**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Islamic Revival Tests Bosnia’s Secular Cast
Thirteen years after a war in which 100,000 people were killed, a majority of them Muslims, Bosnia is undergoing an Islamic revival.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27islam.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=GAY&st=cse
-Boy Scouts of America Plans Campaigns to Lure Hispanics
As it prepares to turn 100, the Boy Scouts of America is facing a huge test: drawing Hispanics into its declining, mostly white ranks. “We either are going to figure out how to make scouting the most exciting, dynamic organization for Hispanic kids, or we’re going to be out of business,” said Rick Cronk, a former national president of the Boy Scouts and chairman of the World Scout Committee.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/27scout.html?scp=3&sq=GAY&st=cse
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Religion's Big and Unprecedented Role in '08 Politics
From the Presidential Election to the Debate on Gay Marriage, Faith-Based Issues Dominated
By Kevin Eckstrom
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601421.html
-Ending Impunity for Rape
Marianne Mollmann
In too many cases, forced sex is seen as not rape but 'bad luck' or something 'much deserved.'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601493.html
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-On Transition Website, Obama Promises More to Gay Community
This is interesting -- and I'm not entirely certain what it means. Obama's transition website, Change.gov, includes a section called 'Agenda' that outlines the administration's objectives in any of a couple dozen policy areas. For the most part, the 'Agenda' section is a near carbon-copy of the 'Issues' section on Obama's campaign website, BarackObama.com. In the area of 'Civil Rights', however, there is a significant difference between the campaign website and Change.gov, the transition website. Specifically, the transition website makes a much broader range of commitments to the gay and lesbian community.
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/12/on-transition-website-obama-promises.html
-Calif. attorney general's ballot fight is first in 4 decades
California Attorney General Jerry Brown's refusal to defend the Proposition 8 marriage ban in court marks the first such opposition to the outcome of a ballot measure since 1964. That year, Attorney General Thomas Lynch declined to defend a ban reversing a fair-housing law that would have permitted racial discrimination in property sales and rentals. Brown's decision is getting a mixed reaction from former attorneys general, according to this article. San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/24/MNB414U5HV.DTL
-Michigan: Triangle Foundation
Alicia Skillman to Lead Triangle Foundation
Triangle Foundation is pleased to announce attorney and long-time community advocate Alicia J. Skillman as Executive Director.
http://www.tri.org/
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Spanish Judge Suspended Over Lesbian Adoption Bid
Associated Press | Boston Herald
MADRID, Spain — A Spanish court says a judge has been suspended for attempting to thwart a woman’s effort to adopt her lesbian partner’s child. The Superior Justice Court in the southeast Murcia region says it suspended Judge Fernando Ferrin Calamita for two years. The court also ordered the Catholic judge to pay the woman €6,000 ($8,400) in compensation. The woman had been trying to adopt the child born to her partner after they were married in 2005. Read more
-Hour Magazine Give Honor to Hero to Arsham Parsi Among Others!
Richard Burnett | Iranian Queer Railroad
http://www.hour.ca/columns/3dollarbill.aspx?iIDArticle=16328
Here is my 13th annual column of the year’s heroes and zeros.
*Hero After giving birth to a baby girl in July, trans man Thomas Beatie, 34, announced in November that he is pregnant with his second child. “I feel it’s not a male or female desire to have a child,” Beatie says. “It’s a human need.”
*Zero David Letterman, who called Thomas Beatie an “androgynous freak show.”
*Hero Actor James Franco who - when David Letterman demanded on-air what it was like to kiss Sean Penn in the biopic Milk - leaned over and kissed Letterman.
*Zero Heinz, for pulling its U.K. Deli May TV ad featuring two men kissing.
*Hero The New York Rangers, for trying to prevent further homophobic taunting and chanting at Madison Square Garden.
*Heroes The 60 marchers who braved hundreds of violent thugs at their May 11 Gay Pride parade in Chisinau, Moldova; the 35 Pride marchers arrested by police in Moscow on May 31; the 45 Pride marchers attacked by ultra-nationalists in Budapest on July 6; the 2,000 Pride marchers who defied protesters in Warsaw on June 7; the 500 who marched in Calcutta, 700 in Bangalore and 800 in Delhi on June 29; the 18,000 in Taipei on Sept. 27, the largest Pride parade in Asia; and the five million marchers who waved rainbow flags in São Paulo on May 25.
-A Historic Day at the UN
By: DOUG IRELAND
Louis-Georges Tin, the intelligent moving force behind the decriminalization declaration, appeared in New York last week to talk about his initiative and also to sing a vibrant a capella rendition of In an international affirmation of LGBT rights without precedent, a declaration calling for the universal decriminalization of homosexuality, signed by 66 nations, was read from the podium of the United Nations on December 18. At a press conference following the reading of the “Statement on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” to the UN General Assembly by Argentina’s envoy to the world body, Ambassador Jorge Argüello, the foreign minister of the Netherlands, Maxime Vergahen, declared that “human rights are for all people” and that “there can be no excuse for the prosecution, discrimination, or violation of the human rights of gay, lesbian andtransgendered people.” Verhagen added that the reading of the non-binding declaration and its “broad support” by 66 member states meant that the question of LGBT rights was “no longer taboo [and]… now firmly inscribed on the agenda of the United Nations.” At that same press conference, Rama Yade, the minister for Human Rights in France, which took the initiative in creating the declaration during that nation’s six-month term in the rotating presidency of the European Union, called the reading of the statement “a historic day for LGBT peoples and an excellent day for all who struggle for human rights. ” Read more
-Warren-Endorsed Nigerian Archbishop Backed Anti-Gay Laws
Worse Than Third Reich’s
Bruce Wilson | Talk2Action
As seems to be happening with increasing frequency, a story I’d previously posted at Talk To Action, almost exactly two years ago in this case, has suddenly become rather timely. A number of political bloggers [1, 2, 3] have noted Rick Warren’s support for the virulently anti-gay Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, but the story has lacked some needed historical context; In 2006, Warren publicly lionized (literally) Akinola three monthsafter the Archbishop had endorsed legislation more draconian than comparable anti-gay statutes passed prior to World War Two under the Third Reich. topic: Gay Rights As I described in my December 18, 2006 post, a schismatic faction of Virginia Episcopalian churches had just voted to align themselves with the Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, who at the time (and probably still) supported draconian anti-Gay legislation that would, among other strictures, “make it illegal for gay men and lesbians to form organizations, read gay literature or eat together in a restaurant.”Although I missed it at the time, the proposed legislation was apparently denounced, according to the current Wikipedia writeup on Akinola, by the US State Department: “The proposed legislation was formally challenged by the United States State Department as a breach of Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” It was one of those rare examples from the last eight years, it would seem, in which United States foreign policy clearly aligned in support of basic human rights. Rick Warren, however, appeared to be on the other side of the issue.
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Saturday, December 27, 2008
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST December 27, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mortgage Rates Are Still Too High
Krugman
Mortgage rates have dropped in recent weeks, which is a good thing. But there's still a huge spread between mortgage rates and rates on federal debt.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/mortgage-rates-are-still-too-high/?hp
-Scores Killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza
A Gazan medical official said that at least 140 people had been killed in Israel's massive attack on Hamas targets in Gaza, launched in retaliation for recent rocket fire.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/world/middleeast/28mideast.html?hp
-The Gas Tax
If the Obama administration is to meet its twin objectives of reducing the consumption of foreign oil and cutting emissions, it needs to curb the nation's demand for energy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/opinion/27sat1.html?ref=opinion
-No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in 'Passive Houses'
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Innovative homes pioneered in Germany are encased in such an airtight shell that barely any heat escapes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?hp
-Alert the Media: Obama Has Made a Break for It
In the news-free zone that is Barack Obama's preinauguration Hawaiian vacation, this passes for a bulletin: The president-elect ditched his "press pool" of media minders to take his daughters to a water park on Friday morning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/politics/27obama.html
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The GOP Goes South
David S. Broder
Its ranks are increasingly dominated by right-wing Southerners who don't care about national image.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601129.html
-Call the Vote
The new president and the new Congress should set a date for considering D.C. voting rights.
IN PUSHING congressional leaders for early action on voting rights for the District, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) says she's mindful of the "unprecedented issues" facing the new Congress. Nonetheless, she wonders: Wouldn't it be appropriate to enact the measure close to the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth on Feb. 12? Ms. Norton is right about the symbolism. But an even better argument is that D.C. residents -- shut out of their government for 200 years -- should have a voice in deciding these important issues.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601557.html
-Protections in Peril
A midnight attack on the Endangered Species Act, courtesy of the Interior Department
THE BUSH administration had the good sense to stop trying to push through last-minute regulations that would have made it easier to build coal-fired plants and other polluting facilities near national parks. It was wise to hold off on changing "new source review" rules that govern when power plants must add pollution-reduction equipment. But it couldn't leave well enough alone when it issued regulations that essentially gut the Endangered Species Act. Because the rule will take effect before Barack Obama assumes the presidency, he's stuck with it. But relief could come by way of the courts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601555.html
-The Audacity of Crime in Mexico
Kidnapping of U.S. security expert embarrasses Mexican officials, raises new fear among expats.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601914.html?hpid=topnews
-Kennedy Says She Kept Quiet Out of Respect
By Larry Neumeister
Caroline Kennedy said Friday that if she is appointed to a seat in the U.S. Senate, she knows she will have to prove herself because of her famous background and her lack of political experience. "I came into this thinking I have to work twice as hard as anybody else," the 51-year-old daughter of President John F. Kennedy said. "I am an unconventional choice."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601928.html?hpid=sec-politics
-Kwanzaa Has New Relevance For Our Times
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601480.html?hpid=sec-religion
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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Mexico Suspends U.S. Meat Imports
The move, which took effect Wednesday, came about a week after the Mexican government filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization about a new U.S. law that requires labeling the origin of fresh beef and pork imported to the U.S. U.S. trade partners are concerned the country-of-origin labeling policy will encourage American consumers to favor U.S.-raised meat. The law, which was included in the 2008 Farm Bill and took effect Sept. 30, requires supermarkets or other food retailers to label or otherwise display the country of origin for meat, produce and certain kinds of nuts.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123032055825435841.html
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Why we need newspapers
BY SUSAN ESTRICH
In Los Angeles, where I live, there was plenty of snickering about the Tribune Company's decision to file for bankruptcy protection. Tribune owns The Los Angeles Times, which in recent years has seen its staff cut even more than its circulation and advertising.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/827632.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Poll: 75% glad Bush is done
By Paul Steinhauser
A new national poll suggests that three out of four Americans feel President Bush's departure from office is coming not a moment too soon. Seventy-five percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Friday said they're glad Bush is going; 23 percent indicated they'll miss him.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/26/bush.poll/index.html?eref=rss_politics
=
[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:
-Mortgage Rates Are Still Too High
Krugman
Mortgage rates have dropped in recent weeks, which is a good thing. But there's still a huge spread between mortgage rates and rates on federal debt.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/mortgage-rates-are-still-too-high/?hp
-Scores Killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza
A Gazan medical official said that at least 140 people had been killed in Israel's massive attack on Hamas targets in Gaza, launched in retaliation for recent rocket fire.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/world/middleeast/28mideast.html?hp
-The Gas Tax
If the Obama administration is to meet its twin objectives of reducing the consumption of foreign oil and cutting emissions, it needs to curb the nation's demand for energy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/opinion/27sat1.html?ref=opinion
-No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in 'Passive Houses'
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Innovative homes pioneered in Germany are encased in such an airtight shell that barely any heat escapes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/world/europe/27house.html?hp
-Alert the Media: Obama Has Made a Break for It
In the news-free zone that is Barack Obama's preinauguration Hawaiian vacation, this passes for a bulletin: The president-elect ditched his "press pool" of media minders to take his daughters to a water park on Friday morning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/politics/27obama.html
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The GOP Goes South
David S. Broder
Its ranks are increasingly dominated by right-wing Southerners who don't care about national image.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601129.html
-Call the Vote
The new president and the new Congress should set a date for considering D.C. voting rights.
IN PUSHING congressional leaders for early action on voting rights for the District, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) says she's mindful of the "unprecedented issues" facing the new Congress. Nonetheless, she wonders: Wouldn't it be appropriate to enact the measure close to the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth on Feb. 12? Ms. Norton is right about the symbolism. But an even better argument is that D.C. residents -- shut out of their government for 200 years -- should have a voice in deciding these important issues.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601557.html
-Protections in Peril
A midnight attack on the Endangered Species Act, courtesy of the Interior Department
THE BUSH administration had the good sense to stop trying to push through last-minute regulations that would have made it easier to build coal-fired plants and other polluting facilities near national parks. It was wise to hold off on changing "new source review" rules that govern when power plants must add pollution-reduction equipment. But it couldn't leave well enough alone when it issued regulations that essentially gut the Endangered Species Act. Because the rule will take effect before Barack Obama assumes the presidency, he's stuck with it. But relief could come by way of the courts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601555.html
-The Audacity of Crime in Mexico
Kidnapping of U.S. security expert embarrasses Mexican officials, raises new fear among expats.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601914.html?hpid=topnews
-Kennedy Says She Kept Quiet Out of Respect
By Larry Neumeister
Caroline Kennedy said Friday that if she is appointed to a seat in the U.S. Senate, she knows she will have to prove herself because of her famous background and her lack of political experience. "I came into this thinking I have to work twice as hard as anybody else," the 51-year-old daughter of President John F. Kennedy said. "I am an unconventional choice."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601928.html?hpid=sec-politics
-Kwanzaa Has New Relevance For Our Times
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601480.html?hpid=sec-religion
=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
-Mexico Suspends U.S. Meat Imports
The move, which took effect Wednesday, came about a week after the Mexican government filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization about a new U.S. law that requires labeling the origin of fresh beef and pork imported to the U.S. U.S. trade partners are concerned the country-of-origin labeling policy will encourage American consumers to favor U.S.-raised meat. The law, which was included in the 2008 Farm Bill and took effect Sept. 30, requires supermarkets or other food retailers to label or otherwise display the country of origin for meat, produce and certain kinds of nuts.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123032055825435841.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Why we need newspapers
BY SUSAN ESTRICH
In Los Angeles, where I live, there was plenty of snickering about the Tribune Company's decision to file for bankruptcy protection. Tribune owns The Los Angeles Times, which in recent years has seen its staff cut even more than its circulation and advertising.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/827632.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Poll: 75% glad Bush is done
By Paul Steinhauser
A new national poll suggests that three out of four Americans feel President Bush's departure from office is coming not a moment too soon. Seventy-five percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Friday said they're glad Bush is going; 23 percent indicated they'll miss him.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/26/bush.poll/index.html?eref=rss_politics
=
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#####
FLORIDA DIGEST December 27, 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.
