=
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/07/071806fire.htm
Firefighters Investigated For Not Attending Gay Pride
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
July 18, 2006 - 9:00 pm ET
(Glasgow) Ten Glasgow firefighters are under investigation for refusing to
attend the city's gay pride festival last month.
The Glasgow Fire Department had organized a public relations show at the
June 24 event where firefighters would hand out leaflets on fire safety.
The British Broadcasting Corporation reports that the 10 refused a direct
order from their captain to take part in the safety program.
The BBC said that the men refused on "moral grounds".
If they are found guilty of insubordination the ten could be disciplined -
anything from losing pay for a day or more to being dropped in rank.
Neither the union nor the fire service will comment on the report.
At least one Scottish politician has denounced the investigation.
=
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/07/071806iraq.htm
UN: Iraq Militants Targeting Gays
by The Associated Press
July 18, 2006 - 7:00 pm ET
(New York City) Nearly 6,000 civilians were slain across Iraq in May and
June, a spike in deaths that coincided with rising sectarian attacks across
the country, the United Nations said Tuesday.
The report from the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq describes a wave of
lawlessness and crime, including assassinations, bombings, kidnappings,
torture and intimidation.
Hundreds of teachers, judges, religious leaders and doctors have been
targeted for death, and thousands of people have fled, the report said.
Evidence suggests militants also have begun to target gays, it said.
``While welcoming recent positive steps by the government to promote
national reconciliation, the report raises alarm at the growing number of
casualties among the civilian population killed or wounded during
indiscriminate or targeted attacks by terrorists or insurgents,'' the UN
said in a note accompanying the report.
According to the report, 2,669 civilians were killed in May and 3,149 were
killed in June. Those numbers combined two counts:
from the Ministry of Health, which records deaths reported by hospitals; and
the Medico-Legal Institute in Baghdad, which tallies the unidentified bodies
it receives.
=
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071801415_pf.html
Congress Is Giving Israel Vote of Confidence
Both Parties Back Ally, Court Jewish Support
By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 19, 2006; A05
Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are rushing to offer
unalloyed support for Israel's offensive against Hezbollah fighters,
reflecting a bipartisan desire to not only defend a key U.S. ally but also
solidify long-term backing of Jewish voters and political donors in the
United States, according to officials and strategists in both parties.
With Israel intensifying its air and artillery attacks on Lebanon and
warning of a protracted war, the Senate yesterday unanimously passed a
bipartisan resolution endorsing Israel's military campaign and condemning
Hezbollah and its two backers, Iran and Syria. A few hours earlier, Senate
Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) delivered his most strident defense
of Israel since the conflict erupted a week ago. The House is expected to
pass a similarly pro-Israel resolution today.
=
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/07/071806wispoll.htm
Poll: Support Increases For Anti-Gay Wisconsin Amendment
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
July 18, 2006 - 9:00 pm ET
(Madison, Wisconsin) A new survey of Wisconsin voters shows that a proposed
constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in the state has
the support of a slight majority.
But when the margin of error is factored in the issue is too close to call.
The Badger Poll released Monday shows that 52.5% of those surveyed said they
support the proposed amendment with 43.8% opposed and four percent
undecided.
With a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points and the number
of undecideds that it is virtually a dead heat.
=
http://expressgaynews.com/2006/7-15/news/national/games.cfm
Express Gay News
Gay Games' future may hinge on Chicago success
Rival sporting events compete for athletes, corporate sponsors
By JOSHUA LYNSEN
Saturday, July 15, 2006
As thousands of athletes descend on Chicago for Gay Games VII this weekend,
organizers are facing intense pressure to succeed where their predecessors
failed.
For athletes like Fort Lauderdale resident Tony Wallner, the Gay Games are
about achieving a personal best in a gay-friendly athletic enviornment.
Wallner, who this year will be competing in bowling and figure skating at
the Gay Games, has won medals in each of the three previous years he
attended, amassing a total of one bronze, four silver and one gold medal.
=
The 2nd Annual West coast Gathering and Conference of Lesbians 50
Years & Older (All ages welcome to attend)
September 7 - 10, 2006
A NORTH AMERICAN LESBIAN EXPERIENCE NOT TO BE MISSED!!
