GLBT DIGEST - July 25, 2008

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

-An Intimate 'Love Story'
On Valentine's Day 1953, a Los Angeles teenager named Don Bachardy met the48-year-old British author Christopher Isherwood on a Malibu beach. On thesurface, movie fan Bachardy had little in common with the patrician Englishwriter, already admired in literary circles for such works as "Goodbye toBerlin," which would later be adapted as the musical "Cabaret."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072401079.html

-Religion news in brief
Conservative Christian broadcaster James Dobson beat out shock-jock HowardStern and others in national online balloting for induction into theNational Radio Hall of Fame. Dobson's Focus on the Family radio program isthe first religious program to receive the honor, started in 1992 by theChicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072500873.html

-Lesbians lose Australian court battle over twins
An Australian lesbian couple have lost a controversialcourt battle after trying to sue their doctor for having healthy twins froman in vitro fertilisation procedure (IVF), with doctors on Friday praisingthe verdict. "If there's an outcome which is a healthy, live baby, thesethings shouldn't end up in the courts," Dr Paul Jones, from the doctors'body the Australian Medical Association, told Australian radio on Friday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072500040.html

-MONTGOMERY COUNTY: Ruling Clears Way for November Vote on TransgenderMeasure
A Maryland judge cleared the way yesterday for voters to decide in Novemberwhether to keep a new anti-discrimination law that provides broadprotections for transgender individuals. Circuit Court Judge Robert A.Greenberg sided with opponents of the law, ruling that advocates for gay andtransgender rights missed a critical deadline for challenging the countyBoard of Elections, which certified a petition to put the law to a vote onthe November ballot.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072402561.html


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

-N. Illinois professor took it all off for his career
At 39, Craig Seymour has a resume most journalists would envy: a doctorateand stints as a music critic at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and BuffaloNews. But he has also worked one job even George Plimpton would shy awayfrom: stripper in Washington, D.C., gay bars during the 1990s.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-stripper-prof-0724jul24,0,5675466.story

-Officials: Search for HIV vaccine needs overhaul
Researches call for new people, ideas
Scientists will have to take "enormous intellectual leaps" to develop anAIDS vaccine in the coming years, say researchers clearly frustrated by thefailure of a once-promising shot.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19949

-House committee hosts hearing on 'Don't Ask'
Retired gay service members testify in heated discussion
A congressional hearing on the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"policy turned into a small battle zone Wednesday as opponents of the policyin Congress harangued its defenders with harsh questioning.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19900

-'Sordid Lives' a campy, sassy success for Logo
Sexy, funny tale of trailer park life
There has been much hullabaloo surrounding Logo's new series, "Sordid Lives," as the show is the network's largest original series to date. TheTV series is a prequel to "Sordid Lives," the play, which has been performedcountless times across the country and has achieved cult-hit status amongstits fans; that play has also been adapted into "Sordid Lives," the movie,which lacks some of the comedic wallop of the stage version, butnevertheless provides fans a faithful rendition of the story. As a result,fan scrutiny of this TV series is heavy.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-24/arts/television/4903.cfm


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

-Repeal Of Discriminatory HIV Travel Law Goes To President
The U.S. House has approved repeal of a law barring HIV-positive visitorsand immigrants from entering the country. The legislation now goes to thePresident's desk. The measure was included in legislation reauthorizingPEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
http://www.365gay.com/news/repeal-of-discriminatory-hiv-travel-law-goes-to-president/

-Congress OKs $48B for global AIDS fight
The House voted Thursday to triple money to fight AIDS, malaria andtuberculosis around the world, giving new life and new punch to a programcredited with saving or prolonging millions of lives in Africa alone. The303-115 vote sends the global AIDS bill to President Bush for his signature.Bush, who first floated the idea of a campaign against the scourge of AIDSin his 2003 State of the Union speech, supports the five-year, $48 billionplan.
http://www.365gay.com/news/congress-oks-48b-for-global-aids-fight/

