GLBT DIGEST March 28, 2008

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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Religion in the News
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- An evangelical group that wants to reshape themovement's political reputation for being focused on opposing abortion andsame-sex marriage is hoping that a series of meetings stressing its roots inwomen's suffrage and abolition will help it break out of the mold.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Religion-in-the-News.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=GAY&st=nyt&oref=slogin

-Dutch Koran Film Angers Iran And Indonesia
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Iran and Indonesia condemned on Friday a film by aDutch lawmaker that accuses the Koran of inciting violence, and Dutch Muslimleaders urged restraint.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-dutch-islam-film.html?scp=5&sq=GAY&st=nyt

-Indie Producer Here! For Gay - Themed Movies
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Gay-themed movies are the very definitionof niche releases.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-gay.html?scp=7&sq=GAY&st=nyt


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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Killing of gay Fort Lauderdale teen turns into call for action
At school, his mother said, they teased him: "Gay! Faggot!"
Around the neighborhood, a friend recalled, some mistook him for a youngwoman and catcalled - "Hey lil' momma!" - and he ran, knowing what wouldhappen when they came closer and realized he was a boy.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbwilliams0328sbmar28,0,344159.story



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Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Kids animated cartoon character joins gay rights group
Omaha, NE (PRWEB) March 26, 2008 -- COLAGE welcomes Buddy G as theorganization's newest member. The organization is a national movement ofchildren, youth and adults who have one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual,transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) parents. Buddy G is the starring animatedcharacter of the show Buddy G, My Two Moms and Me, an animated cartoonseries for children starring a character with same sex parents. As the namesuggests, Buddy G has two lesbian moms in the cartoon.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/

-Mariela Castro champions gay rights in Cuba
HAVANA -- Not the new president, Raul, although he has promised to pushthrough "structural and conceptual" changes to this communist island in theCaribbean. It is Raul's daughter, Mariela Castro. As head of thegovernment-funded National Centre for Sex Education, she is trying to changepeople's attitudes towards minority groups in the community. She iscurrently attempting to get the Cuban National Assembly to adopt what wouldbe among the most liberal gay and transsexual rights law in Latin America.

-Teacher avoids jail for blackmailing gay lover
AAP -- A Melbourne, Australia, teacher who blackmailed his gay lover using avideo of them involved in a sex act has been fined and given a suspendedsentence. David Robert Hicks, 31, has pleaded guilty to one count ofblackmail. Hicks, whose address has been withheld for legal reasons,appeared today in the Victorian County Court for sentencing.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Gay Film Festival Draws Opposition In Dade City
DADE CITY - A gay film festival that is planned to start Friday and runthrough the weekend is generating opposition from a Tampa-based familygroup.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/27/gay-film-fest-draws-opposition-dade-city/?news-breaking-yahoo

-Media, military kept soldier in closet after death
Friends say gay man killed in Iraq would want the truth to be known
The death of a gay soldier in Iraq is drawing renewed attention to how the"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy - and the mainstream media - help ensure thatgays stay in the closet, even in death.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17404

-Female author writes about her own male past
Finney Boylan never set out to be the public face for the transgendered.
But the novelist and English professor at Colby College was thrust into thatrole by her 2002 best-selling memoir about the transition to womanhood thatfreed her from the decades-long torment of being a female trapped in a malebody.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/03/26/transgendered.author.ap/

-Kids openly gay earlier than ever
When a gay teenager was gunned down earlier this year at an Oxnard school,the violence resulted in the unexpected: Young people, gay and straight,rallied across the nation for civil rights.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_8709749

-Obama Fathers Two-Headed Gay Terrorist Baby: The National Enquirer-izationof American Politics
As campaign politics in America lurches, zombie-like, deeper and deeper intothe muck, with Hillary Clinton desperately flogging the Reverend Wright"scandal" in all its idiotic glory, it's time to study the true masters ofsmear-ology -- the supermarket tabloids. Here, in the sick, teeming id ofAmerica, tales of lust, drunkeness, treason and murder are laid out weeklyfor the delectation of short-attention-span shoppers, without the boringpro-forma pretense of actual policy debate; and here we can view,uncensored, the understory of modern American politics.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-eskow/obama-fathers-twoheaded-_b_93767.html

-Our two cents on Bill Clinton's DOMA rant
Former President Bill Clinton was asked earlier this week by an MTVUeditorial board member about his involvement in the Defense of Marriage Act(DOMA) in 1996. The question was prompted by a comment Melissa Etheridgemade during last year's HRC/Logo Presidential forum where she said PresidentClinton "threw gays and lesbians under the bus" when he signed DOMA intolaw.
http://prideagenda.blogspot.com/2008/03/our-two-cents-on-bill-clintons-doma.html

