GLBT DIGEST March 12, 2008

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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
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A University of Hawai'i official today said UH is in the process ofaccommodating same-sex couples in family housing. The statement by FranciscoHernandez, vice chancellor for students, came after Lambda Legal yesterdaysaid it intends to sue UH on behalf of a gay couple it says was not allowedto move back into family housing after living there for a year.
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NY: Could [Governor] Spitzer's Woes Have a Silver Lining?
Revelations jump-started by a story in The New York Times that New Yorkgovernor Eliot Spitzer had been tied to a prostitution ring surged throughthe LGBT community Monday afternoon. Spitzer campaigned in 2006 on a pledgethat he would sponsor a same-sex marriage bill and sign that bill into lawshould it reach his desk.
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A judge in Middlesex County who is also training to become a Roman Catholicdeacon eased som e lawmakers' concerns Monday but may raise the ire of thechurch after saying he is willing to perform civil unions in his position onthe bench. John A. Jorgensen, a municipal court judge for the past 15 yearsemployed by South Plainfield and Woodbridge, had worried gay-rightsactivists because he has refused to perform civil unions, which are intendedto provide same-sex couples the rights of marriage.
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New research into US Census Bureau data has revealed that 1,200 Irish-borngay men and lesbians are living with a same-sex partner in America.
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It might be easy to view the marriage equality case heard by the CaliforniaSupreme Court last week as just another in a long string of similarchallenges across the US. After all, we've seen this show many times before,from New England and the Mid-Atlantic to the Midwest and the West Coast.
This case, however, differs in a significant way that might suggest anemerging trajectory for marriage challenges: procreation and pa renting werebarely mentioned until a whole three hours into the oral argument. It tookthe presentations of private social conservative advocacy groups to putarguments based on procreation and childrearing before the court.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
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Iranian gay teen loses appeal against deportation to the UK
A 19-year-old gay man from Iran who was refused asylum in Britain and fledto Holland will be deported back to the UK, according to gay rightsactivists connected with his case. Mehdi Kazemi had unsuccessfully appliedfor asylum in the United Kingdom following the execution of his partner byIranian authorities after being found guilty of sodomy. He faces possibleexecution by stoning if he returns to Iran. Activists have pledged to takehis case the EU courts.
click here for the full article
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Gay peer speaks out against deportations to Iran
A gay member of the House of Lords has demanded the government take actionto stop a gay teenager being deported back to Iran where he could face thedeath penalty.Today it was revealed that 19-year-old Mehdi Kazemi, who wasrefused asylum in Britain and fled to Holland, will be deported back to theUK. He had unsuccessfully applied for asylum in the United Kingdom followingthe execution of his partner by Iranian authorities after being found guiltyof sodomy.
click here for the full article
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Prodi to step down from Italian politics
Romano Prodi has announced that he is "finished" with politics in Italy. Hehas served twice as Prime Minister and heads the interim government in placeuntil the country holds a general election next month. Mr Prodi, who alsoserved as President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004, lost thesupport of parliament in January after a nine-party coalition government hewas leading fell apart.
click here for the full article
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Tribunal hearing over civil partnerships on forms
An employment tribunal has ruled that a Catholic couple from Scotland canpursue their claim of sexual and religious discrimination againstStrathclyde Police over its definition of the term 'marital status.' DevoutCatholics Lucille and Frank McQuade claim that Scotland's largest policeforce is guilty of religious discrimination after altering its civilianemployee records to change their status from "married" to "married/civilpartnership." Mr McQuade, 49, a communications officer with the force, saidthat no slur was intended on the gay community.
click here for the full article
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JK Rowling: Homophobia is a fear of people loving
The author of the best-selling Harry Potter novels has given a wide-ranginginterview to a student newspaper in which she defends her gay characterAlbus Dumbledore. JK Rowling also spoke out against fundamentalistChristians in the United States who are trying to ban her work. Speakingto Edinburgh University's Student newspaper Rowling, whose successful seriesof novels have made her the richest women in Britain, defended her decisionto out Dumbledore last year.
click here for the full article
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Mehdi's deportation to be raised in Euro Parliament
MEP Michael Cashman has said he will raise the case of Mehdi Kazemi in theEuropean Parliament in Strasbourg this week. The 19-year-old Iranian iscurrently being held in H olland and is fighting legal moves to return himto the UK, where he is likely to face deportation to his homeland. He hadunsuccessfully applied for asylum in the United Kingdom following theexecution of his partner by Iranian authorities after being found guilty ofsodomy.
click here for the full article
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I am not gay says Welsh Olympian
Former Olympic athlete Colin Jackson has denied he is gay, but said he doesnot mind what people say about him. Jackson, 41, told The Voice newspaperthat persistent rumours about his sexuality are "strange and bizarre." Theformer hurdler appeared on BBC show Strictly Come Dancing in 2005 and 2006.