-Wayne Besen: A Backdrop of Brutality
Sporting a fog machine for its smoke and mirrors routine and an extravagantstage that would make The Rolling Stones blush, the "ex-gay" group ExodusInternational held its glitzy annual conference in Asheville, NorthCarolina.
http://www.365gay.com/features/besen-a-backdrop-of-brutality/

-Gay Teen Arrested for Filing False Hate Crime Report
An 18-year-old, who had told police he was beaten by his father afterattending a gay pride parade, was charged Thursday with filing a falsepolice report. Dwight Clark Ables told police last week that his fatheryelled, swung the bat and tried to "cast the demon of homosexuality out ofhim."
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-teen-arrested/

-County Passes Most Inclusive Anti-Bully Policy In Fla.
The Broward County School Board passed the strongest anti-bully ing policyin Florida this week. The policy contains a full list of prohibited formsof harassment, bullying and discrimination; prohibitions include targetingvictims based on their sexual orientation, as well as gender identity andexpression.
http://www.365gay.com/news/county-passes-most-inclusive-anti-bully-policy-in-fla/

-Video/The Gay Agenda: What is a gay issue?
Why isn't poverty a gay issue? Why do we focus so hard on the military andmarriage? Jennifer Vanasco and Jon Mallow discuss what the criteria shouldbe for issues our organizations and media consider "gay."
http://www.365gay.com/video/072408-gayagenda-issues/


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

-Mass. House Initially Approves Gender-Neutral Law
The Massachusetts house of representatives has given its initial approval toa bill that would require all future legislation be written in language thatis gender-neutral. The one-paragraph bill says legislation should containnon-gendered phrases such as "he/she" or "his/her," instead of followingpast practice and using the masculine pronoun by default.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58275.asp

-Ecuador Could Give Same-Sex Unions Parity With Marriage
Highlights from Ecuador's 444-article draft constitution, which would be theAndean nation's 20th. If it receives initial approval Thursday, the nation'svoters will decide September 28 whether to adopt it. - The president candissolve Congress once and Congress will have one opportunity to unseat thepresident. In either case, general elections would be called.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58280.asp

-Margaret Cho: Dick O'Clock
When out at the bars, Margaret Cho is every gay man's best friend-that is,until last call. I am a big fan of going to gay bars. After a long, hardnight walking all over a big stage in my new show, Beautiful, I need to beable to watch a good drag queen lip-synch perfectly to "Piece of Me" andhave a very large and very strong drink, so my favorite place to go is thelocal gay bar with my most special gays.
http://advocate.com/issue_story_ektid56745.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:

-Patients Often Hide Sexual Orientation
Thirty-nine percent of men in New York City who have sex with other men donot disclose their sexual orientation to their doctors, health officialssaid. Healthcare providers, who know about their patients' sexual behavior,can help prevent HIV infection through testing, counseling and otherservices, officials said. The study, published in the Archives of InternalMedicine, examined data from the 2004 to 2005 Centers for Disease ControlNational HIV Behavioral Survey.

-Gays in Iraq Terrorized by Threats, Rape, Murder
Kamal was just 16 when gunmen snatched him off the streets of Baghdad,stuffed him in the trunk of a car and whisked him away to a house. But thereal terror was about to begin. The men realized he was gay, Kamal said,when he took his shirt off and they saw his chest was shaved. "They told meto take off my clothes to rape me or they would kill me immediately. Thismoment was the worst moment in my life," he told CNN, weeping as he spoke ofthe 2005 ordeal.

-Hundreds of LGBT Delegates Headed to Denver
The LGBT caucus to next month's Democratic National Convention may well beone of the most eclectic groups ever. Horacio Sierra is a doctoralcandidate in English literature at the University of Florida, with adissertation entitled "Sanctified Subversives: Depictions of Righteous andRebellious Nuns in English and Spanish Renaissance Literature." Mirian Saezis the director of San Francisco's Treasure Island development. David Munaris an executive with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.


