GLBT DIGEST May 8, 2008

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

-Evangelical leaders say their faith is too politicized
Prominent evangelicals urged Christian conservatives Wednesday to support''an expansion of our concerns beyond single-issue politics,'' angering someleaders on the religious right who have been closely allied with theRepublican Party.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Evangelical-Manifesto.html?scp=5&sq=GAY&st=nyt

-Heath Ledger Portrait Wins Australian Art Prize
A portrait of a brooding Heath Ledger, painted shortly before the Australianactor died in January, was voted the most popular painting in Australia'stop art prize for portraiture on Thursday.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-finearts-ledger.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=GAY&st=nyt&oref=slogin


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-DOMESTIC-PARTNER BENEFITS:
Michigan ruling stirs same-sex advocates in Florida
Opponents of an amendment to ban gay marriage in Florida said a Michigancourt decision supports their position that the proposed law will jeopardizehealth benefits for domestic partners.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/525260.html


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

-Calif. appeals court rules in domestic partners case
Says no reason to deprive rights if there is 'reasonable belief' of apartnership
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=18171

-Webb wins historic election in Falls Church
Va.'s first openly gay black elected official
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=18166

-HRC president apologizes for 'misspeaking' at transgender conference
Solmonese talks with Atlanta activists in private meeting
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=18162

-Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences
Psychologists Take Radically Different Approaches in Therapy
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90247842

-Court Decision Is Victory For Gay Marriage Backers
Gay marriage advocates have won a partial victory in New York, as thestate's highest court has left in place a lower court ruling that recognizeda lesbian couple as being married.
http://www2.nysun.com/article/76015


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

-Dems Quietly Telling Clinton Obama Has Won
(Washington) Apart from George McGovern, a plainspoken man who knowssomething about losing elections, not a single Democrat of national staturepublicly urged Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday to end her campaign forthe White House.

-Yet Another Twist In Florida Gay Student Group Suit
(Okeechobee, Florida) A lawsuit against a Florida school district thatbanned a gay student group from meeting on campus should not be reinstatedattorney's for the Okeechobee school district have told a federal judge.

-Anti-Gay Pa. Amendment Dropped
(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) In a surprise move just hours before thePennsylvania Senate was expected to approve a proposed constitutionalamendment that would bar same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state themeasure's backer pulled the bill.


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

-The Insider is Out
In 2006, a blog announced to the world that Thomas Roberts is gay, and thethen CNN anchor instantly became the poster boy for a very rare breed: theout news anchor. But as Sean Kennedy reports, the success of Roberts andother out anchors and on-air talent may finally shatter their industry'sglass ceiling for gays -- and usher in the future of broadcast newshttp://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid53880.asp


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

-Ex-CNN anchor Thomas Roberts featured in The Advocate
In The Advocate: The Insider is Out
In 2006 a blog announced to the world that Thomas Roberts is gay, and thethen CNN anchor instantly became the poster boy for a very rare breed: theout news anchor. But as Sean Kennedy reports, the success of Roberts andother out anchors and on-air talent may finally shatter their industry'sglass ceiling for gays -- and usher in the future of broadcast news.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/05/ex-cnn-anchor-1.html


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

-The HIV Cruise Retreat : A Fun Source of Education and Funds for HIVProjects
Last year's HIV Cruise Retreat took 225 men and women with HIV sailing awayfrom the worries of the disease, got key health information and raise fundsfor HIV non profit projects. In this 10th year, the retreat raised $6300 forDoctor's Without Boarders. Over $30,000.00 has been raised over the past 10years.

-Gay Visitors to Eurovision Threatened by Serbian Fascist Groups
Fascist organizations are promising violence against visitors who come toBelgrade for the Eurovision song contest, scheduled to take place inBelgrade between May 20 and 24, international publications reportedrecently. Gay men are a target in particular, according to media which saidthat the Obraz fascist organisation had published their violent intentionsin the daily newspaper ALO! in April.

