Lesbians In The News

[Kobi]

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Last month a baby in Tennessee made history: Emilia Maria Jesty was the first child born in the state to have a woman listed on the birth certificate as her "father."

The marital status of the baby's parents was the subject of a flurry of court filings up to a few days before her birth. Valeria Tanco and Sophy Jesty were wed in New York, a state that recognizes gay marriage, and moved to Tennessee, which does not.

They are among scores of same-sex couples who, working with advocacy groups, have filed lawsuits to expand gay-marriage rights following a major U.S. Supreme Court decision last June allowing federal tax and other benefits for same-sex married couples.

Depending on the pace of rulings, as early as next year Tanco and Jesty's case or a similar challenge could reach the Supreme Court. Since the court's June decision in U.S. v. Windsor, about 50 such cases have been filed, in nearly all 33 states that prohibit gay marriage.

So far, the eight federal judges who have ruled citing Windsor have sided with the same-sex couples, saying the states may not treat same-sex couples differently from opposite-sex ones. All of those cases are on appeal.

On Thursday, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will begin hearing cases involving Utah and Oklahoma. In May, the 4th Circuit will hear a dispute from Virginia.

As Tanco approached her due date, a Nashville federal judge in mid-March issued a preliminary injunction forcing Tennessee to honor their marriage. The state appealed to the 6th Circuit.

It is possible a ruling against the couple could void Emilia's birth certificate and require that it be reissued with only Tanco listed. A spokeswoman for Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper declined to comment, as did a spokesman for the state Health Department, which oversees birth certificates.

But for now, says Jesty, "It gives me strength."

URBAN AND RURAL COUPLES

About half of the cases were brought by gay-rights advocacy groups that do not charge the plaintiffs, and many of the lawyers in the other cases are working for free. As part of their legal and public relations strategy, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights look for a broad mix: Same-sex couples from both urban and rural America, in an array of vocations and facing problems such as those arising from care of their children or an ill partner.

State attorneys general typically defend the state laws, although private lawyers have become involved too. Lawyers from the Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona-based Christian organization, are assisting in the defense of state bans in Oklahoma and Virginia and have submitted "friend of the court" briefs in other cases, including the Tennessee dispute.

Greg Scott, an Alliance spokesman, said his group seeks to counter sympathetic "micro" narratives with a "macro" argument. "What we argue is that marriage has a particular role in society as a whole," and that has historically meant only unions between a man and a woman.

Most new challenges seek a broad constitutional right to same-sex marriage. But a handful, including the Tanco case, take a more incremental approach, arguing only that states must recognize marriages from other states. Gay-rights groups say the narrower argument could sway judges in more conservative states and potentially the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 in Windsor.

A VOLUNTEER IN KNOXVILLE

Tanco and Jesty became the lead plaintiffs in a lawsuit after they were approached last August by Regina Lambert, a Knoxville lawyer who had been volunteering for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

The advocacy group relies on a network of lawyers and other volunteers to help find plaintiffs. During a series of conference calls, Lambert and other lawyers decided to bring one of the narrower cases in Tennessee, a largely conservative state. The group separately has filed broader based lawsuits in Idaho, Wyoming and Florida.

Lambert, who teaches at the University of Tennessee law school, thought of Tanco and Jesty. She had met the couple through a friend and knew they presented a good set of facts. Even though they had a legal New York marriage, they were not entitled in Tennessee to spousal benefits.

"You want someone who is in a stable, good relationship," Lambert said. "I liked the fact that they were homeowners, too." She thought the couple would also connect with the public because they were "likeable" and professors of veterinary medicine at the University of Tennessee. At that point she did not even realize Tanco was pregnant.

Lambert learned that when she invited the couple over to her house in August to broach the idea of the lawsuit. Tanco had become pregnant through artificial insemination about two months earlier.

The couple asked for time to think. Tanco was ready to say yes right away, but Jesty hesitated. She was not sure she wanted the attention that would come from a lawsuit. But two days later they called Lambert and agreed to sign on. "This was an opportunity to make a difference," Jesty said. "How do you turn away from something like that?"

In October, they filed suit in federal court in Nashville. Two other couples, gay men, are part of the lawsuit.

