Friday, June 06, 2008

GLBT NEWS - Ray's List Digest - Friday June 06, 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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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Washington: Lesbian kiss in stands touches off storm
Most of the time, a kiss is just a kiss in the stands at Seattle Marinersgames. The crowd hardly even pays attention when fans smooch.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flanatdig06060sbjun06,0,1722601.story

-Adieu, Saint Laurent
Green bunches of Yves Saint Laurent's beloved wheat dressed the yellow cloth covering his casket amid mourning luminaries clothed in funereal black, his favorite color. Most women, his other passion, wore trousers at the final tribute in Paris on Thursday to the designer who revolutionized femininity by making it
glamorous to wear pants.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flapeople0606sbjun06,0,5628356.story


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

-Report: Edwards Rules Out VP Role
(Madrid) John Edwards has ruled out being Barack Obama's running mate on theDemocratic presidential ticket, according to interviews carried by twoleading Spanish newspapers on Friday.

-Some Calif. Clerks To Issue Licenses Earlier
(San Francisco, California) California officials say counties may beginissuing gender-neutral marriage licenses the minute after a state SupremeCourt order legalizing same-sex marriage takes effect.

-S.A. Health Minister: HIV Rates Declining
(Cape Town, South Africa) South Africa's health minister said Thursday thatHIV infection rates among pregnant women declined for the second straightyear and claimed it was proof of the success of government policies.

-Fashion World Bids Farewell To Yves Saint Laurent
(Paris) Model-turned-first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, actress CatherineDeneuve and the Shah of Iran's widow were among mourners Thursday at thefuneral of legendary designer Yves Saint Laurent.


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

-Wis. Supreme Court says lawsuit over gay remark is frivolous
Gay rights group used excerpt from anti-gay activist's speech
An activist's lawsuit claiming a Wisconsin gay rights group defamed him byaccusing him of advocating the murder of gays is frivolous, the WisconsinSupreme Court ruled Thursday. Anti-gay activist Rev. Grant Storms of NewOrleans sued gay rights group Action Wisconsin after it took excerpts from a2003 speech Storms made in Milwaukee and claimed he was advocating themurder of gays. Storms' lawsuit was dismissed in 2005, and he was ordered topay court costs and attorneys' fees. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheldthat decision, which had been reversed by an appeals court. The high court's4-3 decision means Storms' attorney James Donohoo will have to pay more than$87,000 in court costs and fees because the court said he should have knownthe lawsuit was frivolous. Donohoo and attorneys for Action Wisconsin, whichhas since changed its name to Fair Wisconsin, did not immediately returnmessages. Storms, who hosts a talk show on a New Orleans radio station,considers himself a Christian activist and has protested what he calls "thehomosexual agenda."
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=18761

-County clerk will stop performing all weddings
Wedding bells won't ring in the Kern county clerk's office for any couples -gay or straight - after June 13, local officials said Wednesday after theCalifornia Supreme Court refused to stay its decision legalizing same-sexmarriage. The office will issue same-sex marriage licenses beginning June 17as state law requires but will stop solemnizing weddings due to lack ofstaff and space, Auditor-Controller-County Clerk Ann Barnett announced in anews release Wednesday evening.
http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/462592.html

-Asking and Telling Sam Nunn
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was a compromise forced on Bill Clinton's presidencyby a recalcitrant, (then) anti-gay Sam Nunn who stopped Clinton's plans toend discrimination against homosexual men and women serving in the U.S.military. In fact, while Senator Nunn was still in the Senate, he fired twostaff members when it came to light that these individuals were gay. Now,Senator Nunn is recommending a "review" of the policy he helped fashionfifteen years ago, but he is not indicating whether his own views havechanged. I'm a fan of Sam Nunn's important work in trying to rid the worldof nuclear weapons and other WMD related materials. I hear from many friendsthat he is an outstanding Board Chairman of the Center for Strategic andInternational Studies and also Co-Chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
So despite my sincere respect for many of the good things Sam Nunn has done,I also think it is important for those whispering about the possibility ofputting Nunn in the VP slot on the Obama ticket -- or in Obama's cabinet --to realize that this blog and many others will not stand for someone whostill harbors long standing, institutionalized discriminatory views againstgay men and women, particularly in the arena of national security when weshould be applauding any who want to serve this country.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/asking-and-telling-sam-nu_b_105401.html

