Friday, August 08, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - August 08, 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:

-New York State Senate Gets Bill Banning Bullying Acts in the Schools
Legislation aimed at banning bullying in public schools, includingharassment based on sexual orientation, has been quietly introduced in theState Senate. The legislation, which includes language protectingtransgender students and teachers, has been a priority of advocates for gayand lesbian rights but was ignored for nearly a decade in the Senate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/education/08bully.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin

-New Focus on Children at AIDS Seminar
MEXICO CITY - The global response to the AIDS epidemic has short-changedchildren, health workers at the International AIDS Conference said here onWednesday. Although governments and donors provide large amounts of moneyfor H.I.V. treatment in the developing world, too little of that moneyreaches children, said Linda Richter, a psychologist in South Africa whodelivered the first plenary lecture on children in the history of theconference.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/health/07aids.html

-AIDS Group Cites Rapes in Zimbabwe as Terror Tool
MEXICO CITY - A 13-year-old girl was abducted, then raped repeatedly over atwo-week period during a campaign of political terror in Zimbabwesurrounding recent elections there. Hers is one of 53 cases documented byAIDS-Free World, an advocacy group investigating rape as a political weaponin Zimbabwe, activists said Thursday at a news conference at the 17thInternational AIDS Conference here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/world/africa/08aids.html


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

-Calif. boy pleads not guilty in gay teen's slaying
A 14-year-old Southern California boy has pleaded not guilty to the murderof his gay classmate. Brandon McInerney entered the plea in Ventura CountySuperior Court on Thursday. McInerney is charged as an adult with firstdegree murder and a hate crime for the Feb. 12 fatal shooting of 15-year-oldLarry King at their junior high school in Oxnard.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/08/AR2008080800350.html


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

-IMMIGRATION: Lesbian avoids deportation to Jamaica
A Jamaican lesbian was spared deportation to her native country after ajudge found that she might be tortured there because of her sexualorientation.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/633396.html


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

-Report: Archbishop of Canterbury says gay relationships are OK
In newly disclosed letters, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams wrotethat the Bible doesn't forbid same sex relationships when there is acommitment similar to traditional marriages, a British newspaper reportedThursday. The report by the Times of London was the latest development inthe controversial issue of how the Anglican church should viewhomosexuality. Williams has come under intense scrutiny as differing viewsover whether to accept changes in traditional biblical understanding ofsame-sex relationships have threatened to split the 77 million-memberAnglican Communion.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/08/report-archbish.html


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

-NY lawyers defend move to recognize gay marriages
Alliance Defense Fund accuses gov. of overstepping his authorityState lawyers are defending Gov. David Paterson's move to recognizeout-of-state gay marriages.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20209

-What Howard Dean thinks of the Blade
If you want to get a look at what DNC Chair Howard Dean really thinks of thegay media, and the Blade in particular, check out this new YouTube clip.Someone has edited together all of Dean's Blade-trashing remarks from hisrecent videotaped deposition in the case of a gay man, Donald Hitchcock,suing the party for wrongful termination.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=8/2/08&end=8/9/08#20208

-Mr. T Tells Bill O'Reilly: 'I'm Not a Gay-Basher'
Mr. T denied being "homophobic" on "The O'Reilly Factor" Wednesday nightafter his recent Snickers ad was pulled from the airwaves in Britain foroffending homosexuals. "I am not homophobic, I am not a gay-basher I didn'tsay anything that was negative nor derogatory," Mr. T told Bill O'Reilly. "Iwould never do a commercial if I thought it was offensive to anyone.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,399584,00.html

-Rowan Williams: gay relationships 'comparable to marriage'
Rowan Williams believes that gay sexual relationships can "reflect the loveof God" in a way that is comparable to marriage, The Times has learnt. Gaypartnerships pose the same ethical questions as those between men and women,and the key issue for Christians is that they are faithful and lifelong, hebelieves.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4473814.ece

-Kanye West to Fans: Don't Use the Word 'Fag'
A YouTube clip of the final minutes of a Madison Square Garden performanceof Kanye West's Glow in the Dark tour on August 5th shows the rapperspeaking out against homophobia and anti-gay slurs.
http://www.towleroad.com/2008/08/kanye-west-to-f.html

-Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Jefferson: A Sex Blogger Fights for Custodyof his Kids"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The phrase came to me thismorning while musing over the predicament of my friend, the sex bloggerJefferson. Because his ex-wife recently discovered he is bisexual, he is nowfighting for custody of his kids. It's an ironic twist that the man who tookas his pseudonym Jefferson, in homage to freedom-loving Thomas Jefferson,should have that man's basic principles now used against him in a court oflaw.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suzanne-portnoy/life-liberty-the-pursuit_b_117010.html

-Friend & Foe
FRIEND OF THE WEEK
Heddy Pena - Former Executive and Political Director
Safeguarding American Values for Everyone (SAVE)
Heddy Pena took over Miami's grassroots GLBT political action committeeafter Miami-Dade County voters approved its gay-friendly Human RightsOrdinance in 2002 and since then she has been a constant and fierce watchdogfor GLBT equality rights. Pena has led the organization's efforts to secureequal benefits to Miami Beach employees and recently the approval for thedomestic partnership registry in Miami Dade. This week she stepped downfrom her position SAVE to take a more active role in the campaign to defeatAmendment 2. She will be heading Spanish-language media efforts as well asfundraising for Florida Red and Blue.

FOE OF THE WEEK
Charlie Crist - Governor State of Florida
To most who've been watching the ascent of Florida's governor Charlie Cristto a more national scope as a short-listed potential vice-presidentialmaterial, Crist's declarative statement supporting Amendment 2, theconstitutional measure to ban same sex marriage in Florida comes as nosurprise. Crist, after all, was among the first to sign the petition toplace the measure on the ballot. However, he's walked an ambiguous linestating for several months that he defines his position as "live and letlive." As his profile zooms to national name recognition one can only seehis leadership as one that will do and say what is expeditiouslyadvantageous to his own ambition. Crist has been criticized for movingincreasingly to the right to win over more conservative factions of theRepublican Party. And while his declarative support for Amendment 2 bringsan end to his nebulous stance on the issue, it will not be the decisivestraw to sway voters Nov. 4.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/8-7/view/friendfoe/4938.cfm

-Lingering questions for Barack Obama
The enigmatic senator should provide clarity on issues important to gays I SUPPORT BARACK Obama and urge everyone to do the same. But recently I was accused of not drinking the Kool-Aid yet, which is true, because Obama remains something of an enigma.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/8-7/view/columns/4940.cfm



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

-Teen pleads not guilty in Larry King slaying
A 14-year-old Southern California boy has pleaded not guilty to the murder
of his gay classmate.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080808-larry-king-plea/

-Gay dad could face abduction charge
A gay man involved in a bitter battle with his estranged husband has fledthe country with their 23-month old son. Eric Hyett and his son Jedidiahhave surfaced in Israel. In an interview with the New York Daily News, Hyettblames the ugly property and custody battle on Joshua Glazer, who Hyettclaims has for a year ignored offers to settle.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-dad-could-face-abduction-charge/

-Canada mulls mandatory reporting of HIV+ immigrants
(Vancouver, British Columbia) Immigrants with HIV account for a largeportion of new infections of the disease in Canada and they're slippingbetween the health-care cracks, warns a recent report. Although Citizenshipand Immigration Canada is considering making HIV a reportable disease,currently it is not, meaning it is not considered a public health risk andit is not mandatory to report infections to public health officials.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080708-canada-immigrants/

-Video/ Oh God, I'm Gay! - Sabrina Sojourner
http://www.365gay.com/video/video-oh-god-im-gay-ann-kansfield/


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

-Missouri to Get Its First Out Gay Male Legislator
Mike Colona, a gay lawyer from St. Louis, won his Democratic primary Tuesdayfor a Missouri house seat despite controversy over his ties to the gay pornindustry, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Colona took 42% of the votein his five-candidate race and should head directly to the statehouse: Hehas no Republican challenger in the fall. He'll become the first out gay manin the Missouri legislature.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid59053.asp

-Presidential Debate Commission Chooses Moderators
The Commission on Presidential Debates has named Jim Lehrer and Gwen Ifillof PBS, Tom Brokaw of NBC News, and Bob Schieffer of CBS News as moderatorsof the three presidential debates and one vice presidential face-off.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid59059.asp


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

-Straight Leaders Sought for Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights 2008
Link: Soulforce
(Austin, TX) - There's never been a more exciting time for straightAmericans to take a stand for their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender(LGBT) friends and neighbors. That's according to Soulforce and AtticusCircle, the sponsors of Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights 2008, aproject that will spotlight straight Americans' support for equality overthe week of September 14-20.

-Rowan Williams: Gay couples reflect the love of God
Link: The Guardian
Gay relationships can "reflect the love of God" in a way that is comparableto marriage, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Ina series of letters from 2000 and 2001, when he was still archbishop ofWales, Williams wrote that scriptural prohibitions against homosexuality,such as those in Leviticus, were addressed "to heterosexuals looking forsexual variety in their experience".


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

-India's health minister calls for decriminalisation of homosexuality
A leading Cabinet minister in India has said that laws that criminalise gaysex should be overturned. Anbumani Ramadoss made his remarks at the 17thInternational Conference on AIDS.

-Gay blood donors would bring "infection and death" claims Red Cross
Gay activists have accused the Red Cross of scare tactics on the first dayof a hearing into Australia's gay blood ban in Hobart yesterday.

-Gay Filipinos arrested in Saudi Arabia
Two men from the Philippines have been arrested in the Saudi capital Riyadhfor homosexual acts. The arrests by the Muslim nation's "morality police" isthe latest in a crackdown on gays.

-Democratic convention platform short on LGBT issues
The Democratic National Committee sent a draft of the party's 2008 platformto committee members yesterday that incorporated planks from the platformsof former candidates.

-Malaysian political leader pleads not guilty to sodomy charge
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim been bailed by a court in Malaysia afterpleading not guilty to charges of sodomy. His trial will begin on September 10th.


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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

-New Orleans APSA meeting boycott statement.
"Boycott and Support ACORN."
The states like Louisiana that are not just passing anti-gay laws but areactually changing their constitutions to enshrine homophobic exclusiondeserve a strong response, and the APSA ought to stand up and say no to suchbigotry and to injustice of all kinds. In addition, the APSA annual meetingdraws such a large number of participants that the unlikely event actuallydoes become a real possibility. We really do have to take the medical andlegal needs of our lesbian and gay members into account. For these reasons,I support the boycott of the New Orleans APSA meeting. At the same time,this is a boycott that will have an impact on a very special city.Post-Katrina, New Orleans is in desperate need of sound capital investment.It also needs sound democratic leadership, one that would treat the needs ofthe low income residents, rather than the demands for corporate development,as its first priority.
http://www.acorn.org/


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

-Introducing Your 2008 Equality Riders
Since 2006 a dynamic group of volunteers from our young adults division,Soulforce Q, has hit the road on an annual journey that changes hearts andminds at college campuses across the country. Today, I'm excited to sharewith you the words of Katie Higgins, who along with Jarrett Lucas, isdirecting this year's Equality Ride with keen focus and steelydetermination. Take some time to get to know the riders, our most diversegroup yet, and consider supporting them with a financial donation to help usunderwrite this important project. These young people are taking two monthsout of their lives, many of them interrupting their college education, inorder to bring truth and justice to those who need to hear that message themost. Sponsor the riders: http://www.soulforce.org/2008riders
http://www.soulforce.org/email_campaign/email_8_7_2008.html

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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - August 08, 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:

-Olympics Tracker - Interactive Schedule
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/05/sports/olympics/2008_OLYMPICS_TRACKER.html?pagewanted=all

-Russia Threatens Retaliation After Georgia Says It Fired on Planes
Sharp fighting in the disputed Caucasian enclave of South Ossetia threatenedto draw Russia and the American-backed republic of Georgia into directmilitary conflict.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/09/world/europe/09georgia.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

-Musharraf Won't Resign, Allies Say
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - President Pervez Musharraf will stage a spiriteddefense against impeachment charges the governing coalition is pursuingagainst him, and has no intention of resigning under pressure, his keyallies said Friday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/09/world/asia/09pstan.html?hp

-Political Memo: Roles of Clintons at Convention Start to Clear
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton asked the question herself, on the last nightof the primaries in June: "What does Hillary want?" That is still a bit ofa mystery, particularly as she and Senator Barack Obama negotiate thedelicate question of her role at the Democratic convention in Denver and inthe campaign beyond. But at least the convention role of one importantperson, former President Bill Clinton, has been settled with the decisionThursday that he would be speaking at the convention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/us/politics/08clinton.html

-Fingerprint Test Tells What a Person Has Touched
With a new analytical technique, a fingerprint can now reveal much more thanthe identity of a person. It can now also identify what the person has beentouching: drugs, explosives or poisons, for example.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/science/08finger.html

-Date Set for Operation of Large Hadron Collider
Physicists, start your engines. Officials at CERN, the European Center forNuclear Research, outside Geneva, announced Thursday that their new particleaccelerator, the world's largest, would begin operation on Sept. 10. On thatdate, the physicists and engineers will make the first attempt to circulatea beam of protons around a 17-mile-long super-cooled underground racetrackknown as the Large Hadron Collider.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/science/08physics.html

-Know-Nothing Politics
Know-nothingism - the insistence that there are simple answers to everyproblem - has become the core of Republican policy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/opinion/08krugman.html?ref=opinion

-Where the Race Now Begins at Kindergarten
Parents who sent their toddlers to the well-regarded Mandell preschool onthe Upper West Side used to count on getting into the private school oftheir choice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/nyregion/06private.html


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

-A Challenge on Darfur
Selection of refugee Lopez Lomong to carry U.S. flag in opening ceremoniesis a symbolic, defiant act.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/08/AR2008080800009.html?hpid=topnews

-No Will To Drill
Why must there be a choice between encouraging conservation and increasingsupply?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080702900.html

-Texas's Disdain
In carrying out two executions, the state endangers Americans detainedabroad.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080702989.html

-Dazzling Display Launches Games
Performances chronicle China's 5,000-year history and temporarily drawattention away from the months of controversy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/08/AR2008080801134.html?hpid=topnews

-Beijing's Games
The high political price of Olympic gold
THERE WAS a certain stage-managed quality to President Bush's mini-clashwith China over human rights this week. The words he employed were indeedstrong: "The United States believes the people of China deserve thefundamental liberty that is the natural right of all human beings," Mr. Bushdeclared. "So America stands in firm opposition to China's detention ofpolitical dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists." Yethe spoke these words not on Chinese soil but in democratic Thailand. Theycame near the end of a broader address in which the president touched onmany Asian subjects and offered countervailing praise for Chinesecooperation on international issues. The president released his text well inadvance, giving Beijing plenty of time to respond. "We firmly oppose anywords or acts that interfere in other countries' internal affairs, usinghuman rights and religion and other issues," the Communist governmentreplied -- and promptly returned to preparations for today's Olympic OpeningCeremonies, which Mr. Bush and other Western leaders will attend.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080702969.html

-Bin Laden Driver Gets 51/2 Years; U.S. Sought 30
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -A former driver for Osama bin Laden wassentenced by a military jury Thursday to 5 1/2 years in prison forsupporting terrorism, a far shorter term than demanded by governmentprosecutors. The judge gave Salim Ahmed Hamdan credit for five years and onemonth of his pretrial incarceration at Guantanamo Bay, making him eligiblefor release from custody in five months.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080700248.html?hpid=moreheadlines

-EPA Denies Texas Temporary Easing Of Ethanol Rules
Agency Sees No 'Severe Economic Harm'
The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday denied a request by Texas totemporarily cut federal ethanol requirements for the nation's fuel supply,saying the state had not proved that the recent rise in corn prices isseverely hurting its economy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080702758.html


-White supremacists hope Obama win prompts backlash
They're not exactly rooting for Barack Obama, but prominent whitesupremacists anticipate a boost to their cause if he becomes the first lackpresident. His election, they say, would trigger a backlash _ whites risingup, a revolution of sorts _ that they think is long overdue.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/08/AR2008080800414.html

-A Chance to Dispel Some Norse Myths
The Norwegian women's team handball practice attracted about the crowd you'dexpect when one of the best handball teams in the world takes the court fortraining. There were seven journalists from Norway, one from Finland and ablogger from The Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080503632.html

-Labor leaders back Obama, but will members?
American labor leaders are urging their white working class members to putaside racial biases that could undermine Barack Obama's union-backed bid tobecome the United States' first black president. Recent elections haveshown Democrats with a populist message could rely on strong support fromunion households.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/08/AR2007080801427.html


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

-Megachurch and state can't hold as many screaming fans as the football stadium in Denver, where Sen. Barack Obama is to address an expected crowd of 75,000 on Aug. 28. Nor is it conveniently located near the scenic Mississippi River, like the arena in St. Paul, Minn., where Sen. John McCain is to take the stage a few days later. But the 3,000-seat auditorium at pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., does have one notable advantage: It's a stage that Obama and McCain recently agreed to share, at least for a little while, on Aug. 16.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/inbox/story/632574.html


