**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.
=
About Ft. Lauderdale Mayor, James Naugle
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/1194/174/
by Norm Kent
Updated: 10 p.m. Tuesday
To Whom It May Concern:
I have now reviewed the video of the Mayor's press conference from 1 p.m.this afternoon.
What my colleague Jim Naugle failed to note to the press when publishing hisremarks was that he read excerpts of a column I wrote in a gay magazine inSeptember of 1998, and his references were to a New Times article duringthat same summer.
I regret that he failed to disclose the dated nature of the article, andtoday attempted to give authenticity and credibility his position today bysharing a feature no longer impacting our community, effectively eliminatednearly a decade ago by community policing and responsible gay citizens.
It may enhance his position with Fox News as a future commentator, but Iwill look forward to debating him on air. It certainly will not endear himto the gay and lesbian population of South Florida.
He says we are unhappy. I think he is wrong. Today I think the gay communityof Fort Lauderdale is happy.
I think the straight mayor of Fort Lauderdale may be very sad.
Norm Kent
=
About Ft. Lauderdale Mayor, James Naugle
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/1194/174/
It's Still A Game
for the Mayor
And He is Going to Lose
By Norm Kent
Sending out feigned notices from his office this morning that he intended to'apologize' for the anger he has generated with South Florida's gaycommunity, the Mayor of Fort Lauderdale instead used his one p.m. afternoonpress conference to reaffirm his opposition to diversity.
The President of the Florida Dolphin Democrats, Michael Albetta, said itbest at noon when he said "Beware of the Mayor, he is a sly fox."
You see, the Mayor decided to apologize instead "to the parents and childrenof our community," he said, "for not being aware of the problem" about gayscruising for sex openly.
The Mayor, forgetting something called the separation of Church and State,held his press conference on the steps of City Hall with the Reverend O'NealDozier, who opposes the new group formed called Unite Fort Lauderdale. Infact, Dozier expects to bring protestors to the rally today in opposition tothe effort.
The Mayor thinks it is cute that he has upset us all. The Mayor thinks, ashe ends his tenure, to focus not on the good we have created but the wrongshe can find in isolation.
In all my years of spirited public activism, I have never seen a morecallous disregard for the respect of the community and the righteousness ofa cause.
The Mayor actually went on to say that the Broward tourism office shouldrethink its policy of inviting gay tourists to our city, because of AIDSconcerns. He urged people to go out and look for public sexual acts by men,and report them. It is not just that the mayor's press release of an apologywas a transparent fraud, he went on the assault further.
If this was a cause he thought would go away, the Mayor has insured insteadthat it will galvanize further and grow stronger than ever. Underestimatingthe strength and dynamics of our South Florida gay community, the Mayorplayed down our rally, our organization, and our protests. Today he made thesituation worse, perhaps more cruel than any Mayor in any city anytimeanywhere anyplace in this century.
The Mayor's conduct today incorrectly focused on the misconduct of sexualmiscreants who find excitement in bathroom stalls. Gay or straight, theissue of Unite Fort Lauderdale is not about them. And our concern about theMayor is not about that.
Our issues are the economic health and remarkable diversity of our vibrantcommunity, and the aberrational acts of a few cannot be allowed to discolorthe honorable deeds of our silent majority, who revitalized our guesthouses, restored our neighborhoods, enhanced our businesses and brought lifeand love and laughter to our community. We are happy, healthy, and whole.
Today, the mayor regrettably tarnished his image forever. And tomorrow, hewill wind up with the stigma of having damaged his public reputation, hissuccesses rebuked, and his name a stain on our community. Too bad. He couldhave done better. The next mayor will.
But today's remarks, focused not on unifying our goals, but dividing ourinterests, have insured only that today is the beginning of the end forMayor Naugle.
Before this is over, Waymon Hudson and Fight Out Loud and Unite FortLauderdale will be heard across the nation, and the Mayor will become arelic, a vestige of the past.
Norm Kent
Publisher
National Gay News. com
=
Forwarded from Al Fitiha
International GLBT Muslims
http://www.al-fatiha.org/
Persecuted Gays Seek Refuge in U.S.
Foreigners' Abuse Increasingly Seen as Grounds for Asylum
By Pamela Constable
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 10, 2007; A06
One night in 2003, on the wintry streets of Kosovo, a group of thugs stalkedand beat Gramoz Prestreshi almost to death. Police in the war-scarred Balkanprovince laughed and called him names. The emergency room workers made himmop up his own blood. It was a sordid but hardly unusual episode in thehostile environment homosexuals encounter in societies of all kinds.
Unlike many such victims, though, Prestreshi kept his wits about him. He hadphotographs taken of his injuries. He complained to the press and clippedevery article. When his family disowned him, he joined a gay rightsorganization and slept in its office. This spring, his determination boreunexpected fruit, and Prestreshi was accepted as a legal refugee in theUnited States. He now lives in the District.
