GLBT DIGEST - October 14, 2009

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Gay American Heroes - Action Alert
Wilton Manors: Candle Light Vigil for Craig Cohen
Thursday October 15, 2009
Please Help... Remember and Honor, Craig Cohen
It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Craig Cohen age 47, has died as a result of the brutal attack that occurred on April 6, 2009. We believe it to be a hate crime, and that the perpetrators will be charged with murder. The Gay American Heroes and the Craig Cohen Animal Advocacy Project, Etz Chaim, South Florida Sisters along with local groups and businesses are planning a candle light vigil and walk in Wilton Manors on Thursday Oct 15, 2009 starting 6:30pm in the parking lot of Georgie's Alibi 2266 Wilton Drive. Wilton Manors, FL 33305. There will be a short presentation with Craig's family, co-workers and community leaders, followed by candle light walk down Wilton Dr, starting in Georgie's Alibi parking lot and will proceed to the New Moon, where we cross the street to Rosie's and then back to Bills and cross the street back to Georgie's where we will all gather for a moment of silence to remember and celebrate the life of Craig Cohen... a son, a brother, a parent, a friend So please join us and stand united to say that violence towards LGBTQ Community, MUST STOP TODAY! It's time to show the world...Our HEROES...because our family and friends are being stolen from us because of hate and those who teach it. We should not, and will not, live in fear. We will face the ongoing violence against Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people head on and fight those who want to enslave us in their beliefs. So, until we are given the same rights, freedoms, and protections as every other American, we will be united in this fight for respect, dignity, and protections under the law. We will win this fight through awareness, education, and perseverance for the good of all humanity. WE ALL ARE IN THIS TOGETHER...AND MUST STAND TOGETHER. Please bring a candle to light in honor of Craig and for you to carry. If you have any questions and / or would like to hold a gathering in your community please email GayAmericanHeroes@yahoo.com or call 321-506-8738.
www.GayAmericanHeroes.com

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

Liberal Lament
By Howard Kurtz
I'll get to the big Senate Finance Committee vote -- Snowe in October! -- but first I want to spotlight a slam at the administration, from the left. The president has been having some problems on his liberal flank, which were underscored by last weekend's gay rights protest and the complaints that Obama still won't give a timetable for dumping don't-ask-don't-tell. You see it in health care, too, where some on the left still want single-payer and believe the Democrats have compromised too much with a GOP opposition that has no interest in backing reform.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101400811.html/

Russian gays express disappointment in Clinton
By BEN JUDAH
MOSCOW -- Russia's leading gay activist said Wednesday that he was disappointed that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with an outspoken foe of gay rights during her two-day trip to Russia and did not decry homophobia in the country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101400412.html/

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

Fort Lauderdale-based IGLTA supports gay travel businesses in the Middle East
News release from the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association:
International LGBT travel association participates in Tel Aviv symposium amid protests, mayoral support
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Oct. 14, 2009)–The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association participated in a groundbreaking four-hour symposium on LGBT tourism at the gay community center in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 11. The first-of-its-kind event, coordinated by LGBT organizations in Tel Aviv, attracted the city's mayor, numerous media outlets, and local queer protestors.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/fort-lauderdale-based-iglta-supports-gay-travel-businesses-in-the-middle-east.html/

Log Cabin Republicans to host Halloween fundraiser for hospitalized military personnel
News release from Broward’s Log Cabin Republican Club (LCR):
Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Oct.14, 2009. The Log Cabin Republican Club (LCR) is proud to announce that its members will host a Halloween costume party as a fundraiser for The Fisher Houses at the Miami and West Palm Beach Veterans’ Hospitals.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/log-cabin-republicans-to-host-halloween-fundraiser-for-hospitalized-military-personnel.html/

Russian gays ask U.S. Secretary of State Clinton for support
By BEN JUDAH, Associated Press
MOSCOW -- Russian gays called on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to support their rights as she unveiled a statue of American poet and gay pride symbol Walt Whitman in Moscow on Wednesday.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/russian-gays-ask-us-secretary-of-state-clinton-for-support.html/

