**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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ExpressGayNews.com
http://expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=14695
R.I. court to hear gay divorce case
Couple was married in Mass.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) | Oct 9, 10:45 AM
The state Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether a gay couple marriedin Massachusetts can get divorced here in Rhode Island.
Cassandra Ormiston and Margaret Chambers were married in 2004 after same-sexmarriage became legal in Massachusetts, the only state that recognizes suchunions.
Now they want a divorce in their home state, Rhode Island. The Supreme Courtplans to hear oral arguments in the case on Tuesday morning.
A Family Court judge previously asked the Supreme Court to rule on whetherhe can dissolve the union.
Lawyers for the women said the case has no bearing on whether gay couplescan get married in Rhode Island. Gay marriage opponents said the court cangrant a divorce without altering marriage law here.
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/us/09aged.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
Aging and Gay, and Facing Prejudice in Twilight
October 9, 2007
By JANE GROSS
Even now, at 81 and with her memory beginning to fade, Gloria Donadellorecalls her painful brush with bigotry at an assisted-living center in SantaFe, N.M. Sitting with those she considered friends, "people were laughingand making certain kinds of comments, and I told them, 'Please don't dothat, because I'm gay.'"
The result of her outspokenness, Ms. Donadello said, was swift andmerciless. "Everyone looked horrified," she said. No longer included inconversation or welcome at meals, she plunged into depression. Medicationdid not help. With her emotional health deteriorating, Ms. Donadello movedinto an adult community nearby that caters to gay men and lesbians.
"I felt like I was a pariah," she said, settled in her new home. "For me, itwas a choice between life and death."
Elderly gay people like Ms. Donadello, living in nursing homes orassisted-living centers or receiving home care, increasingly report thatthey have been disrespected, shunned or mistreated in ways that range fromhurtful to deadly, even leading some to commit suicide.
Some have seen their partners and friends insulted or isolated. Others livein fear of the day when they are dependent on strangers for the mostpersonal care. That dread alone can be damaging, physically and emotionally,say geriatric doctors, psychiatrists and social workers.
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ExpressGayNews.com
http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/printer_6867.php
Effort to oust Bailey from seat continues
By John Wright Staff Writer
Oct 4, 2007, 19:04
Vote by half of Texas Stonewall members present falls short
Shannon Bailey
Shannon Bailey remains president of the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucusafter a second effort by members to oust him failed Sunday, Sept. 30.
Bailey has come under fire since a June arrest on a charge of publiclewdness for allegedly performing oral sex on another male suspect in WhiteRock Lake Park.
Jesse Garcia, president of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas and a TSDCexecutive board member, said roughly half of 34 TSDC members in attendancevoted in favor of the motion to oust Bailey during a meeting in Austin.According to TSDC's bylaws, a two-thirds majority of those present wasneeded for the motion to be successful, Garcia said.
"Basically, the consensus is, let him have his day in court," said Garcia,who voted against the motion. "It's about his civil liberties."
Previously, the executive board voted 5-4 in August to request Bailey'sresignation, but he refused.
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UK
ExpressGayNews.com
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7034649.stm
Plans to outlaw inciting gay hate
Plans to make inciting hatred against gay people a crime have been announcedby Justice Secretary Jack Straw.
The law would cover gay, lesbian and bisexual people and may be extended tocover disabled and transgender people.
Mr Straw said it was time for the law to recognise society was "appalled byhatred and invective" directed at people because of their sexuality.
He told MPs the changes would be made as amendments to the Criminal Justiceand Immigration Bill.
He said: "It is a measure of how far we have come as a society in the last10 years that we are now appalled by hatred and invective directed at peopleon the basis of their sexuality.
more . . . . .
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/10/100907nyc.htm
Civil Rights Suit Filed Against NYC Bar That Ejected Lesbian For 'Being TooMasculine'
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: October 9, 2007 - 11:00 am ET
(New York City) A lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Manhattan alleging a popularWest Village restaurant ejected a woman for looking too masculine.
Khadijah Farmer, 27, said the incident happened June 24 at Caliente CabCompany on Seventh Avenue South, where she had gone with her girlfriend andanother friend to have dinner after New York's gay pride march.
The Mexican restaurant is known for its enormous margaritas and checker-cabdecor.