-Berlin Pays Tribute to Gay-Rights Activist Persecuted by Nazis
Berlin renamed a stretch of the Spree River in honor of a gay-rightsactivist persecuted by the Nazis in the 1930s as the city's biggest hospitalopened an exhibition devoted to the sex researcher. A stretch of the SpreeRiver in central Berlin was named after gay-rights activist and sexualresearcher Marcus Hirschfeld in a dedication ceremony on Tuesday, May 6.

-Courageous Gay Bishops Weathers Storms By Deb Price
Ironically, we can feel the most spiritually alive when we're being batteredby life's fiercest storms. For Gene Robinson, such storms have strucktwice: first, when he could no longer deny his homosexuality and divorcedhis beloved wife; and second, now, as the Anglican Communion battles overthe place of gay people, a struggle that intensified in 2003, when he wasconsecrated as the nation's first openly gay Episcopal bishop.


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

-Gay hate crime bill passed by Parliament
Incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation will become acriminal offence after the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill passed itsfinal stages in the House of Lords last night.

-Alleged rape of gay man by Peruvian police sparks international protest
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is askingits supporters to write to the authorities in Peru about the handling of acase of alleged rape.

-Gay Eurovision fans issued with advice
The British Embassy in Belgrade is funding the production of an informationleaflet for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people planning to visit thecity for the Eurovision Song Contest later this month. The Gay StraightAlliance (GSA) of Belgrade will be producing the leaflet.

-British star urges Hollywood gays out of the closet
One of the stars of hit comedy The Office has said he is convinced there aremany high-profile Hollywood celebrities who are gay, and he can't understandwhy they do not come out.


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

-Russian pride?
Tomorrow, Russia will mark the anniversary of its 1945 victory over fascism.
Meanwhile skinheads and neo-Nazis roam the streets May 9, 1945, is a greatday not only for Russia but for the whole of mankind. We defeated fascism,which threatened the destruction and humiliation of mankind, but the day wasboth joyful and bitter. Many people lost their beloved to this war. Everyyear, my grandmother would be invited to official celebrations of ourvictory but she never went. For her, in the words of a famous Soviet song,it was always a victory "with tears in the eyes". She lost her husband andcould not save her little son's life.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/nikolai_alekseev/2008/05/russian_pride.html

-Egyptian Gay Organization Demands Equal Rights
A new Egyptian gay organization called "The Lovers" garnered 600 members inthe first two weeks of its existence. Organization members are calling onthe government to recognize their rights, to appoint a minister in charge oftheir affairs, and to permit them to establish a party. The organization'shead said that homosexual relations are illegal in Egypt even though the gaycommunity numbers over 100,000.
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/7215.htm

-The Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) of Belgrade will be producing, with thefinancial support of the British embassy, a leaflet with all kinds of usefulinformation to be distributed to LGBT fans travelling to Belgrade to attendthe Eurovision Song Contest in two weeks time. Moreover, the police forceshave signalled to put an effort into protecting the fans against homophobicattacks. The police, therefore, would want to know the "hot spots" inBelgrade where especially large crowds of LGBT people will be meeting.
Larger groups of LGBT fans booked on a package tour or for example residingin a specific hotel, therefore, should contact GSA at the below e-mailaddress and inform them about this. They would pass on the information tothe police so that extra police men can be placed at such hotels to securethe safety of people. People travelling to Belgrade should make sure toprocure, upon arrival, one of these flyers with all the practicalinformation on what kind of behaviour to avoid, what safety measures totake, useful telephone numbers etc.


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National LGBT Cancer Network, Inc.
We have gone national!
The LGBT Cancer Project is now the National LGBT Cancer Network, Inc.
When The LGBT Cancer Project was first launched, we were an east coastoperation with national aspirations. We never anticipated the magnitude ofthe positive response we would receive from both professionals and survivorsacross the country. We have been asked to make presentations at nationalconferences, universities, cancer treatment centers, non-profitorganizations and the LGBT health group of the CDC. We have developed agroup of active collaborators in California. Our work has been reported onSirius radio and in multiple national cancer publications.
National LGBT Cancer Network
www.cancer-network.org


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

-CIA Rendition Flights, Detention Centers Haunt Romania
Romania has still not convincingly answered repeated calls from the EuropeanCommission and others to clarify allegations that it hosted CIA detentioncentres and that rendition flights passed through its territory.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/07/8786/

