GLBT DIGEST August 14, 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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Sun-Sentinel.com

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-813domesticpartners,0,2730107,print.story

PBCC to consider domestic partner benefits on Tuesday
By Scott Travis
Sun-Sentinel.com
1:36 PM EDT, August 13, 2007

Palm Beach Community College could become the latest post-secondaryinstitution in the state to offer domestic partner benefits to gay andunmarried employees.

The PBCC Board of Trustees meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the multimedia boardroom at the main campus, 4200 Congress Avenue, west of Lake Worth.

While the board's chairwoman, Susan Baumel, said she can't speak for otherboard members, she supports the measure.

"I think we need to take into account offering benefits to all of ouremployees on an equal basis," Baumel said.

The benefits would not cost PBCC anything, because the college only pays thecost of employees' premiums, not those of spouses, spokeswoman Grace Trumansaid. Employees currently pay $327 to $404 for spousal coverage. Domesticpartners would be treated the same as spouses, Truman said.



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Sun-Sentinel.com

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-brmail752xnbaug14,0,7058806,print.story

Sex in public restrooms is a problem
August 14, 2007

I read the article at CNN.com that complains about the way Fort LauderdaleMayor Jim Naugle states certain facts (in this case, it is the illegal useof public restrooms for sex by men with other men). Even though I was on thefront lines at the age of 14 battling cops with dogs and fire hoses forequal rights for gay men and women as a member of one of the original gayrights organizations, the Gay Activist Alliance, in New York City, I thinkhe should tell the public that gay men are using city toilets for sex.

It's been a problem for decades in every city, every truck stop and parkthroughout the USA and abroad. Even I had been traumatized while still anadolescent by men with pedophilic leanings in public restrooms, although Iwas gay, and open about it at a young age.

I sometimes think the modern gay movement has gone a little bit insane. Yes,"don't ask, don't tell" is anti-American and illegal and starving themilitary of very talented people, and it will be gutted in the future. Yes,civil unions make sense, and having that option as a gay American is onlyfair, and I believe that option will eventually be the law of the land;however, "marriage" is clearly and solely a sacred union between a man and awoman.

Gay media insisting on the term "marriage" is dumb, fruitless andincendiary.

I understand that Naugle has certain fundamental religious beliefs, andalthough I support his right to speak his mind, I must say, God doesn't makemistakes. I discovered a long time ago, Jesus loves me as much as any of hischildren, and I believe He wouldn't ostracize or condemn any member of hisflock. Anyway, in short, I am on Naugle's side as far as this issue isconcerned. As long as all Americans are treated with the same respect andwith equal rights under the law, I think most Americans will agree with me.

Scott Utley
West Hollywood, Calif.



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NationalGayNews.com

http://www.mysocalledgaylife.com/usa/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4687&Itemid=65

Sex That'll Make You Sweat: Part One
Written by Ross von Metzke(GayWired.com)
Aug 13, 2007 at 11:17 PM

I love sex - so does everybody, right? But when I say I love sex, I mean theart of making a sex scene on film. The soundtrack. And over the years,directors have given us some doozies. From Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaalin Brokeback to the ladies of Bound and Wild Things (even some heterosexualloving courtesy of Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez in Unfaithful), we've gotclips and pix from the hottest sex scenes ever captured on film.

More specifically, I should say, I love the art of making a sex scene onfilm. Not porn, mind you (though I've been known to partake), cinematic sex.The soundtrack. The lighting. The fact that Basic Instinct director PaulVerhoeven expects us to believe Sharon Stone has an orgasm every single timeshe gets pounded. It's fascinating.

Some will say good gay sex scenes are few and far between on film-I sayperhaps, but when they're good, they're really, really good. Andoccasionally, we're offered the rare treat of seeing a heterosexual sexscene that gets us all hot and bothered.

