National Roundup:
Same-Sex Marriage in
Iowa Would Increase
State Budget by Over $5
Million Per Year
Windy City Times
By Amy Wooten
April 23, 2008
According to Queerty.com,
an Ohio businessman just
gave Kent State
University the school's
largest LGBT donation.
Harry Jackson gave the
university $2 million to
be used to improve gay
rights activism among
its students through
scholarships, speakers
and more.
Florida gay marriage
foes launched a 10-city
campaign in support of a
constitutional amendment
that would ban same-sex
marriage in the state,
according to the Sun-Sentinal.
Amendment 2, which would
define marriage as
between a man and a
woman, will appear on
the November ballot.
Conservatives are
traveling the Sunshine
State, primarily
visiting Baptist
churches in the hopes of
garnering additional
support. So far, 27
other states in the U.S.
have passed anti-gay
marriage amendments.
Over 50,000 schools
across the U.S. will
participate in the 12th
annual National Day of
Silence, which will take
place April 25. The
annual day is meant to
highlight the need to
change school policies
to protect LGBT youth.
This year, the GLSEN-supported
event will honor the
death of junior high
school student Lawrence
King, who was murdered
by a fellow classmate
because of his sexual
orientation and gender
expression.
Same-sex marriage
in Iowa would increase
the state budget by over
$5 million each year,
according a recent
study. The Williams
Institute at UCLA School
of Law released research
that estimates that
permitting same-sex
marriage in the
Midwestern state would
have a positive impact
on the state
budget—roughly $5.3
million each year due to
increases in state
income and sales tax, as
well as cost savings.
Read about the study at
www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute
.
Chelsea Clinton took
part in a gay bar crawl
in Philadelphia in
advance of the April 22
primary in Pennsylvania,
MSNBC.com reported. As
she went around the
Center City
neighborhood—and was led
by Gov. Ed
Rendell—admirers
besieged her. Others
with Clinton as she
visited nightspots such
as Woody's, Bump and
Sisters included actors
Rob Reiner and Robert
Gant.
CNN personality
Richard Quest was
arrested in New York's
City Central Park April
18 and charged with
loitering and criminal
possession of a
controlled substance
after police found him
with meth; a rope around
his neck that was tied
to his genitals; and a
sex toy in his boot,
according to The New
York Post. Quest's
unidentified male
companion allegedly
received a summons for
not carrying any
identification.
The Vermont
Commission on Family
Recognition and
Protection issued its
most recent report, but
did not make any
recommendations to
change state law to
allow for same-sex
marriages, according to
365Gay.com. The report
summarizes hearings
where LGBT individuals
complained about
discrimination.
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