GLBT DIGEST - October 29, 2006

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The New York Times


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/weekinreview/29liptak.html?pagewanted=print

Gay Marriage Through a Black-White Prism
By ADAM LIPTAK


IN 1947, the county clerk in Los Angeles refused to marry Andrea Perez andSylvester Davis. They were of different races, and a California law saidthat "all marriages of white persons with Negroes, Mongolians, members ofthe Malay race or mulattoes are illegal." The next year, the CaliforniaSupreme Court, by a vote of 4 to 3, struck down that law in Perez v. Sharp.

In 2003, in another 4-to-3 decision, the Massachusetts Supreme JudicialCourt authorized gay marriages, and it invoked the Perez case as a model.

Last week, in a third 4-to-3 decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court stoppedjust short of endorsing gay marriages. It instructed the State Legislatureto provide gay unions with a full complement of legal rights but said thatthe question of whether to call such unions "marriages" was a political, notjudicial, one.




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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org

http://www.kintera.org/site/lookup.asp?c=nlI2IeN1JyE&b=1543215

New report titled Homophobia at 'Hell House' reveals how the right wingfuels homophobia, demonizes lesbian and gay youth

Religious alternatives to traditional haunted houses designedto scare youth into a 'sin-free life'

"This is Steve," the demon says. "He thought his homosexual lifestyle waseverything a real man could want, but now he's dying of AIDS."

http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/Homophobia_Hell_House.pdf - Read the report.


LES FRERES CORBUSIER'S
"HELL HOUSE"

Arts at St. Ann's, October 2006

"The Hell House phenomenon is yet another example of the dangerous andextreme tactics used by the religious right to indoctrinate youth with liesand misinformation about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.Church leaders who sponsor Hell Houses should be ashamed of contributing tothe climate of anti-gay harassment and violence that mercilessly threatensthe safety and well-being of LGBT youth on a daily basis." - Matt Foreman,Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 - In a report released today titled Homophobia at 'HellHouse': Literally Demonizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth,the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute estimates that thisHalloween season, 1.6 million people, many of them children as young as 10years old, will go to "Hell Houses," religious alternatives to traditional haunted houses that are designed to scare youth into a "sin-free life."



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Washington Post


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/28/AR2006102800808_pf.html

Gay Couples' Adopted Kids May Be Baptized, Catholic Draft Says

Religion News Service
Sunday, October 29, 2006; A09


Children adopted by gay couples may be baptized in the Roman CatholicChurch, even though the church does not support such adoptions, calling them"a pastoral concern," according to new guidelines for ministering to gay menand lesbians that will be presented to U.S. bishops next month in Baltimore.

The 23-page draft document affirms traditional church teachings on same-sexissues, such as forbidding the blessing of same-sex unions or marriages, andaddresses some relatively new issues, such as discrimination against andharassment of gay men and lesbians.

The document, "Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelinesfor Pastoral Care," marks the first time in nearly 10 years that U.S.bishops have addressed such ministry in detail. Bishops will debate and voteon the guidelines at their annual fall meeting, Nov. 13 to 16, in Baltimore.



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The Washington Post

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/

Should homosexuals be allowed to marry?
- Fareed Zakaria

Links to 5 responses:

Posted at 12:09 PM ET, 10/28/2006

Yes, It's Their Human Right

» Bill Emmott | London, England - This question is upside down, in bothmoral and logical terms. Instead it ought to read: "Why shouldn'thomosexuals be allowed to marry?".... » More

Posted at 8:12 AM ET, 10/28/2006
Islam Tangos With Homosexuality

» Bashir Goth | Somalia/U.A.E. - Homosexuality in the Muslim world is as oldas human existence. Muslim governments turn a blind eye to homosexualpractices as long as they stays in the dark. Conspicuous punishments,however, await those who dare to test the law. » More

more....


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Ireland

Sunday Independent, 29 October 2006

Age of consent for teens will not be lowered

MAEVE SHEEHAN

AN OFFICIAL proposal to the Government to keep the age of sexual consent at
17 for both sexes is seriously at odds with public opinion which would like
to see it lowered in the face of social reality.

The Oireachtas Committee on child protection is to recommend the status quo while a nationwide telephone poll by the Sunday Independent shows that 65 per cent of the public want the age reduced to 16.

It is also known the Government would prefer to reduce the age to 16, bringing it more in line with what is commonly believed to be the reality of sexual activity among teenage boys and girls.

The issue was discussed at a meeting of the committee last Thursday. Yesterday, committee sources said the volume of submissions in favour of 17 has swayed the 13-member cross-party committee towards recommending it as the legal age of consent in its report to the Oireachtas next month.

The committee was set up to review criminal law relating to sexual offences against children, and the age of consent, in the wake of the debacle last summer, when the Supreme Court struck down the law on statutory rape. A convicted statutory rapist had appealed successfully on the grounds that he had not been afforded the defence of mistake of age.


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The Sun-Sentinel


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/elections/sfl-wpost26wedoct29,0,1931917.story

Room for decisions

October 29, 2006


In requiring that state law grant the same benefits to same-sex couples thatit gives to married ones, the New Jersey Supreme Court has given the GardenState a nudge down a road it was already traveling. For those, like us, whosupport same-sex marriage, such steps are welcome. There is no good reasonwhy same-sex couples in loving and committed relationships should not begranted affirmative recognition from state governments -- recognition thatcarries with it the rights and responsibilities of marriage. The New Jerseycourt unanimously pushed in a direction we would like to see all statesultimately go.

