Orgs express trans troop ban concern
A coalition of organizations, including the Modern Military Association of America, Human Rights Campaign, National Center for Transgender Equality, GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, American Civil Liberties Union and Palm Center, expressed disappointment that the final FY20 National Defense Authorization bill did not include the Speier/Brown amendment, which was previously approved by the House of Representatives in a bipartisan vote of 242 to 187. The language would have codified non-discrimination in the Armed Forces and ended the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender service members.
info: modernmilitary.org.
Stonewall playlist created
Spotify has released a compilation of music created by the Stonewall Veterans’ Association that was played on the jukeboxes of The Stonewall Inn in New York in 1969. Some of the 175 songs include: “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “My Way,” “Build Me Up Buttercup,” “In the Ghetto,” “Put A Little Love In Your Heart,” “I Know a Place,” “Where The Boys Are,” “Over The Rainbow,” “Abraham, Martin And John,” “Ticket To Ride,” and “Honky Tonk Women” to name a few.
info: spoti.fi/36pjpBq.
Colorado gender law goes into effect
Coloradans who are transgender and non-binary are now able to get an update their name and gender on Colorado-issued identity documents, One Colorado stated. Jude’s Law will cut through the red tape for transgender and non-binary Coloradans as they try to update the gender specified on their birth certificates to match who they are. The law honors the 13-year-old transgender student, Jude, who testified in support of an iteration of a birth certificate modernization act over the last five sessions.
info: bit.ly/2SRpZge.
Conservative candidate enters N.C. House race
Republican Larry Pittman has announced that he is running for the 83rd District seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives (Cabarrus and Rowan Counties), IndyWeek reported. Pittman has compared Abraham Lincoln to Adolf Hitler, attempted to outlaw gay marriage by claiming it was its own religion, among other statements.
info: bit.ly/37C2Qm3.
Census to unveil ad campaign
The U.S. Census Bureau will unveil its comprehensive national advertising and outreach campaign for the 2020 Census on Jan. 14 in Washington, D.C. The bureau will be placing more than 1,000 advertisements that have been developed to reach audiences across the country. The 2020 Census is still accepting applications for operations that will begin in early spring. Visit 2020census.gov/en/jobs.html to learn more.
info: census.gov.
Pastor returns to pulpit
Rev. Marilyn Bowens has made her return to the pulpit at Imani Metropolitan Community Church after a three-month sabbatical. She joined congregants on Jan. 5, taking over for Rev. Annie Ross who has been serving as acting pastor during Bowens time away.
info: imanimcc.org.
Trans murder first for 2020
Twenty-five-year-old Dustin Parker has been identified as the first transgender individual to be murdered in 2020 according to the Human Rights Campaign and reported by Axios. Parker was fatally shot at work in McAlester, Okla. on Jan. 1.
info: bit.ly/36yGuSw.
Travel award winners revealed
GayTravel.com has announced the winners of its 2019 travel awards. The 23 were selected from hundreds of nominees. They are: Airline, Southwest Airlines; Bed & Breakfast/Inn, Inn on the Alameda, Santa Fe, N.M.; Car Rental, Advantage Rent a Car; Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line; Destination, Banff & Lake Louise, Canada; Event, Gay Wine Weekend, Sonoma, Calif.; Hidden Gem, Kahanda Kanda, Sri Lanka; Hotel, Bar, Fifty Mils, Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City; Hotel, Beach Resort, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Hotel, Boutique, XV Beacon, Boston, Mass.; Hotel, Business, Marriott Marquis, San Diego, Calif.; Marina Hotel, Casino, San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino; Hotel, City, The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square; Hotel, Family, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, Fla.; Hotel, Golf, Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort and The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa, Palm Springs, Calif.; Hotel, Honeymoon, Sri panwa, Phuket, Thailand; Hotel, Luxury, The St. Regis Mexico City; Hotel, Pride, The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta; Hotel, Spa & Wellness, Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico; Hotel, Wedding, South Seas Island Resort, Captiva Island, Fla.; Pride, NYC Pride; and Tour Operator, HE Travel.
info: gaytravel.com.
Out/Advocate editors leave posts
Press Pass Q reported that the editors of both Out and The Advocate chose to leave their jobs at their respective magazines. Phillip Picardi at Out and Zachary Stafford at The Advocate. The New York Times shared that Picardi was “let go.” Pride Media is experiencing financial issues due to freelance writers not being paid for their services.
info: presspassq.blogspot.com.
Candidate enters 9th District race
Democrat Clayton Brooks has thrown his name into the mix of candidates for the 9th District for North Carolina in the upcoming election, the Winston-Salem Journal reported. A native of Scotland County, he has most recently lived in Wake County and serves as an officer in the Wake County Democratic Party. Brooks is a graduate of Harvard University and received his Master’s from Columbia University. During his time at Harvard, he co-founded the LGBT Political Coalition. He is also a Baptist minister. The winner of the race will take on Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop.
info: bit.ly/3009kbJ.