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Jeb Bush poised for Florida Senate run
By AMIE PARNES
As Caroline Kennedy pursues her bright-lights, big-city bid for the U.S. Senate, another child of dynasty is quietly testing the waters for his own Senate run. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush - the son of one president and the brother of another - has been working the phones since Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) announced earlier this month that he won't seek reelection in 2010. Sources say Bush hasn't made up his mind about running for Martinez' seat, but that he's getting green lights from would-be contributors and blessings from Republican Party leaders.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16847.html
=
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#####
and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Jeb Bush poised for Florida Senate run
By AMIE PARNES
As Caroline Kennedy pursues her bright-lights, big-city bid for the U.S. Senate, another child of dynasty is quietly testing the waters for his own Senate run. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush - the son of one president and the brother of another - has been working the phones since Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) announced earlier this month that he won't seek reelection in 2010. Sources say Bush hasn't made up his mind about running for Martinez' seat, but that he's getting green lights from would-be contributors and blessings from Republican Party leaders.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16847.html
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#####
Friday, December 26, 2008
GLBT DIGEST December 26, 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:
-Eartha Kitt, a Seducer of Audiences, Dies at 81
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/arts/26kitt.html?hp
-A Parting Shot at Women's Rights
The law has long allowed doctors and nurses to refuse to participate in an abortion, but new regulations elevate the so-called right to refuse beyond reason.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/opinion/26fri2.html?ref=opinion
-Let New Jersey's Couples Marry, All of Them
To the Editor: Re "Separate and Not Equal" (editorial, Dec. 20):
Bravo for calling on New Jersey's governor, Jon S. Corzine, to honor his promise to grant same-sex couples the right to marry.
It is beyond frustrating for me, as a lesbian, a taxpayer and a contributing member of our state and society, to know each and every day that my relationship is unequal to a heterosexual couple's relationship.
As a parent, I find it extremely difficult to explain to my child why I cannot "get married." He does not understand what a "civil union" or "domestic partnership" means. He does not understand how politics work. He does not yet understand bigotry, bias and small-mindedness.
So many of us are told to be thankful for the progress we have made - yet it is simply not enough. Our committed relationships are exactly like heterosexual committed relationships, with the same potential for joys, challenges and rewards. They are, indeed, marriages and deserve equal nomenclature along with equal rights.
Elizabeth Schroeder
Montclair, N.J., Dec. 20, 2008
-To the Editor:
All state-sanctioned unions between two people - currently termed marriages - essentially are and should be called civil unions.
Churches and other religious institutions could continue to grant marriages "under God," but the government should stick to what it is actually supposed to be doing: approving a legal contract between two individuals who also happen (one hopes) to be in love.
Then maybe people would finally leave God out of this and let people unite in peace.
Charlotte Martin
Forest Hills, Queens, Dec. 20, 2008
-To the Editor:
Re "Top Lawyer in California Urges Voiding Proposition 8" (news article, Dec. 20):
While the California Supreme Court is considering whether Proposition 8 violates the State Constitution, it might also consider whether the effort to invalidate 18,000 gay marriages violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution as well.
The Eighth Amendment prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment." If it serves to protect convicted criminals, it certainly should extend to persons who are guilty of nothing other than engaging in a marriage ceremony at a time when it was legal to do so. Could there be anything crueler to those couples than to now invalidate their marriages?
I have read all of the moral and biblical justifications for Proposition 8, as well as the arguments for and against sustaining it, but I find it incredible that the "victors" should want to inflict such further hurt on a group whose marriages have injured no one.
The Constitution prohibits invidiously discriminatory punishment. The invalidation of these marriages solely based upon the fact that the participants are gay clearly would be an act of invidious discrimination.
H. Lee Sarokin
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., Dec. 21, 2008
The writer is a retired United States Circuit Court judge.
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Rick Warren's Invitation
I thank E.J. Dionne Jr. and Richard Cohen for their Dec. 23 columns on the invitation of the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration. They helped me -- a gay man in a 34-year relationship, an early supporter of President-elect Barack Obama and an activist for civil-marriage equality -- to understand my disappointment in the response of leading advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. Mr. Obama has consistently focused on the transformational potential of hope, reconciliation, redemption and community-building. Mr. Dionne focused on this hope and the hard and risky work of changing hearts and minds. In contrast, Mr. Cohen focused, as have many leading GLBT activists, on disillusionment and betrayal. Did we understand Mr. Obama during the campaign, and do we understand now? I see the invitation through a lens of hope -- hope for finding common ground and building trust, and for changing the divisive politics of "the culture wars" as usual. I trust that Mr. Obama supports full equality for GLBT people. I trust, but I will verify. Let's judge the wisdom of this invitation by how both a President Obama and the Rev. Warren assert the moral leadership called for by Mr. Cohen in support of the civil rights of GLBT people.
STEVE MELOV
Takoma Park
-Maybe Kathleen S. Rochelle ["Rick Warren and the Obama Inaugural," letters, Dec. 20] was on to something when she wrote so knowingly about homosexuality violating "the intentional design of human beings created in the image of God to procreate and fill the world with more human beings." And so maybe now, with overpopulation choking our planet, He's pushing homosexuality. Just a thought.
FRANK SCHOWENGERDT
Alexandria
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/24/AR2008122402097.html
-'Sopranos' actor 'Johnny Cakes' dead in suicide
Police say the actor who portrayed the gay lover of a closeted mobster on "The Sopranos" has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New York.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122500562.html
-'I Couldn't Take Any More'
In Togo, girls as young as 5 suffer physical, sexual abuse amid global surge in domestic worker trade.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122501198.html?hpid=topnews
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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-New book from John J. McNeill: 'Sex as God Intended'
A new book from John J. McNeill: Sex as God Intended. McNeill will be signing books Jan. 11 at Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale. Here's the news release: Lethe Press is proud to release the latest work from the acclaimed Biblical scholar John J. McNeill. "Sex as God Intended It will make you think. It will make you question everything you've heard in the media or in church about homosexuals and God. It will make you question the rightness or wrongness of gay marriage. It will make you take a closer look at your faith and your beliefs. It is a book that encourages spiritual and intellectual growth, and a book that all Christians should read, even if your pastor or minister or priest tells you it is evil." -- Jack Gardner, Edge Boston [...] McNeill is a former Jesuit priest who clashed with Church officials over his compassionate and sex-positive teachings about homosexuality. McNeill is available for interviews and limited speaking engagements. He can be reached at jjmcneill@aol.com.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-RELIGION AND POLITICS: Pastor Warren, beware the pitfalls of access to power
BY CAL THOMAS
These days everything is political, or can be made so; even an inaugural prayer. That isn't exactly correct. The inaugural prayer in question is not the Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction, but Rick Warren's invocation. Lowery favors same-sex ''marriage,'' and Warren does not.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/826596.html
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Many suffered from anti-gay violence in 2008
Advocates say increase in gay visibility may have spurred crimes
From a series of street bashings in Seattle to the baseball bat murder of an Ecuadorean immigrant in New York, episodes of anti-gay violence punctuated a year now ending with police investigating the alleged gang rape of a lesbian near San Francisco.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23171
-Divorced Tenn. mother appeals night ban on partner
Restriction called a paramour clause
A same-sex couple is asking the Tennessee Court of Appeals to lift a judge's restriction in a child custody agreement that prevents the divorced mother's partner of nine years from staying overnight. The Tennessean reports The American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief Tuesday with the Court of Appeals in Jackson on behalf of Angel Chandler, a divorced mother with two kids.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23179
-Whitman-Walker's 'Christmas massacre'
Clinic ousts senior staff, triggering lawsuit threats
By AMY CAVANAUGH
Pat Hawkins, 68, started volunteering at the Whitman-Walker Clinic in 1984. She joined the staff five years later and continued to serve as one of its longest tenured employees. Mary Bahr, 54, has worked at the Clinic in various roles for more than 19 years, most recently as the director of administration.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23158
-Cities vie for major gay sports event
Tourist boards, gay leaders eager to host Gay Games in 2014
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Is Miami ready to host the world's largest gay sporting event that will bring in an estimated 15,000 gay visitors spending beaucoup gay bucks in less that six years?
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-25/news/localnews/5403.cfm
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay in 2008
By Emma Ruby-Sachs
Writing the year-end wrap-up today is hard and sad. Hard because this has been an incredibly eventful year for gay rights, sad because many of us, myself included, are so angry about Reverend Rick Warren, giving thanks for the wins might be harder than we would like. That said, here is a list of important successes and failures for the year: The law of equality is evolving
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-gay-in-2008/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
- Mormons Gone Wild
By Dan Allen
After one man undresses missionaries for his calendar, LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University strips him of his degree. When they weren't busy promoting the passage of California's Proposition 8 in recent months, Mormon leaders tried their best to make Chad Hardy's life hell. Riled by his "Men on a Mission" calendar of shirtless returned missionaries, elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints excommunicated Hardy -- a lifelong Mormon -- in July. Then in September, officials from the Provo, Utah-based Brigham Young University informed the 32-year-old entrepreneur, who had participated in the school's graduation ceremony a month earlier, that his diploma would be denied. BYU says Hardy's expulsion from the church placed him outside of the "good honor-code standing" necessary to award him his degree, which has been placed on nonacademic hold; Hardy contends that since he completed his coursework prior to excommunication, the rule should not apply. Meanwhile the 2008 skin-baring calendar has sold more than 10,000 copies, and Hardy -- who eschews sexual labels himself -- says the just-released (and "a little bit sexier") 2009 incarnation is already "flying off the shelves."
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid69009.asp
-Rick Warren Does the Gay Rights Shuffle
In the wake of gay rights activists taking President-elect Barack Obama to task for including Yes on 8 mouthpiece Rick Warren in his inauguration, the Saddleback Community Church pastor has taken to the web to explain his position on gay rights.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69604.asp
-Man Avoids Hate Crime Charge, Gets 5-1/2 Years in Prison
A 25-year-old New York State man was sentenced Tuesday to 5-1/2 years behind bars after pleading guilty to attacking a gay man in March. Judge Richard Keenan added a year and a half to the sentence that Jesse Parsons was originally expected to receive after he made a plea agreement in September, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, which, as a hate crime, would have landed him up to 15 years in prison.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69534.asp
-Campbell Stands Behind Advocate Ads, Doesn't Cave to AFA
Despite demands from the American Family Association calling for e-mails to Campbell Soup Co. urging the company to stop "pushing the gay agenda," the icon of all things American is standing behind a decision to advertise in the gay and lesbian market.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69429.asp
-Ugandan Judge Cites Rights for Lesbians
Two Ugandan women were awarded $7,000 Monday after a judge ruled their rights were infringed upon when they were arrested for being suspected lesbians in 2005. According to lesbian and bisexual rights organization Freedom and Roam Uganda, or FARUG, Yvonne Oyoo and Victor Juliet Mukasa had been waiting for 17 months for a verdict.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69546.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:
-The President's First Mistake:
Tell Ric Warren to Preach Somewhere Else
By Norm Kent
It is my obligation as the publisher of a national gay newspaper (www.nationalgaynews.com) to weigh in on the President-Elect's selection of Pastor Ric Warren to deliver an invocation at his inauguration. This is change we can't believe in. As a spokesperson for the gay community, I want to make it clear that I find it offensive. Mr. Obama is not being inclusive and 'post-partisan.' He is being divisive. He is 'swift boating' us. After Jeremiah Wright, you have to wonder about his selections for Divine Guidance.
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
-Finally a Gay Male Character on Battlestar Galactica
Apparently my geek antennae haven't been properly tuned as there have already been four special Battlestar Galactica webisodes aired. And as a special bonus the show's first gay man is revealed in the first few minutes. And, as many already suspected, it is the aptly named Felix Gaeta who gets to be the pioneer. This token gift from BSG creators for a gay character, which gay fans have been screaming for since the show's beginning (nay, since the dawn on sci-fi TV) is both refreshing and a bit annoying. I don't mean to complain because I am glad to finally have some acknowledgment, but it comes in the form of an addendum. Yes, BSG watchers are almost all fanatical enough that we would all watch webisodes as well as regular episodes but you can't disavow that it was clearly an afterthought. Read More...
-Disbarred Attorney Calls Gays 'Perverts'
Thompson Has a History of Fighting Gays
By Robbie Gaye
Forget Pastor Ric Warren for a moment, the Coral Gables attorney permanently disbarred earlier this year by the Supreme Court of Florida posted an opinion on a justice association blog last week that homosexuals are 'sexually perverse.' Jack Thompson, convicted of 27 counts of professional misconduct, including knowingly lying to a judge, and numerous acts which constituted violations of the Florida ethical rules, made the post on J.A.A.B. blog, a Broward County legal website. Thompson was a Dade County lawyer before his removal from the profession. Read more...
-Many Suffered From Anti-Gay Violence in 2008
From a series of street bashings in Seattle to the baseball bat murder of an Ecuadorean immigrant in New York, episodes of anti-gay violence punctuated a year now ending with police investigating the alleged gang rape of a lesbian near San Francisco. Advocates said Tuesday they do not know whether the threats, beatings and murders reflect a true rise in attacks or increased reporting of hate-based crimes that persist even as gays gain greater visibility and legal protections. Read More...
-2009: A Sneak Peek at the
Trans Year to Come
By Jacob Anderson-Minshall
In a world where stories like Thomas Beatie's pregnancy can capture world-wide attention overnight, it's difficult to foretell what the biggest transgender stories of 2009 will be. But here are a few of the stories-and trans folk-to watch next year.
Activism/Politics
Following our massive, community-wide sigh of relief after the 2008 Presidential elections some of us may think the hard work is over. But there's still plenty to fight for nationally-like ENDA-and locally, as in Gainesville, Florida, where last year's City Council authorized transgender individuals to use women's bathrooms in the city's businesses and public facilities. The ruling is at risk during March's elections when a ballot measure may amend the city charter to eliminate accommodations for transgender individuals. Read More...
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Government criticises Channel 4 for homophobe Ahmadinejad's Christmas message
The Government and the Conservatives have criticised Channel 4's decision to broadcast an Alternative Christmas Message by homophobic, anti-Semitic Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10085.html
-US federal judge orders Louisiana registrar to recognise out of state adoption
An organisation that furthers gay rights through litigation has hailed a federal court decision on same-sex adoption as "a major victory for same-sex parents."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10067.html
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-THREATS AND ATTACKS AGAINST SERBIAN GAY ACTIVISTS
Ever since the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, within its tender to co-finance projects/programmes in the field of public information, decided to grant 256,500.00 dinars (3000 EUR) for www.queeria.com, a gay-lesbian website belonging to "Queeria Centre", a non-governmental organization from Belgrade, our collaborators and activists have been constantly receiving death threats and threats of physical violence. Every day threats are being sent to the website's official email address to the effect that the website is going to be hacked, that we are sick people who should be treated, that all of us (LGBT population) should be killed... Such threats are also uttered in the comments made on the website.
http://www.queeria.com
=
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
-Rick Warren Is an Unapologetic Christian Radical -- And There's No Need to Apologize for Opposing Him
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
..AMY GOODMAN: President-Elect Barack Obama is drawing criticism from many supporters for his choice to deliver the invocation at next month's inauguration. Obama selected the Rev. Rick Warren, a leading evangelical opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage. Warren supported California's recent gay marriage ban and has compared abortion to the Nazi Holocaust. In a recent interview with the Web site beliefnet.com
..RICK WARREN: I'm opposed to having a brother and sister be together and call that marriage. I'm opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that a marriage. I'm opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage.
