**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:
-Separate and Not Equal
Creating a separate, new legal structure to confer some benefits on same-sex couples neither honors American ideals of fairness, nor does it grant true equality.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/opinion/20sat4.html?ref=opinion
-Top Lawyer Urges Voiding California Proposition 8
By JESSE McKINLEY
In a sharp rebuke to supporters of a contested state ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage, the California attorney general said Friday that the measure was constitutionally indefensible and should be overturned.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/us/politics/20marriage.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Letters: Rick Warren and the Obama Inaugural
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121903166.html
-Just Prayer
by Colbert I. King
No inaugural preacher has gone on to determine the course of U.S. policy.
[...] Is it an outreach effort to evangelicals in the spirit of unity and common purpose? Or is it a shameless abandonment of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans? My guess? Yes to the first, no to the second, and, above all, an absolutely immaterial question.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121902985.html
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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-With gay-rights petition, HRC calls on Obama to 'Restore Our Trust'
Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group, has issued a petition that it will present to President-elect Obama. From the HRC website:
Call on President-elect Obama to Restore Our Trust and take Real Action on Equality!
The Presidential Inaugural Committee may not change their minds on Rev. Warren but President-elect Obama can turn the corner on this controversy by officially committing to HRC's Blueprint for Positive Change - a concrete plan for LGBT equality. HRC's Blueprint for Positive Change calls onPresident-elect Obama to:
*Issue an Executive Order within the first 100 days that reaffirms protections for federal workers based on sexual orientation and expands them to also include gender identity;
*Work with Congress to sign Hate Crimes legislation into law within 6 months;
*Support only a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA);
*In the first 100 days develop a plan to begin the process of eliminating the failed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
policy; and Work with Congress to end unequal tax treatment of domestic partnerships benefits.
Take action NOW and send a powerful message to the incoming Obama Administration!
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Immigration vs. GLBT community:
An open letter to Florida Governor Charlie Crist
By DAN RENZI
Dear Governor Charlie Crist,
Hi. I am a resident of the state of Florida, and I followed the news of your recent wedding. Congratulations. There were several groups of political activists outside of your wedding, protesting various issues; one of those groups was Impact Florida, a GLBT rights organization that was formed in response to the passing of Amendment 2. You publicly supported Amendment 2, which restricts any legal recognition of relationships to be those between one man, one woman.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-18/view/editorial/5384.cfm
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-What the Warren Appointment Will Cost
By Emma Ruby-Sachs
Barack Obama's campaign was the most technologically savvy ever run. Part of that technological capacity was passed on to the transition team in the form of a blog and comment page on Change.gov, the website headquarters for Obama during these next few weeks.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-what-the-warren-appointment-will-cost/
-New Bush medical rules could harm LGBT, HIV patients
The Bush administration has issued a federal rule reinforcing protections for doctors and other health care workers who refuse to participate in procedures because of religious.
http://www.365gay.com/news/new-bush-medical-rules-could-harm-lgbt-hiv-patients/
-First transgender hired on Capitol Hill
Diego Miguel Sanchez has become the first openly transgender person to work on Capitol Hill.
http://www.365gay.com/news/first-transgender-hired-on-capitol-hill/
-Should we punish supporters of Prop 8?
By John Corvino, columnist, 365gay.com
Marjorie Christoffersen seems like a nice enough person by all reports, including those of gay friends and acquaintances.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino-should-we-punish-supporters-of-prop-8/
-Transsexual acquitted of criticizing military in Turkey
A transsexual singer has been acquitted of charges of criticizing mandatory military service in Turkey.
http://www.365gay.com/news/transsexual-acquitted-of-criticizing-military-in-turkey/
-Calif. Gay rights leader rejects inauguration invite
The head of California's largest gay civil rights organization has declined an invitation to attend the inauguration because Rev. Rick Warren will deliver the invocation
http://www.365gay.com/news/calif-gay-rights-leader-rejects-inauguration-invite/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Last Known Gay Holocaust Survivor Speaks Out in New Interview
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69057.asp
-The Road to Equality
Barbara Boxer, the U.S. Senator from California, understands why her gay constituents are furious over Rick Warren's role in the inauguration -- it feels like Proposition 8 redux. - Read her statement.
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid69059.asp
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-2008 Trans Year in Review
By Jacob Anderson-Minshall
Between the collapse of the economy, California's same sex marriage flip-flops and Obama's election it took a pregnant man to capture mainstream press' attention. But while media outlets around the globe carried that trans story, most of the year's transgender highlights received short shrift. Here's some of what they missed: Read more...
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4327/175/
-A Snapshot of Holiday Home
Bargains in Vacation Markets
This past year has been historically dismal for the real estate industry, but within the rough patch there are some rare investment gems. The sagging sector has driven home prices downward and has been fueled by tight credit and an unprecedented volume of foreclosures in all categories of property. But that also means that shopping for a home in places where they have been typically overpriced and the inventories are usually skimpy has suddenly become much more satisfying and profitable. The flip side of all the bad news, in other words, is that some of the most desirable and popular vacation and retirement destinations in the USA are now temporarily available at fire sale prices.
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4323/173/
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Little Britain stars accept damages over fake claims their show was condemned by USA gay groups
Little Britain stars David Walliams and Matt Lucas have accepted damages and a public apology from Express Newspapers over an article published in the Daily Star Sunday in September that falsely claimed that gay rights groups considered their programme offensive.
-Lesbian parents raise happy, healthy children according to 22-year study
The longest-running study into lesbian parents in the United States has found that discrimination and not the sexual orientation of their parents harms children.
=
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Racial Extremists are Infiltrationg the Military for the Chance to 'Kill a Brown'
By David Holthouse, Intelligence Report | AlterNet
The racist skinhead logged on with exciting news: He'd just enlisted in the United States Army.
"Sieg Heil, I will do us proud," he wrote. It was a June 3 post to AryanWear Forum 14, a neo-Nazi online forum to which "Sobibor's SS," who identified himself as a skinhead living in Plantersville, Ala., had belonged since early 2004. (Sobibor was a Nazi death camp in Poland during World War II). About a month after he announced his enlistment, Sobibor's SS bragged in another post to Forum 14 that he'd specifically requested and been assigned to MOS, or Military Occupational Specialty, 98D. MOS98D soldiers are in high demand right now. That's because they're specially trained in disarming Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), the infamous roadside bombs that are killing and maiming so many U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Presumably, part of learning how to disarm an IED is learning how one is made. "I have my own reasons for wanting this training but in fear of the government tracing me and me loosing [sic] my clearance I can't share them here," Sobibor's SS informed his fellow neo-Nazis.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/112770/
-Could Obama's Pro-Marijuana Commerce Secretary Spell a Golden Era for Pot Reform?
By Scott Thill, AlterNet
December has been an interesting month for marijuana, or cannabis as it is known to scientists and all too few others. To kick off the month, the U.S. Supreme Court decided against reviewing a California state appellate court ruling arguing that its medical marijuana law trumped federal law. That, in effect, set the stage for better implementation of medical-marijuana law in not just California, but every state that has one, while also reminding local police that the job of enforcing federal drug policy is, in fact, not its job.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/113767/
-Milwaukee to Form Gay-Friendly Middle School
US News and World Report
The Milwaukee Public School System will expand the services provided by its gay-friendly high school and apparently become the nation's first school system to create a gay-friendly middle school.
At a meeting two weeks ago, a subcommittee of Milwaukee's Board of Education unanimously approved the Alliance School's proposal to serve sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. The proposal gained unanimous approval from the full board by default when the item was not pulled for further discussion or a vote at last night's meeting. Alliance School lead teacher Tina Owen said the public charter school will begin accepting new applicants eligible for middle school in the 2009-2010 school year immediately.
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-education/2008/12/17/milwaukee-to-form-gay-friendly-middle-school.html?s_cid=rss:on-education:milwaukee-to-form-gay-friendly-middle-school
-Obama Stands Firm on 'Gay Rights' Support
Florida Baptist Witness
Any hope that an incoming Obama administration will dump some of its more controversial proposals concerning "gay rights" apparently ended in recent days, when the president-elect's team launched a page on the transition website devoted to homosexual causes.
The webpage at Change.gov boasts that a Barack Obama White House will bring "support for the LGBT Community"-an acronym that stands for "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender"-and will back a series of bills long championed by homosexual groups but opposed by the current Bush administration. The website quotes Obama as saying, "While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do."
http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/9703.article
=
From Clarence Brooks
clarencejr1960@bellsouth.net
Please listen to Rev. Rick Warren and decide if this man should deliver the presidential inaugural invocation. I hope that you will agree with me that he should not be given a place in history at the podium of this historic event. The Rev. Warren speaks with hate and not peace, equality, civility, humanity, or justness. I hope - after hearing him speak - that you will sign this and any other petition and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Watch Warren's statements supporting Prop 8 and comparing marriages of gay couples to adults marrying children:
Clarence Brooks
Check out these 3 short videos:
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce1ILmS5yMo
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o4QqGbQmU0&feature=related
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0spPzgma6Q
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Although the United States (and the Vatican) has not declared formal opposition to the UN statement, it has declined to support the statement backing gay rights. As Bush was fond of saying, "If you're not for us, you're against us."
Bob Schwartz
-Syrian envoy Abdullah al-Hallaq, speaking on behalf of 58 nations, read an opposing statement warning that homosexuality could "usher into social normalization and possibly the legitimization, of many deplorable acts, including pedophilia." The envoy said espousing the rights of homosexuals infringes on guarantees of sovereignty in the UN Charter, and that the idea of "genetic factors" playing a role in sexual orientation has been "rebuffed repeatedly."
-GayRussia Celebrates Three and a Half Years of Gay Activism - and a Million Visitors to Website Video reporting to be introduced next year Three Moscow Prides, 165 banned events appealed in the courts, 5,000 articles published, 10 million hits on its web site, and more than a billion watchers of Moscow Pride 2006 documentary.
-Vatican refusal to back UN gay rights declaration is true to form
The Vatican refusal to sign the declaration before the UN that seeks to decriminalize homosexuality worldwide is true to form. In a recent 'clarification' the Vatican claims that while it has declined to sign-on, it condemns 'unjust' discrimination against homosexuals - without saying what exactly might constitute just discrimination.
By exempting itself from the list of states calling for decriminalization, the Vatican is in effect handing moral authority to those nations that are determined to keep homosexuals on the periphery of society, under fear of being persecuted for the 'crime' of gay orientation. The two-faced position adopted by the Vatican is nothing new.
http://aidanmaconachyblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/vatican-refusal-to-back-un-gay-rights.html
-The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and Gender DynamiX announced today the successful conclusion of their first ever African Strategy Workshop for transgender activists. Held in Cape Town, South Africa, the historic workshop brought together 15 activists from 9 East and Southern African countries-Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe-to address the very specific needs of transgender people on the African continent. It marked a key step in the process of defining and building the African transgender movement by African transgender people.
"Transgender people throughout the world experience frequent and unacceptable discrimination, violence and abuse," said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's Executive Director. "IGLHRC is proud to be part of this historic gathering of transgender people, taking the fight for human rights in Africa to a whole new level."
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Gay American Heros
http://www.gayamericanheroes.info/
News from Gay American Heroes Foundation
-Durval Martins 35, Murdered December 16,2008
Jose Sucuzhanay 31, Murdered December 8,2008
If any other group of Americans were being murdered one every 14 days ..what would they do about it...?
So what are you going to do, now that you know...?
There is an LGBT Murder about every 14 days in 2008.
That we know of... because 18 states are not reporting.
Because we do not have National hate crime laws to protect all Americans.
So how many LGBT murders are there in America every year?
Please join us and help find and Honor our Heroes.
Email us at GayAmericanHeroes@yahoo.com
See our new 1 min 3 D animated video of our National Memorial on our home page.
www.GayAmericanHeroes.com
Gay American Heroes Foundation
ATTN: Scott Hall, Founder and President
1350 East Sunrise Blvd, Suite 119
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
321.506.8738
www.GayAmericanHeroes.com
=
-Vatican refusal to back UN gay rights declaration is true to form
The Vatican refusal to sign the declaration before the UN that seeks to decriminalize homosexuality worldwide is true to form. In a recent 'clarification' the Vatican claims that while it has declined to sign-on, it condemns 'unjust' discrimination against homosexuals - without saying what exactly might constitute just discrimination. By exempting itself from the list of states calling for decriminalization, the Vatican is in effect handing moral authority to those nations that are determined to keep homosexuals on the periphery of society, under fear of being persecuted for the 'crime' of gay orientation. The two-faced position adopted by the Vatican is nothing new.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Saturday, December 20, 2008
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST December 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Congo Warlord Seeks a Bigger Stage
By LYDIA POLGREEN
Gen. Laurent Nkunda, who opposes Congo's president, has taken the nation to its most dangerous point in years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/world/africa/20congo.html?_r=1&hp
-Survivor: Detroit
For Detroit to become viable again, the next administration must help Michigan's auto industry shrink and become more energy efficient.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/opinion/20sat1.html?ref=opinion
-Where Does It All Go?
The federal government has struggled, unsuccessfully, to find a long-term solution to the piling up of nuclear waste at temporary storage sites around the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/opinion/20sat2.html?ref=opinion
-From Munich to Mumbai
By AMI PEDAZHUR
Given the complex nature of the attacks in Mumbai, the Indians should be praised, not criticized, for their careful gathering of intelligence and planning of counterattacks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/opinion/20pedazhur.html?ref=opinion
-U.S. Aid Should Be Earned
By LORNE CRANER, BILL FRIST, KENNETH HACKETT and ALAN PATRICOF
Only those countries with a commitment to democracy should be eligible to receive American aid for programs intended to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/opinion/20patricof-frist.html?ref=opinion
-Obama Reshapes White House for Domestic Focus
By PETER BAKER
Barack Obama has signaled that he intends to keep real power over domestic issues close at hand.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/us/politics/20cabinet.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-UAW's Sacrifices Look More Like Surrender
Terms of federal loan deal erase many of the key differences in wages and benefits between union and non-union auto workers, labor experts say. For decades after its founding in 1935, the United Auto Workers stood as a powerful model for the American labor movement, an influential organization that historians credit with uplifting living standards for all working Americans.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121903856.html?hpid=topnews
-Steeped in Washington's Ways
Obama's pick for top intelligence post is a former four-star admiral known for his intellect, candor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121903552.html?hpid=topnews
-Obama names Holdren, Lubchenco to science posts
By HOPE YEN
President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday named a Harvard physicist and a marine biologist to science posts, signaling a change from Bush administration policies on global warming that were criticized for putting politics over science.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/20/AR2008122000298.html?hpid=topnews
-Moscow: U.S. to Weaken Treaty
Foreign official says U.S. would defy arms-control pact by removing limits on missiles, bombers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121903278.html?hpid=topnews
-Complaint Filed Over Stevens Trial
Whistle-Blower Alleges That U.S. Purposely Withheld Evidence
By Del Quentin Wilber
A federal employee with extensive knowledge of the investigation and corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has filed a whistle-blower complaint alleging that the government intentionally withheld evidence and committed other misconduct.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121904031.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Franken Takes Lead in Minn. Senate Race
The board wrapped up work Friday in the phase of the recount that resolves disputed ballots. Franken led by 262 votes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121903125.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-The Secularist's Corner - Barack Obama Makes An Inaugural Mistake
Barack Obama has selected televangelist Rick Warren, author of "ThePurpose-Driven Life" and an outspoken opponent of abortion rights and same-sex marriage, to deliver the invocation at his inauguration Jan. 20. Why? What was he thinking when he picked this particular religious spokesman-a publicity hound who fights against causes of great moral importance to many of Obama's supporters-for such a prominent role in the inauguration? I consider this Obama's first big misstep, and not only because of Warren's stance on abortion and gay rights. He represents a combination of evangelicalism and boosterism , in the tradition of Norman Vincent Peale and Billy Graham, that is a particularly repugnant part of American religious tradition. Many have suggested that the choice of Warren puts him in a position to succeed Graham as the nation's best-known pastor. No religious leader should occupy the role that Graham played in successive administrations-as an unofficial counselor to presidents, a predictable functionary on all ceremonial occasions, and a spokesman for one brand of religion. It is a brand of religion that has always been allied with American anti-intellectualism, and that is yet another reason why Obama's choice is so puzzling and disturbing. How wonderful it would have been if a humanist had been included in the inaugural ceremony for the first time. Secularists, unlike evangelicals, voted overwhelmingly for Obama. It is truly disappointing to me to see Obama catering those who make up a significant share his enemies and disregarding the views of his friends.
