GLBT DIGEST August 12, 2007

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Ray's note:

Kenneth Sherrill, publisher of Ken's List and an important source for Ray's
List, is quoted in this article!

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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/weekinreview/12healy-1.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1186916817-Kfi3qCm83B9V0Syu3EMM3w&pagewanted=print

August 12, 2007
The Nation
No, It Wouldn't Happen. Couldn't. No Way.
By PATRICK HEALY
WELL, a New York political reporter can dream, can't he?

Yes, Fred Thompson is getting ready to run. Sure, Mitt Romney has loads of money. O.K., Barack Obama can make cynical Democrats swoon. Yet as confounding as it may be, polls regularly show that two New Yorkers may end up as the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in 2008 - Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Mrs. Clinton's performance in the televised debates, her projection of presidential gravitas and her widely known name have helped her build a lead over her rivals. On the Republican side, Mr. Giuliani continues to engage voters as the white knight of 9/11, and he has shown steadiness as some of his rivals have stumbled.

So let's dream a little. What would the race look like?

It would be personal, pitting opponents with deep history from their home base who nearly faced off for the Senate seat Mrs. Clinton won in 2000. Both have killer instincts, and each has an archive of opposition research on the other. They may not despise each other, their advisers say. But despite the need to remain presidential, they would, in the end, drive each other batty.

"Hillary and Rudy would pursue a similar strategy: Do things to taunt the other to get them to lose their temper," said Kenneth Sherrill, a political scientist at Hunter College in New York who has followed both politicians closely.

"He would push allegations of ethical impropriety in the Clinton White House and try to link her to all the old Clinton scandals," Mr. Sherrill said. "And she could go after him on cronyism, on the excesses of his mayoralty, on his relationships with people like Bernie Kerik" (the disgraced former New York City police commissioner).

You can imagine the biting sarcasm - the way Mr. Giuliani would sneeringly refer to Mrs. Clinton as "her," the way she would dress him down as "the mayor." And oh, the catty asides from Bill Clinton and Judith Giuliani!

more...



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Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flalutherans0812nbaug12,0,4871860.story

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Lutherans urged to accept gay clergy
By Margaret Ramirez
Chicago Tribune
August 12, 2007

CHICAGO In a historic decision that could shift the future of their church's policy on sexuality, the nation's largest Lutheran denomination Saturday urged its bishops to refrain from disciplining gay ministers who are in committed same-sex relationships.

The resolution came from Chicago's Bishop Paul Landahl on the final day of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's national meeting at Navy Pier. After emotional testimony on the Biblical interpretation of homosexuality, church leaders passed Bishop Landahl's resolution by a vote of 538-431.

Saturday's resolution surprised some in the church since it came a day after leaders defeated a measure that would have ended the ban on non-celibate gay clergy.

At a press conference after the resolution passed, ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson said the new measure expressed a desire to find "some space and place" for how the church might live together.

The renewed debate on homosexual clergy in the ELCAstems from the case of the Rev. Bradley Schmeling, an Atlanta pastor who was removed from the clergy roster in July after he told his bishop he was in a relationship with a man. The new measure prevents his bishop from seeking further disciplinary action, but does not re-institute his status on the church roster.

"I'm grateful the resolution passed, because now no one else will have to go through what I went through," said Schmeling.

Hanson said it was too early to offer any explanation of how the measure would be interpreted.

The 4.8 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is based in Chicago, is the nation's largest Lutheran denomination.



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wkyc.com

http://www.wkyc.com/news/rss_article.aspx?ref=RSS&storyid=72581

CLEVELAND -- Someone pitched a beer bottle through Dennis Kucinich's Presidential campaign headquarters early Friday morning. The building is on Lorain near W. 117th Street.

The incident happened shortly after Kucinich's forthright statements supporting gay marriage during a Thursday night televised debate on issues relevant to the gay community.

There was no note or phoned threat. Campaign staffers discovered the shattered glass as they arrived for work Friday morning.

They speculated there might be a connection between the vandalism and the Congressman's pro-gay marriage comments.

The property's landowner says he heard Kucinich's statements on television and told his wife, "There goes a window."

Police are investigating but have no leads or suspects.



