Saturday, July 12, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - July 12, 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.


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

-"Little Britain" Brings Outrageous Satire to U.S
Get ready America. Hit BBC television show "Little Britain" is bringing itsoutrageous satirical humor to HBO in September, drawing on stars such asDavid Schwimmer and Rosie O'Donnell to lure U.S. audiences.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-littlebritain.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=nyt


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

-Funds sliced for HIV youth program in South Florida
A small, one-of-a-kind South Florida program that aims to empower youngpeople infected with the AIDS virus and reduce the stigma surrounding thedisease is losing a large chunk of its funding, putting its currentoperations in danger.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrxhiv0712pnjul12,0,1952655.story


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

-Gay mayoral candidate says he'll deliver a fruitcake to Naugle
Mayoral Candidate Earl Rynerson (www.earlformayor.com) today requested thatMayor Naugle justify his claims about rampant gay sex in public parks. "Icontacted our City's Police Department yesterday after Naugle's most recenttirade about this issue. I asked them to provide me statistics that provewhat Naugle is speaking about. They stated that the Fort Lauderdale PoliceDepartment has no information, statistics or data that can substantiate whatthe Mayor is saying."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/gay-mayoral-can.html


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

-Dodd Reportedly On Obama Shortlist
Barack Obama's presidential campaign has requested information fromDemocratic Sen. Chris Dodd as part of its search for a possible vicepresidential candidate.

-Whiner Remark Bites McCain
Republican John McCain distanced himself from an economic adviser who dubbedthe United States "a nation of whiners" in a "mental recession" as DemocratBarack Obama turned the remarks against his rival.

-Oz Gay Activists Ready For Pope
(Sydney, Australia) Thousands of pilgrims converged on Sydney as it bracedFriday for the weekend arrival of the pope and the start of World Youth Day,the biggest event held in Australia since the 2000 Olympics.

-AIDS Activists Targeted Ahead Of China Olympics
(Beijing) Lu Jun, a campaigner for the rights of millions of Chinese withhepatitis B, seems an unlikely threat to the Beijing Olympics.

-Porn Producer Murder Trial Expected To Be Long, Drawn-Out, Sordid
The trial of two men accused of killing a gay porn producer they saw as acompetitor could last for several months and contain lurid details of howthe seamy underbelly of gay life operates.


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

-Singing Out
Miami hosts gay choruses from around the world
Choral instructor Gary Keating keeps a rainbow with the words ''safe space''on the front of his office door at Dr. Michael M. Krop High in NortheastMiami-Dade. When Keating came out as a gay man in the early '80s, therewere very few safe spaces. Then, one evening in 1986 when Keating was inManhattan for business, he passed Carnegie Hall and bought a ticket. ''Theyhad a big poster that the Gay Men's Chorus was performing. I didn't evenknow it existed,'' said Keating, 56, who at the time was associate managingdirector for Gusman Cultural Center in Miami. ``When I sat there in thebalcony in Carnegie Hall, looking at 180 gay men singing together -- I stillget moved. I still get choked up -- It was wonderful.'' For one weekbeginning today, 5,000 men and women from more than 130 gay chorusesworldwide are in Miami to perform and celebrate the 25th anniversary of GALAChoruses, a group that began in 1982 in San Francisco.
http://www.miamiherald.com/tropical_life/story/601039.html=


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

-PARENTHOOD: Talk about a gender bender
One of the expressions my grandmother uttered with feeling and frequency wasthat ''one man should have one baby.'' I never knew if this was a wish or acurse, but I'm sure she never imagined Thomas Beatie. For those of you whodo not watch Oprah or read tabloids, Beatie is ''The World's First PregnantMan.'' While the title of ''first'' is in dispute, Beatie is certainly themost public transgender poster parent to have a baby bump plastered acrossthe media.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other_views/story/602303.html