-Miami: Man held on charge of threatening Obama
A man who authorities say kept weapons and military-style gear in his Miamihotel room and car is being held without bail on charges he threatened to assassinate presidential candidate Barack Obama.
http://www.miamiherald.com/979/story/632868.html

-No victory for justice
The trial and sentencing of Osama bin Laden's driver by a militarycommission at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, will never be considered a great momentin the history of American justice.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/633412.html


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Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Rentech opens synthetic fuel plant in Colorado
Energy supplier Rentech Inc. says it has opened a synthetic diesel and jetfuel plant in Colorado which is now the only operating one of its kind inthe country. Los Angeles-based Rentech said Wednesday its demonstrationplant in Commerce City, Colo. is designed to produce 420 gallons a day -- amere trickle compared with the needs of airlines and trucking companies.Company officials said their natural gas-based fuel will be sold to theDepartment of Defense and private companies for further testing. Thattesting could lead to certifying the fuel for commercial use in the airlineindustry.
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=21202&channel=wire§ion


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

-A Catharsis in Denver?
Don't kid yourself. With Hillary planning a 'Greek drama,' the Clinton-Obamarivalry will go on. For 40 years, conventions have just been big TV showsthat coronate nominees, and this year's festivities aren't going to be anydifferent. But the extraordinary closeness of the Democratic contest andrecent comments by Hillary and Bill Clinton have the media in a tizzy. Couldwe see a donnybrook in Denver after all?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/151388

-Obama forced to deal with Tenn. primary
Barack Obama was forced to involve himself in a racially divisive Memphiscongressional primary Thursday that pits a white liberal incumbent againstan African-American challenger who has connected the congressman to the KuKlux Klan.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12378.html

-Political Cycles
You're in a plane and you're flying over the campaign at a level of about10,000 feet, and you look down and see: Not much has changed. Battle linesfixed, topography the same, troops pretty much where they were.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121813852996621575.html?mod=todays_columnists

-White Supremacists See Hope In Obama Win
First Black President Would Trigger Backlash And Jar Whites Into Action,They Say
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/08/national/main4331869.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._4331869

-Pressure grows on Mayor Kilpatrick to step aside
Jailed and facing an uncertain future, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is undermounting pressure from City Hall to Lansing to step aside and end sevenmonths of scandal and commotion.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080808/METRO/808080376&imw=Y

-Hawaii and its multiracial society influenced Obama's view of the world andpolitics
The diverse culture of the nation's 50th state - and the island nature ofHawaii itself - shaped Barack Obama's view of the world and the politics hewould practice.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-obama-hawaii-influence,0,1928515.story

-Obama's Tactical Gift to McCain
There is now one question in American politics: With the Republican Party insuch bad shape -- measured by polls, voter registration and generalenthusiasm -- why isn't Barack Obama in better shape? (Most national pollsshow him slightly ahead.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080702899.html

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - August 08, 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~~

Gay & Lesbian Community Center of
South Florida (GLCC) eVOICE

-CHOICES GROUP STARTING SOON
HIV+? Stressed by dating, sex, relationships or disclosure?
Join CHOICES! Living with HIV/AIDS can add unique stressors to life. Thefive-week CHOICES (Choosing Healthy Options & Improving CommunicationEffectivenesS) program helps men living with HIV build coping skills tohandle some of these challenges. We meet in small groups to discuss how tobuild healthy relationships, negotiate safer sex, lower stress and discloseHIV-status to family, friends and sex partners. These fun, interactivesessions use modern movie clips to launch small group discussions each week.We offer CHOICES groups both in English and en Español.
www.glccsf.org

-MIKE TROST HOSTS FUNDRAISING EVENT - SEPTEMBER 25
Mike Trost will host the second annual fundraising event at his home for theGLCC. Last year Mike raised $25,000 to support the programs and services ofthe GLCC. This year the goal is $40,000. Cost is only $100 to enjoy greatfood, drink, Silent Auction with great items, and much more. For moreinformation contact Robert Boo, Development Director, at 954.463.9005 or rboo@glccsf.org.
www.glccsf.org


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

-Crist gives straight answer
Florida Governor announces support of Amendment 2
Gov. Charlie Crist's "live and let live" policy regarding the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Florida is now a thing of the past.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/8-7/news/localnews/4929.cfm

-GLBT youth growing up
Pridelines expanding services, hiring new staff
Pridelines, the Miami-based organization serving GLBTQ youth, is searchingthe nation for a new executive director. Vivian Marthell, who previouslyheld that position, is stepping down from her position, and will continueworking with the organization as Program Director.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/8-7/news/localnews/4936.cfm

-Flex your political muscles
HRC Equality Weekend comes to South Florida
This is an election year, and every vote counts! The Human Rights Campaign,the largest national GLBT advocacy organization, is hoping to energize SouthFlorida voters with Equality Weekend, Thursday, Aug. 7 - Sunday, Aug. 10.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/8-7/locallife/pulse/4945.cfm


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Forwarded, thanks to Adrian Reesey
Candidate for Broward County Supervisor of Elections

-Interactive Ballot Guide - Broward and Palm Beach Counties
Find your races by entering your street address, city and ZIP code. Comparethe candidates.
http://www.thevoterguide.org/a-sun-sentinel/index.do?i=0


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

-Florida utilities face new requirements for renewable energy
Talking about renewable energy is nothing new in the Sunshine State, but thepush for cleaner energy could soon become a legal mandate. For the firsttime, Florida is about to require that part of the state's power come fromrenewable sources. The state has been promoting that idea with grants andtax exemptions for several years, but renewable power makes up less than 3percent of the total in Florida.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-0808renewableenergy,0,1685841.story

-Inflation eating up income gains in South Florida
Average paychecks rose 5.6% last year in South Florida
The good news is South Florida's per-capita income rose 5.6 percent lastyear, according to a report Thursday from the U.S. Commerce Department. Butdon't be too impressed. The bad news is that inflation ate up all of thatincrease and more.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzincome0808sbaug08,0,2434232.story

-Houses in S. Florida take longer to sell than anywhere else in the country
The U.S. housing downturn has hammered South Florida like few other placesnationwide. A surge in foreclosures and a decrease in the number ofqualified buyers have tested the patience of many sellers.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzdaysonmarket0808sbaug08,0,7949791.story

-Choose Ryan in Senate District 31
Eeney, meeny, miney ...In what appears to be a cut-from-the-same-cloth contest, voters in south central Broward County will have to choose betweenthree Democratic former state representatives vying to replace state Sen.Steven A. Geller, D-Cooper City, who can't run for re-election because ofterm limits.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editdlsd31sbaug07,0,1683522.story


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

-Heads up for hurricanes: NOAA predicts more storms
Calling conditions ripe for tropical development, U.S. governmentforecasters Thursday said the remainder of the 2008 Atlantic storm seasonshould be bustling, with as many as eight more hurricanes.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-a2canes0808aug08,0,7268886.story?track=rss

-Publix wastes not, recycles old food
Publix's unsold food is heading to a Pompano Beach recycling plant to be
turned into organic fertilizer
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/633202.html

-School Funding: Trust worth billions
Gov. Charlie Crist appears to be the trusting sort. He supports a propertyinsurance system that is severely underfunded and trusts that the state cansomehow acquire the billions if a hurricane hits.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/080808/opi_315487795.shtml

-Drug prices increase as much as 3,000%
Drug companies are quietly pushing through price hikes of 100 percent -- oreven 1,000 percent -- for a very small but growing number of prescriptiondrugs, helping drive up costs for insurers, patients and governmentprograms.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080808/NEWS01/808080343/1006

-Pornographic photos found on DJJ computer
Juvenile Justice Secretary Frank Peterman said Thursday a dozen detentionofficers have been fired in an investigation of pornographic images found ona state computer. Peterman called a news conference on the steps of hisdepartment headquarters to emphasize that no boys at the St. Johns RegionalJuvenile Detention Center were exposed to the materials. He said thepictures ranged from "suggestive" to "explicit," but that no pictures ofminors were among them.
http://floridacapitalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080808/CAPITOLNEWS/808080323&theme=

=

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#####

Thursday, August 07, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - August 07, 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:

-Vulnerable to H.I.V., Resistant to Labels
The 29-year-old is not gay. He wants that known. He did have sex with a manonce, but that was the result of loneliness and his hormones' being inoverdrive, he said, not because of any attraction to men. He suspects thatthe one encounter was responsible for giving him the virus that causes AIDS.But he is not gay no matter what anybody may think.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/world/americas/07mexico.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin


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

-Probe into Heath Ledger death closed: report
Federal prosecutors in New York have closed an investigation into the fatalprescription drug overdose of actor Heath Ledger without bringing charges,People magazine reported on its Web site on Wednesday. The report, citingan unidentified law enforcement source, also said the U.S. Attorney's Officewill not enforce a subpoena issued in the case by a federal grand juryagainst actress Mary-Kate Olsen.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080700814.html

-Catholic bishops endorse Calif. gay marriage ban
California's Roman Catholic bishops are urging parishioners to support afall ballot measure that seeks to overturn the court ruling that legalizedsame-sex marriage in the state. The California Catholic Conference issued astatement strongly encouraging parishioners "to provide both the financialsupport and the volunteer efforts needed for the passage of Proposition 8."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080700660.html

-Early Lessons Forgotten, AIDS Conference Told
Twenty-five years after AIDS was branded the "gay plague," the virus isagain exacting a disproportionate toll on men who have sex with men, notonly in the United States but also in countries where the epidemic is justemerging.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080602940.html

-Report: Anglican says gay relationships okay
In newly disclosed letters, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams wrotethat the Bible doesn't forbid same sex relationships when there is acommitment similar to traditional marriages, a British newspaper reportedThursday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080700768.html


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

-UN chief: End bias against gay men
Discrimination against men who have sex with men must end, and countriesmust gear up prevention programs against AIDS in this high-risk group, thesecretary general of the United Nations said Wednesday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flaaids0807sbaug07,0,3600157.story

-World Naked Bike Ride
Sparsely clad cyclists ride on June 7, 2008, during World Naked Biking Dayin Copenhagen.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/custom/fringe/sns-green-naked-bikeday-pg,0,591429.photogallery


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

-Heddy Peña leaves SAVE to join Florida Red & Blue campaign against gaymarriage amendment
Political director and former executive director Heddy Peña has left SAVE(Safeguarding American Values for Everyone) to join the Florida Red & Bluecampaign to defeat Amendment 2.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/08/heddy-pea-leave.html

-Women's Business Networker @ Open Doors - 7300 Biscyane Blvd., Miami
The Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, in association withPandora Events presents "A Designer Cocktail Event," this month's Women'sBusiness Networker on Thursday, August 7th @ Open Doors, 7300 BiscayneBlvd., Miami. Beginning at 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M., light beverages andcanapés will be served. $5.00 for MDGLCC members; $10.00 for prospectivemembers.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/08/womens-business.html

-6th annual Oakland (Calif.) International Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual &Transgender Film Festival opens Aug. 14
Oakland, Calif. -- It was six years ago when festival producers DebraWilson and Joe Hawkins decided to do what many thought wasn't possible;create a film festival dedicated to showcasing films about the lives oflesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people of African descent.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/08/6th-annual-oakl.html


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

-Closet case Crist flip-flops on marriage
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) has flip-flopped on the issue of his state'sNovember ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage and now supports themeasure. It's just the latest transparent move by Crist to make himself morepalatable to GOP conservatives in the hopes of being picked as John McCain'srunning mate. He recently announced that he's engaged, after living all butseven months of his life single. Crist was briefly married in 1979. Bladereaders will recall that in 2006, Crist's primary opponent, Max Linn of theReform Party, outed him on a radio show. "Charlie, come out, come out fromwherever you are," Linn said on the radio show. Crist has repeatedly deniedthe rumors. When a Miami radio host asked Crist about the rumors two yearsago, he responded, "The point is, I'm not. There's the answer. How do youlike it? Not that there's anything wrong with that, as they say on Seinfeld.But I just happen not to be." But Linn claims that Crist's sexualorientation is an open secret in Florida, much like Mark Foley's was. "In myopinion, it's widely known throughout the Republican Party that Crist isgay," Linn said. Until this week, Crist had mostly stayed out of the debateover the Florida amendment, which is unnecessary because state law alreadybars same-sex couples from marrying. He adopted a "live and let live"approach to the issue. But with national Republican leaders now eyeing himmore closely, it was time to butch it up and, naturally, bash the gays. It'sunfortunate that Crist and other rumored closet cases (i.e. Lindsey Graham)refuse to learn from Foley and Larry Craig's mistakes.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=8/1/08&end=8/8/08#20164

-Tape Exposes Democratic Floridian Politico Rouson's Truly Anti-Gay Colors
Floridian politician Darryl Rouson may need to do some same-sex damagecontrol.
http://www.queerty.com/tape-exposes-floridian-politico-rousons-truly-anti-gay-colors-20080805/

-Televised Political Pundits Talk Gay
Gay-baiting previously played an enlarged role in American politics. We allremember the 2000 and 2004 elections, where culture warriors threw stones,Bibles and unholy words toward the lavender set. This year's already shapingup to different, what with the Iraq War and an economy in the toilet.
http://www.queerty.com/televised-political-pundits-talk-gay-20080806/

-The Gays, logo, demographics: Can Logo Survive With Gays 2.0?
The Viacom-owned gay network recently did some "who the hell is ouraudience, anyway?" market research and came up with some fairly interestingnumbers. One such data point: "Less than half of gay people want to live inthe city and a majority want to live in suburbia or small-town America.Regardless of where they want to live, 58 percent want to live closer toother gay people." Really! But the gays always live in the city. The SouthEnd of Boston would be a dump if it weren't for them. But, I guess the timesthey are a blah blah. The second half of that data poses some problems forthe folks polled, as there aren't too many already-established gay suburbanor small-town enclaves. I mean, there are only so many Northamptons in thisworld, eh? But, those could be good numbers for Logo.
http://gawker.com/5033456/can-logo-survive-with-gays-20

-Many states miss goal for gay inclusion at Dem convention
But total number of gay delegates is up from 2004
Many states that aimed to boost gay representation at the 2008 DemocraticNational Convention are falling short of their voluntary goals, according tonumbers from the National Stonewall Democrats.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20191

-Tenn. church rampage suspect eyes insanity defense
Adkisson targeted church for liberal views, acceptance of gays
An unemployed truck driver accused in a fatal church shooting plans aninsanity defense for the rampage that left two people dead and six wounded,his lawyer said Wednesday.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20190

-Mexican court reinstates fired pos soldier
The soldier from Jalisco, removed from his job after 20 years of service when he tested HIV-positive, is reinstated with back pay by a federal court.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/po/20080805/co_po/mexicancourtreinstatesfiredpossoldier


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

-Archbishop's letters contradict current gay position
(London) Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams' current call for amoratorium on both consecrating gay bishops and holding blessings forsame-sex unions appears to belie his earlier writings on the.

-Firefighters in gay bias case leave dept.
Three volunteer firefighters who were accused of homophobia by a gay couplein a multi-million dollar lawsuit have resigned. Peter de Vries, 55, andTimothy Carter, 45, won a $2.8 million judgment against the town last monthin court. The jury also ordered the town to pay $2 million in legal fees.

-Transwoman robbed bank to fund sex change
A transwoman is facing up to 20 years behind bars after being convicted by afederal jury of bank robbery. Add The woman was charged and tried underher birth name - Jimmy Maurice Lewis II - of robbing the Alabama CreditUnion in Huntsville. Police said that Lewis intended to use the money fromthe robberies to finance her sex reassignment surgery.


