GLBT DIGEST - May 06, 2009

**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:

-Matthew Shepard Act
After years of unconscionable delay, the House has approved legislation that would, for the first time, extend federal hate-crimes law to give substantive coverage to gay people. The act would be an important step forward in protecting all minorities from violence and a tribute to a young man whose life was cut short by bigotry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/opinion/06wed3.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse

-Washington, D.C., Council Approves Recognition of Out-of-State Gay Marriage
By LIZ ROBBINS
The Washington City Council on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that recognizes gay marriages performed in other states, a vote could have far wider implications beyond the District of Columbia. Amid growing momentum from states approving gay marriage, the federal government will have the chance to debate the issue because of a rule that charges Congress with approving the laws of the city.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/us/06district.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse

-Gay Marriage Advances in Maine
By ABBY GOODNOUGH and KATIE ZEZIMA
Gay-rights advocates moved remarkably close to their goal of making same-sex marriage legal throughout New England on Tuesday, when the Maine House of Representative voted to legalize such unions. Supporters of same-sex marriage have won victory after victory this spring, with the legislatures of Vermont, New Hampshire and now Maine embracing it. The region is close to offering such marriages full support; Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to let gay couples marry in 2004, and Connecticut began allowing same-sex marriage last fall.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/us/06marriage.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse


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

-Date Night
By Howard Kurtz
ABC has Rahm and Jon Bon Jovi! CBS has Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner! CNN has Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore! Time has Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050600861_pf.html

-Britain Bans 16 for 'Fostering Extremism'
Radio Host Savage Among 6 Americans
By Karla Adam
LONDON, May 5 -- The British government on Tuesday named 16 people who have been banned from entering Britain for "fostering extremism or hatred," including Muslim extremists, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, a U.S. radio talk show host and a Kansas preacher.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/05/AR2009050500827.html

-Behind Justice's Blindfold
By Ruth Marcus
Should the judge be an umpire or an empathizer? Chief Justice John Roberts memorably likened the judge to a baseball umpire, dispassionately applying existing rules to call balls and strikes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/05/AR2009050502928.html

-Uproar in D.C. as Same-Sex Marriage Gains
By Tim Craig
The D.C. Council overwhelmingly approved a bill yesterday to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, in a vote that followed a sharp exchange between an openly gay member and a civil rights champion and set off shouts of reproach from local ministers. The council passed the measure by a vote of 12 to 1. During the debate, council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) accused Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), who cast the dissenting vote, of having taken a "bigoted" position.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/05/AR2009050501618.html

-Documentary's Camera Aims To Shed Light On D.C.'s Closet
By Richard Leiby
Documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick's latest exposé, "Outrage," promises to be a PR nightmare for certain closeted gay politicians. He names names. He interviews their alleged sex partners. He portrays these officials -- overwhelmingly Republican, with anti-gay voting records -- as hypocrites of the worst sort.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/05/AR2009050503851.html


=
indiWIRE
http://www.indiewire.com

-First Look: Kirby Dick's "Outrage"; New Tribeca Doc Names Names
The current governor of a major U.S. southern state, the campaign manager of a U.S. president, a senior West Coast congressman, a former mayor of New York City, and others are among those outed in Kirby Dick's "Outrage," a provocative new documentary debuting tomorrow night at the Tribeca Film Festival. Unseen in its finished form until yesterday, the film is likely to cause waves in political and media circles as word gets out about its subject matter. (indieWIRE watched the final cut of the documentary on Thursday.)
http://www.indiewire.com/article/first_look_kirby_dicks_outrage_tribeca_premiere_names_names/


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

-With Obama at forefront, backers of fatherhood initiatives see rare chance for progress
DAVID CRARY
With a centennial celebration of Father's Day coming next month, and a new president committed to supporting better parenting, liberals and conservatives alike say the political stars may be aligned for major progress in promoting responsible fatherhood. It's an issue that's been divisive in the past, even as research made clear that the estimated 24 million children growing up with absent fathers - a disproportionate number of them African-American - are at higher risk in regard to poverty, crime and other social problems.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-fatherhood,0,5242291.story


