Gay news you can use: pride edition

Here’s a roundup of key LGBT news stories, from Michigan Pride’s celebration, to a celebration of a LGBT leader’s life of whom we can be proud, to a story featuring human behavior of which we are none too proud.

Remembering Leonard Maltovich

Twenty years ago, Leonard Maltovich died, but he left a legacy of fighting for gay equality that continues today. Maltovich, who won the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam, was ticked off by the military’s ban on homosexuals. So in 1975 he declared himself gay in a letter he wrote to John McLucas, who was Air Force secretary at the time. This of course led to Maltovich’s dismissal, with a dishonorable discharge, from the military.

His letter led to him appearing on the cover of Time magazine, with the headline: “I Am a Homosexual; The Gay Drive for Acceptance.”

Not one to back down from a fight, Maltovich, who served three tours of duty in Vietnam, battled with the Air Force through administrative hearings, then in court. He eventually settled with back pay, and an upgraded discharge.

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In 1987, Maltovich appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” where he told host Charlie Gibson he had AIDS. He died June 22, 1988.

Maltovich chose to be buried in the Congressional Cemetery, which he was entitled to be buried in because he was an honorably discharged Vet. “When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”

Women getting the military boot under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

While Maltovich was able to win his battle with the Air Force, under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, LGBT servicemembers continue to be dismissed from service. And women seem to be particularly prone to the policy, according to the the New York Times.

The Times is reporting that the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has compiled discharges for homosexuality from Freedom of Information Act requests. What they found was that while women make up 15 percent of the armed forces, in 2007 they were 50 percent of the discharges under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Meanwhile, the number of criminals being allowed to join the military is increasing.

A post at Huffington Post by Steve Ralls points out another moment of insanity when it comes to the policy. In the post, Ralls points out that the very same soldiers being dismissed from the service are ending up being hired as civilian employees, working in the same offices in the Pentagon they were working in when they were discharged for being homosexual.

Gay pride event set for Lansing this weekend

Organizers of Michigan Pride say they are expecting as many as 20,000 people to attend this weekend’s pride events. The events begin Friday, June 27, with a comedy performance at the Cadillac Club in Lansing. On Saturday, the event continues with a march to the Capitol at noon, followed by a festival with music and booths. On Sunday, the events wrap up with a pet event. For more on the event, visit the group’s Web site at http://michiganpride…

Triangle Foundation continues in state of reorganizing flux

With the Triangle Foundation’s director of policy Sean Kosofsky on his way to North Carolina, and the board of the gay rights group and anti-violence organization continuing the search for a new executive director, the organization remains in a state of flux.

Kososky, who announced he was leaving Triangle to follow his partner to North Carolina, has now announced he has accepted the position of executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina. Meanwhile, former Triangle executive director Jeffrey Montgomery retired late last year, and the organization has been run by former board member Kate Runyon as the interim executive director.

The organization is now conducting a national search for both an executive director and a director of policy.

A not-so-proud moment

Police in Memphis, Tenn., (abbrev) are investigating what television station WMCTV has labeled an incident of police brutality.

According to the TV station’s report, on Feb. 12, Duanna Johnson, an African-American transgender woman, was arrested on alleged prostitution charges. During the booking, the officer referred to (no title) Johnson by numerous antigay slurs, directing her as part of the booking process as if those names were her name. When she failed to respond, the officer attacked Johnson.

Now, if this isn’t enough, when Johnson, who said she was bleeding, jumped up to defend herself, the officer then sprayed pepper gas in her face. Enter a nurse, who promptly checked to make sure the officer was OK, leaving Johnson writhing in pain and handcuffed.

You can see the video of this attack here.

Memphis police have fired one of the officers involved, and is investigating the other officer.

“This reprehensible attack upon a person who was not resisting simply because of her gender expression has no place in a civilized society,” said Marisa Richmond, president of the Tennesse Transgender Political Coalition, in a press release. “The brutality of this attack must be dealt with by the judicial system. If Shelby County District Attorney William Gibbons, who is reportedly considering a run for governor in 2010, will not prosecute the officers involved for this obvious hate crime, then he should be removed from office for dereliction of duty.”

This past Saturday, the Memphis Police Department had a recruiting booth at Mid South Pride in Memphis, just steps away from the transgender coalition’s (instead of acronym) booth. “While we welcome the MPD’s outreach effort to the GLBT community of Memphis, the fact that they still have not fired the officer who actually performed the assault calls into question their commitment to opening their doors to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and especially, transgender employees. Their presence at Pride was an important step, but the video shows how far they have to go,” maintains Richmond.

Incidentally, this incident occurred on the same day that Oxnard, Calif., student Lawrence King was shot to death in a classroom. The attacker has allegedly said he shot King because King had announced he was gay and had taken to wearing high heels and makeup to school.