-A controversial 'spiritual advisor'
Openly lesbian Ms. Cleo to be special guest at Palm Beach Pridefest
"I am not a psychic," says Ms. Cleo in response to a question about thenotoriety she gained earlier this decade as a spokeswoman for the PsychicNetwork. "I am a mambo [spiritual advisor], and I take care of a villagethat has members throughout the Americas. If there is any controversy aboutme, it is because I am outspoken about our rights and I'm not afraid to tellpeople what I think."
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/3-27/locallife/spiritualty/4536.cfm

-FRIEND OF THE WEEK
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Our Friend of the Week honors go to Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
On April 8, Bishop Tutu will receive the 2008 Outspoken Award from theInternational Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

FOE OF THE WEEK
Peter Sprigg
Vice president of policy researchFamily Research Council
In a videotaped interview that is now making the rounds on the Internet, aspokesperson from the right-wing religious group Family Research Councilmade an incredibly hateful and dehumanizing comment about gay people inresponse to a question about immigration policy.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/3-27/view/friendfoe/4542.cfm

-Media plays up 'sex crimes' while downplaying war crimes
Lying to start a war is OK, but lying about paying for sex seemsunacceptableAmerica loves a good sex scandal. Once again we have been treated to thewalk of shame with another parade of disgrace, denial and denunciation.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/3-27/view/columns/4543.cfm


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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Can There Be Peace In The Valley For Dems?
(Fayetteville, North Carolina) They may bicker daily over issues, characterand innuendo, but both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama appear toagree on one thing: Democratic voters will coalesce around a nominee andcarry him or her to victory in November over Republican John McCain.

-Another Clinton Misspeak?
(Belfast, Northern Ireland) Hillary Rodham Clinton cites her role inbringing peace to Northern Ireland as one of the top foreign policycredentials of her presidential bid.

-Obama Says He Would Have Left If Wright Stayed
(Washington) White House hopeful Barack Obama suggests he would have lefthis Chicago church had his longtime pastor, whose fiery anti-Americancomments about U.S. foreign policy and race relations threatened Obama'scampaign, not stepped down.

-New Twist In Okeechobee Gay Club Suit
(Okeechobee, Florida) A lengthy lawsuit by the ACLU against the Okeechobeeschool district over its refusal to allow a Gay-Straight Alliance to meet oncampus has taken a new twist a week after it was learned the GSA had nostudents.

-Concerts By Anti-Gay Singer Cancelled
(London) Two British concerts by a Jamaican reggae singer whose musicadvocates killing gays have been cancelled following complaints by LGBTrights groups.

-Kern Meets With PFLAG Group
(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) Members of the Oklahoma City Chapter of Parents,Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays met Thursday with Oklahoma StateRep. Sally Kern (R) to express concern about her recent comment that gaysare "the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism."

-Battle Intensifies Over Fla. Anti-Gay Amendment
(Tallahassee) The two major sides in the battle over a proposed amendmentbanning gay marriage squared off in a debate that laid out their keypositions.

-AIDS Activist Honored For Leadership
(Los Angels, California) AIDS advocate Gregg Gonsalves has been selected asthe first-ever recipient of the $100,000 John M. Lloyd AIDS LeadershipAward.


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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Florida Man Told He's 'Not an Actual Family Member' When Partner is Killedin Plane Crash
Eric Breidenbaugh knew something was wrong. His partner and his partner'sparents were all missing - hours overdue from a family flight aboard a smallprivate plane. Eric called his local airport, near Pinellas Park, Florida,to see if they had any information. They did, but they wouldn't give it tohim. They said he was "not an actual family member," so they couldn't tellhim whether his partner was alive or dead.

-Calling on Rhee
Students at D.C.'s public high schools who identify as gay, lesbian orbisexual were four times more likely to attempt suicide over the past year,according to a fact sheet released by D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) on Monday,March 24. This and other startling data were extracted from the biennialYouth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) conducted by DCPS and the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2007. The preliminary data from thatsurvey was presented six months ago.

-Record Number Sponsor Florida Gay Rights Legislation
A record number of Florida lawmakers are asking their colleagues to considerlegislation prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians in publicand private employment, housing, and public accommodations. "For the firsttime in Florida's history, thirty-seven legislators are seeking to insurethat gay men and lesbians living and working in our state be afforded thesame rights as all other Floridians," said retired judge Rand Hoch.


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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Same-sex couples that establish a legal relationship in a state that allowsit and then move to a state that does not might be stuck in the relationshipwith no access to divorce. DOMA upsets the normal operation of matrimoniallaw, in which courts adjudicate domestic relations disputes under their ownlaws and, where appropriate, may also apply the laws of another state thathas an "interest" in the relationship. Those judgments are ordinarilyentitled to enforcement in any court in the United States "whether theyagree with the original basis for the marriage or not," according to StanleyCox, a professor at the New England School of Law.