Yes, good sex may be hard to come by, but when you find it, you appreciateit that much more. And for those of you who appreciate good sex on film, youknow that it doesn't matter if it's between two men, two women, a randomsmattering of the sexes-if it's filmed right and it makes you feel things,the scene has done it's job, regardless of who in the proceedings you'remost inclined to screw.

Which is why I've taken the liberty of singling out a few sex scenes thathold a special place in my heart. Some turned me on, some were just a blastto watch and some, well. just read on!



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NationalGayNews.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070813/ap_on_re_us/civil_unions_1&printer=1;_ylt=Ah6G0yAAp22c.yS3lqkIitVH2ocA

NJ church sues over civil union ceremony
By REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press Writer
Mon Aug 13, 6:58 PM ET

A church group sued New Jersey on Monday over the state's investigation of acomplaint that the group refused to allow a lesbian couple to hold a civilunion ceremony at a beachfront pavilion it owns.

The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist group, alleges that byfinding enough reason to investigate the complaint, the state's Division onCivil Rights is threatening to prosecute the group in order to force it toallow such ceremonies to take place.

The investigation is the first of its kind for New Jersey, which beganallowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions in February.

Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster of Ocean Grove filed the complaint afterthe association rejected their application to use the pavilion and returnedtheir $75 deposit. The group said it rejected the application because thechurch does not recognize same-sex unions.

"In an apparent distortion of the First Amendment, they are claiming thatthey have the right to discriminate against people who do not share theirreligious tenets," Bernstein said.



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NationalGayNews.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/po/20070813/co_po/gayvetmournedmegapastoraddsspin&printer=1;_ylt=Al3Cz1PoFCejo2HLQ_O2EjZQ.nQA

Gay vet mourned; megapastor adds spin Mon Aug 13, 7:31 PM ET

SUMMARY: The Texas megapastor who reneged on a gay man's funeral defends hisrefusal from the pulpit and an uncensored memorial is held elsewhere.

The Texas megapastor who reneged on a Navy vet's funeral after learning hewas gay defended his refusal in a media statement Sunday, while thedeceased's loved ones went ahead with an unfettered tribute to his life.

Cecil Sinclair, 46, was remembered Thursday night by his partner, PaulWagner, family and about 125 guests at an Arlington, Texas, funeral home,longtime friend Greg Britt told Gay.com. The former American Airlinesstaffer had died of surgical complications while awaiting a hearttransplant.

"There was probably more discussion about Cecil's sexuality than if thiscontroversy hadn't happened," Britt said. "It probably would have just beenabout Cecil."

In a much-publicized reversal, Arlington's High Point Church, whereSinclair's brother Lee works, took back its offer to host the ceremony afterlearning Sinclair had a male partner.



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Advocate.com

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid48052.asp

August 11, 2007
Many states cut off foster youth at 18, gays among those most affected

Anthony Pico qualifies as an expert on foster care after spending 18 yearsin California's program. And he says it's far from perfect.

But staying in the system and receiving financial help as long as possiblewould be much better than being cast adrift, said Pico, who took part in abroad discussion of foster care at a meeting of the American BarAssociation.

''I'm an adult, but I don't want to move out. I don't want to start payingrent. If I stay in until I'm 19 or 20, I'll be more stable and maybe I won'trepeat the cycle,'' Pico explained at a weekend session of foster careexperts and advocates at the ABA conference.

Pico, who lives in transitional housing in San Francisco, provides a humanface to a problem that frustrates the social workers, lawyers and judges whowork with foster children.

Many states cut off support for foster care youth when they turn 18, eventhough most people that age continue to receive financial help from theirfamilies.



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Advocate.com

http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid48055.asp

August 11, 2007
Thailand considers law allowing transsexual to claim title of adopted gender

Thailand, one of the world's most tolerant countries toward transvestitesand transsexuals, is considering a law to allow people who have had a sexchange to officially change their title, reports said Sunday.

