GLBT DIGEST - February 12, 2007

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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/nyregion/12group.html

February 12, 2007
Some Tormented by Homosexuality Look to a Controversial Therapy
By MICHAEL LUO

Corey Larsen spent years hiding the feelings that drew him to other men, atfirst refusing to acknowledge them and then praying daily for them to betaken away.

As a teenager in Clearfield, Utah, he tried to banish the thoughts. As hegrew older, the attractions grew stronger, but so did his religiousconvictions as a Mormon.

The contradiction tormented him. After moving to Manhattan several yearsago, he remained a respected young leader in his church ward. Behind closeddoors, though, he sank into despair. “I was either going to stay in thechurch, in what I believe and what I love, or choose this different paththat I felt was just knocking on my door,” he said.

Last May, Mr. Larsen, 28, began seeing a therapist in Jersey City, joiningothers across the country making similar attempts to eliminate their gaydesires through therapy or religious ministries dedicated to that end. Mostare caught in similarly anguishing crises of faith and identity, searchingfor a way out through a murky world of intense dispute and warring politicalagendas.



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365gay

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/02/021107out.htm

Amaechi Named Coming Out Spokesperson
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: February 11, 2007 - 4:00 pm ET

(Washington) Less than a week after publicly coming out former NBA playerJohn Amaechi has been named a national spokesperson for a project aimed athelping LGBT people come out and live openly gay.

"John is making history this week, becoming the first NBA player to evercome out and talk about his life and experiences as an athlete and a gayman," said Human Right Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

"In sharing his story, our great hope is that John will pave the way formore GLBT and straight athletes to openly support fairness and respect onand off the playing field."

Amaechi announced publicly for the first time that he is gay on ESPN inadvance of the release of his book "Man In The Middle," in which hechronicles his NBA career and directly addresses the travails of being acloseted professional athlete.



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365gay

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/02/021107toronto.htm

Toronto Cops Hunt Gays
by The Canadian Press

Posted: February 11, 2007 - 4:00 pm ET

(Toronto, Ontario) Toronto police were in the heart of the city's gayvillage on the weekend hoping to further expand the force's diversityportfolio through one of many recruiting sessions aimed at members of thegay community.

The police service has made efforts to diversify its force by recruitingofficers who reflect a variety of ethnic, religious and cultural backgroundsfound across the city.

Const. Gail Steed from the police employment unit said the informationsessions for the gay community are a natural extension of that outreach.

``Our service wants to reflect our diverse communities in the city,'' shesaid. ``We don't ask anybody to tell us their sexual preference, we juststrive to get an accurate representation of the city.''



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365gay

http://www.365gay.com/opinion/oped/oped.htm

Enough About Mary

by Kevin Cathcart, Lambda Legal Executive Director

There’s no doubt about it: Mary Cheney will soon to be one of the mostrenowned gay parents in America. First there was the fanfare over herpregnancy announcement, and people could not resist pointing out thehypocrisy of the vice president’s daughter who had worked vigorously for theBush-Cheney reelection campaign with its anti-gay-family platform while allalong she was pining to start her own “nontraditional” family?

Then last week, Mary was forced to come out again. This time she feltcompelled to defend her father’s right not to respond publicly to reportersor to conservative extremists who have condemned her pregnancy — and todefend her right to have this child. On this last point, we couldn’t agreemore.

“Every piece of remotely responsible research that has been done in the last20 years on this issue has shown there is no difference between children whoare raised by same-sex parents and children who are raised by opposite-sexparents,” she told the audience gathered for a panel at Barnard College.“What matters is that children are raised in a stable, loving environment.”

But the press, bloggers and information pushers picked up on an earliercomment she’d made about her baby not being a political statement, whichshifted the public commentary back to her own political hypocrisy and to herfather’s belligerence with reporters. Before long, the entire point aboutsame-sex couples raising children was largely forgotten.



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

Death Threats for Noted Gay Academic over "Kids Pride" Boat in
Amsterdam Pride Boat Parade

http://www.pinknews.co.uk:80/news/articles/2005-3678.html

Kids Pride boat supporter gets email death threats

9th February 2007 12:31
Tony Grew

An academic who supported the rights of kids under 16 to take part inAmsterdam's Gay Pride parade has received a flood of death threats.

Gert Hekma, Professor of Gay & Lesbian Studies at the University ofAmsterdam, was not involved in the plan to allow gay kids to take part inthe annual boat parade.

"I had only expressed my opinion as an academic that it seemed to me to becrazy that the legal age of consent is 16 when children so much younger arenow coming out the closet," he said.

"I welcomed the idea of the children's boat. But as a result I am nowaccused of being a paedophile professor and child molestor," he toldVolkskrant newspaper.



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

Ohio's 'pleasure police' on patrol again

SCRIPPS NEWS

Ohio's 'pleasure police' on patrol again
editorials and opinion

By MIKE HARDEN
Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Look out, world. The Maude Squad is off on a titillation tirade.

Citizens for Community Values, self-appointed pleasure police for the Stateof Ohio, has launched a jiggle juggernaut called the Community Defense Act.The name makes sense only if you recall that we live in a country where theU.S. government once christened a multiple-warhead ICBM "the Peacemaker."

The Cincinnati-based Citizens recently gathered 200,000 signatures, enoughto jump-start a bill in the Ohio Senate requiring exotic dancers to stay atleast six feet away from patrons. It also would padlock sexually orientedbusinesses daily at midnight.


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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/nyregion/12group.html?pagewanted=print

February 12, 2007

Some Tormented by Homosexuality Look to a Controversial Therapy
By MICHAEL LUO

Corey Larsen spent years hiding the feelings that drew him to other men, atfirst refusing to acknowledge them and then praying daily for them to betaken away.

As a teenager in Clearfield, Utah, he tried to banish the thoughts. As hegrew older, the attractions grew stronger, but so did his religiousconvictions as a Mormon.

The contradiction tormented him. After moving to Manhattan several yearsago, he remained a respected young leader in his church ward. Behind closeddoors, though, he sank into despair. “I was either going to stay in thechurch, in what I believe and what I love, or choose this different paththat I felt was just knocking on my door,” he said.

Last May, Mr. Larsen, 28, began seeing a therapist in Jersey City, joiningothers across the country making similar attempts to eliminate their gaydesires through therapy or religious ministries dedicated to that end. Mostare caught in similarly anguishing crises of faith and identity, searchingfor a way out through a murky world of intense dispute and warring politicalagendas.


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The Detroit News
February 12, 2007

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070212/OPINION03/702120314

Gay retirees need protection from discrimination

T hree years ago, Ellen Novak developed a chronic lung condition that forcedher to retire at just 52 after 25 years of working for the New Mexico stategovernment.

As a social worker and program manager for the state's Department ofChildren, Youth and Families, Ellen had had her partner, Linda McCreary, andtheir two children on her employee health plan.

The family had gotten that financial boost in 2003 when Gov. Bill Richardsonsigned an order extending benefits to state employees' partners. The changemeant Linda, who owns a real estate company, no longer had to buy expensive,bare-bones private coverage.

Unlike spousal benefits, partner benefits didn't follow Ellen intoretirement. Hurting financially because of Ellen's retirement, the familyhad to come up with $225 a month to buy Linda catastrophic insurance.

Rather than suffer in silence, the lesbians, openly gay since their early20s, demanded fairness. Their claim is before a court. And New Mexico statelawmakers are weighing legislation to make sure retirees don't lose partnerbenefits.



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