Saturday, October 31, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - October 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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Friday, October 30, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - October 30, 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:

Tight Race for Houston Mayor, With History on Line
By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
Annise Parker does not talk much about her sexual orientation on the campaign trail. She prefers to focus on issues like drainage and balancing the budget.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/us/30houston.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse/

Setback for Group Fighting Gay Marriage in Maine
By ABBY GOODNOUGH
The Maine attorney general is prodding a national group that fights same-sex marriage to reveal its donors by Election Day, after a federal judge on Wednesday denied the group’s request for a restraining order.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/us/30maine.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:

UN panel: killing of Russian journalists alarming
By ELIANE ENGELER
The Associated Press
Friday, October 30, 2009; 9:30 AM
GENEVA -- Russia fails to protect journalists, activists, prison inmates and others at odds with authorities from a wide range of abuses, including torture and murder, the U.N. Human Rights Committee said Friday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103001066.html/

Mr. Cuccinelli's bigotry
As attorney general, he would be an embarrassment to Virginia.
KENNETH CUCCINELLI, the Republican candidate for Virginia state attorney general, believes it's "appropriate" to formulate public policy on the premise that homosexuals engage in behavior that is "intrinsically wrong" and offensive to "natural law." His comments -- which retrofit the old rhetoric of racism, bias and intolerance in a new context -- were made in an interview with the Virginian-Pilot, a newspaper in Norfolk.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102904197.html/

Individual ideas about liberty
By Michael O'Sullivan
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" covers a lot of ground. Among the rights-themed subjects touched on by the American Visionary Art Museum's timely new mega-exhibition are the following: Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib; gay rights; immigration; Afghanistan and Iraq; freedom of speech; racial and religious prejudice; economic inequity; and the U.S. penal system. It's as if it was curated by a lawyer from the ACLU.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102901079.html/

Pastors unite to support same-sex marriage in D.C.
'There is this myth out there that you can't be pro-God and pro-gay'
By Tim Craig
Although ministers opposed to same-sex marriage in the Disrict have campaigned more vigorously, a growing number of religious leaders are mobilizing to support the proposal.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102904601.html/

A marriage equality bill that respects religious objectors
By Robin Fretwell Wilson
Lexington, Va.
The hearings are beginning on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the District, and the D.C. Council is on track to vote on a final bill by December. Will it take the steps necessary to protect religious people and groups from any unintended consequences from this act?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102601653.html/

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

New Faces Join the Late-Night Wars
A new generation of TV talk-show hosts takes aim at the old guard
By JOHN JURGENSEN
Jay Leno is struggling in prime time. David Letterman has been scandal-scarred. And under Conan O'Brien, "The Tonight Show" has seen its longtime ratings lead crumble. Cue the new contenders: Comedians George Lopez, Mo'Nique and Wanda Sykes are elbowing into the crowded late-night field. They're vowing to shake things up, but it won't be easy. This is a hidebound format that hasn't changed all that much since Johnny Carson.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703363704574501873908088230.html/

Heath Ledger’s Last Vision: A Look at His Final Music Video
By Christopher John Farley
Actor Heath Ledger, who died in 2008 at age 28, played many parts in his brief life including a killer Joker and a gay cowboy. One of his most challenging roles may have been behind the camera–as a hip-hop music video director.
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/10/30/heath-ledgers-last-vision-a-look-at-his-final-music-video/

U.N. Panel Urges Russia to Make Human-Rights Reforms
Associated Press
GENEVA -- Russia fails to protect journalists, activists, prison inmates and others at odds with authorities from a wide range of abuses, including torture and murder, the United Nations Human Rights Committee said Friday.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125690969114018591.html/

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

Video | Trailer for ‘Rough Winds,’ teen movie shot in Fort Lauderdale by lesbian filmmaker
Broward moviemaker Andrea Olabarría says she laid it all on the line for teen film, ‘Rough Winds’
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/video-trailer-for-rough-winds-teen-movie-shot-in-fort-lauderdale-by-lesbian-filmmaker.html/

Wilton Manors: Wicked Manors 2009 from 6 p.m. to midnight on Halloween (with video of 2008 street party)
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/wicked-manors-2009-from-6-pm-to-midnight-on-halloween-with-video-of-2008-street-party.html/

Argentine Congress considers same-sex marriage
By VANESSA HAND ORELLANA, Associated Press
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Is Argentina ready to become Latin America's first nation to legalize gay marriage? Gay and lesbian activists think so - and they have a growing number of supporters in Congress, which opened debate Thursday on whether to change dozens of laws that define marriage as a union between a "man and woman."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/argentine-congress-considers-same-sex-marriage.html/

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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

Man accused of molesting boy, attacked and beaten into coma
"That is my son, man. What would you do?"
By DMITRY RASHNITSOV
A Fort Lauderdale man is under arrest and awake from a medically induced coma after suffering a severe beating from the father of a three-year-old boy who accused the man of molestation.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/10-29/news/localnews/6423.cfm/

Police arrest accused killer of elderly gay man
Local news station reports killer was the son of the victim's housekeeper
By DMITRY RASHNITSOV
Miami-Dade Homicide detectives have arrested the suspected killer of a South Miami gay Interior Designer who was found with multiple stab wounds in his home on October 16.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/10-29/news/localnews/6422.cfm/

Broward Co. has highest hate crimes rate in U.S.
Officials say other counties lack of reporting is to blame
By DMITRY RASHNITSOV
Broward County’s law enforcement agencies reported the largest amount of hate crimes in Florida in 2008. But county officials say their numbers are higher because they are encouraging victims to come forward more than other municipalities.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/10-29/news/localnews/6414.cfm/

Wicked Manors festival rises from the dead
Halloween celebration receives emergency funding from city
By JAMES MICHAELS
Ghosts, goblins, mummies, ghouls, zombies, and witches will join the drag queens and various scantily-clad revelers on Wilton Drive for the Third Annual Wicked Manors Halloween Block Party, on Saturday, Oct. 31. The event, “A Trip Down the Rabbit Hole,” celebrates the “Alice in Wonderland” motion picture to be released in early 2010. The party is planned official from 6 p.m. to midnight, although local bars will stay open longer, until their regular operating hours end.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/10-29/news/localnews/6415.cfm/

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz used for GOP target practice
Wasserman silhouette to be used at local gun range
By STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
A silhouette of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-20, including Wilton Manors and Fort Lauderdale) was used as target practice at a shooting range, during a Southeast Broward Republican Club meeting on Oct. 6.
http://www.floridablade.com/2009/10-29/news/localnews/6418.cfm/

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

Kansas State Nixes, Then OKs Trans Speaker
By Michelle Garcia
Students at Kansas State University who decided not to fund a campus visit by a transgender speaker have reversed their decision.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/29/Kansas_State_Nays,_Then_OKs_Trans_Speaker/

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

First openly gay US attorney begins job in Wash.
By The Associated Press
The new top federal prosecutor in Seattle knows the significance her role carries for many people: She’s apparently the nation’s first openly gay U.S. attorney.
http://www.365gay.com/news/first-openly-gay-us-attorney-begins-job-in-wash/

Corvino: The work left to do
By John Corvino, columnist, 365gay.com
Less than a week before the election, polls continue to show close races in both Washington State, where voters may substantially expand domestic-partner legislation, and Maine, where they may rescind marriage-equality. We could win in either state (or both)—but we could lose, too.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino-the-work-left-to-do/