The proposal, which would allow transgender men or women to choose how theyare addressed, is being considered by the country's National LegislativeAssembly to support an antidiscrimination provision in the draftconstitution, Thai newspapers reported.

Wiroon Tangcharoen, an assembly member who is also rector ofSrinakharinwirot University, said he supported the move, which would bringThailand's laws in line with those of other countries, The Nation newspapersaid.

No further details were available about the proposed law.

Wiroon said he did not believe the law would cause any problems inuniversity dormitories, where students are segregated by sex, The Nationreported.



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ExpressGayNews.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-gaygene_bd12aug12,1,5291598,print.story

Study of gay brothers may find clues about sexuality
By Robert Mitchum
Tribune staff reporter
August 12, 2007

In Gregg Mierow's family, there were six boys, brothers who grew into twogroups as they reached maturity: Three are gay, and three are straight.

"It seems innate to me," Mierow, who works in advertising and as a yogateacher in Chicago, said of his homosexuality. "It doesn't seem like there'sany choice involved, and it seemed very clear even when we were very young."

Mierow stumbled upon a chance to help prove that hunch at the NorthalstedMarket Days festival four years ago. Spotting a banner reading, "Wanted! GayMen with a Gay Brother," he stopped by the booth and volunteered for what hethought would be little more than a survey.

Instead, Mierow found himself part of the Molecular Genetic Study of SexualOrientation -- the most extensive study yet to search for a genetic basisfor homosexuality -- embarked upon by a team of Chicago researchers fromlocal universities.

The scientists hope that by gathering DNA samples from 1,000 sets of gaybrothers like the Mierows they will be able to find genetic linkages smallerstudies failed to detect. They'll be recruiting brothers again at theHalsted Street festival this weekend.



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ExpressGayNews.com

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/08/11/lawsuit_aids_detainee_denied_medical_care/9681/

Published: Aug. 11, 2007 at 2:38 PM
Lawsuit: AIDS detainee denied medical care

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- A transgender AIDS patient died shackled to abed and ignored by workers in a California detention center for illegalimmigrants, a lawsuit charges.

Victor Arrelano's death last month underscores the medical neglect facingnearly 30,000 undocumented immigrants in custody nationwide, the Los AngelesTimes reported Saturday.

Arrelano, 23, a Mexican national who used the name Victoria, had been indetention since May awaiting a hearing on whether she would be returned toMexico, said her attorney, Roman Silberfeld.

Arrelano deteriorated to the point where fellow detainees saw her vomitingblood and were left to clean it up themselves, the newspaper reported. Whenshe became critical, Arrelano was transferred to a San Pedro hospital anddied several days later shackled to her bed, said her attorneys, who havefiled a wrongful death claim against the U.S. government.

"What happened here is simply an outrage," Silberfeld said, noting"relatively simple meds, if available and properly administered, would haveavoided this tragedy."



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/081407obama.htm

Voter Warns Obama On Democratic Feuds
by The Associated Press
Posted: August 14, 2007 - 9:00 am ET

(Hanover, New Hampshire) Presidential hopeful Barack Obama was warned by afriendly voter Monday to avoid public spats with his Democratic rivals - butremarks he made later could add fuel to the criticism against him.

Maggie North of Claremont told Obama he risks becoming part of the usualpolitical scene if he keeps being drawn into well-publicized disputes withrivals. He and chief rival Hillary Rodham Clinton have jabbed at each otherover foreign policy, the war on terrorism and the use of nuclear weapons.

"You can be it," North said at a small gathering at a Hanover restaurantMonday morning that drew eight people. "But you've got to stop - excuse mefor being blunt - you've got to stop getting involved in the way people arefighting each other, chewing you up a little more."

"That's what you do when you run for president," Obama responded, getting alaugh.

But during a later appearance before about 800 people in Nashua, Obama madea comment likely to further the spats he was warned about.



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Inside Higher Education

http://insidehighered.com/news/2007/08/14/soc

Who's Afraid of Incestuous Gay Monkey Sex?

