Saturday, September 20, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - September 20, 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:

-On Religion: Church Gives Sanctuary to Gay Man and His Family
On that afternoon five years ago, Randy and Jill Keel arranged to meet on familiar and neutral ground. The setting was the coffee bar in a cavernous bookstore here, a place they had used other times in the two years since they had separated. Oddly anonymous in such a public place, they could speak bluntly, and angrily if necessary, outside the earshot of their four children.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/us/web20religion.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse

-In Conservative Nepal, a Tribune for the 'Third Gender' Speaks Out
SUNIL Babu Pant likes to take advantage of the frequent delays at Nepal's newly elected Constituent Assembly. As the only openly gay member, he takes every opportunity to work on his homophobic colleagues, trying to convince them that contrary to what they were taught growing up in this very conservative country, homosexuals are just like any other people. Mr. Pant, 35, a computer engineer by training, opens his laptop - an object of fascination to many in the assembly, who come from the rural hinterlands - and gives a PowerPoint presentation wherever he finds his audience.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/world/asia/20pant.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse


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

-Administration urged to end HIV travel ban
Experts at an early August international AIDS conference in Mexico City were full of praise for the United States for having reversed a 15-year-old law banning HIV-positive people from entering the country. But nearly two months after President Bush signed that act into law, his administration has yet to take the steps needed to put the new law into practice, and lawmakers and advocacy groups are wondering what is going on.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/20/AR2008092000567.html

-McCain, Obama wary of fueling gay-marriage debate
Proposed bans on same-sex marriage are on the ballot in three important states this fall, rousing passions on both sides, yet neither John McCain nor Barack Obama seems eager to push the issue high on their campaign agendas. In California, the stakes are particularly high _ it's the first time a ban-gay-marriage amendment goes before voters in a state where same-sex couples already have the right to wed. Similar amendments are on the ballots in Florida, a battleground in the presidential race, and Arizona, McCain's home state.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091902869.html


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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

--Mormons Boost Antigay Marriage Effort
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have contributed more than a third of the approximately $15.4 million raised since June 1 to support Proposition 8. The ballot initiative, if passed, would reverse the current right of same-sex couples to marry.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122186563104158747.html

-US Conference on AIDS, Day 1
Surveillance from the opening reception cocktail party, Wednesday night.
Living in large American cities like Miami, you get the feeling that despite the doomsday statistics and culture of risk, people are aware of the dangers of HIV. That's why it's shocking to hear the stories of health professionals from other parts of the country and around the world. Judith Backof, a Red Cross volunteer trainer from Fort Pierce paints a grim reality when she talks about how AIDS is addressed in her community. She describes a social arena that is ruled by Bible-thumping evangelists. The churches, she said, are among the most vociferous forces in Indian River County to oppose AIDS education programs in the schools and throughout the community.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=21141


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

-Chicago: Gay community divided on LGBT high school
A public hearing on the pros and cons of a high school for LGBT students has found divisions within Chicago's gay community on the advantages of such a school.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-community-divided-on-lgbt-high-school/

-Corvino: At wedding, gay PDA not OK
Like many gay people, I have a love-hate relationship with weddings. On the one hand, I enjoy any excuse for a party, and what's not to like about celebrating love and commitment with family and friends? On the other hand.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino-at-wedding-gay-pda-not-ok/

-Clergy to oppose Fla. anti-gay amendment
Moderate religious leaders from across Florida are speaking out against a proposed amendment to the state constitution which would ban same-sex marriage and could be used to deny benefits to co-habitating non-married couples - both straight and gay.
http://www.365gay.com/news/clergy-to-oppose-fla-anti-gay-amendment/

-Breakaway Episcopal bishop ousted
Episcopal Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, whose diocese is moving toward splitting from the national church, was ousted from ministry Thursday by his fellow bishops.
http://www.365gay.com/news/breakaway-episcopal-bishop-ousted/

-African-American LGBT group honors Congressional Black Caucus
The National Black Justice Coalition will honor Congressional Black Caucus members who are founders of the LGBT Equality Caucus in Congress on Monday.
http://www.365gay.com/news/african-american-lgbt-group-honors-congressional-black-caucus/


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

-Obama to Launch Faith Tour That Includes Supporter of Prop. 8
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is reportedly launching a "Faith, Family, and Values Tour" next week that will include Catholic legal scholar Douglas Kmiec as one of the campaign's surrogates. Kmiec wrote an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle this summer in which he urged support for passing California's marriage ban, Proposition 8. The Christian Broadcasting Network is reporting that the Obama campaign next week will kick off "Barack Obama: Faith, Family, and Values Tour," designed to woo the votes of left-leaning Catholics, progressive Evangelicals, and some conservative mainline Protestants. If LGBT people find the tour eerily reminiscent of the South Carolina gospel tour the campaign arranged last year with antigay "ex-gay" gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, their instincts may not be far off.
CBN names Catholic legal scholar Douglas Kmiec as one of the religious surrogates who will hit the road stumping for Obama. Kmiec wrote a June 13 op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle supporting California's Proposition 8, the ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage, titled "On Same-Sex Marriage:
Should California Amend Its Constitution? Say 'No' to the Brave New World." Kmiec's first two sentences in the piece read, "The California ballot initiative intended to set aside the state supreme court's judicial invention of same-sex marriage deserves public support. Maybe it is enough to say, as many do in conversation, that it merely re-secures a millennia of tradition and common sense." [...] Contacted by The Advocate for comment, Obama campaign spokesperson Shin Inouye confirmed CBN's report, reiterated Obama's support for LGBT rights, and echoed the theme of diversity that Obama often trumpets himself.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid61930.asp

-Barack Obama and Bill O'Reilly Face Off
A man of his word, as Bill O'Reilly said, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama sat down with the conservative gab fest host to talk about the election. And while the two didn't see eye to eye on several issues, one thing is certain... the two men make for some entertaining TV. Take a look!
http://election2008.advocate.com/2008/09/barack-obama-an.html


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

-End gay adoption ban
He's 12 years old. He lives in Key West. He likes to fish and go to the beach. As his teacher says, he doesn't like schoolwork, but he's begun "looking at the girls." Nothing unusual about that, right? No, unless you consider that this is the boy whom a gay Monroe County man wanted to adopt. A cruel, cowardly 31-year-old Florida law prevents homosexuals from adopting. But this man, who for seven years has been the boy's foster parent and guardian, challenged the law as unconstitutional. Last week, Judge David Audlin agreed. Barring an appeal by the state, the boy who asked the plaintiff, "Will you be my daddy?" will get his wish.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/09/20/a12a_adopt_leadedit_0920.html


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

-Vigil and dance at Oregon state capitol celebrate advances
Link: Blog Out
A group of straight families, sponsored by Love Makes A Family, will lead a 24-hour vigil on the steps of the state capitol Sept. 20 to celebrate advances toward marriage equality for same-sex couples during the past year. Oregon's historic laws, the Family Fairness Act and the Non-Discrimination Act survived attempts to put them on the November ballot. In May of this year California became the second state to open legal marriage to same sex couples. Step by step we are moving toward full equality. The vigil starts at 1 p.m. and includes a dance on the capitol steps from 8 to 11:30 p.m. with DJs Weissman & Thurap, and concludes with brunch on the capitol steps Sunday morning.

-Commentary: If Democrats Control The NYS Senate, What Next For Marriage Equality?
Link: Joe. My. God.
New York Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), who is poised to take over the majority leadership role if Democrats take control of the state Senate in November, yesterday waffled when asked if he would vigorously pursue marriage equality when the day comes. Although he reiterated his personal support of gay marriage (a position that was in question back when he first became minority leader), Smith declined to say definitively how or when he might address this particular topic if he becomes majority leader - a move that will no doubt disappoint some of the big gay donors who are helping to bankroll the Democrats' effort to flip the chamber this year.

-Proposition 8: Words Matter
Link: Beyond Homophobia
by Gregory Herek
Now an experiment embedded in a new Field Poll has shown that the wording does have an impact, mainly on voters who aren't already knowledgeable about Proposition 8. The latest poll was conducted with a statewide sample of 830 likely voters drawn from the voter registration rolls. Roughly half of the respondents - selected at random - were read the official ballot description of Proposition 8: Proposition 8 is the initiative to Eliminate the Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry constitutional amendment. It changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry and provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Fiscal impact: Potential revenue loss, mainly to sales taxes, totaling several tens of millions of dollars to state and local government over the next few years. If the election were being held today, would you vote YES or NO on Proposition 8?

-"Legalized same-sex marriage almost certainly benefits those same-sex couples who choose to marry, as well as the children being raised in those homes"
Link: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Dale Carpenter
Ed. note: Dale Carpenter refers to an opinion piece in today's LA Times expressing support for the California amendment that would prevent gay couples from marrying. Carpenter highlights once sentence.
"Legalized same-sex marriage almost certainly benefits those same-sex couples who choose to marry, as well as the children being raised in those homes." That's the claim made today by Andrew Sullivan Jonathan Rauch David Blankenhorn in an op-ed in the L.A. Times. It's not a new claim, of course. Same-sex marriage advocates have been making it for years. Nor should it be a controversial one since it's very hard to see how gay marriage would have no effect on gay families and even harder to see how it would hurt them.

-Q&A with Barack Obama
Link: 365 Gay News
Excerpt: The Gay History Project's Mark Segal has been trying for months to interview both Barack Obama and John McCain. McCain has declined participation - the Obama interview follows. There were no conditions on the interview. Obama spoke to Mark Segal by phone Aug. 16; an audio version of the interview will be posted at www.epgn.com. In his first interview with gay press since he officially took the Democratic nomination, here's what Obama had to say.
MARK SEGAL: You are the most LGBT-friendly candidate running for president in history. Are you concerned that John McCain and the Republicans might use this as a divisive issue as they did in 2004?