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

Man admits blackmailing cruisers meeting for sex
A Portsmouth man has admitted posing as a police officer to blackmail men meeting for gay sex. Lee Creamer, 26, admitted extorting hundreds of pounds out of three men who were fearful their families would find out about their activities.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/29/man-admits-blackmailing-cruisers-meeting-for-sex/

Gay Halloween party supports Elton John's AIDS Foundation
By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Wilton's – the world's oldest surviving music hall – will play host to an exclusive Halloween party for gay London professionals on Saturday night. The party has been arranged by Village Drinks, the leading social community group for gay professionals, which will host a champagne reception and party in support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation at this London architectural gem, now listed among the planet’s 100 most culturally significant endangered buildings.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/29/gay-halloween-party-supports-elton-johns-aids-foundation/

Liverpool's gay arts festival kicks off next week
Homotopia, Liverpool's annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans festival, begins next week. It usually focuses on theatre, comedy, literature and debate but this year, organisers are emphasising the impact of homophobic hate crime with the strapline 'Homotopia not homophobia'.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/29/liverpools-gay-arts-festival-kicks-off-next-week/

Kenya to conduct census of gays
Kenya is to conduct a census of gay people in an attempt to control the spread of HIV. The confidential survey will be carried out by the National AIDS/STD Control Programme, starting in January or February next year.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/29/kenya-to-conduct-census-of-gays/

George Michael hopes for Christmas number one
Gay singer George Michael will reportedly go head to head with the X Factor winner for the Christmas number one. The star is to release December Song, a remix of a track he gave away free to fans last Christmas.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/29/george-michael-hopes-for-christmas-number-one/

London's gay arts festival launched this week
GFest, a month-long festival celebrating LGBT arts in the capital, was officially launched at the Houses of Parliament this week.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/29/londons-gay-arts-festival-launched-this-week/

London LGBT Tourist Office welcomes 100th visitor
The London LGBT Tourist Information Office has welcomed it's one hundredth visitor today. The service, which is London's first ever tourist office aimed specifically for the LGBT community, provides help and advice for community projects, as well as information about Soho's vibrant gay scene.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/30/london-lgbt-tourist-office-welcomes-100th-visitor/

PE teacher resigns over gay porn photo shoot
A PE teacher who was suspended earlier this year over a gay porn photo shoot has resigned. Sam Handley was suspended from Harvey Grammar School in Folkestone in September when explicit photographs of him intended for a gay porn site were circulated by pupils.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/30/pe-teacher-resigns-over-gay-porn-photo-shoot/

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

Glasgow council makes controversial appointment for LGBT centre
Gay rights groups in Glasgow have spoken out against the controversial decision to hand over the running of the Glasgow LGBT centre to one of its senior councillors.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/30/glasgow-council-makes-controversial-appointment-for-lgbt-centre/

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

Lambda Legal Warns SkyWest and Delta Air Lines To Stop Discriminating Against Married Gay Employees
“…as far as the airline is concerned, we’re nothing more than friends.”
(Palm Springs, California, October 29, 2009) — Lambda Legal has sent a letter to SkyWest and Delta Airlines warning the companies that their treatment of gay employees’ spouses and registered domestic partners violates not only the airlines’ own policies, but also California law.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11082/

90210 Will Fill Its Lesbian Void with Rumer Willis and Jessica Lowndes’ Actual Relationship
Autostraddle
90210: These are the same people that brought you Brandon telling Andrea Zuckerman that she couldn’t really speak about the importance of condoms in schools because she didn’t know what sex felt like, obviously 90210 is going to bring you an actual lesbian relationship between Gia (Rumer Willis) and Adrianna (Jessica Lowndes) -
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11080/

Family Research Council Seeks to Conceal, Ostracize Gay Senior Citizens
Michael Airhart \ Truth Wins Out
Aging gay people face a few more obstacles than their heterosexual counterparts, according to Newsweek: They face discrimination in housing, medical, and social services, and elder couples are denied the benefits that are taken for granted by heterosexual spouses. (Newsweek video.)
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11079/

US Ex-Gay Activist Target Latin America for Next Round of Prejudice
Michael Airhart \ Truth Wins Out
For three decades, Exodus International has tried to fool the U.S. Christian Right into believing that homosexuality is caused by bad parenting and abuse that can be reversed if one simply prays hard enough and if one adheres to tiresome and unimaginative activities that are stereotypical for one’s gender.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11078/

US Slams Uganda’s Proposed Anti-Gay Law
AFP \ Ex Gay Watch
An official with the US Embassy in Kampala, Uganda, has said that the new Anti-Homosexuality Bill, if enacted into law, would “mark a major setback in the promotion of human rights.” We urge states to take all necessary measures to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests, or detention.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11077/

What a Difference a Decade Makes
Jennifer Vanasco \ Independent Gay Forum
First published in the Chicago Free Press on October 28, 2009
It’s sometimes tough to measure progress, personal or political. Our lives are lived slowly, day by day, and so change can seem incremental. Or impossible. But a lot of difference can be made in a decade.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11075/

CA: The San Diego LGBT Center Events Update
News of Note
First Quarter Program Reviews
As we complete the annual independent audit from last fiscal year and the review the reports for the beginning quarter of this year, some of the overall facts are startling:1. The Center has seen a tremendous increase in people coming to The Center for support, for services and to connect to our community. Every month our front desk staff and volunteers handle more than 2,000 walk-ins or calls for information and help! And today, more than 3,000 people a month are offered services and support at The Center!
READ MORE…
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11074/

US Right Wing Evangelicals Stoke Anti-Gay Hatred in Africa
PublicEye.org
In March 2008, U.S. evangelical leader Rick Warren told Ugandans that homosexuality is not a natural way of life and thus not a human right. One year later, U.S. conservative evangelical and Holocaust revisionist Scott Lively (a resident of Massachusetts) addressed the Family Life Network and Ugandan members of Parliament in March 2009, saying legalizing homosexuality is akin to legalizing “the molestation of children or having sex with animals.”
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11073/

Audio: NPR: Veteran Journalist Knows the Joy and Pain of Covering Gay Life
NPR
From his coverage of equality marches to political campaigns, to hate crimes, Lou Chibarro, Jr., has covered it all working as a reporter for The Washington Blade. That gay publication was founded 40 years ago with the goal of offering its readers news and perspectives relevant to the gay and lesbian experience. Chibarro shares insight from his 30-year journalism career and explains how reporting on the gay community has, at times, brought both happiness and pain.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11072/

Vindicating Gay Veterans
Yusef Najafi \ Metro Weekly
The sixth annual Veterans Day Memorial Service in memory of fallen GLBT service members is scheduled for 2 p.m., on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington. Daniel Hays, vice president of the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance (AGLA), says the upcoming event is the first time AGLA has partnered up with Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) in presenting the memorial service.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11071/

Tallahassee approves domestic partner benefits, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
Tallahassee Democrat
City OKs benefits for same-sex couples
Commission also adds sexual orientation, identity to anti-discrimination policy
By TaMaryn Waters
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11070/

Interpublic Gay and Lesbian Group Takes on a Marketing Role
Stuart Elliott \ New York Times
An affinity and resource group for gay and lesbian employees at a major agency holding company is expanding its purview beyond internal purposes.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11069/

