GLBT DIGEST April 26, 2008

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

-Fort Riley atheist soldier speaks out on lawsuit
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Like hundreds of young men joining the Army inrecent years, Jeremy Hall professes a desire to serve his country while itfights terrorism.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Army-Atheist-Speaks.html?scp=4&sq=GAY&st=nyt

-Episcopal church sues deposed Calif. bishop over property
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin has sued adeposed bishop, demanding he vacate his offices and turn over financialaccounts for leading a secession last year prompted by the church'sordination of women and gays.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Episcopalians-Secession.html?scp=8&sq=GAY&st=nyt


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

-The Orange on the Seder Plate
Communities Expand Passover Story to Embrace Modern Struggles of Oppression
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042502864.html


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

-Top church court reviews gay marriage case
Atty. for plaintiff says 'no one is above church law'
The highest court of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is reviewing the caseof a longtime minister found guilty of violating church law for officiatingat the weddings of 2 lesbian couples.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17930

-Nebraska: Pro-gay rights event prompts protest at high school
Three men holding anti-gay banners at Lincoln East High School Fridaymorning prompted 10 to 15 students to stage their own impromptu protest ofthe demonstrators.
http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/doc4811ffac73748622779709.txt

-Discrimination lawsuit settled
Woman had said job offer rescinded because she was born a man
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5729363.html

-Moscow's Banned Pride Day Becomes Pride Month
Russian gay rights advocate Nikolai Alexeyev's bid for a gay pride paradeduring the May Day holidays was rejected by Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov. SegeiTsoi, the mayor's spokesman, warned that if they went ahead with the march,there "could be blood, which no one wants. He also accused Alexeyev oftrying to "spoil" a traditional labor holiday, a charge which Alexeyevadamantly rejected: "As if gays don't support peace and don't work," said an incredulous Alexeyev. "Don't we pay the taxes that support this government? I don't understand this at all."
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/04/25/1874

-Tim Gill Terrifies The Jeebus People
Gay activist Tim Gill has got the Christian right positively shaking intheir pews.
http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2008/04/tim-gill-terrifies-jeebus-people.html


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

-Federal Court Overturns Verdict In Lesbian Discrimination Case
(Cheyenne, Wyoming) A federal appeals court has overturned a lower courtverdict that found a school district had discriminated against two formerschool administrators because they are lesbians.

-Episcopal Church Sues Breakaway Bishop
(San Francisco, California) The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin has sued adeposed bishop who led a secession last year prompted by the church'sordination of women and gays.

-Fort Wayne AIDS Memorial Damaged By Vandals
Sections of a memorial to people in the Fort Waynearea who have died as a result of HIV/AIDS have been toppled and badlydamaged.

-Politician Claims Gay Blackmailer Made Him Steal
(Los Angeles, California) A former member of the Colton, California citycouncil has been sentenced to six months behind bars for using taxpayermoney on hotels and sex lines.

-Obama Courts Unions, Clinton Goes After Vets
(Chicago, Illinois) How does Sen. Barack Obama spend a day off in hishometown? What was Sen. Hillary Clinton doing in North Carolina?

-Flashback: Obama Faced Tough Choice In First Race
Barack Obama faced a choice: launch a political battle against a highly respected woman with more seniority or step aside and hope for another chance later.

-Pelosi: Dream Ticket Not A Good Idea
(Washington) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Sens. Barack Obama and HillaryRodham Clinton shouldn't share the Democratic presidential ticket unlessthey really want to.


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

-HIV Patients On Antiretroviral Drugs May Not Need Regular Lab Tests, StudySays
Patients with HIV who aren't monitored with the expensive laboratory tests
commonly used in rich countries may survive just as long as those who do getthe tests, a new study says.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53648.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:

-OUTtv Signs Licensing Deal To Create The Netherland's First Gay LifestyleTV Network
Following their exciting new programming partnership with the here! channelin the US, OUTtv, Canada's national gay and lesbian television network,announced today that they have licensed popular programming to OUTTV Mediain the Netherlands, creating the first Dutch gay lifestyle televisionnetwork.