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

-Ft. Lauderdale: Judge rules entrapment in Holiday Park arrest
Ruling sets foundation for class action lawsuit
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
A Broward County Judge ruled that Fort Lauderdale Police unfairly entrappeda gay man in Holiday Park by luring him into a sexual situation, inducinghim to expose himself to an undercover officer before arresting him on falseprostitution charges about a block outside of the park. Judge Gary Cowartdismissed the charges against Michael Marsh, a Fort Lauderdale man whoencountered undercover Fort Lauderdale officer Nick Coffin Aug. 20 near thebaseball fields of Holiday Park. The park has been under surveillance bypolice sting operations that target public sex and drug use there. Mayor JimNaugle has used the arrests there as a platform for his comments against gaycruising in parks and public bathrooms. According to Judge Cowart's ruling,Coffin steered the conversation with Marsh toward sex, telling Marsh "I'm abottom, I like the guys to be on top." Coffin repeatedly asked Marsh "whatare you working with," to which Marsh opened the passenger door of Coffin'svehicle and exposed his penis and groped Coffin's crotch. Coffin thenasked Marsh to "hop in," but Marsh refused. He agreed to follow Coffin to anapartment nearby. As he drove out the park Coffin could be heard tellingother officers over a cell phone that he could get Marsh for prostitution.When the men arrive at the apartment Coffin asks Marsh for money for sex.Marsh refuses, saying that he is unemployed. However officers arrestedMarsh, charging him with prostitution, indecent exposure and battery. "Thiscourt finds that the defendant was entrapped as a matter of law," Cowartwrote in his decision. "The defendant proved that he was induced by officerCoffin to commit these acts." Cowart's ruling sets the foundation for aclass action lawsuit to be filed by attorney Norm Kent, who representedMarsh. He said the ruling debunks Naugle's claim that gay men are committingsex acts in public parks. "It sends the message to the community that themayor was misleading citizens into thinking that gay men were responsiblefor illicit conduct in parks," Kent said. "When all the unlawful activitywas done by law enforcement officers." Kent has notified the city of hisintent to sue and Marsh will likely be the lead plaintiff. However, he said,it is difficult to find men who qualify because most plead out in court,thus waiving their right to sue. "The police have been targeting gay peopleunjustifiably," Kent said. "This is proof that if you're willing to stand upand have your voice heard you will be vindicated.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19670

-Gay Ga. House candidate disqualified
Judge calls Keith Gross' residency testimony 'evasive'
A judge ordered Keith Gross, a gay candidate for State House District 80,removed from the Nov. 4 ballot in a ruling on July 10.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19665

-House to hear testimony on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
First such hearing since 1993
A subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to hold ahearing on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy July 23.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19668

-Senate vote ends filibuster on HIV travel ban repeal
Ala. senator seeks to remove provision from AIDS billA global AIDS relief bill that includes language calling for the repeal of alaw that bans foreign visitors and immigrants with HIV from entering theU.S. cleared a major hurdle Friday when the Senate voted 65 to 3 to end afilibuster that had blocked the legislation for more than two months.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19645

-Foster considers employment protections
Openly gay Dallas County judge pushing for sexual orientation to be added tonondiscrimination policy, following in city's pathDespite concerns that Republican commissioners would vote down such aproposal, openly gay Dallas County Judge Jim Foster has requested that stafflook into the possibility of adding sexual orientation to the county'semployment nondiscrimination policies.
http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_9344.php

-Wisconsin law: Gay couples can be imprisoned, fined $10,000
Can a marriage certificate also serve as an arrest warrant?
California, the second state to recognize same-sex couples' right to civilmarriage, became the first to extend that right to couples residing outsidethe state when its landmark Supreme Court ruling took effect in mid June.Most out-of-state couples, with the exception of those residing inMassachusetts and New York, know that their marriages will not be recognizedwhen they return home. For couples in Wisconsin, however, second-classcitizenship may simply be the appetizer to the main course: Jail time.
http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/cnn_gaymarriage_jail071108.html

-Wherein Pete Labarbera does something genuinely pro-gay
Yesterday we saw Peter Labarbera make a list of the 20 people and groupsthat should keep anti-gay/anti-abortion Christians focused on their cause.But of course for those of us who staunchly support the freedom ofsame-sex-loving adults to live, work, and play as part of the spectrum ofhuman normalcy, what he really did is give us a handy list of the sorts ofpeople and groups that are fighting for the greater good. He handilyitemized some of those who are pushing back against the gay-less world forwhich he fights on a daily basis, giving us insight into whose work isreally registering on his "pro-family" radar. He provided a service, really.Well being the mensch that he is, Pete has today done us all another favor:
He has conveniently pooled all of the companies who have scored a perfect100 on the Human Rights Campaign's annual Corporate Equality index. Soessentially, gays, Mr. LaBarbera has just provided us all with another handylist -- one that schools us on which companies we should all make a point ofsupporting, as they have made strides to support us. A whopping 195companies, all of which Pete has rounded up, itemized, and presented to usall in an easily liftable format. The list:
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2008/07/wherein-pete-so.html

