The Washington Blade reports that on legislation introduced Thursday in the House and Senate that would ensure in many instances COBRA benefits are available to LGBT Americans if their partner leaves or loses their job. Representative Anthony Weiner (Democrat-New York) introduced the legislation, known as the Equal Access to COBRA Act, in the House, while Senator Barbara Boxer (Democrat-California) introduced the legislation in the Senate. Boxer released a statement that highlighted the necessity of passing the legislation to help ensure LGBT people have health care coverage, saying in part that “All of our families deserve equal access to health insurance,” Boxer said. “This bill would help ensure that domestic partners and their families will be able to keep their health coverage if their partner loses their job.” The measure would apply to companies that currently provide health coverage to employees with same sex partners to ensure they have access to Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act benefits if they lose their job. Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised the introduction of the legislation, saying “In these troubled economic times, social safety-net benefits like COBRA continuation coverage are even more important to American families. LGBT people should have the equal ability to maintain those critical benefits for their families during difficult times.” According to Boxer, more than half of Fortune 500 companies cover domestic partners under their health plans. She had introduced the legislation in 2010, but Weiner’s introduction of the bill marks the first time the bill has been introduced in the House.
The Tennessean reports that over twenty clergy members are calling on Nashville, Tennessee Metro Council members to approve a bill banning discrimination by city contractors against gay, lesbian and transgender people, a letter sent to council Friday by the ministers (mostly Methodists) said they had been "in prayer that a spirit of inclusion rather than exclusion would descend upon our city. As clergy leaders, we are called to speak out for and defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Gospel was, is and will continue to be a message of a community (or in the words of Scripture, Kingdom) that creates space for humanity and all of Creation to realize their full potential. … This Gospel calls us to defend the 'outsiders' and speak against the status quo that seeks to do harm." Meanwhile, three Southern Baptist leaders sent their own letter to the council's leader, Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors, urging "vigorous opposition" to the proposal, which would require Metro contractors to pledge not to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. "It is clear that imposing this ordinance could lead to disastrous moral and ethical conflicts including trampling on the conscience protections of many residents of the Metro area," wrote Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; Randy Davis, executive director and treasurer of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, and Robert B. Sumrall Jr., executive director of the Nashville Baptist Association. They added that the proposal "would elevate sexual orientation and gender identity to the same level as such immutable characteristics as race, ethnicity and religion, creating a preferential status not enjoyed by other groups." Land said his organization decided to speak up after the Tennessee Baptist Convention asked it to get involved. He said Baptist churches helped defeat a similar proposal in Memphis. "The self-identification of gender identity is a huge issue," he said. "If a man who is clearly anatomically a man walks in a dress and says, 'I'm a woman,' the employer has to take his word for it and treat him as a woman. We think that's disruptive to the workplace and is not something Nashville needs to get into." The legislation is scheduled for a final council vote Tuesday after passing on a 21-16 count last month. Councilman Mike Jameson, a co-sponsor, said he would probably ask for a one-meeting deferral because several council members will be absent because of Metro schools' spring break.
A Vanity Fair column – The Gay Guide to Glee – written by Brett Berk has caused controversy, the author admonished for using the word “fag.” In the most recent instalment, recapping season 2, episode 15, titled Sexy, Berk rates the selected songs, and of Animal by Neon Trees, he writes Nice singing. But how can having girls in the audience make these cart-wheeling, foam-party fags straight-sexy?”
Hollywood News.com reports on the world premiere of Duncan Jones’ “Source Code,” which opened this years’ South By Southwest film portion on Friday night, the film’s screening overshadowed by a strange story involving Jake Gyllenhaal, a camera, and a men’s room. Twitter exploded with accounts of a scuffle between Gyllenhaal, who plays a soldier in Jones’ sci-fi thriller, and an individual who attempted to take Jake’s photograph while he was urinating. “Gyllenhaal apparently grabbed the dude mid-photo, threw him against the wall and was like, ‘are we really gonna do this right now?’” Tweeted Cinematical’s Erik Davis. And JoBlo, who reportedly was in the men’s room when the “fight” occurred, updated, “Guy just tried to take Jake Gyllenhaal’s picture while he was taking a leak. Cops came. Brouhaha ensued.”
Metro.co.uk reports that 26 year X Factor contestant Olly Muirs, who contends he is straight, striped on stage at London’s G-A-Y Club Saturday.
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