Susan_Jacoby
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/groups/index.html?plckForumPage=ForumDiscussion&plckDiscussionId=Cat%3aa70e3396-6663-4a8d-ba19-e44939d3c44fForum%3a7cceb09e-a8ae-44b4-b7af-92605cbce240Discussion%3af422deb9-a507-4c9a-bea2-573740cc523f
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Military recruiters having no trouble filling quotas
In a crumbling economy, jobs disappear and opportunities fade. But one employer always has openings: the U.S. military.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbrecruits1220sbdec20,0,1493841.story
-Restore hope, fund stem cell research
By Shawn Friedkin
With a simple stroke of his pen, the new president can restore hope to tens of millions of disabled Americans by once again making embryonic stem cell research eligible for federal funding.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-stemcell19forumpndec19,0,5561819.story
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Congress has grown more religiously diverse
Study finds few are unaffiliated on Capitol Hill
By Brian C. Mooney
Protestants still constitute a majority of the Congress of the United States, but in terms of religious beliefs, the House and Senate, just like the constituencies they represent, are more diverse than they were nearly a half-century ago, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/20/congress_has_grown_more_religiously_diverse/
-Mother of Palin daughter's boyfriend arrested
Alaska State Troopers have arrested the mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend on drug charges. Sherry L. Johnston was arrested Thursday after troopers served a search warrant on a Wasilla home. The 42-year-old Johnston has been charged with six felony drug counts. Troopers did not identify the drug involved in a brief mention on the agency's Web site.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6174275.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Congo Warlord Seeks a Bigger Stage
By LYDIA POLGREEN
Gen. Laurent Nkunda, who opposes Congo's president, has taken the nation to its most dangerous point in years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/world/africa/20congo.html?_r=1&hp
-Survivor: Detroit
For Detroit to become viable again, the next administration must help Michigan's auto industry shrink and become more energy efficient.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/opinion/20sat1.html?ref=opinion
-Where Does It All Go?
The federal government has struggled, unsuccessfully, to find a long-term solution to the piling up of nuclear waste at temporary storage sites around the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/opinion/20sat2.html?ref=opinion
-From Munich to Mumbai
By AMI PEDAZHUR
Given the complex nature of the attacks in Mumbai, the Indians should be praised, not criticized, for their careful gathering of intelligence and planning of counterattacks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/opinion/20pedazhur.html?ref=opinion
-U.S. Aid Should Be Earned
By LORNE CRANER, BILL FRIST, KENNETH HACKETT and ALAN PATRICOF
Only those countries with a commitment to democracy should be eligible to receive American aid for programs intended to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/opinion/20patricof-frist.html?ref=opinion
-Obama Reshapes White House for Domestic Focus
By PETER BAKER
Barack Obama has signaled that he intends to keep real power over domestic issues close at hand.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/us/politics/20cabinet.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-UAW's Sacrifices Look More Like Surrender
Terms of federal loan deal erase many of the key differences in wages and benefits between union and non-union auto workers, labor experts say. For decades after its founding in 1935, the United Auto Workers stood as a powerful model for the American labor movement, an influential organization that historians credit with uplifting living standards for all working Americans.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121903856.html?hpid=topnews
-Steeped in Washington's Ways
Obama's pick for top intelligence post is a former four-star admiral known for his intellect, candor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121903552.html?hpid=topnews
-Obama names Holdren, Lubchenco to science posts
By HOPE YEN
President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday named a Harvard physicist and a marine biologist to science posts, signaling a change from Bush administration policies on global warming that were criticized for putting politics over science.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/20/AR2008122000298.html?hpid=topnews
-Moscow: U.S. to Weaken Treaty
Foreign official says U.S. would defy arms-control pact by removing limits on missiles, bombers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121903278.html?hpid=topnews
-Complaint Filed Over Stevens Trial
Whistle-Blower Alleges That U.S. Purposely Withheld Evidence
By Del Quentin Wilber
A federal employee with extensive knowledge of the investigation and corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has filed a whistle-blower complaint alleging that the government intentionally withheld evidence and committed other misconduct.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121904031.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Franken Takes Lead in Minn. Senate Race
The board wrapped up work Friday in the phase of the recount that resolves disputed ballots. Franken led by 262 votes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121903125.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-The Secularist's Corner - Barack Obama Makes An Inaugural Mistake
Barack Obama has selected televangelist Rick Warren, author of "ThePurpose-Driven Life" and an outspoken opponent of abortion rights and same-sex marriage, to deliver the invocation at his inauguration Jan. 20. Why? What was he thinking when he picked this particular religious spokesman-a publicity hound who fights against causes of great moral importance to many of Obama's supporters-for such a prominent role in the inauguration? I consider this Obama's first big misstep, and not only because of Warren's stance on abortion and gay rights. He represents a combination of evangelicalism and boosterism , in the tradition of Norman Vincent Peale and Billy Graham, that is a particularly repugnant part of American religious tradition. Many have suggested that the choice of Warren puts him in a position to succeed Graham as the nation's best-known pastor. No religious leader should occupy the role that Graham played in successive administrations-as an unofficial counselor to presidents, a predictable functionary on all ceremonial occasions, and a spokesman for one brand of religion. It is a brand of religion that has always been allied with American anti-intellectualism, and that is yet another reason why Obama's choice is so puzzling and disturbing. How wonderful it would have been if a humanist had been included in the inaugural ceremony for the first time. Secularists, unlike evangelicals, voted overwhelmingly for Obama. It is truly disappointing to me to see Obama catering those who make up a significant share his enemies and disregarding the views of his friends.
Susan_Jacoby
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/groups/index.html?plckForumPage=ForumDiscussion&plckDiscussionId=Cat%3aa70e3396-6663-4a8d-ba19-e44939d3c44fForum%3a7cceb09e-a8ae-44b4-b7af-92605cbce240Discussion%3af422deb9-a507-4c9a-bea2-573740cc523f
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Military recruiters having no trouble filling quotas
In a crumbling economy, jobs disappear and opportunities fade. But one employer always has openings: the U.S. military.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbrecruits1220sbdec20,0,1493841.story
-Restore hope, fund stem cell research
By Shawn Friedkin
With a simple stroke of his pen, the new president can restore hope to tens of millions of disabled Americans by once again making embryonic stem cell research eligible for federal funding.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-stemcell19forumpndec19,0,5561819.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Congress has grown more religiously diverse
Study finds few are unaffiliated on Capitol Hill
By Brian C. Mooney
Protestants still constitute a majority of the Congress of the United States, but in terms of religious beliefs, the House and Senate, just like the constituencies they represent, are more diverse than they were nearly a half-century ago, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/20/congress_has_grown_more_religiously_diverse/
-Mother of Palin daughter's boyfriend arrested
Alaska State Troopers have arrested the mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend on drug charges. Sherry L. Johnston was arrested Thursday after troopers served a search warrant on a Wasilla home. The 42-year-old Johnston has been charged with six felony drug counts. Troopers did not identify the drug involved in a brief mention on the agency's Web site.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6174275.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST December 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~~
Sunshine Cathedral - Ft. Lauderdale
From Reverend Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor
I want to wish each of you a happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year. I also want to invite you to worship with us on the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Dec. 21). Our Sunday services are at 9 AM and 10:30 AM. Then, of course, Wednesday is Christmas Eve and we will be celebrating the joyous occasion in style! We are happy to be having Christmas Eve services right here at the Cathedral; so, it will feel good to be "home" for Christmas. Our Christmas Eve services are at 7:30 PM, 9:00 PM, and 10:30 PM at our Ninth Avenue location. I hope you will join us that night and invite your friends and family to come with you. This is a magical time of year and I am delighted to be spending it with you. I hope to see you Sunday and again on Christmas Eve.
Holiday Blessings,
Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor
=
Dean Trantalis for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
Sunday, December 21 - 6-8pm
Join Chip Clapp at the Argon Inn
2520 NE 6th Ave. - Wilton Manors
Please RSVP 954-701-2902
Please consider a donation of $25 - $250
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-More jobless gloom as rate hits 7.3 percent in Florida
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzjobless1220sbdec20,0,4688912.story
-Boats back on parade in Boca Raton tonight
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/bocaraton/sfl-flpboat1220pndec20,0,3150657.story
-FAA clears Fort Lauderdale airport for runway expansion
The Federal Aviation Administration supports extending the 5,276-foot runway to 8,000 feet to allow larger planes to use it in addition to the airport's existing northern runway. The decision comes after more than 15 years of study, debate and controversy over how to expand the airport. Broward County commissioners initially approved the proposed configuration in June 2007 to cope with growing traffic and reduce delays at one of the nation's busiest airports -- over the objections of critics who said the extended runway would cause safety issues, increased noise and environmental headaches.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/820466.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Crist wants to raid tobacco fund;
Chiles assembles legal 'dream team' to fight it
By DARA KAM
Gov. Charlie Crist is intent on sweeping money from the Lawton Chiles Endowment even as members of a legal "dream team" that won the landmark tobacco settlement for the state plans to go to court to stop it.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/state/epaper/2008/12/19/1219flabud.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=0
-Florida leads nation in job losses
By Steve Huettel, Times Staff Writer
Florida lost more jobs in November than any other state as the pain that started in home construction continued spreading to other parts of the economy. The state's employment level fell by 58,600 workers from October, according to federal numbers released Friday. Florida's unemployment rate rose to 7.3 percent, the highest since June 1993 and well above the national rate of 6.7 percent for November.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article944005.ece
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Sunshine Cathedral - Ft. Lauderdale
From Reverend Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor
I want to wish each of you a happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year. I also want to invite you to worship with us on the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Dec. 21). Our Sunday services are at 9 AM and 10:30 AM. Then, of course, Wednesday is Christmas Eve and we will be celebrating the joyous occasion in style! We are happy to be having Christmas Eve services right here at the Cathedral; so, it will feel good to be "home" for Christmas. Our Christmas Eve services are at 7:30 PM, 9:00 PM, and 10:30 PM at our Ninth Avenue location. I hope you will join us that night and invite your friends and family to come with you. This is a magical time of year and I am delighted to be spending it with you. I hope to see you Sunday and again on Christmas Eve.
Holiday Blessings,
Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor
=
Dean Trantalis for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign
Sunday, December 21 - 6-8pm
Join Chip Clapp at the Argon Inn
2520 NE 6th Ave. - Wilton Manors
Please RSVP 954-701-2902
Please consider a donation of $25 - $250
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-More jobless gloom as rate hits 7.3 percent in Florida
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzjobless1220sbdec20,0,4688912.story
-Boats back on parade in Boca Raton tonight
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/bocaraton/sfl-flpboat1220pndec20,0,3150657.story
-FAA clears Fort Lauderdale airport for runway expansion
The Federal Aviation Administration supports extending the 5,276-foot runway to 8,000 feet to allow larger planes to use it in addition to the airport's existing northern runway. The decision comes after more than 15 years of study, debate and controversy over how to expand the airport. Broward County commissioners initially approved the proposed configuration in June 2007 to cope with growing traffic and reduce delays at one of the nation's busiest airports -- over the objections of critics who said the extended runway would cause safety issues, increased noise and environmental headaches.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/820466.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Crist wants to raid tobacco fund;
Chiles assembles legal 'dream team' to fight it
By DARA KAM
Gov. Charlie Crist is intent on sweeping money from the Lawton Chiles Endowment even as members of a legal "dream team" that won the landmark tobacco settlement for the state plans to go to court to stop it.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/state/epaper/2008/12/19/1219flabud.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=0
-Florida leads nation in job losses
By Steve Huettel, Times Staff Writer
Florida lost more jobs in November than any other state as the pain that started in home construction continued spreading to other parts of the economy. The state's employment level fell by 58,600 workers from October, according to federal numbers released Friday. Florida's unemployment rate rose to 7.3 percent, the highest since June 1993 and well above the national rate of 6.7 percent for November.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article944005.ece
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Friday, December 19, 2008
GLBT DIGEST December 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:
-Letters: Obama's Invocation Choice
To the Editor:
Re "Obama Selects California Evangelist for Invocation at His Inauguration"
How ironic that, in the name of inclusiveness, President-elect Barack Obama has invited the Rev. Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church to offer the invocation at his inauguration. According to the church Web site, gays and lesbians can attend services but are excluded from church membership.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/opinion/l19warren.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=gay&st=cse
-In a First, Gay Rights Are Pressed at the U.N.
By NEIL MACFARQUHAR
UNITED NATIONS - An unprecedented declaration seeking to decriminalize homosexuality won the support of 66 countries in the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, but opponents criticized it as an attempt to legitimize pedophilia and other "deplorable acts."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/world/19nations.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama's Inaugural Mistake
By Joe Solmonese
It is difficult to comprehend how our president-elect, who has been so spot on in nearly every political move and gesture, could fail to grasp the symbolism of inviting an anti-gay theologian to deliver his inaugural invocation. And the Obama campaign's response to the anger about this decision? Hey, we're also bringing a gay marching band. You know how the gays love a parade.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121802788.html
-Vatican backs gay decriminalization, not U.N. measure
By Phil Stewart
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican Friday urged governments around the world to decriminalize homosexuality but said a proposed U.N. resolution on the issue went too far. Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the Holy See's delegation explained the position at the United Nations late on Thursday, criticizing the wording of a European-backed text that champions decriminalization of homosexuality.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121900900.html
-US balks at backing condemnation of anti-gay laws
By DAVID CRARY
UNITED NATIONS -- Alone among major Western nations, the United States has refused to sign a declaration presented Thursday at the United Nations calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality. In all, 66 of the U.N.'s 192 member countries signed the nonbinding declaration _ which backers called a historic step to push the General Assembly to deal more forthrightly with any-gay discrimination. More than 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality, and in several of them homosexual acts can be punished by execution.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121803081.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Choice of Pastor Aims to Bridge Divide
By LAURA MECKLER and SUZANNE SATALINE
In choosing evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, President-elect Barack Obama is associating himself with one of the most popular religious figures in the nation, reaching out to conservative America and proving he's willing to take some flak from the liberal flank of his party. It will be yet another high-profile moment for Mr. Warren, an evangelical leader who opposes abortion and gay marriage but has worked to broaden the Christian agenda to include issues of poverty, AIDS and the environment.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122965524929320865.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Preachers selected to pray at inauguration
By Rachel Zoll | The Associated Press
The clergy chosen by president-elect Barack Obama to pray at his inauguration fill separate symbolic roles: One is a nod to the civil rights activists who made Obama's election possible. The other is an overture to conservative Christians who rankles some Obama supporters. The Rev. Rick Warren, who will give the invocation, is one of the most influential pastors in the United States, and a choice that has already caused problems for Obama.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flaclergy1219sbdec19,0,2225058.story
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Strength of Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors: Gayborhood dollars buck recession trend
By JAMES MICHAELS
With the holidays rapidly approaching and the economy on everyone's mind, many people worry about the small businesses in our neighborhoods. On Wilton Drive are many boutiques and shops owned, operated and catering to the gay community. Exclusive clothing stores, gift shops and hard-to-find items are easy to find in just a few short blocks. Streets that were crammed with holiday shoppers in the past are much less crowded this year.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-18/news/localnews/5378.cfm
-No gays named to Obama's Cabinet
Victory Fund leader calls week's events 'disappointing'
By CHRIS JOHNSON
Chuck Wolfe, executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, criticized President-elect Barack Obama today for failing to name an openly gay member to his Cabinet. "As we talk about either keeping or renewing America's promise, which the president-elect has been talking about, apparently it does not yet extend to gay and lesbian people in the Cabinet of the president," Wolfe said.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23082
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Calif. Gay rights leader rejects inauguration invite
The head of California's largest gay civil rights organization has declined an invitation to attend the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama because Rev. Rick Warren will deliver the invocation.
http://www.365gay.com/news/calif-gay-rights-leader-rejects-inauguration-invite/
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-UN: General Assembly Statement Affirms Rights for All
66 States Condemn Violations Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
In a powerful victory for the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 66 nations at the UN General Assembly today supported a groundbreaking statement confirming that international human rights protections include sexual orientation and gender identity. It is the first time that a statement condemning rights abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people has been presented in the General Assembly.
