GLBT DIGEST - March 22, 2009

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

-Kerry Requests Asylum in Case of Gay Man
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, has asked the Obama administration to grant asylum to a gay man who married an American citizen in Massachusetts and was later forced to return to Brazil.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/us/politics/22asylum.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse


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

-'Pedro' tells story of Miami AIDS activist Pedro Zamora
By Steve Rothaus
Fifteen years after Miami's Pedro Zamora became a national symbol for living with HIV - and dying of AIDS - a new drama about his life will soon debut on the network that made him a reality TV star. Pedro, a film written by Dustin Lance Black, who won an original-screenplay Oscar for Milk, will be simulcast April 1 on four MTV networks. The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival will screen the film Sunday night at the Colony Theater in Miami Beach.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-li22-pedro-reviewsbmar22,0,4057906.story

-Sneak peek at the choreography session of RuPaul's Drag Race
Courtesy of LOGO
Watch as Fort Lauderdale native Javier (Rebecca Glasscock) tries to learn a routine. He's the one wearing the green scarf.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/custom/offbeat/sfl-032209-drag-race-video,0,6811379.story


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

-One-third of HIV sufferers 'face discrimination'
A survey has suggested that one-third of people living with HIV experienced discrimination relating to their status in the last year. It also found that discrimination was compounded by homophobia, racism or asylum and immigration-related prejudice.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-11687.html


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

-Bishop T.D. Jakes Sexuality Back in the Spotlight
Rev. Irene Monroe | Windy City Times
When preachers pontificate too much from on High about the sins of homosexual sex, the cautionary tale is to be careful of what you say, because your words invariable will come back to bite you, as we have seen with fallen evangelical star the Rev. Ted Haggard. For Bishop T. D. Jakes, the internationally known African-American evangelical star dubbed as the Black Billy Graham, his rantings against homosexuality have come back to bite him in the form of his oldest son's recent arrest. On Jan. 3, Jermaine Jakes was arrested in a sex sting for openly soliciting gay sex from an undercover vice detective in a public park just a few blocks from his father's church, The Potter's House, a 30,000-member megachurch in Dallas, Texas. The arrest warrant affidavit filed by Dallas police detectives on Jermaine Jakes stated the following: Read more

-Pastor John Hagee's Re-Branding
Bill Berkowitz | Buzz Flash
It may not be as fascinating, macabre or downright titillating as Michael Jackson's upcoming comeback tour, nor as carefully crafted, and all-consuming, as Richard Nixon's efforts to rehab his image with the public, nevertheless Pastor John Hagee's upcoming sojourn to the nation's capital is geared toward drawing crowds and headlines as well as providing a redemptive opportunity of a sort. While Jackson will be trying to moonwalk his way back into the hearts of his fans, Hagee's comeback revolves around re-stating his support for Israel while at the same time hoping that the mainstream media has forgotten about his outrageous remarks stating that God sent Hitler as a way of expediting the return of the Jews to Israel. And in the hopes of creating a theatrical moment, Hagee, who presides over the 19,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, is the chief executive officer of the non-profit corporation Global Evangelism Television (GETV), the president of John Hagee Ministries, and is a best-selling author, plans to deliver something called "The Israel Pledge" "to our newly elected leaders in Washington, D.C." when he arrives in the nation's capital next week. A recent e-mail from Strang Publications - the publisher of a host of conservative evangelical publications including Charisma News Online, Strang Report, Power Up, New Mane Magazine, The Ministry Today Report - urged its readers to support Hagee by signing on to something being called "The Israel Pledge." The "Pledge," according to Hagee, "provides you with the opportunity to express your support for Israel's right to exist and to defend itself from terrorism. Your signature will help send a strong message that American Christians are standing with Israel at this critical juncture": Read more

-Marriage Push in Maryland
Yusef Najafi | Metro Weekly
Michael Lacey used to be a private person. On Wednesday, March 11, speaking in front of a crowd of about 30 people in a meeting room of the Lowe House Office Building near the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis, Lacey explained how his life has changed since August when his partner of nearly 24 years, Ira Kaye, died as the result of an automobile injury. "I always felt . that as a citizen of Maryland that I had greater rights and equality than I certainly had in the state of Virginia. But with Ira's passing . I really came to understand that it just really is not enough." Lacey shared his story during a press conference in support of legislation to secure marriage equality in Maryland. Read more

-Pulling Out the PFLAG Stops
Will O'Bryan | Metro Weekly
Washington is home to many national GLBT organizations working for equality on nearly every front. When you look at the lineup for one organization's upcoming gala - with Broadway and TV's Cheyenne Jackson, Alan Cumming of Hollywood and stages on either side of the Atlantic, and West Hollywood City Council member and Mayor John Duran who will serve as emcee - it seems as though it must be one of those national organizations. But no. This March 21 fete is a local affair. Granted, it is for the world's largest chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), but it's exclusively the baby of Metro-D.C. PFLAG, working locally for GLBT equality, from schoolyards to Senate halls. "We certainly have more star power this year," says executive director Lindy Garnette, adding there will be greater opportunity to mix and mingle with the celebrities, what with the VIP reception happening after the gala rather than prior. Read more

-Will Gay Couples' Marriage Vows Survive California Court Review?
GEOFFREY A. FOWLER | Wall Street Journal
The California Supreme Court is weighing an incendiary question: Should it recognize the gay couples who married last year, when same-sex marriage was briefly legal? Within the next 10 weeks, the court is expected to rule on a petition to overturn the state's voter-mandated gay marriage ban, called Proposition 8. Legal scholars and even many gay-marriage advocates say the justices' questions during a March 5 hearing leave little doubt that the court will allow the ban to stay, partly out of respect for California's voter initiative process. Read more


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

-European Union Pressures Serbia to Adopt "Gender Identity" Legislation
Serbia's legislature has just passed a law providing for "freedom of expression of sexual orientation and gender identity" under pressure from the European Union (EU) and non-governmental organizations advocating homosexual rights. Passage of the legislation is understood to be a precondition for further Serbian reintegration with Europe, including the right to participate in an EU-wide visa waiver program allowing Serbs to travel freely among EU member states.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032014.html


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