GLBT DIGEST - January 30, 2007

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6310883.stm


Moscow bans 'satanic' gay parade

Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov has said he will never allow a gay rights paradein the Russian capital.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Luzhkov described such events as "satanic".

Moscow banned a gay march in 2006, citing the threat of violence. People whoignored the ban were beaten up by counter-demonstrators and arrested.

Gay activists say the ban breaches their fundamental human rights. They saythey intend to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

"Last year, Moscow came under unprecedented pressure to sanction the gayparade, which cannot be called anything other than satanic," Mr Luzhkovsaid.

Trying to silence us, the Russian authorities denied us one of thefundamental human rightsNikolai Alexeyev, parade organiser



"We did not let the parade take place then, and we are not going to allow itin the future," he said. The mayor also blamed groups which he said were receiving grants from theWest for spreading what he dismissively referred to as "this kind ofenlightenment" in Russia.


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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/washington/30wage.html?pagewanted=print


January 30, 2007
Senate to Consider Minimum Wage Bill With Tax Breaks
By KATE ZERNIKE

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 - The Senate is expected to clear the way on Tuesday foran increase in the minimum wage that Democrats and some Republicans agree isoverdue.

But the Senate's approval may not mean that workers will actually startreceiving bigger paychecks in the immediate future.

The Senate bill differs from the one that cleared the House, and includes$8.3 billion in tax breaks for small businesses that Republicans and someDemocrats say are necessary to offset the cost of the wage increase.

The House bill, which passed by a vote of 315 to 116, with 82 Republicansjoining the Democrats, included none of those tax breaks. And Democraticleaders there have said they want to hold out for that kind of "clean" bill.

The question is how the leaders in both houses choose to reconcile the twoapproaches.




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Daily Queer News
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http://www.washblade.com/print.cfm?content_id=9870

Profiles in gay courage
Gay politicians are winning elections in unlikely places and should inspirethe rest of us to follow their honest lead.

By KEVIN NAFF
Jan. 26, 2007

THE IDEA FOR this "red issue" sprang from a trip I took to Houston inNovember to attend the Victory Fund's International Gay & Lesbian LeadershipConference that brings together openly gay politicians for seminars andnetworking opportunities.

At the opening night cocktail party, I declined to wear my nametag in theroom full of politicians. I expected the room to be a minefield of peoplethe Blade had covered and somehow slighted over the years and dreaded theinevitable confrontations. A roomful of public figures imbibing alcoholicbeverages scared me.

But what happened next surprised me. Instead of being ostracized, I wasrecognized and welcomed by folks from Alabama to California and quicklydiscovered just how much online media have helped reduce the isolation feltby many gay people living in rural areas.

I chatted with everyone from Patricia Todd, Alabama's first openly gay statelegislator who is profiled in this issue, to Dan Stewart, the head of NewYork's statewide correctional system, who also happens to be gay.

Stewart was my favorite character of the trip. An out - and outspoken - gayRepublican who served in the military, he found himself homeless on thestreets of Plattsburgh, N.Y., a small blue-collar town not far from theCanadian border. I have family from there and have visited several times; it'snot a place I would have pegged as gay friendly.




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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/01/012907thai.htm

Thailand OKs Breaking Patents On HIV & Other Drugs
by The Associated Press

Posted: January 29, 2007 - 9:00 pm ET

(Bangkok) Thailand paved the way Monday for the sale of generic versions oftwo drugs, one to treat HIV/AIDS and the other for heart disease,effectively breaking their patents, officials said.

The government's decision to allow for either the production or purchase ofgeneric versions of the drugs was applauded by aid agencies and activists,who said it would improve the lives of thousands of people, and set anexample to other countries facing similar problems.

Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla said the decision was justifiedunder international trade rules because the drugs' high cost constituted acrisis for the country's health sector.

According to the World Trade Organization's agreements on intellectualproperty, a government may issue a compulsory license in case of a nationalpublic health emergency. Such action has been taken by several countries,most notably Brazil and India, especially in the case of HIV medicines.




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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.adn.com/play/bars/_content/index/content1/story/8589043p-8481926c.html

Last Call: New Kodiak Bar & Grill welcomes all
Last Call


Published: January 25, 2007
Last Modified: January 25, 2007 at 12:52 PM

There are gay bars and gay-friendly bars, but it's too soon to say whichbest describes one of Anchorage's newest establishments, the Kodiak Bar &Grill.

