Alcorn suicide prompts sympathy, anger, politics
The suicide of Ohio trans teenager Leelah Alcorn unleashed a wave of media coverage, from The Boston Globe to The Washington Post to Rolling Stone. Alcorn threw herself in front of a tractor trailer, leaving behind a Tumblr note (since removed) blaming uncaring treatment from her Christian parents. A note from Alcorn on Reddit from two months ago, discussing her struggles with her parents, has also surfaced. Dan Savage tweeted that he thinks Alcorn’s parents should be charged with abuse. Alcorn’s mother told CNN that she didn’t support her child’s transition on religious grounds, “but we told him that we loved him unconditionally. We loved him no matter what. I loved my son. People need to know that I loved him. He was a good kid, a good boy” (Alcorn identified as female). Meanwhile, a petition to ban therapists from treating being transgender as a curable disease has gathered more than 200,000 signatures.
Gay porn actor contracts HIV in Nevada
California health officials have issued an alert to the porn industry after a gay porn actor apparently contracted HIV during a shoot. The actor had performed with several other men in two recent shoots, and one of his co-stars later tested positive as well. California has been at the centre of a debate over porn-set safety after a female actor contracted HIV last year.
Read more from News Corp Australia.
First same-sex weddings held in Scotland, Luxembourg
Legalized gay marriage came into effect in Scotland on the first day of 2015, and some couples rushed to tie the knot in the minutes after midnight. Scotland’s first minister said the change will send “a powerful message to people about the kind of country we are.” Some other couples were able to transfer their civil partnerships to full marriage earlier in December. Gay marriages also began in Luxembourg, after lawmakers changed the law earlier this year.
Florida gay marriages will go forward
After weeks of confusion, a US federal judge has clarified that his order to legalize gay marriage in Florida applies to all counties and all clerks. Gay marriage in Florida will begin across the state on Jan 6. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who fought the original ruling every step of the way, has also thrown in the towel and said the state will not try to block same-sex marriages.
Read more at the Miami Herald.
What lies ahead in 2015?
For the Associated Press, David Crary takes a guess at what 2015 will look like for gay rights in the United States. Even though the coming year could see marriage legalized nationwide, he says, a Republican majority in both houses means gay advocates will have a stiff fight on their hands.
Photo credit: Leelah Alcorn, Tumblr
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