GLBT DIGEST November 26, 2008

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

-Florida Gay Adoption Ban Is Ruled Unconstitutional
MIAMI - A Florida law that has banned adoptions by gay men and lesbians for over three decades is unconstitutional, a judge here ruled on Tuesday. "The best interests of children are not preserved by prohibiting homosexual adoption," the judge, Cindy S. Lederman of Miami-Dade Circuit Court, said in a 53-page decision. She said the law violated equal protection rights for children and their prospective parents. A spokeswoman for the attorney general's office said the state would appeal, and the case is likely to end up before the State Supreme Court. Florida is the only state with a law prohibiting gay men and lesbians - couples and individuals - from adopting children. The Legislature voted to prohibit adoptions by gay men and lesbians in 1977, in the midst of a campaign led by the entertainer Anita Bryant to repeal a gay rights ordinance adopted by Dade County. In 2005, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to the Florida law. Some states, like Mississippi and Utah, effectively bar adoptions by same-sex couples through laws that prohibit adoption by unmarried couples. Arkansas voters passed a similar measure this month. The ruling on Tuesday will allow Frank Martin Gill, 47, a gay man from North Miami, to adopt two foster children whom he has raised since 2004. "Our family just got a lot more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving," Mr. Gill said in a news release issued by the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented him. Robert Rosenwald, director of the LGBT Advocacy Project of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and one of the lawyers on the case, said, "The case means that these two boys won't be torn from the only home that they've ever known," said. The state presented experts who argued that there was a higher incidence of drug and alcohol abuse among same-sex couples, that their relationships were less stable than those of heterosexuals, and that their children suffered a societal stigma. But lawyers for Mr. Gill presented evidence contradicting those contentions, which Judge Lederman found persuasive. "It is clear that sexual orientation is not a predictor of a person's ability to parent," she wrote. Mr. Rosenwald called the decision a huge victory for gay and lesbian parents and for almost 1,000 children in Florida waiting to be adopted. "The court for the first time after hearing all of the evidence determined that the scientific evidence is crystal clear," he said. "There is no dispute that children raised by gay parents fare just as well or better than children raised by straight parents."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/us/26florida.html?sq=GAY&st=cse&scp=4&pagewanted=print

-Australian Legislators Back Gay Rights
Australian lawmakers have approved legislation giving homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexuals but have ruled out legalizing same-sex marriages.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/world/asia/26australia.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=GAY&st=cse

-Movie Review: Milk (2008)
Freedom Fighter in Life Becomes Potent Symbol in Death
One of the first scenes in "Milk" is of a pick-up in a New York subway station. It's 1970, and an insurance executive in a suit and tie catches sight of a beautiful, scruffy younger man - the phrase "angel-headed hipster" comes to mind - and banters with him on the stairs. The mood of the moment, which ends up with the two men eating birthday cake in bed, is casual and sexy, and its flirtatious playfulness is somewhat disarming, given our expectation of a serious and important movie grounded in historical events. "Milk," directed by Gus Van Sant from a script by Dustin Lance Black, is certainly such a film, but it manages to evade many of the traps and compromises of the period biopic with a grace and tenacity worthy of its title character.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/movies/26milk.html?scp=3&sq=GAY&st=cse

-Inquiry Set on Mormon Aid for California Marriage Vote
California officials will investigate accusations that the Mormon Church neglected to report a battery of nonmonetary contributions - including phone banks, a Web site and commercials - on behalf of a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/us/politics/26marriage.html?scp=6&sq=GAY&st=cse

-Study Cites Toll of AIDS Policy in South Africa
President Thabo Mbeki's denial of the scientific consensus about AIDS may have led to the premature deaths of 365,000 people, a new study suggests.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/world/africa/26aids.html?hp


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

-Michelle Obama's 'Mommy' Stamp
When Michelle Obama took to describing her new role as mom in chief, my first reaction was to wince at her words. My second reaction was to identify with them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/25/AR2008112501889.html?hpid=opinionsbox1


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

-Obama team denies it will delay 'Don't Ask' repeal
Gay service members see need to build support
An Obama transition team spokesperson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the decision on how to approach repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which prohibits gays from serving openly in the military, would be made after more experts have joined the Obama administration. These decisions will not be made before the full national security team is in place," the spokesperson said.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=22644


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

-Canadian province sued over gay marriage rule
(Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) A marriage commissioner is suing the Saskatchewan government after being fined $2,500 for refusing to marry a gay couple. A Saskatchewan human rights tribunal cited Orville Nichols for discrimination in May for refusing to perform the same-sex marriage. Nichols told the tribunal last year that he refused to marry the couple in 2005 because it went against his Baptist faith.
http://www.365gay.com/news/canadian-province-sued-over-gay-marriage-rule/