What role judges should play in that process is always a difficult question,and last week's decision will no doubt spark controversy. So it is worthemphasizing that the judicial impetus here is actually a gentle one. NewJersey's legal landscape, both its case law and statutes, was already fairlyadvanced.


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The Sun-Sentinel


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/custom/fringe/ats-ap_entertainment13oct29,0,202809.story


Jon Stewart Visits Ohio State University
October 29, 2006, 2:17 AM EST


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jon Stewart and staff from Comedy Central's "The DailyShow" fielded questions from Ohio State University students and others at aspecial appearance Saturday, but the comedian also had a query of his own.

"A buckeye is a gay acorn, right?" Stewart asked about 12,000 peoplegathered at Value City Arena.

The popular news parody is gearing up for a week of broadcasts from Ohio forits "Midwest Midterm Midtacular." The appearance -- not planned forbroadcast -- was added after spaces for the four nights of tapings at theuniversity's more intimate Roy Bowen Theatre filled up.

"How better to spend a Saturday night than at a moderated forum," Stewart quipped.

He had said the excursion was the show's fifth trip outside New York in 10 years, but its first to "a random zone" outside a big city on the East orWest Coast.



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Transgender MP in toilet fracas

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6094782.stm

Published: 2006/10/28 16:46:09 GMT

An Italian opposition MP and former showgirl has expressed outrage aftermeeting a transgender colleague in the parliament's ladies' toilets.

Elisabetta Gardini, spokeswoman for former PM Silvio Berlusconi's party,said she felt ill after the encounter during a break in Friday's session.

The incident led to heated debate about which toilet the transgender MP,known as Vladimir Luxuria, could use.

Ms Luxuria says she has been using ladies' toilets for years.

Using the men's would have created even bigger problems, she said.

The matter has now been passed to parliamentary procedural officials toresolve.



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The Miami Herald
October 28, 2006


http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15866515.htm

Gay marriage tussle brings leading role for New Jersey lawmaker

TOM HESTER Jr.
Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. - Over more than five terms in the state Assembly, ReedGusciora has helped push for New Jersey's ban on smoking in public places,for better voter protections and for increasing the regulation of childcustody.

But nothing has thrust the Mercer County Democrat faster or further into thepublic spotlight than his newfound position as the Legislature's leadingadvocate for gay marriage.

On Wednesday, the state Supreme Court ruled that lawmakers have until Aprilto determine how to offer marriage rights or another, similar, form ofstate-sanctioned unions to gay couples.




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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/world/29condoms.html?ei=5094&en=59e612f6dcd39d23&hp=&ex=1162094400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print


The New York Times

October 29, 2006

Condoms Sent as Foreign Aid, Made in U.S.A.
By CELIA W. DUGGER

EUFAULA, Alabama - Here in this courtly, antebellum town, Alabama's condom production has survived an onslaught of Asian competition, thanks to the patronage of straitlaced congressmen from this Bible Belt state.Behind the scenes, the politicians have ensured that companies in Alabama won federal contracts to make billions of condoms over the years for AIDS prevention and family planning programs overseas, though Asian factories could do the job at less than half the cost.

In recent years, the state's condom manufacturers fell hundreds of millions of condoms behind on orders, and the federal aid agency began buying them from Asia. The use of Asian-made condoms has contributed to layoffs that are coming next month.

But Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, has quietly pressed to maintain the unqualified priority for American-made condoms and is likely to prevail if the past is any guide.

"What's wrong with helping the American worker at the same time we are helping people around the world?" asked the senator's spokesman, Michael Brumas.


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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/us/29bishops.html?ei=5094&en=460ab8b3b39be2b4&hp=&ex=1162094400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print


October 29, 2006

Bishops Draft Rules on Ministering to Gays
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

The nation's Roman Catholic bishops have drafted new guidelines for ministryto gay people that affirm church teaching against same-sex relationships,marriages and adoptions by gay couples, yet encourage parishes to reach outto gay Catholics who feel alienated by their church.

The bishops' document, the result of a four-year effort, gives specificinstructions on some of the conundrums now faced in many parishes.

The guidelines recommend baptizing the adopted children of same-sex couples,as long as the children will be raised as Catholics. It says that gay peoplemay benefit from revealing their "tendencies" to friends, family and theirpriest, but should not make "general public announcements" about it in theparish.



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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org

The Loving analogy is nonsense

http://www.federalistjournal.com/fedblog/?p=2867

The Federalist

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Ever since the push to radically redefine marriage was started by the left,they have repeatedly tried to make the silly analogy between "gay marriage"and inter-racial marriage, specifically to the case Loving vs. Virginia.

The analogy is nonsense. There are no significant differences between ablack man and a white man (and none whatsoever that have anything to do withthe intimate marriage relationship). To believe otherwise is by definitionracist. To acknowledge that there are profound, fundamental differencesbetween men and women is simply to acknowledge the obvious.




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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org

Gay Impasse by William F. Buckley Jr.

Yahoo News | Oct. 27,2007


http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=128&e=12&u=/ucwb/20061028/cm_ucwb/gayimpasse


The New Jersey court has simply brought the gay marriage issue one stepforward in its ineluctable march to the Supreme Court -- or to aconstitutional amendment.

The New Jersey majority did a very cool thing politically. It reasoned asfollows:

(l) If people are gay, they do not therefore forfeit rights, never mindthat these rights were specifically written for non-gays.

(2) Therefore, we hereby promulgate the right of marriage for New Jerseygays. Same-sex unions are, effective immediately, to have the identicalrights and privileges that are given by New Jersey to man-woman unions,including tax benefits.

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