..STEVEN WALDMAN: Do you think those are equivalent to gays getting married? ..RW: Oh, I do. I just say, for 5,000 years, marriage has been defined by every single culture and every single religion. This is not a Christian issue. Buddhists, Muslims, Jews -- you know, historically, marriage is a man and a woman.
http://www.alternet.org/story/115088/
=
From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-LGBT inmates face unusually high risk of sexual assault in prison
By Meghann Myers
It's been 60 years since the United Nations General Assembly issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, affirming the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all people. Yet prisoners are often denied the most basic protections of the law. Rape is still a brutal reality in prison, a problem that disproportionately affects LGBT inmates. In 2003, Congress unanimously passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), creating federal mandates to fight sexual assault in prisons. But its implementation has been slow. This year, the Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted the first national survey of violence in the corrections system. It found sexual orientation to be the single greatest determinant for sexual abuse in prisons - 18.5 percent of homosexual inmates reported sexual assault, compared to 2.7 percent of heterosexual prisoners. Though PREA aims to reduce these figures, prisoners and their advocates have been waiting on its official guidelines, which are set for release in 2009.
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=7733&catid=&volume_id=398&issue_id=411&volume_num=43&issue_num=13
=
[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:
-Eartha Kitt, a Seducer of Audiences, Dies at 81
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/arts/26kitt.html?hp
-A Parting Shot at Women's Rights
The law has long allowed doctors and nurses to refuse to participate in an abortion, but new regulations elevate the so-called right to refuse beyond reason.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/opinion/26fri2.html?ref=opinion
-Let New Jersey's Couples Marry, All of Them
To the Editor: Re "Separate and Not Equal" (editorial, Dec. 20):
Bravo for calling on New Jersey's governor, Jon S. Corzine, to honor his promise to grant same-sex couples the right to marry.
It is beyond frustrating for me, as a lesbian, a taxpayer and a contributing member of our state and society, to know each and every day that my relationship is unequal to a heterosexual couple's relationship.
As a parent, I find it extremely difficult to explain to my child why I cannot "get married." He does not understand what a "civil union" or "domestic partnership" means. He does not understand how politics work. He does not yet understand bigotry, bias and small-mindedness.
So many of us are told to be thankful for the progress we have made - yet it is simply not enough. Our committed relationships are exactly like heterosexual committed relationships, with the same potential for joys, challenges and rewards. They are, indeed, marriages and deserve equal nomenclature along with equal rights.
Elizabeth Schroeder
Montclair, N.J., Dec. 20, 2008
-To the Editor:
All state-sanctioned unions between two people - currently termed marriages - essentially are and should be called civil unions.
Churches and other religious institutions could continue to grant marriages "under God," but the government should stick to what it is actually supposed to be doing: approving a legal contract between two individuals who also happen (one hopes) to be in love.
Then maybe people would finally leave God out of this and let people unite in peace.
Charlotte Martin
Forest Hills, Queens, Dec. 20, 2008
-To the Editor:
Re "Top Lawyer in California Urges Voiding Proposition 8" (news article, Dec. 20):
While the California Supreme Court is considering whether Proposition 8 violates the State Constitution, it might also consider whether the effort to invalidate 18,000 gay marriages violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution as well.
The Eighth Amendment prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment." If it serves to protect convicted criminals, it certainly should extend to persons who are guilty of nothing other than engaging in a marriage ceremony at a time when it was legal to do so. Could there be anything crueler to those couples than to now invalidate their marriages?
I have read all of the moral and biblical justifications for Proposition 8, as well as the arguments for and against sustaining it, but I find it incredible that the "victors" should want to inflict such further hurt on a group whose marriages have injured no one.
The Constitution prohibits invidiously discriminatory punishment. The invalidation of these marriages solely based upon the fact that the participants are gay clearly would be an act of invidious discrimination.
H. Lee Sarokin
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., Dec. 21, 2008
The writer is a retired United States Circuit Court judge.
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Rick Warren's Invitation
I thank E.J. Dionne Jr. and Richard Cohen for their Dec. 23 columns on the invitation of the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration. They helped me -- a gay man in a 34-year relationship, an early supporter of President-elect Barack Obama and an activist for civil-marriage equality -- to understand my disappointment in the response of leading advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. Mr. Obama has consistently focused on the transformational potential of hope, reconciliation, redemption and community-building. Mr. Dionne focused on this hope and the hard and risky work of changing hearts and minds. In contrast, Mr. Cohen focused, as have many leading GLBT activists, on disillusionment and betrayal. Did we understand Mr. Obama during the campaign, and do we understand now? I see the invitation through a lens of hope -- hope for finding common ground and building trust, and for changing the divisive politics of "the culture wars" as usual. I trust that Mr. Obama supports full equality for GLBT people. I trust, but I will verify. Let's judge the wisdom of this invitation by how both a President Obama and the Rev. Warren assert the moral leadership called for by Mr. Cohen in support of the civil rights of GLBT people.
STEVE MELOV
Takoma Park
-Maybe Kathleen S. Rochelle ["Rick Warren and the Obama Inaugural," letters, Dec. 20] was on to something when she wrote so knowingly about homosexuality violating "the intentional design of human beings created in the image of God to procreate and fill the world with more human beings." And so maybe now, with overpopulation choking our planet, He's pushing homosexuality. Just a thought.
FRANK SCHOWENGERDT
Alexandria
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/24/AR2008122402097.html
-'Sopranos' actor 'Johnny Cakes' dead in suicide
Police say the actor who portrayed the gay lover of a closeted mobster on "The Sopranos" has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New York.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122500562.html
-'I Couldn't Take Any More'
In Togo, girls as young as 5 suffer physical, sexual abuse amid global surge in domestic worker trade.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122501198.html?hpid=topnews
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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-New book from John J. McNeill: 'Sex as God Intended'
A new book from John J. McNeill: Sex as God Intended. McNeill will be signing books Jan. 11 at Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale. Here's the news release: Lethe Press is proud to release the latest work from the acclaimed Biblical scholar John J. McNeill. "Sex as God Intended It will make you think. It will make you question everything you've heard in the media or in church about homosexuals and God. It will make you question the rightness or wrongness of gay marriage. It will make you take a closer look at your faith and your beliefs. It is a book that encourages spiritual and intellectual growth, and a book that all Christians should read, even if your pastor or minister or priest tells you it is evil." -- Jack Gardner, Edge Boston [...] McNeill is a former Jesuit priest who clashed with Church officials over his compassionate and sex-positive teachings about homosexuality. McNeill is available for interviews and limited speaking engagements. He can be reached at jjmcneill@aol.com.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-RELIGION AND POLITICS: Pastor Warren, beware the pitfalls of access to power
BY CAL THOMAS
These days everything is political, or can be made so; even an inaugural prayer. That isn't exactly correct. The inaugural prayer in question is not the Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction, but Rick Warren's invocation. Lowery favors same-sex ''marriage,'' and Warren does not.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/826596.html
=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Many suffered from anti-gay violence in 2008
Advocates say increase in gay visibility may have spurred crimes
From a series of street bashings in Seattle to the baseball bat murder of an Ecuadorean immigrant in New York, episodes of anti-gay violence punctuated a year now ending with police investigating the alleged gang rape of a lesbian near San Francisco.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23171
-Divorced Tenn. mother appeals night ban on partner
Restriction called a paramour clause
A same-sex couple is asking the Tennessee Court of Appeals to lift a judge's restriction in a child custody agreement that prevents the divorced mother's partner of nine years from staying overnight. The Tennessean reports The American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief Tuesday with the Court of Appeals in Jackson on behalf of Angel Chandler, a divorced mother with two kids.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23179
-Whitman-Walker's 'Christmas massacre'
Clinic ousts senior staff, triggering lawsuit threats
By AMY CAVANAUGH
Pat Hawkins, 68, started volunteering at the Whitman-Walker Clinic in 1984. She joined the staff five years later and continued to serve as one of its longest tenured employees. Mary Bahr, 54, has worked at the Clinic in various roles for more than 19 years, most recently as the director of administration.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23158
-Cities vie for major gay sports event
Tourist boards, gay leaders eager to host Gay Games in 2014
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Is Miami ready to host the world's largest gay sporting event that will bring in an estimated 15,000 gay visitors spending beaucoup gay bucks in less that six years?
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-25/news/localnews/5403.cfm
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay in 2008
By Emma Ruby-Sachs
Writing the year-end wrap-up today is hard and sad. Hard because this has been an incredibly eventful year for gay rights, sad because many of us, myself included, are so angry about Reverend Rick Warren, giving thanks for the wins might be harder than we would like. That said, here is a list of important successes and failures for the year: The law of equality is evolving
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-gay-in-2008/
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
- Mormons Gone Wild
By Dan Allen
After one man undresses missionaries for his calendar, LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University strips him of his degree. When they weren't busy promoting the passage of California's Proposition 8 in recent months, Mormon leaders tried their best to make Chad Hardy's life hell. Riled by his "Men on a Mission" calendar of shirtless returned missionaries, elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints excommunicated Hardy -- a lifelong Mormon -- in July. Then in September, officials from the Provo, Utah-based Brigham Young University informed the 32-year-old entrepreneur, who had participated in the school's graduation ceremony a month earlier, that his diploma would be denied. BYU says Hardy's expulsion from the church placed him outside of the "good honor-code standing" necessary to award him his degree, which has been placed on nonacademic hold; Hardy contends that since he completed his coursework prior to excommunication, the rule should not apply. Meanwhile the 2008 skin-baring calendar has sold more than 10,000 copies, and Hardy -- who eschews sexual labels himself -- says the just-released (and "a little bit sexier") 2009 incarnation is already "flying off the shelves."
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid69009.asp
-Rick Warren Does the Gay Rights Shuffle
In the wake of gay rights activists taking President-elect Barack Obama to task for including Yes on 8 mouthpiece Rick Warren in his inauguration, the Saddleback Community Church pastor has taken to the web to explain his position on gay rights.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69604.asp
-Man Avoids Hate Crime Charge, Gets 5-1/2 Years in Prison
A 25-year-old New York State man was sentenced Tuesday to 5-1/2 years behind bars after pleading guilty to attacking a gay man in March. Judge Richard Keenan added a year and a half to the sentence that Jesse Parsons was originally expected to receive after he made a plea agreement in September, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, which, as a hate crime, would have landed him up to 15 years in prison.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69534.asp
-Campbell Stands Behind Advocate Ads, Doesn't Cave to AFA
Despite demands from the American Family Association calling for e-mails to Campbell Soup Co. urging the company to stop "pushing the gay agenda," the icon of all things American is standing behind a decision to advertise in the gay and lesbian market.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69429.asp
-Ugandan Judge Cites Rights for Lesbians
Two Ugandan women were awarded $7,000 Monday after a judge ruled their rights were infringed upon when they were arrested for being suspected lesbians in 2005. According to lesbian and bisexual rights organization Freedom and Roam Uganda, or FARUG, Yvonne Oyoo and Victor Juliet Mukasa had been waiting for 17 months for a verdict.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69546.asp
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The President's First Mistake:
Tell Ric Warren to Preach Somewhere Else
By Norm Kent
It is my obligation as the publisher of a national gay newspaper (www.nationalgaynews.com) to weigh in on the President-Elect's selection of Pastor Ric Warren to deliver an invocation at his inauguration. This is change we can't believe in. As a spokesperson for the gay community, I want to make it clear that I find it offensive. Mr. Obama is not being inclusive and 'post-partisan.' He is being divisive. He is 'swift boating' us. After Jeremiah Wright, you have to wonder about his selections for Divine Guidance.
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
-Finally a Gay Male Character on Battlestar Galactica
Apparently my geek antennae haven't been properly tuned as there have already been four special Battlestar Galactica webisodes aired. And as a special bonus the show's first gay man is revealed in the first few minutes. And, as many already suspected, it is the aptly named Felix Gaeta who gets to be the pioneer. This token gift from BSG creators for a gay character, which gay fans have been screaming for since the show's beginning (nay, since the dawn on sci-fi TV) is both refreshing and a bit annoying. I don't mean to complain because I am glad to finally have some acknowledgment, but it comes in the form of an addendum. Yes, BSG watchers are almost all fanatical enough that we would all watch webisodes as well as regular episodes but you can't disavow that it was clearly an afterthought. Read More...
-Disbarred Attorney Calls Gays 'Perverts'
Thompson Has a History of Fighting Gays
By Robbie Gaye
Forget Pastor Ric Warren for a moment, the Coral Gables attorney permanently disbarred earlier this year by the Supreme Court of Florida posted an opinion on a justice association blog last week that homosexuals are 'sexually perverse.' Jack Thompson, convicted of 27 counts of professional misconduct, including knowingly lying to a judge, and numerous acts which constituted violations of the Florida ethical rules, made the post on J.A.A.B. blog, a Broward County legal website. Thompson was a Dade County lawyer before his removal from the profession. Read more...
-Many Suffered From Anti-Gay Violence in 2008
From a series of street bashings in Seattle to the baseball bat murder of an Ecuadorean immigrant in New York, episodes of anti-gay violence punctuated a year now ending with police investigating the alleged gang rape of a lesbian near San Francisco. Advocates said Tuesday they do not know whether the threats, beatings and murders reflect a true rise in attacks or increased reporting of hate-based crimes that persist even as gays gain greater visibility and legal protections. Read More...
-2009: A Sneak Peek at the
Trans Year to Come
By Jacob Anderson-Minshall
In a world where stories like Thomas Beatie's pregnancy can capture world-wide attention overnight, it's difficult to foretell what the biggest transgender stories of 2009 will be. But here are a few of the stories-and trans folk-to watch next year.
Activism/Politics
Following our massive, community-wide sigh of relief after the 2008 Presidential elections some of us may think the hard work is over. But there's still plenty to fight for nationally-like ENDA-and locally, as in Gainesville, Florida, where last year's City Council authorized transgender individuals to use women's bathrooms in the city's businesses and public facilities. The ruling is at risk during March's elections when a ballot measure may amend the city charter to eliminate accommodations for transgender individuals. Read More...
