The mother of a gay teenager says her daughter won’t return to Jackson County High School after an incident in which she claims three other girls tried to kill her. In an e-mail to Jackson County schools officials on Friday, the Kentucky Equality Federation disputed statements that the incident was a prank and asked for assurances of safety for gay students.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week will hear a case from the State of Washington that could decide whether signing a petition for a ballot measure is a private, political act or whether the names of those signers can be made public. Gay rights activists and conservatives are switching sides on the issue of privacy in a case stemming from efforts to release the names of those who signed petitions for Referendum 71, in which traditional-marriage supporters sought to overturn an expanded state domestic-partnership law that grants “everything but marriage” benefits to gay and lesbian couples. The referendum passed at the ballot last fall.

A group of LGBTI protesters disrupted and temporarily halted a speech U.S. President Barack Obama was delivering Monday night at a Los Angeles fundraiser for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. Several minutes after Obama took the stage, several activists from the group GetEQUAL began shouting and expressing anger about the slow pace of progress on repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

After a Florida hospital denied a lesbian access to see her partner, U.S. President Obama signed a memorandum directing the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to “ensure” that hospitals which participate in Medicare and Medicaid “respect the rights of patients to designate visitors” and allow those visitors the same privileges as immediate family members. The memorandum does not carry to weight of law. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, or the governor of any other state could have issued a similar memorandum or executive order for hospitals receiving state funds, or that participate in Medicare and Medicaid.

Facing a deadline of midnight tonight to adjourn, legislative leaders have yet to agree on a budget. Governor Beshear told Kentucky lawmakers to “get their egos under control” and produce a budget by midnight as Kentuckians expect. Currently, the new budget has no funding for the Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program, but an effort led by Kentucky Equality Federation effectively killed House Bill 350, a bill that would have dismantled the education and prevention efforts performed by the Kentucky HIV/AIDS Branch, a unit of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

A gay group challenging California’s gay marriage ban failed yesterday to qualify for the 2010 ballot, leaving gay activists mulling a 2012 push and hoping a federal court will overturn the measure before then. Restore Equality 2010 says it fell short of the 695,000 signatures needed by today’s deadline to put the measure on the ballot.

Jackson Memorial Hospital may be ranked among “America’s Best Hospitals,” but it has a spotty track record in dealing with LGBT issues. While a lesbian was dying in the hospital, hospital officials denied her partner visitation rights. This is the same sort of problem Kentucky Equality Federation and Louisville’s Fairness Campaign have been trying to prevent in Kentucky.

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Organization (“ILGA”), formerly known simply as “International Lesbian and Gay Organization” the world’s largest LGBTI organization, with nearly 700 member organizations in 110 counties across the world commented today about the cancellation of a worldwide conference due to threats, protests, and violence.

The census is back and this is the chance for every citizen to be counted. The census is important, as it determines the number of seats our state occupies in the House of Representatives. Additionally, the census provides vital information for advocacy, researching markets, locating pools of workers, and so much more. In short, the census is critical and we hope you will all participate.

Former professional wrestler Chris Kanyon (real name Chris Klucsaritis) is dead at 40. Kanyon is believed to have died from a drug overdose Friday in his Queens, New York apartment, according to multiple Internet reports. He suffered from bipolar disorder and bouts of depression. Kanyon told students at Northern Kentucky University about his internal struggle admitting he was gay, which he said ended his professional career in wrestling.