but only if they can show that your sexual orientation somehow interferes with your work.

And lesbian and gay servicemembers from California will unfortunately have to think twice about hearing wedding bells anytime soon – if they get married, they might be dismissed under DADT.

The Oregon court of appeals ruled yesterday to uphold the state’s gay marriage ban.

A principal at a South Carolina high school has chosen to resign rather than stick around for the creation of a Gay-Straight Alliance on campus.

The future of LGBT workplace equality

On Monday night, Pride In My Workplace (PIMW) held its third and final Business Leaders for LGBT Equality Series workshop. The series highlighted how employees in New York are advancing workplace equality for the LGBT community. Held at Macy’s East, the panel was moderated by Marla Hassner, a Pride Agenda board member from Lehman Brothers. Panel participants included PIMW activists Emily Jones (HRC Business Council), Richard Oceguera (Coldwell Banker Previews International and Manhattan Chamber of Commerce), and Leotis Sanders (Macy’s East).

From left to right: Richard Oceguera, Emily Jones, Leotis Sanders, and Marla Hassner.

The panelists had a fantastic dialogue about business and workplace equality efforts and the future of LGBT Best Practices. The group agreed that visibility is key; companies need to make sure that their LGBT employees are visible within the workplace and that their affirming practices are highlighted. In addition, they need to make sure that their charitable works and Best Practices are visible to the public so that the LGBT community and its allies will know what companies should receive their business.

Panelists and the audience also talked about the future of LGBT employees. They agreed that the Millennial Generation – including recent grads and current college and high school students – are naturally more accepting and open, and that as a result, in 20 years, the workplace should be a dramatically different place for the gay community. There’s also a need to recruit a larger pool of young LGBT talent that will be able to break the glass ceiling and produce more high-level LGBT executives in the future.

For more information about Pride In My Workplace, contact Wazina Zondon at wzondon@prideagenda.org or call (212) 627-0305.

Morning Sweep

The New York Times celebrates Florent, the iconic meatpacking district restaurant that has been a longtime favorite of the gay community. Florent will close on June 29.

While many pundits have been arguing that the Ca. marriage decision could hurt the Democrats in the Nov. election, Queerty makes the argument that the topic could also damage McCain’s reputation.

Portland has elected the first-ever openly gay mayor of a top-40 U.S. city.

A recent report reveals that anti-LGBT violence increased 24% nationwide last year.

A federal court has reopened the case of a Florida high school that has prohibited its students from forming a Gay-Straight Alliance.

Britain has granted asylum to a gay Iranian student who it previously planned to deport.

Morning Sweep

The Wall Street Journal continues to argue that the California marriage decision will hurt Obama and help McCain in the Nov. election.

A New York Times writer examines the pros and cons of a New Yorker going to California to get married.

More than 45,000 walkers at the 23^rd annual AIDS Walk in NYC this past weekend raised $7 million for tri-state area HIV/AIDS organizations.

In an unprecedented show of support for gay rights, hundreds of activists and government leaders came together in Cuba this past weekend for a conference on the International Day Against Homophobia.

Morning Sweep – California Marriage Edition

The New York Times takes a comprehensive look at different groups’ reactions to California’s Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the same-sex marriage ban.

But with the potential of a marriage ban amendment on the Nov. ballot that, if passed by voters, would overturn the decision, NYT reports the future of gay marriage in California could still be unclear.

And will the Ca. decision rev up the presidential candidates’ discussions of gay marriage or give the Republicans an advantage come November?

Gay City News highlights the significance of the Court’s decision to make sexual orientation a “suspect classification,” meaning that any Ca. law that discriminates based on sexual orientation is now subject to the highest level of judicial scrutiny.

The Sun looks at the national and local implications of the decision.

A Wall Street Journal editorial argues that the decision will bring up the issue of activist judges in the presidential race.