TN: LGBTies Presents ‘Gay History 101′
Valisa Griffin \ East Tennessean
ETSU’s LGBTies organization presented a program called “Gay History 101.” The lecture, held on Oct. 27, was intended to enlighten all members of the ETSU community on the subject of gay history, its progress thus far, and the challenges it faces today.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11068/

Kip Williams Marches On
Rose Kennedy (Contact) \ Metro Pulse
As co-director of the National March for Equality, Kip Williams invited the nation to march on Washington, D.C., on Oct. 11, demanding equal rights under federal law for our country’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11067/

Pentagon Officials Won’t Confirm Bush Propaganda Program Ended
Brad Jacobson \ Raw Story
[Read Part I and Part II of this series.]The covert Bush administration program that used retired military analysts to generate favorable wartime news coverage may not have been terminated, Raw Story has found. In interviews, Pentagon officials in charge of the press and community relations offices — which worked in partnership on the military analyst program — equivocated on the subject of whether the program has ended.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11066/

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Thursday, October 29, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - October 29, 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:

Doctor Wrote About Kissing Anna Nicole in Diary
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
One of Anna Nicole Smith's doctors worried about his own drug use and his professionalism after he kissed her and prescribed her highly addictive drugs, according to his diary, which was read in court.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/29/arts/AP-US-Anna-Nicole-Smith.html?_r=1&scp=9&sq=gay&st=cse/

Letter: Gay Marriage Lawsuit
To the Editor:
Re “In Battle Over Gay Marriage, Timing May Be Key,” by Adam Liptak (Sidebar column, Oct. 27):
The pivotal exchange in one of the lawsuits now challenging the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage shows that the opponents of gay people’s freedom to marry still can’t give a real answer to the key question posed in yet another court by yet another judge: “What would be the harm of permitting gay men and lesbians to marry?” The anti-gay forces’ lawyer, Charles J. Cooper, replied, “Your Honor, my answer is: I don’t know ... I don’t know.” Mr. Cooper eventually told the judge that the government should be able to exclude gay couples from marriage in order “to channel naturally procreative sexual activity between men and women into stable, enduring unions.” But even Justice Antonin Scalia, no friend of equality for gay people, wrote in Lawrence v. Texas: “What justification could there possibly be for denying the benefits of marriage to homosexual couples exercising ‘[t]he liberty protected by the Constitution’? Surely not the encouragement of procreation, since the sterile and the elderly are allowed to marry.” The reason smart lawyers like Mr. Cooper don’t give a better answer to why marriage discrimination should be allowed to continue is that there isn’t one.
Evan Wolfson
Executive Director
Freedom to Marry
New York, Oct. 27, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/opinion/l29gay.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse/

More Schools, Not Troops
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
A compelling argument against more troops in Afghanistan rests on this trade-off: For the cost of an additional soldier stationed in Afghanistan for a year, nearly 20 schools could be built.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/opinion/29kristof.html?_r=1&ref=opinion/

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

Reform group seeks rewrite of Calif. Constitution
By JULIET WILLIAMS
California's government is so broken it can be fixed only by rewriting the state constitution, a coalition of business and civic groups said Wednesday as it filed language for two ballot initiatives that would begin the process.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/29/AR2009102901199.html/

Struggles in both parties pit ideals vs. realities
By Dan Balz
Is politics about standing for principles and fighting for them? Or is politics about winning elections and passing legislation?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102804556.html/

The Democrats' dodge on voting rights
D.C. representation in Congress isn't being seen as the civil rights issue it is.
"DO THE DEMOCRATS have the political will to get this done?" That's the question recently posed by an advocate for voting rights for the District. If action is the measure, the answer -- sadly -- is no. Despite Democratic control of the White House and Congress, the 600,000-odd residents of the nation's capital are no closer to getting their rights as American citizens.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102804142.html/

McDonnell critics question ideology
SOME SAW AGENDA IN LEGAL OPNIONS
'My goal was . . . the right answer under the law'
By Anita Kumar
In one of his first moves after being sworn in as Virginia's attorney general in 2006, Republican Robert F. McDonnell advised the newly elected Democratic governor that he had overstepped his constitutional authority when he outlawed bias against gays in state hiring.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102805005.html/

Help gays who aren't hurt
By Andrew Kessinger
When President Obama signed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law Wednesday, human rights advocates across the country won a decent, but insufficient, victory.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102803988.html/

Cases against gay marriage don't hold up
By Robert McCartney
As I listened to opponents of same-sex marriage testify at two public hearings Monday in the District, I waited for a persuasive argument about how society would suffer by letting two men or two women say "I do." I didn't hear one.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102804622.html/

Shannon criticizes Cuccinelli remarks on policies toward gays
Democratic candidate ratchets up fight in attorney general race
By Amy Gardner
Stephen C. Shannon, the Democratic candidate for attorney general in Virginia, stepped up his effort to paint Republican opponent Ken Cuccinelli II as an extremist Wednesday, accusing him of planning to discriminate against gay men and lesbians who work in the Office of the Attorney General.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/28/AR2009102803746.html/

A marriage equality bill that respects religious objectors
By Robin Fretwell Wilson
Lexington, Va.
The writer is a professor of law at Washington & Lee University and co-editor of the book "Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty: Emerging Conflicts."
The hearings are beginning on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the District, and the D.C. Council is on track to vote on a final bill by December. Will it take the steps necessary to protect religious people and groups from any unintended consequences from this act?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102601653.html/

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

Heard On The Field: Are Incentives Rushing Injured Players Back?
In Wednesday's congressional hearings on NFL brain injuries, Rep. Melvin Watt of North Carolina questioned whether performance incentives in player contracts were encouraging them to return to the field before they had fully recovered from traumatic brain injuries. Gay Culverhouse, former president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, dismissed the notion, saying "maverick" owners would never consider changing the way contracts are structured.
--Reed Albergotti
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703574604574501451024873342.html/

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

Jets quarterback Sanchez doggin' it for a cause
CHIEFS: RB Larry Johnson, who made two gay slurs within a 24-hour period and has a history of poor behavior both on and off the field, was given what amounts to a one-game suspension by the team. Missing one game check will cost the troubled former Pro Bowler about $213,000.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/other/sfl-nfl-roundup-s102909sboct29,0,63446.story/

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

Equality Florida: Sign letter to ‘stop murder music’
From Nadine Smith at Equality Florida:
It's been just one month since five Florida performances were announced for Buju Banton. Since then, three venues have canceled the notorious singer whose lyrics call for the torture and murder of gay people.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/equality-florida-sign-letter-to-stop-murder-music.html/

Video | U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen speaks on Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Program
From U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/video-us-rep-ileana-ros-lehtinen-speaks-on-ryan-white-hivaids-treatment-program.html/

Craig Stevens, Rachel Robinson, Steve Rothaus among celebrity costume judges at SAVE Dade’s Asylum
News release from SAVE DADE:
After the world outbreak of the ZMBV (commonly known as the “zombie virus”) everybody is seeking for safeguard, even famous people. That is why a group of South Florida celebrities and personalities are checking into the only place in Miami where they can find shelter, and the most fun, wicked and scariest experience they could ever imagine: “Asylum”.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/craig-stevens-rachel-robinson-steve-rothaus-among-celebrity-costume-judges-at-save-dades-asylum.html/

