GLBT DIGEST March 13, 2007

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

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From Wayne Besen
Anything But Straight
www.waynebesen.com

March 12, 2007

Panderers and Philanderers

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidentialcandidate, is the king of crass, the maven of craven and the show pony ofphony. He switches positions quicker than a porn star and is more slipperythan an okra plate dipped in country butter. I never thought the religiousright would be gullible enough to buy Romney's eleventh hour conversion, butapparently he can buy theirs. According to an article in Sunday's New YorkTimes, the ultra-wealthy Romney is desperately funneling cash to right wingorganizations and literally banking on their support.

The Times revealed that a foundation of Romney's recently made$10,000-$15,000 contributions to the anti-abortion Massachusetts Citizensfor Life, Massachusetts Citizens for Limited Taxation and the MassachusettsFamily Institute. Moneybags Mitt also funneled $10,000 to a non-profitorganization tied to the National Review magazine; he slipped $35,000 to theFederalist Society; and pumped $25,000 into the coffers of the HeritageFoundation, a conservative think tank.

Some of these American Mullahs were critical of Romney until he showed themthe moolah. In a comic, if unintentional, slip, Citizens for Life praisedRomney as one of Massachusetts "strongest assets." Yeah, I guess anestimated net-worth of $500 million would qualify as such. Not surprisingly,these "values" groups claim that their recent inclinations to support Romneyhad nothing to do with his donations and that their sudden helping hand isnot a quid pro quo for his handouts.



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CourierPostOnline.com

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/NEWS01/703120347/1006&template=printart

Gay parents video to be reviewed in Evesham
By MATT KATZ
Courier-Post Staff

EVESHAM
The district is set to announce today that it has formed a committee thatwill make a recommendation about a controversial video featuring gayparents, but committee members' names will remain secret to protect themfrom harassment.

Nine PTA parents will serve on the committee, district spokeswoman JeanneSmith said, along with a group of teachers.

The controversy, which has garnered national media attention, began inJanuary when a father complained anonymously to a local TV station aboutThat's a Family! after it was shown at Van Zant School.

The film, part of a third-grade health curriculum about different familystructures, depicts parents who are divorced, those who are raising childrenas grandparents and those who are in same-sex relationships.

Conservative talk radio battered the district for pushing a hidden agendawhile a state gay-rights group praised the district for promoting tolerance.Hundreds attended raucous school board meetings, and a districtwide surveyshowed parents split on the issue.



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The Sunday Times

http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=408459

Pair head for SA's first gay divorce

11 March 2007
Khadija Bradlow

Marriage comes adrift as quickly as it came about.

Richard Thornton and Andries Jacobs's marriage is the very definition of awhirlwind romance.

Barely a month after a chance encounter in a West Rand shopping mall, theyexchanged rings and vows of fidelity on January 5, one of the first same-sexcouples to be married in South Africa under the then newly enacted CivilUnions Act.

Ironically, they could become the first divorced under the legislation.

Just two months later, the marriage has crumbled and 52- year-old Thorntonhas filed for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences anddesertion.



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Forwarded from Steve Krantz

http://www.almohler.com/blog_read.php?id=891

By Albert Mohler

Is Your Baby Gay? What If You Could Know? What If You Could Do SomethingAbout It?

Posted: Friday, March 02, 2007 at 3:40 am ET

What if you could know that your unborn baby boy is likely to be sexuallyattracted to other boys? Beyond that, what if hormonal treatments couldchange the baby's orientation to heterosexual? Would you do it? Somescientists believe that such developments are just around the corner.

For some time now, scientists have been looking for a genetic or hormonalcause of sexual orientation. Thus far, no "gay gene" has been found -- atleast not in terms of incontrovertible and accepted science. Yet, it is nowclaimed that a growing body of evidence indicates that biological factorsmay at least contribute to sexual orientation.

The most interesting research along these lines relates to the study ofsheep. Scientists at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station are conductingresearch into the sexual orientation of sheep through "sexual partnerpreference testing." As William Saletan at Slate.com explains:

A bare majority of rams turn out to be heterosexual. One in five swings bothways. About 15 percent are asexual, and 7 percent to 10 percent are gay.Whyso many gay rams? Is it too much socializing with ewes? Same-sex play withother lambs? Domestication? Nope. Those theories have been debunked. Gayrams don't act girly. They're just as gay in the wild. And a crucial part oftheir brains--the "sexually dimorphic nucleus"--looks more like a ewe's thanlike a straight ram's. Gay men have a similar brain resemblance to women.Charles Roselli, the project's lead scientist, says such research "stronglysuggests that sexual preference is biologically determined in animals, andpossibly in humans."

