The daily dish... a spicy serving of celebrity news
Gay marshal nominee…
As a little-known Minneapolis police sergeant, Sharon Lubinski made headlines when she declared she was a lesbian on the front pages of the city’s largest newspaper— a bold move that other gay officers say inspired them to come out, too.
More than a decade later, Lubinski could become the first openly gay U. S. marshal after President Obama nominated the 57-year-old assistant police chief to one of the country’s top law enforcement jobs last week.
Though some gay rights activists have criticized the nomination as nothing more than a symbolic gesture from a president they say has lagged behind on key gay issues, others note the move is a step in the right direction toward ending a culture of discrimination.
Back when Lubinski declared in a 1993 Minneapolis Star Tribune interview that she was a lesbian, she told the newspaper she feared she was putting her safety, career and personal life in danger. At the time, officers in the department suspected of being gay endured taunts, jokes and whispers. One officer who suspected she was gay even called her “sicko” behind her back, she told the paper.
But the risk was worth it, she said. Police officers who handle gay crime victims must be able to accept gay colleagues, and though the atmosphere inside the department was improving, more needed to be done, she told the newspaper.
“Hopefully, my coming out will dispel any myths that you can’t be gay and in uniform,” Lubinski told the newspaper at the time.
If the U. S. Senate confirms her nomination for U. S. marshal for the district that covers Minnesota, she would be the first openly gay U. S. marshal and the first female marshal ever in the state. Nationally, only one other current U. S. marshal is a woman.
Lawyers at odds…
Lawyers for Roman Polanski are clashing over his legal strategy, with one saying the director won’t surrender to U. S. authorities after 31 years on the run and another suggesting that Polanski was ready to consider the move.
Attorney Herve Temime says there has been “no change in strategy,” telling the AP that Polanski will “continue to fight extradition” to the United States for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
Earlier Wednesday, fellow Polanski attorney Georges Kiejman told Europe 1 radio that Polanski could voluntarily return to face justice in Los Angeles.
Polanski has been pressing for his release since being arrested last month in Zurich. He suffered a major setback Tuesday when a Swiss criminal court rejected his offer of bail, saying his flight risk was too high.
Skin cancer removed…
The office of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says she had a slow-growing form of skin cancer removed from her forehead Tuesday.
The spot was a basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer and a highly curable type since it typically is easily cut away.
When Sebelius testified before Congress on Wednesday she had a small bandage on her forehead with a puffy, bruised-looking eye just beneath. That is typical after the outpatient procedure.
In a statement, her office said, “The surgery was successful.”
“She is back fighting to get everyone the same good health care she has,” a spokesman said.
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