Last year's conference was stellar. This one will be even better, with
additional workshops and extra events, including dragon boating, a singles'
mixer, and a party on Friday night. We're receiving registrations from all
over the US and Canada, and though we've booked the entire 35th floor of the
Coast Plaza Hotel (near beaches, Stanley Park and Vancouver's gay
neighbourhood), places are limited. If you're hoping to attend but haven't
sent in your registration yet, well, you get the message - do it today!
We're going to sell out - especially given that Cris Williamson and a lineup of
outstanding lesbian performers will be in town Sunday July 10th for the
Changer and the Changed 30th Anniversary Tour. Many women are making plans
to stay on after the conference so that they can attend this epic concert.
=
The Advocate, July 17, 2006
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid33765.asp
Procreation a losing argument
Those who advocate that marriage should be reserved purely for the purpose
of procreation have argued themselves into a corner. If they truly want that
as a standard, then it should apply it to everyone.
By John Sonego
When a California appellate court heard arguments about the state's ban on
same-sex marriage this week, attorneys argued a tired mantra long championed
by same-sex marriage opponents: Gays should not be allowed to marry because
they can't procreate (at least not naturally). No matter that California
superior court judge Richard Kramer dismissed that claim in 2005, finding
the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Kramer noted that
opposite-sex couples don't have to have children in order to marry, while
gay families are blocked from the institution no matter how many children
they have or might produce.
An ability to procreate, therefore, was not germane to the argument.
=
US: House rejects marriage amendment;Vote falls 47 short,
gaining no ground over 2004 tally
New York Blade, NY, July 18, 2006
http://www.newyorkblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=8207
House rejects marriage amendment
Vote falls 47 short, gaining no ground over 2004 tally By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
The U.S. House defeated a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex
marriage July 18 for the second time in two years following a shorter and
less emotional debate than the one that preceded the last vote on the
measure in October 2004.
The time around, the Marriage Protection Amendment received a majority vote
of 236 House members in favor and 187 opposed, with one member voting
"present" and nine members not voting.
It followed six weeks after the Senate also decisively defeated the
amendment, a top priority of social conservatives.
When the House voted on the same measure in 2004, it fell 49 votes short of
passage. Then as now, the vote was largely along party lines, with
Republicans favoring the amendment and Democrats opposing.
=
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=469870
Backing found for gay marriage ban
Milwuakee Journal Sentinel
52.5% of respondents in state poll favor constitutional amendment
By STACY FORSTER
sforster@journalsentinel.com
Posted: July 17, 2006
Madison - A majority of Wisconsin residents support a proposed state
constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and any substantially
similar legal status, according to a poll released Monday.
The Badger Poll found that 52.5% of those surveyed said they support the
proposed constitutional amendment regarding marriage, compared with 43.8%
who oppose it; the rest didn't know or refused to answer the question.
The Badger Poll also showed that a majority of those surveyed support the
death penalty in certain cases.
Both issues will be on the Nov. 7 ballot.
=
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid33872.asp
July 19, 2006
House rejects constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a proposed U.S.
constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, ending for another year a
congressional debate that supporters of the ban hope will still reverberate
in this fall's midterm elections.
The 236-187 vote for the proposal to define marriage as a union of a man and
a woman was 47 short of the two-thirds majority needed to advance a
constitutional amendment. It followed six weeks after the Senate also
decisively defeated the amendment.
But supporters said the vote will make a difference when people got to the
polls in November. "The overwhelming majority of the American people support
traditional marriage," said Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, a Republican from
Colorado, sponsor of the amendment. "And the people have a right to know
whether their elected representatives agree with them."
Opponents dismissed the proposal as both discriminatory and legislatively
irrelevant because of the Senate vote. The measure is "all for the purpose
of pandering to a narrow political base." said Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a gay
Democrat from Wisconsin. "This hateful and unnecessary amendment is unworthy
of our great Constitution."
=
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, July 18, 2006
http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=1319388&secid=1
Focus launches answer to 'Born Different' ads
By PERRY SWANSON THE GAZETTE
Two pooches are the unlikely mascots for competing ideas in Colorado Springs
over what makes a person gay.
First there was Norman, the puppy who says "moo" because he was born
different, according to an ad campaign that started early last month.
Organizers of the Born Different campaign said Norman is a metaphor for gay
people, who they argue were born different but deserve acceptance.