-Not So 'Backwoods Barbie'
"I'm just a Backwoods Barbie in a pushup bra and heels/I might lookartificial, but where it counts I'm real/And I'm all dolled up and hopin'for a chance to prove my worth." With lyrics like these from the titletrack of her latest album, "Backwoods Barbie," it's no surprise that livingcountry legend Dolly Parton strikes a chord with gay and lesbian fans.
Throughout her career, spanning 40-plus years of big hair, bigger boobs, andenough makeup to paint the faces of Mt. Rushmore twice over, Parton easilyearns her place among other gay icons of the era.

-Jail Term for Homophobic Mother
A mother has been sentenced to 150 days in prison for leading her daughterin a campaign of homophobic abuse against a gay couple. Karen Reeves, 44,and Christie Myles, 22, both of The Halt, Whitstable, were handed afive-year ban from the parish of Kingston, on the outskirts of Canterbury,where they made the lives of Michael Harris and Shires Crichton a misery.


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

-There's still time to contact your Arizona state representatives. TheArizona House has still not given its final approval to the proposedanti-marriage constitutional amendment (SCR 1041).
We reported that the Arizona House of Representatives brought the proposedanti-marriage constitutional amendment (SCR 1042) to the floor on Wednesdayand that the final vote was expected to take place as soon as Thursday.
Well, it didn't happen, and last I heard the vote wasn't expected to takeplace today either.

-In a case that some say legitimizes marriage between couples of the samegender, Israel has given the extended citizenship to the adopted son of twomen.The decision follows an earlier decision by Israel's Attorney General,Menahem Mazuz, in which Mazuz declared that, "in the proper circumstancesand when it is in the best interest of the child," gay couples mayadopt.That decision, in turn, followed a High Court ruling that found thatadoptions by same-sex couples granted in other countries would also behonored in Israel.

-Rev. Jane Spahr now awaits the verdict following a two-hour trial Fridaybefore the Presbyterian Church's highest court on charges that she violatedchurch law by marrying same-sex couples."It's been wonderfully inspiring,"Spahr, 65, a lesbian activist, said in a telephone interview. "So we wait,but we're with wonderful family and friends." Spahr has acknowledgedmarrying gay and lesbian couples, saying it is a matter of principle andconscience. Critics and church prosecutors say she is flouting Presbyterianlaw which defines marriage as "a civil contract between a woman and a man."
A 16-member Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly isexpected to issue a verdict Monday. The body heard the case at thedenomination's national headquarters in Louisville, Ky.

-When it comes to winning back the Senate, Rep. Harold Ford Jr. of Tennesseeis beginning to look like the Democrats' make-or-break candidate--and thatmight not be such a good thing. Ford is running surprisingly well in hisrace to replace retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in traditionallyconservative Tennessee. In August, he ran virtually unopposed for theDemocratic nomination. And now, a recent poll has Ford just one point behindhis Republican rival, former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker. If he wins inNovember, the 36-year-old Ford would become the first African-Americansenator from the South since reconstruction. Ever since his keynote speechat the 2000 Democratic convention, Ford has been seen as a rising star inthe party, yet his very conservative views on a variety of issues make himseem more like the next Joe Lieberman than a beacon of light in future ofthe party.


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

-Eurovision organisers meet with Serbian police to guarantee LGBT safety
Organisers from the Eurovision song contest have met with Serbian policeofficials to discuss the possibility of homophobic violence at this yearsevent.

-New study brings hope for HIV sufferers in developing countries
A paper published by The Lancet medical journal has revealed that patientswho suffer from HIV may no longer need to have regular testing.

-Latvian Pride marchers 'fenced off' for own good
The Latvian government has advised that next months gay pride event shouldbe held in a fenced of area to avoid confrontation.
Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis and Integration Minister OskarsKastens have both said that next month's Riga Pride and March for Equalityshould take place in an enclosed park.

-Travel: Orangutan adventure in Borneo
If you're an avid nature lover and a travel enthusiast then why not combineyour passions for the trip of a lifetime? If exploring the depths ofBorneo's rainforest while enjoying the spectacular wildlife on offer soundslike your idea of the perfect holiday then a trip to Southeast Asia could bejust what you're looking for.


