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Transgender woman leads race for judge
Victoria Kolakowski, who’s running for Alameda Count Superior Court judge in a November runoff election, declares on her campaign Web site that she hopes to make history.
“If I am elected, I would be the first openly LGBT superior court judge elected in Alameda County, the first openly LGBT person elected countywide, and the first transgender trial court judge in the United States,” it states.
The question is how much it should matter.
Kolakowski, 48, transitioned from male to female in 1989 during her last year in law school and had sex reassignment surgery in 1991. She has 21 years of legal experience, including stints as a private attorney, corporate attorney and, currently, an administrative law judge.
Mostly symbolic
Kolakowski says her gender is important in symbolism and inspiration for others, but she wants voters to mainly consider her professional experience.
“It’s not like I’m going to be elected and be ‘the transgender judge,’ ” she said. “If I’m not going to be able to represent the entire community or have the skills for the job, I don’t want people to vote for me.”
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Thursday, 10 June 2010 16:54 UK
Suffolk Pride gay festival aims to tackle hate crimeThe second Suffolk Pride event is aiming to promote inclusiveness and cut down on crimes against homosexuals.
It takes place in Christchurch Park, Ipswich, on Sunday, 20 June, 2010 with stalls and entertainment including comedian Clare Summerskill.
“Suffolk Pride isn’t really about the ‘gay scene’,” said Paul Couch, Pride’s marketing man.
“What it’s about is involvement and engagement with the wider community and breaking down those barriers.”
The free outdoor event will have food and bars, information stalls, live music, drag acts, a fun fair and the cast of the Gallery Players’ production of Rent, which is at the New Wolsey Theatre 6-10 July.
Your compere will be BBC Suffolk’s Rob Dunger, and you’ll be able to hear reports from the park live on air.
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Pub Chain Apology After Gay Group ‘Evicted’
Britain’s biggest pub chain has had to “apologise unreservedly” after members of the Labour campaign for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (LGBT) said they were turned away from one of its pubs. Skip related content
Punch Taverns said it was “shocked and saddened” by claims from the group that some its members had been thrown out of a planned gathering at The Greencoat Boy pub in Westminster, London.
According to LGBT Labour, the pub manager revealed the booking would not have gone ahead if he had known in advance it was for a gay organisation.
The event ended with group members suffering homophobic abuse and members being evicted because their banner caused offence to customers, the group said on its website.
Following the accusations Punch Taverns, which operates The Greencoat Boy, released an apology and said it sought to provide open and welcoming venues to everyone.
“Across our estate, diversity and inclusion are a core part of our ethics and are clearly referenced in our recruitment process, our equal opportunities policy and training,” Punch Taverns said in a statement.
“We would like to stress that this is an isolated incident; we have a good track record on equal opportunities and we do not tolerate homophobia in our pubs, whether from guests to other guests, or involving our employees.”
Police were called during the incident on Friday night and took statements from the LGBT Labour organisers.
Punch Taverns said it was also investigating what had happened and would co-operate with both police and the campaign group.
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Daniel Radcliffe Records PSA For LGBT Charity
May 28, 2010 by Bichngoc Do
Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe has lent a powerful voice to The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining crisis support and suicide prevention amongst the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) teen community.
His commitment to this cause hits close to home: “It’s something I’ve always been quite passionate about. Because I grew up around gay men, it was always a natural thing to me.”
Taking to the camera to record a public service announcement, Radcliffe unveils alternative solutions to reckless suicide: “If you’re feeling helpless or hopeless, there’s always a safe place to turn.”
The organization offers a free and confidential prevention hotline – (866) 4-U-Trevor. “You can talk to someone 24 hours a day,” Radcliffe says. “There are about 160 people in total who work around the clock, and that number is obviously growing over time. It is an incredible thing.”
Read more: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/4487-daniel-radcliffe-records-psa-for-lgbt-charity#ixzz0pEPVpPQv
Racism, Hate Crimes and Discrimination in the News.