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

-As Obama considers court nominee, diversity could be many things
By MICHAEL DOYLE
Supreme Court diversity could mean many different things to President Barack Obama, if he wanted it to. Justice David Souter's pending departure will leave Obama with a court consisting of six white men, one white woman and one African-American man. Even if the president appoints another woman, as many expect, the court will remain strikingly uniform.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1034601.html



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

-Rep. Foxx sends apology to Judy Shepard
N.C. lawmaker called hate crime charge against son Matthew as a 'hoax'
A North Carolina congresswoman has sent an apology about her comments to the mother of a slain gay man whose name is on legislation that adds sexual orientation to the list of hate crimes. Rep. Virginia Foxx, RN.C., sent the letter to the mother of Matthew Shepard.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=25345

-Banned U.S. "shock jock" says will sue Britain
By Kate Kelland
LONDON (Reuters) - An outspoken American radio presenter barred from entering Britain said on Wednesday he would sue the British government for defamation after his name was published on an official list of "promoters of hate." Michael Savage, a so-called "shock jock" radio host who has a right-wing talk show called The Savage Nation, described British Home Secretary (interior minister) Jacqui Smith as a "lunatic" and said he had set his lawyers to work on the case.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE5451TB20090506?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews


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

-Marie Osmond Loves Her Gay Daughter
By Rhiza Dizon
In an interview with Los Angeles radio station KOST 103.5, Marie Osmond confirmed rumors that her daughter Jessica is a lesbian and spoke about her views on marriage equality. Though the interviewer suggested the question might be "a sensitive topic" because of Osmond's Mormon faith, the entertainer didn't hold back. "That's not a sensitive topic, I love my daughter," said Osmond with a laugh.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid82363.asp

-Robinson Opens "Clergy Call" on Capitol Hill
By Kerry Eleveld
Bishop Gene Robinson gave the opening remarks Monday at the Human Rights Campaign's "Clergy Call," which has assembled about 300 clergy members from across the country to lobby U.S. lawmakers for LGBT rights on Capitol Hill Tuesday. Robinson, the first openly gay bishop consecrated by the Episcopal Church, used his time to acknowledge the challenges faced by religious leaders working on behalf of LGBT equality. He shared the story of a man who had been arrested about three months ago by Vermont state police. When they searched his car, officers found Mapquest maps to Bishop Robinson's house lying beside pictures of Robinson and his partner that had been pulled off the Internet with the words "Save the church, kill the bishop" scribbled across them and lying next to his sawed-off shotgun.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid82249.asp

-Forty Under 40: Dustin Lance Black
Oscar-winning screenwriter, 34, Los Angeles
By Ari Karpel
Dustin Lance Black is used to dreaming big. When the then-unknown screenwriter decided to tackle a script about his hero, gay civil rights revolutionary Harvey Milk, he approached Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the producers who had long held the rights to Randy Shilts's definitive Milk biography, The Mayor of Castro Street. By that time Zadan and Meron already had spent more than a decade trying to get a film about Milk off the ground, even recruiting heavyweights Oliver Stone, Gus Van Sant, and Robin Williams to their effort. When they turned down Black's offer to write a completely new script, he decided to go it alone.
http://www.advocate.com/issue_story_ektid81028.asp


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

-Moscow gays to ignore Pride ban
By Jennifer Vanasco
(Moscow) Moscow gay pride organizers announced Tuesday they will ignore threats of arrest and go forward with plans to hold a march and rally May 16. LGBT civil rights leader Nikolai Alexeyev said he filed a request Tuesday for permission to march through Moscow to the square in front of the former KGB headquarters.
http://www.365gay.com/news/moscow-gays-to-ignore-pride-ban/

-Pastors lobby Congress to support LGBT bills
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
More than 300 gay-positive clergy were on Capitol Hill today, urging Congress to support LGBT rights bills. It is the second time the lobbying effort known as Clergy Call has been held on Capitol Hill - the first event was held two years ago. Both have been sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign.
http://www.365gay.com/news/pastors-lobby-congress-to-support-lgbt-bills/

-Greek court annuls gay marriages
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(Athens) A court Tuesday annulled the only two same-sex marriages performed in Greece. In June, Mayor Tasos Aliferis, on the island of Rhodes, performed the weddings after LGBT rights group OLKE said it had found a loophole in a 26-year-old update of the Greek civil marriage law that refers only to participating "persons," without specifying gender.
http://www.365gay.com/news/greek-court-annuls-gay-marriages/

