GLBT DIGEST - September 03, 2008

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

-Federal officials need to redouble their efforts to lower the rate of newH.I.V. infections nationwide. A recent report from the federal Centers forDisease Control and Prevention showed that the number of people newlyinfected each year with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, is 40 percenthigher than previously estimated. The report, based on new technology thatallows more precise estimates, found that 56,300 people around the countrybecame newly infected in 2006, well above the 40,000 cited in recent years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/opinion/03wed3.html?ref=opinion


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

-AIDS PREVENTION: HIV Rates Spur Outreach to African Immigrants
Jeanne Tshibungu imparts her lessons wherever African immigrants agree tolisten -- at apartments, hair braiding salons, taxicab stands and, on oneparticular rainy morning, inside a steamy garage at a Silver Springday-labor center packed with Cameroonians. Standing with a plastic bagfilled with condoms, she began explaining in lilting French how they couldcontract HIV and especially how not to.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/01/AR2008090102541.html?hpid=sec-health


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

-Log Cabin Republicans report from GOP convention: McCain accepts gaygroup's endorsement
Log Cabin's Big Tent event at the Republican National Convention todayfeatured the McCain campaign's National Political Director. Mike DuHaimeaccepted Log Cabin's endorsement on behalf of Sen. McCain. He told the crowdof 200 people, "On behalf of Senator McCain and the campaign, thank you forthis endorsement. Sen. McCain is running an inclusive campaign and he'llhave an inclusive administration [as president]."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Majority of GOP delegates favor GLBT DP's
NY Times poll of Republican Convention delegates show support of legalrecognition
In a surprising twist of politics, a poll of delegates to the RepublicanNational Convention shows a slight majority support either gay marriage ordomestic partnerships, according to the New York Times.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#20784

-Miami gays head to Coral GAYbles
Social group in the 'burbs of the southland
Coral GAYbles, the organization for GLBT men and women in the Coral Gablesarea, hosts monthly socials at rotating venues, and tonight's the big eventfor September! ?Go to Bellagio, at the Merrick Park shopping center, from 6p.m. to 9 p.m., and mingle amongst the crowds of rather affluent gentlemen.It's worth the drive to Coral Gables, to find a man with a job and somemoney, honey. Info? www.coralgaybles.com. No cover charge, and they servesnacks for free!
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#20781


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

-LGBT group critical of gay Republican endorsement of McCain
The nation's largest LGBT civil rights organization is taking Log CabinRepublicans to task for endorsing John McCain and Sarah Palin. John McCainclaims to be a maverick who breaks with his party, but on matters of LGBTequality, he's shown that he's anything but," said Human Rights CampaignPresident Joe Solmonese.
http://www.365gay.com/news/lgbt-group-critical-of-gay-republican-endorsement-of-mccain/

-Boyfriend joins Palins at convention
The boyfriend of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's unwed, pregnant daughter will
join the family of the Republican vice presidential candidate at the GOP
convention in St. Paul, Minn. Levi Johnston's mother said her 18-year-old
son left Alaska on Tuesday morning to join the Palin family at the
convention where Sen. John McCain will officially receive the Republican
nomination for president. The boy's mother, Sherry Johnston, said there had
been no pressure put on her son to marry 17-year-old Bristol Palin and the
two teens had made plans to wed before it was known she was pregnant.
http://www.365gay.com/news/boyfriend-joins-palins-at-convention/


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

-McCain Fought Sex-Ed, Teen Pregnancy Programs
Republican John McCain, whose running mate disclosed that her unmarried17-year-old daughter is pregnant, has opposed proposals to spend federalmoney on teen pregnancy prevention programs and voted to require poor teenmothers to stay in school or lose their benefits.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid60515.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:

-Majority Of Americans Support Gay Workers
A new report finds that the American workplace is increasingly supportive ofgay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers, finding that a majoritysupport marriage-like benefits. The 2008 Out & Equal Workplace Surveyconducted online by polling group Harris Interactive in conjunction with Out& Equal, a group dedicated to ending gay & lesbian discrimination in theworkplace, and Witeck-Combs Communications finds that a majority of workersagree that performance, not sexual orientation or gender identity, should bethe basis on which to judge GLBT people and most support marriage-likebenefits for gays couples.

