GLBT DIGEST April 18, 2008

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

-Rangers Answer Concerns of Gays
Representatives from Madison Square Garden and the Rangers met Wednesdaywith gay advocacy groups and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn toaddress concerns about anti-gay slurs that are regularly shouted at Rangersgames.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/sports/hockey/18fans.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=nyt&oref=slogin

-In California, Charges Are Changed in Beating of Yale Singers
A judge has dismissed felony charges against two men accused of attackingYale University singers in a 2007 New Year's Eve brawl in San Francisco. Thejudge, Kathleen Kelly, dropped the felony charges against the men, BrianDwyer and Richard Aicardi, both 20, on Wednesday, saying prosecutors lackedevidence. Judge Kelly dismissed all the charges against Mr. Dwyer andreduced the case against Mr. Aicardi to a single count of misdemeanorassault. Witnesses said that after the all-male a cappella group sang "TheStar-Spangled Banner," the attackers hurled anti-gay epithets and then beatand kicked some of the singers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/us/18brfs-CHANGINGCHAR_BRF.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=nyt

-Clinging to a Stereotype
Will Barack Obama's now famous "bitter" quote turn out to have been a bigdeal politically? Frankly, I have no idea.
Mr. Obama's comments combined assertions about economics, sociology andvoting behavior. In each case, his assertion was mostly if not entirelywrong.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/opinion/18krugman.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=nyt

-Long in the Shadows, a Player's Legacy Is Restored
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Nobody disputes the accomplishments of Jackie Walker, alocal high school football star and pioneering all-American linebacker atTennessee in 1970 and '71.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/sports/ncaafootball/18tennessee.html?scp=8&sq=gay&st=nyt

-Giving Shelter: Portraits of Young Lives in Limbo
A new book of documentary photographs, "Shelter," examines a group of gay,lesbian, bisexual and transgender young people living, off and on, at ahomeless shelter in Hell's Kitchen - a group for whom growing up couldhardly be more difficult. That the book is the product of a 27-year-oldphotographer who is gay, grew up in poverty and once lived in a homelessshelter himself explains its empathetic tone and morally urgent message.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/nyregion/18cityroom1.html?scp=8&sq=gay&st=nyt

-Slideshow of Sylvia's Place, a homeless shelter for gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender young people
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/04/16/nyregion/20080416_SHELTER_SLIDESHOW_index.html


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-GOVERNMENT INNOVATIONS
4 Programs Are Award Finalists
Help for Teens, Domestic-Violence Victims Among Efforts
Maryland's effort to help prevent domestic violence-related homicides wasrecognized as one of the top 50 programs in the 2008 Innovations in AmericanGovernment competition, sponsored by Harvard University's Kennedy School.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/17/AR2008041703641.html


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

-Group begins campaign for Florida ban on gay marriage
WEST PALM BEACH - Married 53 years ago, Sidney and Cecile Lenier of WestPalm Beach stood at a news conference Thursday holding a weathered copy of acirca-1883 "pastor's handbook" containing their wedding vows, and spoke ofthe virtues of marriages like theirs that involve a man and woman.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpmarriage0418pnapr18,0,7071325.story

-Day of silence calls attention to bullying, harassment of GLBT community
By William Butte
Even before 15-year-old Lawrence "Larry" King came out to the few friends hehad at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, Calif., the sweet-faced,slightly built boy endured taunts and anti-gay slurs spewed at him dailyacross campus, from cafeteria to classroom. As one friend was quoted in theLos Angeles Times: "You'd hear, 'Faggot! Hey, faggot!' That was happening inevery class. A lot of teachers knew stuff was going on ... I guess they justdidn't want to get involved." However, the taunts and slurs didn't engenderthe desired reaction of fear and silence, but instead seemed to have had theopposite effect. Larry gained the courage to come out to the few friends hehad, and he began to wear make-up and girl's boots with his school uniform.
He also started to flirt with boys who taunted him, as a way to get back atthem. Larry told one boy, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney, that he thought hewas cute. Brandon hated that, and the fact that the remark caused hisfriends to rib him for being gay. After the incident, early one morning inFebruary, Brandon walked into Larry's eighth-grade computer lab class andshot him twice in the head. As those two shots rang out, Larry's voice wassilenced forever.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum18buttesbapr18,0,5523818.story


