Jersey Trans Pioneer Babs Siperstein Dies at 76

Bronx City Councilmember Ruben Diaz, Sr., is targeting a pair of his LGBTQ colleagues and finding new ways to blame them for what he says is gay political power, marking yet another twist in the homophobe’s seemingly unen... Show more

ending public meltdown. Diaz, who held a public rally with his supporters on Thursday and maintained his refusal to step down or apologize, turned back to Twitter later that day and on Friday to call out Queens Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson for using their so-called power as gay men to influence the collapse of Amazon’s proposed plans to build a headquarters in Long Island City. “Amazon’s HQ2 leaving is another case of the abuse of power from some City Council Members,” Diaz tweeted on Thursday afternoon. “This is all because of @JimmyVanBramer. He organized folks to push back on Amazon and even got @NYCSpeakerCoJo to fight back as well.” He tweeted again one minute later — this time with a more direct shot at their sexual orientations. “This is another indication proving what I have been saying is correct,” he wrote, referring to recent comments he has made — including in an exclusive interview with Gay City News earlier this week — that ga

“Front Runner” Author Patricia Nell Warren Dies at 82

Barbra Siperstein, a groundbreaking activist for transgender rights and trans visibility in Democratic politics — in New Jersey and nationwide — died on February 3. A native of Jersey City known as Babs, she was 76. ... Show more

6. In 2009, Siperstein, a founding member of Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s LGBTQ rights group, became the first transgender member of the Democratic National Committee. Two years later, she became part of the DNC Executive Committee, where she remained until late 2017. During the 2016 presidential election, Siperstein was a superdelegate for nominee Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention. On Facebook, Steven Goldstein, who served as the founding executive director of Garden State Equality (GSE), wrote that Siperstein “led the way in making New Jersey an international leader in transgender equality. Even as she became a national leader in the Democratic Party, she persuaded the most right-wing Republicans in New Jersey to support transgender equality. In our state, unlike in too many other states, legislators found transgender equality the easiest LGBT progress to vote for. It was because of Babs.” Christian Fuscarino, the group’s current executive director, des

Ritchie Torres Considering a Run for Congress

Patricia Nell Warren, a journalist, poet, and author best known for her 1974 New York Times bestselling book “The Front Runner,” passed away on Saturday at the age of 82. Born in Helena, Montana, in 1936, Warren moved on... Show more

d on to work for Reader’s Digest for 21 years and wrote several novels beginning in the 1970s. “The Front Runner,” her second novel, told the story of a gay college track coach, Harlan, who recruited three runners expelled from the University of Oregon because they were gay. The coach fell in love with one of the students, Billy, and the pair went on to form a relationship. Billy later qualified for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and nabbed a gold medal there. But the characters in the story often were forced to navigate the homophobic sporting realm, and that culminated at a tragedy-marred Olympics. “The Front Runner” was a massive hit in an era when LGBTQ representation in mainstream books, films, and popular culture was nearly nonexistent. Queer folks had fewer resources through which they could relate to others who were like them, and that book offered a much-needed glimpse into gay life. The novel sold more than 10 million copies in 11 languages, according to her estate. At th

Palm Beach Conversion Therapy Bans Win Round One

Out gay Bronx City Councilmember Ritchie Torres is mulling a potential run for Congress, he confirmed to Gay City News on Thursday. The second-term lawmaker is eyeing a campaign to unseat longtime Bronx Congressmember Jo... Show more

sé E. Serrano in the 2020 Democratic primary. Torres’ interest in the race was first reported in The New York Times. Serrano, 75, has served in the House of Representatives since 1990. The 30-year-old Torres, who is the first openly gay elected official from the Bronx, was just 24 years old when he ascended to the Council with his 2013 election victory. Torres said in an interview with Gay City News at the time that his own life story was one that reflected the district in which he was running. “I lived in poverty all my life,” he said in August of 2013. “I grew up in the projects, attended public schools that were under threat of closure. Growing up it was a struggle to put food on our table, to pay the rent. When I speak to people I can say, ‘Your story is my story.’” Torres, who remains the youngest member of the city’s lawmaking body, ran unsuccessfully for City Council speaker in a 2017 race that was ultimately won by another gay councilmember, Chelsea’s Corey Johnson. Torres

Gendered Holdouts Nixed in NYS Marriage Equality Amendment

On February 13, a federal district judge denied a motion by two Palm Beach County psychologists to block enforcement of the county’s ordinance forbidding licensed health care practitioners from providing “sexual or... Show more

l orientation change efforts,” also commonly known as “conversion therapy,” to minors. Judge Robin L. Rosenberg’s refusal of a preliminary injunction extends as well to a similar ordinance enacted in the Palm Beach County community of Boca Raton. She concluded that the plaintiffs failed to show they were likely to prevail on their argument that the measures violate their First Amendment free speech rights. Rosenberg appears to be the first district judge to take on recent Supreme Court rulings that might make it more difficult for governments to defend these laws against constitutional attacks. Just weeks ago, a federal magistrate judge in Tampa recommended that the district court there grant a preliminary injunction against enforcement of Tampa’s ordinance banning conversion therapy practitioners while the litigation proceeds. The district court has not yet ruled on that recommendation. Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone’s recommendation in the Tampa case was based heavily on

Arizona’s License Plate Program Funds Anti-Gay Group

Roughly eight years after the passage of marriage equality in New York, the newly progressive State Senate finally overcame Republican obstruction to fix some lingering flaws in that law. The updated law, which unanimou... Show more

sly sailed through the upper chamber and awaits another easy passage in the State Assembly, wipes out gendered language within the Estates, Powers, and Trusts Law (EPTL) and the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA) in order to reflect the intentions of the Marriage Equality Act. Spearheaded by out gay Manhattan State Senator Brad Hoylman, the provisions remove “paternal” and “maternal” from the EPTL and SCPA and replace those with the phrases “of one parental side” and “the other parental side.” Another section of the EPTL was changed to say “spouses, husbands, or wives,” while the SCPA made similar adjustments by swapping out “the father or mother” with “parents” or “either parent.” “Marriage equality is the law of the land, and all provisions of the law ought to reflect that,” Holyman told Gay City News in a written statement. “I’m proud to see the Democratic Conference acting to advance the rights of LGBTQ New Yorkers after Senate Republicans blocked this bill for five years