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

-U.S. Episcopal Leader Defends Church to World's Anglicans
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was installed as headof the U.S. church less than two years ago, inheriting a mess not of her ownmaking.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57519.asp

-Expansion of N.Y. Domestic Violence Laws to Cover Dating Relationships
Gov. David Paterson has agreed to sign a major expansion of New York State'sdomestic violence laws, The New York Times reported Thursday. According tothe Times, the new law will allow family court judges to file civilprotection orders against a broader range of abusers, including thoseinvolved in dating relationships.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57522.asp



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

-AIDS Researchers Want Human Test of Vaccine
GeoVax Labs Inc., an Atlanta-based biotechnology company specializing inprevention and treatment of infectious diseases, said Tuesday that it hopesto begin a large human trial of its AIDS vaccine this fall. The EmoryUniversity spinoff is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration to start a Phase 2 trial this fall of its human version ofits preventive vaccine that has proven successful in previous studies, saidRobert McNally, president and CEO of GeoVax Labs. The trial, to be conductedby the National Institutes of Health and supported by the HIV Vaccine TrialsNetwork, will involve 225 healthy volunteers from the United States andSouth America.

-Black Opposition to Gay Marriage Remains Strong
Despite growing support for same-sex marriage in the United States asmeasured by several recent polls, black Americans remain steadfastly opposedto gay unions. According to research conducted by the National Black JusticeCoalition and several other organizations, as many as two-thirds of blackAmericans are against gay marriage. Although the numbers vary by poll,research shows most blacks oppose both gay marriage and civil unions.

-Gay Activists Urge Boycott Of Manchester Grand Hyatt
A $125,000 donation in support of an anti-gay marriage initiative by a SanDiego hotelier has drawn the ire of gay and lesbian activists and locallabor unions who are now calling for a boycott. Organizers held a newsconference in front of the Manchester Grand Hyatt, near Seaport Village, onThursday. A coalition of LGBT community leaders and the labor movement spokeout against Doug Manchester, who contributed a donation in support ofProposition 8, which would allow only men and women to marry in the state ofCalifornia. The group opposes the ballot measure because it threatens therecent state Supreme Court decision that allows marriage between men andwomen.


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

-New guidelines on HIV and life insurance published
The Association of British Insurers has updated its consumer guide for gaymen covering HIV and life insurance.

-Pride trans toilet drama continues to unfold
The organisers of Pride London have issued a statement about an incidentduring the celebrations in Trafalgar Square last Saturday.


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

-The website of the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) hasrecently been launched. APCOM promotes the principles of good practice andlessons learnt by bringing together MSM and HIV community-basedorganisations, the government sector, donors, technical experts and the UNsystem in an effort to share experience, knowledge and expertise.
http://www.msmasia.org/


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

-Organised radicals behind violence during gay pride, says justice minister Budapest, July 11 (MTI) - The violence during the recent gay pridemarch inBudapest was mostly directed at policemen and the acts werecommitted byorganised extremists, Justice Minister Tibor Draskovics said onFriday, in areport to the prime minister. Participants of the scheduledevents - the march and three other, anti-gay protests in the same area - didnot commit criminal acts; those inthe gay march were not directlyassaulted - except that people threw eggs atthem from outside the policecordon, Draskovics said.
http://english.mti.hu/default.asp?menu=1&theme=2&cat=25&newsid=253739

-Stockholm: "The Bells of Freedom" by BWO is this year's official Prideanthem and the music video is available now:
http://zport.barsark.net/player.php?cs=pride.css&ch=00143&id=1545


=
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

-GLAAD and Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC)
CallonBoston Herald to Apologize for Offensive Coverage of TransgenderPeopleJuly 11, 2008 - The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)andMassachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) are encouragingpeopleto contact the Boston Herald and ask editors to apologize for thepaper'soffensive slurs and sensationalistic coverage of transgender people.On July 7, the paper posted an article online about a policeoperationheadlined "Undercover 'john' takes on trannies, pimps" and focusedon aBoston-area detective who goes undercover to arrest sex workers. Thearticlerepeatedly referred to transgender women as "trannies" and opened thestory by describing how the detective has been "trapped inside houses of illrepute by giant naked trannies." The article was also published in the July8print edition.
http://www.glaad.org/2008/Eblasts/CalltoActionBostonHerald.htm