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

-Give Me A Beat Productions puts Steve Rothaus 'In the Spotlight'
Talking about the GLAAD Media Awards this week, Steve Rothaus is anotherclear example of a hard-working and determined man and journalist who hasrevolutionized the concept of the gay-oriented media in the country. Stevehas been working for the prestigious Miami Herald for over 22 years, and hewas the the first reporter who efficiently started covering gay and lesbianissues in a major American newspaper regularly and openly. Steve took theunderground concept to an every day concept of journalism.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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

-Army: source of Wikipedia edit on gay soldier can't be tracedMaj. Alan Rogers died earlier this year
The Army is stating that it cannot identify the source of Wikipedia articleedits eliminating any mention that a soldier recently killed in Iraq wasgay, even though the changes apparently came from an Army computer user atthe Pentagon.
Army spokesman Maj. Nathan Banks said Army checks "do not necessarilyindicate" that the IP address associated with the changes "necessarilybelongs to any one specific office."
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17762

-Hundreds rally for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender rights
St.Paul - Hundreds rallied on the Capitol lawn today for the country'slargest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender lobby day.
Supporters at the OutFront Minnesota's justFair Lobby Day hoped to send astrong message to lawmakers and the governor to support GLBT-friendlylegislation.
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=508249

-Alum criticized for transphobic remarks
Fox News panelist calls out "pregnant man"
An Emerson graduate has recently come under fire for alleged homophobic andtransphobic comments he and fellow panelists made on a Fox News talk show.
http://media.www.berkeleybeacon.com/media/storage/paper169/news/2008/04/17/News/Alum-Criticized.For.Transphobic.Remarks-3332785.shtml

- Historic moment or a political ploy?
Republican Atwater's backing of gay bill draws mixed reactions
When Republican Sen. Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) announced his supportlast week for a civil rights bill that adds sexual orientation as aprotected class in the Florida Civil Rights Act, it signaled to some GLBTpolitical watchers a thaw in the Florida Legislature's staunchlyconservative stance regarding gay legislation.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/news/localnews/4591.cfm

-Israel: At the Forefront of Gay Rights
At only 60 years old, Israel has become one of the most progressivecountries in the world and the most tolerant country in the Middle East inlegislating equality for sexual minorities and ensuring their civil andpersonal rights.
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/04/israel_at_the_forefront_of_gay_rights.php

-HRC weighs in on proposed changes to Family and Medical Leave Act
A recent issue came up with the Department of Labor (DoL) and the Family and
Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The DoL issued a notice that they plan to makechanges to some of the regulations governing how the FMLA isadministered -and asked groups to comment. HRC submitted written commentsto DoL last Friday detailing our concerns with the proposed rules. We alsomade recommendations that FMLA leave be expanded through regulations andlegislation to fully protect the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendercommunity.
http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2008/04/hrc-weighs-in-o.html

-Scottish MPs ask for more information on gay blood ban
The petitions committee of the Scottish parliament has asked for moreinformation pertaining to why gay men are restricted from giving blood. Thecommittee is currently considering a submission from gay activist RobMcDowall asking the Scottish Government to review the current policy thatdisallows gay and bisexual men to being donors, Pink News reports.
http://www.gaypolitics.com/?p=421

-Local researcher links alcohol, drug abuse to high HIV rates
FIU's Robert Malow gets grant to study high-risk behavior
This Sunday, hundreds of volunteers will participate in the 20th annual AIDSWalk Miami, marking two decades of advocacy, activism and all-out concernfor the growing numbers of people affected by the disease throughout SouthFlorida.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/news/localnews/4592.cfm

-Along for the ride - and to help people with AIDS
Tuesday's Angels' annual bike ride attracts a special breed
Participants in the Tuesday's Angels annual 100% Solution Bike Ride for Lifegathered in a circle just before sunrise on the walkway on Las OlasBoulevard and A1A on April 11.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/news/localnews/4593.cfm

