Gay Report April 12 2012

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• published: 13 Apr 2012
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The 134th annual White House Easter Egg Roll was held on Monday in Washington, D.C. This year roughly 50 same-sex couples attended the event along with other families who are allowed full access to the sprawling south lawn. A Chicagoland couple Jaime Garcia and Daryl Rizzo and their daughter attended the event which brought more than 30,000 people from across the nation. In a statement from Equality IL Rizzo expressed the family’s excitement and stated, just as important is the opportunity to represent a new tradition for the American family, a loving same-sex household with an adored adopted child." Illinois Largest LGBT advocacy organization has announced a partnership with the producer of gay and lesbian guides the NaviGayTour to produce a Marriage Equality and Business Directory in the Chicago. The Navigaytour publishes regional guides for gay and lesbian travel, home and lifestyle and this new guide will offer community members a useful resource guide to their rights and about the companies offering supporting services. Chicagoland couples looking to be wed can expect the guide in june. A study performed in the US and in Germany has concluded that homophobia occurs most in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex and who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires. The study which was published in the april edition of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, was conducted by a team from the University of Rochester, the University of Essex, England, and the University of California in Santa Barbra. Through a series of experiments to test implicit - or unconscious - same-sex attraction. The researchers found participants who said they were heterosexual but revealed different reactions on their implicit tests were more likely to act with hostility toward gay people. President Barack Obama's Minnesota campaign announced Monday that Obama opposes a state ballot initiative that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. Same-sex marriage is already banned by a statute in Minnesota and This November Minnesotans will go to the ballot to vote on whether to write the state’s existing ban on same-sex marriage into the constitution. In a statement by Kristen Sosanie, spokeswoman for Obama's Minnesota campaign, she said "While the President does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples," Despite his statements in opposition to the constitutional amendments, the president has said that his views continue to "evolve" on gay marriage. Two weeks ago we reported on Jenna Talackova, the Miss Universe Canada pageant contender who was disqualified when it was discovered that she was transgender. After sparking international recognition and a change.org petition receiving over 40,000 signatures of support. The Miss Universe organization has stricken down its rule requiring a contestant to be a "naturally born woman." Though she specifically was allowed back in on April 2, Talackova held out for a larger rule change, arguing that in the future no other transgender woman should have to face what she did. Pageant officials said they are working on the language of the official rule policy change but expected final word to come soon. In Entertainment news: For all of you gamers out there, well known Game producer Electronic Arts or EA have begun firing back on criticism from the right on the company’s decision to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) content in recent games. The most notable are the new Mass effect three and Mass Multi player Star Wars the old republic, which will be given sub-plots featuring gay characters. EA's Vice President of Corporate Communications Jeff Brown slammed criticism of the same-sex content denying accusations that EA's creative teams had been pressured into incorporating the LGBT content. He said quote, “In short ,we do put options for same-sex relationships in our games; we don't tolerate hate speech on our forums." The Lollapalooza line up was announced this week naming Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Keys, Jack White and Florence and the Machine as the headliners. Some other notable bands include the shins, M83 and Icelandic sensation Sigur ros. The festival will be held on August 3-5th in Grant Park so visit lollapalooza.com for more of the lineup and to get your tickets. With Lolla a few months away, you may be looking for a few things to do this weekend, which brings me to my top picks for this weekend in the Weekend report. Windy City Gay Idol kicked off its 10th year last week searching for the best amateur GLBT singers in the Chicago area and this Thursday at the Closet at 3325 N Broadway. Singers sign up at 8pm and the show goes on at 9. So do your vocal warm ups and find out more online. The legendary literary performance tour, Sister Spit, c