**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.
=
Newsweek
Begum Nawazish Ali - Drag Queen Defies U.S.
Lahore, Pakistan - "I'm a drag queen, darling.not an extremist.and I stillsay if Pakistanis had more self-respect, we'd be even more anti-American,"says Ali Saleem, who glosses his lips and dons a sari each week to interviewcelebrities and politicians on his TV program Begum Nawazish Ali, a talkshow sensation in Pakistan. "I'm not speaking religion; it's common sense."
From politics to culture, Ali says American intervention in Pakistan has"brought nothing but sadness" by supporting dictators and renderingPakistan's people impotent, constantly looking to the outside world,particularly the U.S., for help solving its own problems.
Full article and video at
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/america/2007/08/begum_nawazish_ali_drag_queen.html .
=
BBC
21 Aug 07
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6956848.stm
Police in northern Nigeria have clashed with Muslim youths angry at aSharia court's decision to grant bail to 18 men accused of dressing aswomen. For about 30 minutes, the protesters held up traffic on Bauchi'smain street chanting slogans saying the accused men had been let offlightly.
Riot police fired teargas to disperse them, a BBC reporter in thenorth-eastern city says.
Trial judge Tanimu Abubakar freed five of the 18 men who met bailconditions.
The other 13 have been sent back to prison.
The men all pleaded not guilty to charges of "indecent dressing" and"vagrancy" and were granted bail after they paid 20,000 Naira ($158) each.
But some young men who gathered outside the court premises felt the mendid not deserve bail and began hurling stones at the court house.
The BBC's Shehu Saulawa in Bauchi says the trial is fast becoming "acelebrity case".
He says the court room was so crammed with people that many could not getin as the prosecution and defence presented their briefs.
The 18 men were arrested two weeks ago in a hotel room in Bauchi, which isgoverned by the Islamic Sharia legal system.
=
August 21, 2007
INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Concerns Increase for Safety of LGBT in 3 African Countries
For Immediate Release
Nigeria, Cameroon, and Uganda Increase Arrests and Threats toward theirLGBT Citizens
(Johannesburg, South Africa) The International Gay and Lesbian HumanRights Commission (IGLHRC) is deeply alarmed by increased violence,arrests, and threats of arrest of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals andtransgenders in three African nations. In recent weeks, 18 men have beendetained in Nigeria, purportedly for cross-dressing, 6 gay men have beenarrested in Cameroon on the heels of widely publicized detention andtrials last year that prompted United Nations intervention, and Ugandangovernment officials have joined homophobic religious institutions bycalling for the arrests of LGBT activists.
"In each of these countries, LGBT people are challenging the wall ofsilence around homosexuality and gender identity," said Paula Ettelbrick,IGLHRC Executive Director. "And in each country the government hasresponded with attempts to snuff out their peaceful pleas to be heard."
Nigeria
Teargas had to be used this morning to disperse an angry crowd intent onmeting out mob justice against 18 gay men who were arrested in BauchiState on Sunday, August 5. Bauchi is in Northern Nigeria and is governedby Sharia (Islamic law). The men, all whom are in their twenties, havebeen charged with "vagrancy," under Article 372 Sec 2(E) of the BauchiState Islamic code which prohibits cross-dressing and the practice ofsodomy. If convicted, the men face a one-year prison sentence and twentylashes. The men were not wearing women's clothes at the time of theirarrest, according to Joseph Akoro, director of the Independent Project(TIP), a Nigerian LGBT organization.
"This leads us to believe that the charges have been drummed up to incitehatred against gay people in the highly charged environment of ourcountry," said Akoro.
The men were guests at a straight wedding party held at Benko Hotel, inYelwa area of Bauchi. A number of other people were originally detainedat the party by the police and by the Hisbah, an Islamic anti-vice squadthat works hand-in-hand with the police, but all the women and non-Muslimswere all released.
According to IGLHRC's Research and Policy Associate for West Africa, JoelNana, who attended the hearing this morning before Alkali (Judge) MalamKanimi Aboubacar in the Tunda Al Khali Area court, the behavior of thecrowd was shocking.
"Both the prisoners and their lawyers were dehumanized and attacked by thecrowd," said Nana. "It seemed as if these men had already been tried andconvicted."
Cameroon and Uganda follow .....
contact Rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
=
Nigeria
Suspected Gays Stoned
Mustapha Shehu in Bauchi , 08.22.2007
Bauchi
Youth suspected to be gay, arrested a fortnight ago and arraigned beforethe Tudun Alkali Area Court in Bauchi, were yesterday stoned as they filedto enter the Black Maria that was to convey them back to prison.
The case, which was heard yesterday, attracted a large crowd of observersand journalists from foreign and local media, amidst heavy securityprovided by a joint team of the police and prison warders.
The high interest shown in the case might be due to insinuations that theymay be executed if convicted.
Section 372 of the Bauchi Shari'a Penal Code Law 2001, under which they werecharged, stipulates a maximum penalty of one year prison sentence and 30lashes on conviction.
These reports, according to a Counsel, must have informed taking-over of theprosecution by Bauchi State Ministry of Justice from the Nigeria police,who initially brought the charges against the youth, to avert any unforeseenerrors.
The police First Information Report (FIR) titled "Idle Persons andVagabonds," described them as: "dressed in women's fashion practising sodomyas their profession, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 372,Sub section 2(E) of Bauchi State Shari'ah Penal Code Law. suggested 2001.The presiding Alkali (Judge) Alhaji Tanimu Abubakar however described thecharge as misleading and erroneous as the suspects were only arrested withfemale attires. Delivering his address before adjourning the case toSeptember 13th to allow the new prosecuting team from the justice ministryheaded by Barrister Aliyu Ibn Abbas time to study the case, the Alkali saidthe charges should have been "vagabonds and wearing of female attire"without the sodomy aspect of it. THISDAY investigations revealed that thestoning incidence happened because seven of the suspects were granted bail.The stoning youths, suspected to be from the surrounding wards felt bitterthat instead of executing the suspects, they were being granted bail, asonly 11 of the 18 suspects were seen mounting the Black Maria after thecourt session.
=
Orlando
Please join us for another Tuesday Night HRC Social
The Human Rights Campaign's August gathering is at BRIX EUROBISTRO! BRIX isthe quaint, new little sidewalk bistro located on Lake Eola corner ofWashington Street.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
BRIX EUROBISTRO!
151 E. Washington St.. #103
Orlando, FL 32801
407.839.1707
Admission is free and open to the public.
For more information or to RSVP, please e-mail HRC-ORLANDO@cfl.rr.com.
=
SAVE THE DATE!
HRC ORLANDO PRESENTS
STEEL MAGNOLIAS SOUTHERN STYLE BRUNCH!
An Official Event of Coming Out with Pride Orlando
Sunday, October 14, 2007
10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW AND CAN BE PURCHASED AT THIS MONTH'S CONNECT EVENT!
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR FABULOUS MENU, BUY TICKETS AND OUR SPECIALCELEBRITY GUEST AND ENTERTAINMENT!YOU CAN ALSO BECOME A SPONSOR!
http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/actioncenter/orlandobrunchdetails.html?member_key=x8e5surp8jdii7&
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL BEFORE FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2007.
=
August 21, 2007
UNITE FORT LAUDERDALE
FLUSHNAUGLE.ORG
We hoped it would not happen, but of course the Mayor has opened his mouthagain. He called a press conference on the steps of City Hall today and onceagain came out swinging against several communities at once, all in the nameof the righteous. OUCH.
Today, flanked by 'religious leaders' from outside of Fort Lauderdale and a'medical expert' flown in from out of state, he stood on the steps of CityHall claiming victory in saving lives in Broward County. Once again in thename of being 'politically incorrect' the Mayor attacks minorities whilemisquoting statistics and chastising the health and community organizationsthat step up and help all our communities every day.
The Mayor is decades late in showing up for the fight against HIV and AIDS.And instead of working to help fight the good fight, he's once again hittingbelow the belt by attacking the people and organizations that have been inthe trenches for years.
This only further strengthens the need for the Commissioners of the City ofFort Lauderdale to finally react and put an end to this one-man side show ofhate, bigotry and bias.
We need you to call, write and email the City Commissioners, asking,demanding that enough is enough, no more black eyes for Greater FortLauderdale.
Visit http://www.flushnaugle.org/action.html now and let your electedofficials know you have taken a stand and now it is time for them to do thesame.
There are updates on www.FlushNuagle.org as well as information on the www.UniteFortLauderdale.org
Please visit both and get into the fight to put an end to this masqueradethe Mayor calls a crusade for health.
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-821naugle,0,6195496.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Mayor Naugle, other speakers attack gay sex
By Brittany Wallman
7:46 PM EDT, August 21, 2007
FORT LAUDERDALE
Mayor Jim Naugle and several religious leaders held a news conferenceTuesday to draw attention to what they described as the moral and healthrisks of gay sex.
Naugle is at the center of a political war between gays and religiousconservatives that started earlier this summer when he said public bathroomsin Fort Lauderdale are plagued by gay men cruising for sex and said he usesthe term "homosexual'' because "most of them aren't gay. They're unhappy.''
At a news conference in front of City Hall on Tuesday, Naugle and otherspeakers called on gays to end promiscuous sex in order to stem BrowardCounty's HIV/AIDS crisis. Though the health department has no statisticsconcerning how many cases of HIV are contracted via sex in public bathroomsor parks, Naugle has tied the two issues together.
He said he has learned a lot about HIV/AIDS since the controversy began inJuly, and he's motivated to speak out against gay sex in public places notby religious beliefs but by "public health.''
"I think Broward County is forever changed from this exercise,'' he said."We are going to have less of this activity and I think we're going to savesome lives in this county.''
A health department official said some of the statistics used by the mayorare outdated. For example, the county is no longer first in the nation inAIDS cases per 100,000 residents, said the official, AIDS surveilliancemanager Pat Callahan Taylor. Broward County does have an HIV/AIDS crisis,she said, and has had one for years. But it's not isolated to gay men.
Black, heterosexual women make up a significant number of new HIV cases.Women make up a third of the 6,913 HIV cases diagnosed in Broward in thepast 10 years.
"I think it's really important when you're looking at the numbers to notjust look at parts of it,'' said Taylor. "One of our favorite quotes is ifyou torture a statistic long enough, it will confess to anything. And Ithink that's what we've seen.''
Speakers at the news conference veered from the topic of public health todiscuss the morality of homosexuality, and the event only served to inflamegay activists more.
Though Fort Lauderdale is considered one of the most gay friendly touristdestinations in the country, it has become ground zero for a bitter fightabout the morality of homosexuality itself.
"It shows the obsession he has with this,'' said Anthony Niedwiecki, whohelped form Unite Fort Lauderdale in the wake of the mayor's comments. "Hehasn't been in the media for four days, so he has to have a pressconference.''