-Sean Kennedy murder shows need for hate-crime laws
Homophobic killer in S.C. is expected to serve little or no time
SEAN WILLIAM Kennedy would have turned 21 on April 8, but his life was takenfrom him last May when he was beaten to death while walking home from a barin Greenville, S.C.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/view/editorial/4598.cfm

-Friend or Foe?
The government of Greece and Michael Heath
Government of Greece
Our Friend of the Week honor goes to the government of Greece, whichrecently granted asylum to a 40-year-old Iranian gay man who had faced deathif he was returned to his homeland. The man, known as "Alex," had beenbeaten and tortured for being gay in Iran.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/view/friendfoe/4599.cfm

-Gay and gray - and it's OK
Despite unflattering photo IDs, there are advantages to aging
Each year as my birthday anniversary inexorably rolls around and passes bywith a merry wave, I take the opportunity to reflect on the aging process asit affects the gay community and me personally. This was year number 67, nota particularly interesting number, just another hatch mark in the tally ofcontinued existence. Not that I take continued existence lightly. In earlierages, a man my age had outlived most of his contemporaries. And, of course,many gay men's lives were snuffed out prematurely by AIDS.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/view/editorial/4602.cfm


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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Virginia Supreme Court to Weigh in on Lesbian Couple's Custody Battle
(CNSNews.com) - The Virginia Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursdayin a case involving a lesbian couple fighting over who gets full custody ofa five-year-old girl.
Janet Jenkins, former partner of Lisa Miller, is suing for custody ofMiller's biological daughter even though Jenkins is not an adoptive orbiological parent.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200804/CUL20080415d.html

-In Oklahoma, a price for bigotry?
Poor Sally Kern. It seemed that the brouhaha about her "gays are moredangerous than terrorists" remarks was dying down, but then along comes areport that she may be scaring businesses away from the state:
A San Francisco Bay-area financial services company has not yet ruled outOklahoma City for a major office relocation, a vice president of a realestate search firm confirmed. A decision is expected in three to four weeks.
http://blogs.chron.com/bluebayou/2008/04/in_oklahoma_a_price_for_bigotr.html

-The Gays are Coming, The Gays are Coming!
PageOneQ provides this assessment of American Family Association'spropaganda video "They're Coming to Your Town".
The town of Eureka Springs is turning into the "San Francisco of Arkansas,"warns the American Family Association, and it can happen in your town too.
The presentation in the AFA trailer below, "They're Coming to Your Town,"tells the tale of an uncharacteristically diverse resort town's governmentinfiltrated by "a handful of homosexual activists" and bent to their willthrough the enactment of the town's domestic partner registry on June 22,2007.
http://gaytheistagenda.lavenderliberal.com/2008/04/16/the-gays-are-coming-the-gays-are-coming/

-My Divine Pope Benediction
Pope Benedict XVI's arrival on these shores has taken me back, once again,to an exhilarating, steamy encounter we had over 20 years ago. By the end,he had me in handcuffs! Let's not cheapen this, however, by merelysexualizing it. My sublime experience with the man then known as CardinalRatzinger was, in fact, cathartic, divine, spiritual and life-changing -- abaptism of the highest order.
http://signorile2003.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-divine-pope-benediction-pope.html

-Counsel's claims? We think they took a Liberty or two
The legal-minded arch-conservatives at the Liberty Counsel are once againgearing up to protest the pro-acceptance Day of Silence, an annualGLSEN-sponsored event wherein students take a vow of silence to protest LGBTbias in school (held this year on 4/25). So as part of their organizedattempt to discredit the mission of the pro-gay day and to make the eventinstead sound like one that is trampling on religious freedom, the group hascompiled a list of alleged complaints that they have received from parentsacross the nation. Check out their claims:
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2008/04/counsels-claims.html

-A tale of two children
Janet has two children, each of whom fell in love with a foreign citizen.
Her daughter is straight, and her son is gay. As you might have alreadyguessed, the straight daughter's story has a happy ending -- and the gayson, well, the U.S. government made sure he was punished for his sexualorientation and exiled to a foreign country. This mother has a bird's-eyeview of the pain and suffering this type of discrimination inflicts upon gayand lesbian Americans.
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2008/04/a-tale-of-two-c.html