On Tuesday, a dog named Sherman launched a counter-campaign with a sharp
"woof," a sound handlers said he makes because that's what dogs do. A
campaign featuring Sherman called "No Moo Lies" begins today with an
advertisement in The Gazette.
The Colorado Springs-based Christian ministry Focus on the Family developed
the No Moo Lies campaign to rebut the Born Different effort, which is funded
by the Denver-based Gill Foundation.
=
Ray's note:
Victoria Lavin has been providing a very valuable service with her Daily
Queer News. We'll miss her good work!
~~~
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
From Victoria Lavin:
Dear Subscribers:
On July 3rd my partner desided to leave me and the State of Nebraska. As of
this past Friday the electric was turned off and I have been homeless and
moving my belongings out into a friends garage until I can find another
place to live. At that this point I have not funds to find a new place to
live or move into because she basically left me without money.
So, the newsletter will not be put out until I can find a new place to live.
I am sorry for the interruption in the service you all depend on.
=
Journal of Homosexuality
Volume 50, Issue 4
Editor(s): John P. De Cecco, PhD
This issue is now available online and will soon be mailed to subscribers in
approximately 4-6 weeks.
NOTE: If the URLs in this email are not active hyperlinks, copy and paste
the URL into the address/location box in your browser.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
College Students' Views on Gay and Lesbian Issues Does Education Make a
Difference
Eric G. Lambert, Lois A. Ventura, Daniel E. Hall, Terry Cluse-Tolar
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?ID=67324
A Social Geography of Sex Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSMs) and Gay Bars on
the U.S./Mexican Border
Robert C. Philen
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?ID=67325
Internalized Homophobia, Lesbian Identity Development, and Self-Esteem in
Undergraduate Women
Trica L. Peterson, Deborah A. Gerrity
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?ID=67326
Beyond Same-Sex Desire Pierre Loti's Iceland Fisherman as an Example of
Other Ways of Reading Literature as Gay
Richard M. Berrong
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?ID=67327
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The Advocate, July 11, 2006
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid33586.asp
Taking back the black gay movement
Why is it all the white-led LGBT groups think they know how to reach out to
African-Americans about gay rights? And do they willingly push black queer
groups out of the way in the process?
By Jasmyne A. Cannick
Before you cry foul, if what I am about to say doesn't apply to you, keep up
the good work. We need your support to get the job done for all of us. For
those of you who read this and think me to be against marriage equality; I
am not. Remember, I started one of the first black-led marriage equality
campaigns in the nation-but enough with the disclaimers.
You may not know it, but there's a contingency made up mostly of white gay
people who are conspiring on ways to organize blacks. And not only do they
want to organize blacks to spread their message of marriage for everyone,
but they also want to do it through black gays.
=
http://www.alternet.org/story/38904/
Progressive Christians tend to be nonjudgmental and to feel that challenging
the intolerance of others is itself intolerant. For that reason we often sit
by silently when Fundamentalist Christians criticize homosexual persons. We
tend to think of this as being open minded.
Not that long ago, it was considered consistent to be a Christian, and yet,
hold slaves. The day came when slavery was understood as an affront to the
gospel itself. I want to suggest that the day has come when Christians must
declare that gay bashing is an attack on the gospel and that real Christians
do not participate in any form of discrimination.
Several years ago, I was asked to do the funeral of a gay man who had been
beaten to death in a hate crime. At that time, I had never thought deeply
about the danger many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people face in
this culture. That week as I worked on the service, I kept hearing a local
"Christian" radio station blaming gay and lesbian people for everything
wrong in America. By the end of the week I understood the link between
religious hate speech and the funeral I was performing.
=
Feinstein/Snowe Bill on HIV Prevention in Youth
(PEPFAR)
By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Ms. Snowe:)
S. 3656. A bill to provide additional assistance to combat HIV/AIDS among
young people, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today with Senator Snowe to
introduce legislation to strengthen our international HIV prevention efforts
for youth and empower the people on the ground who are fighting this disease
to design the most effective and appropriate HIV prevention program.
Our legislation does three things. First, it expresses the sense of the
Senate that sexually active youth who live in a country where HIV infection
is spreading through the general population should be considered at high
risk of contracting HIV and provided with information on the complete range
of tools to prevent the spread of HIV.