"I am happy because I don't have to live like a prisoner anymore in asociety where no one is allowed to be different," said Prestreshi, a slight,nervous man of 22, who won his asylum case with help from Whitman-WalkerClinic in the District. "But I can never forget what happened. It hurt whenthe police called us 'faggots.' It hurt when my parents screamed and beat meafter they found out. It still hurts."
Harassment and abuse of gay men and lesbians is becoming increasinglyaccepted as grounds for legal asylum in the United States, even at a time ofconservative judicial activism, fear about HIV/AIDS transmission andincreased scrutiny of asylum seekers. The government does not disclose abreakdown of reasons for granting asylum petitions, but legal advocacygroups in several major U.S. cities said they have won dozens of cases.
=
An Iranian Gay Man at Risk of Deportation from France
24 July 2007
Hamid is a 21 years-old homosexual man from Iran. He fled country because ofhis sexual orientation and has been staying in France for about one and halfyear now. He was arrested by the police a few days ago in Paris and sincethat day, 18 July 2007, he has been kept in a detention room. UnfortunatelyFrench authorities are going to deport him back to Iran. They are dealingwithIranian Embassy in Paris about this issue.
He MUST not be deported back to Iran, and he needs our support NOW.
IRQO has been in touch with Cimad Organization in Paris so you can send yoursupport letters and letters of reproving of his deportation to thisorganization: they will refer those letters to the government. \
You can also fax your letters to: 0033-15-509-2076
Or email it to: info@irqo.net
The government of France must not deport Hamid back to where he'll betortured. Read Mr. Philippe DOUSTE-BLAZY, Ministary of Forigne Affair'sletter on 26.Apr.2006 about Iranian homosexuals in French and English,Bellow.
=
Spanish judge who denied lesbian woman custody of children to be probed
Decision goes against laws brought in by Socialist Prime Minister Zapatero
MADRID (AP) | Jul 24, 12:11 PM
http://www.sovo.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=13519
Spain's judicial watchdog said Tuesday it is investigating a judge whodenied a woman custody of her two daughters because she was a lesbian.
"Children have a right to a father and a mother, but not to two mothers ortwo fathers," Fernando Ferrin Calamita, a judge in the southeastern city ofMurcia, wrote in a custody case ruling last month.
Ferrin said the mother, who was not identified, "must choose between herchildren and her new partner," according to leading Spanish daily El Paisand other media.
The judge went on to order the mother to relinquish the children by the endof June and said the father - her former husband - should have custody.
The couple divorced after the husband discovered the woman was a lesbian,the judge said.
"It is a homosexual atmosphere that harms minors and substantially increasesthe risk that they will turn that way too," the judge added.
=
The New Statesman: Pink Planet
Brian Whitaker
http://www.newstatesman.com/200707190026
4130 words
23 July 2007
New Statesman
(c) 2007, New Statesman
Brian Whitaker reports on the new global upsurge in pink politics, fromChina and Iraq to South America plus we've interviews with gay people aroundthe globe
London, Toronto, Madrid, Paris . . . This summer, Pride marches bringhundreds of thousands of people on to the streets of the world's majorcities. Politicians and celebrities who once would have shunned them nowreap kudos by declaring their support. If Ken Livingstone failed to show upone year at Pride London, the media would want to know why. But don't expectthe mayors of Moscow or Jerusalem to put in an appearance any time soon:both have sought to ban parades in their own cities and in some parts of theworld only fools would dream of trying to hold one. Yet increasingly, evenin countries where public discussion of homosexuality is still largelytaboo, questions about gay rights are gradually coming to the surface.
According to Scott Long, of Human Rights Watch, gay activism is growing inboth Latin America and Africa. "It's still relative, but ten years ago,outside South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, there were no groupsanywhere in Africa," he said. "Now, most anglophone countries and anincreasing number of West African countries have at least smallorganisations that are trying to do something.
"In Latin America there's a really vibrant movement that has connected withthe left, and particularly in countries like Argentina and Chile there's acompletely different atmosphere now. These issues have become respectable ina lot of places."
But as gay and lesbian activists around the world have become moreorganised, so too have their opponents - often aided by the spread ofreligious conservatism, whether of the Christian or Muslim variety.
=
Forwarded by Rex Wockner
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=1.0.1133557396
Tehran, 23 July (AKI) - A total 125 people have been arrested in thenortheast Iranian city of Mashhad, one of the holiest Shiite shrines.according to police.
The 67 men and 58 women were arrested for committing 'sex crimes', aspokesman for Mashhad police said without elaborating.
Many thousands of Shiite pilgrims head to Mashhad each year to visit theImam Reza's mausoleum.
Shiite Muslims believe that Imam Reza was the eighth successor to theProphet Mohammad. Reza was allegedly poisoned in 818 while travellingthrough Mashhad.
=
Yahoo.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070723/wl_mideast_afp/iranwomenfashion_070723175421
Iran launches new crackdown on unIslamic dress
by Farhad Pouladi Mon Jul 23, 1:54 PM ET
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Monday launched a new wave of a moral crackdownagainst women who "dress like models" and men whose hairstyles are deemedunIslamic, police said.
