Thursday, June 19, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - June 19, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


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

-Calif. Court Considers Medical Rights
Justices Weigh Whether Doctors, Citing Religion,
Can Refuse to Treat Some Patients
On the heels of its ruling on same-sex marriage, California's highest courtwill decide another potentially landmark civil rights case: whether doctorscan refuse to treat certain patients for religious reasons. The casereaches back nearly 10 years, to when Guadalupe "Lupita" Benítez ofOceanside was trying to conceive. Benítez, who is gay, says doctors violatedher civil rights because they refused her a fertility treatment, saying it was against their religion to perform insemination on a lesbian.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/18/AR2008061802913.html?hpid=moreheadlines

-Easy Rider?
It's an article of faith among liberals that the media are being too kind to
John McCain. Now add Barack Obama's name to the critics. In an interview
with ABC's Jake Tapper, Obama said the race was close because he and Hillary
were tied up in a long battle. "While we were doing that," he said, "John
McCain basically was getting a pass, both from the media . . . as well as
from other opponents. And so I think that explains it."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/06/19/BL2008061900794_pf.html

-'¡Gaytino!': His Two True Selves
The history of showbiz and the showbiz of history figure prominently in"¡Gaytino!," the autobiographical solo piece Dan Guerrero performed at theKennedy Center's Terrace Theater on Tuesday and Wednesday. But those epochalthemes did not seem to be the catalysts for the enthusiasm (cries ofrecognition, a standing ovation) that greeted his turn on opening night.Rather, the sizable audience seemed to be esponding to Guerrero's utterunguardedness as he evoked his life as a gay Hispanic ith a passion for thearts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/18/AR2008061802944.html


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

-Broward beckons South Florida gays from Miami-Dade
There was a party every night. A velvet rope, an out-of-town DJ, a visitingdrag ueen. There were over-the-top nightclubs that reinvented life afterdark. If you ere gay and looking to be part of the South Florida scene 10years ago, South Beach idn't just beckon. It screamed. Flash forward to2008.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ligayfl0619sbjun19,0,6858642.story


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

-Gay ex-commissioner to seek Lauderdale post
Fort Lauderdale's first and only openly gay city commissioner has decided torun for mayor. Dean Trantalis confirmed that he will run for mayor in theMarch 2009 election. Trantalis had been vague about his political intentionsearlier this week, although a board member of the gay political groupDolphin Democrats said Trantalis told him he planned to run for mayor.
http://www.miamiherald.com/466/story/575811.html

-Both sides in marriage fight aim for mainstream
When gay and lesbian couples started getting married in California thisweek, one set of voices was quiet among the choruses of "Here Come theBrides" - those of the conservative activists who put a same-sex marriageban on the November ballot.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/574361.html


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

-Obama Opts Out Of Public Campaign Financing
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday he'll bypassthe federal public financing system in the general election, abandoning anearlier commitment to take the money if his Republican rival did as well.

-Calif. Gay Marriage Foes Quiet But Not To Be Discounted
When gay and lesbian couples started getting married in California thisweek, one set of voices was quiet among the choruses of "Here Come theBrides" - those of the conservative activists who put a same-sex marriageban on the November ballot.

-Gay Servicemembers Group Protests Presidential Honor To Former Joint ChiefsChair
President George W. Bush is being criticized for awarding of thePresidential Medal of Freedom to Former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of StaffGeneral Peter Pace.

-Canadian Drug Company Reports Positive Result On HIV Drug For Fat Disorder
Theratechnologies Inc. has reported positive results in a confirmatory Phase3 clinical trial of its lead compound, tesamorelin, in patients withHIV-associated lipodystrophy.

-Court Rules Anti-Gay Amendment Cannot Be Used In Custody Cases
An Ohio appeals court has ruled that the state's constitutional amendmentbanning same-sex marriage cannot be used to terminate a child custodyagreement between partners.