Farmer said she was using the women's bathroom when a male bouncer burst inand banged on the stall door, saying a customer had complained that therewas a man in the women's room. (story)
The lawsuit alleges that the bouncer insisted Farmer was a man and refusedto look at her identification, which she offered as proof that she is awoman.
more . . . . .
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/10/100907smith.htm
Nannies Dispute Book's Gay Sex Claims
by The Associated Press
Posted: October 9, 2007 - 6:30 am ET
(Nassau) A lawyer for two women who worked for Anna Nicole Smith said Mondaya new book falsely uses them as a source for a claim the former PlayboyPlaymate's lawyer had a videotaped sexual encounter with her boyfriend.
Quethlie Alexis and Nadine Alexie, who worked as nannies for Smith in theBahamas, never spoke to the author of the book, former MSNBC host RitaCosby, and never told anyone about any sexual encounter between Smith'slawyer Howard K. Stern and boyfriend Larry Birkhead, attorney ElizabethThompson said.
"They don't know one way or another if it happened," Thompson told TheAssociated Press.
Cosby's book, "Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith'sDeath," says the nannies, accompanied by a lawyer, told a privateinvestigator that Smith liked to sit in bed and watch a videotape ofBirkhead and Stern having a sexual encounter.
Cosby, who is in the Bahamas this week, said she never spoke to the nanniesbut stands by her book, which also attributes the claim of a sexualencounter to a friend of Smith's.
more . . . . .
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/10/100907ore.htm
Voter Initiative Fails To Block Oregon Gay Rights Laws
by The Associated Press
Posted: October 9, 2007 - 12:01 am ET
(Salem, Oregon) Opponents of Oregon's new same-sex domestic partnership lawfailed to turn in enough valid signatures to block the measure, clearing theway for it to take effect next year, state elections officials said Monday.
Oregon will join eight other states that have approved spousal rights insome form for gay couples - Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey,Maine, California, Washington and Hawaii. Massachusetts is the only statethat allows gay couples to marry.
The Oregon measure covers benefits related to inheritance rights,child-rearing and custody, joint state tax filings, joint health, auto andhomeowners insurance policies, visitation rights at hospitals and others. Itdoes not affect federal benefits for married couples, including SocialSecurity and joint filing of federal tax returns.
Former state Sen. Marylin Shannon, a spokeswoman for the opponents' petitiondrive, and other social conservatives believe the domestic partners billviolates the intent of voters who in 2004 adopted a constitutional ban ongay marriage.
"This just flies right in the face of that ban," the former Republicanlawmaker said.
more . . . . .
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Advocate.com
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid49656.asp
Petition to Block Ore.'s Domestic Partnership Law Fails; Gay Couples Can
Apply Starting Jan. 1
October 09, 2007
Opponents of Oregon's new same-sex domestic partnership law failed to turnin enough valid signatures to block the measure, clearing the way for it totake effect next year, state elections officials said Monday.
Oregon will join eight other states that have approved spousal rights insome form for gay couples -- Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, NewJersey, Maine, California, Washington and Hawaii. Massachusetts is the onlystate that allows gay couples to marry.
The Oregon measure covers benefits related to inheritance rights,child-rearing and custody, joint state tax filings, joint health, auto andhomeowners insurance policies, visitation rights at hospitals and others. Itdoes not affect federal benefits for married couples, including SocialSecurity and joint filing of federal tax returns.
Former state Sen. Marylin Shannon, a spokeswoman for the opponents' petitiondrive, and other social conservatives believe the domestic partners billviolates the intent of voters who in 2004 adopted a constitutional ban onsame-sex marriage.
''This just flies right in the face of that ban,'' the former Republicanlawmaker said.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/10/100807ark.htm
Ark. Gov. Opposes Anti-Gay Adoption Measure
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: October 8, 2007 - 3:00 pm ET
(Little Rock, Arkansas) Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said Monday that he isopposed to a proposed voter initiative that would ban same- and opposite-sexunmarried couples from adopting children.
Beebe said that he believes the proposal goes to far. Although he opposesgays fostering children or adopting, he said that the proposed amendmentwould have been better split into two separate initiatives.
The governor, however, said that he would not campaign against the proposedamendment.