Tehran's police force dispatched dozens of police cars and minibuses intothe early evening rush-hour to enforce the dress rules at major squares inthe city centre, an AFP correspondent said.
The new "plan to increase security in society" -- which is limited to Tehranbut will later extend nationwide -- comes after a pre-summer drive by thepolice resulted in thousands of warnings and hundreds of arrests.
"We have vowed to continue the campaign to reinforce the plan to increasesecurity in society with new personnel who have received the necessarytraining," the Tehran police head of information Mehdi Ahmadi told reportersas the first police forces were dispatched.
"This notably includes the use of 100 female police officers," he added.
He said that the campaign would target women who were badly veiled, woreoverly tight overcoats, sported excessively short trousers and were "dressedlike models."
=
Ca.Today.Reuters.com
Hungarians test eastern Europe's gay taboo
Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:35 PM EDT
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&story
ID=uri:2007-07-24T233501Z_01_L18725336_RTRIDST_0_LIFESTYLE-EUROPE-GAYS-COL.XML&pageNumber=2&summit=
By Krisztina Than
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - "I am Gabor Szetey. A faithful Hungarian-European.Citizen, public official, member of the government. And gay."
Of all the arenas in which a senior government politician could come out,Szetey's choice -- two days before a Gay Pride march earlier this month inpost-communist eastern Europe -- was one of the most defiant.
Hungary's Secretary of State for Human Resources risked hostility because hewanted to highlight persistent intolerance, not just of gay people, but alsoof other minorities, in eastern Europe.
After decades under communist rule when homosexuality was banned or simplyout of sight, most east Europeans still find it hard to accept. The lack oftolerance has been coupled with a surge in nationalism in some parts of theregion.
=
Chicago Free Press
July 25, 2007
Over There
Paul Varnell
It is important to keep our main focus on the struggle for gay freedom andequality here in the United States where the forces of anti-gay repressionare constantly looking for ways to undermine and reverse our progress.
But it is also worth paying some attention to the abusive treatment of gaysand lesbians elsewhere in the world. In many countries outside WesternEurope, their situation is much more vulnerable than our own, in some casesdire.
Gay progress in the U.S. has been aided by a growing social liberalizationduring the last 40 years; but in many countries those conditions do notprevail andthe struggle of gays is much more difficult. Their advocacy movements aremuch smaller, ill-funded and more recent than our own, their governmentsmuch more repressive, and fundamentalist religion (Catholic, Protestant, Muslim)far more powerful than here.
Religious militia death squads kill gays in Iraq; gays are arrested andsometimes executed on arguably trumped-up charges of rape or pederasty in Iran; vigilante groups kill gays in Brazil; Nigeria is in the grip of contending
Muslim and Christian sects competing to be more anti-gay; gays in Eastern, Europe (Russia, Poland, some Baltic states) are barred from public advocacy and beaten up by skinhead hooligans while police watch complacently. And meanwhile His Holiness inveighs against gays from his Vatican throne while both SunniSaudi Arabia and Shiite Iran export homophobic religion.
=
Indianews.com
http://www.indiaenews.com/nepal/20070724/62174.htm
Elton John stands behind Nepal's gay community
By Sudeshna Sarkar. Kathmandu, Nepal, 12:01 PM IST
British singer Sir Elton John has taken up cudgels onbehalf of Nepal's sexual minorities, who were recentlytold by a government official that instead of tryingto educate the gay community about the spread ofHIV/AIDS they should 'find something better to do'.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation, Britain's largestcharity that supports AIDS intervention programmesacross the world, issued a statement from London,saying it was 'extremely proud' to support the BlueDiamond Society (BDS), Nepal's only gay rightsorganisation, and the HIV/AIDS work it was doing inthe country.
=
European Union - US given sexual orientation information on
travellers... [2007-07-24 PinkNews]
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/view.php?id=5008
US given sexual orientation information on travellers
24th July 2007 16:04
Yepoka Yeebo
The European Commission quietly approved an agreement this Mondaywhich gives the US Department of Homeland Security unprecedentedaccess to the personal information of anyone on a transatlanticflight, including details of their sexual orientation.
The DHS insists on the right to use the information for diseasecontrol, and there are fears that gay passengers may be singled outas possible HIV risks.
The plans involve upgrading information which is already sent byairlines to the DHS on the 4-million-plus Britons who visit the USevery year, including payment details, home address and thepassengers in-flight meal choice.
The agreement adds 19 possible new categories, including informationon ethnic origin, political and philosophical opinions, credit cardnumbers, trade union membership, sex life and details of thepassengers' health.
=
Anything But Straight
www.waynebesen.com
by Wayne Besen
July 24, 2007
Red Meat Conservatism
I was famished on my long drive to New York City and pulled off I-95 in themiddle of Nowhere, South Carolina. A billboard had directed me to arestaurant on desolate Frontage Road, which had the charm of an abandon rockquarry. In the distance, I saw a bright yellow sign that read "Maurice'sBBQ." I bounded into the aromatic smoke pit looking forward to good southernribs, but what I found instead was good ole fashioned red meat conservatism.In this contentious day and age, it seems even pulled pork is politicized.
