GLBT DIGEST - May 08, 2009

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

-Preventing Hate Crimes
To the Editor:
The Matthew Shepard Act, which if passed by the Senate would expand the 1968 federal hate crimes law to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes, is long overdue (editorial, May 6). In today's world, which is so diverse, we cannot condone violence based on actual or perceived identity. If we do, we are all vulnerable. At the New York City Anti-Violence Project, we know that more is needed. We also must stop the violence from happening in the first place. This requires public education and training of first responders and law enforcement. We know in New York that hate-crimes protection can be a powerful tool in prosecuting crimes, but it does not prevent them. Each year we see violence against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities increase, despite this legislation. More . . .
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/opinion/l08hate.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse

-'This Is a Question of Fairness'
It is by no means a fast and easy path, but the cause of same-sex marriage is moving forward - proof that justice can triumph over wedge politics and prejudice. It happened this week in Maine and New Hampshire, where both states' legislatures voted to legalize same-sex marriage and promptly put the final say to their governors. More. . . .
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/opinion/08fri4.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse

-Choosing a New Justice
Never mind that President Obama has not even tipped his hand about his choice to replace Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court. It's never too early, it appears, to start the character assassination, especially against one possible candidate, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. More . . .
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/opinion/08fri2.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse

-Secret Lives in the Age of Gay Rights
By A. O. SCOTT
With horror-movie music and stark white-on-gray titles, "Outrage" promises to illuminate a "brilliant conspiracy" that protects the secret lives of some powerful politicians while ensuring that the rights and interests of ordinary gay and lesbian Americans remain marginal. The choice of the word conspiracy may be deliberately provocative, but this indignant and methodical new documentary, directed by Kirby Dick, offers a lot of insight into the ideology and psychology of present-day political homophobia.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/movies/08outr.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:

-Principles of 'Civil War'
What is the gay marriage debate about for you?
Equality. Making America more just
Secularity. Separating church and state
Semantics. Protecting the definition
Procreation. Marriage is for making kids
Morality. God says it's a sin
Other (explain in comments)
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/friday-follies/2009/05/principles_of_civil_war.html

-Special Feuding Edition
By Howard Kurtz
All politics is personal. And it's getting really personal out there. Amid the swirling headlines--banking stress tests, spending cuts, judicial nominees, health care reform, battling the Taliban--are people who have become symbols, people that we can praise or pulverize, depending on our predilections.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/08/AR2009050801099.html

-A Compelling Closet Case
The news: This city is swarming with toe-tapping closet cases who champion anti-gay legislation in the light of day. Our source goes by the name of "Outrage," a crisp, efficient, sometimes petty but often infuriating documentary about alleged gay politicians who actively campaign and vote against gay rights. "Outrage" aspires to expose harmful hypocrisy in the U.S. government by laying all the evidence on the table. During the film's brisk 90 minutes, a level-headed, fair-minded viewer might feel a range of emotion: contempt, skepticism, empathy, uncertainty, but never boredom.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/07/AR2009050701493.html

-MIA On Gay Marriage
By Eugene Robinson
Believe it or not, often I can see the other side of an argument. I know that tough gun control laws save lives and make our communities safer, for example, but I also see clarity in the Second Amendment. I support affirmative action, but I realize that providing opportunity to some worthy individuals can mean denying opportunity to others. Thinking about some issues involves discerning among subtly graded shades of gray.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/07/AR2009050703055.html


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

-College student suspended after school learns he starred in gay porn as 'Vincent DeSalvo'
From The Herald, Sharon, Pa.:
To Grove City College, John Gechter was a bright young student majoring in molecular biology. But to his online audience, he was Vincent DeSalvo, a baby-faced rising star in the gay pornography industry. Both worlds unexpectedly crashed into each other two weeks ago after his online persona was discovered at GCC.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/05/college-student-suspended-after-school-learns-he-starred-in-gay-porn-as-vincent-desalvo.html