-The Unexpected Message The Yes On 8 Campaign Sends To Jews, Mormons, And Other Non-Evangelicals
Link: Pam's House Blend
I don't always connect dots in the ways others do, so it's usually interesting to me when someone connects dots in a way I never thought about -- especially when it's a particularly interesting character who makes the connections. On September 8th, a Jewish, conservative Republican -- David Benkof -- wrote a piece entitled Right-wing nonsense, where he questioned the Yes On 8 - Protect Marriage Campaign's use of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) as their legal defense team: I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, so I supported the man-woman marriage Proposition 8 in California - until I discovered the Proposition 8 campaign tolerates discrimination against Jews. ProtectMarriage.com's legal counsel, the Alliance Defense Fund, has in effect a "No Jews Need Apply" policy for legal and even secretarial positions. They say they're not a law firm, they're a "ministry" and thus have a right to discriminate against Jews and other non-Christians. But even if that's true, Proposition 8 had hundreds of law firms to choose from. The fact they chose one that refuses to hire a Jew like me is very disturbing. Interestingly, Jesus himself was a Jew, so when a group has a policy that would lead them to refuse to hire their own Messiah, you know something's seriously wrong.


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

-Respect Holidays goes bust
A major UK gay holiday firm has ceased trading. Respect Holidays was one of the best known companies in the business.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9053.html

-Major gay travel company assures customers it is stable
Mantrav International has issued a statement in the wake of the collapse of two of its rivals, reassuring customers the company is safe.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9058.html

-Airline refuses to deport gay asylum seeker from UK
A campaign of "pester power" has convinced a national airline to decline to transport a gay man who claims his life is in danger if he is returned to his homeland.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9057.html

-Fathers 4 Justice target minister with "lesbo dads" banner
Gay rights organisation Stonewall has branded the latest stunt from protesters Fathers 4 Justice as "obvious homophobia." The group's original founder Matt O'Connor disbanded the group last week but disaffected "father's campaigners" staged a protest in Bristol today calling themselves "New Fathers 4 Justice."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9056.html

-Politicians increasingly turning to God at party conference
An analysis of the speeches given by party leaders at their annual conferences has revealed a marked increase in religious language since 2001. Between 1998 and 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown used religious references most on average, with just one speech, according to a report from church-backed theology think tank Theos.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9050.html

-Man accused of murdering trans teenager in court
A judge in Colorado has ruled that a 31 year old man will stand trial for the first degree murder of an 18 year old trans woman and a "bias-motivated crime." Allen Andrade will also be charged with stealing the victim's car and debit card.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9049.html

-Brazil's President backs same-sex unions
Gay couples exist and we must give them legal recognition, the President of Brazil said yesterday. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also questioned why some politicians oppose gay rights but still take gay people's taxes and votes. The President said he is in favour of civil unions.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9048.html


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

-CA: San Diego Log Cabin Republicans Endorse Goldsmith
by Joseph Peña | Editor | Gay & Lesbian Times
Judge Jan Goldsmith, candidate for City Attorney, delivered a nonpartisan message to a small crowd of San Diego Log Cabin Republicans on Saturday. "I had no interest whatsoever [in running for City Attorney] . finally, I said, 'If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it my way, and I'm going to operate based on the law - not politics and not partisanship,'" said Goldsmith, who is locked in a runoff election with incumbent Michael Aguirre. Goldsmith's message was warmly received at the gathering. "The very fact that Judge Goldsmith will approach this job from the standpoint of the law is greatly comforting to me," said Chad Michael Terry, president of the San Diego Log Cabin Republicans. "We have someone [Aguirre] currently in office who seemingly is using it as a springboard to something else." Read more

-Bishop Robinson: 'God Loves All God's Children'
By John Wright | News Editor | Dallas Voice
V. Gene Robinson, who became the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church in 2003, will be at Dallas' Black Tie Dinner in November to accept the 2008 Elizabeth Birch Award. Robinson sat down with Dallas Voice recently to talk in a telephone interview about his upcoming visit and other issues.
Dallas Voice: Are you looking forward to coming to Dallas? Bishop V Gene Robinson: I'm very much looking forward to it. A lot of the work that I do is on behalf of LGBT people everywhere. And it's just especially wonderful to be honored by your peers, and for that work to be recognized, so it's a great honor for me. I also think that coming to Dallas is an important thing because it's a part of the country and a diocese of the Episcopal Church where there's not a lot of affirmation of gay and lesbian people out there, and I look forward to the opportunity to present a different sort of religious voice.

-Proponent for Catholic Ex-Gay Group Defends Hypocrisy in
Firing of Gay Music Director
By Michael Airhart | Truth Wins Out
The Roman Catholic Church generally does not fire church music directors for presumed premarital sex, usury, moderate gambling, smoking, or countless other vices. But when a Verona, Wisconsin, church fired music director Charles Philyaw for being honest with the congregation about having a gay partner who was also a member of the church, the hypocrisy of antigay parishioners and an ex-gay advocate became apparent. The June termination at St. Andrew Catholic Church was reported Monday by the Wisconsin State Journal. Parishioner Jo Ellen Kilkenny said, "We are all sinners, but when you hold a leadership position, you're held to a higher standard than people in the pews." She may be right to hold leaders to a higher standard - but that's beside the point: Kilkenny tolerates sinful church leaders - she just doesn't tolerate homosexual Catholics. In particular, she could not stomach receiving the Eucharist from someone (Philyaw's partner) whom she knew to be gay.

-MA: Primary Results a Mixed Bag for LGBT Community
by Ethan Jacobs | Bay Windows | EdgeBoston
Carl Sciortino
The Sept. 16 Democratic primaries were a mixed bag for the LGBT community, yielding some major wins but also some losses, including the defeat of a pro-marriage equality incumbent state representative by an anti-gay challenger. The biggest win of the night was the re-election of Medford/Somerville Rep. Carl Sciortino, who was forced to run a sticker campaign to hold onto his 34th Middlesex District seat. Sciortino, an openly gay lawmaker who has been a strong advocate for marriage equality and transgender rights, defeated challenger Bob Trane, a Somerville Alderman, with a massive 400-person volunteer operation that made sure voters got to the polls sticker in hand. Sciortino received a hero's welcome when he arrived at his victory party at Sabur restaurant in Somerville after the polls closed, as hundreds of volunteers crowded around him. He compared the victory to his first win in 2004, when he unexpectedly defeated former state representative Vincent Ciampa, a 16-year incumbent and opponent of marriage equality. Read more

-Progressive Silence on Television
The Progress Report | Think Progress
Last week, MSNBC debuted a new prime-time political show hosted by Rachel Maddow, a progressive radio host on Air America. The debut attracted more viewers than both Larry King and Glenn Beck's programs, on CNN and CNN Headline News, respectively. After one week on air, Maddow's was MSNBC's highest-rated show on Tuesday, with Keith Olbermann's Countdown in second place. When Olbermann announced Maddow's new show last month on the progressive blog Daily Kos, he wrote to its readers, "Yes, you had something to do with it." Maddow's show is one of the few success stories of the efforts by progressives to see more progressive voices on TV. In fact, the day before Maddow's debut, MSNBC announced it was pulling Olbermann and Chris Matthews from its election coverage - a move the New York Times said was a "direct result of tensions associated with the channel's perceived shift to the political left." Despite Olbermann and Maddow's rating successes, MSNBC and the other networks still don't seem to be getting the message: Americans want to hear progressive voices on television.

-WA: Gay immigrant, detained in Tacoma, gains reprieve
By Lornet Turnbull | Seattle Times staff reporter
A gay Jamaican man - one of the longest-held detainees at the Northwest Detention Center - has won a second chance to remain in the United States after a federal appeals court in a ruling this week pointed to a "pattern and practice of persecution" of gays in his Caribbean homeland. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered an immigration judge to reconsider the case of Damion Bromfield, who is seeking something akin to political asylum 15 years after he first came to the U.S. as a legal immigrant - and more than a decade after he came out as gay. The 30-year-old, who grew up in the Portland area, says he's convinced he would be beaten and killed if ordered back to Jamaica.


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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

-The Politics of Fear
ScienceNOW Daily News
Why do people have the attitudes they do toward social issues such as welfare, abortion, immigration, gay rights, school prayer, and capital punishment? The conventional explanations have to do with their economic circumstances, families, friends, and educations. But new research suggests that people with radically different social attitudes also differ in certain automatic fear responses. Political scientists say the work is evidence that certain attitudes are conditioned by fundamental traits of temperament, which could help explain why it's hard to get a donkey or an elephant to change its coloring.
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/918/2

-A growing population of lesbian and gay senior citizens seeks recognition for their unique needs and challenges.
Bob McCoy is a youthful, active 78-year-old. He sings in his church choir, takes a weekly computer class, and regularly attends social gatherings organized by a gay senior citizens group in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lives. But McCoy worries about a day when he can no longer care for himself: he has no close family, no partner, and he's outlived most of his friends. "I'm used to having friends I can call up and say, 'Let's go to [a movie],'" he says. "But now there's nobody to call."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/159509

-Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't' Tell" to be Addressed in Town Hall Forum, Workshop Preceding Presidential Debate
Retired Rear Admiral Barnett and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Executive Director to Provide Insider Briefing
Today the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) announced that Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis and Retired Rear Admiral James ("Jamie") Barnett will be speakers at the Sept. 24 Town Hall Forum and the Sept. 25 workshop at The University of Mississippi in advance of the first Presidential Debate of the 2008 Election. "I look forward to the upcoming forum and workshop as an opportunity to educate the public about the failure of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and ensure that this important issue remains part of the national debate in this year's election," Sarvis said. "Voters need to understand how this ban has undermined our military's readiness in a time of war. More than 12,500 well-qualified service members have been fired under this bad law while our military is already stretched too thin and the need for an effective fighting force grows greater by the day."
http://sldn.3cdn.net/3e58a6324c2d04bdc7_yvm6bxkqb.pdf


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

-INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Uganda: Action Alert-Demand An End To Official Harassment of LGBT Activists In what appears to be an all-out effort to silence the sexual rights movement in Uganda, police have again arrested high profile members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, this time two male-to-female transgender gay men - Georgina (aka) Oundo George and Brenda (aka Kiiza). According to Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG), two men who identified themselves as police officers, but were not in the customary Ugandan Police uniform arrested both men at the home of Georgina on Wednesday September 10, 2008.
http://www.iglhrc.org

-Nepal Government unveils budget inclusive of Sexual and Gender Minorities for the first Time in Nepal's history
This is such a great news that for the first time in Nepal's history the national budget have provision for sexual and gender minorities. Maoist led Government's finance minister Dr Babu Ram Bhattari just unveiled the budget today and the budget reads as follows:
237: The state will accord special priority to solve the core problems of Nepali people relating to sexual and gender minorities and a common house for 50 people will be provisioned to live together for their socialization.