Last week Attorney General Dustin McDaniel approved the title of theinitiative, by a conservative group, after rejecting an earlier version.(story)
His approval allows the Arkansas Family Council to begin collectingsignatures to have the measure placed on next November's ballot.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/10/100707tammy.htm
Memorial Held For Gay Ally Tammy Faye
by The Associated Press
Posted: October 7, 2007 - 8:00 am ET
(Decatur, Georgia) More than two months after Tammy Faye Messner died, herfamily, friends and fans gathered at a massive church to celebrate "thelittle lady who lived big."
More than 150 people headed to the cavernous Cathedral at Chapel Hill tocelebrate Messner, who as Tammy Faye Bakker helped her husband, Jim, build amultimillion-dollar evangelism empire that collapsed in disgrace.
"Everywhere Tammy went, it was something Tammy gave - that four letter word'hope,'" said the Rev. Don Thompson. "She was so loving, so passionate. Shewas so human. She was so real."
Messner died of colon cancer in July at age 65 at her home near Kansas City,Mo. (story)
She also kept a home in North Carolina, but church officials said thememorial was held in metro Atlanta because Messner's relatives are closewith the church's leaders.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://newyorklawschool.typepad.com/leonardlink/2007/10/family-court-ju.html
Family Court Judge Allows Child Support Suit Against Mom's Former Partner
The former same-sex partner of the mother of a child born through donorinsemination may have an obligation to pay child support, according to aSeptember 11 ruling in H.M. v. E.T. by Rockland County, New York, FamilyCourt Judge William P. Warren, reported in the New York Law Journal onOctober 8, page 26, column 1.
Reversing a ruling by Support Magistrate Rachelle C. Kauffman to dismiss themother's complaint, Judge Warren found that the facts alleged by the child'sbiological mother were sufficient to support a claim using the legal theoryof "equitable estoppel," by which her former partner would be precluded fromarguing that she was not a parent of the child for purposes of the supportobligation.
According to the complaint filed by H.M., the parties lived as a couple formore than five years, beginning in August 1989. E.T. was attendingchiropractic school while H.M. was a stay-at-home mother for E.T.'schildren., with the plan that once E.T. graduated, she would work as achiropractor and support H.M. through social work school. The women alsoplanned to have children together. "After the parties received fertilityservices from three fertility clinics," wrote Judge Warren, "and aftereleven failed attempts to conceive a child together, in December 1993, theparties laid on the bed they shared together as a couple and the respondentinseminated vials of sperm into the petitioner, resulting in the conceptionof Ryan M."
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.gaywired.com/article.cfm?section=66&id=16777
Barney Frank, Gay Rights Group Spar Over Employment Non-Discrimination Act
10.05.07
By Bryan Ochalla
When Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) unveiled a revised version of the proposedEmployment Non-Discrimination Act (EDNA) last week that only would protectsexual orientation-a separate bill would prohibit discrimination based ongender identity-LGBT rights groups across the country displayed theirdispleasure by sending a letter to Congress that urged lawmakers to rejectthe "substitute legislation."
The altered legislation also prompted a press release from Lambda LegalExecutive Director Kevin Cathcart claiming the legislation had been"modified in several additional and troubling ways."
"In addition to the missing vital protections for transgender people on thejob, this new bill also leaves out a key element to protect any employee,including lesbians and gay men who may not conform to their employer's ideaof how a man or woman should look and act," Cathcart said in the release."This is a huge loophole through which employers sued for sexual orientationdiscrimination can claim that their conduct was actually based on genderexpression, a type of discrimination that the new bill does not prohibit."
On Wednesday, Rep. Frank responded with a press release of his own, in whichhe stated, "Lambda Legal's analysis of the bill I have reintroduced tooutlaw sexual orientation discrimination contains one essential error, andtwo misunderstandings of where we are in the legislative process."
The "essential error," according to Rep. Frank, involved Cathcart's commentthat the wording of the bill had been altered beyond the removal of thetransgender protections.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-susan1007.artoct07,0,6880438.column
It Takes Guts To Take The Creepy Cases
Susan Campbell
October 7, 2007
The guy is sitting by a sickly philodendron in a bare-bones office up twoskinny flights of stairs in one of those Hartford neighborhoods that couldgo either way.