-Opposition to this weekend's same sex commitment ceremony at Penn State washand delivered to university officials and to the man who will preside overthe ceremony itself - the mayor of State College.
Pastor Gary Dull of the Altoona Baptist Church said he is against thesame-sex commitment ceremony because it doesn't follow the values laid outin the Bible. But, State College Mayor Bill Welch said the ceremony is notabout the Bible, but about love and commitment.


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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-2,630 gay men diagnosed with HIV in 2007
The Health Protection Agency has revealed that there were an estimated 6,840new HIV diagnoses in the UK last year, more than a third of them gay men. Itis the third successive year that new diagnoses among gay men have risenabove 2,600, the highest levels since records began. Increased testing islikely to have contributed in part to these recent high numbers of HIVdiagnoses. 2,630 gay men were diagnosed as HIV positive last year.
click here for the full article

-Homophobia claims rejected by police complaints body
Sixteen allegations of homophobia made against the eight Devon and Cornwallpolice officers have been rejected by the Independent Police ComplaintsCommission. The complaints were made in 2004 and 2005 by Malcolm Lidbury, alocal LGBT activist. He claimed he was "treated poorly" because of hissexuality and claimed that the Devon and Cornwall police have an "inherentlyhomophobic" attitude.
click here for the full article

-UK asylum system "not fit for purpose"
A commission established to examine asylum policy and practice in the UK hasconcluded that it falls below the standards of a civilised nation.The12-member Independent Asylum Commission's findings have been rejected by theBorder and Immigration Agency, who claim they treat people with "care andcompassion." The volume of people seeking asylum in the UK has fallensharply and last year there were just over 23,000.
click here for the full article

-'Obama Girl' wants Hillary Clinton out of Presidential race
Amber Lee Ettinger, also known as "Obama Girl," has released a new video
calling for New York Senator Hillary Clinton to drop out of the USPresidential race against Barack Obama. The first "Obama Girl" video wasreleased last summer and rapidly spread like wildfire, launching Ettingerinto semi-stardom. The videos are the creation of BarelyPolitical.com andthe original video has been viewed more than seven million times onYouTube.com alone.
click here for the full article

-US martial arts fighter reveals he is gay
Mixed martial arts has become a national phenomenon in America, and with thecreation of the Ultimate Fighting Championships, only continues to grow inpopularity. This week, competitor Shad Smith became the first openly gayfighter in the sport when he revealed his sexuality in a New York Timesinterview.According to the article, Smith entered his first fight in 2000shortly after his release from prison, where he was serving time forcarjacking, one of his many stints.
click here for the full article

-Gay 'wedding' planners to sponsor London Falcons
London's newest gay-friendly football club is landed a major sponsor.
Perfect Partnerships promote and specialise in co-ordinating civilpartnerships, gay and lesbian stag and hen weekends, commitment ceremonies,gay honeymoons and overseas gay weddings. London Falcons Football Club,which fields teams in both 5-a-side and 11-as-side competitions, was foundedless than two years ago but already boasts more than 100 members. Theyrecently reached the final of the Yorkshire Terriers 5-a-side tournament.click here for the full article


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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:

- Ireland: Law may leave gay teachers open to being dismissed
INTO CONFERENCE: GAY AND lesbian teachers could be dismissed if theirlifestyle is seen as undermining the religious ethos of schools, the IrishNational Teachers' Organisation (INTO)conference was told yesterday.
Sheila Crowley, who chairs INTO's Lesbian Gay and Bisexual (LGB) teachers'group, said Section 37 of the Employment Equality Acts permits schools thatpromote certain religious values to take "necessary action to prevent anemployee from undermining the religious ethos of the institution".


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Libby Post
http://www.proudlyout.typepad.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Hitler's Play Book
Sally Kern must be studying Hitler's play book.Hitler demonized Jews bysaying we controlled the world's commerce and banks.Kern thinks gay money isbeing used to control the political process.Hitler considered Jews thepersonification of the Devil.Kern thinks LGBT people are the personificationof the sin undermining America's Christian society.Hitler believed that Jewswere the springboard for sedition.Kern believes that "good citizenship" isnot within the realm of LGBT people because we are not good Christians.
Hitler believed Jews have "always been a people with definite racialcharacteristics and never a religion." Kern believes all religions are notequal. I could go on and on.
http://www.proudlyout.com


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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-I received word tonight from Tomasz Szypula, spokesman for theCampaign Against Homophobia, one of Poland's gay politicalorganizations, that Brendan Fay and Tom Moulton, the US gay couplewhose wedding is being used by Poland's president to spread hate andfear of same-sex loving people, are traveling to Warsaw this weekend.
To get more information on their trip, I called Brendan at home. Hegave me the scoop. He have been invited by a Polish TV network to comeand appear on a program, all expenses paid by the network. Brendan andTom touch down in Warsaw on Saturday morning.
http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/2008/03/polish-tv-flying-us-gay-couple-to.html


