GLBT DIGEST December 05, 2008

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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-NYC firefighter, critically injured in attack by colleague, settles lawsuit for $3.75 million
Robert Walsh testified at his federal lawsuit trial that the attack on New Year's Eve in 2003 was the culmination of nearly two years of anti-gay slurs.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-firefighter-fight,0,1723956.story

-Hillary Clinton looks to loyalists in building team to deal with crises foreign and domestic
For her team of foreign policy experts, the nation's third female secretary of state is expected to draw heavily from the staff of the first, Madeleine Albright, who was an early supporter of Clinton's unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. [...] One notable name on the list is Michael Guest, one of only two openly gay ambassadors ever to represent the United States overseas. Guest resigned from the foreign service in mid-career last December to protest the State Department's treatment of same-sex partners of diplomats.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-clinton-state-department,0,4536109.story


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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Poll | Should a gay man have been cast as Harvey Milk?
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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

-Miami: The truth about Peter Rauhofer's 'fundraiser'
'The Main Event' held in competition with The White Party; advertised as a fundraiser, but was it really?
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#22803

-Steamy new ad campaign says 'Come back to Key West'
Photo essay gives an eyeful of boys, boys, boys
Key West tourism officials want to bring back the crowds of gay men that used to flock to the island-but rather than ask politely, they have created an ad campaign filled with sin and skin. Ah, remember the good ol' days? If Key West always looked like this, I'm certain more people would pay a visit.
Look at the photos here:
http://www.fla-keys.com/returntokeywest/

-HX Gay Life Travel Expo: December 9
Check out the best GLBT travel trends
On December 9th, the HX Gay Life Travel Expo makes its stop in Fort Lauderdale at the Embassy Suites at 1100 S.E. 17th Street (17th Street Causeway). Whether you're an experienced traveler or just desire more information for a possible upcoming vacation, you don't want to miss this annual event, which criss-crosses the nation bringing travel ideas to thousands of gay and lesbians every year.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-4/news/localnews/5356.cfm

-A lesbian in Obama's cabinet?
Speculation swirls around Maxwell for labor secretary
The Wall Street Journal reported that Obama was considering Mary Beth Maxwell, the founding executive director of American Rights at Work, to head the Labor Department. If nominated, and confirmed by the Senate, she would be the nation's first openly gay cabinet member. The Journal reported that other officials in consideration for the position were Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D).
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=22779


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

-NC community supports gay marriage
The Carrboro city council has passed a resolution supporting gay marriage and sent copies of it off to the state and federal government.
http://www.365gay.com/news/nc-community-supports-gay-marriage/

-Moscow mayor: Gay Pride parades spread AIDS
LGBT rights advocates and AIDS workers are voicing shock at comments by Moscow's mayor linking gay visibility to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
http://www.365gay.com/news/moscow-mayor-gay-pride-parades-spread-aids/

-LGBT campaign after Prop 8 called a "campaign of violence"
The Becket Fund is releasing an ad calling the reaction to Prop 8 a "campaign of violence." Their lie facilitates the Becket Fund's tactic to always play the victim.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-lgbt-campaign-after-prop-8-called-a-campaign-of-violence/

-Survey examines role of economics, faith in Prop 8
Voters' economic status and religious convictions played a greater role than race and age in the Prop 8 vote
http://www.365gay.com/news/survey-examines-role-of-economics-faith-in-prop-8/

-New star-studded video protests Prop 8
Since Proposition 8 passed in California, much of Hollywood has been up in arms. Now, they are singing and dancing, too, in a new Web video called "Prop 8: The Musical.
http://www.365gay.com/news/new-star-studded-video-protests-prop-8/

-Making fun of the HRC
I try to keep any mocking of the Human Rights Campaign to a minimum. Not because I'm a fan (they sure do have a whole lot of parties), but mainly because it's a crowded market. There is no dearth of people taking shots, well deserved, at the HRC and its penchant for fund raising over serious political work.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/120408-hrc-barely-endorses-maxwell/

-Florida, adoption and why marriage isn't enough
One of the top LGBT stories in the past week has been the Florida court ruling that found the state ban on adoption by lesbian and gay people was unconstitutional. The decision means that the two boys fostered by plaintiff Frank Martin Gill for the last four years are now his legally adopted sons.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/rudolph-florida-adoption-and-why-marriage-isnt-enough/


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

-Charges May Be Filed in Vicious Gay Beating in Utah
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid67775.asp