A small glass encased room at the store's entrance served as a propagandacenter, with books, pamphlets and cartoons extolling the virtues of the oldConfederacy and modern Republican politics. One book depicted a photographof the American flag under the caption, "The Real Slave Flag." Various rebelflags also filled the space, as well as photographs of southern Civil War"heroes."
Ironically, there was a young African American teenager working at the cashregister. Either she was blissfully ignorant of her surroundings, or jobswere scarce in this neck of the woods. I just can't imagine a black personin New York or Miami working in such a place. (The exception is Washington,where you can always find a self-loathing minority of all stripes to shillon The Hill)
Once I placed my order, I listened to the locals yak about the great GeorgeW. Bush, the reasons why we should invade Iran and how certain Republicanpoliticians betrayed them on immigration legislation. I had often wonderedwho the remaining 28-percent of the idiots were that supported the worstpresident in history and I finally found them. A couple of people sportedwell-worn Bush/Cheney campaign T-shirts. Meanwhile, several power trucks inthe parking lot had bumper stickers that cheered the GOP, lauded IntelligentDesign or depicted bloody fetuses.
=
Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
Tri-County - chances1@bellsouth.net
Disfavor for Bush Hits Rare Heights
In Modern Era, Only Nixon Scored Worse, And Only Truman Was Down for So Long
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 25, 2007; A03
President Bush is a competitive guy. But this is one contest he would ratherlose. With 18 months left in office, he is in the running for most unpopularpresident in the history of modern polling.
The latest Washington Post-ABC News survey shows that 65 percent ofAmericans disapprove of Bush's job performance, matching his all-time low.In polls conducted by The Post or Gallup going back to 1938, only once has apresident exceeded that level of public animosity -- and that was Richard M.Nixon, who hit 66 percent four days before he resigned.
The historic depth of Bush's public standing has whipsawed his White House,sapped his clout, drained his advisers, encouraged his enemies andjeopardized his legacy. Around the White House, aides make gallows-humorjokes about how they can alienate their remaining supporters -- at leastthose aides not heading for the door. Outside the White House, many formeraides privately express anger and bitterness at their erstwhile colleagues,Bush and the fate of his presidency.
Bush has been so down for so long that some advisers maintain it no longerbothers them much. It can even, they say, be liberating. Seeking the bestinterpretation for the president's predicament, they argue that Bush can dowhat he thinks is right without regard to political cost, pointing todecisions to send more U.S. troops to Iraq and to commute the sentence of I.Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff.
But the president's unpopularity has left the White House to play mostlydefense for the remainder of his term. With his immigration overhaulproposal dead, Bush's principal legislative hopes are to save his No ChildLeft Behind education program and to fend off attempts to force him tochange course in Iraq. The emerging strategy is to play off a Congress thatis also deeply unpopular and to look strong by vetoing spending bills.
=
Forwarded from GLSEN SOUTH FLORIDA
glsen@glsensouthflorida.org
Pridelines' Full Time
Program Coordinator
Job Description
Pridelines Youth Services is a not for profit agency that offers GLBTQ youthages 13-20 an opportunity to develop a positive self-image while helping toincrease their feelings of self-confidence and worth. Through various socialand educational programs, Pridelines Youth Services makes it possible foryouth to interact with like-minded youth and adult role models in a safeenvironment free of harassment and judgment.
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article - job description
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Alimony question identifies legal DP-marriage gaps
http://www.feedblitz.com/t.asp?/130262/2767002/http://www.latimes.com/la-me-gaywed22jul22,0,315735.story?coll=la-home-center
Alimony provides a same-sex union test
An Orange County man appeals an order to pay spousal support to his ex-wife,who is in a domestic partnership.
By Maura Dolan, Times Staff Writer
July 22, 2007
Ron Garber knew his former wife was living with another woman - and hadtaken her last name - when he agreed to pay her $1,250 a month in alimony.
What he didn't know was that the two women had registered with the state asdomestic partners under a law that was supposed to mirror marriage law,Garber said.
State marriage laws say that alimony ends when the former spouse remarries,and Garber reasons he should be off the hook, given that domesticpartnership is akin to marriage. But an Orange County judge has decided thatregistered partnership is cohabitation, not marriage, and that Garber mustpay.
"This is not about gay or lesbian," Garber said. "This is about the lawbeing fair."
The case, which Garber intends to appeal, highlights gaps between the legalstatus of domestic partners and of married couples, an issue the CaliforniaSupreme Court is considering as it ponders whether to legalize same-sexmarriage.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Democratic Candidates Discuss Same-Sex Marriage
CNN/YouTube Democratic Presidential Debate
Anderson Cooper Moderator
July 23, 20037
Excerpt:
COOPER: Our next question is on a topic that got a lot of response fromYouTube viewers. Let's watch.
QUESTION: Hi. My name is Mary.
QUESTION: And my name is Jen.
QUESTION: And we're from Brooklyn, New York.
If you were elected president of the United States, would you allow us to bemarried to each other?
COOPER: Congressman Kucinich?