It opened just before Christmas in the downtown space at 225 E. Fifth Ave.formerly occupied by the Kodiak Kafe, next to stylish furniture storeIndigo.

I asked around before checking it out. One pal had heard it was a gay bar.Another friend repeated the same info; a third said she'd heard gay palsplace it in the "gay-friendly" category.

Seems Kodiak is still evolving into a precise label. The owner told me thathe doesn't want to copycat Mad Myrna's, Anchorage's very established, verypopular gay bar, known for its fabulous bartenders, two lively dance floors,titillating drag shows and rainbow-dominated decor.




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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
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http://www.startribune.com/484/story/966228.html

Last update: January 29, 2007 - 6:01 AM

Ted Haggard's accuser, a former male prostitute, visits New Life ChurchThe former male prostitute whose accusations against New Life Church founderTed Haggard led to Haggard's dismissal as pastor has paid a visit to themegachurch.

Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The former male prostitute whose accusationsagainst New Life Church founder Ted Haggard led to Haggard's dismissal aspastor has paid a visit to the megachurch.Mike Jones, who has a forthcoming book, told The Denver Post that severalpeople shook his hand during the visit Sunday and told him, "God bless you."

"I had read a lot about the church, but there's nothing like seeing it foryourself," Jones told the paper. "It wasn't to rub anyone's face in it byany means. I was wanting to get some perspective, to see where they arecoming from, what the magnet is."

Haggard resigned last year as president of the National Association ofEvangelicals after Jones alleged Haggard paid him over a three-year periodfor sex and sometimes took methamphetamine during the encounters.

Haggard then was fired as pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church. Hepublicly admitted in November to unspecified "sexual immorality."



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/01/012907italy.htm


Italian Government In Danger Of Collapse In Gay Unions Feud
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: January 29, 2007 - 1:00 pm ET

(Rome) The leftist government of Premier Romano Prodi is reportedly sodivided on legislation to legalize civil partnerships of same-sex couplesthat it is in danger of imploding.

A loose coalition of nine small parties, the government has been grapplingwith civil partnerships for moths. Communists on the the far left of thecoalition have been pressing for full marriage. The tiny UDEUR Party isopposed to any legislation.

The infighting has become so intense Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, aUDEUR member, said Monday he would rather see the government fall thansupport a bill that he called "immoral".

"Homosexuals can acquire more rights but I'll never accept the idea thatthey can be considered a family," he declared.




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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/01/26/20070126-E6-02.html

Anonymous census focuses on gays
Results may help better describe diverse population
Friday, January 26, 2007
Rita Price
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

At some point this weekend, Scott Britton and Jim King will sit down at thehome computer and type in their profiles.

The Worthington residents expect to click on boxes that identify them aseducated, suburban and middle class.

They're also white, gay and the parents of an adopted black infant.

Typical? Probably not quite. But organizers of central Ohio's first gay,lesbian, bisexual and transgender census say it's time to find out moreabout the people who make up those often-invisible communities.

From now through April 15, central Ohioans who do not consider themselvesheterosexual are being asked to complete an anonymous, online survey. (Paperquestionnaires also are available.)



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/01/012907youngTrans.htm


12-Year Old Begins Sex Change Therapy
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: January 29, 2007 - 3:00 pm ET

(Vienna) A twelve year old German is believed to be the youngest person inthe world to start a sex-change procedure.

Born biologically male and named Tim by her parents, the child from birthrejected male identifiers, adopted the name Kim, and at the age of 12 wasdiagnosed officially as transsexual.

Following physical and psychological examinations doctors determined itwould be in Kim's best interests to immediately begin gender reassignment.

Her birth records have been changed to reflect her correct sex and name anddoctors started administering hormone treatments.

That was two years ago, although media reports in Europe are just reportingher story.



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.sovo.com/2007/1-26/news/localnews/pastor.cfm

Church awaits outcome of gay pastor's trial
Schmeling may be removed from Lutheran clergy roster

By ZACK HUDSON
Friday, January 26, 2007

Members of an Atlanta Lutheran congregation who rallied behind their pastorduring a five-day church trial now await word of a decision from theclerical panel selected to determine the gay pastor's professional fate.