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Government criticises Channel 4 for homophobe Ahmadinejad's Christmas message
The Government and the Conservatives have criticised Channel 4's decision to broadcast an Alternative Christmas Message by homophobic, anti-Semitic Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10085.html
-US federal judge orders Louisiana registrar to recognise out of state adoption
An organisation that furthers gay rights through litigation has hailed a federal court decision on same-sex adoption as "a major victory for same-sex parents."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10067.html
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-THREATS AND ATTACKS AGAINST SERBIAN GAY ACTIVISTS
Ever since the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, within its tender to co-finance projects/programmes in the field of public information, decided to grant 256,500.00 dinars (3000 EUR) for www.queeria.com, a gay-lesbian website belonging to "Queeria Centre", a non-governmental organization from Belgrade, our collaborators and activists have been constantly receiving death threats and threats of physical violence. Every day threats are being sent to the website's official email address to the effect that the website is going to be hacked, that we are sick people who should be treated, that all of us (LGBT population) should be killed... Such threats are also uttered in the comments made on the website.
http://www.queeria.com
=
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
-Rick Warren Is an Unapologetic Christian Radical -- And There's No Need to Apologize for Opposing Him
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
..AMY GOODMAN: President-Elect Barack Obama is drawing criticism from many supporters for his choice to deliver the invocation at next month's inauguration. Obama selected the Rev. Rick Warren, a leading evangelical opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage. Warren supported California's recent gay marriage ban and has compared abortion to the Nazi Holocaust. In a recent interview with the Web site beliefnet.com
..RICK WARREN: I'm opposed to having a brother and sister be together and call that marriage. I'm opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that a marriage. I'm opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage.
..STEVEN WALDMAN: Do you think those are equivalent to gays getting married? ..RW: Oh, I do. I just say, for 5,000 years, marriage has been defined by every single culture and every single religion. This is not a Christian issue. Buddhists, Muslims, Jews -- you know, historically, marriage is a man and a woman.
http://www.alternet.org/story/115088/
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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-LGBT inmates face unusually high risk of sexual assault in prison
By Meghann Myers
It's been 60 years since the United Nations General Assembly issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, affirming the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all people. Yet prisoners are often denied the most basic protections of the law. Rape is still a brutal reality in prison, a problem that disproportionately affects LGBT inmates. In 2003, Congress unanimously passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), creating federal mandates to fight sexual assault in prisons. But its implementation has been slow. This year, the Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted the first national survey of violence in the corrections system. It found sexual orientation to be the single greatest determinant for sexual abuse in prisons - 18.5 percent of homosexual inmates reported sexual assault, compared to 2.7 percent of heterosexual prisoners. Though PREA aims to reduce these figures, prisoners and their advocates have been waiting on its official guidelines, which are set for release in 2009.
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=7733&catid=&volume_id=398&issue_id=411&volume_num=43&issue_num=13
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST December 26, 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:
-Expansion of Clinics Shapes a Bush Legacy
By KEVIN SACK
President Bush has doubled federal financing for community health centers, enabling the creation or expansion of 1,297 clinics in underserved areas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/health/policy/26clinics.html?_r=1&hp
-Getting Immigration Right
In a time of economic crisis, it is especially vital to uphold workers' rights, even for those here illegally. Exploitation erodes working conditions and job security everywhere.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/opinion/26fri1.html?ref=opinion
-Barack Be Good
PAUL KRUGMAN
President-elect Barack Obama has said that he wants to "make government cool again." Before Mr. Obama can make government cool, however, he has to make it good.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/opinion/26krugman.html?ref=opinion
-How They Handle Scandal
By Tobin Harshaw
While team Obama's report on the Blagojevich affair was remarkably spare, Kenneth P. Vogel and Carrie Budoff Brown of the Politico think it provides a roadmap to how the next administration will handle scandals. Here are the "five rules" they have discerned: "Be transparent, to an extent"; "don't let the news cycle dictate response"; "no freelancing"; "aides take hits to protect the boss"; and "shy away from even justified fights."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/how-they-handle-scandal/?ref=opinion
-Solar Meets Polar as Winter Curbs Clean Energy
By KATE GALBRAITH
Many alternative energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels experience problems in cold weather. This time of year, wind turbine blades ice up, biodiesel congeals in tanks and solar panels produce less power because there is not as much sun. And perhaps most irritating to the people who own them, the panels become covered with snow, rendering them useless even in bright winter sunshine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/business/26winter.html?hp
-China's Financial Industry Recruits Abroad
Mary Yu pitches hard to the recruiter sitting in front of her. "I've got experience in risk management," she explains, naming the bank where she works and watching anxiously as the recruiter scribbles on her résumé.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/business/worldbusiness/26yuan.html?hp
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Peace for the Mideast
How Our Plan Could Aid Barack Obama's Efforts
By Turki al-Faisal
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- President-elect Barack Obama is about to inherit not just a nation entrenched in two wars but a world of instability and an entire Middle East that is sick with discord. While disputes in this region may seem eternal, there are reasons to be optimistic. If Obama joins with forces for peace and stability and acts boldly, his presidency could have a marked impact on world affairs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122500666.html
-Foreclosure Relief or Scam?
More firms now charge for help in modifying mortgages, a service nonprofits offer for free.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122501014.html?hpid=topnews
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Family is only part of Kennedy's appeal
In 1962, a young Massachusetts man who had barely passed the constitutional age barrier decided to run for the Senate. At the time, one of his brothers was president of the United States; the other brother was attorney general.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-26goodmansbdec26,0,3847329.story
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Problems Seen In E-voting Overseas
Study Says Problems Exist In Getting Overseas Votes Electronically
Election ballots could be safely distributed electronically to Americans overseas, but getting their votes back securely could present problems, a study released Wednesday says.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/24/ap/politics/main4685747.shtml
=
[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:
-Expansion of Clinics Shapes a Bush Legacy
By KEVIN SACK
President Bush has doubled federal financing for community health centers, enabling the creation or expansion of 1,297 clinics in underserved areas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/health/policy/26clinics.html?_r=1&hp
-Getting Immigration Right
In a time of economic crisis, it is especially vital to uphold workers' rights, even for those here illegally. Exploitation erodes working conditions and job security everywhere.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/opinion/26fri1.html?ref=opinion
-Barack Be Good
PAUL KRUGMAN
President-elect Barack Obama has said that he wants to "make government cool again." Before Mr. Obama can make government cool, however, he has to make it good.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/opinion/26krugman.html?ref=opinion
-How They Handle Scandal
By Tobin Harshaw
While team Obama's report on the Blagojevich affair was remarkably spare, Kenneth P. Vogel and Carrie Budoff Brown of the Politico think it provides a roadmap to how the next administration will handle scandals. Here are the "five rules" they have discerned: "Be transparent, to an extent"; "don't let the news cycle dictate response"; "no freelancing"; "aides take hits to protect the boss"; and "shy away from even justified fights."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/how-they-handle-scandal/?ref=opinion
-Solar Meets Polar as Winter Curbs Clean Energy
By KATE GALBRAITH
Many alternative energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels experience problems in cold weather. This time of year, wind turbine blades ice up, biodiesel congeals in tanks and solar panels produce less power because there is not as much sun. And perhaps most irritating to the people who own them, the panels become covered with snow, rendering them useless even in bright winter sunshine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/business/26winter.html?hp
-China's Financial Industry Recruits Abroad
Mary Yu pitches hard to the recruiter sitting in front of her. "I've got experience in risk management," she explains, naming the bank where she works and watching anxiously as the recruiter scribbles on her résumé.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/business/worldbusiness/26yuan.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Peace for the Mideast
How Our Plan Could Aid Barack Obama's Efforts
By Turki al-Faisal
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- President-elect Barack Obama is about to inherit not just a nation entrenched in two wars but a world of instability and an entire Middle East that is sick with discord. While disputes in this region may seem eternal, there are reasons to be optimistic. If Obama joins with forces for peace and stability and acts boldly, his presidency could have a marked impact on world affairs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122500666.html
-Foreclosure Relief or Scam?
More firms now charge for help in modifying mortgages, a service nonprofits offer for free.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/25/AR2008122501014.html?hpid=topnews
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Family is only part of Kennedy's appeal
In 1962, a young Massachusetts man who had barely passed the constitutional age barrier decided to run for the Senate. At the time, one of his brothers was president of the United States; the other brother was attorney general.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-26goodmansbdec26,0,3847329.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Problems Seen In E-voting Overseas
Study Says Problems Exist In Getting Overseas Votes Electronically
Election ballots could be safely distributed electronically to Americans overseas, but getting their votes back securely could present problems, a study released Wednesday says.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/24/ap/politics/main4685747.shtml
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST December 26, 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~~
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Year in Review
A year's worth of photos capture 2008's biggest events
By STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words," and the images of 2008 tell a story of their own. We here at South?Florida Blade collected our favorite images of the year-whether they be serious news, funny features, or just an odd shot or two-and placed them on the following four pages. Take a stroll down memory lane as we recall 2008, as told through the lens of a camera.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-25/news/localnews/5405.cfm
-A Year of Wins and Losses
GLBT Floridians enter 2009 bruised, determined for change
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
"Change" was a buzzword that hovered over much of 2008, but for gay people across America defeats in gay marriage amendment were the same-old-same-old. In South Florida the rough and tumble year brought unsettling realities in the wake of the Amendment 2 battle. Political matters remain front and center as the struggle for real equality becomes a rallying cry for the
increasing numbers of gay families and political leaders throughout the
state. These are just a few of the stories that mattered to South Florida's
LGBT community.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-25/news/localnews/5400.cfm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Jeb Bush, Charlie Crist among possible entrants in race for Mel Martinez'sU.S. Senate seat - Jeb Bush leads the pack - if he decides to give Senate a try
By Aaron Deslatte
Four of Florida's biggest political names are pondering whether an open U.S.Senate seat in 2010 will change the trajectories of their careers.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/legislature/sfl-flfsenate1226sbdec26,0,3416249.story
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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Jim Stork 2004 cafe ads draw $30,000 election fine
BY AMY SHERMAN
Candidate Jim Stork baked up more than ads for pie and coffee at his cafes when he aired commercials about his business during his bid for Congress in 2004, according to federal election officials. Advertisements for Stork's Bakery and Café were essentially campaign pieces paid for with bakery dollars -- skirting federal rules that ban corporate donations in elections, the Federal Election Commission ruled. The FEC's punishment: a $30,000 fine, which Stork paid this month. The bakeries, famous for their apple pie, lemon blueberry scones and coffee, spent about $112,000 for cable TV and direct mail featuring Stork during campaign season in the summer of 2004, according to the FEC agreement with Stork.
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Palm Beach County woman wins slot on Democratic National Committee
Listen to this article or download audio file.
By JENNIFER SORENTRUE
After a long wait, the home of the butterfly ballot is getting a seat of power in national Democratic politics.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/2008/12/24/1224dnc.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=76
-Judge's supreme court bid still alive
Listen to this article or download audio file.Click-2-Listen
By MARC CAPUTO
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga is due to be interviewed by Gov. Charlie Crist and his staff at 9 a.m. today in his bid for the Florida Supreme Court, after the governor said he would reconsider Labarga in what has been a controversial selection process.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/state/epaper/2008/12/23/a1b_jncflap_1224.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Year in Review
A year's worth of photos capture 2008's biggest events
By STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words," and the images of 2008 tell a story of their own. We here at South?Florida Blade collected our favorite images of the year-whether they be serious news, funny features, or just an odd shot or two-and placed them on the following four pages. Take a stroll down memory lane as we recall 2008, as told through the lens of a camera.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-25/news/localnews/5405.cfm
-A Year of Wins and Losses
GLBT Floridians enter 2009 bruised, determined for change
By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
"Change" was a buzzword that hovered over much of 2008, but for gay people across America defeats in gay marriage amendment were the same-old-same-old. In South Florida the rough and tumble year brought unsettling realities in the wake of the Amendment 2 battle. Political matters remain front and center as the struggle for real equality becomes a rallying cry for the
increasing numbers of gay families and political leaders throughout the
state. These are just a few of the stories that mattered to South Florida's
LGBT community.
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/12-25/news/localnews/5400.cfm
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Jeb Bush, Charlie Crist among possible entrants in race for Mel Martinez'sU.S. Senate seat - Jeb Bush leads the pack - if he decides to give Senate a try
By Aaron Deslatte
Four of Florida's biggest political names are pondering whether an open U.S.Senate seat in 2010 will change the trajectories of their careers.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/legislature/sfl-flfsenate1226sbdec26,0,3416249.story
=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Jim Stork 2004 cafe ads draw $30,000 election fine
BY AMY SHERMAN
Candidate Jim Stork baked up more than ads for pie and coffee at his cafes when he aired commercials about his business during his bid for Congress in 2004, according to federal election officials. Advertisements for Stork's Bakery and Café were essentially campaign pieces paid for with bakery dollars -- skirting federal rules that ban corporate donations in elections, the Federal Election Commission ruled. The FEC's punishment: a $30,000 fine, which Stork paid this month. The bakeries, famous for their apple pie, lemon blueberry scones and coffee, spent about $112,000 for cable TV and direct mail featuring Stork during campaign season in the summer of 2004, according to the FEC agreement with Stork.
http://www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Palm Beach County woman wins slot on Democratic National Committee
Listen to this article or download audio file.
By JENNIFER SORENTRUE
After a long wait, the home of the butterfly ballot is getting a seat of power in national Democratic politics.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/2008/12/24/1224dnc.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=76
-Judge's supreme court bid still alive
Listen to this article or download audio file.Click-2-Listen
By MARC CAPUTO
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga is due to be interviewed by Gov. Charlie Crist and his staff at 9 a.m. today in his bid for the Florida Supreme Court, after the governor said he would reconsider Labarga in what has been a controversial selection process.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/state/epaper/2008/12/23/a1b_jncflap_1224.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
GLBT DIGEST December 24, 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:
-On Politics: For Now, Obama Proves to Be Elusive Target for G.O.P.
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
It's not so easy being the loyal opposition these days. Almost two months after Barack Obama's election, Republicans are struggling to figure out how - or even whether - to challenge or criticize him as he prepares to assume the presidency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/us/politics/24web-nagourney.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gay enthusiasm fades after 'double punch'
By David Crary
Gay-rights activists are more wary about the Obama presidency after what one called a "double punch to the gut." The first blow was the choice of a pastor they consider hostile for a prime inauguration role. The second was dashed hopes for the first openly gay Cabinet member.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flaobamagays1224sbdec24,0,7651933.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-What God would want
The Dec. 19 letter Traditional marriage supports discrimination against gays and says that, ``The Bible does not tolerate homosexual relationships. Our Lord loves the people, but abhors the behavior, rescuing them from it.'' However, the Bible was written almost 2,000 years ago when Earth and civilization were dramatically different. The Bible also promotes or condones animal sacrifice and slavery, but humans have concluded that those practices are morally wrong and have tried to abolish them. The Bible speaks of kings, pharaohs and emperors. Where do we see democracy referred to in the Bible? We don't, yet don't we all agree that, even though there are problems in a democratic form of government, it beats anything else?