KUCINICH: Mary and Jen, the answer to your question is yes. And let me tellyou why.
Because if our Constitution really means what it says, that all are createdequal, if it really means what it says, that there should be equality ofopportunity before the law, then our brothers and sisters who happen to begay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender should have the same rights accordedto them as anyone else, and that includes the ability to have a civilmarriage ceremony.
Yes, I support you. And welcome to a better and a new America under aPresident Kucinich administration.
(APPLAUSE)
COOPER: Senator Dodd, you supported the Defense of Marriage Act. What's yourposition?
DODD: I've made the case, Anderson, that -- my wife and I have two youngdaughters, age 5 and 2.
I'd simply ask the audience to ask themselves the question that Jackie and Ihave asked: How would I want my two daughters treated if they grew up andhad a different sexual orientation than their parents?
Good jobs, equal opportunity, to be able to retire, to visit each other, tobe with each other, as other people do.
So I feel very strongly, if you ask yourself the question, "How would youlike your children treated if they had a different sexual orientation thantheir parents?," the answer is yes. They ought to have that ability in civilunions.
I don't go so far as to call for marriage. I believe marriage is between aman and a woman.
But my state of Connecticut, the state of New Hampshire, have endorsed civilunions. I strongly support that. But I don't go so far as marriage.
COOPER: Governor Richardson?
RICHARDSON: Well, I would say to the two young women, I would level with you-- I would do what is achievable.
What I think is achievable is full civil unions with full marriage rights. Iwould also press for you a hate crimes act in the Congress. I wouldeliminate "don't ask/don't tell" in the military.
(APPLAUSE)
If we're going to have in our military men and women that die for thiscountry, we shouldn't give them a lecture on their sexual orientation
I would push for domestic partnership laws, nondiscrimination in insuranceand housing.
I would also send a very strong message that, in my administration, I willnot tolerate any discrimination on the basis of race, gender, or sexualorientation.
(APPLAUSE)
COOPER: This next question is for Senator Edwards.
QUESTION: I'm Reverend Reggie Longcrier. I'm the pastor of Exodus Missionand Outreach Church in Hickory, North Carolina.
Senator Edwards said his opposition to gay marriage is influenced by hisSouthern Baptist background. Most Americans agree it was wrong andunconstitutional to use religion to justify slavery, segregation, anddenying women the right to vote.
So why is it still acceptable to use religion to deny gay American theirfull and equal rights?
(APPLAUSE)
EDWARDS: I think Reverend Longcrier asks a very important question, which iswhether fundamentally -- whether it's right for any of our faith beliefs tobe imposed on the American people when we're president of the United States.I do not believe that's right.
I feel enormous personal conflict about this issue. I want to enddiscrimination. I want to do some of the things that I just heard BillRichardson talking about -- standing up for equal rights, substantiverights, civil unions, the thing that Chris Dodd just talked about. But Ithink that's something everybody on this stage will commit themselves to aspresident of the United States.
But I personally have been on a journey on this issue. I feel enormousconflict about it. As I think a lot of people know, Elizabeth spoke -- mywife Elizabeth spoke out a few weeks ago, and she actually supports gaymarriage. I do not. But this is a very, very difficult issue for me. And Irecognize and have enormous respect for people who have a different view ofit.
COOPER: I should also point out that the reverend is actually in theaudience tonight. Where is he? Right over here.
Reverend, do you feel he answered your question?
(APPLAUSE)
QUESTION: This question was just a catalyst that promoted some other thingsthat wrapped around that particular question, especially when it comes tofair housing practices. Also...
COOPER: Do you think he answered the question, though?
QUESTION: Not like I would like to have heard it...
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: What did you not hear?
QUESTION: I didn't quite get -- some people were moving around, and I didn'tquite get all of his answer. I just heard...
COOPER: All right, there's 30 seconds more. Why is it OK to quite religiousbeliefs when talking about why you don't support something? That'sessentially what's his question.
EDWARDS: It's not. I mean, I've been asked a personal question which is, Ithink, what Reverend Longcrier is raising, and that personal question is, doI believe and do I personally support gay marriage?
The honest answer to that is I don't. But I think it is absolutely wrong, aspresident of the United States, for me to have used that faith basis as abasis for denying anybody their rights, and I will not do that when I'mpresident of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
COOPER: Senator Obama, the laws banning interracial marriage in the UnitedStates were ruled unconstitutional in 1967. What is the difference between aban on interracial marriage and a ban on gay marriage?
OBAMA: Well, I think that it is important to pick up on something that wassaid earlier by both Dennis and by Bill, and that is that we've got to makesure that everybody is equal under the law. And the civil unions that Iproposed would be equivalent in terms of making sure that all the rightsthat are conferred by the state are equal for same-sex couples as well asfor heterosexual couples.
