GLBT DIGEST - November 28, 2009

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

Evangelical, and Young, and Active in New Area
By SAMUEL G. FREEDMAN
WHEATON, Ill.: On the first day of her college internship in the late summer of 2007, Jenna Liao waited amid the baggage carousels of O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Just 21 and newly assigned to an agency that helps refugees, she had been told only to expect a family of 10 from Myanmar. She and a caseworker were to drive them here to the first temporary home of their new lives.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/us/28religion.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse/

CBS Is Criticized for Blurring of Video
An appearance by the singer Adam Lambert, below, on “The Early Show,” the CBS morning program, on Wednesday has led to further complaints from those who say Mr. Lambert has been subjected to a double standard. At issue is a video package that was used to introduce the interview with Mr. Lambert, the “American Idol” finalist who gave a sexually charged performance at the American Music Awards on Sunday. When CBS rebroadcast a clip from that show, it blurred a scene of Mr. Lambert kissing his male keyboardist. But it did not blur a scene of Madonna and Britney Spears kissing at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. In a statement, Jarrett Barrios, the president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said, “I would have hoped CBS would provide the same treatment for images of gay and lesbian people and not create an unfair double standard that treats our community differently.” A representative for CBS told the entertainment program “Extra” that the image of Madonna kissing Ms. Spears “is very familiar and has appeared countless times including many times on morning television.” He added, “The Adam Lambert image is a subject of great current controversy, has not been nearly as widely disseminated, and for all we know, may still lead to legal consequences.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/arts/television/28arts-CBSISCRITICI_BRF.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse/

Some Gays Seek Renewed Focus on Civil Unions
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Leland Traiman, who runs a sperm bank in California, worries about his lesbian clients in more conservative parts of the country when he hears fellow gay rights activists talk about winning the right to wed.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/28/us/AP-US-Gay-Marriage-What-Now.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:

DEAR AMY: I was recently involved in a community volunteer event that lasted a couple of months.
During that time, I became friends with a guy a few years younger than me.
We spent a lot of time together and became very close. There's nothing romantic about it at all -- he's gay and in a serious relationship, and I'm happily married with three kids. We've continued to get together for lunch, etc. My husband also likes him, and we're hoping to spend more time together as couples. My husband is concerned, though, about my being seen in public with another guy. He's afraid that when people see us together they'll get the wrong idea. He thinks I should be proactive about explaining the situation to our friends. Although my friend's sexuality is not a secret, I don't feel that it's my place to "out" him to people he doesn't even know. I think that if someone who knows me asks, I can explain, but otherwise I'm not concerned with what people think. Is there a correct way to handle this situation? -- Just Friends
DEAR JUST: I've run this past my crack team of dialogue writers, and they came up with the following: "This is my gay friend, 'Gay Will.' Will and I are shopping for window treatments with my husband's knowledge and, because Will is gay, there's obviously nothing romantic going on; isn't that right, Will? Will, tell my friends how very gay you are!" Obviously, there is no need to go around proactively notifying people of someone else's sexuality. And I think it's possible your husband is not giving people enough credit. After all, "Will & Grace," the groundbreaking television show about a straight woman and her gay friends has been in reruns for more than 10 years.
Surely you can just introduce your new friend to your current friends and let the questions and answers fall where they may.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/19/AR2009111902186.html/

Racial pawns in the battle for same-sex marriage
By Taylor Harris
Their refrain was as familiar to me as dining hall food, and equally as offensive. All too often, white liberal classmates at the University of Virginia would ask, "Shouldn't blacks, more than any other group, support gay rights?"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/27/AR2009112702371.html/

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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/
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Few Roadblocks Remain to Gay Marriage in D.C.
National Opposition Is Focused Elsewhere, and Congress Appears Unlikely to Overturn Council's Expected Vote
By NOMAAN MERCHANT
The District of Columbia Council is expected to vote next week to legalize same-sex marriage in the nation's capital. While Congress could use its power to overturn the law, local and national factors appeared to be aligned against any effort to do so.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125935985712267119.html/