The pregnancy turned out to boost their case in court, at least for now. By mid-March, the court had yet to rule, and the couple's lawyers requested a status report. Judge Aleta Trauger issued a preliminary order requiring Tennessee to recognize the marriages of the couples pending a final decision. She noted that under existing Tennessee law, Jesty would not be recognized as a parent to Tanco's child and would be unable to make certain medical decisions.

The state appealed. Two days later, on March 27, just after 4 p.m., Emilia was born, weighing eight pounds, five ounces.

Following the usual routine, a hospital employee visited Tanco's room the next day to fill out the birth certificate. Tanco said Jesty's name should be on it with hers.

At first there was confusion over whether that was possible. Lambert worked the phones. After several hours and many calls between the hospital in Knoxville and the health department in Nashville, hospital officials produced the birth certificate.

A health department spokesman said in an email that officials were not aware of any previous Tennessee case in which the names of same-sex parents were listed on the birth certificate.

The document now sits on a desk in the couple's study. "It might be something that needs to get framed," said Jesty.

http://news.yahoo.com/two-moms-baby-...--finance.html

[Kobi]

In global history, there has only ever been one head of state to have a same-sex spouse. That wasn’t in the progressive Sweden, or the occasionally-progressive America, but in Iceland, which has a population around the size of Croydon.

And this is how my conversation with Jónína Leósdóttir, the only First Lady in the world to be a same-sex spouse, begins (although I am pretty surprised she knows Croydon even exists).

She is married to Iceland’s former Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir. They married in 2010 – just after same-sex marriage was made legal in their country – but have been together since 1985, when they both left their husbands to be together. It means their relationship spans almost 30 years.

It hasn’t been an easy ride. “We lived in a very different time,” explains Jónína . “There were no gay laws or no rights to a civil partnership or anything. It was the stone ages compared to now.”

For almost half of their relationship, they kept it a secret because they were so worried about what it could do to Jóhanna’s career as an MP. “It’s ridiculous looking back,” says Jónína. “We never lived together which made it a little bit more complicated for people to prove. I think it was bad for us because we were a little bit isolated. We didn’t belong anywhere.

“I'm sure we could have started living together before but we got stuck in our ways. It was difficult. I kept making scenes and slamming doors and saying I couldn’t wait any longer but you try and be sensible and think, after the election it will be fine, but then there’s another one in four years time.”

It was only in 2000 that they moved in together and found that there was no real reaction. The media were respectful of the couple’s decision to not do interviews, and nine years later, Jóhanna was elected as Prime Minister. She was well-liked by the country and generally thought of as responsible for leading the country away from bankruptcy and its worst financial crisis.

But, Jónína thinks that the '"non-reaction" was because of who they were: white older women. By the time they ‘came out’, she was a grandmother. “I think it helped being such a mature age with grandchildren,” she says. “I think people see white women grandmas as rather harmless so maybe it’s not so threatening.”

If she had been a man, or even younger, she thinks she might have faced a different reaction. But, on the whole, her relationship with Jóhanna was well-received. Even when the couple went on an official visit to China, where homosexuality is not encouraged, Jónína “wasn’t completely erased”.

“Everyone was completely polite,” she says. “. They must have been briefed before. They never battered an eyelid. People had predicted they’d try to ignore me and I wasn’t mentioned on TV, but I was interviewed once. I wasn’t completely erased. I’m sure they found it strange to welcome a same sex couple.”

It was only on a visit to the nearby Faroe Islands (an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark) that they experienced serious prejudice when an MP refused to sit with them at a dinner. “He made a bit of a fuss about it,” she says. “He seemed to mind that I was there. He would have accepted coming in if Jóhanna hadn’t ‘flaunted’ me there.”

But the problems surrounding their relationship didn’t just stem from being in the public eye. When the two met, back in 1983, they were both married with children. “It was so underground and hard and we were afraid our children would be hurt from this,” says Jónína. “We had to go through a divorce and wondered if it would harm our children.”

Their husbands weren’t exactly pleased either, but both are now re-married. None of the women’s children were ‘harmed’ either, Jónína laughs, as she tells me the three boys are now all married and work in the aluminium, oil and media industries.
'It's not a life choice'

It is partly why Jónína has now written a book about their relationship, (which isn't available in English yet) because the family are no longer in the public eye, and she thinks it might inspire others to accept their sexuality.

