GLBT DIGEST - November 21, 2009

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

Bears to End Movie Theater Chain Boycott
By SCOTT JAMES
Did their growl make a difference? The San Francisco Movie Bears announced today that their boycott of the Cinemark (Century theaters) movie theater chain will end early next year. The cinema club of hundreds of large, often-bearded gay men and their admirers has refused to patronize the chain since it was discovered that chief executive Alan Stock gave $9,999 to support Proposition 8, the 2008 California referendum that stripped gay couples of their right to marry.
http://bayarea.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/bears-to-end-movie-theater-chain-boycott/?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse/

The Debate Over ‘Precious’
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” the new film about an obese, poor, illiterate, young black woman who is sexually and emotionally abused, has sparked a heartfelt and at times heated debate about its meaning in the two weeks since its limited release.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/the-debate-over-precious/?scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse/

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

From the panel
www.washingtonpost.com/onfaith
Below is an excerpt from "On Faith," an Internet feature sponsored by The Washington Post and Newsweek. Each week, more than 50 figures from the world of faith engage in a conversation about an aspect of religion. This week's question: U.S. Catholic bishops are defending their direct involvement in congressional deliberations over health-care reform, saying that church leaders have a duty to raise moral concerns on any issue, including abortion rights and health care for the poor. Do you agree? What role should religious leaders have -- or not have -- in government policymaking?
Should groups have policymaking role?
Of course the Catholic bishops have both a right and a duty to raise moral concerns on any issue in their sphere. They have a right because they are citizens. They have a duty because they are stewards of a great moral tradition in our country. We should always be grateful that morality matters, even though it is not usually comfortable when it is raised, because without moral constraints, the freedoms we enjoy would more quickly degenerate into social chaos. It is to our mutual discredit that we're now on that downward path, as we ask ourselves more often "What is my right?" instead of "What is my responsibility?"
-- Jim Daly, president and CEO, Focus on the Family
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112004035.html/

The D.C. debate continues
The Post's anti-Catholic bias continues unabated ["Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum," front page, Nov. 12]. To call the Archdiocese of Washington's announcement that it may have to discontinue certain social programs if the gay-marriage law is passed an "ultimatum" was both charged and inaccurate. The archdiocese has a long partnership with the District but was fairly alerting officials that it will not sacrifice its religious beliefs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112003629.html/

Under God
The best from this week's blog
Three former military chaplains announced support for a repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112004037.html/

A new gay Agenda? Former Blade staffers, in fact, have one
By Dan Zak
A prominent D.C. reverend who campaigns against same-sex marriage sent an e-mail to a former reporter for the Washington Blade, the gay weekly that abruptly closed after its bankrupt owner ceased operations Monday. It was one sentence long, and it was terse: The shutdown of the Blade is a sign from God.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112003953.html/

Terry Lynch
Executive director, Downtown Cluster of Congregations
As a longtime student of D.C. politics, I have been wrong before, but it is difficult to envision Mayor Fenty being reelected. The depths of the opprobrium he has engendered for supporting Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's firing of 266 D.C. teachers and other school personnel will undoubtedly hurt him. Then there are the charges of cronyism in contracting that have cost him much of the straight-shooter luster that attracted progressives. And there is gay marriage, which has split the black community and alienated many Catholics. They may take out their anger on Election Day. In the past, Marion Barry was able to overcome much because he maintained a political base that shielded him and reelected him repeatedly. But Fenty is more like Sharon Pratt Kelly or Anthony Williams in that he has something of a base among the people -- but it cannot be said to be as strong or as loyal as Barry's. Finally, the District is a city with one of the highest African American poverty rates in the nation. Amid proposals to spend $1.5 billion to reinvent a streetcar system in the city, I have heard few initiatives coming from the mayor's office that match the depths of this problem stewing in the middle of one of the greatest cities in the world. The politics of previous presidents and Congresses has papered over this issue, but any African American mayor with a conscience should address it in a big way.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112003457.html/

Sun, sand and slim pickings for the palate
The Palm Springs mystery: Where's the good grub?
By Tom Sietsema
Starting with the weather -- 354 days of sunshine -- Palm Springs has much to recommend it. If you like to swing a golf club, or if mid-century modern design is an interest, this desert city of just over 42,000 people merits a spot on your travel to-do list.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112002235.html/

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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
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Military must act on warning signs
THE ISSUE: Pentagon plans inquiry after Fort Hood.
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board
Let's hope the latest Pentagon plan for an inquiry doesn't end up like a lot of other bureaucratic plans, in a file somewhere. Because lives and national security are at stake here. The Pentagon, in the wake of the Fort Hood tragedy, is talking about opening an inquiry into how the military keeps watch on volatile soldiers who might be hidden in the ranks. This is something that certainly should have been done before now.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorials/fl-editorial-fort-hood-20091120,0,7633263.story/

Florida's unemployment reached 11.2% in October
Rate of job loss slows
By Marcia Heroux Pounds
The rate of job loss in Florida is slowing, but there aren't enough new jobs to indicate a recovery. The state's unemployment rate in October reached 11.2 percent, the highest level since June 1975.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-oct-jobless-20091120,0,5088759.story/

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

Jackson Memorial Hospital nurses personally apologize to lesbian whose partner died there
BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com
Several Jackson Memorial Hospital nurses personally apologized to Janice Langbehn, a Washington state lesbian who said a Jackson social worker wouldn't allow her to be with her dying partner in 2007.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/11/gay-nurses-at-jackson-memorial-hospital-personally-apologize-to-lesbian-whose-partner-died-there.html/

Florida Competitive Workforce bill filed to add anti-discrimination protections statewide
News release from Equality Florida: Equality Florida applauds the filing of the Competitive Workforce bill in the Florida House of Representative. House bill 391, filed by Rep. Kelly Skidmore, would add sexual orientation and gender identity to Florida’s civil rights statues.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/11/florida-competitive-workforce-bill-filed-to-add-anti-discrimination-protections-statewide.html/

Staff hand-delivers first issue of DC Agenda
Here’s a news release issued today about DC Agenda:
WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Blade, formerly the nation’s oldest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper, died on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 9:30 AM. The 40-year-old paper ceased operation under the weight of its parent company’s financial problems. Window Media’s financial condition and the exact reasons for closing the Washington Blade remain unclear. No statement has been issued by the former executives from Atlanta, Miami or New York regarding how the decision to abruptly shut down the publication was made.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/11/staff-hand-delivers-first-issue-of-dc-agenda.html/

Out-of-work Washington Blade staffers unite and start gay paper of their own, DC Agenda
Mark’s List to launch magazine, newspaper after South Florida Blade publisher shuts down
When publisher Window Media/Unite Media suddenly shut down this week, it also meant the end of longtime gay newspapers and magazines in South Florida, Atlanta, Houston and Washington, D.C.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/11/out-of-work-washington-blade-staffers-unite-and-start-paper-of-their-own-dc-agenda.html/

Conferences offering opposite views on homosexuality to converge in West Palm Beach
BY JANE MUSGRAVE, Palm Beach Post
One group believes that homosexuals can be cured and runs programs aimed at putting gay men and lesbians on a straight path. The other group believes such programs have tortured thousands of men and women, making it impossible for them to accept their natural sexual orientation and live happy lives.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/11/conferences-offering-opposite-views-on-homosexuality-to-converge-in-west-palm-beach.html/

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

Pope and Anglican leader agree on closer relations
The Associated Press
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican says the pope and the archbishop of Canterbury have agreed to press for closer relations between Catholics and Anglicans despite the jolt from the Vatican's unprecedented invitation to disaffected Anglicans. The meeting Saturday between Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Rowan Williams was their first since the Vatican announced it was making it easier for Anglicans upset over the ordination of women and gay bishops to become Catholic.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1345141.html/

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

Judy Shepard on Mercado Murder
By Advocate.com Editors
The following statement was issued by Judy Shepard, the president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation on the murder of 19-year-old Jorge Steven López Mercado. Her son Matthew was murdered in 1998 after being targeted because he was gay. The federal hate-crimes law, which was expanded earlier this year to cover LGBT crime victims, was named after him. Dennis and I, and the entire board and staff of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, stand with all who are grieving the loss of Jorge Steven López Mercado in one of the most shockingly brutal hate crimes in Puerto Rico’s history.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/20/Judy_Shepard_on_Mercado_Murder/

Boy George to Be Locked Up on Big Brother
By Advocate.com Editors
Pop star Boy George, recently released from jail for imprisoning a rent boy in his London apartment, is to be locked up again, but this time in the Celebrity Big Brother house, reports Daily Star. The former Culture Club singer, 48, will join other celebrities in the next season of the popular British reality series and says he is the happiest he has ever been and that his stint in jail made him change for the better. “I had prison coming to me. It wasn’t that big a surprise, I kind of knew it was going to happen,” he reveals. “I just thought I’m going to make this work for me. I got a job quite quickly and worked in the kitchen,” he adds.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/20/Boy_George_to_be_Locked_Up_on_Big_Brother/

Teen Spirit
While Native American cultures have long honored people of integrated genders, a new documentary looks at a shocking hate crime against a two-gendered Colorado teenager.
By Lesley Goldberg
The new documentary Two Spirits depicts the true story of Fred Martinez, a 16-year-old Colorado teenager slain for being a “two-spirit” -- a masculine spirit and a feminine spirit living in the same body. Director Lydia Nibley pauses ahead of the film’s November 21 world premiere at the Starz Denver Film Festival to discuss Martinez’s story and the nature of gender within Native American culture.
http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Film/Teen_Spirit/

Ellen Lauds Oprah
Ellen DeGeneres credited Oprah Winfrey with inspiring her career.
By Julie Bolcer
Daytime TV talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, viewed by many as the natural successor to Oprah Winfrey, lauded the queen of daytime TV upon her announcement Thursday that she would end her show in 2011.
http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Entertainment_News/Ellen_Lauds_Oprah/

DADT Hearings Held Until 2010
By Michelle Garcia
Congressional hearings on repealing the military's ban on openly gay service members have been postponed until 2010.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/20/DADT_Hearings_Held_Until_2010/

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

Weekend vigils around US to honor slain gay teens
By Jennifer Vanasco, editor in chief, 365gay.com
Vigils will be held on Sunday across the country to honor the lives of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado of Puerto Rico and Jason “Jaysen” Mattison Jr. Both teens were brutally slain in separate instances last week.
http://www.365gay.com/news/weekend-vigils-around-us-to-honor-slain-gay-teens/

Struggling Anglican leader in Rome for papal talks
By The Associated Press
(Rome) The Archbishop of Canterbury sought Thursday to downplay the implications of the Vatican’s unprecedented invitation for Anglicans to join the Catholic Church as he arrived in Rome for his first talks with the pope on the new policy.
http://www.365gay.com/news/struggling-anglican-leader-in-rome-for-papal-talks/

Banned director brings gay romance film to Hong Kong
By The Associated Press
(Hong Kong) A prominent mainland Chinese director banned by Beijing from making movies brought his new gay romance film to Hong Kong on Friday for what is likely the last of a handful of screenings on his home soil.
http://www.365gay.com/news/banned-director-brings-gay-romance-film-to-hong-kong/

Lesbian US war deserter wins stay of deportation
By The Associated Press
(Toronto) Canada’s Federal Court says the country’s refugee board must reconsider the case of a lesbian who deserted the U.S. Army and fled to Canada.
http://www.365gay.com/news/lesbian-us-war-deserter-wins-stay-of-deportation/

Christian leaders issue ‘call of conscience’
By The Associated Press
More than 150 Christian leaders, most of them conservative evangelicals and traditionalist Roman Catholics, issued a joint declaration Friday reaffirming their opposition to abortion and gay marriage and pledging to protect religious freedoms.
http://www.365gay.com/news/christian-leaders-issue-call-of-conscience/

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

Suspect in Puerto Rico teen's murder 'may use gay panic defence'
The man arrested in connection with the murder of gay Puerto Rico teenage Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado will reportedly use the 'gay panic' defence.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/20/suspect-in-puerto-rico-teens-murder-may-use-gay-panic-defence/

Gordon Brown and equalities minister Maria Eagle mark Transgender Day of Remembrance
Prime minister Gordon Brown has made a statement describing violence and harassment against trans people as "utterly unacceptable". He also thanked trans campaigners for their work.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/20/gordon-brown-and-equalities-minister-maria-eagle-mark-transgender-day-of-remembrance/

Gay Glasgow council leader Steven Purcell is Councillor of the Year
Steven Purcell, the leader of Glasgow city council, has been named the Herald's Councillor of the Year. Purcell, who is gay, was ranked at number 16 this year on PinkNews.co.uk's 50 most powerful gay, lesbian and bisexual people in British politics.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/20/gay-glasgow-council-leader-steven-purcell-is-councillor-of-the-year/

UNISON calls for better reporting on homophobic hate crime
Workers' union UNISON is holding its annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) conference today and tomorrow. The organisation is calling for more encouragement for LGBT victims of hate crime to report offences to police.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/20/unison-calls-for-better-reporting-on-homophobic-hate-crime/

Family appeals to gay community to find missing son
The father of a 14-year-old boy who went missing two years ago has appealed to the gay community to help find him. Andrew Gosden has not been seen since September 14th, 2007.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/20/family-appeals-to-gay-community-to-find-missing-son/

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

Berkowitz: ‘2012′–Religious Right Leader Excoriates His Own for Aiding and Abetting ‘End of Times’ Hype and Hysteria
Bill Berkowitz \ BuzzFlash
Move over Nostradamus, “Rapture” kings and queens, “End Times” prophets, and Y2K hucksters. Here comes the real “end of days” brought to you by the Mayan calendar: Not! In its first weekend, the film “2012″ was a box office sensation; it took in $225 million — $65 million domestically and $160 million internationally. “2012″ is an special effects spectacular, combining the star power of its cast with the kind of doomsday scenario — derived from the end of the Mayan Calendar –- that apparently is being lapped up by movie audiences everywhere. Talk about going global!
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11669/

US Christian Right Activists Pushing Death Penalty for Homosexuals in Poor African State
Christi van der Westhuizen, IPS News \ AlterNet
CAPE TOWN, Nov 11 (IPS) - The Anti-Homosexuality Bill under consideration in Uganda was sparked by a conference in Kampala earlier this year at which fundamentalist Christians from the U.S. identified homosexuality as a threat to “family values”.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11667/

Time to Stop the Lies
Jeff Krehely | American Progress
Same-sex couples in Washington, D.C. could soon have the same full marriage rights and responsibilities that their straight counterparts currently enjoy. The Washington, D.C. city council is considering a bill that would expand its marriage law to be inclusive of same-sex couples. This bill also calls for all sections of the district’s code related to marriage and family benefits to be updated with gender-neutral language. This change would ensure that married same-sex couples receive the same treatment under the district’s laws as opposite-sex married couples.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11666/

WA: Why Do We Hate? Academics Seek Answer in New Field
Associated Press \ 365Gay.com
(Spokane, Washington) Why did the Nazis hate the Jews? Why did the Hutus hate the Tutsis? Hate is everywhere, but the fundamental question of why one person can hate another has never been adequately studied, contends Jim Mohr of Gonzaga University, who is developing a new academic field of hate studies.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11665/

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