What makes the sheep "sexual partner preference testing" research sointeresting is that the same scientists who are documenting the rathersurprising sexual behaviors of male sheep think they can also change thesexual orientation of the animals. In other words, finding a biologicalcausation for homosexuality may also lead to the discovery of a "cure" forthe same phenomenon.



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The Detroit News

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/OPINION03/703120318

Deb Price

Outlaw discrimination against individuals who want to change sexesBlue clogs. Colorful, girly, thrilling.

For 7-year-old Steve Stanton, secretly slipping his feet into his oldersister's clogs and clack-clack-clacking along the pavement to the candystore was pure magic.

"It just felt absolutely right. It felt so comfortable to do that," Steve,now 48, recalls. "I was constantly looking forward to the opportunity. WhenI got to the candy store, I took the shoes off. And I never talked aboutit."

Steve knew he felt different inside from other boys. And one day, afterasking his mom what she would have called him if he'd been born a girl, hefound a name for that difference.

"Susan."

"When she said 'Susan,' it kind of exploded with this tremendous energy inmy mind. I can remember just shaking 'I am Susan. That's it.' It put a nameto what I felt," Steve says.

His journey toward having his outside Steve yield to the Susan inside hastaken four decades.

Those years included Steve's marrying, fathering a son and becoming therespected city manager of Largo, a city of 75,000 on Florida's Gulf Coast.They also included eventually telling his wife about Susan, taking hormones,finding occasional out-of-town opportunities to appear in public as Susanand developing a detailed strategy to transition smoothly from Steve toSusan at work.

But Stanton's plans were short-circuited by a newspaper looking for a scoop.And, in the heat of a media frenzy and a mean-spirited public hearing, theLargo commission voted 5-2 to start the process of firing the manager it hadtrusted for 14 years to supervise everything from the fire department totraffic signals.

This is the second such outrage in recent weeks: Julie Nemecek of Michiganost her job at Spring Arbor University, which said her sex change is"inconsistent with the Christian faith."



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Grin and Bare It

From beaches to social clubs, S. Fla. gay nudists celebrate freedom of
naturist lifestyle

by Jesse Monteagudo (www.ExpressGayNews.com)

Friday, March 8, 2007

Seth Paronick has been a nudist for most of his life. As he tells it, "Istarted swimming nude during men's hours in the indoor pool of my communitycenter when I was 10. At 16, I went to my first nude beach, readily strippedoff my clothes, and was hooked!"

Paronick continued to frequent San Gregorio Free Beach (a nude beach southof San Francisco) for several years before "coming out," at the age of 22,as a gay nudist. "I finally worked up the nerve to park my stuff in the gaysection of the beach."

Paronick's story is not unique. For Jan Szukala the magic moment came backin the mid-1970s.

"I discovered a nude private beach adjacent to the Oval Beach in Saugatuck,Mich," Szukala recalls. "Guys and gals would play volleyball, run nakedalong the paths in the dune grasses, and relax under the trees on hot summerdays."

Joe Lonsway's epiphany came in the early 1980s, when he, too, discovered thepleasures of textile-free beaches. Soon after that, Lonsway attended hisfirst gay nudist social event in Orlando in the late 1980s and then joinedSouthern Exposure in Tampa in 1993.



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The Advocate

http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid42904.asp

March 13, 2007

Aides: Joint chiefs chairman won't apologize for antigay remark


Senior aides to the chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff saidTuesday that Marine Gen. Peter Pace won't apologize for callinghomosexuality immoral, an opinion that gay advocacy groups deplored. In anewspaper interview Monday, Pace had likened homosexual acts to adultery andsaid the military should not condone it by allowing gays to serve openly inthe armed forces.

''General Pace's comments are outrageous, insensitive, and disrespectful tothe 65,000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces,'' theadvocacy group Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in a statement onits Web site. The group has represented some of the thousands dismissed fromthe military for their sexual orientation.

Pace's senior staff members said Tuesday that the general was expressing hispersonal opinion and had no intention of apologizing. They spoke oncondition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak on the record.

Rep. Martin Meehan, who has introduced legislation to repeal the currentpolicy, criticized Pace's comments. ''General Pace's statements aren't inline with either the majority of the public or the military,'' said theMassachusetts Democrat. ''He needs to recognize that support for overturning[the policy] is strong and growing'' and that the military is ''turning awaygood troops to enforce a costly policy of discrimination.''