The statement drew unprecedented support from five continents, including six African nations. Argentina read the statement before the General Assembly. A cross-regional group of states coordinated the drafting of the statement, also including Brazil, Croatia, France, Gabon, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway. The 66 countries reaffirmed "the principle of non-discrimination, which requires that human rights apply equally to every human being regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity." They stated they are "deeply concerned by violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms based on sexual orientation or gender identity," and said that "violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization and prejudice are directed against persons in all countries in the world because of sexual orientation or gender identity." The statement condemned killings, torture, arbitrary arrest, and "deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to health." The participating countries urged all nations to "promote and protect human rights of all persons, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity," and to end all criminal penalties against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
http://www.hrw.org/en/category/topic/lgbt-rights
-Re: In a First, Gay Rights Are Pressed at the U.N.
The official American postion seems shamefully lame. The US federal government clearly has jurisidiction to pledge US support in international fora. In fact, as I understand the Cheney/Addington doctrine of the imperial presidency, Bush alone could do it without the support of Congress. It is remrakable that the president asserts the power to undermine human rights at Guantonomo Bay but disavvows the power to support human rights based on delicate questions of the rights of states within the US federation.
Moreover, I wonder how many other federations supported the statement?
Canada for one. What about Germany and Australia? We will expect more from Obama. Congratulations to all those responsible for this historic moment, and to the countries who supported us and the principle of human rights.
R. Douglas Elliott
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
=
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
-Gay Adventists boldly take landmark book to conservative evangelical communities
A new book published by gay Adventists and those who support their full inclusion within the church is making an impact on this conservative evangelical community and is opening doors. Gays and lesbians in the 15-million-member Seventh-day Adventist Church have attempted to share their experiences and opinions with the church for more than 30 years, often with little response in return. This year they received a collection of voices to help tell their personal stories and viewpoint to an even larger audience.
http://www.sdakinship.org/
-Conservative AZ Attorneys Object to Adding 'Sexual Orientation' to Oath
The State Bar of Arizona is contemplating a revision to its existing oath of office for lawyers that includes a promise on the part of the attorney not to discriminate against clients based on factors such as race, age, and sexual orientation. But some lawyers see this as an infringement on their First Amendment rights. A Dec. 15 article posted at the Web site Intellectual Conservative condemns the revision, calling it a matter of Arizona's State Bar "Throwing our constitutional rights of free speech and freedom of association down the drain," and worries that the revised oath "would silence conservative viewpoints on gay issues."
-Obama's unity call falls on P.C. ears
CitizenCrain.com
by Chris Crain
It hasn't taken the gays long to find fault in the still-transiting Obama administration. You can almost guess from the level of fury that what's at stake isn't something real, like a retreat on policy or foot-dragging on a campaign promise. That's because content- and consequence-free is exactly how the politically correct crowd likes their controversies. Barack Obama's offense was to select Rick Warren, a conservative evangelical who opposes gay marriage, to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.
Never mind, for the moment, that Obama also opposes marriage equality, as did Hillary Clinton and every other viable presidential candidate. Warren also spoke out in favor of Proposition 8, but never mind that support for a constitutional amendment overturning a historic gay marriage ruling puts Warren in smack dab the same spot as presidential candidate John Kerry, who nonetheless received heaped praise from the Human Rights Campaign and other gay rights groups. And never mind that Warren was selected to deliver a prayer, not a political speech, and will no doubt say nothing at all relating to gays or marriage -- come to think of it, that kind of avoidance would have practically qualified Warren for a "strategery" role in the No on 8 campaign.
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2008/12/obamas-unity-call-falls-on-pc-ears.html
-A Bigot, Anti-Choice Pastor Picked for Obama's Inauguration
By Sarah Posner, TheNation.com
Now it has officially gone too far: Democrats, in their zeal to appear friendly to evangelical voters, have chosen celebrity preacher and best-selling author Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration. There was no doubt that Obama, like every president before him, would pick a Christian minister to perform this sacred duty. But Obama had thousands of clergy to choose from, and the choice of Warren is not only a slap in the face to progressive ministers toiling on the front lines of advocacy and service, but a bow to the continuing influence of the religious right in American politics. Warren vocally opposes gay marriage, does not believe in evolution, has compared abortion to the Holocaust and backed the assassination of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
http://www.alternet.org/story/113772/
-HIV infects women through healthy tissue: U.S. study
Instead of infiltrating breaks in the skin, HIV appears to attack normal, healthy genital tissue, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday in a study that offers new insight into how the AIDS virus spreads.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4BF7FF20081216
-Gays and lesbians are included in the European Union's new
anti-discrimination directive, but one recent same-sex marriage case suggests the rules could bring both gains and setbacks. The sticking point is that family law is still determined by member states.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,596929,00.html
-Administration protects health care workers who won't provide services that violate their beliefs.
The controversial rule empowers federal health officials to cut off federal funding for any state or local government, hospital, clinic, health plan, doctor's office or other entity if it does not accommodate employees who exercise their "right of conscience." It would apply to more than 584,000 health-care facilities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121801556.html?hpid=topnews
-Gay Man Backed For Navy Secretary
Foes cite 'Don't ask, don't tell'
By Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times
Some top retired military leaders and some Democrats in Congress are backing William White, chief operating officer of the Intrepid Museum Foundation, to be the next secretary of the Navy - a move that would put the first openly gay person at the top of one of the services. The secretary's job is a civilian position, so it would not run afoul of the ban on gays serving in the military, but it would renew focus on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy as President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office.
"He would be phenomenal," said retired Gen. Hugh Shelton, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 to 2001, pointing to Mr. White's extensive background as a fundraiser for veterans' and military causes.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/18/gay-man-backed-for-navy-secretary/
-Wife who shot cop husband was driven mad by 'self-loathing' sexual deviant
The attorney for Barbara Sheehan claims to have "significant evidence" (below) of Sheehan's murdered husband's sexual deviance. A retired NYPD sergeant shot dead by his wife was a "self-loathing" sexual deviant who liked transvestite hookers and wearing ladies' clothing, the woman's lawyer said Wednesday. Sgt. Raymond Sheehan, whose wife Barbara admitted pumping him full of bullets from his guns inside their Howard Beach home last Feb. 18, was a "very sick man," lawyer Michael Dowd said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/12/17/2008-12-17_wife_who_shot_cop_husband_was_driven_mad.html
=
Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/
-A New Look at the Impact of Diversity
Major scholarly study finds positive impacts from having roommates from different backgrounds - and negative impacts from being members of groups largely of one race or ethnicity.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/12/19/diversity
=
Truth Wins Out - TWO
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
-Truth Wins Out Distressed Over Barack Obama's Selection of Divisive
Televangelist Rick Warren To Give Invocation at Historic Inauguration 'Obama's 'Olive Branch' To Evangelicals Feels Like Poison Ivy To The Gay Community, Says TWO
NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out expressed extreme dismay today over Barack Obama's selection of notorious televangelist Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the historic inaugural swearing-in ceremony. At this event, Warren will hold a Bible that he recently used to justify discrimination against gay and lesbian couples in California, where he was an outspoken supporter of Proposition 8.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/two-distressed-over-barack-obama%E2%80%99s-selection-of-divisive-televangelist-rick-warren/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-U.S. Rejects U.N.'s Gay Rights Statement, Cites "Don't Ask"
A joint statement addressing homophobia and LGBT rights for the first time at the United Nations was tabled today, without the backing of the United States. "We urge states to take all the necessary measures, in particular legislative or administrative, to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests or detention," the draft document read.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid68878.asp
-LDS Church President as Gay Mag's Person of the Year?
Utah's most prominent gay and lesbian newspaper, QSaltLake, has named Latter-day Saints church president Thomas Monson as its person of the year.
Monson led the charge to pass Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in the Golden State. Monson signed a letter, which was read at Mormon church services across California, that urged all LDS believers to do everything they could to pass Prop. 8 by donating their time and money. In response, church members gave tens of thousands of dollars to the cause and traveled to California knocking on doors, conducting phone banks, developing websites, and filming commercials.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid68833.asp
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Stonewall - our prayers have been answered over Ladele case
Britain's leading gay equality organisation has expressed delight at the employment appeals tribunal's ruling in the case of a Christian public servant who refused to deal with gay couples.
-Christian registrar loses employment tribunal appeal over civil partnerships
An employment tribunal appeal has ruled that Islington council is not guilty of either religious discrimination in the case of a Christian registrar
-Comment: Gays should give Obama a break over inauguration preacher
Forget for a moment Obama's attempts to reach across the political aisle by appointing Republicans to his Cabinet, probably the boldest and most potentially provacative move he has made so far.
-US general backs gay man for Secretary of the Navy
An openly gay man is on the shortlist for the role of Secretary of the Navy in the new Obama administration.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Letters: Obama's Invocation Choice
To the Editor:
Re "Obama Selects California Evangelist for Invocation at His Inauguration"
How ironic that, in the name of inclusiveness, President-elect Barack Obama has invited the Rev. Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church to offer the invocation at his inauguration. According to the church Web site, gays and lesbians can attend services but are excluded from church membership.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/opinion/l19warren.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=gay&st=cse
-In a First, Gay Rights Are Pressed at the U.N.
By NEIL MACFARQUHAR
UNITED NATIONS - An unprecedented declaration seeking to decriminalize homosexuality won the support of 66 countries in the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, but opponents criticized it as an attempt to legitimize pedophilia and other "deplorable acts."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/world/19nations.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama's Inaugural Mistake
By Joe Solmonese
It is difficult to comprehend how our president-elect, who has been so spot on in nearly every political move and gesture, could fail to grasp the symbolism of inviting an anti-gay theologian to deliver his inaugural invocation. And the Obama campaign's response to the anger about this decision? Hey, we're also bringing a gay marching band. You know how the gays love a parade.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121802788.html
-Vatican backs gay decriminalization, not U.N. measure
By Phil Stewart
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican Friday urged governments around the world to decriminalize homosexuality but said a proposed U.N. resolution on the issue went too far. Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the Holy See's delegation explained the position at the United Nations late on Thursday, criticizing the wording of a European-backed text that champions decriminalization of homosexuality.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121900900.html
-US balks at backing condemnation of anti-gay laws
By DAVID CRARY
UNITED NATIONS -- Alone among major Western nations, the United States has refused to sign a declaration presented Thursday at the United Nations calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality. In all, 66 of the U.N.'s 192 member countries signed the nonbinding declaration _ which backers called a historic step to push the General Assembly to deal more forthrightly with any-gay discrimination. More than 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality, and in several of them homosexual acts can be punished by execution.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121803081.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Choice of Pastor Aims to Bridge Divide
By LAURA MECKLER and SUZANNE SATALINE
In choosing evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, President-elect Barack Obama is associating himself with one of the most popular religious figures in the nation, reaching out to conservative America and proving he's willing to take some flak from the liberal flank of his party. It will be yet another high-profile moment for Mr. Warren, an evangelical leader who opposes abortion and gay marriage but has worked to broaden the Christian agenda to include issues of poverty, AIDS and the environment.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122965524929320865.html
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Preachers selected to pray at inauguration
By Rachel Zoll | The Associated Press
The clergy chosen by president-elect Barack Obama to pray at his inauguration fill separate symbolic roles: One is a nod to the civil rights activists who made Obama's election possible. The other is an overture to conservative Christians who rankles some Obama supporters. The Rev. Rick Warren, who will give the invocation, is one of the most influential pastors in the United States, and a choice that has already caused problems for Obama.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flaclergy1219sbdec19,0,2225058.story
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Strength of Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors: Gayborhood dollars buck recession trend
By JAMES MICHAELS
With the holidays rapidly approaching and the economy on everyone's mind, many people worry about the small businesses in our neighborhoods. On Wilton Drive are many boutiques and shops owned, operated and catering to the gay community. Exclusive clothing stores, gift shops and hard-to-find items are easy to find in just a few short blocks. Streets that were crammed with holiday shoppers in the past are much less crowded this year.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-18/news/localnews/5378.cfm
-No gays named to Obama's Cabinet
Victory Fund leader calls week's events 'disappointing'
By CHRIS JOHNSON
Chuck Wolfe, executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, criticized President-elect Barack Obama today for failing to name an openly gay member to his Cabinet. "As we talk about either keeping or renewing America's promise, which the president-elect has been talking about, apparently it does not yet extend to gay and lesbian people in the Cabinet of the president," Wolfe said.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23082
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Calif. Gay rights leader rejects inauguration invite
The head of California's largest gay civil rights organization has declined an invitation to attend the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama because Rev. Rick Warren will deliver the invocation.
http://www.365gay.com/news/calif-gay-rights-leader-rejects-inauguration-invite/
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-UN: General Assembly Statement Affirms Rights for All
66 States Condemn Violations Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
In a powerful victory for the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 66 nations at the UN General Assembly today supported a groundbreaking statement confirming that international human rights protections include sexual orientation and gender identity. It is the first time that a statement condemning rights abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people has been presented in the General Assembly.
The statement drew unprecedented support from five continents, including six African nations. Argentina read the statement before the General Assembly. A cross-regional group of states coordinated the drafting of the statement, also including Brazil, Croatia, France, Gabon, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway. The 66 countries reaffirmed "the principle of non-discrimination, which requires that human rights apply equally to every human being regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity." They stated they are "deeply concerned by violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms based on sexual orientation or gender identity," and said that "violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization and prejudice are directed against persons in all countries in the world because of sexual orientation or gender identity." The statement condemned killings, torture, arbitrary arrest, and "deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to health." The participating countries urged all nations to "promote and protect human rights of all persons, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity," and to end all criminal penalties against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
http://www.hrw.org/en/category/topic/lgbt-rights
-Re: In a First, Gay Rights Are Pressed at the U.N.
The official American postion seems shamefully lame. The US federal government clearly has jurisidiction to pledge US support in international fora. In fact, as I understand the Cheney/Addington doctrine of the imperial presidency, Bush alone could do it without the support of Congress. It is remrakable that the president asserts the power to undermine human rights at Guantonomo Bay but disavvows the power to support human rights based on delicate questions of the rights of states within the US federation.
Moreover, I wonder how many other federations supported the statement?
Canada for one. What about Germany and Australia? We will expect more from Obama. Congratulations to all those responsible for this historic moment, and to the countries who supported us and the principle of human rights.
R. Douglas Elliott
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
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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
-Gay Adventists boldly take landmark book to conservative evangelical communities
A new book published by gay Adventists and those who support their full inclusion within the church is making an impact on this conservative evangelical community and is opening doors. Gays and lesbians in the 15-million-member Seventh-day Adventist Church have attempted to share their experiences and opinions with the church for more than 30 years, often with little response in return. This year they received a collection of voices to help tell their personal stories and viewpoint to an even larger audience.
http://www.sdakinship.org/
-Conservative AZ Attorneys Object to Adding 'Sexual Orientation' to Oath
The State Bar of Arizona is contemplating a revision to its existing oath of office for lawyers that includes a promise on the part of the attorney not to discriminate against clients based on factors such as race, age, and sexual orientation. But some lawyers see this as an infringement on their First Amendment rights. A Dec. 15 article posted at the Web site Intellectual Conservative condemns the revision, calling it a matter of Arizona's State Bar "Throwing our constitutional rights of free speech and freedom of association down the drain," and worries that the revised oath "would silence conservative viewpoints on gay issues."
-Obama's unity call falls on P.C. ears
CitizenCrain.com
by Chris Crain
It hasn't taken the gays long to find fault in the still-transiting Obama administration. You can almost guess from the level of fury that what's at stake isn't something real, like a retreat on policy or foot-dragging on a campaign promise. That's because content- and consequence-free is exactly how the politically correct crowd likes their controversies. Barack Obama's offense was to select Rick Warren, a conservative evangelical who opposes gay marriage, to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.
