GLBT DIGEST - July 20, 2009

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

Legislating Love: How the Government Can Encourage Private Safety Nets
By Nancy Folbre
Economists often urge people to economize on love (a scarce and precious resource). Usually this recommendation is taken to mean that we should design institutions that work even if people behave in self-interested ways. We could also take it to mean that we shouldn’t rely on love alone to provide a social safety net.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/legislating-love-how-the-government-can-encourage-private-safety-nets/?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse

Pared-Down Episcopal Church Is Looking to Grow Through ‘Inclusivity’
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The Episcopal Church is betting its future on the hope that there are more young people out there like Will Hay. Mr. Hay, 17, was one of the youngest voting delegates at the church’s 10-day triennial convention, which ended Friday. He has stuck with his church, even when the priest and most of the parishioners in his conservative San Diego parish quit the Episcopal Church two years ago in protest of its liberal moves, particularly the approval in 2003 of an openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson. Mr. Hay has helped rebuild his parish, which was left with 48 people and has since drawn nearly 100 new members.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/us/19episcopals.html?scp=13&sq=gay&st=cse

Eating Disorders in Straight and Gay Men
By The New York Times
Dr. Kathryn Zerbe, professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University and a longtime expert on eating disorders, recently took readers’
questions on anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and other problems. Here, she responds to one reader’s question about eating disorders in men.
Q In recent years, an increasing number of men have been diagnosed with eating disorders, and not just compulsive overeating, but also disorders like anorexia and bulimia that have traditionally been associated with women. (Full disclosure: I am one such man.)
http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/reverse-anorexia-in-gay-and-straight-men/?scp=7&sq=gay&st=cse


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

Analysis: Obama issues challenge to black America
By ERRIN HAINES
Through his first six months as president, Barack Obama has tended to shy away from the historical significance and potential influence of his role as the nation's first black president. But in addressing the NAACP on its 100th anniversary, he finally, fully embraced that title, portraying himself as a descendant of the civil rights leaders of generations past and a partner in black America's future progress.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/18/AR2009071800244.html

Same-sex couples seek immigration benefit
By KEVIN FREKING
Judy Rickard took an early retirement and a reduced pension so she could be assured of more time with her partner, a British citizen whose stays in the U.S. are limited to six months.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/18/AR2009071800746.html

40 States in 40 Days? An 'A' for Effort.
On June 6, 10 college students, two professors and one sleeper bus departed Belmont University in Nashville for the ultimate field trip: 40 states in 40 days. But this was no summer vacation: Homework assignments included 30 blogs each and post-trip papers for the students' travel-writing and sociology courses. We caught up with professor Ken Spring, junior Emma Shouse and senior Heather Gillespie in Washington -- or as they called it, Day 35. (For the itinerary, student bios and blogs, and more, see http://www.belmont.edu/40states.)
-- Andrea Sachs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/17/AR2009071701665.html

What's Next, Mr. President -- Cardigans?
By Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie
Barely six months into his presidency, Barack Obama seems to be driving south into that political speed trap known as Carter Country: a sad-sack landscape in which every major initiative meets not just with failure but with scorn from political allies and foes alike. According to a July 13 CBS News poll, the once-unassailable president's approval rating now stands at 57 percent, down 11 points from April. Half of Americans think the recession will last an additional two years or more, 52 percent think Obama is trying to "accomplish too much," and 57 percent think the country is on the "wrong track."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/17/AR2009071702093.html

Little for Liberals in Confirmation Hearings
As Sotomayor and White House Avoid Ideology, Some on Left See Wasted Chance
By Amy Goldstein and Paul Kane
Early on the third day of last week's confirmation hearings, one of the Senate Judiciary Committee's leading liberals leaned forward in his leather chair toward Sonia Sotomayor to explain his hopes for the next member of the nation's highest court.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/18/AR2009071801787.html

Mormon 'kiss-in' in Utah leads to shouting match
By JENNIFER DOBNER
A mass-kissing protest near the Mormon church temple Sunday drew a shouting match between gay activists and a group of faithful Mormons. For the second consecutive weekend, about 100 people gathered to stage a "kiss-in" to protest the treatment of two gay men cited for trespassing July 9 after they shared a kiss on the plaza owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both gay and straight couples exchanged kisses during the protest.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071901288.html

A Constant Parish, Now Called to Leave?
Episcopal Church Struggles With New Acceptance of Gays
By William Wan
They stayed as other churches left. They stayed through the ordination of a gay bishop, and the lengthy arguments that tested long-standing beliefs and frayed friendships. All the while, the congregation of the tiny church in rural Loudoun County kept the word "Episcopal" on the Sunday bulletins because members believed it was God's will.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071901970.html