-Video | TV host who threatened to punch gay blogger over 'Outrage!' film:
'An apology? Mike Rogers, you're not getting one!'
Let's Talk Live host Doug Mckelway responds to angry e-mails, after he threatened to punch blogger Mike Rogers of BlogActive.com during a segment about the film, Outrage!:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/05/video-tv-host-who-threatened-to-punch-gay-blogger-over-outrage-film-an-apology-mike-rogers-youre-not-getting-one.html


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

-CNN Questions Obama's "Gay" Silence
On the heels of a New York Times article calling into question Barack Obama's relative silence on gay issues in his first few months in office, CNN has launched its own investigation. CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley says this has been a sensitive issue for all politicians -- but she suggests Obama is going to face an uphill battle if he wants to distance himself from the mounting debate over marriage equality.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid83039.asp


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

-Protests against gay foe Ashcroft's honorary degree
By The Associated Press
A Missouri university's decision to award an honorary degree to former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft is drawing protests from some students and faculty members. Ashcroft will receive an honorary doctorate and deliver the commencement speech Saturday at Truman State University in the northeast Missouri town of Kirksville. As governor, he signed into law a measure upgrading the school from a regional teacher's college into a selective, statewide liberal arts campus.
http://www.365gay.com/news/protests-against-gay-foe-ashcrofts-honorary-degree/

-Russian lawmakers reject harsh anti-gay measure
By 365gay Newscenter Staff
(Moscow) A bill that would have made it a criminal offense for anyone who "openly demonstrated a homosexual way of life and a homosexual orientation" to hold jobs in education or in the army has been defeated.
http://www.365gay.com/news/russian-lawmakers-reject-harsh-anti-gay-measure/


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

-Fired US soldier to fight gay dismissal 'tooth and nail'
Dan Choi, the US Army lieutenant who was fired after revealing he was gay, has said he will fight his dismissal "tooth and nail". Choi, a West Point graduate and Arabic linguist, came out live on the Rachel Maddow show in March, knowing it could cost him his job.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12341.html

-Openly gay minister Peter Mandelson caught up in latest expenses scandal
Business secretary and openly gay minister Peter Mandelson billed taxpayers £3,000 for work on his constituency home less than a week after standing down as MP for Hartlepool.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12345.html

-Former head of gay charity guilty of sex attacks on children
Eight members of a paedophile ring, including the former head of LGBT Youth Scotland, were today found guilty of a number of child abuse image and abuse charges.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12333.html

-Opponents file challenge to gay marriage in Maine
Gay couples in Maine hoping to take advantage of this week's legalisation of gay marriage may be forced to wait months or even a year to hold their ceremonies after opponents filed a 'people's veto' challenge to the new law.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12344.html

-Gay postman 'was called effeminate and girly by manager'
A gay postman is suing the Royal Mail for £25,000, claiming his line manager bullied him and discriminated against him. Liam Black, 22, told a tribunal in Ashford he had been called "effeminate", "girly" and "bitchy" by his line manager Warren Taylor.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12343.html

-Poll finds zero tolerance for homosexuality among UK Muslims
A survey published today shows that UK Muslims have significantly less tolerance for homosexuality than their French and German counterparts.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12321.html

-Gay men 'at risk' as UK rates for new HIV infections soar to highest in Europe
Charity Unicef has warned that Britain now has the highest number of new HIV infections in western Europe, with gay and bisexual men and black Africans most at risk.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12332.html

-God hates fags preacher joins calls to block gay Scottish minister
Fred Phelps, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church which picket dead soldiers' funerals with chants of 'God hates fags', has said the ordination of openly gay minister Scot Rennie to a Scottish church would be an "abomination".
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12346.html

-Moscow authorities promise to stop gay pride marches
Moscow is preparing to break up any gay pride marches on May 16th. Mayor Yury Luzhkov's press secretary said today the city has once again turned down an application to hold a march next week.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12331.html