-Lawsuit Challenging Ohio's Obscenity Law
(OneNewsNow) Attorneys for Larry Flynt's Hustler pornography empire arechallenging Ohio's new sex-offender registration requirement for peopleconvicted of pandering obscenity. Ohio's version of the Adam Walsh ChildProtection and Safety Act went into effect earlier this year, requiringindividuals convicted of sex offense-related crimes, such as sellinghardcore pornographic material, to register as sex offenders for 15 years.The manager of the Hustler store in downtown Cincinnati -- described by theCincinnati Enquirer as being from northern Kentucky and the mother of twochildren who attend a Catholic school -- is suing the Ohio attorney general,claiming that the registration requirement is unconstitutional in that itviolates her rights of free speech and privacy. Her attorney says althoughhis client has not been convicted or charged with anything, she is"frightened." Phil Burress, president of the Ohio-based Citizens forCommunity Values, says the woman's claim that she has no way of knowing whatconstitutes "obscene material" is not credible.
http://www.thepath.fm/news/newsitem.cfm?ID=31890

-Just A Little Harmless English S&M
London: Revelations of kinky sex leave many prominent celebritiesblubbering abject apologies. Not Max Mosley. The British multi-millionaireand Formula One boss insists there's no shame in a little hanky-spanky, andhe has sued the tabloid News of the World for suggesting otherwise. Thisweek he has been testifying with remarkable sang-froid in his defamation andinvasion of privacy suit before London's High Court.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1821863,00.html

-Presbyterian vote to eliminate standards of chastity and fidelity faces critics
Rev. Charles Burge / Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow
San Jose, CA., Reaction continues to the decisions of the 218th GeneralAssembly of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA), which took place betweenJune 21 and June 28. The assembly nullified proscriptions against sexualbehavior outside of marriage and called for a vote to delete the church'sconstitutional standard requiring fidelity in marriage and chastity insingleness. It also initiated a process that could remove mention of theBible's prohibition against homosexuality form the Heidelberg Catechism.Themoves are seen by some as an attempt to clear a path for the eventualordination of practicing homosexuals to the church offices of deacon, elder,or minister.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/

-The latest news from Bay Windows
http://www.baywindows.com

-Gay City News
http://gaycitynews.com/site/news.asp?brd=2729


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

-U.S. seeks sexual-orientation data on foreign visitors
Under agreements being negotiated with European countries, the U.S. would beable to swap fingerprint and DNA information -- and in some instances dataon race, ethnic origin, political and religious beliefs, and sexualorientation -- in exchange for EU member states to gain or maintain theright to visit the U.S. without a visa. Some privacy advocates questionwhether appropriate safeguards for the sharing of the data are beingincluded in the agreements. The Washington Post

-Repeal of 1913 law in Mass. would be boon for marriage rights
The prospects are uncertain for the final passage of a bill to repeal a 1913Massachusetts law that prohibits marrying out-of-state couples if theirunions would not be recognized in their home states. The measure, which isscheduled to be voted on next week, is backed by House Speaker Salvatore F.DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray, and would be signed by Gov.Deval Patrick, but faces strong opposition from some anti-marriage-rightslawmakers. The Boston Globe

-Judges: Massachusetts marriage benefits don't pre-date 2004 law
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has decided that marriage benefitsfor same-sex couples cannot be retroactively applied to the time before suchunions became legal in the state. The case involved Cynthia Kalish, whomarried her partner of more than a decade in 2004 when it was legalized, andwho has filed a malpractice case stemming from her partner's 2006 death frombreast cancer; Kalish had claimed she was entitled to loss of maritalcompanionship benefits for their entire relationship because they would havemarried earlier if it had been allowed.

