Author: Brett

Johnny Weir Gets Married to Boyfriend Victor Voronov on New Year’s Eve

Brett

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/johnny-weir-married-boyfriend-victor-voronov-year-eve-article-1.999832

Johnny Weir s all about razzle-dazzle showmanship, but this New Year’s Eve, the Olympic skater threw a little bling into the mix.

Weir, 27, tied the knot with boyfriend Victor Voronov to close out 2011, and tweeted his excitement to his nearly 103,000 Twitter followers Saturday.

“I’m married!” he wrote, later clarifying that the actual wedding will take place in the summer, though “all the official stuff is done now! No more livin’ in sin!”

Voronov retweeted his husband’s sentiments, adding that he was “ringing in the New Year with my new hubby @JohnnyGWeir! #ELATED.”

Weir, who remained famously mum about his private life before coming out just one year ago, spoke about his impending nuptials just a few days prior to the new year.

Wait of the World: 2011 Was an Ideal Year for a Pioneering Gay Athlete to Emerge. So Where Were They?

Brett

http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/story/_/id/7394558/commentary-league-commissioners-pave-way-gay-athletes-espn-magazine

AS 2011 GIVES WAY TO 2012, “don’t ask, don’t tell” has disappeared from the military, gay adoption is commonplace, Houston and Portland have gay mayors, and same-sex marriage is legal in half a dozen states and counting. Meanwhile, numerous athletes and coaches have told me they couldn’t care less if a teammate were to come out, suggesting now is the time for openly gay players in mainstream team sports.

So why are we still waiting? It’s been more than a decade since former No. 1 tennis player Amelie Mauresmo said she was gay, six years since WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes did the same. More recently, Portland State basketball coach Sherri Murrell, NBA team executive Rick Welts, Oregon State softball coach Kirk Walker and Boston Herald sports columnist Steve Buckley all disclosed their homosexuality while still active, to generally positive reaction. Yet no openness movement has followed. No active male athlete in any of the major leagues has followed the path of Mauresmo and Swoopes. It’s a reminder that quite some time has passed since sports stood progressively ahead of the rest of the country, when Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey and Happy Chandler integrated baseball in 1947 — before the military, hundreds of school districts and thousands of churches.

Philly’s Search for an Out Pro Athlete

Brett

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/12/31/Phillys_Search_for_an_Out_Pro_Athlete/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AdvocatecomDailyNews+%28Advocate.com+Daily+News%29

Writer Robert Huber does the math: with the number of professional athletes playing on Philadelphia’s teams, including the Phillies for baseball, and the Eagles for football, the 76ers for basketball, and so on, there must be at least a few gay players in the City of Brotherly Love. But in his quest to find out whether there are gay male players, he also found that some players know it might be simply uncomfortable to dress alongside another athlete, knowing he’s gay.

 

For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Groups, 2011 Has Been a Great Legislative Year

Brett

Although the court fight over same-sex marriage in California is unresolved, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy groups scored major legislative victories in 2011.

“We passed a ton of bills,” said Rebekah Orr, spokeswoman for Equality California, a group that lobbies for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. “There is an understanding that inequality is real, so it is relatively easy for a number of these bills to be passed.”

Twelve bills backed by Equality California were passed by the Legislature in 2011. Gov. Jerry Brown signed 10 and vetoed 2.

Both Lesbian Moms Have Parent Rights, Daytona Court Rules in Custody Dispute

Brett

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-12-29/news/os-lesbian-custody-battle-florida-20111229_1_parental-rights-custody-lesbian-moms

They fell in love, moved in together in a house in south Brevard County and had a baby girl. Now they are fighting over who should raise the child. But unlike most couples, they are two women. One donated the egg. The other had it implanted into her womb and carried the child to term.

So which one is the mother? The woman who bore the child says it is she and she alone.

A circuit judge in Brevard County, writing that it broke his heart to say so, ruled that she’s right. Under Florida law, a woman who gives birth is the mother. Last week, however, a state appeals court in Daytona Beach overturned his decision, saying the other mother has parental rights, too.

‘Don’t Ask’ Repeal Tops Year’s Events

Brett

http://www.wisconsingazette.com/national-gaze/dont-ask-repeal-tops-years-eventsbreaktop-national-stories-of-2011.html

The year ending Dec. 31 proved that LGBT Americans are on an inevitable path to equality. WiG’s picks for top national stories of the year, in order of importance, are:

1. DADT’S DONE: THE LIFTING OF THE MILITARY BAN

2. NYME: THE PASSAGE OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN NEW YORK

3. AMERICA’S PASTIME: THE PROTEST REGAINS POPULARITY

4. BATTLING BULLYING: IT GETS BETTER BANDWAGON

The It Gets Better multi-media project originated with writer Dan Savage, who wanted to send a message to youths after a series of gay-related suicides at the start of the 2010-11 school year. Some 10,000 people and organizations – from prominent politicians to average citizens – posted video messages to the It Gets Better website in 2011.