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

-Obama Supports Right of Same-Sex Couples to Adopt
Barack Obama has expressed his support for same-sex couples' right to adoptchildren, according to the Family Equality Council. The group had sought tolearn the presidential candidates' positions on the topic, and only Obamaresponded. However, John McCain has previously expressed his opposition toadoption by gays in a July 13 New York Times article.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58998.asp

-Kansas Candidate Loses Primary After Her Sexuality Becomes Issue
Inga Taylor, a lesbian from Wichita, Kan., lost the Democratic primary forthe state's 84th district house seat on Tuesday to a woman who made acampaign issue of Taylor's sexuality. Gail Finney, a marketing consultantwho's also the vice chair of the local Democratic Party, wasn't as wellfunded or organized, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, whichendorsed and financially supported Taylor, a medical assistant. But in thelast days of the campaign, Finney and her supporters took issue withTaylor's sexual orientation and her ties to the "East Coast" -- the VictoryFund is based in Washington, D.C. -- in a coordinated mail, e-mail, andphone campaign.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58974.asp

-Maryland to Vote to Remove Trans Protections
Conservatives in Maryland are hoping a referendum will pass that intends toreverse a Montgomery County law protecting transgender people fromdiscrimination.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid59020.asp

-Far-Right Christian Group Targets Paterson on Gay Marriage
Conservative legal group the Alliance Defense Fund will face off in the NewYork supreme court on Thursday against Gov. David Paterson about hisexecutive order to recognize out-of-state gay unions. The group is citingthe definition of the word marriage according to the online edition of theMerriam-Webster dictionary, claiming that legal recognition of same-sexmarriages would "undermine the democratic process and force taxpayers tofund benefits for same-sex couples," The New York Sun reports.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid59003.asp

-Canada Pledges Additional $45 Million to Fight AIDS
Canadian health minister Tony Clement announced at the 17th InternationalAIDS Conference in Mexico City that his country will spend $45 million tofight the spread of HIV in Africa. These funds will be on top of the $515million Canada has pledged to fight HIV globally over the past three years.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58997.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 In Gay Mag Takes Strong Stand Against Gay Sex Site
In the new issue of Out, Michael Joseph Gross takes on the thing that gayguys sort of refuse to but also can't stop talking about: the hookup siteManhunt. The website, founded in 2001, claims a million members, with400,000 uniques a month-and a stupendously long time-per-visitor, onaverage, 40 minutes. (The New York Times would kill for that.) They get30,000 new members a week, and that is a lot of horny gays. How do thosenumbers stack up in gayland? Matt Foreman, former executive director of theNational Gay and Lesbian Task Force, notes with some awe that Manhunt'smembership is "larger than the membership of every major gay politicalorganization combined."

-Scandalous, Sexy, and Disturbingly Humorous
Website Captures All New Audience
The Lacuna Group, LLC announced today the launch of an innovative sitecatching fire in the Lesbian Community, an honest and bitingly humorouswebsite examining celebrities, pop culture, products, from the uniqueperspective of women who dig women. No other website has done it to thiscaliber. From the funny yet true entry that states boldly that "Angelina washotter when she banged chicks," (that includes pictorial support), to thedownright honest assessment that dental damns suck but should be used..thiswebsite seems to have gained crossover appeal because of its humor andhonesty, and well, sexiness. The blog has edge, but is right on the mark.See what all the fuss is about at www. grrlplanet.com

-Human Rights Groups Petition Iran for Release of HIV/AIDS Doctors
A coalition of AIDS and human rights organizations that includes Physiciansfor Human Rights (PHR) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) has launched a campaignto free two Iranian physicians, Drs. Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei. Thedoctors, who are brothers, are active in HIV/AIDS education, prevention andtreatment in Iran. According to international news reports, Iraniansecurity forces detained the Drs. Alaei in late June, 2008 and are holdingthem incommunicado. The doctors' whereabouts remain unknown. On Sunday, theAssociated Press and Agence France-Presse cited Iranian news reports statingthat the brothers have been charged with participating in "a velvetrevolution," partly due to their activities at international AIDSconferences, such as the one currently taking place in Mexico City. Dr.Arash Alaei had been slated to speak here Thursday.


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

-Earlier this summer, we saw images of committed, loving couples dedicatingtheir lives to each other in marriage. But our opponents are doingeverything they can to pass Prop 8, which threatens to ban marriage for gayand lesbian couples. They've promised to spend over $10 million to denymillions of Californians the fundamental freedom to marry. We can't letthem win this November. Get involved at www.NoOnProp8.com.

-"Some Canada Anglicans may reject same-sex moratorium"
There seems little chance that all Canadian Anglican clergy will honor themoratorium on blessing same-sex unions requested by the worldwide Anglicancommunion. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, leader of the globalAnglican church, warned on Sunday that the 80-million-member church would be"in grave peril" if the U.S. and Canadian branches did not agree tomoratoriums on same-sex blessings and on the ordination of gay bishops.But the head of the Canadian church, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, told Reuters ina phone interview on Wednesday it would be especially tough for BishopMichael Ingham of the British Columbia diocese of New Westminster to haltthe homosexual blessings altogether.

-Dana Rudolph: Obama Builds LGBT Family Expertise
Senators Obama and McCain have very different views of LGBT families, as Imentioned Monday. Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Obama's campaignabout the expansion of his LGBT leadership team. It only adds to his statusas the candidate committed to LGBT families. There will be five newnational co-chairs of Obama Pride, which will build grassroots support forObama in the LGBT community. One is Marsha Botzer, who co-chairs the SafeSchools Coalition, an organization aimed at making schools safer foreveryone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. She was alsoco-chair of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Board (2005-6), afounding member of Equal Rights Washington, founder of Seattle's IngersollGender Center, and works with Seattle's Pride Foundation.

-Analysis: "Gay-Baiting '08"
The day after the 2004 presidential election, Stephen Colbert appeared onThe Daily Show to give his analysis of just how George W. Bush defeated JohnKerry. "Eleven states approved anti-gay marriage ballot initiativesyesterday," he said earnestly. "Clearly, our deep national fear of hotman-on-man monogamy drove turnout among the nation's so-called valuevoters." Starting in 2000, reaching a peak in 2004, and in 2006 promptingJon Stewart to comment, "It's as though marriage in our country is onlythreatened during even-numbered years," the invocation of gay rightsissues - serving in the military, protection from employment discrimination,and the biggest threat of all, marriage equality - has been the stuff notjust of political humor but of political advertising and cable news punditryas well.


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

-DEA orders actress to answer questions about Heath Ledger's drugs
America's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a subpoena torequire actress Mary-Kate Olsen to testify in front of a grand jury.

-Lesbian politician to co-chair Obama LGBT committee
With the US Presidential race tightening, Barack Obama is stepping up hisefforts to reach out to the gay and lesbian community.

-Less than 1% of civil partnerships ending in 'divorce'
Figures obtained by PinkNews.co.uk show that so far less than 250 lesbianand gay civil partnerships have ended in a dissolution.

-Rowan Williams "a prisoner of the Lambeth mafia" claims gay activist
Peter Tatchell has accused the Anglican church of accommodating homophobesin a way it would never do with racists or anti-Semites.

-Anglican leader criticises church for making gays feel "rejected"
Anglican leaders need to correct the wrongful impression that the Churchrejects gay and lesbian people, the Archbishop of Wales said yesterday.

-'God Hates Fags' sect to picket show about their founder
Alistair Newton, playwright and director of The Pastor Phelps Project: AFundamentalist Cabaret, has invited the show's inspiration, homophobicpastor Fred Phelps, to the opening night.

-Schwarzenegger to decide on honour for assassinated gay politician
The Governor of California has been sent a bill that would make theanniversary of the birth of Harvey Milk a "day of significance" in the state's educational institutions.

=

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

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - August 07, 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:

-Panel Convicts bin Laden Driver in Split Verdict
Salim Ahmed Hamdan was convicted of one war crime but acquitted of anothercharge, arguably more serious, in the first military trial at Guantánamo Bay.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/washington/07gitmo.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

-German City Wonders How Green Is Too Green
A town's decision to require solar-heating panels has prompted a debate overecological good citizenship. The ordinance, the first of its kind inGermany, will require solar panels not only on new buildings, which fewerpeople oppose, but also on existing homes that undergo renovations or getnew heating systems or roof repairs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/world/europe/07solar.html?hp

-Editorial: Guilty as Ordered
Now that was a real nail-biter. The court designed by the White House andits Congressional enablers to guarantee convictions of high-profiledetainees in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba - using evidence obtained by torture andsecret evidence as desired - has held its first trial. It produced ... aguilty verdict.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/opinion/07thu1.html?ref=opinion

-The Energy Drill
While John McCain was never violently opposed to offshore drilling, he hasnow embraced it as if it is not only the solution to our energy problems,but also the key to eternal salvation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/opinion/07collins.html?ref=opinion

-China's Leaders Are Resilient in Face of Change
One Olympic byproduct is an upsurge in patriotism that has bolstered theCommunist Party against criticism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/sports/olympics/07nationalism.html?hp

-Pakistan Moves to Impeach Musharraf
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's ruling coalition, led by the party of slainformer prime minister Benazir Bhutto, announced on Thursday it would beginimpeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/news-pakistan-politics.html?hp

-Is Obama the End of Black Politics?
Forty-seven years after he last looked out from behind the bars of a SouthCarolina jail cell, locked away for leading a march against segregation inColumbia, James Clyburn occupies a coveted suite of offices on the secondand third floors of the United States Capitol, alongside the speaker and theHouse majority leader. Above his couch hangs a black-and-white photograph ofthe Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking in Charleston, with the boyishClyburn and a group of other men standing behind him onstage. When I visitedClyburn recently, he told me that the photo was taken in 1967, nine monthsbefore King's assassination, when rumors of violence were swirling, andsomewhere on the side of the room a photographer's floodlight had just comecrashing down unexpectedly. At the moment the photo was taken, everyonepictured has reflexively jerked their heads in the direction of the sound,with the notable exception of King himself, who remains in profile, staringstraight ahead at his audience. Clyburn prizes that photo. It tells thestory, he says, of a man who knew his fate but who, quite literally, refusedto flinch.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/magazine/10politics-t.html

-Family's Donations to McCain Raise Questions
The Jordanian business partner of a prominent Florida businessman, who hasraised more than $500,000 for Senator John McCain, appears to be at thecenter of a cluster of questionable donations to his presidential campaign.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/us/politics/07mccain.html


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

-Activists Pierce China's Security Apparatus
Intense effort to block protests that would mar Olympic Games challenged byforeigners bent on diverting attention to a wide variety of issues.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080700555.html?hpid=topnews

-Obama Too Soft for Some
Democratic strategists worry candidate hasn't hit back hard enough inresponse to McCain's attac
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080603707.html?hpid=topnews

-Power Grab
Venezuela's Hugo Chávez launches a new attack on his country's freedoms. ONLY NINE months ago, Venezuela's voters rejected President Hugo Chávez'sproposed rewrite of the Venezuelan constitution. In addition to making Mr.Chávez de facto president for life, the changes would have given him thepower to supplant locally elected governors with his own appointees, disposeof the reserves of the central bank and, perhaps most ominously, create anew "Bolivarian Militia" answerable not to the Venezuelan army's chain ofcommand but directly to him. The defeat, followed soon after by embarrassingrevelations of his support for Marxist guerrillas in Colombia, seemed tohave a chastening effect on the Venezuelan strongman. He withdrew aprovocative domestic spying plan and even called on the Colombian guerrillasto make peace.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080602793.html

-Video link: In China, a New Architectural Identity
A robust economy and massive population migration are fueling a buildingboom across the country. But what the rash of new structures says aboutchanging Chinese society may be as important as the buildings themselves.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/interactives/chinabuildings/index.html?hpid=artslot

-The Olympic Battle to Watch
So the Olympics in Beijing are not just a battle between athletes but abattle between systems, huh? So it's not just shot-putters and crew jocks,bicyclists and divers, sprinters and ping pong paddlers. It's democraticcapitalism (US) vs. authoritarian capitalism (THEM). It's war by any othermeans, huh?
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/pomfretschina/2008/08/the_battle_of_the_titans.html

-Bush's Drilling Ban: It's Not So Easy
There are some people who would claim that President Bush's announcementabout lifting a presidential ban on drilling in offshore areas currently offlimits has had something to do with the recent drop in oil prices. The othernight, a friend asked me if this was true. The short answer is: no.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/energywire/2008/08/bushs_drilling_ban_its_not_so.html

-The Trail: Obama Muslim Coordinator Resigns
Barack Obama's national Muslim outreach coordinator has resigned amid acontroversy of over his connections to a man who the Justice Departmentnamed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the racketeering trial last year ofseveral alleged Hamas fund-raisers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/06/AR2008080601081.html?hpid=sec-religion


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

-THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT: Little hope for U.N. rights council
What a joke! The United Nations' brand new Human Rights Council AdvisoryCommittee held its first session this week in Geneva and -- as unbelievableas it looks -- elected a Cuban official to chair the 18-country group.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/631994.html


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

-Paris Punks the Politico
John McCain thought he was taking a nice shot at Barack Obama when hecompared the Democrat to a celebrity-fueled fad akin to Paris Hilton. Ofcourse, just like Paris herself, any mention of the Paris Hilton name isn'tgoing to go away any time soon. Despite what her foes may say, it can besaid Miss P knows how to take a joke-and, more importantly, how to play itoff to her advantage. Witness the brilliance of her hilarious response, onwww.funnyordie.com:
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=8/6/08&end=8/8/08#20186


=
Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/

-When Universities Run Schools ... Into the Ground
In the 1990s, a number of universities got into the business of runningcharter schools, with compelling plans to match the vast intellectualresources of their faculty with the educational and social service needs ofimpoverished communities. A decade in, the University of South Florida hasgiven up the ghost.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/08/07/charter

-Facebook Profile Meets Catholic Values (and the Campaign)
It's 2008, and Web 2.0 has been around for a few years. The potential ofonline phenomena to disrupt political campaigns - the ubiquity of activistswith video recorders, say, or the likelihood that even a "private" personalpage will eventually find its way into an opponent's hands - is a fact oflife grasped by most political candidates. And their families.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/08/07/facebook


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Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-China's Olympic Moment
An Enthusiastic China Welcomes the Games
Publics around the world are showing signs of apprehension about China'sgrowing economic power, its role in foreign affairs and the safety of theproducts it exports. But the Chinese people are confident that the 2008Summer Olympics in Beijing will change the way their country is viewed. Readmore

-No Longer in the News, Earthquake Survivors Face a Painful Recovery
Media focus in China turned away weeks ago from the May 12 earthquake to theOlympics, but a journey through the heart of the destruction reveals theimmense task faced by the people of Sichuan, already poor, to recreate theirlives. Read more

-How the World Sees China... And How China Sees Itself
With the Olympic Games beginning, PewResearch.org highlights its most recentChina-related reports, covering Chinese public opinion, religion and mediatrends. Read more

-Celebrity Jeopardy
Obama Fatigue: Half Say They Are Hearing Too Much About Him
While John McCain closed the gap in campaign news coverage last week, BarackObama still enjoyed much more visibility in the eye of the public. But 48%say they've heard too much about the Democratic nominee and a plurality saythey've heard too little about his opponent. Read more

-Spears and Hilton Raise McCain Coverage Even With Obama
A spasm of introspection by the media, amid a wave of accusations that theywere being unfair to the GOP standard bearer, combined with a controversialad to generate equal coverage of the two candidates. Read more

-Online Observations
Search Soars, Challenging Email as a Favorite Internet Activity
The Pew Internet & American Life Project reports on the growing usage ofsearch engines by internet users, and which groups are more likely to usesearch tools. Read more

-Daily Number
6 of 10 - Travel Advisory
Comparing the U.S. Commerce Department's list of most-visited nations in2007 and Pew Global Attitudes surveys reveals that in six of their 10 mostpopular foreign destinations Americans are well-liked; opinion is mixed ornegative in three nations, and ratings are not available for one country.Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more


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Local10.com
http://www.local10.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Detroit Mayor Ordered To Jail
Kwame Kilpatrick Violated Terms Of Bond
A judge on Thursday ordered Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to Wayne CountyJail for failing to notify the court of his trip to Canada and violating theterms of his bond. Circuit Court Judge Ronald Giles said he needed to treatKilpatrick as any criminal defendant and immediately sent him to jail,WDIV-TV in Detroit reported. The judge found that the mayor violated theterms of his bond by not informing the court before taking his Canada trip.
http://www.local10.com/news/17120571/detail.html?treets=mia&tml=mia_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=mia_natlbreak_1_09530308072008

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

FLORIDA DIGEST - August 07, 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~~

Congregation Etz Chaim Announces High Holy Days Food Drive
The Board of Directors of Congregation Etz Cham has announced plans for itsAnnual Food Drive to benefit the Poverello Food Center. The Congregationorganizes the Food Drive each year as part of its observance of the JewishHigh Holy Days. The Poverello Food Center, located on Wilton Drive inWilton Manors, serves the nutritional needs of People Living with HIV/AIDS.People who would like to contribute to the Food Drive should bringnon-perishable food items to Etz Chaim's Kol Nidre or Yom Kippur services,which are being held at the Center for Spiritual Living, 1550 N.E. 26Street, in Wilton Manors, on Wednesday, October 8, at 8 p.m. and Thursday,October 9, at 10 a.m. This Annual Food Drive is coordinated by theSynagogue's Tzedakah & Tikkun Olam Committee, which in Hebrew means Charityand Repairing the World.
For more information contact CEC at (954) 564-9232


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Sneaky school amendments might pull fast one on Florida voters
Patricia Levesque, the executive director of former Gov. Jeb Bush'seducational think tank, took time out from maternity leave to ask me aquestion on Wednesday. "Why is it that the same Catholic school that can'tteach a 5-year-old using an opportunity scholarship voucher can teach a4-year-old in a [state-backed pre-kindergarten] program?" she said fromTallahassee.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbmayocol0807sbaug07,0,5052331.column

-Non-Hispanic whites leaving Broward, Palm Beach counties
Non-Hispanic whites are leaving Broward and Palm Beach counties in droves.Meanwhile, the dramatic growth of Hispanics and other minority groups hasslowed.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbcensus0807sbaug07,0,345294.story

-South Florida personal bankruptcies nearly double from just a year ago
Using the local bankruptcy court as a barometer, individuals are hurtingmore than businesses in South Florida. Total bankruptcies in the U.S.Bankruptcy Court's Southern District of Florida, which includes MonroeCounty north to Indian River County, have nearly doubled in July from a yearago. Most of them, 1,731 to be exact, were personal bankruptcies rather thanbusiness filings.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzbankruptcy0807sbaug07,0,200400.story

-Broward voting machines go through their final test
Voting machines go through their final test before primary
Broward County officials did a final test run of the county's new votingequipment Wednesday, making sure the paper ballots and optical scanners workthe way they're supposed to.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbvotingtest0807sbaug07,0,6023941.story

-Bartleman the choice in School Board at-large District 9.
In her first term on the School Board, Robin Bartleman worked hard toestablish a hands-on reputation with a public that is often far fromenamored with the board. An at-large member, Bartleman spent plenty of timein schools, at construction sites and meeting with teachers to learn aboutproblems and then try to get them solved.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgsschoolboard9sbaug06,0,7346238.story


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

-Crew may still have a job, but at what cost?
It's rarely a good idea to dredge up quotes from Clarence Thomas'confirmation hearing. Better to avoid raising questions about foreignsubstances on Coke cans and any variation of Justice Thomas' indignantcharge that he was the victim of a ``high-tech lynching.'' Rudy Crewunabashedly reprised the infamous lynching hyperbole as he fended offefforts to oust him from the Miami-Dade superintendent job Monday night. Butthere was nothing high-tech about the attempt to fire Crew. Justold-fashioned demagoguery of the low-tech kind.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/631914.html

-For Broward County Commission, District 7
The Miami Herald recommends JOHN RODSTROM.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/631992.html

-For Broward County Commission, District 9
The Miami Herald recommends JOSEPHUS EGGELLETION JR.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/631973.html

-Hispanic vote keeps on growing
For Sen. Barack Obama, winning Florida is not essential, but it'sstrategically important. In 1988, then Vice President George H.W. Bush'schief strategist, Lee Atwater, when told that the Democrats could not winthe presidency without California, answered, ''That is exactly why I wantit.'' If Obama carries Florida on Nov. 4, there is no way Sen. John McCaincan become president.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/631985.html


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Local10.com
http://www.local10.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Smart Signs Sync Driving Times
Starting this morning, Miami-Dade commuters will get a little help timingtheir commute. Smart signs are being unveiled today on I-95, 195, and thePalmetto Expressway from I-75 to the Golden Glades Interchange. You mayhave noticed the signs being tested recently. The signs were turned on alongparts of 595 last month. The system uses sensors on the side of the highwayto pick up the number of vehicles on the road and how fast they are goingand then estimates the time of your commute.
http://www.local10.com/print/17118554/detail.html

=

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

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - August 06, 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:

-Accusations of Sex Abuse Trail Doctor
By LESLIE KAUFMAN
A pediatrician and advocate for students is fighting accusations that hesexually abused five former patients.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/us/06pediatrician.html?hp

-Behavioral Approaches Overlooked in AIDS Fight
While the world awaits findings from new AIDS prevention trials, millions ofpeople are becoming infected because governments are overlooking studiesshowing that behavior modification works, AIDS experts said Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/health/research/06aids.html


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

-Australia: Where Swimmers Are Stars
The question much of Australia wanted answered went unasked for the first 20minutes of a 46-minute news conference Tuesday afternoon with the country'selite swimmers. There were inquiries about Grant Hackett's experience, LibbyTrickett's attitude, Leisel Jones's aspirations and, of course, severalqueries about the Aussies' robust rivalry with the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080503047.html

-Political Perils of a 'Big Sort'?
People prefer to be with people like themselves. For all the celebration of"diversity," it's sameness that dominates. Most people favor friendshipswith those who have similar backgrounds, interests and values. It makes formore shared experiences, easier conversations and more comfortable silences.Despite many exceptions, the urge is nearly universal. It's human nature.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080502933.html

-Artists flock to cheap Berlin from around the world
BERLIN (Reuters) - If you're an artist and you dream of honing your skillsalone in a tiny garret, hungry and cold but filled with inspiration, thenBerlin may not be for you. Because there is no such thing as a starvingartist here.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080503033.html


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

-Human rights related to AIDS
Some 20,000 participants are gathering this week in Mexico City for the 17thInternational AIDS Conference to explore why, despite decades of intenseefforts in combating AIDS, the epidemic remains as daunting as ever. Lastyear, 2.7 million people were newly infected with HIV, and two million diedfrom AIDS. Today, 33 million people live with HIV worldwide.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/630714.html


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

-ManhattanOffender.com: LOGO channel research reveals lack of need for LOGOchannel
LOGO, the CBS for gays, released a press release today addressing researchthat essentially shows a younger generation of gays that don't really see aneed for LOGO. Granted, the data is parsed in an intriguing way to provethe network's need to exist, but when a company pays out to a researchcompany to create such data, they often receive back information tailored tomake the company return to that research company again. By needing to studytheir demographics though, LOGO is really telling us, "We have no inherentfeel for our viewer, but some dude with an MBA in the marketing departmentthinks this might help."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/08/manhattanoffend.html


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

-Indictments expected soon in Newark triple murder case
Six people face charges from murder to weapon possession
A grand jury could indict next month the alleged killers of three collegestudents who were slain one year ago, hours before they planned to attend aGay Pride festival.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20170

-Calif. legislation would honor Harvey Milk
Bill sent to Schwarzenegger for approval
A bill honoring a gay political icon in California has been sent to Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20169

-Gay rights issue raised in debate over state contract ballot initiative
A proposed ballot initiative dealing with government contracting mightaccomplish an elusive goal of gay rights activists: putting domesticpartnerships in Colorado's constitution. The proposal bars no-bidgovernment contractors and their immediate family members from contributingto political candidates. Its definition of "immediate family member" includes "domestic partners."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/05/contracting-measure-opens-debate-over-gay-rights/

-Kansas lesbian loses Democratic primary after late, anti-gay politickingA last-minute, anti-gay smear campaign will keep Kansas from electing itsfirst openly gay state legislator and America's first African-Americanlesbian state legislator.
http://www.gaypolitics.com/?p=655

-FL: State rep has amnesia about his anti-gay comments
Perhaps homophobic Sunshine State Representative Darryl Rouson isn't fit toserve as an elected official. Not only does he think the ability of gays andlesbians to adopt is wrong, but because he clearly has memory issues thatcompromise his judgment. He had to be reminded by Nadine Smith of EqualityFlorida about this video (via The Bilerico Project):
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=EBE2F491E9472700A563AC516334F4CB?diaryId=6404


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

-Marriages May Be Valid If Prop. 8 Approved
Same-sex marriages conducted before California's November vote on a marriageban would remain intact even if the ballot initiative were passed, stateattorney general Jerry Brown said Monday, according to the San FranciscoChronicle.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58916.asp

-Survey: Gays Want Suburban Life, Diverse Society
Nearly 80% of gays think it's important to integrate into the greaterculture, and at least 64% are open about their sexual orientation to atleast one family member, according to survey results released Tuesday byLogo TV network. A majority of survey takers also said they would prefer tolive in suburbia as opposed to a city, though 58% said they would prefer tolive closer to other gay people. Marriage equality, the environment, healthcare, and the economy are the top four issues that LGBT voters are concernedabout.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58945.asp

-HIV-Positive Mexicans Detained by U.S. Allege Neglect
Olga Arellano sobs as she recalls how her HIV-positive daughter spent twomonths succumbing to infections in a U.S. migrant detention center,complaining that she didn't see a doctor or get the right medicine.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid58909.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:

-Human Rights Groups Petition Iran for Release of HIV/AIDS Doctors
A coalition of AIDS and human rights organizations that includes Physiciansfor Human Rights (PHR) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) has launched a campaignto free two Iranian physicians, Drs. Arash Alaei and Kamiar Alaei. Thedoctors, who are brothers, are active in HIV/AIDS education, prevention andtreatment in Iran. According to international news reports, Iraniansecurity forces detained the Drs. Alaei in late June, 2008 and are holdingthem incommunicado. The doctors' whereabouts remain unknown. On Sunday, the ssociated Press and Agence France-Presse cited Iranian news reports stating that the brothers have been charged with participating in "a velvet revolution," partly due to their activities at international AIDS conferences, such as the one currently taking place in Mexico City. Dr. Arash Alaei had been slated to speak here Thursday.
http://nationalgaynews.com/

-Straights Add Solidarity Statements to Own Weddings
When Marisa Miller married David Wolfson last year, the couple added a statement to their vows that they both passionately believe in the right of all people to marry regardless of sexual orientation. With gay friends making up about 20 percent of guests and two openly gay religious clergymen officiating, it seemed appropriate to note they felt "somewhat out of step with society's views on marriage."

-Hotter than Sand: S. Fla. lifeguards
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-sexiest-lifeguard-ugc,0,1015341.ugcphotogallery

-Lawsuit Exposes Rift Between Gays and Blacks at the DNC
Not surprisingly, gays and lesbians have favored the Democratic Party in recent elections. The Democratic platform, after all, commits the party to full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of the country. The Republican platform, on the other hand, proposes limiting marriage to a man and a woman. But an increasingly nasty lawsuit against the DNC, brought by Donald Hitchcock after he was fired as the party's gay and lesbian outreach director, has exposed the rift between gays and one of the party's most important constituencies, African Americans.

-Radical Radio Tranny
"I don't support same sex marriage in Massachusetts," announces trans activist, radio host and Massachusetts resident, Ethan St. Pierre. Willing to voice his true feelings-be they on air, in his numerous blogs or in nterviews-St. Pierre peppers his speech with verbal bombshells: "I like animals more than I like people," "I'm not a real hate crimes advocate." At first blush, they make St. Pierre sound far more conservative than you'd expect from a self-described, radical guy.


=
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

-CRISIS: 40 STORIES REVEALING THE PERSONAL, SOCIAL, AND RELIGIOUS PAIN AND TRAUMA OF GROWING UP GAY IN AMERICA
CRISIS is an expose of the fear, isolation, depression, and even suicidal feelings young gay people face from the timethey realize they are gay until they have a healthy coming out. For many gayadults, the traumatic teenage years are buried in memory as a painful timeto be left behind and forgotten. But, those who bravely recalled andcontributed their stories to CRISIS describe experiences that are unfortunately universal for gay youth.
http://www.crisisbook.org/

-Tune into bloomingOUT Every Thursday - 6 to 7pm Live Radio, live-streaming,
podcast or download -- August 7th -- Rev. Troy Perry

-Is marriage too hot to touch for Obama, McCain?
This piece analyzes why presidential candidates Barack Obama and JohnMcCainmostly are avoiding the marriage issue and focusing on what they viewasmore pressing -- and less divisive -- issues like the economy. "Thequestionis whether gay marriage as an issue could ever be enough to closewhatanalysts are calling the 'enthusiasm gap,' " writes reporter ToviaSmith. "Polls show Democrats and progressives are far more energized andexcited tovote for Obama than Republicans and conservatives are to vote forMcCain.And that passion may drive more voters to the polls this Novemberthan theissue of gay marriage ever could." National Public Radio
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/lUgwhixlhVhOdfCibitYYtfz?format=standard

-Congress Bans Pell Grants for Sex Offenders
When Rep. Ric Keller, a Florida Republican, read in the St. Petersburg Timesin 2003 about a twice-convicted rapist who was receiving Pell Grant moneyfor computer classes, he was appalled. The man, who had served 24 years inprison, had been awarded about $15,000 in Pell Grants since 1999, when hewas sentenced to a civil-commitment center intended for sex offenders deemedunready to be set free.
http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=Svv34mH8msdDxtqRMrzKCVCvzR93kQr3

-Rethinking Sexism: How Trans Women Challenge Feminism
"The grudging admiration felt for the tomboy and the queasiness felt arounda sissy boy point to the same thing: the contempt in which women -- or thosewho play the female role -- are held."
http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/93826/

-Proposed regulations will soon undermine protections for transgender peoplein D.C.
Take quick and easy action online!
New regulations proposed by the D.C. Office of Human Rights undermine D.C.'sgroundbreaking human rights protections for its transgender citizens. Theproposed regulations render D.C.'s transgender community at higher risk for
discrimination and abuse, and include:
* a proposal to exempt district agencies from following the gender identity
or expression nondiscrimination law for individuals in their custody (youth
in foster care, anyone arrested, prisoners, those institutionalized for
mental health reasons). It is widely known that transgender people face
terrible harassment, violence and sexual assault when denied
gender-appropriate housing and facilities.
* a proposal to remove the requirement that single-occupancy restroomsbe gender-neutral. The existing regulation asks businesses to change signson single-user restrooms from "Men" or "Women" to simply "Restroom." Theproposed regulation changes would drop this requirement, subjectingtransgender people to bathroom-related harassment and even arrest.
http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1005480

-Straight Men Who Have Sex With Men
Inside the secret world of the straight guise
Once again, a female singer has a hit song called "I Kissed A Girl"; I sawKaty Perry perform it on network television the other night. As she dancedaround in her cute yellow dress, I thought: "Wow, singing about lesbiansmooching was pretty racy when Jill Sobule did it-same title and subject,different and better song-in 1995 on MTV." Now it's ready for prime time?Well, it's been almost 15 years. Plus, the whole idea isn't that threateninganymore. If a straight woman confesses she's messed around with anotherwoman-even had full-blown sex with her-most people are quick to shrug itoff. She was drunk. She's experimenting. At most, maybe this means she'sbi-curious. But it's no big deal. Women have a lot more leeway to exploretheir sexuality with other women without questioning their orientation orsetting any alarms off. On the other hand, society doesn't make room for mento do the same. Can you imagine the flip side of this scenario? No, I don'tmean Bon Jovi topping the charts with a new rock anthem called "I Made OutWith a Guy." Let's say one of your male friends confesses: "I was at theclub last night with Bob. The music was pounding, I had a few shots, and hishair just looked so good, so we made out, and I jerked him off in thebathroom." For most people, there's really only one response: "Dude,you'regay." Maybe, but maybe not.
http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-07-29/columns/straight-men-who-have-sex-with-men/

-Texas Sex-Toy Retailers Aren't Out Of The Woods Yet
Even though the full Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has refused to takea second look at a panel decision to legalize the sale of devices intendedto be used for sexual stimulation, a recent decision fromthe Texas Court ofCriminal Appeals may prevent most Texas retailers fromstocking up on dildosand other sex toys, at least for a while.
http://avn.com/law/articles/31570.html

-Montgomery County Council members unanimously approved a measure lastfall that prohibits discrimination against transgender people inhousing,employment, public accommodations, and taxicab and cable service.Councilmembers included an exemption for "personal and private" places,butnonetheless drew the ire of local conservatives, who said they fearedmenwould be allowed in women's bathrooms and locker rooms. A local group,Citizens for Responsible Government, ran a successful petition drive to get the 25,000 signatures required to put the law on the county's Novemberballot for possible recall.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1519743~MontCo_referendum_seen_as_guide_to_nixing_transgender_laws_in_U_S_.html


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

-UN chief addresses AIDS epidemic among gay men
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at the International AIDS Conferencein Mexico City that countries must gear up prevention programs targeted atgay men as well as work to decrease discrimination against them. In theU.S., infections among this group have risen 75% in 15 years. Bloomberg(8/4) HIV infection rates revised upward: Newly improved detection methodshave led the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to revise HIV statisticsupward by nearly 40%. Health officials said that 56,300 new HIV infectionsoccurred in the U.S. in 2006, a number that is higher -- and has always beenhigher -- than previously estimated. The Washington Post/HealthDay News(8/2) Pills for HIV/AIDS prevention trials spread around world: Researchersaround the globe are running, or planning to run, clinical trials usingpills to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Initial findings are not expectedbefore 2009, but many researchers believe prophylactic use of antiretroviraldrugs to be the most promising avenue of research. The New York Times (8/4)


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

-Obama back on top, according to new poll
Solid margins among women, minorities and young voters have powered BarackObama to a 6 percentage point lead over John McCain in the presidentialrace, according to a poll released Tuesday.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080608-obama-pol/

-Gay HIV+ man faces deportation from U.S.
A Pakistani man with HIV is fighting deportation from the United States andseeking asylum. The man, who wishes to be identified only by his initials,S.K., fears persecution based on his sexual orientation and HIV status if heis returned to his homeland.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080508-gay-deportation/

-Court reinstates HIV+ soldier
(Guadalajara, Mexico) A Mexican soldier has won his job back six years afterhe was kicked out of the military for testing HIV positive. The soldierfrom the western Mexican state of Jalisco was removed from his job after 20years of service. But a federal court has ruled in his favor.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080508-mexico-soldier/

-Study finds shift in gay demographic
A new study finds a vast generational shift among LGBT people. The survey,for Logo Network, discovered that more LGBT people expect to lead anintegrated life raising families in suburbs or small towns while maintainingtheir identity and sense of community.
http://www.365gay.com/features/080508-suburb-study/


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

-Gov. Crist voices support for anti-gay Fla. amendment
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has thrown his support behind a proposedamendment to the state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage. TheRepublican governor, who is said to be on Jon McCain's shortlist for arunning mate, used a stop to promote another proposed amendment, that wouldcut property taxes by an average of 25 percent for all property owners inthe state, to voice his support for the marriage amendment.