You might overlook him if you stumbled across him at Tapas, but for acertain type, this is evil incarnate: Salt-and-pepper hair, deep-set eyes, atie over a button-down, long-sleeve shirt - the newly appointed executivedirector of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut.
The ACLU is predictable, isn't it? They wade in on the Jena Six. They laboragainst Riverside, N.J.,'s ordinance barring illegal immigrants from livingor working there. They fight the federal government's illegal wiretapping.(These are busy days for the group, during the swan song of the lame duck inWashington.)
But give them this: They're not nearly as one-sided as you might want tobelieve. The national chapter recently filed a brief that supportedRepublican Sen. Larry "Wide Stance" Craig as he sought to withdraw hisoriginal guilty plea in the country's most famous bathroom sex case. Ifcommentators and talk-show hosts were having fun with the idea of secretsignals for public sex, the ACLU was taking seriously Craig's arrest duringa June sex sting at a Minnesota airport. On Thursday, a judge denied thesenator's request, but at least for the ACLU, the thought was there.
Civil rights are civil rights. The ACLU and Craig couldn't be farther apartin their stance on equal rights for homosexuals (Craig tends to vote againstthem), yet the ACLU will still argue for the civil rights of the mostintolerant of men.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/64580/
Ted Haggard and Larry Craig Used the SAME Escort!?
By Cliff Schecter
Posted on October 6, 2007, Printed on October 9, 2007
This post, written by Cliff Schecter, originally appeared on CliffSchecter's Brave New Films Blog
That is what Ted Haggard's escort is now claiming:
The male escort responsible for the downfall of Christian evangelist leaderTed Haggard is now alleging that embattled Senator Larry Craig also came tosee him.
While promoting his new book during a radio interview with KNWQ-AM in PalmSprings Wednesday night, Mike Jones hesitated from making the allegation onthe air.
Management for the radio station says Jones told them he would revealsomething about Idaho Senator Larry Craig on the "Bulldog Bill FeingoldShow."
While he hesitated doing so on the air, a NewsChannel 3 camera was rollingwhen he made the accusation during a commercial break.
Feingold asked whether the Senator had seen Jones in a hotel room.
more....
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/10/100807iran.htm
Iran Leader Booed At Tehran University
by The Associated Press
Posted: October 8, 2007 - 11:00 am ET
(Tehran) An estimated 100 students staged a rare demonstration Mondayagainst Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling him a "dictator" andscuffling with hardline students at Tehran University.
Ahmadinejad, who was giving a speech to a select group at the university tomark the beginning of the academic year, ignored the chants of "death to thedictator" and continued with his speech on the merits of science and thepitfalls of Western-style democracy, witnesses said.
The protesters scuffled with hardline students who were chanting "thank you president" while police looked on from outside the university gates. Theprotesters dispersed after the car carrying Ahmadinejad left the campus.
Students were once the main power base of Iran's reform movement but havefaced intense pressure in recent years from Ahmadinejad's hardlinegovernment, making anti-government protests rare.
The president faced a similar outburst during a speech last December whenstudents at Amir Kabir Technical University called Ahmadinejad a dictatorand set fire to his picture.
More . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5671.html
Christians object to proposed homophobic incitement law
8th October 2007 10:54
Tony Grew
Fundamentalist religious groups are claiming their members could face sevenyears in jail for expressing their views about homosexuality under proposednew legislation.
The Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill gets its second reading thisafternoon as Parliament reconvenes after its long summer break.
Gay rights activists are hopeful that the bill will introduce a new offenceof incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation.
The Christian Institute claim that the proposed incitement law restrictsfree speech, targets Christians and will stifle debate about homosexuality.
The institute failed to stop the introduction of the Sexual OrientationRegulations which protect LGB people from discrimination in goods andservices earlier this year.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5674.html
LGBT activists concern over homophobic Patriarch
8th October 2007 12:15
PinkNews.co.uk writer
The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) has added its voice ofprotest to the comments made by a Russian religious leader at last week'smeeting of the Council of Europe.
Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II had called homosexuality an "illness" andattacked what he called "homosexual propaganda" influencing young peopleduring an address to the council's parliamentary assembly.
The patriarch was there as part of council's regular debates with politicaland religious leaders.
He said homosexuality was "an illness and a distortion of the humanpersonality" comparable to kleptomania.