-Mexico City Approves Name Changes for Transsexuals
Mexico City's legislature has passed a law making it easier for transsexualsand transgender people to legally change their names and obtain revisedbirth certificates that reflect their gender identification. Current lawalready lets people change their names based on gender identification. Butbecause of the lack of specific rules, the process can take years to windthrough the courts.

-Two Lesbians Arrested After Kissing In Dubai
Dubai again finds itself on our radar! And, no, we're not talking about theoil rich territory's organized raids against the gays. Two foreign womenhave been jailed for a month after getting "intimate" on a public beach:The Dubai Court of Appeal upheld the one-month jail sentence handed down bya lower court to the women, a 30-year-old Lebanese national and a36-year-old Bulgarian who both pleaded not guilty.


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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
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-Website features Republican supporters of gay marriage
Link: PageOneQ
Excerpt: The GOP's stance may be wider than you think when it comes to yourright to marry. The Log Cabin Republicans' Republicans Against 8 describesitself as a "coalition of Republicans who believe Proposition 8 violates theprinciples of limited government, personal responsibility, and individualliberty."

-Opinion: "Support for gay marriage grows"
by Thomas Elias
Excerpt: "There are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century," HillaryClinton, the New York senator and former first lady, asserted when shefinally conceded her party's nomination to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in amid-June speech. Well, maybe. But it won't be certain whether the senator'srhetoric was based in any reality until the results are in on Proposition 8,the November ballot initiative aiming to overturn last spring's stateSupreme Court decision and once again ban same-sex marriages in California.

-Pam's House Blend: Thrice-married Newt Gingrich - Brave Champion ofProposition 8
by Chino Blanco
Excerpt: Newt dumped cancer-stricken 1st wife. When his pastor criticizedhim for not supporting his two kids, he left the church. Newt dumped 2ndwife after cheating on her with the Congressional aide who is now his 3rdwife. The scandal sidelined Newt in 2008. Until now.

-U. Hawaii reaches settlement in gay pair's housing suit
Link: Honolulu Star Bulletin
Excerpt: The University of Hawaii has settled a discrimination lawsuit by agay couple who said they were denied family housing Attorney Brian Chase ofLambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc., one of the couple's attorneys,said he believes the suit is the first against a public university involvinghousing for same-sex couples.


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

-Gay cops get organised in Italy
More than 200 police officers, paramilitary troops and members of the ArmedForces in Italy have set up a new gay organisation. The group will have itsfirst meeting later this month in Bologna.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8890.html

-Court backs New York's recognition of out of state gay marriages
A New York court has backed the state Governor's order that gay and lesbiancouples who legally married in other countries or US states will have theirstatus recognised. A legal challenge brought by the Alliance Defence Fund,a conservative Christian pressure group, and Republican politicians wasrejected by Judge Lucy Billings.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8887.html


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

-Marriage Woes? Maybe It's in His Genes
By SHANKAR VEDANTAM | Washington Post | Star Tribune
Men are more likely to be devoted and loyal husbands when they lack aparticular variant of a gene that influences brain activity, researchersannounced this week - the first time science has shown a direct link betweena man's genes and his aptitude for monogamy. The finding is strikingbecause it not only links the gene variant - present in two of every fivemen - with the risk of marital discord and divorce, but also appears topredict whether women involved with these men are likely to say theirpartners are emotionally close and available, or distant and disagreeable.The presence of the gene variant, or allele, also seems predictive ofwhether men get married or live with women without getting married.