The Bible quotes God as telling us, ''Go forth and multiply.'' God says this before the flood and again afterward. But now there are 6.5 billion people on the planet and there are severe problems in providing the basics of food, housing and safety of life. Humans aren't doing much to control overpopulation. Wouldn't it be most merciful of God to create more homosexuals as a way to prevent overpopulation and ``thin the herd?''
Throughout the history of humankind, we have changed well-established practices and beliefs for the greater good. Different leaders have either brought us the word of God or their own enlightened beliefs to guide society in a new and better direction. I believe that God is telling us that ``All men and women are to be treated equally.''
BRAD WATSON, North Miami Beach
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/823478.html
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Lambda Legal
http://lambdalegal.org/
This holiday season, Lambda Legal is proud to share with you two victories on behalf of same-sex parents and their children.
After legally adopting their Louisiana-born son in the state of New York, Oren Adar and his partner Mickey Smith applied for a new birth certificate for their child, only to be told by the Louisiana state registrar that they could not be issued a birth certificate because the state does not recognize adoption by unmarried parents. We made the case on their behalf, citing the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which requires states to respect court judgments - including adoption decrees - that are lawfully obtained in other states. On Tuesday, a U.S. District Judge ruled against the Louisiana registrar and ordered her to issue a new birth certificate identifying both men as the boy's parents. Adar, who now lives with Smith and their son in San Diego said, "As an adopted child myself, I understand the need to feel like you belong." In Ohio, we successfully represented a non-biological mother who sought shared custody after her ex-partner barred her from seeing the couple's daughter. After a trial, the court found our client's testimony "very credible," and concluded that the couple had a binding understanding that they would act as co-parents for the child. As a result, our client can continue to be her daughter's mother. Lambda Legal's work to protect LGBT families began in the 1970s when we helped a lesbian foster mother retain custody of her foster children and a gay father obtain visitation rights with his children. Our work continues to strengthen rights for same-sex parents because we understand that intimate and enduring relationships are important to everyone. Victories like these for families all over the country are possible because of the generosity of our members. Please consider making a special year-end gift today to support this important work. From all of us at Lambda Legal, we wish you, your families and your loved ones a safe and happy holiday!
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Pope is wrong on "gay threat" to human survival
Gay sexuality is a part of human ecology
by Peter Tatchell
"By choosing to highlight homosexuality instead of hunger, war and homelessness, the Pope has lost his moral bearings and sense of priorities." said Peter Tatchell of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender humanrights group OutRage! He was responding the Pope's bizarre claim that saving humanity from homosexual and transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.
http://www.petertatchell.net/
-Uganda: Victory for Human Rights
In a surprising victory for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, Ugandan Justice Stella Arach yesterday issued a ruling in favor of LGBT activists and human rights defenders Victor Mukasa and Oyo Yvonne in their suit against the Attorney General of Uganda related to an illegal raid on Mukasa's home. Speaking to a courtroom packed with Ugandan, Kenyan, and Rwandan LGBT activists, the judge cited constitutional violations of the rights to privacy, property and the fundamental rights of women. The ruling is likely to become a landmark case in a country that currently criminalizes homosexuality and has repeatedly made efforts to silence sexual rights activists.
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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Gays outraged by pope's 'homophobic attack'
A suggestion by Pope Benedict XVI that homosexuality is as much of a threat to the survival of the human race as climate change sparked outrage among gay rights campaigners on Tuesday. "It's the latest homophobic attack by this pope," said Gustav Hofer, co-director of a documentary on the life of a gay couple in Italy called
"Suddenly Last Winter". "The Vatican talks about homosexuality or transsexuality as if it were a whim, never as suffering," Hofer told AFP, adding that the Roman Catholic Church "reduces sexual orientation to the sexual act as if it had nothing to do with a person's identity."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hAbL28TVkVsC_ZP1Vdg7hlW8gPDw
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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
-Mike Rogers on Hardball re: Rick Warren
Mike Rogers makes mincemeat out of Warren defender's argument on Hardball On Hardball Monday night (hosted tonight by the insufferable Mike Barnicle, who believes all the LGBTs and allies who are mad at Rick Warren live in only five cities), friend of the Blend Mike Rogers of PageOneQ.com and BlogActive took the debate chair against the Rev. Eugene Rivers and shot down the feeble defense of Warren. Rivers unconvincingly attempted to say that Warren isn't a divisive figure and that LGBT anger is a "pseudo-controversy." Mike Rogers disarmed Rivers by citing the fact that the Saddleback Church web site removed its anti-gay language as a result of the controversy, and thus it was an admission by Warren that he was in fact affected by the protests by those "angry gays" and allies who objected to his selection to deliver the invocation at the Obama inauguration. Beautiful.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8771
The YouTube Mike Rogers video can be found at: [It's worth watching]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk18tzZv34U
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Forwarded from Steve Krantz
stevek@bipedinfo.com
PFLAG Director, Southern Pacific Region, and National Board Member,
http://www.pflag.org
Jews for Marriage Equality Founder, http://www.jewsformarriageequality.org
-An Open Letter to Barack Obama
by American Citizen, Sam Borelli
Dear President-elect Obama,
I would like for you to imagine the following scenario. In 1978, Harvey Milk, although injured, survives the assassination attempt by Dan White. He then goes on to become a U.S. Senator representing the great state of California. Harvey quickly becomes a popular and effective Senator. A decade later, 1988, and President Ronald Reagan is wrapping up his second term. Vice President George Bush is the Republican nominee for President.
For various reasons, many of the leading Democratic candidates (Joe Biden, Gary Hart) are forced to drop out of the race, leaving one candidate standing. A candidate with an amazing ability to reach out to all Americans, and a proven campaign track-record, that candidate is Harvey Milk. And in no short order this country has its first openly-gay Democratic nominee for President. [...] An announcement is made that former Alabama Governor George Wallace has been invited to give the invocation at the inauguration. Yes, the Governor that "Stood in the Schoolhouse Doors" defying local, state and national law enforcement to deny American-born children their right to equal education is now playing a key role in the transition to the Era of Hope. http://walkingweho.wordpress.com/
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Truth Wins Out - TWO
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
-Buy Melissa Etheridge A Newspaper Subscription For Christmas
It was hard to read.
Pop star Melissa Etheridge wrote a column in The Huffington Post defending pastor Rick Warren. Warren complimented her music and then she swooned - giving him a pass on his anti-gay rhetoric. The cunning preacher flattered her, she thought, but really flattened her - and the poor crooner had no idea what hit her. In reading her well intentioned piece, I was most troubled that Melissa had not heard of Rick Warren before this dust up. He had only been on the cover of every major US news magazine. A forest worth of news stories have been written. He has been featured on every major TV show. His book has sold 20 million copies. This is not exactly a mystery man.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/please-buy-melissa-etheridge-a-newspaper-for-christmas/
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Christmas in the Gay Family
Frank Martin Gill won lawsuit against Florida, defeated gay adoption ban
By Dan Renzi
As the national media focused on Propisition 8 in California, One of the biggest legal victories for the GLBT community in the U.S. came quietly, here in Florida: Frank Martin Gill, an openly-gay foster parent in Miami, won his lawsuit against the State of Florida's ban on gay parent adoptions. The judge in the case said the law was "unconstitutional" and there was "no rational basis" for forbidding gay parents to legally adopt their children.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23172
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-27,000 Urge Mormons to Support Civil Unions in Utah
More than 27,000 letters have been sent to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints headquarters in Salt Lake City urging the church to publicly support gay rights bills Utah legislators are expected to consider in 2009.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69439.asp
-Warren's Church Erases Antigay Language From Website
As the flap over President-elect Barack Obama's choosing Pastor Rick Warren to conduct the invocation at his inauguration continues, it seems that Warren's church has taken steps to cover up its homophobic stance.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69443.asp
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Free Presbyterian minister backs Pope and claims we are all born straight
A preacher from a church that refers to the Pope as the Anti-Christ has backed his stance on homosexuality and claimed all people are born heterosexual. Rev David McIlveen is the leader of Sandown Free Presbyterian Chuch in Belfast.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10064.html
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[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:
-On Politics: For Now, Obama Proves to Be Elusive Target for G.O.P.
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
It's not so easy being the loyal opposition these days. Almost two months after Barack Obama's election, Republicans are struggling to figure out how - or even whether - to challenge or criticize him as he prepares to assume the presidency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/us/politics/24web-nagourney.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Gay enthusiasm fades after 'double punch'
By David Crary
Gay-rights activists are more wary about the Obama presidency after what one called a "double punch to the gut." The first blow was the choice of a pastor they consider hostile for a prime inauguration role. The second was dashed hopes for the first openly gay Cabinet member.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flaobamagays1224sbdec24,0,7651933.story
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-What God would want
The Dec. 19 letter Traditional marriage supports discrimination against gays and says that, ``The Bible does not tolerate homosexual relationships. Our Lord loves the people, but abhors the behavior, rescuing them from it.'' However, the Bible was written almost 2,000 years ago when Earth and civilization were dramatically different. The Bible also promotes or condones animal sacrifice and slavery, but humans have concluded that those practices are morally wrong and have tried to abolish them. The Bible speaks of kings, pharaohs and emperors. Where do we see democracy referred to in the Bible? We don't, yet don't we all agree that, even though there are problems in a democratic form of government, it beats anything else?
The Bible quotes God as telling us, ''Go forth and multiply.'' God says this before the flood and again afterward. But now there are 6.5 billion people on the planet and there are severe problems in providing the basics of food, housing and safety of life. Humans aren't doing much to control overpopulation. Wouldn't it be most merciful of God to create more homosexuals as a way to prevent overpopulation and ``thin the herd?''
Throughout the history of humankind, we have changed well-established practices and beliefs for the greater good. Different leaders have either brought us the word of God or their own enlightened beliefs to guide society in a new and better direction. I believe that God is telling us that ``All men and women are to be treated equally.''
BRAD WATSON, North Miami Beach
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/823478.html
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Lambda Legal
http://lambdalegal.org/
This holiday season, Lambda Legal is proud to share with you two victories on behalf of same-sex parents and their children.
After legally adopting their Louisiana-born son in the state of New York, Oren Adar and his partner Mickey Smith applied for a new birth certificate for their child, only to be told by the Louisiana state registrar that they could not be issued a birth certificate because the state does not recognize adoption by unmarried parents. We made the case on their behalf, citing the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which requires states to respect court judgments - including adoption decrees - that are lawfully obtained in other states. On Tuesday, a U.S. District Judge ruled against the Louisiana registrar and ordered her to issue a new birth certificate identifying both men as the boy's parents. Adar, who now lives with Smith and their son in San Diego said, "As an adopted child myself, I understand the need to feel like you belong." In Ohio, we successfully represented a non-biological mother who sought shared custody after her ex-partner barred her from seeing the couple's daughter. After a trial, the court found our client's testimony "very credible," and concluded that the couple had a binding understanding that they would act as co-parents for the child. As a result, our client can continue to be her daughter's mother. Lambda Legal's work to protect LGBT families began in the 1970s when we helped a lesbian foster mother retain custody of her foster children and a gay father obtain visitation rights with his children. Our work continues to strengthen rights for same-sex parents because we understand that intimate and enduring relationships are important to everyone. Victories like these for families all over the country are possible because of the generosity of our members. Please consider making a special year-end gift today to support this important work. From all of us at Lambda Legal, we wish you, your families and your loved ones a safe and happy holiday!
=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Pope is wrong on "gay threat" to human survival
Gay sexuality is a part of human ecology
by Peter Tatchell
"By choosing to highlight homosexuality instead of hunger, war and homelessness, the Pope has lost his moral bearings and sense of priorities." said Peter Tatchell of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender humanrights group OutRage! He was responding the Pope's bizarre claim that saving humanity from homosexual and transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.
http://www.petertatchell.net/
-Uganda: Victory for Human Rights
In a surprising victory for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, Ugandan Justice Stella Arach yesterday issued a ruling in favor of LGBT activists and human rights defenders Victor Mukasa and Oyo Yvonne in their suit against the Attorney General of Uganda related to an illegal raid on Mukasa's home. Speaking to a courtroom packed with Ugandan, Kenyan, and Rwandan LGBT activists, the judge cited constitutional violations of the rights to privacy, property and the fundamental rights of women. The ruling is likely to become a landmark case in a country that currently criminalizes homosexuality and has repeatedly made efforts to silence sexual rights activists.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Gays outraged by pope's 'homophobic attack'
A suggestion by Pope Benedict XVI that homosexuality is as much of a threat to the survival of the human race as climate change sparked outrage among gay rights campaigners on Tuesday. "It's the latest homophobic attack by this pope," said Gustav Hofer, co-director of a documentary on the life of a gay couple in Italy called
"Suddenly Last Winter". "The Vatican talks about homosexuality or transsexuality as if it were a whim, never as suffering," Hofer told AFP, adding that the Roman Catholic Church "reduces sexual orientation to the sexual act as if it had nothing to do with a person's identity."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hAbL28TVkVsC_ZP1Vdg7hlW8gPDw
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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
-Mike Rogers on Hardball re: Rick Warren
Mike Rogers makes mincemeat out of Warren defender's argument on Hardball On Hardball Monday night (hosted tonight by the insufferable Mike Barnicle, who believes all the LGBTs and allies who are mad at Rick Warren live in only five cities), friend of the Blend Mike Rogers of PageOneQ.com and BlogActive took the debate chair against the Rev. Eugene Rivers and shot down the feeble defense of Warren. Rivers unconvincingly attempted to say that Warren isn't a divisive figure and that LGBT anger is a "pseudo-controversy." Mike Rogers disarmed Rivers by citing the fact that the Saddleback Church web site removed its anti-gay language as a result of the controversy, and thus it was an admission by Warren that he was in fact affected by the protests by those "angry gays" and allies who objected to his selection to deliver the invocation at the Obama inauguration. Beautiful.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8771
The YouTube Mike Rogers video can be found at: [It's worth watching]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk18tzZv34U
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Forwarded from Steve Krantz
stevek@bipedinfo.com
PFLAG Director, Southern Pacific Region, and National Board Member,
http://www.pflag.org
Jews for Marriage Equality Founder, http://www.jewsformarriageequality.org
-An Open Letter to Barack Obama
by American Citizen, Sam Borelli
Dear President-elect Obama,
I would like for you to imagine the following scenario. In 1978, Harvey Milk, although injured, survives the assassination attempt by Dan White. He then goes on to become a U.S. Senator representing the great state of California. Harvey quickly becomes a popular and effective Senator. A decade later, 1988, and President Ronald Reagan is wrapping up his second term. Vice President George Bush is the Republican nominee for President.
