Thursday, August 28, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - August 28, 2008

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

-H.I.V. Is Spreading in New York City at Three Times the National Rate, a Study Finds
The virus that causes AIDS is spreading in New York City at three times the national rate - an incidence of 72 new infections for every 100,000 people,compared with 23 per 100,000 nationally - according to a study released on Wednesday by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/health/research/28hiv.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin


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

-Poll: California voters oppose ban on gay marriage
A majority of California voters oppose a ballot initiative to ban gay marriage, though they are evenly split on the practice itself, according to a poll released Wednesday. The ballot question essentially will ask voters to prohibit the practice of same-sex marriage, which was approved this year by the California Supreme Court.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/28/AR2008082800152.html

--Lesbian activist Del Martin dies at 87
Pioneering lesbian rights activist Del Martin, who married her longtimepartner in June on the first day that California's same-sex couples gainedthat right, died Wednesday. She was 87. Kate Kendell, executive directorof the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said Martin died at a hospital,two weeks after a broken arm exacerbated existing health problems. Herwife, Phyllis Lyon, was with her.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/27/AR2008082702295.html?hpid=moreheadlines


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

-Fort Lauderdale's Express Gay News becomes South Florida Blade
South Florida's only GLBT newspaper has re-launched as the South Florida Blade-with unprecedented response from the GLBT community and its advertisers. The new name, vibrant and redesigned publication is the result of extensive market research that called for an innovative way to present the news to the most affluent, fastest-growing target population in the region.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/08/fort-lauderdale.html


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

-At Jennifer Lopez Event, Rufus Wainwright Muses On Gay Politics
Wednesday afternoon at the Denver Art Museum, Jennifer Lopez, Capitol Fileand Viacom honored Marian Wright Edelman for her work with the Children's Defense Fund. Before the awards presentation began, the Daily Transom spied the singer Rufus Wainwright, wearing a plaid blazer, striped T-shirt and sandals.
http://www.observer.com/2008/style/jennifer-lopez-event-rufus-wainwright-muses-gay-politics

-Gay Republicans seek more inclusive party
No word on Log Cabin endorsement for McCain as GOP convention nears
With the Republican National Convention set to kick off on Monday, the Log Cabin Republicans still have yet to endorse a candidate.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20690

-The Second Most Beautiful Girl in New York
Looking for love but finding lust in the city of men
A while back, a friend of mine boasted that he was spending time with a hot transsexual. Now, my friend-let's call him Ryan-is quite the ladies' man. Despite his perplexing androgynous style-tight jeans, guy-liner, the occasional wig-Ryan always shows up with a gorgeous young woman on his arm.
http://www.observer.com/2008/arts-culture/second-most-beautiful-girl-new-york


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

-First woman tapped for no. 2 spot in gay-friendly reform Jewish movement
The Union for Reform Judaism, the largest synagogue movement in North America, has named its first female vice president.
http://www.365gay.com/news/082808-female-rabbi-vp/

-Gay dad charged with kidnapping
A gay man involved in a bitter custody battle with his estranged husband has been arrested after stepping off a plane from Israel where he had fled with the son he and his former partner were raising.
http://www.365gay.com/news/082708-gay-kidnapping/

-Gay prisoners gain marriage rights in Calif.
Gay and lesbian inmates in California prisons will be allowed to marry under new guidelines tentatively approved by the California Department of Corrections.
http://www.365gay.com/news/082708-gay-prisoners/

-94 percent of Fortune 500 companies bar sexual orientation discrimination
The list of Fortune 500 companies providing written workplace protections on the basis of sexual orientation has grown to 471 Equality Forum, an LGBT civil rights organization, said Wednesday.
http://www.365gay.com/news/082708-fortune-500/

-Melissa Etheridge plays at the Democratic convention
Melissa Etheridge brought the audience to its feet at the Democratic National Convention a few minutes ago. She sang a medley of songs that started with God Bless America, wove in Give Peace a Chance and Times, They Are a Changin' until she exploded with Born in the USA.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/melissa-etheridge-plays-at-the-democratic-convention


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

- Romania Launches Gay-Friendly Website
Advocacy group Be an Angel Romania has been hard at work creating the first gay Internet channel in Romania, according to Agence France-Presse. Known for its large Orthodox community, Romania has inched its way toward fair treatment for gays, beginning with the 2001 decision to decriminalize homosexuality.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid60066.asp