Never mind, for the moment, that Obama also opposes marriage equality, as did Hillary Clinton and every other viable presidential candidate. Warren also spoke out in favor of Proposition 8, but never mind that support for a constitutional amendment overturning a historic gay marriage ruling puts Warren in smack dab the same spot as presidential candidate John Kerry, who nonetheless received heaped praise from the Human Rights Campaign and other gay rights groups. And never mind that Warren was selected to deliver a prayer, not a political speech, and will no doubt say nothing at all relating to gays or marriage -- come to think of it, that kind of avoidance would have practically qualified Warren for a "strategery" role in the No on 8 campaign.
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2008/12/obamas-unity-call-falls-on-pc-ears.html
-A Bigot, Anti-Choice Pastor Picked for Obama's Inauguration
By Sarah Posner, TheNation.com
Now it has officially gone too far: Democrats, in their zeal to appear friendly to evangelical voters, have chosen celebrity preacher and best-selling author Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration. There was no doubt that Obama, like every president before him, would pick a Christian minister to perform this sacred duty. But Obama had thousands of clergy to choose from, and the choice of Warren is not only a slap in the face to progressive ministers toiling on the front lines of advocacy and service, but a bow to the continuing influence of the religious right in American politics. Warren vocally opposes gay marriage, does not believe in evolution, has compared abortion to the Holocaust and backed the assassination of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
http://www.alternet.org/story/113772/
-HIV infects women through healthy tissue: U.S. study
Instead of infiltrating breaks in the skin, HIV appears to attack normal, healthy genital tissue, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday in a study that offers new insight into how the AIDS virus spreads.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4BF7FF20081216
-Gays and lesbians are included in the European Union's new
anti-discrimination directive, but one recent same-sex marriage case suggests the rules could bring both gains and setbacks. The sticking point is that family law is still determined by member states.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,596929,00.html
-Administration protects health care workers who won't provide services that violate their beliefs.
The controversial rule empowers federal health officials to cut off federal funding for any state or local government, hospital, clinic, health plan, doctor's office or other entity if it does not accommodate employees who exercise their "right of conscience." It would apply to more than 584,000 health-care facilities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121801556.html?hpid=topnews
-Gay Man Backed For Navy Secretary
Foes cite 'Don't ask, don't tell'
By Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times
Some top retired military leaders and some Democrats in Congress are backing William White, chief operating officer of the Intrepid Museum Foundation, to be the next secretary of the Navy - a move that would put the first openly gay person at the top of one of the services. The secretary's job is a civilian position, so it would not run afoul of the ban on gays serving in the military, but it would renew focus on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy as President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office.
"He would be phenomenal," said retired Gen. Hugh Shelton, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 to 2001, pointing to Mr. White's extensive background as a fundraiser for veterans' and military causes.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/18/gay-man-backed-for-navy-secretary/
-Wife who shot cop husband was driven mad by 'self-loathing' sexual deviant
The attorney for Barbara Sheehan claims to have "significant evidence" (below) of Sheehan's murdered husband's sexual deviance. A retired NYPD sergeant shot dead by his wife was a "self-loathing" sexual deviant who liked transvestite hookers and wearing ladies' clothing, the woman's lawyer said Wednesday. Sgt. Raymond Sheehan, whose wife Barbara admitted pumping him full of bullets from his guns inside their Howard Beach home last Feb. 18, was a "very sick man," lawyer Michael Dowd said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/12/17/2008-12-17_wife_who_shot_cop_husband_was_driven_mad.html
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Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/
-A New Look at the Impact of Diversity
Major scholarly study finds positive impacts from having roommates from different backgrounds - and negative impacts from being members of groups largely of one race or ethnicity.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/12/19/diversity
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Truth Wins Out - TWO
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
-Truth Wins Out Distressed Over Barack Obama's Selection of Divisive
Televangelist Rick Warren To Give Invocation at Historic Inauguration 'Obama's 'Olive Branch' To Evangelicals Feels Like Poison Ivy To The Gay Community, Says TWO
NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out expressed extreme dismay today over Barack Obama's selection of notorious televangelist Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the historic inaugural swearing-in ceremony. At this event, Warren will hold a Bible that he recently used to justify discrimination against gay and lesbian couples in California, where he was an outspoken supporter of Proposition 8.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/two-distressed-over-barack-obama%E2%80%99s-selection-of-divisive-televangelist-rick-warren/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-U.S. Rejects U.N.'s Gay Rights Statement, Cites "Don't Ask"
A joint statement addressing homophobia and LGBT rights for the first time at the United Nations was tabled today, without the backing of the United States. "We urge states to take all the necessary measures, in particular legislative or administrative, to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests or detention," the draft document read.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid68878.asp
-LDS Church President as Gay Mag's Person of the Year?
Utah's most prominent gay and lesbian newspaper, QSaltLake, has named Latter-day Saints church president Thomas Monson as its person of the year.
Monson led the charge to pass Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in the Golden State. Monson signed a letter, which was read at Mormon church services across California, that urged all LDS believers to do everything they could to pass Prop. 8 by donating their time and money. In response, church members gave tens of thousands of dollars to the cause and traveled to California knocking on doors, conducting phone banks, developing websites, and filming commercials.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid68833.asp
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Stonewall - our prayers have been answered over Ladele case
Britain's leading gay equality organisation has expressed delight at the employment appeals tribunal's ruling in the case of a Christian public servant who refused to deal with gay couples.
-Christian registrar loses employment tribunal appeal over civil partnerships
An employment tribunal appeal has ruled that Islington council is not guilty of either religious discrimination in the case of a Christian registrar
-Comment: Gays should give Obama a break over inauguration preacher
Forget for a moment Obama's attempts to reach across the political aisle by appointing Republicans to his Cabinet, probably the boldest and most potentially provacative move he has made so far.
-US general backs gay man for Secretary of the Navy
An openly gay man is on the shortlist for the role of Secretary of the Navy in the new Obama administration.
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST December 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.
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-For inauguration prayer, Obama splits ticket
By RACHEL ZOLL
The clergy chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to pray at his inauguration fill separate symbolic roles: One is a nod to the civil rights activists who made Obama's election possible. The other is an overture to conservative Christians who rankles some Obama supporters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121802568.html?hpid=sec-religion
-Ill. court revives suit over 'morning-after' pill
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
Illinois pharmacists who object to dispensing emergency contraception won another day in court to fight a rule they claim forces them to choose between their livelihood and conscience. The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday said the circuit court must consider a lawsuit brought by two pharmacists who claim they should not be required to dispense emergency contraception because it violates their religious beliefs. Lower courts had dismissed those claims and refused to hear the case.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121803516.html?hpid=sec-religion
-Many Friends Of Bill
What Clinton's Donor List Reveals
By Eugene Robinson
It's far-fetched to think that Hillary Clinton's performance of her duties as secretary of state would be influenced in any way by foreign donations to her husband's charitable foundation. But it is naive to think that the exhaustive list of donors released yesterday by the William J. Clinton Foundation won't provoke suspicion and give rise to conspiracy theories in parts of the world where transparency is seen as nothing more than an illusion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121803176.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-How the hell did Rick Warren get inauguration tickets?
By Mike Madden
Barack Obama knows liberals are upset he picked the conservative evangelical preacher to pray at the inauguration. And he doesn't care. For more than two years, cozying up to Rick Warren has been one of Barack Obama's favorite ways of showing evangelical Christians that he might not be so scary, after all -- and for just as long, palling around with Obama every once in a while has been Warren's way of trying to show more secular-minded people that he's not so bad, either.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/12/19/rick_warren/index.html
-What's Behind Obama's Rightward Outreach?
By Massimo Calabresi / Washington
It's hard to pick up a paper these days without reading about Barack Obama courting the right. On Wednesday, his Inauguration committee announced that the non-partisan but socially conservative Evangelical Rick Warren would give the invocation Jan. 20 when Obama is sworn in as President. Bloomberg reports that moderate Republican Jim Leach of Iowa has been representing Obama at White House talks on the economy. And last Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Obama is being advised by foreign policy heavyweight Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser under the first President Bush and described by the Times as "an old Republican Realist."
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1867771,00.html
-Franken opens first lead in Minn. Senate race
By Brian Bakst
Democrat Al Franken edged ahead of Republican incumbent Norm Coleman on Friday for the first time in Minnesota's long-running U.S. Senate recount. Franken opened up a slight lead on the fourth day of a state Canvassing Board meeting to decide the fate of hundreds of disputed ballots.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/19/minn_senate_recount_likely_to_drag_into_new_year/
-Ill. Gov. Blagojevich to Make Statement
By JIM SUHR
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office said he would make a statement Friday afternoon in his downtown Chicago office building, in what could be his first substantial public comments since his arrest last week on federal corruption charges.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121900327.html
-Sen. Caroline? Rumbles of dissent
What people are saying about Caroline Kennedy:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/12/sen-caroline-ru.html#more
-Cheney Claims Power To Decide His Public Records
In Lawsuit, Cheney Claims Power To Decide Which Of His Records Will Go To National Archives
Dick Cheney's lawyers are asserting that the vice president alone has the authority to determine which records, if any, from his tenure will be handed over to the National Archives when he leaves office in January.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/18/ap/politics/main4676505.shtml
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-For inauguration prayer, Obama splits ticket
By RACHEL ZOLL
The clergy chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to pray at his inauguration fill separate symbolic roles: One is a nod to the civil rights activists who made Obama's election possible. The other is an overture to conservative Christians who rankles some Obama supporters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121802568.html?hpid=sec-religion
-Ill. court revives suit over 'morning-after' pill
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
Illinois pharmacists who object to dispensing emergency contraception won another day in court to fight a rule they claim forces them to choose between their livelihood and conscience. The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday said the circuit court must consider a lawsuit brought by two pharmacists who claim they should not be required to dispense emergency contraception because it violates their religious beliefs. Lower courts had dismissed those claims and refused to hear the case.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121803516.html?hpid=sec-religion
-Many Friends Of Bill
What Clinton's Donor List Reveals
By Eugene Robinson
It's far-fetched to think that Hillary Clinton's performance of her duties as secretary of state would be influenced in any way by foreign donations to her husband's charitable foundation. But it is naive to think that the exhaustive list of donors released yesterday by the William J. Clinton Foundation won't provoke suspicion and give rise to conspiracy theories in parts of the world where transparency is seen as nothing more than an illusion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121803176.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-How the hell did Rick Warren get inauguration tickets?
By Mike Madden
Barack Obama knows liberals are upset he picked the conservative evangelical preacher to pray at the inauguration. And he doesn't care. For more than two years, cozying up to Rick Warren has been one of Barack Obama's favorite ways of showing evangelical Christians that he might not be so scary, after all -- and for just as long, palling around with Obama every once in a while has been Warren's way of trying to show more secular-minded people that he's not so bad, either.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/12/19/rick_warren/index.html
-What's Behind Obama's Rightward Outreach?
By Massimo Calabresi / Washington
It's hard to pick up a paper these days without reading about Barack Obama courting the right. On Wednesday, his Inauguration committee announced that the non-partisan but socially conservative Evangelical Rick Warren would give the invocation Jan. 20 when Obama is sworn in as President. Bloomberg reports that moderate Republican Jim Leach of Iowa has been representing Obama at White House talks on the economy. And last Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Obama is being advised by foreign policy heavyweight Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser under the first President Bush and described by the Times as "an old Republican Realist."
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1867771,00.html
-Franken opens first lead in Minn. Senate race
By Brian Bakst
Democrat Al Franken edged ahead of Republican incumbent Norm Coleman on Friday for the first time in Minnesota's long-running U.S. Senate recount. Franken opened up a slight lead on the fourth day of a state Canvassing Board meeting to decide the fate of hundreds of disputed ballots.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/19/minn_senate_recount_likely_to_drag_into_new_year/
-Ill. Gov. Blagojevich to Make Statement
By JIM SUHR
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office said he would make a statement Friday afternoon in his downtown Chicago office building, in what could be his first substantial public comments since his arrest last week on federal corruption charges.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121900327.html
-Sen. Caroline? Rumbles of dissent
What people are saying about Caroline Kennedy:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/12/sen-caroline-ru.html#more
-Cheney Claims Power To Decide His Public Records
In Lawsuit, Cheney Claims Power To Decide Which Of His Records Will Go To National Archives
Dick Cheney's lawyers are asserting that the vice president alone has the authority to determine which records, if any, from his tenure will be handed over to the National Archives when he leaves office in January.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/18/ap/politics/main4676505.shtml
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST December 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~~
Wilton Manors: TONIGHT!
A Holiday Celebration, Free Trolley and Refreshments
It's not often you get an invitation to attend 25 private parties. The Island City Art Walk continues to thrive even in difficult times. Please visit Wilton Manors between 7 - 10 pm on Friday, December 19, for our monthly Art Walk. Twenty-five businesses will host over 35 fine artists along the one mile stretch known as The Drive. Many of the eclectic shops will have special Holiday shopping sales. The local artists will offer a variety of original works: paintings, photography and sculptures, all wonderful gift ideas. Take a hiatus from the malls and join us for the fun in historical Wilton Manors, one of Florida's premiere small towns, which offers fine restaurants, shopping and entertainment. There will be a photographer exhibit at Decades by Ali. Decades are at 1500 NE 4th Ave, so just jump on the free trolley and get off at Decades.
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CRITIC'S PICK: Rising Action recasts Biblical stories with gay twist
What if, instead of humanity beginning with Adam and Eve, the first couple had been named Adam and Steve? What if Cain and Abel were actually Jane and Mabel? Though it might seem sacrilegious to some, playwright Paul Rudnick imagines just such a scenario in The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, the holiday production from Oakland Park's Rising Action Theatre. Featuring Martica DeCardenas, Emily Ocheltree, Ricardo Rodriguez and Larry Fields, the show goes on through Jan. 18 at Rising Action, 840 E. Oakland Park Blvd. Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $30 ($39 New Year's Eve. Call 800-595-4849 or visit www.risingactiontheatre.com. -- CHRISTINE DOLEN
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/story/817637.html
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Light Up The Night For Equality gay protest to be Saturday night on Lincoln Road
This Saturday, December 20th, you are invited to LIGHT UP THE NIGHT FOR EQUALITY on the corner of Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue, in South Beach. This demonstration will be one of many taking place in cities and towns all across the nation, in remembrance of the civil marriage rights that were taken away on November 4th, and in honor of the future of equality that is to come. We will begin gathering at 6:45pm, and at 7:00pm, we will stand united in a silent, candlelit protest. We will not yell, instigate, or chant - but we will be visible to our community and neighbors. Please bring along a long-burning candle (preferably with a wind guard). A flashlight would work too. Extra candles / flashlights to share, if possible, and homemade "2nd Class Citizen" t-shirts are encouraged. For more information, go to www.JoinTheImpact.com, or find us on MySpace or Facebook by searching for Light Up The Night for Equality.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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ArtsUnited - Ft. Lauderdale
http://artsunitedonline.org/
-Art Festival Explodes!
Ninth Annual GLBT Art Festival Bigger Than Ever!
The economy may be shrinking, but ArtExplosion sure isn't!
Despite the country's financial situation, ArtExplosion '09 looks to be even bigger and better than ever. The fun commences February 7, 2009 with the Opening Night Reception of the Visual Art Show at ArtServe and ends with an amazing Finale performance by Lea DeLaria, Scott Ryan and Levi Kries at the Broward Center for Performing Arts on February 21st.
-Monthly Exhibits to Resume.
New Stonewall Gallery to host 4 Group Exhibits
The long awaited opening of the new Stonewall Library & Archives has finally arrived. Jack Rutland, Executive Director of Stonewall Library & Archives announced last week that plans were underway to open the new space next to ArtServe, at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd., to the public on January 26, 2009. The first exhibition in the new George C. Hester Gallery, named for the ArtsUnited member that funded the space, will be on display by February in time for ArtExplosion.
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Palm Beach Human Rights Council
www.pbchrc.org
-The Year in Review, and 2007 too!
**December 2008
The School Board of Palm Beach County unanimously votes to include "sexual orientation" and "gender expression and/or identity" as protected classes in a comprehensive policy protecting students against bullying and harassment.
**November 2008
On election day, more than a quarter of a million Palm Beach County voters (48.45%) reject Amendment 2, making us Florida's leading metropolitan area to oppose the so-called Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. Of Florida's 67 counties, only Monroe and Alachua Counties had higher percentages (52.04% and 48.83%, respectively).
Seacoast Utility Authority in Palm Beach Gardens extends family health, dental, disability and life insurance coverage to employees with domestic partners.