For various reasons, many of the leading Democratic candidates (Joe Biden, Gary Hart) are forced to drop out of the race, leaving one candidate standing. A candidate with an amazing ability to reach out to all Americans, and a proven campaign track-record, that candidate is Harvey Milk. And in no short order this country has its first openly-gay Democratic nominee for President. [...] An announcement is made that former Alabama Governor George Wallace has been invited to give the invocation at the inauguration. Yes, the Governor that "Stood in the Schoolhouse Doors" defying local, state and national law enforcement to deny American-born children their right to equal education is now playing a key role in the transition to the Era of Hope. http://walkingweho.wordpress.com/
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Truth Wins Out - TWO
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
-Buy Melissa Etheridge A Newspaper Subscription For Christmas
It was hard to read.
Pop star Melissa Etheridge wrote a column in The Huffington Post defending pastor Rick Warren. Warren complimented her music and then she swooned - giving him a pass on his anti-gay rhetoric. The cunning preacher flattered her, she thought, but really flattened her - and the poor crooner had no idea what hit her. In reading her well intentioned piece, I was most troubled that Melissa had not heard of Rick Warren before this dust up. He had only been on the cover of every major US news magazine. A forest worth of news stories have been written. He has been featured on every major TV show. His book has sold 20 million copies. This is not exactly a mystery man.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/please-buy-melissa-etheridge-a-newspaper-for-christmas/
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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Christmas in the Gay Family
Frank Martin Gill won lawsuit against Florida, defeated gay adoption ban
By Dan Renzi
As the national media focused on Propisition 8 in California, One of the biggest legal victories for the GLBT community in the U.S. came quietly, here in Florida: Frank Martin Gill, an openly-gay foster parent in Miami, won his lawsuit against the State of Florida's ban on gay parent adoptions. The judge in the case said the law was "unconstitutional" and there was "no rational basis" for forbidding gay parents to legally adopt their children.
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#23172
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-27,000 Urge Mormons to Support Civil Unions in Utah
More than 27,000 letters have been sent to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints headquarters in Salt Lake City urging the church to publicly support gay rights bills Utah legislators are expected to consider in 2009.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69439.asp
-Warren's Church Erases Antigay Language From Website
As the flap over President-elect Barack Obama's choosing Pastor Rick Warren to conduct the invocation at his inauguration continues, it seems that Warren's church has taken steps to cover up its homophobic stance.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69443.asp
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Free Presbyterian minister backs Pope and claims we are all born straight
A preacher from a church that refers to the Pope as the Anti-Christ has backed his stance on homosexuality and claimed all people are born heterosexual. Rev David McIlveen is the leader of Sandown Free Presbyterian Chuch in Belfast.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-10064.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST December 24, 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:
-Russia's Liberals Lose Their Voice
By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
Nikita Y. Belykh, once a Kremlin critic, took a job offered by Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/world/europe/24russia.html?_r=1&hp
-Jordanian Students Rebel, Embracing Conservative Islam
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN
Across the Middle East, young people are using religion to defy the status quo and challenge their governments. [ ] Across the Middle East, young people like Mr. Fawaz, angry, alienated and deprived of opportunity, have accepted Islam as an agent of change and rebellion. It is their rock 'n' roll, their long hair and love beads. Through Islam, they defy the status quo and challenge governments seen as corrupt and incompetent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/world/middleeast/24jordan.html?hp
-Resistance to Kennedy Grows Among Democrats
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Contention is emerging among officials against Caroline Kennedy as she pursues Hillary Rodham Clinton's seat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/nyregion/24kennedy.html?hp
-In Reversal, Court Allows a Bush Plan on Pollution
By FELICITY BARRINGER
A federal appeals court in Washington reversed itself on Tuesday and temporarily reinstated a Bush administration plan to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/washington/24air.html
-Shifting Troop Targets
Barack Obama should stick to his campaign pledge to pull combat troops out of Iraq in 16 months.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/opinion/24wed1.html?ref=opinion
-Time to Reboot America
THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
We don't just need a bailout in this country, we need a national makeover. That is why the next few months are among the most important in U.S. history.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/opinion/24friedman.html?ref=opinion
-The Right to a Day in Court
Four former Guantánamo detainees awaiting a hearing from an appellate court, should be entitled to sue on the basis that they were tortured and denied their religious rights.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/opinion/24wed2.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-'Green' Jobs Compete for Stimulus Aid
Obama Weighs Them Vs. Traditional Projects
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/23/AR2008122303023.html?hpid=topnews
=
The Pen
Speak Out Against The Planned Bush Blanket Pardons BEFORE They Can Happen
Pay no attention to the handful of Christmas pardons granted by Bush. This is mere political window dressing to distract from the bumper crop of blanket absolutions, including one for himself, scheduled to be released just before midnight on Jan 19th. Cheney would not so arrogantly be bragging on TV about how he authorized torture if it were not so. But there is a resolution in Congress, H.Res. 1531, preemptively condemning any such move if we can just get enough members of Congress to sponsor it (already 10 so far). Many of you have submitted a action page on this already. Please do it again, especially if your representative did not hear you the first time. Action Page To Stop The Bush Pardons:
http://www.usalone.com/hres1531.php
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Internet Overtakes Newspapers as News Source
The internet, which emerged this year as a leading source for campaign news, has now surpassed all other media except television as a main source for national and international news. Read more
-Media Monitoring
A Christmas Present -- No Story Dominates the News
As 2008 draws to a close, last week's media attention was divided more than at any point this year. Read more
-Roll Call
The Religious Makeup of Congress
Although a majority of the members of the new, 111th Congress are Protestants, Congress -- like the nation as a whole -- is much more religiously diverse than it was 50 years ago. Read more
-Daily Number
52% - Commercialized Christmas
More than half of Americans (52%) say they are bothered at least to some degree by the commercialization of Christmas, including 26% who say that they are bothered by it a lot. Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Will Obama Deliver for Organized Labor?
By Jay Newton-Small/Washington
Perhaps it was his background as a community organizer helping laid-off steel workers find work, or his promises to close the book on discredited trickle-down economics and renegotiate unfair trade deals. Few groups were as happy about the election of Barack Obama as organized labor, which felt it finally had a champion after more than three decades of being marginalized.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1868355,00.html
-4 picks for national security team named
By Bryan Bender
President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden yesterday announced four more top picks for the administration's national security team, including a Boston native and a longtime adviser to the late House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/24/4_picks_for_national_security_team_named/
-Shirtless Obama images causing stir on Internet
Forget Barack Obama's staff making contact with a governor charged with corruption. What's got everyone talking is the president-elect's fine first form. "Fit for office: Buff Bam is Hawaii hunk," the New York Post gushed on its cover yesterday above a photo of the future president strolling without a shirt in Hawaii. The Drudge Report called him "President Beefcake."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/24/shirtless_obama_images_causing_stir_on_internet/
-Commentary: Maybe it's time to turn the tables on the South
John McCormick
The unnecessarily long and painful path toward the approval of government bridging loans for General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC has exposed a new threat to Detroit. It's one that Michigan consumers may want to keep in mind as they consider their expenditures, vacation options and even retirement plans. The problem here centers on certain southern states -- Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and, in particular, Alabama -- where certain bone-headed senators seem to have forgotten that the Civil War ended, with the appropriate outcome, almost 150 years ago.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081224/OPINION03/812240303/1031
=
[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:
-Russia's Liberals Lose Their Voice
By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
Nikita Y. Belykh, once a Kremlin critic, took a job offered by Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/world/europe/24russia.html?_r=1&hp
-Jordanian Students Rebel, Embracing Conservative Islam
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN
Across the Middle East, young people are using religion to defy the status quo and challenge their governments. [ ] Across the Middle East, young people like Mr. Fawaz, angry, alienated and deprived of opportunity, have accepted Islam as an agent of change and rebellion. It is their rock 'n' roll, their long hair and love beads. Through Islam, they defy the status quo and challenge governments seen as corrupt and incompetent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/world/middleeast/24jordan.html?hp
-Resistance to Kennedy Grows Among Democrats
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Contention is emerging among officials against Caroline Kennedy as she pursues Hillary Rodham Clinton's seat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/nyregion/24kennedy.html?hp
-In Reversal, Court Allows a Bush Plan on Pollution
By FELICITY BARRINGER
A federal appeals court in Washington reversed itself on Tuesday and temporarily reinstated a Bush administration plan to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/washington/24air.html
-Shifting Troop Targets
Barack Obama should stick to his campaign pledge to pull combat troops out of Iraq in 16 months.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/opinion/24wed1.html?ref=opinion
-Time to Reboot America
THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
We don't just need a bailout in this country, we need a national makeover. That is why the next few months are among the most important in U.S. history.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/opinion/24friedman.html?ref=opinion
-The Right to a Day in Court
Four former Guantánamo detainees awaiting a hearing from an appellate court, should be entitled to sue on the basis that they were tortured and denied their religious rights.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/opinion/24wed2.html?ref=opinion
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-'Green' Jobs Compete for Stimulus Aid
Obama Weighs Them Vs. Traditional Projects
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/23/AR2008122303023.html?hpid=topnews
=
The Pen
Speak Out Against The Planned Bush Blanket Pardons BEFORE They Can Happen
Pay no attention to the handful of Christmas pardons granted by Bush. This is mere political window dressing to distract from the bumper crop of blanket absolutions, including one for himself, scheduled to be released just before midnight on Jan 19th. Cheney would not so arrogantly be bragging on TV about how he authorized torture if it were not so. But there is a resolution in Congress, H.Res. 1531, preemptively condemning any such move if we can just get enough members of Congress to sponsor it (already 10 so far). Many of you have submitted a action page on this already. Please do it again, especially if your representative did not hear you the first time. Action Page To Stop The Bush Pardons:
http://www.usalone.com/hres1531.php
=
Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Internet Overtakes Newspapers as News Source
The internet, which emerged this year as a leading source for campaign news, has now surpassed all other media except television as a main source for national and international news. Read more
-Media Monitoring
A Christmas Present -- No Story Dominates the News
As 2008 draws to a close, last week's media attention was divided more than at any point this year. Read more
-Roll Call
The Religious Makeup of Congress
Although a majority of the members of the new, 111th Congress are Protestants, Congress -- like the nation as a whole -- is much more religiously diverse than it was 50 years ago. Read more
-Daily Number
52% - Commercialized Christmas
More than half of Americans (52%) say they are bothered at least to some degree by the commercialization of Christmas, including 26% who say that they are bothered by it a lot. Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Will Obama Deliver for Organized Labor?
By Jay Newton-Small/Washington
Perhaps it was his background as a community organizer helping laid-off steel workers find work, or his promises to close the book on discredited trickle-down economics and renegotiate unfair trade deals. Few groups were as happy about the election of Barack Obama as organized labor, which felt it finally had a champion after more than three decades of being marginalized.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1868355,00.html
-4 picks for national security team named
By Bryan Bender
President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden yesterday announced four more top picks for the administration's national security team, including a Boston native and a longtime adviser to the late House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/24/4_picks_for_national_security_team_named/
-Shirtless Obama images causing stir on Internet
Forget Barack Obama's staff making contact with a governor charged with corruption. What's got everyone talking is the president-elect's fine first form. "Fit for office: Buff Bam is Hawaii hunk," the New York Post gushed on its cover yesterday above a photo of the future president strolling without a shirt in Hawaii. The Drudge Report called him "President Beefcake."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/24/shirtless_obama_images_causing_stir_on_internet/
-Commentary: Maybe it's time to turn the tables on the South
John McCormick
The unnecessarily long and painful path toward the approval of government bridging loans for General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC has exposed a new threat to Detroit. It's one that Michigan consumers may want to keep in mind as they consider their expenditures, vacation options and even retirement plans. The problem here centers on certain southern states -- Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and, in particular, Alabama -- where certain bone-headed senators seem to have forgotten that the Civil War ended, with the appropriate outcome, almost 150 years ago.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081224/OPINION03/812240303/1031
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST December 24, 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~~
Ft. Lauderdale - Sunshine Cathedral
Wednesday is Christmas Eve! 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. We are honored to be joined by not only our own Sunshine Cathedral Choir and instrumentalists but also by the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble, the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus, the Fort Lauderdale Women's Chorus, and the Lambda Chorale. Candles and Christmas trees adorn the Worship Center, our Knabe piano and Rogers organ will be in use, and the Sunshine Community Foundation has just had our parking lots repaired! This will be a wonderful Christmas Eve for us to share together. I hope you will join us and invite your friends and family to come with you.
You may bring a canned food item to the service to share with a family in need of assistance. All donated canned goods will be given to the Pantry of Broward. This is a magical time of year and I am delighted to be spending it with you. I hope to see you on Christmas Eve.
Holiday Blessings,
Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Wrong-way diversity
Gov. Crist has the right idea on judges but fumbles the execution
If Gov. Charlie Crist wanted to ruin the concept of diversity, he could do no better than his ham-fisted handling of a nomination to fill a vacancy on the Florida Supreme Court. After a late-night meeting last week, the Judicial Nominating Commission acquiesced to the governor's request for a more-diverse selection of nominees from which he could choose.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/824897.html
-South Florida's tourist season opens with empty hotel beds
A tourism downturn gained steam in November as South Florida hotels cut room rates but still were left with too many empty beds -- a weak prelude to the crucial winter tourism season.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/824618.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Judge's supreme court bid still alive
By MARC CAPUTO
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga is due to be interviewed by Gov. Charlie Crist and his staff at 9 a.m. today in his bid for the Florida Supreme Court, after the governor said he would reconsider Labarga in what has been a controversial selection process. Labarga appeared out of the running for the high court after Crist this month tapped him for an appeals court post and then asked the Judicial Nominating Commission to send him a list with more "diversity'' for the Supreme Court.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/state/epaper/2008/12/23/a1b_jncflap_1224.html
-Feds kill FL plan to switch Medicaid patients to HMOs
By Carol Gentry
Bowing to a decision by federal authorities, the Agency for Health Care Administration has shelved a plan to shift Medicaid patients in 25 counties into managed care -- mostly HMOs -- if they didn't specifically request not to be moved. The provision, passed in the most recent session, was seen as a gift to Medicaid HMOs because it was expected to bring them thousands of new recipients in 25 counties. (See FHN's article published May 1.)
http://floridahealthnews.org/index.cfm/go/public.articleView/article/10238/top/true
-Florida Supreme Court exempts nursing homes from records law
The Florida Supreme Court says a state constitutional amendment letting patients check records of past medical mistakes doesn't apply to nursing homes. The justices ruled in the case of a nursing home resident who allegedly choked to death on coleslaw she was served against her doctor's orders in West Palm Beach. The decision means her estate cannot obtain nursing home records it had sought for a lawsuit against Tandem Health Care, which owns the facility. The 'Patients' Right to Know'' amendment applies to hospitals, doctors and other healthcare facilities and providers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/824926.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~
Ft. Lauderdale - Sunshine Cathedral
Wednesday is Christmas Eve! 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. We are honored to be joined by not only our own Sunshine Cathedral Choir and instrumentalists but also by the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble, the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus, the Fort Lauderdale Women's Chorus, and the Lambda Chorale. Candles and Christmas trees adorn the Worship Center, our Knabe piano and Rogers organ will be in use, and the Sunshine Community Foundation has just had our parking lots repaired! This will be a wonderful Christmas Eve for us to share together. I hope you will join us and invite your friends and family to come with you.