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

-Man Who Infected Ex-Wife With HIV Ordered to Pay $12.5 Million
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid67154.asp

-233,000 Americans May Unknowingly Have HIV
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid67011.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:

-MillerCoors and Matthew Shepard Foundation Partner to Help Erase Hate
MillerCoors has teamed up with Judy Shepard to support the Matthew Shepard Foundation (MSF) and its ongoing commitment to ensure that dealing with hate is a top priority in our schools and workplaces. MillerCoors, a national sponsor of MSF, announced it will match 100% of the first $10,000 in donations through the Campaign to Erase Hate website, www.MatthewShepard.org.


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

-Sweden Inches Towards Gay Marriage
Link: On Top Magazine
Sexual orientation is a protected class in the Swedish Constitution, yet the country defined marriage as between one man and one woman in 1987, making gay marriage illegal. But legislation to be introduced shortly seeks to make Sweden the seventh country to legalize gay marriage, reports AFP. "Sweden could have a gender neutral marriage law by May 1, 2009," Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt told Swedish Radio on November 5.

-Will Ken Starr Defend Prop 8 in CA Supreme Court?
Link: Mother Jones
Overheard last week in DC at a right-wing legal convention: "We've all but confirmed that Ken Starr is going to take the case."--Jordan Lorence, senior counsel, Alliance Defense Fund. The involvement of the former Clinton special prosecutor in efforts to preserve California's new ban on gay marriage really wouldn't come as much of a surprise. Two years ago, Starr, now dean of the Pepperdine law school, represented a bunch of anti-gay marriage groups, including the Mormon Church, in amicus briefs in some of California's gay marriage litigation. He's been involved in the issue for a while, now. Given the intense interest in other people's sex lives that Starr demonstrated during his investigation of the Lewinsky scandal, he seems a perfect fit for the job.

-Standing Firm, Moving Forward
Link: The Bilerico Project
Despite losses in Florida, Arizona and California on same-sex marriage, the LGBT community can draw strength from how far our struggle has come in just four years. In 2004, same-sex marriage lost on the ballot in 13 states, by margins that ranged from largely the mid-70s to as high as 88 percent. This year the margins were much, much closer: in Florida it was 62 percent to 38 percent, in Arizona it was 56 percent to 44 percent, and in California it was 52 percent to 48 percent. In short, the point spread is bending toward justice. In California, millions voted against Proposition 8 and tens of thousands gave up their evenings and weekends to canvass their communities or participate in No on 8 phone banks. From grandparents to college students to everyone in-between, Californians worked passionately and tirelessly for LGBT equality because it is a principle they believe in. Proposition 8 passed because it was among the most vitriolic anti-LGBT campaigns in our nation's history. But the progress being made cannot be disputed, and one day, in the not-too-distant future, we know that our families will be accorded the same dignity, respect and recognition as all other families in America.


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

-Obama adviser on gays in the military criticised for sexist attitudes
Advocates for an end to the ban on openly gay people serving in the US military have questioned the suitability of one of the President-elect's advisers.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9675.html

-New report recommends universal HIV testing to reduce infections
A new study has been published that suggests a strategy of universal voluntary HIV testing would reduce HIV cases in a 'severe generalised epidemic' from 20 per 1000 people to one per 1000 people within ten years.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9673.html

-Scottish government supports Auschwitz trips for teenagers
Two pupils from every school in Scotland will be able to visit one of the sites of the Holocaust after the country's government announced funding for the Lessons from Auschwitz Project.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9670.html

-Art exhibition explores homophobia in football
The work of gay artist Jason Bartholomew-Hall is appearing at an exhibition this week in Brighton. Entitled 'Fans, Stands and Homosexuality: Photographic journeys into football' features the works of three artists.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9669.html

-Nature or nurture? The debate continues.
In a recent addition to the Nature versus Nurture debate, a survey has revealed that for the majority of lesbians, sexuality is not a choice.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9668.html