**October 2008
Palm Beach County's Clerk & Comptroller revises her office's policies to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on "gender identity and expression."
City Commissioners in both West Palm Beach and Lake Worth unanimously pass resolutions urging voters to vote against Amendment 2 -- the so-called Florida Marriage Protection Amendment.
**September 2008
The Palm Beach County School Board extends health insurance coverage to the children of employees' domestic partners, effective January 1, 2009.
The Board of Trustees of Palm Beach County Community College votes to offer employees the opportunity to purchase health insurance for their domestic partners.
**August 2008
94% of the PBCHRC endorsed candidates are elected, re-elected, or make the November run-off election in their races.
**June 2008
In two cases brought jointly by PBCHRC and the Palm Beach County chapter of the ACLU of Florida, the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity determines that the Palm Beach County School District's policy of charging higher health insurance premiums for employees with domestic partners than it charges for married employees is discriminatory.
The Village of Tequesta revises the definition of "immediate family" to include an employee's domestic partner for the purpose of bereavement leave.
**April 2008
Senator Deutch enlists Senator Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) as one of six co-sponsors to his bill. With bipartisan support, the Deutch anti-discrimination bill is approved by the Senate Commerce Committee by a vote of 7-1.
**March 2008
100% of the PBCHRC endorsed candidates are re-elected.
At the Council's request, Representative Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton) -- and a record 31 co-sponsors -- introduce legislation to amend the Florida Civil Rights Act and Florida's Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination in employment and housing based on "sexual orientation" and "gender identity or expression."
At the Council's request, Senator Ted Deutch (D-Boca Raton) introduces legislation to amend the Florida Civil Rights Act and Florida's Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimiantion in employment and housing based on "sexual orientation."
**February 2008
The Palm Beach County School Board unanimously votes to expand the definition of "family" in the School District's Leave of Absence policy to include employees' domestic partners and their children.
**January 2008
The Town of Juno Beach notifies PBCHRC that it has revised its non-discrimination and harassment awareness policies to include "sexual orientation." In addition the Town notified the Council that it has revised the definition of "immediate family" to include an employee's "significant other" for the purpose of bereavement leave Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Charles Bronson informs the Council that his office's sick leave policy now allows employees to opportunity to use sick leave to care for domestic partners.
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council is dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The Council promotes equality through education, advocacy, direct action, impact litigation and community outreach.
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council www.pbchrc.org
Contact Ray's List for PBHRC accoomplishments in 2007.
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Ft. Lauderdale - GLCC Newsletter
STARS OF THE RAINBOW" NOMINATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED
The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of South Florida (GLCC) is accepting honoree nominations for "Stars of the Rainbow". The event will be held on Sunday, March 1, 2009! This year's gala will be held at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six which is located at 2301 S.E. 17th Street Causeway, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316.
Nomination of honorees is available December 1 thru December 31, 2008.
Honorees will be announced January 10, 2009. Please submit your nomination(s) in following categories:
(1) Volunteer or Activist Star of the Year
Honoring individuals who exemplify the spirit of volunteerism and/or activism, and who have also been a benefit to the GLCC and/or the LGBT community.
(2) Community Star of the Year
Honoring individuals or groups that represent the LGBT community in a positive light; have supported the Center and/or community, have shown the true sense of community and who are true STARS!
(3) Business, Corporate, Media or Government Star of the Year
This category honors a business, corporation, agency, media/publication or government entity that has supported the efforts of the Center and the LGBT community.
Nomination Forms are available at the GLCC or can be submitted online at www.StarsoftheRainbow.com or www.StarsoftheRainbow.org . You can also print a form and fax or mail it to the GLCC at 954-764-6522 or PO BOX 70518, Fort Lauderdale 33307 - Attn: Robert Boo.
If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, volunteering or more information please contact Robert Boo, Development Director at 954-463-9005 or via email at rboo@glccsf.org.
-Action Alert!
The State of Florida currently sends a dangerous message that the health and well being of gay youth is of no concern to state officials. This can no longer stand. Please contact your state representative and senator today and ask them to co-sponsor Rep. Evan Jenne's Florida House of Representatives bill, HB 19, and Sen. Jeremy Ring's Senate bill, SB 268, which will delete the following language from the Florida State Statute requiring, with regard to instruction in HIV/AIDS, that a school shall:
Section 1003.46, Subsection (2)(a) Teach abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage as the expected standard for all school age students while teaching the benefits of monogamous heterosexual marriage. With new infections rising among gay and bisexual males, especially in youth of color, heterosexist language designed to ignore gay youth, and intimidate HIV/AIDS prevention educators, must end.
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Community profile: Terry DeCarlo
Love for activism, Disney, and all things SoFla
By JAMES MICHAELS
No name or face in our community is more recognized than that of Terry DeCarlo, director of marketing and events for Broward House. And as the saying (with a gay twist) goes, "Behind every strong man is another strong man pushing him along," Terry's partner, who has been Terry's backbone for more than a decade, Bill Huelsman, is Terry's biggest supporter. DeCarlo, a native of New York, came to the public forefront when he first put his public relations skills to work as Director for Development for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. Since that time he has also worked for Equality Florida and Care Resource. His commitment to the community started long before he entered Broward County.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-18/news/localnews/5382.cfm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida attorney general wants to bust the Seminole Tribe's card games
By John Holland and Josh Hafenbrack
The Seminole Tribe should face criminal charges if it does not stop offering illegal blackjack and other card games on its reservations, the state's chief law enforcement officer wrote Thursday in a stinging letter to federal prosecutors. Attorney General Bill McCollum made the appeal to the U.S. attorney in Tampa on a day that anti-gambling forces rallied in the state capital for what's expected to be a heavily lobbied fight over whether to revive a defunct gambling deal with the Seminoles. McCollum is powerless over the sovereign tribe, and federal regulators have been reluctant to step in while the state and tribe continue negotiating a deal.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-flfgambling1219sbdec19,0,2900028.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Nominee wrong for high court
If Gov. Charlie Crist appoints Frank Jimenez to the Florida Supreme Court, he will be selecting the least qualified and most ideological nominee available. Jimenez is a Cuban-American and would add diversity to a court that now lacks a Hispanic justice. But in this case, diversity would be a pretext for stacking the Supreme Court with political conservatives and abandoning its centrist history.
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article942679.ece
-LEGISLATURE: Crist offers up ideas for balancing budget, sparing services
Gov. Charlie Crist has a plan to eliminate Florida's $2.3 billion budget shortfall without cutting services too deeply. Will lawmakers approve?
BY MARC CAPUTO
Florida lawmakers can fill a $2.3 billion budget hole by slightly trimming government spending, nearly emptying savings accounts and approving a gambling agreement with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, according to a draft document approved by Gov. Charlie Crist.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/819028.html
-Dems appeal to Feds to investigate House speaker
By Michael C. Bender
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman appealed to acting U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirwan to investigate Republican state House Speaker Ray Sansom for public corruption. Citing the work of the St. Pete Times and the Palm Beach Post, Thurman said there were too many questions around Sansom and a job he received with Northwest Florida State College last month.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2008/12/18/dems_appeal_to_feds_to_investi.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics
-Florida prison population reaches 100,000
By Bill Cotterell
The head of Florida's prison system was just winding up a radio interview Friday morning when a message buzzed on his BlackBerry - at 8:17 a.m., the state's prison population hit 100,000 for the first time.
http://www.floridacapitalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081219/CAPITOLNEWS/812190330&theme=
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Wilton Manors: TONIGHT!
A Holiday Celebration, Free Trolley and Refreshments
It's not often you get an invitation to attend 25 private parties. The Island City Art Walk continues to thrive even in difficult times. Please visit Wilton Manors between 7 - 10 pm on Friday, December 19, for our monthly Art Walk. Twenty-five businesses will host over 35 fine artists along the one mile stretch known as The Drive. Many of the eclectic shops will have special Holiday shopping sales. The local artists will offer a variety of original works: paintings, photography and sculptures, all wonderful gift ideas. Take a hiatus from the malls and join us for the fun in historical Wilton Manors, one of Florida's premiere small towns, which offers fine restaurants, shopping and entertainment. There will be a photographer exhibit at Decades by Ali. Decades are at 1500 NE 4th Ave, so just jump on the free trolley and get off at Decades.
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-CRITIC'S PICK: Rising Action recasts Biblical stories with gay twist
What if, instead of humanity beginning with Adam and Eve, the first couple had been named Adam and Steve? What if Cain and Abel were actually Jane and Mabel? Though it might seem sacrilegious to some, playwright Paul Rudnick imagines just such a scenario in The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, the holiday production from Oakland Park's Rising Action Theatre. Featuring Martica DeCardenas, Emily Ocheltree, Ricardo Rodriguez and Larry Fields, the show goes on through Jan. 18 at Rising Action, 840 E. Oakland Park Blvd. Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $30 ($39 New Year's Eve. Call 800-595-4849 or visit www.risingactiontheatre.com. -- CHRISTINE DOLEN
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/story/817637.html
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Light Up The Night For Equality gay protest to be Saturday night on Lincoln Road
This Saturday, December 20th, you are invited to LIGHT UP THE NIGHT FOR EQUALITY on the corner of Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue, in South Beach. This demonstration will be one of many taking place in cities and towns all across the nation, in remembrance of the civil marriage rights that were taken away on November 4th, and in honor of the future of equality that is to come. We will begin gathering at 6:45pm, and at 7:00pm, we will stand united in a silent, candlelit protest. We will not yell, instigate, or chant - but we will be visible to our community and neighbors. Please bring along a long-burning candle (preferably with a wind guard). A flashlight would work too. Extra candles / flashlights to share, if possible, and homemade "2nd Class Citizen" t-shirts are encouraged. For more information, go to www.JoinTheImpact.com, or find us on MySpace or Facebook by searching for Light Up The Night for Equality.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
ArtsUnited - Ft. Lauderdale
http://artsunitedonline.org/
-Art Festival Explodes!
Ninth Annual GLBT Art Festival Bigger Than Ever!
The economy may be shrinking, but ArtExplosion sure isn't!
Despite the country's financial situation, ArtExplosion '09 looks to be even bigger and better than ever. The fun commences February 7, 2009 with the Opening Night Reception of the Visual Art Show at ArtServe and ends with an amazing Finale performance by Lea DeLaria, Scott Ryan and Levi Kries at the Broward Center for Performing Arts on February 21st.
-Monthly Exhibits to Resume.
New Stonewall Gallery to host 4 Group Exhibits
The long awaited opening of the new Stonewall Library & Archives has finally arrived. Jack Rutland, Executive Director of Stonewall Library & Archives announced last week that plans were underway to open the new space next to ArtServe, at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd., to the public on January 26, 2009. The first exhibition in the new George C. Hester Gallery, named for the ArtsUnited member that funded the space, will be on display by February in time for ArtExplosion.
=
Palm Beach Human Rights Council
www.pbchrc.org
-The Year in Review, and 2007 too!
**December 2008
The School Board of Palm Beach County unanimously votes to include "sexual orientation" and "gender expression and/or identity" as protected classes in a comprehensive policy protecting students against bullying and harassment.
**November 2008
On election day, more than a quarter of a million Palm Beach County voters (48.45%) reject Amendment 2, making us Florida's leading metropolitan area to oppose the so-called Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. Of Florida's 67 counties, only Monroe and Alachua Counties had higher percentages (52.04% and 48.83%, respectively).
Seacoast Utility Authority in Palm Beach Gardens extends family health, dental, disability and life insurance coverage to employees with domestic partners.
**October 2008
Palm Beach County's Clerk & Comptroller revises her office's policies to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on "gender identity and expression."
City Commissioners in both West Palm Beach and Lake Worth unanimously pass resolutions urging voters to vote against Amendment 2 -- the so-called Florida Marriage Protection Amendment.
**September 2008
The Palm Beach County School Board extends health insurance coverage to the children of employees' domestic partners, effective January 1, 2009.
The Board of Trustees of Palm Beach County Community College votes to offer employees the opportunity to purchase health insurance for their domestic partners.
**August 2008
94% of the PBCHRC endorsed candidates are elected, re-elected, or make the November run-off election in their races.
**June 2008
In two cases brought jointly by PBCHRC and the Palm Beach County chapter of the ACLU of Florida, the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity determines that the Palm Beach County School District's policy of charging higher health insurance premiums for employees with domestic partners than it charges for married employees is discriminatory.
The Village of Tequesta revises the definition of "immediate family" to include an employee's domestic partner for the purpose of bereavement leave.
**April 2008
Senator Deutch enlists Senator Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) as one of six co-sponsors to his bill. With bipartisan support, the Deutch anti-discrimination bill is approved by the Senate Commerce Committee by a vote of 7-1.
**March 2008
100% of the PBCHRC endorsed candidates are re-elected.
At the Council's request, Representative Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton) -- and a record 31 co-sponsors -- introduce legislation to amend the Florida Civil Rights Act and Florida's Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination in employment and housing based on "sexual orientation" and "gender identity or expression."
At the Council's request, Senator Ted Deutch (D-Boca Raton) introduces legislation to amend the Florida Civil Rights Act and Florida's Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimiantion in employment and housing based on "sexual orientation."
**February 2008
The Palm Beach County School Board unanimously votes to expand the definition of "family" in the School District's Leave of Absence policy to include employees' domestic partners and their children.
**January 2008
The Town of Juno Beach notifies PBCHRC that it has revised its non-discrimination and harassment awareness policies to include "sexual orientation." In addition the Town notified the Council that it has revised the definition of "immediate family" to include an employee's "significant other" for the purpose of bereavement leave Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Charles Bronson informs the Council that his office's sick leave policy now allows employees to opportunity to use sick leave to care for domestic partners.
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council is dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The Council promotes equality through education, advocacy, direct action, impact litigation and community outreach.
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council www.pbchrc.org
Contact Ray's List for PBHRC accoomplishments in 2007.
=
Ft. Lauderdale - GLCC Newsletter
STARS OF THE RAINBOW" NOMINATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED
The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of South Florida (GLCC) is accepting honoree nominations for "Stars of the Rainbow". The event will be held on Sunday, March 1, 2009! This year's gala will be held at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six which is located at 2301 S.E. 17th Street Causeway, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316.
Nomination of honorees is available December 1 thru December 31, 2008.
Honorees will be announced January 10, 2009. Please submit your nomination(s) in following categories:
(1) Volunteer or Activist Star of the Year
Honoring individuals who exemplify the spirit of volunteerism and/or activism, and who have also been a benefit to the GLCC and/or the LGBT community.
(2) Community Star of the Year
Honoring individuals or groups that represent the LGBT community in a positive light; have supported the Center and/or community, have shown the true sense of community and who are true STARS!
(3) Business, Corporate, Media or Government Star of the Year
This category honors a business, corporation, agency, media/publication or government entity that has supported the efforts of the Center and the LGBT community.
Nomination Forms are available at the GLCC or can be submitted online at www.StarsoftheRainbow.com or www.StarsoftheRainbow.org . You can also print a form and fax or mail it to the GLCC at 954-764-6522 or PO BOX 70518, Fort Lauderdale 33307 - Attn: Robert Boo.
If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, volunteering or more information please contact Robert Boo, Development Director at 954-463-9005 or via email at rboo@glccsf.org.
-Action Alert!
The State of Florida currently sends a dangerous message that the health and well being of gay youth is of no concern to state officials. This can no longer stand. Please contact your state representative and senator today and ask them to co-sponsor Rep. Evan Jenne's Florida House of Representatives bill, HB 19, and Sen. Jeremy Ring's Senate bill, SB 268, which will delete the following language from the Florida State Statute requiring, with regard to instruction in HIV/AIDS, that a school shall:
Section 1003.46, Subsection (2)(a) Teach abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage as the expected standard for all school age students while teaching the benefits of monogamous heterosexual marriage. With new infections rising among gay and bisexual males, especially in youth of color, heterosexist language designed to ignore gay youth, and intimidate HIV/AIDS prevention educators, must end.