-Gay Muslims Make a Familiar Point
Parvez Sharma's new documentary, A Jihad for Love, is a remarkableexploration, six years in the making, of the lives and struggles of gays andlesbians in the Islamic world today. From a pair of Sufi lesbians in Turkeyto a religious instructor in South Africa to young men in Iran and Egypt whohave been jailed for their sexual orientation, to India, France, and Canada,the film casts an unblinking eye on the queer underground. Documentary hasthe power of one person, telling the story of an individual we can get toknow, deeply, and to identify with. This is not political posturing orabstract statistics. It is a journey of pain and suffering, and ultimatelyhope. Sharma has done something quite brilliant with this project. It isnot a story that is outside of Islam, not an attack on Islam.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-ayers-/gay-muslims-make-a-famili_b_105363.html

-Legal Q&A on gay marriage
Experts respond to conservative activists' 'pro-family' arguments
The May 15 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in California reignitedintense debate over the issue and demonstrated that, regardless of what thejustices decided or how voters there will react to a ballot referendum inNovember, the controversial subject isn't likely to go away anytime soon.
Reaction to this month's ruling was predictable. Notoriously anti-gay groupslike Concerned Women for America, Focus on the Family, Family ResearchCouncil and others decried the ruling as an outrage. Reaction among gayactivists was the inverse, with leaders from groups like Human RightsCampaign and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force heaping praise on thejustices. "Frequently asked questions" sections of the web sites of theaforementioned organizations (and others) address the issues raised by thoseon opposite sides of the ideological divide. But clearly the concerns ofmany anti-gay groups haven't been addressed to their satisfaction. If twomen or two women can marry in some parts of the country, could it, in time,lead to a repeal of U.S. polygamy laws?
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/6-5/news/localnews/4725.cfm

- Friend or Foe?
FRIEND OF THE WEEK
NEW YORK GOVERNOR DAVID A. PATERSON
A same sex marriage memo in New York opens the doors of state agencies,directing then to honor out-of-state gay marriages. The directive is a keylink in allowing gay married couples visiting and living in New York toenjoy some important aspects of recognition and equality, including hospitalvisitation, insurance benefits and property inheritance. Paterson says hisdirective simply follows existing law, since New York has always recognizedthe rights of married couples whose ceremonies were certified by otherstates. The hand-wringing and backlash have already begun.

FOE OF THE WEEK
FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL McCOLLUM
As same sex couples in California celebrate the State Supreme Court decisionto strike down the ban on gay marriage, Florida Attorney General BillMcCollum and nine other Republican state attorney generals are trying tosilence the wedding bells. McCollum added his signature to a letter toCalifornia's Chief Justice, asking the court to put gay marriage on holduntil the public votes on the issue in November.

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

-Fabulous at 30
"Flags are torn from the soul of the people," said rainbow flag designerGilbert Baker on the symbol's 30th anniversary. "This one was born in amoment of celebration." When the rainbow flag debuted in San Francisco onJune 25, 1978, Baker knew it was special, but had no idea it would becomeone of the most recognized symbols in the world.

-Family My Way
Family My Way, the Internet's newest and most unique online community,launches today at www.familymyway.com. Bringing together families of allmakeups and sizes, Family My Way seeks to redefine the traditional conceptof today's nuclear family into a more modern and encompassing model. FamilyMy Way is the modern-day family.

-Knight, Others In Mass Commitment Ceremony
West Hollywood sure got gay last night. Well, gayer than usual.
TR Knight, his child bride boyfriend, Jay Leno and scads of media folkswarmed on popular gay bar The Abbey for a mass commitment ceremony, asymbolic push toward California's forthcoming gay marriages.

-New Radio Ad Blasts Gay Marriage
A controversial radio ad began playing in Albany, New York City andRochester Thursday. It is being paid for by the National Organization forMarriage.

