GLBT DIGEST - October 31, 2009

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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
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Obama Lifts a Ban on Entry Into U.S. by H.I.V.-Positive People
By JULIA PRESTON
President Obama on Friday announced the end of a 22-year ban on travel to the United States by people who had tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, fulfilling a promise he made to gay advocates and acting to eliminate a restriction he said was “rooted in fear rather than fact.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/us/politics/31travel.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse/

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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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GU rally decries anti-gay violence
By Emma Brown
About 50 Georgetown University students rallied on campus at noon Friday to show solidarity with a student who was allegedly attacked this week because of her perceived sexual orientation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103002639.html/

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

Tickets on sale now for Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, running Nov. 11-15
From Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival:
Dear Fellow Film Enthusiasts!
It's almost time for the Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival to commence and we want to make sure you don't miss out on any of the fabulous films we have in store for you!
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/tickets-on-sale-now-for-fort-lauderdale-gay-lesbian-film-festival-running-nov-11-15.html/

Ros-Lehtinen, colleagues condemn ‘Anti-Homosexual Bill’ introduced in Uganda’s parliament
U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin; Gary Ackerman, D-NY; and Howard Berman, D-Calif., sent this letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:
“We write to raise serious concerns about the "Anti-Homosexual Bill" introduced in Uganda's parliament earlier this month. This egregious bill represents one of the most extreme anti-equality measures ever proposed in any country and would create a legal pretext for depriving lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Ugandans of their liberty, and even their lives.”
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/ros-lehtinen-colleagues-condemn-anti-homosexual-bill-introduced-in-ugandas-parliament.html/

The new Miss Manners? Etiquette expert Steven Petrow launches ‘Gay & Lesbian Manners’ website
My friend and colleague, Steven Petrow, author of The Essential Book of Gay Manners & Etiquette, has launched his own website: Steven Petrow’s Gay & Lesbian Manners.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/the-new-miss-manners-etiquette-expert-steven-petrow-launches-gay-lesbian-manners-website.html/

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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
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Buju Banton coverage lacks context
The Miami Herald's articles regarding reggae icon Buju Banton lack perspective and are devoid of historical and cultural context. Dance-hall artists like Buju Banton discuss a number of issues using violent terminology. They talk about killing competitors, their sexual partners, informers and homosexuals in their lyrics. However, these lyrics are merely hyperboles and are not intended to be taken literally. Just as Bob Marley's song I Shot the Sheriff did not incite violence against sheriffs, Banton's song Boom Bye Bye does not incite violence against gays and lesbians nor is there any evidence to support that claim. In that song written almost 20 years ago, a young macho Banton was responding to the rape of a young boy and articulating Jamaicans' outrage against this act of brutality. Furthermore, using the typical exaggerated bravado style of dance-hall lyrics, Banton expressed the popular Jamaican opinion of the day that homosexuality was a sin and should not be encouraged. Jamaicans familiar with the Jamaican language and culture understood that the song Boom Bye Bye was only a song and not intended to be taken literally. Jamaicans are not rabid savages who kill gays and lesbians at Banton's behest. Gay and lesbian groups focus on one extremely minuscule aspect of Banton's music and ignore the fact that Banton produces uplifting positive music reminiscent of Bob Marley. Banton is the most prolific voice of the poor oppressed masses in the Third World of his generation. His music sheds light on the many issues plaguing Jamaica like the unrelenting violence and abject poverty afflicting many Jamaicans.
5 !!END TAG!! Atlanta, Ga.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/1309094.html/

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

Evangelical leader Dobson leaving radio show
By The Associated Press
James Dobson, the voice of conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, will no longer host its flagship radio broadcast and is cutting formal ties with the organization that he founded more than 30 years ago, the evangelical group said Friday.
http://www.365gay.com/news/evangelical-leader-dobson-leaving-radio-show/

Vatican: pope to meet Anglican chief
By The Associated Press
(Vatcican City) The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI will meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury next month in the leaders’ first encounter since the Catholic church moved to make it easier for disenchanted Anglicans to convert to Catholicism.
http://www.365gay.com/news/vatican-pope-to-meet-anglican-chief/

SCLC elects anti-gay MLK daughter as its president
By 365gay Newswire
The Rev. Bernice King has been chosen as the first woman to head the civil rights organization co-founded by her father, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference announced her election as its eighth president Friday morning. Interim President Byron Clay called King and said she accepted the position.
http://www.365gay.com/news/sclc-elects-anti-gay-mlk-daughter-as-its-president/

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

Thousands expected to attent candle lit vigil in Trafalgar Square
Up to 10,000 people are expected to take part in a silent candle-lit vigil against Hate-Crime this evening in Trafalgar Square. The event, organised by the facebook group 17-24-30, is being held to commemorate the homophobic murder of Ian Baynham.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/30/thousands-expected-to-attent-candle-lit-vigil-in-trafalgar-square/

Labour minister welcomes rise in civil partnerships held at British consulates
Europe Minister Chris Bryant today announced that almost 500 civil partnerships have so far been celebrated in British consulates around the world.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/30/mabour-minister-welcomes-rise-in-civil-partnerships-held-at-british-consulates/

Boris Johnson meets with police chief to discuss the rise in homophobic crime
London Mayor Boris Johnson has sought assurances from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner that everything is being done to tackle the problem of homophobic attacks in the capital.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/30/boris-johnson-meets-with-police-chief-to-discuss-the-rise-in-homophobic-crime/

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

After 22 Years, Obama Lifts Ban on US Entry for Those with HIV
DARLENE SUPERVILLE \ The Associated Press \ Washington Post
President Barack Obama said Friday the U.S. will overturn a 22-year-old travel and immigration ban against people with HIV early next year.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11089/

Ethics Panel Scrutinizing Dozens of House Members
LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press \ Yahoo News
Dozens of lawmakers have drawn scrutiny from their ethics monitor this year for everything from financial dealings to travel and campaign donations, according to a leaked account showing an active House panel secretly at work.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11088/

CA: SF Mayor Newsom Bows Out of Race for Governor
Heather Knight, Chronicle Staff Writer
Plagued by low poll numbers and anemic fundraising, and with a newborn daughter at home, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom dropped out of the governor’s race on Friday. Newsom became the first to announce his candidacy for governor earlier this year, using Twitter to break the news. His withdrawal leaves Democrats with Attorney General Jerry Brown as their likely nominee while three Republicans vie for their party’s nomination in June. Insiders say that while Newsom is unlikely to run for another statewide office - a bid for lieutenant governor had been rumored for months - he shouldn’t be considered a lame duck at City Hall.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11087/

Heated Battle in Maine’s Same-Sex Marriage Vote
Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer \ San Francisco Chronicle
The next bellwether battle over same-sex marriage will be settled in Maine Tuesday by an expected 500,000 voters, about as many as cast ballots last year in Sacramento County when the nation’s most-populous state, California, repealed same-sex marriage.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11085/

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