Saturday, September 05, 2009

GLBT DIGEST September 05, 2009

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

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

Italy: Premier Scolds Press
By RACHEL DONADIO
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi criticized the press on Friday for its coverage of the resignation of a newspaper editor after he was attacked by a newspaper owned by Mr. Berlusconi’s brother. “Poor Italy, if this is the way that news circulates,” the prime minister said. He added that that day’s papers carried “the opposite of reality.” Dino Boffo, editor of the Catholic newspaper Avvenire, stepped down on Thursday after the Berlusconi-owned Giornale said that he was gay and that he had been accused of making harassing phone calls. The attacks on Mr. Boffo came after he wrote an article critical of Mr. Berlusconi’s personal behavior.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/world/europe/05briefs-italybrf.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse

With Sharp Satire, Enfant Terrible Challenges Czech Identity
By DAN BILEFSKY
PRAGUE
DAVID CERNY sends a rude text message to two bronze sculptures of naked, urinating men, which proceed to swivel their hips and move their protruding penises to trace his four-letter words into a pond shaped like a map of the Czech Republic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/world/europe/05cerny.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse

Bill Saluting Harvey Milk Brings California Fight
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
In a demonstration of the complex layer cake that is the body politic of California, one of the most contentious pieces of legislation before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would set aside a day of recognition for Harvey Milk, the openly gay San Francisco politician assassinated in 1978.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/05/us/05milk.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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JARRETT T. BARRIOS
President of Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and former Massachusetts state senator
Ted Kennedy's last big campaign -- against Mitt Romney in 1994 -- used the slogan "His voice is always heard." I'd add this: He heard every voice. Candidate X won't fill Teddy's shoes, but if he or she deserves to win it'll be because he or she has that remarkable decency that so defined Kennedy to the world, and that made it possible for him to hear all of us.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/04/AR2009090403460.html

'Sanity & a Smile' and an Outpouring of Rage
By Andrew Alexander
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Post recently featured a story by reporter Monica Hesse that ran on the front of the Style section while she was on vacation. The day before returning, she logged on to check e-mails -- and wept. She was buried by an avalanche of messages angrily attacking her lengthy Aug. 28 profile of Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the group leading the fight against legalization of same-sex marriage.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/04/AR2009090402967.html

Counselors Get at the Heart of Issues for Same-Sex Couples
By Ellen McCarthy
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 6, 2009
It was a strange summer of heartbreak for Salvatore Garanzini and his partner, Alapaki Yee. They were happy together, but three of the same-sex couples they were closest to underwent painful breakups in quick succession.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/03/AR2009090304270.html

CAROLYN HAX
By Carolyn Hax
While I'm away, readers give the advice. On what (not) to do if you think your child is gay: I studied musical theater in college and the majority of my friends were gay, but I am about as straight as you can get. Always thought this was rather obvious since I dated a lot of different girls, but one day my mother approached me and said, "Are you gay? And if you are, I am totally fine with that and I support you."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/03/AR2009090304269.html

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Friday, September 04, 2009

GLBT DIGEST September 04, 2009

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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Reality Makes Gay Marriage Debate Obsolete
By Petula Dvorak
The argument over whether same-sex couples should marry in the District is about a decade past its expiration date. The reality of people's lives long ago outstripped the usefulness of the gay marriage debate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/03/AR2009090303585.html

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

S.C. State Sen. Knotts accuses Sanford of smear campaign
By Roddie Burris
The State (Columbia, S.C.)
State Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, on Thursday called on the General Assembly to remove Gov. Mark Sanford from office after Knotts accused his fellow Republican of launching a smear campaign against Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and gays.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1217519.html

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

Paterson Re-ups N.Y. Marriage Pledge
By Kerry Eleveld
New York governor David Paterson recommitted himself to including same-sex marriage on the agenda if he has to call a special session this fall in order to shore up the state's budget woes.
http://www.advocate.com/Politics/Marriage_Equality/Paterson_Re-Ups_NY_Marriage_Pledge/

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

Namibia city hosts first gay rights march
By Jennifer Vanasco
About 40 people are expected to march in Keetmanshoop’s first-ever march for gay and lesbian rights on Saturday.
http://www.365gay.com/news/namibia-city-hosts-first-gay-rights-march/

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

Gay US Navy sailor 'brutalised for two years for refusing to sleep with prostitute'
By Jessica Geen
A gay US navy sailor who refused to sleep with a female prostitute suffered two years of harassment and bullying, according to official Navy documents.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13922.html

Trans killer wins right to move to female prison
A trans woman who was jailed for the manslaughter of her boyfriend and the attempted rape of a female shop assistant has won the right to be placed in a women's prison.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13926.html

Homophobic posters placed around Leicester ahead of Pride
A number of offensive posters have been put up around Leicester ahead of the city's Pride festival tomorrow. Bearing messages such as 'Capital punishment for gays' and 'God abhors gays', the posters were placed on an LGBT centre and on a former parade route.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13924.html

Woman attacked in homophobic assault
A young woman was kicked and punched by two teenage girls after defending her gay brother from their homophobic abuse.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13925.html

Video: Irish gay marriage ad becomes a surprise internet hit
A ad from Irish gay marriage group MarriagEquality has become a worldwide hit on the internet. The video, titled Sinead's Hand, sees a smartly-dressed young man traipsing through streets and the Irish countryside asking everyone he meets for 'Sinead's' hand in marriage.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13923.html

Man jailed for hammer attack on gay partner
A man who attacked his partner with a hammer and broke his leg in three places has been jailed for at least six years.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13921.html

Rome's gay quarter hit by homophobic attacks
The gay area of Rome has suffered a number of homophobic attacks in recent weeks, with the latest incident leaving one man injured.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13913.html

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

Rachel Maddow’s Devastating Showdown with Tom Ridge: Comeuppance for Failures on Katrina, Terror Threats and Iraq
Rachel Maddow, The Rachel Maddow Show | AlterNet
[T]he man at the center of this biggest transformation of the federal government in modern history, the biggest change in what we pay federal tax dollars for since we got a unified Defense Department in 1947, is our next guest. His name is Tom Ridge. He has a new book out called, The Test of Our Times. It’s a very human book. It reads as sort of one man’s adventures in nationally consequential politics. The buzz about the book, thus far, has focused on one passage that’s buried way down to start on Page 236.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9647/

How Do We Pass Rational Sex-Offender Laws with Psychos Like Phillip Garrido on the Loose
Liliana Segura, AlterNet
“Philip Garrido isn’t a man, he isn’t an animal; he is a monster from the deep recesses who preys on innocence and those he can overpower. He is a degenerate who should have stayed locked up in prison. He should have but he was allowed to go free.”
– Kristen Houghton, “Jaycee Lee Dugard’s monster from the depths of hell,” from the Examiner.com
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9646/

