SPOTLIGHT
LGBT COUPLES GAIN HOSPITAL VISITATION RIGHTS NATIONWIDE On January 18, 2011, federal regulations on hospital visitation that protect same-sex
couples in hospital settings across the country took effect. The new regulations apply to all hospitals receiving funds from the federal government under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and state that hospitals may not place any restrictions on visitation based on sexual orientation. In addition, the hospitals must inform each patient of his or her right to receive visitors designated by the patient, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domes- tic partner, another family member or a friend. Any hospital found to violate the new rules risks losing a major source of revenue.
DAME ELIZABETH TAYLOR DIES AT 79 The death of Dame Elizabeth Taylor on March 22 at the age of 79 was a huge
loss for the LGBT community. Not only was she known for her beauty as a legendary Academy Award-winning actress who starred in 70 films and televi- sion shows, Taylor was also a relentless HIV/AIDS activist who raised millions of dollars. A true ally to the LGBT community, she was one of the first public voices to speak up about the AIDS crisis while many others stayed silent in the 1980s. As an icon at the forefront of advocacy, she helped raise millions of dollars to fight the disease and helped found the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and started the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF). While the im- pact of her work lives on, we will feel the void left by her death for years to come.
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS & DAVID BURTKA BECOME THE ‘FAMILY’ FACES Glee star Jane Lynch, who sits on the board of the Los Angeles Gay &
Lesbian Center, couldn’t have said it better as the organization honored Neil Patrick Harris and his partner David Burtka at the organization’s 40th Anniversary Gala in November. Lynch noted Harris and Burtka to be “renaissance men” who are “beyond extraordinary and as a couple have created the most stunning gay American family
portrait....Thank you David and Neil for putting beautiful face on America’s notion of what a gay family looks like.”
BROOKE SHIELDS, APRIL 2011 “I was raised and nurtured in a very creative
environment but have never discriminated nor felt discriminated against by the gay community. I have always felt that there is only one world and I am glad the rest of the world is catching up with that reality little by little.” What would this one world be like with- out our beloved, Brooke Shields? Shields was recently on stage in Girls Talk, a satirical comedy which had a limited run this spring at the Lee Strasberg Theatre in West Hollywood. Look for her in 2012 as she’s takes the Broadway stage by storm inThe Adams Family.
JANET JACKSON, APRIL 2011 “I really hope the kids in the LGBT community hear it when I say they
are perfect, just the way they are. That is why it was so important for me to participate in the ‘It Gets Better’ campaign. I was teased and picked on when I was a kid. It has been a long road, but I am happy with my life now. It does get better!” Janet Jackson, in the April 2011 issue of The Rage Monthly, touched on the recent rash of teen suicides that made headlines in the past year. “Ms. Jackson” continues to be an inspiration through her music, as well as her examples and participation in important projects such as the “It Gets Better” campaign.
44
RAGE monthly | DECEMBER 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76