-Aids Body Chief Roots for Gays
The gay community in the country should not be neglected while designinganti-HIV/AIDS strategies, the director general of the Uganda AIDSCommission, Dr. Kihumuro Apuuli, has said. "It is true that research wasdone among gays and the trend is common in young people. We need to addressthe gay issue, but they are not a major driver of infections."


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

-Kern County Auditor-Controller-County Clerk Ann Barnett repeatedly tried toavoid licensing and performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples,interviews and e-mails obtained by The Californian show. At her request,County Counsel Bernard Barmann filed a brief with the California SupremeCourt opposing implementation of the May 15 ruling allowing gay marriage.
She tried to resign her elected position as county clerk - while keeping herpositions as auditor-controller and elections boss. "She really wanted toget rid of it," Barmann said.

-Buried in the rush of election news yesterday was the California court'srefusal to stay the civil marriages for gay couples that will start on June17 and continue throughout the year. This strikes me as a critical decisionbecause it reframes the debate in California. If voters are asked to decideon the abstract question of marriage equality, they respond differently thanif they are asked to decide about civil marriages already in existence. Manyvoters simply do not want to think about this question and resent those whobring it up. If you ask Californians: "Do you favor the right of gay couplesto marry?" they will divide pretty evenly. If you ask, "Do you want to undoall these couples' marriages?" they will tend to answer no.

- It was front page of the New York Times and on television news broadcastseverywhere, so New York Governor David Paterson's directive that stateagencies prepare to recognize same-sex marriages from other states must havebeen something big and new, right? No. And yes. What Paterson did, say gaylegal activists, is declare that his administration would follow and enforcea law that already exists in the state and has for a long time. That lawsays that the state will recognize marriages licensed in other states, evenif those marriages wouldn't be licensed in New York.
Legally, Paterson changed nothing.


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

-Lithuanian MPs attempt to exclude gays from legal protection
Members of Parliament in Lithuania have removed age, disability, and sexualorientation protections from a new draft law on equal opportunities.

-TiVo in hot water over links to homophobes
One of America's coolest brands risks alienating the gay community after itslinks with an organisation that fights against equality were questioned.

-Amnesty condemns arrests of Uganda AIDS conference protesters
A leading human rights group has said it is concerned for the welfare ofthree gay protesters who forced their way into an international conferenceabout HIV/AIDS prevention in Uganda organised by the UN.

-Sober gays will gather at EuroPride
Special events for the thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans men and
women in Europe who are in recovery from alcoholism will be held alongsidethis year's EuroPride.

-McCain campaign tries to woo Clinton supporters
Even as Hillary Clinton prepares to endorse Barack Obama on Saturday, theRepublican National Committee is throwing open its doors to her supporters.

-Gay youth to picnic in Soho Square
London's largest gathering of LGBT youth will take place in the centre ofthe city later this month. They will gather in Soho Square on Friday 20thJune for the 'OutZone Summer Picnic'.

-London team prepares for rugby's Bingham Cup
Gay rugby club the Kings Cross Steelers is off to Dublin for the Bingham Cupon Sunday and players are looking forward to a good luck send off at the TwoBrewers on Clapham High Street.

-Michelle Obama "whitey" tape fails to materialise
There is little proof behind the widely reported story that a major newsnetwork is in possession of video featuring Michelle Obama, wife ofpresidential hopeful Barack Obama, railing against white people.

-Homophobic governments block gays from UN AIDS conference
Lesbian and gay and sexual health groups from Jamaica, Zimbabwe and Egypthave been excluded from a major international conference on HIV/AIDSorganised by the United Nations General Assembly.

-New caucus in US Congress will campaign for LGBT rights
A cross-party group of US Congressmen and women have formed a new campaignto push for greater rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans Americans.


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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/
Go to the above link for the following articles:

-Interview: New Hampshire's 'Turbulent Priest' and the Fight for GayAcceptance
Controversy and Bishop Gene Robinson go hand in hand. Ever since hiselection as the first openly gay bishop in the American Anglican Church, hehas rarely been out of the headlines. Splits and schisms over the positionof homosexual men and women in the Church have been a staple feature ofreporting on religious affairs since his inauguration in 2003.
Traditionalists decry him as a snake, a man determined to divide thefaithful with his selfish insistence on taking senior office in the Church.
To others, especially gay clergy and laymen and women, he is a hero, a manunafraid to be Anglican, gay and proud and to lead his diocese.