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Community profile: Terry DeCarlo
Love for activism, Disney, and all things SoFla
By JAMES MICHAELS
No name or face in our community is more recognized than that of Terry DeCarlo, director of marketing and events for Broward House. And as the saying (with a gay twist) goes, "Behind every strong man is another strong man pushing him along," Terry's partner, who has been Terry's backbone for more than a decade, Bill Huelsman, is Terry's biggest supporter. DeCarlo, a native of New York, came to the public forefront when he first put his public relations skills to work as Director for Development for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. Since that time he has also worked for Equality Florida and Care Resource. His commitment to the community started long before he entered Broward County.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-18/news/localnews/5382.cfm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Florida attorney general wants to bust the Seminole Tribe's card games
By John Holland and Josh Hafenbrack
The Seminole Tribe should face criminal charges if it does not stop offering illegal blackjack and other card games on its reservations, the state's chief law enforcement officer wrote Thursday in a stinging letter to federal prosecutors. Attorney General Bill McCollum made the appeal to the U.S. attorney in Tampa on a day that anti-gambling forces rallied in the state capital for what's expected to be a heavily lobbied fight over whether to revive a defunct gambling deal with the Seminoles. McCollum is powerless over the sovereign tribe, and federal regulators have been reluctant to step in while the state and tribe continue negotiating a deal.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-flfgambling1219sbdec19,0,2900028.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Nominee wrong for high court
If Gov. Charlie Crist appoints Frank Jimenez to the Florida Supreme Court, he will be selecting the least qualified and most ideological nominee available. Jimenez is a Cuban-American and would add diversity to a court that now lacks a Hispanic justice. But in this case, diversity would be a pretext for stacking the Supreme Court with political conservatives and abandoning its centrist history.
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article942679.ece
-LEGISLATURE: Crist offers up ideas for balancing budget, sparing services
Gov. Charlie Crist has a plan to eliminate Florida's $2.3 billion budget shortfall without cutting services too deeply. Will lawmakers approve?
BY MARC CAPUTO
Florida lawmakers can fill a $2.3 billion budget hole by slightly trimming government spending, nearly emptying savings accounts and approving a gambling agreement with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, according to a draft document approved by Gov. Charlie Crist.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/819028.html
-Dems appeal to Feds to investigate House speaker
By Michael C. Bender
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman appealed to acting U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirwan to investigate Republican state House Speaker Ray Sansom for public corruption. Citing the work of the St. Pete Times and the Palm Beach Post, Thurman said there were too many questions around Sansom and a job he received with Northwest Florida State College last month.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2008/12/18/dems_appeal_to_feds_to_investi.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics
-Florida prison population reaches 100,000
By Bill Cotterell
The head of Florida's prison system was just winding up a radio interview Friday morning when a message buzzed on his BlackBerry - at 8:17 a.m., the state's prison population hit 100,000 for the first time.
http://www.floridacapitalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081219/CAPITOLNEWS/812190330&theme=
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Thursday, December 18, 2008
GLBT DIGEST December 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.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Psychiatrists Revising the Book of Human Troubles
By BENEDICT CAREY
The book is at least three years away from publication, but it is already stirring bitter debates over a new set of possible psychiatric disorders. Is compulsive shopping a mental problem? Do children who continually recoil from sights and sounds suffer from sensory problems - or just need extra attention? Should a fetish be considered a mental disorder, as many now are?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/health/18psych.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=gay&st=cse
-Obama Selects Evangelist for Invocation
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Barack Obama has selected the Rev. Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor and author of "The Purpose Driven Life," to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, a role that positions Mr. Warren to succeed Billy Graham as the nation's pre-eminent minister and reflects the generational changes in the evangelical Christian movement.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/us/politics/18inaug.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Unions, not marriage
I believe that gays and lesbians should receive the same benefits and entitlements as married couples. If this were the only argument, then Amendment 2 probably would have failed. However, if the gay and lesbian community wants equal rights, they should be happy with the words ''civil union'' or ''partners,'' instead of trying to insert the word ''marriage'' into law. Laws from centuries ago identify marriage as between a man and a woman, not between a man and a man. We must not change the meaning of marriage. Otherwise, it will cause others to challenge the true meaning.
What if someone wants to marry his cousin? We must not discriminate against anyone. We should let gays and lesbians have the benefits of married people, using ''civil union'' or ''partners'' to describe their bond.
FRANK P. REILLY, Miami Beach
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/817491.html
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Family Research Council: Obama political picks too gay friendly
Just as gay activists are criticizing President-elect Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation, Christian conservatives are dismayed by some of Obama's political appointments. From Wednesday's Family Research Council Washington Update:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Defrocked pastor promoting documentary about own gay sex scandal
By The Associated Press
Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard has agreed to help promote a new documentary following his life in exile after a 2006 gay sex scandal - no longer bound by an agreement with his former church that prohibited him from talking publicly about the events that led to his downfall.
http://www.365gay.com/news/defrocked-pastor-promoting-documentary-about-own-gay-sex-scandal/
-Gay retirement community foreclosed
A planned LGBT retirement community in Palm Springs that was promoted by lesbian tennis great Billie Jean King has become a victim of the nation's mortgage crisis. Land for the RainbowVision project was reclaimed this week by its lender in a foreclosure auction. The land, at East Palm Canyon Drive and Gene Autry Trail, was mortgaged for $9.6 million. The lender, Senior Housing Partners III, took it back, successfully bidding $8 million for the 13-acre site.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-retirement-community-foreclosed/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-LGBTs Slam Inclusion of Antigay Reverend Rick Warren in Obama Inauguration
Progressives are up in arms over the Obama transition team's announcement that the Reverend Rick Warren has been selected to deliver the invocation at his inauguration in January. Warren, the founder and senior pastor of California's Saddleback Church, was a vocal supporter of Prop. 8.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid68652.asp
-Sharon Gless (Finally) Goes Gay
She's best known for playing the role of an outspoken, eccentric, overbearing PFLAG mom on Queer as Folk, a tough cop named Cagney on Cagney & Lacey, and most recently the mouthy mother on Burn Notice. But Sharon Gless has returned to gay and lesbian audiences playing a new kind of role: an actual lesbian.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid68631.asp
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Obama's choice of inauguration preacher is "spiritual violence" against gays
Lesbian and gay rights advocates in America have reacted with fury to the announcement that Rick Warren has been asked to deliver the Invocation at the Presidential Inauguration next month. Click here for full article
-Foreign Secretary backs UN statement on LGBT human rights
The British government has said that a statement to be read at the United Nations shows that the fight for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people is far from over. Click here for full article
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Psychiatrists Revising the Book of Human Troubles
By BENEDICT CAREY
The book is at least three years away from publication, but it is already stirring bitter debates over a new set of possible psychiatric disorders. Is compulsive shopping a mental problem? Do children who continually recoil from sights and sounds suffer from sensory problems - or just need extra attention? Should a fetish be considered a mental disorder, as many now are?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/health/18psych.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=gay&st=cse
-Obama Selects Evangelist for Invocation
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Barack Obama has selected the Rev. Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor and author of "The Purpose Driven Life," to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, a role that positions Mr. Warren to succeed Billy Graham as the nation's pre-eminent minister and reflects the generational changes in the evangelical Christian movement.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/us/politics/18inaug.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Unions, not marriage
I believe that gays and lesbians should receive the same benefits and entitlements as married couples. If this were the only argument, then Amendment 2 probably would have failed. However, if the gay and lesbian community wants equal rights, they should be happy with the words ''civil union'' or ''partners,'' instead of trying to insert the word ''marriage'' into law. Laws from centuries ago identify marriage as between a man and a woman, not between a man and a man. We must not change the meaning of marriage. Otherwise, it will cause others to challenge the true meaning.
What if someone wants to marry his cousin? We must not discriminate against anyone. We should let gays and lesbians have the benefits of married people, using ''civil union'' or ''partners'' to describe their bond.
FRANK P. REILLY, Miami Beach
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/817491.html
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Family Research Council: Obama political picks too gay friendly
Just as gay activists are criticizing President-elect Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation, Christian conservatives are dismayed by some of Obama's political appointments. From Wednesday's Family Research Council Washington Update:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Defrocked pastor promoting documentary about own gay sex scandal
By The Associated Press
Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard has agreed to help promote a new documentary following his life in exile after a 2006 gay sex scandal - no longer bound by an agreement with his former church that prohibited him from talking publicly about the events that led to his downfall.
http://www.365gay.com/news/defrocked-pastor-promoting-documentary-about-own-gay-sex-scandal/
-Gay retirement community foreclosed
A planned LGBT retirement community in Palm Springs that was promoted by lesbian tennis great Billie Jean King has become a victim of the nation's mortgage crisis. Land for the RainbowVision project was reclaimed this week by its lender in a foreclosure auction. The land, at East Palm Canyon Drive and Gene Autry Trail, was mortgaged for $9.6 million. The lender, Senior Housing Partners III, took it back, successfully bidding $8 million for the 13-acre site.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-retirement-community-foreclosed/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-LGBTs Slam Inclusion of Antigay Reverend Rick Warren in Obama Inauguration
Progressives are up in arms over the Obama transition team's announcement that the Reverend Rick Warren has been selected to deliver the invocation at his inauguration in January. Warren, the founder and senior pastor of California's Saddleback Church, was a vocal supporter of Prop. 8.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid68652.asp
-Sharon Gless (Finally) Goes Gay
She's best known for playing the role of an outspoken, eccentric, overbearing PFLAG mom on Queer as Folk, a tough cop named Cagney on Cagney & Lacey, and most recently the mouthy mother on Burn Notice. But Sharon Gless has returned to gay and lesbian audiences playing a new kind of role: an actual lesbian.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid68631.asp
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Obama's choice of inauguration preacher is "spiritual violence" against gays
Lesbian and gay rights advocates in America have reacted with fury to the announcement that Rick Warren has been asked to deliver the Invocation at the Presidential Inauguration next month. Click here for full article
-Foreign Secretary backs UN statement on LGBT human rights
The British government has said that a statement to be read at the United Nations shows that the fight for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people is far from over. Click here for full article
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
GLBT DIGEST December 17, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Editorial: A Lynching in Brooklyn
The murder of José Sucuzhañay, an Ecuadorean immigrant who died over the weekend at a hospital in Queens, has thrown a harsh light onto a savage, hate-inspired crime that should sicken us all. This horror is also a reminder that bigotry can be deadly, not just to the groups intentionally targeted, but to anyone unfortunate enough to cross its path.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/opinion/17wed3.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Berlin memorial to gay victims of Nazis vandalized
BERLIN -- Berlin's memorial to gay victims of the Nazis has been vandalized for the second time in four months. Berlin police say a window on the outside of the memorial has been broken, probably with a stone.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/16/AR2008121600868.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-This School Makes Film A Kosher Career Choice
By DAVID D'ARCY
Jerusalem
In "Srugim" (woven, as in a woven yarmulke), a young surgeon adrift in Orthodox Jerusalem's singles scene reads a newspaper outside his apartment's open bathroom door. It's the Sabbath, and the bathroom light is on all night so observant Jews won't break religious laws by turning it off and on.
Filmmaker Eliezer "Laizy" Shapiro, who created the popular television series -- second only to "Lost" in downloads in Israel -- says many secular Israeli Jews wouldn't get the Sabbath reading scene. Mr. Shapiro is a graduate of the Ma'ale School of Film and Television, barely known outside Jerusalem, which puts modern Orthodox Jews in front of and behind the camera. The 35-year-old son of American-born parents, who spent his teenage years in a West Bank settlement, is the star of its 200 alumni.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122946902888612081.html
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Lithuanian Law to Protect Minors from homosexual Advocacy
LifeSiteNews / Catholic Online
The law is set to be approved by a parliamentary committee and take effect next year.
An amendment that the Lithuanian Parliament added to its protection of minors statutes last week says that "public information that agitates for homosexual relations" causes "a detrimental effect on the development of minors" and "defies family values." The story was largely ignored by the English speaking press, but the UK's homosexual news source, Pink News, states that the homosexual rights group Tolerant Youth Association (TJA) believes the law will ban homosexual websites, films such as Brokeback Mountain, discos, exhibitions, demonstrations and other public events.
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=31125
=
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
-As we all know, the economy is a shambles, but the work of a nonprofit like Lmbda Literary continues nontheless. In fact, during times of economic downturns, individuals often increase their funding to their favorite charities because they know that times are tough. Lambda Literary needs to raise $9,000 by December 31, to end the year without a deficit. Please consider a gift of $15 or $25 today!
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/donations/donation.html
-'Sodomy' Laws Show Survival of Colonial Injustice
As India's High Court Mulls Reform, Nations Should Repeal This Legacy More than half of the world's remaining "sodomy" laws -criminalizing consensual homosexual conduct - are relics of British colonial rule, Human Rights Watch showed in a report published today. Human Rights Watch urged governments everywhere to affirm international human rights standards, and reject the oppressive legacies of colonialism, by repealing laws that criminalize consensual sexual activity among adults of the same sex. The 66-page report, "This Alien Legacy: The Origins of 'Sodomy' Laws in British Colonialism," describes how laws in over three dozen countries, from India to Uganda and from Nigeria to Papua New Guinea, derive from a single law on homosexual conduct that British colonial rulers imposed on India in 1860.
This year, the High Court in Delhi ended hearings in a years-long case seeking to decriminalize homosexual conduct there. A ruling in the landmark case is expected soon. During the embargo period, "This Alien Legacy: The Origins of 'Sodomy' Laws in British Colonialism" is available at:
http://embargo.hrw.org/reports/english/lgbt1208/
username: alien
password: laws
-Berlin Gay Memorial Vandalized
For the second time in four months, vandals have broken a window on Berlin's Memorial to gay victims of the Nazis. The window allows viewers to watch a video of a same-sex couple kissing. Berlin police say the window on the outside of the memorial was broken, most likely with a stone, Associated Press reports. The window allows visitors to look inside the concrete memorial at a video installation that shows a same-sex couple locked in a perpetual kiss. The simple grey rectangular stone across the street from Germany's national memorial to Jewish victims of the Holocaust was inaugurated in May after years of controversy. More than 50,000 homosexuals are thought to have been convicted under the Nazis "because of their sexual orientation," with thousands of them sent to concentration camps and murdered. Current research suggests 54,000 men and women were convicted of homosexual acts and about 7,000 killed in the camps.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3880574,00.html
-NC Episcopal priests' resolution - clergy must decline contracting,
blessing civil marriages
I recently received an email from the Reverend Randall J. Keeney, who is an Episcopal priest in Greensboro, NC. Keeney and two retired priests will introduce a resolution at the Episcopal church's convention in January 2009 that will surely roil the gathering. While it is self-evident to reality-based people that civil and religious marriage are separate matters, it's quite controversial in the church for faith leaders to point out the obvious. Keeney is putting his position on the line since he's still a member of the clergy at St. Barnabas
The purpose of the resolution is to separate church and state in the contracting of civil marriage. One of the main issues in debates about marriage is the fact that it is tied to the ordained clergy of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and "you name it" faith traditions. The result is that arguments about marriage become enmeshed with theology and theologically based bigotry.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8610
-Prudish NYT Columnist Condemns 'Hooking-Up'
By Tana Ganeva, AlterNet
Divining the sexual habits of teenagers -- and then overreacting to them -- has always been a favorite pastime for older people (or at least since moral opprobrium and teenagers were invented).
It certainly hasn't been any different the past few years, especially given our prurient and sensationalist media's tendency to amplify alarmist 'trends' about young peoples' sexuality (teenage girls trade blow jobs for pats on the head! Teens text each other sexy pictures! Hook-up culture has supplanted church square-dances!) Recently, NYT columnist Charles M. Blow discovered "the demise of dating", and he is not happy about it:
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/www.alternet.org/113089/
-IT'S TIME TO FIND OUT HOW MANY OF US THERE ARE
from larry kramer
In reading rex wockner's international news column just now i was particularly struck by the following item:
"Britain to count gay population
Britain's Office for National Statistics is going to count the gay population.