-N.Y. Marriage Bill Possibly Back on Track
Now that the Democrats have established majorities in the state senate and assembly, a marriage-equality bill in New York looks like it may gain ground, but it will likely take a backseat to the state's record-setting budget deficit.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid67803.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:

-"Morally Responsible" Investment Firm Goes Gay Bashing in Games
The Timothy Plan, a Florida investment firm which bills itself as "conservative Christian," is warning holiday-shopping parents away from what it calls the 30 "most offensive" video games. While the usual suspects (GTA IV, Saints Row 2, Blitz the League II) make the list, there are some surprises as well, including the T-rated Bully: Scholarship Edition and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. [...] In its game rankings, the organization displays an obvious anti-gay bias. While it evaluates titles for sex and nudity, a gay/lesbian rating is also included, meaning that a game with a gay sexual encounter might get a double whammy when compared to a game where the sex is of the straight variety. This effect, for instance, pushes Fable II onto the group's most offensive list. Along that line a report prepared by the Timothy Plan contains this rather bizarre comment: Army of Two: Homosexual Encounters: ...Somewhat homo-erotic undertones between the two main characters are present.
http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/12/02/quotmorally-responsiblequot-investment-firm-goes-gay-bashing-games

-Harvey Milk's Legacy
Connecting the Dots from Past to Present
By Norm Kent - Publisher
"My name is Harvey Milk, and I am here to recruit you." Anyone who was alive then has to see this movie now. As 2008 comes to a close, the month of November has turned out to be a defining moment in the evolution of gay American history. Call it a collage of circumstance, but the past has met the present, and today it defines our future. It was November of 1978 when the first openly gay office holder in California, Harvey Milk, was slain by a disgruntled colleague on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. A chronicle of his life and death came last week to the big screen, a mainstream studio film starring a renowned actor, Sean Penn. Rapidly winning critical acclaim, the historically accurate film is riveting and compelling.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-4/view/columns/5338.cfm


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

-Second wind for marriage movement
Link: Bay Windows
Though the wounds from the passage of California's Proposition 8 are still fresh for LGBT people around the country, advocates in New England are confident that the next few years will bring some landmark wins in the fight for marriage equality. Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), in partnership with MassEquality and other regional marriage equality groups, announced its "6 by 12" campaign last month. The goal of the campaign is to secure equal civil marriage rights for same-sex couples in the four New England states that have yet to grant them: Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. GLAD Executive Director Lee Swislow said that if GLAD and its allies were successful they would show the rest of the country that the marriage equality movement still has momentum.

-The New Religious Right
Link: The Advocate
Mormons make up only 2% of California's population, so the fact that they played such an outsize role in the Yes on 8 campaign testifies to their rigid and efficient organization as a religious community. Because the church requests that members tithe 10% of their annual income, LDS leaders are able to gain an accurate picture p of how much their congregants earn. With this information in hand, bishops in local communities went from house to house in California asking for specific amounts of money for the Yes on 8 campaign -- an incredibly effective fund-raising tactic. Mormons boast high rates of involvement in church-related activities, including commitments that can be quite demanding, such as missionary work, whereby members spend up to two years proselyting, often in far-flung overseas locations.


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

-Boy George convicted of false imprisonment
Pop star and DJ Boy George was found guilty of false imprisonment by a jury in London earlier today. He will be sentenced next month.

-Government will start to ask sexuality question in surveys
The Office for National Statistics has announced it will start to ask a question about sexual orientation on surveys from next year.

-Australia and US not signed up to UN decriminalisation declaration
Several nations with sizable gay communities have not signed up to a declaration on the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality to be presented at the UN this month.

-BBC confirms Graham Norton to replace Terry Wogan as host of Eurovision
Gay comic Graham Norton is to replace Sir Terry Wogan as the British host of Eurovision. The appointment comes just days after Norton attempted to quash rumours he would replace Sir Terry.


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

-Dear all, as you may know, the Vatican City will oppose the upcoming declaration against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity which will be presented at UN. Monsignor Celestino Migliore, the Holy See's permanent observer at the UN, claims the declaration could be used to force countries to recognise same-sex marriage. "If adopted, they would create new and implacable discriminations," he said. "For example, states which do not recognise same-sex unions as 'matrimony' will be pilloried and made an object of pressure." (read more...) In response of this attempt to oppose the abolition of legal penalties against LGBTQ people, many lgbt activists and groups in the world are promoting a FACEBOOK GLOBAL CAUSE to support the declaration.
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/167395
We welcome you joining the cause and publishing in this space any relevant news from your countries.
Best regards
Fabio (Arcigay - Italy)
www.arcigay.it

-In two weeks, for the first time ever, a declaration on this issue will be read in the General Assembly of the United Nations. It is a historical event. More than 50 countries have already signed the text. Could you please help us to get more signatures ? Here is the list of states which have already signed the text :
...Europe : the 27 of the European Union plus Andorra, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
...America : Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay, Canada
...Africa : Gabon, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau
...Oceania : New Zealand
...Asia : Armenia, Japan
Countries that would be worth approaching : USA, Australia, Monaco, San Marino, Albania and Moldova, Georgia, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Cuba, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, Haiti, South Africa, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Nevis, among others. If your government has not yet signed the text, and if you think it is relevant to ask them, you could then lobby the Foreign Ministry in your capital. Contact details for the Foreign Ministry of each country can be found at http://programs.ssrc.org/gsc/datasphere/ministries/. It might be also useful to copy any message to your country's Ambassador in New York. Contact details for the New York missions of each State can be found at:
http://www.un.org/members/missions.shtml


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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

-Creating Change News: Training Academy Registration Opens Next Tuesday, December 9th!
We look forward to seeing you in Denver Colorado, January28 - February 1, 2009 for the movement's organizing, training and strategy conference! Register for the Academy for Leadership and Action on Tuesday, December 9th by visiting
www.creatingchange.org

-Call girl allowed to retire at O-4
Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Dickinson has retired from the Navy with no reduction in rank, despite her admission that she moonlighted as a high-end prostitute for Washington powerbrokers while assigned to the Naval Academy, a Navy spokeswoman confirmed. In federal court in April, Dickinson testified about her stint as an escort at the trial of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, a California businesswoman known as the "D.C. Madam." Dickinson said she charged $275 for a 90-minute session, typically keeping $130 for herself and sending $145 to Palfrey. A Navy spokeswoman confirmed Dickinson's Oct. 31 retirement after it was first reported by the Web site militarycorruption.com
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/11/navy_dickinson_120808/

-Chicago Gay History: Dade County, U.S.A.
by John D'Emilio
It's a winter evening in 1977 and I'm clad only in a towel. I'm prowling the corridors of the Everard Baths in New York. The Everard is not one of those new bathhouses in tune with the spirit of gay liberation. It has no amenities. There are no pleasant lounges for sitting around and socializing; there's no entertainment to bring men together in easy camaraderie. The place is grungy, and its patrons get right to the point-which, of course, is sex.
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=19887

-Queercents launches four short series packed with personal finance diversity
Queercents, founded in 2006 by Nina Smith, is a syndicate of personal finance writers serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Financial tips and insights are aggregated daily from the distinct voices of several money writers. You can learn more about us by reading this Introduction to Queercents for an overview of the site and its features or our In The News section for mentions elsewhere on the web and in print. Our contributing writers and links to their bios are listed below.
http://www.queercents.com/2007/05/21/introduction-to-queercents/

1. Navigating Grad School Finances
As a full-time grad student, Rachel Gollay writes from experience as she survives on a small stipend. In this series, she covers everything from the application process, to offer acceptance, the process of loan deferral and prospect of taking on more debt in pursuit of an advanced degree.
http://www.queercents.com/category/grad-school/

2. The Joys and Perils of a Luxe Life
When Michael Moy is not luxuriating, he runs a home or two. Moy deconstructs the ups and down of being a gay house husband in this postmodern version of Mad Men. Affluence, dependence and being gay create a new twist on the old role of homemaker.
http://www.queercents.com/category/luxe-life/

3. Recovering from Financial Infidelity
Self-identifying as queer with FTM leanings, Alex Taylor has been partnered for ten years with a post-transition MTF woman. Widely-divergent money management styles have given Taylor a unique understanding of the financial issues faced by LGBT families. Learn how this couple transitions from an act of "financial infidelity" by moving beyond the sneaking and lies that have challenged their relationship.
http://www.queercents.com/category/money-relationships/financial-infidelity-money-relationships/

4. How to be Financially Stress-Free during the Holidays.
Paula Gregorowicz, a life coach, explains how intentions are everything in this year's economy. Find out how gift givers, party goers and party throwers can save money without sacrifice by implementing a few simple steps. Eat, drink and budget accordingly!
http://www.queercents.com/author/paula/


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Gay City News
http://www.gaycitynews.com/

-NY: Shuttering Porn Shops, City Fakes Arrests
http://www.gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20213303&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568864&rfi=6


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