The speakers included the Rev. O'Neal Dozier of Pompano Beach's WorldwideChristian Center; Dr. John Diggs of the Massachusetts Physicians ResourceCouncil; religious radio personality Janet Folger of Faith2Action; GaryCass, president of the Christian Anti-Defamation League; Pastor WillieMcBride of Lauderdale Christian Center in Plantation; and the mayor.
In front of a banner declaring "Naugle is right,'' Dozier announced that thegroup and their "Healthy Public Places'' effort were reaching out to gays"in the spirit of love.'' He said, "our coalition is not anti-gay. We areanti-sin.''
"We love them, and God loves them,'' Dozier said. "But God hates the act ofhomosexuality. It is perverted and goes against God's design.''
One of the negative impacts of this "abomination,'' he said, is the spreadof HIV/AIDS.
"I don't want to see God destroy America in the way he destroyed Sodom andGomorrah,'' Dozier added.
"We are concerned of the moral fiber of this city,'' said Pastor WillieMcBride, of the Lauderdale Christian Center in Plantation. " ... We have nohatred in our hearts toward you,'' he said. "When I lie, steal or cheat, Goddoesn't start hating me. But he hates the act.''
Dr. John Diggs, an internist from Massachusstts and author of a paper titled"The Health Risks of Gay Sex,'' said he traveled to Fort Lauderdale to backup the mayor. Diggs is outspoken on the issue of gay sex and homosexuality.
"It should be clearly seen that homosexual acts have a key role in thespread of all sexually transmitted diseases,'' Diggs said, adding that"homosexuality is an act, it's not the nature of a person.''
Broward County's Health Department (www.browardchd.org) reports thatwomen -- African-American heterosexuals in particular -- make up a largeportion of newly reported HIV cases. Diggs said that could be attributed tomen on "the down low,'' that is men in heterosexual relationships who engagein gay sex and infect their wives or girlfriends.
In the audience, gay activists said the speakers were using the HIV/AIDSissue to stigmatize gays and condone violence against them.
As Folger spoke, one man's voice drowned out her comments.
"This is unacceptable!'' shouted Michael Rajner, of Broward County,president of Campaign to End AIDS. "You're using the Bible as a weaponagainst the community! And this is wrong!''
Rajner, 36, said he contracted HIV in New York and has lived 12 years withAIDS.
"You are demonizing AIDS!'' He shouted.
My heart goes out to you, sir,'' Folger answered, attempting to continue herspeech.
"Every hate crime that comes out of here is at your feet!'' shoutedNiedwiecki, holding a printout of a story about the murder of KennethCummings Jr. in Houston, whose suspected killer told the Houston Chroniclelast month that he was sending Cummings to Hell because he was gay.
Naugle spoke last, saying he realized he could save lives. His comments havebeen picked up by newspapers and online Web sites and television stationsacross the world. Last week, the New York Times wrote about him.
One key question has been whether sex in public bathrooms is a problem inFort Lauderdale at all.
Fort Lauderdale police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sousa said in July that itwasn't, and the department has not changed its position.
Naugle said Tuesday that the latest information from the police departmentshows nine arrests for sex in public in the last two years: five in MillsPond Park, one at Coral Ridge Mall, two at Holiday Park, and one at theSouth Beach parking lot.
He said he doesn't advocate cutting off marketing to gay tourists, despitehis comments that the county is in a "dilemma'' inviting gay tourists herewhile at the same time battling a high number of HIV and AIDS cases frommale sex.
"We are going to continue to invite people to our community as long as theybehave lawfully,'' Naugle said.
Tourism officials have cringed at some of the mayor's statements.
On CNN, host Rick Sanchez asked Naugle earlier this month: "Are you sayingthat tourism dollars should not be spent to attract gay visitors to SouthFlorida, because they might contract AIDS, here?''
And he answered: "It's not the men coming here spreading the disease.Unfortunately, it's people going home with the disease that maybe theydidn't have before they visited Fort Lauderdale.''
City Hall has been inundated with emails on the topic. One woman said shewas a lesbian and would not spend another dime here.
"I will now be finding another vacation destination to spend my touristdollars because I could not stand to spend one penny in a place where themayor is such an arrogant homophobic bigot and yet claims to be a Christian.Shame on you for hijacking the Christian faith and using it to spew yourhateful, elitist garbage,'' her e-mail reads.
The mayor responded with a tourism suggestion: "I hear Atlantis is nice. OrCasa de Campo in the DR (Dominican Republic). Jim''
Staff writer Bob LaMendola contributed to this report.
Brittany Wallman can be reached at bwallman@sun-sentinel.com or954-356-4541.
=
Links to more reports regarding Mayor Naugle's press conference:
Channel 10 - http://www.local10.com/news/13941102/detail.html
Channel 4 - http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_233132021.html
The Miami Herald - http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/211013.html
=
Wilton Manors
Rosie's to Sponsor "BINGO" Fundraiser Labor Day Weekend
Rosie's Bar and Grill will hold a Beach Bingo Party as a fundraiser for thePALS Project, a key program of the GLCC on Saturday, September 1st. Rosie'swill offer two rounds of Bingo, at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., as part of its"Big Top" events for Labor Day weekend. What could be more fun thanspending a laughter-filled afternoon with hot bodies in sexy beach attire,juicy burgers, frosty drinks and cries of "Bingo!" echoing through WiltonManors?
"We were so thankful when Rosie's contacted us, letting us know they wouldlike to organize and sponsor a fundraiser for our program," said KristoferFegenbush, PALS Project Coordinator. In addition to Bingo, judges willaward prizes for "Best Beach Blanket Table Decoration," "Best IndividualBeach Attire" and "Best Group Effort for Beach Attire." All events willoccur under a huge tent with a cooling system, to provide a perfect retreatfrom the sun and heat of Labor Day weekend.
Rosie's will donate proceeds from each session of Bingo to the PALS Project.The PALS Project provides HIV+ men with vital social support, accurate HIVinformation and practical, effective strategies to lead safer, richer lives."The managers and owners of Rosie's want to help the PALS Project continueto grow," said Keith Willard, Events Manager at Rosie's Bar and Grill. ThePALS Project is funded by The Florida Department of Health, Bureau ofHIV/AIDS and is sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of SouthFlorida.
=
"Wicked Manors Block Party - Scheduled, October 31st"
WILTON MANORS, FL - The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida(GLCC), Wilton Manors Business Association, Wilton Manors Main Street andthe City of Wilton Manors announced today a combined effort in putting on aHalloween extravaganza. The GLCC, already known for hosting a successfulHalloween event join forces for the Wicked Manors Block Party to be held onWilton Drive between 7th and 11th Avenues. This year's event will start at7:00pm with lots of festivities planned throughout the evening.
Co-chair Bobby Kyser, owner of Petals Panache said "Not only will this be avery fun evening but the proceeds of this event will benefit the programsand services of the GLCC and the revitalization of Wilton Manors." The GLCCserves the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community providinginformation, education, advocacy, support, human services, culturalexperiences and social opportunities. The center works to foster personaldevelopment and quality of life for the entire community embracingindividuality and diversity, promoting awareness, acceptance, celebrationand pride. Wilton Manors Main Street is a nonprofit group made up ofresidents, business owners, property owners and organizations that createsan environment on Wilton Drive where commerce, art and housingenthusiastically coexist. "This event will benefit the community and all thebusinesses on the drive with much needed exposure." Co-chair Doug Cureton,owner of What's the Scoop went on to say, "we are hoping to establish thisinto an annual block party to rival that of other cities nation-wide."
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article.
=
TruthWinsOut.org
http://www.truthwinsout.org/
TRUTH WINS OUT WARNS REPORTERS OF NEW BIASED 'EX-GAY' SHAM STUDY ON THE
HORIZON
TWO Challenges 'Ex-Gay' Researcher To Have Study Subjects Submit To 'No Lie
MRI' To Prove Tales of Change Are True
NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out warned news organizations today that a biased newpolitically motivated "ex-gay" sham study will reportedly surface later thisyear. A controversial "researcher" at a right wing religious university willrelease it and the goal of the study, known as "The Thomas Project," is toshow that ex-gay therapy is often successful. Unfortunately, an early reportby the website Ex-Gay Watch indicates that the research likely consists ofcalling handpicked ex-gay lobbyists and ministry leaders on the telephoneand asking if they had "changed." There is no indication that key physicalmeasures or tests were included, such as a "No Lie MRI," which is ascientific truth-detecting brain scan.
"Any 'ex-gay' study that does not include physical components that measuretruth are essentially meaningless," said Truth Wins Out's Executive DirectorWayne Besen. "We challenge Dr. Stanton Jones to submit his so-called ex-gaysubjects to the 'No Lie MRI' because we believe that ex-gay ministries areconsumer fraud and his reported study may be invalid. Our direct challengeis a unique opportunity for ex-gay organizations to back up their outrageoustales of transformation and prove us wrong once and for all. What are theyafraid of?" (Read More)
=
Support Caitlin MacIntyre and Other Heterosexual Allies
Who Are Leading "Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights"
in States Around The Country This October
"When I was in the fourth grade my father came out of the closet as a gayman. I have never been so proud of him. Unable to marry, have children, orlive peacefully without fear of violence, he chose to closet himself inorder to attain the simple human rights the rest of us simply expect. He wasforced to hide decades ago and people are still forced into hiding now. Theyare stifling their pride in our schools to avoid the hateful taunts andviolence of their classmates, disguising themselves in their places ofemployment to avoid an otherwise groundless dismissal, lying about theirorientation so that they can have the child they always dreamed of, and evenmarrying members of the opposite sex for stability, the American dream, andfreedom from hate and homophobia.
There are also many who have had the courage to speak out and declarethemselves proud. Their journey is one of trial and blatant discriminationand they are forced to travel it not out of choice, but because of thepeople they love. It is time we as straight allies refuse to accept thistreatment of our fellow Americans in the so-called land of the free. It isone thing to see and understand injustice and another thing entirely tostand up and fight against it. Many of us know that the oppression of GLBTindividuals is horrible and wrong, but few have found an outlet to expressour disapproval. The result is that issues of equality are labeled as 'gayissues' or seen as radical demands of the few. It's time we change thismisconception by choosing to follow our GLBT friends, neighbors, family, andfellow Americans and declare our intentions to be counted. Seven StraightNights can allow allies this opportunity.
As GLBT Americans have stood in the face of prejudice and declared theirtrue identity, I have come out as an ally and an activist and I will neveragain retreat.
Contact Ray's List for the full article.
=
Wilton Manors
Forwarded from Listron Mannix - M Project Facilitator
My name is Listron Mannix better know as "Blue" in our community. Some ofyou might have even meet me at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (GLCC),where I perform the HIV Test and am a Drug abuse Counselor. I have now takenon the responsibility of being one of the new M Project Facilitators,working closely with Ricardo.
