News
Gay penguin couple adopt egg at Berlin zoo
Skipper and Ping could soon be same-sex parents
Skipper and Ping, a same-sex penguin couple, have adopted an egg at Zoo Berlin, the New York Times reports.
The 10-year-old emperor penguins arrived together to Zoo Berlin from a zoo in Hamburg in April. They made it known they were interested in parenthood when they attempted to hatch stones and fish.
In July, zookeepers gave the couple an egg from a female king penguin.
āWe just had to put the egg in front of one of them, and he knew just what to do. He took his beak and put the egg on his feet and then put his stomach over it, which is the normal thing penguins do,ā Maximilian JƤger, a Zoo Berlin spokesman, told the New York Times.
Zookeepers don’t know if the egg is fertilized. If it has been, Skipper and Ping would be parents by early September.
This gay penguin couple adopted an egg together at Zoo Berlin in Germany. Skipper and Ping, both male king penguins, have shown prior interest in parenting, trying to hatch stones and fish in the past. https://t.co/wi9HWaRnQq pic.twitter.com/S5BcjSLWdo
— CNN (@CNN) August 13, 2019
? These two gay penguins have been given an egg to try and hatch after using rocks as substitutes#penguins #berlinzoo #gaypenguins pic.twitter.com/PyEryTXB1D
— This Matters (@thismatters_uk) August 13, 2019
Rehoboth Beach
Selling Rehoboth: Lee Ann Wilkinson wins prestigious real estate award
Longtime agent on beach prices, her LGBTQ allyship, and more
Longtime Delaware real estate leader Lee Ann Wilkinson of Berkshire Hathaway recently celebrated a major industry award after being named No. 1 in total sales volume for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Network. Wilkinson, a Blade contributor, centers much of her work in the coastal communities of Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. We caught up with her to discuss her long career in real estate, her LGBTQ allyship, and more.
Washington Blade: I learned your parents were in real estate, and you began working with them early on in your career. Did you initially intend to follow in their footsteps?
Lee Ann Wilkinson: Not really. I majored in art. When I got out of college I couldnāt really find a job. So, my parents said, āYou need to come work for us.ā
Blade: I understand that as an art history major turned writer. Speaking of that: I know you have written some pieces for the Blade, about real estate trends, and the like. How do you pick your topics for these articles?
Wilkinson: People always want to know about real estate. Whether buying a first home, second home, a home to invest or retire in. It amazes even me how much interest there is. And itās not just people looking to buy a $7 million home on beachfront property. Itās people looking to get something in budget for their family.
Blade: I know you have a lot of work in Rehoboth, the Delaware Valleyās historically gay beachside community. Was there ever a time you were NOT selling property to ā I guess it was fair to say 40 years ago ā mostly gay men?
Wilkinson: Ha, I grew up coming down for the summer until my family moved here full-time from Norristown, outside of Philly. We had businesses and family in Rehoboth. I think Rehoboth has always been gay-friendly. We never thought about it. My grandfather had a house in Rehoboth before I was born. The gay population was always welcome.
Blade: Do you have a connection to the LGBTQ community beyond real estate?
Wilkinson: Absolutely. One of my closest friends is a guy I went to college with at the University of Delaware, Joey. You know, Joey was maybe my first gay friend. In fact, we all went to the Easter Sunrise Service on the beach in Rehoboth. We have gay family members, so I have never thought that much about it being anything different.
Blade: I know you recently won a prestigious award with Berkshire Hathaway and were surprised to come in first place. Why?
Wilkinson: For the past 20 years or so we have been in the top 10. We started doing these national things with Berkshire Hathaway. To get in the top 10 was amazing to me especially going up against states like Florida, New Jersey, not to mention San Francisco or Bay Area agents. I just never thought weād get to the number one spot. My only issue is ā where to go now?
Blade: Where do you make your primary residence? Is that Lewes? Do you see the president on occasion?
Wilkinson: I havenāt seen him at the beach. But heās on the bike trail a lot. He pops up having breakfast. He goes to Mass at St. Edmondās in Rehoboth on Saturday evening. But Iām often too busy with work on weekends to catch sight of him.
Blade: Having been in the industry 40 years, how do you find ways to get excited about your work?
Wilkinson: I really am passionate about it. I really love a challenge. Thatās part of the appeal for this job. I always like matching people with things. I really liked getting people the right bathing suits years ago. Selling, itās just something Iām good at. I would get customers walking outtaā the store with three or four bathing suits when they only wanted one.
