Two gay men hoping to adopt a Louisiana born child from New York were denyed rights to have both of their names printed on the birth certificate after their court appeal lost on Tuesday.
Floridians Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith appealed to a federal court after their original permission to list both of their names on the birth certificate was repealed by the state of Louisiana.
The men claimed that refusal to list them both as father will call for different treatment by the govermnent for themselves as well as other unmarried adoptive couples. However, the Associated Press reported that “a Louisiana registrar’s insistence that only one father’s name can go on the certificate does not violate the child’s right to equal protection under the law; nor does it deny legal recognition of the New York adoption by both men.”
State law of Louisiana does not allow adoption by unmarried couples. Since same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in Louisiana, the law applies to Adar and Smith’s adoption.
Lambda Legal, the legal group representing the men, said that they will analyze Tuesday’s decision before deciding to issue another appeal. If an appeal is made, the case could go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
(AP) A cover of "Rolling Stone" with Kato's picture on the cover.
David Kato, a prominent gay rights activist in Uganda was found beaten to death by a hammer in his home last Wednesday (1/26). According to friends and those close to him, Kato had recieved numerous threats in the months leading up to his death. More threats followed after Kato’s picture was shown on the cover of a newspaper under a headline that read “Hang Them”.
This is not the first incident of its kind involving that particular publication. “Rolling Stone” (no connection to the U.S. music magazine) listed the names, photos and addresses of over 100 gay and lesbian citizens of Uganda and accused them of raiding schools to recruit children. Kato himself and several other activists have sued the paper in the past. That case ended in Rolling Stone paying hundreds of dollars in damages and promising to cease the publication’s anti-gay lists.
Giles Muhame, Rolling Stone’s managing editor, did not see a connection between his publication and Kato’s murder.
“There is no need for anxiety or hype . . . we should not overblow the death of one,” Muhame said.
Homophobia has been running rampant in Uganda since a U.S. group of evangelicals visited the country. The group insisted “the gay movement is an evil institution” and gay people could, and needed to be, turned straight.
So far, police investigation has listed Kato’s death as connected to a robbery. Nikki Mawanda, a friend of Kato’s, said that it is a clear sign of a hate crime.
An LGBT center in San Diego was one of three places attacked in a drive-by paintballing spree on Monday night (1/25). According to witnesses, a dark sedan drove by the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center at 9:30 p.m. and fired paintballs at people standing outside. The suspects involved were yelling anti-gay slurs at the time of the attack. No one was seriously hurt, but two people were hit with paintballs. As of now, only one of the three attacks from Monday is being investigated as a hate crime.
One victim said that the experience was the worst he’s personally seen. (Courtesey of NBC)
The official trailer is out for Sally, a new documentary about Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, and the film promises to explore her relationship with her female partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy, something that became public knowledge only upon Ride’s death in 2012.
Police in Colombia have arrested a suspect in the killing of Sara Millerey González, a transgender woman who was raped, beaten, and had her legs, hands, and arms broken before she was tossed into a ravine.
The former Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples almost a decade ago is still appealing her case — this time to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Trump administration escalated its assault on transgender youth Thursday with the release of a controversial new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that promotes conversion therapy and discredits gender-affirming care. Advocates and experts have said the report is filled with misinformation about both.