Video | Beating of gay New York man caught on tape
From WABC-TV news in New York: QUEENS (WABC) -- Eyewitness News has obtained video in the brutal beating of a gay man in Queens.
The brutality of the crime was caught on surveillance tape. All the punches and kicks the victim suffered through, captured on the cameras of a nearby business.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/video-beating-of-gay-new-york-man-caught-on-tape.html/

Controversial reggae singer Buju Banton meets with gay leaders during stop in San Francisco
BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com
Facing a string of canceled concerts and protests by angry gay activists, Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton met with several gay leaders during a tour stop Monday in San Francisco.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/controversial-reggae-singer-buju-banton-meets-with-gay-leaders-during-stop-in-san-francisco.html/

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

Disney Asked to Protect Ex-Gays
By Christopher Mangum
A Walt Disney Co. stockholder submitted a shareholder resolution asking the organization to include the protection of ex-gays in its sexual orientation nondiscrimination policy and diversity training programs.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/13/Disney_Asked_to_Protect_Ex-Gays/

Sex Changes Legal in Uruguay
By Christopher Mangum
Uruguay’s senate passed a bill on Monday that will allow individuals to receive sex-reassignment surgery and change their name on legal documents to accurately reflect their gender.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/13/Sex_Changes_Legal_in_Uruguay/

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

Obama picks MN woman as 1st openly gay US marshal
By The Associated Press
President Barack Obama has nominated a Minnesota policewoman to become the first openly gay person to serve as a U.S. marshal.
http://www.365gay.com/news/obama-picks-mn-woman-as-1st-openly-gay-us-marshal/

Court considers death sentence for Ohio neo-Nazi
By The Associated Press
The Supreme Court seemed receptive Tuesday to reinstating the death sentence of a flamboyant neo-Nazi convicted of murdering three men in Ohio more than a quarter century ago.
http://www.365gay.com/news/court-considers-death-sentence-for-ohio-neo-nazi/

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

Murder hunt launched after homophobic attack victim dies
A man who was kicked and beaten by three youths in Trafalgar Square, London, last month has died in hospital. Ian Baynham's life support machine was turned off last night.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/14/murder-hunt-launched-after-homophobic-attack-victim-dies/

Gay people deterred from teaching due to homophobia
Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are choosing not to enter professions such as teaching for fear of homophobia, research has found.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/14/gay-people-deterred-from-teaching-due-to-homophobia/

French Muslim football side kicked out of league in row over gay team
A Muslim football team who initially refused to play against a gay team and then appeared to back down have been kicked out of their league.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/14/french-muslim-football-side-kicked-out-of-league-in-row-over-gay-team/

Second man arrested in New York anti-gay beating
A second suspect has been arrested by New York police investigating the homophobic beating of a 49-year-old man. The victim is still in a medically-induced coma.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/14/second-man-arrested-in-new-york-anti-gay-beating/

Man found guilty of stabbing gay shopkeeper to death
A man has been found guilty of stabbing a gay shopkeeper after the man made sexual advances to him. Sami Mahmoud Salama, 37, knifed Dilip Unadkat, 48, five times in the chest at Unadkat's home in Empire Way, Wembley, last November.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/14/man-found-guilty-of-stabbing-gay-shopkeeper-to-death/

Controversial Daily Mail journalist addresses gay event
Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips spoke last night about the danger of “criminalising religious beliefs” at an event debating the conflict between LGBT equality and freedom of speech.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/14/controversial-daily-mail-journalist-addresses-gay-event/

Lesbian soldier who suffered harassment has damages claim slashed
A lesbian soldier who won a £190,000 payout after being harassed by a male superior has had her payout slashed by a third after Army chiefs appealed.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/14/lesbian-soldier-who-suffered-harassment-has-damages-claim-slashed/