Sociologists - especially those who study sexuality - have for years doneresearch that was considered controversial or troublesome by politicians ordeans. Many scholars are proud of following their research ideas where theylead - whatever others may think. But at a session Monday at the annualmeeting of the American Sociological Association, sociologists consideredthe possibility that some of their colleagues may feel enough heat right nowthat they are avoiding certain topics or are being forced to compromise oneither the language or substance of their research.

The problems come from a variety of sources, the scholars here said: frompoliticians, from institutional review boards on their own campuses, andfrom too narrow a definition of what "good science" may be.

One paper at the session featured what may be the most eye-catching title ofthe meeting: "Erections, Mounting and AIDS: Incestuous Gay Monkey Sex (orseven words you can't write in your NIH grant)." While the title drewlaughter from the crowd here, the paper left many worried. Joanna Kempner, aresearch associate at the Princeton University Center for Health andWellbeing, shared preliminary results of her study of the impact of havingone's sexuality-related research attacked by politicians. (In fact, thewords from her paper title all come from words whose use was attacked byconservative groups.)

Kempner studied 162 researchers who in 2003 either had their researchquestioned by lawmakers who tried (and almost succeeded in the House ofRepresentatives) to have their projects blocked for support from the NIH orwhose work appeared on what became known as "the hit list" of projects forwhich the Traditional Values Coalition tried to generate opposition. Theresearch projects - all of which had been approved through the peer reviewprocess at the NIH - involved such topics as prostitution, gay sex, unsafesexual acts, and drug use. Kempner interviewed some of the researchers andsent an e-mail survey to all of them.

While she is still analyzing the results, early findings suggest that theexperience of being a target has led some of the scholars to rethink theirwork or careers. Generally, she found that scholars fell into three, roughlyequal groups: those who were proud of their work and who viewed being atarget as "a badge of honor," those who were scared and nervous about thefuture of their work and careers, and those who had a mix of reactions.



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Ft. Lauderdale

UNITE Fort Lauderdale Inaugural Meeting

You are invited to attend the Inaugural Meeting of Unite Fort Lauderdaletonight (Tuesday, August 14th) at 7:00 pm at the GLCC at 1717 North AndrewsAvenue, Fort Lauderdale. (UNITE Fort Lauderdale was the organization thatrecently organized the demonstration against Mayor Naugle's inflammatoryremarks about gays along with some of the other remarks that he has madeover recent years about African-Americans, the working class, andenvironmentalists.)

The meeting on Tuesday will be an opportunity to learn about theorganization's vision and mission and how YOU can get involved inbuilding a stronger community. Please bring at least one friend and anon-perishable food item benefit the Cooperative Feeding Program.

Please forward this to your email lists to get the word out about thismeeting.



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S. Florida

Pridelines Adult Prom - Nov. 15

Contact Ray's List for details.



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Advocate.com

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid47752.asp

07/28/07-07/30/07
Gay artist burns antique $60,000 Koran

Charles Merrill, the out Palm Springs artist who recently gained notorietyfor editing the Bible with a black marker and a pair of scissors, recentlymade a statement against Muslim homophobia by burning an antique Koranvalued at $60,000. "The purpose of editing and burning Abrahamic Holy Booksis to eliminate homophobic hate," Merrill stated in a press release postedonline. "Both ancient books are terrorist manuals."

He inherited the book from his late wife, Evangeline JohnsonMerrill-daughter of the founder of international pharmaceutical conglomerateJohnson & Johnson-who was given the valuable text by the king of Jordonduring a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

"Airplanes are flown into buildings because of words, and hate crimesagainst gays," Merrill said in the press release.

Merrill, cousin to the cofounder of Merrill Lynch, has become famous-and attimes infamous-through his art, which incorporates the themes of LGBTactivism and homophobia.