His comments were met with applause by many of the Assembly members present,although some walked out in protest.
more . . . . .
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/us/09aged.html?pagewanted=print
October 9, 2007
Aging and Gay, and Facing Prejudice in Twilight
By JANE GROSS
Even now, at 81 and with her memory beginning to fade, Gloria Donadellorecalls her painful brush with bigotry at an assisted-living center in SantaFe, N.M. Sitting with those she considered friends, "people were laughingand making certain kinds of comments, and I told them, 'Please don't dothat, because I'm gay.'"
The result of her outspokenness, Ms. Donadello said, was swift andmerciless. "Everyone looked horrified," she said. No longer included inconversation or welcome at meals, she plunged into depression. Medicationdid not help. With her emotional health deteriorating, Ms. Donadello movedinto an adult community nearby that caters to gay men and lesbians.
"I felt like I was a pariah," she said, settled in her new home. "For me, itwas a choice between life and death."
Elderly gay people like Ms. Donadello, living in nursing homes orassisted-living centers or receiving home care, increasingly report thatthey have been disrespected, shunned or mistreated in ways that range fromhurtful to deadly, even leading some to commit suicide.
more....
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Oregon-Gay-Rights.html?pagewanted=print
Work Fails to Block Ore. Gay Rights Law
October 8, 2007
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:10 p.m. ET
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Opponents of Oregon's new same-sex domestic partnershiplaw failed to turn in enough valid signatures to block the measure, clearingthe way for it to take effect next year, state elections officials saidMonday.
Oregon will join eight other states that have approved spousal rights insome form for gay couples -- Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, NewJersey, Maine, California, Washington and Hawaii. Massachusetts is the onlystate that allows gay couples to marry.
The Oregon measure covers benefits related to inheritance rights,child-rearing and custody, joint state tax filings, joint health, auto andhomeowners insurance policies, visitation rights at hospitals and others. Itdoes not affect federal benefits for married couples, including SocialSecurity and joint filing of federal tax returns.
Former state Sen. Marylin Shannon, a spokeswoman for the opponents' petitiondrive, and other social conservatives believe the domestic partners billviolates the intent of voters who in 2004 adopted a constitutional ban ongay marriage.
''This just flies right in the face of that ban,'' the former Republicanlawmaker said.
more....
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The New York Times
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/08/AR2007100801323.html
A Senator Who Hasn't Learned
By Richard Cohen
Tuesday, October 9, 2007; Page A17
I don't know whether Larry Craig, the senator with an apparent case ofrestless leg syndrome (as seen on TV commercials), is gay or hetero or bi orwhatever. I do know, though, that he is incapable of learning. Having beenarrested in a Minneapolis airport men's room, having been compelled (or sohe says) into a false confession, having been roundly ridiculed andostracized by many of his colleagues -- et tu, McCain? -- he has neither thegumption nor the integrity nor the wit to question some of his formerpositions, which made him, without a doubt, a law-and-order conservative parexcellence. Craig wasn't exposed as gay. He was exposed as ineducable.
Along with almost everyone else outside the Senate's Republican caucus --when the door opens the blast of toxic hypocrisy is enough to deck theaverage person -- I can see no crime that Craig committed. At worst, he cameon a bit to an undercover cop who spends his days protecting the publicwhile seated on a commode and who, dollars to doughnuts, gave Craig a winkor the equivalent thereof. No cop is going to risk hemorrhoids and not comeback with some arrests. He does what he needs to do, believing all the timethat he is all that stands between Sodom and Gomorrah and the nearby Mall ofAmerica.
more....
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The New York Times
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/08/AR2007100801322_pf.html
A Culture War Treaty
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007; A17
You know the religious right is in trouble when some of its leaders threatento bolt the Republican Party if it nominates a candidate who supportsabortion rights.
But the well-publicized warning directed against Rudy Giuliani this month isdecidedly not the most important sign that religious conservatives arefacing the disintegration of their movement.
What matters more is that a new generation of evangelical leaders, tired ofthe rancid partisanship, is breaking away from the culture wars. The reachof this new evangelical politics will be tested with the release tomorrow ofa statement under the very biblical title "Come Let Us Reason Together." Thequestion for the future is how many in the evangelical ranks will embracethis call.
