GLBT DIGEST - July 23, 2008

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

-Greece: Suit to Prohibit Use of 'Lesbian' Dismissed
A Greek court has dismissed a request by residents of the island of Lesbosto prohibit the use of the word lesbian to describe gay women, a rulingreleased Tuesday said. Three residents of Lesbos, the birthplace of theancient Greek poet Sappho, whose love poems inspired the term lesbian, filedsuit last month, contending that their identity was insulted by the use ofthe word in reference to gay women. The court said that the word did notdefine the identity of Lesbos residents, and so could be used legitimatelyby gay groups in Greece and abroad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/world/europe/23briefs-SUITTOPROHIB_BRF.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin

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

-AIDS Among Hispanics in U.S. on Rise
Mauro Ruiz left Mexico to escape the stigma of being gay. In the UnitedStates, he found friendly men and crystal meth - and he contracted HIV.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202837.html?hpid=artslot


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

-Top Gay-Friendly Hotel Chains
http://www.365gay.com/features/top-gay-friendly-hotel-chains/

-Study: Treating Herpes Does Not Prevent HIV
(London) Doctors have long suspected that people with herpes are more likelyto catch HIV. So they thought that by treating herpes, they could also cut aperson's HIV risk. But a new study that tested this strategy found theassumption may have been wrong.
http://www.365gay.com/news/study-treating-herpes-does-not-prevent-hiv/

-Az Gay State Sen. Accuses GOP Of Ethics Breach
One of two openly gay senators in the Arizona legislature is calling for anethics investigation into what he calls dirty tricks that resulted inapproval of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban sex marriage. Sen.Ken Cheuvront (D) has asked the Senate Ethics Committee to issue a formalreprimand against Sen. Jack Harper (R). The complaint accused Harper of"conspiring" with other Republican leaders to cut off microphones last monthduring a Democratic filibuster aimed at killing the anti-gay measure.
http://www.365gay.com/news/az-gay-state-sen-accuses-gop-of-ethics-breach/

-SF To Move Halloween Out Of Gay Neighborhood
After San Francisco city officials cancelled Halloween festivities last yearin the Castro following two years of violence they are now ready to being itback - but miles away from the heavily gay neighborhood.
http://www.365gay.com/news/sf-to-move-halloween-out-of-gay-neighborhood/


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

-Showtime readies "L Word" spinoff
Showtime is working on a spinoff to its lesbian drama "The L Word," whichwill kick off its sixth and final season early next year. Ilene Chaiken,the creator of the edgy series, is in the early stages of developing thespinoff, which will star one of the "L Word" actresses, said RobertGreenblatt, Showtime's president of entertainment.
http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN2135016320080721

-Gay U.S. bishop should resign-Sudan church leader
CANTERBURY, England, July 22 (Reuters) - Sudan's Anglican church leadercalled for the resignation of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson on Tuesday tosave Anglicanism from schism. "He should resign for the sake of thechurch," Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul told reporters at a once-in-a-decadesummit of Anglican leaders. "God is not making a mistake creating Adam andEve. He would have created two Adams if he wanted," he said. A quarter ofthe world's Anglican bishops have boycotted the Lambeth Conference in anangry war of words between conservatives and liberals over the ordination ofRobinson, the first openly gay bishop in the 450-year-old church's history.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL221010853.html

-Bye, Sophia
If you're hooked up to the Internet at all, you probably know that EstelleGetty, best known as Sophia from "The Golden Girls" has gone on to the bigTV studio in the sky. According to the Washington Post, she died at about5:30 a.m. this morning at her Hollywood Boulevard home. She apparently hadbeen suffering from advanced dementia. I'm not exactly sure how "The GoldenGirls" became such a big hit with gay viewers young and old, but the show'swoman power themes struck home with various generations of homos (includingthis homo, who saw the show as a child and loved it). Getty was a regularhigh point on the program as Bea Arthur's persnickety mother, who nevertired of lobbing zingers on the rest of the characters. I have very strongmemories of my parents and I laughing at the one-liners she would drop whilesperched at the kitchen table or heading back into her bedroom.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=7/17/08&end=7/24/08#19885