“We’re trying to get the message across that it isn’t easy – it’s not a life choice, it’s just something that happens to you,” she says. “It’s not something you particularly go after and if you’d had the choice, you’d have said, no thank you. Life would have been easier but we’re grateful we stuck it out.”

The pair met in politics, where they were both working on the same committee, even though for Jónína – a journalist and writer – it was only a temporary role. Over a year, Jónína found herself falling for Jóhanna. It was the first time she had ever felt any lesbian feelings.

“It just wasn’t something I’d expected to happen to me,” she says. “It’s different when you’re that mature because you’re not an insecure teenager - you know who you are.” She called her emotions “funny feelings” and never really identified as a lesbian.

“It was never a revelation,” she says. “It’s always been about loving that person and it has not been a huge part of my identity because when you’re 30, your identity is already in place. “ In fact, when she was younger, she tells me she was utterly "terrified of lesbians" because she didn’t know any.
Scared of lesbians

When she was at university here in Essex, she once went to a bar that shared its toilets with a gay disco next door. “I didn’t try to go to the loo in case there were lesbians,” she tells me. “It was as if someone had told me to go into the men’s room with all the drunk young boys. It shows my total ignorance and stupidity.”

She thought of lesbians as “a different species” and even when she finally admitted her feelings to Jóhanna, she told her: “If you would spread your arms and say come here and try and kiss me I might run into a toilet and throw up.”

Jóhanna didn’t say anything at all. It was only a few months later that she started to reciprocate those feelings, and in 1986 she divorced her husband. Jónína won’t tell me how long it took for them to have their first kiss, but she does say that it took a long time.

The physical side of things eventually came naturally though. “You fall in love with people, especially women,” she says. “You fall in love with the person. I think about all my friends [they] fall in love with guys who are short or thin or tall. It’s not such an issue with women but maybe I’m prejudiced.”

Prejudice is something she hopes that her story will eventually change. The only way she thinks it will ever disappear is with frequency: the more leaders we see with same-sex spouses, the more it will come to be the norm.

Now she’s just waiting for the UK to join Iceland in having a lesbian leader. “Nick Clegg said the UK is ready for a gay Prime Minister,” she says, “I totally agree.” Watch this space.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/wom...irst-Lady.html

[Kobi]

An openly gay chief of police has been fired by a South Carolina mayor who was caught saying he preferred alcoholics to homosexuals.

Crystal Moore, a 20-year veteran with the Latta Police Department, was relieved of her duties as chief of police on Tuesday following seven reprimands handed down by newly elected Earl Bullard.

The chief had recently discovered during an investigation that the town's parks and recreations director Vontray Sellers had operated a city vehicle with a suspended license.

During the probe, Moore found that Bullard failed to conduct a proper background check on Sellers before giving him the job.

On Tuesday, Bullard dismissed Moore, who is the Latta's first female chief of police and has not faced disciplinary action in her two decade career.

Bullard claimed Moore conducted a background check without authorization, questioned the authority of a supervisor and contacted 'news media to help bring about disorder and disruption to the town of Latta,' among other things.

But many in the community, including city officials, are questioning whether the real motive behind the firing was retaliation or the fact he allegedly doesn't like gay people.

Council member, Jared Taylor, provided WBTW with a recording of a phone call in which the mayor makes several anti-gay remarks.

I would much rather have - and I will say this to anybody's face - somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child than I had somebody whose lifestyle is questionable around children,' Bullard said on the call.

'I'm not going to let two women stand up there and hold hands and let my child be aware of it, and I'm not going to see them do it with two men neither.'

Another council member, Lutherine Williams told the station of the new mayor: 'We have codes, but this mayor refuses to obey anything in that book he don't want to.'

Williams added that proper protocol would required Bullard to give Moore a verbal warning, then a written warning.

Instead, he gave her seven reprimands in one day.

'Before he was sworn in [as mayor], he said ... Crystal would not have a job,' Williams told WBTW.

Moore said Thursday she now agrees the mayor had a vendetta against her and fired her because of her sexuality.