WA: Poll: Support Grows for Same-Sex Partnerships
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Strange Bedfellows blog
Poll: Support grows for same-sex partnerships
By Joe Connelly
A new analysis by University of Washington researchers indicates that Evergreen State voters may be ready to approve “everything but marriage” domestic partnerships, assuming Referendum 71 goes to a vote in November.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9644/

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Thursday, September 03, 2009

GLBT DIGEST September 03, 2009

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

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

Editor of Italy Bishops' Daily Quits Over Scandal
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROME (AP) -- The editor of a prominent Catholic newspaper that demanded Premier Silvio Berlusconi answer questions about a sex scandal resigned Thursday after being caught up in scandal himself.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/09/03/world/AP-EU-Italy-Scandal.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=gay&st=cse

Voters in Maine Will Decide Fate of Same-Sex Marriage Law
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Election officials announced Wednesday that opponents of the state’s same-sex marriage law had gathered more than enough voters’ signatures to put the issue to a vote in November, setting the stage for a furious, two-month campaign that will determine whether the number of states allowing the nuptials shrinks to five.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/us/03maine.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse

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

Mr. McDonnell's Thesis
Robert F. McDonnell is mistaken if he believes that Virginia voters are not interested in the positions he wrote about in 1989. Social issues, including abortion and gay rights, are what he has campaigned on for the past 16 years. If it is true, as he said, that "my views on many issues have changed as I have gotten older," voters deserve to know that. To do less is insulting to both his conservative base, which will no doubt be surprised to find out these issues no longer matter, and to the independents he is courting in the apparent hope that they will simply not find out about his positions.
BARBARA PACIEJEWSKI
Woodbridge
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090203475.html

McDonnell Says Thesis Is Old News. Is It?
By Robert McCartney
Robert F. McDonnell, Republican candidate for Virginia governor, wanted to talk about jobs, transportation, education -- anything except The Thesis. To his chagrin, his 1989 right-wing cultural credo was the subject of two of the five questions at a Rotary Club breakfast Wednesday in a Baptist church basement in Fredericksburg.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090203668.html

Bowing to Donors Over DOMA?
The Post's Aug. 31 editorial on the second brief submitted by the Justice Department in support of the Defense of Marriage Act ["DOMA Do-Over"], removing powerful arguments by the government, overlooked the outrage perpetrated here: A valid legal position of the United States was altered after prominent gay donors threatened to halt contributions to the Democratic Party and its candidates, including President Obama.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090203476.html

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

Small screen embraces the ‘g’ word
By MADELEINE MARR, mmarr@miamiherald.com
Perez Hilton can relax now -- same-sex relationships are out and proud. On primetime TV, we mean. Some of our favorite mainstream characters are embracing their bisexual sides (well, the writers are).
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/09/small-screen-embraces-the-g-word.html

Elton John goes grunge with Alice in Chains tribute
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Associated Press
Alice in Chains thought it would take a miracle to get Elton John to play on the grunge rock band's tribute record to their late lead singer, Layne Staley. But it only took a listen to the song to get the rock legend on board.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/09/elton-john-goes-grunge-with-alice-in-chains-tribute.html

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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
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Broward County Commission passes DADT resolution
Vote urging repeal unanimous
By DAN RENZI
Following in the footsteps of Wilton Manors and Oakland Park, the Broward County Commission unanimously approved a resolution asking both Congress and President Obama to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The vote requires the county to send a copy of the resolution to the area’s local representatives in Congress as well as the President.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/9-3/news/localnews/6234.cfm

To shop or not to shop
HRC rates GLBT-friendly businesses
By STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Every year the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) publishes a guide of companies, products and services that support equality for the GLBT community. This buyers’ guide is provided as a tool to encourage the community to spend money at GLBT-friendly companies.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/9-3/news/localnews/6235.cfm

Big names back National Equality March
Activists gathering in Washington in October
By STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Lawmakers, celebrities and well-known LGBT activists are lining up to support the National Equality March, a weekend gathering set to begin Oct. 10.
Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard, who was murdered in an anti-gay attack in Wyoming in October 1998, is joining lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), bisexual actor Alan Cumming and about 140 others in endorsing the march.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/9-3/news/localnews/6236.cfm

Women In Network presents donations to area charities
By BOB KECSEMETY
Women in Network, WIN, presented three donation checks to charity this week: PACE Center for Girls in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, Gilda’s Club of South Florida and the Alzheimer’s Family Council of Margate. The money came from WIN’s annual Charity Golf Tournament that was held earlier this year. WIN is a social and networking organization for Lesbian women, formed in 1987 to address the health and education of women.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/9-3/news/localnews/6238.cfm

Focus laying off 75 employees
MARK BARNA
Focus on the Family announced a reorganization Wednesday that will eliminate 75 jobs — an 8 percent reduction in a workforce that already has been cut twice since September 2008. The Colorado Springs-based ministry is shutting down the creative division of its advertising department, accounting for 30 of the layoffs. The others are from various departments throughout the ministry, including Love Won Out, a program aimed at homosexuals that Focus is handing over to an organization in Florida.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/today-61251-announce-focus.html

Italian Editor Is Latest Berlusconi Casualty
By RACHEL DONADIO
ROME — In the latest round of an increasingly ferocious, gloves-off row between church and state, the editor of a Catholic newspaper, stepped down on Thursday — just days after a paper tied to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi accused him of being a homosexual and the target of a sexual harassment lawsuit.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/world/europe/04italy.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
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Idol's Jim Verraros to Marry Boyfriend
American Idol's first openly gay contestant, Jim Verraros, announced on his Facebook page that he and his partner, Bill Brennan, are getting married this weekend.
http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Entertainment_News/Idol__39;s_Jim_Verraros_to_Marry_Boyfriend/

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

Gay Iraq vet loses congressional primary
By Jennifer Vanasco
Anthony Woods, who served in Iraq until he was dismissed under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, lost to California’s lieutenant governor John Garamendi in a special primary election to succeed former Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.).
http://www.365gay.com/news/vanasco-gay-iraq-vet-loses-congressional-primary/

Gay military ban stalled?
By Jennifer Vanasco
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ isn’t on anyone’s agenda in the near future, says Politico (hat tip: Towleroad): “Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says the Senate is swamped and has little time on the schedule for this fight. The Pentagon brass is reticent and wants a go-slow strategy, while a majority of the rank and file in the military opposes changing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law. With no Republican co-sponsors for a repeal, key moderate Democrats such as Sens. Jim Webb of Virginia and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas remain uncommitted.
http://www.365gay.com/news/vanasco-gay-military-ban-stalled/

