GLBT DIGEST June 16, 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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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/16/world/americas/16briefs-gayrights.html?pagewanted=print

June 16, 2007
World Briefing | Americas
Colombia: Lawmakers Approve Gay Rights Bill
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Colombia is set to become the first Latin American country to giveestablished gay couples the same rights to health insurance, inheritance andsocial security benefits as heterosexual couples under a bill passed byCongress and expected to take effect soon. Some states and cities in LatinAmerica, among them Mexico City and Buenos Aires, have passed similar laws,but no other country in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic region has done soat a national level, said Marcela Sánchez of the gay rights group ColombiaDiversa. Congress's lower house passed the bill, 62 to 43, late Thursday.The Senate passed a similar version in April. The two chambers must nowagree on a unified text before sending it to President Álvaro Uribe, whobacks it.



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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Religion-Briefs.html?pagewanted=print

June 16, 2007
Religion News in Brief
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:40 a.m. ET

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Membership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)declined again last year, dropping by more than 46,000 in 2006, thedenomination says.

The number of active Presbyterians fell from 2,313,662 in 2005, to 2,267,118in 2006, according to an annual church survey released June 7. Baptisms inthe same period also declined -- by 946 for adults to 8,297, and by 234 forchildren to 30,493.

In addition, the number of congregations fell by 56 to 10,903.

Like other mainline Protestant denominations, the Presbyterians have seenmembership rolls shrink over the last couple of decades. In 2004 and 2005alone, the denomination lost 48,474 active members.

The latest drop comes as fighting intensifies within the church over howPresbyterians should interpret Scripture. Congregants are divided overwhether the Bible bars gay relationships, among other theological issues.



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The Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-acolomrights16jun16,0,4965161,print.story

Colombia ready to give gays full rights

By Joshua Goodman
The Associated Press
June 16, 2007

BOGOTA, Colombia · Colombia is set to become the first Latin Americancountry to give established gay couples full rights to health insurance,inheritance and social security under a bill passed by its Congress.

The plan approved Thursday is expected to take effect soon. It is backed byPresident Alvaro Uribe.

The measure would allow gay couples in long-term relationships to have thesame health insurance and social security benefits as heterosexual couples.It also guarantees that assets accumulated during the relationship will bedivided between the two and, in the case of death, inherited by thesurvivor.

Previously, possessions were passed on to blood relations.

Some states and cities in Latin America have passed similar laws, but noother country in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic region has done so at anational level, said Marcela Sanchez, director of the gay rights groupColombia Diversa. She said as many as 300,000 gay couples in Colombia standto benefit.



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46383.asp

June 16, 2007
Florida state representative accused of making homophobic comments

Several AIDS organizations have called for Florida state representative D.Alan Hays to be censured or removed from office after he purportedly saidthat his gay cousin deserved to die of AIDS, the Orlando Sentinel reportedFriday.

Advocates from across the country criticized Hays at a press conference inFort Lauderdale, citing comments he allegedly made to an AIDS health caregroup on Wednesday.

"Not only should this individual be censured, but I think this person shouldbe removed from office," said Michael Rajner, national secretary for theCampaign to End AIDS, to the Sentinel. "He also should not be allowed toserve on any committee with appropriations as well."

Shortly after the conference Hays released a statement denying theallegations. "I am known for being plainspoken and for speaking my mind, butI am outraged that this group is making these claims against me," he wrote,according to the Sentinel. "I have spent a lifetime as a health careprofessional and have compassionately cared for several patients afflictedwith AIDS. My own cousin died of this disease, and it was a tragedy for himto die so young. To say that I said otherwise is absolutely not true."

Two nurses and a regional manager from AIDS advocacy group PositiveHealthcare contend that Hays leaned across his desk during their meeting andsaid his cousin was "as queer as a three-dollar bill" and "had thathomosexual lifestyle and deserved what he got," reported the Sentinel.