-HIV Incidence Rises In Minnesota
According to statistics released by the Minnesota Department of Health, 325new cases of HIV were reported in Minnesota during 2007. The Minnesota AIDSProject, the leading source for HIV information and services in Minnesota,noted specific areas of concern including:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104426.php

-Students speak out against bullying
A small group of students gathered in Burlington's City Hall Park onWednesday by a rainbow-colored banner and clusters of balloons. Theyexchanged hugs and laughs, but the gathering was not a party -- it was aprotest.
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080417/NEWS02/804170311/1007

-Kentucky Votes for LIMITED Information on Holocaust
The legislature in Kentucky has voted to assist in the educatation ofstudents about the Holocaust and genocide.
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/04/16/1821


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

-Edwards Mum On Presidential Pick As NC Primary Nears
(Raleigh, North Carolina ) In the four years after his first White House bid, John Edwards stayed in the spotlight. In the four months since he abandoned his second bid, he's all but disappeared.

-Students, Young Workers Have Different Priorities
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) The Democratic presidential hopefuls have bounced from city to city in Pennsylvania hoping to nab some much-needed votes in Tuesday's primary.

-Poll: Obama Now Seen As Stronger Candidate
(Washington) Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are both sustaining dents and dings from their lengthy presidential fight, but most voters now see Obama as the stronger candidate.

-Lance Bass Speaks Out For Gay Students
(New York City) Lance Bass doesn't want others to stay silent as he did. So he's made a public service announcement for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.

-Vermont Gay Marriage Report Due Monday
(Montpelier, Vermont) A state commission on whether to amend Vermont's civil union law to allow for same-sex marriage will deliver its report to thelegislature on Monday.

-Salt Lake Begins Registering Partners
(Salt Lake City, Utah) Domestic partners began registering their relationships with the city of Salt Lake on Thursday.

-Office Of Turkey LGBT Rights Group Again Raided By Police
(Istanbul) For the second time in a year police have raided the offices of the Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center, the largest LGBT civil rights organization in Turkey.

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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

- The Run-up to Pennsylvania
What do Jennifer Beals and Chelsea Clinton have in common? They both have big gay followings and they're both stumping for their candidate in Philadelphia.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53521.asp
-
Gay NC Senate Candidate Wins Endorsements
Jim Neal, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from North Carolina, won two endorsements Tuesday for the May 6 primary against his chief rival, state senator Kay Hagan. Neal, who is gay, picked up the first media endorsement of the primary from Yes! Weekly in Greensboro, N.C., as well as the endorsement of Guilford County chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America, according to a press release by the campaign.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53484.asp


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

Miss Gay IU Hits Campus Friday
Think big hair, tons of makeup and lots of feathers. This year's showgirl-themed Miss Gay IU is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. Friday in the IU Auditorium. In its nearly 17 years of existence, Miss Gay IU has become one of the nation's largest and most-attended drag pageants in the United States. The contestants will compete for the Miss Gay IU title through personal interviews, an evening gown competition, a talent production and an on-stage question and answer session. Friday's show will be all about entertainment and fun, but OUT also plans to donate 10 percent of proceeds to an as-yet-undecided charity, said Miss Gay IU host Vicki St. James.

-Gay, Lesbian Voters Divided on Democratic Choices
At Stallions, Harrisburg's gay night club, the floors seem to reflect the differences in the gay and lesbian community over the Democratic presidential primary. Gay men congregate on the club's lower levels, where there's everything from raucous dancing to quiet lounge space. It's here that bartender Colleen Dorsey said one is more apt to find support for Sen. Barack Obama, especially among younger gay men.

-San Ramon Valley Students Celebrate Gay Pride Week
Students at San Ramon Valley High School are teaching their classmates and the community that saying something is "so gay" is so uncool. Members of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance, which has been on campus for about 10 years, esignated this week Gay Pride Week on campus. Students have been spreading awareness about accepting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

-Leppert Touts Dallas as Gay Destination
As the mayor of Dallas, Tom Leppert is the city's most enthusiastic cheerleader, often charged with convincing captains of industry and national leaders that Dallas is more than the stereotypes in pop culture. So it's not surprising that he would say, as he did on April 11, that "The Dallas of today is not J.R. [Ewing]; it's the people around this table." What might be surprising is that he said it to a table filled almost exclusively with members of the LGBT community.

