Washington Blade - December 23, 2005

DETROIT (AP) - The conservative American Family Association says it will consider reinstating a boycott against Ford Motor Company after the automaker announced plans to continue advertising in gay publications. Ford said two weeks ago it planned to stop advertising its Jaguar and Land Rover luxury brands in gay publications to reduce marketing costs. But after gay rights groups complained and held meetings with the automaker, Ford reversed course. The AFA originally called for a boycott against Ford last spring but suspended the move for six months at the request of a group of Ford dealerships, mostly from the South. AFA leader Don Wildmon said all his group wants is for Ford to refrain from "choosing sides in the cultural war." He says "supporting groups which promote same-sex marriage is not remaining neutral." Ford has not commented on Wildmon's reaction. Some auto industry commentators are predicting Ford's flip-flops will aggravate both sides of the issue.

Vermont couple ending nation's first civil union

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. - After making history by forming the first gay civil union in the United States, a Vermont lesbian couple is breaking up, the Rutland Herald reported. In October, Carolyn Conrad asked a Brattleboro court to dissolve her civil union with Kathleen Peterson, five years after the two became the first same-sex couple in the country to receive many of the same legal rights of marriage. The pair were together for about 10 years, court documents indicate. Neither woman would comment on the issue. "All I want to say is that the civil union was a big source of pride for me, and now it's not," Peterson told the newspaper. The pair were legally united moments after Vermont's civil union law went into effect at midnight on July 1, 2000. Conrad, 35, and Peterson, 46, didn't plan on being the first couple. "We wanted to do it as soon as possible, and [the town clerk] was kind enough to agree," Conrad said in 2000.

Indiana council approves gay rights ordinance

INDIANAPOLIS - Legislation that bans discrimination in the workplace and housing market based on sexual orientation or gender identity was approved by the City-County Council by a vote of 15-14, the Indianapolis Star reported. The measure appeared to be dead earlier this year, but was quickly handled despite opponents' assertions that little evidence was offered to show that gay men and lesbians are discriminated against. Some argued that the proposal was a step toward gay marriage. According to supporters, the ordinance extends the practices of most large companies and many government offices to all businesses and landlords within the county. Business leaders supported the measure to attract top workers, and advocates said the ordinance lets residents know it is a friendly city. "God is probably looking down on Indianapolis tonight and smiling," Rev. Jeff Miner, of Jesus Metropolitan Community Church, told the Star.

Legal move by gay couples prompts Iowa amendment

DES MOINES - Following legal action filed by six same-sex couples in the state, Iowa lawmakers said they will work harder to add an amendment banning gay marriage to the state constitution, the Quad City Times reported. The couples filed a lawsuit saying they should have the right to marry, alleging that denial of a marriage license violates their constitutional rights. But Republican lawmakers are set to counter the lawsuit, which brings a "new urgency" for an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment, according to Jeff Lamberti (R-Ankeny), co-president of the state's Senate. "We have a direct attack on Iowa law," Lamberti told the Times. The Iowa House last session approved an anti-gay marriage resolution. "We said at the time, a challenge will come in Iowa, and sure enough it has," Iowa House Speaker Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, told the Times.

'Victory' claimed in AIDS Quilt suit

SAN FRANCISCO - A long-running legal battle between the founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the organization that maintains it could finally be resolved this week, when attorneys for one side expect a San Francisco judge to uphold a settlement that will return a portion of the quilt to its birthplace. Cleve Jones, who co-founded the AIDS Memorial Quilt in San Francisco two decades ago, and the Atlanta-based Names Project Foundation, which houses and manages the quilt, have sparred publicly since 2003. Last month, Charles Thompson, an attorney who represents the Names Project, said a settlement agreement between the parties had unraveled over "unreasonable demands" by Jones. But in an interview last week, Jones declared "victory" in the case, claiming the settlement would go forward. "I made no new demands - period," Jones said.

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