-NPR: "Candidates Mum On Gay Marriage Debate"
For all of the countless times the presidential candidates have laid outtheir positions on the war, the economy and health care, there is one issuethat they haven't talked about much: gay marriage. For both Democrat BarackObama and Republican John McCain, it is risky territory, where they have asmuch to lose as they have to gain. Even when the Supreme Court ofCalifornia legalized gay marriage earlier this year, all that came from thecampaigns were short, very carefully worded, written statements.

-Dutch minister does not fear gay marriage appeal from Antilles
image Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Ronald Plasterk isfull of confidence about the outcome of the appeal filed by the Antilleangovernment against the forced recognition in the Netherlands Antilles of gaymarriages that were closed in the Netherlands. "The standpoint of the Dutchgovernment is clear. When legal certificates are made up in one part of theKingdom, - and that also includes marriage certificates -, these areaccording to article 40 of the Kingdom Statute also valid in the entireKingdom," Plasterk said during an interview with Radio Netherlands.

-Equality California Raises Over $1.6 Million in 15 Minutes to Fight AntigayBallot Initiative
They came pumped and ready to give. They knew what was at stake and theywanted to be part of history. And by the end of the 15 minutes allotted tofundraising Saturday night in the packed International Ballroom at theBeverly Hilton Hotel, Equality California raised over $1.6 million dollarsto fight Prop. 8, the antigay marriage constitutional amendment on theNovember ballot in California.

-Safeguarding Religious Freedom: The Freedom to Marry
image California Faith for Equality, among others, are working towardmarriage equality in California and beyond. After watching their video,click over to the Jews for Marriage Equality to see the overwhelming numberof rabbis who support Marriage Equality.

-Boycott threatened over meeting site of Association of American Law Schools
Organizations representing thousands of legal educators say they willboycott the Association of American Law Schools annual meeting in January ifit is held at a San Diego hotel owned by a foe of same-sex marriage. Thefour groups made up of law professors and legal writing professionals havesent letters to the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), calling forit to move the site chosen for the conference in January.

-Uncle Bobby's Wedding
A parent complained to a public library about a children's book, Uncle Bobby's
Wedding, which is about a same-sex marriage. Here's the librarian'smind-blowingly awesome response. I don't even know which part to quote. Here's one excerpt:
You say that the book is inappropriate, and I infer that your reasonis the topic itself: gay marriage. I think a lot of adults imagine that whatdefines a children's book is the subject. But that's not the case.
Children's books deal with anything and everything. There are children's books aboutdeath (even suicide), adult alcoholism, family violence, and more. Even themost common fairy tales have their grim side: the father and stepmother ofHansel and Gretel, facing hunger and poverty, take the children into thewoods, and abandon them to die! Little Red Riding Hood (in the originalversion, anyhow) was eaten by the wolf along with granny. There's afascinating book about this, by the bye, called "The Uses of Enchantment:
the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales," by psychologist BrunoBettelheim. His thesis is that both the purpose and power of children'sliterature is to help young people begin to make sense of the world. Thereis a lot out there that is confusing, or faintly threatening, and evendangerous in the world. Stories help children name their fears, understandthem, work out strategies for dealing with life. In Hansel and Gretel,children learn that cleverness and mutual support might help you to escapebad situations. In Little Red Riding Hood, they learn not to talk to big badstrangers. Of course, not all children's books deal with "difficult issues,"maybe not even most of them. But it's not unusual.


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

-Moscow Pride organisers invite Boris
Organisers of Moscow Gay Pride have invited the mayors of three leadingEuropean capitals to take part in Gay Pride events in the Russian capital in2009.

-AIDS charity seeks HIV+ gay and bisexual men for workplace research
The National AIDS Trust has commissioned an independent research project tofind out more about the experience of living with HIV and employment.

-MTV and MySpace join forces to promote HIV awareness
MTV Networks International (MTVNI) and MySpace have announced the launch ofUntold Stories, an interactive story-writing competition.

-President Bush's homophobia makes my blood boil says Lauper
During a stop on her True Colours tour recently, gay rights advocate CyndiLauper blasted President George W Bush, calling him homophobic andanti-American.

=

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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - August 06, 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:

-Editorial: Guns and Poppies
In the morass that is Afghanistan, not just the Taliban are flourishing. Sotoo is opium production, which increasingly finances the group's activities.There is no easy way to end this narcotics threat, a symptom of widerinstability. Even a wise and coordinated plan of attack would take years tobear real results. But the United States and the rest of the internationalcommunity are failing to develop one. They must work harder, smarter andmore cooperatively to rescue this narco-state.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/opinion/05tue1.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Columnist: McCain's Green-Eyed Monster
Not since Iago and Othello obsessed on the comely Cassio, not since Richardof Gloucester killed his two nephews, not since Nixon and Johnson gloweredat the glittering J.F.K., has there been such an unseemly outpouring of boyenvy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/opinion/06dowd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

-Op-Ed Columnist: Learning to Speak Climate
Sometimes you just wish you were a photographer. I simply do not have thewords to describe the awesome majesty of Greenland's Kangia Glacier,shedding massive icebergs the size of skyscrapers and slowly pushing themdown the Ilulissat Fjord until they crash into the ocean off the west coastof Greenland. There, these natural ice sculptures float and bob around theglassy waters near here. You can sail between them in a fishing boat,listening to these white ice monsters crackle and break, heave and sigh, asif they were noisily protesting their fate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/opinion/06friedman.html?ref=opinion

-Forging Perceptions
If the campaign consultants have their way, 90 days from now roughly half ofthe electorate will think that John McCain is an angry, nasty and bitter oldman. The other half will think that Barack Obama is an egotistical, fecklessand immature dilettante.
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/forging-perceptions/index.html?ref=opinion

-As Iraq Surplus Rises, Little Goes Into Rebuilding
Rising oil prices will leave the Iraqi government with a budget surplus ofas much as $79 billion by year's end, according to a new report.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/world/middleeast/06surplus.html?hp

-Olympics Tracker
Follow the schedules of your favorite Olympic sports, day by day and eventby event, and stay on top of all the coverage from Beijing.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/05/sports/olympics/2008_OLYMPICS_TRACKER.html

-Texas Executes Mexican Despite Objections
In a case that has drawn international attention, Texas executed José E.Medellín on Tuesday night in defiance of an international court ruling anddespite pleas from the Bush administration for a new hearing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/us/06execute.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1218027607-ozYKn9TIkLsmsPfVlnuT+g

-Texas Seeking Custody of 8 Children From Sect
Texas child welfare officials asked a court Tuesday to return eight childrenfrom a polygamous sect to state custody because their mothers refused tolimit the children's contact with men involved in under-age marriages.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/us/06polygamist.html

-An Energy Diet for Power-Hungry Household PCs
In its drive to go green, the technology industry has so far focused mainlyon big targets like corporations and especially computer data centers, thepower-hungry computing engine rooms of the Internet economy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/technology/06green.html


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

-Political Perils of a 'Big Sort'?
People prefer to be with people like themselves. For all the celebration of"diversity," it's sameness that dominates. Most people favor friendshipswith those who have similar backgrounds, interests and values. It makes formore shared experiences, easier conversations and more comfortable silences.Despite many exceptions, the urge is nearly universal. It's human nature.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080502933.html

-Faith's Real Riches
In a recent investigative profile, the Associated Press tells thedepressingly familiar story of televangelist Kenneth Copeland. Hisministry's private jet and lakeside mansion. The complex web of ranching,oil and media interests that benefits his extended family. In this case,there is no taint of hypocrisy. Copeland practices what he preaches -- adoctrine that God wants his followers to prosper in very material ways.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080502928.html

-Obama's Pitch to Hit
For the past two weeks, John McCain's Trash Talk Express has rolled overBarack Obama, flattening the Illinois senator's lead in many national pollsand directing public attention away from the fundamental political choicesthe nation has to make and toward Obama's allegedly elitist character.Campaigning against Democrats' allegedly elitist characters has been theRepublican formula for presidential victory for the past 20 years, eversince uber-consultant Lee Atwater realized he could steer the populistsentiments of many voters against cultural rather than economic elites. TheAtwater ploy often requires GOP consultants to manufacture evidence of theDemocratic candidate's cultural marginality, but over the past fortnight,McCain's campaign, with its nose dive into Paris Hilton Plays the Race Cardthematics, has proved equal to the task.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080502930.html

-Alexander Solzhenitsyn
He lived not by lies. ON FEB. 18, 1974, this newspaper published an essay," Live Not by Lies," by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who with his writings anddauntless moral courage had shaken Soviet power as no other individual haddone. Written six days earlier, probably hours before the Soviet secretpolice broke into his Moscow apartment, arrested him and sent him into whatwould be a 20-year exile in the West, the essay was an ardent call fortruth-telling, for spurning the monstrous lies that bore the USSR aloft."Though lies conceal everything, though lies embrace everything, but notwith any help from me," he wrote.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/04/AR2008080401866.html

-In Spite of Rules, Olympic Athletes Say They Won't Lose Faith
Sanya Richards envisions 91,000 fans at Beijing National Stadium andmillions more on television watching her cross the finish line first in the400 meters later this month. Immediately afterward, Richards said, she plansto kneel, say a quick prayer and then point skyward in spiritual appreciation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080503315.html

-Motorcade Map Found at House Of Bomb Suspect
Police found a map of Camp David marked with a presidential motorcade routeinside the Bethesda home of the teenager at the center of a bombmakingprobe, along with a document that appears to describe how to kill someone ata distance of 200 meters, a Montgomery County prosecutor said yesterday at acourt hearing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080502341.html?hpid=moreheadlines

-Iran Seeks Details on Nuclear Offer
Western Countries Say That Tehran's Response Is Evasive
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 5 -- The Iranian government said Tuesday that it isready to respond to an incentives package that the United States and fiveother world powers have offered in exchange for suspension of itsuranium-enrichment program. But Iran insisted that the big powers"simultaneously" provide a more detailed explanation of the offer, a formulathat may lead to drawn-out talks.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080501727.html?hpid=sec-world

-They're Baaaack... Swift Boat Veterans Take Aim At Obama
Just as they sought to destroy John Kerry in 2004, the founders of the SwiftBoat Veterans for Truth group are aiming their guns at this season'spresumptive Democratic presidential candidate. But unlike four years ago,when the Swifties spent millions to discredit Kerry, their hit on BarackObama so far hasn't cost them a dime.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/08/theyre_baaaack_swift_boat_vete.html?hpid=sec-politics


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

-Survey: Florida's proposed property tax amendment not popular
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfproptax0806sbaug06,0,7018423.story

-If oil is down a lot in price, why is gas down only a little?
An expert explains that the drop in crude prices won't result inpenny-for-penny decreases at the pump. Crude oil prices are droppingsharply. Gasoline prices are falling, too, but not nearly as much. What'sgoing on here? We asked an independent expert to explain.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-flzgasprices0806sbaug06,0,5465102.story


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

-`Politics as war is not pretty' by Leonard Pitts
I haven't read Robert Novak's column in 10 years. Back in 1998, he made acomment on CNN -- what it was is not material here -- that I consideredbeyond the pale. I decided I could henceforth do without his opinions andinsights. He impressed me as a distinctly disagreeable man. And that waswell before he outed covert CIA agent Valerie Plame.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/630724.html

-CELEBRITY ROUNDUP: Morgan on the mend
Morgan Freeman is doing well after surgery to reconnect nerves and repairdamage to his left arm and hand following a car wreck Sunday night. Thesurgery Monday night ''lasted approximately four and a half hours, includingrecovery, and he is in good spirits and was visiting family members thismorning,'' Donna Lee, Freeman's publicist, said in a statement Tuesday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/people/story/630706.html

-Obama leads McCain nationally in AP-Ipsos poll
Solid margins among women, minorities and young voters have powered BarackObama to a 6 percentage point lead over John McCain in the presidentialrace, according to a poll released Tuesday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/630024.html


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Local10.com
http://www.local10.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Ex-Bin Laden Driver Found Guilty
Panel Soon To Deliver Decision
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- A military jury convicted Osama binLaden's former driver Wednesday in the first Guantanamo war crimes trial.
http://www.local10.com/news/17109350/detail.html?treets=mia&tml=mia_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=mia_natlbreak_1_09370308062008

=

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - August 06, 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~~

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

-Crist voices support for anti-gay Fla. amendment
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has thrown his support behind a proposedamendment to the state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage. TheRepublican governor, who is said to be on Jon McCain's shortlist for arunning mate, used a stop to promote another proposed amendment, that wouldcut property taxes by an average of 25 percent for all property owners inthe state, to voice his support for the marriage amendment.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080508-anti-gay-amendment-cris/

-Poll: Will Gov. Charlie Crist's support of the Florida anti-gay marriageamendment have an affect on its passage?
http://www.365gay.com/


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Equali-Tea Sunday Party at the Pool to benefit the Human Rights Campaignand Other Great Equality Weekend Events!
Get your tickets now!
Beautiful Coral Ridge Home
Enjoy fabulous fare and complimentary cocktails!
Please join us for this unique evening of pool side fun in honor of ourEquality Weekend. Show off your new summer swim wear or dress in pool sidecasual! Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door.
In case of rain, we have cover! This event is open to all members of theLGBT community and our straight allies!
Other Equality Weekend Activities:
*Thursday, August 7 - Club Blue at Il Lugano Luxury Hotel Restaurant andLounge
3333 NE 32nd Ave - Fort Lauderdale
*Friday, August 8 - Women's Social
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Naked Grape Wine Co.
2039 Wilton Dr
Wilton Manors, FL 33305
*Saturday, August 9 - Film Screening: Paris is Burning
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. at ArtServe
1350 East Sunrise Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
You can always find out more at http://southflorida.hrc.org/!


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Mark LaFontaine, Democrat, for Florida House of Representatives, District 92
I'm excited that we're in the final stretch of the campaign. Victory Day isjust 3 weeks away - August 26! But remember, you can vote early beginningthis Monday, August 11 and running through Sunday, August 24. - - for a list of close early votingsites. We are monitoring the daily activity for early votes and also forballots returned by mail. The sooner you vote, the sooner we will know itand we can then remove you from our mailing and calling list. This willallow us to focus our limited resources on those who have not yet voted -and that's how we'll win! Our yard signs are available now too!
Click HERE - to reserve one. You can pickthem up at our campaign office, located at 3499 NE 12th Terrace in OaklandPark . Or, if you can't come here we'll get one to you. And finally, Iknow you've seen and heard a number of debates between my opponents and me.
Now you can catch us on TV. I taped the Kids Vote candidate forum two weeksago and it's now airing on Broward Cable on Comcast it's now airing onWBEC-DT Broward Cable on Comcast, Channel 19 in most of the County. ClickHERE for the schedule.or log on to www.becon.tv That's all for now!
We're moving fast to victory and to bring change to Tallahassee ! If you'd liketo help us on please click HERE to make a contribution - every dollar youprovide now goes directly to helping me get my message out.
Mark
PS: Remember: VOTE EARLY! And get a yard sign!
http://www.marklafontaine.com/donate.html


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Broward County Commissioner Ken Keechl, the first openly-gay member of the Commission, today endorsed Democratic State Senate candidate Eleanor Sobelfor the open seat in District 31. Sobel, a member of the Broward SchoolBoard, has long been an ally of the GLBT community. "I'm excited to acceptCommissioner Keechl's endorsement," Sobel said. "I have a long history ofworking with Broward's gay and lesbian community, and Ken's supportunderscores that." "Eleanor Sobel has always stood firmly againstdiscrimination in every form and at every turn," Keechl said. "Whetherduring her tenure on the Hollywood City Commission, the Florida House ofRepresentatives, or the School Board, Eleanor understands the issues thatimpact our community. She'll be a strong voice for us in the State Senate."
http://www.sobel2008.com/


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Dean Trantalis Campaign for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor
NEWS FROM "THE DEAN TEAM"
BEACHES AND DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT TAKE CENTER STAGE
Fort Lauderdale's Mayoral election may be seven months away but candidateDean Trantalis and his election team aren't wasting any time discussingIssues sure to be at the forefront of the campaign. The former citycommissioner and about a dozen supporters met Saturday to talk aboutTrantalis's position on everything from development to diversifying thecity's economy. Among those issues, bringing more retail businesses to thecentral beach area. Trantalis is against building more high rise condos butsaid "there are a lack of amenities on the beach for people who don't drivethere." "I've always been against rampant overdevelopment on the beach,said Trantalis, but we need to bring more retail stores, outdoor cafes andbusinesses people can walk to." In addition, Trantalis talked aboutaggressively and proactively recruiting companies and investors into ourcommunity. "With no air pollution, improved housing prices, and beautifulweather, Fort Lauderdale is the perfect place to relocate." the candidateadded. Also a priority, reducing the city's crime rate. Solutions such ashiring new recruits, improving our Community Policing initiatives, and evena dialogue regarding re-opening the city's jail were discussed. Trantalisis also in favor of a light rail or some other form of public transportationto take people from Port Everglades to the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood Int'lairport. The candidate's first fundraiser is being held August 20th atPineapple Point Guest House in Ft. Lauderdale. For more information go towww.Deanformayor.com


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Mark's List
http://frontpage.jumponmarkslist.com/

-On Thursday, August 7 from 6-8pm at the Il Lugano Luxury Hotel (3333 NE 32Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale) they invite you to kick off HRC South Florida'sEquality Weekend with the first of four exciting events. Club Blue is amonthly social event open to the community and designed to promote the HumanRights Campaign and its membership in South Florida. Join the HRC SouthFlorida Committee each month to meet up with other members of the gay,lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and learn about HRC in SouthFlorida! This month we will be highlighting Broward4Obama, a grassrootscampaign committed to secure Senator Obama's nomination and to win thepresidency. HRC is proud to have endorsed Sen. Obama for President. There isa $10 suggested donation which includes complimentary drink and appetizers.For more info on Club Blue, email: HRCsfla@bellsouth.net or call Tony at954.937.9290.



