http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/in-new-book-first-openly-gay-ambassador-talks-of-shattering-the-pink-ceiling/

In New Book, First Openly Gay Ambassador Talks of Shattering the ‘Pink Ceiling’

From former ambassador James Hormel’s view, we have come a long way. The first openly gay ambassador has spent decades advocating for gay and lesbian rights, a fight he chronicles in his new book “Fit to Serve.”

“I think that the social issues have risen to a level where they are getting the attention they deserve,” Hormel told ABC’s Top Line.

For example, Hormel said, there have been other openly gay ambassadors since he was appointed as ambassador to Luxembourg in 1999. He also noted there are now six states where same-sex couples can be married, the “heinous” Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy is now gone, and there have been serious moves to end discrimination in jobs and housing.

http://www.metroweekly.com/feature/?ak=2072

When it comes to gay and lesbian families, the past year has seen a bit of bunny business.

You may remember last year when Buster Bunny made a PBS-televised trip to Vermont where he introduced his tiny tyke audience to a family with two lesbian mothers. The Bush administration wasn’t happy with Buster’s inclusive approach. The Family Pride Coalition was one of a number of GLBT groups that immediately came to Buster’s defense, seeing an opportunity to educate the nation about the growing number of gay and lesbian families.

“We as a country need to come to grips with the fact that despite what the conservative movement would have us believe, family is not always a mom and a dad in a married situation in a nuclear family with two kids and a dog and a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence,” says Jennifer Chrisler, Family Pride’s executive director. Her group screened the Buster television show on the Web and around the country.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/11/house-senate-lawmakers-introduce-federal-domestic-partner-benefits-bill/

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Friday reintroduced the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, and said that approving the bill would put the federal government on par with Fortune 500 corporations that already extend full benefits to same-sex partners of gay and lesbian employees.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/11/colorado-house-democrats-select-first-openly-gay-leader/

DENVER — Democrats in the Colorado House of Representatives on Friday selected Rep. Mark Ferrandino of Denver to be their new minority leader, making him the first openly gay man in the state’s history to hold such a high leadership position in the legislature.

And if Democrats in 2012 take back the House, which Republicans now hold with a 33-32 majority, Ferrandino could be in line to become the first gay speaker in state history, reported the Denver Post.

Ferrandino, 34, said the fact that he was able to ascend to such a high leadership position as a gay man shows how Coloradans’ views on sexual orientation have changed over the years.

“It’s become a nonissue, which is what it should be,” Ferrandino said.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/11/mayfield-makes-history-as-charlottes-first-openly-gay-elected-official/

CHARLOTTE — Democratic candidate LaWana Mayfield made history on Tuesday, soundly defeating Republican opponent Ed Toney in their race for the District 3 city council seat.

LaWana Mayfield celebrates her election victory with a supporter.

As of 10 p.m. and with all precincts reporting, Mayfield had garnered 78 percent of the vote against Toney’s 22 percent.

“Thank you community,” Mayfield said. “I am so excited about all the support I received from District 3, from all of who you volunteered and phone banked and called and sent me postive messages, who came out to early voting and who voted today. Thank you for your support.”

Mayfield’s supporters say her victory marks a turning point for Charlotte, a city not necessarily known for its LGBT inclusion.

http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/301395

Michael Sutphin, possibly the first openly gay person to be elected in the region, says he can be both a Blacksburg councilman and “a role model for LGBT people.”

Michael Sutphin is not only the first openly gay man elected to the Blacksburg Town Council but is being recognized as the first openly gay candidate elected in the state outside of Northern Virginia.

Sutphin, 27, is a 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech and a public relations worker assigned to the university’s veterinary college. He finished second among five candidates on Nov.8, earning one of three open council seats.