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

Banton urges hate
I congratulate the James L. Knight Center and the city of Miami for their bold choice in featuring the music of reggae sensation Buju Banton this week.
What better way to highlight the cultural diversity of a great city than to invite a man who sings about the killing and acid torture of gays?
Banton's music should never be heard in Miami, let alone in the United States.
Cities as varied as Richmond, Va., Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Cincinnati have taken the high road and canceled his concerts.
His song Boom Bye Bye calls for the mutilation and killing of gays. Banton himself was charged with a gay beating in 2004. He was acquitted.
Why would the administrators of the Knight Center showcase a man who sings such hateful lyrics? Was it just for the money -- or could it be that news of the recent attacks of two gay men in Fort Lauderdale -- one of which resulted in a man's death -- never reached them?
STEFAN RUSSELL, Fort Lauderdale
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/1305768.html/

Freedom is not same as justice
BY MICHAEL GERSON
There have been various attempts over the decades to bury moral philosophy -- to dismiss convictions about right and wrong as cultural prejudices, or secretions of the brain, or matters so personal they shouldn't even affect our private lives.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/1305761.html/

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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

More than 1,000 on hand in Central Jersey to protest church's message of hate
By JARED KALTWASSER
More than 1,000 protesters stood in the rain this morning outside New Brunswick High School and Rutgers Hillel to voice opposition to the message of six members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20091028/NEWS01/91028023/1001/rss/

Two years after son's death, mother finds solace in hate crimes bill
For Elke Kennedy, the significance of Wednesday's hate crimes legislation can be traced to a single punch outside a bar on a drunken night two years ago.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/28/hate.crime.bill.mother/

More held over homophobic attack
Six more youths have been arrested over a homophobic attack on a trainee police officer in Liverpool city centre.
James Parkes, 22, was assaulted by up to 20 people outside Superstar Boudoir in Stanley Street on Sunday night.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/8330097.stm/

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

Coming Soon: “Sugar Daddy Ken” Doll
By Christopher Mangum
Mattel has announced a new addition to the company’s Barbie Gold Label Collection, Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken.
http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Entertainment_News/Coming-Soon__Sugar_Daddy_Ken_Doll/

Coach: Rugby Team Put Looks Above Talent
The former coach for the Stade Francais rugby team says the organization prized players for their good-looks for its calendar above athletic ability.
By Julie Bolcer
Ewen McKenzie, a former coach for Stade Francais, accused the popular French rugby team of focusing on acquiring good-looking players for its annual calendar at the expense of athletic talent.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/28/Coach__Rugby_Team_Put_Looks_Above_Talent/

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

PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama delivers on hate crimes
By The Associated Press
For this accomplishment, President Barack Obama sought maximum publicity. There was a bill signing at a wooden desk set up in the East Room, with the media invited, followed by a reception for joyous, champagne-sipping supporters and an address to them, again, from the East Room.
http://www.365gay.com/news/promises-promises-obama-delivers-on-hate-crimes/

Obama’s White House remarks on hate crimes
By 365gay Newswire
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT RECEPTION COMMEMORATING THE ENACTMENT OF THE MATTHEW SHEPARD AND JAMES BYRD, JR. HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT
East Room
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you so much, and welcome to the White House.
http://www.365gay.com/news/obamas-white-house-remarks-on-hate-crimes/

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

Former gay charity head jailed for sex attack on baby
The former head of a Scottish LGBT youth charity has been sentenced to serve at least 13 years in prison. James Rennie, 38, was convicted in May of sexually assaulting three-month-old baby. The abuse continued for four years.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/29/former-gay-charity-head-jailed-for-sex-attack-on-baby/

Gay men could be subject to five-year ban on blood donation
A public meeting yesterday discussed the possibility of a five-year deferral for gay and bisexual men donating blood, rather than a lifetime ban.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/gay-men-could-be-subject-to-five-year-ban-on-blood-donation/

Ian McKellen on being a second-class citizen
Gay actor Ian McKellen has spoken about the legacy of being a "second-class citizen", saying he had never dreamed of being able to marry and have children.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/29/ian-mckellen-on-being-a-second-class-citizen/

Mother of Matthew Shepard welcomes US hate crimes bill
Judy Shepard, the mother of murdered gay teenager Matthew Shepard, has given her thanks to Congress and President Barack Obama for passing a new law to protect gays against hate crime.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/mother-of-matthew-shepard-welcomes-us-hate-crimes-bill/

Bisexual workers 'excluded by lesbian and gay colleagues'
Stonewall research has suggested that bisexual people face a number of challenges in being open about their sexuality at work, such as feeling excluded by gay and lesbian colleagues.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/bisexual-workers-excluded-by-lesbian-and-gay-colleagues/

Two days left to sign petition on religious civil partnerships
There are only two days remaining to sign a petition to call for civil partnerships to be held in religious buildings.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/two-days-left-to-sign-petition-on-religious-civil-partnerships/

Europe minister Chris Byrant mentions gay rights in death penalty speech
Chris Bryant, the openly gay minister for Europe, mentioned executions of gay people in Iran while arguing for the need to press other countries to abolish the death penalty.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/europe-minister-chris-byrant-mentions-gay-rights-in-death-penalty-speech/

Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black barred from speaking at Michigan college
Dustin Lance Black has been barred from appearing at a college discussion on sexuality because college officials felt he would be too divisive.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/milk-screenwriter-dustin-lance-black-barred-from-speaking-at-michigan-college/

Cher's son Chaz Bono to give TV interview
Chaz Bono, the son of singer Cher, is to give his first television interview since announcing his plans to become a man.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/28/chers-son-chaz-bono-to-give-tv-interview/

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

The Week of Initiative is just around the corner!
Fellow Organizers,
NOVEMBER 1ST- 8TH is the Week of Initiative!
Fresh from the massive success of the National Equality March, organizers of the newly formed Equality Across America have been inspired to take action locally. In some cities, CDATs have already mobilized since the Oct. 11, 2009 march to fight a gay bashing (Queens, NY), to challenge transgender exclusion from a local bar (Chicago, IL) and to protest outside a fundraiser for President Obama (Boston, MA) demanding that he act on his promises.In the spirit of building on this momentum, Equality Across America has called for a Week of Initiative (WOI), Nov. 1-8, 2009. Given the varying strengths and weaknesses of each chapter, known as Congressional District Action Teams (CDATs, though each group has chosen its own name), the aim of the WOI is for each local chapter to take whatever kind of action that week that would amount to a step forward toward developing a cohesive team of grassroots activists and new leaders.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11049/

NE: PFLAG Omaha Newsletter for November
Here is a link to PFLAG Omaha’s Nov. Newsletter.
http://www.pflag-omaha.org/newsletter/Nov%2009%20PFLAG_NL.pdf
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11048/

Obama Is Keeping Bush’s Worst “War on Terror” Policies Firmly in Place
Julian Sanchez \ The Nation \ AlterNet
We know the rules by now, the strange conventions and stilted Kabuki scripts that govern our cartoon facsimile of a national security debate. The Obama administration makes vague, reassuring noises about constraining executive power and protecting civil liberties, but then merrily adopts whatever appalling policy George W. Bush put in place. Conservatives hit the panic button on the right-wing noise machine anyway, keeping the delicate ecosystem in balance by creating the false impression that something has changed. We’ve watched the formula play out with Guantánamo Bay, torture prosecutions and the invocation of “state secrets.” We appear to be on the verge of doing the same with national security surveillance.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11047/