-CA: Leno Defeats Migden for Senate Nod
Gay California Assemblyman Mark Leno has won the Democratic primary tobecome the party's nominee for a San Francisco-area Senate seat, defeatinglesbian incumbent Carole Migden. The Third District, which includes theeastern neighborhoods of the city, all Marin County and part of SonomaCounty, is heavily Democratic, so the November election is largely aforegone conclusion. Leno also defeated former Assemblyman Joe Nation. "It'svery thrilling," Leno told the Bay Area Reporter. "It's really a night of elation."
Migden was hurt by accusations of campaign finance violations last year. Thescandal resulted in her being fined a record $350,000 for her financialindiscretions, which included using surplus funds for personal use,
according to the Reporter.

-MA: Transgender Youth Summit Coming to Cambridge
The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) and the BostonAlliance of LGBT Youth (BAGLY) have teamed up to present the TransgenderYouth Summit, a daylong confab that aims to empower trans youth, create ayouth leadership network, and promote political and civic activism. The freeevent is open to people under age 24 who identify as trans or could fallunder the transgender umbrella. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at theDemocracy Center in Cambridge on June 28.

-The Gay Marriage Race: Which State Will Be Next?
Whither California, the nation? That's the question LGBT activists andjust-plain folks across the country are asking. Will legalizing marriage inthe California Republic set off a wave of such actions across the country?
Judging from what happened in New York, it may already have. EDGE analyzesthe move toward (and away from) gay marriage state by state and handicapsthe race to be next in line to the altar.

-Catholic Group Urges America to Resist Homosexual 'Marriage'
HANOVER, Penn., June 5 /Christian Newswire/ - Reacting to California'sSupreme Court ruling in favor of homosexual "marriage," the American Societyfor the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) published a two-pagead today, which appeared simultaneously in The New York Times, The LosAngeles Times, and The Washington Times. The American TFP's statement iscalled Battling for America's Soul: How Homosexual "Marriage" Threatens OurNation and Faith-the TFP Urges Lawful and Conscientious Resistance."Mainstream America is understandably upset about same-sex 'marriage,'" said TFPdirector Preston Noell. It is a grave offense against God and undermines2,000 years of Christian morality. Same-sex 'marriage' threatens the socialstability of our nation and future," he added. In fact, after New YorkGovernor David Patterson ordered legal recognition for same-sex "marriages"contracted out of state, the controversy has only intensified.

-A Servicewoman Prevails in Her Bid to Reinstate Her ConstitutionalChallenge to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy
The blockbuster decision by the California Supreme Court to recognize gay
marriage may have dominated the headlines, but it was not the only major gayrights judicial victory to emerge from the West Coast last month. In aless-noticed but also significant ruling in Witt v. Secretary of the AirForce, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit breathed life into animportant constitutional challenge brought by a servicewoman to the military's so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The court held that the policydiscriminates against gay and lesbian relationships in a way that requires asubstantial government justification.

-Does the Constitution Permit Government to Favor Religion over Nonreligion?Justice Scalia Says Yes
Speaking over the past weekend at the annual dinner of an Orthodox Jewishgroup, Agudath Israel of America, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scaliaclaimed that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment should not beconstrued to forbid government from favoring "religion over nonreligion."
Justice Scalia has made this point before, both on and off the bench, and hemay be correct when he says, as he did before Agudath Israel, that such aprohibition "does not . . . represent the American tradition," but only ifone excludes from that tradition the last forty years of Supreme Courtjurisprudence. The proposition that government may not favor religion overnonreligion does, however, represent the current doctrine of the SupremeCourt, albeit with a few exceptions. And of course, Justice Scaliaacknowledges as much. He offers his view as a challenge to the modern caselaw-not a characterization of it.