Atlanta Mayoral Hopefuls in Dead Heat
By COREY DADE
As Atlanta's mayoral race entered its final weekend before a Dec. 1 runoff election, an African-American former state senator and a feisty city councilwoman who could become the city's first white mayor in nearly 40 years appeared to be running neck and neck.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125936968783467329.html/

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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
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Marriage setbacks have some gay activists seeking renewed focus on civil unions
By Lisa Leff
Leland Traiman, who runs a sperm bank in California, worries about his lesbian clients in more conservative parts of the country when he hears fellow gay rights activists talk about winning the right to wed.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-gay-marriage-what-now,0,4057985.story/

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

25 years of White Party: a video history
To mark the 25th anniversary of White Party, I interviewed co-founder Jorge Suarez and event historian Bill Mathisen, who co-chaired the party a half-dozen times. Videographer Andrew Richardson recorded and edited the interview. (Photos included in the video courtesy of Suarez and Care Resource.)
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/11/25-years-of-white-party-a-video-history.html/

White Party Week: Singing star Kristine W knows the power of music
Audio | Kristine W: 'Be Alright (Hex Hector Master Radio),' from the album 'Be Alright'
Audio | Kristine W: 'Mr. Christmas,' from the album 'Hey, Mr. Christmas'
White Party Week official website
BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com
Singing star Kristine W strongly believes in The Power of Music. It's the name of her latest album, but also represents much more.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/11/white-party-weekend-singing-star-kristine-w-knows-the-power-of-music.html/

White Party Weekend arrives in South Beach
The 25th annual White Party at Vizcaya is Saturday night, but a full holiday weekend of events is in full swing. Here are pictures I took Friday at the National Hotel in South Beach, the official hotel and reception center of White Party Weekend; along Collins Avenue outside the hotel; and at Macy’s off Lincoln Road, where the store has set up a large White Party-theme display.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/11/white-party-weekend-arrives-in-south-beach.html/

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

Excerpt: And Party Every Day
And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records by Larry Harris takes readers on a freewheeling journey behind the scenes of the record company that defined the 1970s music scene, rising faster — and crashing more spectacularly — than any label in history.
By Advocate.com Contributors
Casablanca Record & FilmWorks Headquarters
8255 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
Casablanca president Neil Bogart was talking to me about a new project he wanted us to get into. We would be getting the official pitch in a few minutes, and he was pacing around my office giving me the details on the band and prepping me for the meetings that would ensue. He mentioned the players, but all that stuck in my head was the list of characters he described: guys dressed in leather, a construction worker, a cop, and some cowboys and Indians. “Great,” I thought, “I’m now a casting director meeting with an overcaffeinated Hollywood producer.”
http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Books/And_Party_Every_Day/

Maple Leafs GM Proud of Gay Son
By Michelle Garcia
ESPN.com writer John Buccigross tells the coming-out story of a college student whose father, Brian Burke, is the general manager of the NHL's, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/25/Maple_Leafs_GM_Proud_of_Gay_Son/

Fundamentalists Tied to Uganda's Antigay Law
By Advocate.com Editors
An antigay conservative group with high-powered U.S. political allies has used its influence to support a proposed Ugandan law that would impose the death penalty on "repeat offenders" engaging in gay sex.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/25/Fundamentalists_Tied_to_Ugandas_Antigay_Law/

Marriages in Mexico City?
By Michelle Garcia
A lawmaker has proposed changing Mexico City's laws to extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/25/Marriages_in_Mexico_City/