-Same-Sex Wedding Expo to Be Held in St Petersburg, FL
The national gay & lesbian wedding resource, RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, has announced that the company will be producing St. Petersburg's first-ever GLBTQ Wedding & Family Expo. The event will also include the Same Love, Same Rights® Mobile Marriage Summit, a forum in which ideas are collected from all who attend on innovative ways to create mass change in America concerning marriage equality. The Expo will be held at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront on Sunday, May 4, 2008 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm and is free for the public to attend.

- New Foundation Hopes to Raise Funds For Atlanta Gay Groups
A new organization called the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Community Foundation is forming to raise money for other local gay and lesbian non-profits, and to help donors know which of those non-profits are using funds effectively and fulfilling their missions.

-Washington's Gay War
Two hundred legislators and congressional staffers gathered in the elegantly paneled Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol in February to bid farewell to Rob Cogorno. The 51-year-old congressional aide had capped his 25 years on the Hill with the job of floor director for Democratic House majority leader Steny Hoyer. That position had made Cogorno the majority leader's chief liaison to all the committee chairs in the House. Now Hoyer's key aide was leaving his fulcrum of power to join one of Washington's most successful lobbying firms, and his affectionate Hill colleagues had turned out in force to pay their respects to a beloved staffer.


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

Court documents filed by special interest groups designed to influence a state Supreme Court decision on Iowa's same-sex marriage ban are "a postscript of inadmissible hearsay remarks," and not formal legal arguments, according to the Polk County attorney's office. A recent "friend of the court" brief filed by gay and lesbian groups and Massachusetts state lawmakers was based on unfounded opinions and news accounts, Polk officials said in their own document filed Thursday. Lambda Legal, a New York gay rights organization, announced last month that 17 groups had filed legal briefs in support of same-sex marriage. One of the briefs filed included a statement from former lieutenant governors Joy Corning and Sally Pederson.

-Some potentially great news out of Brazil this week. The center-left government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva -- known here as Presidente Lula -- has announced a legislative proposal that would extend to gay Brazilians the same right straight Brazilians have to sponsor foreignpartners for temporary or permanent resident visas. It's a Brazilian UAFA (Uniting American Families Act), if you will.
The proposed law would simply remove any distinction of sex from existing provisions that allow Brazilians to sponsor foreign partners. In reality, Brazil is already one of two-dozen countries that already allow gay citizens to sponsor foreign partners for residence, but that right is based entirely on vulnerable judge-made law.


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

-Edwards Mum On Presidential Pick As NC Primary Nears
(Raleigh, North Carolina ) In the four years after his first White House bid, John Edwards stayed in the spotlight. In the four months since he abandoned his second bid, he's all but disappeared.

-Students, Young Workers Have Different Priorities
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) The Democratic presidential hopefuls have bounced from city to city in Pennsylvania hoping to nab some much-needed votes in Tuesday's primary.

-Poll: Obama Now Seen As Stronger Candidate
(Washington) Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are both sustaining dents and dings from their lengthy presidential fight, but most voters now see Obama as the stronger candidate.

-Lance Bass Speaks Out For Gay Students
(New York City) Lance Bass doesn't want others to stay silent as he did. So he's made a public service announcement for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.

-Vermont Gay Marriage Report Due Monday
(Montpelier, Vermont) A state commission on whether to amend Vermont's civil union law to allow for same-sex marriage will deliver its report to the legislature on Monday.

-Salt Lake Begins Registering Partners
(Salt Lake City, Utah) Domestic partners began registering their relationships with the city of Salt Lake on Thursday.

-Office Of Turkey LGBT Rights Group Again Raided By Police
(Istanbul) For the second time in a year police have raided the offices of the Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center, the largest LGBT civil rights organization in Turkey.