Starting in January, a sexual-orientation question will be included in several of the office's routine surveys, leading to an eventual estimate of the size of the nation's gay community. Respondents will choose from heterosexual/straight, gay/lesbian, bisexual or "other" -- or can opt not to answer. Officials say the results will be useful for gauging levels of discrimination and unequal treatment and addressing those problems." When are gays in america going to fight to find out how many of us there are. I am tired of not knowing. i am tired of hearing numbers quoted all over the map from practically zero to only a few million, all of them certainly far less than i believe we are. i think it is, psychologically, now the time to try and do something about this. we need to know as we go forward into our never-ending fights with THEM how many of us there are. we just do. i have long implored our "major" gay organizations, particularly HRC, to commence a project that would reap these figures. we are never going to get our government to do what england is now doing. therefore we have to do it ourselves. i am always arguing with that gary guy at ucla's william institute that is always putting out his numbers, based, so far as i can tell, by his viewing into his own crystal ball. i want better. i want something that will hold up in court, in the halls of government, etc. joe solmonese, could you and hrc spearhead something like this? could urvashi or tim sweeney or the gill foundation or all the people with some money still left on this list, could people just get together and brainstorm this.
could the williams institute? correct me if i am wrong, but aren't we better, stronger being able to go forth knowing how many of us there are, no matter how many of us there are? otherwise we continue as the sort of only half-visible population. i know rodger at gill did a survey a few years ago of a couple of thousand gay people who, when asked if they identified as straight, bi, or gay, over fifty percent weaseled out and said bi. this is sickening and we must find a way to find firmer truths. perhaps a new small organization can be funded just to gather our numbers? don't you all want to know???? or do you want to continue to live in this darkness visible forever?
love etc
larry
-Expand AIDS testing
At the dawn of the AIDS scourge over two decades ago, there was a fear factor about testing for the disease-causing virus. There were worries of government tracking, no treatments to follow a potentially fatal diagnosis and the outcast stigma of the disease. These what-if doubts hamstrung a valuable tool in containing a epidemic that has killed more than 25 million worldwide and infected another 33 million. But now the landscape has changed. A patient diagnosed with the AIDS virus can be treated with life-extending drugs, which carry the added plus of limiting transmission. An informed patient will be less likely to pass on the virus, transmitted by needles, blood and bodily fluids. That's why it makes sense for AIDS screening to be a routine part of medical exams. Catch it early, and everyone from patients to partners benefits.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/15/EDEH14N59C.DTL
-The sins of the Pope
By Lisa Neff, columnist, 365gay.com
The United States, by ruling of the Supreme Court, did not decriminalize homosexuality until 2003. "American Idol" has been on the television longer than consensual same-sex sex has been legal in some U.S. states. This month, perhaps this week, France will introduce to the United Nations General Assembly a statement about human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including torture, arbitrary arrest, killings, political, social and economic discrimination and the criminalization of same-sex love. Scott Long of Human Rights Watch called the statement, "One of the most comprehensive affirmations of human rights relating to sexual orientation and gender identity that any international body has seen in recent years." The statement, building on the UN's record of promoting LGBT rights, is neither a resolution nor a declaration. It will not be binding. It will not have the force of law in the member states. It will not even be voted upon. But it hopefully will have symbolic impact and it will send a message to the 86 countries that criminalize same-sex sexual activity. The penalty for such activity is imprisonment in some nations and death in at least seven nations - Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania and parts of Nigeria and Pakistan.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/neff-the-sins-of-the-pope/
-Newsweek Takes a Bullet On Gay Marriage
By Mary E. Hunt
As a theologian, I sometimes wonder if anyone cares about what we write. But Newsweek's cover story (December 15, 2008), "Our Mutual Joy," set off a firestorm of responses so voluminous that it temporarily shut down the magazine's comments function on their Web site. Time's "Person of the Year" issue would be lucky to get as much attention as the enormous response to a religion editor's pro-gay marriage piece. Apparently, religion still matters. What does it mean, though, that this story has generated such controversy? The most obvious point is that people still care what religions say about matters of sexuality, for reasons that sometimes remain obscure. I doubt that the same reaction, and surely not the same huge numbers and rabid intensity, would have accompanied a progressive religious treatment of the war in Iraq or the death penalty. So why same-sex marriage? Why the private sphere and not the public forum?
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/865/
-Winter 2009 issue of "mental health AIDS" now available
Dear HIV Educators, Clinicians, Researchers, Colleagues, and Friends: The Winter 2009 issue of "mental health AIDS," a quarterly biopsychosocial research update on HIV and mental health, is available online at http://mentalhealthAIDS.samhsa.gov.
-Openly gay, politically active and trying to find a place to settle
by Sergey Chernov / The St. Petersburg Times
Azeri artist and poet Babi Badalov pictured in St. Petersburg last month. Badalov was denied political asylum in the U.K. earlier this year. Artist and poet Babi Badalov feels that his life is threatened both in his home country Azerbaijan and in Russia because of his politically conscious art and because he is openly gay. Growing nationalism and increasing attacks on people from the former Soviet republics also means that Russia is not entirely safe for someone from Azerbaijan. Badalov thought he had found a new home in Cardiff, Wales, where he had been based since December 2006, but earlier this year the U.K.'s interior ministry denied his application for political asylum.
http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=4&photo_id=6851
-Indiana University researchers revisit male bisexuality
The landmark Sexual Behavior in the Human Male report revealed major insights into bisexual behavior and orientation -- without even using the word "bisexual" -- when it was published 60 years ago by pioneering sex researcher Alfred Kinsey and his research team at Indiana University. For a copy of the study, contact Tracy James, traljame@indiana.edu
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/
-Living Hillary: Clinton’s Departure Leaves Wide Range of Advocates Wondering
Fate of junior senator’s agenda on education, energy and health unclear
Andrew J. Hawkins
Beyond the din of speculation over who her replacement will be, advocates for a host of local issues are wondering what the future holds for the policies that Hillary Clinton championed. [...] “You would have to prompt my memory to tell me how she was an aggressive advocate for LGBT rights,” said Kenneth Sherrill, a former political science professor at Hunter College and an expert on gay and lesbian politics. “She did what you would expect any Democratic senator from New York to do. Did she take the lead? I’m not sure.”
http://www.cityhallnews.com/
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Irene Monroe: Gay is not the New Black
If you are African American and gay, and fighting alongside your white brothers and sisters for queer civil rights, the notion that "Gay is the new black" is not only absurdly arrogant, it is also dangerously divisive.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Tonight: Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus
Receive 'A Gift For All' in annual holiday concert.
By Dan Renzi,
The Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus present “A Gift for All” tonight, as their annual holiday concert. Over the years, the Gay Men’s Chorus presentations have become one of the most anticipated events of the holiday season. Soaring voices, stirring arrangements and spectacular showmanship unite for an unforgettable evening of entertainment as the chorus celebrates the holiday season with their own inimitable flair. Tickets start at $20 and are available at www.ftlgmc.org or by calling (954) 832-0060. “A Gift for All” will be running tonight through December 19 at the Sunshine Cathedral /MCC, 1480 S.W. 9th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23036
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Study: Lesbian teens at higher pregnancy risk
By The Canadian Press
(Toronto, Ontario) Lesbian, gay and bisexual teens are at a higher risk of becoming pregnant or causing a pregnancy than their heterosexual peers, says a new study.
http://www.365gay.com/news/study-lesbian-teens-at-higher-pregnancy-risk/
-NY hate crime killing renews call for Shepard Act passage
The brutal slaying of an Ecuadorian immigrant viciously beaten by men who yelled anti-Hispanic and anti-gay slurs at him has renewed calls for the passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act.
http://www.365gay.com/news/ny-hate-crime-killing-renews-call-for-shepard-act-passage/
-Phase 3 testing confirms HIV fat disorder drug findings
By The Canadian Press
(Montreal, Quebec) Theratechnologies has concluded a Phase 3 trial confirming earlier clinical results on the safety and effectiveness of its lead drug, tesamorelin, for an HIV-related fat disorder.
http://www.365gay.com/news/phase-3-testing-confirms-hiv-fat-disorder-drug-findings/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Obama's Pick for Education Secretary Backed Chicago Gay School
President-elect Barack Obama's choice for education secretary supported a proposal this year for a Chicago public high school that would be geared to gay students. Arne Duncan, the Chicago school superintendent, approved plans for the Pride Campus of Social Justice High School, which was set to be voted on by the school board in November, only to be pulled by organizers at the last minute after controversy.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid68566.asp
-LGBT Leaders Lobby for Openly Gay Appointees
By Kerry Eleveld
LGBT leaders are meeting with members of the Obama transition team to push for appointing an out cabinet secretary and brief them on LGBT policy. Though no promises have been made, activists are hopeful more gay appointees will be added to the list. LGBT leaders in Washington are working to simultaneously keep gay issues top of mind for President-elect Obama’s transition team and drill home the importance of appointing an openly gay cabinet member, which would be a historic first for the community.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid68592.asp
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Cypriot MEP "offended" by pictures of gay families
An exhibition designed to highlight the legal and social discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-led families has upset an MEP from Cyprus, who claims he is being harassed by the "gay lobby."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9978.html
-US Army chief looks to practicalities of out gays in the military
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff has "begun to think about" the changes to the US military if openly gay and lesbian people are allowed to serve. Admiral Mike Mullen has indicated that the current ban, known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell, is likely to be repealed.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9983.html
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sean Penn’s Blind Spot
by James Kirchick | Independent Gay Forum
It’s not surprising that Sean Penn, thanks to his star turn as Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant’s biopic Milk, is becoming a hero to gays. His performance is moving and, judging by the archival film footage, flawless; Penn simultaneously renders Milk as a figure of historic importance and a vulnerable individual with a sparkling sense of humor. Aside from the acting prizes he will surely win (and deservingly), Penn is likely to earn himself the iconic status of “straight ally,” a heterosexual who goes out of his way to take a stand for gay rights and is thus showered with praise from gays. A GLAAD Media Award, honors from the Human Rights Campaign, and a slew of prizes from other prominent gay rights organizations are only a matter of time. Which is a shame, because Penn’s political activism, irrespective of his views on gay rights, negates the values for which a movement based upon individual freedom must stand.
-Activists Pin Hopes on Obama Banning Transgender Bias
Deb Price | Detroit News
Six months ago, a highly decorated retired Army colonel told Congress of instantly going from “hero to zero” in the eyes of a prospective employer when she disclosed that she was in the process of changing gender. Since that hearing, Congress has done nothing to protect transgender workers, despite evidence of outrageous job discrimination. But a federal judge has stepped in to say that the Library of Congress broke the law against sex discrimination by rescinding the job offer it had made before learning David Schroer was becoming Diane.
-TX: LGBT Protests Met with Dissent
By John Wright | News Editor | Dallas Voice
PLANO — A gay-rights protest is planned outside the Cinemark Legacy theaters in Plano on Saturday, Dec. 13, but the event doesn’t have the blessing of the local LGBT equality group. The Cinemark protest is the latest example of internal differences about what the LGBT community’s strategy should be in the wake of Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in California. Israel Luna, a gay independent filmmaker from Dallas, organized the protest in response to Cinemark CEO Alan Stock’s contribution of $9,999 to Yes on 8. The “No ‘Milk’ for Cinemark” protest will take place a day after the opening of “Milk” — a film about murdered gay-rights activist Harvey Milk — at the Cinemark Legacy. Cinemark Theatres, the nation’s third-largest theater chain, is based in Plano. Read
more
-Aetna Announces Member of New LGBT Equality External Advisory Council
HARTFORD, Conn., December 16, 2008 — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) announced today the members of its newly formed Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Advisory Council. This move will strengthen Aetna’s efforts to integrate business, philanthropic and outreach activities to improve access and care for its LGBT members. The LGBT Advisory Council will support Aetna and the Aetna Foundation in identifying new initiatives that specifically focus on enhancing outreach to the LGBT community. LGBT populations, in addition to having the same basic health needs as the general population, often face unique challenges and may experience health disparities related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity or expression. Since 2001, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have directed more than $20 million toward efforts to address racial and ethnic disparities in health care. More than $350,000 in grants and sponsorships have been awarded to nonprofits seeking to advance LGBT specific programs and initiatives.
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Gay American Heroes
www.GayAmericanHeroes.com
-San Francisco, Honors Gay American Heroes with Cities Highest Honor .. see video
From Scott Hall
I Have great news... All 11 of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave Gay American Heroes, the Highest Honor the city can give on 12-09-08. I am so grateful we need all the help we can get, to shine a light on our families and friends who are being stolen from us.
And help the people who are bullied and beaten every day for being themselves.
We need to "Give Them Hope"(Harvey Milk) and help create change.
Thank you helping this Historic Project and joining us in our fight for a brighter future and equal rights.
This is a Great Honor I'm so Excited
Here is our new 3 D video of our Heroes Memorial ... please let me know your thoughts. And please pass it on..to everyone
http://www.vimeo.com/2334727 ( 1 min video.. priceless )
Please check out our home page
Thank you again.. all the best.
Scott Hall
Video: http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=10
Click on ...BOS 12 09 08 Video and Fast Forward to 2:01:38 or around there to see Supervisor Bevan Dufty intro to GAHF and me speaking to the Board...its about 4 Min's.
-The Gay American Heroes Memorial is a tribute to the lives of the hundreds of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender victims of hate crimes. Through this traveling memorial, we will insure that the lives of these heroes will be celebrated and never forgotten.The multidimensional, mobile Memorial is over 7 feet high and more than 75 feet in length. Check the video:
http://www.vimeo.com/2334727
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Editorial: A Lynching in Brooklyn
The murder of José Sucuzhañay, an Ecuadorean immigrant who died over the weekend at a hospital in Queens, has thrown a harsh light onto a savage, hate-inspired crime that should sicken us all. This horror is also a reminder that bigotry can be deadly, not just to the groups intentionally targeted, but to anyone unfortunate enough to cross its path.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/opinion/17wed3.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Berlin memorial to gay victims of Nazis vandalized
BERLIN -- Berlin's memorial to gay victims of the Nazis has been vandalized for the second time in four months. Berlin police say a window on the outside of the memorial has been broken, probably with a stone.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/16/AR2008121600868.html
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
Go to the links for the following articles:
-This School Makes Film A Kosher Career Choice
By DAVID D'ARCY
Jerusalem
In "Srugim" (woven, as in a woven yarmulke), a young surgeon adrift in Orthodox Jerusalem's singles scene reads a newspaper outside his apartment's open bathroom door. It's the Sabbath, and the bathroom light is on all night so observant Jews won't break religious laws by turning it off and on.
Filmmaker Eliezer "Laizy" Shapiro, who created the popular television series -- second only to "Lost" in downloads in Israel -- says many secular Israeli Jews wouldn't get the Sabbath reading scene. Mr. Shapiro is a graduate of the Ma'ale School of Film and Television, barely known outside Jerusalem, which puts modern Orthodox Jews in front of and behind the camera. The 35-year-old son of American-born parents, who spent his teenage years in a West Bank settlement, is the star of its 200 alumni.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122946902888612081.html
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Lithuanian Law to Protect Minors from homosexual Advocacy
LifeSiteNews / Catholic Online
The law is set to be approved by a parliamentary committee and take effect next year.
An amendment that the Lithuanian Parliament added to its protection of minors statutes last week says that "public information that agitates for homosexual relations" causes "a detrimental effect on the development of minors" and "defies family values." The story was largely ignored by the English speaking press, but the UK's homosexual news source, Pink News, states that the homosexual rights group Tolerant Youth Association (TJA) believes the law will ban homosexual websites, films such as Brokeback Mountain, discos, exhibitions, demonstrations and other public events.
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=31125
=
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
-As we all know, the economy is a shambles, but the work of a nonprofit like Lmbda Literary continues nontheless. In fact, during times of economic downturns, individuals often increase their funding to their favorite charities because they know that times are tough. Lambda Literary needs to raise $9,000 by December 31, to end the year without a deficit. Please consider a gift of $15 or $25 today!
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/donations/donation.html
-'Sodomy' Laws Show Survival of Colonial Injustice
As India's High Court Mulls Reform, Nations Should Repeal This Legacy More than half of the world's remaining "sodomy" laws -criminalizing consensual homosexual conduct - are relics of British colonial rule, Human Rights Watch showed in a report published today. Human Rights Watch urged governments everywhere to affirm international human rights standards, and reject the oppressive legacies of colonialism, by repealing laws that criminalize consensual sexual activity among adults of the same sex. The 66-page report, "This Alien Legacy: The Origins of 'Sodomy' Laws in British Colonialism," describes how laws in over three dozen countries, from India to Uganda and from Nigeria to Papua New Guinea, derive from a single law on homosexual conduct that British colonial rulers imposed on India in 1860.
