Freshman Congressman is Hill's newest out member

Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., is profiled in this day-in-the-life look at the freshman member of Congress. Cicilline this year joined Reps. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Barney Frank, D-Mass., and our own Jared Polis, D-Colo., as the nation's only openly gay and lesbian federal lawmakers. 

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Cicilline says he wants hearings on anti-LGBT activity in Uganda, but he's also interested in exploring an omnibus American LGBT rights bill.

Out leaders gather in Washington, D.C.

Hundreds of openly LGBT elected and appointed officials gathered in Washington, D.C., last week for the 26th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference.

Gov. Ritter appoints out lesbian to Colorado Supreme Court

Today, Gov. Ritter appointed Monica Marie Marquez (pictured), the first out lesbian at the time of appointment, to the Colorado Supreme Court.

Marquez is a 1997 graduate of the Yale Law School and a 1991 graduate of Stanford University. - via Gay Politics

Three in a row!

David Maher (pictured), the third openly gay mayor of Cambridge, Mass., in a row, says his public acknowledgment that he is gay has generated "zero" phone calls.

"It's essentially been a non-event. I think that's a good thing," Maher said.

Gay political party is recognized in Philippines

Ang Ladlad, a gay-oriented political party, will be allowed to participate in national elections in the Philippines. In a unanimous ruling, the country's Supreme Court overturned an Elections Commission ruling that had blocked the party, claiming it could offend religious groups. 

Out candidates could make 2010 "Year of the Gay"

With openly LGBT candidates announcing runs for office at a record pace this year, 2010 could be the "Year of the Gay," Chris Johnson writes. Several out candidates are running for federal, statewide and local offices, possibly inspired by the success of high-profile elected officials such as Houston Mayor Annise Parker (pictured), sources note. Still, openly LGBT elected officials are not yet represented in public office in proportion to the overall LGBT population, noted Dan Pinello, a professor at the City University of New York.

Meet three out candidates for Congress

Congress now has an out population of three -- but that could change this year, if three more openly gay candidates are elected.

In the running are David Cicilline, the Providence mayor running for a Rhode Island seat; Ed Potosnak of New Jersey; and Steve Pougnet, former mayor and city council member of Palm Springs, Calif.

Quote of the Day

"This is the world moving forward." - Ray Rickman, friend of Gordon D. Fox (pictured), who was just elected speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, as quoted by The Providence Journal

 

Why gay people are vulnerable to ballot measures

The gay community lacks "a meaningful degree of political power" and is "politically vulnerable" to anti-gay ballot measures such as California's Proposition 8, a political scientist testified on Wednesday at a federal court challenge of the marriage ban. As evidence of this lack of clout, Stanford University professor Gary Segura noted that only a half-dozen gay people have been in Congress, and just 1% of state lawmakers - and .5% of local elected officials - are out.

More gay nominations for Obama administration

Chai Feldblum, an out professor at Georgetown University Law Center who was helped write the Americans with Disabilities Act during her tenure as legislative counsel to the AIDS Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, is being nominated by the White House to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.