Now, with respect to marriage, it's my belief that it's up to the individual denominations to make a decision as to whether they want to recognizemarriage or not. But in terms of, you know, the rights of people to ransferproperty, to have hospital visitation, all those critical civil rights thatare conferred by our government, those should be equal.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Part I: CNN/YouTube Democratic presidential debatetranscript
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript/index.html?section=cnn_latest
Part I: CNN/YouTube Democratic presidential debate transcript
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- The eight candidates vying to be theDemocrat nominee for president in the 2008 elections answered questionssubmitted by CNN and YouTube users in a debate Tuesday night. Here is a fulltranscript of the event:
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN host: Our first question tonight is Zach Kempf inProvo, Utah.
QUESTION: What's up? I'm running out of tape; I have to hurry.
So my question is: We have a bunch of leaders who can't seem to do theirjob. And we pick people based on the issues they that they represent, butthen they get in power and they don't do anything about it anyway.
You're going to spend this whole night talking about your views on issues,but the issues don't matter if when you get in power nothing's going to getdone.
We have a Congress and a president with, like, a 30 percent approval rating,so clearly we don't think they're doing a good job. What's going to make youany more effectual, beyond all the platitudes and the stuff we're used tohearing? I mean, be honest with us. How are you going to be any different?
COOPER: Senator Dodd, you've been in Congress more than 30 years. Can youhonestly say you're any different?
For the rest of the transcript, go to the website listed above.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.transcript.part2/index.html
Part II: CNN/YouTube Democratic presidential debate transcript
This is part two of the transcript for the CNN/YouTube presidential debates.
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- QUESTION: Hi, my name is Shawn and I'mfrom Ann Arbor, Michigan. There is a scientific consensus for man-causedclimate change, and I've heard each of you talk in previous debates aboutalternative energy sources like solar or wind, but I have not heard any ofyou speak your opinion on nuclear power. I believe that nuclear power issafer, cleaner, and provides a quicker avenue to energy independence thanother alternatives.
QUESTION: I am curious what each of you believe.
COOPER: Senator Edwards?
EDWARDS: Wind, solar, cellulose-based biofuels are the way we need to go. Ido not favor nuclear power. We haven't built a nuclear power plant indecades in this country. There is a reason for that. The reason is it isextremely costly. It takes an enormous amount of time to get one planned,developed and built. And we still don't have a safe way to dispose of thenuclear waste. It is a huge problem for America over the long term.
For the rest of the transcript, go to the website listed above.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/lifestyle-usa-politics-kucinich.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
July 24, 2007
Democrat Kucinich: Long Shot Who Keeps on Running
By REUTERS
Filed at 12:47 p.m. ET
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinichhas just 1 percent support in the polls, six candidates ahead of him andnext to no chance of becoming U.S. president. But don't tell him that.
A six-term anti-war congressman from Cleveland, Kucinich was the lastDemocrat standing against Sen. John Kerry in 2004 -- if only because herefused to quit. And he's convinced his second run for the presidentialnomination will be more successful.
"I'm in this campaign to win," Kucinich said after an Ohio campaign stop."People are looking for an alternative."
Voters looking for an alternative to mainstream U.S. politics will certainlyfind that in Kucinich, a 60-year-old vegan who survived homelessness as achild and a Mafia death threat early in his career to become a key figure inthe growing anti-war movement.
During Monday night's CNN/YouTube Democratic debate, Kucinich wore theliberal label proudly.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/opinion/25weds4.html?pagewanted=print
July 25, 2007
Editorial Observer
YouDebate: If Only the Candidates Were as Interesting as the Questioners
By ADAM COHEN
Charleston, S.C.
The most striking questions in the YouTube Democratic presidential debatewere the ones about sick people. Two brothers from Davenport, Iowa,submitted a video of themselves feeding a parent with Alzheimer's andasking, "What are you going to do to fight this disease now?" A 36-year-oldLong Island woman who said she hoped "to be a future breast cancer survivor"removed a wig to reveal a bald head and asked, "What would you as presidentdo to make low-cost or free preventive medicine available for everybody inthis country?"
There was a lot of hype going into Monday night's debate, and the format didnot live up to all of it. The video questioners had trouble wresting thecandidates from their heavily protected fortresses - but then, eightbunker-buster bombs would have had trouble doing that. What the format diddo was make the proceedings more entertaining, and it injected real peopleinto arid public policy debates. In a modest but real way, it worked.
The debate was certainly more lively than the usual candidate face-off. Noteven CNN's selection of the videos, or the fact that the subject was anelection 16 months off, managed to squash all of YouTube's offbeat charm. Ifthe now-familiar line-up of Democratic candidates is going to provide yetanother familiar answer to yet another question about global warming, whynot have it asked by a talking snowman?
A more raw moment came toward the end, when the candidates were confrontedwith the sort of authentic American voice that does not often make it ontomainstream television. A Michigan man asked the candidates about guncontrol, saying he and other Americans wanted to know "if our babies aresafe." His "baby," he then revealed, was a fierce-looking automatic weapon.