-Rudy a no-show at gay pals' wedding
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
When then-mayor Rudy Giuliani was forced to leave home during a nasty divorce in 2001, he was taken in by Howard Koeppel and his longtime partner Mark Hsaio. He stayed for months with the couple in their $2.37 million dollar Manhattan home and invited the men to his wedding to Judith Nathan, the "other woman" who led to his divorce. That was when the mayor was appearing in drag at an LGBT rights event and touting his support for gay issues.
http://www.365gay.com/news/rudy-a-no-show-at-gay-pals-wedding/

-UK Permanently Bars US Homophobes Phelps, Savage
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(London) The British government has published a list of people permanently barred from entering the country for fostering extremism or hatred. The list includes two well known American gay opponents - Rev. Fred Phelps and talk-radio host Michael Savage.
http://www.365gay.com/news/uk-permanently-bars-us-homophobes-phelps-savage/


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

-Conservative Party 'to prioritise gay rights'
Reaching out to gay rights groups is one of Tory leader David Cameron's top five priorities, it has been claimed. A shadow cabinet member told ConservativeHome.com blogger Tim Montgomerie that the move is part of Cameron's drive "to show that 'new Toryism' is still alive and kicking".
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12307.html

-Controversial pastor Rick Warren 'one of the world's most influential people'
Rick Warren, the US evangelist pastor who spoke out against gay marriage, has been included in Time magazine's latest list of the world's most influential people.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12306.html

-Lesbian couple to appeal in the UK over Gibraltar's housing policy
A lesbian couple who were refused a joint tenancy in government housing in Gibraltar are to appeal in the UK. Three years ago, the Housing Allocation Committee refused to grant them a joint tenancy on the basis that they were unmarried.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12303.html

-Scottish MPs condemn clergy for attacks on gay minister
Members of the Scottish Parliament have criticised the clergy for attempting to block the appointment of openly gay minister Scott Rennie.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12301.html


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

-Gay Travel Snapshot - Spring and Summer 2009
New online study shows GLBT travel shows more resilience
Rochester, N.Y. and Washington, DC - May 4, 2009 - While Americans cope with new economic realities, many by shifting consumer priorities and curbing household expenses across-the-board, a new national survey conducted online by Witeck Combs Communications and Harris Interactive® shows marked differences in travel expectations over the next four months. On balance, for all American adults sampled who also say they plan to travel in the next four months - gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) consumers report on average they are likely to spend about $2,300 between May and August 2009 for both leisure and business travel, while heterosexuals on average they are likely to spend about $1,500 during that same period. The new nationwide survey of 2,401 U.S. adults, (ages 18 and over), of whom 146 self identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, was conducted online between April 13 and 21, 2009, by Harris Interactive, a global market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the GLBT market. Note that this survey was completed prior to the publicly reported cases of swine flu in Mexico City and the flu contagion. More . . .
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/6883/

-NLGJA Announces Michael Tune as New Managing Director
Tune to lead premier LGBT journalist group beginning May 4, 2009
Today the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) announced that Michael Tune has assumed its top staff post and will oversee its efforts to support newsroom diversity and ensure fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues. As managing director, he will also lead NLGJA's flagship programs, including its annual convention, scheduled to take place in Montreal in September. "The nation's journalists face unprecedented challenges and opportunities in their careers, and we're excited to have Michael's energy and experience behind finding new and innovative ways of supporting and promoting LGBT journalists," said NLGJA National President David Steinberg. "In addition, with LGBT issues such as same-sex marriage equality so much in the news today, LGBT journalists play a unique role in ensuring fair and accurate coverage, both in their reporting and by educating their colleagues in the newsroom."
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/6882/

-CA: Book launch for Pre-Gay L.A.: A Social History of the Movement for Homosexual Rights
Dear Victoria:
I am very pleased to be announcing my book launch for Pre-Gay L.A.: A Social History of the Movement for Homosexual Rights, which was released last week by the University of Illinois Press. The launch will take place at Book Soup, at 8818 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, on Tuesday night, May 26th, at 9:30 p.m.. You can find information on the event here:
http://www.booksoup.com/author-events.asp?offset=30 More . . .
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/6881/


=

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