-Birmingham Mayor Sued for Discrimination
A gay rights group in Alabama is filing a lawsuit against the mayor of Birmingham for not allowing city workers to hang banners supporting Gay Pride Week. Central Alabama Pride Inc. filed the federal suit, claiming that Mayor Larry Langford's actions violated workers' First Amendment rights,according to the Birmingham News.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid60122.asp

-Gay Youths Canvass Phoenix Against Prop. 102
A team of six gay and lesbian young adults trekked across Phoenix through blazing heat to raise awareness about Arizona's upcoming ballot initiative to constitutionally define marriage as between a man and a woman, aimed at banning same-sex marriage in the state. Temperatures during the week-long,96-mile pilgrimage averaged 105 degrees.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid60118.asp

-The Obama Camp Asks LGBT Dems For Help
Obama's highest ranking gay staffer implored LGBT delegates Wednesday to get involved in the election, one of several clear pushes by the campaign this week to tap the resolve of our community.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid60136.asp

-New York Rate of HIV Infection Soars Above National Average
For the first time, the New York City health department has issued a study that is able to determine the number of new infections of HIV in a year. The study, which reports on 2006, is the most precise estimate ever of citywide HIV infections, according to the health department.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid60117.asp

-An Inclusive First Day at the DNC
From Sen. Ted Kennedy's reference to erasing barriers between gays and straights to Michelle Obama's gripping prime time address to the largest-ever LGBT caucus meeting, The Advocate brings you Day One at the DNC.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid60027.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:

-Michelle Obama touts 'promise of equality'
Delegates applaud 'genuine' speech to gay convention audience
Michelle Obama won thunderous applause from gay activists and officials Tuesday when she said, "discrimination has no place in a nation founded on the promise of equality."
http://washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20670

-Straight Americans Speak Up for Gay and Transgender Neighbors
Gay and transgender Americans are our neighbors" will be the simple message of faith leaders across the nation during the week of September 14-20, 2008.These religious leaders are part of Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights2008, a week that will spotlight fair-minded straight people around the country. In 2007, the project's inaugural year, nighttime vigils lit up 36 American cities in 25 states over seven days.
http://nationalgaynews.com/


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

-"Massachusetts, first in marriage equality"
They're doing the roll call on the floor of the Democratic National Convention, where each state says how many delegates are for Obama and how many for Clinton - and where they also triumphantly state what they think is wonderful about their state. What did Massachusetts say? After shout-outs to their sports teams, universal health care and education, they ended proudly with: "Massachusetts, the first state in marriage equality!"

-CA: Poll--Support is weak for same-sex ballot measure
Voters appear to be more tolerant of same-sex marriages than they were eight years ago when they overwhelmingly adopted a ballot measure to define marriage as between a man and woman. In a Public Policy Institute of California survey released Wednesday, 54 percent of likely voters said they opposed Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage. The initiative has the support of 40 percent of voters.


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

-TV boss apologises for coverage of gay Olympic hero
The head of Olympics at American television network NBC has apologised for the way in which they reported the story of Matthew Mitcham.

-Slight fall in number of City candidates out in the workplace
An annual survey of attitudes towards homosexuality in the City of London has found that the country's financial heart has "slipped as a bastion of equality."

-Cambodian women discover beauty use for condom lubricant
A lubricant has become a popular acne cure among Cambodian women. Number One Plus is a water-based lubricant produced by health organisation Population Services International.

-Lindsay Lohan's father claims she is being "used" by Samantha
Fallen starlet Lindsay Lohan's oft-rumoured girlfriend DJ Samantha Ronson is planning to pen a tell-all and Lohan's father Michael Lohan is fuming about it.

-California gay marriage opponents seek religious coalition
Mormons, Jews, Sikhs and Hindu's are being asked to join forces to support an amendment to the state Constitution of California banning same-sex marriages.

-New rape law to acknowledge Korea's male and trans victims
An opposition MP in South Korea has proposed new legislation that would extend the definition of a rape victim to include men and transsexuals.