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

-Moscow gays fight for the right to hold five parades a day in May Moscow,April 25, Interfax - Organizer of the Moscow gay parade Nikolay Alexeyevstated that his associates would hold five marches a day all May through tosupport the rights of sex minorities. "We plan to inform Moscow authoritiesthat we hold five gay marches a day till the end of May," Alexeyev toldInterfax-Religion. According to him, "the strategy and tactics" of theMoscow gay parade organizational committee have changed and from May 1Moscow will live through a month of gay parade." "We will give fivenotifications to Moscow government for each day in May tohold marches in central streets of the city at various time," Alexeyev said.
http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4611

-International Day of Silence in Russia
The Day of Silence is dedicated to the issues of discrimination,emotional harassment, and violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender (LGBT) people. This is an annual action of nonviolentprotest that started in the US in 1996, and in 2007 was extended toPoland and Slovenia. This year, the International Day of Silence willtake place on April 25 in the US and Europe. On May 3, the Day ofSilence will take place in Russia for the first time, and will bededicated to the problems of discrimination and intolerance towardsLGBT, as well as ethnic, religious, and other minorities.
These issues are no less relevant to modern Russia than they are tothe Western nations. In recent years, the number of hate crimes basedon etnicity or religion has been growing. Periodically, isolatedreports of hate crimes against LGBT people appear in mass media,whereas in reality these crimes are tens if not hundreds of times morenumerous. Harassment and bullying at educational institutions ofchildren that are "different" is a fact shrouded in shamed silence yetever-present.


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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

-New York: Arsham Parsi of the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO) will discuss the IRQO's work with Human Rights Watch, and the challenges in advocating for sexual rights for Iranians in their home country as well as Iranian refugees and asylum-seekers worldwide. IRQO is an international, non-profit, queer human rights organization based in Toronto, Canada with key workers in Europe and Iran. It provides assistance to Iranian gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered refugees all over the world, endeavoringto help when Iranian lesbians or gay men are threatened with deportation back to Iran, as well as assisting Iranian LGBTs (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) to obtain asylum in friendly countries. Arsham Parsi helped found the IRQO while seeking refugee status in Turkey in 2004. He is visiting New York to receive IGLHRC's Felipa award on April 28.

-Montgomery County, Md. - A group of Montgomery County residents, joined bythe advocacy organization Equality Maryland, announced the formation of acampaign to preserve a gender identity non-discrimination law that wasunanimously passed last November by the County Council. Basic RightsMontgomery, chaired by local business leader James R. Walker, Jr., willensure that voters have the facts about this law.
"Transgender people deserve the right to have a job and a home and providefor themselves and their families, just like everybody else," said Walker, aChevy Chase resident who sits on the Board of Equality Maryland. "We inMontgomeryCounty are proud to live in a diverse community that welcomes allpeople. Basic Rights Montgomery is confident that with the facts, thefair-minded people of our county will reject attempts to roll back ouranti-discrimination laws."
http://www.equalitymaryland.org/

-Panel debates effectiveness of abstinence education
A House hearing on the effectiveness of abstinence education loosed a flurryof statistics, studies and anecdotes, but concluded yesterday with littlemovement on the contentious issue. "Maybe we should just have a blockgrant" and let states use sex education funding for the kind of programsthey want, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry A.Waxman, California Democrat, said near the end of the four-hour hearing. The"let the states choose" idea followed powerful testimonies from three panelsof witnesses, including one composed of leading medical and public healthofficials. Republicans complained that the hearing was lopsided, but thethree witnesses who supported abstinence - Sen. Sam Brownback, KansasRepublican;researcher Stan Weed; and Charles Keckler of the Department ofHealth and Human Services (HHS) - were assisted by friendly comments andquestions from numerous Republican committee members who made a point ofstaying at the hearing.

-Christian psychologist Warren Throckmorton sugar-coats homosexual "cures."
Psychiatrists Allow Ex-Gay End Run
In 1973, in one of the signal achievements of the emerging gay liberationmovement, the American Psychiatric Association (APA), at its annualconvention, voted to remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic andStatistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Yet, 35 years later, on May 5, at APA's 2008 convention in Washington, thegroup will host a symposium, at which one of the two mental healthpractitioner-panelists is Dr. Warren Throckmorton, a psychologist withoutstate board certification and an advocate for "Sexual Identity Therapy,"which he says he has successfully applied to help patients "alter homosexualfeelings or behaviors" and live their lives "heterosexually" with "only veryfew weak instances of homosexual attraction."