In an interview Monday with the Chicago Tribune, Pace was asked about the''don't ask, don't tell'' policy that allows gays and lesbians to serve ifthey keep their sexual orientation private and don't engage in homosexualacts. Pace said he supports the policy, which became law in 1994 andprohibits commanders from asking about a person's sexual orientation.

''I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that weshould not condone immoral acts,'' Pace was quoted as saying in thenewspaper interview. ''I do not believe the United States is well served bya policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way.''



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/03/031207coulter.htm

Ann Coulter Loses Newspaper Distribution, Keeps Book Deal
by the Associated Press
Posted: March 12, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- While conservative pundit Ann Coulter has been dropped byseveral newspapers for using an anti-gay epithet regarding Democraticpresidential candidate John Edwards, she remains in good standing with herbook publisher.

The Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., plans anOctober release for her next book, "If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd BeRepublicans."

"We have a book with her on our fall list and have no plans on altering ourcurrent publication plans," Crown publisher and senior vice president SteveRoss told The Associated Press in a recent e-mail. "Every book we havepublished with Ann has been a major best seller and we expect the same withthe upcoming title."

Coulter's books include "Treason," "Slander" and "Godless," in which sheharshly criticized a group of New Jersey widows whose husbands perished inthe Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "I've never seen people enjoyingtheir husbands' deaths so much," she wrote.

According to Editor & Publisher, at least eight newspapers have droppedCoulter's syndicated column since her comments about Edwards, a formersenator from North Carolina.

On March 2, speaking to GOP activists attending the annual ConservativePolitical Action Conference, Coulter said, "I was going to have a fewcomments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but itturns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot,' so I - sokind of an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards."

Coulter has declined to apologize, telling The New York Times, "C'mon, itwas a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like JohnEdwards. That would be mean."



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CourierPostOnline.com

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/NEWS01/703120347/1006&template=printart

Gay parents video to be reviewed in Evesham

By MATT KATZ
Courier-Post Staff

EVESHAM
The district is set to announce today that it has formed a committee thatwill make a recommendation about a controversial video featuring gayparents, but committee members' names will remain secret to protect themfrom harassment.

Nine PTA parents will serve on the committee, district spokeswoman JeanneSmith said, along with a group of teachers.

The controversy, which has garnered national media attention, began inJanuary when a father complained anonymously to a local TV station aboutThat's a Family! after it was shown at Van Zant School.

The film, part of a third-grade health curriculum about different familystructures, depicts parents who are divorced, those who are raising childrenas grandparents and those who are in same-sex relationships.

Conservative talk radio battered the district for pushing a hidden agendawhile a state gay-rights group praised the district for promoting tolerance.Hundreds attended raucous school board meetings, and a districtwide surveyshowed parents split on the issue.



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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-dutch-biblebelt.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

March 12, 2007
Seeking Security, Dutch Turn to Bible Belt

By REUTERS
Filed at 11:54 p.m. ET

STAPHORST, Netherlands (Reuters) - Just 90 minutes' drive from Amsterdam andits temptations is a village so devout that swearing is banned, women refuseto wear trousers and the bank machine does not dispense cash on a Sunday.

The Netherlands, best known abroad for its liberal policies on sex, drugsand homosexuality, is also home to a Protestant ''Bible Belt'' mapped out byvillages such as Staphorst.

Now a small political party long associated with the Bible Belt, theChristen Unie (United Christians or CU), is benefiting from a surge ofsupport outside its rural heartland triggered by nostalgia for a more moral,compassionate society.

After almost doubling its vote in last November' general election to 4percent, the CU has become the kingmaker in the Netherlands' new centristcoalition government, a feat unthinkable at the time of the previouselection in 2003.

``Society has opted for more traditional values, for principles such assecurity and community feeling,'' said Gerard Vroegindeweij, a politicalcorrespondent with the Reformatorisch Dagblad, a Protestant newspaper.



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The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/12/AR2007031201149_pf.html

Defrocked Gay Pastor Appeals Lutheran Church Decision

By Giovanna Dell'Orto
Associated Press
Monday, March 12, 2007; 7:11 PM

ATLANTA (AP) -- The pastor of Atlanta's oldest Lutheran church has appealedthe decision by an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America disciplinarycommittee to defrock him because he's in a same-sex relationship.