He has just released a book, Life's New Hurdles. He won a silver medal inthe 100m Hurdles at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
click here for the full article
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Baywatch star praised for coming out
Jaason Simmons, known to millions across the world as hunky lifeguard LoganFowler in beach soap opera Bay watch, has come out to an Australianmagazine. The 37-year-old actor plans to marry his partner, Irish actor JohnO'Callaghan. The couple, who have been together for eight months, have alsoadopted a six-year-old Ugandan boy. The decision to go public about theirrelationship has been praised by gay rights advocates. click here for thefull article
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
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Egypt: New Indictments in HIV Crackdown
Persecuting People Living With HIV/AIDS Feeds the Epidemic
The Egyptian government's new indictments against several men arrestedapparently on suspicion of having HIV violate their basic rights and deeplyundermine Egypt's fight against HIV/AIDS, Amnesty International and HumanRights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty Internationalcalled on Egyptian officials to quash the indictments and overturn theconvictions of four others who were sentenced in F ebruary 2008 to one-yearprison terms. On March 4, 2008, Cairo prosecutors handed down indictmentsagainst five men on charges of "habitual practice of debauchery," a termused under Egyptian law to prosecute consensual sexual acts between men.
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Forwarded from Gay Asalyum - UK
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gayasylum/messages?o=1
Go to this link for the following articles:
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We have just been informed that the Dutch court has ruled against Madhi pleafor non deportation. They have agreed that the IND can deport back Madhi to the UK . This has now been confirmed by official sources but we shall update as soon as weknow the actual judgment and what happened today. The Fight is not yet over.
The case and decision shall be taken to the EU human court of Appeals,irrespective of where Madhi, is physically in the Netherlands or the UK . Ayou can imagine this is a bitter defeat and the deportation back to Iranmust be stopped at any cost.
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Journalist to be executed in Iran
Iranian journalist and civil rights campaigner Yaghub Mehrnehad faces
imminent execution after an unfair trial By Peter Tatchell
An Iranian Baluch journalist and civil rights campaigner, YaghubMehrnehad, aged 28, has been sentenced to death for an unknownoffence, after a torture and an unfair trial conducted behind closeddoors, according to Amnesty International.
http://www.isavelives.be/en/node/918
His execution is imminent. He is likely to be hanged in public, usingthe barbaric slow strangulation method favoured by the Tehran regime.
It is deliberately designed to maximise the pain and prolong thesuffering of the victim.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/peter_tatchell/2008/03/journalist_to_be_executed_in_i.html
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
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Bill Maher Cuts Through Clinton's Spin
Bill Maher calls "bullshit" on Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffespin to justify Clinton crossing the line when Clinton says McCain is morequalified to be president than Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama. Clintonhas been pushing a short-sighted strategy saying that she and McCain have alifetime of experience and that all Obama has is a speech from 2005. Inother words Clinton is saying that if she doesn't get the Democraticnomination, then the next best choice is the Republican McCain.
http://bloggernista.com/2008/03/09/bill-maher-cuts-through-clintons-spin/
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Obama, Islam and the bigots by Chris Crain
There's plenty I agree with in Nicholas Kristof's column in today's New YorkTimes about the use of Muslim rumors as a "slur" against Barack Obama.
Kristof is surely right, for example, that "the most monstrous bigotry inthis election isn't about either race or sex. It's about religion. Thewhispering campaigns allege tha t Mr. Obama is a secret Muslim planning toimpose Islamic law on the country." Apparently there are even rumors thatthe Illinois senator is the Antichrist. How repugnant.
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2008/03/kristof-obama-a.html
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AFA & Ford: Someone's gots some splainin' to do
Earlier this morning, we showed you how the American Family Assocation hascalled off their boycott of the Ford Motor Company amidst cries of victory.
And even though we are highly skeptical that Ford has capitulated to theAFA's demands (and also letting the automaker know that they are about toexperience a HUGE GAY BACKLASH if they did), the folks on the far right arecertainly starting to carry out the "WE WON" meme. Here is a blip that'srunning on MassResistance:
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2008/03/afa-ford-someon.html
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Day of Silence vs Day of Truth
In America, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network - otherwiseknown as GLSEN, are pr omoting April 25 as a day of silence againsthomophobic violence in schools. However, not everybody plans to keep quiet.