-NYC Vigil for Alaei Brothers: Wed Sept 24th at noon
Dr. Kamiar Alaei should be in Albany right now, continuing his 2nd year of doctoral studies at SUNY Albany School of Public Health. Instead, he and his brother, Dr. Arash Alaei-internationally respected HIV/AIDS physicians-have been detained by the Iranian government and are being held without charge. Next week, on Wednesday September 24 at Noon, Physicians for Human Rights and a coalition of health and human rights groups are holding a vigil to call for their release during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to NYC for the UN General Assembly. Please attend this important event and call on the Iranian Government to respect the human rights of these two doctors. More information on this campaign can be found on www.IranFreetheDocs.org, where you can also sign a petition in support of Kamiar and Arash.

-Uganda: Protect Sexual Rights Activists Ensure Due Process for All Citizens
Police should end investigations into the activities of two Ugandan human rights activists working in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities, Human Rights Watch and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) said today. In violation of Ugandan law, the police held the activists, George "Georgina" Oundo and "Brenda" Kiiza for seven days, without bringing them before a judge or bringing charges against them. The two organizations called on Ugandan authorities to clear their police files and respect the basic freedoms of all Ugandans regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
"Oundo and Kiiza are entitled to the same constitutional protections as all Ugandans, regardless of their sexual orientation," said Juliana Cano Nieto, researcher for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "The Uganda police must stop trampling on the rights of the Ugandan LGBT community."
For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Uganda, please visit:
http://hrw.org/doc/?t=africa&c=uganda


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

-RECOGNIZING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY
AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, SESSION 8
Part I: Overview
(Part I of this report provides an overview of attention paid to sexual orientation and gender identity issues at the 8th session of the Human Rights Council, including a summary of recommendations and State responses during the adoption of UPR reports. For full details, please refer to Part II of the attached report, which sets out all interventions made during the Council session, and Part III of the attached report, which provides full transcripts of State responses to UPR recommendations, as well as the comments of NGOs and other stakeholders.)
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article and attachments.

-Queerbeograd and fascist attack
At this very moment we're in the middle of the 5th Queerbeograd festival in Belgrade, Serbia. The theme of the festival this year is 'Direct Action & Antifascism'. The latter appeared again important when a group of 25 people leaving the festival yesterday evening we're confronted with an organized attack by fascists. The festival has participants from Macedonia, Russia, Netherlands, Germany, UK, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Slovenia.
Police that we're patrolling in a side street we're quickly there but it didn't prevent some of the QB participants getting seriously hurt. One fascist got arrested. The fascist group consisted of members of Obraz, a clerical fascist group that also organized the attack on the pride in 2001. This afternoon there is a meeting to discuss how to respond to this attack. The festival will definitely continue and last until Sunday. Besides film screenings, performances and bands also two panels this weekend on direct action and antifascism. Queerbeograd is supported by a number of autonomous groups making fund raising.
http://www.queerbeograd.org

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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
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NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - September 20, 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:

-Capital Feels Its Way on Huge Rescue Plan, Eyes on Nov. 4
The financial turmoil has left Washington in the midst of a convulsion that both parties are struggling to understand and keep from turning against them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/business/20politics.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

-What's the Rush?
BOB HERBERT
The United States Supreme Court's scheduled date to hear Troy Davis's last-ditch appeal is Sept. 29. That's six days after the state of Georgia plans to kill him. Putting someone to death whose guilt is uncertain is always perverted, but there's an extra dose of perversion in this case. Mr. Davis's lawyers have tried desperately to have the execution postponed for those few days, but so far to no avail. Georgia is among the most cold-blooded of states when it comes to dispatching prisoners into eternity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/opinion/20herbert.html?ref=opinion

-China's Baby Formula Scandal
The deaths of Chinese babies killed by drinking tainted milk powder are a frightening reminder that the country still has not improved safety standards. The formula contains a dangerous chemical additive known as melamine - the same additive that sickened thousands of American dogs and cats last year. The best guess is that milk dealers eager to cut costs diluted their milk with water, then added the melamine to inflate the protein readings on a common industrial test.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/opinion/20sat2.html?ref=opinion

-Lipstick Bungle
Support for Sarah Palin among Republicans seems just as superficial as she is. When asked why they liked her, the answers described a talk-show host, not a vice president.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/opinion/20blow.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Contributors: Blocking the Sky to Save the Earth
TO the relief of climate scientists around the world, it appears that the polar ice cap hasn't shrunk as much this summer as it did last summer. The ice cap usually reaches its smallest extent around now, and although the total area of ice in September fluctuates from year to year, in the last two decades it has generally declined, probably because of carbon-driven global warming. Last year, the ice cap shrank at a record-breaking pace; at its minimum it was almost 39 percent smaller than the average from 1979 to 2000. This year it's down about 33 percent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/opinion/20homerdixon.html?ref=opinion

-Anarchy in the U.K.?
Winston Churchill said that stakes in the the Battle of Britain were no less than "the survival of Christian civilization" - how do you think he'd take this news from an article in The Times of London? "Islamic law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases." The article continues: "The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence. Rulings issued by a network of five sharia courts are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through county courts or the country's High Court, a part of its Supreme Court system. Previously, the rulings of sharia courts in Britain could not be enforced, and depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims." Daveed Gartenstein-Ross at Weekly Standard's blog thinks things are a bit more complex. "In my judgment, the issue is significant-but is also rather complex, and shouldn't be oversimplified.
The proclamation that Britain has "adopted Islamic law" is plainly inaccurate. Sharia only governs where both parties agree to its implementation. It won't subsume British law unless there is a specific contract or agreement to apply sharia in civil disputes rather than British law: thus the sharia courts' classification as arbitration tribunals (a form of what is called "alternative dispute resolution").

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/anarchy-in-the-uk/?ref=opinion

-Meanwhile, the Other No. 2 Keeps On Punching
Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. has been butchering Senator John McCain this week. It is not clear who has noticed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/us/politics/20biden.html?hp

-Zardari Says Pakistan Will Not Tolerate Incursions
Pakistan will not accept infringement in the name of a fight against militancy, President Asif Ali Zardari said.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-pakistan-zardari.html?hp

-Mark Foley: Ex-Lawmaker Won't Face Charges in Page Case
Nearly two years after a Florida congressman abruptly resigned over sexually explicit messages he sent to a teenage House page, law enforcement authorities here have concluded there is "insufficient evidence" to charge him with breaking Florida laws. Commissioner Gerald Bailey of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, who was asked in September 2006 to look into the conduct of the congressman, Representative Mark Foley, Republican of West Palm Beach, said Friday that investigators were hampered by Mr. Foley's refusal and that of Congress to grant them access to Congressional computer files.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/us/20foley.html?hp

-Officials: Damage to collider forces 2 - month halt
GENEVA (AP) -- The European Organization for Nuclear Research says its new particle collider has been damaged worse than previously thought and will be out of commission for at least two months. On Thursday, the organization said the collider -- the world's largest -- malfunctioned within hours of its launch to great fanfare, but its operator didn't report the problem for a week.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Switzerland-Particle-Collider.html

-Shaky Economy Suddenly Dims Russian Prospects
MOSCOW - This week, Moscow looked every inch the glittering financial capital it aspires to be. Luxury cars were jammed up for blocks outside a lavish art opening at the Red October chocolate factory, where long-legged models congregated around works by Andy Warhol and Picasso. President Dmitri A. Medvedev, flanked by the country's commercial titans, talked of his longtime dream of building a trade and commerce hub that would challenge New York and London.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/world/europe/20russia.html


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

-Back to Basics in Banking
Before becoming a journalist in 1990, I spent nearly a decade in commercial banking. The banking business was rather simple in those days. We took in deposits, made loans and collected repayments, hoping all the while that we would get at least two of those three things right. Still, many bankers managed to botch the last two steps.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091902953.html

-War Crime as Organized Crime
Among the many alleged war crimes of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader who refused to enter a plea when he appeared in court at The Hague this week, none received more attention during the Bosnian war than the targeting of civilians during the long siege of Sarajevo. In retrospect, the siege can also be viewed as an extreme case of organized crime. Karadzic acted like a predatory mafia boss, profiting from the misery of the population and collecting payoffs, in the form of skimmed humanitarian aid, in return for granting the United Nations access to the besieged city. The United Nations and major Western powers acquiesced in this extortionist scheme, largely tolerating the siege even as they condemned it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091902954.html

-All About Sarah, Scene 2
During the long slog to the Democratic Party nomination, folks used to joke that if Barack Obama chose Hillary Clinton as his running mate, he'd better hire a food taster. Well, after a rally in Iowa on Thursday, it looks like it's Republican nominee John McCain who may need to watch his back.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/all_about_sarah_scene_2.html

-A Modernized Taliban Thrives in Afghanistan
Insurgency revives into confident militia, fueled by growing popular discontent with both Karzai government and U.S., NATO alliance airstrikes. [...] The new Taliban movement has created a parallel government structure that includes defense and finance councils and appoints judges and officials in some areas. It offers cash to recruits and presents letters of introduction to local leaders. It operates Web sites and a 24-hour propaganda apparatus that spins every military incident faster than Afghan and Western officials can manage.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091903980.html?hpid=topnews