I just wanted to send out a personal email to all the members' and/or peopleon our mailing list. I truly hope to see each you at our Thursday CoreMeetings at 7pm. And if you have yet to experience our one time attendance,Twice monthly Saturday meetings (MPOWERMENT) where you also receive a giftcertificate for attending, I do encourage you to come and meet new guys andlets learn how to Mpower ourselves to Mpower other gay and bisexual men.This meeting starts at 1pm. Check out our my space web page:www.myspace.com/m954guys , for more info, which I also must admit is still abit under construction, if there are any ideas on how to make the pagebetter I am very open to hear them and also some assistance in designingthis page would be awesome (I am total amateur with my space).
I also wanted to thank those of you who I meet and chatted with here at the0M House. Continue to visit so I can get to know you, as I want you to get to know me. For those of you who don't know the M Project House is located at2645 N. Andrews Ave, Wilton Manors, FL, 33311 (Just a few blocks north ofthe GLCC) and is open from 10am until 5:30pm Mon-Fri. The M Project House isfully equipped with computers (Internet), TV, Video Games and more. Or youjust come and chill, Its OUR Space, kind of like a lounge.
I look forward to meeting each of you and have a good time in an atmospherethat different form the Bars and Clubs.
If there are any questions, please don't be hesitate to call: 954 806 1103
(cell number) or 954 618 0736 or email 954guys@gmail.com.
=
Bilerico.com
http://www.bilerico.com/2007/08/truth_in_numbers_hate_crimes_statistics.php
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Bilerico Project
Truth In Numbers, Hate Crimes Statistics
Filed by: Marti Abernathey
August 18, 2007 9:11 AM
From a recent report out of UCLA entitled: Comparison of Hate Crimes RatesAcross Protected and Unprotected Groups ( by Rebecca Stotzer, Public PolicyResearch Fellow at the Williams Institute)
Current proposed legislation would change certain existing federal hatecrime laws to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protectedcategories. Sexual orientation and gender identity are important categoriesfor inclusion in federal law because members of these groups are just aslikely to be victimized as members of other groups that are already covered,such as those based on race, religion, or national origin. A close analysisof hate crime rates demonstrates that groups that are already covered byhate crime laws, such as African Americans, Muslims, and Jews, reportsimilar rates of hate crime victimization as lesbians, gay men, andbisexuals, who are not currently federally protected.
On average:
. 8 in 100,000 African Americans report being the victim of hate crime
. 12 in 100,000 Muslims report being the victim of hate crime
. 15 in 100,000 Jews report the victim of hate crime
. 13 in 100,000 gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals report being the victim ofhate crime
Jim Burroway over at Box Turtle Bulletin has written about how:Many anti-gay activists point to the FBI's Hate Crime Statistics to claimthat gays and lesbians are not "oppressed" compared to anybody else.
more...
=
Forwarded from David Wylie
dlwylie2005@yahoo.com
I hope you'll take a moment to read this. This is not spam. I'm sending itto my friend list on Yahoo and if you receive this email unwanted justpolitely send me a message and I'll remove your name. But I hope you'll takea moment to read.
Did you know that Gay men are six times more likely to attempt suicide thantheir straight counterparts and the numbers increase exponentially duringthe holidays. A report from P-FLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians andGays) states that in a study of 5,000 gay men and women, 35 percent of gaymen and 38 percent of lesbians have considered or attempted suicide. Thestatistics are even higher among gay teens: The Department of Health studyindicates that gay youth are up to six times more likely to attempt suicidethan straight teens, and gay teenagers account for up to 30 percent of allteenage suicides in the nation.
For many Gay youth...suicide is the ultimate way to 'stay in the closet'.It would be better to not live than to be found out. But there is hope.
Groups like The Trevor Project are helping young Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, andquestioning youth find a reason to live. This Thursday, my 'lil bro', myfriend, my buddy, Geo is doing his part to bring attention to the problem ofthe struggle gay youth have with thoughts of suicide by celebrating his 21stbirthday with a benefit for The Trevor Project (www.thetrevorproject.org) atClub Discotekka in downtown Miami. This is a cause close to Geo's heartbecause less than a year ago he was a questioning youth, trying to findhimself and, after coming out to his parents, considered suicide.
Because of the support and encouragement of many friends, Geo is with ustoday. Recenlty Geo and I started an online magazine (www.gaysofla.com).Geo will be a regular contributor as both a writer and a photographer. Hewill be writing a bi monthly column for gay youth, GEN NOW!
I am proud to support Geo by hosting this birthday celebration and theofficial launch of Miami's newest online magazine for the south Florida GLBTcommunity. I'm pleased to be a party of supporting the Trevor Project. Ihope you'll join us.
To view a a dedication video that some friends and I put together to honorGeo and to leave him birthday comments, please click here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?=1xbWYxQDZHM
=
The following 5 links were forwarded from
Gay and Lesbian SmartBrief
http://www.smartbrief.com/lgbt/index.jsp?email=rays.list@comcast.net
-
New York Daily News
http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/bronx/2007/08/21/2007-08-21_still_a_hidden_demographic.html
Bronx gay youth remain on the "down low"
Fearing they will be targeted because of their sexual orientation, many LGBTyouth in the Bronx choose not to come out. "It is a hidden demographichere," said Zachariah Hennessey, a program director at the Bronx CommunityPride Center. "[Homosexuality] is very much on the down low." New York DailyNews (8/21)
-
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6952157.stm
No movement on rights, despite Uganda group's plea
Uganda is refusing a call to make homosexuality legal and offer equal rightsto gays and lesbians from the group Sexual Minorities Groups in Uganda,whose members wore masks at their first press conference to protect theiridentities. Saying homosexuality was "unnatural," Ethics Minister JamesNsaba Buturo said the group's charges of police brutality and rightsviolations were untrue. BBC (8/17)
-
The Guardian - London
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/james_kirchick/2007/08/southafricas_gay_betrayal.html
South Africa, away from home, turns back on gay rights
South Africa apparently has prioritized its link with antiwestern Sudan,Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in votes against two gay organizations receivingUnited Nations accreditation over its gay-friendly constitution and laws,according to columnist James Kirchick. The Guardian (London) (8/21)
-
David Mixner
http://www.davidmixner.com/2007/08/evan-wolfson-ma.html
How marriage rights can help win White House
Freedom to Marry leader Evan Wolfson chats with political strategist DavidMixner about why he believes a pro-marriage rights candidate can win theWhite House in 2008 and other related marriage topics. Read more atDavidMixner.com.
-
The Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/20070819_The_American_Debate___Democrats_toil_over_gay_unions.html
Are Democrats too worried about marriage?
Although gay people -- and related issues -- have found wider mainstreamacceptance in recent years, Democrat presidential candidates are probablyright to steer clear of the marriage issue for fear of being branded as tooliberal by Republican opponents, according to political columnist DickPolman. "Democrats in particular are cautious by nature, skittish aboutcrusading for more social change than people are willing to tolerate, andfearful of being caricatured as decadent lefties," he writes. ThePhiladelphia Inquirer (8/19)
=
August 2007
Euro-Letter is published by ILGA-Europe - the European Region of theInternational Lesbian and Gay Association with support from the European Community - TheEuropean Union against Discrimination.
Editor:
Juris Lavrikovs
Contact us:
euroletter@ilga-europe.org
Subscribe to Euro-Letter:
simply send an empty message to euroletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082100935.html
Ugandans Hold Anti-Gay Demonstration
By KATY POWNALL
The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 21, 2007; 1:01 PM
KAMPALA, Uganda -- Hundreds of people held an anti-gay protest in Uganda'scapital Tuesday, denouncing what they called an "immoral" lifestyle anddemanding the deportation of an American journalist writing about gay rightsin the deeply conservative country.
Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, like in most African states, and carriesa maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Tuesday's demonstration was thelatest in a series of showdowns between religious conservatives and a small,but growing gay rights movement across the continent.
=
FloridaToday.com
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070822/NEWS01/708220371/1006
Apologetic Allen disputes allegations of racism
Embattled representative addresses NAACP branch
BY JESSICA RAYNOR
FLORIDA TODAY
Rep. Bob Allen said that since his arrest last month on a charge ofsolicitation for prostitution, he's come to understand the civil rightsmovement was about more than the fight for racial equality.
"That was a battle they didn't fight for just people of color," he saidduring a speech Tuesday before about a dozen people at the generalmembership meeting of the North Brevard branch of the National Associationfor the Advancement of Colored People at the Gibson Community Center.
The movement was also, and remains, about judicial fairness and protection,which at this point stymie his ability to address in public the allegationthat he offered to pay $20 to perform oral sex on an undercover Titusvilleofficer he encountered in a park bathroom.
In his second appearance before a Brevard County branch of the NAACP duringthe past 10 days, Allen said in a half-hour speech that he understands"you're guilty until proven innocent" thanks to incessant media coverage.
He said he also understands how those who still fight for civil rights,including members of his audience, might be offended by his words,especially comments he made to police after his July 11 arrest on themisdemeanor charge. According to recordings, Allen spoke of "a pretty stockyblack guy and there's other black guys around in the park that -- you know.. . I'm about to be a statistic here."
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/2007/08/iranian-lesbians-uk-deportation-on-hold.html
Iranian lesbian's UK deportation on hold until Aug 28
=
Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdig082212nbaug22,0,2266461,print.story
Wilton Manors: Gay, lesbian center presents networking event for women
August 22, 2007
A social networking event for women will take place from 6 to 8 p.m.Thursday at E Coleccion, 2033 Wilton Drive.
The event includes complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres. It is sponsoredby the Aquagirl Foundation, Express Gay News, She Magazine, Crown Wine andSpirits and Galanga Restaurant, and presented by the Gay and LesbianCommunity Center of South Florida. The event is free and open to the public.Call 954-463-9005.
=
MiamiHerald.com
http://www.miamiherald.com/tropical_life/v-print/story/187654.html
Posted on Tue, Jul. 31, 2007
Broward police: Sex in public `not much of a problem'
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
When Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle linked the purchase of new toilets forbeach parks to gay sex in public places, he uncorked a torrent of protest.But just how prevalent is public sex?
No one keeps detailed statistics on sex in public restrooms and parks. SouthFlorida law enforcement agencies say they receive occasional complaints andmake a few arrests, but they don't spend much time cracking down on it. Since 2005, Fort Lauderdale has reported two arrests for sexual activity ina public restroom.
''I don't know whether it's the perception or the reality, but it doesn'tseem like it's that much of a problem,'' Broward Sheriff's Office spokesmanJim Leljedal said.
Miami-Dade Police cracked down on public sex at Tropical Park, 7900 SW 40thSt., in August 2001 and made 17 arrests. Police spokesman Juan Villalba saidhe knows of no current sting operations.
NOT ALL ARE GAY
American University anthropology Professor William Leap has spent more thana decade researching male sex in public places. In 1999, he edited anacademic compilation called Public Sex/Gay Space. His conclusion is that upto half of the men who seek this kind of sex are not gay.
