Equally Speaking
The following is a transcript of HRC’s morning news webcast "Equally Speaking." To view the current videos visit the main Equally Speaking page.
Good morning, and thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking, your morning dose of LGBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Wednesday, August 13th. I’m Betsy Pursell.
And I’m John Greene. First up, news from California.
The Protect Marriage Coalition announced that it is abandoning its fight over the wording of Proposition 8. The group said it made the decision after a state appeals court turned down an appeal that upheld an updated definition of the proposed amendment. The ballot question was originally described as a measure to limit marriage between a man and a woman but now states that the amendment would take away the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry.
Earlier this week, a judge ruled that records documenting the behavior of slain eighth-grader Lawrence King must be released to the lawyer defending Brandon McInerney, the teen charged with killing King. The records are expected to disclose information on King's behavior during the time he attended E.O. Green School in Oxnard, where he was shot twice in the head during English class. The prosecution neither opposed nor supported the release of the records.
A U.S. District Judge ruled that New York State’s adoption and enforcement of a regulation that prohibits the use of Medicaid funds to pay for sex reassignment treatment does not violate the constitutional right to Equal Protection of the law. In 1997 the New York State Department of Health published a notice that proposed a regulation to terminate Medicaid payment toward gender transition treatment. The lawsuit was brought by Terri Casillas, a transgender woman who had to discontinue hormone treatment due to the regulation.
Directors of Affirmation, an LGBT Mormon support group, said in a press conference Monday that lay leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints need better training to become a safer environment for practicing LGBT Mormons. Affirmation leaders are upset that Fred Riley, outgoing commissioner of the church’s social service agency, cancelled a planned meeting with Affirmation, saying it will be the responsibility of his successor to meet with group. Affirmation is looking for a senior church leader to speak at their annual conference in Salt Lake City next year, but no leader has of yet confirmed for the event.
The Salt Lake County, Utah, District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute a group who attacked David Bell, a gay man, with a hate crime. Bell’s neighbors attacked him with shards of glass after discovering Bell was harboring children belonging to his next door neighbors in his home. Bell claims a loud party raged late into the night, preventing the children from sleeping in their home. Neighbors believe Bell kidnapped the children. Currently, Bell is in lock up awaiting an August 21st hearing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is distributing gift cards to local LGBT leaders in an attempt to promote conversations about the importance of condom use and regular HIV testing in their communities. This new approach is inspired by a North Carolina study indicating that more men were practicing safe sex as a result of being influenced by high-profile members of their community. The CDC, which recently reported that annual HIV infection rates have been dramatically underestimated, says it’s also committed five million dollars to a special five year social marketing campaign to promote HIV testing to young black gay and bisexual men, a group significantly affected by the virus.
That’s the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
Have a great day, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow morning.