Mayor quits job for gay illegal immigrant he loves

It was, simply put, the most stunning abdication since King Edward VIII in 1936 gave up the British throne for Wallis Simpson, the twice-divorced American socialite.

Only two weeks after being elected to serve his fourth term, Mayor J.W. Lown of San Angelo submitted his resignation letter Tuesday from an undisclosed location in Mexico.

No, being mayor of San Angelo is not exactly the same as being the King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India, but the reason for Lown’s abdication is the same as Edward’s.

Love.

What made it stunning wasn’t the status of Lown’s office, which pays $600 a year, but the status of his lover.

Lown fell for an illegal Mexican immigrant.

A man.

Lown told the San Angelo Standard-Times he had fallen for the man in March, after he had already filed for re-election. The man came to the U.S. five years ago to study at Angelo State University.

It was unclear whether he had a student visa, but if he did it apparently had expired.

Lown told the Standard-Times he chose not to take the oath of office while “aiding and assisting” a person who was illegally in the country.

Lown had been an extraordinarily popular mayor. Only 32 years old, he was elected in 2003 as the city’s youngest mayor. Serving in an office that inevitably requires decisions that accumulate enemies, he managed to get re-elected three times with increasing margins of victory each time. Two weeks ago he defeated two challengers by garnering 89 percent of the vote.

See Mayor quits job for gay illegal immigrant he loves Houston Chronicle

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Obama’s 100-day gay report card

This Wednesday marks the 100th day since President Obama took the oath of office and, for the national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, never-before-experienced access to and inclusion in the federal government — although the LGBT community is still awaiting the appointment of an openly gay individual to the president’s cabinet.

Since taking office, Obama has appointed at least 35 openly LGBT individuals to federal posts. Nine of these employees were nominated for positions that required Senate confirmation, making Obama the first president ever to choose LGBT individuals for such positions within the first 100 days of the presidency.

Among the top LGBT appointments are John Berry as director of the Office of Personnel Management; Fred Hochberg as chair of the Export-Import Bank; Kathy Martinez as assistant secretary for the Office of Disability Employment Policy; Marisa Demeo as associate judge in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; Nancy Sutley as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Mercedes Marquez as the assistant secretary for community planning and development and Raphael Bostic as assistant secretary for policy development and research, both at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. See Obama’s 100-day gay report card

Philadelphia Gay News * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

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Washington is ready for 44

(Washington) At 11:30, Barrack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States in a ceremony dating back to George Washington, who took the oath of office in New York, then the capital of a new nation.

Obama comes to office with the highest approval ratings of any President in history. …

Gay Chicago celebrates history as Obama becomes the 44th President

At 11:05 a.m. Chicago time, Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office to become the country’s first African-American president in a ceremony dating back to George Washington.

“We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America,’ Obama told the enthusiastic crowd. ”America is ready to lead once more.”

An estimated 2 million people, the largest inauguration audience, crowded the National Mall to witness Obama’s swearing in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, using the same Bible that Lincoln used at his own swearing in on March 4, 1861.

“The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”
See Gay Chicago celebrates history as Obama becomes the 44th President
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Analysis: Obama’s comprehensive support for gay equality

What can lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans Americans expect from the new President of the United States?

Barack Obama, who will take the oath of office tomorrow afternoon at noon (5pm GMT), is the most gay-friendly politician to lead America.

During his campaign for the White House, the former Senator from Illinois spoke about his personal friendship with gay people.

“Michelle and I have been blessed with many openly gay and lesbian friends and colleagues whom we have been close to for many years,” he revealed in a series of written answers to a gay newspaper.

“While that fact has made the issue facing the LGBT community more personal, the fundamental reasons I have for supporting equality are greater than any individual.

See Analysis: Obama’s comprehensive support for gay equality PinkNews.co.uk

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Portland gay mayor no political novice

(Portland, Oregon) Portland became the nation’s largest city with an openly gay mayor as a longtime City Hall insider took the oath of office.

Sam Adams, 45, was sworn into office at 12:01 a.m. New Year’s Day at City Hall during a ceremony attended by a crowd of about 40 that …

Arizona Bar Assoc. mulls gay equality pledge

(Tucson, Arizona) A conservative legal group is calling on lawyers to oppose a proposed revision to the Arizona Bar Association oath of office that pledges equal representation to LGBT clients.

The Alliance Defense Fund calls the proposal “unconstitutional.”

The proposed revision to the oath states: “I will not permit considerations of gender, …

Arizona Bar Assoc. mulls gay equality pledge

(Tucson, Arizona) A conservative legal group is calling on lawyers to oppose a proposed revision to the Arizona Bar Association oath of office that pledges equal representation to LGBT clients.

The Alliance Defense Fund calls the proposal “unconstitutional.”

The proposed revision to the oath states: “I will not permit considerations of gender, …