-I will never buy a Snickers bar again
Snicker's Super Bowl ad with the two mechanics sharing a kiss and thenbeating the hell out of each other was enough to diminish my enjoyment ofthe popular candy bar. This latest ad though, has thoroughly convinced me tonever buy another Snickers again. See the ad:
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/07/i_will_never_buy_a_snickers_bar_again.php


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

-Congress Set for Hearing on DADT
Democrats are convening the first congressional hearing on the military's''don't ask, don't tell'' policy since its enactment 15 years ago. But theyacknowledge there's no chance of repealing it this year. Indeed, their onlyhope of success in the near term, they say, is if Barack Obama is electedpresident. ''We need a new president in order to get this passed'' --specifically, a President Obama, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a California Democrat,told reporters Tuesday on a conference call convened by the Human RightsCampaign and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58127.asp

-Allen Loses Appeal of Solicitation Conviction
A court in Florida rejected former state representative Bob Allen's appealof his conviction of sexual solicitation in November 2007. Allen wassentenced to six months' probation, a $250 fine, and additional fees. TheRepublican politician resigned on November 11, 2007, the day after he wasconvicted for soliciting oral sex in a public bathroom from an undercoverpolice officer. The panel of three judges affirmed his conviction 2-1,according to Florida Today.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58157.asp


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

-We invite you to apply for the Sexuality, Gender and Rights Training inCentral Asia. The training will be held from October 6th - 9th, 2008 inAlmaty, Kazakhstan.The Sexuality, Gender and Rights Training is a four dayresidential program for women activists in Central Asia, with the aim tobuild an understanding on sexuality, gender and rights, the interlinkagesbetween them and their interface with socio-cultural issues. The trainingwill be conducted in English with Russian translation.


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

-'Serial murderer' gets life for gay killing
A 35-year-old man was convicted on Tuesday of murder, attempted murder,aggravated robbery and theft. He was given a life sentence. All of theman's victims were gay men. "All the victims were, or are, homosexual. Hehas taken advantage of theirsexual preferences and violated them," saidpublic prosecutor FredrikIngblad at the man's indictment hearing. The manwas convicted of killing a 43-year-old man in the victim's apartmentin theStockholm suburb of Solna on December 28th of last year, and on thepreviousday of having robbed and attempted to kill a 44-year-old man onSödermalm inStockholm.
http://www.thelocal.se/13206/

-Stockholm readying to become Europe's gay capital
A decade after Stockholm first hosted Europride, the Swedish capital isagain gearing up for the 10-day event that attracts thousands ofhomosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders from near and afar. The eventincludes special film screenings, museum exhibitions, seminars and partiesand is capped with a parade on August 2 through the city that organizersanticipate will attract record numbers of participants and spectators. 'Thisyear is 40 per cent larger than last year,' parade coordinator Paul Turnertold Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa of the number of groups that have appliedto take part in the colourful parade that in 2007 attracted some 500,000spectators.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1418814.php/PREVIEW_Stockholm_readying_to_become_Europes_gay_capital


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

-Gay and Lesbian Consumers More Likely to Follow Latest Styles and Trends
According to a new national survey conducted online by HarrisInteractive(r), nearly half (48%) of gay and lesbian adults report they liketo keep up with the latest styles and trends, compared to only 38 percent ofheterosexual adults. This also seems to accelerate behaviors tracked by asimilar survey in January 2007 when 38 percent of gay and lesbian adultsreported they like to keep up with the latest styles and trends (compared to32% of heterosexual adults). Taking a look only at gay men in the sample,more than half (53%) report they like to keep up with the latest styles andtrends, compared to fewer than one-third (30%) of heterosexual men. InJanuary 2007, when the same question was posed, 39 percent of gay menreported that they keep up with the latest styles and trends, compared to 32percent of heterosexual males.

-Trans Woman Sues Ga. Lawmakers For Wrongful Termination
A transgender woman is suing in federal court the leaders of the Georgialegislature to return to her job in the state General Assembly after she wasfired for stating her intention to live as a woman. The lawsuit, filed June2 by gay legal group Lambda Legal on behalf of Vandiver Elizabeth Glenn,names Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram), President Pro-Temporeof the Senate Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle as well asGlenn's supervisor, Robyn Underwood, and General Assembly LegislativeCouncil Sewell Brumby.