The Rev. Bradley Schmeling, who was ordered last month to leave the pulpitof St. John's Lutheran Church on Aug. 15, has appealed that decision in aneffort to prompt the church to change its rules on gay clergy, hisspokeswoman said in a statement Monday.

The appeals committee, which consists of 12 lay and clergy members, willtake at least two months to reach a decision, said ELCA spokesman JohnBrooks. He said Bishop Ronald Warren of the ECLA's Southeastern Synod alsohad appealed a portion of the ruling deemed unfavorable to the synod, andthat appeal would also be heard by the appeals committee.

Schmeling told St. John's 350-member congregation and his bishop that he isgay before he was chosen as pastor in 2000. But last year, when Schmelingannounced he had found a lifelong companion, Warren asked the 44-year-oldpastor to resign. When Schmeling refused, Warren started disciplinaryproceedings against him that led to a closed-door January trial in which adisciplinary hearing committee basically served as the jury.

In their decision, released last month, seven members of the 12-membercommittee said they felt the rule as stated left them no choice but todefrock Schmeling. But the committee also wrote that, if not bound by thechurch's rules, it "would find almost unanimously that Pastor Schmeling isnot engaged in conduct that is incompatible with the ministerial office" andwould order no discipline.



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

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-baker8mar08,1,5531268.story

California law violates gays' rights, ex-priest says
Michael Stephen Baker, who was defrocked in 2000 and faces trial onmolestation charges, contends it's easier to prosecute homosexuals.
By John Spano
Times Staff Writer

March 8, 2007

A former Roman Catholic priest said in court Wednesday that the rights ofhomosexuals have been violated by a state law that makes it easier toprosecute gay pedophiles than heterosexual child molesters.

It apparently was the first time that gay rights had been introduced intothe ongoing prosecution of current and former Catholic priests alleged tohave molested children.

The state law in question imposes no time limits on prosecutingheterosexuals who force intercourse. But gays are subject to prosecution forsex acts with a child without limit regardless of whether the allegationsinvolved forced or consensual sex.

Defrocked priest Michael Stephen Baker, 59, said the provision denies equalprotection of the law to gay people. He cited a provision of the U.S.Constitution that has been used to advance racial and gender equality.

Baker, appearing in court with a trimmed gray beard, is awaiting trial forallegedly molesting two boys - one who was unconscious - during weekendCatholic youth trips.



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

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-3894.html

Catholics protest gay rights from the pulpit

12th March 2007 10:39
Tony Grew

In a clear indication that the Catholic church's fight over the SexualOrientation Regulations is far from over, the Archbishop of Birmingham hasurged his flock to write protest letters to the government.

A letter was read out at all churches in the diocese at Mass yesterday,telling Roman Catholics to write to their MPs about the regulations, whichoutlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation when accessinggoods and services.

In Scotland, the bishop of Motherwell has announced he will not be votingLabour in the elections for the country's parliament in May.

Bishop Joseph Devine, whose diocese covers the constituency of Labour'sFirst Minister, Jack McConnell, said he will reveal his voting intentionnearer to the poll.

The SORs are expected to be approved by both Houses of Parliament thismonth, and should become law on 30th April, the same day that rulesprotecting people from discrimination on the grounds of religious beliefcome into force.



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

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-3902.html

Latvian conservatives begin Pride backlash

12th March 2007 15:26
PinkNews.co.uk writer

Christian groups in Latvia have welcomed fundamentalist US preachers and tothe country and talked tactics about opposing gay rights.

A meeting organised by Janis Vanags, Archbishop of the LatvianEvangelical Lutheran Church, was attended by Janis Pujats, the Latvian RomanCatholic Cardinal, and representatives of the Orthodox, Penecostals andother Christian sects.

They were addressed by Kenneth Hutcherson, who runs a 'super-church' inSeattle and is a vehement opponent of gay rights.

He told the Latvians that homosexuality was spreading rapidly, and that the"gay lobby" had increasing political influence across the world.

"We need to do everything to ensure that even in the European Union it doesnot loose its principles.



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

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-3901.html

US state moves to allow gay adoptions

12th March 2007 14:53
PinkNews.co.uk writer

A Colorado bill granting adoption rights to same-sex couples and unmarriedpartners was pushed forward in a State House committee last week without asingle witness testifying against it.

Republican legislatures in 2003 and 2004 killed similar bills, but withDemocrats in charge, the bill is headed toward passage.

According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, one reason the opposition mightnot have been present is that Democratic leadership sprang the bill justthree days before it came before the committee.