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Parents could be charged with felony for using fake address
Broward County parents who use false addresses to enroll their children inschool could be charged with a felony under a policy passed Tuesday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbfake0806sbaug06,0,6025027.story

-Survey: Florida's proposed property tax amendment not popular
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfproptax0806sbaug06,0,7018423.story

-Condo Column: Condo ombudsman flooded with questions from owners, boardmembers, attorneys
If you have a tale about a condo dispute, Bill Raphan probably has heard itbefore, at least once. He's supervisor of the Fort Lauderdale branch of thestate Office of the Condominium Ombudsman, which fields hundreds ofquestions every week from unit owners, board members, property managers andeven some attorneys.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-0805condocol,0,3384014.story

-Miami man connected to theft of 41 million credit card numbers
Authorities have cracked what is believed to be the largest federal hackingand identity theft case ever, involving the theft and sale of more than 41million credit and debit card numbers. Eleven people, including a U.S.Secret Service informant from Miami, have been charged in connection withdata breaches at nine major retailers, the Justice Department announcedTuesday. Three of those charged are U.S. citizens while the others are fromplaces such as Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus and China.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzretailfraud0806sbaug06,0,5202984.story


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

-MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS: Superintendent Crew weighing whether to stay in job
After surviving an attempted firing, Superintendent Rudy Crew is weighingwhether he should stay in Miami-Dade.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/630707.html

-The drilling hoax
Webster defines fraud as ''deceit, trickery, cheating.'' By that standard,the latest proposal to open the waters off Florida's Gulf coast to oildrilling certainly qualifies for that label. It is more than a littledisheartening to see both presidential candidates buy into a harmful,discredited idea that smacks of pure politics and will produce no relieffrom the pain at the pump.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/630709.html

-The Miami Herald recommends Beverly A. Gallagher
Voters in southwestern Broward have a good choice in the Aug. 26 nonpartisanrace between incumbent Beverly A. Gallagher and civic activist Henry A.Rose.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/630725.html

-Real estate bust cost to Florida: $153B
Florida's tailspinning real estate industry is in a market correction, withall properties declining by an unprecedented 6 percent in total valuestatewide.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/630694.html

=

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#####

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - August 05, 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:

-A red ribbon-- symbol of the fight against AIDS -- is tattooed on JosĂ©Ramirez's neck and posted prominently on the bulletin board in his office."It's me; it's who I am," says Ramirez, 26, coordinator of the YouthMpowerment programs at D.C.'s Clinica del Pueblo. "It opens upconversations." · Ramirez, who educates young gay and bisexual Latino menabout AIDS prevention, is working to slow the increase in cases.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080102445.html

-HIV Screening: It's Not So Easy
Researchers Find Oral Test Is Fast but Not Always Accurate
In the controlled chaos of emergency departments across the country, doctorsare working to curb the HIV epidemic, one swab of the gums at a time. Theeffort stems from guidelines published in 2006 by the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention to extend HIV testing to teens and adults in anyhealth-care setting, regardless of their risk of having the virus. The D.C.Health Department launched its own campaign that year, distributing 80,000free tests in ERs, community health centers and private doctors' offices.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080102753.html?hpid=sec-health


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

-Why to vote Republican
The writer of a July 29 letter asked for reasons to vote Republican. Here are mine. Welfare is not an investment in our "hard-working people;" it is an institution that kills motivation and the self-start mentality that built this great nation. If the answer to our energy challenge lies within a search for alternative fuel sources, then say goodbye to decent food prices, hello to even higher gas prices, and watch the majority of your paycheck evaporate. Accusing Republicans of stoking fear because they don't engage in diplomatic relations with dictators is contradictory. Talking to rogue nations is not brave. It's irresponsible and ineffective.
Killing unborn children should be criminal. To lower the number of abortions, we as parents must raise our children to understand that sex is meant for married couples. Assuming kids and teenagers are unable to control themselves underestimates their strength and defeats their character before they are old enough to recognize they have any. And gay marriage undercuts the purpose of marriage, to protect the family, by helping the mother and father to raise well-adjusted children who will become productive members of society. Gay couples cannot produce children. Why then, should they be allowed to get married?
Carolyn Frawley
Fort Lauderdale
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-brmail806pnaug05,0,5804174.story


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

-'So Gay' ad surprised SC tourism leaders:
Emails reveal unease shared among officials
When an ad campaign appeared in the London Underground promoting SouthCarolina as a "So Gay" destination for gay and lesbian tourists, thespokesman for the state's tourism agency shared his unease with a colleague.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20120

-Hey Nancy, we thought you were on our side!
Nancy Pelosi announced this week that she's pushing for Rep. Chet Edwards of Texas to be Obama's running mate. Pelosi, who could be called one of the gay community's biggest political allies, has a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign and has spoken at numerous events thrown by the organization. She has an entirely pro-gay rights voting record under her belt. The Dallas Voice points out today, however, that the man she wants Obama to pick for his VP is decidedly anti-gay. "Edwards scored a 15 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s most recent Congressional scorecard, putting him in a three-way tie for least gay-friendly among 11 Democratic House members from Texas. Among other things, Edwards, a Southern Baptist, supported the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006," the story said.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=8/4/08&end=8/6/08#20139


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

-Olsen seeks immunity in Ledger probe
Federal investigators want to question Mary-Kate Olsen about how HeathLedger got two powerful painkillers that contributed to his accidentaloverdose death, but she’s refusing to talk without immunity, a lawenforcement official said Monday.
http://www.365gay.com/features/080508-olsen-immunity/

-Cadillac ad campaign drives to LGBT award
Cadillac’s “Road to Success” won the Commercial Closet Association’s awardfor Outstanding U.S. TV Campaign for the LGBT Market: Cadillac and its “Roadto Success” campaign, the organization announced.
http://www.365gay.com/features/080408-cadillac/

-Gays, Others Prepare For GOP Protests
A 73-year-old retired surgeon marching in silence with a tombstone picturinga soldier killed in Iraq. A philosophy professor calling for a newinvestigation into the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A long-haul trucker fromTexas protesting the price of oil.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080408-rnc/


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

-How Movable Is John McCain?
Gay Republicans are hoping the Arizona senator can be won over to our side.Don't count on it.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid58856.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 Prevention Focus Returns to Gay Men at Mexico Conference
Discrimination against men who have sex with men must end, and countriesmust gear up prevention programs against AIDS in this high-risk group, thesecretary general of the United Nations said yesterday. Speaking at theopening ceremonies for the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, UNchief Ban Ki-moon was one of several world leaders and health officials whospoke about the need for targeting the epidemic among homosexual men.

-New Study Says Gay Couples Really Do Want Marriage
One of the most significant developments in the debate about same-sexmarriage is that it is gradually moving from abstract discussions aboutphilosophy and civil rights to concrete debates about evidence andexperience. As more countries and states recognize gay marriage, we learnmore and more about its effects and the characteristics of the familiesseeking it.

-Camp For Gay, Lesbian Youth Branching Out
An Edmonton summer camp for gay, lesbian and transgendered youth hasinspired a national movement to offer leadership training and a safe havenfor their counterparts across the country. Two new camps - one in Ottawaand one in British Columbia - are planned for the summer of 2009 followingthe success of Camp fYerfly, which hosted its largest camp to date July 24to 27.

-Gay Marriage: A Way Out
Want to break up this summer's family reunion a little early? Mention gaymarriage. Some of the cousins, citing the Hebrew scriptures, will call it anabomination. Others, citing the Biblical command to love our neighbors asourselves, will say it's the proper arrangement for couples of the samegender who love each other and had no choice over their sexual orientationin the first place. Whatever your take on the subject, gay marriage may bethe most divisive issue to face America's faith community since slavery. Thelatest opinion polls bear this out. A CBS poll in June showed 30% ofAmericans favor allowing same-sex marriage, 36% against and 28% favoringcivil unions for gay and lesbian couples.


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

-Bill Clinton: AIDS is "a very big dragon" but it can be slain
Former US President Bill Clinton said nations fighting AIDS need to reformtheir health care systems to reach high-risk groups neglected during thepast quarter of a century.

-South Carolina tourism director speaks up for gay tube adverts
Amid the row about adverts in London promoting South Carolina as a gaydestination, the head of the state's tourism agency said yesterday he wantedthe campaign to continue.

-Parenthood and belief in God prompt gay partners to make commitment
Gay and lesbian couples are more likely to legalise their relationship andhold a commitment ceremony if they have children and strong religiousbeliefs, says a new study.

-Facebook may help prove gay refugee's claims says Canadian group
Gay and lesbian refugee claimants struggling to shed old-world views oftheir sexuality are turning to new-age technology to make their case.

-EU condemns Iran for public execution of 29 people
The European Union has condemned in the "strongest terms" the execution of29 people at a notorious prison in Tehran last month.

-Bishop urges gay priests to "say it out loud"
The only openly gay bishop in the Anglican Church has said many of hisfellow clergy have "an unwillingness to be honest" about their sexualorientation.


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

-NY: Pride Agenda Rips Stonewall on Endorsements
Bronx Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr., is among several who voted against thesame-sex marriage equality bill but still won endorsement by the StonewallDemocrats of New York City. Bronx Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr., is amongseveral who voted against the same-sex marriage equality bill but still wonendorsement by the Stonewall Democrats of New York City.

-Defining Men and Women at the Olympics
By Alex Blaze | The Bilerico Project
The NY Times is reporting that the Olympics in Beijing this summer will betesting female athletes to see if they’re actually women or men posing aswomen: Organizers of the Beijing Olympics have set up a sex-determination laboratory to evaluate “suspect” female athletes, theofficial Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Sunday. The lab is similar toones set up at previous Olympics in Sydney and Athens, and will draw on theresources of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital to evaluate anathlete’s external appearance, hormones and genes. This practice, in thehistory of the Olympics, has excluded more women than the men-posing-as-women it’s caught (that number being a big ol’ goose egg).

-Bombay High Court Judge Supports Review of Section 377
In delivering a judgement which overturned the earlier of conviction of twoBritish men and a local associate for sexually abusing minors, Justice BilalNazki wrote in a judgement that the laws that criminalise “unnatural” sexincluding same-sex relations need to be reviewed. “There are lots ofchanges taking place in the social milieu and many people have differentsexual preferences, which are even not considered to be unnatural. Thereforeit is high time that the provisions of law which was made more than acentury ago, is looked at again.” Last week, Justice Nazki and JusticeSharad Bobde ordered the release of two former Royal British Navalofficers - Allan Waters (64) and Duncan Grant (60) - along with their Indianmanager William D’Souza, saying they were not guilty of sexually abusingminor boys at the Anchorage shelter home in Colaba.

-Malaysian Transvestites Appeal One-Week Jail Sentence
The four were among the 16 Muslim men arrested by the Kelantan IslamicReligious Affairs Department in a raid during a beauty pageant held at aresort in the northern state of Kelantan in Malaysia, according to mediareports. Mohamad Abdul Aziz Mohamad Noor, the religious department chief,was quoted as saying that the four transvestites were sentenced to sevendays jail and fined 1,000 ringgit (US$310) after being found guilty by theIslamic Syariah court for wearing female outfits. They are currently onbail. The official revealed that one transvestite was released because “hewore a Malay traditional outfit” while the other 11 who were wearing eveninggowns will be charged on Aug 24. The 11 are currently on bail. The NewStraits Times newspaper reported that most of contestants were teachers andbank employees. It was reported that another group of 50 transvestites whowere preparing to join the “Miss Universe Asia 2008″ contest managed toescape arrest - several of whom dived into a nearby river. About 300 peoplewere at the hotel to watch the event.

-WA: Dad, Dad and Me:
Seattle is a Haven for Children of Gays and Lesbians
By Jordie Ricigliano | Seattle Times
Annie Van Avery was 6 years old when her parents sat their two daughtersdown in their Minneapolis home to break the news. Mommy and Daddy wouldn’tbe together anymore because Daddy wanted to find his knight in shiningarmor. Daddy and his knight. It wasn’t something from Cinderella, SleepingBeauty or even out of Disney, but as long as Annie still had parents thatsupported and adored her, Annie knew she would be fine. “You know as kids,we just got it,” Annie said. “It was kind of romantic. Daddy was going tolook for his prince.”

-Mary Cheney Donates $3000 to Fight Proposition 8!
California Ripple Effect
That’s right, you heard it here first. Vice-President Dick Cheney’s outdaughter, Mary Cheney gave 3K to NO on 8 – Equality California in July.Cheney and her long-term partner, Heather Poe, have a one-year old daughter,and this gift will go toward a secure future for all families. She joinsother prominent donors, such as LA Police Chief William Bratton, actorIsaiah Washington, and tennis star Martina Navratilova in stepping up to thechallenge and saying everyone deserves the freedom to marry.

-Way Ahead Found in Church Gay Row
BBC
The announcement came on the last day of the Lambeth Conference, which hasbeen overshadowed by the issue of gay clergy and same-sex unions. About 200bishops boycotted the once-a-decade forum over the row. Dr Rowan Williamssaid there was a recognition, “though still with many questions”, that aCovenant was needed. The BBC’s Robert Pigott says this would be “some sortof statement of shared beliefs and a more-or-less binding agreement to stickto them”. Our correspondent said there were signs of support for along-term strategy to prevent further disintegration, but that the issue hadbrought the Church to the “brink of a permanent split”.

-UN Grants Status to Homosexual-Rights Groups
By Matt Sanchez | World Net Daily
The U.N. recently accorded two homosexual-rights groups “consultativestatus,” raising opposition from pro-family advocates who see the move as aweakening of national sovereignty that could result in lowering the age ofconsent for homosexual sex. U.N. watchdogs also cite homosexual-rightsgroups’ historical alignment with organizations advocating pedophilia. TheU.N.’s Economic and Social Council, the organ facilitating internationalcooperation on standards-making and problem-solving in economic and socialissues, has accepted COC Netherlands and the State Federation of Lesbians,Gays, Transexuals and Bisexuals of Spain. This “means we can join theefforts at the U.N. to address human rights violations against people withan alternative sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Björn vanRoozendaal, COC Netherlands international advocacy officer.