-Georgia: Former Cop: I Was Fired Because I'm Female, Gay
A former Sandy Springs police lieutenant, fired for what city officials havecalled a "disregard" for following policies, said Tuesday she plans tocontest her dismissal and file a discrimination lawsuit. Trudi Vaughan,speaking publicly before entering a procedural hearing at policeheadquarters, said she was fired unfairly, for making decisions that hadbeen authorized by her superiors, or for doing things that male supervisorshad done without being disciplined.


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

-HIV symptoms not being diagnosed properly claims charity
People showing the symptoms of early-stage HIV infection are routinely beingmisdiagnosed by doctors, according to a report by the National AIDS Trust.

-HIV vacccine trial cancelled because of safety concerns
A research trial for the PAVE-100 AIDS vaccine planned in the U.S. has beencancelled over concerns that additional research is needed to prove thevaccine is safe.

-Swimmer Ian Thorpe reveals he is dating a woman
For years, probably since his appearance at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games,many have been speculating, and most gay men have been hoping, that theThorpedo-gold medal winner Ian Thorpe-was indeed a homo.

-Antilles to appeal against court ruling on same-sex couples
The Netherlands Antilles has said it will appeal against a court ruling thatestablished same-sex couples have the same rights there as they do inHolland.


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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

-Call for Action: An Iranian gay couple in India need your support
We are contacting you to request your assistance on a very urgent caseinvolving 2 gay Iranians, Ali and Mohammad. It is no secret that queerIranians who flee to other countries continue to face risks due tohomophobia and laws calling for punishment of homosexuals. This oftenresults in depression and post traumatic stress symptoms. Ali and Mohammad,a gay Iranian couple, fled to India. Although they have each beenofficially recognized as refugees by United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR), the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi has still not acted tofacilitate their resettlement in Canada. It has been one whole year sincethe Canadian Embassy began processing their cases! In India, Ali andMohammad are illegal queer refugees. They have no authorization to work.Furthermore, they are at risk because India's penal code includes punishmentfor homosexual activity. The common complications that queer refugeesexperience are escalated for them because Mohammad's mental health isdeteriorating. He has been counseled by a UNHCR psychiatrist for 7 monthsand continues to suffer. Immediate attention by the Canadian Embassy iscritical!
http://www.irqo.net/IRQO/English/pages/147.htm

-Bisexual Species: Unorthodox Sex in the Animal Kingdom
Homosexual behavior is common in nature, and it plays an important role insurvival
Two penguins native to Antarctica met one spring day in 1998 in a tank atthe Central Park Zoo in midtown Manhattan. They perched atop stones and tookturns diving in and out of the clear water below. They entwined necks,called to each other and mated. They then built a nest together to preparefor an egg. But no egg was forthcoming: Roy and Silo were both male.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bisexual-species


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Forwarded by Bill Sterling
whsterling1@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:

-LAPD Chief Bratton backs gay marriage with checkbook
The city's top law enforcement official, saying the Constitution upholdssuch unions, donates to a group fighting a ballot initiative that would banthem.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cause23-2008jul23,0,5128050.story


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TruthWinsOut.Org
by Wayne Besen
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Minnesota Scientist Accuses Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) ofMisrepresenting His Research
(TWO) published exclusive comments today by Gary Remafedi, M.D., M.P.H., aprofessor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, who claimed the"ex-gay" organization PFOX distorted his research findings. On its website,PFOX expressed its displeasure with The Washington Post for publishing whatit called "a sympathetic article about a 15-year-old boy named Saro whodescribed his homosexual feelings and how Gay Straight Alliance studentclubs help such gay teens to deal with discrimination and bullying in highschool and middle school."
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/minnesota-scientist-accuses-pfox-of-misrepresenting-his-research/


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Family Equality
Join Family Equality Council for the 13th Annual Family Week inProvincetown, MA, July 26-August 2, 2008!
Every year this wonderful occasion-Family Week-brings together hundreds ofLGBT-headed families and friends for learning, community building and mostimportantly lots of fun!
http://www.familyequality.org/events/familyweek2008.html

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