Bradley Schmeling, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, stands to beremoved from the clergy rosters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica if he is found to be in violation of pastoral conduct guidelines.The 12-member jury panel must render a decision by Feb. 7.

In August 2006, Schmeling disclosed his relationship with partner DarinEasler to ELCA Southeastern Synod Bishop Ronald Warren, who asked Schmelingto resign his post as pastor of St. John's. When Schmeling refused to quit,Warren filed charges against him within the ELCA.




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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/01/012907hester.htm


Film On Dying Lesbian Cop's Battle For Domestic Partner Rights Wins SundancePrize
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: January 29, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET

(Los Angeles, California) A documentary film on the struggle by New Jerseypolice officer Laurel Hester's struggle to have her domestic partnerrecognized as he next of kin has been awarded a Special Jury Prize at theSundance Film Festival.

The emotional film produced was Cynthia Wade.

Hester had been a lieutenant with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.Diagnosed with terminal cancer she was forced to retire. In late 2005, asthe disease progressed she appealed to the Ocean County, New Jerseyfreeholders to give her same-sex partner her death benefits.

Although New Jersey recognized same-sex couples it left it up to localgovernments to determine if benefits should be offered the partners ofemployees.



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/01/012907dna.htm


DNA Evidence Clears Man In Prison For 17 Years For Gay Murder
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: January 30, 2007 - 12:01 am ET

(London) A British man sentenced to life in prison seventeen years ago inthe brutal slaying of a 74 year old gay man may be exonerated following anew examination of the evidence.

Arthur Eathorne was bludgeoned to death in his apartment in Plymouth in1990. Robert Kennedy was arrested several days later and convicted of thecrime, based on what his attorney at the time called flimsy evidence.

Kennedy has always maintained his innocence.

At the time Eathorne's body was discovered police found fingerprints thathave never been identified and two cigarette butts. Eathorne did not smoke.

At the time of the murder DNA testing was in its infancy. Today it is a wellestablished forensics tool and supporters of Kennedy appealed for help fromthe Criminal Cases Review Commission which investigates potentialmiscarriages of justice.



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.washtimes.com/upi/20070128-044036-6686r.htm

Episcopal diocese wants divorce from U.S.
Jan. 28, 2007 at 7:38PM

A California Episcopal diocese may be the first in the United States to partfrom the American Episcopal Church in favor of the foreign Anglicancommunity.

Bishop John-David Schofield of the San Joaquin Diocese strongly favorsthe unprecedented move for the church to affiliate with the moreconservative foreign members of the global Anglican Communion, the LosAngeles Times reported.

One of the main factors in the decision, the Times reported, is theordination of gays and lesbians, which Schofield attributes to the U.S.community's failure to interpret Scripture as the revealed word of God.

Schofield's goal is to place the diocese under more conservativejurisdictions in either South America or Africa, the newspaper said.

This is the first time an entire diocese has sought to align itselfwith an overseas communion, and many groups oppose the move. Gay rightsadvocates have called Schofeild homophobic, citing Scripture passages thatcall for acceptance and tolerance.


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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.qtmagazine.com/print_this_article.cfm?section=22&id=12790


Top Lesbian Honeymoon and Marriage Spots in the U.K.
01.29.07


As lesbians and gay men move to center stage as attractive consumers to anincreasing number of industries, new research reveals where lesbians go onhoneymoon, and where they marry. Some of the results are quite surprising.

Lesbians are marrying in increasing numbers in the UK under the country'scivil partnership laws, and new research reveals that these women are oftenbeing highly imaginative when deciding where to marry, and where to go tocelebrate afterwards.

The research is the result of extensive market analysis by pogoplum, a gayweddings business established to provide services to lesbians and gay menentering the growing market for gay weddings and honeymoons.



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/01/012907haggard.htm

Haggard's Whistleblower Visits Disgraced Pastor's Megachurch
by The Associated Press
Posted: January 29, 2007 - 11:00 am ET

(Colorado Springs, Colorado) The former male prostitute whose accusationsagainst New Life Church founder Ted Haggard led to Haggard's dismissal aspastor has paid a visit to the megachurch.

Mike Jones, who has a forthcoming book, told The Denver Post that severalpeople shook his hand during the visit Sunday and told him, "God bless you."

