GLBT DIGEST - March 06, 2009

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

-California Court to Weigh Gay Marriage Ban
By JESSE McKINLEY and JOHN SCHWARTZ
Under intense pressure from both sides in the debate over same-sex marriage, the California Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday on the ballot initiative passed by voters last November that outlawed such unions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/us/05marriage.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse

-California Court Weighing Gay Marriage Ban
By JOHN SCHWARTZ and JESSE McKINLEY
In a bruising hearing, California's Supreme Court justices seemed ready on Thursday to uphold the ban on same-sex marriage that was passed by the state's voters in November. But the justices, who ruled just last May that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, also appeared reluctant to undo the 18,000 marriages conducted before the ban was passed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/us/06marriage.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse


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

-Gay activists march in Calif. ahead of showdown
By LISA LEFF
Same-sex marriage advocates are pinning their hopes on California's highest court as it prepares to hear arguments on a trio of lawsuits seeking to overturn the state's voter-approved ban on gay unions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/05/AR2009030500472.html


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

-'The Future of LGBT Politics' to be discussed March 14 at Wolfsonian-FIU
Here's information about an interesting event, Beyond Straight Supremacy and the Myth of Change: The Future of LGBT Politics, to be held Saturday, March 14, at The Wolfsonian-FIU:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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

-Let gays serve openly
As we prepare to send more troops to Afghanistan and focus on the danger in that region, we are reminded that the military is seriously hamstrung by the ''don't ask, don't tell'' policy. Those who are found to be gay or lesbian are discharged. I stand with the veterans of VoteVets.org in calling for the policy to be changed.
JEFF WEINBERGER, Plantation
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/935314.html


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

-New York gays to posthumously honor NY native Harvey Milk
By The Associated Press
Slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk is being honored posthumously by a network of gay and lesbian organizations in his native New York.
http://www.365gay.com/news/new-york-gays-to-posthumously-honor-ny-native-harvey-milk/


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

-Scottish Parliament committee backs hate crimes bill
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee has published its Stage 1 Report on proposed legislation that allows courts to impose tougher sentences for offences aggravated by the victim's disability, gender identity or sexual orientation.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11451.html

-FA to launch anti-homophobia campaign
By Jessica Geen
The Football Association is planning to release a DVD to raise awareness of homophobia in the sport. After a number of incidents involving anti-gay chants and abuse, the organisation is teaming up with Kick It Out, the Professional Footballers Association and Peter Tatchell to produce the video.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11457.html

-Police murder hunt underway after gay couple attacked at home
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A gay couple were attacked in their home on Tuesday, leaving one dead and the other in hospital with stab wounds. Police were called to reports of an assault in a flat in a converted house in Page Heath Villas, off Bickley Road, Bromley at around 8pm.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11454.html

-California Supreme Court to hear gay marriage arguments
By Tony Grew
The 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who legally married in California last year may find out today if they are valid.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11453.html

-US adoption websites accused of gay discrimination cease trading in New York
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
New York's Attorney General has announced that an American adoption service provider has ceased trading in the state.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11441.html

-US Christians accused of exporting anti-gay message to Africa
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A conference in Uganda which begins today has been condemned by human rights groups. The 3-day seminar in Kampala, which opens today, features several American speakers known for their efforts to dehumanise LGBT people and for their belief that homosexuality can be "cured."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11449.html


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

-Anti-trans assault reported at D.C. gay bar
Women allegedly attacked trans men outside Fab Lounge
By LOU CHIBBARO JR, Washington Blade
Two female-to-male transgender patrons at the Dupont Circle gay bar Fab Lounge told police they were verbally harassed and assaulted by two female customers who denounced one of the men as androgynous. The D.C. Police Department's Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit was assisting Second District detectives in investigating last week's incident to determine whether it should be classified as an anti-transgender hate crime, said acting Lt. Brett Parson, who oversees the unit.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24369