What’s Good about the Phelps Family
By Ali Davis, Contributing writer
I am such a fan of Vermont lately. As you know, gay marriage became legal in Vermont on September 1, and the Phelps Phamily, always classy to a fault, decided to show up and scream about how bad it is to have gay thoughts even though I have never in my life met someone who seems to spend as much time thinking about the mechanics of gay sex as much as the Phelps clan.
http://www.365gay.com/living/davis-whats-good-about-the-phelps-family/

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

Paramedic accused of homophobia and racism is suspended
A paramedic accused of making derogatory comments about gays, Muslims, black people and women has had his professional registration suspended for a year.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13911.html

Company behind Gloucester LGBT sex club demands public inquiry
The company which hoped to set up an LGBT sex club in Gloucester's city centre has said it will demand a public inquiry after the plans were rejected. Opponents of the plans said they would turn the city into "Sodom and Gomorrah".
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13897.html

'Where are all the other gay black comedians?'
Comedian Stephen K Amos has spoken about his experiences as a gay black man on the comedy circuit and the issue of race in television.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13898.html

The ugly side of South Africa's attitude to gays
As the South African city of Johannesburg hosts a gay film festival, three men go on trial for the rape and murder of a lesbian footballer. The high-profile case follows a number of reports of brutal attacks against lesbians.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13907.html

Controversial Daily Mail journalist to speak at gay event
Daily Mail journalist Melanie Phillips is to speak at a gay networking event later this month in London. The columnist, who has frequently opposed gay adoption and same-sex marriage, was invited to speak by Village Drinks.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13899.html

Nominees announced for Stonewall Hero and Bigot of the Year
The date for the fourth Stonewall Awards has been announced - along with the contenders for Bigot of the Year.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13909.html

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

On Sexual Orientation and Title VII: Are Changes Afoot?
Ashby Jones | Wall Street Journal
Late last week, the Third Circuit issued an opinion in an employment-law case with a provocative set of facts. The court reversed a federal trial court’s decision to dismiss a suit brought by an effeminate, gay man who claimed he was discriminated against because he didn’t conform to a typical male stereotype. The Third Circuit reinstated the suit, allowing the man, Brian Prowel, to bring his suit against his former employer, Wise Business Forms. Click here for the ruling; here for the report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9609/

Best Selling Bible to Become Gender-Inclusive
The Associated Press | 365Gay.com
09.01.2009 4:20pm EDT
The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, modernizing the language in some sections and promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text. Read more
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9610/

Other People’s Judgments
John Corvino
“You don’t just want us to tolerate what you gay people do,” my skeptical questioner announced, “you want us to think that it’s RIGHT.” Whenever I hear this point—and it’s pretty often—I always think to myself, “Duh.” Of course I want that. Why would anyone think otherwise?
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9611/

Conversation with Veterans
Denny Meyer | Gay Military Signal
I’ve spoken with quite a few LGBT veterans over the years, from admirals and generals to a most ordinary WWII private first class. The medals and ribbons they bear on their chests could fill a museum and should. From Valley Forge forward LGBT heroes and heroines have sacrificed their personal freedom for patriotic service. It was Gay Pioneer Dr. Franklin Kameny who, describing his combat service, as a private, against the Nazi war machine in Europe in WWII, told me, “I was just an ordinary soldier.” Imagine! Every word that passes his lips is pure history; and I have felt privileged to be able to sit and converse with him, and so many others.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9612/

More Progress Needed Against “Kill Gays” Performer
Major Venues Cancel Buju Banton, But Many Cities Still Hosting Performer
Who Calls for Killing Gays
Last Thursday afternoon the Gay Liberation Network, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center and activists around the country succeeded in persuading Live Nation, Inc. to cancel its portion of a tour by Buju Banton, a performer notorious for calling for the murder of gays in his songs. This was a huge victory – Live Nation bills itself as the world’s largest concert producer – and resulted in the cancellation of concerts in Chicago , Houston , Dallas and Las Vegas .
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9614/

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Wednesday, September 02, 2009

GLBT DIGEST September 02, 2009

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

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

Reviving Civil Rights
Few parts of the federal government veered more radically off course in the Bush years than the Justice Department, including its vital civil rights division. Attorney General Eric Holder has made clear that he intends to put the division back on track. That will not be easy, but restoring the nation’s commitment to fairness in voting, employment, housing and other areas is one of the new administration’s most important challenges.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/02/opinion/02wed1.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse

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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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The Macaca Thesis
What Bob McDonnell Can't Explain Away
By Ruth Marcus
Bob McDonnell, the Republican candidate for governor of Virginia, didn't really mean it when he equated homosexuality with drug abuse and pornography as evils that "the government must restrain, punish, and deter."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/01/AR2009090103075.html

Wuerl Ups Opposition To Gay Marriage
D.C. Archbishop Mobilizes Priests
By Tim Craig
Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl is plunging the Catholic Church deeper into the battle over legalizing same-sex marriage in the District, a tactic that could complicate the D.C. Council's efforts to quickly take up the matter this fall. Wuerl sent a letter to 300 local Catholic priests Tuesday reminding them about the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage, and he launched a round of media interviews to bolster the church's presence in the debate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/01/AR2009090102535.html

Swimming Against The Tide on Gay Rights
Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage ["Opposing Gay Unions With Sanity & a Smile," Style, Aug. 28], may be affable and reasonable. He may even not be a bigot. But he is a poor student of history.
All traditions have histories and change over time. It is true that until recently, no state or national government has legally allowed same-sex couples to marry. However, government involvement in marriage developed only with the modern state. Furthermore, being gay emerged as a political identity only recently, during the latter part of the 20th century. Today, we have a class of Americans denied access to benefits awarded by the modern state for no other reasons than who they are and whom they love. In this historical moment, to deny same-sex couples the same state-sponsored benefits offered to heterosexual couples is unfair, unconstitutional and, well, irrational.
TONY SPERANZA
Silver Spring
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/01/AR2009090103888.html

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

On Sexual-Orientation and Title VII: Are Changes Afoot?
By Ashby Jones
Late last week, the Third Circuit issued an opinion in an employment-law case with a provocative set of facts. The court reversed a federal trial court’s decision to dismiss a suit brought by an effeminate, gay man who claimed he was discriminated against because he didn’t conform to a typical male stereotype. The Third Circuit reinstated the suit, allowing the man, Brian Prowel, to bring his suit against his former employer, Wise Business Forms. Click here for the ruling; here for the report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/09/01/on-sexual-orientation-and-title-vii-are-changes-afoot/

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

Small screen embraces the ‘g’ word
By MADELEINE MARR
Perez Hilton can relax now -- same-sex relationships are out and proud. On primetime TV, we mean. Some of our favorite mainstream characters are embracing their bisexual sides (well, the writers are). In the past few years, the only homo-sexual action between costars had been fairly tame -- think Kramer planting a big one on a neighborphobic Jerry in an hysterical Seinfeld episode -- and the principal gay shows were the PG Will & Grace or the racier Queer as Folk and The L Word (Showtime, after all).
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/09/small-screen-embraces-the-g-word.html

