Aidan Key, a transgender man who grew up in Juneau, now directs Gender Odyssey in Seattle; Prop 5 in Anchorage; marriage equality in New Hampshire; and other recent LGBTQ news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.

1) Transgender man to share journey
Durango, CO, Durango Herald, March 13, 2012

Aiden Key, a transgender man, grew up as Bonnie — with an identical twin sister, Brenda — in Juneau, Alaska. Though Bonnie came out as a lesbian at 19, she still struggled with her gender until her early 30s, when she began testosterone treatment and had a mastectomy, though not genital reassignment surgery.

Key is now the director of Gender Odyssey, an advocacy, support and education group for transgender youths, adults and their families based in Seattle. Accompanied by his sister Brenda, who remains Aiden’s best friend, Aiden has appeared on “Larry King Live” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to share the story of his transition from “she” to “he.”

2) Debate over [Anchorage, Alaska] Proposition 5 intensifies with TV, radio ads
Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage Daily News, March 21, 2012

With a vote on a proposed ordinance to extend city anti-discrimination protections to gay, lesbian and transgender residents of Anchorage for the first time less than two weeks away, groups on both sides of the Proposition 5 debate have debuted TV and radio ads.

3) New Hampshire House Rejects Gay Marriage Repeal Bill
Concord, New Hampshire, Huffington Post, March 21, 2012

New Hampshire lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have made their state legislature the first one to repeal a gay marriage law, handing gay-rights supporters a key victory in the Northeast, where same-sex marriage is prevalent.

4) New Book Discusses What to Do Before You Decide to Tie The Knot
Gayapolis

As the tide of marriage equality begins to turn, with same gender nuptials becoming a reality for increasing numbers of couples, along comes a perfectly-timed guide to provide insight into what elements to consider before taking such a step.

Pamela Milam, MA, LPC, a counselor in Dallas, Texas, has just released an essential primer for any LGBT individual considering matrimony, Premarital Counseling for Gays & Lesbians.

5) Dutch Catholic Authorities Alleged to Have Treated Gays With Castration
Netherlands, Advocate, March 20, 2012

Reports have emerged that in the 1950s, Dutch Roman Catholic authorities approved the surgical castration of young men to “cure” them of homosexuality, including the late Henk Heithuis, who had accused priests of sexual abuse.

6) In Wartime Paris, An Unlikely Alliance
Gay City News, March 14, 2012

In the engaging World War II film “Free Men”, director and co-writer Ismaël Ferroukhi tells the story of a Paris mosque, founded and run by Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit (Michael Lonsdale), that harbored Jews from the Nazis. Based on real events and the story of a queer Jewish singer, Salim Halali (Mahmud Shalaby), from Algeria, Ferroukhi creates a fictionalized drama about Younes (Tahar Rahim), a black marketer, also an Algerian immigrant, who is asked to spy on Arabs in Paris –– and the mosque specifically –– but ends up helping the cause of the Muslims and their Jewish friends.

7) ‘Gay Gag Rule’ Now Law in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Russia, ABC News, March 12, 2012

An anti-gay law has gone into effect in St Petersburg, Russia, prompting fresh concern from gay rights advocates that it will be used to promote hate crimes against homosexual and transgender individuals.

8) Madonna vows to defy anti-gay law on Russian tour
Moscow, Reuters, March 22, 2012

U.S. pop singer Madonna has promised to defy a recent law against homosexual “propaganda” in Vladimir Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg on her upcoming tour through Russia this summer.

9) New NYC center caters to gay and lesbian seniors
New York City, March 2, 2012

New York City celebrated the opening Thursday of what city officials say is the nation’s first full-service senior center designed specifically for the gay community.

10) LatAm gays reach high govt offices
Bogota, Columbia, Associated Press, March 10, 2012

Across Latin America, public acceptance is gradually growing for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, officials. It’s a phenomenon that has accompanied activists’ broader struggle to win rights to marry, adopt children or share financial benefits with same-sex partners, and to transform the way socially conservative nations view and treat gays.

11) Harvard group seeks degrees for gays expelled
Boston, Associated Press, February 28, 2012

Students and faculty at Harvard University are calling on the school to award posthumous degrees to seven students expelled nearly a century ago for being gay or perceived as gay, and they’re timing a rally for their cause to coincide with a visit by Lady Gaga.

12) The pain of positive change
Washington Blade, March 22, 2012

Change — good or bad — is often tough. Trans author Joy Ladin knows that first hand.

Pain had accompanied her for most of her days, but in her new book Through the Door of Life, she explains a journey that was, for her, long overdue.

13) Anti-bullying teen, ‘DWTS,’ Gaga get GLAAD award
New York, Associated Press, March 24, 2012

A teenager who’s campaigning to make it easier for children to see an upcoming documentary about bullying, the producers of the NBC musical drama “Smash” and Lady Gaga were among the winners of Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation media awards announced Saturday.

14) Support for gay marriage rises among California voters, poll finds
California, Yahoo News, February 29, 2012

Registered voters in California approve of same-sex marriage by the biggest margin in 35 years of tracking, with 59 percent favoring full marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples, according to a Field Poll released Wednesday.