Week of November 6

Nov 11th, 2011 3:21 PM EST

The U.K. Department of Health announced on Monday that they have lifted the lifetime ban on men who have sex with men giving blood. The ban was put into affect in the 1980’s, a response to the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Men who have not had anal or oral sex with another man in the past 12 months, with or without a condom, will now be eligible to give blood.

The change in policy will be implemented in England, Scotland and Wales.

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Colorado transgender teen, Dionne Malikowski, 16, claims she was suspended from school for three days after using the women’s restroom. The school currently requires that she use the gender neutral staff bathrooms instead of the gendered student bathrooms.

The school refused to comment.

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This week the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that they will begin allowing transgender taxpayers to deduct the cost of gender realignment surgery on their taxes as a medical expense.

This is a historic decision as previously the IRS has claimed that gender realignment surgery is purely cosmetic in nature and therefore could not be deducted on a person’s taxes.

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Yesterday a Ugandan court sentenced 22-year-old Sidney Nsubuga Enoch to 30 years in prison for bludgeoning prominent Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato to death with a hammer in January. Enoch admitted to killing Kato after claiming Kato had made unwanted sexual advances toward him.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act on Thursday in what is being seen as a purely symbolic vote. The legislation does not have the 60 votes required for passage in the Senate and has no chance in the Republican controlled House of Representatives.

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The identity of Detroit teen Henry Hilliard Jr., 19, who went by the names Shelley or Treasure, has been linked to a burned torso found near a road on the east side of the city.

Hilliard has been missing since October 23 and was last seen by a cab driver with whom she was familiar when he dropped her off at her house. Hilliard’s mother has stated that there were three men waiting for her when she arrived. Immediately following the departure of the cab, a concerned Hilliard phoned the driver, who apparently overheard what he believed to be a struggle.

Hilliard reportedly had several piercings and tattoos, one of which was used to identify the body.

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Soccer player David Testo, 30, came out this week in an interview with CBC Radio Canada. The North Carolina native said, “I’m gay, I’m gay. I did not choose. It’s just part of who I am. And it has nothing to do with the talent of a soccer player. You can be both an excellent soccer player and being gay. I really regret not having said publicly earlier. I fought with it all my life, my whole career. Living the life of a professional athlete and being gay is incredibly difficult … It saps all your energy to you, in addition to having to perform, having to play.”

Testo got his professional soccer start with the Columbus Crew, a team in the U.S. MLS League, but moved the the Montreal Impact in 2007. Though the public was unaware of his orientation, he says his family, friends and teammates knew.

Week of October 30

Nov 4th, 2011 3:00 PM EST

California Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani came out on Tuesday in her local paper. Galgiani said that she wants to be an example for kids.

Galgiani helped pass the California state law requiring LGBT history be taught in public schools.

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Nigerian lawmakers began debating a bill this week that would criminalize same-sex marriage with penalties of up to five years in prison.

Week of October 23

Oct 28th, 2011 2:17 PM EST

With a newly elected Islamist-led government in the small African country of Tunisia, concerns have been raised about the safety of gay Tunisians. The country has had a history of stigmatizing and even punishing gay individuals. However, a spokesperson for the party that won the recent elections told a Spanish news agency that the new government will recognize individual freedoms which includes the individual freedoms of gay people.

“[the spokesperson] said that in Tunisia ‘individual freedoms and human rights are enshrined principles’ and that atheists and homosexuals are a reality in Tunisia and ‘have a right to exist.’ According to Chaibi, in the case of homosexuals there is also ‘a matter of dignity, because society sees them as undervalued.’ ”

The same spokesperson denied rumors that the newly elected Islamist-led government intends to make wearing a veil compulsory for women. “The veil is part of belief, a religious symbol, and as such has no value if it is taken from freedom,” the spokesperson said.

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On Thursday, the Massachusetts-based Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) filed a brief in an appeals court highlighting the federal government’s inability to justify the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. GLAD is filing this brief in the hopes of upholding the July 2010 ruling by a federal judge that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

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Last Week, a trial date was set for Dharun Ravi, 19, the former roommate of Tyler Clementi. The date was set after Ravi turned down a plea deal that could have limited his time in prison to five years or kept him out altogether. By turning down the plea deal he now faces ten or more years in prison on 15 criminal counts in all, including invasion of privacy and bias intimidation, a hate crime.

The trial date is set for 21 February 2012.

We will keep you up to date with the progression of the trial.

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Bobby Montoya, a 7-year-old transgender child, was accepted into the Girl Scouts of Colorado this week after initially being turned away.

When Bobby’s mom initially brought her to the local troop leader they were turned away. The leader informed them it was because, regardless of how Bobby may feel, she still has “boy parts” and therefore is not allowed to join. As it turns out this decision was in conflict with the Girls Scouts of Colorado’s official policy on the matter. The Girl Scouts of Colorado stated, “If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout,” in an official statement released on Tuesday. Because of this mistake, Bobby has been welcomed to join. There has been no word yet on whether Bobby will actually join in light of the change.

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The Servicemember’s Legal Defense Network (SLDN) filed a lawsuit on Thursday, suing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, on behalf of current and former service members seeking equal recognition of their marriages. Each of the plaintiffs are legally married and want the armed services to recognize their families and are seeking the same family support and benefits for their partners that the services and Department of Veterans Affairs provide to opposite-sex spouses.

The case was filed in Massachusetts and challenges the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), as well as provisions in Title 10, Title 32, and Title 38 of U.S. Code, which prevents the military from providing same-sex married couples with the same benefits and family support as their straight, married peers.

We will keep you up to date on the course of this lawsuit.

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On Thursday, the Department of Defense issued a statement saying that they have identified six more areas of member-designated benefits where members may designate beneficiaries of their choosing, regardless of sexual orientation, as a part of their on going review of military benefits in light of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” They have added these six to the previously identified eight and have updated their Quick Reference Guide. To see all fourteen benefits visit the Defense Department’s website.

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Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced a bill to the U.S. Senate on Friday that would bring an end to discriminatory adoption laws around the nation. “The Every Child Deserves a Family Act would eliminate state laws, policies and practices that exclude prospective adoptive and foster parents because of marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity.” Currently in the U.S. 400,000+ children are awaiting homes in the nation’s foster care system, and approximately 100,000 are waiting to be adopted.

A news release from the Senator’s office stated, “The Every Child Deserves A Family Act would prohibit an entity that receives federal assistance and is involved in adoption or foster care placements from discriminating against prospective adoptive or foster parents solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. Congress annually invests more than $8 billion into the child welfare system, and many of these children could be adopted by LGBT couples if the bans in local jurisdictions were removed.”

We will keep you up to date on this legislation as it progresses through Congress.