To date, the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator has focused prevention
programs for youth on abstinence only and ignored other prevention
techniques such as the use of condoms.
=
Foreign adoption sometimes a good option for gay parents
By A.J. Mistretta - Contributing Writer
Jul 13, 2006, 20:19
http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/printer_2735.php
But only single parent-adoptions are available overseas, and the process is
rapidly becoming more complicated
The number of international adoptions by U.S. citizens has more than tripled
over the last 15 years from about 7,000 in 1990 to 22,700 in 2005, according
to the State Department. Last year nearly 8,000 visas were issued for
children coming into the U.S. from China alone, making that the top country
of origin for adoptions by Americans, followed by Russia, Guatemala and
South Korea.
For David Fisher of Dallas and his partner, the decision to adopt a child
abroad came naturally. Waiting interminably on a list for a domestic
adoption to come together was not an option. Nor, for various reasons, were
the other avenues available to gay couples trying to start a family.
=
KY: Trustees approve domestic partner benefits; take other action
Trustees approve domestic partner benefits; take other action July 13th,
2006
Louisville, KY
http://php.louisville.edu/news/news.php?news=639
University of Louisville trustees gave President James Ramsey a go- ahead
Thursday to include domestic partners of employees in the university's
health benefits program.
The move means that U of L can compete more effectively with the nation's
top colleges to recruit outstanding faculty, said Provost Shirley
Willihnganz.
Many universities across the country, including 11 of U of L's 17 benchmark
schools, have added a domestic partner provision to their benefits packages,
said Willihnganz. Others include Ohio State University, North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, University of Michigan, Harvard, Duke, Princeton and MIT.
U of L would become the first university in Kentucky to do so, she noted.
=
ABC News: Should Every American Adult Be Tested for HIV?
CDC Mulling Plan to Encourage Doctors to Do Lots More Testing
By ARCHANA REDDY, ABC News Medical Unit
July 12, 2006 - - As an HIV prevention counselor, Sharlene Miles knows a
thing or two about slowing the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Still, she was one of hundreds of Washington, D.C., residents waiting in
line recently to get a free rapid HIV test. The attendees were there to help
kick off Washington's new push to encourage doctors to routinely screen
everyone between the ages of 14 and 84 for the virus that causes AIDS.
Her test came back negative, and Miles wasn't surprised. She said she
doesn't practice any of the behaviors that put people most at risk. However,
she did say knowing your status -- whether you are HIV positive or negative
-- is important.
=
PROVINCETOWN,RI: A new intolerance visits Provincetown: Police say
gaysaccused of slurs
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4463
Virtue On-line: Global Orthodox Anglicanism By Adrienne P. Samuels, Globe
Staff July 14, 2006
PROVINCETOWN -- Town leaders here are holding a public meeting today to air
concerns about slurs and bigoted behavior. And this time, they say, it's gay
people who are displaying intolerance.
Police say they logged numerous complaints of straight people being called
"breeders" by gays over the July Fourth holiday weekend.
Jamaican workers reported being the target of racial slurs. And a woman was
verbally accosted after signing a petition that opposed same-sex marriage,
they said.
The town, which prizes its reputation for openness and tolerance, is taking
the concerns seriously, though police say they do not consider the incidents
hate crimes.
=
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBXQ74FNPE.html
Just Competing In Gay Games Is Major Victory For Some
By CHRIS ECHEGARAY The Tampa Tribune
Published: Jul 15, 2006
TAMPA - Whispers that former Olympic athletes Greg Louganis and Martina
Navritalova are gay prompted formal disclosures on their part, articles and
video specials.
New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza held a news conference to announce he is
straight.
The sports world has been slow, at best, to accept diverse sexual
orientation.
That's why Amy Mandel wouldn't miss the Gay Games.
Mandel, 50, a successful Tampa businesswoman, is competing in singles tennis
and mixed doubles with fellow Tampa resident Jimmy Baumgartner. The weeklong
games kick off today in Chicago.
=
Recognize equality through civil unions
Des Moines Register, IA, July 16, 2006
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060716/OPINION03/60716001/1035/OPINION
Recognize equality through civil unions
REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD
A wedding is a ceremony. Couples may exchange rings, make vows and stuff
wedding cake in each other's mouths. Or not. Married couples may have sex,
bear children and be guided by religious principles. Or not.