-British minister condemns Burundi over law criminalising gay sex
International Development minister Ivan Lewis has attacked the recent decision by the government of Burundi to criminalise gay sex.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12330.html


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

-CNN Poll: Generations Disagree on Same-Sex Marriage
Paul Steinhauser | CNN Deputy Political Director | CNN
A new national poll suggests a majority of Americans oppose legalizing same-sex marriages, but the survey indicates a vast generational divide on the issue.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/6960/

-Anti-Gay Marriage Groups: Put Ban Before NJ Voters
Organizations opposed to letting gay or lesbian couples marry are urging lawmakers to put a question on the 2010 ballot asking voters whether to amend the state constitution to ban such unions. While there's still time to get a referendum on this year's ballot, conservative activists said at a Wednesday news conference that it's not practical to think officials would put such a question on the ballot in a gubernatorial election year. Such a route would also mean the Legislature could put a question on the ballot without the three-fifths supermajority usually used to propose constitutional amendments. Proposals passed two years in a row by a simple majority also are presented to voters. Gay-rights groups including Garden State Equality are pushing for New Jersey lawmakers to approve gay marriage this year, though a vote seems unlikely before the November election. Read more
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/6959/

-Sessions Open Minded on Gay Justice
Jonathan Martin | CNYCentral
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a staunch conservative and the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday that he was open to the nomination of a gay Supreme Court Justice. "I don't think a person who acknowledges that they have gay tendencies is disqualified per se for the job," Sessions told Mark Halperin in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Sessions, who previously has said he could support a justice who backs abortion rights, said he would make his determination based on the nominee's personal ethics and legal skills. "We need to be looking for a person that can gain full respect of the American people, who can apply the law fairly, when they put on that robe will be nonpartisan and nonbiased, no promoting any agenda, personal, religious, or moral, and follow the law faithfully," Sessions said. Read more
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/6958/

-ME: Challenge to Gay Marriage Bill Filed
Sun Journal
Maine election officials say a formal challenge is being filed to the same-sex marriage bill the governor's signed. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said Thursday opponents filed a challenge under Maine's people's veto provision Wednesday, the same day Gov. John Baldacci signed the gay marriage bill. Dunlap says the challengers have been asked to complete their application. Petitions seeking repeal of the law will then be printed so opponents can begin collecting voters' signatures. They must collect signatures amounting to at least 10 percent of those who voted in the last gubernatorial election in order to force a people's veto referendum in November. The signature deadline will likely fall in mid-September.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/6957/

-MI: Panel Wants More Time for Gay Issue
KATHY JESSUP | Michigan Live
A Kalamazoo City Commission subcommittee wants one more meeting to hash out the fine print before recommending language to ban local housing and employment discrimination against homosexuals. Commissioner David Anderson, subcommittee chairman, said Wednesday that critical questions posed by the public during a recent comment period will be answered June 3, before the three commissioners report back to the full commission later in June. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on a timetable that would allow opponents to get the measure on the November ballot as a referendum if the City Commission acts. With an Aug. 25 deadline for submitting ballot questions, city commissioners likely would need to pass the so-called anti-discrimination ordinance by late June or early July to give opponents time to circulate petitions aimed at letting voters decide the issue in November. The subcommittee has asked City Attorney Clyde Robinson to come to the 5 p.m. June 3 public meeting prepared to clarify issues such as the measure's effect on exercising religious beliefs, on small business and on restroom designations. Read more
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/6955/


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

-UN Human Rights Committee gives Russia 6 months to justify Gay Picket Ban in Moscow
Activists hope for a decision before next year's Moscow Pride
MOSCOW (GayRussia.Ru) The United Nations Human Rights Committee based in Geneva, Switzerland, gave Russia six months to give its position on a complaint sent by Nikolai Alekseev, Moscow Pride Chief Organizer. "In accordance with rule 97 of the Committee's rules of procedure, a copy of the communication has been sent to the State party today, with the request that any information (.) should reach the committee within 6 months" states the letter received from the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