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

-Over 25,000 Same Sex Couples in NY, 62% Outside Manhattan, Many Raising Children
New study by UCLA¹s Williams Institute shows nearly two-thirds of New York City's same-sex couples live outside of Manhattan including 92% of those raising childrenMedia Contact:
Gary Gates - gates@law.ucla.edu
Cathy Renna - cathy@rennacommunications.com

-US Military Keeping Secrets about Female Soldiers' 'Suicides'
Since I posted on April 28 the article "Is There an Army Cover Up of the Rape and Murder of Women Soldiers," the deaths of two more U.S. Army women in Iraq and Afghanistan have been listed as suicides-the Sept. 28, 2007,death of 30-year-old Spc. Ciara Durkin and the Feb. 22, 2008, death of25-year-old Spc. Keisha Morgan. Both "suicides" are disputed by the families of the women. Since April 2008, five more U.S. military women have died in Iraq-three in noncombat-related incidents. Ninety-nine U.S., six British and one Ukrainian military women and 13 U.S. female civilians have been killed in Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain, as well as probably hundreds of thousands ofIraqi women and girls. Of the 99 U.S. military women, 64 were in the Armyactive component, nine in the Army National Guard, seven in the ArmyReserve, seven in the Marine Corps, nine in the Navy and three in the Air Force. According to the Department of Defense, 41 of the 99 U.S. military women who have been killed in Iraq died in "noncombat-related incidents." Of the 99 U.S. military women killed in the Iraq theater, 41 were women of color (21 African-Americans, 16 Latinas, three of Asian-Pacific descent and one Native American-data compiled from the Web site www.nooniefortin.com).

-Michelle Obama Moves First Lady Role into the 21st Century
DENVER - Back in the dreary days just before the New Hampshire primary, an immigration activist had this to say about Barack Obama's candidacy and racial politics in America: the real test of the nation's evolution on race in the presidential race come when Americans wake up and realize that a President Obama delivers to the nation a black first lady. The White House redecorated by a black woman. The White House Christmas tree decorated at the direction of a black woman. State dinners presided over by a black woman - a black woman from the South Side of Chicago. I think my friend was onto something.

-Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits
Hillary Clinton knocked it out of the park Tuesday night. It was a speech defined by grace, feistiness, sly wit, generosity toward her former rival and by a powerful nod to the history her forewoman/bearers made -and which she carried forward with her unprecedented run for the presidency, winning more primaries and caucuses (23) than any woman in history. On the 88th anniversary of women winning the right to vote, Hillary Clinton powerfully linked the fight for women's rights and civil rights, and spoke for those who have been invisible-and for an America whose women, of all races, have defied the odds and fought for a fairer and freer world.

-CO: Transgender-Death Suspect Faces Hearing
A man accused of beating to death a transgender woman faces a preliminary hearing in September, where the prosecution's case against him will be mapped out. Also at the Sept. 18 hearing, a decision on bond for Allen Andrade, 31, of Thornton is expected.

-Interview with Rick Stafford
Rick Stafford, chair of the Democratic National Committee's LGBT Americans Caucus, spoke with the Blade about the clout gays have within the party, what might happen if John McCain wins the White House, and the divisions that remain between supporters of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Washington Blade: The point of a convention, ultimately, is to rally the troops and get everyone to vote for the nominee in November. LGBT voters, by and large, are already there. What more are you hoping for?


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

-Fired transsexual Clearwater city manager finalizes divorce
The former Largo city manager who was fired after her plans to have a sex change became public has finalized a divorce from her wife of 18 years.Court documents show that Susan Stanton, formerly known as Steven, must pay her ex-wife, Donna, $4,756 a month in alimony, plus another $799 in child support for their 15-year-old son. A judge signed off on the divorce settlement on Aug. 6. Stanton has not found a new job since being fired by the Largo City Commission in early 2007. The support payments will come from Stanton's retirement fund. Stanton's ex-wife also will receive 50 percent of any money Stanton receives from movies or books about her life.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-0827transsexual,0,4061386.story

-My name is Jeremy Grey and I am a research assistant at the University of Minnesota. We are currently recruiting participants for a project looking at nontrans men who have sex with trans people. Our long-term goal is to develop an online resource to improve sexual health for trans people and their partners. You can find more information on our project website: http://www.allgenderhealth.org/.


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Forwarded from Gay Asylum - UK
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gayasylum/messages?o=1
Go to this link for the following articles - or contact Ray's List:

-Gay Iranian denied refugee status by UN
A gay couple who fled to Turkey from Iran may be separated after the United Nations accepted one man's case and denied the other. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is meant to protect and support refugees and assist in their return or resettlement. Kamal and Reza hoped could start a life together without the fear of being punished for their sexuality. Kamal has been told he will be recognised as a refugee but Reza received word earlier this week that he will not.