The important stuff that marriage is made of - the relationship between two
people - has nothing to do with the government.
Then there's the law. It grants married people certain legal benefits,
including rights to inheritance and the ability to make burial and medical
decisions. It doesn't judge the details of the relationship between two
people. It doesn't require couples to pledge their love or make babies. And
it shouldn't deny benefits to same-sex, adult couples simply because of
their sexual preference.
=
IN Los Angeles Magazine
Volume 9 Issue 11
July 14 - July 28, 2006
http://www.inlamagazine.com/911/special_reports/911_sprt1.html
Schwarzenegger Raises $100,000 for Log Cabin
By Karen Ocamb
Other governors have been comfortable with gay people: California Democrat
Gray Davis, Massachusetts Republican William Weld, and Arkansas Democrat
Bill Clinton after he launched his presidential campaign, for instance. But
no governor, especially one seeking re-election in the presence of media
cameras, has ever opened a keynote address to an LGBT group the way
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did June 29 before the Log Cabin
Republicans.
"I love the Log Cabin Republicans, I love this organization, I love all of
you," Schwarzenegger told an enthusiastic crowd of about 350 at the
Renaissance Hotel, including first lady Maria Shriver, a famous pro-gay
Kennedy Democrat who rarely attends Republican events. Shriver later worked
the room with her openly gay chief of staff, Daniel Zingale.
=
LeVay: It's clear that biology influences sexual orientation
The column to which Simon LeVay is responding is also in this e-mail below.
That column is a good example of the disinformation campaign against science
waged by a politicized, religious, social conservative agenda.
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_4057177
It's clear that biology influences sexual orientation
Salt Lake Tribune
Views on sexual orientation were misrepresented
In 1991 I published a report in Science that described a difference in
brain structure between homosexual and heterosexual men.
Although this was not the first biological study of sexual orientation,
it drew a great deal of attention both from the general public and within
the scientific community. It was followed by a wealth of other studies, and
collectively these have greatly strengthened the general conclusion that I
drew 15 years ago: Biological factors - including prenatal brain
development, hormones and genes - exert a powerful influence on the
direction of a person's sexual attractions.
The scientific evidence has helped many people view homosexuality and
gay people with greater understanding and acceptance, but it has provoked
antagonistic responses from those who are heavily invested in the concept of
homosexuality as something undesirable or sinful.
=
Deb Price column on Log Cabin Republicans and past four years
July 17, 2006
GOP chief: Gays better off than four years ago
By Deb Price
The Detroit News
"Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"
When Ronald Reagan ran for president as an advocate of change in 1980, that
snappy question gave voters a handy way to put the recent past into
perspective.
The same question is now smartly being posed to the gay community by Patrick
Guerriero, the feisty president of the gay Log Cabin Republicans, who is
stepping down after four years in office.
The answer he thinks we gay folks will come to -- a perhaps sheepish but
nevertheless honest "yes" -- isn't entirely in spite of Republicans, but
rather because a small number of Republicans in key places gave us essential
help at the very moment we most needed it.
"The reality is the gay community has moved in remarkable ways over the past
four years, even during a very tough political environment," Guerriero says.
"And in most of the major victories, in some way or another, Republicans
were needed and came through."
=
http://www.ilga.org/news_results.asp?LanguageID=1&FileID=851&ZoneID=2&FileCategory=1
Gender DynamiX: First Transgender Association Established in Africa
Trans Issues in Africa
Gender DynamiX - First Transgender Association Established in Africa
The gender question - "is it a boy or a girl?" - immediately follows any
birth. A non-profit organisation catering to the needs of transgendered
people has been formally established with the intent of addressing this
question in the broadest sense.
Gender DynamiX is an organisation that works towards a world in which each
person has the freedom to express their own gender - whether it corresponds
to their born sex or not. Explains Robert Hamblin, Vice-Chairperson of the
Management Committee: "Gender DynamiX is an organisation whose time has come
- we are here to support transgendered people, and to change the way society
thinks about men and women"...
=
Oberlin site
After many, many hours of work, the Oberlin LGBT History website is live.
Please visit it at:
www.oberlinlgbt.org
I hope you enjoy. I also want to thank you for all the help you've provided
in the past, and ask that you help even further by:
1) Forwarding the web address far and wide (other suggestions for publicity
are more than welcome) and