'I can't believe that we still have no equal rights. That's the biggest issue. I've been harassed, intimidated. This is the first time it's been this public. I'd tried living a quiet decent life and do what I'm supposed to,' she said.

As well as council members, who have refused to acknowledge her termination, Latta residents were furious by the new mayor's move and showed their disapproval by protesting Moore's termination at City Hall.

'This woman has been a veteran of the department and a pillar of this community for years,' Kevin Drawhorn, a Latta resident and supporter of Moore, told WBTW.

Another support rally was planned for the chief Thursday night.

The city council, which says the mayor can only fire a police chief with their prior approval, held a special meeting on the dismissal Thursday night in which they voted for a referendum to weaken the mayor's power.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ay-couple.html

[WildHorses]

I read this today and of course i was angry. I have nothing of value to say.
My question is- when will it end and what do WE need to to to end it?

Originally Posted by Kobi

An openly gay chief of police has been fired by a South Carolina mayor who was caught saying he preferred alcoholics to homosexuals.

Crystal Moore, a 20-year veteran with the Latta Police Department, was relieved of her duties as chief of police on Tuesday following seven reprimands handed down by newly elected Earl Bullard.

The chief had recently discovered during an investigation that the town's parks and recreations director Vontray Sellers had operated a city vehicle with a suspended license.

During the probe, Moore found that Bullard failed to conduct a proper background check on Sellers before giving him the job.

On Tuesday, Bullard dismissed Moore, who is the Latta's first female chief of police and has not faced disciplinary action in her two decade career.

Bullard claimed Moore conducted a background check without authorization, questioned the authority of a supervisor and contacted 'news media to help bring about disorder and disruption to the town of Latta,' among other things.

But many in the community, including city officials, are questioning whether the real motive behind the firing was retaliation or the fact he allegedly doesn't like gay people.

Council member, Jared Taylor, provided WBTW with a recording of a phone call in which the mayor makes several anti-gay remarks.

I would much rather have - and I will say this to anybody's face - somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child than I had somebody whose lifestyle is questionable around children,' Bullard said on the call.

'I'm not going to let two women stand up there and hold hands and let my child be aware of it, and I'm not going to see them do it with two men neither.'

Another council member, Lutherine Williams told the station of the new mayor: 'We have codes, but this mayor refuses to obey anything in that book he don't want to.'

Williams added that proper protocol would required Bullard to give Moore a verbal warning, then a written warning.

Instead, he gave her seven reprimands in one day.

'Before he was sworn in [as mayor], he said ... Crystal would not have a job,' Williams told WBTW.

Moore said Thursday she now agrees the mayor had a vendetta against her and fired her because of her sexuality.

'I can't believe that we still have no equal rights. That's the biggest issue. I've been harassed, intimidated. This is the first time it's been this public. I'd tried living a quiet decent life and do what I'm supposed to,' she said.

As well as council members, who have refused to acknowledge her termination, Latta residents were furious by the new mayor's move and showed their disapproval by protesting Moore's termination at City Hall.

'This woman has been a veteran of the department and a pillar of this community for years,' Kevin Drawhorn, a Latta resident and supporter of Moore, told WBTW.

Another support rally was planned for the chief Thursday night.

The city council, which says the mayor can only fire a police chief with their prior approval, held a special meeting on the dismissal Thursday night in which they voted for a referendum to weaken the mayor's power.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ay-couple.html

[Kobi]

The 51-year-old Oscar winner wed girlfriend Alexandra Hedison over the weekend, Foster's publicist confirmed Wednesday. Jennifer Allen offered no other details.

E! was the first to report that Foster tied the knot with Hedison, a 44-year-old photographer based in Los Angeles.

It's the first marriage for Foster, who came out publicly in a rambling, heartfelt speech at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, where she accepted lifetime achievement honors.

Foster acknowledged longtime partner Cydney Bernard, with whom she has two sons. The couple ended their 20-year relationship in 2008. While Foster never hid the relationship, she kept her sexuality private until the Globes speech.

E! says Foster and Hedison have been dating since last summer.

