One Of The First Gay Men To Marry In Argentina Dies At Own Wedding, Target Boycott Pressure Unrelenting, Referendum-71 Names Still Sealed, Fired Gay Police Officer Retains Certificate, Anderson Cooper Solos

There are reports that 45 year old Nestor Berchot, one of the first men in Argentina to legally wed under that Latin America country’s new law, has died after taking ill at his wedding party. Berchot married Gustavo Garcia in the coastal city of Mar del Plata, and fainted at the reception, suffering from high blood pressure.

Despite (or perhaps because of) an awkward apology last by Target chief executive officer Gregg Steinhafel in an attempt to diffuse criticism over a $150,000 donation made on behalf of Target to MN Forward, an anti-gay political action committee that is funding a campaign by Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, gay advocacy groups continue to pressure the retail giant that courts a large number of gay men and women as its customer base to stop financing political campaigns or to insure a fair division between conservative and liberal causes. MoveOn.org, a liberal political advocacy group wants Target to formally absolve itself from any further involvement in election campaigns, director Ilyse Hougue saying that “Target is receiving criticism and frustration from their customers because they are doing something wrong, and that should serve absolutely as an example for other companies.” Both Target and Best Buy, which contributed $100,000 to MN Forward, are in daily negotiations with Human Rights Campaign, a gay advocacy group, that is asking both companies to match their donations to help gay-friendly candidates in Minnesota. Target intends to open two new stores in San Francisco this fall however the company’s recent action, for which it appears, at least for the moment, unrepentant, has angered city officials.

On Wednesday, United States District Judge Benjamin Settle ruled to extend a restraining order preventing the public release of all the names that signed Referendum 71, the ballot question that asked Washington State voters to either accept or reject the state’s law expanding the rights and benefits for established domestic partnerships passed in November, 2009. In June, 2010, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the release of the signatures – 127,780 – did not violate a constitutional right.

Thursday, a 19 member state panel ruled that a former Hollywood, Florida police officer, 36 year old Mike Verdugo, fired for once appearing in a gay porn film, can maintain his police certificate. The department claimed they fired Verdugo because he failed to disclose previous employment on his job application. The panel ruled to place Verdugo on a one-year probationary period, during which he is required to take a state-sanctioned ethics training course. Verdugo, who starred in a 1996 bondage effort called Rope Rituals at the age of 22, is suing to get his position with the police force back – the trial is scheduled to be heard in November in Broward Circuit Court. Verdugo, who appeared at the hearing with his boyfriend, Mike Silver, also a police officer, said “We won. They voted unanimously. We’re done. My certificate stands. I’m happy. Shocked – in a good way.”

Sadly, a solo Anderson Cooper was spotted in the West Village Tuesday, minus boyfriend Benjamin.