-Hungarian Parliament Adopts New Registered Partnership Act
Budapest, April 20, 2009 - The Hungarian Parliament has adopted today the revised bill on registered partnership. The bill was introduced to the Parliament following the Constitutional Court decision of December 2008 that struck down the previous version of the law just weeks before its supposed entry into force. The new legislation introduces the institution of registered partnership for same sex couples and also sets up a different scheme of domestic partnership registration for both same sex and different sex couples. The bill was adopted 199-159-8, the governing socialist party and their former liberal coalition partner voted for the bill, other opposition parties voted against it.
http://www.hatter.hu

-EU: Human rights in the world in 2008: Parliament highlights the pluses and minuses
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/015-55221-124-05-19-902-20090506IPR55210-04-05-2009-2009-false/default_en.htm

-Ireland: Children of same sex parents 'do just as well'
Children raised in same sex families do just as well as other children living with heterosexual parents, an Irish child expert has claimed. Co-director of the Children's Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin, Prof Sheila Greene, said there was no evidence that children in lesbian and gay families were experiencing the kind of problems that some people had predicted. Prof Greene said: "Children within gay and lesbian families are not any more or less gay, they are not confused and they don't suffer from mental health problems to any greater or lesser extend than children being reared by a biological mother and father."
http://examiner.ie/ireland/children-of-same-sex-parents-do-just-as-well-91233.html


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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if you can't access the article

-David Ogden Stiers, the actor who played Major Charles Winchester on MASH, just came out of the closet.
http://www.planetout.com/entertainment/2009/05/mash-actor-comes-out.html

-Christian Fundamentalist Group Preaches Patriarchy and Women's Fertility as
Weapons for Spiritual Warfare
When Americans think of patriarchal societies, female submission, or extreme gender inequality based on religious teachings, visions of Muslim women in burkas or Hindus in poorly arranged marriages may come to mind. The reality, though, is that a growing number of American Christian fundamentalists also have rejected feminism and egalitarianism, embracing instead male dominance and what they call the "Quiverfull" belief system. Picture the Massachusetts Bay Colonies before Hester Prynne's day. The women in such communities live within a stringently enforced doctrine of wifely submission and male "headship," including a selfless acceptance of possibly constant pregnancies and as many children under foot as God might bring. They reject not only "reproductive rights" of any kind, but also higher education and workforce participation for women.
http://www.alternet.org/story/134000/

-Newsweek: Fresh Start
High-school seniors are receiving the final college admissions decisions this week. It's an important choice for any kid, but for gay teens, finding a welcoming campus can be a life saver.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/192302

-Washington State Joins Iran in Criminalizing Sex Between Consenting Adults
You may remember the school sex bill that set off our unconstitutionality alarm earlier this year-the one that criminalizes sex between high school employees and consenting adult students. Well, the Senate version died, but a House version passed both chambers by a wide margin and was signed by the Governor on Monday. The bill-which might as well have been written on discarded scraps of the Constitution-would criminalize a few scenarios, the most notable being sex between school employees and students more than five years their junior. This was in response to the Division II Court of Appeals overturning a teacher's conviction for first-degree sexual misconduct, when the teacher had had sex with a consenting 18-year-old student. Now, under HB 1385, not only would that scenario result in a felony, but so would one in which a 26-year-old high-school landscaper had sex with a 20-year-old student. The landscaper would now be a sex offender.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/05/you_may_remember_the_school.php


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THE BIG FAT GAY COLLAB!
ANTI-HATE COLLAB MUSIC VIDEO!
At the beginning created against the BUSH's homophobia this song is now an hymn against homophobia in geneal. ANTI HOMOPHOBIA: "theres a disgusting amount of hate on the internet (especially on youtube!) directed at minority groups (especially the LGBT community) so i was inspired to organize this collab video. ..", Steve Bee Bishop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuDJmVkPYpw Or
http://ninolgbt.blogspot.com/2009/05/fuck-you-by-lily-allen-and-stevie-bee.html


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