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

"Housewife" Kim Strips for Gay Marriage
Season 2 of Bravo's runaway hit reality series The Real Housewives of Atlanta has not been without its share of over-the-top drama, much of which has centered around the show’s Barbie-esque star Kim Zolciak. Now, in a move that is sure to spark further chatter among her and her cast mates, Zolciak has chosen to go topless to show her support for gay rights.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid108733.asp

One Night Only: Dorothy in Hi-Def!
Click the byline to view more stories by this author.By Julie Bolcer
In order to celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, a special high-definition presentation of the iconic film will be offered to audiences in theaters nationwide on September 23.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid108869.asp

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

Best-selling Bible to become more gender-inclusive
By The Associated Press
The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, modernizing the language in some sections and promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text.
http://www.365gay.com/news/best-selling-bible-to-become-more-gender-inclusive/

Vanasco: Mike Rogers outs conservative lt. gov.
By The Associated Press
Super-activist Mike Rogers reports that South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer has sex with men - despite his conservative, pro-Christian stance.
http://www.365gay.com/news/vanasco-mike-rogers-outs-conservative-lt-gov/

Virginia gov candidate wrote anti-gay masters thesis
By The Associated Press
Virginia’s Republican candidate for governor said Monday he no longer believes his argument in a graduate thesis written 20 years ago that discrimination against gays and other groups is acceptable for the benefit of straight, married couples.
http://www.365gay.com/news/virginia-gov-candidate-wrote-anti-gay-masters-thesis/

Anti-domestic partner referendum makes ballot
By The Associated Press
A referendum on an expansion of Washington’s domestic partnership law for gay couples has qualified for the November ballot, election officials said Monday. The “everything but marriage” measure broadens recognition of domestic partnerships by granting gay and lesbian couples all the remaining state-provided benefits presently extended only to married heterosexual couples.
http://www.365gay.com/news/anti-domestic-partner-referendum-makes-ballot/

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

Indian government tipped to allow gay sex ruling
The Indian government will not oppose a recent Delhi High Court ruling decriminalising homosexuality in the capital, according to a report.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13879.html

Gay hand-holding campaign goes monthly
A Day in Hand, the campaign to encourage LGBT people to hold hands in public, is asking them to show their affection publicly on the last Saturday of each month.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13884.html

Peter Tatchell calls on gays to cut their carbon emissions
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell is urging LGBT people to join a campaign to lower carbon emissions in 2010. The 10:10 campaign was launched yesterday at the Tate Modern in London.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13889.html

Playboy's Hugh Hefner was an early gay rights activist
Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner was an early gay rights advocate, a new film of his life claims. The documentary, Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, says the 83-year-old has a little-known history of campaigning for equal gay rights.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13880.html

Councillor reveals his HIV status at Manchester Pride
A Manchester councillor revealed he was HIV positive in front of thousands of people at the city's Pride event last weekend. Paul Fairweather made the announcement during a vigil for those who have died after contracting the virus.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13882.html

Washington to hold referendum on new gay rights laws
Opponents of expanded rights for gay couples in Washington have secured a referendum over the issue. The law, known as the 'Everything but marriage' measure, was due to come into law in June but was put on hold due to the referendum campaign.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13885.html

Gloucester council rejects LGBT sex club
Plans to create a private sex club aimed at LGBT people would have turned Gloucester city into "Sodom and Gomorrah", opponents have said. Despite the vocal opposition of some, the plans were rejected by a slim 6-5 majority.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13886.html

Paramedic 'made derogatory comments about gays'
A paramedic is facing a misconduct hearing after being accused of making derogatory comments about gays, Muslims, black people and women.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13876.html

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

A Rabbi Whose God is a Loving and Long-Suffering Mother
RALPH BLUMENTHAL | New York Times
Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig preaches increasingly to the converted: Hebrew congregations and rabbinical and cantorial students who no longer assume that a rabbi has to be a he or heterosexual. Rabbi Wenig, 52, has seen and propelled her share of changes in Judaism since being ordained in 1984, and now teaches classes of more women than men at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Greenwich Village, seminary of the Reform movement, Judaism’s liberal branch. A lesbian with two grown daughters from a previous marriage whom she raised in Brooklyn with her longtime partner, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Rabbi Wenig won acclaim for her widely published 1990 sermon “God Is a Woman and She Is Growing Older,” portraying the deity as a loving if long-suffering mother who wonders why you haven’t called.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9554/

NCLR Events
September
San Francisco, CA
Tides Momentum
Monday, September 7, 2009 -
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
With NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq.
Join NCLR and forward-thinking activists, philanthropists, and social entrepreneurs to discuss the serious issues our society faces and the creative solutions required for building a healthy, just, and vibrant world. At Momentum, the best new thinking provokes conversation, invites debate, and inspires leaders to view their work through new lenses while forging dynamic relationships. This year’s presenters—including Kate Kendell, Donna Edwards, Ben Jealous, Anna Burger, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Ethan Nadelmann, Ali Noorani, Manuel Pastor, Bishop Gene Robinson, Malika Saada Saar, and Jessy Tolkan—will address the themes Capital, Rights, Conflict, Work, Carbon, Power, and Connections. To learn more, watch videos, and register, visit the Momentum Conference website.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9552/

Mary Cheney Donates Money to Homophobic Senate Hopeful
Alez Blaze | Bilerico Project
In the summer of 2007 I met up with my teen-years boyfriend to see where we were now. We didn’t have much to talk about (which was one of the main reasons we knew it wouldn’t ever work out… how little things change), so the conversation turned to the early primaries. He asked who I liked, and I said that I wish there were a viable, likeable candidate with the politics of Kucinich, but, really, it’s not like any of the others could be worse than Bush. He said he like McCain because he would be “strong on terror.” He said that he took Mary Cheney’s position, that same-sex marriage is one small issue among many, and that he’s not a “single-issue voter.” I couldn’t help smiling the rest of the evening. He still knew how to make me laugh.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9551/

The Night is Darkest Before the Dawn: the Rebirth of the Ca Equality Movement
Bilerico Project
Editors’ Note: Guest blogger Jane Wishon is a straight mother-of-three who has been married nearly 33 years. She actively campaigned for No on 8 and has started a cause for straight allies on Facebook. Jane also volunteers for AIDS Project LA, and twitters @janewishon. August 29, 2009 may just be remembered as the dawn of the new California marriage equality movement. That’s the day that the surprising op-ed piece by the co-chairs of Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club (a prominent 2012 proponent) appeared in the Sacramento Bee and called for a coordinated strategy with those who are driving towards a 2010 proposition to repeal Prop 8.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9550/

VA Won’t Pay Benefits to Marine Injured by Vaccine
David Goldstein | Visit article original @ McClatchy Newspapers
It wasn’t a bullet or roadside bomb that felled Lance Cpl. Josef Lopez three years ago after nine days in Iraq. It was an injection into his arm before his unit left the states. The then 20-year-old Marine from Springfield, Missouri, suffered a rare adverse reaction to the smallpox vaccine. While the vaccine isn’t mandatory, the military strongly encourages troops to take it. However, it left Lopez in a coma, unable for a time to breathe on his own and paralyzed for weeks. Now he can walk, but with a limp. He has to wear a urine bag constantly, has short-term memory loss and must swallow 15 pills daily to control leg spasms and other ailments.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9546/

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Tuesday, September 01, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - September 01, 2009

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

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

Same-Sex Marriages Begin in Vermont
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
After 17 years together, Bill Slimback and Bob Sullivan couldn't wait another minute to get married. So they didn't. With Vermont's new law allowing same-sex marriage only a minute old, they tied the knot in a midnight ceremony at a rustic lodge, becoming one of the first couples to legally wed under a law that took effect at midnight Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/09/01/us/AP-US-Gay-Marriage.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=cse

A Rabbi Whose God Is a Loving and Long-Suffering Mother
By RALPH BLUMENTHAL
Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig preaches increasingly to the converted: Hebrew congregations and rabbinical and cantorial students who no longer assume that a rabbi has to be a he or heterosexual. Rabbi Wenig, 52, has seen and propelled her share of changes in Judaism since being ordained in 1984, and now teaches classes of more women than men at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Greenwich Village, seminary of the Reform movement, Judaism’s liberal branch. A lesbian with two grown daughters from a previous marriage whom she raised in Brooklyn with her longtime partner, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Rabbi Wenig won acclaim for her widely published 1990 sermon “God Is a Woman and She Is Growing Older,” portraying the deity as a loving if long-suffering mother who wonders why you haven’t called.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/nyregion/01experience.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse


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

Pastor Redoubles Efforts vs. Same-Sex Marriage
By Tim Craig
Bishop Harry Jackson is refusing to relent in his campaign to stop same-sex marriage in the District, despite the drubbing he took before the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics this summer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/31/AR2009083102595.html

Governor's Race Erupts Over McDonnell's Past Views
By Amy Gardner, Rosalind S. Helderman and Anita Kumar
The Virginia governor's race ignited Monday over Republican Robert F. McDonnell's 20-year-old graduate thesis: Democrats assailed him in e-mail blasts and interviews for what he wrote about working women, homosexuals and "fornicators," and McDonnell tried to explain his views to crucial moderate and female voters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/31/AR2009083103855.html


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

Va. candidate for gov. distances self from college thesis that discrimination against gays OK
By Bob Lewis
Virginia's Republican candidate for governor said Monday he no longer believes his argument in a graduate thesis written 20 years ago that discrimination against gays and other groups is acceptable for the benefit of straight, married couples.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-virginia-governor,0,7226769.story

Gay weddings begin in Vermont as new law allowing same-sex marriages takes effect
By John Curran
After 17 years together, Bill Slimback and Bob Sullivan couldn't wait another minute to get married. So they didn't. With Vermont's new law allowing same-sex marriage only a minute old, they tied the knot in a midnight ceremony at a rustic lodge, becoming one of the first couples to legally wed under a law that took effect at midnight Monday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-gay-marriage,0,1826312.story


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

Pee-wee Herman a loafer no more: New Paul Reubens stage show coming to Los Angeles
BY DAVID NG, Los Angeles Times Service
The red bow tie. The form-fitting gray suit. The white loafers. Oh, and that laugh. Pee-wee Herman is back, and his creator, Paul Reubens, is overjoyed -- and more than a little nervous, too. ``I've put part of him away for a long time, but part of him has always been here with me,'' the actor says from his home in Los Angeles. ``I think it will be like riding a bike -- which is not a bad analogy for Pee-wee, by the way.''
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/09/peewee-herman-a-loafer-no-more-new-paul-reubens-stage-show-coming-to-los-angeles.html


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

Mary Cheney donates cash to anti-gay pol
By James Withers
Have nothing against gays and lesbians who swing right. Sure we disagree on policies, but the gay tent is big enough for those who squeal with delight every time Ronald Reagan’s name is mentioned. However, there are moments when gay Republicans can be their worst enemies. Take Mary Cheney. Daughter of a former vice president whose vision of torture is spooky, Ms. Cheney is partnered and a mom. This unnerves a few on the right. Remember the kooky Alan Keyes going after her (dear Keyes acolytes: you all are fools)? She and her dad are both pro gay marriage, but they are also team players and kept that on the hush-hush when the leader of their party was trying to get anti-gay marriage lines in the Constitution.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/090109-mary-cheney-donates-cash-to-anti-gay-pol/

Davis: California AIDS Clearinghouse Closes
By Ali Davis, Contributing writer
The state of California is in a massive budget crisis – so big that even the millions of dollars that gay marriage tourism would have brought into the state wouldn’t have solved it. In the middle of the panic, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has used a line-item veto to cut more than $52 million in HIV programs from the State budget – cuts beyond the agreement with the state legislature.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/davis-california-aids-clearinghouse-closes/


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

Lesbian parents now permitted to be named on birth certificates
From today, lesbian couples who have children through fertility treatment can be named on birth certificates. Previously, only the birth mother could be named as a parent.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13858.html

Petition for government apology to Alan Turing reaches almost 18,000 signatures
A petition calling for a government apology to gay mathematician Alan Turing has reached 17,900 signatures. It is now the eighth most popular petition on the Downing Street website.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13865.html

Comment: HIV charity answers back
In the last month, PinkNews.co.uk has published a number of articles on HIV awareness. One of these, by Gary Leigh, attacked HIV charities, claiming they have not done enough to prevent a rise in infection rates.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13866.html

Lesbian drama series coming to BBC3
BBC3 has commissioned a new drama which will focus on the sex lives of a group of 20-something lesbian friends in Glasgow. Lip Service, a six-part series, is to be filmed later this year.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13859.html

Ice cream renamed in honour of Vermont gay marriages
Ben & Jerry's is celebrating the legalisation of gay marriage in Vermont by renaming its ice cream Chubby Hubby to Hubby Hubby for one month. The dessert giant has teamed up with Freedom to Marry, an equal rights group, to launch the new branding.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13864.html

Britain among countries backing Budapest Pride
The Budapest embassies of the UK, US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, France and Germany have expressed their support for Pride events in the city.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13855.html


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

Some Lutherans May Leave Over Gay Clergy
Universal Press International
Some Lutherans may leave over gay clergy
Some members of a Lutheran group that just decided to accept gay clergy are considering switching to the more conservative Missouri Synod. Officials with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod say members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America began calling after a controversial vote Aug. 21 to allow gays in committed relationships to serve as pastors, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Both ministers and lay people were interested in joining the Missouri Synod.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9523/

TS Eliot Revealed as Defender of Lesbian Fiction
Paul Bignell | Independent
TS Eliot’s reputation as one of the past century’s most austere and solemn poets will be blown apart by a major new exhibition opening next month casting him in a far softer light: as a champion of lesbian fiction and compassionate father figure to struggling writers.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9521/

Gay Ex-Soldier Angry at Pay-Outs
BBC
A lesbian ex-soldier who won £187,000 damages after being sexually harassed has said she is “disgusted” by lower payments given to injured personnel. Lance Bombardier Kerry Fletcher, 32, who worked at an Army stables in North Yorkshire, said she was bullied after refusing to sleep with a male sergeant. Last year’s pay-out was criticised as it was more than many soldiers hurt in Iraq or Afghanistan had been awarded.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9519/

Every 24 Hours, Two Gay People are Kicked Out of the Military
Michael A. Jones | Change.org
Since the inception of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during President Bill Clinton’s first-term in office, more than 13,000 well-qualified U.S. soldiers have been removed from the military for being gay or lesbian. This week, Rep. Alcee Hastings from Florida sent a letter to current President Barack Obama spelling out just how sad that statistic is. Doing the math, according to Rep. Hastings, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” means that every 24 hours, at least two gay or lesbian soldiers are booted from the military. In other words, every 24 hours, America’s ability to defend its national security gets diminished by two.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9517/

DOMA Do-Over
Washington Post
THE FIRST two paragraphs of the Justice Department’s seven-page brief in Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer v. United States of America make it clear that the Obama administration learned its lesson in how to defend a federal law with which it doesn’t agree without dabbling in noxious, outdated and irrelevant arguments. The plaintiffs seeking to challenge the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages, simply do not have legal standing. The case is viewed by gay rights groups as such an imperfect vehicle that they want Smelt-Hammer dismissed.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9515/

A Possible Second Gay Man for DC Council
On Top Magazine
An openly gay former D.C. Parks and Recreation director has announced he will run for D.C. City Council in 2010, gay weekly the Washington Blade reported. His opponent, Phil Mendelson, is considered a strong gay rights ally, pitting gay camps against each other. Clark Ray announced last week to supporters his candidacy for the at-large City Council seat currently held by three-term incumbent Mendelson.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9513/

The Religious Right’s Freedom Federation: Old Wine in New Bottles
Bill Berkowitz | BuzzFlash
Struggling to find an identity and a larger audience, a number of long-time hard-core Religious Right groups have joined together to launch the Freedom Federation
The summer had barely just begun. Worldwide attention was focusing on the death of Michael Jackson and the cable news shock troops were on it 24/7. Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, had yet to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the hectoring by conservative groups about qualifications wasn’t gaining traction. The Tea Party movement, which showed some signs of life on Tax Day, was fizzling out. “Birthers” – right wing activists convinced that President Obama was not born in the U.S. – were smoldering in the background. The right’s assault on Obama’s health care proposals was still weeks away.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9512/

IA: Anti-Gay Marriage Group Spends $86,080 on Ads
JASON CLAYWORTH
An out-of-state group working against gay marriage has spent more money on television ads for a Sept. 1 Iowa House race than either candidate has raised in cash, reports filed Thursday show. Democratic House District 90 candidate Curt Hanson raised $42,882 to compete in the special election, while GOP candidate Stephen Burgmeier raised $63,101, the reports show.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9511/


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#####

Monday, August 31, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - August 31, 2009

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

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

Pope Accepts Scranton Bishop's Resignation
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the early retirement of a U.S. bishop who has denounced nuns for sponsoring lectures by gay-rights advocates and directed priests to deny communion to abortion backers, the Vatican said Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/31/world/AP-EU-Vatican-Bishop-Resigns.html?_r=1&scp=9&sq=gay&st=cse

Buju Banton Shows Canceled After Protests
Compiled by RACHEL LEE HARRIS
The concert promoters Live Nation and AEG have canceled shows by Buju Banton, below, the Jamaican reggae singer whose violent homophobic lyrics have drawn protests from gay rights advocacy organizations over the last week, The Los Angeles Times reported. On Friday the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, whose campaign on Facebook led to hundreds of calls and e-mail messages to both promoters, declared victory when shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas and Houston were canceled. Mr. Banton signed a “reggae compassionate act” in 2007, saying that he would not make homophobic statements in public, release new homophobic songs or authorize the re-release of previous homophobic songs. Mr. Banton was tried and acquitted on charges that he participated in the beating of six gay men in Jamaica in 2004.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/arts/music/31arts-BUJUBANTONSH_BRF.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse


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

DOMA Do-Over
The Justice Department gets it right this time.
THE FIRST two paragraphs of the Justice Department's seven-page brief in Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer v. United States of America make it clear that the Obama administration learned its lesson in how to defend a federal law with which it doesn't agree without dabbling in noxious, outdated and irrelevant arguments. The plaintiffs seeking to challenge the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages, simply do not have legal standing. The case is viewed by gay rights groups as such an imperfect vehicle that they want Smelt-Hammer dismissed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/30/AR2009083002282.html

Carolyn Hax
By Carolyn Hax
Monday, August 31, 2009
Hi, Carolyn:
I've been trying to figure out how/if to ask my 17-year-old son if he's gay. He's a great kid who has never dated and is very private about his personal life.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/30/AR2009083002350.html


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

Embassies Support Budapest Pride
Click the byline to view more stories by this author.By Julie Bolcer
Embassies from 13 countries including the United States issued a joint statement expressing support for the Budapest pride festival, which culminates with a march in the Hungarian capital this Saturday amidst fears of violence, reports UK Gay News.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid108275.asp


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

Slow start: No rush for same-sex weddings in Vt.
By The Associated Press
Bed-and-breakfast owner Jeff Connor was hoping for a boom in business once Vermont opened the door for same-sex couples to marry.
http://www.365gay.com/news/slow-start-no-rush-for-same-sex-weddings-in-vt/


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

Gay bishop Gene Robinson to appear at Christian festival
A controversial gay cleric will be one of the attractions a Christian music and arts festival being held in Cheltenham this Bank Holiday weekend.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-13853.html


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

Jesus Could Make Gay People Straight
Des Moines Register
The Rev. Robert A. Butterfield’s Aug. 23 essay, “Churches Need To Be More Welcoming,” isn’t about that. It’s about condoning. The real Gospel’s radical love is about a savior who loves us enough to die for us so our sins can be forgiven and forsaken. The Bible is very clear about all sins, whether they are sexual or not. It’s not a matter of clarity, but of obedience.The Bible is clear on marriage: Jesus said, “the Creator made them male and female, for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife….” But people want to redefine it. Butterfield left out a key verse about several sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which says “neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards … will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were (past tense). But … you were made holy, you were made right with God through Christ.” Read more
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9507/

