A panel advising New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on the redesign of the state’s Medicaid program is considering recommending coverage for health care for transgender people.

New York could thus join several other states in providing all medically necessary care for transgender residents on Medicaid. Such a recommendation would be a welcome step forward in ending health care discrimination against transgender people, many of whom face severe discrimination in almost every area of their lives, including employment and housing.

Currently, New York’s Medicaid program specifically excludes coverage for sex reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy for transgender people. Exclusions that target the transgender community undercut the basic premise of health insurance coverage, which is to make medically necessary care accessible to those who need it. The American Medical Association, the Endocrine Society, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health all recognize that transition-related care, including sex reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy, are safe and effective means of improving the health of transgender people. Unfortunately, few transgender people can afford such care on their own: according to a recent study, more than 20% of transgender New Yorkers make less than $10,000 a year.

Moreover, exclusions are often expanded in practice to include even routine medical care. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey released this year by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 17% of transgender New Yorkers have been refused medical care because of their gender identity or expression. Some were physically assaulted in doctor’s offices or emergency rooms.

Medicaid is a vital safety net for those priced out of buying their own coverage or who work jobs that do not provide health insurance benefits. The thousands of transgender New Yorkers in their state’s Medicaid program deserve a program that takes their health needs seriously. New York should set an example that shows other insurance programs riddled with transgender exclusions – including Medicare and many private insurance plans – how it’s done.

Fox News generally avoids covering stories that signify progress toward LGBT equality — when they aren’t bashing Chaz Bono for being transgender, they largely ignore news events like the certification of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’s repeal, its implementation, and the passage of marriage equality in New York. In fact, Fox News mentioned the state’s same-sex marriage law in a few news alerts after it passed, while cable rivals MSNBC and CNN devoted substantially more airtime to the story. But now a story has emerged that has given Fox News a reason to finally give New York marriage a full segment: town clerks refusing to marry same-sex couples.

This afternoon, Fox invited Rose Marie Belforti on the air to discuss her horrible plight. Belforti is the elected town clerk in rural Ledyard, New York who raises religious objections to issuing same-sex marriage certificates. A lesbian couple who did not want to wait days for one of Belforti’s arranged appointments with a deputy is threatening to sue her for discrimination, and the vehemently anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund is defending her. Though many (including Fox News) are calling the situation a “test case,” Belforti is simply abandoning the responsibilities of her job and her civic duty to her community while she uses her religious beliefs as an excuse to treat same-sex couples as second-class citizens. Even New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has said clerks should not get to pick and choose which laws they enforce, suggesting, “If you can’t enforce the law, then you shouldn’t be in that position.” Watch the segment:

Of course, Fox News did not scrutinize Belforti’s self-victimization, nor did the network invite the lesbian couple or their counsel, People for the American Way, to offer any sort of retort. It seems that the only way to achieve “fair and balanced” reporting is to only report on LGBT equality when people make news for opposing it.

On Tuesday, North Carolina state Sen. James Forrester (R) — the sponsor of the bill to add an amendment to the constitution outlawing same-sex marriage — embarrassed himself during a radio interview with SiriusXM’s Michelangelo Signorile when he was unable to back up his claims that people in the gay “lifestyle” live shorter lifespans. Forrester admitted, “I’m not an expert on everything there,” and later threatened to end the interview because he couldn’t explain how same-sex marriage undermines the institution.

Forrester is a medical doctor and he relies on his personal experiences with patients to opine on the health outcomes of the LGBT community. But now, his medical “credentials” are coming into question. Over at Pam’s House Blend, equality supporter Scott Rose investigated Forrester’s claim — made prominently on his campaign website — that he is a “Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine” and discovered that Forrester does not have any affiliation with the group. As the group’s executive director explains:

The quick answer to your questions is that Dr. Forrester is not, and never has been, a member of ACPM (much less a Fellow, which is our highest designation of membership). However, this is troubling to us, too, that he’s apparently claiming to be a Fellow of ACPM, and we would like to know where Dr. Forrester is making these proclamations so that we can approach him and demand that he cease falsely using ACPM credentials in his campaign or wherever else he’s using it.

While Forrester has yet to respond to the charges, the ACPM has contacted his office asking him to “please remove our name and any references to us from their website.”

The effort to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota’s constitution will undoubtedly be one of the longest ballot campaigns in history, given the vote is not until November, 2012. The coalition of anti-gay groups advocating for the amendment, Minnesota for Marriage, has repeatedly stated that it expects to be outspent by equality groups opposing the measure. But Andy Birkey at the American Independent did a little digging and found that over the past five years, Minnesota for Marriage has spent $3.7 million advocating for the amendment, five times what Outfront Minnesota and Project 515 have spent advocating on behalf of same-sex couples:

For opponents of same-sex marriage to claim that they are the financial underdogs is completely disingenuous. It was because of their incredible spending that the legislature approved the amendment to be placed on the ballot in the first place. And the Minnesota Family Council plans to raise another $5.25 million through Focus on the Family’s “Ignite” fundraising campaign, in addition to whatever the Minnesota Catholic Conference and National Organization for Marriage contribute.

Granted, Minnesota’s LGBT groups are now supported by national organizations like Freedom To Marry and the Human Rights Campaign, so those fighting constitutionally-enshrined discrimination will have some outside support as well. Nevertheless, Minnesota for Marriage is a financial powerhouse and anything but an underdog in this long fight.

A councilwoman in Jacksonville, Florida has come under criticism after ranting about homosexuals and terrorists during a hearing to finalize the city budget Tuesday evening. Kimberly Daniels, who says she is a former prostitute and drug addict, made the comments about an earlier proposal to cut funds to the Human Rights Council:

“Some groups want more than equality, they want favoritism. There are laws especially, if someone was to get in a fight with a homosexual they would get more time simply because that person was a homosexual,” she said. “When you have people of faith that stand for what they believe, they should have a right also to their freedom of religion,” said Daniels.

Daniels then focused on [city Human Rights Commissioner Parvez Ahmed], dredging up old opposition to his appointment:

“I would have supported that, based on information that I have concerning some strong contacts with terrorists; communications and some lawsuits and judgments that were made in Texas and even more info with that and direct contact with a man who cut his wife’s head off, and anyone who cuts his wife’s head off, that doesn’t have anything to do with human rights.”

Watch it:

Daniels — who is also the founder of Spoken Word Ministries– has previously opposed federal hate crimes legislation and same-sex marriage. She has also claimed to perform “exorcisms to cast out demons alleged to cause homosexuality, drug abuse, and insanity,” argued that “the Jews own everything!” and that President Obama is part of a Harvard-based Illuminati plot. She previously declared being grateful for the historical institution of American slavery without which, “I might be somewhere in Africa worshiping a tree.”