Organized by Third Way, a group that is close to many leading moderateDemocrats, the statement calls for "first steps toward bridging the culturaldivide between progressives and evangelicals."
Third Way's effort is not happy boilerplate about how religious Americansand liberals share a concern for helping the poor, protecting theenvironment and reaching out to the victims of HIV-AIDS -- although theseareas of agreement are important and too often overlooked.
more....
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
To Form a More Perfect Union: Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
--
A lovely brunette bride breaks a heel on her way to the altar. A tree branchsnags off her veil. Then a grandma type sticks her cane out and trips thedistressed bride as the groom watches in dismay.
"What if you couldn't marry the person you love?" reads the tagline to a60-second TV spot that begins airing in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and othermajor California markets on Thursday. "Every day, gay and lesbian couplesare prevented from marrying. Support the freedom to marry."
--
Guatemala's Congress is to vote this week on a bill limiting the legalconcept of family to heterosexual couples with children, a move rightsgroups say threatens health-care access for single parent and gay homes.
The proposed law is meant to reinforce existing legislation that prohibitsgay marriage in Guatemala by explicitly saying families can only be formedby heterosexual couples.
--
Rhode Island's Supreme Court is set to hear arguments tomorrow on whether agay couple married in Massachusetts can get divorced in Rhode Island.
Cassandra Ormiston and Margaret Chambers were married in 2004 after same-sexmarriage became legal in Massachusetts, the only state that recognizes suchunions.
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The Independent - UK
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article3041058.ece
Airlines face 'direct action' threat in deportations row
By Cahal Milmo
Carriers including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were under growingpressure yesterday to refuse to carry asylum-seekers being forcibly removedfrom Britain after activists threatened direct action over allegations thatdetainees are being abused.
The airlines were accused of profiting from the forced removals programme,which has given rise to a dossier of 200 cases where deportees have claimedphysical and mental mistreatment by their British escort teams. TheIndependent can reveal that the Home Office paid British Airways more than£4.3m in 2006 to carry failed asylum-seekers and their escorts.
A succession of carriers insisted they were obliged by law to accept thepassengers. The Home Office said its Borders and Immigration Agency, whichis in charge of funding the removals, recognised the right of the captainsof aircraft to refuse to carry a detainee for "security or commercialreasons".
Gordon Brown said the Government would not halt the programme, despitegrowing evidence that Britain is sending failed detainees to countries withrepressive regimes. He said: "We have got to expel those people who come toour country but have got no justification being here."
More than 18,000 failed asylum-seekers were removed from Britain last yearby air. One charter operator, XL Airways, became the first airline to rejectthe policy after it said last weekend that it was refusing such flights outof "sympathy for all dispossessed persons in the world".
The National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC) said it wouldpicket offices and launch a letter-writing campaign demanding that carriershalt the practice.
more.....
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Telegraph - UK
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/09/ngay109.xml
Seven years' jail for gay hate preachers
By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor 09/10/2007
People convicted of stirring up hatred against homosexuals face up toseven years in jail under a new law.
Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, told MPs that existingprohibitions against race and religious incitement would be extendedto cover ''homo-phobic" behaviour.
His statement prompted fears among Christian organisations that theycould be prosecuted for preaching that homosexuality was wrong.
There would also be concern that playground insults or jokes aboutgays could be caught by the new offence unless strict safeguards wereincluded.
Mr Straw said he would amend the Criminal Justice Bill to make itunlawful to use threatening words or behaviour on the grounds ofsexual orientation.
"It is a measure of how far we have come as a society in the last 10years that we are now appalled by hatred and invective directed atpeople on the basis of their sexuality," he added.
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AmericaBlog.com
http://www.americablog.com/2007/10/word-about-nancy-pelosis-speech-at-gay.html
Sunday, October 07, 2007
·
A word about Nancy Pelosi's speech at the gay rights dinner last night
by John Aravosis (DC) · 10/07/2007 07:19:00 PM ET
Discuss this post here: Comments (136) · digg it · reddit · FARK · · Link
Last night, Pelosi spoke to the Human Rights Campaign annual dinner inWashington, DC. Her overall good speech included the following:
"I strongly believe that transgender individuals deserve the samerights and the same protections as any other Americans..."