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

-"What's tougher to get than a same-sex marriage? A same-sex divorce"
Link: Los Angeles Times
"I was so elated," Ormiston said. "When I was in college, Iwas Chapter 9 in abnormal psych. To be able to marry the woman I loved atthe age of 58 -- my feet didn't touch the ground for days." Then, after twoyears of marriage, the 10-year relationship soured, and Chambers filed fordivorce. That put the couple into a legal limbo that is becomingincreasingly common as same-sex couples married in one state try to divorcein another. A judge in Family Court, where divorces are handled, asked theRhode Island Supreme Court for a ruling on whether his court hadjurisdiction, given that Rhode Island doesn't recognize gay marriage. Thestate Supreme Court decided that the women weren't legally married in theeyes of the state and therefore couldn't get divorced. Chambers then triedfiling for divorce in the state's Superior Court, but last month a judgethere ruled that the court had no jurisdiction over marriage dissolutions. AMassachusetts divorce isn't an option because only residents who have livedin the state for a year can file there.

-CA: "Same-sex marriage foes warn of kindergarten lessons on gay matrimony"
Link: San Francisco Chronicle
Backers of a November initiative to ban same-sex marriage inCalifornia plan to tell voters in the state ballot pamphlet that theconstitutional amendment would protect children as young as kindergarten agefrom being taught in school about the virtues of gay and lesbian matrimony."If the gay marriage ruling is not overturned, teachers will be required toteach young children there is no difference between gay marriage andtraditional marriage," supporters of Proposition 8 said in ballot argumentsthat went on public display this week at the secretary of state's office.It's all nonsense and scare tactics, opponents of the measure said Thursday.Steve Smith, strategist for the No on 8 campaign, said opponents of themeasure will decide by next week whether to sue, which is the only way aballot argument can be changed before the election.

-CA: "Big Labor Move For Gay Marriage"
Link: Gay City
A California labor group that represents 1,200 union locals and2.1 million union members in that state voted unanimously on July 23 tooppose Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would amend that state'sconstitution to bar same-sex marriages and could nullify the marriages thatgay men and lesbians entered into starting on June 16.

-"Mass. lawmakers OK Medicaid for gay couples"
Link: The Advocate via Gay.com
The Massachusetts state Senate on Wednesday passed a bill grantingmarried same-sex couples equal Medicaid benefits, gay rights groupMassEquality reported. Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to sign the bill,which was passed by the state House on July 15. The lawmakers' actions defythe federal Defense of Marriage Act, which bans legally wed same-sex couplesfrom receiving federally provided benefits such as Medicaid, the"safety-net" health care program administered by the states. Supporters sayMassachusetts can circumvent federal law by using only state dollars to payfor gay couples' benefits.

-Arkansas: "Gay adoption ban falls short of signatures, has 30-dayextension"
Link: Arkansas News Bureau
Supporters of a proposal that would ban unmarried couples livingtogether from adopting or fostering children in Arkansas did not gatherenough signatures to secure a place on the November ballot, the secretary ofstate's office said Wednesday. The Family Council Action Committee fellabout 4,000 valid signatures short but will have another 30 days to make upthe difference, which Family Council Executive Director Jerry Cox saidshould not be difficult.

-Commentary: "McCain's Adoption Contradiction"
Link: Independent Gay Forum
by John Corvino
Let's start by making something clear: nobody gives a flyingwallenda what McCain's (or any other candidate's) "personal preferences"are. My personal preference is that children be raised by parents who dressthem in tasteful Ralph Lauren sweater sets, but I'm not about to translatethat into public policy. Second, the follow-up question in the initialinterview could not have been clearer - "Even if the alternative is the kidstaying in an orphanage?" - and, at best, McCain punted on that question.Given the thousands of children in need of good homes - often due toheterosexual irresponsibility - and the number of gay couples selflesslystepping up to the plate to provide for them, McCain's response was nothingshort of shameful. McCain's "clarification" just added insult to injury.Through an aide, he went out on a major limb and said - are you ready? -that having "caring parental figures" is better for children thanabandonment. Now there's some bold leadership for you. (Notice that thecampaign couldn't even bring itself to mention gay parents- just "caringparental figures.")