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

-California's gay marriage law revives religious debate over homosexuality
Some cling to literal reading of religious texts. Others call for newinterpretations. With same-sex marriage now legal in California, people offaith are renewing a passionate debate over whether homosexuality issanctioned by God. Christians, Jews and Muslims on both sides of the issuecite the holy writings of their religions. Some note that the Bible depictsman-lying-with-man as an "abomination," while others say it speaks of God'slove for all people created in his image.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/inland/la-me-scripture19-2008jun19,0,5823629.story

-Former Nunn staffer remains troubled over 1982 firing
Local gay man says Ga. senator is 'of the past,' unsuitable running mate forObama
He would rather not talk about it. But at the request of a reporter, RalphWhite Jr. this week recounted how in August 1982 then-U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn(D-Ga.) called him into his office and told him he would have to resign fromhis job as Nunn's legislative assistant because White is gay. Nunn's namehas been back in the news as a potential running mate for Barack Obama.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19080

-Gay marriages contribute to a June boom
More than 2,700 wedding licenses are issued in California in the first twodays of legal same-sex unions, exceeding the total for a whole typical week.In the two days since same-sex couples have been allowed to wed inCalifornia, the number of marriage licenses issued statewide has surpassedthat of an entire typical June week, according to a Times survey of thestate's 58 county clerks. Just over 2,700 marriage licenses were issued inthe state between 5:01 p.m. on Monday -- when the state Supreme Court'sruling lifted the ban on gay marriage -- and the end of business on Tuesday.The statewide average for a whole week in June is about 2,460.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-marriagemap19-2008jun19,0,3866565.story

-14 county workers objected to services
Employees told they could be reassigned
At least 14 employees in the San Diego County Clerk's Office raisedreligious objections to performing gay wedding ceremonies but were told bytheir boss they couldn't pick and choose between marriage applicants.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080619/news_1m19clerk.html

-Hey, gay couples: Need a place to tie the knot? Honeymoon?
California's tourism commission is recommending 10 potential sites,including several with outdoors appeal and a hotel that's throwing in amembership to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-gayweddings19-2008jun19


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

- Gay Marriage Isn't Racist
Jasmyne Cannick may not admit it, but marriage equality benefits all gaysand lesbians -- not just the white ones
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid56163.asp

-SLDN Condemns Presidential Honoree
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network on Wednesday strongly condemnedPresident Bush's plan to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Gen.Peter Pace, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid56173.asp

-Alleged Police Abuse of Transgender Woman Being Investigated
The Human Rights Campaign on Wednesday called for a criminal investigationinto the case of police brutality against a transgender woman in Memphis.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid56179.asp

-Link: San Francisco: Marriage Equality in Pictures
Take a look at the first day of marriage equality in the city where it allbegan.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid56162.asp

-Oregon Senator Apologizes for Linking Gay Marriage to Polygamy
Oregon Republican U.S. senator Gordon Smith apologized for comments he madelast week that appeared to link same-sex marriage to polygamy, according toThe [Portland] Oregonian newspaper.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid56170.asp

-Thai School Introduces Transgender Bathroom
A secondary school in northeastern Thailand, the Kampang School, hasdesigned a new bathroom for transgender people.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid56171.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:

-Newlyweds Celebrate Aboard Olivia
Olivia Offers Wedding Services and Honeymoon All-In-One
Instead of going to the chapel, leading lesbian travel and entertainmentcompany, Olivia, is offering couples the chance to celebrate California'srecent same-sex marriage ruling at sea. Olivia will host a special weddingceremony and reception for couples before setting sail on Olivia's Women inMusic and Sports Mexican Riviera Cruise, Oct 4-11. "This landmark decisionmarks a new era for the gay and lesbian community - and is one that ourcustomers and couples should richly celebrate," said Olivia General ManagerLisa Henderson.