=
Advocate.com
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid48312.asp
August 22, 2007
Ugandans call for deportation of American journalist covering gay issues
Hundreds of people held an antigay protest in the Ugandan capital, Kampala,Tuesday and called for the deportation of an American journalist who coversgay issues in the east African nation.
''Homosexuality breaks the laws of God, the laws of nature, and the laws ofUganda,'' said Pastor Martin Ssempa, spokesman for the Interfaith RainbowCoalition Against Homosexuality.
''We are asking the government to be strong and uphold the laws of ourcountry banning this repugnant practice in spite of great externalpressure,'' he said.
Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and carries a maximum sentence of lifeimprisonment.
A coalition of religious groups, including Christians, Muslims, and Bahai,organized the protest. Hundreds of people gathered at a Kampala sportsground waving banners with antigay messages, including posters that said''Deport Roubos.''
=
Advocate.com
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid48319.asp
August 22, 2007
News stories referencing Griffin's sexuality disappear
When two curiously panicky news outlets scrapped an editorial expressingsadness that entertainer-turned-entrepreneur Merv Griffin remained closeteduntil his death, they inadvertently proved that "gay panic" is alive andwell in Hollywood.
The dustup started last Friday, when The Hollywood Reporter published aneditorial by columnist Ray Richmond decrying the system that required MervGriffin to lead a "stealthy double life" until his death at 82 on August 12.It was the last in a series of complimentary articles by Richmond, who was afriend and former colleague of Griffin's. The piece ran in the print editionas well as Richmond's personal blog, Past Deadline, which is owned by theReporter. It began:
"Merv Griffin was gay. Why should that be so uncomfortable to read? Why isit so difficult to write? Why are we still so jittery even about raising theissue in purportedly liberal-minded Hollywood in 2007?"
Several hours after Reuters picked up the editorial in its normalentertainment feed it pulled the piece, with a disclaimer that it "did notmeet our standards for news."
That same day, radio personality and blogger Michelangelo Signorile told hisradio show listeners that the column had been removed from the HollywoodReporter site and urged them to call its office. Later that day, theReporter did another 180 and restored Richmond's column. Reuters still hasnot restored it.
=
NationalGayNews.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flrxjailhiv0821nbaug21,0,3370226.story
Broward, Palm Beach County inmates' HIV care under scrutiny
Defense lawyers, advocates claim anti-viral drugs delayed
By Bob LaMendola
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 21, 2007
Some HIV-positive jail inmates in Broward and Palm Beach counties needlesslygo for weeks or even months without getting any HIV/AIDS drugs, defenseattorneys and advocates said. But jail health officials sharply denied thecharge.
Because HIV drugs must be taken like clockwork to control the virus, inmateswho miss repeated doses face greater risks that the drugs will stop working,raising the chance they could spread a hardier virus in and out of jail, HIVspecialists said. The alleged delays also led some inmates to developfull-blown AIDS, attorneys said.
Dr. Ron Shansky, who is on the board of the National Commission onCorrectional Healthcare, which accredits lockups including Broward and PalmBeach, said jails should take only a few days to put HIV-positive inmates onthe drugs they were taking when they were arrested.
"Delaying the delivery of ongoing HIV medication is completelyunacceptable," Shansky said. "If this is occurring on a regular basis, theyneed to fix that."
The elected sheriffs who run jails in both counties have hired Miami companyArmor Correctional Health Services to treat the 120,000 inmates incarceratedeach year - 3 percent of whom have HIV/AIDS. The firm collects $38 million ayear from those contracts.
=
New York
ExpressGayNews.com
http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/bronx/2007/08/21/2007-08-21_still_a_hidden_demographic.html?print=1
Still 'a hidden demographic'
Despite residing in 'gayest place on Earth,' many teens fear harassment
BY GABRIELLE MILNER, ARIELLE NEWTON AND DENISE WONG
Tuesday, August 21st 2007, 4:00 AM
Youths discuss issues at Bronx Community Pride Center.
Children's Pressline
The Bronx is home to a surprising number of lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender high school students, teens say, but they must remain closetedfor fear of harassment.
"The Bronx is the gayest place on Earth," said Mimi, an outspoken young manwho comes to the Bronx Community Pride Center frequently. (He requested thathis name and age be withheld.) He compares his neighborhood of Parkchesterto the gay-friendly West Village. "This is the mini-Village, sweetie.Welcome."
"There is a large population of LGBT people living in the Bronx," saidZachariah Hennessey, a program director at the center, one of the few gayservices organization in the Bronx. "It is a hidden demographic here.[Homosexuality] is very much on the down low."
LGBT youth say that Bronx schools are particularly tough environments. "I'mconsidered, like, a dyke in my school," said 15-year old Angel S., who hasknife scars on her right knee from a fight. A boy "pushed me down a flightof stairs because I liked his girlfriend."
"Y'all don't accept us in public schools," Mimi said. "We need to getprotected more than we are already."
=
ExpressGayNews.com
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3516551.stm
Map: Gay marriage across the US
Gay marriage is one of the most polarising issues in the United States. Herewe outline the state of the law across the country, and look at the oftenintense debates which have surrounded the issue.
Arizona
In November 2006, Arizona voters rejected an amendment to the stateconstitution that would have banned domestic partnership laws as well as gaymarriage.
It became the first state to reject such an amendment. Seven other statesapproved constitutional amendments banning gay marriage on the same day.
Arizona already had an ordinary law banning gay marriage, which remains inforce.
California
California - America's most populous state - has the country's mostcolourful record on gay marriages.
The city of San Francisco started issuing marriage licences to same-sexcouples in February 2004, after the city's new mayor decided to defy statelaw and allow gay weddings.
more....
=
ExpressGayNews.com
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2303164.ece?print=yes&randnum=1187791798667
August 22, 2007
Big payout for gay lawyer
Frances Gibb
LONDON The world's largest law firm has paid an undisclosed sum to a partnerin London who claimed he suffered discrimination because he is gay.
Michael Bryceland sued Clifford Chance, alleging direct and indirectdiscrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. He brought the claim inNovember but the case was settled before a full hearing and withdrawn inApril.
He left the firm soon after. It is thought to be the first claim of its kindmade against a law firm. The settlement is thought to have cost CliffordChance up to £1 million.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/082207canmurd.htm
Charged In 2 Canadian Gay Slayings Man Pleads Not Guilty In NYS Murder
by The Canadian Press
Posted: August 22, 2007 - 6:30 am ET
(Plattsburgh, New York) A Nova Scotia man pleaded not guilty to murdering aman at a remote hunting camp in upper New York state, an American prosecutorsaid Tuesday.
District attorney Andrew Wylie said Glen Race entered pleas on seven counts,including first- and second-degree murder in the death of Darcy Manor ofMooers, N.Y., on May 10.
``He entered a plea of not guilty to each charge,'' Wylie said in aninterview following the brief court hearing. ``Our office asked for Mr. Raceto be remanded without bail. The court granted that application.''
Race is also charged with burglary and grand larceny in connection toseveral of Manor's possessions.
If convicted, he could be sentenced to life without parole.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST August 22, 2007
**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.
=
Leica Freedom Train
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=86006
'Leica Freedom Train' carried more than cameras
Posted: Oct. 9, 2002
I carry my Leica camera a bit more proudly these days.
The reason? A story I had never heard before - a tale of courage, integrityand humility that is only now coming to light, some 70 years after the fact.The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. From a nitpicking point of view, itwasn't the very first still camera to use 35mm movie film, but it was thefirst to be widely publicized and successfully marketed.
It created the "candid camera" boom of the 1930s.
It is a German product - precise, minimalist, utterly efficient. Behind itsworldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a family-owned, sociallyoriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace,generosity and modesty.
E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of Germany's most famousphotographic product, saved its Jews.
And Ernst Leitz II, the steely eyed Protestant patriarch who headed theclosely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe, acted in such a wayas to earn the title, "the photography industry's Schindler."
As George Gilbert, a veteran writer on topics photographic, told the storyat last week's convention of the Leica Historical Society of America inPortland, Ore., Leitz Inc., founded in Wetzlar in 1869, had a tradition ofenlightened behavior toward its workers. Pensions, sick leave, healthinsurance - all were instituted early on at Leitz, which depended for itswork force upon generations of skilled employees - many of whom were Jewish.
The 'Leica Freedom Train'
As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933, Ernst LeitzII began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates, asking for his helpin getting them and their families out of the country.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/opinion/22wed2.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
August 22, 2007
Editorial
Virginia's Gun Market
The "Iron Pipeline" of Interstate 95 remains alive and deadly, as a newfederal study grimly confirms. Saddest of all is the evidence that some ofthe most far-reaching shady gun marts continue to operate in the state ofVirginia, where the suicidal Virginia Tech student shot 32 people to deathonly four months ago. Virginia dealers have been a standout source for gunsused in crimes up and down the seaboard, according to the federal study.They accounted for half of the 10,000 guns tracked by the study in themetropolitan Washington, D.C., area, and one in 11 in New York City.
Richmond officials deny their gun control laws are porous, particularly nowthat the state announced it was closing the loophole that allowed theVirginia Tech marauder to legally buy guns despite his documented history ofmental disturbance. But for every loophole closed in the wake of the nation's latest gun mayhem - from Columbine to the D.C. sniper, ad infinitum - othersbeg attention in the crazy quilt of state and federal regulations cynicallymanipulated by the gun lobby.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/world/middleeast/22iran.html?hp
August 22, 2007
Jailed Academic in Iran Is Released on Bail
By NAZILA FATHI and NEIL MACFARQUHAR
TEHRAN, Aug. 21 - An Iranian-American academic jailed for more than 100 dayson suspicion of promoting a "velvet revolution" in the Islamic Republic wasreleased on hefty bail on Tuesday, looking tired and much thinner from herordeal but pronouncing herself well.
The academic, Haleh Esfandiari, 67, is among four Iranian-Americans whosearrests have caused tension between Tehran and Washington, with two womennow released on bail and two men still jailed.
It remained murky whether Ms. Esfandiari, the director of the Middle Eastprogram at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars inWashington, would be allowed to leave Iran.
"I feel happy," Ms. Esfandiari told a reporter from Iran's state-runtelevision as she emerged from Evin prison, where she has been held insolitary confinement since May 8. She was wearing a blue head scarf, veilingher hair as required by Iranian law. "Allow me to leave now and I will beeven happier!"
Her release came two weeks after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah AliKhamenei, in a rare occurrence, responded to a June 29 letter appealing forher freedom, according to Lee H. Hamilton, the director of the Wilsoncenter.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iran-Detained-American.html?pagewanted=print
August 22, 2007
Lawyer: Scholar Still Faces Iran Charges
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 7:42 a.m. ET
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- An Iranian-American scholar recently released from anotorious prison in Iran still faces charges she endangered the country'snational security and has no passport with which to travel abroad, herlawyer said Wednesday.