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

Miss Gay IU Hits Campus Friday
Think big hair, tons of makeup and lots of feathers. This year's
showgirl-themed Miss Gay IU is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. Friday in the IU Auditorium. In its nearly 17 years of existence, Miss Gay IU has become one of the nation's largest and most-attended drag pageants in the United States. The contestants will compete for the Miss Gay IU title through personal interviews, an evening gown competition, a talent production and an on-stage question and answer session. Friday's show will be all about entertainment and fun, but OUT also plans to donate 10 percent of proceeds to an as-yet-undecided charity, said Miss Gay IU host Vicki St. James.

-Gay, Lesbian Voters Divided on Democratic Choices
At Stallions, Harrisburg's gay night club, the floors seem to reflect the ifferences in the gay and lesbian community over the Democratic presidential primary. Gay men congregate on the club's lower levels, where there's everything from raucous dancing to quiet lounge space. It's here that bartender Colleen Dorsey said one is more apt to find support for Sen. Barack Obama, especially among younger gay men.

-San Ramon Valley Students Celebrate Gay Pride Week
Students at San Ramon Valley High School are teaching their classmates and the community that saying something is "so gay" is so uncool. Members of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance, which has been on campus for about 10 years, designated this week Gay Pride Week on campus. Students have been spreading awareness about accepting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

-Leppert Touts Dallas as Gay Destination
As the mayor of Dallas, Tom Leppert is the city's most enthusiastic cheerleader, often charged with convincing captains of industry and national leaders that Dallas is more than the stereotypes in pop culture. So it's not surprising that he would say, as he did on April 11, that "The Dallas of today is not J.R. [Ewing]; it's the people around this table." What might be surprising is that he said it to a table filled almost exclusively with members of the LGBT community.

-Same-Sex Wedding Expo to Be Held in St Petersburg, FL
The national gay & lesbian wedding resource, RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, has announced that the company will be producing St. Petersburg's first-ever GLBTQ Wedding & Family Expo. The event will also include the Same Love, SameRights® Mobile Marriage Summit, a forum in which ideas are collected from all who attend on innovative ways to create mass change in America concerning marriage equality. The Expo will be held at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront on Sunday, May 4, 2008 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm and is free for the public to attend.

- New Foundation Hopes to Raise Funds For Atlanta Gay Groups
A new organization called the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Community Foundation is forming to raise money for other local gay and lesbian non-profits, and to help donors know which of those non-profits are using funds effectively and fulfilling their missions.

-Washington's Gay War
Two hundred legislators and congressional staffers gathered in the elegantly paneled Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol in February to bid farewell to Rob Cogorno. The 51-year-old congressional aide had capped his 25 years on the Hill with the job of floor director for Democratic House majority leader Steny Hoyer. That position had made Cogorno the majority leader's chief liaison to all the committee chairs in the House. Now Hoyer's key aide was leaving his fulcrum of power to join one of Washington's most successful lobbying firms, and his affectionate Hill colleagues had turned out in force to pay their respects to a beloved staffer.


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

Court documents filed by special interest groups designed to influence a state Supreme Court decision on Iowa's same-sex marriage ban are "a postscript of inadmissible hearsay remarks," and not formal legal arguments,according to the Polk County attorney's office. A recent "friend of the court" brief filed by gay and lesbian groups and Massachusetts state lawmakers was based on unfounded opinions and news accounts, Polk officials said in their own document filed Thursday. Lambda Legal, a New York gay rights organization, announced last month that 17 groups had filed legal briefs in support of same-sex marriage. One of the briefs filed included a statement from former lieutenant governors Joy Corning and Sally Pederson.

-Some potentially great news out of Brazil this week. The center-left government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva -- known here as Presidente Lula -- has announced a legislative proposal that would extend to gay Brazilians the same right straight Brazilians have to sponsor foreign partners for temporary or permanent resident visas. It's a Brazilian UAFA (Uniting American Families Act), if you will.
The proposed law would simply remove any distinction of sex from existing provisions that allow Brazilians to sponsor foreign partners. In reality, Brazil is already one of two-dozen countries that already allow gay citizens to sponsor foreign partners for residence, but that right is based entirely on vulnerable judge-made law.

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