-Military gay ban's end should be in sight
A new study by four retired officers showing military readiness would not beaffected by openly gay personnel offers yet another compelling reason tolift the military gay ban, according to a Washington Post editorial. TheWashington Post (7/11)

-Nunn entitled to second chance from LGBT community
Blogger Jay Bookman believes former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., who isrumored to be on the list of possible vice-presidential candidates, deservesa second chance from the LGBT community, since he seems to have modified hisviews on the military ban and other gay issues. "In the past 15 years, a lotof Americans both in public and private life have gotten more comfortablethan they used to be about gay rights, including a lot of people who learnedin those years that their son, daughter, father, mother, sister or brotheris gay," Bookman writes. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

-In Thailand, a third gender asserts itself
In Thailand, biological males who identify as females are called "kathoeys,"which translates inexactly as "ladyboys." Some schools in Thailand havespecial bathroom facilities for kathoey students, and they are widelyaccepted and even celebrated in Thai culture. TIME

-Why big business no longer pays any mind to AFA, similar groups
Noting the complete flop of the American Family Association's recent boycottof McDonald's over its joining a gay business group, columnist Mark Morfordbelieves the AFA's failure to generate any outrage is a sign that its daysof influence are over. San Francisco Chronicle

-In Thailand, a third gender asserts itself
In Thailand, biological males who identify as females are called "kathoeys,"which translates inexactly as "ladyboys." Some schools in Thailand havespecial bathroom facilities for kathoey students, and they are widelyaccepted and even celebrated in Thai culture. TIME (7/7)


=
Lambda Legal - News
http://www.lambdalegal.org/

-Custody Trumps Antigay Amendment
An Ohio appeals court has ruled in favor of Lambda Legal's client ThereseLeach, a mother whose former partner had attacked the validity of theirshared custody agreement by using that state's antigay amendment againsther. The amendment, according to the court's ruling, does not affect thecustody rights of non-biological parents. This is good news for the many gayand lesbian couples raising children in Ohio.

-Gay Couples Need Not Apply
Rosario Gennaro and Alexander Gardner knew they wanted to adopt children.But when they went to post their profile at ParentProfiles.com, they foundthat only "Qualifying Husband and Wife Couples" could use the profileposting service. Adoption Profiles, LLC - the site's parent company - wassued in California for violating that state's antidiscrimination law and isno longer doing business there. Lambda Legal has filed a discriminationcomplaint with the New York attorney general's office on the couple'sbehalf.

-A Family Tragedy
When Janice Langbehn arrived at a Florida hospital to see her partner, LisaPond, who had been diagnosed with a fatal aneurysm, she was met withprejudice and apathy. Langbehn and their three children were deniedvisitation for nearly eight hours and were told not to expect to beacknowledged as family. Lambda Legal is suing the hospital on behalf ofJanice and her family. See this edition's "In Brief" for more.

-Advancing Intersex Advocacy
Lambda Legal congratulates Advocates for Informed Choice - aCalifornia-based legal organization that promotes the rights of childrenborn with intersex conditions - and its director, Anne Tamar-Mattis, forreceiving the prestigious Echoing Green fellowship. In addition to ourcollaboration with and fiscal sponsorship of AIC, Lambda Legal TransgenderRights Attorney Cole Thaler sits on the organization's advisory board. Thisaward provides encouraging recognition of the existence and needs ofchildren with intersex conditions, who are often subjected to harmfultreatments and denied a voice in their own care.

-New Funding Aids Forgotten Youth
Lambda Legal is collaborating with the National Association of SocialWorkers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) to build thecapacity, awareness and skills of social workers and other child welfareprofessionals serving LGBTQ youth living in foster care, juvenile justicedetention centers and homeless shelters. Two grants totaling $275,000 willbe used to train 40 "master trainers" and 1,600 out-of-home care serviceproviders; the money will also help schools of social work to focus theircurricula and practices constructively on LGBTQ issues.

-Congress Pushed on ADA Protections
Lambda Legal has urged Congress to pass the ADA Amendments Act (H.R. 3195),a bill that would, among other things, protect people with HIV againstdiscrimination by clarifying the definition of what qualifies as adisability. On June 25, the House passed the bill by a vote of 402 to 17.The Senate is now considering the bill.

-Match Me If You Can
Workplace giving programs make it easy to support Lambda Legal. If youremployer offers this program, you can sign up to have a contributiondeducted from your paycheck and sent to Lambda Legal on a regular basis. Youwill receive a tax deduction for your charitable contribution as well as thesatisfaction of helping Lambda Legal remain at the forefront of the fightfor equality. Some employers also offer matching gift programs, which candouble (or even triple) the impact of your contribution. To learn more abouthow you can participate in your workplace giving program, check with youremployer or contact Sarah Ogden at 212-809-8585, ext. 226, orSogden@lambdalegal.org.

=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

No comments: