Saturday, July 12, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - July 12, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


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

-"Little Britain" Brings Outrageous Satire to U.S
Get ready America. Hit BBC television show "Little Britain" is bringing itsoutrageous satirical humor to HBO in September, drawing on stars such asDavid Schwimmer and Rosie O'Donnell to lure U.S. audiences.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-littlebritain.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=nyt


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

-Funds sliced for HIV youth program in South Florida
A small, one-of-a-kind South Florida program that aims to empower youngpeople infected with the AIDS virus and reduce the stigma surrounding thedisease is losing a large chunk of its funding, putting its currentoperations in danger.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrxhiv0712pnjul12,0,1952655.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Gay mayoral candidate says he'll deliver a fruitcake to Naugle
Mayoral Candidate Earl Rynerson (www.earlformayor.com) today requested thatMayor Naugle justify his claims about rampant gay sex in public parks. "Icontacted our City's Police Department yesterday after Naugle's most recenttirade about this issue. I asked them to provide me statistics that provewhat Naugle is speaking about. They stated that the Fort Lauderdale PoliceDepartment has no information, statistics or data that can substantiate whatthe Mayor is saying."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/gay-mayoral-can.html


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

-Dodd Reportedly On Obama Shortlist
Barack Obama's presidential campaign has requested information fromDemocratic Sen. Chris Dodd as part of its search for a possible vicepresidential candidate.

-Whiner Remark Bites McCain
Republican John McCain distanced himself from an economic adviser who dubbedthe United States "a nation of whiners" in a "mental recession" as DemocratBarack Obama turned the remarks against his rival.

-Oz Gay Activists Ready For Pope
(Sydney, Australia) Thousands of pilgrims converged on Sydney as it bracedFriday for the weekend arrival of the pope and the start of World Youth Day,the biggest event held in Australia since the 2000 Olympics.

-AIDS Activists Targeted Ahead Of China Olympics
(Beijing) Lu Jun, a campaigner for the rights of millions of Chinese withhepatitis B, seems an unlikely threat to the Beijing Olympics.

-Porn Producer Murder Trial Expected To Be Long, Drawn-Out, Sordid
The trial of two men accused of killing a gay porn producer they saw as acompetitor could last for several months and contain lurid details of howthe seamy underbelly of gay life operates.


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

-Singing Out
Miami hosts gay choruses from around the world
Choral instructor Gary Keating keeps a rainbow with the words ''safe space''on the front of his office door at Dr. Michael M. Krop High in NortheastMiami-Dade. When Keating came out as a gay man in the early '80s, therewere very few safe spaces. Then, one evening in 1986 when Keating was inManhattan for business, he passed Carnegie Hall and bought a ticket. ''Theyhad a big poster that the Gay Men's Chorus was performing. I didn't evenknow it existed,'' said Keating, 56, who at the time was associate managingdirector for Gusman Cultural Center in Miami. ``When I sat there in thebalcony in Carnegie Hall, looking at 180 gay men singing together -- I stillget moved. I still get choked up -- It was wonderful.'' For one weekbeginning today, 5,000 men and women from more than 130 gay chorusesworldwide are in Miami to perform and celebrate the 25th anniversary of GALAChoruses, a group that began in 1982 in San Francisco.
http://www.miamiherald.com/tropical_life/story/601039.html=


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-PARENTHOOD: Talk about a gender bender
One of the expressions my grandmother uttered with feeling and frequency wasthat ''one man should have one baby.'' I never knew if this was a wish or acurse, but I'm sure she never imagined Thomas Beatie. For those of you whodo not watch Oprah or read tabloids, Beatie is ''The World's First PregnantMan.'' While the title of ''first'' is in dispute, Beatie is certainly themost public transgender poster parent to have a baby bump plastered acrossthe media.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other_views/story/602303.html


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

-Ft. Lauderdale: Judge rules entrapment in Holiday Park arrest
Ruling sets foundation for class action lawsuit
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
A Broward County Judge ruled that Fort Lauderdale Police unfairly entrappeda gay man in Holiday Park by luring him into a sexual situation, inducinghim to expose himself to an undercover officer before arresting him on falseprostitution charges about a block outside of the park. Judge Gary Cowartdismissed the charges against Michael Marsh, a Fort Lauderdale man whoencountered undercover Fort Lauderdale officer Nick Coffin Aug. 20 near thebaseball fields of Holiday Park. The park has been under surveillance bypolice sting operations that target public sex and drug use there. Mayor JimNaugle has used the arrests there as a platform for his comments against gaycruising in parks and public bathrooms. According to Judge Cowart's ruling,Coffin steered the conversation with Marsh toward sex, telling Marsh "I'm abottom, I like the guys to be on top." Coffin repeatedly asked Marsh "whatare you working with," to which Marsh opened the passenger door of Coffin'svehicle and exposed his penis and groped Coffin's crotch. Coffin thenasked Marsh to "hop in," but Marsh refused. He agreed to follow Coffin to anapartment nearby. As he drove out the park Coffin could be heard tellingother officers over a cell phone that he could get Marsh for prostitution.When the men arrive at the apartment Coffin asks Marsh for money for sex.Marsh refuses, saying that he is unemployed. However officers arrestedMarsh, charging him with prostitution, indecent exposure and battery. "Thiscourt finds that the defendant was entrapped as a matter of law," Cowartwrote in his decision. "The defendant proved that he was induced by officerCoffin to commit these acts." Cowart's ruling sets the foundation for aclass action lawsuit to be filed by attorney Norm Kent, who representedMarsh. He said the ruling debunks Naugle's claim that gay men are committingsex acts in public parks. "It sends the message to the community that themayor was misleading citizens into thinking that gay men were responsiblefor illicit conduct in parks," Kent said. "When all the unlawful activitywas done by law enforcement officers." Kent has notified the city of hisintent to sue and Marsh will likely be the lead plaintiff. However, he said,it is difficult to find men who qualify because most plead out in court,thus waiving their right to sue. "The police have been targeting gay peopleunjustifiably," Kent said. "This is proof that if you're willing to stand upand have your voice heard you will be vindicated.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19670

-Gay Ga. House candidate disqualified
Judge calls Keith Gross' residency testimony 'evasive'
A judge ordered Keith Gross, a gay candidate for State House District 80,removed from the Nov. 4 ballot in a ruling on July 10.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19665

-House to hear testimony on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
First such hearing since 1993
A subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to hold ahearing on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy July 23.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19668

-Senate vote ends filibuster on HIV travel ban repeal
Ala. senator seeks to remove provision from AIDS billA global AIDS relief bill that includes language calling for the repeal of alaw that bans foreign visitors and immigrants with HIV from entering theU.S. cleared a major hurdle Friday when the Senate voted 65 to 3 to end afilibuster that had blocked the legislation for more than two months.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19645

-Foster considers employment protections
Openly gay Dallas County judge pushing for sexual orientation to be added tonondiscrimination policy, following in city's pathDespite concerns that Republican commissioners would vote down such aproposal, openly gay Dallas County Judge Jim Foster has requested that stafflook into the possibility of adding sexual orientation to the county'semployment nondiscrimination policies.
http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_9344.php

-Wisconsin law: Gay couples can be imprisoned, fined $10,000
Can a marriage certificate also serve as an arrest warrant?
California, the second state to recognize same-sex couples' right to civilmarriage, became the first to extend that right to couples residing outsidethe state when its landmark Supreme Court ruling took effect in mid June.Most out-of-state couples, with the exception of those residing inMassachusetts and New York, know that their marriages will not be recognizedwhen they return home. For couples in Wisconsin, however, second-classcitizenship may simply be the appetizer to the main course: Jail time.
http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/cnn_gaymarriage_jail071108.html

-Wherein Pete Labarbera does something genuinely pro-gay
Yesterday we saw Peter Labarbera make a list of the 20 people and groupsthat should keep anti-gay/anti-abortion Christians focused on their cause.But of course for those of us who staunchly support the freedom ofsame-sex-loving adults to live, work, and play as part of the spectrum ofhuman normalcy, what he really did is give us a handy list of the sorts ofpeople and groups that are fighting for the greater good. He handilyitemized some of those who are pushing back against the gay-less world forwhich he fights on a daily basis, giving us insight into whose work isreally registering on his "pro-family" radar. He provided a service, really.Well being the mensch that he is, Pete has today done us all another favor:
He has conveniently pooled all of the companies who have scored a perfect100 on the Human Rights Campaign's annual Corporate Equality index. Soessentially, gays, Mr. LaBarbera has just provided us all with another handylist -- one that schools us on which companies we should all make a point ofsupporting, as they have made strides to support us. A whopping 195companies, all of which Pete has rounded up, itemized, and presented to usall in an easily liftable format. The list:
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2008/07/wherein-pete-so.html

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

-U.S. Episcopal Leader Defends Church to World's Anglicans
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was installed as headof the U.S. church less than two years ago, inheriting a mess not of her ownmaking.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57519.asp

-Expansion of N.Y. Domestic Violence Laws to Cover Dating Relationships
Gov. David Paterson has agreed to sign a major expansion of New York State'sdomestic violence laws, The New York Times reported Thursday. According tothe Times, the new law will allow family court judges to file civilprotection orders against a broader range of abusers, including thoseinvolved in dating relationships.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57522.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:

-AIDS Researchers Want Human Test of Vaccine
GeoVax Labs Inc., an Atlanta-based biotechnology company specializing inprevention and treatment of infectious diseases, said Tuesday that it hopesto begin a large human trial of its AIDS vaccine this fall. The EmoryUniversity spinoff is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration to start a Phase 2 trial this fall of its human version ofits preventive vaccine that has proven successful in previous studies, saidRobert McNally, president and CEO of GeoVax Labs. The trial, to be conductedby the National Institutes of Health and supported by the HIV Vaccine TrialsNetwork, will involve 225 healthy volunteers from the United States andSouth America.

-Black Opposition to Gay Marriage Remains Strong
Despite growing support for same-sex marriage in the United States asmeasured by several recent polls, black Americans remain steadfastly opposedto gay unions. According to research conducted by the National Black JusticeCoalition and several other organizations, as many as two-thirds of blackAmericans are against gay marriage. Although the numbers vary by poll,research shows most blacks oppose both gay marriage and civil unions.

-Gay Activists Urge Boycott Of Manchester Grand Hyatt
A $125,000 donation in support of an anti-gay marriage initiative by a SanDiego hotelier has drawn the ire of gay and lesbian activists and locallabor unions who are now calling for a boycott. Organizers held a newsconference in front of the Manchester Grand Hyatt, near Seaport Village, onThursday. A coalition of LGBT community leaders and the labor movement spokeout against Doug Manchester, who contributed a donation in support ofProposition 8, which would allow only men and women to marry in the state ofCalifornia. The group opposes the ballot measure because it threatens therecent state Supreme Court decision that allows marriage between men andwomen.


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

-New guidelines on HIV and life insurance published
The Association of British Insurers has updated its consumer guide for gaymen covering HIV and life insurance.

-Pride trans toilet drama continues to unfold
The organisers of Pride London have issued a statement about an incidentduring the celebrations in Trafalgar Square last Saturday.


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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-The website of the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) hasrecently been launched. APCOM promotes the principles of good practice andlessons learnt by bringing together MSM and HIV community-basedorganisations, the government sector, donors, technical experts and the UNsystem in an effort to share experience, knowledge and expertise.
http://www.msmasia.org/


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

-Organised radicals behind violence during gay pride, says justice minister Budapest, July 11 (MTI) - The violence during the recent gay pridemarch inBudapest was mostly directed at policemen and the acts werecommitted byorganised extremists, Justice Minister Tibor Draskovics said onFriday, in areport to the prime minister. Participants of the scheduledevents - the march and three other, anti-gay protests in the same area - didnot commit criminal acts; those inthe gay march were not directlyassaulted - except that people threw eggs atthem from outside the policecordon, Draskovics said.
http://english.mti.hu/default.asp?menu=1&theme=2&cat=25&newsid=253739

-Stockholm: "The Bells of Freedom" by BWO is this year's official Prideanthem and the music video is available now:
http://zport.barsark.net/player.php?cs=pride.css&ch=00143&id=1545


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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
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Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article

-GLAAD and Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC)
CallonBoston Herald to Apologize for Offensive Coverage of TransgenderPeopleJuly 11, 2008 - The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)andMassachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) are encouragingpeopleto contact the Boston Herald and ask editors to apologize for thepaper'soffensive slurs and sensationalistic coverage of transgender people.On July 7, the paper posted an article online about a policeoperationheadlined "Undercover 'john' takes on trannies, pimps" and focusedon aBoston-area detective who goes undercover to arrest sex workers. Thearticlerepeatedly referred to transgender women as "trannies" and opened thestory by describing how the detective has been "trapped inside houses of illrepute by giant naked trannies." The article was also published in the July8print edition.
http://www.glaad.org/2008/Eblasts/CalltoActionBostonHerald.htm

-Lawsuit Challenging Ohio's Obscenity Law
(OneNewsNow) Attorneys for Larry Flynt's Hustler pornography empire arechallenging Ohio's new sex-offender registration requirement for peopleconvicted of pandering obscenity. Ohio's version of the Adam Walsh ChildProtection and Safety Act went into effect earlier this year, requiringindividuals convicted of sex offense-related crimes, such as sellinghardcore pornographic material, to register as sex offenders for 15 years.The manager of the Hustler store in downtown Cincinnati -- described by theCincinnati Enquirer as being from northern Kentucky and the mother of twochildren who attend a Catholic school -- is suing the Ohio attorney general,claiming that the registration requirement is unconstitutional in that itviolates her rights of free speech and privacy. Her attorney says althoughhis client has not been convicted or charged with anything, she is"frightened." Phil Burress, president of the Ohio-based Citizens forCommunity Values, says the woman's claim that she has no way of knowing whatconstitutes "obscene material" is not credible.
http://www.thepath.fm/news/newsitem.cfm?ID=31890

-Just A Little Harmless English S&M
London: Revelations of kinky sex leave many prominent celebritiesblubbering abject apologies. Not Max Mosley. The British multi-millionaireand Formula One boss insists there's no shame in a little hanky-spanky, andhe has sued the tabloid News of the World for suggesting otherwise. Thisweek he has been testifying with remarkable sang-froid in his defamation andinvasion of privacy suit before London's High Court.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1821863,00.html

-Presbyterian vote to eliminate standards of chastity and fidelity faces critics
Rev. Charles Burge / Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow
San Jose, CA., Reaction continues to the decisions of the 218th GeneralAssembly of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA), which took place betweenJune 21 and June 28. The assembly nullified proscriptions against sexualbehavior outside of marriage and called for a vote to delete the church'sconstitutional standard requiring fidelity in marriage and chastity insingleness. It also initiated a process that could remove mention of theBible's prohibition against homosexuality form the Heidelberg Catechism.Themoves are seen by some as an attempt to clear a path for the eventualordination of practicing homosexuals to the church offices of deacon, elder,or minister.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/

-The latest news from Bay Windows
http://www.baywindows.com

-Gay City News
http://gaycitynews.com/site/news.asp?brd=2729


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Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
Go to this link for the following articles:

-U.S. seeks sexual-orientation data on foreign visitors
Under agreements being negotiated with European countries, the U.S. would beable to swap fingerprint and DNA information -- and in some instances dataon race, ethnic origin, political and religious beliefs, and sexualorientation -- in exchange for EU member states to gain or maintain theright to visit the U.S. without a visa. Some privacy advocates questionwhether appropriate safeguards for the sharing of the data are beingincluded in the agreements. The Washington Post

-Repeal of 1913 law in Mass. would be boon for marriage rights
The prospects are uncertain for the final passage of a bill to repeal a 1913Massachusetts law that prohibits marrying out-of-state couples if theirunions would not be recognized in their home states. The measure, which isscheduled to be voted on next week, is backed by House Speaker Salvatore F.DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray, and would be signed by Gov.Deval Patrick, but faces strong opposition from some anti-marriage-rightslawmakers. The Boston Globe

-Judges: Massachusetts marriage benefits don't pre-date 2004 law
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has decided that marriage benefitsfor same-sex couples cannot be retroactively applied to the time before suchunions became legal in the state. The case involved Cynthia Kalish, whomarried her partner of more than a decade in 2004 when it was legalized, andwho has filed a malpractice case stemming from her partner's 2006 death frombreast cancer; Kalish had claimed she was entitled to loss of maritalcompanionship benefits for their entire relationship because they would havemarried earlier if it had been allowed.

-Military gay ban's end should be in sight
A new study by four retired officers showing military readiness would not beaffected by openly gay personnel offers yet another compelling reason tolift the military gay ban, according to a Washington Post editorial. TheWashington Post (7/11)

-Nunn entitled to second chance from LGBT community
Blogger Jay Bookman believes former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., who isrumored to be on the list of possible vice-presidential candidates, deservesa second chance from the LGBT community, since he seems to have modified hisviews on the military ban and other gay issues. "In the past 15 years, a lotof Americans both in public and private life have gotten more comfortablethan they used to be about gay rights, including a lot of people who learnedin those years that their son, daughter, father, mother, sister or brotheris gay," Bookman writes. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

-In Thailand, a third gender asserts itself
In Thailand, biological males who identify as females are called "kathoeys,"which translates inexactly as "ladyboys." Some schools in Thailand havespecial bathroom facilities for kathoey students, and they are widelyaccepted and even celebrated in Thai culture. TIME

-Why big business no longer pays any mind to AFA, similar groups
Noting the complete flop of the American Family Association's recent boycottof McDonald's over its joining a gay business group, columnist Mark Morfordbelieves the AFA's failure to generate any outrage is a sign that its daysof influence are over. San Francisco Chronicle

-In Thailand, a third gender asserts itself
In Thailand, biological males who identify as females are called "kathoeys,"which translates inexactly as "ladyboys." Some schools in Thailand havespecial bathroom facilities for kathoey students, and they are widelyaccepted and even celebrated in Thai culture. TIME (7/7)


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Lambda Legal - News
http://www.lambdalegal.org/

-Custody Trumps Antigay Amendment
An Ohio appeals court has ruled in favor of Lambda Legal's client ThereseLeach, a mother whose former partner had attacked the validity of theirshared custody agreement by using that state's antigay amendment againsther. The amendment, according to the court's ruling, does not affect thecustody rights of non-biological parents. This is good news for the many gayand lesbian couples raising children in Ohio.

-Gay Couples Need Not Apply
Rosario Gennaro and Alexander Gardner knew they wanted to adopt children.But when they went to post their profile at ParentProfiles.com, they foundthat only "Qualifying Husband and Wife Couples" could use the profileposting service. Adoption Profiles, LLC - the site's parent company - wassued in California for violating that state's antidiscrimination law and isno longer doing business there. Lambda Legal has filed a discriminationcomplaint with the New York attorney general's office on the couple'sbehalf.

-A Family Tragedy
When Janice Langbehn arrived at a Florida hospital to see her partner, LisaPond, who had been diagnosed with a fatal aneurysm, she was met withprejudice and apathy. Langbehn and their three children were deniedvisitation for nearly eight hours and were told not to expect to beacknowledged as family. Lambda Legal is suing the hospital on behalf ofJanice and her family. See this edition's "In Brief" for more.

-Advancing Intersex Advocacy
Lambda Legal congratulates Advocates for Informed Choice - aCalifornia-based legal organization that promotes the rights of childrenborn with intersex conditions - and its director, Anne Tamar-Mattis, forreceiving the prestigious Echoing Green fellowship. In addition to ourcollaboration with and fiscal sponsorship of AIC, Lambda Legal TransgenderRights Attorney Cole Thaler sits on the organization's advisory board. Thisaward provides encouraging recognition of the existence and needs ofchildren with intersex conditions, who are often subjected to harmfultreatments and denied a voice in their own care.

-New Funding Aids Forgotten Youth
Lambda Legal is collaborating with the National Association of SocialWorkers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) to build thecapacity, awareness and skills of social workers and other child welfareprofessionals serving LGBTQ youth living in foster care, juvenile justicedetention centers and homeless shelters. Two grants totaling $275,000 willbe used to train 40 "master trainers" and 1,600 out-of-home care serviceproviders; the money will also help schools of social work to focus theircurricula and practices constructively on LGBTQ issues.

-Congress Pushed on ADA Protections
Lambda Legal has urged Congress to pass the ADA Amendments Act (H.R. 3195),a bill that would, among other things, protect people with HIV againstdiscrimination by clarifying the definition of what qualifies as adisability. On June 25, the House passed the bill by a vote of 402 to 17.The Senate is now considering the bill.

-Match Me If You Can
Workplace giving programs make it easy to support Lambda Legal. If youremployer offers this program, you can sign up to have a contributiondeducted from your paycheck and sent to Lambda Legal on a regular basis. Youwill receive a tax deduction for your charitable contribution as well as thesatisfaction of helping Lambda Legal remain at the forefront of the fightfor equality. Some employers also offer matching gift programs, which candouble (or even triple) the impact of your contribution. To learn more abouthow you can participate in your workplace giving program, check with youremployer or contact Sarah Ogden at 212-809-8585, ext. 226, orSogden@lambdalegal.org.

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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 12, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


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

-Worst Fears Ease, for Now, on Mortgage Giants' Fate
After a stomach-churning drop in the stocks of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,officials and lawmakers managed to calm investors.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/business/12fannie.html?hp

-Talking Down and Stepping Up
If Barack Obama's message of stepping up is "talking down," then so be it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/opinion/12blow.html?ref=opinion

-There He Goes Again
A leader who wants to steer the nation through tough times should not spendthe campaign, as Senator John McCain has so far, telling Americans they canhave it all. [...] And yet, the biggest news that Senator John McCain madelast week was his renewal of a pledge to balance the federal budget by 2013.How? Who knows?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/opinion/12sat1.html?ref=opinion

-Feeling No Pain
BOB HERBERT
Neither party in this presidential campaign has been forthright with thepublic about the true extent of the crises facing the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/opinion/12herbert.html?ref=opinion

-Dr. Michael DeBakey Is Dead at 99
A world-famous surgeon, Dr. DeBakey pioneered such procedures as bypasssurgery and invented devices for heart patients.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Obit-DeBakey.html?hp

-2 Vetoes Quash U.N. Sanctions on Zimbabwe
UNITED NATIONS - An American-led effort to impose sanctions against Zimbabwefailed in the Security Council on Friday, with Russia and China exercising arare double veto to quash a resolution that they said represented excessiveinterference in the country's domestic matters.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/world/africa/12zimbabwe.html?hp

-Your Money: How Fallout Could Affect Main Street
The stock market swoon over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac this week has leftmany consumers scratching their heads, wondering if buying a home is a worseidea than it was seven days ago or whether to take down the "for sale" signin the yard.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/business/smallbusiness/12money.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1215860909-oyIV+lMDRvxqfvJY0guJFg

-U.S. Tries to Help 3 Scholars Barred From Leaving Gaza
GAZA - American consular officials drove from Jerusalem to the Gazan borderon Thursday in an unusual effort to interview three Gazan Fulbright scholarswho Israel says are too dangerous to allow into the country. Using aportable fingerprinting machine flown in from Washington for the interviews,the Americans were seeking to expedite the granting of study visas to thethree scholars, despite Israeli concerns.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/world/middleeast/11mideast.html

-HBO: Comrades in Chaos, Invading Iraq
"Generation Kill," an HBO seven-part mini-series about the invasion of Iraqthat begins on Sunday, is bold, uncompromising and oddly diffident. Itmaintains impeccable dignity even as it tracks a group of shamelessly andengagingly profane, coarse and irreverent marines, members of an elitereconnaissance battalion that spearheaded the invasion. The odyssey of thesemen from training tents in Kuwait to occupied Baghdad is laid out withbrutal candor and without the aid of maudlin cinematography or emotivemusic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/arts/television/11kill.html?scp=8&sq=gay&st=nyt


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

-Jesse Jackson's Unkindest Cut
If the Rev. Jesse Jackson has trouble with something Sen. Barack Obama hassaid, why does Jackson wish to have the senator from Illinois neutered?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071102512.html

-Oversight for Big Tobacco
It's time for Congress to make regulation a reality.
FROM ASPIRIN to zucchini, the Food and Drug Administration monitors much ofwhat Americans consume. But cigarettes, which shorten a smoker's life by 10years on average, have escaped FDA oversight, largely because of politicalpressure from Big Tobacco. That could change soon, thanks to a long-overduebill the House is scheduled to vote on in the next few weeks that would givethe agency authority to regulate the tobacco industry. Legislators shouldmake the bill a priority so it has a chance to pass before Congress adjournson Aug. 10.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071102902.html

-Court Chips Away at White House Secrecy
A federal appeals court dealt a blow yesterday to White House efforts tokeep secret the names of people who visited Vice President Cheney. Athree-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of ColumbiaCircuit ruled that the White House had prematurely appealed a decision by afederal judge last year that visitor logs are public records.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071102966.html?hpid=moreheadlines

-Report Cites Abuses by Mexican Military
Rights Panel Describes Torture, Killings in Anti-Drug Effort
MEXICO CITY, July 11 -- The National Human Rights Commission on Fridayaccused the Mexican military of wrongfully killing eight civilians atroadblocks, torturing witnesses and allowing soldiers accused of rightsviolations to escape prosecution during its continuing campaign against drugcartels.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071102765.html?hpid=moreheadlines


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

-Calculate gas prices to cities nationwide
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/stv-gas-calculator-htmlstory,0,6439205.htmlstory

-Ex-Bush spokesman Tony Snow dies of cancer
Tony Snow, a conservative writer and commentator who cheerfully sparred withreporters in the White House briefing room during a stint as PresidentBush's press secretary, has died of colon cancer, Fox News reportedSaturday. Snow was 53 years old. Snow, who served as the first host of thetelevision news program "Fox News Sunday" from 1996 to 2003, would later saythat in the Bush administration he was enjoying "the most exciting,intellectually aerobic job I'm ever going to have." Snow was working forFox News Channel and Fox News Radio when he replaced Scott McClellan aspress secretary in May 2006 during a White House shake-up. Unlike McClellan,who came to define caution and bland delivery from the White House podium,Snow was never shy about playing to the cameras.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_top10jul12,0,7750796.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-End-game nears for Guantánamo process
Clearly, the Bush administration hoped it would never come to this, but aday of reckoning over detainees in Guantánamo is approaching quickly.Lawyers for the Justice Department appeared in a Washington federalcourtroom on Tuesday to argue for yet another delay in deciding how to dealwith most of the 270 individuals who remain confined at the island prison,only to be rebuffed by a stern judge. ''The time has come to move theseforward,'' Judge Thomas F. Hogan told the lawyers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/600882.html

-Volunteers full of hope mount Obama blitz
W hat would drive a grown woman to spend 2 ½ hours in the broiling July sunjust to register a couple of voters who may or may not support Barack Obama?
http://www.miamiherald.com/418/story/602264.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Obama Doesn't Have to Run as a Liberal
Some liberals fret that Barack Obama is tacking to the center after hisacquiescence to the Supreme Court's repeal of Washington's handgun law, hisshift on telephone company immunity for cooperating with wiretaps, and hiscall for more faith-based social programs. But this is just the beginning.The logic of the race will shortly lead Sen. Obama to buck bigger liberalpieties on core priorities like schools, taxes and health care in order towin.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121573713663744519.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

-Why I'm Betting On Barack Obama's Victory
There are unknowns, of course, but there are also three big reasons he'llwin in November. There are unknowns, of course. The persona of John McCainis already in play and it would be wrong to underestimate him. The man isremarkable, surprising in his opposition to torture and Guantanamo,audacious when he challenged the economic policies of the two Bushadministrations. And isn't it said that Democrat John Kerry considered for atime asking this unconventional conservative to share the ticket with him?
http://tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=dfe7a745-e6d0-4fed-9509-f73b4277f7b1

-Presidential candidate Obama to sponsor Cup car at Pocono race
SI.com has learned that for the first time in history, a major presidentialcandidate may sponsor a race car in NASCAR's premier series. According tosources, Barack Obama's campaign is in talks to become the primary sponsorof BAM Racing's No. 49 Sprint Cup car for the Pocono race on August 3.Details of the agreement are expected to be worked out over the coming days.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tom_bowles/07/11/obama/index.html

-Sorting out the dueling education coalitions
If you've had enough pure politics for the week, here's some recommendedreading for the weekend: a fine article by Richard D. Kahlenberg in TheAmerican Prospect analyzing the two big education coalitions recently formedto influence progressive politicians. The first coalition, led by theself-described "odd couple" of the Rev. Al Sharpton and Schools ChancellorJoel Klein of New York City, casts the debate in civil-rights terms. [...]On the other side of the current debate is a second group, organized by thelabor-friendly Economic Policy Institute, which recently put out a statement(in full-page ads in The New York Times and The Washington Post) calling for"A Broader, Bolder Approach to Education."
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/?last_story=/politics/war_room/2008/07/11/education_wars/

=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - July 12, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

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

-Funds sliced for HIV youth program in South Florida
A small, one-of-a-kind South Florida program that aims to empower youngpeople infected with the AIDS virus and reduce the stigma surrounding thedisease is losing a large chunk of its funding, putting its currentoperations in danger.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flrxhiv0712pnjul12,0,1952655.story

-Weston: Cypress Bay High student one of 27 to get scholarship
A Cypress Bay High School graduate was one of 27 students nationwide toreceive a Point Foundation scholarship. The awards go to lesbian, gay,bisexual and transgender students for their academic and communityachievements. Diego Arango graduated from the school in Weston last monthand is headed to Columbia University in New York, where he plans to studyeconomics and political science. At Cypress Bay, Arango was a member of theYouth Leadership Broward Foundation, secretary for the local Best Buddieschapter and a community liaison for the National Honor Society. The PointFoundation provides a $13,200 scholarship, leadership training and mentoringto undergraduate and graduate students who are marginalized because of theirsexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, according tothe organization.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdig071110sbjul11,0,1986942.story


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

- Gay mayoral candidate says he'll deliver a fruitcake to Naugle
Mayoral Candidate Earl Rynerson (www.earlformayor.com) today requested thatMayor Naugle justify his claims about rampant gay sex in public parks. "Icontacted our City's Police Department yesterday after Naugle's most recenttirade about this issue. I asked them to provide me statistics that provewhat Naugle is speaking about. They stated that the Fort Lauderdale PoliceDepartment has no information, statistics or data that can substantiate whatthe Mayor is saying." "I pushed them to try to find some numbers that couldpoint to the frequency of this type of activity. After two hours ofsearching, they could only "conclusively identify10 reports of homosexualmen having sexual relations in public during the 2006-2007 timeframe".Interestingly enough, however, was the fact that they could also identify12-15 cases of heterosexual men having sexual relations with women inpublic."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/gay-mayoral-can.html


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Ft. Lauderdale: GAY & LESBIAN COMMUNITY CENTER (GLCC)
www.glccsf.org

-GLCC supporters are encouraged to dial into WFTL Radio (877-850-8585) onMonday morning, July 14th between 8:45am and 9:25am. Fort Lauderdale MayorJim Naugle will be interviewed on the air and is scheduled to answerquestions. Callers are encouraged to ask questions about Mayor Naugle'shomophobic statements and positions on issues. The LGBT community and oursupporters have an opportunity to make an intelligent and favorableimpression, during Mayor Naugle's scheduled air time.
Thank you,
Paul Hyman
Executive Director

-Ft. Lauderdale - BINGO!!!
Tonight: Just a reminder:
Please come join AVER this Saturday,July 11th, At 7:00 p.m. AT The GLCC ForBINGO! A Great Time is sure to be had by All. Our own Marc Hansen Will BeCalling The Numbers . An Evening Of Fun for only $15.We hope to see YouThere!


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Equality Florida Action PAC Endorses Mark Lafontaine, Fl House ofRepresentatives, Dist. 92
This year, we have a chance to do something that has never been done inFlorida. We can elect Florida's first openly-gay state legislator. Nomatter where you live, this race is crucial. Florida is the largest statein the nation that has never elected an openly LGBT legislator. States asdiverse as Alabama, Utah, and North Carolina have all achieved thismilestone - and now it's our turn. Mark can win. This race will be veryclose, and your support, at any level, will make a huge difference. Mark iscurrently leading his two primary opponents in fundraising, but only by arazor thin margin. Because there is no Republican candidate, the winner ofthe August 26th primary will win the General Election. For all thesereasons, Equality Florida Action PAC has targeted this race as one of ourtop priorities for 2008. Mark is a resident of Broward County and a longtimecommunity activist. In addition to Equality Florida, Mark has been endorsedby the Florida AFL-CIO; Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund; and US Rep. BarneyFrank. Please help Mark make history in Florida. Donate now.
http://www.marklafontaine.com/


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Reception Tonight - Heavenly Visions
James Schot Gallery - 7-10PM
2800 N. Federal Highway Fort lauderdale
Directly across from Best Buy
Warmest Regards, Bubba
http://www.bubbaclicks.net/



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Lightning strikes are random, but you can protect yourself and your home
Don't tell Raymond Lakhan that lightning never strikes twice in the sameplace. The attic of Lakhan's Coconut Creek home has been hit by lightningtwice in the past six years, most recently in June 2006, causing about$24,000 in damage. He's hoping Bolt No. 3 isn't out there with his addresson it.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flblightningfinal0712sbjul12,0,1417935.story

-Calculate gas prices to cities nationwide
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/stv-gas-calculator-htmlstory,0,6439205.htmlstory

-Plans afoot for eco-friendly village at Everglades National Park
Plans are afoot for an eco-friendly village in Everglades sanctuaryWhen Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma and an 8-foot storm surge wiped out thevenerable Flamingo Lodge in Everglades National Park in 2005, the lossincluded more than an Eisenhower-era motel in dire need of remodeling.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbflamingo0712sbjul12,0,852285.story

-Airport traffic rises in Fort Lauderdale, falls at Palm Beach International
Passenger traffic at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airportincreased 6.4 percent in May compared to the same month last year, whiletraffic at Palm Beach International Airport dropped 11.53 percent, accordingto monthly airport traffic reports
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzairtraffic0712sbjul12,0,2119313.story

-John U. Lloyd Beach State Park to be featured on Good Morning America
John U. Lloyd to be featured on ABC show
John U. Lloyd Beach State Park will be awash in publicity on Sunday. Thepark, chosen as a finalist in Good Morning America's "Weekend WindowChallenge" is scheduled to be featured on the ABC morning show between 8:30and 9 a.m.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flblloydsbjul12,0,4074044.story

-Miccosukee Tribe wants reservoir completed in Palm Beach County
The Miccosukee Tribe on Friday called for a federal judge to force SouthFlorida water managers to finish building a massive reservoir intended forEverglades restoration. The tribe contends that the state's $1.75 billionbid to buy out U.S. Sugar derailed the long-promised reservoir in westernPalm Beach County, violating an agreement to corral and clean up pollutedwater headed to the Everglades.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpeverglades0712sbjul12,0,2557403.story

-Death at South Florida police station raises questions
ISSUE: Woman is killed at Plantation police station parking lot. Somethinginexplicable and tragic happened the day Olidia Kerr Day was gunned down inthe parking lot of a Plantation police station. The stunning turn of eventsis one that should prompt all police agencies across South Florida toexamine the way they handle distress calls.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editajjplantationpnjul12,0,1828614.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-End-game nears for Guantánamo process
OUR OPINION: COURTS DECLARE THAT TIME FOR STALLING, DELAYS IS OVER
Clearly, the Bush administration hoped it would never come to this, but aday of reckoning over detainees in Guantánamo is approaching quickly.Lawyers for the Justice Department appeared in a Washington federalcourtroom on Tuesday to argue for yet another delay in deciding how to dealwith most of the 270 individuals who remain confined at the island prison,only to be rebuffed by a stern judge. ''The time has come to move theseforward,'' Judge Thomas F. Hogan told the lawyers. ``Set aside every othercase.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/600882.html

-More men seeking refuge from abuse at home
While South Florida agencies that provide a safe haven from domesticviolence primarily serve women, they are seeing more men trying to escapeabusive relationships. When Broward County's only certified domesticviolence shelter, Women in Distress, opened in 1974, its sole purpose was tooffer beds to women. Now, shelter leaders say they see up to 15 men a yearwho need a safe place from domestic violence.
http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/602315.html


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Tonight! Art Show to benefit Grateful Paws Rescue
Saturday Evening the readers of "Ray's List" are all invited to attend theopening reception of an art show called "MEOW!!"
Art Expressions Art Gallery
1438 NE 26th Street
Wilton Manors, FL
7 to 10 pm.
The host of the opening night is cat, named Paloma!! Twenty-three artistsare taking part showing paintings, photographs, and various 'mixed media'works that celebrate the cat. Amongst the artists taking part of particularinterest to "Ray's List" readers are Julio Green, Timothy Leistner,Francisco Sheuat and Paul Harris. Part of the proceeds of the sale fromthe show will be going to the cat charity "Grateful Paws Rescue" that savedPaloma thus allowing the gallery's owners Francisco Sheuat and Ric Antey toadopt her.


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-State Comforts Sexual Assault Victims
Victims of sexual assault shouldn't have to worry about their identitiesbeing exposed or not being able to take a few days off work to seek help.But nothing should be taken to chance. Which is why the Florida Legislatureand Gov. Charlie Crist were right to enact new state laws designed toprotect victims of this brutal crime.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/11/na-state-comforts-sexual-assault-victims/?news-opinion-editorials

-Gun safety classes have no place among high school physical educationoptions
New laws requiring students to take more physical education classes inpublic schools are a pet project for fitness buff Gov. Charlie Crist who haspushed the Legislature to beef up requirements over the past two years.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080712/OPINION/807120308/1004/capitolnews

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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

Friday, July 11, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - July 11, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


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

-Time to End 'Don't Ask'
A report on the ban on gays in the military adds to growing calls to repealthe prohibition. THE "DON'T ASK, don't tell" policy that continues the banon gay men and lesbians serving openly in the U.S. military was wrong whenPresident Clinton signed it into law in 1993, and it's wrong today. The onlydifference between then and now is that more people are now coming around tothat conclusion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071002721.html


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-'South Carolina is so gay'? State says no way
Officials pull overseas ad campaign to lure homosexual tourists
South Carolina's top tourism agency has canceled an overseas advertisingcampaign targeting gay tourists. The campaign, tied to gay pride weekcelebrations in London, included ads that proclaimed "South Carolina is sogay." A handful of other U.S. destinations joined the campaign, includingAtlanta, Boston and New Orleans.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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

-AIDS Activists Targeted Ahead Of China Olympics
(Beijing) Lu Jun, a campaigner for the rights of millions of Chinese withhepatitis B, seems an unlikely threat to the Beijing Olympics.

-Porn Producer Murder Trial Expected To Be Long, Drawn-Out, Sordid
The trial of two men accused of killing a gay porn producer they saw as acompetitor could last for several months and contain lurid details of howthe seamy underbelly of gay life operates.

-Massachusetts May Open Up Gay Marriage To Out-Of-Staters
A 1913 law used to bar same-sex couples from states which would notrecognize their marriages from marrying in Massachusetts could soon behistory.

-Lesbian Couple Sues Blue Cross
A Buffalo, New York lesbian couple is suing Blue Cross & Blue Shieldaccusing the insurer of contravening state policy in denying spousalbenefits.

-Police: Wis. Male Abductions, Rapes May Be Linked To Other Cases
Wisconsin authorities say they'll investigate whether a man accused ofkidnapping two young men and sexually assaulting them might be linked toother cases.


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

-Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle praises "responsible homosexuals"
Our beloved mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Jim Naugle, went on a radio talk showtoday and discussed the crop of candidates for his job--which includes twoout gay men, Dean Trantalis and Earl Rynerson. Naugle, always generous tohis opponents, acknowledged a "responsible homosexual" could win the officein Fort Lauderdale--meaning someone who recognizes "promiscuous activity hasa heavy cost on life and dollars,' by spreading pestilence and chaosthroughout society. Objectivelly speaking, it can be easier to deal withoutright bigots who simply state their views; when motives are masked bycondescending, passive-aggresive statements, like praises for "responsiblehomosexuals," the effect is disturbingly obtuse. It's a crafty weapon,stabbing someone in the back while smiling and claiming it's done with thebest intentions. Jerry Falwell mastered this technique. So has my friend'smother, who compliments her with statements like "You don't look as fat asusual." For those who are unfamiliar with his legacy: Naugle's claim tofame is his stance against "unhappy homosexuals," who engage in rampantsexual behavior and presumably spread sexually-transmitted diseases. Hewanted to install mechanized public toilets at the gay beaches, whichautomatically open their doors after a few minutes--preventing monkeybusiness from occurring amongst the porcelain bowls. But only at the gaybeaches; straight people never sin, right?
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=7/5/08&end=7/12/08#19631

-Gay Pride event stirs controvery at county council
Advocates call action discriminatory
TACOMA. WA: The Pierce County Council is being criticized for failing toadopt a proclamation supporting a gay pride event. Gay, lesbian, bisexual,and transgender community advocates have spoken against the council, callingits action discriminatory. Usually proclamations - in which governmentleaders show symbolic support - rarely face opposition in council meetings.But when a proclamation for Out in the Park was proposed to go on theagenda, four Republican council members voted against adding it. Those whovoted against the proclamation say the item was introduced too late.Council member Calvin Goings says the snub was embarrassing for the council.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19629

-Mass. court: Gay couples can't claim past benefits
Ruling issued as part of malpractice case
The highest court in Massachusetts has ruled that marriage benefits for gaycouples can't be applied retroactively to the time before same-sex marriagewas legalized in the state. The Supreme Judicial Court issued the ruling aspart of a malpractice case brought by Michelle Charron and Cynthia Kalish,who had lived as a couple for more than a decade before getting married assoon as it became legal in 2004.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19625

-Abortion vs. Homosexuality for Young Evangelicals
The Obama campaign is, wisely, targeting young evangelicals. When talkingabout social issues of interest to evangelicals, we tend to lump abortionand homosexuality together. But the politics are actually different,especially among young evangelicals.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-waldman/abortion-vs-homosexuality_b_111921.html

-Truth Wins Out launches campaign to keep Daddy D out of the Radio Hall ofFame
I'm also up for nominating James Dobson for the fundie fraud Hall of Shame,but this will do for now. Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out has kicked off adrive to ensure that the mastermind behind Focus on the Anus will not beinghonored with a place in the Radio Hall of Fame by the Museum of BroadcastCommunications.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=CDD4F06CAFB1FAE944A43CD161CF782E?diaryId=6066


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

-Friend or foe?
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and Jackson Memorial Hospital FRIEND
Once again Tammy Baldwin comes to the fore of the national discussion onequal rights, sexuality and gender identity. Last week the openly gayCongresswoman was appointed to be one of 20 members of the Platform DraftingCommittee at the Democratic National Convention. The committee isresponsible for developing a national a platform to be adopted at theconvention Aug. 26.
FOE
South Florida's largest medical center may have celebrated its 90thanniversary recently, but its treatment of gay families as evidenced by thedeath of visiting Seattle resident Lisa Pond says the center is indeed stuckin the dark ages. Hospital staff denied Pond's partner of 13 years, JaniceLangbehn, and three of their children visitation rights and would not allowthem to give medical information, as they did not acknowledge the women'srelationship. The hospital has yet to respond to the lawsuit filed by LambdaLegal on behalf of Langbehn. But as state voters face the issue of same-sexpartnerships and their families with Amendment 2, Jackson sets a shiningexample of the injustice and high stakes families such as Langbehn's faceeveryday.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-10/view/friendfoe/4857.cfm


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

-Castro District Exhibit to Celebrate LGBT History
An exhibit sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender HistoricalSociety is in the planning stages and will likely be set up in the Castrodistrict of San Francisco by late summer, according to a press release fromthe society.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57474.asp

-Rice Honored for Helping Bulgarian HIV Nurses
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received Bulgaria's highest honor forurging the Libyan government to release five Bulgarian HIV medics from oneof its jails, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The Bulgarian nurses and aPalestinian doctor were sentenced to death for allegedly infecting over 400Libyan children with HIV. The group was released from jail last year afterthe European Union forged a deal with the Libyan government.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57453.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:

-Gay-Marriage Advocates Hope to Repeal Old Law
State lawmakers are expected to vote next week on repealing a 1913 law thatprevents out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from getting married inMassachusetts, reigniting a divisive debate on an issue that has stirredpassions and put the state in the national spotlight. The Senate isexpected to take up the legislation Tuesday, and the House will followshortly afterward, according to several lawmakers. House Speaker SalvatoreF. DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray favor the repeal, but theirsupport on such a hot-button social issue does not guarantee thatrank-and-file lawmakers will follow.

-Gay Games VIII to Expand and Redefine Drug Testing
Arguably the biggest and most historically important challenge facing theFederation of Gay Games and Cologne for 2010 is the introduction of thefirst real across-the-board drug testing ever done at the Gay Games. In thepast, drug testing has been limited to a handful of sports (physique,wrestling, and powerlifting). This go around, the Gay Games wants to flexits muscle to help mainstream sports become not just more accepting of gayathletes, but more accommodating of athletes with chronic medical concerns -especially HIV.

-Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo Rides Again
It's that time of year again; time for the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association'sannual Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo. This year marks the 26th anniversaryof this amateur event and will feature 150 contestants from around NorthAmerica. Beginning on Friday, July 11, the events include rough stock,including bull riding and bronco riding; roping events; and speed andhorsemanship events. Because it is a gay rodeo, the Jefferson CountyFairgrounds wouldn't be the same without a few signature events, includinggoat dressing and wild drag races.

-Uganda: Gays Want to Kill Me, Says Orombi
Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi yesterday said he fears for his life because ofthe campaign he has waged against homosexuals. "Nowadays, I don't wear mycollar when I am in countries which have supporters of homosexuals," he saidwhile addressing Christians at Kitunga archdeaconry, West Ankole diocese inNtungamo district.


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

-Gay marriage is nobody's business but the couple's
Link: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
Marriage is a way to truly show your level of commitment and love in arelationship, as well as to erase many legal problems you might come acrossas a couple. No matter how orthodox and strict your own ideology may be, youstill should not impose it, and the thousands of laws and customs that comewith it, upon anyone else.

-McCain plays gay card, will Obama ante up?
Link: Bay Windows
Late last month a group of about 100 movers and shakers on the religiousright met in Denver and agreed to support Sen. John McCain's presidentialcampaign. To those who followed the 2004 presidential race news of McCain'srecent efforts to woo the culture warriors of the religious right provokedan awful sense of déjà vu. One of those power players, Phil Burress of theOhio-based Citizens for Community Values, told the Washington Times that hehad met with McCain and that the Arizona senator had promised "to makejudicial appointments that will resemble that of Chief Justice John G.Roberts Jr. and Justice Antonin Scalia, to 'get serious' on abortion andsame-sex marriage, and to push values issues in general."


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

-South Carolina gets cold feet over gay Tube adverts
The tourism agency of a US state has distanced itself from an advert onLondon Underground designed to attract gay tourists. "South Carolina is sogay," proclaimed posters in one Tube station.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8329.html

-Dancing With The Stars may feature gay couple
Openly gay former boy band icon Lance Bass could Tango his way intohomosexual history becoming the first celebrity to dance his way up theDancing with the Stars' ladder-with another man. [...] It would be thefirst time a same-sex couple danced together on that stage and Bass could bethe one to cross that threshold and open the door to a male couple tearingup the dance floor together.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8323.html

-Video: Obama accepts Jesse Jackson's apology for castration comments
Apologies flew from Reverend Jesse Jackson to presumptive DemocraticPresidential nominee Barack Obama on Wednesday over remarks he made aboutthe Illinois Senator on Fox News.

-Pride London 2008 attended by 825,000 people
Official figures released today reveal that the capital hosted one oflargest Pride events in the world last weekend.


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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-I have made now the English subtitles of the movie "Tehranian Condemned toDeath". Check this short video.
http://www.dailymotion.com/tag/Daho/video/x62mmx_tehranian-condemned-to-death_shortfilms

-"There Are No Gays in Iran": But, Ireland's Sending One Back!
It was reported in the Irish press that Ireland plan to deport an Iraniannational back to Iran despite his life being in danger because he is gay. Itis reported that "the deputy Iranian Foreign Minister said [in the IrishParliament] last week said they will not do it from a crane on the back of alorry anymore but they will still do it." refering to the execution of gaypeople that return to Iran. Senator Norris, the man that took the case tothe European Court of Human Rights to legalise homosexuality in Ireland,said in the Senate "What are we doing and where is the accountability? Inthe name of the Oireachtas [Irish Parliament], I demand that the practice ofdeporting a person under those conditions should be ceased immediately."
http://thisiswhatiwoulddo.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/there-are-gays-in-iran-but-irelands-sending-one-back/


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Anything but Straight
by Wayne Besen
http://www.waynebesen.com/

-The Pro-Family Scheme
The last few weeks have shown that so-called pro-family organizations aresome of the most useless, money-sucking scams in the world. With realfamilies suffering from economic hardship in America, a declining birthratein Europe and Google doubling the price of daycare for employees, the onlything right wing family groups want to discuss is their bizarre andall-encompassing fagela fetish. Recently, The Brooklyn Paper, had a hugeheadline, "SPLITSVILLE: Brooklyn divorces up 30%." The article cited anumber of reasons including, "when the economy tanks, so do many marriages."One would think this would alarm so-called pro-family organizations and theywould be out in force repairing marriages - or at least looking for economicsolutions to take the stress off couples. Unfortunately, as I walked aroundmy Brooklyn neighborhood, I saw not one representative from the AmericanFamily Association. Well, I take that back. I did encounter one of thegroup's representatives on CNN Headline News as we debated a Heinzmayonnaise ad in the United Kingdom that featured two men kissing. I'm surethe children of these broken marriages in Brooklyn will feel much betterknowing Heinz pulled the ad and they can have gay-free mayonnaise at bothmommy and daddy's separate houses.
http://www.waynebesen.com/2008/07/pro-family-scheme.html

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NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 11, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


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

-Religion in the news
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was installed as headof the U.S. church less than two years ago, inheriting a mess not of her ownmaking. The global Anglican Communion was in an uproar over the 2003consecration of the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, V. Gene Robinson ofNew Hampshire. Long-simmering differences over Scripture and the globalAnglican fellowship erupted into a threat of full-blown schism.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-REL-Religion-in-the-News.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=gay&st=nyt&oref=slogin

-Australia prepares for Pope's visit
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Thousands of pilgrims converged on Sydney as itbraced Friday for the weekend arrival of the pope and the start of WorldYouth Day, the biggest event held in Australia since the 2000 Olympics.After five years of planning, the massive Roman Catholic festival willfinally kick off Tuesday and run through Sunday, attracting more than200,000 pilgrims to Sydney.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Australia-Pope.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=nyt

-Loan-Agency Woes Swell From a Trickle to a Torrent
The rapid erosion of investors' confidence has become a crisis for FannieMae and Freddie Mac, the two main backers of mortgage financing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/business/11ripple.html?hp

-Kennedy's Big Day
PAUL KRUGMAN
Wednesday was the first major health care victory that Democrats have won ina long time. And it was enormously encouraging for advocates of universalhealth care. [...] Ostensibly, Wednesday's vote was about restoring cuts inMedicare payments to doctors. What it was really about, however, was thefight against creeping privatization. Democrats finally took a stand - and,thanks to Senator Kennedy, seem to have prevailed.
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html

-The Taliban's Rising Tide
For the sake of Pakistan's stability, its leaders will need to commit tofighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists in the border region.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/opinion/11fri1.html?ref=opinion

-The Justice Department, Blind to Slavery
By JOHN R. MILLER
President Bush should meet with his own Department of Justice before heloses his legacy and his leadership on the abolition of human trafficking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/opinion/11miller.html?ref=opinion

-Lebanon Leaders Agree Unity Government: Sources
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese leaders agreed on a unity government on Fridaythat gave veto power for the Hezbollah-led opposition as agreed under a dealthat ended a paralyzing political conflict in the country. Hezbollah-ledopposition as agreed under a deal that ended a paralyzing political conflictin the country. Political sources from both sides said PrimeMinister-designate Fouad Siniora will announce the new cabinet after meetingPresident Michel Suleiman later in the day. The formation will end weeks ofwrangling over portfolios between the U.S.-backed majority coalition andHezbollah and its allies.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-lebanon-government-deal.html

-With Luck, a Rocky Landing
ADRSPACH, Czech Republic - Exactly a decade has passed since a man calledOxygen first hurled himself across Amerika. Known for his jumping ability,Oxygen, a lanky Czech, catapulted to legend status by leaping a nearly10-foot-wide abyss separating two 100-foot sandstone spires. Check out thevideo!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/sports/othersports/11jump.html

-An Interpreter Speaking Up for Migrants
In 23 years as a certified Spanish interpreter for federal courts, ErikCamayd-Freixas has spoken up in criminal trials many times, but the words heuttered were rarely his own. Then he was summoned here by court officialsto translate in the hearings for nearly 400 illegal immigrant workersarrested in a raid on May 12 at a meatpacking plant. Since then, Mr.Camayd-Freixas, a professor of Spanish at Florida International University,has taken the unusual step of breaking the code of confidentiality amonglegal interpreters about their work.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/11immig.html?hp

-Serenity Prayer Stirs Up Doubt: Who Wrote It?
Generations of recovering alcoholics, soldiers, weary parents, exploitedworkers and just about anybody feeling beaten down by life have found solacein a short prayer that begins, "God grant me the serenity to accept thethings I cannot change."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/11prayer.html?hp

-McCain Adviser Refers to 'Nation of Whiners'
Senator John McCain has spent the week trying to tell people that he feelstheir economic pain. So it was more than a little unhelpful when one of histop economic advisers was quoted Thursday as saying that the United Stateswas only in a "mental recession" and that it had become a "nation ofwhiners."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/politics/11campaign.html?hp

-Detainees, as Lawyers, Test System of Tribunals
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba - Walid bin Attash, a detainee with a wry smile who ischarged as a planner of the Sept. 11 attacks, had a question. Why, Mr. binAttash asked the military judge at a hearing here on Thursday, was he barredfrom reading classified reports as he prepares to represent himself at thetrial the Bush administration wants to be the centerpiece of its Guantánamoprosecutions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/11gitmo.html?hp

-Jackson Barks, but Does He Still Have Bite?
It used to be called "the Jesse Jackson problem": Democratic presidentialcandidates fearing they would lose black votes if they got on Mr. Jackson'sbad side, given the influence he accrued as a civil rights activist and hishistory-making races for the White House in 1984 and 1988.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/politics/11jackson.html

-Group Apologizes for Its Racial Bias
The American Medical Association formally apologized on Thursday for morethan a century of policies that excluded blacks from the group, longconsidered to be the voice of American doctors.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/health/11ama.html


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

-Capitalism's Reality Check
E. J. Dionne Jr.
The biggest political story of the year is economic: the collapse offree-market theory. [...] Since the Reagan years, free-market cliches havepassed for sophisticated economic analysis. But in the current crisis, theseideas are falling, one by one, as even conservatives recognize thatcapitalism is ailing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071002264.html

-How Hostages, And Nations, Get Liberated
On the day the Colombian military freed Ingrid Betancourt and 14 otherlong-held hostages, the Italian Parliament passed yet another resolutiondemanding her release. Europe had long ago adopted this French-Colombianpolitician as a cause celebre. France had made her an honorary citizen ofParis, passed numerous resolutions and held many vigils.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071002262.html

-Too Many Prisoners
States should stop warehousing nonviolent offenders. TWO REPORTS by theJustice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics show that the rate ofgrowth in the prison and jail populations of the United States has slowedslightly but that the country still has the dubious distinction of being thelargest jailer in the world. As of June 30, 2007, the country held roughly2.3 million people behind bars, either in local or state jails or in federalprisons.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071002724.html

-Donors Asked To Give for Two
Clinton Debt Adds to Obama Burden
The fundraising machine Sen. Barack Obama is relying on to overwhelm Sen.John McCain this fall has shown signs of wear in recent weeks, as Internetcontributions have slowed and efforts to recruit top donors to Sen. HillaryRodham Clinton's campaign have been beset by lingering tensions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071002813.html?hpid=topnews

-Jackson Incident Revives Some Blacks' Concerns About Obama
The larger point of Jesse L. Jackson's criticism of Barack Obama -- if notthe crude way he expressed it -- touched a nerve among some African Americanpolitical activists who have been unhappy about the senator 's pointedcritiques of absentee fathers and other problems in the black community.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071002812.html?hpid=topnews

-The Obama Children
On July 4th, Barack and Michelle Obama granted "Access Hollywood" video timewith 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha. The resulting footage shows atight-knit family. Talkative Malia tells it how it is in her house. Dadleaves his heavy bag in the doorway for the family to trip on it. He shakeshands with her friends, embarrassing her. If Obama wins the presidency,she's looking forward to decorating her own room in the White House. And thefamily says they stay in touch daily via telephone while Dad is out campaigning.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/?hpid=news-col-blog


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-HAITI: Free the slaves next door
By DAN HARRIS
A few weeks ago I conducted a horrifying experiment. I tested how long itwould take to leave my office on Manhattan's Upper West Side and buy a childslave. After a 45-minute cab ride, an hour-or-so wait at Kennedy airport anda 3 ½-hour plane ride, I found myself engaged in broad-daylight, poolside negotiations with a trafficker who said he was ready and eager to provide mewith a kid -- any age, either sex -- as soon as the next day. ''I guaranteemy service,'' he said proudly. The cost: $150. From start to finish, all ittook was roughly 10 hours. This casually grotesque conversation took placejust 700 miles from Miami, in Haiti, where there are an estimated 300,000child slaves. There is a slavery epidemic raging right under America's nose.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other_views/story/600878.html

-Support truce with Hamas
By A.B. YEHOSHUA
TEL AVIV - Finally, the long-sought truce between Israel and Hamas in theGaza Strip has become a reality. Reaching this uneasy state has not beeneasy. For months, wise and responsible people had exhorted Israel to acceptthe cease-fire that the Hamas leadership in Gaza had proposed. But Israel'sgovernment, using all kinds of pretexts, stubbornly resisted.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other_views/story/600887.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Kucinich Impeachment Resolution Hearings?
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said this morning that the House JudiciaryCommittee may hold hearings on an impeachment resolution offered by Rep.Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). Kucinich is expected to offer a "privilegedresolution" this afternoon calling on the House to look at whether PresidentBush should be removed from office for lying to Congress and the Americanpublic when he sought congressional approval back in 2002 for takingmilitary action to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/10/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4248168.shtml?source=RSS&attr=HOME_4248168

-No Child Left Behind Law Dominant Issue at NEA Representative Assembly
The No Child Left Behind Act, and the compliance demands it imposes onschools, was the center of attention at this year's National EducationAssociation convention, which just concluded in Washington, D.C. DonnaDeKraai with the South Dakota Education Association says a major concern forSouth Dakota schools is simply meeting the requirements of the law.
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/5631-1

-Blacks demand of Obama: 'What about us?'
In the full arc of the 2008 presidential election, the Rev. Jesse Jackson'sthreat to trim Barack Obama's, um, sails for "talking down to black people"will probably be nothing more than a blip in the hungry cable news cycle.But Jackson's flash of frustration provided a glimpse of a simmering debateamong prominent African-Americans over what Obama is saying as he campaignsfor president, and what he isn't saying.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article694303.ece

-New and improved
The only problem with Barack Obama's move to the centre is that he's notmoving far enough
THE reaction to Jesse Helms's death on July 4th is a reminder of how bipolarAmerican politics has become. The right praised him as a man of principlewho also overflowed with the milk of human kindness. The leftretorted-rightly, in our view-that he was also a bigot and a bully (seearticle). But at least conservatives and liberals have discovered one thingthey can agree on: that Barack Obama is a cynical opportunist, aflip-flopper and a shape-changer, a man who brushes aside his principleswith the same nonchalance that lesser mortals reserve for their dandruff.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11707123

-Pull Up a Chair, Mr. Rove
Karl Rove had never been so agreeable.
The former chief strategist to President Bush was the only witness listed onthe agenda for yesterday's meeting of the House Judiciary Committee, and heproved to be uncharacteristically contained. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.),chairman of the subcommittee holding the hearing, declared herself"extremely disappointed and deeply concerned" about Rove's behavior.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071002549.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

-GOP Targets Dem 'Scandal Babies'
There's nothing quite like an incumbent's predilection for corruption,bribery or sleazy sex for helping an underdog win a congressional seat. Andthere was plenty of muck to exploit in the 2006 midterm elections, when araft of Republican scandals helped more than a dozen Democrats get electedin districts thought to be safely Republican.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1821088,00.html

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - July 11, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

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

-Weston: Cypress Bay High student one of 27 to get scholarship
A Cypress Bay High School graduate was one of 27 students nationwide toreceive a Point Foundation scholarship. The awards go to lesbian, gay,bisexual and transgender students for their academic and communityachievements. Diego Arango graduated from the school in Weston last monthand is headed to Columbia University in New York, where he plans to studyeconomics and political science.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdig071110sbjul11,0,1986942.story

-Broward County: Library's online directory lists multi-ethnic resources
The Broward County Library System has released an online directory onmulti-ethnic resources in the area The directory includes civic andpolitical organizations, cultural groups, educational organizations, gay andlesbian groups, media contacts and religious organizations. It also includesa listing of festivals and other cultural celebrations.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdig071113sbjul11,0,3559809.story

-Naugle: A "responsible homosexual'' could win mayor's job
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle spoke about the two gay mayoral candidatesthis morning on the radio. He said he thinks a "responsible homosexual''could win the post. He defined that as one who rejects the idea that it's OKto take over public parks for gay sex, and who would "do something about theAIDS crisis here, recognizing promiscuous activity has a heavy cost on lifeand dollars.'' Asked on 850 WFTL how he feels about being remembered forhis comments about gays, he said he was proud of a legacy against politicalcorrectness.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/07/naugle_a_responsible_homosexua.html

-Police Scrutinize Miramar Murder Victim's Online Dating Account
Investigators are scrutinizing a murder victim's online dating account inhopes of finding his killer, according to a search warrant made publicWednesday. Michael Green, 52, was found slain inside his house in the 3100block of Southwest 65th Avenue on June 21. Police said they went there afterGreen's mother had a friend go check on him. The friend and police foundGreen brutally murdered.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbwarrant0710sbjul10,0,7931326.story


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Broward and Palm Beach schools deserve kudos
ISSUE: Broward and Palm Beach schools earn A's and B's. Instead of singingthe blues over low achievement, most public schools in Broward and PalmBeach counties are rejoicing. That's because many of the schools in bothcounties aced the state's student progress report.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editajjschoolspnjul11,0,4594940.story

-New state Dems communications chief hails from Broward
Eric Jotkoff, the new communications director for the Florida DemocraticParty, has plenty of campaign experience, including Hillary Clinton'spresidential campaign, Rod Smith's 2006 gubernatorial campaign and U.S. Rep.Tim Mahoney's 2006 campaign. Jotkoff is a Broward native with family stillliving locally (though his parents recently moved to Melbourne). He's a 2001graduate of American Heritage High School in Plantation.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/07/new_state_dems_communications.html


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

-Gay chorus extravaganza
GALA features Broadway stars, comedians
Miami boasts one of the most diverse musical scenes in the country-from theclub beats of South Beach and the Latin salsa of Little Havana to the reggaeand creole rhythms found in Jamaican and Haitian neighborhoods. But nextweek, a different kind of harmony will fill the air in downtown Miami.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-10/arts/music/4864.cfm

-Stonewall imposter remains at large
As much as $4000 remains missing
Volunteers of the Stonewall Street Festival submitted to investigators aphotograph they believe to be of the man who allegedly robbed several drinkbooths at the festival, June 21, by posing as a volunteer.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-10/news/localnews/4848.cfm

-Mona's raises funds for Poverello food bank
Nearly $6000 raised to meet nutritional needs of people with HIV and AIDS
The 10th annual July 4th Poverello food bank benefit at Mona's in FortLauderdale raised upwards of $6,000 to help meet the nutritional needs ofpeople living with HIV and AIDS. The fundraiser was in honor of Pizza HutDave, a long-time Mona's customer who passed away several years ago. Victoria Michaels, a mainstay at The Boardwalk, provided the entertainmentfor the cookout on the patio.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-10/news/localnews/4852.cfm

-Fort Lauderdale teams get ready to swing in Seattle
Softball World Series takes place in late August
Six Fort Lauderdale teams are taking it to the West coast to compete in the32nd Annual Gay Softball World Series. Alibi C-5 will compete in A Division,Bill's Raptors and Scandals Maulers will play in B Division, Rosie's BlueIce and Sidelines Cyclones earned their spots in the C Division, and PaladinKnights will compete in D Division. The tournament runs the last week ofAugust, and will determine the champs in the four divisions of the NorthAmerican Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) - Open Division. Details canbe found at www.series2008.org.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/7-10/news/localnews/4853.cfm


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Disney's gun stance draws fire
Walt Disney World said its employees are exempt from a new National RifleAssociation-backed law that lets workers keep guns in their cars.
http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/601124.html

-Florida's sugar town deserves extra hand
Many small and not-so-small American towns have suffered hugely when theirmajor employers shut down. So will Clewiston and the surrounding areas inHendry County when the state buy-out of U. S. Sugar is completed in sixyears. [...] Clewiston is a town of 6,500 people on the southwest rim ofLake Okeechobee. It has been a company town from birth in the 1920s, servingU. .S. Sugar and other farming interests. It is the major town in HendryCounty, population 40,000. U. S. Sugar's 1,700 jobs make it Hendry's largestemployer; the next largest has 250.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/600883.html

-POLITICS: Campbell quits state Senate race
Putting to rest weeks of speculation, former Democratic state Sen. Walter''Skip'' Campbell announced Thursday that he's giving up his high-profilecampaign to unseat the incoming Senate president. Campbell said last monthhe was thinking of quitting the race against Republican Sen. Jeff Atwater ofNorth Palm Beach. Thursday, he said he planned to send a letter to theFlorida Department of State Friday, notifying the elections division of hisdecision to withdraw.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/601088.html

-Florida high court OK's some porn for sex offenders
A sex-offender case from Miami prompted a Florida Supreme Court ruling thatallows offenders on probation to possess certain pornography.
http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/601114.html


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Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Is Allstate Worst The Worst Insurer in America?
The trade group for trial lawyers, the American Association for Justice,named Allstate as the worst insurance company in America in a study releasedtoday. The designation is not surprising, given the ongoing war between theinsurer and trial lawyers over auto insurance accident claims.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/insurance/entries/2008/07/09/is_allstate_worst_the_worst_in.html?cxntfid=blogs_gotcha_covered

-Ladies, here's an engaging opportunity
Dear potential applicant:
Thank you for your interest in SCRAMBLE - Saving Charlie's Run At McCain ByLooking Engaged. As you may have heard, the position as Florida Gov.Charlie Crist's bride-to-be has been recently filled. While this is goodnews, now is not the time for complacency.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/10/s1b_bino_0711.html

-Crist's engagement boosts VP chances, image, analysts say
As a bachelor, Gov. Charlie Crist has deftly navigated the complicatedpolitics of Florida's diverse electorate. [...] "If he's serious aboutbeing a candidate, he needs to get married," said Republican operative RogerStone, who worked on the presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and GeorgeH.W. Bush. "Politics runs on rumors and innuendo, and questions aboutbachelorhood persist. Getting engaged takes that off the table." Experts saythat while it can be difficult for politicians to keep a spouse, having awife or husband helps voters relate to a candidate and blunts rumors aboutsexuality that often follow single officials, including Crist.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/state/epaper/2008/07/09/c1a_crist_0709.html



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Scott Newton - Candidate for Florida State Representative - District 92
http://votenewton.com/

-Wilton Manors, July 8, 2008- The Broward County Medical Association (BCMA)endorsed Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton this week in his race for StateRepresentative in District 92. Since 1926, the BCMA has promoted andpreserved the highest standards of medical care and ethical principalswithin the medical profession. Upon receiving the BCMA's endorsement, MayorNewton said "I am honored to be supported by our community's physicians whoeach day care for our most sick and vulnerable. I look forward to working onissues to secure access to healthcare of the highest quality,and to maintainthe integrity of medical practice for the citizens of Broward County.

-Wilton Manors, July 8, 2008- The Broward Police Benevolent Association
(PBA) endorsed Mayor Scott Newton in his race for State Representative inDistrict 92 this week. Since 1972, the Broward PBA has protected andadvocated on behalf of sworn law enforcement officers and civilianemployees.


=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Floridians Should Not Be Panicked Into Sacrificing Their Coast
Big oil interests are using big lies to promote oil drilling off Florida'scoast. Trying to capitalize on the public's dismay over high gas prices, thedrill-everywhere crowd is misleading citizens about the likely consequences. Drilling, they say, represents no threat. Keep the rigs out of sight - 12miles or so - and you will never know they are there. The drills are so safethey even endured Hurricanes Katrina and Rita without a drop of oil reachingshore.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/11/na-floridians-should-not-be-panicked-into-sacrific/?news-opinion-editorials

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#####

Thursday, July 10, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - July 10, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


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

-DEAR AMY: My partner and I have been together for 23 years and recentlyadopted a child. Now, with the California Supreme Court decision on gaymarriage, we very much want to get married, for both practical and emotionalreasons -- and for our son. But wow -- weddings cost a fortune! We want tohave a beautiful party for our friends and family, but the idea of spendingmany thousands of dollars is daunting -- especially now that we're savingfor our son's education. Is it horribly gauche to suggest to my gueststhat, if they feel compelled to buy a wedding gift (completely optional, ofcourse), they might consider making a contribution to the celebrationinstead? Our household is well-established. Everyone contributing to theshared celebration seems more logical and less selfish to me. My futurehusband, however, thinks I'm greedy and tacky.
We agreed to ask you. -- Hopeful Groom
DEAR HOPEFUL: I'm trying to figure out why your friends should kick in topay for an extravagant party that you aren't even willing to pay for. Yousay you'd rather spend your money elsewhere -- and your friends might feelthe same way. Some cultures welcome and expect monetary gifts handed overduring the wedding reception. Some couples erect "money trees" at thereception as a handy way to collect cash. It doesn't sound as if you comefrom a culture where this is an accepted practice. Your partner thinks youridea is "tacky," and so do I. You could cut costs by doing some creativebartering or by simply scaling back your dreams a tad. Recalibrating yourdreams is one of the challenges (and potential joys) of marriage, and nowwould be a grand time to start.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/01/AR2008070101136_pf.html



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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Stats are 'wake-up call' for AIDS prevention
On Jan. 15, Stephon Louis tested positive for HIV at age 19. Weeks earlier,in a ''night of pleasure,'' he failed to use protection. ''When temptationrises, it's hard to think about HIV/AIDS,'' confessed Louis, now 20, who waskicked out of his home for being gay four years ago. ``At my age, you thinkthat nothing is going to happen to you.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/599705.html

-Wrong on Helms
In the July 5 story Sen. Jesse Helms, co-author of Helms-Burton Act, dies,Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said, ''Sen. Helms understood the terrifying natureof dictatorships and was helpful in the cause of freedom for oppressedpeople everywhere.'' The truth is that Helms was a segregationist who never gave up on Jim Crow. When he was not going after African Americans, he turned his attention to immigrants, ethnic minorities, trade unionists and gays and lesbians. Ros-Lehtinen does what she always does by forgetting whom she represents. I hope that this is her last term in Congress. STAN MARTIN, Fort Lauderdale
http://www.miamiherald.com/456/story/599722.html


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

-Jackson Apologizes For Crude Comment About Obama
Barack Obama's campaign tried yet again to contain a political storm kickedup by a vocal Chicago supporter as the Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized forcrude comments picked up by a live microphone about the Democraticpresidential candidate.

-Obama Stokes VP Speculation
Barack Obama stoked vice presidential speculation Wednesday with anunannounced stop at the Washington law firm of a search team member and thena flight to New York fundraisers with potential pick Hillary Rodham Clintonand a second vetter.

-Kennedy Makes Brief Return To Senate
Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, battling a brain tumor, walked througha wall of applause and into the Senate on Wednesday and cast a dramatic,decisive vote on long-stalled Medicare legislation.

-Drifter Sought In Murder Of Gay Miami Man
Miami-Dade Police have issued a murder warrant for a Mexican nationaldescribed as a drifter in the killing of a 68-year old gay man in January.

-Court: Pelting Gays With Eggs Protected Free Speech
(Budapest) Four of more than a dozen people arrested for throwing eggs at agay pride march in Budapest on Saturday received minor fines on Wednesday,while charges against three others were dismissed and charges against theothers were dropped.

-Episcopal Leader To Explain Gay Stance To World Anglicans
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was installed as headof the U.S. church less than two years ago, inheriting a mess not of her ownmaking.

-Good Samaritan Beaten Protecting Trans Woman
A priest who attempted to protect a 21 year old transwoman from four teenswho were hitting and verbally harassing her was beaten in front of a shelterfor gay and trans young people.


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

-California United Methodists make strong pro gay rights statements
In a move likely to fuel controversy within the broader denomination, oneUnited Methodist Church legislative body in California has gone on recordsupporting those who enter into same-sex marriage and another has commendedpastors who agree to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/07/california-umc-legislative-bod.html

-State employee won't lower flags for Helms
'I don't see how anybody could celebrate his career'
A longtime North Carolina state employee has chosen to retire instead oflowering flags to honor former Sen. Jesse Helms, saying in an e-mail thatthe late conservative had a "doctrine of negativity, hate and prejudice."U.S. and state flags flew at half-staff on Monday and Tuesday following anorder from Gov. Mike Easley. Helms died Friday.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19607

-HIV-positive Va. man wins early victory in case against TGI Friday's
McCray will file federal lawsuit
A commission in Alexandria, Va., has unanimously ruled in favor of a gay manwho alleges that the company that owns TGI Friday's restaurants fired himfor being HIV positive, meaning a lawsuit against the business could beimminent.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19598

-Baldwin named to Dem platform drafting panel
Obama campaign to consider gay, transgender issuesU.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), one of two openly gay members ofCongress, was among 20 people appointed this week to the Democratic NationalConvention's Platform Drafting Committee.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19592

-Romney: 'Now is not the time' to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, in speaking to CNN's SuzanneMalveaux about his backing of Senator John McCain (R-AZ) for president, saidthat the timing isn't right to repeal the military's ban on openly gaypersonnel.
http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/dont_ask_dont_tell_0709.html

-Gay Mormons hopeful about meeting with church leadership
When he was 16, David Nielson divulged his attraction to men, knowing itcould cost him the two great pillars of his life: his parents and his Mormonfaith. "When you come out, the philosophy here has always been 'Say goodbyeto your family because they will say goodbye to you,'" the 24-year-oldpostal worker says. "But I believe - and hope - that the climate is finallychanging."
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080709/Lives/136052900

-The Drumbeat for Sam Nunn
There's been a lot of debate and concern among LGBT activists about thistake on what the former Democratic Georgia senator Sam Nunn -- the man whobrought us the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy -- could mean for Barack Obamaas a VP running mate.
http://signorile2003.blogspot.com/2008/07/drumbeat-for-sam-nunn-theres-been-lot.html

- California Boycott -- Fighting Back Against Hate
As gay and lesbian couples express their love and commitment throughweddings, an extremely well funded campaign has placed an initiativeconstitutional amendment on the November 4th ballot to define marriage asonly between a man and a woman. They spent millions to qualify thisamendment, and have vowed to raise in excess of $20 million to removemarriage equality in California. Much of the money to qualify theinitiative constitutional amendment came from within our own San DiegoCounty. We feel that if these individuals, businesses, and organizations soadamantly desire to take away our right to marry, then the LGBT community,our families and our friends should fight back against these purveyors ofhate.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fred-karger/california-boycott----fig_b_111628.html



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

-Teens Arrested in Attack at Gay Shelter
Four teenagers have been arrested on charges that they harassed and struck apriest who runs a Queens, N.Y., shelter for transgender and gay youth onMonday night, reported The New York Times.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57411.asp

-HIV and Film: A Rare Combo
The most famous AIDS movies are often lily-white and dripping withprivilege. But as the recent film Before I Forget proves, HIV sees noboundaries. Here are 10 movies that did the same.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid57272.asp

- Australia Cardinal Denies Cover-up of Sex Abuse
Australia's top Roman Catholic cleric has denied trying to cover up a sexualabuse case involving clergy, attempting Tuesday to fight off an embarrassingscandal just days before Pope Benedict XVI arrives for a visit. CardinalGeorge Pell, the archbishop of Sydney, was responding to an AustralianBroadcasting Corp. television report Monday that said he had givenmisleading information to a man who accused a priest of sexually assaultinghim more than 25 years ago.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57324.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:

-Man Gets Life in Fla. For Drag Queen's Slaying
A man convicted of killing a Florida drag queen in July 2007 was sentencedMonday to life in prison. Cesar Israel Villazano, 19, was convicted ofkilling Mario Oscar Mosqueda, 37, outside a nightclub in Daytona Beach, Fla.Mosqueda appeared as Thalia for drag performances, according to the DaytonaBeach News-Journal. Mosqueda was celebrating a friend's birthday at DiscoGaribaldi the night he was murdered. Mosqueda was shot in the back at 2 a.m.on July 29, 2007 in the parking lot of the club. Villazano claimed he actedin self-defense from an unwanted sexual advance, the Orlando Sentinel
reported.

-Arkansas Unmarried Adoption Ban Targets Gay Couples
The Little Rock, AR based organization largely responsible for placing aconstitutional ban against gay marriage in Arkansas in 2004, is back in 2008with an anti-gay adoption ban. On Monday, the Family Council ActionCommittee (FCAC) met a deadline to submit 61,974 signatures to the Secretaryof State to place a proposed law banning unmarried couples from adoptingchildren on the November ballot. While the initiative bans both same-sex andopposite-sex couples, the organization's website lists banning gay andlesbian couples from adoption as a goal of the law.

-Suspect Targeted Gay Man For Murder
An arrest warrant has been issued for a Mexican national in the robbery andmurder of Miami man earlier this year. On January 3rd, a caretaker foundthe body of 68-year old Alexio Bello inside his ransacked El LagoCondominium in the 55-hundred block of Northwest 7th Street. Bello's murderwas the first recorded homicide of 2008. During the investigation, Bello'sfriends told police he had recently befriended 21-year old Jorge EspinozaNavarrete a few days before his death. Navarrete, who grew up in Mexico, hadrecently moved to South Florida from North Carolina and Georgia.


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

-NY: Married Lesbian Couple Sues Blue Cross Blue Shield for Refusing toProvide Benefits
Following up on its landmark legal victory that recognized lesbian and gaycouples' valid out-of-state marriages, the New York Civil Liberties Uniontoday filed a lawsuit in the Erie County Supreme Court against an insurancecompany for denying spousal health care benefits to a validly marriedlesbian couple. The New York Civil Liberties Union is an affiliate of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union that operates in New York State.

-CA: County releases workers' protests on gay marriages; Only sixtransferred or were reassigned
Link: San Diego Union-Tribune
County employees recalled their upbringings, cited religious beliefs anddescribed their discomfort as they sought to opt out of performing gaymarriages prior to the unions becoming legal June 17. [...] The employees'objections were expressed in a series of e-mails obtained by The San DiegoUnion-Tribune through the California Public Records Act. The county now says24 of its 112 deputized employees raised objections, up from 14 previouslydisclosed.

-Marriage equality: 'Sound Business to the Tune of Billions'
Link: Edge Boston
Social conservatives have loud rhetoric when it comes to marriage equality,but even so they might not be able to drown out a new sound associated withweddings for gays and lesbians: the din of cash registers.

-Opposition: Family Research Council to Host Panel Discussion on CaliforniaSame-sex Marriage--The Impact on Religious Liberty
Link: Family Research Council
This event announcement is posted as an example of the major emphasis thatanti-marriage activists are placing on purported threats to religiousliberty when the freedom to marry is recognized. Note that the event isbeing webcast. Join FRC for a panel discussion on the California SupremeCourt ruling on same-sex marriage and its impact on First Amendment rightsand religious liberty protections. The panel of legal and policy expertswill address questions that concern religious organizations. Will churchesbe able to deny "marriage" to homosexual couples? Will they be able to denyaccess to their facilities? Will other Christian organizations retain theirreligious identity and beliefs in light of the court's decision?WHO: Kevin J. "Seamus" Hasson, Becket Fund for Religious LibertyBenjamin Bull, Alliance Defense Fund
Professor Teresa Stanton Collett, University of St. Thomas School of LawNathan J. Diament, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of AmericaProfessor Chai R. Feldblum, Georgetown University Law CenterTony Perkins,Family Research Council

-'MA legislature readying to take up repeal of 1913 law preventing
out-of-state gay marriages'
Link: Edge Boston
The state legislature will likely take up a bill to repeal the 1913 law thatprevents non-resident same-sex couples from marrying before the close of thelegislative session at the end of this month. According to MassEqualityCampaign Director Marc Solomon, "there is a serious effort on the part ofthe Senate and then the House to advance a repeal of the 1913 law ...sometime in the next week or so."

-'The Case for a Right of Marriage Recognition: Why Fourteenth Amendment DueProcess Should Protect Same-Sex Couples Who Change States'
Link: Findlaw
by Steve Sanders
Imagine a world where your marital status changed when you moved to a newstate. Imagine being denied insurance, medical decision-making authority, oreven parental rights by bureaucrats who dismissed your marriage license asif it were some worthless foreign currency. Imagine a world where, with nodue process, a state could effectively divorce you against your will.Absurd? Yes. Unimaginable? For most people it is, but not for gays andlesbians.


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

-UK: "Gay rights don't trump religious rights" says Christian Institute
A Christian group opposed to gay rights has welcomed an employment tribunalruling that Islington council discriminated against a registrar.

-UK: Secularists horrified by "catastrophic" employment tribunal ruling
Today's ruling in favour of a Christian woman who wanted to opt out ofperforming civil partnership ceremonies because she feels they go againsther religion has alarmed the National Secular Society.

-Cayman Islands to ban gay marriage
An amendment to legislation in the Cayman Islands defining marriage asbetween a man and a woman is expected to get support from the government andopposition.

-TUC chief complains to Peter Robinson about his wife
The First Minister of Northern Ireland will be getting a letter from the TUCthis week complaining about his wife's claims that gay people can be turnedstraight.

-Controversial beauty spot's clean up may upset cruisers
A beauty spot on the Bristol Downs at the centre of a row last year whenfirefighters disturbed gay men having outdoor sex has become the subject ofa controversy again.

-Israeli civil rights organisation to be headed by leading gay activistThe former executive director of Jerusalem's community centre for the gaycommunity is to become the head of Israel's leading human rights group.


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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-Russian gay community will picket the Embassy of Iran to protest againstexecutions of homosexuals
Activists of Russian gay movement intend July 19 to picket the Embassy ofIran in Moscow for the third time to protest against prosecution of sexualminorities in that country.

-Islington registrar decision enshrines discrimination
Homophobia is legitimate, says employment tribunal"This decision sanctionsthe right of religious people to discriminateagainst others who theydisagree with. It is a dangerous subversion ofthe democratic principle thateveryone should have equal rights andresponsibilities under the law," saidhuman rights campaigner PeterTatchell. He was commenting on the legaldecision in favour of Islingtonregistrar Lillian Ladele, who refused toconduct same-sex civilpartnerships on the grounds that it conflicted withher religiousbeliefs. "The tribunal has ruled that people of faith areabove the law," added Mr Tatchell.


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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

-Sex in the City: Big apple's big temptation
From Russia Today In New York, traditional relationships are becoming lessand less fashionable. Having several boyfriends or girlfriends is somethingof a lifestyle choice for many. However, critics say it just shows a lack ofresponsibility. You don't need to go far to see that New York is celebratingsexual lfreedom. Polyamory - literally meaning "multiple love" - orconsensual non-monogamy - is becoming extremely popular here.
http://www.russiatoday.ru/entertainment/news/27138

-President may grapple with same-sex marriage, Supreme Court
President may grapple with same-sex marriage, Supreme CourtMcCain, Obama oppose gay marriages, but how to ban them is the issueWASHINGTON - With four months to go until the election, msnbc.comispresenting a weekly series, Briefing Book: Issues '08 which willassessissues and controversies that the next president must confront once hetakesthe oath of office. This week, we look at the courts and marriage. Cansame-sex couples marry?Is such a right is guaranteed by state constitutionsand by the UnitedStates Constitution? As these controversies make their wayto the Supreme Court, will the nextpresident have the opportunity to appointjustices who'll address these questions?
Why it's a problem
For same-sex couples, the California Supreme Court's May 15 ruling onmarriage is a historic victory. The state's highest court ruled that theCalifornia's constitution protects the right of same-sex couples to marry.In doing so, the court overruled the state's voters. In 2000, 61 percent ofCalifornia voters approved a ballot measure that said "only marriage betweena man and a woman is valid and recognized in California." But the rulingposes a thorny election-year problem for both Republican JohnMcCain andDemocrat Barack Obama.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25555532/

-Support for marriage, civil unions up 10% from 2004
Nearly six in 10 - 57 percent - of adults believe gay and lesbiancouplesshould be allowed to marry or form civil unions, according to aNewsweekmagazine poll .
Support for recognition of gay and lesbian relationships has climbed 10percent inthe Newsweek poll since 2004. A Time Magazine survey also found that astrongmajority - 58 percent - of Americans opposes amending the U.S.Constitutionto ban marriages between gay and lesbian couples.

-DNC Platform Committee Released
National Democrats will be guided by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano,along-time Barack Obama supporter, when they craft their platform attheconvention in Denver, the Democratic National Committee announced today.TheCopper State chief will head up the party's Platform Drafting Committeein advance of the full committee hammering out a draft to be voted on by theconvention. Napolitano will be joined by prominent Democrats from aroundthe country, including Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Rosa DeLauro, Patrick Murphy andLinda Sanchez, as well as Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, MarylandLieutenant Governor Anthony Brown and Obama advisers Susan Rice and HeatherHigginbottom. The committee includes prominent Clinton backers, like Baldwinand Granholm, as well as Obama backers.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/politics_nation/2008/07/dnc_platform_cmte_released.html

-"BUYCOTT" to show your support of McDonalds!
Woodhull Freedom Foundation calls for McDonald's BUYCOTT-that is buy more atMcDonalds by making an extra purchase regularly at McDonalds in recognitionof its action supporting Sexual Freedom as a Fundamental Human Right TheWoodhull Freedom Foundation (WFF) says that the McDonald's Corporation'srole in joining the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, giving ita $20,000 donation and placing one of its executives on the Chamber's boardof directors is a strong step toward reinforcing American values includingaffirming sexual freedom as a fundamental human right as recognized by theUSSupreme Court in Lawrence v Texas.

-Gender Portrayals in Commercials Affect Career Choices
Men at Work, Women Sell Food, Cleansers
A new study finds that portrayals of men and women in commercials canstrongly affect people's behavior in their private lives. Researchers atthe University of New Hampshire analyzed 1,538 commercials shown inprimetime over a one week period. Graduate researcher ValerieHooper found
that:
* Men were the main characters a majority of the time (55%), and whentheywere the main characters they were more often shown at work (34%) andalmostnever in domestic settings (2%) cleaning, cooking or doing childcare.
* When women were featured, it was seldom outside the home (13%) andmostoften connected to selling home products including food,cleansers,furniture or items for personal care.
http://www.gpac.org/


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Stonewall Democrats Platform Meetings Coast-To-Coast
Yesterday, the Democratic National Committee and Barack Obama announced thatour national Democratic Party platform should be open to input fromDemocrats across the country. As the only organization for LGBT and alliedDemocrats, this is an important opportunity for Stonewall Democrats togather and talk about the issues you told us you cared about in theStonewall Census: fixing health care in America, protecting our civilliberties, advocating for full equality for LGBT people and our families,improving education, and ending the war in Iraq. Senator Obama isencouraging Democrats from across the country to host a platform meeting attheir homes, community centers and neighborhood gathering spots from July19-27. We are encouraging all of our members to take part in the process,host their own Platform Party, and let the concerns of LGBT and alliedDemocrats be known. Stonewall Democrats Platform Meetings Coast-To-CoastSign up to host your own Platform Party through the Obama website and letus know that you are hosting an event by emailing
contact@stonewalldemocrats.org:my.barackobama.com/page/content/listening


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From MoveOn.Org
Over 428,000 people have signed a petition telling FOX to stop their racistand hate-filled smears against Barack Obama. If we hit half-a-millionsignatures, we can draw media attention and put pressure on FOX'sadvertisers. Plus, Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films released a video thismorning documenting FOX's ongoing smears against Michelle Obama. Pleasecheck out the video, and then sign the petition calling on FOX to stoppeddling racism-and then tell your friends.
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/foxsmears.html?id=13181-5533006-HNqfYcx&t=3

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