Even though the questions were different, the candidates' answers all toooften were not. Dennis Kucinich responded to the snowman with a stump speechthat began, "Well, we have to understand the connection between globalwarring and global warming," ignoring what everyone else saw, which was thathis interlocutor was a pile of frozen water.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/lifestyle-europe-gays.html?pagewanted=print
July 25, 2007
Hungarians Test Eastern Europe's Gay Taboo
By REUTERS
Filed at 3:14 a.m. ET
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - "I am Gabor Szetey. A faithful Hungarian-European.Citizen, public official, member of the government. And gay."
Of all the arenas in which a senior government politician could come out,Szetey's choice -- two days before a Gay Pride march earlier this month inpost-communist eastern Europe -- was one of the most defiant.
Hungary's Secretary of State for Human Resources risked hostility because hewanted to highlight persistent intolerance, not just of gay people, but alsoof other minorities, in eastern Europe.
After decades under communist rule when homosexuality was banned or simplyout of sight, most east Europeans still find it hard to accept. The lack oftolerance has been coupled with a surge in nationalism in some parts of theregion.
"I think my coming out took so long partly because I was 22 in 1990," Szeteytold Reuters. He blamed the communist regime -- which collapsed in 1989 inHungary -- for the fact many still keep their homosexuality secret.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/24/AR2007072401968_pf.html
Regarding Alan Shaw's letter on the vandalism to a Hummer in Washington, inwhich he wrote, "I find it very hard to dredge up much sympathy for thevictim":
This attitude encourages people to engage in violence -- such as the bombingof abortion clinics, attacks on gay people and arson at houses being builtfor African Americans -- if they believe their cause to be socially,religiously or politically correct.
The violence against property in this case was more than simple vandalism.It was a form of hate-fueled vigilantism. It should not be tolerated.
CYNTHIA WASHINGTON
Silver Spring
=
The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-flpwater0725pnjul25,0,4410578,print.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout
Finally! Weekend rains get water flowing into Lake O
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
July 25, 2007
For the first time in eight months, water on Tuesday resumed flowing fromthe Kissimmee River into Lake Okeechobee - slowly starting to replenishSouth Florida's primary backup water supply.
Above-average rainfall in the Kissimmee River basin, which saw 2 to 4 inchesduring weekend storms, finally added up to enough water draining into theriver that the Army Corps of Engineers this week opened water control gatesat the north end of the 730-square-mile lake.
It was the first time in 250 days that there was enough water in the riverto open the drainage gates, corps spokesman Barry Vorse said Tuesday.
Just about 150 cubic feet of water per second, well below normal, flowedfrom the river to the lake on Tuesday, Vorse said.
"It's not going to be rushing in torrents toward the lake, but it's astart," Vorse said.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/07/072407dancer.htm
Model Sues Magazine Over Photo Identifying Him As Gay Porn Star
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: July 24, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(New York City) A New York City judge has refused to dismiss a case by apart-time model and dancer who alleges the city's biggest LGBT club guidedefamed him by identifying him as a porn star in an ad for gay club Splash.
HX magazine had attempted to have Alex Saez's $1.25 million lawsuit tossedout but Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Emily Goodman ruled the suit couldproceed, noting that the magazine "does admit that no investigation wasdone" to determine if he was indeed a porn star.
Saez is a go-go dancer at Splash by night and worked in retail by day. Heclaims in the lawsuit that agreed to pose for the ad but with certainconditions.
"[He] accommodated the request [to pose] provided that any images be usedsolely for one-time limited in-house distribution of flyers," the lawsuitcharges
The photo showed Saez barechested and in open jeans.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/07/072407windsor.htm
International Manhunt For Gay Man's Killer
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: July 24, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(Windsor, Ontario) Police on both sides of the Canada-US border are huntingfor a 22-year old Windsor, Ontario man wanted in the killing of a bartenderat an area bar.
Windsor and Detroit are linked by bridges and a tunnel. There also isbridge linking nearby Grand Bend, Ontario with Grand Bend, Michigan.
The badly decomposed body of Carlos Rivera, 26, was found late last week inhis Windsor apartment, three days after he failed to show up at Taps, apopular gay bar in the city that attracts clientele from both sides of theborder.
A first degree murder warrant has been issued for Jesse Norman Imeson. The22-year old is considered armed an dangerous police said.
Investigators say they believe Imeson met Rivera at the bar. The pair wereseen last week in Rivera's car with Imeson at the wheel.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/07/072407uk.htm
New Gay Travel Campaign Reflects Changing Community
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: July 24, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(London) Gays and lesbians eyeing travel ads for Great Britain aren't seeingmuscular male models flexing their pecs promoting hot times in the UK thisyear.
Instead, the ads show a gay couple walking hand-in-hand along a beach, alesbian couple with a child looking at Buckingham Palace, Palace guardsdressed in the rainbow colors, and pictures of the London Flower Show.
VisitBritain, the government financed tourism agency, says the changereflects the way the American gay community now sees itself - more familyoriented.
In the past VisitBritain had run successful ad campaigns in the US featuringclubbing with a sexy edge.
But that is no longer working. The agency hired a US-based ad firm to helpit create a new image - going so far as to hold LGBT focus groups in majorcities including San Francisco, New York and Chicago.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/07/072507rudy.htm
Rudy Touts Roberts, Alito As Model Justices
by The Associated Press
Posted: July 25, 2007 - 9:00 am ET
(Riverside, California) Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giulianisaid Tuesday that judges who are not so-called "strict constructionists"threaten American democracy.