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

-Tasmania: GROUNDBREAKING GAY BLOOD BAN CASE STARTS THURSDAY
The first full hearing in a groundbreaking gay blood ban case begins inHobart this Thursday before the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal. Thecase was lodged in 2005 by Launceston gay man, Michael Cain, after he wasrefused the opportunity to give blood at the Launceston blood collectioncentre because he indicated he was in a sexual relationship with anotherman. Mr Cain said "my case is simply that potential donors should bescreened for the safety of their sexual activity rather than the gender oftheir sexual partner." "I am looking forward to this important issuefinally having its day in court" Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Groupspokesperson, Rodney Croome, also welcomed the Tribunal hearing.
www.gayblooddonation.org

-Prague: The number of same-sex couples who conclude registered partnershipin the Czech Republic has declined since the boom in 2006 when therespective law took effect, the daily Pravo wrote Friday, referring to itspoll at birth registry offices. The law on registered partnership of gayand lesbian couples has been valid since July 1, 2006. In the same year 235couples entered into registered partnership in the 10-million CzechRepublic. During the first half of this year, it was only 105 couples,according to data from 14 birth registries, Pravo writes. "In 2006 weregistered 26 couples, during the whole 2007 it was also 26, and this yearwe have so far registered 10 couples," a clerk, from the birth registry inKladno, central Bohemia, told Pravo.
http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/392/czech_national_news/26311/

-Cultures clash in church row over gay rights
RITE&REASON: The controversy within the Anglican communion over same-sexissues, considered again at the recently concluded Lambeth Conference, andconcern about human rights in China in the context of the Olympic Games,throw up an awkward question. To what extent is the promotion of humanrights a western colonial exercise? To what extent are so-called"self-evident truths" arising from the Judeo-Christian tradition - stilldominant as a pattern of thinking in the West if not any more wherereligious practice is concerned - simply by-products of a particularlysuccessful culture rather than being "truths" that genuinely have theuniversal application claimed?


=
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

-US Govt: No need for Gay HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
The CDC stated over the weekend that new HIV stats for the USA show gaymalecomprise the largest affected community, with 53% of the infections,yetthere is no gay HIV awareness day:
http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/2008/08/us-govt-no-need-for-gay-hivaids.html

-Let's Call 'Sex Tourism' What It Really Is: Slavery
I began to learn about the truly evil world of sexual slavery in 1999, whenthe human rights organization Equality Now contacted me about Big AppleOriental Tours, a travel company based in my district. The namesoundsinnocuous enough, but this was not your typical tour company. Itsclients didn't turn to it for its expertise on restaurants or culturallandmarks. Big Apple's clients were interested in just one attraction:
women. And theyall could have gone by the same euphemistic name: John. BigApple was a "sex tourism" business. It arranged tours of seedy nightclubs inThailand and the Philippines. These nightclubs were thinly veiled brothels,of course. Big Apple even advertised access to virgins. An Associated Pressreporter who viewed one of Big Apple's "promotional videos" reported that itcontained a clip of a Filipina woman identifying herself as "17 yearsyoung."
http://www.alternet.org/story/86757/

-The XY Games
IN the 1936 Olympic Games, the sprinter Stella Walsh - running for Polandand known as the fastest woman in the world - was beaten by Helen Stephensof St. Louis, who set a world record by running 100 meters in 11.4 seconds.After the race, a Polish journalist protested that Stephens must be a man.After all, no woman in the world could run that fast. Olympic officialsperformed a "sex test" on Stephens, who was found, in fact, to be female,proving once and for all that a person could be incredibly fast and femaleat the same time. Forty-four years later, Walsh, who had become an Americancitizen, was shot to death in the parking lot of a discount store inCleveland. Her autopsy revealed a surprise: It was Stella Walsh, and notHelen Stephens, who turned out to have been male all along, at leastaccording to the Cuyahoga County Coroner's office.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/opinion/03boylan.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

-Right Gears Up to Fight "Armageddon of the Culture War"
For two hours earlier this week, pastors gathered at more than 200sitesthroughout California, Arizona, and Florida to be exhorted bynationalReligious Right leaders like Tony Perkins, Harry Jackson, MaggieGallagher,and Chuck Colson and others to hold nothing back in their effortsto fightagainst marriage equality. The People For the American WayFoundation todayreleased a memo [PDF] chronicling the call and outlining theRight's plans for the weeksahead: The primary focus of the call wasProposition 8 in California, described by Colson as "the Armageddon of theculture war." Many speakers invoked thelanguage of warfare, raising up anarmy of believers, putting soldiers in the streets, being on the front linesof a battle.
http://media.pfaw.org/PDF/Memo_AntiMarriageCall.pdf?tr=y&auid=3871832

-Researchers Look to Daily Pill to Avert H.I.V.
MEXICO CITY - Can a pill a day help prevent infection from H.I.V., the virusthat causes AIDS? No one knows. But researchers in a number of countriesare conducting trials and planning others to test the unproven strategy thata daily pill, or a combination of drugs, can prevent H.I.V. By mid-2009,more people will be enrolled in such trials than in all ofthose for H.I.V.vaccines and microbicides, the AIDS Vaccine AdvocacyCoalition said in areport issued here on Sunday at the start of the 17th International AIDSConference. Initial findings of the safety and effectiveness might comeearly next year,although researchers do not know how they will compare tothe disappointingresults of recent tests of H.I.V. vaccines andmicrobicides, chemicals that women can put in their vagina to prevent H.I.V.infection.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/health/04aids.html


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GAY, HIV-POSITIVE MAN FROM PAKISTAN SEEKS REFUGE IN THE UNITED STATES LGBT,
HIV/AIDS, and Immigrant-Rights Organizations Submit Brief in Support of HisAsylum Claim
Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and Heartland Alliance’sNational Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) filed an amicus brief with theBoard of Immigration Appeals in Falls Church, Virginia on behalf of a numberof other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), HIV/AIDS, andimmigrant-rights organizations in support of a gay Pakistani man with HIVwho is seeking asylum in the United States. S.K. is a gay Pakistani man seeking asylum and withholding of removalbecause he fears persecution based on his sexual orientation and HIV status.Under Pakistani law, being gay is punishable by death and LGBT people areforced to live in secrecy and constant fear of exposure. The ImmigrationJudge ignored the serious risk of persecution that S.K. faces and denied hisapplication for asylum. The judge held that S.K., who has HIV, and was in acommitted relationship with a man in Minnesota, could avoid persecution byhiding his sexual orientation, marrying a woman, and having children. TheBoard of Immigration Appeals originally upheld the Immigration Judge’sdecision and is now reviewing the case a second time. “No one should have tolive in fear that just by being themselves they could be punished withprison or death by their own government,” said Shannon Price Minter, LegalDirector of NCLR. According to the amicus brief filed today, the ImmigrationJudge also failed to recognize that S.K.’s traumatizing diagnosis of HIVthat had progressed to AIDS understandably delayed his filing. “In additionto the many difficulties he was already facing, S.K. was diagnosed with HIVand AIDS, and the understandable psychological and physical difficulties heexperienced immediately following that diagnosis delayed his filing forasylum,” explains Claudia Valenzuela, supervising attorney for the NationalImmigrant Justice Center’s Detention Project, a program of Chicago-basedHeartland Alliance. “Our country’s asylum laws were written to take intoaccount situations like S.K.’s, in which individuals’ circumstances maychange long after they arrive in the United States and make them subject torenewed danger in their home country.”
www.nclrights.org


=
Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/

-Court Strikes Down ‘Overbroad’ Harassment Policy
A federal appeals court on Monday declared Temple University’s now-abandonedsexual harassment policy unconstitutional — and it did so in a way thatlegal experts agree could make it much more difficult for colleges anduniversities to defend nondiscrimination policies that limit the speech ofstudents. The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Courtof Appeals for the Third Circuit came in a 2006 lawsuit brought by a formergraduate student in history at Temple University. Christian DeJohn, who wasalso a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, sued the university,its former president, David Adamany, and two professors, alleging that thesexual harassment policy in place when DeJohn was enrolled from 2002-6impaired his ability to express his opinions about the role of women in themilitary.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/08/05/temple

=

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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - August 05, 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:

-Editorial: Guns and Poppies
In the morass that is Afghanistan, not just the Taliban are flourishing. Sotoo is opium production, which increasingly finances the group’s activities.There is no easy way to end this narcotics threat, a symptom of widerinstability. Even a wise and coordinated plan of attack would take years tobear real results. But the United States and the rest of the internationalcommunity are failing to develop one. They must work harder, smarter andmore cooperatively to rescue this narco-state.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/opinion/05tue1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin


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

-Who's Raising Race?
The Messages Loaded Into a McCain Surrogate's Words
I'm confident that Sen. Lindsey Graham and the rest of John McCain'sfront-line surrogates know full well what messages they're sending aboutBarack Obama and race. On the off chance that they -- or, more likely, someof the white voters they're trying to reach -- don't know text from subtextfrom context, here's a deconstruction.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/04/AR2008080401824.html


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

-The Tire-Gauge Solution: No Joke
By Michael Grunwald
How out of touch is Barack Obama? He's so out of touch that he suggested that if all Americans inflated their tires properly and took their cars for regular tune-ups, they could save as much oil as new offshore drilling would produce. Gleeful Republicans have made this their daily talking point; Rush Limbaugh is having a field day; and the Republican National Committee is sending tire gauges labeled "Barack Obama's Energy Plan" to Washington reporters. But who's really out of touch? The Bush Administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 bbl. per day by 2030. We use about 20 million bbl. per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points. In other words: Obama is right.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/health/04aids.html


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

-Don’t Tase Me, GOP!
The St. Paul Police Department is arming itself with Tasers. Localactivists and media say that the department ordered 230 stun guns in lateFebruary — adding to the 140 already in its possession — in preparation forprotests at the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC), which St.Paul will host from Sept. 1 to Sept. 4.
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3806/

-Drill, Drill, Drill Is Working
As Sen. John McCain and the GOP leadership nationalize the drill, drill,drill message, the Republican party might conceivably be riding a summerpolitical rally. The question of offshore drilling, along with expandeddomestic energy production, has suddenly become the biggest political andeconomic wedge issue of this election. Is there a Republican tsunami in themaking?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/drill_drill_drill_is_working.html

-GOP energy revolt presses on; Dems dismiss ‘stunt’
Energized House Republicans believe they have struck political gold withAmerican voters angered by high gas prices through their unusual revolt onthe floor, which Democrats on Monday tried to dismiss as a “political stunt.”
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-energy-revolt-presses-on-dems-dismiss-stunt-2008-08-04.html

-No PenaltyVoters don't mind negative ads. Do they care about hypocriticalones?
Last week the McCain campaign was roundly criticized, even among some of hisRepublican allies, for running several misleading ads about Barack Obama.Many voters seemed to agree: A CNN poll showed that four in 10 thoughtMcCain had attacked Obama unfairly.
http://www.slate.com/id/2196648/?from=rss

-McCain’s race problem — among whites, that is
If you had seen the reception John McCain got Friday at the National UrbanLeague convention, you wouldn't think he has a race problem — but he does.And it might surprise you to know what it is.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/08/mccains-race-pr.html


=

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - August 05, 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~~

GAY & lESBIAN COMMUNITY CENTER (GLCC)
The Gay Lesbian Community Center of South Florida (GLCC) is excited to announce the listing for sale of our property at 1700 N Andrews Avenue, across the street from the old GLCC location. The land for sale is a block-long vacant lot which was acquired as part of our settlement with Tarragon Corporation. Selling this property will provide the GLCC with a substantial increase in capital, contributing to a strong, stable future for the GLCC. The lot is being listed for sale by Dale Russell of Century 21 Hansen Realty with no agent or broker listing commission cost to the GLCC. Savings associated with not paying a listing commission benefit the GLCC and the community, propelling the GLCC forward for generations to come. The GLCC is deeply grateful to Century 21 Hansen and Dale Russell, a GLCC board member, for also providing professional real estate services for the purchase of our new Wilton Manors "campus" on a pro-bono, no commission basis.
Thank you,
Paul Hyman
Executive Director
www.glccsf.org


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ACLU of Florida Expands LGBT Advocacy Project
Miami -- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida today announced the expansion of its statewide LGBT Advocacy Project with the addition of legal and field staff in its Tampa and Miami offices. "Our LGBT Advocacy Project has worked hard for the past two years to become a leading statewide gay rights organization. We are thrilled to expand our staff so we can help more gay, lesbian, and transgender Floridians achieve full citizenship," said Robert Rosenwald, director of the ACLU of Florida's LGBT Advocacy Project.
www.aclufl.org


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JOIN US AUGUST 7TH, 6PM-9PM for an evening of
Chillin' and Grillin' at the delightful
America's Backyard - 200 W. Broward Blvd. Fort Lauderdale
For your $25 donation, you will receive your first drink free, 2-for-1 drinks the rest of the evening, and a buffet BBQ dinner! Plus, you'll be supporting the effort to defeat Amendment #2. Thanks to a generous gift from Thomas Leffler, 100% of the funds raised go directly to defeating Amendment #2! Fairness for All Families is a broad-based statewide coalition working to defeat the 2008 so-called "marriage protection amendment" which threatens to strip away benefits and protections currently offered to a wide variety of Floridians. Together with your generous support we can safeguard legal protections, health care, and employment benefits for all Floridians.
To Purchase Your Ticket:
http://ga4.org/Equalityflorida/events/BrowardFFAF/details.tcl
To Donate: https://secure.ga3.org/01/ballotinitiativec4


=
IT'S TIME TO RESTORE PRIDE IN VOTING
ADRIANE REESEY - Candidate For Broward County
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
Fundraising Reception
Sunday, August 17, 4-6 PM
GEORGIE'S ALIBI, Dana Manchester Room
2266 Wilton Drive (N.E. 4th Ave.), Wilton Manors, FL
RSVP 954-594-3363 or
info@votereesey2008.com



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Gov. Charlie Crist backs Amendment 5 tax swap plan, which critics call taxincrease
Property taxes would drop, but critics ask: At what cost?
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flfcrist0805nbaug05,0,5158150.story

-School voucher proposals head to the polls
Programs allot tax money for private schools
Florida's school voucher program is again under a microscope after a judgedecided Monday that two proposed constitutional amendments can appear on theNovember ballot.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbvoucher0805sbaug05,0,2802323.story

-WSVN legal contributor, Broward Public Defender Finkelstein facing firstelectoral challenge
Incumbent Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein will face his firstelectoral test this month as criminal defense attorney Alex Arreazachallenges him in the Democratic primary.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-elxdefender08xxsbaug05,0,6442506.story


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

-Dade schools superintendent hangs on by one vote
Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew barely survived a vote by the Miami-DadeSchool Board to fire him.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/629382.html

-OLYMPICS | SHAWN JOHNSON: Gymnast Johnson on track for gold
Shawn Johnson's daredevil attitude as a toddler was channeled intogymnastics -- and the result could be a gold medal in Beijing. ShawnJohnson's mother enrolled her in gymnastics class out of fear more thananything else. At least at the gym there were mats, foam pads and coaches tocatch the little daredevil.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/629500.html

-Soggy July gives boost to Lake Okeechobee
Strong rains soaked Lake Okeechobee on Monday, continuing a slow but steadyrise in a critical source of water for South Florida. The lake stood at10.74 feet above sea level, thanks to 8.63 inches of rainfall in July -- twoinches above average for the 16-county region overseen by the South FloridaWater Management District. The Kissimmee River area, which feeds the lake,got about four inches more rain than average.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/629473.html


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

-Barack Obama tries to woo Clinton backers with call to fully seat Florida,Michigan delegations
With less than three weeks until the start of the Democratic NationalConvention, Sen. Barack Obama is trying to make peace with South Floridasupporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, a voting bloc stubbornly slow to embracethe presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flpdems0805pnaug05,0,262489.story?track=rss

-Obama behind curve on more gulf drilling
Here's what Barack Obama should have said about the idea of expanded oil andgas drilling off the coast of Florida, which has a $65 billion touristeconomy: No. As in, no, because it is not true that just the thought ofmore drilling near Florida would drop the price of gas to $3 by Election
Day. As in, no, because voters should not believe the George Bush-JohnMcCain propaganda campaign that more drilling, and more drilling alone,amounts to a national energy policy. As in, no, because drilling just 50miles off Florida's west coast could change the state's character.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/08/05/a12a_leadedit_obamadrill_0805.html

-'Big' budget deficit ahead for Florida
Florida's sagging economy will push state government back into the red thismonth and force Gov. Charlie Crist to either further cut spending or tapdeeper into the state's reserves. Florida's sales and real-estate taxrevenues have continued to plummet this year, forcing Crist in June to orderall state agencies to hold back 4 percent of the $25.7 billion operatingbudget for the fiscal year that began July 1.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-budget0508aug05,0,1827114.story

-Crist backs tax cut on ballot
For the second time this year, Gov. Charlie Crist is urging Florida votersto approve a controversial property tax cut proposal. Crist said Monday forthe first time that he will work to help pass Amendment 5, which wouldeliminate most school property taxes, saving property owners at least 25percent.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article757762.ece


=

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#####

Monday, August 04, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - August 04, 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:

-Anglicans to Seek Pact to Prevent a Schism
CANTERBURY, England - Nearly three weeks of discussion aimed at preventing abreakup of the worldwide Anglican Communion over homosexuality ended Sundayat a conference here with 650 bishops and archbishops agreeing to seek a newpact among all parties to the ecclesiastical controversy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/world/europe/04anglican.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin


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

-Gay Bishop Dispute Dominates Conference
Anglican Event Ends With Leader's Plea
LONDON, Aug. 3 -- In the end, the 2008 Lambeth Conference will probably beremembered most for the bishop who was not in attendance but who nonethelessthreatened to break apart the world's third-largest church.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/03/AR2008080301542.html


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

-New Jersey Gay leaders don't expect mass exodus for weddingsInstead, they'll wait for change to come to Jersey
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1217738155123640.xml&coll=1


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

-NY/VT: Lesbian bigamy battle unfolds; lack of legal clarity leads to muddle
Link: Lesbian bigamy battle unfolds | burlingtonfreepress.com
TheBurlington Free Press
The two women married in Canada, obtained identical tattoos and picked outadjoining burial plots with the expectation that they would be together tilldeath and beyond. Then one of them fell for someone else, and withoutgetting a divorce, entered into a Vermont civil union in Stowe with the newwoman. Now the woman who says she was left behind -- Laureen Wells-Weiss --is alleging that her estranged spouse committed bigamy and that Vermontauthorities are neglecting their duty by declining to press charges. Shealso contends that authorities would be more aggressive if the complaintwere being made by a person in a heterosexual marriage.

