| A free twice-weekly news summary for the LGBT community |  |
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- LGBT candidates make history on Election Night
This week's round of elections proved to be a landmark for LGBT candidates. At least 62 won races for municipal and state office on Tuesday, with some outcomes still to be determined. "This has been the most successful nonfederal election year in the Victory Fund's history," said Chuck Wolfe, the group's president and CEO. "More candidates were endorsed and more candidates won than ever before. But just as important is where they won. Some of these are true breakthrough victories that have the potential to change the political landscape in some communities." GayPolitics.com
(11/4)
    
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Parker gets most votes in Houston race, moves to runoff: Houston mayoral candidate Annise Parker, who is bidding to become the first out elected leader of a major U.S. city, finished first with 31% of the vote and advanced to a Dec. 12 runoff against Gene Locke. Houston Chronicle
(11/4)
, Dallas Voice
(11/5)
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Detroit picks gay man to lead City Council: Out black candidate Charles Pugh won his race for Detroit City Council. Pugh will serve as president of the body. PrideSource.com (Livonia, Mich.)
(11/5)
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Florida city chooses first out council member: Social worker Steve Kornell, who won a seat on the St. Petersburg, Fla., City Council, is the first out candidate to win office there. St. Petersburg Times (Fla.)
(11/4)
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Bell, Wan are set for runoffs in Georgia races: Simone Bell and Alex Wan qualified for runoffs in elections for the Georgia House and the Atlanta City Council. Bell would be the first out black, female state lawmaker in the nation, while Wan is bidding to be the first out man and first Asian-American on Atlanta's City Council. Southern Voice
(11/4)
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Community advocate to join Kalamazoo City Commission: Out candidate and longtime Kalamazoo, Mich., community activist Terry Kuseske on Tuesday claimed a seat on the City Commission. Kalamazoo Gazette (Mich.)
(11/5)
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Salt Lake elects first out member of City Council: Stan Penfold, director of the Utah AIDS Foundation, has become the first openly gay member of the Salt Lake City Council. The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)/LGBT FYI blog
(11/3)
| Politics and Policy | | |
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- What does Maine loss mean for marriage movement?
 Marriage advocates are regrouping and reassessing their tactics following the repeal by voters of a marriage-equality law in Maine. Some question whether the strategy of targeting individual states has run its course, while others say the marriage movement's time is still coming, and are focusing anew on marriage measures in New York and New Jersey. The New York Times
(11/4)
, USA TODAY
(11/4)
- DP law gets voters' OK in Washington state
Washington state voters, by about a 52-48 ratio, on Tuesday gave their approval to Referendum 71, which would keep in place a marriagelike domestic-partnership law. "Voters across the state listened to the personal stories of lesbian and gay families and the challenges they faced and sent a strong message that we want to see all families treated equally under the law in our state," said Anne Levinson, chairwoman of Washington Families Standing Together. The Seattle Times
(11/5)
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| | Register now for the 25th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference
Twenty-five years ago a handful of out elected officials met to share experiences and talk about how to build their ranks.
This December 3-6 hundreds of openly LGBT leaders from government, community organizations and business will gather in San Francisco to celebrate this silver anniversary and talk about the future of LGBT leadership.
Register today to take advantage of early discounts and we'll send you a discount code for rooms at the Parc 55 Hotel. But hurry-conference rate rooms are in limited supply. Register here today. | |
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| Viewpoint | | |
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- Military ban may not be priority for Congress next year
 A report in The Hill newspaper about federal lawmakers' legislative priorities for next year suggests repealing the military gay ban may not make the cut. Health care reform and changes to financial regulatory laws may take precedence, with some lawmakers not wanting Congress to take on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or other potentially controversial issues in an election year, according to this blog post. Towleroad
(11/4)
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Would you feel comfortable reporting your LGBT status on a Census form?
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Yes |
92.16%
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No |
5.41%
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Not sure |
2.43%
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| Issues and Society | | |
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- Anti-bias measure wins big in Kalamazoo
An anti-bias measure in Kalamazoo, Mich., that aims to protect people based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace, housing and public accommodations was approved by almost 62% of voters. Sixteen municipalities in Michigan now have such laws in place. Kalamazoo Gazette (Mich.)
(11/5)
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | We're not short-timers. We'll be here fighting. We'll be working. We will regroup."
--Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for No on 1/Protect Maine Equality, as quoted by USA TODAY
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