Gay Richmond News, Entertainment, Nightlife & LGBT Community Guide :: GayRVA » The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:37:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 The Myth of Affluence http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/30/the-myth-of-affluence/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/30/the-myth-of-affluence/#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:00:46 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6320 rainbowminute

A report on poverty released in March of 2009 from the UCLA’s Williams Institute, found lesbian couples have a greater…]]> rainbowminute

A report on poverty released in March of 2009 from the UCLA’s Williams Institute, found lesbian couples have a greater chance of living in poverty than married straight couples. The institute, a think tank on sexual orientation, used data from the 2000 U.S. Census, the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, and the 2003 California Health Interview Survey.

The analysis found 7% of lesbian couples are living below the poverty line, compared to 4% for gay male couples and 5% for opposite sex partners.

Work on the report began in 2008, before the recession.

The report says, “The myth of gay and lesbian affluence is just that — a myth. Lesbians, gay and bisexual individuals are as likely to be poor as heterosexuals.”

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]]> http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/30/the-myth-of-affluence/feed/ 0 On This Day in History http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/29/on-this-day-in-history-7/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/29/on-this-day-in-history-7/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:00:48 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6318 rainbowminute

July 29, 1905 – Dag Hammarskjold is born in Sweden. Born into a family prominent in Swedish government, Dag Hammarskjold…]]> rainbowminute

July 29, 1905 – Dag Hammarskjold is born in Sweden.

Born into a family prominent in Swedish government, Dag Hammarskjold studied law and economics before entering the Swedish civil service. He quickly acquired an international reputation as a monetary expert, and served as the second secretary-general of the United Nations from 1953 to 1961. As international peacemaker, he worked to resolve the Suez Canal crisis of 1956 and the Lebanon and Jordan crisis two years later.

Hammarskjold was rare in that he was a high-ranking government official without any female attachments, so many presumed him gay.

During a 1961 U. N. peace mission in the Congo, Hammarskjold died in a plane crash, and was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize later that year.

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]]> http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/29/on-this-day-in-history-7/feed/ 0 A Call From President Obama http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/27/a-call-from-president-obama/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/27/a-call-from-president-obama/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:00:57 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6314 rainbowminute

On April 15, 2010, President Obama signed a memo directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to take steps…]]> rainbowminute

On April 15, 2010, President Obama signed a memo directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to take steps to address hospital visitation affecting LGBT families. Then, from Air Force One, he placed a call to Janice Langbehn, expressing his sympathy for the tragic loss of her partner Lisa Pound, and the treatment she suffered.

Langbehn and their three children had been kept apart for 8 hours from her partner Lisa Pond by the staff at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, while she slipped into a coma and died.

Speaking on President Obama’s action, Janice Langhebn said,  “I hope that these steps make sure that no family ever has to experience the nightmare that my whole family has gone through.”

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]]> http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/27/a-call-from-president-obama/feed/ 0 The President’s Prescription http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/27/the-president%e2%80%99s-prescription/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/27/the-president%e2%80%99s-prescription/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:00:48 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6316 rainbowminute

In April of 2010, President Barack Obama issued a memorandum ordering U.S. hospitals to change visitation rights policies to include…]]> rainbowminute

In April of 2010, President Barack Obama issued a memorandum ordering U.S. hospitals to change visitation rights policies to include same-sex partners.

According the the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 93% of health care facilities surveyed lacked comprehensive nondiscrimination policies for LGBT patients. Forty-two percent of hospitals do not even include sexual orientation in patient’s bill of rights.

In the past, partners of LGBT patients have been denied visitation. Such was the case of Lisa Pond, whose partner of 21 years, Janice Langbehn, and their adopted children weren’t allowed to see her before her death.

According to the memo from the President, the new rules should “respect the rights of patients to designate visitors.”

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]]> http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/27/the-president%e2%80%99s-prescription/feed/ 0 Obama Orders New Rules on Hospital Visitation Rights http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/26/obama-orders-new-rules-on-hospital-visitation-rights/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/26/obama-orders-new-rules-on-hospital-visitation-rights/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:00:55 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6312 rainbowminute

On April 15, 2010, President Obama sent a memorandum to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He wanted to…]]> rainbowminute

On April 15, 2010, President Obama sent a memorandum to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He wanted to ensure that hospitals participating in Medicaid and Medicare allow patients to designate who may visit them — including naming their primary caretaker and decision maker.

This would allow same-sex partners to visit their spouses while in the hospital. Too often hospital personnel have denied those visits with gay and lesbian patients dying alone in hospital wards and emergency rooms.

According to the White House, this will require substantial changes to the visitation policies in at least 25 states. But hopefully, this means patients will no longer be made to suffer or even pass away alone, while their loved ones are pacing down the hall.

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]]> http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/26/obama-orders-new-rules-on-hospital-visitation-rights/feed/ 0 Golf And A Lesbian Mecca http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/23/golf-and-a-lesbian-mecca/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/23/golf-and-a-lesbian-mecca/#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 04:00:08 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6310 rainbowminute

Until 1972, female golfers couldn’t share equally in the sport. So TV personality and golfer Dinah Shore created a tournament…]]> rainbowminute

Until 1972, female golfers couldn’t share equally in the sport. So TV personality and golfer Dinah Shore created a tournament for the Ladies Professional Golf Association, known as The Dinah Shore Classic. It took place every March, in Palm Springs, California.