-Breaking: Hillary meeting with superdelegates at DCCC, Blade unendorses
Uh, oh. A meeting at the DCCC headquarters this afternoon suggests that anintervention is under way. After all, another four superdelegates switchedover to Obama today. I wonder if hothead Bill is in the meeting with them?
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5306

-The New Normal? Not Quite
After watching Kevin's marriage proposal to Scotty and Saul's coming outstatement to Kevin on the fantastic ABC hit show Brothers and Sisters onSunday, you'd be forgiven for thinking "gay is the new normal." The proposaland coming out statement, and the way the writers blended both stories intothe plot as matter-of-factly as any other element, spoke volumes about theway Hollywood (or at least ABC) has begun to evolve. It was wonderfultelevision because it was so, well, normal.
http://www.fhoutfront.com/2008/05/the-new-normal.html

-Gender-Variant Children And Transsexuals Will Likely Still Be Disordered InDSM-V
In 1973, Homosexuality was was removed as a disorder from the AmericanPsychological Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of MentalDisorders, Second Edition (DSM-II). It was the step that recognized thatindividuals whose sexual interests are directed primarily toward people ofthe same sex weren't afflicted with a psychiatric disorder.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5310

-Ex-Gays Afraid to Come Out for Fear of Persecution
Individuals who once considered themselves homosexuals but who have sinceleft the lifestyle, often remain silent about their past life due topersecution from homosexual activists, an ABC News video revealed on Monday.
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8207

-City panel votes to nix Boy Scouts-connected front group
A commission in the nation's second-largest city, by a unanimous vote, isforcing its fire department to drop part of its cadet program administeredby a group it says is a front for the Boy Scouts of America to skirtanti-discrimination policy.
http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/lfl_050708.html

-Proving There Are Gays In Iran
Arsham Parsi, founder of the Iranian Queer Organization, has been called thefirst gay rights activist in Iranian history. Today, he tells us his story.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/84695/

-'Corrective Rape' of Lesbians In South African Schools Shows Sickness of'Ex-Gay' Movement
"Corrective Rape" at schools in the Western Cape is a growing concern, saynon-governmental organizations, some of who have noted an "alarming" levelof cases.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/corrective-rape-of-lesbians-in-south-african-schools-shows-sickness-of-ex-gay-movement/

-Defending Homophobic Violence
On April 12, University of Illinois student Steven Velasquez became therecipient of some hater's violence. While there are two sides to everystory, some facts are not in dispute:
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/05/07/1958

-Would somebody please think of the children?
One of the silliest arguments that the Religious Right uses to keep us downis the "Children just can't deal with homosexuality/transsexuality/gayculture/drag queens/queer PDA at their age - their minds just aren't readyfor it."
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/05/would_somebody_please_think_of_the_child.php

-The Rules: No Pics, No Drugs, No Judgments
A Peek Inside Beijing's Hottest Gay Club
Being openly gay in China is one of the country's biggest taboos, but youwouldn't know it stepping into Destination, Beijing's hottest gay club.
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/BusinessTravel/story?id=4717312&page=1

-Gay group reaches out to Lakewood
Joel Osteen remains silent, but Soulforce presses on with Saturday's picnicin Houston
The son of evangelical Tammy Faye Bakker Messner will spend his firstMother's Day weekend since her death in Houston, waiting to hear fromLakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5762904.html

-Opinion: An Overlooked Hate Sermon by Rev. Hagee
As everyone is concentrating on the loathsome things that Rev. Hagee hassaid about New Orleans, or gay people, or Muslims, or Catholics, his moreradical views on the poor and his encouragement of violence in Christianityhas been overlooked.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20080502/cm_huffpost/099840

-Dodgers breaking down gender stereotypes?
This is for all the men out there. Guys, have you ever wanted to experimentwith makeup, but were afraid to go to a store and buy something because youthought you'd look unmanly or that people would laugh at you? If so, do Ihave news for you! You can pick up some free lip gloss and still maintainyour masculine image.
http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/?p=957


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