IA: Wedding Unites 9 Gay Couples at Des Moines Church
GUNNAR OLSON | golson@dmreg.com | Des Moines Register
The love bus came. The love bus went. Eighteen Minnesotans crossed the state line into Iowa on Saturday morning with an entourage of friends and family. Nine married couples of the same sex returned home that evening, singing karaoke aboard the self-styled “love bus” on their merry way.“To actually be legally married is a dream come true,” said Judith Weir, 73, who married her partner of 17 years, Olly Staneslow, 75, at the First Unitarian Church in Des Moines. Both previously married to men, they now live together in St. Paul. “It’s like maybe we can stop being treated as second-class citizens. You can’t choose who you fall in love with.” Read more
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9506/

Bilerico Radio: Kip Williams and I Talk about the National Equality March
Alex Blaze | Bilerico Project
I had a chance to talk with Kip Williams, one of the lead organizers of the National Equality March. I have to take back my previous statement about how the march organizers are unwilling to engage in criticism from the community - Kip and I had an interesting discussion and I understand more now about what these folks are trying to accomplish. I especially like the part where he tells me about what it’s like to be a young gay man at 27…. Do I really sound like I’m over 27? Anyway, I still have my reservations about how some of the logistics are going to work out, as well as how much work they’re putting into making sure HIV/AIDS issues remain front and center. It’s an action-packed 22 minutes, so click below to listen and feel free to comment. I’m still working on finding a nicer way to post these, but this will have to do for now. Conversation with Kip Williams - Aug. 30, 2009
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9504/

Debate About Gay Marriage Sparks Angry Exchange Inside Moscow Court, Big Smooch Outside
Gay Russia
The debate over whether to allow a lesbian couple to marry in Russia sparked an angry exchange inside a Moscow courtroom Wednesday, while outside the women locked lips to protest a holdup in proceedings.Homosexuality has been decriminalized in Russia but there is little support for gay rights.The court postponed hearing a complaint from the gay couple over a refusal to let them marry. Judge Natalya Zhuravlyova said the reason for the postponement was the couple’s “disrespectful” failure to appear in court.
The couple, Irina Fedotova-Fet and Irina Shipitko, arrived 10 minutes after the hearing ended and kissed for the cameras. They said they had been held up in traffic.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9503/

Policies of Chile’s Main Presidential Candidates–Same-Sex Marriage
Reuters
SANTIAGO, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Chile’s presidential election is shaping up to be a three-way race between a conservative billionaire, a former president from the ruling center-left coalition and an ex-film producer running as an independent. The two leading candidates in the Dec. 13 ballot, center-right businessman Sebastian Pinera and center-left former President Eduardo Frei, will likely keep the prudent fiscal policies that have made Chile’s economy one of Latin America’s most stable, analysts say. But Pinera wants the private sector to take more leadership in stimulating the economy and creating new jobs, while Frei emphasizes the state’s role but has not yet announced his economic policy platform. Read more
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9501/

Global Church Body Elects Norwegian Liberal as Head
Robert Evans | Reuters
GENEVA (Reuters) - The top global grouping of Protestant and Orthodox churches elected as its new head on Thursday a Norwegian Lutheran who wants it to do more to support Christians in Muslim countries. The incoming general-secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Olav Fykse Tveit, will have to tread a fine line on the Middle East after his predecessor denounced Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands as “a sin against God.” Tveit, 48, was chosen by the 150-member Central Committee of the WCC — which links 560 million Christians in 349 churches and communities in 110 countries — in a two-candidate contest with a South Korean Presbyterian theologian, Seong-won Park.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9500/

Americans More Confident on Healthcare Costs
Reuters
Fewer Americans are afraid that they will be unable to pay for healthcare services and fewer expect to postpone medical treatments due to costs, according to a Thomson Reuters survey published on Monday. Researchers found a steady increase in people’s confidence about their ability to pay for healthcare services — it rose 12 percent between March and July this year.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9493/

Lesbians Given Equal Birth Rights
BBC
Women in same-sex relationships can now register both their names on the birth certificate of a child conceived as a result of fertility treatment. Female couples not in a civil partnership but receiving fertility treatment may also both be registered. The law change applies to female couples in England and Wales who were having fertility treatment on or after 6 April 2009. However critics say the change would be detrimental to family values. Previously, the mother’s female partner could not be registered as a parent. Read more
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9490/


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Sunday, August 30, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - August 30, 2009

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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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A Marriage Like Any Other
By Rich Madaleno
In 2002, I became the first openly gay person elected to the Maryland General Assembly. It was important to me to be straightforward about who I was while not being pigeonholed as "the gay guy." I immersed myself in my role as a public servant, focused on my constituents and worked hard. As time passed, people began to see me as "the budget guy," or as an advocate for education, addiction treatment or developmental disability programs, or simply as Rich. My colleagues also came to know my husband, Mark.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/29/AR2009082902021.html

'89 Thesis A Different Side of McDonnell
Va. GOP Candidate Wrote on Women, Marriage and Gays
By Amy Gardner
At age 34, two years before his first election and two decades before he would run for governor of Virginia, Robert F. McDonnell submitted a master's thesis to the evangelical school he was attending in Virginia Beach in which he described working women and feminists as "detrimental" to the family. He said government policy should favor married couples over "cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators." He described as "illogical" a 1972 Supreme Court decision legalizing the use of contraception by unmarried couples.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/29/AR2009082902434.html


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

Soccer tarnished by cold-shoulder to gays, writes Associated Press sports columnist
By JOHN LEICESTER, AP Sports Columnist
PARIS -- Marcello Lippi, Italy's World Cup-winning soccer manager who seems to have both feet planted in the 19th century, says he's never come across a gay player in his 40-odd years in the sport.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/08/soccer-tarnished-by-cold-shoulder-to-gays-writes-associated-press-sports-columnist.html

New GOP senator, George LeMieux, supported gay adoptions and domestic partner benefits in ‘98 campaign
By BETH REINHARD, breinhard@MiamiHerald.com
Eight years ago, the young chairman of the Broward Republican Party appealed to his cohorts to stay out of a divisive petition drive to overturn the county's gay rights law. ``GOP UNITY'' read the banner he unfurled as he walked through a hushed crowd, arguing that the petition would distract from the party's true goal -- electing Republicans.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/08/new-gop-senator-george-lemieux-supported-gay-adoptions-and-domestic-partner-benefits-in-98-campaign.html

