Gay rights groups condemn Texas shooting of young lesbian couple

BY CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

McALLEN, Texas -- Investigators on Wednesday were still trying to determine a motive for the killing of a teenage woman and the wounding of her girlfriend in a shooting at a South Texas park that has caught the attention of gay rights groups.

The shooting at a Portland park Friday night killed 19-year-old Mollie Olgin and wounded 18-year-old Mary Kristene Chapa. Police in Portland, a town of about 15,000 people about seven miles north of Corpus Christi, have not identified any suspects or announced any arrests.

Vigils for the women are scheduled for Wednesday evening in San Francisco and Friday in Washington, D.C., and Portland, Texas, among other cities.

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Movie review | Channing Tatum as 'Magic Mike' *** (with official trailer)

Miami Herald / Miami.com review:

MAGIC MIKE ***

This likeable comedy about male strippers, starring Channing Tatum and directed by Steven Soderbergh, is nothing but a good time.

BY CONNIE OGLE, cogle@miamiherald.com

If you can look past all the flesh and the thongs and the thrusting — and I admit that is an almost impossible task and probably not one you’d want to undertake anyway — what’s most distinctive about Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike is its sense of fun. This film about male strippers in Tampa, inspired by actor Channing Tatum’s real-life experiences, is as similar to Showgirls as stripping is to investment banking. Soderbergh and screenwriter Reid Carolin purposely pay only scant attention to the dirty side of the business (the drugs, the fluffers, the general seediness) in order to put forth an entirely original yet unsurprising idea: Sometimes, hot young guys take off their clothes on stage to reap the rewards of women, money and the never-ending party.

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MOVA owner supports Obama healthcare ruling; says South Beach, D.C. bar offers insurance to employees

It's not often that a gay-bar owner chimes in on a U.S. Supreme Court decision, but here's a news release from Babak Movahedi, owner of MOVA Lounge in South Beach and Washington, D.C. (He's also an attorney, board president of Miami Beach Gay Pride and a national board member of Stonewall Democrats.)

MOVA LOUNGE CELEBRATES SUPREME COURT DECISION TO UPHOLD OBAMA HEALTHCARE REFORM LAW

MOVA Lounge, “Healthcare is an American Right and Not a Privilege”

(Washington, D.C.) June 28, 2012 – Today the Supreme Court upheld the individual insurance requirement at the heart of President Barack Obama’s Healthcare Reform Law, providing millions of Americans, who would otherwise be without affordable healthcare, the American right to health insurance. For years, MOVA Lounge has veered away from the industry standard by providing health insurance for its bartenders and employees, allowing them the right to affordable healthcare – a very uncommon practice in the service industry.

“I am more than pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold President Obama’s Healthcare Reform Law,” says Babak Movahedi, the owner and founder of MOVA Lounge, Miami and MOVA Lounge, D.C. “I have always believed that affordable healthcare and insurance is an American right and
not a privilege to be enjoyed by a select few. For years we have provided our employees with the ability to have health insurance, which is really unheard of in the bar industry. It has and will always be a priority to put the health of our employees at the forefront of our business model.

“I applaud President Obama for his efforts to provide universal healthcare to all Americans and the Supreme Court for making his dream – our dream – a reality.”

Lawmaker backs spousal benefits for military gays

BY DONNA CASSATA, ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- A Democratic congressman wants same-sex benefits for spouses of veterans and service members.

Rep. Adam Smith of Washington is top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. Smith is introducing legislation to make the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments recognize any marriage that has been recognized by a state, the District of Columbia, commonwealths or territories.

His bill would change the definition of spouse in the U.S. code to include same-sex marriages.

Gay marriage is now legal in the District of Columbia and six states - Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.

Smith says spouses of service members should not be barred from receiving benefits because they are in same-sex marriages.

Gays now serve openly in the military.

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