In light of the recent murder of teenage student Lawrence King, you'd thinkthat a day devoted to raising awareness of the bullying and harassment thatsome kids face in schools could only be considered a good thing. Howevercertain church leaders don't agree.
http://www.samesame.com.au/news/international/2081/Day-Of-Silence-Vs-Day-Of-Truth.htm
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Rural Kentucky High School Student Fights for GSA
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/03/10/1610
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Martina Navratilova Gets Passport on Rebound
Martina Navratilova, the former world number one tennis star, said yesterday
that she had regained her Czech nationality more than 30 years after fleeingits communist rule to live in the US.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3528622.ece
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Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
Go to this link for the following articles:
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Oklahoma politician's anti-gay rant caught on tape
A video of anti-gay remarks made by an Oklahoma lawmaker and posted onYouTube.com by The Victory Fund has been viewed more than 500,000 times asof this writing. Republican state Rep. Sally Kern, in a speech to a GOPclub, called gays a "bigger threat, even more so than terrorists or Islam,"and accused gays of trying to "destroy this nation." The Dallas MorningNews/Associated Press (3/10) , Advocate.com (3/11)
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Kern defends remarks: In an interview with Oklahoma City station News9,Oklahoma House Rep. Sally Kern defended her anti-gay remarks, saying, "Thereare indisputable facts that show it's a deadly lifestyle." In an e-mail sentto the blog Pam's House Blend, Kern said that she does not dispute anyone'sright to be gay, but she added, "But I do not have to agree with it andspeaking against it is not hate speech." Read the full text of Kern's letterhere. GayWired.com (3/10)
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Conference-goers stunned by Kern's comments: The video of Oklahoma stateRep. Sally Kern's anti-gay remarks stunned attendees at a Sexual Identityand Spirituality Conference at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
The Rev. Scott Jones of Cathedral of Hope said, "What she's saying isoutrageous, and completely a betrayal of the public trust for someone who iselected to a public office." News9.com (Okla.) (3/11)
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Senate may lift immigration ban for people with HIV
A bipartisan measure introduced in the U.S. Senate on Friday would boostfunding for global AIDS relief efforts from $30 billion to $50 billion andalso lift a 15-year-old ban on foreign visitors and immigrants with HIVentering the country. The end to the immigration prohibition was attached tothe funding authorization because of many lawmakers' commitment to AIDSrelief efforts, according to this article. Washington Blade (3/8)
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Voters to have say on Maryland county's transgender-bias law
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Editorial: Ruling for equal marriage rights would be "just"
The Los Angeles Times, in an editorial, calls on the California SupremeCourt to do the right thing and rule in favor of equal marriage rights. "In1948, the court was accused of thwarting the will of the people when itstruck down the ban on interracial marriage; it would face similarcondemnation if it ruled that 'equal protection of the laws' requires thesame treatment for heterosexual and same-sex couples," the Times writes."But, as in 1948, the result would be the just one." Los Angeles Times (freeregistration) (3/8)
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Blogger: Did anti-gay group's Ford boycott work?
The American Family Association is saying its boycott of Ford, over itsgay-friendly marketing policies, is a success, with the automaker caving toits demands, but blogger Pam Spaulding has her doubts. "I hardly think theHomosexual Agenda has control over Ford's busines s plans," she writes. Fordhad no comment, according to this post. Read more at Pam's House Blend.
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LOGO PSA on Hate Crimes
This morning, Logo launched a new public service announcement that we willair on-line and on-air as well as make available to our sister brands acrossMTV Networks. The spot is a call to action against hate crimes and featuresa number of artists, actors and performers, including Janet Jackson, T.R.Knight, Portia de Rossi and Andre 3000.
To see the spot, go to http://www.LOGOonline.com
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
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Dobson: Christian Right Needs Leadership
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Dobson-Evangelical.html?scp=5&sq=GAY&st=nyt
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Women Ponder Why Spitzer's Wife Stood By
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Spitzer-Political-Spouses.html?scp=10&sq=GAY&st=nyt
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The Myth of the Victimless Crime
Whose theory is it that prostitution is victimless? It's the men who buyprostitutes who spew the myths that women choose prostitution.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/opinion/12farley.html?ref=opinion
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Sex Infections Found in Quarter of Teenage Girls
Rates are particularly high among young African-Americans, according to newfederal data.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/science/12std.html?hp
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
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The Netherlands' highest court on Tuesday rejected a gay Iranian'slast-ditch appeal to avoid deportation to Britain, where he fearsauthorities will send him back to Tehran and possible execution.
Mehdi Kazemi, 19, traveled to Britain to study in 2005 and applied there forasylum after learning that his male lover in Iran had been executed forsodomy. After British authorities rejected Kazemi's application, he fled andapplied for asylum in the Netherlands.