"I had read a lot about the church, but there's nothing like seeing it foryourself," Jones told the paper. "It wasn't to rub anyone's face in it byany means. I was wanting to get some perspective, to see where they arecoming from, what the magnet is."

Haggard (pictured) resigned last year as president of the NationalAssociation of Evangelicals after Jones alleged Haggard paid him over athree-year period for sex and sometimes took methamphetamine during theencounters.



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.queerty.com/queer/news/no-go-on-gay-sperm-says-canada-20070129.php?rss


No Go on Gay Sperm, Says Canada
Lesbian Couple May Appeal

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled on January 12, that prohibitions on gaymen's sperm do not violate the nation's Charter of Rights, meaning a lesbianknown only as Susan Doe may have find a new way to fill her lonely womb.

Doe and her girlfriend hoped the court would allow their friend, "D" todonate his sperm, but Canadian law restricts men who have had sex with mensince 1977 from pledging their seed. Doe took the issue to court, insistingthe discriminatory law violated her right to choose a father for child. Thecourt, however, upheld the law, despite the fact that the same men candonate to sexual partners or spouses, a stipulation Doe maintains violatesgay rights. Canada.com reports:

[Doe] wanted the court to declare that federal regulations governing semendonations violate the equality guarantees of gays and lesbians in theCharter... Susan Doe unsuccessfully argued that it was unconstitutional thatthe federal rules impose restrictions on semen donated by men to women whoaren't their sexual partners, a requirement she said is unfair to lesbians.



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
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http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?storyid=2007-01-25T095312Z_01_SP284840_RTRIDST_0_OUKOE-UK-HONGKONG-GAYS.XML&type=oddlyEnoughNews


Lesbian love poem deemed racy for HK gay art exhibit
Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:53 AM GMT

By James Pomfret

HONG KONG, Jan 25 (Reuters Life!) - An evocative exhibition of gay art hasbrought out the prudes in fast-living Hong Kong.

Even before it opened this week, the In/Out Hong Kong Tongzhi, or gay,exhibition was already causing a stir because of a lesbian love poem thatwas controversially yanked after authorities deemed it obscene.

The short poem, written in rhyming colloquial Cantonese, details aflirtatious SMS phone exchange between two women.

But with lines like "I'd like to pinch your thighs" and "I've no choice butto touch myself," the poem was classified as a "Class II article" by HongKong's Obscene Articles Tribunal, making it unsuitable for anyone under theage of 18. The exhibition's organisers were also told to remove it.



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The New York Times

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/29/AR2007012901730.html

EUROPE
· LONDON -- Britain will not exempt Catholic adoption agencies from newanti-discrimination laws that the Church fears could force them to placechildren with gay couples, Prime Minister Tony Blair said.

The adoption agencies will be allowed a transition period, until the end ofnext year, to adjust to the new law, he said.



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.sovo.com/print.cfm?content_id=6431

Lessons from a small town gay bar
The diversity that draws us to Atlanta can come at the price of unity. Afterwe move to the gay Mecca, how many of us forget what we learned in ourhometowns?

By LAURA DOUGLAS-BROWN
Jan. 26, 2007

As gay Georgians work to claim the respect we deserve, we could learn a lotfrom the small town gay bars where many of us saw our first glimpses of gaylife.

Growing up in Columbus, Ga., about 100 miles south of Atlanta, I was tooscared to try and sneak into the tiny gay bar I heard rumors about, and mylack of a fake ID didn't help.

By the time I visited Columbus' small gay club, I had lived in Atlanta forfive years and was a veteran of the city's gay scene. Home to visit for theholidays, I met up with a friend from high school and headed out for what Ithought would be a night of slumming with the gay hicks.




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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/health/30virus.html?pagewanted=print

January 30, 2007

New Vaccine for Cervical Cancer Could Prove Useful in Men, Too
By DAVID TULLER

The new vaccine against human papillomavirus, which became available lastsummer, could potentially prevent thousands of cases of cervical cancer. Butdoctors hope the vaccine will be able to prevent a less well-known, butpotentially fatal, disease in gay men, anal cancer. The same strains of HPVcause both cancers.