Kelsey Grammer Stars in La Cage aux Folles
By Advocate.com Editors
Actor Kelsey Grammer will star in the Broadway revival of Jerry Herman’s drag musical La Cage aux Folles, reports the New York Post. The Emmy award-winning star of long-running sitcoms Cheers and Frasier will portray Georges, a nightclub proprietor, opposite British actor Douglas Hodge as Albin, his high-strung drag-performing lover. The musical, noted for introducing the gay anthem “I Am What I Am,” is expected to open in April.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/25/Kelsey_Grammer_Stars_in_La_Cage_aux_Folles/

Lesbian Granted Custody Over "Ex-Gay" Ex
By Michelle Garcia
A family court judge in Rutland, Vt., granted custody to the non-biological mother of a 7-year-old girl as the result of a child visitation lawsuit between a former lesbian couple. Janet Jenkins and her former partner Lisa Miller split after Miller renounced homosexuality in 2003. After court battles in Virginia and Vermont, Judge William Cohen issued a 21-page decision on Friday, granting custody of 7-year-old Isabella Miller to Jenkins.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/25/Lesbian_Granted_Custody_Over_Ex-Gay_Ex/

Huckabee: Gay Marriage Leads to Polygamy
By Michelle Garcia
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee says he's not necessarily against gay marriage, but he's really a supporter of traditional marriage.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/11/25/Huckabee_Gay_Marriage_Opens_Gates_to_Polygamy/

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

9 Good Gifts: Editor’s picks from 365gay
By Jennifer Vanasco, editor in chief, 365gay.com
Your friends are politically aware. Sophisticated. Well-traveled. Creative. And they recycle. So what can you get them that they don’t have themselves? 365gay hunted for good gifts – gifts that say you put a lot of thought into the kind of people your friends are. Gifts that say you admire their intelligence, their elegance, their wit. Gifts that say, “I looked into your soul. And your soul told me that you wanted a rare, designer set of cuff-links crafted by gay monks out of pieces of disco ball recycled from Studio 54.”
http://www.365gay.com/news/9-good-gifts-editors-picks-from-365gay/

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

Straight civil partnership couple's MP to raise issue in parliament
The local MP of a straight couple who are fighting to get a civil partnership has said she is supporting them and will raise the issue in parliament. Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, both 25 and of Holloway, London, were turned away from Islington's registry office on Tuesday.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/26/straight-civil-partnership-couples-mp-to-raise-issue-in-parliament/

Australian government backs down on civil union ceremonies
The Australian federal government has opted not to quash laws allowing legally-binding civil union ceremonies for gay couples in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/26/australian-government-backs-down-on-civil-union-ceremonies/

Advertiser promotion: New sperm and egg donor website launches
A brand new worldwide donor connection website has launched. Pride Angel is the first website of its kind to aim towards the gay and lesbian community and was founded by a lesbian couple who have first-hand experience of known donor conception.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/26/advertiser-promotion-new-sperm-and-egg-donor-website-launches/

United Reform Church first to speak out on Uganda's anti-gay bill
The United Reform Church has become the first major Christian denomination in the UK to criticise Uganda's proposed anti-homosexuality bill. The church said it was "appalled" at the legislation.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/26/united-reform-church-first-to-speak-out-on-ugandas-anti-gay-bill/

Manchester event to honour gay mathematician Alan Turing
Manchester city council is holding an event to honour Alan Turing, the gay mathematician who is hailed as one of the founders of computer science.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/26/manchester-event-to-honour-gay-mathematician-alan-turing/

Westminster police promise LGBT liaison officers will not be reduced
Westminster police held a meeting today to reassure local businesses that homophobic hate crime is being tackled in the borough and that numbers of LGBT liaison officers will not be watered down.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/26/westminster-police-promise-lgbt-liaison-officers-will-not-be-reduced/

LGBT History Month launches in London and Salford
LGBT History Month will celebrate its fifth anniversary in February and will be holding a special launch in the north-west at the University of Salford next month.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/26/lgbt-history-month-launches-in-london-and-salford/