-U.S. Unveils $500 Billion Bailout
Historic plan would let government rather than markets set terms for managing economic crisis.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091900620.html?hpid=topnews

-S. African Ruling Party Weighs Mbeki's Fate
JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 19 -- South Africa's ruling party began a three-day meeting Friday to discuss whether to force out President Thabo Mbeki, who has faced mounting calls to resign since a court ruling suggested he had pressured prosecutors to charge his political rival with corruption.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091903696.html?hpid=sec-world


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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Moscow to Boost Defense Spending
The Kremlin is set to boost its defense budget to $50 billion next year as it seeks to strengthen its foreign policy and reverse underinvestment
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122186072594758281.html

-Shock Forced Paulson's Hand
When Paulson and other U.S. officials surveyed the flailing financial system this week, they saw the circulatory system of the U.S. economy, credit markets, starting to fail.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122186563104158747.html


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

-Campaigns bend truth for Jewish vote
The battle for Jewish hearts and minds in the presidential race escalated this week, as the Republican Jewish Coalition conducted what Democrats condemned as a "push poll.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/423/story/694093.html


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

-One thought pushes fence-sitters to the left: Palin
Five weeks ago, the St. Petersburg Times convened a group of Tampa Bay voters who were undecided about the presidential election. Their strong distrust of Barack Obama suggested it was a group ripe for John McCain to win over. Not anymore. The group has swung dramatically, if unenthusiastically, toward Democrat Obama. Most of them this week cited the same reason: Sarah Palin.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article818181.ece

-Against The Grain
"Many undecideds haven't really connected their negative feelings about race to Obama yet. Their view of Obama is unformed, and their negative feelings toward African-Americans could be easily triggered when they finally tune in." [...] Most undecided voters simply haven't focused on the elections yet, something people who read columns like this find hard to believe. Those who have managed to ignore the loud and endless campaign tend to be less educated and well-off than the average voter, and more prone to negative racial feelings. If the white swing voters break in proportion to their racial attitudes, Obama could be sunk.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94733622

-Racial views steer some white Dems away from Obama
Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks -- many calling them "lazy," "violent" or responsible for their own troubles.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/09/20/racial_views_steer_some_white_dems_away_from_obama/

-GOP moves to derail Palin probe have parallels to 2000 Florida recount fight
This time, there are no hanging chads. Yet the Republicans' drive to derail an abuse of power investigation against Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential candidate, reflects the same determination and many of the same methods employed in shutting down the 2000 presidential recount in Florida.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-palin-troopergate-stakes,0,6781786.story

-Grampa and Barbie on the Economy
The economy is in a meltdown, and John McCain can't figure it out. On the day the Dow tanked and Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers fell, he declared that the fundamentals of the economy are sound. Then he had to try to explain his comment away--by "fundamentals" he meant "American workers." Now he is calling for putting "an end to the abuses on Wall Street."
http://www.progressive.org/mag/rc091708.html

-Investigator: Palin probe to end before election, but without witnesses who refused to testify
Gov. Sarah Palin's chief of staff authorized ex-Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to travel to Washington, although the governor has cited that trip as a primary example of the insubordination that led to Monegan's firing. Monegan is the central figure in the investigation into whether Palin abused her power when she fired him. Monegan alleges he was fired because he refused to terminate a state trooper who was involved in a bitter divorce with the governor's sister. Palin says he was fired because of insubordination on budget issues.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-palin-troopergate,0,383359.story

-'Bubble's going to burst,' health care conferees warn
Feeling the rumblings from Wall Street thousands of miles away, some participants in a national health care conference in Orlando on Thursday suggested the unthinkable: If health reform doesn't come soon, they said, the $2.3-trillion sector could collapse of its own weight. They say health-system spending is as inflated as the real-estate market of three years ago, and some say it needs regulation as much as today's banking industry.
http://floridahealthnews.org/index.cfm/go/public.articleView/article/9059/top/true

=

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

FLORIDA DIGEST - September 20, 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~~

Mark's List brings you our weekend bar and club guide on one nice neat page.
If you prefer to look at what's going on in specific clubs or events, please use the links below. To read our party guide, please click on the following link or copy and paste it into your browser:
http://jumponmarkslist.com/MSFL/friday/2007/021607.htm


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A note from Waymon Hudson
I was hoping to get your help on spreading the word about a contest the "Say No 2" Campaign against Florida's "Marriage Protection" Amendment. It's a contest to get young, web-savvy voters involved in the campaign by making their own youtube commercials for the campaign. I've attached a link below to a story I am running on Bilerico-Florida about it. If you could please help us get the word out, that would be great! Thanks!
http://florida.bilerico.com/2008/09/say_no_2_campaign_launches_make_your_own.php


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From GLCC - Ft. Lauderdale
Your entree into Greater Fort Lauderdale's gourmet scene
Join us for the most tasteful event of the season, as American Express presents the 2nd Annual Dine Out Lauderdale, a six-week celebration of the area's top restaurants, chefs and cuisine. From October 1 through November 14, a selection of Greater Fort Lauderdale restaurants are offering specially-created, three-course menus at a $35 fixed price. Enjoy the very best of Greater "Fork" Lauderdale and discover the mouthwatering ingredients that make dining here so LauderLicious. Check out the 2008 Dine Out Lauderdale event as featured on WFLA-TV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21CxyUSnfaA


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

-Thwarted Foley investigation
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement ran into several roadblocks investigating whether former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley violated state law by purportedly sending sexually explicit e-mails to a 17-year-old former congressional page in February 2003. Investigators were unable to retrieve copies of the e-mails from computer servers or Foley's congressional computers.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpfoleyside0920sbsep20,0,217649.story


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St. Petersburg Times
http://www.tampabay.com/

-Undecided voters key to gay marriage ban
A proposal to ban gay marriage in the Florida Constitution is within striking distance of success, according to a new poll. The St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 survey shows 58 percent of voters approve the proposal to define marriage as between a man and woman.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article819091.ece


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Charlotte Sun
http://www.sunnewspapers.net/

-'What have you done for your marriage today?'
The Diocese of Venice in Florida has posted billboards along Interstate 75 in Southwest Florida asking residents, regardless of their faith, to consider a question aimed at making them think: "What have you done for your marriage today?"
http://www.sunnewspapers.net/articles/llnews.aspx?articleID=8855&bnpg=0



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

From Adam Ruben - MoveOn.org
Time is tight, so I'll be quick: Can you come to a MoveOn for Obama party at 5:00 PM on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale and make some calls to help Barack win? Click here for all the info:
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=72747&id=13916-5533006-.RiSUkx&t=1


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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Florida Could Again Muddle Election
New voting laws and untested voting machines suggest that Florida could again muddle the presidential election.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122185985239258235.html


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

-Plantation men face 40 years to life for homeless killing - rampage with with baseball bats
For the teens, it was a night of sick fun. For the jury, there was enough depravity, hatred and evil intent to judge it second-degree murder.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbhomeless0920asbsep20,0,6866672.story

-Lifestyles of Boca's rich and famous ... mostly insulated from nation's layoffs, inflation and severe financial downturn
The list of residents reads like a who's who of the local - and national - elite. Richard Egan, a former ambassador. Christine Lynn, a local philanthropist. Greg Norman, golf legend. Their massive homes stretch across acres, meet manicured greens and kiss sparkling waters. Here, in some of the most expensive communities in the country, the rich are insulated from the struggling economy, as if by their security gates.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/bocaraton/sfl-flprichpnsep20,0,314375.story

-Broward Democrats poke fun at Sarah Palin
Get a room full of Democrats, and they can't resist poking fun at Sarah Palin. It's not exactly the message that the Barack Obama campaign wants to exude - preferring to act as if the Republican vice presidential candidate doesn't get them ruffled - but Palin is just too rich a target for loyal Democrats.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbpalinhumor0919sbsep20,0,3416290.story

-Economy tops voter concerns in Florida poll
Find out who Florida voters favor for president in Sunday's editions of the SunSentinel. And learn more about what Floridians think about the economy in Monday's editions. Jobs and the sluggish economy are the most important issues for Florida voters, a statewide poll conducted for the SunSentinel and Florida Times-Union found this week.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-0919-florida-election-poll-story,0,5562875.htmlstory

-Enrollment at Broward schools dips for a 4th year
It's four straight years of declining enrollment for Broward County public schools. Enrollment decreased 3,167 students this year, or just under 1 percent, a dip comparable to last year's loss of 3,752 students, according to district figures released Friday. Broward now has 255,738 students attending public schools.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/schools/sfl-flbenrollment0920sbsep20,0,5707691.story

-Judicial race ballots to be mailed out today with Dijols' name
The legal merry-go-round over who's still a candidate in a Broward judicial race continued Friday, as the hours dwindled before some ballots must be put in the mail. The ballots will go out today, county Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes insisted.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flbjudges0920sbsep20,0,4360148.story

-Palm Beach: Recount in judge race heads into second day
Election staff moves carefully after miscounts
With no deadline set and wanting to ensure they do it right this time, Palm Beach County workers plodded methodically through most of the 102,700-plus ballots in a recount of a tight judge's race that has become the litmus test of new voting machines.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flprecount0920pnsep20,0,3140324.story

-Florida Supreme Court backs search restrictions
Gun possession conviction thrown out
Police cannot stop and search people based solely on anonymous tips, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed, but the justices said that does not mean officers cannot respond to those kinds of reports.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfcourt0920sbsep20,0,2648164.story

-For South Florida to draw vibrant work force, lifestyle issues need fixing
South Florida, according to recent news articles, is losing population, and its work force. Enrollment in our public schools is also down, and while that may ease school crowding, it too reflects a loss of potential employees.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-jobs18forumsbsep18,0,3217377.story