-Seth Kilbourn Appointed Executive Director
of Openhouse in San Francisco
A non-profit, community-based organization celebrating its 10th anniversarythis year, Openhouse provides housing, services and community programs forSan Francisco's large and growing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender(LGBT) senior population. Following an extensive search by theorganization's Board of Directors, Seth Kilbourn was selected based on his vision for theorganization and wide-ranging experience in public and non-profit service.For more than 15 years, Kilbourn has been advancing issues and causes ofenormous importance to the nation's LGBT communities.

-Jack Thompson Don't Know Jack
Why will the right-wing crusader likely lose his license? Swastikas are justthe start. Jack Thompson looks nothing like 9/11 orchestrator Mohamed Atta. He wears aslick business suit and lives in a million-dollar home in Coral Gables. Yetthe 56-year-old lawyer hand-delivered a letter to U.S. District Court ChiefJudge Federico A. Moreno last week that sounded a lot like terrorism:"Maybe," he wrote, "my 'mistake' was not killing 3,000 people to make mypoint." On Monday, federal marshals showed up at his home to question himabout the matter. Next up for the man who for 20 years has worn the mantleof the puritanical police: disbarment.

-Texas GOP Cuts Off Vendor That Sold Racist Button
The Texas Republican Party is distancing itself from a vendor who soldcampaign buttons at last weekend's state convention that asked, "If Obama ispresident ... will we still call it The White House?" The state GOP partysaid Wednesday that it will donate the $1,500 rent it collected from thevendor, Republicanmarket.com, to Midwestern flood victims.

-New York Rugby Club
Ranked Number One in the U.S.
The Gotham Knights Rugby Football Club had a particularly strong showing atthe Bingham Cup, an international rugby tournament. Held every two years,the tournament is named in honor of gay rugby player and 9/11 hero MarkKendall Bingham, who helped found the Gotham Knights in 2001. This year'stournament featured over 30 teams and was held in Dublin, Ireland June 12 -15.

-Same-Sex Wedding Expos Tour California
RainbowWeddingNetwork.com celebrates the May 15th ruling in California,adding four events to its summer calendar focused on supporting same-sexcouples throughout the Golden State as they plan for their weddings.Preparations are well underway for four back-to-back GLBTQ Wedding Expos inSan Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Long Beach. Over forty localwedding vendors will participate in each event, who actively support equalrights in marriage. Other highlights include Music, Fashion, Planning Tips,Samples and Informative Presentations about the issues concerning equalityin marriage and adoption for the GLBTQ community. Admission is free, and allsupporters of non-discrimination are encouraged to attend.

-Revolutionary Gay Web 2.0 Marketing Company Launches; Opens Doors to Floodof Clients
With corporations finally acknowledging the considerable buying power of thegay community ($712 billion in 2008, according to Witeck-CombsCommunications), an innovative new company, Pink Banana Media, has sprung upto help these corporations, large and small, market their services directlyto this powerful segment of the population.


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

-California's non-partisan Legislative Analyst Office (LAO) is researchingthe economic impact of a November ballot initiative that would effectivelyoverturn the state Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex marriage.Some LGBT activists say that a favorable fiscal analysis could resonate withvoters, particularly in an atmosphere of state budget crisis and a besiegednational economy. "This is something voters care especially about when weare in an economic downturn," says Shannon Minter, the lead attorney whoargued the case on behalf of same-sex couples. Currently, California has abudget deficit of approximately $16 billion.

-As wedding bells begin ringing for gay couples and families in California,opponents of gay marriage are turning up the volume on a relatively newargument: that same-sex marriage is a threat to religious liberty. Justtoday we have seen two passionate salvos. Maggie Gallagher, writing at NRO,warns that gay marriage means "the official harassment and repression (byour own government) of traditional religious faiths." Marc Stern, generalcounsel for the American Jewish Congress, writing in the L.A. Times, warnsthat "it is religious rights that are likely to be 'obliterated' by anemerging popular majority supporting same-sex relationships."