Although Haleh Esfandiari has the legal right to leave the country, no newpassport has been issued since authorities seized hers, attorney and NobelPeace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi told The Associated Press.
''The next stage is that a date will be set for the trial. I ... will defendher in court,'' said Ebadi. ''I'm certain that my client is innocent and shemust be acquitted of the charges.''
Esfandiari, director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow WilsonInternational Center for Scholars, had been held in Evin prison since earlyMay after months of interrogation. Her 93-year-old mother used the deed toher Tehran apartment to post bail late Tuesday, relatives said.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101422.html
A Dickens of a President
By Harold Meyerson
Wednesday, August 22, 2007; Page A17
We should, I suppose, credit Lynne Cheney's love of the classics, or perhapsWilliam Bennett's tireless efforts to instruct us in the great moral tales.Whatever the reason, it is clear that the Bush administration, in itscampaign to prevent the states from providing health insurance to childrenin families of modest means, has paid careful heed to the following passage(which I abbreviate for reasons of space) from Charles Dickens's "OliverTwist." In it, the plucky young hero has been chosen by the other boys toask the managers of the poorhouse in which they're locked up to increasetheir daily servings of gruel, lest they starve.
He rose from the table; and, advancing to the master, basin and spoon inhand, said:
"Please, sir, I want some more."
"What!" said the master.
"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more." The master aimed a blowat Oliver's head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arm; and shrieked forthe beadle.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101419.html
Another Test in Iraq: Our Aid to Refugees
By Michael Gerson
Wednesday, August 22, 2007; A17
The Bush administration correctly asserts that the entire Middle East, fromroyal palaces to terrorist camps, is watching the eventual outcome in Iraqto determine the state of American resolve. But the region is also taking amore immediate measure of America's commitment to its friends: our responseto the Iraqi refugee crisis. And this, too, is a matter of nationalcredibility and honor.
About 2 million Iraqis have been displaced within Iraq by sectarian violenceand contagious fear; another 2 million have fled the country for Syria,Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and beyond. According to the United Nations, a steadyflow of new refugees continues at about 50,000 each month. For the mostpart, these Iraqis are not concentrated in refugee camps but dispersed inpoor urban areas of cities such as Damascus or Amman, making it difficultfor humanitarian agencies to identify and reach them.
The sudden arrival of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis creates tensions --swamping education and health services, increasing prices and provokingsuspicion. According to Kristele Younes of Refugees International, Lebanonhas begun deportations. Some refugees in Jordan are in hiding for fear ofraids. The eventual danger is clear: As some Palestinians have demonstrated,refugee populations can marinate in their grievances, succumb to radicalismand trigger broader conflict.
=
Florida
The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/211064.html
Posted on Wed, Aug. 22, 2007
Floridians' new reality: There's life after PIP
By ALEX SINK
For 36 years, Floridians have taken for granted that if they suffer frominjuries in a car accident, the first $10,000 in medical and relatedbenefits are automatically covered by the No-Fault law, commonly referred toby the medical benefits portion called PIP, Personal Injury Protection. Insix weeks, when the law is set to expire, Florida will enter a new world.I support the intent of the No-Fault law, which is to ensure that Floridiansreceive medical treatment for injuries they suffer in an auto accidentwithout delay and without the need to file a lawsuit to recover costsrelating to these medical benefits. However, the law, and especially the PIPprovision of the law, has major flaws. A culture of fraud and abuse hasgrown around PIP, one that my fraud investigators fight every day. Medicalcosts are not managed well in the PIP system. Claims for PIP medicalbenefits should not be used to support unnecessary, costly lawsuits.
But the idea behind the law -- the protection of Floridians and theirassets -- is the centerpiece of my role as Florida's chief financialofficer. Although I want to make the No-Fault law and PIP work, there is noindication that the Legislature will address this issue in the upcomingspecial legislative session. Therefore, with the impending sunset of thelaw, I have been working to increase Floridians' awareness about life afterNo-Fault.
=
Forwarded from Democracy for America
George Bush has done it again. He has sided with insurance and drug company profits over the health and well-being of our nation's children. Late Friday night, the Bush administration released a letter to state health officials that effectively eliminated health insurance coverage for millions of American kids. This underhanded one-size-fits-all cutback limits Florida's ability to cover uninsured kids and cripples any chance of reasonable expansion.¹
What can you do? Let's face it; President Bush isn't going to take your call. On the other hand, when the governor of a state calls, even Bush will listen.
Call Governor Crist right now and demand that Florida stands up to President Bush's anti-children campaign.
Governor Charlie Crist
850 488-4441
Here's what you can say:
"President Bush's new rules which reduce the availability of the Children's Health Insurance Program for uninsured kids must be repealed. Governor Crist must call President Bush today and demand a complete rollback of the new rules. Can I count on the governor to stand up for our kids?"
Please report how your call went here:
http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/chipcalls
This is a very important time. Congress is poised to send an extensive expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Plan to Bush's desk next month, and Bush has already threatened to veto it. If we amp up the pressure now on a rules change they didn't even think we'd notice, we send Bush and Republicans in Congress a clear message that the health of America's children always comes first.
Please call the Governor right now. Your neighbor's kid might be depending on it.
Charles Chamberlain
Political Director
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Leica Freedom Train
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=86006
'Leica Freedom Train' carried more than cameras
Posted: Oct. 9, 2002
I carry my Leica camera a bit more proudly these days.
The reason? A story I had never heard before - a tale of courage, integrityand humility that is only now coming to light, some 70 years after the fact.The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. From a nitpicking point of view, itwasn't the very first still camera to use 35mm movie film, but it was thefirst to be widely publicized and successfully marketed.
It created the "candid camera" boom of the 1930s.
It is a German product - precise, minimalist, utterly efficient. Behind itsworldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a family-owned, sociallyoriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace,generosity and modesty.
E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of Germany's most famousphotographic product, saved its Jews.
And Ernst Leitz II, the steely eyed Protestant patriarch who headed theclosely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe, acted in such a wayas to earn the title, "the photography industry's Schindler."
As George Gilbert, a veteran writer on topics photographic, told the storyat last week's convention of the Leica Historical Society of America inPortland, Ore., Leitz Inc., founded in Wetzlar in 1869, had a tradition ofenlightened behavior toward its workers. Pensions, sick leave, healthinsurance - all were instituted early on at Leitz, which depended for itswork force upon generations of skilled employees - many of whom were Jewish.
The 'Leica Freedom Train'
As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933, Ernst LeitzII began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates, asking for his helpin getting them and their families out of the country.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/opinion/22wed2.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
August 22, 2007
Editorial
Virginia's Gun Market
The "Iron Pipeline" of Interstate 95 remains alive and deadly, as a newfederal study grimly confirms. Saddest of all is the evidence that some ofthe most far-reaching shady gun marts continue to operate in the state ofVirginia, where the suicidal Virginia Tech student shot 32 people to deathonly four months ago. Virginia dealers have been a standout source for gunsused in crimes up and down the seaboard, according to the federal study.They accounted for half of the 10,000 guns tracked by the study in themetropolitan Washington, D.C., area, and one in 11 in New York City.
Richmond officials deny their gun control laws are porous, particularly nowthat the state announced it was closing the loophole that allowed theVirginia Tech marauder to legally buy guns despite his documented history ofmental disturbance. But for every loophole closed in the wake of the nation's latest gun mayhem - from Columbine to the D.C. sniper, ad infinitum - othersbeg attention in the crazy quilt of state and federal regulations cynicallymanipulated by the gun lobby.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/world/middleeast/22iran.html?hp
August 22, 2007
Jailed Academic in Iran Is Released on Bail
By NAZILA FATHI and NEIL MACFARQUHAR
TEHRAN, Aug. 21 - An Iranian-American academic jailed for more than 100 dayson suspicion of promoting a "velvet revolution" in the Islamic Republic wasreleased on hefty bail on Tuesday, looking tired and much thinner from herordeal but pronouncing herself well.
The academic, Haleh Esfandiari, 67, is among four Iranian-Americans whosearrests have caused tension between Tehran and Washington, with two womennow released on bail and two men still jailed.
It remained murky whether Ms. Esfandiari, the director of the Middle Eastprogram at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars inWashington, would be allowed to leave Iran.
"I feel happy," Ms. Esfandiari told a reporter from Iran's state-runtelevision as she emerged from Evin prison, where she has been held insolitary confinement since May 8. She was wearing a blue head scarf, veilingher hair as required by Iranian law. "Allow me to leave now and I will beeven happier!"
Her release came two weeks after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah AliKhamenei, in a rare occurrence, responded to a June 29 letter appealing forher freedom, according to Lee H. Hamilton, the director of the Wilsoncenter.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iran-Detained-American.html?pagewanted=print
August 22, 2007
Lawyer: Scholar Still Faces Iran Charges
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 7:42 a.m. ET
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- An Iranian-American scholar recently released from anotorious prison in Iran still faces charges she endangered the country'snational security and has no passport with which to travel abroad, herlawyer said Wednesday.
Although Haleh Esfandiari has the legal right to leave the country, no newpassport has been issued since authorities seized hers, attorney and NobelPeace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi told The Associated Press.
''The next stage is that a date will be set for the trial. I ... will defendher in court,'' said Ebadi. ''I'm certain that my client is innocent and shemust be acquitted of the charges.''
Esfandiari, director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow WilsonInternational Center for Scholars, had been held in Evin prison since earlyMay after months of interrogation. Her 93-year-old mother used the deed toher Tehran apartment to post bail late Tuesday, relatives said.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101422.html
A Dickens of a President
By Harold Meyerson
Wednesday, August 22, 2007; Page A17
We should, I suppose, credit Lynne Cheney's love of the classics, or perhapsWilliam Bennett's tireless efforts to instruct us in the great moral tales.Whatever the reason, it is clear that the Bush administration, in itscampaign to prevent the states from providing health insurance to childrenin families of modest means, has paid careful heed to the following passage(which I abbreviate for reasons of space) from Charles Dickens's "OliverTwist." In it, the plucky young hero has been chosen by the other boys toask the managers of the poorhouse in which they're locked up to increasetheir daily servings of gruel, lest they starve.
He rose from the table; and, advancing to the master, basin and spoon inhand, said:
"Please, sir, I want some more."
"What!" said the master.
"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more." The master aimed a blowat Oliver's head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arm; and shrieked forthe beadle.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101419.html
Another Test in Iraq: Our Aid to Refugees
By Michael Gerson
Wednesday, August 22, 2007; A17
The Bush administration correctly asserts that the entire Middle East, fromroyal palaces to terrorist camps, is watching the eventual outcome in Iraqto determine the state of American resolve. But the region is also taking amore immediate measure of America's commitment to its friends: our responseto the Iraqi refugee crisis. And this, too, is a matter of nationalcredibility and honor.