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46396.asp

June 16, 2007
AIDS activists demand apology from presidential advisory council

Several prominent advocacy groups are demanding that the PresidentialAdvisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) apologize for racially and ethnicallyinsensitive remarks made Tuesday, according to a press release from theCampaign to End AIDS.

During the PACHA Members Open Discussion session on the first day of themeeting--which is open to the public--Harvard researcher Edward C. Greensuggested that prevention techniques employed in Africa should be used inpredominantly black American communities, the press release detailed.Audience members were outraged by the correlation made between black peopleliving in developing Africa and the U.S.

When speaking of the disproportionate incarceration rates of young blackmen, Franklyn N. Judson, MD, explained that "there are more blacks in jail,since they commit more crimes." According to a study conducted by the HumanRights Watch, black men on average received longer sentences than white menfor the same crimes.

These comments caused an outcry among AIDS activists and organizations.

"The racial and ethnic insensitivity was deeply disturbing," said DonnaCrews, director of governmental affairs at AIDS Action, in the pressrelease. "For a statement to be said for the record that 'there are moreblacks in jail, since they commit more crimes' disregards the sentencingdisparities that have been the norm in this country for more years thananyone would care to remember."



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46355.asp

June 16, 2007
Clinton, Obama fight for Illinois cash

Hillary Rodham Clinton-New York senator, Yankees fan, and resident ofChappaqua, N.Y.-has a message for presidential rival Barack Obama: Chicagois still my kind of town.

In the frenetic chase for campaign cash, Clinton isn't ceding her one-timehome turf to the Illinois senator. The 59-year-old woman, born and raised inthe Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, is relying on the help of the state'swealthy and connected.

High-profile attorneys, a philanthropist, longtime Clinton family friends,and business leaders, including a son of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, areamong the prominent Illinois residents invited to a June 25 fund-raiser.

While Obama and another top rival, John Edwards, have encroached onClinton's new home turf of New York to raise money, Clinton has tapped herIllinois ties and political alliances dating to her years as first lady.

It hasn't been easy in the state she once called home.



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46369.asp

June 16, 2007
Thai credit card company targets gay market

Thailand's leading credit card company is attempting to tap into a growinggroup of big spenders-gays and lesbians. A recently released TV commercialby Krungthai Card (KTC) has caused a stir with its provocative gayundertones, according to the Star Online.

The commercial, titled "Stand Up...Say I Am," depicts a hip Bangkok barwhere a ravishing Thai woman looks flirtatiously into her handsomeneighbor's eyes. Who are you? she thinks as the Thai man meets her gaze. Theaudience is then cycled through a series of sexualized possibilities: thewoman sleeping in bed, with the man watching her; the man admiring himselfin a bathroom mirror; the two dancing; and the man lounging in a sauna witha handful of hunky men. Back at the bar, as the woman leans in to kiss him,she notices that he is staring lustfully at someone behind her. She slowlyturns her head to see a man seductively raising an eyebrow at her would-belover.

Then a voice-over declares, "I am...KTC Titanium MasterCard."

The ad is targeted at gay consumers-jokingly called the "pink bahtmarket"-confirmed Niwatt Chittalarn, president and CEO of KTC, to The StarOnline. But it is also aimed at the growing "metrosexual" market. In thatpast few years, metrosexuality has become increasingly trendy incosmopolitan Bangkok.

When KTC studied the gay and metrosexual populations, it found that theywere big spenders. Five months ago the company decided to tap this lucrativemarket.



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46356.asp

June 16, 2007
CNN, YouTube to premiere citizen-based presidential debates

CNN and YouTube will host a Democratic debate next month in which questions
for the candidates will come entirely from citizens posting video clips, thelatest sign of how the Internet has transformed presidential politics.

The two-hour debate, scheduled for July 23 at the Citadel in Charleston,S.C., will be hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. But in a conference callwith reporters Thursday, executives from CNN and YouTube said thetraditional debate format, in which a panel of reporters grill thecandidates, had been scrapped in favor of a more democratic approach.