President Barack Obama taped a video, as did Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, other cabinet members and the openly gay members of Congress.

Hollywood stars shared videos.

And athletes and professional sports team, including the San Francisco Giants, winners of the 2010 World Series, also produced powerful messages.

Giants Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Andres Torres, Sergio Romo and Hensley Meulens shared the encouragement that gets tossed around on the field in a video intended to convince LGBT youth that life “gets better.” For the 58-second video, pitchers Cain, Zito and Romo, centerfielder Torres and batting coach Meulens stood in their uniforms in AT&T Park to make their pitch directly to the camera.

Zito said, “We all know how difficult life can be as a teenager.”

Romo added, “We’ve all been there and have had to deal with the pressure to fit in and be accepted by our peers.”

“It’s particularly challenging for LGBT teens who face adversity and intolerance in their daily lives,” said Cain.

In the end, the players promised – in English, Japanese and Spanish – that “it gets better.”

The Giants was the first pro sports team to post a video, but not the last – the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays and others followed. But not the Milwaukee Brewers, which ignored a Change.org campaign asking the team to join in the effort.

Many ordinary folks – students, teachers, nurses, counselors, reporters, musicians, activists and even reformed bullies – also shared messages, many of them plainspoken into a web cam, but some scripted, sung, painted, sculpted or shouted.

Plus, by the end of the year, thousands had taken the It Gets Better pledge: “Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I’ll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I’ll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens by letting them know that ‘It Gets Better.'”

VA board Allows Adoption Agencies to Discriminate Based on Sexual Orientation, Other Factors

Brett

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-board-to-address-regs-that-would-strip-protections-against-discrimination/2011/12/14/gIQAT3hYtO_story.html

RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia board has finalized rules that would allow state-licensed adoption agencies to discriminate against prospective adoptive and foster parents based on their sexual orientation, political beliefs and other personal characteristics.

After many speakers voiced support or opposition to the regulations, the Virginia Board of Social Services voted 5-1 at its regular meeting Wednesday to have them take effect May 1. Two members weren’t present for the vote.

The new rules, originally adopted in April, strip out protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, age, disability, gender, family status and political beliefs.

Board chairwoman Bela Sood noted before the decision that while society considers a mother and a father “a normal parenting unit,” scientific evidence doesn’t support some religious and conservative groups’ claims that they make better parents than same-sex couples do.

 

Mavs Owner Mark Cuban Says NBA Will See Openly Gay Player In 3-5 Years

Brett

http://www.dallasvoice.com/dallas-mavericks-owner-mark-cuban-nba-openly-gay-player-3-5-years-1097009.html

 

Mark Cuban, the gay-friendly owner of the Dallas Mavericks, told TMZ recently that he believes the NBA will see an openly gay player before the league sees a female head coach.

Cuban noted that Nancy Lieberman coached the Mavericks’ D-League team, the Texas Legends, last year. But he said coaching in the NBA isn’t one of Lieberman’s goals. And although he thinks it will definitely happen eventually, Cuban said it will take some time for a female coach to work her way up through the NBA ranks. Then the topic shifted to the question of a gay player. Here’s a transcript of the exchange between Cuban and TMZ host Harvey Levin:

The Vaughn Woelfel Family

Brett

http://thevaughnwoelfelfamily.blogspot.com/

 

March came in like a lion, and went…

Wow…it’s already April 4th, 2009. The beginning of my posts are starting to sound like a broken record (much like the American Idol judges if you are watching that show at all). I had originally intended to post new updates every week. Ha! Then I thought it would be great to do it every month. Well, I did that pretty well…for the first 7 months. So I missed March. I hope to make up for that oversight or lack of attention by posting more than once this month! And here we go!

The boys are still growing so fast. Rich and I still look at each other every day and can’t believe how lucky and blessed we are with such adorable, good, sweet, fun twin sons! I only wish this happiness on everyone (of course unless you only have one child…or one at a time…then just half of this happiness? Oh forget it, there’s no putting limits on the amount of happiness children can bring into your life!)

Well, I’m going to get right to the pictures. Here are some of our favorites over the past couple of months. We hope you enjoy viewing them as we do…and as much fun as we had taking them…and viewing them again…oh forget it…you know what I mean!)