Resisting Oppression: Toscano Speaks On Ex-Gay Movement
Katie Marinello \ Trinity Tripod
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Peterson Toscano visited Trinity College to give a special presentation called “Homo No Mo’: Gender, Orientation and the Ex-Gay Movement.” A self-proclaimed “survivor” of the movement, Toscano spent 17 years and over $30,000 on three continents trying to suppress his sexual orientation through counseling, 12-step programs, religious devotions (which he called “giving my soul and genitals to Jesus”), and even three exorcisms. In the end, he failed to become a committed ex-gay, which he told the audience was “the biggest failure of my life so far.” Since giving up on the ex-gay movement, he has achieved great success traveling the world and presenting his one-act plays, including Doin’ Time in the Homo No Mo’ Halfway House - How I survived the Ex-Gay Movement and Queer 101:?Now I Know My gAy,B,Cs.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11045/

The Battleground Basics
Bil Browning \ Bilerico Project
On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009- less than a week away- there will be critical votes on on LGBT equality in three states: Washington State, Maine, and Michigan. With so much attention devoted to other issues in the political realm, bloggers have banded together with the Courage Campaign to ensure we don’t forget the ones with a firm deadline next week.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11044/

How Could It Be Against the Law to Spread Public Information?
Charles Mostoller \ AlterNet
The hazmat team rushed into Elliot Madison’s home in Queens, N.Y., and headed straight for the kombucha tea brewing in a corner, assuming that the outspoken anarchist was concocting a chemical weapon.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11043/

Pot is More Mainstream Than Ever, So Why is Legalization Still Taboo?
Steven Wishnia \ AlterNet
More members of Congress have publicly questioned whether President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii than have endorsed legalizing marijuana.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11042/

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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - October 28, 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:

Being Gay in the N.F.L.: ‘The Only Thing We Need Is a Hero’
Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is awaiting word from the N.F.L on whether he’ll be suspended for using slurs referring to gays in communicating with a Twitter follower and in talking to reporters.
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/being-gay-in-the-nfl-the-only-thing-we-need-is-a-hero/

Focus of Gay-Marriage Fight Is Maine
By ABBY GOODNOUGH
Less than a week before Maine voters decide whether to repeal the state’s new same-sex marriage law, donations and volunteers are pouring in to sway what both sides call a nationally significant fight.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/us/28maine.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:

Harry Reid: crazy like a fox
PostPartisan
Not many people remember this, but the hate crimes bill headed for President Obama's signature this afternoon was supposed to ride there on a rather innocuous piece of tourism legislation earlier this year. Instead, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) changed tactics and attached it to the defense department reauthorization bill, ticking off the White House -- and me.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/10/harry_reid_crazy_like_a_fox.html/

Should student drama productions be restricted to PG themes?
You would think people have better things to fight about, but across the nation people are arguing--and even going to court--over high school plays. Yes, the drama productions that high school kids stage for other high school kids. The latest instance occurred this week at Churchill High School in Potomac, Md., when administrators abruptly cancelled a production of “Chicago” three weeks before it was to be staged because it is too racy, my colleague Nelson Hernandez reported.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/arts-education/should-student-dramaproduction.html/

Giving democracy a dose of clarity
By Michael Gerson
There have been various attempts over the decades to bury moral philosophy -- to dismiss convictions about right and wrong as cultural prejudices, or secretions of the brain, or matters so personal they shouldn't even affect our private lives.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102702841.html/

A civil rights advance
A federal law targets violence based on sexual orientation.
PRESIDENT OBAMA is scheduled to sign Wednesday what is being described as the nation's first significant pro-gay rights legislation. Attached to the defense authorization act, the measure would add sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to the list of protected classes under the 1969 federal hate-crimes law.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102703166.html/

A marriage equality bill that respects religious objectors
By Robin Fretwell Wilson
Lexington, Va.
The hearings are beginning on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the District, and the D.C. Council is on track to vote on a final bill by December. Will it take the steps necessary to protect religious people and groups from any unintended consequences from this act?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102601653.html/

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

Obama Is Right About Fox News
But the criticism was clumsy.
By thomas@wsj.com
Journalism has a special, hallowed place for stories of its practitioners' persecution. There is no higher claim to journalistic integrity than going to jail to protect a source. And the Newseum in Washington, D.C., establishes the profession's legitimacy with a memorial to fallen scribes, thus drawing an implicit connection between the murdered abolitionist editors of long ago and the struggling outfit that gave you this morning's page-one story about cute pets in Halloween costumes.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703574604574499671746743510.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories/

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

International Olympic Committee to hold meeting on ‘ambiguous’ gender cases
By STEPHEN WILSON, AP Sports Writer
LONDON -- The International Olympic Committee will convene a special conference of medical experts to draw up guidelines for dealing with "ambiguous" gender cases in the wake of South African runner Caster Semenya's sex-test controversy.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/international-olympic-committee-to-hold-meeting-on-ambiguous-gender-cases.html/

More immigrants cite sexual orientation for asylum
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS, Associated Press
For weeks, Nathaniel Cunningham and his boyfriend secretly lived together in rural Jamaica. They showed no affection in public and rarely spoke to neighbors.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/more-immigrants-cite-sexual-orientation-for-asylum.html/

Chiefs' Johnson apologizes for comments; club investigating
The Sports Network
Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has issued an apology for remarks he has made since Sunday's loss to the San Diego Chargers. The Chiefs are also investigating the matter and have told Johnson to stay away from the team.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/chiefs-johnson-apologizes-for-comments-club-investigating.html/

Brother, sister-in-law of gay man slain in Florida will attend White House signing of Matthew Shepard Act
From the family of Ryan Skipper, a young gay man murdered in March 2007 in Winter Haven, Fla.:
The White House has confirmed that Damien Skipper, Ryan Skipper's brother, and Damien's wife Tricia, will be in attendance at the White House signing ceremony of the Matthew Shepard Act on Wednesday afternoon, October 28.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/brother-sister-in-law-of-gay-man-slain-in-florida-will-attend-white-house-signing-of-matthew-shepard-act.html/

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

Party trumps country?
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
You figure the White House is probably feeling pretty good about itself right now. After spending much of the summer as a punching bag for conservatives, Team Obama has begun throwing punches of its own. It has unleashed its marquee figures to tee off on high profile GOP personalities and institutions in a coordinated effort to marginalize the opposition.
http://www.miamiherald.com/285/story/1303812.html/

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South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

Bea Arthur leaves $300k to Ali Forney Center
Organization provides shelter and services to LGBT homeless youth
From Washington Blade staff reports
Late "Golden Girls" star Bea Arthur has left $300,000 of her estate to the Ali Forney Center, an organization that supports homeless LGBT youth, according to a press release from the organization.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=27813/

End of HIV travel ban 'imminent'
Official announcement could come Wednesday
By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade
The Obama administration will soon officially announce a change in rules to allow HIV-positive foreign nationals to enter the country, according to Immigration Equality. Steve Ralls, an Immigration Equality spokesperson, said the final rule change has moved from the Department of Health & Human Services to the White House Office of Management & Budget, which will officially announce the change.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=27810/