It was placed on the calendar of the House Health and Human ServicesCommittee on last Thursday and passed by an 8-3 vote.

"More than half of children in the United States are in non-traditionalhomes, like a single mom or single parent or with a grandparent," said thebill's sponsor Rep. Alice Madden, the Democrat House majority leader.



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

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-3896.html

Jerusalem gays want June pride parade

12th March 2007 11:54
PinkNews.co.uk writer

Police in the Israeli city of Jerusalem have said they are reviewing arequest to allow a gay pride event this summer.

Last year, the parade had to be cancelled. Members of gay organisation OpenHouse held a series of other pride events, which prompted rioting fromultra-Orthodox Jews.

The events of last summer were overshadowed by Israel's decision to attackLebanon.

This meant that many people stayed away from the pride events, while otherpotential participants found themselves called up as army reservists.

"This is the main human rights demonstration which will be held in Jerusalemthis year and it is planned for every citizen," Ayelet Shnur, chairwoman ofOpen House, told YNet News.



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

http://uk.gay.com/headlines/11190

Gay Arabs organising in Israel
Associated Press
Monday 12 March, 2007 12:33 | More from this date | Today's headlines

A rare gathering of openly gay Arab activists is slated to be held in Israelthis month, drawing the ire of religious conservatives.

Headlined "Home and Exile," the March 28 meeting is meant to sparkdiscussion of homosexuality among Israel's 1 million Arab citizens, saidRoula Deeb, a prominent Arab feminist and one of the scheduled speakers.

The conference is being organized by Aswat, an Arab lesbian group based inHaifa, a coastal city home to both Jews and Arabs.

Around 100 to 150 people are expected to show up, Deeb said. Withhomosexuality a taboo topic in much of the Arab world, the meeting isimportant simply because it is taking place.

Israel is generally tolerant of homosexuality, and the country's secularmetropolis, Tel Aviv, is home to a thriving gay community. But Israel'sArabs, who make up 20 percent of the population, live mostly in separatecommunities and homosexuality is still considered out of bounds.



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

http://www.pridesource.com/print.shtml?article=23805

Between The Lines Newspaper
From issue number 1510
Return to PrideSource

Viewpoint: NAACP denounces Eng column hating blacks, still says nothingabout Hardaway hating gays
By Jasmyne A. Cannick
Originally printed 03/08/2007

Last week after Kenneth Eng's Asian Week column "Why I Hate Blacks" wascriticized, guess who issued a statement denouncing the article?

If you said the NAACP, then you guessed correctly.

NAACP President Bruce Gordon is quoted in a press release as saying "Eng'scomments expose the racial tension--often hidden, but still very muchpresent -- in communities across America. These types of remarks widen theracial divide and further promote negative stereotypes."

And for the record I agree. But then why the silence on Tim Hardaway?

If Eng's comments widen the racial divide, then what exactly does "I hategays" do to the Black community?



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

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/religion/v-printer/story/6408635p-5714162c.html

Congregation backs gay pastor despite rules

GIOVANNA DELL'ORTO; The Associated Press
Last updated: March 10th, 2007 01:35 AM (PST)

ATLANTA - It was a typical Sunday scene and, in its own way, a small act ofdefiance.

Members of St. John's Lutheran Church recently filed by their pastor,hugging him and exchanging jokes. Gleeful children rushed past toward atreats-laden table.

Many in the 350-member Atlanta congregation say they don't plan to let theRev. Bradley Schmeling leave the pulpit Aug. 15, as ordered last month by anEvangelical Lutheran Church in America disciplinary committee because he'sin a gay relationship.

Defying the order could end Atlanta's oldest Lutheran church's affiliationwith the ELCA, cutting off the small church and its members from the largedenomination's resources, including community service programs, hymn booksand access to synod officials for guidance on legal, financial and spiritualmatters.

St. John's members hope it doesn't come to that. They want the denominationto change its rules about sexually active gay clergy at its biennialchurchwide assembly Aug. 6-12 in Chicago, just days before Schmeling is setto be removed from the clergy.



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

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-3899.html

Christian teen group hold San Francisco rally

12th March 2007 14:40
Christopher Hayes

Thousands of teenagers from a Christian ministry gathered in San Franciscoat the weekend to rally against homosexuality and other moral corruptionsthey think affect their generation.

More than 20,000 teenagers converged on the city 's AT&T baseball park toparticipate in "BattleCry," a two-day extravaganza featuring Christian rockand religious inspiration and worship.