-Clergy Support Marriage Equality -- But We Still Need Your Help
Link: Sexuality and Religion: What's the Connection?
I am so excited to tell you that in the first 48 hours, more than1,000 ordained clergy have signed the "Open Letter to Religious Leaders onMarriage Equality." They represent more than 40 denominations and almostevery state in the country. These clergy are standing together to affirmthat same sex couples have the right to civil and religious marriage.

-Gay couples organizing for lawsuit to challenge Minnesota's marriagestatutes
Link: Minnesota Independent
A group of gay and lesbian couples are organizing a lawsuitsimilar to one in California that resulted in laws against same-sex marriagein those states being struck down. Court challenges in Massachusetts andCalifornia seem to have provided lasting marriage equality for same-sexcouples, but will Minnesota follow suit? "We have waited long enough," saysDoug Benson. He and his partner, Duane, together for 18 years, are one ofthe pioneer couples looking to sue the state. "The point we want to make isto make sure equality is pursued wherever we can pursue it." He continues,"Because we can't sit around waiting for this to happen. We want this tobecome a reality here at home, and we are trying through the courts as wellas through the Legislature."


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

-Gay Iranian denied refugee status by UN
A gay couple who fled to Turkey from Iran may be separated after the UnitedNations accepted one man's case and denied the other.

-HIV drugs extend life by more than a decade
A Bristol University study of more than 43,000 people living with HIV hasfound that better treatments increase their life expectancy by 13 years.

-Muslim Congressman "honoured" to join fight for gay equality
The first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress has given verypublic support to gay rights.

-Tory councillor charged with having gay sex in a public toilet
A Conservative councillor in Harrow has appeared in court charged withengaging in sexual activity in a public lavatory. Robert Benson did notenter a plea at Harrow Magistrates' Court last week.


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

-Swedish Man Jailed for Attacks on Gays He Met in Chatroom
By T'Kisha| Pink News George
A life sentence has been handed to a Swedish man for his brutal attacksagainst gay men. Swedish website The Local reported that the 35-year-oldwas convicted of killing a man in his own home on December 28th 2007 and ofthe robbery and attempted murder of a 44-year-old man the day before. Hewas also convicted of robbing two men on the ninth and 15th of December,having finished a sentence in January 2007 for similar crimes. All thevictims were, or are, homosexual, said public prosecutor Fredrik Ingblad atthe man's indictment hearing, The Local reports.


-Michigan Equality Unveils Online Resolution for Independence from Hate
Crimes and Hate Speech Month
Pride Source
Michigan Equality, the only Lansing-based LGBT activist group in the state,unveiled an online resolution last week as part of Independence from HateCrime and Hate Speech month. Michigan Equality announced a new educationalcampaign designed to address the growing issue of hate motivated crimes andviolence earlier this month, declaring July Independence from Hate Crimesand Hate Speech month. Hate crimes against Michigan's LGBT community haveincreased 133 percent, according to a new report from the National Coalitionof Anti-Violence Prevention. Every week, Michigan Equality will featurearticles, blog posts and new programs designed to help people talk abouthate crimes and hate speech. In the fall, they will host a series ofcommunity workshops thanks to a generous grant from the Arcus Foundation'sGay & Lesbian Fund. Now, the group is asking citizens to sign an onlineresolution rallying against hate crimes and the root causes of hate speech.