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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article

-Third sex gets official status in Tamil Nadu
CHENNAI: So far Pooja, a 25-year-old transsexual from Salem in TamilNadu, had nothing to prove her existence in government recordsbecause she had refused to be identified as either a male or afemale, the only two options available in the gender column of theapplication forms. Finally, the state has recognized her as an individualand given hera ration card where the sex column is marked T instead of M or F.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//articleshow/2869909.cms

-GAY IRANIAN SAFE -- FOR NOW by Doug Ireland
Under Global Pressure, U.K. government rethinks deportation
In the latest protest aimed at preventing the UK from deporting 19-year-oldIranian Mehdi Kazemi to his homeland where he faces probable execution, 150demonstrators braved hail, snow, and rain in London on Saturday, March 22,to rally outside 10 Downing Street, the official residence of British PrimeMinister Gordon Brown. Protesters demanded that Brown's government refrainfrom efforts to deport any gay and lesbian Iranians.
http://gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19429156&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568864&rfi=6

-Officer LGBT-friendly
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis assumed leadership of the Boston Police Department in December 2006 with a promise to strengthen ties between thedepartment and Boston's diverse communities. And a little over a year intohis tenure, he's getting rave reviews for his outreach to both gay membersof the force and the broader LGBT community in Boston. Read
http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=72201

-Oldest profession tempts pair of 93-year-olds
It's the world's oldest profession, but two Florida johns should have beenold enough to know better. An undercover prostitution sting in Bradentonnetted two hot-blooded 93-year-olds, cops said. "The first thing that goesthrough people's minds is, 'Did they have Viagra?'" said Dave Bristow of theManatee County Sheriff's Department. "I cannot remember anyone anywhere nearthat age."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/03/26/2008-03-26_oldest_profession_tempts_pair_of_93yearo.html?ref=rss


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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Obama Weathers Wright Storm, Clinton Faces Credibility Problem
Obama's personal image remains more favorable than Clinton's -- and heretains a 10-point advantage over her in the race for the nomination. Butcertain beliefs and attitudes among older, white, working-class Democratsare associated with his lower levels of support among this group. Views ofHillary Clinton among white Democratic voters are more influenced byperceptions that she is "phony." Read more

-Speech on Race Arguably Biggest Event of Campaign
Fully 85% of Americans say they have heard about Obama's speech, and 70%have heard more about him in the last week than any other candidate. Readmore

-Complex Speech Challenges Media
For a full week, political prognosticators and pundits grappled with theintricacies of Barack Obama's multilayered address on race relations. Readmore

-Few in China Complain About Internet Controls
Many Americans assume that China's internet users are unhappy about theirgovernment's control of the internet, but a new survey by Chineseresearchers finds most Chinese say they approve of internet regulation,especially by the government. Read more

-Dismal Views of the Economy
It's the Inflation, Stupid
The public's satisfaction with the state of the nation hits a 20-year low,but optimism about the future rises somewhat. Rising prices top the listwhen it comes to Americans' personal economic concerns. Read more

-Changes in Catholicism
American Catholics on the Eve of Pope Benedict's Visit
When Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the U.S. on April 15, he will be greetedby a flock that is undergoing rapid ethnic and demographic changes. Read
more

-Watching War - Why News of Iraq Didn't Surge
In the history of the Iraq conflict, May 24, 2007 may not go down as a redletter date; but it marked a turning point in media coverage of thethird-longest war in U.S. history. Read more

-Daily Number
28% - Awareness of Iraq War Fatalities Plummets
Shortly before the count of U.S. military fatalities reached 4,000, a Pewsurvey found that only 28% of U.S. adults were able to correctly specify theapproximate number of Americans who have died in the Iraq war, far fewerthan the number able to estimate troop deaths correctly in earlier surveys.
Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more


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From MoveOn.Org
http://www.moveon.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:

This is pretty outrageous: a group of Clinton-supporting big Democraticdonors are threatening to stop supporting Democrats in Congress becauseNancy Pelosi said that the people, not the superdelegates, should decide thePresidential nomination.1
It's the worst kind of insider politics-billionaires bullying our electedleaders nto ignoring the will of the voters.
But when we all pool our resources, together we're stronger than the fatcats. So et's tell Nancy Pelosi that if she keeps standing up for regularAmericans, housands of us will have her back. And we can more than matchwhatever the CEOs and illionaires refuse to contribute. Clicking here willadd your name to our statement:
http://pol.moveon.org/democracy/o.pl?id=12391-5533006-jRsB_G&t=273


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