Organisers argue that the event is a way for young Christians to protestagainst destructive aspects of culture including homosexuality, sex ontelevision, and violent video games.

Ron Luce, founder of Teen Mania, the Texas-based ministry behind BattleCry,said:

"All the stuff that's being rammed down their throats, it's pillaging andraping this young generation of any virtue," according to The AssociatedPress.



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

http://www.pridesource.com/digestarticle.shtml?article=23836

Spring Arbor professor's journey to womanhood
By Todd A. Heywood and Wire Reports
Originally printed 03/08/2007 (Issue 1510 - Between The Lines News)

SPRING ARBOR -

Julie Marie Nemecek always knew there was something different about hergrowing up. Something she could not quite put a finger on.

That was before Julie, though. That was when she was John.

"I remember when I was in fifth or sixth grade it was made clear to me Icould not hang out with the girls during recess," Nemecek told the LansingCommunity College Gay Straight Alliance. "So I slipped into macho mode."

That mode lasted for most of Julie's 55 years, until 2003 when she wascruising the internet and discovered information about being transgender."Oh my gosh, that's me. That's me," she told the students she rememberedthinking. When her wife, Joanne, of 35 years returned home from a trip,Julie told her.

"We spent five or six weeks reading and praying and crying,"Julie says.



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

http://www.pressrepublican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/NEWS/70309002&template=printart

More schools have gay-straight alliances
By: Stephen Bartlett

Staff Writer
March 09, 2007

PLATTSBURGH - Erica Olmstead came out at 13.

Her parents supported her sexual orientation, but admitting she was alesbian still scared and confused her. She wondered if she'd become anoutcast.

"It would have been cool to have a group sooner," said the Peru High Schoolsenior, who is co-chair of the Gay/Straight Alliance, which she helped formlast fall.

Across the country, the number of gay/straight alliances have grown fromabout a dozen in U.S. high schools in the mid 1990s to more than 3,200 todaythat are registered with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, anational group that promotes a positive school climate for gay children.

Local students say such groups promote tolerance, organize events and help
them feel secure.

"They create an environment in which students are more comfortable withexpressing who they are," said Plattsburgh High School senior Adam Loveland,co-chair of the Gay/Straight Alliance there, which has been operating formore than two years.



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

http://gaycitynews.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=2729&dept_id=568864&newsid=18055101

03/08/2007
New City HIV Data Surprises Advocates
By: DUNCAN OSBORNE

New HIV testing data showing higher new infection rates among older NewYorkers and declines among all groups except gay and bisexual men surprisedsome AIDS groups.

"That really astounded me because we are focusing so much on younger gaypeople," said Dennis deLeon, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS."Something is going on there that I don't think anyone has satisfactorilyexplained... We're ignoring something with older persons."

The city used the detuned assay, a testing procedure that identifies newinfections, to evaluate 3,464 HIV-positive blood samples collected at cityclinics between June 1, 2000 and December 31, 2004. A new infection wasdefined as one occurring less than 170 days before the blood sample wastaken.

By age, the incidence rate, or the percentage who are newly infected in ayear, was highest among 35- to 39-year-olds at 0.54 percent for thefour-and-a-half year study. The second highest rate was among those 45 to 49at 0.49 percent and the third highest rate was among those 40 to 44 at 0.45percent. The rates among those 29 and younger were about half of the ratesfor the three highest groups.

"I was shocked," said Terri Smith-Caronia, director of New York City publicpolicy at Housing Works, an AIDS service organization. "I really thoughtthat those numbers would have been reversed."



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

http://www.pridesource.com/print.shtml?article=23899

Between The Lines Newspaper
From issue number 1510

Suburban Detroit daily newspaper drops Coulter column
AP Wire
Originally printed 3/9/2007

DETROIT (AP) - A newspaper has decided to drop columnist Ann Coulterfollowing the conservative pundit's use of a derogatory word to describe aDemocratic presidential candidate during a speech last week.

The Oakland Press of Pontiac elected to stop running Coulter's columns aftershe used the word "faggot" to describe presidential hopeful and former U.S.Sen. John Edwards. The decision was reported Wednesday by the tradepublication Editor & Publisher.

"She's really gone into the realm of wanting to be, whatever, a personality,a celebrity flame-thrower," Glenn Gilbert, the paper's executive editor,told The Associated Press on Thursday. "The reason we wanted her, we wanteda conservative columnist. She's obviously betrayed conservatives."