You may bring a canned food item to the service to share with a family in need of assistance. All donated canned goods will be given to the Pantry of Broward. This is a magical time of year and I am delighted to be spending it with you. I hope to see you on Christmas Eve.
Holiday Blessings,
Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor
~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Wrong-way diversity
Gov. Crist has the right idea on judges but fumbles the execution
If Gov. Charlie Crist wanted to ruin the concept of diversity, he could do no better than his ham-fisted handling of a nomination to fill a vacancy on the Florida Supreme Court. After a late-night meeting last week, the Judicial Nominating Commission acquiesced to the governor's request for a more-diverse selection of nominees from which he could choose.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/824897.html
-South Florida's tourist season opens with empty hotel beds
A tourism downturn gained steam in November as South Florida hotels cut room rates but still were left with too many empty beds -- a weak prelude to the crucial winter tourism season.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/824618.html
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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Judge's supreme court bid still alive
By MARC CAPUTO
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga is due to be interviewed by Gov. Charlie Crist and his staff at 9 a.m. today in his bid for the Florida Supreme Court, after the governor said he would reconsider Labarga in what has been a controversial selection process. Labarga appeared out of the running for the high court after Crist this month tapped him for an appeals court post and then asked the Judicial Nominating Commission to send him a list with more "diversity'' for the Supreme Court.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/state/epaper/2008/12/23/a1b_jncflap_1224.html
-Feds kill FL plan to switch Medicaid patients to HMOs
By Carol Gentry
Bowing to a decision by federal authorities, the Agency for Health Care Administration has shelved a plan to shift Medicaid patients in 25 counties into managed care -- mostly HMOs -- if they didn't specifically request not to be moved. The provision, passed in the most recent session, was seen as a gift to Medicaid HMOs because it was expected to bring them thousands of new recipients in 25 counties. (See FHN's article published May 1.)
http://floridahealthnews.org/index.cfm/go/public.articleView/article/10238/top/true
-Florida Supreme Court exempts nursing homes from records law
The Florida Supreme Court says a state constitutional amendment letting patients check records of past medical mistakes doesn't apply to nursing homes. The justices ruled in the case of a nursing home resident who allegedly choked to death on coleslaw she was served against her doctor's orders in West Palm Beach. The decision means her estate cannot obtain nursing home records it had sought for a lawsuit against Tandem Health Care, which owns the facility. The 'Patients' Right to Know'' amendment applies to hospitals, doctors and other healthcare facilities and providers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/824926.html
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
GLBT DIGEST December 23, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Vatican: In Speech, Pope Calls Homosexual Behavior a Violation
By RACHEL DONADIO
Pope Benedict XVI spoke out Monday against homosexual behavior, calling it a violation of the natural order. In an address to the Vatican hierarchy, the pope called for an "ecology of man" to protect man from "the destruction of himself." He added, "The rain forests deserve our protection, but man as a creature indeed deserves no less." The Vatican opposes same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts sinful.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/world/europe/23briefs-INSPEECHPOPE_BRF.html?scp=4&sq=GAY&st=cse
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Gamble for Obama . . . And a Risk for Rick Warren, Too
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
By inviting Pastor Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation, President-elect Barack Obama has alienated some of his friends on the left. By accepting, Warren has enraged some of his allies on the right. Obama and Warren have helped each other in the past, and both know exactly what they're doing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/22/AR2008122201847.html
-Warren On? Party Off.
By Richard Cohen
Not that he was planning to attend, but Barack Obama should know that my sister's inauguration night party -- the one for which she was preparing Obama Punch -- has been canceled. The notice went out over the weekend, by e-mail and word of mouth, that Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation had simply ruined the party. Warren is anti-gay, and my sister, not to put too fine a point on it, is not. She's gay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/22/AR2008122201848.html
-Rick Warren's biggest critics: other evangelicals
By RACHEL ZOLL
-Rick Warren is in a place he never expected to be: at the center of a culture war. The pastor chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to give the inaugural invocation backed Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in his home state of California. But he did so belatedly, with none of the enthusiasm he brings to fighting AIDS and illiteracy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/22/AR2008122201246.html?hpid=sec-religion
-A Disappointing, Divisive Choice
John Bryson Chane
Quite frankly I am disappointed and very concerned with president-elect Obama's decision to invite the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. The president-elect has stated his intention to engage and work with people he may not necessarily agree with. Yet, Warren's comments and political maneuvering in support of California's Proposition 8, his public support of the assassination of a foreign leader and his alliance with Anglican Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda, a bishop who seeks to "purify" the Anglican communion, of which my diocese is a member, by driving out gay and lesbian Christians and their supporters is shameful. Orombi preaches a Gospel of hate that equates homosexuality with bestiality.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/john_bryson_chane/2008/12/a_disappointing_divisive_choic.html
-We Don't Need Rick Warren's Blessing, Or Anyone Else's
by Deepak Chopra
Since God didn't vote for President, why should he get a seat on the inauguration platform? In the midst of controversy over picking Rick Warren to offer an invocation, it's been overlooked that reality is shifting in America. We are a largely secular society where the vast majority of people do not attend church. When religion enters the picture, we are a pluralistic society, not a Christian one. The right wing may posture as if Christianity deserves special privilege and pride of place. Their posturing has convinced a lot of people for the past twenty years, but it's high time we threw the whole charade out the window. Barack Obama got in trouble with Jeremiah Wright and now he's in more trouble with Rick Warren. He should take this as a lager lesson. Anyone he chooses to invoke God at his inauguration will be divisive, either overtly or covertly. For two generations Billy Graham seemed safe enough for any President to touch without getting shocked. But if all of Billy Graham's private views were aired publicly, I doubt that many non-Christians would feel welcomed by him, and probably not a great many Catholics and Jews. The essence of evangelism is to save the lost and fallen, which means every person in the world who doesn't adhere to your (usually narrow) conception of God. If Obama can't bring himself to do the right thing and keep God away on Jan. 20, he should be as ecumenical as those moving services at Yankee Stadium in the wake of 9/11. They were ecumenical because when the going really gets rough, petty differences about God fade away. Aren't we in crisis mode now? Everyone seems to think so. I understand Obama's justification for inviting Warren -- it's a gesture of non-divisiveness, a chance to pull right-wing Christians closer to the center. Maybe that outweighs the wounded feelings of gay Americans, who looked to Obama (even though he opposed gay marriage himself during the campaign). But the larger point, I think, is that religion has been a toxic element in U.S. politics for so long that it would be a relief to clean house and reinstate this country's secular virtues, chief among them being tolerance for all. Even God might be grateful.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/deepak_chopra/2008/12/we_dont_need_rick_warrens_bles.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Police in San Francisco Bay area investigate brutal gang rape of lesbian by 4 strangers
By LISA LEFF
A woman in the San Francisco Bay area was jumped by four men, taunted for being a lesbian, repeatedly raped and left naked outside an abandoned apartment building, authorities said Monday. Detectives say the 28-year-old victim was attacked Dec. 13 after she got out of her car, which bore a rainbow gay pride sticker. The men, who ranged from their late teens to their 30s, made comments indicating they knew her sexual orientation, said Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-lesbian-rape,0,4873181.story
-Celebrities share adoption stories for TV special
Etheridge, a mother of four, adopted two children with former partner, director Julie Cypher. It wasn't lost on Etheridge that her involvement in the special came just days after Arkansas voters approved a law banning gays from adopting children. "Our homes are good homes," Etheridge said, who also has twins with current partner Tammy Lynn Michaels. "We're hard-working people. We love. We live. We can raise people to be members of society. It is a crime to keep children who could be in a loving home away just because those two parents are of the same sex. It's a crime. It's just a shame."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/sfl-celebrity-adoption-1222,0,3073597.story
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The 8 top gay videos of 2008
By Jennifer Vanasco
From Tina Fey to Jon Stewart, Ellen to Prop 8: The Musical! - here's what we watched this year online. Check out the videos.
http://www.365gay.com/uncategorized/the-8-top-gay-videos-of-2008/
-Arizona Bar Assoc. mulls gay equality pledge
A conservative legal group is calling on lawyers to oppose a proposed revision to the Arizona Bar Association oath of office that pledges equal representation to LGBT clients.
http://www.365gay.com/news/arizona-bar-assoc-mulls-gay-equality-pledge/
-Gay in 2008
By Emma Ruby-Sachs
Writing the year-end wrap-up today is hard and sad. Hard because this has been an incredibly eventful year for gay rights, sad because many of us, myself included, are so angry about Reverend Rick Warren, giving thanks for the wins might be harder than we would like. That said, here is a list of important successes and failures for the year: The law of equality is evolving
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-gay-in-2008/
-Tis the Season: Finding a safe space for spirituality
By Allison Steinberg
Tis the season to be shopping, overeating, running around like a chicken without a head and deferring sleep until the 26th of December. Tis also the season, though, to take time to reflect on the past year and upcoming New Year, the time to reach out to help others who might be in need, and, for some of us, the season to connect with the religious part of ourselves. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or Bodhi Day, you can find services where you don't have to worry about being turned away because of your sexual identity.
http://www.365gay.com/living/tis-the-season-finding-a-safe-space-for-spirituality/
-Rev. Warren meets with Etheridge
By James Withers
Melissa Etheridge, who once informed us that her son thought the language for Proposition 8 was "lame,", was on the same stage with Rev. Rick Warren this week-end. At least that is the story scholar Juan Cole is telling.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/122208-rev-warren-meets-with-etheridge/
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Battle in the Prop 8 Fight Continues
A gay-rights organization said a group that ran an ad defending the Mormon church and others' right to support California's same-sex marriage ban is lying about the nature of demonstrations against the ban. Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Truth Wins Out took out a full-page advertisement Thursday in The Salt Lake Tribune under the headline, "Lies in the Name of the Lord." It's a response to another full-page ad placed in the New York Times on Dec. 5 about the fallout from passage of a California constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=13715
-South Florida Blade Publisher Kevin Hopper Promoted to New Post
Kevin Hopper, 30, Publisher of the South Florida Blade and 411 Magazine has been promoted to a new position at parent company Window Media, in which he'll also be publisher of Southern Voice and David Magazine. Formerly published under the moniker of the Express Gay News., Kevin has been with the newspaper since its creation in December of 1999. The Publisher of the Express, now the owner of this site, ww.nationalgaynews.com, Norm Kent, sold the paper to Window Media in 2003, and Mr. Hopper remained on in an administrative capacity, which culminated last year when he was named the newspaper's publisher. Kevin and his partner, Greg Walker, who owns an IT company, live in Fort Lauderdale.
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4331/173/
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pope Benedict's latest outburst "justifies" homophobic bullying and attacks
The head of the Roman Catholic Church has claimed that the existence of gay people is as great a threat to humanity as the destruction of the rainforest.
-Comment: Pope Benedict learnt nothing from his time in the Hitler Youth
Imagine if a world leader said that Jews were a threat to humanity. Imagine the outrage such a provocative statement would be, especially if that leader was German.
-New York Times admits publishing fake letter from gay Mayor of Paris
One of America's most respected newspapers has had to apologise after it published a letter they claimed was written by the Mayor of Paris.
-ILGA defends gay family exhibition at Euro Parliament as second MEP complains
A leading gay rights group has said it "regrets" that two MEPs have objected to an exhibition highlighting the legal and social discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-led families.
-UNAIDS: Decriminalisation is key to universal access to HIV treatment
The United Nations agency responsible for coordinating global efforts to combat HIV and AIDS has called for "enhanced action to promote and protect the human rights of men who have sex with men."
-Vatican claims sexual orientation is not legally defined
The Roman Catholic Church's representative at the United Nations has explained why it opposed a statement on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Activist Deliver More than 27,000 Letter to LDS Church
Aaron Falk | Deseret News
Gay rights activists hand-delivered more than 27,000 letters to the LDS Church's downtown Salt Lake headquarters Monday in the latest effort to earn the church's support in the fight for equal rights. Members of the Human Rights Campaign abandoned technology for old-fashioned paper and ink after discovering that an e-mail filter was preventing thousands of messages from reaching The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "We wanted to make sure they got there," said Jerry Rapier of the Human Rights Campaign. The move was the latest attempt by activists to get church leaders to publicly support the Common Ground Initiative, a set of five bills aimed at securing civil protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Those measures will come before the Legislature next year. Read more
-BROADWAY BACKWARDS JANUARY 9, 2009 WITH ALAN CUMMING, WHOOPI GOLDBERG, MEGAN MULALLY
Gender-bending concert of show tune favorites, Broadway Backwards 4, benefiting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, announces 2009 date and first list of performers. Read more
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Humanity must be saved from homosexuality - Pope
By Phil Stewart - The Independent
'The tropical forests deserve protection but man deserves no less' Pope Benedict said yesterday that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction. "(The Church) should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the pontiff said in a Christmas address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration. "The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less." The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes gay marriage and, in October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation, an irregularity, a wound".
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/humanity-must-be-saved-from-homosexuality--pope-1583648.html
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Does Sex Addiction Have Any Basis in Science?
By Cristian Bodo, American Sexuality Magazine
Things used to be pretty straightforward: You were involved in a stable and fulfilling long-term relationship, but nevertheless the temptations were many and practicing strict monogamy proved way too hard. Eventually, you were caught and you had to decide whether to call it quits or to go back to your partner, admit your full responsibility, beg for forgiveness, and promise that it was never going to happen again. Nowadays, however, there may be a third option: You can claim that you are a victim of sexual addiction, simply unable to manage your sexual urges despite what you know is best for you.
http://www.alternet.org/sex/114024/does_sex_addiction_have_any_basis_in_scie
nce/
-The Glass Feels Half Empty Today
In my family, I am the leader of the "Half Full Glass" club. I don't have to try hard -- it comes kind of naturally. I am a silver-lining kind of gal. But not today. I think I've just had it. The New York Times reports this morning that 66 countries around the world supported an unprecedented declaration seeking to decriminalize homosexuality. Let's take a short quiz, shall we? I will list five countries. Pick the country that did NOT sign the declaration. Ready?