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

-Drilling favored, Crist dips in new poll
High gas prices have more Floridians giving a thumbs-up to oil drilling, while Gov. Charlie Crist finds his luster fading, a new poll shows. Rising partisanship and a sinking state economy are taking a toll on Gov. Charlie Crist's once-stratospheric popularity, but Crist's support for offshore oil-drilling is striking a chord with voters, according to a new survey. [...] Crist's fortunes seem to be falling in tandem with the state's job losses, which lead the nation.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/front-page/story/694114.html

-$275,000 salary for Dade schools chief Alberto Carvalho
New Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho will earn less than former schools chief Rudy Crew if his proposed contract is approved.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/692559.html

-UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Obama audience at University of Miami was mixed lot of hope, skepticism Barack Obama's rally at the University of Miami on Friday drew at least one hard-core group of youthful supporters, pumped up on Red Bull and awake since the wee hours, while others remained undecided as they waited for a first-hand look at the Democratic presidential nominee.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/694117.html

-Expert: Michael Hernandez was psychotic before he killed classmate
A defense expert testified Friday that Michael Hernandez is a paranoid schizophrenic who was psychotic and out of touch with reality when he killed 14-year-old classmate Jaime Gough four years ago at Miami-Dade's Southwood Middle School.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/694089.html

-Broward closer to have first black county administrator
Following a $23,000 nationwide search for a new county chief executive, Broward commissioners appear poised to promote from within and offer the job to interim county administrator Bertha Henry. [...] Henry, who earns $244,000 a year as interim administrator, has held the interim post since the abrupt resignation of Pam Brangaccio in October 2007. Henry is expected to be offered about $300,000 to take the job permanently. Henry will oversee a county government that's shrunk about 10 percent in the past two years. Next year, the number of county employees will be capped at 5,895 under a motion to be voted on Tuesday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/694126.html


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

-Poll: 43% of Florida voters feel their economic situation is worse
If you think you've had it rough, you're not alone. The tumultuous economy has 43 percent of Florida voters reporting that their personal economic situation has gotten worse in the past two years, while another 43 percent say it has stayed the same, according to a new Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 poll.
http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/693602.html

-Florida unemployment keeps rising, at 13-year high
Florida's unemployment rate climbed to 6.5 percent in August, its highest level in more than 13 years, state officials said Friday. That means 606,000 employable Floridians are jobless. The rate jumped by 0.3 point in just one month and 2.3 points in a year. It hasn't been this high since January 1995.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/693106.html

-I-4 a lifeline for candidates
Presidential, vice presidential hopefuls zero in on Florida
It's no coincidence that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will campaign today in Daytona Beach.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/EastVolusia/evlHEAD01EASTPOL092008.htm

-2 percent of Florida's vote can spark a battle
Four little words are generating a lot of noise in Florida. It's another sign of how high the stakes are this election year. The words: "No match, no vote."
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article819159.ece

-Nader will be on Florida ballot in November
Ralph Nader is back. The perennial presidential candidate will be on the Florida ballot in November. Nader's name is anathema to many Democrats in Florida becuase they blame him for President Bush's 2000 election. They argue that the votes he siphoned from Gore made Bush the winner in the state.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/09/nader_will_be_on_florida_ballo.html

-Obama speaks to rabbis for Rosh Hashana
Barack Obama's campaign is pushing hard to win support in the Jewish community, a traditinal Democratic voting base in which he's struggled, and one that's vital to his hopes to win Florida. He's been bringing lots of surrogates to South Florida, as has Republican John McCain, who's making a big play for Jewish votes.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/09/obama_speaks_to_rabbis.html

-ID-match law unfair, undermines voting
OUR OPINION: UNINTENTIONAL OR NOT, VOTING RULE TARGETS MINORITIES
There are many ways to undermine democracy, none more insidious than preventing a citizen from voting. You would think that after the state's debacle in the 2000 presidential election, where Floridians' votes for president were essentially usurped by the U.S. Supreme Court, the right to vote here would be paramount. Yet, the Florida Legislature sometimes appears more interested in curtailing Floridians' right to vote.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/694122.html

-GOP VP nominee Sarah Palin arrives in Orlando
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin arrived in Orlando early Friday evening, her first stop in Central Florida before a scheduled Sunday afternoon speech at The Villages. Palin's plane, Straight Talk Air II, touched down at Orlando International Airport about 6 p.m. She was greeted immediately with hugs and kisses from family members: husband Todd Palin; daughters Piper, 7, and Willow, 13; and son Trig, age 5 months.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-palin-orlando-091808,0,314790.story?track=rss

-Bailout may stabilize house prices
Rescue plan could reshape troubled loans
Home prices. That's what the Bush administration's historic Wall Street bailout is really about. Falling home prices in the U.S. have acted like dominoes, knocking homeowners into foreclosure and taking down lender after lender, until the entire global financial system was in jeopardy.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080920/BUSINESS/809200310/1003/business

=

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

Thursday, September 18, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - September 19, 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.

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

-Federal officials: No charges expected in former Rep. Mark Foley's page scandal
After an exhaustive two-year investigation, former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley isn't expected to face charges for sending salacious messages to underage pages, two federal law enforcement officials have told The Associated Press. Results of a state investigation were to be announced Friday. An FBI investigation hasn't been closed, but the officials said neither state nor federal charges were expected. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case. Foley resigned in 2006 after being confronted with the e-mails and instant messages he sent to pages. He has been under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-foley-investigation,0,6474787.story

-Brazil: Leader backs gay unions
Brazil's president has come out in favor of same-sex unions.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that in Brazil, "there are men living with men, and women living with women" who "build a good life together." But a proposed law that would give all same-sex couples rights equal to those enjoyed by married heterosexuals has been stalled in Brazil's Congress for more than a decade. Silva said in an interview aired late Wednesday night by the government-run TV Brasil that politicians who oppose same-sex unions and yet seek the votes of gay men and women during elections are "hypocrites."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-fla14aworlddig09190sbsep19,0,7034477.story


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

-Ft. Lauderdale: AIDS conference brings focus to minorities, youth
Infection rates among young minorities spur local activist's commitment More than 4000 health professionals, AIDS activists and public officials from across the country are expected to attend Fort Lauderdale this week to attend the 12th Annual United States Conference on AIDS.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/9-18/news/localnews/5076.cfm


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

-Archbishop attacks Anglican hypocrisy over gay relationships
The leader of the Anglican Church in Wales has said he is hopeful there can be resolution among the worldwide Communion on the issue of gay priests and same-sex relationships.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9046.html

-Trans singer wants to be known for her music
A teenage singing sensation who underwent gender reassignment treatments from the age of 12 is tipped for chart success. Kim Petras, 16, became a cult hit on social networking website MySpace and landed a record deal. She is about to release her first album.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9047.html

-Border agency accused of "illegal" deportation of gay Ugandan
A gay man has been removed from the UK and deported back to his native Uganda in what his supporters call an illegal act.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9044.html

-Man accused of murdering trans teenager in court
A judge in Colorado has ruled that that a 31 year old man will stand trial for the first degree murder of an 18 year old trans woman and a "bias-motivated crime." Allen Andrade will also be charged for stealing the victim's car and debit card.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9049.html

-No prosecution for comedian over Papal jibe
The Minister of Justice in Italy has decided not to use a Fascist-era law to punish a comedian for mocking the Pope. Sabina Guzzanti was accused of "offending the honour of the sacred and inviolable person" of Pope Benedict XVI.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9045.html

-Sex education comic for six year olds causes controversy
The debate about when children should be taught about sex has intensified with the publication of a new comic for primary school children. The fpa, formerly the Family Planning Association, has produced 50,000 copies of Let's Grow with Nisha and Joe' for use in UK schools.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9043.html

-Welsh AM joins protest against deportation of gay asylum seeker
A member of the Welsh Assembly has given her support to Azerbaijani artist and gay asylum seeker Babi Badalov. It emerged today that he will be deported on Saturday evening on Azerbaijan Airlines flight J20008 from Heathrow.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9042.html


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Truth Wins Out
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/

-The Anchorage Press, wrote a large feature story today on our efforts against the so-called "ex-gay" ministries in Alaska. It did so after Truth Wins Out and local Alaskan activists squared off against Focus on the Family, which brought its "ex-gay" road show to Anchorage last week. TWO Executive Director, Wayne Besen, flew to Alaska to help organize a response. The anti-gay symposium took on national interest after GOP Vice Presidential ,nominee Sarah Palin's house of worship - the Wasilla Bible Church - promoted the event. Besen spoke at the Anchorage Metropolitan Community Church with local clergy and mental health experts to counter Love Won Out. The Anchorage Press article was in-depth and did a very good job of getting to the essence of the ex-gay industry - which is politics. Focus on the Family's Love Won Out road show is a political vehicle used to make people feel better about themselves when they vote for anti-gay legislation. Other than that, the glitzy event has no practical purpose. This TWO video is a snapshot of Alaskan activists offering powerful messages of hope, love, unity and acceptance.
article: http://www.anchoragepress.com/site/basicarticle.asp?ID=844
video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4793153693356932504&hl=en

-TWO plans to work with local organizations to hold protest rallies at the following venues in 2008. TWO is also placing a national call for volunteers to help us in the cities and regions we are visiting. "We are urging volunteers to get involved now to help us at these events and to further our important message," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director, TruthWinsOut.org. "We look forward to educating people across America on the ex-gay industry and right wing extremism."
Sept. 21 Dallas Pride
Nov. 7-9 NARTH Conference Denver - Renaissance Denver Hotel
Nov. 8 Protest: Radio Hall of Fame, For Honoring James Dobson
The Renaissance Chicago Hotel


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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

-GLBT History Month October 2008
October is GLBT History Month - and it's two weeks away! Each day in October 2008, an Icon is featured with a video, biography, bibliography, images and other resources. Our redesigned and enhanced GLBT History Month 2008 Web site is now completeand ready for viewing. Just click on the link below.
http://www.glbthistorymonth.com/glbthistorymonth/2008/

-Campus Pride Launches National Voice & Action Award to Recognize Young Adult Leaders across the United States
Application process opens now until December 1, 2008 "To be a leader in our movement, you do not need to be in charge of a national nonprofit organization or be on a board of directors raising thousands of dollars. Young adults have always been a force locally in communities and on college campuses creating systemic, long term change -- but seldom are they recognized for their efforts nationally," said Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride. "The Voice & Action Award finally gives visible national recognition where it has long been overdue."
http://www.campuspride.org/voiceandaction.asp


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

-Two gay asylum seekers at serious and real risk of attack, imprisonment and possible killing are currently at the last stage before being deported by the British government. gayasylumuk has been notified that gay Ugandan John Bosco Nyombi has been transferred from a detention centre to Heathrow. Azerbaijani Babi Badalov has been transferred to a detention centre with a flight booked for this Saturday. The government plans to return Nyombi to a country which actively - led by its President - persecutes LGBT. Newspapers print the names and addresses of gays and lesbians and demands 'action' is taken against them. Badalov has been threatened with death by 'honour killing' and his sexuality has already led to persecution and would definitely lead to more persecution if he is returned.