About 2 million Iraqis have been displaced within Iraq by sectarian violenceand contagious fear; another 2 million have fled the country for Syria,Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and beyond. According to the United Nations, a steadyflow of new refugees continues at about 50,000 each month. For the mostpart, these Iraqis are not concentrated in refugee camps but dispersed inpoor urban areas of cities such as Damascus or Amman, making it difficultfor humanitarian agencies to identify and reach them.
The sudden arrival of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis creates tensions --swamping education and health services, increasing prices and provokingsuspicion. According to Kristele Younes of Refugees International, Lebanonhas begun deportations. Some refugees in Jordan are in hiding for fear ofraids. The eventual danger is clear: As some Palestinians have demonstrated,refugee populations can marinate in their grievances, succumb to radicalismand trigger broader conflict.
=
Florida
The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/211064.html
Posted on Wed, Aug. 22, 2007
Floridians' new reality: There's life after PIP
By ALEX SINK
For 36 years, Floridians have taken for granted that if they suffer frominjuries in a car accident, the first $10,000 in medical and relatedbenefits are automatically covered by the No-Fault law, commonly referred toby the medical benefits portion called PIP, Personal Injury Protection. Insix weeks, when the law is set to expire, Florida will enter a new world.I support the intent of the No-Fault law, which is to ensure that Floridiansreceive medical treatment for injuries they suffer in an auto accidentwithout delay and without the need to file a lawsuit to recover costsrelating to these medical benefits. However, the law, and especially the PIPprovision of the law, has major flaws. A culture of fraud and abuse hasgrown around PIP, one that my fraud investigators fight every day. Medicalcosts are not managed well in the PIP system. Claims for PIP medicalbenefits should not be used to support unnecessary, costly lawsuits.
But the idea behind the law -- the protection of Floridians and theirassets -- is the centerpiece of my role as Florida's chief financialofficer. Although I want to make the No-Fault law and PIP work, there is noindication that the Legislature will address this issue in the upcomingspecial legislative session. Therefore, with the impending sunset of thelaw, I have been working to increase Floridians' awareness about life afterNo-Fault.
=
Forwarded from Democracy for America
George Bush has done it again. He has sided with insurance and drug company profits over the health and well-being of our nation's children. Late Friday night, the Bush administration released a letter to state health officials that effectively eliminated health insurance coverage for millions of American kids. This underhanded one-size-fits-all cutback limits Florida's ability to cover uninsured kids and cripples any chance of reasonable expansion.¹
What can you do? Let's face it; President Bush isn't going to take your call. On the other hand, when the governor of a state calls, even Bush will listen.
Call Governor Crist right now and demand that Florida stands up to President Bush's anti-children campaign.
Governor Charlie Crist
850 488-4441
Here's what you can say:
"President Bush's new rules which reduce the availability of the Children's Health Insurance Program for uninsured kids must be repealed. Governor Crist must call President Bush today and demand a complete rollback of the new rules. Can I count on the governor to stand up for our kids?"
Please report how your call went here:
http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/chipcalls
This is a very important time. Congress is poised to send an extensive expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Plan to Bush's desk next month, and Bush has already threatened to veto it. If we amp up the pressure now on a rules change they didn't even think we'd notice, we send Bush and Republicans in Congress a clear message that the health of America's children always comes first.
Please call the Governor right now. Your neighbor's kid might be depending on it.
Charles Chamberlain
Political Director
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
GLBT DIGEST August 21, 2007
**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.
=
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flrxjailhiv0821nbaug21,0,6365461,print.story
Broward, Palm Beach County inmates' HIV care under scrutiny
Defense lawyers, advocates claim anti-viral drugs delayed
By Bob LaMendola
August 21, 2007
Some HIV-positive jail inmates in Broward and Palm Beach countiesneedlessly go for weeks or even months without getting any HIV/AIDS drugs,defense attorneys and advocates said. But jail health officials sharplydenied the charge.
Because HIV drugs must be taken like clockwork to control the virus, inmateswho miss repeated doses face greater risks that the drugs will stop working,raising the chance they could spread a hardier virus in and out of jail, HIVspecialists said. The alleged delays also led some inmates to developfull-blown AIDS, attorneys said.
Dr. Ron Shansky, who is on the board of the National Commission onCorrectional Healthcare, which accredits lockups including Broward and PalmBeach, said jails should take only a few days to put HIV-positive inmates onthe drugs they were taking when they were arrested.
"Delaying the delivery of ongoing HIV medication is completelyunacceptable," Shansky said. "If this is occurring on a regular basis, theyneed to fix that."
The elected sheriffs who run jails in both counties have hired Miami companyArmor Correctional Health Services to treat the 120,000 inmates incarceratedeach year - 3 percent of whom have HIV/AIDS. The firm collects $38 million ayear from those contracts.
Armor's medical director insisted inmates get drugs immediately unlessthere's a good reason: Some have special problems, refused treatment, willnot cooperate or must be retested because they previously stopped takingmedicine. He accused public defenders of hyping drug delays in order to getclients released from jail, a charge the attorneys denied.
"I'm really hurt by this," said Dr. John May, who oversees jail care ineight Florida counties where Armor has contracts. "Our policy is to continuetheir medications without interruption whenever possible, and we do that.Anyone can always do better but I don't think there's a problem."
Spokesmen for the Broward and Palm Beach sheriffs said they have heard fewif any complaints about jail health care. They referred further questions toArmor.
But inmate advocates contend excessive drug delays in jails have been apersistent problem nationally and locally, often when jails try to trimhealth costs.
Modern drugs can almost wipe out HIV from the body, but studies show thevirus begins to grow resistant to drugs if the person does not take 90 to 95percent of doses on time, or no more than a few missed doses per month.
"For people on the cusp [of AIDS], a delay of more than a few days may pushthem into illness," said Dr. Larry Bush, an HIV specialist in Atlantis incentral Palm Beach County.
In Broward, public defenders said least 15 HIV inmates lodged complaintsthis year about drug delays despite requests to jail staff, and said moremay be affected. Since July 1, judges have released four who had waited aslong as four months, criminal case records showed.
"People just fall through the cracks," said Shane Gunderson, client servicesdirector for the public defender's office.
In Palm Beach County, attorneys and other advocates said they had heard fewcomplaints, but the director of a church-based program aiding newly releasedinmates said she regularly sees inmates who waited weeks for HIV drugs.Sandra White, director of United Deliverance Community Resource Center, saidthe delays seemed to be for bona fide reasons.
Kevin Sauve, 36, a Fort Lauderdale college admissions officer, said he wentmore than three months in Broward County jails without HIV drugs after hisMay 1 arrest for dealing pain pills.
The jail, as is policy, would not let him bring his medicine from home, andhe said jail doctors did not agree with the pills his physician prescribed,ordering more tests. Jail records show he filed a dozen requests formedications over the months. Eventually, Sauve said he developed fungus, earinfections and fevers while progressing to AIDS.
"They just wanted to give me drugs I'm already resistant to. I can't takethose," Sauve said, who was released July 27 to be treated outside the jail."Everybody seemed very confused about what to do."
Armor cannot discuss Sauve's case or others because of confidentialityrules, May said. But he insisted that as long as newly jailed inmates canname their drugs and the treatment makes sense, they get pills on the spot.If they can't, the jail calls their doctor or pharmacy to find out, he said.If the inmate has stopped taking drugs, May said the jail must delay to doblood tests before resuming medication.
Public defenders cited problem cases:
.Richard Hardwick, 52, of Deerfield Beach, waited four months for drugsafter being arrested March 26 on illegal drug and driving charges. He nowhas AIDS.
.Kevin L. Davis, 33, of Deerfield Beach, waited a month after being arrestedJune 7 for repeatedly driving with a revoked license and expired tag. He nowhas AIDS.
.Joann Marie Christian, 41, of Pompano Beach, has been waiting for HIVmedications since her arrest on July 3 for a probation violation.
The law does not dictate how much health care jails must provide, only thatthey cannot intentionally neglect a serious illness, said Dr. Ann Spaulding,a corrections health expert at Emory University.
George Castrotaro, a Legal Aid attorney in Broward, said he has complainedto Armor, the Broward County Health Department and others about the delaysand may file suit.
Lisa Agate, the Health Department's HIV/AIDS director, said she was shockedby the complaints and plans to raise them Tuesday at a meeting of a BrowardCounty jail health committee.
"If it's happening, it needs to be corrected," Agate said.
Bob LaMendola can be reached at blamendola@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4526or 561-243-6600, ext. 4526.
=
Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpbenefits0821psaug21,0,4932868,print.story
PBCC asked to reconsider domestic partner benefits vote
Gay rights group targets domestic partner benefit decision
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 21, 2007
A gay rights group is asking Palm Beach Community College to reconsider itsdecision not to offer domestic partner benefits to employees.
The college's board of trustees split 2-2 on Aug. 14 over whether to makethe health benefits available to gay and unmarried employees, killing theproposal. The board normally has five members but had a vacancy last week.
The community college was the second public post-secondary school in PalmBeach County to reject domestic partner benefits. Florida AtlanticUniversity administrators passed on the policies last year.
Three days after PBCC's split vote, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed two newmembers to its governing board, Wendy Link and Bill Berger, prompting thePalm Beach County Human Rights Council to call for a revote.
"It is hard to believe that the votes of only two trustees could preventPBCC employees with domestic partners the ability to purchase affordablehealth insurance," said Rand Hoch, founder of the gay rights advocacy group.
=
Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flosteinsmith0821nbaug21,0,5383596,print.story
Gary Steinsmith, columnist and South Florida gay rights activist, dies at 50
By Robert Nolin
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 21, 2007
A firebrand and fundraiser for gay rights during the 1990s, activist andformer columnist Gary Steinsmith died Friday at Broward General MedicalCenter of an embolism. He was 50.
"He was a pioneer in the gay rights movement in South Florida, engaging inbattle and causes when others did not," said his friend of 20 years,publisher and attorney Norm Kent. "He was a vibrant Democrat, a proudliberal."
Mr. Steinsmith belonged to or served in activist or civic organizationsreflecting that political bent: the Broward County Democratic ExecutiveCommittee; Dolphin Democratic Club; Americans for Equality; Lambda South;Pride South Florida and United Citizens for Human Rights.
A victim of what he jokingly called "old AIDS," Mr. Steinsmith was also astrong advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment, serving in such groupsas the AIDS Advisory Council of the Broward Community Foundation; theBroward County HIV Health Services Planning Council; CenterOne, the AIDStreatment facility; and the Broward County Advisory Board for Persons withDisabilities.
"He was probably the first politically active person in the [local] gaycommunity," said Shane Gunderson, another friend. "In a time when many gaysand lesbians weren't political, Gary was political." Mr. Steinsmith wasperhaps best known for his columns - he campily addressed the reader as"sweetheart" - in David and Scoop magazines during the mid- to late 1990s.