Giuliani, answering a question at a news conference about his support forabortion rights, veered into a broad criticism of the federal judiciary. Herepeated his pledge to appoint strict constructionists to the federal bench.
"What 'strict constructionist' means is that a judge will interpret theConstitution in accordance with what someone else meant when they wrotethose words and not try to legislate," the former New York mayor said. "Ifyou are not a strict constructionist, I believe you imperil the Americandemocracy because you take the role of a legislator."
As he has in the past, Giuliani said he would appoint judges in the mold ofChief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, President Bush'sappointees to the Supreme Court and two justices embraced by conservatives.
Throughout the campaign, Giuliani has struggled to square what he calls hispersonal opposition to terminating pregnancies with his long record ofsupport for a woman's right to choose.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=27955
U.S. anti-prostitution stance is not effective at helping to control theglobal HIV epidemic
Disease/Infection News
Published: Tuesday, 24-Jul-2007
In order to receive U.S. funding for HIV prevention or control projects,recipient organizations must take a pledge that explicitly condemnsprostitution.
But such condemnation is not effective at helping to control the global HIVepidemic, say researchers in this week's PLoS Medicine.
Nicole Franck Masenior and Chris Beyrer (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School ofPublic Health) reviewed the existing scientific evidence on strategies thateffectively reduce rates of HIV among sex workers.
They found a substantial body of peer-reviewed published studies suggestingthat the empowerment, organization, and unionization of sex workers can bean effective HIV prevention strategy and can reduce the other harmsassociated with sex work, including violence, police harassment, unwantedpregnancy, and the number of underage sex workers.
"While sex work may be exploitative," say Franck Masenior and Beyrer, "andis illegal in many jurisdictions, sex worker advocates and HIV preventionprogram leaders generally concur that sex workers themselves need services,protection, peer outreach, and support from health professionals to reducetheir risk of HIV infection." The anti-prostitution pledge, they say, placesfunding restrictions on those HIV programs that have policies calling fordecriminalization or legalization of sex work.
=
A Note From Hillsborough County, Florida
Dear Friends and Family of the GLBT Community,
(First, our apologies for last night's email - it went through without any formatting and was unreadable. Here's the correctly formatted message.)
We want to officially let you know that 2008 will be the year that everything changes. Yes - there is a Presidential race brewing that will finally end the long painful curse we've had to deal with during the Bush/Cheney administration, but what we want to let everyone in our community know about is something a little closer to home.
Right now, as we write this letter, there is a movement underway that will not only make history in Florida, but has the ability to cause a seismic rumble that could be felt across the country- and where is this occurring? None other than Hillsborough County!
Yes - Hillsborough County, the home of Ronda Storms - and in no better place than the scene of the crime - the Hillsborough County Commission! It was the illsborough County Commission, led by the likes of Ronda and all but one (1) of her colleagues, who decided to throw out the constitutional right of free speech and ban the display of books celebrating Gay Pride (little g - little p) in the public libraries. As we all know they were successful in their efforts - but that was then - and this is now! It is now time to strike back and bring some common sense and an honest acceptance of diversity - which will actually be a more accurate representation of the residential makeup of Hillsborough County.
So how do we do it you ask? Easy..Kevin Beckner is a candidate for the Hillsborough County Commission - District 6 (countywide). Kevin is a Professional Certified Financial Planner, a former law enforcement officer, and a good Democrat who is very involved in the community.and Kevin happens to be openly gay. Kevin's campaign is already up and running..and there is a lot of work to do and a lot of milestones to hit..but we are on the way to make history by winning this seat and telling the citizens of Hillsborough County and the whole world that to quote Bob Dylan - "these times are a changing!" Kevin is a great candidate and he can most definitely win! But we can't do it without you!
This race is bigger than Hillsborough County..way bigger! Imagine for a minute how different things will be when an openly gay candidate wins in one of the biggest counties in Florida whose recent history has been one of regression towards diversity and civil liberties. Kevin's win in Hillsborough County will mark the end of wedge issue politics that have hurt not just the GLBT community but frankly everyone! Look around and see what has become of our State and our Country at the hands of those who have used wedge issue campaigns to their advantage--------- Well those days are over!
We are sending this message out across the state to make sure all our friends and family are aware of this race. We are also asking you for your help! Kevin is going to need all the support and help he can get to pull off this monumental task. Please take the time to visit Kevin's website at ww.KevinBeckner.com for more information about his race. Kevin needs volunteer help and would really appreciate any form of contribution you feel comfortable making.
Thank you for continued support of all our causes. 2008 will prove to be a historic year!
With Pride and Peace -
Sally L. Phillips
President Hillsborough County GLBTA Democratic Caucus
813-382-8172 - cell
Mitch Kates
Campaign Manager Kevin Beckner For County Commissioner - District 6
(Countywide)
727-710-2804
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment