Prop 8 headed to SCOTUS, yet another federal court rules against DOMA, and Washington State will vote on marriage equality this fall; Marriott has special deals for Pride; politicians & their gay kids; and other recent LGBTQ news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska (with supplemental info from Bent Alaska).

Marriage equality

Prop 8

Big Announcement Coming on Marriage Equality: Is Prop. 8 headed to the Supreme Court? Or will California again offer marriage equality?
California, Advocate, June 4, 2012

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will decide on Tuesday whether to grant an en banc review to antigay groups seeking to keep Proposition 8 alive in California, the American Foundation for Equal Rights reports.

In fact, the 9th Circuit decided not to reheard the Prop 8 case. Prop 8 now seems destined to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here’s our tweets from when the news broke on June 6.

• BREAKING: 9th Circuit decides NOT to rehear Prop 8 case. Next stop: SCOTUS? Details coming.| @kqednews http://t.co/Ath6Qed9 #
• RT: @bentalaska: More on 9th Circuit passing on further review on Prop 8 from Metro Weekly http://t.co/d0DR7RPI #
• “What’s the deal with the Prop 8 Ruling?” — timeline of possible SCOTUS involvement. | Maddowblog http://t.co/AopmEbYX  #

DOMA

In another piece of news we tweeted about, another federal district court — the Southern District of New York — ruled DOMA unconstitutional.

• 6/6/2012: RT @metroweekly: Another federal judge finds #DOMA marriage definition unconstitutional, now in widow’s case http://t.co/1NeRFCEz#

Echoing several other recent court opinions, U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Jones today ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act’s federal definition of marriage is unconstitutional insofar as it forced Edie Windsor to pay estate taxes after the death of her wife, Thea Spyer, that would not have been owed had she been married to a man.

Washington State

• 6/7/12: RT: @aktogether: Breaking News: Washington State Marriage Repeal Referendum to Go to Vote in November. http://t.co/2gjLIV2h #
• 6/7/12: More: Washington marriage foes submit enough signatures for November referendum | Queerty http://t.co/scp3SS3M #

Opponents of Washington State’s new marriage-equality law submitted enough signatures today to bring the measure to the ballot box in November.  The signatures were submitted just one day before the new law was to take effect.

Florida

Poll: Florida’s Black Voters Show Big Shift on Marriage
Florida, Advocate, June 10, 2012

What a polling firm calls “the Obama effect” continues among black voters; this time, with a dramatic 48-point swing in Florida.

In September, Public Policy Polling found just 23% of Florida black voters supported marriage equality.  Now not only do black voters support marriage equality, they favor it by a wide margin, 49% to 31%. It wasn’t enough, though, to turn the entire state in favor of marriage with voters as a whole still opposed 45% to 42%.

Marriott has a gay-friendly Pride deal for you

Marriott Welcomes LGBT Guests to “Be You, With Us”
Bethesda, Md., PRNewswire, June 7, 2012

Global lodging leader, Marriott International, Inc. (MAR) today announced a new marketing campaign aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) travelers, friends and families – “Be You, With Us”.

Marriott scores high on the HRC Corporate Equality Index. Here’s a screenshot of Marriott’s Lesbian and Gay Travel page: a Pride Getaway Sweepstakes, and special deals for numerous Pride destinations.

Politicians and their gay/lesbian children

Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer’s Daughter Stephany Comes Out
Maryland, Advocate, June 6, 2012

One of the daughters of Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer says she wanted to lend her name to the list of marriage equality supporters by publicly announcing that she is a lesbian.

Stephany Hoyer Hemmer, whose father Rep. Hoyer recently announced his own endorsement of marriage equality, says it was time to come out, especially as the fight to legalize marriage equality in Maryland ramps up.

Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) is the U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 5th congressional district, serving since 1981.

State lawmaker’s gay son outed in battle over El Paso House seat
El Paso County, Colorado, Denver Post, June 9, 2012

Colorado State Rep. Marsha Looper is reportedly one of four Colorado House Republicans with a gay child. It’s been an unwritten rule not to reveal this publicly, says the Denver Post, but last month Looper’s campaign manager forwarded an e-mail lauding her for voting against civil unions in spite of having a gay son.

Republican’s Gay Son Inspires Him to Fight for Marriage Equality
New York Times, June 9, 2012

In my column this weekend, I look at the efforts of Paul E. Singer, a billionaire hedge fund manager, and the way they reflect surprising and important pockets of support within the Republican Party for same-sex marriage.

Singer is one of the party’s most important donors…. Singer, who has a gay son, turned his attention toward gay-rights issues more than a decade ago and has been giving generously to various gay-rights initiatives since.

See also the column referred to, “The G.O.P.’s Gay Trajectory” by Frank Bruni (New York Times, 9 Jun 2012).

Intersex & transgender

Man Admitted to Hospital for Kidney Stone, Discovers He’s a Woman [Intersex]
Colorado, ABC News, May 25, 2012

Denver photographer Steve Crecelius said he’s felt a little different all his life…. So when he went to the emergency room five years ago, he wasn’t too shocked when the nurse told him she found traits of both genders in his ultrasound results.

He was intersex, meaning he had both male genitalia and internal female sex organs.

Janet Jackson to produce transgender documentary
Associated Press, June 4, 2012

Janet Jackson has signed on as an executive producer of a documentary on the lives of transgender people living around the world.

LGBTQ youth

Only 37% of LGBT Teens Say They’re Happy
National Journal, June 8, 2012

For America’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, adolescence is a trying time and, for some, an unhappy experience, according to a recent report by the Human Rights Campaign, an organization that advocates for equality for LGBT Americans.

Many of America’s LGBT teens face harassment, social ostracism, and discrimination, according to the report, which surveyed 10,000 LGBT youth ages 13-17.

Health

Women Who Identify With Their Sexual Labels Are Healthier
Medical News Today, June 1, 2012

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, men who have sex with men (MSM), and women who have sex with women (WSW), are just some of the labels commonly used in medical research to characterize sexual partnering. However, researchers have found that how women relate to their label could influence their health.