-Gay Asylum UK is about to launch an international petition for Kaml
One of the most important fundamental and ethical question that the world should be asking, especially in the LGBT community, is that of the UN decision, not to grant both members of a gay couple asylum. In regards to Kamal and Reza's asylum decision by the UN, in Turkey, one has to ask why the UN is being so hypocritical. Early last November the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke of her support for Equality for LGBT's. Louise Arbour made her comments after an historic meeting discussing the Yogyakata Principles. In her statement she said; "Human Rights principles, by definition, apply to all of us, simply by virtue of having been born human. " Just as it would be unthinkable to exclude some from their protection on the basis of race, religion, or social status, so too must we reject any attempt to do so on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. "Excluding lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons from equal protection violates international human rights law as well as the common standards of humanity that defines us all.


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

-Turkish court lifts YouTube ban after online censorship protest
A court in Turkey has lifted a ban on YouTube, the video sharing website, after hundreds of sites voluntarily blocked themselves in protest at growing internet censorship. Access to YouTube had been blocked since May in the latest of a series of bans triggered by the posting of videos deemed insulting to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the modern Turkish state.Two previous bans have also been lifted but the latest decision comes after 412 web and blog sites, including the Turkish-English dictionary site, zargan.com, participated last week in an online protest.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/26/turkey.youtube


-Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Do Kill
Nobody wants to talk about gays in Iraq, much less who is killing them. When militiamen from the Mahdi Army came by the compact, two-story stone home in the Doura neighborhood of Baghdad, they weren't looking for Sunnis to harass. They were hunting gays. "Bring us your son's cell phone," one ordered the middle-aged man who came to the gate. They wanted to check if his son, Nadir, had been calling foreigners--and in fact he had only hours earlier called this reporter to set up a meeting, and he had repeatedly called a gay nongovernmental organization (NGO) in London. Fortunately, Nadir was ready for them and produced a "clean" phone he keeps for just such a threat. This time they left, but vowed to come back if they found any evidence he was gay--or was talking to undesirable foreigners. Now that Iraq's sectarian war has cooled off, it's open season on homosexuals and others whose lifestyles infuriate religious hardliners. Sometimes the act of reporting a story is revealing in itself--especially when it proves particularly difficult. This was the case when NEWSWEEK began looking intothe problems of Iraq's homosexuals after hearing reports of secret safe houses around Baghdad where many of them were taking refuge from the militias' self-appointed morality police. After weeks of inquiries, NEWSWEEK managed to find Nadir and persuade him to arrange a visit to one of the safe houses he helps run. Instead, the Mahdi militia rousted him the night before. Established in 2004, the militia is the armed wing of the organization led by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has been an implacable foe of the Maliki government. Terrified, Nadir contacted people at the London-based gay NGO that finances the safe house, and they instructed him to break off the visit.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/155656

-Call for Inquiries: LBT issues at 42nd CEDAW Session
Twice a year the Committee on implementation of the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) meets to review how CEDAW is used and followed in a dozen of countries. The usual format is that the government of a country submits a report every four years about the situation of women regarding specific articles of the Convention. NGOs from the reporting country have an opportunity to submit an alternative or shadow report which critically assesses the government report and highlights issues which are left out from the state report, as well as makes recommendations for state action to address the issues raised in the NGOreport. The issues of lesbian, bisexual women and transgender people areusually left out from most general NGO reports and there is a practice of submitting separate reports by LGBT NGOs or other activists to the Committee to bring attention to the issues faced by LBT people.


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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

-Documentary 'Be Like Others' exposes Iran's "solution" for homosexuals
A disturbing documentary titled Be Like Others, exposes the twisted remedy Iran proposes for gay and lesbian people. Filmmaker, Tanaz Eshaghian, explores the world of sex change operations - all fully funded by the state,in an effort to make homosexuals conform to Iran's theocratic standards. ACBC article describes the homophobic agenda that lies behind this policy: (What the Eshaghian) film reveals is a culture so steeped in hatred of gays and lesbians that it deems a sex change preferable to simply accepting differences in sexual orientation.


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Detroit News
http://detnews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles - or contact Ray's List:

-Gays make strides in legislative races by Deb Price
In 2000, after being elected to the Colorado State Board of Education,Internet entrepreneur and philanthropist Jared Polis saw up-close the failure of public schools to meet the needs of new immigrant and homeless young people.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080825/OPINION03/808250338/1031

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