Blade: Are you considering retiring in the next few years? Or will you always be associated with the industry on some level. Maybe as a mentor or silent partner?
Wilkinson: Oh, no, Iāll always be involved. Three of my four daughters work for me. I am not retiring anytime soon. And if I did, they would be here to continue it on, and I am sure Iād weigh in.
Blade: So, this is very much a family legacy?
Wilkinson: Yeah. My parents are 87 and 91 now. Some 20 years ago mom predicted weād see an increase in prices, people moving here, etc. I donāt know how she predicted it but mom is right.
Blade: Any current trends youāre noticing?
Wilkinson: This cycle of people moving here, and prices increasing, and all the building happening. People think the prices are going to come down, but I donāt see that happening.
Blade: Tell me about that. Are the new building ventures changing the faces of Rehoboth and Lewes? After not visiting the Jersey Shore for over a decade Iāve been going the past few summers to my cousinās place in Cape May. Itās a trailer on a nicely maintained campground and itās what she can afford. And, thereās so much building happening there.
Wilkinson: Right? Itās about finding a second home you can afford. And, in terms of building projects, the good thing about Rehoboth and Lewes is they are strict on what you can and canāt build downtown. They arenāt going to tear down homes to build multi-family condos, not yet anyway. In Spring Lake, you are seeing townhomes. So, building is happening and we have some condos, but itās great to not see āoverbuildingā happening in these historically smaller cities.
To learn more about Ms. Wilkinson, or property in Sussex County, DE be sure to look for articles she publishes in the Blade and visit the Lee Ann Wilkinson Group website.
Local
Blum named director of new LGBTQ program at Carr Center
Program to expand research, training on safeguarding human rights
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: [email protected].
Congratulations to Diego Garcia Blum on his new position as director, Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program, at the Harvard, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. This new program will expand research and training on safeguarding the human rights of LGBTQI+ people worldwide. It will address the escalating crisis of violence and discrimination against LGBTQI+ individuals globally. The vision is to establish the Carr Center as a key international nexus for LGBTQI+ human rights policy, training, ideas, and dialogue
āThe heart of this program is empowering and supporting the brave LGBTQI+ activists working in challenging and often perilous environments,ā Garcia Blum said. āThrough our training and high-impact research, we aim to supercharge their efforts.ā
Prior to this, he has had a varied and impressive career. Recently he served as a Social Change Fellow at Harvardās Center for Public Leadership. He worked with the Human Rights Campaign, serving on its Board of Governors. Prior to that, he worked as a nuclear engineer at Orano, a French company. It is described as a global leader in nuclear fuel cycle products and services, from mining to dismantling, conversion, enrichment, recycling, logistics and engineering. He has won many awards for his work and education. The Innovation CORE award at Orano; The Dean Joseph Weil Leadership Award, University of Florida; Most Outstanding Master in Public Policy Student – Ellen Raphael Award, Harvard Kennedy School.
Federal Government
Biden-Harris administration takes major step toward reclassifying marijuana
New regulations could lessen criminal penalties for cannabis
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday took a major step toward loosening the federal government’s regulation of marijuana by issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which outlines a proposal to reclassify it under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
The move comes pursuant to the Biden-Harris administration’s April 30 announcement of plans to recategorize cannabis as a Schedule III substance, which could substantially lessen the criminal penalties for those convicted of using, possessing, selling, distributing, or cultivating the drug.
A 60-day public comment period will begin after the NPRM is published on the Federal Register, along with a concurrent review of the proposed regulatory reforms by an administrative law judge assigned by the DEA.
Since the CSA was passed in 1971, cannabis has been listed under Schedule I, the category reserved for drugs that are considered to be the most dangerous and lacking any currently accepted medical use in the U.S.
In a press release, a senior administration official noted that “marijuana is currently classified higher than fentanyl and meth ā the drugs driving our Nationās overdose epidemic.”
President Joe Biden posted a video on X in which he said the proposal to house cannabis under the Schedule III regulatory regime constitutes “an important move towards reversing longstanding inequities.”
“Todayās announcement builds on the work weāve already done to pardon a record number of federal offenses for simple possession of marijuana,” the president said. “It adds to the action weāve taken to lift barriers to housing, employment, small business loans, and more for tens of thousands of Americans.”
“Look folks no one should be in jail for merely using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said. “Period.”
The president added, “Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana and Iām committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it.”
Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 16, 2024
So today, the @TheJusticeDept is taking the next step to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under federal law.
Here's what that means: pic.twitter.com/TMztSyyFYm
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