Though the publications have since ceased, Gunderson said Mr. Steinsmith'slegacy lived on. "Everybody took their cue from him," Gunderson said. "Hisopinion was sought after."
Mr. Steinsmith was a teetotaler who favored Diet Coke and cigarettes andalways wore an AIDS ribbon. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduated in1979 from Long Island's Hofstra University with a degree in banking. In1981, the same year he contracted AIDS, he moved to Fort Lauderdale.
Mr. Steinsmith worked as a stockbroker until 1988, when his illness limitedhis activity. He then embarked full-time on his passion: politics.
"He loved reading political books," said Kent.
"He used to stay up all night writing," said Gunderson.
Kent said Mr. Steinsmith's mother, Valerie, returned to New York with hisbody and held a service and burial on Sunday. Other than his mother, Kentknew of no survivors.
Robert Nolin can be reached at rnolin@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4525.
=
NationalGayNews.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5221.html
Gay dating sites accused of enforcing stereotypes
20th August 2007 13:51
PinkNews.co.uk writer
A professor at Salford University has accused Gaydar and other onlinecommunity websites of using "Village People clichés" to categorise gay meninto stereotypical groups.
Professor Ben Light has called for changes to the way in which sites grouptheir members into narrow profile types on the basis of their sexualidentity.
However, Gaydar has dismissed his assertions and said that their customersdo not have to define themselves by group or category to use the site.
Professor Light is examining the way technology influences perceptions ofgay masculinities.
"Internet dating is one of the most profitable businesses on the web andsites like Gaydar are a valuable resource for gay men," he said.
=
=
NationalGayNews.com
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/08/17/news/081607lrelders.prt
Former Surgeon General Calls For Change In Health Care System, Sex Education
By Jason Wiest
THE MORNING NEWS
LITTLE ROCK -- Fired in 1994 for suggesting school children be taught aboutmasturbation, former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders said Wednesday alack of sex education in the nation's public schools has hastened the spreadof sexually transmitted diseases and sex crimes against children.
"When we talk about sex education, we all go wild as if that's something wedon't talk about. Well, our silence has been deafening and we are paying avery heavy price for not educating our young people," Elders said in aspeech to about 200 people at a Community Health Centers of Arkansas summit.
Elders, who as Arkansas health director advocated dispensing condoms atschool-based health clinics, was appointed by former President Clinton in1993 and was fired the next year after saying masturbation "perhaps shouldbe taught" in schools as a way to avoid the spread of sexually transmitteddiseases.
Speaking about a national health care crisis Wednesday, Elders said onlyeducation, not any amount of money, could improve the U.S. health caresystem.
"The reason why we have so much AIDS and STDs in Southern states is becausewe are less likely to have sex education and talk about it as part of ourschools and a part of our system," Elders said.
=
NationalGayNews.com
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article2881413.ece
Law firm settles 'homophobia' discrimination case
By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor
Published: 21 August 2007
Clifford Chance, the world's biggest law business, has paid out anundisclosed sum in settlement of what is believed to be the first claimagainst a law firm for discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.
The case is the latest brought under the sexual orientation legislation tohit the City and could have cost the firm up to £1m.
Last year Peter Lewis, a former head of global equity trading at HSBC,claimed £5m for unfair dismissal from the bank after a colleague alleged hemade unwelcome sexual overtures while showering in the gym. Lewis lost thecase but has won leave to bring the case again later this year.
In this latest case, Michael Bryceland, a former partner in CliffordChance's competition department, sued the so-called "magic circle" firm inNovember. It is understood that Mr Bryceland alleged both direct andindirect discrimination.
The claim never made it to a full hearing and was withdrawn in April. MrBryceland, who was reported by the Lawyer Magazine to be one of CliffordChance's rising stars, left the firm shortly after winning the settlement.At the time of his departure, Clifford Chance told the Lawyer he was takinga break from the law.
=
NationalGayNews.com
http://www.eastandard.net/mag/mag.php?mnu=details&id=1143973146&catid=349
The weird wild
The odd things that animals do for pleasure - and companionship
Last Updated on August 20, 2007, 12:00 am
By Nicholas Asego
Homosexuality in the animal kingdom is as natural as green grass in summer.
Amusing or appalling as some might find it, this 'weird proclivity' has beenrecorded in 1,500 animals species from mammals to crabs and worms.
Chimpanzees need little invitation to have sex or masturbate.
Same sex pairs of animals kiss and caress each other with obvious affectionand tenderness. Any homosexual behaviour you care to name - anal sex, samesex kissing, long term pair bonding between members of the same sex,courtship rituals unique to homosexual couples and more are commonly foundin the animal kingdom.
Yet this not yesterday's discovery. The earliest mention of animalhomosexuality was by Aristotle, who spoke of homosexuality between hyenas.
Majority of those who witness this for the first time are often shockedbeyond words.
=
Advocate.com
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid48286.asp
August 21, 2007
Melee breaks out over queer Jesus
A melee broke out last week in Jonkoping, Sweden, after a group offundamentalist Christian young people set a fire outside a celebratedphotomural exhibit that portrays Jesus as gay.
"Ecce Homo," by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, reimagines Christ's teaching andPassion in the context of late 20th-century gay life, including a rainbowpride procession into Cana and an adoration by leathermen. In the mostcontroversial image, which prompted the European Parliament to cancel itstour of the series, a well-endowed nude Jesus is baptized by an appreciativeJohn the Baptist in a backlit swimming pool.
The show's content has led to threats against the work and its creator. Inthe latest, a group of young people torched a poster August 12 promoting theexhibit at Jonkoping Kuturhuset, the Local newspaper reported.
Staffers intervened, and as many as 30 people joined the fight, according tonews reports.
Jonkoping is known as a center of evangelical Christianity.
=
Advocate.com
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid48277.asp
August 21, 2007
Analysis: Do the Democrats have a Goldilocks?
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is too experienced, Sen. Barack Obama too raw.Listening to Democrats give their Goldilocks view of the 2008 presidentialcampaign must make voters wonder: Will any candidate be just right for theWhite House?
''Senator Obama does represent change. Senator Clinton has experience.Change and experience,'' New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Sunday, makinga balancing gesture with his hands. ''With me, you get both.''
Richardson may be a long shot for the nomination, but his crack underscoreda question that dominated the latest presidential debate: A change versusexperience dynamic that almost surely will determine who represents theDemocratic Party next year.
Obama, a first-term senator only three years out of the IllinoisLegislature, casts himself as a change agent who would fix the nation'sbroken political system. He hopes to make Clinton's three decades inpolitics a detriment.
Clinton, a former first lady who entered the Senate as her husband left theWhite House, says she is the lone candidate with enough experience to enactchange.
=
ExpressGayNews.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-krattenmaker18aug18,1,5814695,print.story
Should God go to the ballgame?
Events such as 'faith day' at Dodger Stadium signal the Christianization ofpro sports.
By Tom Krattenmaker
August 18, 2007
On Sunday, Christian baseball fans will stream into Dodger Stadium for whatis becoming more common fare at professional ballparks across the country --"faith day."
Following the Dodgers vs. Rockies game, fans with special tickets willgather in a corner of the parking lot for a concert by the Christian rockband Hawk Nelson, an appearance by characters from the "Veggie Tales"Christian television program and testimonials by several devout Dodgers. Thepurpose, according to event organizer Brent High, is to promote the Gospelof Jesus.
High and his Christian events-promotion company, Third Coast Sports, havebeen organizing faith days and faith nights around minor league baseball foryears. They reached the major leagues last season with three events atTurner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves, and will be in 10 major leaguecities this season. The event at Dodger Stadium will be the first in L.A.
These events, which blend religion and commerce, are the product of apartnership between High's company and host teams. Third Coast undertakesenergetic outreach to evangelical churches, getting baseball-loving churchmembers (and, more important, their unconverted invitees) to turn out forthe game and a special religious program. Believers nourish their faith andperhaps extend it to others, and teams welcome the typical surge in ticketsales and action at the merchandise and food stands. The result, accordingto High, "is happy teams, happy churches."
But not everyone is so happy.
=
ExpressGayNews.com
http://www.davidmixner.com/2007/08/evan-wolfson-ma.html
Evan Wolfson: Marriage Equality and the Presidential Election
Aug 17 2007
Evan Wolfson is a dear friend of mine. Almost more than any other, Evan isresponsible for bringing the issue of marriage equality to the forefront ofour struggle for civil rights. He is a courageous pioneer who has beenrelentless in this battle for marriage equality. Evan has agreed to answersome basic questions that so many of us are being asked in this electionyear about marriage equality.
Evan Wolfson is Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, the gay/straightpartnership working to win marriage equality nationwide. Before foundingFreedom to Marry, Evan served as marriage project director for Lambda LegalDefense & Education Fund, was co-counsel in the historic Hawaii marriagecase, and participated in numerous gay rights and HIV/AIDS cases.
Evan previously served as Associate Counsel to Lawrence Walsh in theIran/Contra investigation, and as an Assistant District Attorney inBrooklyn, New York. Between Yale University and Harvard Law School, Evanspent two years with the Peace Corps in West Africa.
Citing his national leadership on marriage equality and his appearancebefore the U.S. Supreme Court in Boy Scouts of America v. James Dale, theNational Law Journal named Evan one of "the 100 most influential lawyers inAmerica" in 2000.
In 2004, Evan was named one of the "Time 100," Time magazine's list of "the100 most influential people in the world."
=
ExpressGayNews.com
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/james_kirchick/2007/08/southafricas_gay_betrayal.html.printer.friendly
South Africa's gay betrayal
James Kirchick
August 21, 2007 12:00 PM
It might come as a surprise to those who still view Africa as economicallyand culturally backward, but the most liberal federal constitution in theworld can be found at the southern tip of its continent. South Africa'sconstitution is also one of the youngest, adopted in 1996 after the fall ofapartheid.
A crucial feature of the new South Africa's founding document is that it wasthe first to enshrine gay equality. Its bill of rights mandates: "The statemay not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on oneor more grounds," and includes "sexual orientation" alongside race, gender,age and other traits. It is for this reason that, in 2005, South Africa'sconstitutional court decided that the prohibition of same-sex marriage"represented a harsh if oblique statement by the law that same-sex couplesare outsiders, and that their need for affirmation and protection of theirintimate relations as human beings is somehow less than that of heterosexualcouples." South Africa is now one of the very few countries in the world -and the only country in Africa - to recognise gay marriage.
In light of this tradition, South Africa's recent behavior at the UnitedNations has been nothing short of bizarre. Last month, two gay rightsorganisations - the Quebec Coalition of Gays and Lesbians, and the SwedishFederation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights - petitioned theUN's 54-member Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc), based in Geneva, foraccreditation. Ecosoc's non-governmental organisation (NGO) subcommittee,populated by the likes of Egypt, Pakistan and the Sudan, ruled againstallowing these organisations to have "consultative status" at the UN inJanuary.