It’s a bit of a downer, but Time magazine points out what the marriage decision doesn’t do for Ca. gays: give them the federal rights of marriage, like filing joint federal taxes and collecting partners’ social security benefits.

The Washington Blade looks at some national reactions to the decision.

365gay.com has reactions of national gay organizations, as well as New Jersey’s Garden State Equality.

The Advocate has several celebrity activists’ reactions to the decision.

Upon hearing the news, Ellen DeGeneres announced on her show that she would marry her girlfriend, Portia de Rossi.

Morning Sweep

In an interview with Queerty, Jim Neal, the openly-gay politician who recently lost his bid for the North Carolina Democratic nomination in the Senate race, says he isn’t bitter.

The New York Times reports that more young viewers have tuned into “As the World Turns” since the Luke and Noah storyline began.

A Catholic priest in Dallas has been forced to resign because of his past affiliation with a website supportive of gay clergy.

Morning Sweep

Although New York Family Court ruled that a trans teen should have her sex reassignment surgery paid for by the state, the court of appeals reversed the decision, saying that a teen isn’t ready for such a life-altering procedure.

The loneliness that many of the elderly face when family and friends pass away can be even worse for aging LGBT people who are already isolated because of their sexual orientation.

A federal court ruled that a Florida high school principal who banned students from wearing clothing that displayed pro-gay symbols – but allowed clothing with Confederate flags – violated students’ First Amendment rights.

Plans in Arizona to put a gay marriage ban amendment on the Nov. ballot have passed the House by a narrow vote and will now move on to the State Senate.

The Advocate has great profiles of four international gay rights activists from Nepal, Russia, Nigeria, and Chile.

Morning Sweep

Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr, who led the push for the creation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, has entered the presidential race as a candidate for the Libertarian nomination.

Caliente Cab Company, a West Village restaurant, has reached a settlement with a lesbian they threw out of the women’s restroom after the Gay Pride Parade last year because she didn’t seem feminine enough.

Just over half of the hospitals rated under a new system got top marks for their LGBT policies, including patient nondiscrimination, visitation and decision-making rights for partners, diversity training for staff, and nondiscriminatory employment practices.

A new survey shows that – surprise! – gays are more likely to buy brands they see as gay-friendly. Some of the brands earning the highest marks include Bravo, Apple, Showtime, HBO, Absolut and Levi’s.

Morning Sweep

The New York Times reflects on the positive feedback that Republican Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward has gotten in response to her support of the marriage equality bill.

In further evidence of Vito Fossella’s hypocrisy, a source told the Daily News that he shuns his openly gay sister and won’t attend family gatherings when she’s present. Let’s hope his 3-year-old is raised with better “family values.”

NPR continues their in-depth look at transgender youth with the story of a family that chose a puberty-delaying treatment for their gender-questioning child and a Q&A with doctors on the controversial treatment.

An Advocate story about ex-gay programs challenges assumptions about the movement and its opponents.

Morning Sweep

Some students at a Putnam County high school are cross-dressing this week to show their support for a transgender classmate.

The Advocate interviews Thomas Roberts, an openly gay former CNN news anchor, and discusses why there aren’t more gays in broadcasting.

NPR looks at two young children struggling with their gender identities who are undergoing very different forms of therapy, and Pam’s House Blend wonders why "gender identity disorder" is still listed in the DSM.

Alabama’s House of Representatives has passed hate crimes and anti-bullying bills. On to the Senate!

Morning Sweep

New York State’s highest court decided yesterday not to hear Martinez v. County of Monroe, the case challenging an appeals court ruling that found that the marriages of same-sex couples in jurisdictions where they are legal, like Canada and Massachusetts, must be recognized in New York. This means that married same-sex couples will continue to have all the rights and responsibilities of marriage in New York.

The Pennsylvania amendment to ban same-sex marriage has been dropped, even though it was set just yesterday to be voted on by the State Senate. The bill’s backer says it wouldn’t have had enough support to pass in the House.