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

-UK: Davis accused of supporting rights for suspected terrorists but notgays
An openly gay government minister has mocked the civil liberties campaign offormer Shadow Home Secretary David Davis.

-Albania failing to protect gays from violence and discrimination
The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights has highlighted theproblems faced by gay, lesbian, trans and bisexual people in Albania.

-Australian Senate delays gay equality legislation
The Australian Democrats have accused opposition parties of homophobia afterthey used their Senate majority to delay legislation on same-sexdiscrimination.

-Turkish trans singer faces jail over Army comments
A well-known trans performer in Turkey is facing jail after a TV outburstwhere she implied that military action against separatists is not worthsoldier's lives.

-Gay prince to speak at EuroPride
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, from the Royal Family of Gujarat in north westIndia, will be one of the three opening speakers at EuroPride 2008 inStockholm.

-London's gay rugby club in world tournament final
London's only gay rugby club, the world famous Kings Cross Steelers has wonplaces in the finals of The Bingham Cup in Dublin, Ireland.

-Court gives US woman joint custody over former partner's child
In a landmark case in America, a woman has been given joint custody over thebiological child of her former lesbian partner.

-EU confirms sexual orientation will be included in discrimination directive
Commissioner Jacques Barrot confirmed today that the European Commissionwill propose a cross-cutting directive aimed at combating LGBTdiscrimination.


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

-Moscow Court: Third Gay Pride Ban "Lawful"
MOSCOW, June 18, 2008 (GayRussia.ru) - Tverskoi District Court of Moscowthis afternoon dismissed the complaint by Moscow Pride organisers againstthe ban of one of the Gay Pride marches for tolerance and respect for therights and freedoms of homosexual people in Russia planned for May 1 thisyear.The march was scheduled to take place from the Moscow Central PostOffice to Lubyanka Square.During court hearing, Nikolai Alekseev, principlethe organiser of Moscow Pride, said that the Russian legislation does notgive the authorities the right to ban any public event if it does notcontradict the Constitution.

-Federal Law Presents Hurdles for Gay Marriage
As of right now same sex marriage marriage is not recognized under Federallaw. Here is a look at some important differences that will affect gaycouples: Federal Income Tax laws make a sharp distinction between thoseinvolved in a traditional marriage and those in a same sex marriage. Whilemarried gay couples must file their state tax returns as married filingjointly or separately, they must file their federal income taxes as singleor head of household. This can lead to more Federal taxes being paid by gaycouples. Immigration laws treat same sex couples differently as well. If anAmerican citizen marries a foreign citizen of the same sex, the foreigncitizen will not gain residency rights from the marriage, as would a spousefrom a traditional marriage.

-Childern of the Revolution: The Battle for Equal Rights for Gay and LesbianParents Goes On
When Grace Goodbean and Netty Redish noticed that one of the girls they werefostering never brought friends home from school, they decided to ask herwhether it was because she was embarrassed that they were lesbians. "We werewondering," they asked her, "if you might not be inviting people homebecause of us." "Oh no," she said. "Everyone knows I'm fostered!" Goodbeambelieves it sums up young people's attitude to their gay parenting. "Ithadn't entered her head that we might be talking about being lesbians. That was acomplete non-issue for her."

-A Love That, Today, May Dare to Speak Its Name
On a Minnesota summer day in 1981, my parents stood in their billowysundresses to say "I do." Neither of them thought to call their ceremony awedding. No family members were present. Instead, a small group of friendscelebrated their "commitment ceremony" at the only church in town that wouldhave them. As two women, my parents didn't know how to imagine a world wheretheir love could be honored legally. In 1981, the country had justinaugurated Ronald Reagan, who didn't say the word "gay" in public untilRock Hudson died of AIDS in 1985. So my parents made their own way towardthe family they wanted, without the trappings of church or state. In early1983, I was born - one of the first babies born in Minnesota to a lesbiancouple via a donor dad.