-American Family Association:
Procter & Gamble promotes explicit open-mouth homosexual kissing.
Scene included in this alert! WARNING - content is repulsive!Procter &Gamble has resumed using explicit, open-mouth homosexual kissing in theirsoap opera, "As the World Turns." P&G decided to include this type ofcontent as a commitment to "diversity." P&G stopped showing such scenes somemonths ago, but has now decided to again help promote the homosexual agendawhich includes homosexual marriage. Gay activists are hopeful that the P&Geffort will desensitize viewers to the homosexual lifestyle and help makethe unhealthy and immoral lifestyle more acceptable to society, especiallyto children and youth. .... "As the World Turns" is owned and controlled completely by P&G. No networkmade this decision. P&G alone made the decision to support the homosexual agenda.
View the scene
http://outbound.afa.net:80/track?type=click&mailingid=pgkiss_042408&messageid=pgkiss_042408&databaseid=1234&serial=1181234399&emailid=ken@kensherrill.com&userid=18175226&extra=&&&100&&&http://www.afa.net/pgatwt.asp

-This week in Washington Blade
http://www.washblade.com/


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

-North Carolina GOP Defies McCain Request, Runs Wright Ad
Despite John McCain's request to state party chair Linda Daves that an adrunning in North Carolina featuring Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright (andusing Wright's rant "No! No! No! Not God bless America. God bleep America!")not be run, the North Carolina Republican Party has decided to defy McCainand run the ad anyway.
http://www.towleroad.com/2008/04/north-carolin-1.html

-Sex Offenders Okay for Military Duty; Not So Gays
The United States military would rather have sex offenders and peopleconvicted of assault and manslaughter in its uniforms than honest gay menand lesbians.
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=73543

-Far Right Claims 1.1 Million Signatures to Put Anti-Gay Marriage Amendmenton BallotHomophobic groups claimed on April 21 that they had gathered more thanenough signatures to place on the November ballot a vote to make aCalifornia Constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and
one woman. The result of a yes vote would thus officially placediscrimination against marriage equality and same-sex marriage in the stateconstitution. A coalition of "religious" groups known as Protect Marriageallegedly has collected more than 1.1 million signatures in support of his,according to Brian Brown, Executive Director of the California Office of theNational Organization for Marriage. The initiative only requiresapproximately 700,000 signatures or 8 percent of the votes cast in the lastGovernor's race, to put it to public vote. Brown has claimed this is thechance for voters to protect marriage.
http://www.sfbaytimes.com/?sec=article&article_id=7980

-Odd Corner owner gives $2 million for Kent LGBT students
Akron--Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students at Kent StateUniversity will benefit from a $2 million endowment targeted to them.
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories08/april/0425082.htm

-Discharges Gays Fuming Over Felony Waivers
http://www.lgbt.bz/2008/04/discharged-gays-fuming-over-felony.html

-Paul Cameron Testifies As "Expert Witness"
We were able to obtain a copy of Paul Cameron's March newsletter from one of our favorite readers. And it looks like he's still capable of quite a bit of angerous mischief: I was invited as an expert witness to present evidence as to why one state's use of homosexuals as foster parents should be halted. Since a continuance was issued at the court hearing, I'll keep you informed of further developments.
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/04/24/1868

-Sexual harassment at school more harmful than bullying
The current focus on bullying prevention in schools may be masking seriousand underestimated consequences of sexual harassment, according to a study.
http://www.indiaenews.com/america/20080425/113717.htm

-Of Dutch Gays & the Limits of Tolerance
Building on my post, Dutch Gays Prefer Conservative Parties in a post of hisown, our friend Chris Crain, provides some information about conservatism inthe Netherlands, based on his travels here and greater knowledge of Dutchpolitics. He also repeats a question he had asked before: "how do youtolerate everything while not tolerating intolerance?"
http://www.gaypatriot.net/2008/04/24/of-dutch-gays-the-limits-of-tolerance/