Coulter was quoted last week during a speech to the Conservative PoliticalAction Conference in Washington as saying: "I was going to have a fewcomments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but itturns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word `faggot,' so I - sokind of an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards."

Kathie Kerr, spokeswoman for Universal Press Syndicate, which distributesCoulter's columns, said Thursday the service has no plans to stop offeringthe author's columns. She said the columns are distributed to about 100clients, four of which have decided to stop running them.

"All of our clients and newspaper editors know better than we do what theyshould and should not run," Kerr said. "They know their communities betterthan we do."

Gilbert said the Press hasn't officially announced its decision to readers.The newspaper, which has a daily circulation of about 65,000, began runningCoulter's weekly columns last fall, he said.



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

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/03/11/RVG3VODIMG1.DTL&type=printable

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I spells a place to leave
A gay son of the South looks back at his childhood
Reviewed by Christina Eng

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Mississippi Sissy

By Kevin Sessums
ST. MARTIN'S PRESS; 305 PAGES; $24.95

Kevin Sessums, who profiles celebrities regularly for Allure and othernational magazines and was a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, now turnsthe spotlight on himself. In the heroic and heartfelt "Mississippi Sissy,"the journalist recalls moments from his sometimes-torturous adolescence inthe South. He concentrates on the people who influenced him most, bothpositively and negatively. He brings these experiences to life.

The eldest of three siblings, he grew up in Mississippi during the 1960s and'70s. His father played basketball well enough in college to get drafted bythe New York Knicks, shortly after Sessums' birth. But his mother insistedhe come home; a true Southern belle, she refused to move with him to NewYork City. So he returned, of course, and settled on a coaching job at alocal high school.

It was a decision his father might have regretted. "I've often wondered ifthe look of sad disdain he always delivered my way," Sessums writes, withcharacteristic insight, "was the professional remorse of which my verypresence reminded him. I am certain this was his recurring silent plaint: Ifonly she had not been pregnant with you..." That the child took little, ifany, interest in sports did not help to endear him to his father, either.

His mother, on the other hand, loved Sessums unconditionally. She neverquestioned his early fondness for music, movies and theater, for instance,and let him stay indoors if he wished, surrounding him with idle chitchat,magazines and records. She consoled him when the other children teased andencouraged him to flip their words around.

She had him scribble "sissy" onto a piece of paper one day. The taunt hadbeen familiar. "Look at the muscles those S's have," she remarked. "Look atthe arms on that Y. Look at the backbone that lone I has. What posture. Whatpresence ... " She made him feel better, reminding him that even a mean word"can be pretty if you listen to it in the right way." She taught him to beproud of all that he was, to be comfortable in his own skin -- lessons hehas not forgotten.



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

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-3898.html

Analysis: Can the SuperBowl make you gay?

12th March 2007 12:25

Can the SuperBowl make you gay?

Sounds stupid, but just when you thought you could get a week or two offfrom the SuperBowl, which ended over a month ago, now there are newallegations about the "gayness" of the sporting event.

The US Federal Communications Commission received about 150 complaintsregarding the SuperBowl broadcast on CBS last month.

Most of the complaints revolved around the idea that the broadcast waspromoting homosexuality.

The popular website The Smoking Gun, has put together a few of the absurdcomplaints from viewers who are concerned about everything from thehalf-time show to the commercials.

The site lists that one of the offended viewers thought that the half-timeshow would have a lasting effect on his son, who "hoped to be a quarterbackand now he will turn out gay...Thanks CBS for turning my son GAY."



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

http://ajc.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Gay+Ex-NBA+Player+Gets+Endorsement+Deal&expire=&urlID=21519470&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ajc.com%2Fsearch%2Fcontent%2Fshared-gen%2Fap%2FGeneral_Basketball_News%2FBKN_Amaechi_Endorsement.html&partnerID=557

Gay Ex-NBA Player Gets Endorsement Deal

LOS ANGELES - Former NBA player John Amaechi became the first openly gaymale athlete to sign an endorsement deal with a mainstream company.

HeadBlade Inc., creators of a popular head-shaving razor, announced Mondayit had signed Amaechi to a multiyear deal. Financial terms were undisclosed.

"I think it's fantastic that HeadBlade has approached me to endorse thebrand," said Amaechi in a statement.

Amaechi became the first NBA player to acknowledge his homosexuality withthe release of his memoir, "Man in the Middle" in February. The book iscurrently on The New York Times Best Seller List.

Concern about endorsement deals is one reason some male athletes stay in thecloset during their careers.