-Savage: 'The Children's Minds are Being Raped by the Homosexual Mafia'
Responding to a caller who said, "I had to explain to my young son why thesetwo men were holding hands the other day," radio host Michael Savage stated,during the June 16 broadcast of The Savage Nation, "You've got to explain tothe children . why God told people this was wrong." He went on to say, "Youhave to explain this to them in this time of mental rape that's going on.The children's minds are being raped by the homosexual mafia, that's myposition. They're raping our children's minds." During a discussion aboutgay marriage with a previous caller, Savage said: "It's not a joke when youpervert an institution like marriage, which is in trouble enough. It's not ajoke." He added, "Our children are being destroyed by this." He went on tosay of gay marriage, "It's a very important story. The children don't knowwhat to make of it. Children nine, 10 are saying, 'I'm gay.' They don't knowwhat it even means." He added: "It's a giant propaganda machine trying topervert children." Talk Radio Network, which syndicates Savage's show,claims that Savage is heard on more than 350 radio stations. The SavageNation reaches at least 8.25 million listeners each week, according toTalkers Magazine, making it one of the most listened-to talk radio shows inthe nation, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show.

-Transsexual Singer Faces Jail After Questioning Turkey Military
With her bee-stung lips and long permed black hair, Bulent Ersoy, atranssexual and one of Turkey's most popular singers, is no stranger tocontroversy. Now she finds herself on trial for trying to turn the publicagainst the country's military. The charges stem from remarks Ms Ersoy madeearlier this year on the hugely popular television show Popstar Alaturkathat called into question Turkey's deeply ingrained militarism. Shesuggested that it was not worth sacrificing soldiers' lives in Turkey'sconflict with the Kurdish separatist PKK group. "I am not a mother, nor everwill be, but I would not bury my child for someone else's war," Ms Ersoysaid.

-Brussels Pledges Bill Against Sexual Orientation and Age Discrimination
The European Commission has made another u-turn inits plans to boost EU anti-discrimination rules, pledging to put forward acomplex bill ruling out unfair treatment of citizens on all grounds,including sexual orientation and age. The shift was announced by JacquesBarrot, the commissioner-designate scheduled to take over the justice andsecurity portfolio from Franco Frattini, Italy's new foreign minister, at ahearing in the European Parliament's civil liberties committee in Strasbourgon Monday (16 June). Some MEPs are happy the Commission has changed itsmind on discrimination bill "All discrimination is serious, and deserves tobe fought with the same determination," Mr Barrot told MEPs, adding that theEU executive had asked his colleague, social affairs commissioner VladimirSpidla to "draw up a proposal for a cross-cutting directive."

-Clone Cell Cancer 'Cure' Hailed
Scientists claim they have cured advanced skin cancer for the first timeusing the patient's own cells cloned outside the body. The 52-year-old maninvolved was free of melanoma two years after treatment. US researchers,reports the New England Journal of Medicine, took cancer-fighting immunecells, made five billion copies, then put them all back. Scientists in theUK warned that further trials would need to be done to prove how well thetreatment worked.

-Halliburton Subsidiary KBR Faulted for Hurricane Work
Reports of problems with defense contractor KBR Inc. just keep piling up.The Houston-based company's efforts to repair Navy facilities followingHurricanes Ivan and Katrina were deemed shoddy and substandard, auditorssay, prompting one technical adviser to claim that the federal government"certainly paid twice" for many KBR projects because of "design andworkmanship deficiencies," according to a report released today by theDefense Department's inspector general. The report, released following aFreedom of Information Act request, says the U.S. Navy hired KBR, Inc., thenknown as Kellogg, Brown and Root, in July 2004 to repair Defense Departmentfacilities after Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina. The federal government agreedto pay the company $500 million over five years. At the time, thecompany was a subsidiary of Halliburton, the Texas oil company, whose formerchief executive is Vice President Dick Cheney.