-Indiana Republican on Hitler's Birthday and Porn Mule Womanslaughtering
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5167

-Soulforce Releases Open Letter from Jay Bakker to Joel Osteen
"As a child growing up, I saw a side of the church that to me did not alwaysreflect God's grace. This experience has led me to be concerned for ourbrothers and sisters in Christ who sometimes may feel rejected and left outof the church." -Jay Bakker
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/04/prweb887534.htm

-Jaida's gift
It was the Thursday before Christmas. The secretary gave me that familiarpleading look as she put a caller on hold. "Someone wants to know about ourchurch and homosexuality."
http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/3009/2/

-Horrible coverage of Day of Silence on MI Station
WNEM has run one of the worst stories I have seen in recent years on LGBTissues by using insensitive and inflammatory terms to cover the Day ofSilence today
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/04/horrible_coverage_of_day_of_silence_on_m.php

-Media Looks At Long-Term Implications of a Potential McCain Presidency
In an April 23 Op-Ed in The Ithaca Journal, Christopher Latimer, a political scientist and openly gay Republican, raised issues surrounding John McCain'scandidacy as it relates to LGBT voters that haven't been fully discussed inthe media before.
http://glaadorg.nexcess.net/2008/04/media-looks-at-longterm-implic.html

-Dr. Laura nominated again
For at least the third year, controversial personality Dr. LauraSchlessinger has been nominated for induction to the National Radio Hall ofFame ( NRHOF ) , housed at Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC ) .
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18109

-'Where Grace Abounds' Latest to Leave Exodus International
Since its inception, Exodus International has been an umbrella organizationfor a coalition of local ministries focused on the issue of homosexuality.
In most cases these organizations are founded by churches or individualsacting independently of Exodus, with varying degrees of input from existingministries.
http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/2008/04/where-grace-abounds-latest-to-leave-exodus-international/


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Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Marriage rights hitting home for Mass. official
For Easton, Mass., Town Administrator David Colton, his black-tie wedding tolongtime partner Brian Khoo is a major personal step that also links back tohis professional role. "I never wanted to be the gay town administrator; Inever wanted to be the gay leader; I just wanted to be the leader," he said.
"You have to risk being defined that way in order to shed the label. How doyou dispel that rumor until you speak it?"

-Senate bill would link hate-crimes measure, defense spending
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., plans to try to get a vote on hate-crimesprotections for gays by attaching the bill to a major defense measure thatwould authorize recalling troops from Iraq and shift more of thereconstruction cost to Iraqis. A similar attempt by Democrats to link ahate-crimes measure with a defense bill failed last year when Republicansbalked. Google/Associated Press (4/23)

-Moscow mayor, group at odds over gay-pride events
Citing security concerns, the Moscow mayor's office is prohibiting gay-pridemarches during events marking May Day in Moscow. However, Nikolai Alexeyev,leader of the group Gay Russia, said his organization would seek approvalsto hold five events a day during May. "This is not a question of security.
It is only a question of the personal hatred of the Moscow mayor towards gaypeople," he said. Google/Agence France-Presse (4/23)

-2008 International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference
The Mayflower Hotel | Washington, D.C. | December 4-7
Registration is now open for the 24th International Gay & Lesbian LeadershipConference, the premier gathering of openly LGBT elected, appointed andcommunity leaders. This year the conference returns to Washington, D.C. justweeks after U.S. voters choose a new president. It will be an exciting timeto be in the capital city, and attendees will be at the center of it all inthe famed Mayflower Hotel just steps from the White House and Dupont Circle.
There are a limited number of hotel rooms at the Mayflower at our specialconference rate of just $149 per night. Book yours now using our conferencegroup code: GLLGLLA

-Blaze: Don't underestimate the range of gay political thought
Blogger Alex Blaze believes the gay movement has reached the point where itneeds to develop a term that would take into account the limits of identitypolitics and help to describe the varying points of views among those whoidentify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. "I haven't come up with agood word to describe that, though," he writes. "Thoughts?" Read more at TheBilerico Project.

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