''Journalists do a really good job asking questions, but there is anotherworld of questions out there I'd like to see,'' said CNN Washington bureauchief David Bohrman, who will produce the broadcast. ''This is wide-open tocreativity and the use of sound and pictures. The tone and flavor will be sodifferent from any other debate.''

Anyone who wants to submit a question may do so by uploading a video clipthrough YouTube. All the videos that are submitted will be posted on thesite. CNN will then choose as many as 50 videos to use during the debate.

Asked for guidelines on what kind of questions were most likely to make iton the air, Bohrman said they should be concise-no more than 30seconds-provocative, and creative.



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46373.asp

June 16, 2007
Gay man sues Chicago police, alleging harassment and beating

A gay Chicago man is seeking $50,000 in damages, alleging in a lawsuit thathe was brutally beaten in March 2006 by police who spewed antigay epithetsand then left him in a holding cell for two days without food or water.

Alexander Ruppert, 37, was originally taken into police custody on a chargeof disorderly conduct at a bar, to which he pleaded guilty, the ChicagoTribune reports.

Officers Vincent Torres and Kent Pemberton asked Ruppert to leave the barand placed him in their squad car; he had not been arrested or handcuffed.His suit claims that while the officers drove off with him, they usedantigay slurs while hitting him in the face and about his head. Ruppertweighs 120 pounds; his lawyers say the officers each weigh more than 200pounds.

"It was only until he told them he had AIDS that they stopped," said one ofRuppert's lawyers, Michael Oppenheimer, at a press conference Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ruppert used his cell phone to call his partner, who he saysoverheard the beating and antigay slurs. WMAQ TV reports that Ruppert waseventually taken to a hospital, where he received 16 stitches under his eye.After his hospital release, he was taken into police custody and placed in aholding cell.



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46389.asp

June 16, 2007
Skinheads attack Chilean Web site for the second time

For the second time this month, self-proclaimed "skinheads" hacked the Website of the Chile's leading LGBT rights organization the Movement forHomosexual Integration and Freedom (MOVILH), the Santiago Times reportedFriday.

The attack took place on Wednesday, exactly one week after a similar hackingoccurred. Calling themselves "Las Grimbas" of La Pintana, they altered thesite's monthly survey and several headlines to include lewd, sexualreferences. According to the Times, they explained that, "we're notneo-Nazis, but rather skinheads.. We meet in the plaza near 36 Santa Rosa.We don't support something that isn't natural. Traditional skins are moremanly than any Nazis."

After the June 5 hacking, MOVILH was able to fix most of the problemsshortly after the incident. Suffering more extensive damage after thisweek's attack, the site was forced to close.

"We're frustrated, upset by this situation," said MOVILH head RolandoJiménez told the Times. "This is clearly illegal and we're calling on thesolidarity of all groups to report and fight against this kind of act."

Several human rights organizations have made efforts to show their supportfor MOVILH.



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46358.asp

June 16, 2007
S.F. Lutheran church to ordain noncelibate lesbian

A Lutheran congregation in San Francisco is scheduled to ordain an openlygay minister June 16 who is not celibate-a move that directly challenges theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America's policy of requiring lifelongcelibacy of its gay and lesbian clergy while imposing no such restrictionson heterosexuals. The ceremony will mark the third such challenge to thepolicy in eight months.

Dawn Roginski will be ordained at St. Francis Lutheran Church in an"extraordinary ordination" service. The ceremonies, which run outside theusual guidelines of Lutheran ordinations by certifying the credentials ofopenly identified sexual minorities, have been fashioned by the LutheranLesbian and Gay Ministries. Fourteen ECLA and two independent Lutherancongregations are now served by openly gay pastors who have gone through the"extraordinary candidacy project."

As it faces increased pressure to overturn the policy, ELCA will revisit theissue at its biennial assembly August 6-11 in Chicago. (The Advocate)



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46354.asp

June 16, 2007
Harry Reid: Pace failed in war assessment

U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid caused a stir Thursday when he saidGen. Peter Pace failed in his job of providing Congress a candid assessmenton the Iraq war and that he was concerned Gen. David Petraeus might beguilty of the same.

