Compiled by Sharon Gittleman
Winter brought gloomy facts and figures
Last Winter, the national scene wasn't full of post-holiday cheer. Statistically, gays were undercounted in the census and racked up more than their share of hate crime numbers. A Vatican pronouncement didn't bode well for the tally of future votes LGBT can count on in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
There was some good news. Two moms had both their names listed on their adopted child's birth certificate and a widow's rights were recognized by the federal 9-11 fund.
• FBI hate crime catalogue released
An FBI report compiling U.S. hate crimes documented 1,592 offenses against lesbian and gay people – over 10 percent of the total number of bias crimes recorded by the agency. Gay men suffered the bulk of the offenses, with 1,103 reported.
One murder or manslaughter of a gay man and one rape of a lesbian were noted in the statistics. However, most of the bias-motivated offenses were assaults and acts of personal intimidation.
Triangle Foundation Executive Director Jeff Montgomery said he thought there were more anti-gay acts than the FBI listed in its tally.
"It's a frustrating report," said Montgomery, "the numbers are ridiculously low."
According to Montgomery, FBI statistics were flawed because some local law enforcement agencies don't provide data for the report.
• Vatican demands politicians vote church's views
A doctrinal note, released by John Cardinal Ratzinger of the Office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith demanded Catholic office-holders follow the Churches' teachings when deciding legislative matters related to abortion, euthanasia and marriage.
The document reaffirmed the Church's policy that gay marriage was unacceptable.
While the note did not call for sanctions against politicians who ignored its message, church officials said those who did so could face excommunication.
• Lesbian partner recognized by 9-11 fund
A federal fund created to compensate victims of the September 11 terror attacks, awarded $500,000 to the lesbian partner of a woman who died at the Pentagon.
Peggy Neff called her partner of 18 years, Sheila Hein, 51, her soul mate, her closest confidante and her entire world.
Under Virginia law, Neff was not eligible for state aid, but administrators of the Department of Justice fund determined Neff could receive compensation.
Hein worked as a civilian Army management analyst before she was killed in the 2001 Sept. 11 terrorist attack at the Pentagon.
• Group claims census undercount
The U S. Census Bureau released a report claiming 594,691 same sex couples lived together in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies alleged that the official count missed 200,000 LGBT people.
In the census, people had the option to list themselves as "unmarried partners." According to the IGLSS, thousands of gays and lesbians referred to themselves as "roommates," due to concerns about confidentiality. The Institute also pointed to some respondents' lack of "political awareness" and lower educational levels as explanations for the purported undercount.
• Moms win battle
A lesbian couple from Vermont won their fight to have both women's names listed on their baby's birth certificate. The couple adopted their son in Mississippi five years ago.
The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund represented the couple in their suit asking Mississippi to issue the child's birth certificate with both women listed as parents.
Chancery Judge William Singletary said at the time of the adoption there was no state law requiring parents to be listed as different genders. Mississippi now bans adoption by gay couples.
The two women have eight adopted children, age 5-23 and are foster parents to two mentally retarded adults.