Although anal cancer can affect anyone, it is most common among men withhistories of receptive anal intercourse - an annual rate of about 35 casesper 100,000, and perhaps twice that for those infected with H.I.V., whichweakens the immune system.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the HPV vaccine last year forgirls and women from 9 to 26 after studies indicated that it was extremelyeffective against infection by four of the dozens of strains of HPV,including the ones responsible for most cases of cervical and anal cancer,as well as genital and anal warts.



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Daily Queer News
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http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/spotlight_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23962_5307640,00.html

Bornstein: Television industry fails its sensitivity test
January 27, 2007

Seriously?

Seriously.

Must be nice to play by Hollywood rules. The kind where you can call someonea faggot and have a job three months later, then repeat the slur and stillhave your job 10 days after that.

I don't know about your job, but if I did that in my workplace, I'd bestarting a new, exciting career - standing in the unemployment line.

Not Isaiah Washington.

The Grey's Anatomy star first wandered into the lowlight last October, whenit was widely reported that during an argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey,he had referred to their fellow actor, T.R. Knight, with the anti-gay slur.



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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/opinion/l30gay.html?pagewanted=print

January 30, 2007

The Gay Sheep and Sound Science (1 Letter)
To the Editor:

Re "Of Gay Sheep, Modern Science and Bad Publicity" (front page, Jan. 25):

Dr. Chuck Roselli's research on homosexual rams is not a homophobicexperiment but solid, groundbreaking science.

Dr. Roselli has taken advantage of a natural variation in the behavior oframs to find out how brains modulate sexual behavior and mate choice.

His experiment provides insight into how mate preference of any sort isformed, homosexual as well as heterosexual.

The idea that Dr. Roselli's research is aimed at preventing homosexuality orincreasing discrimination against homosexuals is baffling. If anything,understanding the biological basis of variability in mate choice should leadto greater acceptance of homosexuality.

We consider Dr. Roselli one of our finest colleagues and deplore the unfairtreatment his research has received from action groups, the media and theblogosphere.

Geert J. de Vries
Amherst, Mass., Jan. 26, 2007
The writer is a professor of neuroscience and behavior at the University ofMassachusetts at Amherst.

The letter was also signed by the following scientists:



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The Express Gay News

http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=11099


Md. students receive ex-gay flier in school
2004 court ruling treats pamphlets as public forum
By JOSHUA LYNSEN | Jan 29, 2:22 PM


Students at two Montgomery County Public Schools received fliers last weekabout quashing same-sex attractions.


The handouts, prepared by Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, weredistributed to students in accordance with a 2004 court ruling that requiredthe district to treat its flier distribution system as a public forum.


David Fishback, a board member of the Metro D.C. chapter of Parents,Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays, said the fliers were distributed Jan.23 to students at two Montgomery County high schools. Many studentsapparently discarded the fliers.


"I got reports that most kids just threw them away," he said. "It's a verygood sign that kids realize that this stuff really doesn't have anycredibility to it."



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Advocate.com

http://advocate.com/print_article_ektid41523.asp

Senator questions "don't ask, don't tell" in letter to Gates



U.S. senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a Democrat, has sent the new secretary ofDefense, Robert Gates, a letter calling for the repeal of the military'spolicy against gays serving openly. Wyden said that like several militaryleaders, he questions the wisdom of "don't ask, don't tell."

"In light of the growing call of military leaders to reconsider 'don't ask,don't tell' and the mounting evidence that calls into question the rationalefor this policy," Wyden wrote, "I would like you to revisit the issues Iraised with your predecessor and in particular, what, if any, negativeeffect the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' might have on the United Statesmilitary."

Wyden also requested a response from Gates by March 16.

In the letter he cited former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John M.Shalikashvili's op-ed piece in The New York Times, which said, "Our militaryhas been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we mustwelcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job."



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/01/26/20070126-E6-02.html

Anonymous census focuses on gays
Results may help better describe diverse population
Friday, January 26, 2007
Rita Price
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

At some point this weekend, Scott Britton and Jim King will sit down at thehome computer and type in their profiles.

The Worthington residents expect to click on boxes that identify them aseducated, suburban and middle class.

They're also white, gay and the parents of an adopted black infant.

Typical? Probably not quite. But organizers of central Ohio's first gay,lesbian, bisexual and transgender census say it's time to find out moreabout the people who make up those often-invisible communities.

From now through April 15, central Ohioans who do not consider themselvesheterosexual are being asked to complete an anonymous, online survey. (Paperquestionnaires also are available.)