Case is a serious challenge to Florida's gay-adoption ban
An adoption case that is now before an appellate court case presents a significant challenge to Florida's law against gays.
BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER, cmarbin@MiamiHerald.com
As lawyers for a North Miami man seeking to adopt his two foster kids squared off with the state in an appellate courtroom last week, an irony pervaded the hearing: Martin Gill is a terrific foster dad to the boys and should be allowed to keep them, the state admitted. He just can't adopt them because he's gay.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/08/case-is-a-serious-challenge-to-floridas-gay-adoption-ban.html

Gallery | 'Take Me Out' at Rising Action Theatre through Oct. 4
Take Me Out, the Tony-winning Broadway hit about a professional baseball player named Darren Lemming who suddenly announces he's gay, runs through Oct. 4 at Rising Action Theatre, 840 E. Oakland Park Blvd..
The Richard Greenberg play is well-acted by co-stars Laris Macario, Larry Buzzeo, Terry Cuzzort and Ted Dvoracek.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/08/gallery-take-me-out-at-rising-action-theatre-through-oct-4.html


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
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End biased policy
Re Keith Meinhold's Aug. 24 Other Views article, We serve this country honorably, too: As a member of the clergy, I endorse Meinhold's call to abolish the military's discriminatory ``don't ask, don't tell.'' His assertion that we should allow soldiers to exercise the freedoms they defend is on point. This should apply during active duty and when service is complete. It is time we fully acknowledge our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) sisters and brothers and grant them the blessings of full participation in society. GLBT neighbors, co-workers, family members and friends serve us in many ways outside military service. It is time they have access to all the rights and responsibilities that many of us take for granted, including full rights to adopt and to marry. Anything less falls short of our country's highest ideals for equality, liberty and justice for all. 5 !!END TAG!! interim minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami, Miami
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/1207394.html


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

Rep. Hastings Pushes Obama on DADT
By Michelle Garcia
Florida Representative Alcee Hastings told President Barack Obama that he is "deeply disappointed" that the military's ban on gay and lesbian military personnel has yet to be lifted. Hastings sent an open follow-up letter to the president on Thursday, reminding him that in June, 77 representatives called for a moratorium on investigating cases of service members accused of being gay.
http://www.advocate.com/


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Daily Queer News
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/
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PA: ‘Gender Stereotyping’ Case Sent Back to Trial
Brian Bowling | TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Pittsburgh Live
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today partly overturned a Pittsburgh judge’s dismissal of a gay Penn Hills man’s lawsuit against his former employer. Brian D. Prowel worked for Butler-based Wise Business Forms from 1991 to 2004. The company cited “lack of work” when it fired him. Federal law doesn’t protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation, but the U.S. Supreme Court has held since 1989 that federal law does prohibit “gender stereotyping,” or discriminating against someone who doesn’t conform to stereotypical behavior for their gender.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9479/

Gay Catholics Endorse National Equality March on Washington
Paula Brooks | LezGetReal
An organization of LGBT Catholics, TheRainbow Sash Movement, has come out in support of the National Equality March on Washington scheduled for this fall. This past November, when by a slim majority of voters, California’s Proposition 8 banned gay marriage in that state; tens of thousands took to the streets in California and across the country, in grassroots protests
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9478/

Focus on the Family Cheers ‘Good News’ for Ex-Gay Fugitive
Michael Airhart | Truth Wins Out
Since 2004, “former lesbian” Lisa Miller has violated numerous court rulings in Vermont and Virginia that granted visitation rights to her former partner Janet Jenkins for their daughter Isabella, who was born in 2002. After unfavorable family-court rulings, Miller worked with religious-right activists to undermine U.S. family law by demanding a special right of ex-gays and religious extremists to move from state to state to escape their family obligations. Had she succeeded, the ability of U.S. states to enforce custody and deadbeat-dad laws could have been damaged. But on June 6, 2008, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld Vermont’s jurisdiction over her former partnership and the resulting child. The Liberty Counsel then vowed to find other ways to sidestep the nation’s laws. In October, a Vermont court was to have considered jailing Miller for contempt of court.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9477/

Uganda Ex-Gay Vigilante Exposed?
Michael Airhart | Truth Wins Out
George Oundo, the poster man for a campaign launched by U.S. ex-gay political leaders to promote vigilantism and arrest against same-sex-attracted persons in Uganda, has reportedly been expelled from his ex-gay organization due to sexual scandal. Earlier this year, Oundo was a frontman for Martin Ssempa, a violently antigay African pastor who allegedly received substantial sums of money from U.S. global anti-AIDS programs begun under the Bush administration. Instead of combatting AIDS or promoting faith-based health assistance to Africans, Ssempa used the money to launch a string of violent antigay vigilante campaigns monitored by Human Rights Watch.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9476/

Exodus Youth Condemns Bullying by Singling Out Gay Students
Patrick Fitzgerald | Ex-Gay Watch
In a piece called “Ministry to Gay Students,” Shawn Harrison of Exodus Youth goes the extra mile to portray condescension and religious supremacism as compassion. He also believes that the Bible is inerrant. First we get the compassion part: There is no question that high schools and middle schools across this nation are ground zero for students who face peer pressure, bullying, low self-esteem, depression, and the like. One of the most disturbing of these is bullying… …and occasionally ends with students getting beat up, receiving death threats, missing school, changing schools, and in some cases, even attempting suicide. On his 611 ministries website/blog, he even shares that he attempted suicide:
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9474/

Exodus Unable to Give a Numerical Success Rate
Emily K | Ex-Gay Watch
In a post by Brad Sargent on the Exodus blog, the success rate of ex-gay therapy is addressed. 25 years ago, Brad became involved in Exodus. He started working for them in 1991, and was often addressed with the question, “What is your success rate?” Unable to give any numerical result, he was forced to respond thusly: That question popped up so often, it became a frustration. There were no formal studies available from Exodus ministries then – who had funds or time to conduct such research? And yet, callers were anxious to know: If I’m going to invest myself in a transformation process, will it pay off? It’s just part of human nature to want a guarantee, but there was (and is) none we could give. What was our success rate? I was at the point of saying, “Well … 100 percent for those who follow Jesus Christ the rest of their life.”
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9473/

Being Queer and the Fear of Death
Peterson Toscano
In my play Queer 101–Now I Know My gAy,B,Cs I perform a scene as two characters–Chad, a queer studies major who has to take over the introductory to queer theory class since Dr. Eugenes, the transgender professor is out that day, and Federico Garcia Lorca, the early 20th Century Spanish poet and playwright. (see scene below). The audience learns pretty quickly in the play that Chad is not what they expect. Instead he reveals he is intelligent, deep thinking, insightful and willing to expose injustice. At first though they just see a fem guy and make all sorts of assumptions about him and about me for portraying him as a fem guy. Take a look at the scene and then I’ll tell you how I have been using it lately. Read more
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/9475/


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