Charges dropped for man who 'shouted homophobic abuse' at gay council leader
A man who was accused of shouting homophobic abuse at gay Glasgow city council leader Stephen Purcell has had the charges dropped.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/27/charges-dropped-for-man-who-shouted-homophobic-abuse-at-gay-council-leader/

California town's mayor calls gays 'sinful'
Gay rights activists are calling for the mayor of Vallejo, California, to be censured after he called gay people "sinful". Mayor Osby Davis has since apologised for the remarks and said they were taken out of context.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/27/california-towns-mayor-calls-gays-sinful/

Thailand to limit gender reassignment surgery
Thailand's government has passed stricter rules for patients seeking gender reassignment surgery. Patients will now be required to live and dress as the opposite gender for a year before surgery and must be over 18. Men aged between 18 and 20 must also gain parental consent.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/27/thailand-to-limit-gender-reassignment-surgery/

Australian gay marriage 'could lead to incest and polygamy', religious figures say
Marriage equality rights in Australia could lead to legal recognition of incest and polygamy, critics have said.
A Senate inquiry yesterday recommended that gay marriahe should not be legalised, although the government has allowed civil union ceremonies to remain in the ACT.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/27/australian-gay-marriage-could-lead-to-incest-and-polygamy-religious-figures-say/

Israeli ambassador first to be accompanied by gay spouse
A Liverpool-born man has become the first gay spouse of an Israeli ambassador. Yitzhak Yanouka, known as Izzy, will soon be moving to Angola to become the next Israeli ambassador in Luanda and will be taking his partner Mikie Goldstein, 44, with him.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/27/israeli-ambassador-first-to-be-accompanied-by-gay-spouse/

HIV diagnoses for gay and bisexual men levelling off
Figures released today show that the number of gay and bisexual men being diagnosed with HIV in the UK has fallen slightly in the last year. HIV charities say this does not mean fewer men are coming forward for testing.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/27/hiv-diagnoses-for-gay-and-bisexual-men-levelling-off/

Gordon Brown raises anti-gay laws with Ugandan president
The prime minister has raised Uganda's controversial proposed laws on homosexuality with the country's president at the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in Trinidad. Gordon Brown told Yoweri Museveni that he was opposed to laws that could result in the execution of gays.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/28/gordon-brown-raises-anti-gay-laws-with-ugandan-president/

EXCLUSIVE: London mayor Boris Johnson 'determined' to tackle homophobic hate crime
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has said he is determined to tackle the problem of homophobic hate crime in the city. In an exclusive interview with PinkNews.co.uk, Johnson said that there was a "nasty undercurrent" of hate crimes against gay people and detailed police plans to help stamp it out.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/11/27/exclusive-london-mayor-boris-johnson-determined-to-tackle-homophobic-hate-crime/

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

Will ‘the Road’ Be a Tool for Evangelism?
Bill Berkowitz \ Talk 2 Action
A. Larry Ross, a Christian-oriented PR man extraordinaire, has taken `The Road’ to religious audiences in search of buzz and box office
Two movies with doomsday scenarios highlight this year’s pre-holiday Cineplex fare. ”2012,” a special effects spectacular starring John Cusack, is based on the Mayan calendar, whose end date — not the end of the world most scholars agree — is December 21, 2012.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11840/

Adam Lambert’s Hypocrisy
Jennifer Vanasco \ Independent Gay Forum
Yes, Adam Lambert. You’re right.
Hiphop artists and women get away with salacious performances all the time without an uproar. Of course, there was that famous Madonna-and-Britney kiss that caused a stir, but that was likely because the artists were — well, Madonna and Britney.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11837/

Audio: 2010 Census Will Count Same-Sex Couples
NPR
Next year, for the first time, the United States census will count same-sex couples who identify themselves as spouses. Previously these people were identified as unmarried partners. Guest host Jennifer Ludden discusses the effort and its implications for the gay rights movement with demographer Gary Gates; he’s a senior research fellow at the UCLA School of Law, and a member of “Our Families Count,” a census advocacy campaign for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11834/

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