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

-Swedish lesbian couple sues over fertility treatment rules
The ombudsman against discrimination due to sexual orientation (HomO) istaking the case of a lesbian couple from northern Sweden who claim theydon't have equal access to artificial insemination procedures.
http://www.thelocal.se/14074/

-IRISH RAIL ENFORCE BAN ON SAME SEX COUPLES
Irish Rail has advised their staff that same sex couples are not entitled toa married/partner travel pass. A notice telling ticket checkers not toallow same sex couples with married/partner travel passes to travel, signedby the Manager for Revenue Protection for Irish Rail, was spotted inDublin's Heuston Station, signed January 27, 2008. Such travel passes areawarded to people who are married or cohabiting as married. The notice isin accordance with the Social Welfare Amendment Act 2004 which defines aspouse as a member of the opposite sex. The act was introduced by the thenMinister for Social Welfare, Mary Coughlan, after a gay pensioner won a caseunder the Equal Status Act, allowing himself and his partner to travel underthe same pensioner's travel pass.
http://www.gcn.ie/feature.aspx?articleid=802§ionid=14

-Anti-porn group wants teen books under wraps
By Steve Birmingham
A citizens anti-pornography group wants certain books in the St. LouisCounty Library's teen section segregated from younger eyes and placed in theadult section. However, the library director says a system is in place toreview materials on the shelves. Citizens Against Pornography (CAP) is aninterfaith community organization that wants to alert the public to thedangers of pornography. Carl Hendrickson, chairman of the group, submittedpetitions signed by almost 150 residents at the library's board of directorsmeeting last week. The petitions call on the board to establish an AdultAdvisory Committee to review literature going into the teen section. CAPsays some titles in the teen section contain graphic depictions ofhomosexual and heterosexual sex acts not suitable for young readers.
http://westcountyjournal.stltoday.com/articles/2008/09/02/news/sj2tn20080826-0827wcj-cap0.ii1.txt


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HeartStrong
http://www.heartstrong.org
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-As summer comes to a close and the new academic year begins, we are mindfulof the GLBT students in religious schools everywhere who are facing anothertime of fear and anxiety. People often ask us why there are GLBT studentsin religious schools and if you talk to your friends about our work perhapsthey have the same question. Here's a link to a page on our HeartStrongsite which gives a helpful response to this question.
http://heartstrong.org/HeartStrong/WhyAtReligiousSchools.html

-We are gearing up for our Fall Outreach Trip which begins on September18th. Traditionally we have spent September and October in the SW andNovember and December in the NE. After weather issues forced us to concelseveral programs in the NE last winter, we have switched our traveling sothat we will be in the NE in September and October and the SW in Novemberand December. It makes much more sense. Our trip in September and Octoberwill take us through Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York,Connecticut and Massachusetts. We have scheduled dozens of educationalforums and school visits during this trip. While we have raised the moneyto cover our expenses for our summer outreach trips in Minnesota andColorado, we still haven't reached our goal for our NE trip which is$2500.00. You can help us! If you would like to make a donation to help uson this outreach trip, just click here http://www.heartstrong.org and makeyour donation securely online. Or, if you prefer, you may mail yourdonation to HeartStrong, PO Box 2051, Seattle WA 98111.
All donations are tax deductible and go a long way to helping us helpothers. You can help us reach our goal and reach more students with ourlifesaving message!
Marc Adams
http://www.heartstrong.org


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Forwarded from Susan Frishkorn
frishkorn@bellsouth.net
Go to this link for the following article:

-Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole SalazarReleased After Illegal Arrest at RNC
Goodman Charged with Obstruction; Felony Riot Charges Pending AgainstKouddous and Salazar
ST. PAUL - Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and producers Sharif AbdelKouddous and Nicole Salazar have all been released from police custody inSt. Paul following their illegal arrest by Minneapolis Police on Mondayafternoon. All three were violently manhandled by law enforcement officers. Abdel Kouddous was slammed against a wall and the ground, leaving his armsscraped and bloodied. He sustained other injuries to his chest and back. Salazar's violent arrest by baton-wielding officers, during which she wasslammed to the ground while yelling, "I'm Press! Press!," resulted in hernose bleeding, as well as causing facial pain. Goodman's arm was violentlyyanked by police as she was arrested. Video of Amy Goodman's Arrest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/9/1/update_democracy_now_s_amy_goodman_sharif_abdel_kouddous_and_nicole_salazar_released_after_illegal_arrest_at_rnc

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