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

Did Arnold Say F--You to Gay Lawmaker?
By Julie Bolcer
Sacramento circles are buzzing with speculation whether California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sent a coded message of “F--you” in a veto letter to a lawmaker who allegedly told him to “kiss my gay ass” at a recent fundraiser in San Francisco.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/28/Did_Arnold_Say_F-You_to_Gay_Lawmaker_/

Seventeen Slammed for Transphobic Article
By Julie Bolcer
A young LGBT activist has launched a Facebook campaign against Seventeen magazine in response to its publication of an article that portrays transgender people in a highly negative way.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/28/Seventeen_Slammed_for_Transphobic_Article/

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

Tenn. Appeals Court rules for Bible Park rezoning
By The Associated Press
The Tennessee Court of Appeals at Nashville has ruled in favor of a rezoning that would allow a Bible-based theme park to be built in Rutherford County.
http://www.365gay.com/news/tenn-appeals-court-rules-for-bible-park-rezoning/

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

Vigil to be held for gay trainee policeman beaten in Liverpool
A vigil is to be held in Liverpool this Sunday for James Parkes, the trainee police officer who was beaten by a gang of up to 20 youths last weekend. His parents have spoken of their disbelief he was attacked for doing nothing wrong
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/27/vigil-to-be-held-for-gay-man-beaten-in-liverpool/

Maine governor announces support for gay marriage
John Baldacci, the governor of Maine, has given his support for gay marriage in the state and urged voters to do the same on November 3rd's referendum.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/27/maine-governor-announces-support-for-gay-marriage/

US Army Secretary says military is ready to lift gay ban
US Secretary of the Army John McHugh said this weekend that the military is ready to lift the ban on openly gay personnel. He is the highest-ranking Army official to show his support for repealing the ban.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/27/us-army-secretary-says-military-is-ready-to-lift-gay-ban/

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

The Case for Marijuana Legalization and Regulation
Paul Armentano, AlterNet
The following is the testimony NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano will deliver on Oct. 28 to the California Assembly Public Safety Committee’s special hearing on “the legalization of marijuana: social, fiscal and legal implications for California.” Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, sponsor of AB 390, The Marijuana Control, Regulation and Education Act, is the chairman of the committee.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11022/

Working While Transgender or Gay
Deb Price \ Creators.com
Life journeys often begin with secrets, ones that children sense they mustn’t share for fear of ridicule — or worse. For Vandy Beth Glenn, the secret was an “overwhelming awareness” growing up in Atlanta of being a girl inside a boy’s body.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11021/

Obama’s Hate Crime Laws are ‘Hate Christian’ Laws
MEDIA ADVISORY, Oct. 28 /Christian Newswire/ — The following is a statement by Dr. Gary L. Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission: “In other nations, like Canada, where hate crime laws have been enacted, it is Christians, specifically conservative Christians who hold to the historic Christian faith and it’s values, that become the object of institutionalized, governmental hate.”
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11020/

IA: Dems, GOP Differ on Plans for Same-Sex Marriage in 2010
Bret Hayworth - bhayworth@siouxcityjournal.com \ Sioux City Journal
If opponents of same-sex marriage want to push the Iowa Legislature for changes, they may find their efforts fruitless.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11019/

Specter Calls for Repeal of Marriage Act
Kate Phillips \ New York Times
Updated: First, he spoke on the Senate floor Monday evening and then put out a bulletin on Twitter. And on Tuesday morning, Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican-turned Democrat who is running for his sixth term in the Senate, posted a short piece on the Huffington Post’s Web site in which he says it’s time to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11018/

GLBT History Month 2009–Yves St. Laurent
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/11017/

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#####

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

GLBT DIGEST - October 26, 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:

States Pressed Into New Role on Medical Marijuana
By KIRK JOHNSON
Health and law enforcement officials around the nation are scrambling to figure out how to regulate medical marijuana now that the federal government has decided it will no longer prosecute legal users or providers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/us/26marijuana.html?scp=16&sq=gay&st=cse/

Mass. Man Says Brazilian Husband Denied US Asylum
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Massachusetts husband of a gay Brazilian man says his spouse has been denied asylum that would allow them to be reunited in the U.S.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/26/us/AP-US-Gay-Marriage-Asylum.html?scp=14&sq=gay&st=cse/

Developing Nation Anglicans Decline Pope's Offer
By REUTERS
PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative bishops who say they represent almost half the world's Anglicans urged fellow believers Sunday to reform the Anglican Communion rather than take up Pope Benedict's invitation to join the Roman Catholic Church.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/10/26/world/international-uk-vatican-anglican-south.html?scp=12&sq=gay&st=cse/

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

Both sides mobilize on same-sex marriage
Rally by opponents precedes election board, D.C. Council hearings
By Tim Craig
A small but noisy group of protesters, many bused in from churches, rallied Sunday in downtown Washington to demand that the D.C. Council reject a measure that would allow same-sex marriages in the District.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/25/AR2009102502502.html/

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

Stereotype and prejudice
The article published on Oct. 11, regarding President Obama mending fences with gays, quoted Pentagon sources that show 10,507 men and women discharged for sexual orientation over the last 12 years. Other statistics have put that number over 12,500 since 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was implemented in 1993 under former President Bill Clinton. Though women make up only 15 percent of active duty military personnel, they account for one third of the dismissals. It would be interesting to know the amount of taxpayer money that is spent recruiting and training, investigating and discharging, and ultimately replacing these qualified soldiers. The Government Accountability Office indicates a cost of $95.4 million for recruiting and $95.1 million for training replacements from 1994 to 2003 alone.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-gays-military-letter-m102609sboct26,0,391023.story/

Cruise lines entice fans with music from Kid Rock to Christian
By MCT News Service
Scrreeeeech! For your listening pleasure, the soundtrack aboard Carnival Destiny next May will be industrial-metal rock. It's courtesy of the Genitorturers , stars of the five-night Devils & Dolls Cruise from Miami on May 8.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/travel/sns-200910260810mctnewsservbc-cru-musiccruise-de19,0,6945845.story/

Pope John Paul II film festival coming to Miami-Dade
By Jaweed Kaleem
There's no shortage of film festivals in Miami: Colombian, Black, Brazilian, and Gay and Lesbian, to name a few.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-pope-festival-bn102609,0,6096266.story/

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

Jamaica Gleaner: Buju Banton gets green light to perform in Miami
Gay Jamaica Watch blog has posted this article from Monday’s The Jamaica Gleaner:
BY HOWARD CAMPBELL, The Jamaica Gleaner
Buju Banton, whose Rasta Got Soul tour of the United States has been dogged by protests from gay rights groups, will perform at the Reggae Bash show in Miami this week.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/jamaica-gleaner-buju-banton-gets-green-light-to-perform-in-miami.html/

Kate Williams named executive director of South Florida’s Aqua Foundation for Women
News release from Aqua Foundation for Women:
The Aqua Foundation for Women (AFW), whose mission is to promote the equality, strength, health and visibility of South Florida lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (LBT) women, announces its new Executive Director, Kate Williams. In its fifth year, The AFW is poised for meteoric growth. The Board of Directors decided it is the right time to hire an Executive Director to lead the way. After an extensive search, Kate Williams was chosen based on her non-profit experience in program management and fundraising as well as her business background and overall leadership qualities. The AFW required its new leader to share the values and the vision of the organization. "Kate truly understands our vision of achieving the wellbeing and equality of lesbian, bisexual and transgendered women. She knows we cannot sit idly and wait for this but must work together each day until we are truly equal. We are extremely excited to move forward towards this goal with Kate.", said Laura Steckler, Chair of the AFW.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/kate-williams-named-executive-director-of-south-floridas-aqua-foundation-for-women.html/