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/081107canhiv.htm

Canada Told To Hike Funding In Global AIDS Fight
by The Canadian Press

Posted: August 11, 2007 - 1:00 pm ET

(Toronto, Ontario) Canada's commitment to the global fight against HIV-AIDS remains woefully inadequate, says a coalition of advocacy groups, marking the one-year anniversary of the international AIDS conference in Toronto.

The Canadian Coalition for Youth and HIV-AIDS in Africa, which includes the country's chapters of CARE, Plan, Save the Children and World Vision, called on the federal government Friday to step up funding for programs to battle the pandemic that has killed 25 million people and infected 40 million more since 1981.

Stephen Lewis, former UN envoy for AIDS in Africa, said that while the number of people receiving antiretroviral drugs to control their infection has risen in the last year _ to 2.2 million from 1.6 million a year ago _ ``we are losing the battle against the virus.''

For every person who began such treatment in 2006, another six people
contracted HIV, he said.



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National Gay News

http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/1367/173/

Traveling in Our Fabulous World - A Tour of LGBT Landmarks
Saturday, 11 August 2007 15:26
Traveling in Our Fabulous World
A Tour of LGBT Landmarks

When you are traveling around the country, besides seeing all the national landmarks, national parks, etc., why not look up some of the gay landmarks?

Read More...



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Michigan

http://s22036.gridserver.com/node/168

New owner wants to develop Saugatuck shore property
Wed, 08/08/2007 - 15:32 - Admin
By Gary Barlow
Staff writer

Residents of Saugatuck are gearing up to prevent an anti-gay Oklahoma businessman from developing 412 acres of pristine property that includes a stretch along Lake Michigan known as a predominately gay beach.

The land, known as the Denison property, lies between Saugatuck Dunes State Park and Saugatuck's Oval Beach. It was purchased about a year ago by Aubrey McLendon, a wealthy Oklahoma energy executive who's donated massive amounts to an anti-gay group led by right-wing activist Gary Bauer.

The 412 acres McLendon purchased, according to a report by the Michigan Land Use Institute, consists of freshwater dunes, coastal marshes, wetlands and forested areas that form a critical part of the "Saugatuck Dunes coastal experience."

So far McLendon, working through Chicago attorney Stephen Neumer, has moved cautiously on his stated plans to build new homes and other developments on the property. Even so, those plans have spurred Saugatuck residents to organize a group to fight development of the property, the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance.

Members of that group have documented the unique habitats and species on the roperty and stress its importance to the preservation of Saugatuck's historic character. The Michigan Land Use Institute report, which the group cites on its website at saugatuckdunescoastalalliance.org, warns that development of the property would trigger a commercial and housing boom similar to those that have occurred in the Benton Harbor and Traverse City areas in recent years.

"The Saugatuck Dunes area's natural landscape and superb quality of life is certain to be considerably altered unless citizens and civic leaders collaborate on an effective response to levels of development not heretofore seen and that run counter to the goals set out in the master plans of every urisdiction in the coastal region," the report states. "It is well understood in Saugatuck Township and in Lansing that the Denison property is the ecological and biological centerpiece of the Saugatuck Dunes coastal region."



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The Chicago Free Press

http://s22036.gridserver.com/

Judge urges McGreeveys to quit fighting and settle

ELIZABETH, N.J.-The judge overseeing the contentious divorce between the nation's first openly gay governor and his wife urged the couple to settle their case July 31, warning the estranged pair that they don't have the money or emotional fortitude to endure a protracted, public trial. Full Story



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The Chicago Free Press

http://s22036.gridserver.com/node/173

Gay fraternity offers safe space on Arizona campuses
Wed, 08/08/2007 - 15:40 - Admin
By Ryan Gabrielson
East Valley Tribune/Associated Press

MESA, Ariz.-The students who formed Sigma Phi Beta six years ago wanted a social scene for gay men at Arizona State University the same as straight students have enjoyed for decades.

They didn't intend to help the spread of gay organizations within Greek life at universities across the state and nation.

But this fall, the Arizona State University chapter expands as it organizes a Sigma Phi Beta chapter at Northern Arizona University.

