April 13th
04-13-1947 – 02-03-2020 Deborah Batts – Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In June 1994, she was sworn in as a Federal District Judge for Manhattan, becoming the nation’s first openly LGBT, African-American federal judge. She took senior status on her 65th birthday. She was in office from May 9, 1994, to April 13, 2012. She died of complications from knee surgery at a rehabilitation center in Manhattan in February 2020.
04-13-1955 Ole von Beust (Carl-Friedrich Arp Ole Freiherr von Beust) – Born in Hamburg, Germany. He is a German politician who was First Mayor of the city-state of Hamburg from Oct. 31, 2001 to Aug. 25, 2010. In an interview, Beust’s father confirmed that his son is indeed homosexual. Beust himself considers his sexual orientation a private matter; when asked directly he usually ironically refers the interviewer to his father. Since May 2013, he has lived with his partner Lukas Forster in a registered partnership.
04-13-1963 John Paulk – Born in Columbus, Ohio. He is a former advocate and promoter of the ex-gay movement and conversion therapy and author. Paulk was the founder and former leader of the ministry Love Won Out, which was launched by the anti-gay organization Focus on the Family. In 2000, he was photographed in a Washington D.C. gay bar, Mr. P’s by Wayne Besen. In the April 2013 issue of PQ (Proud Queer) Monthly, he was quoted as stating that he no longer supported the ex-gay movement or efforts to attempt to change individuals’ sexual orientation, and that he was in the process of ending his marriage to his wife, Anne. The couple divorced in June 2013. In April 2013, Paulk disavowed his belief in gay reparative therapy, announcing that — while he remains a devout Christian — he also identifies as a gay man and believes that reparative therapy is both futile and harmful. He issued a formal apology for his role as an advocate of the movement.
04-13-1976 Robert Biedron – Born in Rymanow, Poland. He is a Polish politician and currently serves as advisor to many politicians and leaders. He is also the President of the Polish Campaign Against Homophobia. On December 1, 2014, Biedron became the first openly gay mayor in the country, becoming the mayor of the city of Slupsk, a city near the Baltic Sea in northern Poland.
04-13-1985 Carmen Carrera – Born in Elmwood, Park, New Jersey. She is an American reality television personality, model, burlesque performer, and actress, known for appearing on the third season of the Logo reality television series RuPaul’s Drag Race, as well as its spinoff series RuPaul Drag U. Although presented as a male during the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, on May 1, 2012, ABC news reported that Carrera is a transgender woman. Carrera is involved in AIDS awareness and activism.
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