The Rev. Robert Carter, who in the early 1970s was one of the first Roman Catholic priests in the country to declare publicly that he was gay and who helped found the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, died on Feb. 22 in the Bronx. He was 82. His death, at a Jesuit health care facility, was confirmed by the Rev. Thomas R. Slon, executive assistant to the provincial of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus.

Read the full story from the New York Times.

Nepal wants to paint Mount Everest pink. It wants gay honeymooners trekking through the Himalayas. It wants to host the world’s highest same-sex wedding at Everest base camp. But mainly, the conservative Hindu nation wants a chunk of the multibillion dollar gay tourist market to help pull it out of poverty. That quest — brushing aside historical biases in pursuit of economic opportunity — is symbolic of one of the gay rights movement’s most stunning successes. Just five years ago, police were beating gays and transsexuals in the streets. Now, the issue of gay rights is almost passe here.

Read the full story from the Associated Press.

Joy Behar and Cynthia Nixon were among the honorees at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s media awards in New York on Saturday night. The top award for excellence in media was presented to Ms. Behar, a host of “The View” on ABC and “The Joy Behar Show” on the HLN network, for her contributions to increasing the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Read the full story from the New York Times.

The latest company being called out for their discriminating hiring practices is J. Crew (following the lead of Prada, American Apparel and scores of others). Today a rally will go down at 1:15 p.m. in front of their 5th Avenue location, after a non-profit group called Make the Road New York filed a complaint with the NY Attorney General’s office.

Read the full story from Gothamist.

 

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Today’s Top Headlines

First Gay Marriages in Mexico City
ACLU Sues After School Cancels Prom Over Lesbian Student
GLAAD Alleges Johnny Weir Deemed Too Gay For Stars On Ice

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GLAAD has learned from a source that wishes to remain anonymous that sponsors of the Stars on Ice Tour, which include Smuckers and IMG Entertainment, have refused to allow 3-time US National Champion and 2-time Olympian Johnny Weir to participate because they claim that he is “not family friendly.” To say that Weir is “not family friendly” would be a clear jab at his perceived sexual orientation. Weir is extremely involved with his family. He is putting his younger brother through college, and supports the family financially because his father’s disability prohibits him from working.

Read the full story from GLAAD.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is seeking a court order to force a Mississippi high school to hold its senior prom. On Wednesday, school officials cancelled the event after a female student asked to bring her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reports that, in Fulton, Miss., charges of discrimination and violation of a teenager’s rights have derailed the prom plans.

Read the full story from CBS.

Two glowing brides in matching white gowns and four other same-sex couples have made history in Mexico City as they wed under Latin America’s first law that explicitly approves gay marriage. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard was a guest of honour at the weddings of Judith Vazquez and Lol Kin Castaneda and the other couples who tied the knot in a city building, despite harsh criticism from the Roman Catholic Church and a campaign against the measure by President Felipe Calderon’s conservative National Action Party.

Read the full story from UKPA.

 

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Virginia Gov. Says Gay Discrimination Won’t Be Tolerated, Even If It’s Legal
Mississippi Prom Canceled Over Lesbian Student
Cyberbullying Rampant for Lesbian and Gay Teens
Trial From Controversial Gay Bar Raid Begins

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Hoping to quell a growing uproar on Virginia’s college campuses over gay rights, Gov. Robert F. McDonnell issued a directive to all 102,000 state employees Wednesday that prohibits discrimination in the state workforce, including on the basis of sexual orientation, and warns he will reprimand or fire anyone who engages in it. McDonnell’s directive comes a week after Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R) distributed a letter to the state’s public colleges and universities asking them to remove references to sexual orientation from their campus nondiscrimination policies. Cuccinelli says that only the General Assembly has the authority to extend legal protections to gays.

Read the full story from the Washington Post.

Four employees and four dancers arrested in the controversial raid of the Atlanta Eagle gay bar are on trial for city ordinance violations Thursday in Atlanta Municipal Court. The employees face business license charges, while the dancers are accused of providing adult entertainment without a license. Up to 10 witnesses are expected to testify. Attorney Alan Begner, representing the defendants, said charges should not have been filed.

Read the full story from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

A Mississippi county school board announced Wednesday it would cancel its upcoming prom after a gay student petitioned to bring a same-sex date to the event. “Due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events, the Itawamba County School District has decided to not host a prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School this year,” school board members said in a statement.

Read the full story from USA Today.

Cyberbullying is on the rise: Children and teens are being bullied through the Internet in chat rooms, on social networking websites, via email and even through mobile phones. New research has found that approximately one out of every two lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youths are regular victims of this new form of bullying. It is thought that such cyberbullying causes psychological and emotional distress to victims — producing thoughts of suicide in some who are repeatedly victimized.

Read the full story from Live Science.

 

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San Francisco LGBT Center Asking City for $1M
Circumcision May Not Cut HIV Spread Among Gay Men
Dozens Drop Washington Post Over Front-Page Gay Kiss

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