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

Miami Beach Bruthaz announces dates for 2010
From Miami Beach Bruthaz:
Contact Us at (888) 4-BRUTHAZ
Miami Beach Bruthaz is an annual summer lifestyle event on South Beach which attracts same gender loving men and women from around the country for a weekend of Knowledge Culture and Fashion. The 2010 event will be held July 15-18. Our host hotels are the Riviera South Beach Hotel and the Catalina Beach Club & Spa. Hotel reservations can be made through our event website or by calling 888-427-8842. Visit us online at www.miamibeachbruthaz.com or on Myspace at www.myspace.com/miamibeachbruthaz or check us out on Facebook.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/miami-beach-bruthaz-announces-dates-for-2010.html/

Elaine Lancaster to celebrate 10th year as official White Party hostess
From Elaine Lancaster:
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/elaine-lancaster-to-celebrate-10th-year-as-official-white-party-hostess.html/

New York Post: Tony-nominated Broadway leading men Jonathan Groff and Gavin Creel are ‘Actors in Love’
From Today’s New York Post:
THERE'S a new gay power couple on Broadway. Jonathan Groff, who was nominated for a Tony for his work in "Spring Awakening," has been dating "Hair" star Gavin Creel, a source tells Page Six.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/10/new-york-post-tony-nominated-broadway-leading-men-jonathan-groff-and-gavin-creel-are-actors-in-love.html/

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

Gay Adoption Focus of Royal Battle
By Julie Bolcer
The legitimacy of same-sex unions and the rights of surrogate children lie at the heart of a bitter inheritance battle involving one of Italy’s richest families. Princess Gesine Doria Pamphilj, a devout Catholic, believes that the two surrogate children of her gay brother, Jonathan, and his civil partner have no rights to the $1.5 billion family fortune and private art collection, according to The New York Post.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/26/Gay_Adoption_Focus_of_Royal_Battle/

Woman Joins Obama Golf Foursome
By Julie Bolcer
President Barack Obama’s chief domestic policy adviser, Melody Barnes, became the first woman to play in the president’s golf foursome on Sunday, following criticism that a testosterone-laden boys’ club mentality dominates the White House inner circle.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/26/Woman_Joins_Obama_Golf_Foursome/

Man Sentenced for Gay Immigration Fraud
By Julie Bolcer
A Seattle-area man accused of counseling straight immigrants to claim they were gay in order to obtain asylum in the United States has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2009/10/26/Man_Sentenced_for_Gay_Immigration_Fraud/

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

Dr. Susan Love recruits a gay and trans army against breast cancer
By Dana Rudolph
“Breast cancer doesn’t have to go on to another generation. We can be the generation that stops it,” says Dr. Susan Love.
http://www.365gay.com/news/dr-susan-love-recruits-a-gay-and-trans-army-against-breast-cancer/

Attorney General comments on DOMA, don’t ask
By 365gay Newswire
Attorney General Eric Holder, in Maine less than two weeks before voters decide whether to repeal the state’s law recognizing gay marriages, was asked about federal laws addressing the issue.
http://www.365gay.com/news/attorney-general-comments-on-doma-dont-ask/

Wash. man gets 18 months in gay immigration fraud
By The Associated Press
A man accused of advising straight immigrants to claim homosexuality – and potential persecution in their home countries – when they applied for asylum has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
http://www.365gay.com/news/wash-man-gets-18-months-in-gay-immigration-fraud/

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

Gay man fighting for life after Liverpool homophobic attack
Three people have been arrested after a homophobic attack which left a young man with serious head injuries. The attack happened last night in Liverpool's gay area.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/26/man-in-life-threatening-condition-after-liverpool-gay-attack/

Christian woman may sue after police investigate 'gay hate crime' letter
A woman who complained about a gay Pride march in Norwich has said she may sue the police and local council after she was investigated for possible hate crime.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/26/christian-woman-may-sue-after-police-investigate-gay-hate-crime-letter/

Comment: In defence of Jan Moir
Homophobia breeds when we silence opinions we don’t like. For democracy’s sake, Jan Moir owes no apologies for her opinions, just coherent reasons, says Adrian Tippetts.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/26/comment-in-defence-of-jan-moir/

Film director accuses Scientology of homophobia
A Hollywood film director has left the Church of Scientology, citing the religion's opposition to gay marriage. Paul Haggis, who directed the 2005 film Crash, was a member of the church for around 35 years.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/26/film-director-accuses-scientology-of-homophobia/

Film about gay Neo-Nazis wins top honours at Rome Film Festival
Brotherhood, a film about two male Neo-Nazis who begin a relationship, has won the best film accolade at the Rome Film Festival.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/26/film-about-gay-neo-nazis-wins-top-honours-at-rome-film-festival/

Elton John cancels gig after catching flu
Elton John was forced to cancel a sell-out gig in Sheffield after coming down with flu. He was due to play before 13,000 fans at Sheffield Arena on Friday night as part of his Red Piano show
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/26/elton-john-cancels-gig-after-catching-flu/

Scottish police call for more gays and lesbians to report domestic abuse
Scottish police are urging more gay and lesbian victims of domestic violence to come forward. One thousand incidents of domestic abuse among same-sex couples were reported in Scotland in the last year but it is thought the true number of incidents could be as high as 4,000.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/26/scottish-police-call-for-more-gays-and-lesbians-to-report-domestic-abuse/

Ruling bars courts from asking for doctor's notes in trans name changes
Trans people who legally change their names will no longer need to provide courts with a doctor's note after a ruling from New York's Supreme Court.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/23/ruling-bars-courts-from-asking-for-doctors-notes-in-trans-name-changes/

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

Quack Attack Is Back In West Palm
Wayne Besen \ Truth Wins Out
In August, the American Psychological Association released a report that explicitly said “there is insufficient evidence” for therapists to claim conversion therapy works.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10970/

NE: PFLAG Cornhusker Honors Jim and Barb Kimberly
On Nov. 1 Jim and Barb Kimberly will be honored at a reception at the Unitarian Church, 6300 “A”. Jim and Barbara have given 34 years of their time and energy to many organizations including the LGBT community. The reception is from 2:00 - 4:00. If you would like to bring a “finger food” for the Kimberly reception on Nov. 1, please either email Cyn Monohon at barcynmon@windstream.net or call Cyn at 488-6125 with what you are willing to bring to the reception.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10969/

TV Ads Aren’t the Answer in Maine
Matt Foreman \ Bilerico Project
As the campaign in Maine enters the home stretch, our skeevy opponents have unleashed yet another ad claiming that unless marriage equality is overturned, same-sex marriage will be “pushed” on elementary school children. Our side has responded with calm, rebutting the attacks with facts, statements from authoritative figures, and appeals to higher values. Sadly, that approach has been condemned by well-respected figures in our community, including Andrew Sullivan, Mike Tidmus, the Box Turtle Bulletin and the Bay Area Reporter.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10968/

The Gay Hate Crimes Crisis Isn’t Over Yet
David Badash \ Bilerico Project
Thursday’s historic passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is cause for celebration. The first federal legislation to provide inclusive protections for the GLBTQ community, this hate crimes bill will extend significant protections to many Americans. Yes, we absolutely must celebrate this victory. It tells all our citizens, and the world, who we are, what we stand for - and what we won’t stand for.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10967/