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New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/nyregion/14civil.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1187093654-amxjxmOfk93PxHOQdwh/nw&pagewanted=print

August 14, 2007
Church Group Complains of Civil Union Pressure
By JILL P. CAPUZZO

An Ocean Grove church group is suing New Jersey, saying that the state ispressuring it to allow a civil union ceremony for a lesbian couple at itsoceanfront pavilion, thereby violating the group's First Amendment rights.

The suit, filed electronically with United States District Court onSaturday, comes after the group, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association,turned down a request in June by Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster of OceanGrove to hold a civil union ceremony in the Boardwalk Pavilion on Sept. 30.The couple subsequently filed a discrimination complaint with the New JerseyDivision on Civil Rights against the Camp Meeting Association, a Methodistorganization that owns the pavilion and all the town's land.

"We're trying to get the federal court to issue a declaration of the rightsthe Ocean Grove Camp Meeting possess," said Brian Raum, senior counsel forthe Alliance Defense Fund, a family and church rights legal organizationthat is representing the Methodist group. "We feel they have the right touse their facilities for functions that are consistent with their beliefs."



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

Church defends decision on gay man's funeral
Arlington: Refusal based on policy, not discrimination, pastor says
10:29 PM CDT on Sunday, August 12, 2007
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News jtrahan@dallasnews.com

ARLINGTON -- The pastor of Arlington's High Point Church told hiscongregation Sunday that he stood by the church's decision to retract anoffer to host a memorial service for a gay man, prompting applause from thehundreds in the crowd.

"With all the negative
e-mail we are receiving right now, it seems that the homosexual community,God bless them all, are very organized," said the Rev. Gary Simons,referring to the reaction to the church's decision, which has generated newscoverage around the world and lighted up gay and religious blogs.
Also Online Full text of the church's statement
8/10: Church won't hold funeral for gay man

"Before, when you type in 'Gary Simons' and 'High Point Church' in a Googlesearch, you know, you could find us. But now, you really could find us."

Mr. Simons, the brother-in-law of Joel Osteen of the nationally knownLakewood Church in Houston, stood firm Sunday in his explanation of why HighPoint Church canceled the memorial service for Cecil Sinclair, 46, onWednesday, a day before it was scheduled to take place at the church insouthern Arlington.



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

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/generation-next/demographic/gayteens_08-10.html

Homosexual Teens Coming Out Earlier to More Accepting Environment

Josh Delsman, an 18 year old from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., reluctantlyrevealed he was a homosexual at age 14 after a friend told middle schoolofficials, who later informed his parents.

"I didn't want to come out," Delsman said. "But I realized I was gay a lotyounger than that. I knew when I was 8 or 9, but I just didn't know what tocall it."

Delsman, along with two straight classmates, went on to found a Gay StraightAlliance at his high school. GSAs are clubs in schools that promotetolerance and acceptance of all students.

"We were tired of hearing 'that's so gay' and other LGBT (Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual, Transgender) slurs," Delsman said.

Ritch Savin-Williams, who chairs Cornell University's human developmentdepartment and wrote the book "The New Gay Teenager," said kids are "comingout" sooner these days.

According to Savin-Williams' book, as reported in the Albuquerque Journal,the average age people used to come out was in their mid-20s, but that hasdropped to the mid-teens over the last two decades.

And anecdotally, the median age for high school students to come out isbetween 15 and 17, according to Kevin Jennings, founder of the Gay, Lesbianand Straight Education Network.

Media's role

Jennings, a 44-year-old former high school teacher who took the organizationfrom a local school-based group to a national one during the 1994-95school-year, said he believes coming out earlier is directly related to thegreater accessibility of information from the Internet, TV and people'speers.



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

http://www.nbjc.gather.com/

Standing Up to
Jim Crow Justice in 2007
By: H. Alexander Robinson, NBJC CEO

In September 2006, a group of African American high school students in Jena,Louisiana, asked the school for permission to sit beneath a "whites only"shade tree.