This year, the High Court in Delhi ended hearings in a years-long case seeking to decriminalize homosexual conduct there. A ruling in the landmark case is expected soon. During the embargo period, "This Alien Legacy: The Origins of 'Sodomy' Laws in British Colonialism" is available at:
http://embargo.hrw.org/reports/english/lgbt1208/
username: alien
password: laws
-Berlin Gay Memorial Vandalized
For the second time in four months, vandals have broken a window on Berlin's Memorial to gay victims of the Nazis. The window allows viewers to watch a video of a same-sex couple kissing. Berlin police say the window on the outside of the memorial was broken, most likely with a stone, Associated Press reports. The window allows visitors to look inside the concrete memorial at a video installation that shows a same-sex couple locked in a perpetual kiss. The simple grey rectangular stone across the street from Germany's national memorial to Jewish victims of the Holocaust was inaugurated in May after years of controversy. More than 50,000 homosexuals are thought to have been convicted under the Nazis "because of their sexual orientation," with thousands of them sent to concentration camps and murdered. Current research suggests 54,000 men and women were convicted of homosexual acts and about 7,000 killed in the camps.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3880574,00.html
-NC Episcopal priests' resolution - clergy must decline contracting,
blessing civil marriages
I recently received an email from the Reverend Randall J. Keeney, who is an Episcopal priest in Greensboro, NC. Keeney and two retired priests will introduce a resolution at the Episcopal church's convention in January 2009 that will surely roil the gathering. While it is self-evident to reality-based people that civil and religious marriage are separate matters, it's quite controversial in the church for faith leaders to point out the obvious. Keeney is putting his position on the line since he's still a member of the clergy at St. Barnabas
The purpose of the resolution is to separate church and state in the contracting of civil marriage. One of the main issues in debates about marriage is the fact that it is tied to the ordained clergy of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and "you name it" faith traditions. The result is that arguments about marriage become enmeshed with theology and theologically based bigotry.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8610
-Prudish NYT Columnist Condemns 'Hooking-Up'
By Tana Ganeva, AlterNet
Divining the sexual habits of teenagers -- and then overreacting to them -- has always been a favorite pastime for older people (or at least since moral opprobrium and teenagers were invented).
It certainly hasn't been any different the past few years, especially given our prurient and sensationalist media's tendency to amplify alarmist 'trends' about young peoples' sexuality (teenage girls trade blow jobs for pats on the head! Teens text each other sexy pictures! Hook-up culture has supplanted church square-dances!) Recently, NYT columnist Charles M. Blow discovered "the demise of dating", and he is not happy about it:
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/www.alternet.org/113089/
-IT'S TIME TO FIND OUT HOW MANY OF US THERE ARE
from larry kramer
In reading rex wockner's international news column just now i was particularly struck by the following item:
"Britain to count gay population
Britain's Office for National Statistics is going to count the gay population.
Starting in January, a sexual-orientation question will be included in several of the office's routine surveys, leading to an eventual estimate of the size of the nation's gay community. Respondents will choose from heterosexual/straight, gay/lesbian, bisexual or "other" -- or can opt not to answer. Officials say the results will be useful for gauging levels of discrimination and unequal treatment and addressing those problems." When are gays in america going to fight to find out how many of us there are. I am tired of not knowing. i am tired of hearing numbers quoted all over the map from practically zero to only a few million, all of them certainly far less than i believe we are. i think it is, psychologically, now the time to try and do something about this. we need to know as we go forward into our never-ending fights with THEM how many of us there are. we just do. i have long implored our "major" gay organizations, particularly HRC, to commence a project that would reap these figures. we are never going to get our government to do what england is now doing. therefore we have to do it ourselves. i am always arguing with that gary guy at ucla's william institute that is always putting out his numbers, based, so far as i can tell, by his viewing into his own crystal ball. i want better. i want something that will hold up in court, in the halls of government, etc. joe solmonese, could you and hrc spearhead something like this? could urvashi or tim sweeney or the gill foundation or all the people with some money still left on this list, could people just get together and brainstorm this.
could the williams institute? correct me if i am wrong, but aren't we better, stronger being able to go forth knowing how many of us there are, no matter how many of us there are? otherwise we continue as the sort of only half-visible population. i know rodger at gill did a survey a few years ago of a couple of thousand gay people who, when asked if they identified as straight, bi, or gay, over fifty percent weaseled out and said bi. this is sickening and we must find a way to find firmer truths. perhaps a new small organization can be funded just to gather our numbers? don't you all want to know???? or do you want to continue to live in this darkness visible forever?
love etc
larry
-Expand AIDS testing
At the dawn of the AIDS scourge over two decades ago, there was a fear factor about testing for the disease-causing virus. There were worries of government tracking, no treatments to follow a potentially fatal diagnosis and the outcast stigma of the disease. These what-if doubts hamstrung a valuable tool in containing a epidemic that has killed more than 25 million worldwide and infected another 33 million. But now the landscape has changed. A patient diagnosed with the AIDS virus can be treated with life-extending drugs, which carry the added plus of limiting transmission. An informed patient will be less likely to pass on the virus, transmitted by needles, blood and bodily fluids. That's why it makes sense for AIDS screening to be a routine part of medical exams. Catch it early, and everyone from patients to partners benefits.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/15/EDEH14N59C.DTL
-The sins of the Pope
By Lisa Neff, columnist, 365gay.com
The United States, by ruling of the Supreme Court, did not decriminalize homosexuality until 2003. "American Idol" has been on the television longer than consensual same-sex sex has been legal in some U.S. states. This month, perhaps this week, France will introduce to the United Nations General Assembly a statement about human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including torture, arbitrary arrest, killings, political, social and economic discrimination and the criminalization of same-sex love. Scott Long of Human Rights Watch called the statement, "One of the most comprehensive affirmations of human rights relating to sexual orientation and gender identity that any international body has seen in recent years." The statement, building on the UN's record of promoting LGBT rights, is neither a resolution nor a declaration. It will not be binding. It will not have the force of law in the member states. It will not even be voted upon. But it hopefully will have symbolic impact and it will send a message to the 86 countries that criminalize same-sex sexual activity. The penalty for such activity is imprisonment in some nations and death in at least seven nations - Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania and parts of Nigeria and Pakistan.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/neff-the-sins-of-the-pope/
-Newsweek Takes a Bullet On Gay Marriage
By Mary E. Hunt
As a theologian, I sometimes wonder if anyone cares about what we write. But Newsweek's cover story (December 15, 2008), "Our Mutual Joy," set off a firestorm of responses so voluminous that it temporarily shut down the magazine's comments function on their Web site. Time's "Person of the Year" issue would be lucky to get as much attention as the enormous response to a religion editor's pro-gay marriage piece. Apparently, religion still matters. What does it mean, though, that this story has generated such controversy? The most obvious point is that people still care what religions say about matters of sexuality, for reasons that sometimes remain obscure. I doubt that the same reaction, and surely not the same huge numbers and rabid intensity, would have accompanied a progressive religious treatment of the war in Iraq or the death penalty. So why same-sex marriage? Why the private sphere and not the public forum?
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/865/
-Winter 2009 issue of "mental health AIDS" now available
Dear HIV Educators, Clinicians, Researchers, Colleagues, and Friends: The Winter 2009 issue of "mental health AIDS," a quarterly biopsychosocial research update on HIV and mental health, is available online at http://mentalhealthAIDS.samhsa.gov.
-Openly gay, politically active and trying to find a place to settle
by Sergey Chernov / The St. Petersburg Times
Azeri artist and poet Babi Badalov pictured in St. Petersburg last month. Badalov was denied political asylum in the U.K. earlier this year. Artist and poet Babi Badalov feels that his life is threatened both in his home country Azerbaijan and in Russia because of his politically conscious art and because he is openly gay. Growing nationalism and increasing attacks on people from the former Soviet republics also means that Russia is not entirely safe for someone from Azerbaijan. Badalov thought he had found a new home in Cardiff, Wales, where he had been based since December 2006, but earlier this year the U.K.'s interior ministry denied his application for political asylum.
http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=4&photo_id=6851
-Indiana University researchers revisit male bisexuality
The landmark Sexual Behavior in the Human Male report revealed major insights into bisexual behavior and orientation -- without even using the word "bisexual" -- when it was published 60 years ago by pioneering sex researcher Alfred Kinsey and his research team at Indiana University. For a copy of the study, contact Tracy James, traljame@indiana.edu
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/
-Living Hillary: Clinton’s Departure Leaves Wide Range of Advocates Wondering
Fate of junior senator’s agenda on education, energy and health unclear
Andrew J. Hawkins
Beyond the din of speculation over who her replacement will be, advocates for a host of local issues are wondering what the future holds for the policies that Hillary Clinton championed. [...] “You would have to prompt my memory to tell me how she was an aggressive advocate for LGBT rights,” said Kenneth Sherrill, a former political science professor at Hunter College and an expert on gay and lesbian politics. “She did what you would expect any Democratic senator from New York to do. Did she take the lead? I’m not sure.”
http://www.cityhallnews.com/
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Irene Monroe: Gay is not the New Black
If you are African American and gay, and fighting alongside your white brothers and sisters for queer civil rights, the notion that "Gay is the new black" is not only absurdly arrogant, it is also dangerously divisive.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Tonight: Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus
Receive 'A Gift For All' in annual holiday concert.
By Dan Renzi,
The Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus present “A Gift for All” tonight, as their annual holiday concert. Over the years, the Gay Men’s Chorus presentations have become one of the most anticipated events of the holiday season. Soaring voices, stirring arrangements and spectacular showmanship unite for an unforgettable evening of entertainment as the chorus celebrates the holiday season with their own inimitable flair. Tickets start at $20 and are available at www.ftlgmc.org or by calling (954) 832-0060. “A Gift for All” will be running tonight through December 19 at the Sunshine Cathedral /MCC, 1480 S.W. 9th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23036
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Study: Lesbian teens at higher pregnancy risk
By The Canadian Press
(Toronto, Ontario) Lesbian, gay and bisexual teens are at a higher risk of becoming pregnant or causing a pregnancy than their heterosexual peers, says a new study.
http://www.365gay.com/news/study-lesbian-teens-at-higher-pregnancy-risk/
-NY hate crime killing renews call for Shepard Act passage
The brutal slaying of an Ecuadorian immigrant viciously beaten by men who yelled anti-Hispanic and anti-gay slurs at him has renewed calls for the passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act.
http://www.365gay.com/news/ny-hate-crime-killing-renews-call-for-shepard-act-passage/
-Phase 3 testing confirms HIV fat disorder drug findings
By The Canadian Press
(Montreal, Quebec) Theratechnologies has concluded a Phase 3 trial confirming earlier clinical results on the safety and effectiveness of its lead drug, tesamorelin, for an HIV-related fat disorder.
http://www.365gay.com/news/phase-3-testing-confirms-hiv-fat-disorder-drug-findings/
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Obama's Pick for Education Secretary Backed Chicago Gay School
President-elect Barack Obama's choice for education secretary supported a proposal this year for a Chicago public high school that would be geared to gay students. Arne Duncan, the Chicago school superintendent, approved plans for the Pride Campus of Social Justice High School, which was set to be voted on by the school board in November, only to be pulled by organizers at the last minute after controversy.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid68566.asp
-LGBT Leaders Lobby for Openly Gay Appointees
By Kerry Eleveld
LGBT leaders are meeting with members of the Obama transition team to push for appointing an out cabinet secretary and brief them on LGBT policy. Though no promises have been made, activists are hopeful more gay appointees will be added to the list. LGBT leaders in Washington are working to simultaneously keep gay issues top of mind for President-elect Obama’s transition team and drill home the importance of appointing an openly gay cabinet member, which would be a historic first for the community.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid68592.asp
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Cypriot MEP "offended" by pictures of gay families
An exhibition designed to highlight the legal and social discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-led families has upset an MEP from Cyprus, who claims he is being harassed by the "gay lobby."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9978.html
-US Army chief looks to practicalities of out gays in the military
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff has "begun to think about" the changes to the US military if openly gay and lesbian people are allowed to serve. Admiral Mike Mullen has indicated that the current ban, known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell, is likely to be repealed.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9983.html
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Sean Penn’s Blind Spot
by James Kirchick | Independent Gay Forum
It’s not surprising that Sean Penn, thanks to his star turn as Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant’s biopic Milk, is becoming a hero to gays. His performance is moving and, judging by the archival film footage, flawless; Penn simultaneously renders Milk as a figure of historic importance and a vulnerable individual with a sparkling sense of humor. Aside from the acting prizes he will surely win (and deservingly), Penn is likely to earn himself the iconic status of “straight ally,” a heterosexual who goes out of his way to take a stand for gay rights and is thus showered with praise from gays. A GLAAD Media Award, honors from the Human Rights Campaign, and a slew of prizes from other prominent gay rights organizations are only a matter of time. Which is a shame, because Penn’s political activism, irrespective of his views on gay rights, negates the values for which a movement based upon individual freedom must stand.
-Activists Pin Hopes on Obama Banning Transgender Bias
Deb Price | Detroit News
Six months ago, a highly decorated retired Army colonel told Congress of instantly going from “hero to zero” in the eyes of a prospective employer when she disclosed that she was in the process of changing gender. Since that hearing, Congress has done nothing to protect transgender workers, despite evidence of outrageous job discrimination. But a federal judge has stepped in to say that the Library of Congress broke the law against sex discrimination by rescinding the job offer it had made before learning David Schroer was becoming Diane.
-TX: LGBT Protests Met with Dissent
By John Wright | News Editor | Dallas Voice
PLANO — A gay-rights protest is planned outside the Cinemark Legacy theaters in Plano on Saturday, Dec. 13, but the event doesn’t have the blessing of the local LGBT equality group. The Cinemark protest is the latest example of internal differences about what the LGBT community’s strategy should be in the wake of Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in California. Israel Luna, a gay independent filmmaker from Dallas, organized the protest in response to Cinemark CEO Alan Stock’s contribution of $9,999 to Yes on 8. The “No ‘Milk’ for Cinemark” protest will take place a day after the opening of “Milk” — a film about murdered gay-rights activist Harvey Milk — at the Cinemark Legacy. Cinemark Theatres, the nation’s third-largest theater chain, is based in Plano. Read
more
-Aetna Announces Member of New LGBT Equality External Advisory Council
HARTFORD, Conn., December 16, 2008 — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) announced today the members of its newly formed Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Advisory Council. This move will strengthen Aetna’s efforts to integrate business, philanthropic and outreach activities to improve access and care for its LGBT members. The LGBT Advisory Council will support Aetna and the Aetna Foundation in identifying new initiatives that specifically focus on enhancing outreach to the LGBT community. LGBT populations, in addition to having the same basic health needs as the general population, often face unique challenges and may experience health disparities related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity or expression. Since 2001, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have directed more than $20 million toward efforts to address racial and ethnic disparities in health care. More than $350,000 in grants and sponsorships have been awarded to nonprofits seeking to advance LGBT specific programs and initiatives.
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Gay American Heroes
www.GayAmericanHeroes.com
-San Francisco, Honors Gay American Heroes with Cities Highest Honor .. see video
From Scott Hall
I Have great news... All 11 of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave Gay American Heroes, the Highest Honor the city can give on 12-09-08. I am so grateful we need all the help we can get, to shine a light on our families and friends who are being stolen from us.
And help the people who are bullied and beaten every day for being themselves.
We need to "Give Them Hope"(Harvey Milk) and help create change.
Thank you helping this Historic Project and joining us in our fight for a brighter future and equal rights.
This is a Great Honor I'm so Excited
Here is our new 3 D video of our Heroes Memorial ... please let me know your thoughts. And please pass it on..to everyone
http://www.vimeo.com/2334727 ( 1 min video.. priceless )
Please check out our home page
Thank you again.. all the best.
Scott Hall
Video: http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=10
Click on ...BOS 12 09 08 Video and Fast Forward to 2:01:38 or around there to see Supervisor Bevan Dufty intro to GAHF and me speaking to the Board...its about 4 Min's.
-The Gay American Heroes Memorial is a tribute to the lives of the hundreds of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender victims of hate crimes. Through this traveling memorial, we will insure that the lives of these heroes will be celebrated and never forgotten.The multidimensional, mobile Memorial is over 7 feet high and more than 75 feet in length. Check the video:
http://www.vimeo.com/2334727
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