Morning Sweep

A memorial was held over the weekend for Michael Sandy, the Brooklyn man who was killed a year ago on Oct. 8. Two of his attackers have been convicted of manslaughter as a hate crime.

SUNY Buffalo's LGBT group put on a drag show for their celebration of "Coming Out Week" and used the event as an opportunity to gather student support for the marriage equality bill in the State Senate.

Anti-gay groups in Oregon again failed to get the needed signatures to put an important piece of pro-LBGT legislation on the state ballot.

The AP reports on LGBT groups increasingly engaging straight allies to help in the fight for equal rights.

Venezuela's government under Hugo Chavez is rewriting the country's constitution to include protections for gays and lesbians.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger again vetoed legislation that would have made marriage legal for same-sex couples.

An openly lesbian prison guard in upstate NY has been awarded $850,000 by the New York State Division of Human Rights because of sustained sexual harassment from a male coworker.

Transgender characters are popping up in multiple television shows this season--some good representations, some not so good.

Queerty came to our Fall Dinner last Thursday and made this nice video.

Morning Sweep (well it's still morning to us)

We're still in recuperation mode after our Fall Dinner event last night in midtown Manhattan, so pardon the delay in posting the sweep.

The New York Times finally decides it's time to talk about the ENDA controversy, citing it as one of several examples where the Democrats are reportedly being torn between making compromises to pass legislation and satisfying the demands of their liberal base. Gay City News has the latest, from an LGBT community perspective, on Barney Frank and ENDA.

Nationally prominent labor leader Randi Weingarten accepts the Pride Agenda’s Community Service Award at last night's NYC Fall Dinner and talks for the first time at a public event about being a member of the LGBT community. Azi Paybarah talks to Randi Weingarten after her speech. The NYT's Sewell Chan interviews Randi further about last night.

Good As You covers last night's Fall Dinner and gives its impressions about the political message being sent by the program's speakers.

A second defendant is found guilty of a hate crime in the Michael Sandy murder, but not without some controversy. Read here and here.

New York City-based law firm Weil, Gotshal and Manges, LLP becomes the first law firm to be named a Community of Respect (R) by the Anti-Defamation League.

Tedisco's use of the Dignity for All Students Act for political gamesmanship is unacceptable

Earlier this afternoon, Liz Benjamin posted a video clip of Republican Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco suggesting that the anti-bullying bill currently before the state legislature (passed in Assembly, not in Senate) should be amended to include Gov. Spitzer. Tedisco called Spitzer "the biggest bully in the State of New York" for his actions relating to the immigrant driver's licence proposal, which state Republicans largely oppose.

Using the extremely serious issue of bullying in schools--which affects the lives of thousands of New York youths--to fire a political shot at the governor is highly irresponsible for an elected official. We at the Pride Agenda have just put out the following statement:

Pride Agenda criticizes Tedisco for politicizing
anti-bullying legislation

Statement by Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle

“On the day when the Pride Agenda is honoring Randi Weingarten for her work with the UFT and NYSUT to make schools safer for our youth, James Tedisco is using the serious problem of bullying in schools for blatantly partisan purposes.

His comments are inappropriate and unacceptable behavior for an elected official. He should be part of the solution in Albany and not part of the problem.

Bullying and harassment on our schools is a huge problem. Twenty-eight percent of LGBT students drop out of school, more than three times the national average for heterosexual students. Thirty-one percent of LGBT youth are threatened or injured during a typical school year.*

The Pride Agenda, NYSUT and more than 120 organizations that are part of the Dignity for All Students Coalition have been working hard to pass the Dignity for All Students Act for eight years now.

James Tedisco needs to show real concern for our youth and not be using this legislation to score cheap political points.”

*National Mental Health Association

Morning Sweep

Today is HRC's "National Coming Out Day"

LGBT groups at college campuses across the nation typically celebrate Coming Out Week through various events/activities: Syracuse's University Senate passed a proposal that would give equal benefits to same-sex partners of university employees. Georgetown students tried but failed to get the university's president to join in the campus festivities. USC (my alma mater) and Michigan saw some anti-gay drama. USC's Daily Trojan responded. And Penn State's LGBT group and campus Democrats held a forum on LGBT issues.

A USA Today poll of American youth found that the majority see Christianity as "judgemental, hypocritical and anti-gay."

A general manager at Microsoft in Seattle has announced that he will be transitioning from Michael to Megan.

Morning Sweep

Khadijah Farmer, who was kicked out of a women's restroom in the Caliente Cab Company restaurant last June because a bouncer mistook her for a man, filed a lawsuit against the restaurant yesterday.

"Dear Abby" columnist Jeanne Phillips has announced that she's all for marriage equality and will receive an award from PFLAG called "Straight for Equality," which honors straight allies who are making an impact within the LGBT rights movement.

T.R. Knight is the star of the first of GLAAD's "Be An Ally and A Friend" PSA campaign.

Finally, the BEST analysis of the Larry Craig situation was on last weekend's SNL Weekend Update. Check it out below.

Morning Sweep

The New York Times looks at the challenges faced by gay and lesbian senior citizens.

Opponents of Oregon's recently passed domestic partnership law failed to get the required amount of signatures needed to block the bill and put it on the state ballot.

Even China is beginning to discuss gay marriage--and its major religions (Buddhism and Taoism) have no problem with homosexuality.

Equality California has produced a TV ad promoting same-sex marriage in the face of Gov. Schwarzenegger's (second) threatened veto of the marriage equality bill passed earlier this year by both chambers of the state legislature.

The Daily News reports on meth problems within the Bronx LGBT community.

Here's Nancy Pelosi's speech from this past Saturday's HRC gala in Washington, DC. (via AmericaBlog)

Morning Sweep

HRC's sole transgender board member Donna Rose talks to The Advocate about why she resigned earlier this week amidst the organization's handling of ENDA.

Longtime LGBT activist Roey Thorpe talks to The Ithacan about being the first openly gay elected official in Tompkins County.

MSNBC reports that some Democrats in conservative-leaning districts support the sexual orientation part of ENDA, but are "not comfortable" with gender identity protections.

Mitt Romney's campaign responds to the ad that Log Cabin is running against him in Iowa.

Sweden looks set to become the next country to legalize same-sex marriage.

The New York Post once again has to apologize for using a nasty slur against LGBT people in a recent article--in this case, the paper referred to a transgender person as "she-male."

A recent police regulation requiring a permit for any "gathering" of more than 50 people has some in the LGBT community taking to the streets.

Rochester's gay and lesbian film festival "ImageOut" begins this evening and runs through the next ten days.

David Mixner has some heartfelt words reminding all of us that those living today with HIV/AIDS still need love and support from family and friends.