Democrats typically have shied from stinging comments on military officers,instead focusing on President Bush and Administration policies in Iraq.Republicans responded vigorously to the charge against Pace, chairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff, and Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Said White House spokesman Tony Snow: ''In a time of war, for a leader of aparty that says it supports the military, it seems outrageous to be issuingslanders toward the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and also the man that isresponsible for the bulk of military operations in Iraq.''

Added Mike Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee: ''HarryReid doesn't understand that there are some lines you just don't cross.''

The switch in the Democrats' focus began last week when they told DefenseSecretary Robert Gates they would challenge Pace if he were nominated for asecond two-year term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They citedhis role as the president's closest military adviser on a failing war.



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The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid46384.asp

June 16, 2007
Teen cites "gay panic" in Brooklyn slaying

A Brooklyn, N.Y., teenager has been indicted on murder charges for fatallystabbing a man because he was gay, Kings County prosecutors said Thursday.

Roberto Duncanson, 20, also of Brooklyn, died soon after the May 12 attack.

Alleged killer Omar Willock, 17, faces 25 years to life if convicted.

Willock and Duncanson passed each other on St. Marks Avenue in CrownHeights, and Willock became enraged, accusing Duncanson of looking at him,prosecutors said in a written statement. Duncanson continued walking to afriend's house as Willock shouted antigay remarks. It's unclear how Willockknew Duncanson was gay, prosecutors told the New York Daily News.

On his way home Duncanson again passed Willock, and Willock again beratedhim for his sexual orientation. Duncanson tried to walk away, but Willockcame after him, first with his fists and then with a knife.

Paramedics found Duncanson on the sidewalk, stabbed four times; he died anhour later at Kings County Hospital. Memorial services were held May 20 atthe New Haven Temple of Seventh-Day Adventists in Brooklyn.

Willock, charged with second-degree murder and second-degree murder as ahate crime, was being held without bail Friday. (Barbara Wilcox, TheAdvocate)



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/061507massarrest.htm

Woman Charged With Beating Gay Marriage Supporter
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: June 15, 2007 - 4:30 pm ET

(Boston) A woman who was part of a conservative Christian group rallyingThursday at the Massachusetts Statehouse for a proposed constitutionalamendment banning same-sex marriage is charged with assaulting a gaymarriage supporter who was attending a rally across the street opposing theamendment.

Diane Steele, 52, was arraigned Friday on charges of assault and battery.

Steele, from Richmond in western Massachusetts, was one of about a hundredprotestors calling on state lawmakers to approve the amendment and send itto voters in 2008.

Steele allegedly crossed the street and slapped the unidentified person. Thevictim was startled but not hurt.

Boston Police spokesperson James Kenneally said Steele apparently decided to"escalate" the debate into a physical confrontation.



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/061607rosie.htm

Is Price Right For Rosie?
by The Associated Press

Posted: June 16, 2007 - 9:00 am ET

(Los Angeles, California) Bob Barker endorsed his friend Rosie O'Donnell asa possible successor on "The Price Is Right," although the newly retiredhost isn't sure CBS wants a woman to take over the game show.

"I believe they're going to have a meeting with Rosie," Barker saidbackstage Friday night at the Daytime Emmy Awards, where he won his 19thtrophy.

"She knows the show," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind she could do theshow. Now, whether they want a lady host, I don't know. I've never heardthat discussed. As far as I know, they've only auditioned men."

Barker said his friendship with O'Donnell goes back several years, when shehad him as a guest on her old daytime talk show.

"She told me she loved `The Price Is Right' and wanted to host it one day,"he recalled.

Among those mentioned as possible replacement hosts have been Todd Newton ofthe E! network, Mark Steines of "Entertainment Tonight," George Hamilton andJohn O'Hurley.

Barker retired last week at age 83 after 35 years of giving away vacationsand cars on the hit CBS game show. But he said he may be back with somespecials featuring vintage clips and guests.