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Dutch Court Nixes Gay Asylum Seeker Bid
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/11/AR2008031102272.html
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The AIDS Relief Miracle
How a last-minute, late-night outbreak of sanity saved funding for AIDSrelief in Africa.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/11/AR2008031102460.html
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
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UMC church attended by Clintons to hold same-sex union ceremonies
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
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Kansas funeral picketing law struck down
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/526028.html
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Dutch court nixes gay asylum seeker bid
Mehdi Kazemi faces deportation to Britain, possible return to Tehran
The Netherlands' highest court on Tuesday rejected a gay Iranian'slast-ditch appeal to avoid deportation to Britain, where he fearsauthorities will send him back to Tehran and possible execution. MehdiKazemi, 19, traveled to Britain to study in 2005 and applied there forasylum after learning that his male lover in Iran had been executed forsodomy. After British authorities rejected Kazemi's application, he fled andapplied for asylum in the Netherlands. Upholding a ruling by the Dutchgovernment, the Council of State said Britain is responsible for Kazemi'scase because he applied for asylum there first. European Union rules say themember state where an asylum seeker first enters the bloc is responsible forprocessing that person's claim.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17096
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
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New Evangelical Leaders Said Less Interested In Battling Gay Rights
(Nashville, Tennessee) With a generation of Christian right leaders dead oraging, the founder of the conservative evangelical group Focus on the Familysays he's concerned about the movement's future leadership.
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Official: Spitzer To Resign Monday
(New York City) A top state official says New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer hasdecided to resign amid a prostitution scandal.
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Clinton, Obama Look To Pa. And Beyond
(Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania) Facing a revived Hillary Rodham Clinton,Democrat Barack Obama has dropped a tenet of his early strategy that seemedvital to his January successes: the conviction that he can win almostanywhere if he has enough time to engage voters.
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Deep Dem Divisions On How To Count Florida
(Washington) Florida's congressional delegation said Tuesday it opposesholding a Democratic presidential vote by mail, and Barack Obama expressedconcerns about the fairness of that option.
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Obama Takes Mississippi But Wins Scant Support From Whites
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Group Says Iraq Video Proves Claims Of Increasing Violence Against Gays
(London) A group of gay Iraqi exiles said Tuesday it has obtained videoevidence of mounting attacks on gays and is calling on the US and Britain tointervene.
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Gay Rights Bill Introduced In Ohio
(Columbus, Ohio) Legislation to bar discrimination in employment, housing orpublic accommodation on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identitywas introduced Tuesday in the Ohio legislature.
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LGBT Businesses Added To UPS Diversity Plan
(Atlanta, Georgia) UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, isstepping up its supplier diversity efforts to include gay, lesbian, bisexualand transgender-owned businesses.
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
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Obama Rolls Out More LGBT Supporters
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign rolled out a new swath of 40 national LGBTsupporters, adding to the original list of about 60 queer supporters theyannounced last year. (The new list is available at the end of this article).
"This continues to show the momentum that the Obama camp is demonstrating inall different slices of the electorate," said Eric Stern, who has beenactively courting gays and lesbians to join the Obama team.
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Where Are All The Gays Going?
What's happening to gay life in Nashville? We've had what six or seven barsand our local gay coffee shop close in the past year. Just this past weekwhat was one of our strongest gay organizations, the Music City Bears,announced they were closing. The much heralded GLBT community center, OutCentral, still hasn't opened and is apparently several months behindschedule. Is the community just not supporting itself like it used to? Isthis important or have "gays" become so much part of the mainstream that wedon't need an identity or community of our own?
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Helping Trans Kids Out of the Shadows
"How does a 14 year old shoot a 15 year old in the back of the head becausehe's wearing high heels?" Trans activist Jenn Burleton sits across a smalltable outside one of Portland's ubiquitous coffee houses, musing on theschoolground murder of a Southern California gender nonconforming child.
"More than any other source of childhood abuse, teasing, and bullying;femininity in male children kills. It scars."
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Winter Party 2008, A Dance Against Hate
While thousands of revelers from around the world celebrated the 15th AnnualWinter Party Beach Festival under picture perfect Miami weather, in thehearts of many, the party took a much more serious meaning. Coincidentally,the week-long fundraiser that has come to be known as the Winter PartyFestival was held in the wake of two violent crimes in Ft. Lauderdale, bothsuspected of being gay bashings--one that turned deadly for a 17-year-oldyouth.
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'Celluloid Closet' Documentary Highlights Stories Between Lines
Deep in the heart of the "Bible Belt," discussion that emphasizes thediversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender experiences, is seen asa rarity by some. However, Monday night, the continuation of a documentaryseries tackled just that, with the viewing of "The Celluloid Closet."
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