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http://select.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/opinion/30schiff.html

January 30, 2007
Guest Columnist

Mad About Mary
By STACY SCHIFF

Once upon a time, asking about someone's children was like talking about theweather. Then again, once upon a time talking about the weather was alsolike talking about the weather - not a portal into the political or theapocalyptic. But that's another story. The point is that children made forthe kind of paltry social currency you could exchange with your in-flightneighbor, back when the only other option might have been: "As you'recarrying that knife and wearing full camouflage, is it safe to conclude thatthe vegetarian meal is mine?" Then came children as designer accessories andpolitically charged pawns, appendages and admissions statistics.

Suddenly, we are on treacherous ground. For starters, Angelina Jolie andMadonna can't even agree on where babies come from. I thrill as quickly asthe next People subscriber to a good catfight, but do we really needAngelina - who appears to have taken No Child Left Behind as her personalmantra - trashing celebrities for "jumping on the adoption bandwagon?"



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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6311097.stm

No exemption from gay rights law

Tony Blair
Mr Blair's Cabinet was said to be split over the row

Downing Street has said there will be no exemption from anti-discrimination lawsfor Catholic adoption agencies.

But Tony Blair's official spokesman said the agencies would be given 21 monthsto prepare for the new laws.

Catholic adoption agencies had warned they would close rather than placechildren with gay couples, saying that went against their beliefs.

The proposed measures are likely to face a vote in parliament next monthbeforecoming into effect on 6 April.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said he believed ministers had found a "waythrough" to prevent discrimination and protect the interests of children, which all"reasonable people" should be able to accept.



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Detroit News

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070129/OPINION03/701290314&template=printart

Deb Price

Gays should be cautious before swooning for Clinton

Before Hillary Clinton even had a chance to launch into her speech to theHuman Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group, she wasgreeted like a conquering hero. Amid thunderous applause, a voice shoutedout, "We love you, Hillary!"

The year was 2001, and Clinton was far more than just New York's new juniorsenator: She was a former first lady, the wife of the president who'd takenthe gay community on one heck of a roller-coaster ride, and the woman mostlikely to become America's first female president.

The enthusiastic "We love you!" captured how eager much of the gay communityhas been to give its heart to Hillary. And that's still true six yearslater, as she starts her presidential campaign.

After all, how could those of us who're gay not feel drawn to a woman who'scast as the evil Queen of Darkness by the people who demonize us? And whatgay person could avoid smiling at the news that "The Wizard of Oz" is one ofher favorite movies?



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The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/16569318.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Posted on Mon, Jan. 29, 2007

2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

Huckabee begins bid to become president
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee entered the crowded presidential race as alow-profile GOP contender hoping to draw support from staunch conservatives.
BY LOIS ROMANO
Washington Post Service

WASHINGTON - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee announced plans on Sunday toform a presidential exploratory committee, hoping to carve out aconservative niche in an increasingly crowded field of Republicancandidates.

The one-time Southern Baptist minister, perhaps best known for losing 100pounds in two years, said he will file papers with the Federal ElectionCommission today, which will enable him to start raising money.

''I think America needs positive, optimistic leadership to kind of turn thiscountry around, to see a revival of our national soul,'' Huckabee said onNBC's Meet the Press.


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http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1167467842994

Jan. 30, 2007 0:32 | Updated Jan. 30, 2007 4:21

Jerusalem registers its first gay couple
By RUTH EGLASH

Jerusalem officially registered its first homosexual couple as marriedMonday, three months after a ruling by the High Court of Justice paved theway for same-sex couples to be listed in the Interior Ministry's PopulationRegistry.

Binyamin and Avi Rose married on June 28 in Toronto, Canada, but immediatelyreturned to Jerusalem to start building their life together.

"We did the civil ceremony in the hopes that we would eventually be able tomake legal what we felt inside," said Avi, an informal Jewish educator forthe Young Judaea youth movement.

"We wanted the government of Israel to recognize that we are a couple. Itwas no more of a statement than [coming from] a 'regular' couple, but we areboth committed Zionists and are hopeful that our union will bring moreprogress on this issue."

Binyamin, a social worker and therapist who is currently studying at aConservative yeshiva in Jerusalem, said the registration process at theInterior Ministry had been fairly straightforward.



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