Though open to all male students, the fraternity focuses on supporting the gay, bisexual and transgender community.

"We feel that what we created on campus was so powerful and creating change and impacting the lives of gay students, that we want to create that same nvironment at other campuses," said Sam Holdren, president of Sigma Phi Beta's national office.

The group became an official ASU fraternity in 2003 and is a member of the nterfraternity Council. Last semester, a Sigma Phi Beta official even served as a vice president of the council.



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National Gay News

http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/1353/

LGBT People Murdered in Hate Crimes to Be Honored by "Gay American Heroes"

Memorial and Exhibition to Serve as Tool for Remembrance, Education andCompassion

August 9, 2007 -- A "Who's Who" of gay and straight culture have cometogether to create a national memorial to honor LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender) people who have been murdered because of their sexualorientation or gender identity.

Led by Scott Hall, Frank Kameny, US. Representative Barney Frank and ChipArndt, the idea for Gay American Heroes was born on March 13, 2007, whenFounder and President Scott Hall learned about the brutal murder of RyanKeith Skipper. Ryan was a 25 year-old Floridian who lived in Polk County,not far from Hall. Ryan was viciously stabbed more than 20 times and wasleft to die; for one reason --- Ryan Keith Skipper was gay.

Hall had twice been the victim of hate crimes and was quickly spurred intoaction. Within days he contacted longtime friend Frank Kameny, pioneeringgay rights activist, who immediately recognized the importance of Hall'sproject. James T. Sears, noted writer and historian, also voiced his earlystrong support of the project. The group then assembled a team to create theGay American Heroes Foundation, a not-for-profit organization.

With Founding Board Members Chip Arndt, Jack Rutland and William J.Iannarelli leading the way, Gay American Heroes' mission was established: 1)to honor and remember LGBT people who have been murdered because of theresexual orientation and/or gender identity; 2) to engage and inform thepublic about hate crimes against LGBT persons; and 3) to inspire compassionand greater appreciation for, and acceptance of, diversity.

Hall traveled to New York City where he met with Cyndi Lauper to discuss theproject. Ms. Lauper immediately offered to help in any way that she could.Hall also met with "Grey's Anatomy" T. R. Knight, who expressed hisheartfelt support for the project.

The first phase of the Foundation's plan is to assemble a traveling memorialand exhibition constructed of six individual rainbow-colored,multi-dimensional panels bearing the photos, names, ages and occupations ofLGBT hate crime victims. The eight-foot tall memorial will stretch more than100 feet. Expected completion date for the exhibit is December 2007.



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EuroNews TV (France) has a video report at
http://euronews.net/index.php?page=info&article=437449&lng=1#

Estonia has hosted its fourth annual Gay Pride march in the capitalTallinn. An estimated 300 people gathered in the historic part of thecity to celebrate their sexuality, protected by private securityofficers and an increased police presence.

Despite fears of a repeat of last year's violence, when Estonianskinheads injured several marchers by hurling missiles, the event passedoff without any significant incident. About halfway down the route,anti-gay demonstrators formed an alternative procession. About a dozenmostly Russian-speaking men, women and children chanted "no pride" atthe marchers.



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Gay Pride festival reaches its peak today

08/11/2007 | 11:00
http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=287084

Reykjavík hosts its eighth annual Gay Pride festivities this second weekendin August. The board and pride committee has organized a full program fromThursday through Sunday, with the main event being Saturday's parade andsubsequent outdoor concert.

Beginning at the Hlemmur bus stop, the parade will march down Iceland's mainshopping street, and wind up at in the old city center, where the outdoorconcert will be held. According to Frettabladid, Reykjavík Gay Pride hasbecome one of the three biggest festivities in the country with over 50,000attending last year's parade.

Forty years have passed since New York police officers raided the gay barStonewall Inn, which led to the first collective uprising from the gaycommunity. This year Gay Pride takes a closer look at the history of thegay rights movement by offering a walk through the gay history of Reykjavík.According to gaypride.is, Iceland is a world leader in granting both socialand legal rights.

The festivities will close with a pre-show of the film Hairspray starringJohn Travolta, which will not premier in Iceland until mid September.


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