Equally Speaking
Equally Speaking
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
First up on HRC's daily webcast, a long-running and very public custody dispute is put to rest. Lisa Miller and Janet Jenkins had a civil union in Vermont but split up when Miller said she was heterosexual and wanted sole custody of their daughter. After a three-year court battle, Jenkins has won visitation rights with their five-year-old, though the girl will live with Jenkins. A judge in Vermont yesterday made the arrangement official.
A former surgeon general is speaking out to question nominee James Holsinger’s ability to perform the job of the "nation’s doctor." Jocelyn Elders says that based on Holsinger’s writings on gays and lesbians, she questions whether he’d be able to promote public health over his personal opinions.
Family Pride has announced a new online resource – the Rainbow Report Card. It's an interactive tool that generates custom recommendations for GLBT parents to deal with situations at their child’s school. The tool is available online at www.familypride.org.
Last night at the kick-off of gay pride week in New York, Borough President Scott Springer announced a $1 million donation for the capital campaign for the New York City LGBT Center. For more information on the campaign, go to www.gaycenter.org.
Harry Knox, the director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program, will be a lead speaker at the United Church of Christ 50th Anniversary General Synod. He’ll address church leaders in Hartford, Connecticut, on Saturday, June 23, with a speech titled, "Remembering Who We Are: LGBT People and the United Church of Christ in 2057."
Finally, the city of Toronto, Canada, is rolling out a new ad campaign targeting GLBT tourists. Local leaders are counting on a boost in gay visitors from the United States to help the city’s economy. The $300,000 ad campaign will target New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles with the slogan, "As Gay As it Gets."