Marching Orders
Ending 'don't ask, don't tell' will take an act of Congress -- and voters actively pushing for it.
MOMENTUM IS building for a repeal of the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military. A proposal from the Palm Center of the University of California at Santa Barbara in May ignited calls for President Obama to issue a "stop-loss" declaration to halt enforcement of "don't ask, don't tell." Last week, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) proposed suspending the
16-year-old policy for 18 months. But both approaches pale in comparison with the full repeal being pursued by Rep. Patrick J. Murphy (D-Pa.).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071901688.html

Gays live _ and die _ in fear in Jamaica
By DAVID MCFADDEN
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Even now, about three years after a near-fatal gay bashing, Sherman gets jittery at dusk. On bad days, his blood quickens, his eyes dart, and he seeks refuge indoors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071900922.html


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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

Out of the Office Closet
By ALEXANDRA LEVIT
If you're gay or lesbian and you're closeted at your office, you're not alone. Despite major strides in acceptance over the last 15 years, many still struggle with the decision to come out at work.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124796073372262319.html

Gay Marriage and the Constitution
Why Ted Olson and I are working to overturn California's Proposition 8.
By DAVID BOIES
When I got married in California in 1959 there were almost 20 states where marriage was limited to two people of different sexes and the same race.
Eight years later the Supreme Court unanimously declared state bans on interracial marriage unconstitutional.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124804515860263587.html

India News Digest: Supreme Court Refuses to Stay Order That Decriminalizes Gay Sex
Here is a roundup of news from Indian newspapers, news wires and Web sites on Thursday, July 16, 2009. The Wall Street Journal has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124808670611564881.html


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

NY man guilty of hate crime in transgender slaying; only 2nd such conviction in US
WILLIAM KATES
A jury on Friday convicted a man of manslaughter as a hate crime for killing a transgender woman he shot outside a house party last year. Dwight DeLee was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter for the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Lateisha Green outside the Syracuse party in November because of anti-gay bias. He becomes just the second person in the U.S. convicted of a hate crime that involved the death of a transgender victim.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-transgender-hate-crime,0,907688.story


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

Freedom Democrats: ‘FL GLBT Summer Caucus is Huge Success: Summary & Call to Action’
Freedom Democrats and Friends:
Freedom Democrats was an active participate in the very successful FL GLBT Democratic Caucus' Summer Conference in Key West, Florida this past weekend - July 17-19. The conference was attended by 100+ GLBT and straight leaders from around the state of Florida.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/07/freedom-democrats-fl-glbt-summer-caucus-is-huge-success-summary-call-to-action.html


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

Same-sex couples seek immigration benefit
By KEVIN FREKING
Judy Rickard took an early retirement and a reduced pension so she could be assured of more time with her partner, a British citizen whose stays in the U.S. are limited to six months.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/1147272.html

Two Dania Beach women open up about their 70-year relationship
They've been together for 70 years, but this couple had to keep silent about their relationship for decades.
BY IHOSVANI RODRIGUEZ
Yes, couples in their 90s still argue occasionally. This is how it went recently for Caroline Leto and Venera Magazzu as they sipped lemonade on their couch in Dania Beach:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/1147942.html


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

Shoppes’ Market Bazaar starts Sunday
"Bazaar, farmer’s market and flea market rolled into one"
By BOB KECSEMETY
The merchants in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors will be holding a Bazaar in their parking lot this Sunday, July 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale, titled “Taking It To The Streets,” is open to the public and any other businesses in the area are invited to participate. There is no charge to participate in the bazaar as a vendor and admission to the bazaar is free to the public.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/7-16/news/localnews/6059.cfm


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

Gay House Planned for 2010 Olympics
By Julie Bolcer
The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver will offer what is believed to be the first house devoted to gay and lesbian athletes and their family members and friends, reports The New York Times.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid99550.asp

HIV Rates Soar Among Gay Men in Africa
By Julie Bolcer
Stigma against gay men in Africa leads to risky sexual behavior that can result in HIV rates 10 times higher than among the general male population, says a new report in the British medical journal, the Lancet, according to the BBC.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid99528.asp

Polis Named to Air Force Board
By Michelle Garcia
Rep. Jared Polis, one of three openly gay members of Congress, has become a member of the U.S. Air Force Academy's board of visitors.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid99205.asp

The Video Game Where You Kill Gays
By Neal Broverman
A video game that features a hunter shooting gay people is creating a furor in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid99204.asp

Group Comes Out for Equality
By William McGuinness
The chief executive of Marriage Care, a marriage counseling organization partly funded by the Catholic Church, voiced his dissent with the Vatican’s teaching that same-sex couples are unfit to raise children.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid99166.aspVatican-funded


