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lesbian
‘royalty’
Two California students
are one of the 1st lesbian
couples crowned homecoming
king and queen.
Rebeca Arellano, a senior at Patrick
Henry High School, was made the
school’s first female homecoming
king, and her girlfriend Haileigh
Adams, who attends the same
school, was made homecoming
queen. Arellano said, “I couldn’t feel
happier! I am in completely
shocked that this happen”.
Adams said they have received
negative feedback as well. “We
have a lot of support, but there are
also a lot of people who are angry
about it. Anonymous students
at the school are saying they’re
embarrassed and that it’s wrong
for a girl to take the spot of king.
But there’s no other way for us
to run as a couple”.
Arellano said one of her teachers
told her, “Today, school is a bit
better because of you girls”.
Arellano posted a statement to her
opponents on facebook that read,
“For all the girls who think tradition
should be continued, go back to
the kitchen, stop having sex before
you’re married, get out of the
school and job system, don’t have
an opinion, don’t own any property,
don’t vote, and allow your husband
to do whatever he pleases. Think
about the meaning of tradition
when you use it against us”. n
lesbian new
tory leader
in scotland
At the beginning of
November 32 year old
Ruth Davidson was elected
as the new leader of the
Scottish Conservatives.
Ms Davidson beat fellow wannabe
party leader Murdo Fraser, in
the race to succeed previous head
of party, Annabel Goldie; leader
since 2005, who stepped down
after the SNP’s landslide win in
May 2011.
Ms Davidson, previously a BBC
journalist, former kickboxer and
ex-Territorial Army officer, has only
been a member of the Scottish
parliament since May, and her rise
to the helm has taken many of her
longstanding colleagues by surprise.
She is already ruffling the feathers
of some Christian conservatives
over her stance on same-sex
marriage, which is the same as
that of her counterparts south
of the border. She stated, “On the
issue of same-sex marriage I support
it but with the important proviso
that there is no compulsion
for religious organisations that do
not wish to carry out ceremonies
to be compelled to do so”.
Despite much criticism over this
and other contentious issues, Ms
Davidson is adamant above all to
stick to the agenda of reforming
the party. n
women in business
L-Women at Work, the first pan-European event
on advancing the careers of lesbians, bisexual and
transgender women in business took place in
Amsterdam on 11.11.11.
The conference in the Netherlands
which values and encourages the
contribution of lbi and t women
in business, provided an exciting
opportunity to network with other
women from all over Europe.
The event offered a platform
from which to share ideas, be
motivated by and learn from successful
women willing to share
their experiences; and to gather
practical support for professional
development.
This was clearly going to be an
important event as a palpable buzz
was in the air from the moment
registration began.
24 short presentations from
professionals across the continent
were enjoyed by almost 100
women, from 11 countries. They
covered many topics such as,
work-life balance, leadership,
visibility, power, equality, being
yourself, expectations, social
media and communications.
The keynote presentation was
from winner of the 2011 Trailblazer
for workplace equality award,
Claudia Woody, who is vice president
and managing director for
IBM Global Intellectual Property and
Advanced Technology Licensing.
Claudia won Out&Equal’s Trailblazer
award earlier this year, for having
made a significant contribution to
advancing workplace equality by
helping improve things at IBM and
contributing to equality for all.
There were representatives at the
conference from many sectors -
corporate and ngo. The array of
speakers and a sense of intimacy
meant that many of the attendees
were able to interact with
presenters on stage. This in turn
encouraged lively debate during
lunch and coffee breaks.
Videos of the event by Bounce
Media are to be made available
online so that this unique event
can be shared worldwide.
The day concluded with drinks,
where participants were able to
ask speakers direct questions
and network with each other. The
overall impression from women
who attended was positively
inspirational.
For more information visit
www.l-womenatwork.com n
13
northeast / issue 29 / outnortheast.com 13