-CA: Fight marriage ban, San Leandro school trustee proposes
Link: Inside Bay Area
The San Leandro school board may go where very few, if any, [see article onthe Southern California district board that came out in favor of themarriage ban] ]school districts have gone before. Trustee Stephen Cassidyhas suggested a resolution for the board to oppose Proposition 8, which ifpassed by voters in November would ban gay marriage in California. Theboard has not acted on the proposal, except to pass the matter on to anadvisory committee for further discussion. Proposition 8 might seem to haveno direct impact on education. But Cassidy said his reasons have to do withthe board's duty to defend the state constitution, and to protect theintegrity of the board's efforts to promote inclusiveness on its campuses.If the proposition passes in November, Cassidy said, he could not agree with"discriminatory language in the California constitution."

-"The even-handedness in Professor Obama's law exams"
Link: Seattle P-I
How would candidate Obama answer professor Obama's exams? During his yearsteaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago, Barack Obamafavored take-home tests touching on some of the scorchingly hot-button legalissues of the day: gay rights, reproductive freedom, affirmative action andracial profiling. These exams, unearthed by The New York Times' resourcefulJodi Kantor, are edgy versions of the classic law school "issue spotter."Can a state university's law review expand its affirmative action program toinclude special treatment for gay students as well as racial minorities?Does a man have any right to stop his ex-wife from using their frozenembryos to try to get pregnant? Can parents whose daughter is in avegetative state be prohibited from trying to clone her? To read Obama'sexams is to get a glimpse of the supple intelligence he would bring to thepresidency and to be impressed by his lawyerly capacity - perhaps evencompulsion - to see the other side's argument and mine the weaknesses of hisown case.


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

-Corvino: Blaming Larry King
A recent Newsweek article on Lawrence King - ­the cross-dressing gay 14-year-old fatally shot by a classmate last February - has prompted many accusations of "blaming the victim." "The obvious: The murder of Larry King was wrong." In it, author Ramin Setoodeh asks, "How do you protect legitimate, personal expression while preventing inappropriate, sometimes harmful, behavior? Larry King was, admittedly, a problematical test case: he was a troubled child who flaunted his sexuality and wielded it like a weapon - ­it was often his first line of defense. But his story sheds light on the difficulty of defining the limits of tolerance."
http://www.365gay.com/features/080408-corvino-king/

-Abbott Faces More Litigation Over AIDS Drug Pricing
When Abbott Laboratories Inc. hiked up the price of a popular AIDS drug by400 percent in 2003, executives prepared for the inevitable public relationshit, but assured themselves the backlash would be brief.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080408-abbot-aids/

-HIV+ 12 Year Old Opens World AIDS Conf.
(Mexico City) Keren Dunaway was 5 when her parents used drawings to explainto her that they both had the HIV virus - and so did she.
http://www.365gay.com/news/080408-aids-children/


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

-Sexual Assault in the Military: A DoD Cover Up?
There was quite a struggle in Congress this week. The Department of Defenserefused to allow the senior civilian in charge of its Sexual AssaultPrevention and Response Office (SAPRO) to testify in Thursday's hearing onsexual assault in the military. Rep. John Tierney, chair of the HouseSubcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, angrily dismissedPrincipal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Michael Dominguez from thehearing when Dominguez said that he, the DoD chief of legislative affairsand the chief of public affairs, had ordered Dr. Kaye Whitley, chief ofSAPRO, to refuse to honor the subpoena issued by the subcommittee for herappearance. Full committee Chairman Henry Waxman called the DoD'sdecision to prevent Whitley from testifying "ridiculous and indicating DoDis covering something up." It could also place Whitley in contempt ofCongress. Rep. Christopher Shays said the DoD's decision was "foolish."


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

-Teenager dies after 'homophobic' attack in Liverpool
An 18-year-old who suffered serious injuries last month in an attackdescribed by police as homophobic has died.

-Rowan Williams claims resolution on homosexuality is possible
Despite no agreement on how to tackle the issue of homosexuality in theChurch of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury said the "pieces are on theboard" for a settlement.

-Briton killed in Saudi accused of gay sexual assault
An Egyptian man has confessed to stabbing to death 46-year-old BritonStephen John Havering, a Bahrain resident in Saudi Arabia.

-Hillary will not seek nomination at Democratic convention
According to the New York Daily News Senator Hillary Clinton will not ask tobe nominated for President when the Democrats gather in Denver to officiallynominate Barack Obama later this month.


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

-Hurdles Still High for Gays in Eastern Europe
Gays and lesbians in western Europe enjoy legal rights and levels oftolerance that would have been almost unthinkable 15 years ago. But ineastern Europe, hostility and discrimination against homosexuals still rundeep. Gay pride festivals dot the summer calendar all across Europe --from Berlin to Eskilstuna, Sweden, from London to Zaragoza, Spain. Thesedays, the events raise few eyebrows and families often bring their childrenalong to admire men in stiletto heels and boas, or in almost nothing at all.This weekend, 17,000 people are expected in Stockholm for EuroPride 2008, 10days of film screenings, exhibitions and seminars and parties. About 100,000are expected to take part in a parade on Sunday, Aug. 3.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3529008,00.html

-Gay 'Indian prince' charms Sweden - and vice versa!
He has become Sweden's charming "Indian prince" in just a few days. Anderstwhile royal Manvendra Singh Gohil, who is unabashedly gay, returns hecompliment, thrilled as he is by the openness of Swedish society. Manvendra,the scion of the erstwhile royal family of Rajpipla in Gujarat, is here asa guest of honour of Sweden's annual gay parade, StockholmPride, which thisyear hosted the annually rotating EuroPride. Believed to be the onlyerstwhile Indian royal who is openly homosexual, Manvendra has worked magicon gay as well as straight Swedish audiences, a la Hollywood celebrity.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=87279

-The German Constitutional Court just declared the provision in the GermanTranssexual Law (Transsexuellengesetz TSG) which demands forced divorce oftranssexuals unconstitutional. The TSG demands that transsexuals who legallywant to change their gender marker on their birth certificates have to beunmarried (though a registered partnership was no hindrance). This part ofthe law has just been declared unconstitutional and may not be used untilthe German government proposes a new solution.

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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - August 04, 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:

-China Orders Highest Alert for Olympics
By EDWARD WONG and KEITH BRADSHER
Chinese officials have thrown an almost smothering blanket of securityacross Beijing in preparation for the Games.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/sports/olympics/04china.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

-Ragtag Taliban Show Tenacity in Afghanistan
By CARLOTTA GALL
The mounting toll inflicted by insurgents has refocused the attention ofAmerica's military commanders and its presidential contenders on the Afghanwar.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/world/asia/04taliban.html?hp

-Applications Spur Carriers to Relax Grip on Cellphones
In the first 10 days after Apple opened its App Store for the iPhone,consumers downloaded more than 25 million applications, ranging from gameslike Super Monkey Ball to tools like New York City subway maps. It wasnothing short of revolutionary, not only because the number was so high butalso because iPhone users could do it at all.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/technology/04open.html

-Op-Ed Columnist: Aux barricades! France and the Jews
It's not quite the Dreyfus Affair, at least not yet. But France is dividedagain over power and the Jews. While the United States has been debatingThe New Yorker's caricature of Barack Obama as a Muslim, France has gone offthe deep end over a brief item in the country's leading satirical magazineportraying the relationship between President Nicolas Sarkozy's fast-risingson, Jean, and his Jewish fiancée.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/opinion/04cohen.html?ref=opinion


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

-Obama Leads but Doubt Prevails Among Key Bloc
Low-wage workers prefer Democrat 2 to 1 over McCain, but are skepticaleither candidate will fix economy or improve health care, survey shows.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/03/AR2008080301969.html?hpid=topnews

-Tropical Storm Edouard Gaining Speed Over Gulf
Emergency teams were activated as residents along the Gulf of Mexicoprepared to get hit with another round of tropical weather for the secondtime in less than a month. Tropical Storm Edouard gained speed as it movedwest Monday and was expected to strengthen to a near-hurricane before makinglandfall somewhere in Texas or southwest Louisiana.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/03/AR2008080301138.html?hpid=moreheadlines


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

-Are we being fleeced at the refinery?
It's a confusing world. Remember, for example, when oil was $20 a barrel,and oil experts said that no one should get in a panic and start conserving.There was plenty of oil out there that wasn't economical to pump at $20 butwould surely appear if the price ever got to $40 or $45 a barrel. So we weretold.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/08/04/a12a_blackburncol_0804.html

-Economic models predict clear Obama win in November
It really is the economy, stupid! Economic models that have correctlypredicted the winner of almost all post-war U.S. presidential elections sayrecession fears will secure a victory for Barack Obama in November.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0138628820080801

-If Obama's A Celebrity, What's McCain?
Politico: As McCamp Camp Tries To Brand Obama A "Celebrity Politician," It'sWorth Considering McCain's Own Media Status
If Barack Obama gave new meaning to the term "political celebrity," thenJohn McCain helped define it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/03/politics/politico/main4317810.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4317810

-Flocking to faith
In the old days, politicians would slip preachers some hundreds under thetable and preachers would deliver the flock on Election Day. It wasborderline illegal, but at least it left the Constitution alone. The samecould not be said of the Bush administration's faith-based initiative, apolitical bribe to the religious right that put a hole in the 1st Amendmentbig enough for Christ himself to walk through.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0804pollittaug04,0,4057744.story

-Drill for more oil
If you could boil down the ideal U.S. energy policy to a few words it wouldbe this: We have to stop buying foreign oil. U.S. dependence on it createstoo much political, economic, environmental and national securityvulnerability. The nation needs to find alternatives.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0804edit1aug04,0,3534301.story

-Answering McCain's Attacks
As a week of name-calling and rapid responses faded into history, politicalpractitioners seemed to agree that John McCain had diminished himself andhis straight-talk brand with negative ads and petty misrepresentations. Yet,surprisingly, a consensus also seemed to be forming that Barack Obama, atleast tactically, had not come out on top. Which raises the question: Howshould Obama respond?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/03/AR2008080301574.html

-ON THE MEDIA: Obama's crime? Acting too presidential
So the pundits' verdict is in: Obama is too confident. It all would be funnyif many people didn't seem to be inhaling this multimedia stink bomb as ifit were fragrant truth. America, meet Barack The Arrogant.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-onthemedia4-2008aug04,0,2648035.story?track=rss

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - August 04, 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~~

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ArtServe and The Atlantic Resort and Spa present
"Portals: New Works by Keith Clark"
Champagne Artist Reception
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 6-8pm
Atlantic Resort & Spa
601 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free. Please RSVP to 954.462.8190 ext.207 by August 4.
This exhibit is on display through September 30, 2008, part of ArtServe'sExplore the World's Experiences, A Cultural Arts Affair program. visitwww.keithclarkgallery.com


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ArtsUnited will feature the paintings of local artist James Goodson in soloexhibit at the Stonewall Library and Archives from August 4 through 29,2008.
The library is located at 1717 North Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, FL.The exhibit opens with a reception to meet the artist from 6:30 to 8:00 PMon Monday, August 4th. Admission to the exhibit and reception are free andopen to the public. As a teen, James Goodson began studying dance, dramaand play writing at Baylor University. Work in fashion design and retail andwholesale display followed. Later James studied computer applications anddigital photography. He recently retired from NSU where he worked in MediaServices. In addition to his photography and paintings, James has publishedtwo books - a collection of poetry and a teen/tween novella. His art hasbeen featured in a number of venues throughout Broward County.


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Sol Theatre - Ft. Lauderdale
Previews August 6, 8, & 13 with $5 off.
Blowing Whistles Opens August 15th, performances through August.
Seating opens at 7:30, show begins at 8 PM.
Blowing Whistles, a comedy about being gay, being in love, big lies,internet hook ups, and the fallout that ensues. While some may find thematerial confronting, others will truly relish in it. Blowing Whistles isabout Nigel and Jamie, a likeable couple in a somewhat open relationship. Onthe eve of Gay Pride, which coincides with their tenth anniversary, Nigelcruises "Manhunt" online and meets 'Cumboy_17'. The ensuing events over thenext 24 hours will chart a course that will change their lives forever. BoxOffice: 954-801-9207
http://www.SolTheatre.com


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Davie, Plantation, Miramar, Southwest Ranches study fees for trafficaccidents
Prepare to pay more if you get into a traffic accident. Davie this monthwill likely vote on whether to bill drivers from outside the town who arecited in collisions requiring the attention of police and firefighters.Plantation, Miramar and Southwest Ranches are exploring similar proposals.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbaccident0804sbaug04,0,7948548.story

-Judge to hear challenge to voucher amendments
A judge plans to hear arguments over whether two pro-school voucherproposals should be removed from Florida's November ballot. Vouchers letstudents attend religious and other private schools at taxpayer expense. Thehearing is being held Monday in Tallahassee. The statewide teachers unionand other opponents say the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission exceededits authority by offering the constitutional amendments.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/schools/sfl-0804vouchers,0,1481034.story

-Broward County parks will close Tuesdays because of budget cuts
County parks will lock up Tuesdays beginning Oct. 1
They come to kayak with their grandkids or find solace after the loss ofloved ones. Some Broward residents use the county's parks for a weekly gameof Frisbee golf or watch as their children clamber over jungle gyms. Butthese activities and many others must be put on hold one day a week startingOct. 1. Because of budget cutbacks regional parks, nature centers andnatural areas run by Broward County will be closed Tuesdays.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbparks0804sbaug04,0,3757667.story

-Investigators: Millions of Medicare dollars at risk due to poor oversightof medical suppliers
The government is putting millions of Medicare dollars at risk byauthorizing fictitious sellers of wheelchairs, prosthetics and other medicalsupplies to submit reimbursement claims with only limited review,congressional investigators say. The study by the Government AccountabilityOffice obtained by The Associated Press sought to follow up on oversightgaps that have plagued the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sinceat least 2005. Roughly $1 billion of the $10 billion in annual Medicarepayments the government makes for medical equipment are later deemedimproper.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sns-ap-medicare-fraud,0,5507765.story


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

-Dade School Board set to vote on firing Crew
The Miami-Dade School Board will vote Monday on whether it should fireSuperintendent Rudy Crew for insubordination.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/628269.html

-LIBERTY CITY: Liberty City activists lend hand to ex-felons
When inmates leave prisons throughout the state many are equipped withtrades that would lead to employment. Carpentry, cosmetology and tailoringare among the many skills learned behind penitentiary walls. Neighborhoodsin Miami's inner city, like Liberty City, are often home to the newlyreleased ex-felons with newly acquired skills.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/communities/story/625409.html


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

-Obama: Restore delegate votes
Presumed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama called Sunday for theFlorida and Michigan delegates to receive full votes at his nationalnominating convention this month. In a letter addressed to leaders at theDemocratic National Committee, Obama said the move would help promote "partyunity."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/state/epaper/2008/08/03/0803floridademocrats.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=0

-Check logic at the door with guns-to-work law
U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle said early on that he thought Florida'snew take-your-gun-to-work law was "stupid." So is his ruling partiallyupholding the law. Not that it's Judge Hinkle's fault. Even the NationalRifle Association admits that the law was sloppily written. But not everylaw that's stupid also is unconstitutional. Sometimes, stupidity stands.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/08/04/a12a_leadedit_gunsatwork_0804.html

-Three political veterans vying for seat of Florida Senate minority leader
One of Florida's legislative leaders is being term-limited out of office,and those vying to fill his seat are not exactly political rookies.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-elx31senate0804sbaug04,0,3956604.story

-If We Drill in the U.S., We Don't Get the Oil
The oil that comes from offshore drilling will belong to the multinational firm, like Exxon-Mobil and will go to world markets, not us. One thing hasbeen driving me crazy about this drilling debate -- everyone seems to assumethat if we drill for oil in the US, that we will get the oil. And hence, wewon't be dependent on foreign oil anymore. But we won't get anything,Exxon-Mobil will.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/93619/if_we_drill_in_the_u.s.%2C_we_don%27t_get_the_oil/


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#####