There was an unwritten rule that blacks couldn't sit beneath the tree. Theschool said they didn't care where students sat. The next day, studentsarrived at school to see three nooses (in school colors) hanging from thetree.

The boys who hung the nooses were suspended from school for a few days. Theschool administration chalked it up as a harmless prank, but Jena's blackpopulation didn't take it so lightly. Fights and unrest started breaking outat school.

The District Attorney, Reed Walters, was called in to directly address blackstudents at the school and told them all he could "end their life with astroke of the pen."

http://www.nbjcoalition.org/news/standing-up-to-jim-crow.html



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

Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-gaygene_bd12aug12,1,1767499.story?track=rss

Study of gay brothers may find clues about sexuality
By Robert Mitchum
Tribune staff reporter
August 11, 2007

In Gregg Mierow's family, there were six boys, brothers who grew into twogroups as they reached maturity: Three are gay, and three are straight.

"It seems innate to me," Mierow, who works in advertising and as a yogateacher in Chicago, said of his homosexuality. "It doesn't seem like there'sany choice involved, and it seemed very clear even when we were very young."

Mierow stumbled upon a chance to help prove that hunch at the NorthalstedMarket Days festival four years ago. Spotting a banner reading, "Wanted! GayMen with a Gay Brother," he stopped by the booth and volunteered for what hethought would be little more than a survey.

Instead, Mierow found himself part of the Molecular Genetic Study of SexualOrientation-the most extensive study yet to search for a genetic basis forhomosexuality-embarked upon by a team of Chicago researchers from localuniversities.

The scientists hope that by gathering DNA samples from 1,000 sets of gaybrothers like the Mierows they will be able to find genetic linkages smallerstudies failed to detect. They'll be recruiting brothers again at theHalsted Street festival this weekend.



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St. Petersburg Times

http://sptimes.com/2007/08/14/Northpinellas/Stanton_stays_in_spot.shtml

Stanton stays in spotlight
The fired city manager becomes a presidential campaign issue, then appearson Larry King Live.
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Correspondent
Published August 14, 2007

However briefly, the firing of Susan Stanton as Largo's city manager hasbecome a campaign issue.

A presidential campaign issue.

Last week, Sen. John Edwards was asked about Susan Stanton at a Democraticpresidential candidate's forum on gay and transgender issues Thursday.

With Stanton, 48, sitting in the audience in Los Angeles, a questioner toldEdwards that Stanton was fired as Largo's city manager after news of hertransition was made public.

Edwards was then asked how he would react if a member of his staff told himhe or she was transgendered.

"I would support them in every possible way including on a personal andemotional level, provide every bit of help and support that I possibly couldin going through what they were going through," he said.

Edwards also said Stanton's situation shows "we need powerfulnondiscrimination laws in the United States of America so that people cannotbe fired."

Stanton said other major presidential candidates also remarked that workersshould not be fired because they're gay or transgendered.

"It seemed like a no-brainer to people who were answering that question,"Stanton said.

Steve Stanton, Largo's city manager for 14 years, was fired in March, abouta month after disclosing his plans to undergo gender reassignment surgery.


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School cannot sack head in 'gay marriage'
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:37am BST 14/08/2007



Lawyers have told the Roman Catholic Church that it cannot sack a Catholic headmaster who has entered a civil partnership with a male teacher.

The Archdiocese of Liverpool has been unable to take action against Charles Coyne, the head of St Cecilia's primary school, who has registered a artnership with Richard Jones, who is believed to work at a nearby school.

Pope Benedict XVI has called civil partnerships "anarchic" and a danger to the family.

The couple, who live together, had a reception in a parish centre.

Local Catholics and family campaigners have urged the authorities to take action over the "scandal".

One churchgoer said: "Senior officials are aware of this yet they have done nothing. It's unacceptable."

Norman Wells, the director of the Family Education Trust, said: "It is not unreasonable for parents sending their children to a faith school to expect the headteacher to be living according to that faith."