-KATHMANDU: A 21-year-old lesbian has become the first person in Nepal to be officially recognised as a third gender person under the Maoist-led new government, a move being hailed as a landmark for sexual minorities in a country still dominated by a strong feudal society. Bishnu Adhikari, who was forced to leave her home in Pokhara town by outraged relatives and neighbours, on Wednesday became the first person in Nepal to be given an official identity card that described her sex as "third gender" instead of the usual male and female categories. She was issued an official ID that gave her gender as "Third". Naulo Bihani (New Dawn), a Nepali NGO that works for the rights of gays and lesbians in Kaski district in central Nepal, said Adhikari had applied for citizenship at the Kaski district administration office asking for an ID that would identify her as third gender.


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Pink Choice September Newsletter

-Thank you to all our members who have taken the time to share their experiences on Pink Choice for other gay and lesbian travelers. Based on the eviews, ratings and traffic to the site we are able to announce the top ten destinations, and top ten properties for September. Your opinion really counts, so please tell us about your hotel, inn or guesthouse experiences. Remember that every review posted before October 31, 2008 provides an entry into the Pink Choice Getaway competition where you could win a vacation valued at $1,500!
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/261098/030b827a35/1277001601/cdd10845c7/


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Human Rights Campaign - HRC
Joe Biden to address HRC National Dinner in Washington D.C. - October 4
http://hrcnationaldinner.org/

=

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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - September 19, 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:

-Fed and Treasury Offer to Work With Congress on Bailout Plan
Top officials at the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve began discussing with Congressional leaders a plan to buy up large numbers of distressed mortgages held by ailing financial institutions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/business/19fed.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

-Stocks Surge in Europe and Asia on Hopes of U.S. Action
Banking shares in particular surged, with investors pinning hopes on proposed U.S. action to counter the global crisis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/business/worldbusiness/20markets.html?hp

-The Post-Lehman World
by David Brooks
Everybody says we're about to enter a new political era, rich in global financial regulation. The herd might just be wrong once again.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/opinion/19brooks.html?ref=opinion

-Editorial: Immigration Deception
Yes, immigration is a complicated and combustible issue for political candidates - and the economic meltdown is everyone's top priority. No, that is no excuse for ignoring immigration or lying about it to voters, as John McCain and Barack Obama have been doing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/opinion/19fri1.html?adxnnl=1&ref=opinion&adxnnlx=1221822039-XlH8Yis+R4X5D3i3VQas8A

-Bankers and Their Salaries
Bankers' risk-taking is a significant cause of this financial crisis. It is time for executives' compensation to be tied to long-term performance, not to short-term profits.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/opinion/19fri2.html?ref=opinion

-Gun Lobby First
A gun control bill approved by the House tramples the District of Columbia's right to govern itself and makes it harder for the police to protect streets.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/opinion/19fri3.html?ref=opinion

-Saudi Women Find an Unlikely Role Model: Oprah
Many women in Saudi Arabia feel a bond with Oprah Winfrey, who speaks about topics rarely aired there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/world/middleeast/19oprah.html?hp

-Gates Urges Cautious NATO Stance on Russia After Georgia Conflict
With NATO divided over how to respond to a newly assertive Russia, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that he would urge alliance ministers meeting here to adopt a cautious and deliberate approach that would reassure newer members along the Russian border without provoking hostilities.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/world/europe/19russia.html

-China Says More Milk Products Show Signs of Being Tainted
China's adulterated-milk scandal continued to widen Thursday, as the authorities arrested a dozen people, fired a senior government official and acknowledged that a wider range of milk products showed traces of a chemical used to disguise its poor quality.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/world/asia/19milk.html

-Alaska Star May Add Luster to Tarnished Senator
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/us/politics/19stevens.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1221823567-gWl4AoelXKdSHv3fKKdQ3A

-GOP Eyes Rebound in Congress
Party hopes Palin factor and competitive race for the White House will help limit losses.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/18/AR2008091804138.html?hpid=topnews


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

-Make-or-Break Michigan
If Obama can't win here, he's got a big problem.
This state, which was living with economic catastrophe long before this week's Wall Street meltdown, could be to this election what Ohio was in 2004 and Florida was in 2000. And voters here are so angry -- about unemployment at 9 percent and some of the country's highest rates of foreclosures and outbound one-way U-Haul rentals -- that no one is certain where they will lash out. "What's challenging about Michigan is that they've suffered this economy in its worst form," said Stan Greenberg, a Democratic pollster who has studied the state for years. "They blame the Democratic governor and the Democratic Party, and the Republican president and the Republican Party, and an elite they believe sold out their state."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/18/AR2008091803046.html

-McCain Misfires
John McCain has just demonstrated his vulnerability as a presidential candidate. Speaking from prepared remarks at an Iowa rally today, he said that he would fire Chris Cox, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. This outburst demonstrates McCain's ignorance, his impetuousness and his vindictive streak. Not bad for one remark.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/mccains_outrageous_outrage.html

--Isolating or Attacking Iran Won't Work
I did the following interview with Dr. Akbar Etemad for the British magazine New Statesman. Some may find Dr. Etemad's comments in support of current nuclear policy of the Islamic Goverment to be surprising. After all, he was a high-ranking official in the Shah's government, which was toppled by the current regime. Yet like millions of Iranians, who are not particularly fond of the Islamic Republic, Dr. Etemad thinks of the Iran's nuclear program as a national issue that doesn't have to do with any particular government in Iran. I think in the light of f the upcoming meeting of permenanent members of UN Security Council and Germany, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's next week's visit to New York, Dr. Etemad's interview will provide good background to any reporting of Iran's nuclear program.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/needtoknow/2008/09/iran_does_not_trust_the_west_a.html


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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Financial Upheaval Narrows: Options of Next U.S. President
Sometimes events reshape a presidential campaign. Sometimes they reshape the world the candidates seek to lead. This week's Wall Street earthquake is such a big event that it is doing both. Much chatter is being devoted to how the market tremors are affecting the campaign -- whether they help Sen. Barack Obama by reinforcing his "change" message, whether Sen. John McCain has hurt himself with his initial declaration that the fundamentals of the economy remain sound, and so forth.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122177465587454019.html


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

-Disgraced ex-congressman Foley still has $1.1 million in campaign funds
Almost two years after U.S. Rep. Mark Foley resigned from office, his campaign chest still tops $1.19 million. Foley, who now lives in Lake Worth, stepped down just before the 2006 election when reports surfaced that he sent sexually explicit online messages to teenage boys.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbfoley0717sbjul16,0,6837877.story


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

-CAMPAIGN 2008 | DEMOCRATS
Obama starting key Florida swing with rally at UM
Barack Obama arrives in South Florida on Friday for the first time since he clinched the Democratic nomination in June. After one of Wall Street's worst weeks ever, Barack Obama brings his campaign and its hope-and-change theme to Florida, one of the states hit hardest by the economic crisis.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/692553.html

-Rep. Rangel: Resign post . . . or be removed
OUR OPINION: APPLY SAME ETHICAL RULES FOR DEMOCRATS AS FOR GOP
When Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., took the gavel in January 2007 to become the first woman to fill the post of House Speaker, she proclaimed that Democrats would run the chamber ''with the highest ethical standards.'' That was then.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/692578.html

-LATIN AMERICA
Chávez wrecks Venezuela, democracy
Only the most zealous or naive outsider would challenge the right of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to wreck his own country. But we now know that he has converted his politics of rant and division into policies of criminality, terror and aggression. And that is our business.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/692587.html


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

-Rising European Ethnocentricity
Unfavorable Views of Jews and Muslims Increase in Europe
Findings from the latest Pew Research Center Global Attitudes survey show that Europeans who view Jews unfavorably also tend to see Muslims in a negative light. However, the trend in negative views toward Muslims in Europe has occurred over a longer period of time than recently growing anti-Semitic sentiment. Read more

-Immigration Issues
Latinos See Their Situation in U.S. Deteriorating
A new Pew Hispanic Center survey finds increasingly widespread pessimism among the U.S. Hispanic community, which has been hit hard by rising unemployment and stepped-up immigration enforcement. Latinos' strong opposition to federal enforcement policies may have consequences in the political arena this fall. Read more

-Hustings Hassles
McCain Gains on Issues, But Stalls as Candidate of Change
The latest People & the Press survey finds the presidential race remains close as enthusiasm for McCain increases among the GOP base. Somewhat more swing voters (46%) now say their greater concern is that McCain will govern too much like President Bush, rather than that Obama lacks experience (37%). Read more

-Views Of Palin Fluid As Spotlight Remains On GOP Ticket
Sarah Palin continued to be a dominant factor in presidential campaign coverage last week, but her impact on the race remains unclear and her public image is very much in flux. However, in the contest for public attention, Hurricane Ike beat the campaign. Read more

-Daily Number
60% - Hispanic Contribution to Public School Growth
The increase in Latino students in the nation's public schools accounts for 60% of the total growth in public school enrollment from 1990 to 2006. Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more


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

-John McCain and the Lying Game
Politics has always been lousy with blather and chicanery. But there are rules and traditions too. In the early weeks of the general-election campaign, a consensus has grown in the political community - a consensus that ranges from practitioners like Karl Rove to commentators like, well, me - that John McCain has allowed his campaign to slip the normal bounds of political propriety. The situation has gotten so intense that we in the media have slipped our normal rules as well. Usually when a candidate tells something less than the truth, we mince words. We use euphemisms like mendacity and inaccuracy ... or, as the Associated Press put it, "McCain's claims skirt facts." But increasing numbers of otherwise sober observers, even such august institutions as the New York Times editorial board, are calling John McCain a liar. You might well ask, What has McCain done to deserve this? What unwritten rules did he break? Are his transgressions of degree or of kind?
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1842030,00.html

-Amid fiscal woes, Obama reshapes campaign message
Says he is best pick to fix Wall Street
Throughout his presidential campaign, Barack Obama has boasted that he passed up jobs on Wall Street in order to focus on public service. But now he is dramatically reformulating that equation, saying that he should be elected president because he knows how to fix the crisis on Wall Street.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/09/19/amid_fiscal_woes_obama_reshapes_campaign_message/

-Sarah Palin's husband joins witnesses stonewalling probe of charges VP nominee abused power
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's husband has refused to testify in the investigation of his wife's alleged abuse of power, and key lawmakers said Thursday that uncooperative witnesses are effectively sidetracking the probe until after Election Day.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-palin-troopergate,0,383359.story

-Our views: The Palin files
GOP vice presidential candidate can run but not hide from rigorous scrutiny
For the last couple of weeks, we've been watching events unfold as GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin grabbed the spotlight. And we can no longer keep from pointing out the hypocritical double standard coming from the McCain campaign on the strong and justifiable doubts about the Alaska governor's readiness for the office.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080919/OPINION/80918033/1004/capitolnews

-McCain-Palin Health Plan Relies on the Very Marketplace Strategy That's Crippling Our Economy
The Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers and AIG fiascos show just how well the unfettered marketplace has been working. Talk about a shock to the system. Has anyone bothered to notice the radical changes that John McCain and Sarah Palin are planning for the nation's health insurance system?
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/99239/mccain-palin_health_plan_relies_on_the_very_marketplace_strategy_that%27s_crippling_our_economy/

-Advancement Project And ACLU Sue Michigan Secretary Of State Over Unlawful Voter Purging
Advancement Project, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Michigan and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP filed a federal lawsuit late yesterday challenging two statewide voter purge programs that could potentially disfranchise hundreds of thousands of Michigan voters in advance of the November 2008 presidential election. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit against Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Christopher M. Thomas, and Ypsilanti Clerk Frances McMullen.
http://www.aclu.org/votingrights/gen/36836prs20080918.html?s_src=RSS


=

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

FLORIDA DIGEST - September 19, 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~~

SunServe sponsors Women4Women: Living, Loving, and Learning
A daylong forum of opportunities for women who partner with women to come together, acquire and share information and support that enhances their personal and interpersonal wellbeing. Register on the SunServe website at www.sunserve.org. Cost: $20 per person advance registration. LUNCH INCLUDED. This rate is available through September 25th. The fee is $25 at the door after that. Scholarships are available in exchange for volunteer service- call 954-764-5557.
Saturday September 27
8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Sunshine Cathedral Campus


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The Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus 2008 - 2009 Season

The Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus will present three of its 2008 - 2009 concerts here at the Sunshine Cathedral in the Walt Lawrence & Stephen Lewis Center for Worship and the Performing Arts:
...Holiday Concert: "A Gift for All" - December 17th, 18th, 19th (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) at 8:00 pm
...Seventh annual choral festival: "Songs of My Family" - Saturday, March 14th,
at 8:00 pm
...Spring concert: "Celebrating Life Together" - June 19th, 20th, 21st
(Friday, Saturday, Sunday) at 8:00 pm
Season ticket order forms will be available through the end of October in the Simply Divine Bookstore [Sunshine Cathedral] and on the Chorus web site at www.ftlgmc.org. Reserved seats are available in the first eight rows of the side sections at $40 each - for a total of $120 for all three concerts. The center section of the $40 tickets is already sold out.


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

-Strong showing by Fort Lauderdale softball
Six teams compete in Gay softball 2008 World Series in Seattle
Approximately 150 teams came to Seattle in late August from across the U.S. and Canada, including Fort Lauderdale, for the annual NAGAA gay softball World Series, dubbed "Northwest Quest." The teams played in four divisions of open play, plus a separate women's division.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/9-18/arts/feature/5079.cfm


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From Dolphin Democrats
http://dolphindems.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Get Out The Vote Training - Sat. 9/20 - 9am-2pm at GLBT GOTV Center [Campus of the new GLCC]
Get Out The Vote Training For All Precinct Committee Members and Area Leaders & Community Organizers
Agenda
9:00 AM Light Breakfast
9:30- 10:30 AM : Voter Access Network Training
10:30 AM-11:00 :Phone Banking Training
11:00 AM 12:00 PM: Creating Value And Vote By Mail
12:00 PM- 12:30: PM Lunch
12:30 PM- 1:00 PM: Canvass Training
1:00 PM-2:00 PM: Blogging Your Message
2:00 PM Hititng The Streets To Canvass Phone Bank And Blog
Where: The New GOTV Center [new GLCC campus]
2040B N. Dixy Higway, Wilton Manors, FL

-PAID POLITICAL CANVASSER
We need outgoing, bright, and articulate individuals to go door-to-door and talk about issues like health care, job security and the war in Iraq. Build your resume while improving leadership skills and knowledge of progressive campaigning.
Position Description:
Canvassers will be part of a dynamic team that engages people in their neighborhoods, makes phone calls and attends community events. Team members will discuss the important issues facing our community, inform people about the election and ballot initiatives, register and encourage people to vote and encourage them to join our organization. Canvassers will have the opportunity to take on leadership positions during the campaign.
Position Duties:
. Participate in neighborhood canvasses and phone banks, educating the public, registering voters and expanding organization' s membership.
. Participate in staff meetings and trainings
. Assist in training and coordination of volunteers
. Other duties as assigned by the campaign director
Compensation: $10.00 per Hour + 10.00 Gas Card per Shift
Shift: 4 Hours Shifts (Up to 3 Shifts per Day)
Days: Monday - Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
How to Apply:

E-Mail mariojbailey@gmail.com or Call for Appointment (205) 246-3932


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Appeals by two candidates could decide Broward judicial primary
The legal turmoil over a Broward judicial race made its way to an appellate court Thursday as election officials faced a Saturday deadline to mail absentee ballots overseas. Bernard Isaac "Bernie" Bober, the top vote-getter in the three-way primary for the Group 3 judicial circuit seat, asked the 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach to overturn a judge's decision allowing the third-place finisher, incumbent Judge Pedro E. Dijols, onto the Nov. 4 ballot.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbjudges0919sbsep19,0,4407312.story


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

-MIAMI MEGAPLAN: Florida high court ruling clears path for Miami megaplan
A state Supreme Court ruling Thursday paved the way for a series of downtown Miami public works projects. Miami's largest public works initiative in decades received a major legal boost Thursday, thanks to a Florida Supreme Court decision that likely green-lights financing for the $3 billion megaplan.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/692570.html


=

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#####

GLBT DIGEST - September 18, 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:

-Oklahoma's Inhofe on attack again in Senate race
Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe has a reputation for tough campaign tactics, ashis Democratic challenger is finding out the hard way. An Inhofe ad beingcarried on Oklahoma television stations contains anti-gay overtones, showinga wedding cake topped by two plastic grooms and a photo of the Democraticcandidate as a young man, curly haired and wearing a leather jacket.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/18/AR2008091800464.html

-Sex Ed: How Early? How Detailed?
It's a weird world we live in where -- in a time of economic turmoil,foreign wars and a health care system that teeters on the brink -- one ofthe surprise issues of the presidential election season is sexual education.First, there was the brouhaha about what Sarah Palin (or daughter Bristol)thinks about the topic, followed earlier this month by an attack ad notingthat while in the Illinois Senate, Barack Obama supported a bill to providea comprehensive sex ed curriculum for all students, down to kindergartners.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/parenting/?hpid=news-col-blogs


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

-Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to fight California's November ballotinitiative that would overturn the state Supreme Court decision legalizingsame-sex marriage. It's the first time voters will be asked to ban same-sexmarriage in a state where gay couples already have won the right to wed. Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts and California.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/news/sns-ap-people-brad-pitt,0,5000752.story

-Obama, broaching the subject gingerly, tells voters McCain is not amoderate on abortion
Republican John McCain, an abortion rights opponent with a conservativeSenate record on the issue, seems content with the public's perception thathe's more moderate on the subject.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-campaign-abortion,0,6203402.story


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

-Kareem Tabsch returns to Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Fest as program director
From Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: Since our last communication, yourMGLFF/FLGLFF Board has been moving forward to implement the new operatingplans for the 11th Annual Festival in April 2009.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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

-Best and Worst places to be gay
San Francisco, Havana tops list; Jamaica the worst
The Independent, one of the United Kingdom's leading newspapers, recentlypublished a ranking of the best and worst places to live if you're a memberof the GLBT club. On the top side of the list are old standbys, such as NewYork, Paris, and party capital Mykonos. Sadly, South Florida is not on thelist, despite the fact that Wilton Manors has the 3rd highest concentrationof GLBT residents in the U.S. And the writers of this article have obviouslynever been to Georgie's Alibi on a Thursday night for the $3 Long Island IceTea specials. A few of those and you will never be happier to be anywhere.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#21094

-AIDS conference brings focus to minorities, youth
Infection rates among young minorities spur local activist's commitment
More than 4000 health professionals, AIDS activists and public officialsfrom across the country are expected to attend Fort Lauderdale this week toattend the 12th Annual United States Conference on AIDS.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/9-18/news/localnews/5076.cfm