Hedison, who was previously linked to Ellen DeGeneres, is also an actress with TV credits including "Nash Bridges" and "The L Word."

http://news.yahoo.com/jodie-foster-w...lkA1NNRTM0M18x

[Kobi]

When Christine Svendsen’s first book was turned away by publishers, she launched her own publishing company.

Now, four years later, she’s got a stable full of award-winning lesbian authors and her own award-winning books published under the pseudonym Isabella via Sapphire Books.

“Believe in yourself. Rejection isn’t the end of a story, it can be a beginning,” Svendsen said. “Looking back, I didn’t think in terms of what if this doesn’t work? I only thought of the possibilities.”

Sapphire Books is offering anyone who likes their Facebook page a free book. After you like the page, email to Svendsen.

Svendsen took time out of her busy schedule to share the secrets to Sapphire’s success with us.

What do you do and why?

I’m the publisher and an author at Sapphire Books Publishing. I started Sapphire Books Publishing in 2010. We publish lesbian novels, written by lesbians. Our authors include Linda Kay Silva, Kim Pritekel, Beth Burnett, Karelia Stetz-Waters, Linda North, Lynette Mae, Riley Adair Garret, Lorraine Howell, Rhavensfyre and Stephanie Kusiak.

What did you do before you started your company?

I do the same thing now as I did when I started Sapphire Books, I work as a community college instructor in California. My current job affords me the luxury of working remote for most of my work load. The flexibility allows me to set my own hours, which really helps with the publishing company.

How did you come up with the idea for your company?

I had submitted my first manuscript to two publishers and was rejected by both. One said they weren’t looking for my type of story at that time. The other company wanted me to completely rewrite the story and resubmit. I thought long and hard about rewriting it. After talking to my wife, I decided that I’d try and publish it myself.

I researched self-publishing, looked at all the options and decided to start a publishing company. I’d always thought about growing the company at some point, but that was in the future. When Linda Kay Silva, a popular lesbian author, left her publishing company, I sent her an email. We met and discussed writing, publishing and motorcycles. It clicked for us and the company took off from that point. We’ve signed some really awesome writers. I have to say that I’m thrilled to work with some really talented ladies.

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?

I get to work with some amazingly talented women. They write books that blow my socks off.

Where do you see yourself / your company in five years? Hopes / dreams / plans?

Sapphire Books isn’t going anywhere. We’re in it for the long haul and plan on adding to our already growing list of fantastic authors.

What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?

Research the industry. Do your homework and ask questions. Learn everything you can and even then there will still be things that surprise you, so plan to be surprised. Roll with it, flexibility is important in today’s business world.

Social media is starting to play a huge role in business and it’s important that you treat social media as a tool in the business tool box.

Go to conferences, meet people in your industry and make sure to check out the competition. See what they are doing right and notice what isn’t working. IBPA and SPAN are great resources, if you really want to get into publishing.

Finally, be persistent.

What’s the process for an aspiring author to get published with Sapphire?

First, write your book. Polish the manuscript. Send the best work possible, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Sapphire isn’t the traditional lesbian publisher. We don’t have a formula. I like to think we publish great books that a lot of other publishers wouldn’t touch. For example, we’ve published books that were over 500 pages, most publishers in lesbian fiction won’t publish long manuscripts. We’ve published some truly scary books about serial killers and fetish killers. We also have published erotic books, Sci Fi, paranormal as well as romance. We just signed an author who writes the Happy Lesbian Housewife blogs and she has been referred to as “the love child of Erma Bombeck and Chelsea Handler,” so we are pretty open as long as they have strong lesbian characters, written by lesbians. Writers can contact me at publisher@sapphirebooks.com.

What would you say is the single most important key to sustaining a business long term?

Have a plan and be flexible. I can’t say that enough. The industry is constantly changing and we need to change with it.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?

I think the biggest obstacle I faced was being taken serious, both as a writer and as a publisher. I won an award for my first book and that started the ball rolling. When we signed Linda Kay Silva, a lot of people started to take notice.

After that, we signed some pretty awesome talent and our authors started winning awards, which moved Sapphire Books up on the list to be noticed.

Follow Sapphire Books on Facebook and Twitter

http://www.lesbian.com/sapphire-book...tine-svendsen/

[Kobi]