"John Amaechi is the newest face of the brand because he embodies many ofthe qualities representative of a HeadBlader," HeadBlade chief executiveTodd Greene said. "He is a man comfortable in his own skin and he's notafraid to go against the grain."

Amaechi grew up in England and played over five seasons for Cleveland,Orlando and Utah. He retired in 2004.



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

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070309.wxbishop09/BNStory/National/home

Bishop's take on sexuality ignites debate
'Sex is not a sport,' one critic argues

MICHAEL VALPY

From Friday's Globe and Mail

An Anglican bishop's call for a new theology of human sexuality wouldrequire a shift rivalling the Reformation in size to move Christianity awayfrom the shadow of patriarchy and the too-narrow view of the human person,several theologians said yesterday.

Bishop Michael Ingham of B.C.'s New Westminster diocese told a churchconference in Ottawa this week that the church's opposition to birthcontrol, abortion, masturbation and homosexuality is morally groundlessbecause its traditional teaching that sex is reserved for procreation iswrong.

"If we believe that we are created in the image of God, that we carry in ourvery selves the icon of God's own self in our earthly existence, then wemust be able to say that our sexuality is not an accident, not a mistake andnot simply a tool for the making of babies -- presumably God, in hisinfinite wisdom, could have devised a much less potent and complicated wayof regenerating the species if the purpose of sex was simply that," he said.

Charles McVety, president of Toronto's evangelical Canada Christian College,talked about a huge and growing chasm between Christians who see the Bibleas allegorical and those who see it as the teaching of God. He called thebishop's remarks whimsical, a passing fancy and a distortion of the Bible.

"Scripture is crystal clear," he said. "Sex is not a sport."



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

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/

The Scotsman Mon 12 Mar 2007

Anti-gay chants to be banned from terraces

MICHAEL HOWIE HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT

SHOUTING homophobic abuse during football matches will lead to criminalprosecutions under a police crackdown.

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland has issued guidanceto all eight forces making it clear that the recent clampdown on racist andsectarian abuse in the country's football stands should be extended toanti-gay slogans.

Offenders will be given a warning and, if they persist, charged withbreach of the peace.

The move has been criticised by some who argue it is healthy for men to"let off steam" at football matches.

James Delingpole, author of How To Be Right: The Essential Guide ToMaking Left Liberals History, said: "Football chanting is supposed to beoffensive, that's the whole point.

"It is a valuable way in which men can let off steam. If they can't doit there, then I fear they might vent anger in other and more violent ways."


But Inspector David Lyle, Scottish co-ordinator of the Gay PoliceAssociation, said there could be no excuse for such verbal abuse and claimedhomophobic chants were becoming increasingly common.



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

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/Graphic_sex_ed_class_roils_Illinois_school/20070310-113421-4265r/

Graphic sex ed class roils Illinois school

THORNTON, Ill., March 10 (UPI) -- A suburban Chicago health teacher is hotwater over a sex education lesson that allegedly went a little over the top.

Parents in Thornton, Ill., say they plan to call for the suspension orfiring of teacher Scott Groff over a class in which his eighth-gradersreportedly had to read aloud questions about topics such as masturbation andoral sex.

"My daughter brought it to our attention because she was disgusted with it,"Grady Braley told the Chicago Tribune Saturday. "There are certain things ather age they need to know. But this was a how-to manual."

Groff, 27, reportedly defended the controversial session by telling studentsthe graphic subject matter was part of the school's "human sexuality"curriculum.

The school principal has offered an apology to parents and students but someparents said that wasn't enough.



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/03/031307pace.htm

Gay Advocates Demand Apology From Pace
by The Associated Press

Posted: March 13, 2007 - 10 am ET

(Washington) A gay advocacy group Tuesday demanded an apology from thePentagon's top general for calling homosexuality immoral.

In a newspaper interview Monday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff, had likened homosexuality to adultery and said themilitary should not condone it by allowing gays to serve openly in the armedforces.

"General Pace's comments are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful tothe 65,000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces," theadvocacy group Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in a statement onits Web site.

The group has represented some of the thousands dismissed from the militaryfor their sexual orientation.

Pace made his remarks in an interview Monday with the Chicago Tribune. Hewas responding to a question about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy thatallows gays and lesbians to serve if they keep their sexual orientationprivate and don't engage in homosexual acts.

Pace said he supports the policy, which became law in 1994 and prohibitscommanders from asking about a person's sexual orientation.


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