The archdiocese - which is headed by Archbishop Patrick Kelly, the second most senior cleric in England and Wales - said it was powerless.

It said in a statement that Mr Coyne had run St Cecilia's for many years and "matters relating to his personal life have in no way interfered with his management of the school".




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Gaysports.com

www.gaysports.com/page.cfm?typeofsite=snippetdetail&ID=877&snippetset=yes

Costa Rica Lifts Ban on Gay Blood Donations

The United States is still under the antiquated rule that gay men are not allowed to donate blood because of the risk of spreading infectious disease. This month, Costa Rica showed that they might be a few steps ahead of us as resident Oscar Arias signed an executive order to lift their ban.

Earlier this year, despite a recommendation from the American Red Cross and other blood sources, the FDA refused to lift the American ban on blood donations from gay people. The Red Cross has criticized the policy as "medically and scientifically unwarranted," but the US Government felt that the risk of introducing HIV and AIDS into the blood supply was still too much of a risk to recall the lifetime ban.

Activist Alberto Cabezas, who led the drive to lift the ban in Costa Rica, saw his work come to fruition this month when Arias signed the order which would again allow gays to donate blood. Cabezas said that the action proved that the government "sees gays as humans [who] have the same rights" as others.

Since the first out break of HIV in the 70's, many countries have banned blood donations from men who have had sex with other men. Even though any group is at risk, and in some cases more at risk than homosexuals, the ban on gays has become commonplace. Gay rights groups have fought to lift the US ban stating that the practice was discriminatory.



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Moscow Times
Monday, August 13, 2007. Issue 3719. Page 11.
A Georgian Antidote for Treating its Gays
By Matthew Collin

It was the campiest thing I'd seen on television in quite a while. Four young hunks in camouflage uniforms, members of a Georgian boy band, were preening and strutting their way through a cheesy disco dance. On the background was footage of muscle-bound soldiers performing training maneuvers. It looked like the kind of act you might see with dancing, super-muscular men at one of Europe 's more tacky gay clubs.

But Georgia is a country where that kind of love still dares not speak its name, and where the closet remains home sweet home to any homosexual who values his personal safety. In Moscow , gays get beaten if they attempt to show some pride.

In Tbilisi , they haven't even dared to try it. A few weeks ago, wild and nsubstantiated rumors spread about "sexual minorities" participating in a city parade. The Georgian Orthodox patriarch has advised that any such procession would be "unacceptable." If this is combined with the moral outrage that most Georgians feel toward gays, the situation could lead to riots.

This being the Caucasus , where rumor is a valued currency, scurrilous gossip about the sexual proclivities of top political figures circulates freely. But while tales of the nocturnal exploits of heterosexual politicians raise smirks, an open declaration of homosexuality would be career suicide.



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European gays appoint Maltese activist as policy officer

Sunday, 12 August 2007
james debono
Malta Today On Sunday
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2007/08/12/t9.html

Malta Gay Rights Movement activist Silvan Agius - an "out gay man" whocontested the 2003 general elections on behalf of the Greens - has beenappointed as the Policy and Programmes Officer of the International Lesbianand Gay Association (Europe).

At ILGA-Europe, Silvan Agius will be responsible for providing policy,lobbying and capacity building services to support ILGA-Europe's advocacy oflesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBTG) rights at the European level.

He will work with the member organisations to implement and influenceEuropean level policies in the areas of employment, social inclusion andequality.

ILGA is the main non-governmental umbrella organisation which representsorganisations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons at theEuropean level. Its represents 200 gay rights organisations in Europe.

ILGA-Europe enjoys consultative status at Economic and Social Council of theUnited Nations (ECOSOC) and participative status at the Council of Europe.It also receives funding from the European Union.

ILGA-Europe is the European branch of ILGA, a world-wide network of nationaland local groups dedicated to achieving equal rights for LGBT peopleeverywhere.


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