Cincinnati Becomes First City To Ban Conversion Therapy

Untitled(2) On Wednesday, the Cincinnati City Council voted to ban gay conversion therapy. According to Cincinnati.com,

In the end, council voted 7-2 to pass the law, which prohibits therapy designed to change sexual orientation or gender identity for minors, and imposes a $200-a-day fine on violators. Cincinnati follows four states – California, Oregon, Illinois and New Jersey – and the District of Columbia banning the therapy, becoming the first city outside of D.C. to do so.

The vote comes on the heels of the death of transgender teen Leela Alcorn, who committed suicide last December. In her powerful suicide note, Alcorn mentioned her own conversion therapy. “This is about saving the lives of LGBT people,” said Councilman Chris Seelbach, who led the effort to ban conversion therapy. “She challenged us to make her death matter, and we’re doing just that,” Seelbach said.

Louisiana’s New Governor To Outlaw LGBT Discrimination

Shockingly, it is still legal in the state of Louisiana to fire someone for being gay. Governor elect Jon Bel Edwards looks to change all of that.

According to The Advocate, “‘The Times Picayune of New Orleans reports that sometime after his inauguration January 11, Edwards will sign an executive order to protect his state’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender state employees and government contractors from getting fired, being discriminated against and harassed.” No time frame for the executive order has been announced but the Times Picayune did note that the bill,”would not protect non government employees, nor would it necessarily apply to state government outside the governor’s control, such as the judiciary.”

This being the South, Edwards already faces opposition to the order as the Louisiana Family Forum has promised to fight the order.

Nathan Lane Marries Partner of 18 Years

Tony-winning actor Nathan Lane married his partner of 18 years Devlin Elliott on Tuesday at city hall in New York City, according to People magazine.

“Nathan and Devlin were married in a small ceremony in New York City this week. Everyone is extremely happy,” his rep told People. While visiting The View recently the couple, who were there promoting their new children’s book, were asked if they were considering getting married. “Well, we don’t want to rush into anything,”joked Lane.

Congrats you two! And get a card for the newlyweds in your life right here.

Salt Lake City elects first openly gay mayor

Lawmaker Jackie Biskupski made history this week by becoming Salt Lake City’s first openly gay mayor. Election results showed that Biskupski won 52 percent of the votes to defeat two-term mayor Ralph Becker.

“Today is not just about making history,” Biskupski said. “It is about people. It is about affecting change,” Biskupski said. Voters also elected Derek Kitchen on Tuesday,who became the second gay member of the Salt Lake City Council. Biskupski was first elected as a lawmaker in Salt Lake back in 1998. When asked about how Salt Lake has changed she said, “It’s 2015, and we’ve come a long way from, gosh, when I first got elected.”

Obama backs changing Civil Rights Act to ban LGBT Discrimination

On Tuesday, the White House endorsed legislation which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. In an interview with the Washington Post, White House press secretary said the Obama administration had reviewed the bill for “several weeks.” He added, “We look forward to working with Congress to ensure that the legislative process produces a result that balances both the bedrock principles of civil rights . . . with the religious liberty that we hold dear in this country.”

The chances of this Congress approving the legislation are slim but the national discussion whether the LGBT community needs greater safeguards is now on the forefront thanks to Obama’s support. Many view the legislation not only as groundbreaking but vital. Chad Griffin explains, “The unfortunate reality is that, while LGBT Americans can legally get married, millions remain at risk of being fired or denied services for who they are or who they love because the majority of states still lack explicit, comprehensive non-discrimination protections.”

Civil Partnerships Coming to Greece

A bill released this week by Greece’s ministry of justice would give same-sex couples the option of civil partnerships with full marriage rights. The new civil partnerships will cover civil rights, inheritance issues, taxation and employee rights. Hooray!

The not so great news? Greek same-sex couples still cannot adopt under the current law. According to Pink News, “The ministry has said a discussion about whether same-sex couples can adopt will take place in the future.” On the positive side, Greece also announced the forming of a national Council Against Racism and Intolerance.

First Same-Sex Marriage Certificate Issued in Japan

What do Koyuki Higashi and Hiroku Masuhara have that no one else in Japan currently has? A legal marriage certificate! According to CNN, the couple is Japan’s first legally married same-sex couple. The pair tied the knot in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Tuesday morning. The progressive Shibuya Ward legalized gay marriage back in March and fellow ward Setagaya followed suit a few months later. Masuhara told Reuters, “I am exhilarated that the city I am living in has recognized my partner as my family.”

Aww! Congrats you two. If you’re looking for a wedding card, peruse our gallery, why don’t you?

When Your Daughter Becomes Your Son

Cosmopolitain.com produced a fantastic video called “Mom, I’m Not a Girl” and we couldn’t wait to share it with you. The 7 minute documentary profiles Brooklyn mother of five Jodie Peterson and her son Penelope who started showing signs of being transgendered at a really young age. Peterson tells Cosmo sharing this story was important. “People are dying over it,” she says. “Until that changes, it’s important to speak out. All the evils — racism, genderism, all the isms — rely on silence. So in order to push social change, we need to speak up.”

New York Giant Show Love for LGBT Athletes

The dude-centric world of sports still might have a long way to go in accepting LGBT athletes but there has certainly been progress this year. Like this new campaign from the New York Giants. In partnership with the You Can Play Project-an organization which protects the rights of LGBT athletes and sports professionals, the video features six Giants players including Victor Cruz and Prince Amukamara. Per the New York Daily News:

“You Can Play is proud to receive the Giants’ tremendous show of support,” said Wade Davis, the organization’s executive director and a former NFL player. “The entire Giants organization has committed to inclusion for all, including LGBT athletes and fans. The vocal support of alumni like Harry Carson, the Giants’ front office staff, and current players sends a giant message to all sports fans, especially young fans everywhere. We are thrilled that the Giants are leading the charge in the NFL for LGBT inclusion.”

Way to Giants! Here’s hoping other teams follow your lead.

Olympian Gus Kenworthy Comes Out

Olympic freeskier and X Games star Gus Kenworthy became the first openly gay action sports athlete when he came out of the closet in a new interview with ESPN magazine this week.

With a slew of athletes from a variety of sports coming out over the last year or two, Kenworthy is the first of his field to come out as openly gay. In addition to winning 3 AFP World Championship titles, Kenworthy won the silver medal at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Given the culture of his sport, Kenworthy says the decision to come out was not an easy one. Per ESPN:

“They say it’s a community of individuals and everyone is doing their own thing and it’s not a team sport, so you get to be yourself,” Kenworthy says. “But you don’t, really.” Unlike team sports, athletes never leave the locker room.  They turn pro as children and become immediately indoctrinated by the culture. “Between the contests and the shoots, everyone’s always skiing and training together,” Kenworthy says. “But it is the same, it’s totally like that: Be creative, be yourself, be all this stuff, but also literally just be everybody else.”

Kenworthy, despite professionally being in the closet, says he knew he was gay from about age 5. Now he’s determined to serve as a role model for other gay athletes and continue his stellar career. “I want to be the guy who comes out, wins s— and is like, I’m taking names,” he says.