-PA: City Council Approves Commitment Registry
Pittsburgh City Council gave final approval today to legislation creating aregistry of couples that are unmarried, but declare and prove a "mutualcommitment" to each other, in an effort to create standards for employers,including the city, that allow partners to share employee benefits. Councilman Bruce Kraus, who along with Council President Doug Shields wrotethe legislation, said the measure "really is administrative and it really isa bit of housekeeping." But he added that it aims "to show that Pittsburghis in fact a very progressive and forward-thinking city" and position it to"attract good-quality employers, and good-quality employees." Its passageby a 7-1 vote brought cheers from some in the audience, who attended toreceive a proclamation for Pride Week events, which start Thursday. Thelegislation allows straight or gay couples to gain city recognition of theircommitment.

-Prospects of Gay Lutheran Bishop Divides Germany
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany could elect its first openly gay Lutheran bishopnext month, a move conservatives say would alienate many Christians and opendivisions in the Church. The July 12 election brings to Germany the questionof gay clergy and same-sex unions which has caused rifts in severalcountries and faiths, including the Anglican community. Horst Gorski, asenior cleric from Hamburg, is standing for the post of bishop of Schleswigin northern Germany against Gerhard Ulrich, a senior cleric from theSchleswig area. The incumbent bishop is retiring in September. Gorski is awidely respected theologian and he helped set up a centre for gay andlesbian Lutheran pastors. His open homosexuality angers some Lutheranconservatives who argue his election as bishop would leave many Christianswith no spiritual home.

-Why I Blessed Gay Clergymen's Relationship
The rector of St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London, in the eye ofstorm over gay 'marriage', explains why he decided he must bless a gayrelationship


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Forwarded from Michael Emanuel Rajner
merajner@gmail.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-The National Association of People with AIDS in collaboration with SouthFlorida AIDS Network and the Miami-Dade County Health Department will hostaone-day regional meeting entitled "AIDS in America" at BarryUniversity,Miami, Florida at the Andreas School of Business Building 11300NE SecondAvenue Miami Shores, Fl 33161. The NAPWA 2008 Regional Meetingshave twogoals in mind:
1) To increase knowledge about health, including treatment and careservices;and
2) To increase social networking opportunities.
Please join us at NAPWA's Regional Meeting at Barry University (Miami) onJuly 23rd.
Michael Emanuel Rajner
National Community Organizer
National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA)
954 272-8131 Fort Lauderdale
305 677-3506 Miami


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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-HRC CALLS FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN CASE OF POLICE BRUTALITY AGAINST A TRANSGENDER WOMAN
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay, lesbian,bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today called for acriminal investigation into the case of polie brutality against atransgender woman. A newly released video out of Memphis, Tennessee clearlyshows a police officer brutally abuse Duanna Johnson as she was held in theShelby County Criminal Justice Center. Johnson is a transgender woman, andhad been arrested on a charge of prostitution. "This type of profoundviolence is the exact thing that police officers are supposed to protectpeople from," said HRC President Joe Solmonese. "HRC is calling for a fullcriminal investigation and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law."

-Video shows police beating
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) -Video obtained by Action News 5 shows a Memphis policeofficer beating a suspect at 201 Poplar in an apparent case of policebrutality. The video, recorded February 12th, shows Duanna Johnson in thebooking area at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center after an arrestfor prostitution. The tape clearly shows a Memphis police officer walkover to Johnson - a transsexual - and hit her in the face several times."Actually he was trying to get me to come over to where he was, and Iresponded by telling him that wasn't my name - that my mother didn't name mea 'faggot' or a 'he-she,' so he got upset and approached me. And that's whenit started," Johnson said. Johnson said the officer was attempting to callher over to be fingerprinted. She said she chose not respond to thederogatory name the officer called her.
http://www.wmctv. com/global/ story.asp? s=8515744


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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