-Senate committee to hold hearing on DP bill
Lawmakers criticized for delaying action on measure
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/9-18/news/national/5077.cfm

-Critics want book on gay sex removed from library
Others say library must serve all segments of community
Some library patrons want a book on gay sex removed from the public libraryin Helena. Others say the library must serve all segments of the communityand the book should be kept on the shelves.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=21083


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

-Q&A with Barack Obama
The Gay History Project's Mark Segal has been trying for months to interviewboth Barack Obama and John McCain. McCain has declined participation - theObama interview follows. There were no conditions on the interview.
http://www.365gay.com/news/qa-with-barack-obama/

-Canada anti-hate law should not extend to Internet jokes, critics say
(Oakville, Ontario) Parts of Canada's human-rights legislation are apunitive and gross infringement on free expression that have no place in ademocratic country that prides itself on freedom, critics told a tribunal.
http://www.365gay.com/news/canada-anti-hate-law-should-not-extend-to-internet-jokes-critics-say/

-Withers: Angry black men don't win elections
Here is something every minority has had to deal with: being compared tosome fictional movie character. So if you are gay, at some point you had totell a straight friend why you were not like the queen in the movieMannequin. Once I had to go into deep boring detail on why my suburbanupbringing did not make me a stand in for the characters in Boyz N The Hood.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/091808-obama-race-and-anger/

-Gay tourism cited in Australian HIV spike
(Sydney, Australia) Australia has seen a 50-percent increase in the numberof HIV/AIDS cases over the past eight years, a government report saidWednesday. It points the finger in large part to Australian gays bringingthe virus home with them after vacationing in Asia.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-tourism-cited-in-australian-hiv-spike/

-Deadly crash investigation focuses on gay engineer
The investigation into what caused a commuter train to smash into a freightengine Friday in Southern California killing 25 people is focusing on theengineer of the Metrolink train - Robert Sanchez.
http://www.365gay.com/news/deadly-crash-investigation-focuses-on-gay-engineer/


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

-Obama Campaign Holds Policy Briefing on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Surrogates for Sen. Barack Obama briefed reporters Tuesday on the senator'ssupport for repealing the military's discriminatory policy, saying it isoutmoded and serves as a hindrance to recruiting the best and brightest forthe nation's Armed Services.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid61743.asp

-Field Poll Finds California Marriage Ban Trails by 17 Points
A constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in Californiatrails by a 17-point margin, reports the Sacramento Bee. According to aField Poll, 55 percent of likely voters say they will vote againstProposition 8 while 38 percent support the ballot measure. The latestfigures indicate an increase in opposition for the ban since July when themeasure trailed by nine points. After reports broke early Tuesday morningthat showed the "Yes on 8" campaign had raised 16 million dollars comparedto 11 million for the No on 8 campaign, word of two notable donations inrecent days has motivated the opposition. Brad Pitt announced on Wednesdaythat he's giving $100,000 to the campaign to beat the ballot initiative. InJuly WordPerfect co-founder Bruce Bastian, an openly gay former Mormon, gave$1 million to the Human Right Campaign's "No on Prop. 8" committee.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid61811.asp

-University of Wyoming to Dedicate Bench to Matthew Shepard
The University of Wyoming in Laramie is planning to dedicate a bench inmemory of Matthew Shepard, the UW student who was murdered 10 years ago inan antigay hate crime.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid61707.asp


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

-Utah philanthropist kicks in $1M to fight California gay-marriage ban;Mormons heavy givers to pro side
Link: Salt Lake Tribune
Excerpt: With the LDS Church prodding its members to give of their "meansand time" to help eliminate same-sex marriage in California, many Utahnshave funneled cash to the Golden State's Proposition 8 campaign. And notall of them favor the constitutional amendment. Close to 40 residents andbusinesses in Utah have made donations totaling $120,550 to support themarriage-between-a-man-and-a-woman ballot measure, according to publicfinance records for ProtectMarriage.com, which shows up as a link on theofficial Web site for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

-Canada: Gay rites
Link: Ottawa Citizen
Three years after it was made legal across Canada,
same-sex marriage has dropped off the radar. From a political hot potato,it's on its way to becoming an everyday occurrence -- a happy event forfamily and friends, like the June 21 wedding of Ottawa residents Robert Ryanand Martin Methot. Now that it's legal, gays and lesbians are not gettingmarried for political reasons or to make a statement. Instead, they aretying the knot for the same reasons anyone else does. And as Ryan and Methotdid with the disco routine, they are often putting a distinctive twist onold traditions.

-U.S. law sends some bi-national, same-sex couples into exile
Link: Independent Weekly: Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill
Excerpt: They had planned the move for years, though not willingly. TamaraFetters and Noreen Fagan, who recently moved with their two teenaged sonsfrom Carrboro [North Carolina] to Ottawa, Canada, were forced to make acruel choice: live together in another country, far from friends, familiesand the lives they've built, or separately, by entering into a stressfullong-distance relationship or splitting up for good. Like thousands ofother gay and lesbian couples in this country, and countless more abroad,they were caught in a little-known intersection of two controversial publicpolicy issues: gay rights and immigration.

-CA: Mega A-Gays Missing in Fight Against Prop 8
Link: IN Los Angeles Magazine
by Karen Ocamb
Excerpt: "I'm feeling good. There's a smile on my face, there's a spring inmy step, and there's a ring on my finger. I don't know if you all heard ornot-but I got married," Ellen DeGeneres said Sept. 9 as she opened heraward-winning talk show to a rousing standing ovation. The audience reveledin the discussion of her wedding to actress Portia de Rossi, which DeGenerescalled "the most important day of my life." The cause for marriage equalitycouldn't have asked for better publicity. However, marriage equality is onthe chopping block in November, and close scrutiny of the CaliforniaSecretary of State's Campaign Finance website indicates that DeGeneres hasnot contributed to the fight against Prop 8, the constitutional amendmentthat "eliminate[s] right of same sex couples to marry."

-Media continue to falsely suggest Palin supports benefits for same-sexcouples
Link: Media Matters
Summary: In recent reports, McClatchy News Service and the Las Vegas Sunfalsely suggested that Gov. Sarah Palin supports benefits for same-sexpartners of state employees. In fact, while Palin did veto a bill that wouldhave prevented state officials from granting spousal benefits to same-sexcouples, she stated that she did so because the Alaska attorney general hadadvised her that the bill was unconstitutional, not because she supportedspousal benefits for same-sex couples.


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

-Human rights conference to be held alongside Outgames in Copenhagen
The second International Conference on LGBT Human Rights will be held at thesame time as next year's World Outgames. Copenhagen, the capital ofDenmark, will host the three day conference where activists dedicated toeradicating homophobia and injustice will gather.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9040.html

-Australia's new Liberal leader urged to honour gay rights pledge
An MP who represents a constituency with one of the highest gay populationsin Australia has been elected as leader of the Liberal party.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9039.html

-Amnesty calls on authorities to protect Bosnian gay festival
A leading human rights group has said that lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are entitled to a climate freeof intimidation.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9036.html

-New guidelines suggest gay men should have annual HIV test
Sexually active gay men should be tested every 12 months, new guidelines onHIV testing have recommended. The UK National Guidelines for HIV Testing2008 aim to increase HIV testing in a wider range of healthcare settings andreduce late diagnosis.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9031.html


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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

-GLBT History Month October 2008 - Get the Link! October is GLBT HistoryMonth - and it's two weeks away! Each day in October 2008, an Icon isfeatured with a video, biography, bibliography, images and other resources.Our redesigned and enhanced GLBT History Month 2008 Web site is nowcompleteand ready for viewing. Just click on the link below.
http://www.glbthistorymonth.com/glbthistorymonth/2008/

-Campus Pride Launches National Voice & Action Awardto Recognize Young Adult Leaders across the United States
Application process opens now until December 1, 2008 "To be a leader in ourmovement, you do not need to be in charge of a national nonprofitorganization or be on a board of directors raising thousands of dollars.Young adults have always been a force locally in communities and on collegecampuses creating systemic, long term change -- but seldom are theyrecognized for their efforts nationally," said Shane Windmeyer, ExecutiveDirector of Campus Pride. "The Voice & Action Award finally gives visiblenational recognition where it has long been overdue."
http://www.campuspride.org/voiceandaction.asp


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Truth Wins Out
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/

The Anchorage Press, wrote a large feature story today
on our effortsagainst the so-called "ex-gay" ministries in Alaska. It did so after TruthWins Out and local Alaskan activists squared off against Focus on theFamily, which brought its "ex-gay" road show to Anchorage last week. TWOExecutive Director, Wayne Besen, flew to Alaska to help organize a response.The anti-gay symposium took on national interest after GOP Vice Presidentialnominee Sarah Palin's house of worship - the Wasilla Bible Church - promotedthe event. Besen spoke at the Anchorage Metropolitan Community Church withlocal clergy and mental health experts to counter Love Won Out. TheAnchorage Press article was in-depth and did a very good job of getting tothe essence of the ex-gay industry - which is politics. Focus on theFamily's Love Won Out road show is a political vehicle used to make peoplefeel better about themselves when they vote for anti-gay legislation. Otherthan that, the glitzy event has no practical purpose. This TWO video is asnapshot of Alaskan activists offering powerful messages of hope, love,unity and acceptance.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4793153693356932504&hl=en

-TWO plans to work with local organizations to hold protest rallies at thefollowing venues in 2008. TWO is also placing a national call for volunteersto help us in the cities and regions we are visiting. "We are urgingvolunteers to get involved now to help us at these events and to further ourimportant message," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director, TruthWinsOut.org."We look forward to educating people across America on the ex-gay industryand right wing extremism."
Sept. 21 Dallas Pride
Nov. 7-9 NARTH Conference Denver - Renaissance Denver Hotel
Nov. 8 Protest: Radio Hall of Fame, For Honoring James Dobson The Renaissance Chicago Hotel

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