Say what you will about the effectiveness of the Democratic congress,but the Speaker of the House of Representatives last night put thecredibility of the entire Democratic party behind openly supportingtranssexuals. I tend to lean towards the cultural side of things -meaning, cultural change is at least as important as, and is often anecessary precursor to, legislative change. And I think what NancyPelosi did was HUGE in terms of advancing change in the culture. Itwas also rather risky - I can't imagine a lot of Democrats beingthrilled that she said that, as they don't want to be asked on thecampaign trail, in front of their constituents in Nebraska, whetherthey agree with their party's leader that they fully endorse trans rights.
And if you still don't think it's a big deal, imagine Denny Hastertopenly embracing transgender rights.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-brmail739xnboct06,0,7284052.story
Anti-discrimination laws don't protect transgendered
October 6, 2007
The Sept. 26 editorial stating that protections exist against discriminationtoward transgender individuals and are "already on the books" is far fromfactual and is unsupported. Discrimination laws exist but are narrowlyenforced by administrative agencies and the courts. If the law does notspecifically provide protection for individuals from discrimination inemployment, housing and public accommodations, then no protection exists.
People in the transgender community have no legal protection. If you orsomeone you know has issues with gender identity, whether they arecross-dressers, post-operative transsexuals or pre-operative transsexuals,they can be denied service in restaurants and movie theaters, evicted fromtheir homes or terminated from employment with no legal remedy.
While the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board may believe thatenacting a law to protect persons who are victims of discrimination everyday is not necessary and will not make people open-minded, it will givepeople who suffer such discrimination a legal cause of action that will workto prevent such discrimination.
Having represented victims of discrimination as an attorney for the past 16years and having served on the Broward County Human Rights Board for 11years, it is clear that there is no current state or federal law thatprotects transgender individuals from discrimination and there is no reasonto delay enacting such a law.
The transgender community has suffered without rights long enough. It istime for them to stop living in the shadows, living in fear and to providethem the legal protection that every human deserves.
Randy A. Fleischer
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From Nikolai in Russia
Dear friends,
I just returned from my first ever trip to the United States. With theinvitation of Gay Liberation Network I visited Chicago.
Just a week ago I could not imagine how many positive emotions I would getin this trip. Though I am very tired after a long trip and big time change Iam very happy I spent last week in Chicago.
Fantastic guys from Gay Liberation Network made my and my partner's stay inthis beautiful city unforgetable. I am immencely grateful to them foreverything.
I just downloaded some photos from my trip on our website. So please have alook if you are interested.
http://www.gayrussia.ru/lgbt/gallery/section.php?PAGEN_1=1&SECTION_ID=428#nav_start
There are 3 pages of photos.
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Reza Tortured For Being Gay in Iran
http://www.irqo.net/
We have published photos of reza who got tortured for being gay in Iranwhich you can find online on the website of our organizaton (www.irqo.net)and please read the following article: "Queers Do Exist in Iran and need yoursupport"
IRanian Queer Organization - IRQO
Formerly Persian Gay & Lesbian Organization - PGLO
www.irqo.net
info@irqo.net
tel: 001-416-548-4171
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http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=284520
September 27, 2007
Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the Matthew Shepard Local LawEnforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act Of 2007
Washington, DC - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton issued the followingstatement on Senate approval of the Matthew She! pard Local Law EnforcementHate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to the Department of DefenseAuthorization bill:
"A crime motivated by hate on the basis of a victim's race, ethnicbackground, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and genderidentity is not just a crime against the individual - it is a crime againsta community. It sends a message to an entire group of people that they areunwelcome and that they should be afraid. Hate crimes are an affront tothe core values that bind us to one another, and we should dedicate theresources needed to prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.
The Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Actcondemns the abhorrent p! ractice of victimizing people because of theirrace, ethnic background, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability,and gender identity. It authorizes the Justice Department to help state andlocal governments investigate and prosecute hate crimes and provides grantsto help state and local governments prosecute these appalling offenses. Withtoday's vote, the Senate is proclaiming loudly that the American people willnot tolerate crimes motivated by bigotry and hatred. I am proud to cosponsorthis important legislation and will continue to work hard to provide our lawenforcement and prosecutors with the resources they need to fight theseappalling crimes."