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

-Antigay Comment Kills Univ. Student Union President's Campaign
By Rhiza Dizon
Guolong Li withdrew his candidacy for the presidency of Cambridge University's
student union a day before the polls opened after staff and students condemned him for making a homophobic statement. When asked of his stance on LGBT policies and platforms during a debate, Li answered, "I think it's more important that we provide help for them.to persuade them to be normal, to no longer be LBGT, to change them," according to the Telegraph.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid74414.asp

-S.D. Mayor's Daughter to Marry Girlfriend
By Michelle Garcia
San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders, who gave an emotional speech in 2007 in support of marriage equality, has announced the engagement of his gay daughter, Lisa. The Republican mayor made the announcement at the Eve of Justice rally, held in anticipation of Thursday's supreme court hearing to challenge the validity of Proposition 8. According to Towleroad.com, about 400 people attended the rally at the San Diego Hall of Justice. Lisa Sanders plans to marry her partner, Meaghan Yaple.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid74342.asp

-Mormons Set Sights on Killing Civil Unions in Illinois
By Neal Broverman
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently sent a private e-mail to its Illinois members urging them to contact state legislators and voice opposition to civil union legislation the state is currently considering. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the e-mail was sent to at least one LDS ward in Illinois and was authorized by a bishop named Chris Church.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid74341.asp

-18,000 Marriages Depend on Six Words
The fate of the 18,000 same-sex marriages that were legally performed in the state of California prior to Prop. 8's passage depend on six words: "Regardless of when or where performed." As lawyers deliver oral arguments before the California supreme court, the validity of those marriages depends on how you interpret the following sentence from Prop. 8 when it appeared on the ballot: "Only marriage between a man and a woman will be recognized in the state of California, regardless of when or where performed." Though lawyers arguing against Prop. 8 say the law is prospective, not retrospective, the discussion keeps returning to that brief phrase. Watch oral arguments live at CalChannel.com.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid74379.asp

-Ken Starr: The People Can Do Stupid Things
The bulk of Ken Starr's argument in favor of invalidating the 18,000 same-sex marriages that took place in the state of California before Prop. 8 was passed seems to hinge on one thought. Though the people may make stupid decisions, they "have the raw power to do it." Case in point: Chief Justice Ronald George counters with a hypothetical. The voters decide to do away with free speech from the First Amendment. Is that an amendment or a revision, and do the people have the right to do it? After much banter back and forth, Starr says they do. When the justices counter and ask Starr if his argument would be the same had Prop. 8 stripped gays and lesbians of all the rights they enjoy under California law, he assures the justices the proposition did not -- but says that his argument would indeed be the same.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid74386.asp


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

-RachelWatch: Wedding Trashers
By Ali Davis
Steele the One
Republican National Committee Member Dr. Ada Fisher has had enough of RNC Chairman Michael Steele and his leadership technique of issuing transcendently ridiculous sound bites and then frantically backpedaling away from them in much the same way that Wile E. Coyote does when he realizes that he's out of cliff.
http://www.365gay.com/living/rachelwatch-wedding-trashers/


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

-Blackpool Pride line-up announced
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Organisers have confirmed that acts such as Toyah, Andy Scott-Lee and ex-S Club 7 singer Jo O'Meera will be performing at Blackpool's fourth Pride festival. However, the headliner, rumoured to be a big-name star, is being kept under wraps for now.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11486.html

-Men arrested over 'homophobic' murder in south-east London
By Jessica Geen
Two men have been arrested over the murder of a gay man in Bromley, south-east London. Police confirmed that a 59-year-old man and a 46-year-old man have been questioned over the attack.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11487.html

-Human rights organisations call for end to 'police abuse' of trans people in Guyana
By Jessica Geen
Human rights organisations in Guyana have called for an end to the arrest and abuse of trans people for not conforming to gender-typical dress codes. In a letter to President Bharrat Jagdeo, six groups said a repressive law that criminalises wearing clothes considered appropriate only for the opposite sex must be repealed.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11488.html

-Exclusive: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown declares Prop 8 gay marriage
ban "unacceptable"
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The first-ever reception at No10 Downing St for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community was hosted by the Prime Minister and his wife this evening.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11468.html

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