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

-Hate crime in the heart of Rome
A young twenty year old was attacked Tuesday night in what has been defineda "hate crime". The young woman, whose name has been withheld, is a lesbianand works in the locale "Coming Out", the popular homosexual hangout by theColosseum. Her recount of the events state that around 3am, after leavingwork and heading home on a night bus, she was grabbed and kicked from behindby an unidentified man who repeatedly yelled homophobic slurs. Once thewoman yelled back "I'm a woman", the man stopped hitting her and ran off.The victim states she has no recollection of what her aggressor looked likeand would not be able to identify him. A few months ago, gay radio DJCristian Floris was similarly attacked from behind and insulted.
http://www.theromanforum.com/articolo.asp?ID=852

-Indian prince to be prized guest at Swedish gay fest
The Economic Times
STOCKHOLM: Manvendra Singh Gohil, perhaps the only erstwhile Indian royal tohave declared himself gay, is expected to be the main attraction at thisyear's StockholmPride, a famous global gay event, starting Friday. "I amhonoured to be invited as one of the opening speakers for StockholmPride,"Manvendra said. "Especially since I live in a country where LGBT issuescontinue to be ridiculously taboo, no matter how universally practiced."Manvendra is the son of the erstwhile Maharana of Rajpipla in Gujarat. He,along with Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom and veteranSwedish mega-entertainment star Barbro 'Lill Babs' Svensson, will beakeynote speaker during the 10-day festival.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Indian_prince_to_be_prized_guest_at_Swedish_gay_fest/articleshow/3272976.cms

-Keith Ellison is Proud to be Named Vice-Chair of Bipartisan Congressional
LGBT Equality Caucus
"I am proud to join Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and CongressmanBarney Frank (D-MA) today in launching the Congressional LGBT EqualityCaucus," Congressman Ellison said. The mission of the Caucus is to promotelesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality. The Caucus willwork toward extending equal rights, repealing discriminatory laws, theeliminating hate-motivated violence. The Caucus is dedicated to the improvedhealth and well-being for all, regardless of sexual orientation or genderidentity/expression. "I am honored to join this caucus because of mylifelong commitment to fighting all discrimination. I believe when my gay,lesbian, bisexual or transgender neighbor suffers from discrimination, thenI suffer, and so does our whole community. Every member of our societycontributes to the health, wealth and generosity of our community. Onlywhen we recognize, protect, and, celebrate that will we realize all ourcitizens' potential," Ellison concluded.
http://www.keithellison.org/lgbtcaucus.htm

-Irish Times: Lifelong crusader for gay rights
Never a stranger to controversy, human rights activist Peter Tatchell willgive this year's Amnesty International lecture in Belfast at a time whenhomophobia is high on the news agenda in the North, writes Fionola Meredith
- - -
How exactly did the public perception of Peter Tatchell shift from
"homosexual terrorist", as one newspaper dubbed him - the kind of man whocaused a collective tut across middle England when he stormed the Archbishopof Canterbury's pulpit - to widely-feted human rights hero? It was probablythe moment when he was knocked unconscious by Robert Mugabe's bodyguards ashe tried to perform a citizen's arrest on the reviled Zimbabwean leader inBrussels in 2001. The "have-a-go" bravery of the physically slightactivist's attempt to take on Mugabe and his heavies impressed even thosewho found his previous direct-action stunts a bit too anarchic for comfort.But as far as Tatchell is concerned, it was simply business as usual: thelatest stand against bigotry and injustice in a lifetime spent dedicated tothe cause.


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

-Community Rallies in Response to Anti-Transgender Murder
On Thursday, July 17, Angie Zapata, an 18-year old Latina transgender womanwas found murdered in her home in Greeley, CO. It appears that there may beanti-transgender motive in this brutal crime. It is believed that thesuspect has stolen Angie's sister's car, a very dark forest green 2003Chrysler PT Cruiser with the Colorado license plate number 441ORN. There isa hubcap missing on the front passenger-side tire and there is paint missingon the front bumper on the driver-side, under the headlight. Anyone withinformation about the car is asked to call the Greeley police through thecommunications center, 970-350-9600.

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