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

The LGBT Community is Not Unified–Well, DUH!
Bridgette P. LaVictoire \ Lez Get Real
Apparently, I did not get the memo when I was a minute and a half old that, when I grew up to be a full participatory member of theLGBT Community, I must follow lock step behind the political beliefs of someone I had never met, and likely would never meet. Not even all gays, lesbians and transpeople are in agreement over whether or not we need to repeal certain laws even though most do agree on that. We do not agree on what should come first marriage rights or employment rights. We do not even seem to agree on whether or not to have nights where we all just gather in one place and socialize.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10692/

Congress: The Overlooked Player in the Battle for Equality
Bridgette P. LaVictoire \ Lez Get Real
President Barack Obama is not the Dictator in Chief no matter how much people would like him to be. He cannot wave a wand and repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell or the Defense of Marriage Act without Congress passing new laws. It is unfortunate, and a point often overlooked. That said, there certainly is a lot more that President Obama can do including lobbying Congress to get these laws pushed through faster while other pieces of legislation are worked on. Jon Stewart is certainly correct on that point. DADT and DOMA are small compared to winning a century’s long battle for healthcare equality.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10691/

NY High Court Hears Arguments in Cases Attacking Government Respect for Out-of-State Marriages of Same-Sex Couples
Lambda Legal
Today, Lambda Legal argued before the New York State Court of Appeals on behalf of two married same-sex couples after the Alliance Defense Fund, an antigay legal group, objected to county and state officials acting in compliance with long-standing New York law by recognizing out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10690/

Legislation to Overturn the DOMA
Gay Today
Today, on the heels of the National Equality March in Washington, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) celebrated the 101th co-sponsor of their bill, the Respect for Marriage Act. This landmark legislation would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 law which discriminates against lawfully married same-sex couples.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10689/

NOM and Catholic Diocese Provide Almost 2/3 of “Yes on Q1″ Budget
Jim Burroway \ Box Turtle Bulletin
As we reported earlier, the October financial statements are in for the Maine campaigns for Question 1, and the “No” side to preserve marriage equality is doing quite will in fundraising. They’ve raised about $2.7 million as of the first of October. Meanwhile, the “yes side who is trying to overturn Maine’s same-sex law had raised only $1.1 million. But because opinion polls show that Maine voters are evenly split on Question 1, Stand for Marriage Maine brags that “Mainers won’t be bought.”
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10688/

The Next Generation of Leadership
David Mixner
The planes, trains and buses have returned the march weary-travelers back to their universities and hometowns. The Capitol lawn is free from dense crowds chanting for their freedom. The president is back in the White House fighting the right wing after his command performance at the Human Rights Campaign dinner. Washington this past weekend was ground zero for a historic weekend for the LGBT community. A confluence of events will make Coming Out Day Weekend 2009 one to remember.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10686/

Mormon Leader: Religious Freedom at Risk
ERIC GORSKI
The anti-Mormon backlash after California voters overturned gay marriage last fall is similar to the intimidation of Southern blacks during the civil rights movement, a high-ranking Mormon says in a speech to be delivered Tuesday. Elder Dallin H. Oaks refers to gay marriage as an “alleged civil right” in remarks prepared for delivery at Brigham Young University- Idaho, a speech church officials describe as a significant commentary on current threats to religious freedom.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10685/

Why Can’t the AFA Simply Tell Their Members the Truth?
John Aravosis \ American Blog Gay
I get it. They’re a bunch of bigots who want to oppress other people who don’t subscribe to their narrow-minded, minority view of Christianity. But that doesn’t mean they have to lie in order to convince their own members to do things, does it?
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10684/

Gay Sailor: My Comrades Locked Me in a ‘Feces-Filled Dog Kennel’
David Edwards and Daniel Tencer \ Raw Story
The US military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexual soldiers has the perverse effect of protecting bigots who commit violence against homosexuals, while preventing homosexuals who comply with the policy from seeking protection, says a former Navy officer. In an article published in Sunday’s Washington Post, Joseph Rocha, a former petty officer stationed in Bahrain during the early years of the Iraq war, wrote: “The irony of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is that it protects bigots and punishes gays who comply.”
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10683/