"If it works out, I'd like to do that," he said.



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/061607boyfriend.htm

'Fake Boyfriend' Sent To Jail
by The Associated Press

Posted: June 16, 2007 - 9:00 am ET

(Everett, Washington) A woman who posed as a homeless orphaned boy andbefriended and abused a teenage girl was sentenced to a year in jail forchild molestation.

Lorelei J. Corpuz, 30, apologized. She said, "I know this is a big lessonfor me, and it is not something I want to do again."

The sentence ordered by Judge Ronald C. Castleberry was the maximum understate guidelines.

Two counts of third-degree child rape were dropped last month before Corpuzpleaded guilty to the lesser charge, sparing the girl the ordeal of a trial.

Authorities said Corpuz, who cropped her hair and stands 5-foot-3, passedherself off as 17-year-old Mark Villanueva after meeting the girl at a mallin September 2005. Her parents, immigrants who speak little English, letCorpuz live at their home.

Over time Corpuz began physically and sexually abusing the girl, authoritiessaid. Although Corpuz had sexual contact with the girl, Corpuz never let thegirl see her genitals, police said.

The girl did not speak in court but wrote a letter to the judge to expressher anger at Corpuz and the way she and her family had been treated.



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A note from Ray and Michael,

Fundraiser For Mark LaFontaine in Wilton Manors tomorrow - Sunday

We are pleased to be on the Host Committee for the "community pride"reception for Mark LaFontaine, who is running to be the first openly-gaymember of the Florida Legislature. It's hard to believe that Florida stillhasn't achieved that milestone -- but we're making progress! Mark has ahistory of community service, and is known locally and nationally as aspokesperson on GLBT issues. He is an accountant by profession and willbring much needed fiscal responsibility and oversight to Tallahassee .

We're hosting a big reception at Georgie's Alibi in Wilton Manors tomorrow -this Sunday, the 17th at 4pm.

We hope all of you can make it!
Thanks!
Ray and Michael


Michael Albetta, Tiffany Arieagus, W. "Chip" Arndt, Robert Bernhardt & GaryHensley, Jon Bleiweiss, LeAnna Bradley, Harve Brosten, JD Camp, RonaldCatena, Dr. Howard Cunningham, Justin Flippen, Stephen Gaskill & DonaldSmith, Bishop S.F. Mahee, Marc Hansen & Mark Maybee, Jean Johnson and BettyPriscak, David Litty, Nadezda Martinez, Marvin Mathias, Ronald Mills, CaroleMoran, Donnell Morris, Kevin Muth, W. James Perigny, Adriane Reesey, Ph.D. &Ann Perley, Ray Rideout & Michael Cooper, Dick Rogers & Willie "Bill"Mullins, Tom Runyan, Sindi Samis, Judy Shepherd, Rick Sherman, GloriaSuzanne Stein & Daniel James Friedman, Lloyd & Barbara Stuart, Philip L.Tudor, Bill Vayens & Col. Robert Guida (ret.)

Invite you to a cocktail reception to join as he kicks off his campaign tobecome the first openly-gay member of the Florida Legislature.

Georgie's Alibi
2266 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL
Sunday, June 17, 2007
4:00 - 6:00 pm

Here's what you need to know about Mark:
Personal
. Proud Veteran - US Coast Guard
. Bachelors Degree, FMU, Summa Cum Laude
. Masters Degree in Taxation, FIU
. Owner, Oakland Park Accounting Firm

Affiliations
. Eagle Scout
. Nat'l. Treasurer, American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER)
. President, Gold Coast Chapter, AVER
. Board Member, Oakland Park Main Street
. Member, Fort Lauderdale Audit Committee
. Member, Broward County Veterans Council
. Member, NAACP
. Director, Dolphin Democrats

Florida State House District 92 includes parts of Deerfield Beach, NorthLauderdale, Oakland Park, Poinsettia Heights, Pompano Beach, Tamarac,Victoria Park and Wilton Manors.
Suggested Contribution: $20.00 . Maximum Contribution: $500.00
Hors d'oeuvres and your first cocktail provided by the host committee.