-Letter Sent to Tivo about "SuperDad Essay Contest" from Family EqualityCouncil Director
Dear Owners and Administrators of TiVo, Inc.:
My name is Jennifer Chrisler. I am the Executive Director of Family EqualityCouncil, the national organization working to ensure equality for lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) families by building community,changing hearts and minds, and advancing social justice for all families.
On behalf of LGBT families everywhere, I am incredibly disappointed to seethat TiVo, a national corporation providing entertainment services tomillions of families in this country, has decided to sponsor and endorse the"I Know a SuperDad Essay Contest" with Focus on the Family.


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HeartStrong
The work never ends! As is typical for this time of year, many studentsfrom both religious and public schools are facing the prospect of beenrolled into a religious college or university in just a couple months.
Without fail, HeartStrong always receives requests from students who aredesperately trying to change their parent's minds about enrolling them intoa religious college. While HeartStrong cannot change the parent's minds whenthey have religious or conformist reasons for sending their kids toreligious colleges and universities, HeartStrong is able to provide supportand information that would not be part of the student's general knowledge.
We are also busy working on our summer outreach and educational programs.
In July we will spend two weeks in MN, IL and WI. In August we will spendtwo weeks in CO. We are excited to be revisiting these states. If youare interested in attending an educational forum in these states pleasecheck out our forum schedule on our website. If your group would like tohost an educational forum, please contact HeartStrong at
heartstrong@heartstrong.org


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

-Turkey's Latest Anti-Gay Surge By: DOUG IRELAND
In the latest in a series of legal attacks on LGBT organizations and publications in Turkey, on May 29 a court in Istanbul, the nation's largest city, ordered the dissolution of Lambda Istanbul. Founded in 1993, the groupis Turkey's oldest LGBT organization, and has organized Gay Pride marches in that city every year since 2003. The organization has been under attack from Istanbul's governor, Muammer Güler, since 2007, when his office brought a legal action to close the organization, claiming that Lambda violates both the Penal Code, as an association in violation of "law and morals," and Article 41 of the Turkish Constitution, which is concerned with "the peace and welfare of the family."
http://www.gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19750019&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=569346&rfi=6

-Gay soldier's fate grips Brazil
Brazilian military police have arrested an army sergeant who revealed thathe was gay in an interview with a national news magazine at the weekend.
The ministry of defence says the sergeant is to be questioned about allegeddesertion from the military and there is no question of discrimination.

-Colombia: Student who was kicked out of high school for being a lesbianspeaks up against discrimination
Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M14IfwIjrIw

-Bahamas: Gay community fears 'trend' of unsolved murders (TheNassau Guardian)
Gay community fears 'trend' of unsolved murders
Outraged members of the gay community in New Providence are compiling a list of names of reported homosexual Bahamians whose murders remain unsolved, The Nassau Guardian was told last night. The move is hoped to bring attention to the community's concerns surrounding what appears to be a trend of unsolvedmurders of gays, and follows the murder of Jamaican Marvin Wilson, one of four recent violent murders involving men who were reportedly homosexual. It also comes amid growing fears that the deaths may be connected. "I have been pproached by members of the community offering their assistance," said ErinGreene, a spokesperson for the country's gay advocacy group Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas. "[In addition to the list] some members are also working with a regional group known as CARIFLAG (Caribbean Forum of Lesbians, AU-Sexuals and Gays) that has an ongoing project to archive within communities the murders of gay citizens and those unsolved murders." While the killings have sparked a level of concern in the local gay community, well-placed sources have told The Guardian that most members of that community do not feel the murders are random.
http://www.thenassauguardian.net/national_local/344321161854604.php

-Today!
Friday: LGBT conference call for Obama
After aggressive contests in all 50 states, the Democratic Primary has cometo an end. If we are to elect Barack Obama president in November, as acommunity, it's important that we come together. With theunified and enthusiastic support of LGBT Americans, our chance of success ismuch greater. That's why we need your help to take the next step insupporting Barack. Tomorrow, Friday, June 6th, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time,our campaign is hosting a national call for LGBT Americans who areinterested in helping Barack. On this call, we will give a status report ofour campaign as a whole, discuss LGBT policy, provide suggestions for howyou can be involved and answer questions and hear your concerns.
National LGBT Conference Call
Friday, June 6th, 2008
6:00 p.m. EDT
RSVP for the conference call:
http://pride.barackobama.com/LGBTcall

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