Dinah Shore was straight and straight-laced, but her event attracted some lesbian spectators. Lesbian club promoters in the Palm Springs area began tapping their market more aggressively, offering a roster of lesbian parties and events over the same weekend.  Now, thousands of lesbians all over the world converge on Palm Springs in March, to party ’til they drop.

Dinah Shore died in 1994, and six years later her name was dropped from the golf tournament. But the Dinah Shore Weekend is here to stay.

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]]> http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/23/golf-and-a-lesbian-mecca/feed/ 0 NBA Player, John Amaechi Scores By Coming Out http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/22/nba-player-john-amaechi-scores-by-coming-out/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/22/nba-player-john-amaechi-scores-by-coming-out/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:00:00 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6308 rainbowminute

Born in the United States and raised in England, John Amaechi started his basketball career at Penn State. He played for…]]> rainbowminute

Born in the United States and raised in England, John Amaechi started his basketball career at Penn State. He played for 4 NBA teams in five years.

In February of 2007, he was the first male pro basketball player to come out, making him the sixth male athlete in major U.S. pro sports to come out, ever.

Despite the ensuing controversy, Amaechi remained  focused, saying, “I’m resilient enough, eloquent enough, and outspoken enough to try and open some minds.”

He became a spokesman for Human Rights Campaign’s Coming Out Project, and published his autobiography, ”Man in the Middle.”

Openly-gay tennis star Martina Navratilova praised Amaechi’s forthrightness, declaring him a role model for kids.

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]]> http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/22/nba-player-john-amaechi-scores-by-coming-out/feed/ 0 Sheryl Swoopes Scores Again! http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/21/sheryl-swoopes-scores-again-2/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/21/sheryl-swoopes-scores-again-2/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:00:40 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6306 rainbowminute

Sheryl Swoopes was born in Texas in 1971. As a girl, she found a passion for basketball while shooting hoops…]]> rainbowminute

Sheryl Swoopes was born in Texas in 1971. As a girl, she found a passion for basketball while shooting hoops with her older brothers. Her mother discouraged it, saying, “You’re a girl. You should be playing with your dishes, your dolls and things like that.”

But Sheryl forged ahead, eventually going pro. During her exemplary career, she won 3 Olympic Medals and the Most Valuable Player Award three times in the Women’s National Basketball Association. During her stint with the Comets, the team won three league championships in a row.

In 2005, Sheryl came out as a lesbian. She said, “My reason for coming out isn’t to be some sort of hero. I’m just at a point in my life where I’m tired of having to pretend to be somebody I’m not.”

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]]> http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/21/sheryl-swoopes-scores-again-2/feed/ 0 Dr. Tom Waddell, Creator of the Gay Games http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/20/dr-tom-waddell-creator-of-the-gay-games/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/20/dr-tom-waddell-creator-of-the-gay-games/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:00:40 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6304 rainbowminute

Tom was born in 1937 in New Jersey. As a teenager, he lived with Gene and Hazel Waddell – whose vaudeville…]]> rainbowminute

Tom was born in 1937 in New Jersey. As a teenager, he lived with Gene and Hazel Waddell – whose vaudeville acrobat career sparked his interest in gymnastics. They later adopted him, and he assumed their last name.

During his years in college and the Army, Tom Waddell became a dedicated track and field athlete, aspiring to competition at the Olympic level.

After a 6th place finish in the decathlon at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, he traveled across the country to gather support for a Gay Olympics.

In 1982, after some legal wrangles, the first Gay Games took place in San Francisco as a sports competition and arts festival.

Today, Dr. Tom Waddell’s legacy lives on. The Gay Games attracts a huge number of athletes, making it one of the largest sports events on the globe.

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]]> http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/20/dr-tom-waddell-creator-of-the-gay-games/feed/ 0 Martina Navratilova – Tennis Phenomenon http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/19/martina-navratilova-tennis-phenomenon/ http://www.gayrva.com/2010/07/19/martina-navratilova-tennis-phenomenon/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:00:13 +0000 The Rainbow Minute http://www.gayrva.com/?p=6302 rainbowminute

Martina was born in Czechoslovakia in 1956. With her early interest in tennis, she won the Czech National Championship at…]]> rainbowminute

Martina was born in Czechoslovakia in 1956. With her early interest in tennis, she won the Czech National Championship at age 15.

She defected to the U.S. in 1975, and in 1981, she came out to the whole world, making her the most highly-visible lesbian sports celebrity ever. Martina once said, “If I had to do it all over again, there’s only one thing I would change. I would have come out earlier.”

With her exceptional strength and speed, she has broken records all over the globe.

She holds the world record of 167 singles titles, including 9 straight Wimbledons.

In 2006, after being inducted into the U.S. Open Court of Champions, she retired her racquet. But she continues to use her fame to advance various GLBT causes.

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