Please RSVP to info@marklafontaine.com or call 954-651-3147.



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Equality Florida - News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, (INSERT DATE)
Contact:
Brian Winfield, Communications Director, (727) 488-7799
Joe Saunders, Central Florida Coordinator, (407) 497-4986

Governor And Legislature Asked to Repudiate Latest Round of BigotedStatements by Republican Lawmaker

"I Had A Cousin Who Died of AIDS; He was Queer as a Three-dollar Bill.
He Had that Homosexual Lifestyle and Deserved What He Got."
- Rep. D. Alan Hays, (R- Lake County) in his office toAIDS Advocates Lobbying in Tallahassee Wednesday June 13, 2007

(St. Petersburg) Today, Equality Florida condemned the ignorant, hurtful andbigoted remarks of Rep. Alan Hays, as he spoke with AIDS service workers onJune 13th.

"His comments are outrageous and require that all people of conscious raisetheir voices," said Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida."Rep. Hays has a history of making homophobic remarks to constituents andthen denying those statements. The only thing worse than Hay's commentswould be the silence of those who know better but allow his words to gounchallenged."

A group of AIDS advocates were meeting with Rep. Hays to lobby for supportof AIDS funding by the state. Hays sit on several key state & healthcommittees.

In March of this year, Rep. Hays was at the center of another controversywhen he made bigoted comments to students during Equality Florida's SafeSchools Lobby Day. In that incident, Hays met with a group of students andparents including Jessica Osborn , who attends the University of CentralFlorida and lives in Hays' district. "After telling him [Hays] my story heproceeded to say he was repulsed by homosexuals, and we needed extensivepsychological treatment," said Osborn.

Equality Florida is Florida's only statewide human rights organizationdedicated to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.Through education and advocacy, the organization is committed to building astate of equal rights for all Floridians, inclusive of all sexualorientations and gender identities.



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

[euro-queer] photo essay on Moscow Pride

In addition to the ILGA-Europe/HRW report, there is a photo essay on MoscowPride available on our website. The photo essay in English is at:

http://hrw.org/photos/2007/russia06/index.html



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

Radical anti-gay and anti-family groups in Arkansas plan to put anotherproposal before voters to prevent LGBT people from adopting children or serving asfoster parents. According to these groups, several preliminary drafts alsowould extend the ban to unmarried heterosexual couples.The group plans tosubmit a ballot initiative to Attorney General Dustin McDaniel in the nexttwo or three weeks, according to media reports.

In light of this, Family Pride has released the following statement.

If you have any questions please contact me.

Cathy
917-757-6123
cathy@rennacommunications.com

THE FOLLOWING CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO JENNIFER CHRISLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,FAMILY PRIDE:

"In Arkansas and across the country, adoption and foster care decisionsshould be left in the hands of those most qualified to make them - socialworkers, adoption experts and judges. The welfare of a child isn't aboutpolitics; it's about permanency and a safe, stable and loving homeenvironment. LGBT parents provide stable loving homes to children and 25years of research has shown that children raised in same-sex households doequally as well as children raised by heterosexual parents.

The radical fundamentalist groups pushing this legislation are eitherdenying or ignoring the reality faced by the Arkansas foster care system -that thousands of children deserve to have the best qualified, most lovingparents possible, regardless of the sexual orientation of those fostering oradopting.

It is outrageous that these groups would push their radical agenda bypoliticizing children living in foster care, who need and deserve lovingpermanent homes to grow and thrive."