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that government and state universities can’t offer health benefits to gay employees’ partners.

The highest ranking military veteran in Congress, Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak, supports the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

The tale of a penguin with two daddies tops the list of most “challenged” children’s books in public schools and libraries for the second year in a row.

Morning Sweep

The Wall Street Journal analyzes John McCain’s stance on hot-button issues such as gay rights, abortion and gun control.

Mildred Loving, a black woman who fought the state of Virginia to make interracial marriage legal in the historic 1967 Supreme Court case, has passed away. On the 40th anniversary of the decision last year, Loving announced her support for marriage for same-sex couples.

An amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania has passed in committee and will now be voted on by the State Senate.

The WNBA thinks it’s necessary to teach its players how to act more feminine – including lessons on how to wear clothes and makeup.

The New York Times profiles Michael Patrick King, the openly-gay screenwriter and film director of the “Sex and the City” movie and former head writer for the show.

In case you haven’t heard: in last night’s episode, the gay “Gossip Girl” character was finally revealed!

Today is the 140th birthday of the word “homosexual.” Cake and candles, anyone?

Morning Sweep

New Jersey has become the second state to offer paid family leave to anyone with a civil union or domestic partnership.

In a national poll, less than half of gays who were asked four questions about their basic rights answered all of them correctly.

The California Supreme Court will soon hear arguments in a case of a lesbian whose doctors, after providing 11 months of fertility treatment, refused to artificially inseminate her because of her sexual orientation.

There’s an increase in colleges that are offering or considering gender-neutral housing, which can make life easier for LGBT students.

Publishers Weekly reflects on the status of gay and lesbian literature.

Morning Sweep

Q-Notes, a Carolinas LGBT newspaper, did e-mail Q&A’s with both Clinton and Obama. No surprise – they both say they support equality for LGBT Americans – but through civil unions, not marriage.

The New York Times reports that sexual harassment has gotten worse at schools, and LGBT students face it twice as often as their straight peers.

The Times’ editorial board weighs in on those Lesbians from Lesbos’ lawsuit, which proves that frivolous litigation isn’t an exclusively American pastime.

Florida is about to get an anti-bullying law. And it only took 8 years!

Americans For The Military, part of the conservative Center for Military Readiness, is circulating a petition against the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Guess they’d rather get ready without the estimated two gays per day who are kicked out of the military.

Despite controversy, plans have been announced to build a monument in Tel Aviv honoring lesbians and gays killed in the Holocaust.

Openly gay actor Alan Cumming says much of Hollywood is still in the closet.

Morning Sweep

Someone sent a slew of slur-filled letters about Charles Ober, an openly gay candidate running for Queens City Council, to local residents. The mail was so hateful that even Ober’s potential Republican rival, Thomas Ognibene, spoke out against it.

The New York Times’ politics blog examines the response to North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley’s “pansy” remark on gay blogs, including Queerty and Pam’s House Blend.

LGBT travel has become a lucrative business, bringing in $65 billion a year.

Gays around the world are running for and holding office, including an openly gay man running for Senate in the Czech Republic and a new gay Parliament member in Nepal.

Morning Sweep

Be sure to read the beautiful story of Thea Spyer and Edith Windsor, ages 75 and 77, respectively, who made good on a 40 year engagement and married in Canada last week.

California may soon have its first openly gay appellate court justice. Michael Nava--who is also Latino and Catholic--may get the nod from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sometime during the summer.

"The radical homosexual movement in the United States is a Jewish movement" says a website run by Chechen mujaheddin. Their "exhaustive list" includes everyone from Harvey Fierstein to Barney Frank.

Pride Buffalo is this weekend--Sunday, June 3--and the theme is "Happily Ever After, Legal or Not." Bryan James Whitley, Executive Director of Pride Center of Western New York, writes about the history of Pride and what it means to Buffalonians.

The British University and College Union says that it should be considered an act of discrimination for teachers to negatively characterize gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students.