National Coming Out Day and the National Equality March on Washington
Affirmation
I arrived in Washington, DC last Thursday afternoon with one clear purpose in mind: to stand at the steps of my nation’s Capitol and demand equal rights for me and for all LGBTQ people.Throughout Friday and Saturday, at various places all over the District, people from all over the country gathered for
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10682/

CA: SF Protest Over Reggae Artist With Anti-Gay Song
Joe Vazquez \ E-mail \ CBS5
Protesters outside the Rockit Room in San Francisco Monday night, many from the gay and lesbian community, raised their voices against a reggae signer over a song with anti-gay lyrics. But gay rights advocates and city leaders were able to reach out to the singer ahead of a scheduled performance.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10681/

Obama: Homosexual Relationships ‘Just as Real and Admirable’ as Heterosexual Marriage
Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor \ CNSNews
President Obama delivered an unprecedented message to the Human Rights Campaign Saturday night. Sounding more like a homosexual activist than a sitting president, Obama went well beyond his expected message of “I’m here with you” on the homosexual agenda. “My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians — whether in the office or on the battlefield,” Obama told an estimated audience of 3,000. “You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman.”
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10678/

The Struggle for Equal Rights
Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, and Zaid Jilani \ Progress Report \ Think Progress
As the Obama administration and congressional leadership push forward on health care, the fiscal stimulus, and the war in Afghanistan, many of their supporters are becoming frustrated that there hasn’t been more aggressive movement on one of Obama’s other campaign promises: equal rights for gays and lesbians, particularly on the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). On Sunday, tens of thousands of people marched on the nation’s capital and demanded progress. The National Equality March coincided with National Coming Out Day and featured speeches by NAACP Chairman Julian Bond and Judy Shepard, whose son, Matthew, was brutally killed in 1998 because of his sexual orientation. The march came one day after LGBT advocates warmly welcomed President Obama at the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) annual dinner, where he acknowledged frustrations at the pace of progress but promised to keep pushing for equal rights. “I’m here with a simple message: I’m here with you in that fight,” Obama said to rousing applause, adding, “[I]t’s not for me to tell you to be patient, any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African Americans petitioning for equal rights half a century ago. But I will say this: We have made progress and we will make more.”
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10677/

NE: Call Your State Senator
Paying for college is tough. I was proud I got into a school in my home state of Nebraska and was willing to do my part in working to pay for my education. I was also proud to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Nebraska. What I didn’t know is this support would one day leave me without the job I needed to pay for school
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10676/

TX: Gay “Kiss-In” Planned for Fort Worth Stockyards
SCOTT GORDON \ NBCFW
A gay-activist group plans to stage a “queer kiss-in” at the Fort Worth Stockyards on Saturday, claiming the popular tourist area is “non-gay friendly.” Queer LiberAction said it would set up a kissing booth, give free hugs and play kissing games right in the heart of the historic area highlighting Fort Worth’s Western heritage.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10674/

DC: No New Hires in Gay Police Unit
Theola Labbé-DeBose
D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier has frozen hires into the District’s award-winning Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit and wants to train patrol officers to respond to the specialty calls, a plan that has drawn anger from the gay community.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10673/

White House Working with Congress on DADT Repeal
Gay Politics
It appears the White House is finally moving on a legislative repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The Advocate reports on a tip from out official John Berry that the administration is working closely with Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) to develop a legislative strategy that would repeal the law banning openly LGBT servicemembers in the U.S. military.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10672/

Street vs. Suite
Richard J. Rosendall \ Independent Gay Forum
First published in Bay Windows, October 13, 2009
Sunday’s National Equality March (NEM) brought out tens of thousands (according to The Washington Post), including lots of dogs and children, with the simple purpose of demanding equality. It remains to be seen whether the rally, the AIDS vigil, and the flash protest against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) will be followed by productive action.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10671/

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