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RichardsonForPresident.com
http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0298
Governor Bill Richardson Statement in Support of the Senate's Passage of theHate Crimes Bill
SANTA FE, NM-- New Mexico Governor and Democratic Presidential candidateBill R! ichardson today released a statement in support of the U.S. Senate'spassage of a federal hate crimes bill that protects Americans from crimescommitted on the basis of sexual orientation, disability, or genderidentity:
"This bill recognizes that discrimination of any kind is unacceptable andthat crimes committed on the basis of hate and ignorance cannot betolerated. For too long, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender)Americans have gone without the protections they deserve. Now we must ensurethat President Bush does the right thing and signs this bill into law. Wemust continue to fight until every American is guaranteed the rights he orshe deserves.
"I hope that the next step will be to pass ENDA (the EmploymentNon-Discrimination Act). A vote on this important civil rights legislationalso is long overdue. Furthermore, I believe that gen! der identity shouldbe included in the bill; transgender Americans deserve protection fromdiscrimination as well.
"I am proud to have led on this issue in New Mexico. I signed into law NewMexico's first hate crimes legislation, which included acts based on sexualorientation and gender identity. I also expanded my state'santi-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identityand provided state health insurance for all domestic partnerships."
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Moldavia
Discrimination of sexual minorities is unacceptable
Chisinau, 9 October 2007
Press release
Moldovan authorities have "to ensure full respect of the fundamental rightsof all minorities, including sexual minorities", according to the resolutionof the Parliamentary Assembly of of the Council of Europe (PACE) "Aboutfunctioning of democratic institutions in Moldova". The resolution is basedon the report of the monitoring committee about the honoring of obligationsand commitments by Moldova produced by Mrs. Josette Durrieu and Mr. Vareikisand adopted by PACE on October 2nd of this year.
PACE rapporteurs have allocated large space in the report to violations ofthe right to freedom of assembly for LGBT people in Moldova. In particular,the report states: "We deplore the fact that after a final ruling by theSupreme Court of Moldova the Chisinau authorities continue to violate thelaw and deprive the representatives of the LGBT community of their right tofreedom of assembly. Such situation cannot be tolerated in a democraticstate governed by the rule of law. We expect the Moldovan authorities totake all necessary measures to put an end to this practice".
more....
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UK
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/09/ngay109.xml
Seven years' jail for gay hate preachers
By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor 09/10/2007
People convicted of stirring up hatred against homosexuals face up toseven years in jail under a new law.
Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, told MPs that existingprohibitions against race and religious incitement would be extendedto cover ''homo-phobic" behaviour.
His statement prompted fears among Christian organisations that theycould be prosecuted for preaching that homosexuality was wrong.
There would also be concern that playground insults or jokes aboutgays could be caught by the new offence unless strict safeguards wereincluded.
Mr Straw said he would amend the Criminal Justice Bill to make itunlawful to use threatening words or behaviour on the grounds ofsexual orientation.
"It is a measure of how far we have come as a society in the last 10years that we are now appalled by hatred and invective directed atpeople on the basis of their sexuality," he added.
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Independent.co.uk
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article3038391.ece
Major airline refuses to help with forcible removal of immigrants
By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor
An important part of the Government's immigration policy has suffered aserious blow after a leading airline announced it would no longer carryfailed asylum-seekers who were being forcibly removed from the UnitedKingdom.
XL Airways, which has a fleet of 24 aircraft, said it was opposed to thepolicy because it had "sympathy for all dispossessed people in the world".
Last week, The Independent revealed that hundreds of failed asylum-seekershave claimed they have suffered physical and racial abuse during the removalprocess at the hands of private security guards.
The Government relies on airlines using chartered and scheduled aircraft todeport asylum-seekers who have failed to win a right to remain in the UK.
In an email to a campaign group which supports failed asylum seekers, XLsaid its chief executive had told the Government it had not "fullyunderstood" the political dimensions of these flights. In February, one ofits aircraft was used to deport 40 failed asylum-seekers to the DemocraticRepublic of Congo as part of the Government's "operation castor".
Now it has emerged that the airline has written to the National Coalition ofAnti-Deportation Campaigns confirming its decision to pull out of anyfurther flights. The XL email, sent on 12 September, said: "We had acontract with the Government along with other carriers, for a range offlying. Under this contract we operated one flight in February to DR Congoas part of this contract, without full understanding of the politicaldimensions involved.
more....
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