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Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Act Up, Fight Back, Fight Hate!
BY MICHAEL G. LIBERATORE | Frontier Publishing
We are about to make history. This is the stuff of which civil rights legends are made. The Stonewall Riot in New York City. Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of the bus. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on Washington. ACT UP's illustrious history of civil disobedience. And now, we fight for our right to marry. A right granted to us by California's Supreme Court in March of 2008, and rescinded by a small majority of bigoted, closed-minded Californians on Nov. 4. Tempers are flaring, and our indignation is justified. We have been lied about, scapegoated and cheated by religious organizations that gleefully accept tax-exempt status while blatantly abusing that privilege. We have been abandoned by the very businesses we've supported; those who chose to contribute to the hate-mongering Yes on 8 campaign. And we feel divided from other oppressed minorities, those whose battles we have joined selflessly, and those who now choose to tell us we should now be treated as second-class citizens. Read more

-Boycotting Utah
By Lisa Neff | 365Gay.com
My family comes from a place in western Illinois where great efforts have been made to remedy the persecution of a group of people. My dad grew up on a farm in Ferris, Ill., not far from Nauvoo, a beautiful little town founded by Joseph Smith, who founded the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints. The town grew as the Mormon population grew. And around the town, unease about Mormon lifestyle, political influence and religious beliefs grew to open warfare - homes were destroyed, crops were burned, lives were threatened, leaders were jailed. Eventually the Mormons were forced to abandon their homes in Nauvoo - the largest forced migration in U.S. history, 1,300 miles across the plains to Utah's Great Salt Lake. Read more

-Don't Call It a Culture War
By Ann Friedman | The American Prospect
As the election-night results rolled in - and even before that, as the polling leaned heavily toward Barack Obama - some liberals gleefully declared the end of the so-called culture war. This war's two most reliable weapons, demonizing same-sex marriage and decrying abortion rights, failed to propel Republican candidates to victory - supposedly indicating that so-called cultural issues had lost their bite. Wrote Peter Beinart in The Washington Post, "Culture war no longer sells." Obama's landslide victory prompted many progressives to declare that the long-awaited Democratic majority had finally emerged. But watching the most momentous election in a generation was bittersweet. Despite the supposed ceasefire in the culture war, Nov. 4 saw the passage of four heartbreakingly bigoted ballot measures: same-sex marriage bans in California, Florida, and Arizona, along with an Arkansas initiative designed to prohibit same-sex couples from adopting or foster-parenting. This is a call to arms. Progressives should not declare the culture war dead; we must reframe it and keep fighting.

-Why Churches Fear Gay Marriage
By Jeanne Carstensen | Salon.com
For author Richard Rodriguez, no one is talking about the real issues behind Proposition 8. While conservative churches are busy trying to whip up another round of culture wars over same-sex marriage, Rodriquez says the real reason for their panic lies elsewhere: the breakdown of the traditional heterosexual family and the shifting role of women in society and the church itself. As the American family fractures and the majority of women choose to live without men, churches are losing their grip on power and scapegoating gays and lesbians for their failures.

-Event: Day Without a Gay, Dec 10, 2008
www.daywithoutagay.org
We are calling for a nationwide strike and economic boycott by all members of our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered community AND OUR STRAIGHT ALLIES on December 10th, 2008, International Human Rights Day.
WHY SHOULD WE DO IT?
Because LGBT workers, business owners, consumers and taxpayers contribute over $700 billion to the U.S. economy each year and should not be treated as second class citizens. See www.witeckcombs.com/news/releases/20080602_buyingpower.pdf
Because general strikes and economic boycotts are a powerful weapon in the history of non-violent protests. See
http://www.pbs.org/now/society/boycott.html. For many of those protesters, their actions came at a cost, but they understood that we must be willing to make sacrifices to fight for equal rights, including the right to marry.

-Anti-Gay, Anti-Family
By DAN SAVAGE | New York Times
COUNTLESS Americans, gay and otherwise, are still mourning - and social conservatives are still celebrating - the approval last Tuesday of anti-gay-marriage amendments in Florida, Arizona and, most heartbreaking, California, where Proposition 8 stripped same-sex couples of their right to wed. Eighteen thousand same-sex couples were legally married in California this past summer and fall; their marriages are now in limbo. But while Californians march and gay activists contemplate a national boycott of Utah - the Mormon Church largely bankrolled Proposition 8 - an even more ominous new law in Arkansas has drawn little notice. That state's Proposed Initiative Act No. 1, approved by nearly 57 percent of voters last week, bans people who are "cohabitating outside a valid marriage" from serving as foster parents or adopting children. While the measure bans both gay and straight members of cohabitating couples as foster or adoptive parents, the Arkansas Family Council wrote it expressly to thwart "the gay agenda." Right now, there are 3,700 other children across Arkansas in state custody; 1,000 of them are available for adoption. The overwhelming majority of these children have been abused, neglected or abandoned by their heterosexual parents. Read more


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