BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com
What did you miss this week in the world of LGBT news? Check out our Lesbian.com round-up and you’ll be ready to gather ’round the rainbow-colored water cooler to talk about five of the biggest, best and most interesting stories for June 29 – July 5.
Etheridge releases “Take My Number”
On Tuesday Melissa Etheridge released the debut single from her upcoming “This is ME” album. “Take My Number” is the first song off Etheridge’s much anticipated LP, expected to drop on September 30.
You can purchase the new song on iTunes and watch the official live video below.
Lesbian couple attacked after San Francisco Pride event
Police are investigating an attack on a lesbian couple in San Francisco in which the women were beaten and kicked by as many as six men.
Jennifer and Jakki, who requested that their last names not be released, were returning from a Pride event last Saturday evening when a group of men shouted a homophobic slur before initiating the attack on Jennifer.
The frightening ordeal left Jennifer with a concussion, bruises and lacerations while Jakki, who jumped in to try to protect her partner, suffered a broken wrist.
The couple speaks with a local news station in the video below.
Swedish ice hockey team shows support for LGBT rights
An ice hockey team in Kiruna, Sweden, announced that its players will don rainbow-colored uniforms for the 2014-2015 season in an effort to become the first sporting association to receive certification by the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights.
“During the season 2014/2015, Kiruna IF will change their uniforms and make a stand by wearing rainbow-colored jerseys,” the club announced in a press release. “In addition to this gesture, the players will give talks in schools, as part of a collaboration with Kiruna Municipality, and participate in events which aim to increase the understanding and acceptance of people’s differences and similarities. By setting a good example, Kiruna IF want to prevent bullying and exclusion and create the best opportunities for all young people to play and love hockey.”
Portia De Rossi rehab rumors
Reports surfaced this week that Portia De Rossi checked into Passages Malibu, a rehab facility, for treatment for drug and alcohol issues in early May following an “ugly fight” with wife Ellen DeGeneres.
An unnamed source told In Touch magazine that “Portia hadn’t been happy for a while and was drinking and isolating [herself], and Ellen confronted her. Portia lost it and blamed Ellen for driving her to drink because of her controlling ways and said she wasn’t in love with her anymore. Ellen was crushed and screamed at Portia to get out.”
The source continued, “Ellen is domineering and Portia is passive,” and their marriage is full of “jealousy, lies, and fighting.” De Rossi “felt like a prisoner in her own home. She went from sipping white wine occasionally to drinking at least a bottle or more a day and topping it off with a pill.”
During De Rossi’s 30-day stay at Passages, DeGeneres reportedly visited her every weekend to offer her support and the couple are said to be working to save the marriage.
DeGeneres and De Rossi issued no formal statement to address the reports.
Burger King unveils Proud Whopper for San Francisco Pride
A Burger King in downtown San Francisco celebrated Pride with the Proud Whopper, a Whopper wrapped in a rainbow-colored wrapper inscribed with the message “We are all the same inside.”
“It showcases who we are as a brand,” says Fernando Machado, senior vice president of global brand management at Burger King. “It shows how we, as a brand, believe in self-expression.”
All Proud Whopper sandwich sales, Machado says, will be donated to the Burger King McLamore Foundation for scholarships benefiting LGBT high school seniors graduating in spring 2015.
According to USA Today, one gay rights activist says Burger King is doing the right thing. “Whenever a company comes out in support of gay people, it makes a difference,” says Jordan Bach, a consultant to corporations on gay rights issues and a GLAAD media partner. “But when it’s done right — when it’s done with a campaign that shows the company understands diversity and really believes in the profound acceptance of other people — that sort of marketing can change minds and hearts at the deepest level.”
Burger King was also a sponsor of this year’s San Francisco Pride celebration, marking the first time the company has sponsored a U.S.-based Pride parade.
Watch public reaction to the Proud Whopper in the Burger King video below.