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

http://newyorklawschool.typepad.com/leonardlink/2007/06/hurrah_for_mass.html

Hurrah for Massachusetts! and Deval Patrick! and MassEquality!!

by New York Law School Professor Arthur S. Leonard, Leonard Link, June 14,
2007 in Legal Issues

This morning the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention overwhelminglyrejected a proposal anti-gay marriage amendment for the state'sconstitution. Under the governing rules, for the amendment to go on theballot in 2008, it had to receive at least 50 votes out of the 200 delegatesto the convention. The measure received just 45 votes. Thus ended amassive lobbying effort, enthusiastically led on the government side byGovernor Deval Patrick and on the civilian side by MassEquality, the state'svery effective LGBT rights political organization. This guarantees thatsame-sex marriage will remain available in Massachusetts for the foreseeablefuture, as the anti-marriage forces (and yes, those who oppose same-sexmarriage are, in reality, anti-marriage in a true sense) must wait untilafter the next legislative elections to broach the issue again, and the moretime that goes by, the less salient the issue gets.

Indeed, that's the best explanation of why several legislators who have beenfirm opponents of same-sex marriage did not vote for the amendment thistime. At some point, the facts on the ground take on overwhelming force,and in Massachusetts the facts on the ground are that same-sex couples havebeen marrying since May 2004, more than three years now, with no discerniblenegative effects for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The parade ofhorribles has not happened. The rate of different-sex marriages has notcollapsed. The divorce rate of different-sex couples has not skyrocketed.Out of wedlock births have not gone through the roof. Things are goingalong just fine.

Next on the agenda: repealing that offense 1913 statute, clearly passed toprevent liberal Massachusetts town clerks from issuing marriage licenses tomixed-race couples from out-of-state back in those by-gone days, which nowstands as the barrier to same-sex couples from other states (except, fornow, Rhode Island) marrying in Massachusetts. Is the Massachusetts weddingindustry ready for what may happen if the repeal effort is successful?

Celebrate. Mark this day in history. Bravo Massachusetts! Brave Gov.Patrick! Bravo MassEquality!



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


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/4890603.html

3 insurers shed light on Protestant church sex abuse

By ROSE FRENCH
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The three companies that insure the majority ofProtestant churches in America say they typically receive upward of 260reports each year of young people under 18 being sexually abused by clergy,church staff, volunteers or congregation members.

The figures released to The Associated Press offer a glimpse into what haslong been an extremely difficult phenomenon to pin down - the frequency ofsex abuse in Protestant congregations.

Religious groups and victims' supporters have been keenly interested in thefigure ever since the Roman Catholic sex abuse crisis hit five years ago.The church has revealed that there have been 13,000 credible accusationsagainst Catholic clerics since 1950.

Protestant numbers have been harder to come by and are sketchier because thedenominations are less centralized than the Catholic church; indeed, manycongregations are independent, which makes reporting even more difficult.

Some of the only numbers come from three insurance companies - Church MutualInsurance Co., GuideOne Insurance Co. and Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co.

Together, they insure 165,495 churches and worship centers for liabilityagainst child sex abuse and other sexual misconduct, mostly Protestantcongregations but a few other faiths as well. They also insure more than5,500 religious schools, camps and other organizations.



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

From: WorldNetDaily

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52244

Sexual fascism and the Mark Foley scandal
Posted: October 3, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Linda Harvey

[Linda Harvey is founder of Mission America, which monitors and reports onthe promotion of homosexuality to youth]

Apparently, Rep. Mark Foley is homosexual. And like many homosexual men, helikes young teen boys. We should pray for him that he gets a handle on thisproblem and refrains from harming any more kids.

Meanwhile, we need to wake up. The fact that this is typical behavior forhomosexuals doesn't stop us from continuing to elevate such folks topositions where they gain access to our kids.

And the liberal wing of the GOP - the "It's My Party, Too" crowd - sheltersand nurtures those who pose a serious threat to children in this and manyother ways. Foley is on the advisory board of the radically liberal -- not"moderate"- PAC led by Christie Todd Whitman, who vetoed a partial-birthabortion ban bill while governor of New Jersey and supports homosexual"marriage."

This outing of another RINO Republican won't hurt the chances ofconservatives at the polls in November, but will help clarify voter choices.

Get these people out of the party! The "It's My Party Too," or IMPT,"advisory board" is replete with child-unfriendly Republicans.

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]

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