1. Cuba
2. Czech Republic (that country John McCain kept calling Czechoslovakia)
3. Ireland
4. United States
5. Mexico
OK, time's up. The correct (and reprehensible and sad and demoralizing) answer is the UNITED STATES. I know I am supposed to be thrilled at the precedent setting nature of this declaration, but the truth is that I'm fed up.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-garry-/the-glass-feels-half-empt_b_152390.html
-Study Looks at Male Circumcision as HIV Prevention Among Black Men in Baltimore
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=56178
-VIDEO: Moving Testimony on Recent Hate Crimes
There were hearings on December 12th in Washington, DC on hate crimes. The following is a video about a hate crime. It's quite compelling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd8BlWxMaI&feature=channel_page
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Truth Wins Out - TWO
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Rick Warren Whirlwind
It could be that Barack Obama is simply smarter than the rest of us. The first black president of the Harvard Law Review has made a career of turning conventional wisdom on its head. When people said that America was not ready for an African American president, he ran anyway - and won. He was counseled by countless talking heads to "go negative" against Hillary Clinton in the primaries and then John McCain - but he largely stuck to his strategy of staying positive - and won. In the middle of the campaign, Obama hit an iceberg named Rev. Jeremiah Wright, injecting race into a campaign that had desperately tried to shy away from this explosive issue. Obama discarded advice to spin the crisis and instead delivered a lecture on race relations that has gone down as one of the greatest speeches in the history of American politics - not to mention it saved his campaign. So, at this point in his rocket-propelled career, it is unwise to bet against the political instincts of Barack Obama. Still, choosing pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration seemed like a gaffe that has served, if nothing else, as a distraction to Obama's central message of unifying America. This olive branch to evangelical Christians, who largely supported John McCain, felt more like poison ivy to gay and lesbian voters, who overwhelmingly cast ballots for Obama.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/the-rick-warren-whirlwind/
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Detroit News
http://detnews.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Activists pin hopes on Obama banning transgender bias
by Deb Price
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.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081215/OPINION03/812150344/1272/OPINION0310
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[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:
-The Vatican: In Speech, Pope Calls Homosexual Behavior a Violation
By RACHEL DONADIO
Pope Benedict XVI spoke out Monday against homosexual behavior, calling it a violation of the natural order. In an address to the Vatican hierarchy, the pope called for an "ecology of man" to protect man from "the destruction of himself." He added, "The rain forests deserve our protection, but man as a creature indeed deserves no less." The Vatican opposes same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts sinful.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/world/europe/23briefs-INSPEECHPOPE_BRF.html?scp=4&sq=GAY&st=cse
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Gamble for Obama . . . And a Risk for Rick Warren, Too
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
By inviting Pastor Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation, President-elect Barack Obama has alienated some of his friends on the left. By accepting, Warren has enraged some of his allies on the right. Obama and Warren have helped each other in the past, and both know exactly what they're doing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/22/AR2008122201847.html
-Warren On? Party Off.
By Richard Cohen
Not that he was planning to attend, but Barack Obama should know that my sister's inauguration night party -- the one for which she was preparing Obama Punch -- has been canceled. The notice went out over the weekend, by e-mail and word of mouth, that Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation had simply ruined the party. Warren is anti-gay, and my sister, not to put too fine a point on it, is not. She's gay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/22/AR2008122201848.html
-Rick Warren's biggest critics: other evangelicals
By RACHEL ZOLL
-Rick Warren is in a place he never expected to be: at the center of a culture war. The pastor chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to give the inaugural invocation backed Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in his home state of California. But he did so belatedly, with none of the enthusiasm he brings to fighting AIDS and illiteracy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/22/AR2008122201246.html?hpid=sec-religion
-A Disappointing, Divisive Choice
John Bryson Chane
Quite frankly I am disappointed and very concerned with president-elect Obama's decision to invite the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. The president-elect has stated his intention to engage and work with people he may not necessarily agree with. Yet, Warren's comments and political maneuvering in support of California's Proposition 8, his public support of the assassination of a foreign leader and his alliance with Anglican Archbishop Henry Orombi of Uganda, a bishop who seeks to "purify" the Anglican communion, of which my diocese is a member, by driving out gay and lesbian Christians and their supporters is shameful. Orombi preaches a Gospel of hate that equates homosexuality with bestiality.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/john_bryson_chane/2008/12/a_disappointing_divisive_choic.html
-We Don't Need Rick Warren's Blessing, Or Anyone Else's
by Deepak Chopra
Since God didn't vote for President, why should he get a seat on the inauguration platform? In the midst of controversy over picking Rick Warren to offer an invocation, it's been overlooked that reality is shifting in America. We are a largely secular society where the vast majority of people do not attend church. When religion enters the picture, we are a pluralistic society, not a Christian one. The right wing may posture as if Christianity deserves special privilege and pride of place. Their posturing has convinced a lot of people for the past twenty years, but it's high time we threw the whole charade out the window. Barack Obama got in trouble with Jeremiah Wright and now he's in more trouble with Rick Warren. He should take this as a lager lesson. Anyone he chooses to invoke God at his inauguration will be divisive, either overtly or covertly. For two generations Billy Graham seemed safe enough for any President to touch without getting shocked. But if all of Billy Graham's private views were aired publicly, I doubt that many non-Christians would feel welcomed by him, and probably not a great many Catholics and Jews. The essence of evangelism is to save the lost and fallen, which means every person in the world who doesn't adhere to your (usually narrow) conception of God. If Obama can't bring himself to do the right thing and keep God away on Jan. 20, he should be as ecumenical as those moving services at Yankee Stadium in the wake of 9/11. They were ecumenical because when the going really gets rough, petty differences about God fade away. Aren't we in crisis mode now? Everyone seems to think so. I understand Obama's justification for inviting Warren -- it's a gesture of non-divisiveness, a chance to pull right-wing Christians closer to the center. Maybe that outweighs the wounded feelings of gay Americans, who looked to Obama (even though he opposed gay marriage himself during the campaign). But the larger point, I think, is that religion has been a toxic element in U.S. politics for so long that it would be a relief to clean house and reinstate this country's secular virtues, chief among them being tolerance for all. Even God might be grateful.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/deepak_chopra/2008/12/we_dont_need_rick_warrens_bles.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Police in San Francisco Bay area investigate brutal gang rape of lesbian by 4 strangers
By LISA LEFF
A woman in the San Francisco Bay area was jumped by four men, taunted for being a lesbian, repeatedly raped and left naked outside an abandoned apartment building, authorities said Monday. Detectives say the 28-year-old victim was attacked Dec. 13 after she got out of her car, which bore a rainbow gay pride sticker. The men, who ranged from their late teens to their 30s, made comments indicating they knew her sexual orientation, said Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-lesbian-rape,0,4873181.story
-Celebrities share adoption stories for TV special
Etheridge, a mother of four, adopted two children with former partner, director Julie Cypher. It wasn't lost on Etheridge that her involvement in the special came just days after Arkansas voters approved a law banning gays from adopting children. "Our homes are good homes," Etheridge said, who also has twins with current partner Tammy Lynn Michaels. "We're hard-working people. We love. We live. We can raise people to be members of society. It is a crime to keep children who could be in a loving home away just because those two parents are of the same sex. It's a crime. It's just a shame."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/sfl-celebrity-adoption-1222,0,3073597.story
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The 8 top gay videos of 2008
By Jennifer Vanasco
From Tina Fey to Jon Stewart, Ellen to Prop 8: The Musical! - here's what we watched this year online. Check out the videos.
http://www.365gay.com/uncategorized/the-8-top-gay-videos-of-2008/
-Arizona Bar Assoc. mulls gay equality pledge
A conservative legal group is calling on lawyers to oppose a proposed revision to the Arizona Bar Association oath of office that pledges equal representation to LGBT clients.
http://www.365gay.com/news/arizona-bar-assoc-mulls-gay-equality-pledge/
-Gay in 2008
By Emma Ruby-Sachs
Writing the year-end wrap-up today is hard and sad. Hard because this has been an incredibly eventful year for gay rights, sad because many of us, myself included, are so angry about Reverend Rick Warren, giving thanks for the wins might be harder than we would like. That said, here is a list of important successes and failures for the year: The law of equality is evolving
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-gay-in-2008/
-Tis the Season: Finding a safe space for spirituality
By Allison Steinberg
Tis the season to be shopping, overeating, running around like a chicken without a head and deferring sleep until the 26th of December. Tis also the season, though, to take time to reflect on the past year and upcoming New Year, the time to reach out to help others who might be in need, and, for some of us, the season to connect with the religious part of ourselves. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or Bodhi Day, you can find services where you don't have to worry about being turned away because of your sexual identity.
http://www.365gay.com/living/tis-the-season-finding-a-safe-space-for-spirituality/
-Rev. Warren meets with Etheridge
By James Withers
Melissa Etheridge, who once informed us that her son thought the language for Proposition 8 was "lame,", was on the same stage with Rev. Rick Warren this week-end. At least that is the story scholar Juan Cole is telling.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/122208-rev-warren-meets-with-etheridge/
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Battle in the Prop 8 Fight Continues
A gay-rights organization said a group that ran an ad defending the Mormon church and others' right to support California's same-sex marriage ban is lying about the nature of demonstrations against the ban. Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Truth Wins Out took out a full-page advertisement Thursday in The Salt Lake Tribune under the headline, "Lies in the Name of the Lord." It's a response to another full-page ad placed in the New York Times on Dec. 5 about the fallout from passage of a California constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=13715
-South Florida Blade Publisher Kevin Hopper Promoted to New Post
Kevin Hopper, 30, Publisher of the South Florida Blade and 411 Magazine has been promoted to a new position at parent company Window Media, in which he'll also be publisher of Southern Voice and David Magazine. Formerly published under the moniker of the Express Gay News., Kevin has been with the newspaper since its creation in December of 1999. The Publisher of the Express, now the owner of this site, ww.nationalgaynews.com, Norm Kent, sold the paper to Window Media in 2003, and Mr. Hopper remained on in an administrative capacity, which culminated last year when he was named the newspaper's publisher. Kevin and his partner, Greg Walker, who owns an IT company, live in Fort Lauderdale.
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/4331/173/
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pope Benedict's latest outburst "justifies" homophobic bullying and attacks
The head of the Roman Catholic Church has claimed that the existence of gay people is as great a threat to humanity as the destruction of the rainforest.
-Comment: Pope Benedict learnt nothing from his time in the Hitler Youth
Imagine if a world leader said that Jews were a threat to humanity. Imagine the outrage such a provocative statement would be, especially if that leader was German.
-New York Times admits publishing fake letter from gay Mayor of Paris
One of America's most respected newspapers has had to apologise after it published a letter they claimed was written by the Mayor of Paris.
-ILGA defends gay family exhibition at Euro Parliament as second MEP complains
A leading gay rights group has said it "regrets" that two MEPs have objected to an exhibition highlighting the legal and social discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-led families.
-UNAIDS: Decriminalisation is key to universal access to HIV treatment
The United Nations agency responsible for coordinating global efforts to combat HIV and AIDS has called for "enhanced action to promote and protect the human rights of men who have sex with men."
-Vatican claims sexual orientation is not legally defined
The Roman Catholic Church's representative at the United Nations has explained why it opposed a statement on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Activist Deliver More than 27,000 Letter to LDS Church
Aaron Falk | Deseret News
Gay rights activists hand-delivered more than 27,000 letters to the LDS Church's downtown Salt Lake headquarters Monday in the latest effort to earn the church's support in the fight for equal rights. Members of the Human Rights Campaign abandoned technology for old-fashioned paper and ink after discovering that an e-mail filter was preventing thousands of messages from reaching The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "We wanted to make sure they got there," said Jerry Rapier of the Human Rights Campaign. The move was the latest attempt by activists to get church leaders to publicly support the Common Ground Initiative, a set of five bills aimed at securing civil protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Those measures will come before the Legislature next year. Read more
-BROADWAY BACKWARDS JANUARY 9, 2009 WITH ALAN CUMMING, WHOOPI GOLDBERG, MEGAN MULALLY
Gender-bending concert of show tune favorites, Broadway Backwards 4, benefiting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, announces 2009 date and first list of performers. Read more
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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
-Humanity must be saved from homosexuality - Pope
By Phil Stewart - The Independent
'The tropical forests deserve protection but man deserves no less' Pope Benedict said yesterday that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction. "(The Church) should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the pontiff said in a Christmas address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration. "The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less." The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes gay marriage and, in October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation, an irregularity, a wound".
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/humanity-must-be-saved-from-homosexuality--pope-1583648.html
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Does Sex Addiction Have Any Basis in Science?
By Cristian Bodo, American Sexuality Magazine
Things used to be pretty straightforward: You were involved in a stable and fulfilling long-term relationship, but nevertheless the temptations were many and practicing strict monogamy proved way too hard. Eventually, you were caught and you had to decide whether to call it quits or to go back to your partner, admit your full responsibility, beg for forgiveness, and promise that it was never going to happen again. Nowadays, however, there may be a third option: You can claim that you are a victim of sexual addiction, simply unable to manage your sexual urges despite what you know is best for you.
http://www.alternet.org/sex/114024/does_sex_addiction_have_any_basis_in_scie
nce/
-The Glass Feels Half Empty Today
In my family, I am the leader of the "Half Full Glass" club. I don't have to try hard -- it comes kind of naturally. I am a silver-lining kind of gal. But not today. I think I've just had it. The New York Times reports this morning that 66 countries around the world supported an unprecedented declaration seeking to decriminalize homosexuality. Let's take a short quiz, shall we? I will list five countries. Pick the country that did NOT sign the declaration. Ready?
1. Cuba
2. Czech Republic (that country John McCain kept calling Czechoslovakia)
3. Ireland
4. United States
5. Mexico
OK, time's up. The correct (and reprehensible and sad and demoralizing) answer is the UNITED STATES. I know I am supposed to be thrilled at the precedent setting nature of this declaration, but the truth is that I'm fed up.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-garry-/the-glass-feels-half-empt_b_152390.html
-Study Looks at Male Circumcision as HIV Prevention Among Black Men in Baltimore
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=56178
-VIDEO: Moving Testimony on Recent Hate Crimes
There were hearings on December 12th in Washington, DC on hate crimes. The following is a video about a hate crime. It's quite compelling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd8BlWxMaI&feature=channel_page
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Truth Wins Out - TWO
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-The Rick Warren Whirlwind
It could be that Barack Obama is simply smarter than the rest of us. The first black president of the Harvard Law Review has made a career of turning conventional wisdom on its head. When people said that America was not ready for an African American president, he ran anyway - and won. He was counseled by countless talking heads to "go negative" against Hillary Clinton in the primaries and then John McCain - but he largely stuck to his strategy of staying positive - and won. In the middle of the campaign, Obama hit an iceberg named Rev. Jeremiah Wright, injecting race into a campaign that had desperately tried to shy away from this explosive issue. Obama discarded advice to spin the crisis and instead delivered a lecture on race relations that has gone down as one of the greatest speeches in the history of American politics - not to mention it saved his campaign. So, at this point in his rocket-propelled career, it is unwise to bet against the political instincts of Barack Obama. Still, choosing pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration seemed like a gaffe that has served, if nothing else, as a distraction to Obama's central message of unifying America. This olive branch to evangelical Christians, who largely supported John McCain, felt more like poison ivy to gay and lesbian voters, who overwhelmingly cast ballots for Obama.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/the-rick-warren-whirlwind/
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Detroit News
http://detnews.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Activists pin hopes on Obama banning transgender bias
by Deb Price
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.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081215/OPINION03/812150344/1272/OPINION0310
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