Rock of Ages, Cleft by the Pope
New York Times
London: THE images and clichés came spluttering out of the laptops of church people and religious affairs correspondents on Tuesday: The pope has parked his tanks on the Church of England’s lawn; Rome has made a hostile takeover bid for Canterbury. It is understandable if people are at a loss for words, since the move has been made so decisively and so without warning. Even the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, knew nothing of the plan until a few days ago.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10966/

Gay Marriage Fight Fuels Debate Over Petitioners’ Rights
David G. Savage and Carol J. Williams \ Los Angeles Times
October 25, 2009
Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington - The fierce fight over same-sex marriage in California and elsewhere is creating pressure to recognize a new free-speech right that could keep petition signatures secret.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10965/

For an Episcopal Parish, a Path to Catholicism
LAURIE GOODSTEIN \ New York Times
When the Vatican announced last week that it would welcome groups of traditionalist Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church, leaders of one Episcopal parish celebrated as if a ship had arrived to rescue them from a drifting ice floe.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10964/

The Sex of Athletes: One Issue, Many Variables
ALICE DREGER \ New York Times
Track and field’s world governing body has begun trying to devise new rules about who can compete as a woman. This comes nearly two months after being presented with the case of Caster Semenya, the South African runner whose sex was questioned when she won the 800-meter world championship.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10963/

Tell Scholastic to Stop Censoring Gay Friendly Books
Change.org
Gay Rights
Tell Scholastic to Stop Censoring Gay Friendly Books
To: Richard Robinson (Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scholastic), Kyle Good (Vice President, Corporate Communications, Scholastic) and Teryl McLane (Senior Manager of Communications, Scholastic Book Fairs)
Started by: Michael Jones
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10962/

The Nun’s Story
MAUREEN DOWD \ New York Times
WASHINGTON
Once, in the first grade, I was late for class. I started crying in the schoolyard, terrified to go in and face the formidable Sister Hiltruda. Father Montgomery, who looked like a handsome young priest out of a 1930s movie, found me cowering and took my hand, leading me into the classroom.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10960/

Rightist on BBC Panel Draws Protests and Viewers
JOHN F. BURNS \ New York News
LONDON — In a usual week, “Question Time” is a worthy but largely unexciting television production, a late-night panel discussion on the BBC that for 30 years has attracted a modest, pre-bedtime audience.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10959/

Maine Gay Marriage Debate Heats Up, Differs from Vermont
DANIEL BARLOW \ Vermont Press Bureau \ Times Argus
MONTPELIER – Maine is now embroiled in the same-sex marriage debate that Vermont mostly avoided. Maine lawmakers approved same-sex marriage this spring, shortly after Vermont lawmakers did the same, but that state now faces a Nov. 3 ballot referendum to appeal the new law.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10958/

Rinse, Repeat: Obama Admin Aggressively Defending DADT in Court
Pam Spaulding \ Pam’s House Blend
WTF? Didn’t we hear during the HRC dinner that the President was working on repeal as we speak?
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10957/

CA: Time for Greek, GLBT Groups to Come to the Table
Daily Trojan
One of the most sensitive — and most important — issues facing our university community is how gay and lesbian individuals are treated in the Greek system. Over the last five years, a trickle of complaints regarding this matter has become a steady flow. The issue was highlighted in a letter sent to the Daily Trojan last spring, when the writer, who had been rejected from a house during the rush process, lamented the “palpable” anti-gay sentiment in fraternities.
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10956/

CA: GLBT Groups Face Hurdles in Greek Relations
Grace Wong, Alexandra Tilsley \ Daily Trojan
When Steven Philp ran for president of his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, some of his fraternity brothers opposed his campaign because of his sexual orientation. “I know that one of the issues that was brought up was, ‘Do we want a gay president?’” Philp, a senior majoring in creative writing said. “And a lot of members said no.”
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/news/10955/

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#####

GLBT DIGEST - October 25, 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:

Rock of Ages, Cleft by the Pope
By A. N. WILSON
London: THE images and clichés came spluttering out of the laptops of church people and religious affairs correspondents on Tuesday: The pope has parked his tanks on the Church of England’s lawn; Rome has made a hostile takeover bid for Canterbury. It is understandable if people are at a loss for words, since the move has been made so decisively and so without warning. Even the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, knew nothing of the plan until a few days ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/opinion/25wilson.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=gay&st=cse/

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

Is Pope Benedict a closet liberal?
By David Gibson
When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope in April 2005, all the world rejoiced -- or recoiled -- with the certain knowledge that the cardinals had settled on the one man who would be more conservative than John Paul II.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102302403.html/

Campaign hype feels like old glory
By Philip Kennicott
It isn't meant to be a gloomy or creepy book. The images of Barack Obama with strangely full lips and long lashes, or the weird morphing of his face and Lincoln's, or the gal in the very short and saucy sweater dress she made that proclaims "My Jewish Grandma is voting for Obama, is yours?" are all meant to be positive and inspiring, the voice of a new generation of artists who feel empowered by the election of the 44th president.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/23/AR2009102300173.html/

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

No vote needed on gays in the military
Cal Thomas says the citizens of this country through their legislators should decide whether gays should be in the military. Should people also vote as to whether African-Americans should be permitted in the military, or Latinos? Should our legislators vote as to the rights of minority groups? Is this what Mr. Thomas feels this country is about?
Harry Hoffer, Boynton Beach
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-gays-in-military-mm102509pnoct25,0,2524997.story/

Religion profile: The Rev. Jack Branford, First United Church of Hollywood
What's the one most mistaken impression about your faith?
Our Pilgrim and Puritan heritage. People think we are still like that, but we are not. Today, we are a liberal, open, mainline denomination. Our church has been at the forefront of social change. We ordained our first woman in 1850, our first African-American in 1870, and our first gay pastor in 1973. Finally, we are the only major denomination to publicly support same-sex marriage.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/hollywood/sfl-religion-fv-qa-jacksboct25,0,1948042.story/

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

There's No One Way to Be a Morehouse Man
Why can't a Morehouse man wear a fierce pair of Jimmy Choos to class?
By Shane L. Windmeyer
COMMENTARY: Morehouse College has it all wrong again. In what administrators call an effort to uphold the private, all-male university's legacy and reputation, they recently approved a new “Appropriate Attire Policy.” Among typical clothing standards, the policy goes on to state, “No wearing of clothing associated with women’s garb (dresses, tops, tunics, purses, pumps, etc.) on the Morehouse campus or at College-sponsored events.”
http://www.advocate.com/Society/Education/Theres_No_One_Way_to_Be_a_Morehouse_Man/

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JustNews.com
http://www.justnews.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

Could ruling relax 'Don't Ask' without law change?
Source: DOD examining Witt as way to ease enforcement
By CHRIS JOHNSON
The Defense Department is examining whether a ruling in a lawsuit challenging “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” could be used to relax enforcement of the policy without changing the law, according to a Senate aide.
http://www.floridablade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=27769/

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Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.
REMINDER.... All cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls ..... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS. To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number. It takes 31 days for notice to telemarketing companies to take effect. We did this for our cell phones and our home phones: HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON .. It takes about 20 seconds.

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