-The right to love
Same-sex unions do not diminish the bonds of marriage, they uphold them.
Across California today, in mass public weddings and in small, privateservices, gay and lesbian couples will exchange official vows of undyingloveand wedlock. With the sanction of the state Supreme Court, these couplesstand together as full citizens at last. Their long odyssey to reach thisday serves to remind us why people marry at all, especially in an era ofcasual relationships. As any married person can attest, marriage issignificant precisely because it is difficult. True, it confers certainpublic protections, but even more, it requires personal sacrifices.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-marriage17-2008jun17,0,3451825,print.story

-Task Force donates $180,000 to Dade Community Foundation
The Task Force announced at a Coconut Grove reception last week that$200,000 from the 11th Annual Miami Recognition Dinner and the 2008 WinterParty Festival will benefit the local Miami LGBT community. Of that amount,$180,000 will be granted to Dade Community Foundation's GLBT CommunityProjects Fund to be disbursed to local organizations providing criticalservices to LGBT people. The remaining $20,000 will be used to conduct along-term strategic planning process for the future of the Winter PartyFestival.


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GAY AMERICAN HEROES FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES IMPRESSIVE LIST OF NEW BOARDMEMBERS
Fort Lauderdale, FL (June 18, 2008) -- The Gay American Heroes Foundation(GAHF) is pleased to announce the appointment of four new members to itsHonorary Board of Directors and three new members to its Advisory Board ofDirectors: Charlie David, Thea Gill, Christine O'Leary, and Elliot Tiberhave been appointed to the Honorary Board, and Mark Bias, Cate Colgan, andDJ Fr8-0 have joined the Advisory Board.

-ABOUT GAY AMERICAN HEROES FOUNDATION
Gay American Heroes Foundation is committed to education and remembrance ofthose who died because of their sexual orientation and gender identity via atraveling memorial and educational exhibition which will travel across theUnited States to universities, colleges and communities where hate crimeshave occurred. Information on Gay American Heroes Foundation may be foundat www.GayAmericanHeroes.com
Gay American Heroes Foundation, Inc. is a Florida not-for-profit corporationand is in the process of obtaining Internal Revenue Service recognition ofits 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. Pending such recognition, GAHF operatesunder the fiscal sponsorship of Dade Community Foundation, Inc. in Miami,Florida, which is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Donations made to GAHFvia the Gay American Heroes Fund at Dade Community Foundation are thereforedeductible to the extent permitted by law.
Gay American Heroes Foundation
ATTN: Scott Hall, Founder and President
1350 East Sunrise Blvd, Suite 119
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
954.636.1775 or 321.506.8738
www.GayAmericanHeroes.com


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Family Equality Council Program Team
Join Family Equality Council for the 13th Annual Family Week inProvincetown, MA, July 26-August 2, 2008! Every year this wonderfuloccasion-Family Week-brings together hundreds of LGBTQ-headed families andfriends for learning, community building and most importantly lots of fun!
We've got a great week planned! To ensure more opportunities to shareexperiences and make connections with one another, we are bringing back someold Family Week favorites and enriching the week with new program additions.
Here are some things to expect:
- The Family Parade through Provincetown with a sign-making event sponsoredby Cultural Care Au Pair;
- The Welcome Picnic on Herring Cove Beach;
- Community Gatherings;
- Movie Night & Pajama Party, sponsored by Bank of America;
- Little Gatherings for our youngest attendees;
- R Family Dance & Kiddie Bop
- And for the first-time ever, Family Equality Council children'sprogramming (ages 3-8). In its pilot year and organized by our new youthcoordinator, this is a special program designed with the children of LGBTQparents in mind.
Register today! If you're planning to attend our Tuesday evening beachgathering with a boxed dinner, our Friday Pizza Party or if you want yourchild aged 3-8 to attend our first-ever children's programming - you mustpre-register for the event!
http://www.familyequality.org/events/familyweek2008.html

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