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

Senate wants expansion of federal hate crimes law
By The Associated Press
People attacked because of their sexual orientation or gender would receive federal protections under a Senate-approved measure that significantly expands the reach of hate crimes law.
http://www.365gay.com/news/senate-wants-expansion-of-federal-hate-crimes-law/

Tom Duane gives stunning speech on AIDS
By Jennifer Vanasco
Before the New York State Senate closed last week, Sen. Tom Duane, gay and HIV positive, gave an impassioned, riveting speech reminding us all what the AIDS epidemic was at its worst:
http://www.365gay.com/blog/tom-duane-gives-stunning-speech-on-aids/

South Africa stops funding for AIDS vaccine research
By The Associated Press
(Cape Town, South Africa) South Africa has stopped funding research on an AIDS vaccine, a leading scientist said Monday, even as a major vaccine trial on humans began in the country ravaged by the world’s worst AIDS epidemic.
http://www.365gay.com/news/south-africa-stops-funding-for-aids-vaccine-research/

CBS censors ‘Big Brother’ slurs
By The Associated Press
It was the most memorable speech in “Big Brother” history, but fans didn’t hear all of it. Television viewers watching the “Big Brother 11″ eviction episode Thursday only heard part of contestant Chima Simone’s petition to stay on the voyeuristic CBS reality show. Host Julie Chen later called it “the most memorable last plea speech we’ve ever heard.”
http://www.365gay.com/news/cbs-censors-big-brother-slurs/

Porn actor gets 3-8 years in Pa. rooftop break-ins
By The Associated Press
A porn star who was accused of using a handsaw and an ax to break into stores through their rooftops while his twin brother and occasional co-star acted as a lookout is going to prison for at least three years.
http://www.365gay.com/news/porn-actor-gets-3-8-years-in-pa-rooftop-break-ins/


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

Vatican heaps praise on Oscar Wilde.. who it once condemned as immoral
The Vatican has praised the work of openly gay playwright Oscar Wilde, despite previously regarding him as an immoral degenerate.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13305.html

European Tory leader defends Polish MEP over 'homophobia' claims
The head of the Tories in Europe has defended the new leader of David Cameron's bloc in Europe over footage which showed him making a homophobic comment.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13306.html

If pagans can get time off for Halloween, can we set up a gay religion?
Pagan members of the police force are to get holidays on their religious festivals, bringing them in line with more established faiths. While some religious groups have protested, it proves that no one religion is really any more entitled to respect than others. Are Druid spells any more irrational than prayers to an unseen and unresponsive God? We asked Stephen Price to consider whether gays should set up their own religion in order get Pride days off.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13308.html

Rupert Everett: 'I don't want to be part of heterosexual norm'
Openly gay actor Rupert Everett has said that coming from "the last years of illegality" focused his character.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13333.html

Scottish island to hold first same-sex ceremony today
The Isle of Lewis is set to have its first gay civil partnership ceremony today when BBC children's presenter Andrew Robertson will tie the knot with his partner Craig Atkins.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13330.html

Homophobia blamed for high levels of HIV in African gay men
Research has suggested that HIV rates for gay men in sub-Saharan Africa are ten times higher than the average rate for the general male population.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13334.html

Hate crimes bill moves closer
A bill known as the Matthew Shepard Act has been approved for a Senate vote.
The bill, named after the murdered gay teenager, expands federal hate crime laws offer protection on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13337.html

Gay adult TV channel breaches broadcasting code
Gay TV, a digital premium adult channel, has come under fire from broadcasting standards agency Ofcom after a viewer complained that the channel's 'free-to-view' promotions were too explicit for the 10pm broadcast time.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13329.html

Doctor removed from adoption panel for refusing to consider gay couples
A Christian doctor has been removed from an adoption panel after she refused to endorse applications by same-sex couples. Dr Sheila Matthews said homosexuality was not "an appropriate lifestyle".
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13324.html

Equality and Human Rights Commission hit by resignations and 'unacceptable' spending Trevor Phillips, the newly-reappointed head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, is under fire over the organisation's annual reports, while three commissioners have resigned in the last week over the way the quango is being run.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13327.html


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

We Know Where We’re Going; We Know Where We’ve Been!
Gay & Lesbian Times
As we celebrate San Diego’s 35th annual GLBT Pride, it’s easy to get caught up in the outrageous floats of the parade, the party beads, the boas, the glistening tanned chests of the dancers, the circuit parties, the beer gardens, electrical tape on the nipples of the Dykes on Bikes and all the revelry this week offers. But stop to think about all the festivities in context and you’ll be even prouder.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/8804/

First the Abortionists, Then the ‘Homosexuals’: TheCall Declares War
Patricia Nell Warren | Bilerico Project
Just this morning, an announcement went out from TheCall, asking its list of followers to join a national prayer-and-fasting movement aimed at “the spiritual darkness of the homosexual agenda” and the “restraining” of our “ideology.” TheCall is not just another fringy extremist church group — we need to pay serious attention to this move it’s making. Lou Engle, founder and leader of TheCall, is not the familiar old bible-thumping enemy like Jerry Falwell and James Dobson. A major figure in the New Apostolic Reformation that I’ve been writing about, Engle has close ties with the violent anti-abortion movement called The Army of God, who stirred up such a frenzied atmosphere of attacks on abortion clinics that they finally incited someone to assassinate the well-known doctor George Tiller.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/8802/

Cheney’s CIA Secrets: We Must Fight to Get the Truth
Marie Cocco, Washington Monthly | AlterNet
It is the damned spot that simply will not go out. The legacy of the Bush administration’s antiterrorism tactics cannot be washed away in a tide of feel-good rhetoric about moving on, nor will it fade eventually if we apply President Barack Obama’s spiritual wisdom that this should be a time for
“reflection, not retribution.” The revelation that CIA Director Leon Panetta killed a secret program reportedly aimed at assassinating top al-Qaeda leaders, and quickly informed Congress of its existence, does not shock. It has long been a presidential aim to decapitate the terrorist network. Despite Republican claims that President Bill Clinton limply addressed terrorism as only a law enforcement problem, he had taken steps to allow what would have amounted to an in-the-field execution of Osama bin Laden, according to the 9/11 commission.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/8801/

The Power of Apology
Peg McEntee
Took a stroll on the Main Street Plaza Wednesday, seeking out any sign of
“inappropriate behavior.” I struck out, but it was midmorning and a tad too early for the lunch and temple-wedding folks. An LDS Church spokeswoman used those words to explain why a couple of tipsy lovers were ordered to leave the plaza after one of them kissed the other’s cheek. They said no, suggested the security guy call the police, which he did, and the two men ended up charged with criminal trespass.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/8800/

Big Day for Kennedy
Boston Globe
Even without him there in person, it was a big day on Capitol Hill for Senator Edward M. Kennedy. His bill to extend federal hate crimes protections to gays and the disabled made it to the Senate floor with its best prospects since Kennedy, who is fighting brain cancer, first introduced the bill in 1997. Democrats control both the Senate and House, which passed a version in April, and President Obama supports the legislation as well. The bill, named for Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student who was beaten to death, would add gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability to current hate crimes law, which applies to acts of violence motivated by prejudice against a person’s race, color, national origin, or religion.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/8799/

McCain Leads Protest Against Hate Crimes Bill
Carlos Santoscoy
A vote that would attach hate crimes legislation as an amendment to a must-pass defense bill is expected Thursday. Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona is leading the charge against the move, Politico reported. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday announced he would attach the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act to a $690 billion defense authorization bill. The bill (S909) would add disability, gender and sexual orientation to the list of hate crime protections. The law would also aid state and local governments prosecute hate crimes.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/8798/

Immigration Law Should be Fair to Gay Couples
Deb Price | Detriot News
Shortly before dawn on Jan. 28, a knock at the door turned the idyllic life of Shirley Tan and her family upside down.
Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement handed a deportation letter to Tan, the stay-at-home lesbian mom of 12-year-old twin boys. Stunned, Tan, who describes herself as a “housewife,” told the agents she had never before seen the letter, dated 2002.
“I was handcuffed and taken away, like a criminal,” Tan recently told the Senate Judiciary Committee, which called a first-ever hearing to look into the outrageous harm done to gay bi-national families by locking them out of the protections built into immigration law for heterosexual spouses of U.S. citizens.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/8797/

Gay Student’s Relentless Struggle Pays Off
Silicon Valley De-Bug, Interview, G. Melesaine | New America Media
Editor’s Note: Last year, Silicon Valley De-Bug featured the struggle of a Vallejo student, Rochelle Hamilton, and her mother, Cheri, as they fought to end the harassment and discrimination faced by the then 15-year-old Rochelle because she was a lesbian. De-Bug’s G. Melesaine interviewed the pair last week after the American Civil Liberties Union announced that it had won a five-year battle against the Vallejo City Unified School District.So tell me, what’s this journey been like for you?
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/8796/

Gays Not the New Black
LZ Granderson
Far from flowing rainbow flags, the sound of Lady Gaga and, quite honestly, white people, stands a nightclub just outside of Wicker Park in Chicago, Illinois, by the name of The Prop House.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/8795/


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