There are over 2,000 non-governmental organizations from all over the worldaccredited by Ecosoc. According to the UN, these organizations "make acontribution to the work programmes and goals of the United Nations byserving as technical experts, advisers and consultants to governments andSecretariat." Many of these organizations - representing conservative,traditional religious interests from the third-world - are simplyreactionary and oppose any attempts to recognize gay rights or the plight ofgay people in countries where they are harassed, abused or killed by thegovernment.
Last month, the NGO subcommittee's decision to ban the gay organisationsfrom the UN was brought to Ecosoc's membership for a vote. South Africajoined with the likes of Belarus, China, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia,Somalia and Sudan to ratify the subcommittee's decision to ban QuebecCoalition. Then, on the actual vote to give membership to the organisation,South Africa abstained. Regarding the Swedish gay organisation, South Africaalso voted to ratify the ban and then abstained on the substantive vote. Inboth instances, South Africa sided with authoritarian states that abuse gaypeople, and against the western democracies where gays live freely.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino/corvino.htm
Richardson Was Right-Sort Of
by John Corvino
It seemed like a softball question at first. During LOGO's August 10gay-rights forum for the Democratic presidential candidates, panelist (androck star) Melissa Etheridge asked New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, "Do youthink homosexuality is a choice, or is it biological?"
Richardson, who has a strong gay-rights record, responded, "It's a choice.It's."
Several audience members gasped. Wrong answer! Etheridge interrupted, "Idon't think you understand the question," prompting nervous laughter throughoutthe studio. She tried again:
"Do you think I-a homosexual is born that way, or do you think that aroundseventh grade we go, 'Ooh, I want to be gay'?"
"Seventh grade" is right: at that moment Etheridge seemed like an indulgentschoolteacher, trying to feed a quiz answer to a hapless student.Multiple-choice: A or B (hint: it's obviously not B).
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/082007calif.htm
Gay Marriage On Agenda As Calif. Lawmakers Return To Work
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: August 20, 2007 - 3:00 pm ET
(Sacramento, California) California lawmakers returned to work in Sacramentotoday with legislation allowing same-sex marriage on the Senate agenda.
But with only four weeks to complete its work and a major budget battle athand it is unclear whether the marriage bill will make it to a vote on thefloor.
The measure passed the Assembly in June. (story)
Even if the bill makes to a floor vote and passes Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggerhas vowed to veto it, as he did an identical bill in 2005.
Both bills were authored by Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). The 2005 bidpassed both the House and Senate - the legislative body in the nation toapprove a measure allowing same-sex couples to marry.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/082007trans.htm
Transsexual Says Australian Gov't Endangering Her Life
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: August 20, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(Sydney, Australia) A transsexual woman preparing to leave for sexreassignment surgery in Thailand says the Australian government isendangering her life by refusing to give her a passport identifying her asfemale.
Under an anti-terrorism law that went into effect last month passports showthe "birth sex" of a person.
Stefanie Imbruglia says that will put her at risk. Imbruglia, has beenundergoing her transition for more than a year. She has long hair, breastsand appears female.
The only alternative Imbruglia says, is to travel on a less officialdocument of identity that would leave her genderless.
Either way, she says, she will attract the attention of immigration andcustoms authorities, "likely resulting in humiliating body cavity and stripsearches."
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/082007murd.htm
Details Emerge In Gay Porn Producer Slaying
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: August 20, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) A gay man who operated one of the country'sbiggest gay adult entertainment companies died of massive blood loss afterhis head was nearly sliced off a court was told on Monday.
Harlow Cuadra, 25, and Joseph Kerekes, 33, of Virginia Beach, Va., areaccused of killing Bryan Kocis, the owner of Cobra Video.
A preliminary hearing Monday heard from two medical examiners who agreedthat Kocis was nearly decapitated.
"We were able to ascertain it was a smooth cutting, probably one swipe. Itwas a very sharp object," Luzerne County Coroner Dr. John Consalvotestified.
Consalvo also told the court that Kocis suffered between 28 and 29 postmortem stab wounds before his home was torched in an attempt to cover up thekilling last January.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/082107thompson.htm
Blogger Who Exposed Page Sex Scandal Turns Sights On Thompson
by The Associated Press
Posted: August 21, 2007 - 9:00 am ET
(Washington) A liberal blogger has filed a federal complaint against formerSen. Fred Thompson, the actor and unannounced Republican candidate forpresident, accusing him of violating election laws as he ponders his entryinto the race.
The blogger, Lane Hudson, submitted his complaint to the Federal ElectionCommission on Monday saying Thompson has raised far more money than he needsto explore whether to run for president.
Federal law allows potential candidates to raise money to travel, conductpolls and pay for other expenses related to "testing the waters" for apolitical campaign. During that exploratory period, a potential candidatedoes not have to file financial reports with the FEC.
The law prohibits anyone who is "testing the waters" from hoarding the moneyfor use during his actual campaign. Potential candidates also cannot referto themselves as candidates, can't run ads that publicize their intention tocampaign or take steps to qualify for the ballot in a primary or caucusstate.
According to a financial report filed with the Internal Revenue Service latelast month, Thompson had raised nearly $3.5 million and had had spent$625,000. Thompson must raise money within federal contribution limits andmust report it to the FEC once he becomes an official candidate.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/nyregion/21helmsley.html?pagewanted=print
August 21, 2007
Leona Helmsley, Hotel 'Queen,' Is Dead at 87
By ENID NEMY
Leona Helmsley, the self-styled hotel queen whose prison term for income taxevasion and fraud was greeted with uncommon approval by a public whoregarded her as a 1980s symbol of arrogance and greed, died yesterday at herhome in Greenwich, Conn. She was 87.
The cause was heart failure, her longtime spokesman, Howard J. Rubenstein,said.
Mrs. Helmsley came to public attention after her marriage in 1972 to one ofNew York's pre-eminent real estate investors and brokers, Harry B. Helmsley,who had divorced his wife of 33 years to marry her. In his heyday, Mr.Helmsley controlled real estate worth $5 billion, including the Empire StateBuilding, the Helmsley Building on Park Avenue and the Flatiron Building. Hedied in 1997.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/health/psychology/21gender.html
August 21, 2007
Criticism of a Gender Theory, and a Scientist Under Siege
By BENEDICT CAREY
In academic feuds, as in war, there is no telling how far people will goonce the shooting starts.
Earlier this month, members of the International Academy of Sex Research,gathering for their annual meeting in Vancouver, informally discussed one ofthe most contentious and personal social science controversies in recentmemory.
The central figure, J. Michael Bailey, a psychologist at NorthwesternUniversity, has promoted a theory that his critics think is inaccurate,insulting and potentially damaging to transgender women. In the past fewyears, several prominent academics who are transgender have made a series ofaccusations against the psychologist, including that he committed ethicsviolations. A transgender woman he wrote about has accused him of a sexualimpropriety, and Dr. Bailey has become a reviled figure for some in the gayand transgender communities.
To many of Dr. Bailey's peers, his story is a morality play about thecorrosive effects of political correctness on academic freedom. Somescientists say that it has become increasingly treacherous to discusspolitically sensitive issues. They point to several recent cases, like thatof Helmuth Nyborg, a Danish researcher who was fired in 2006 after he causeda furor in the press by reporting a slight difference in average I.Q. testscores between the sexes.
"What happened to Bailey is important, because the harassment was soextraordinarily bad and because it could happen to any researcher in thefield," said Alice Dreger, an ethics scholar and patients' rights advocateat Northwestern who, after conducting a lengthy investigation of Dr.Bailey's actions, has concluded that he is essentially blameless. "If we're going tohave research at all, then we're going to have people saying unpopularthings, and if this is what happens to them, then we've got problems notonly for science but free expression itself."
To Dr. Bailey's critics, his story is a different kind of morality tale.
=
Ft. Lauderdale
CLUB BLUE
www.hrcclubblue.com
Club Blue is a monthly social and networking event designed to promote theHuman Rights Campaign and its membership in South Florida. It is held onthe first Thursday of each month!
THIS MONTH, HAVE A DRINK ON US!
Join the HRC South Florida Committee each month to network with other GLBTprofessionals and to learn about HRC in South Florida
Club Blue!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
6:00pm-8:00pm
@ BLUE MARTINI
Galleria Mall
2432 East Sunrise Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
www.bluemartinilounge.com
954-653-BLUE
$10 Suggested Donation
=
The Detroit News
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070820/OPINION03/708200350
Deb Price
Court panel restores rights of adopted kids
Should the legal ties between parents and their adopted child unravel if thefamily leaves the state where the adoption decree was handed down?
Of course, not. The very idea is outrageous.
But that's what Oklahoma lawmakers were striving for in 2004 with theirchillingly titled "Adoption Invalidation Law," which targeted adoptedchildren with gay parents.
That wrongheaded statute declared that Oklahoma would refuse to recognize"an adoption by more than one individual of the same sex from any otherstate or foreign jurisdiction." In other words, if a gay couple and thechild they adopted in, say, California or Maryland moved to Oklahoma orsimply drove through Oklahoma on vacation, they would not be treated as alegally recognized family by any Oklahoma official -- whether a policeofficer, public school teacher or judge.
Sounds un-American, doesn't it? It's also unconstitutional. That's what afederal Court of Appeals panel told Oklahoma on Aug. 3 in striking down thelaw.
A panel of three judges -- all of them Republican appointees -- of the 10thCircuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court ruling that Oklahoma'santi-family law violated the U.S. Constitution's Full Faith and CreditClause, which requires states to honor one another's judicial judgments,including adoptions.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
https://www.kintera.com/accounttempfiles/account7346/images/web_logo.gif>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2007
CONTACT: Ali Bay, Communications Manager
PHONE: (916) 284-9187 EMAIL: ali@eqca.org
Legislators Return to EQCA's Ambitious LGBT Legislative Agenda
Record 10 LGBT Measures Poised to Pass Legislature
SACRAMENTO - Equality California's most comprehensive legislative agenda forthe lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is poised topass the Legislature this year as lawmakers reconvene for the final month ofthe 2007 legislative session.
Legislators return from summer break today to finalize the state budget andcomplete legislative work for the year. Their agenda includes a record 10pieces of LGBT legislation sponsored by EQCA. It is the most bills evercarried by a statewide LGBT advocacy group in the nation, and the mostmeasures EQCA has sponsored in a calendar year
"This is an historic year for LGBT Californians and Equality California,"said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "Not only are we prepared to passextensive protections that will impact LGBT people in every aspect of theirlives, but we are also witnessing growing bipartisan support for bills thatpromote the fair and equal treatment of the LGBT community."
EQCA's legislative slate has earned significant votes from Democrats andRepublicans in both the Assembly and the Senate. Last month, a record 70assemblymembers, including 24 Republicans, cast an "aye" vote for AJR 29, aresolution authored by Assemblymember Mike Eng, D-Monterey Park. Theresolution urges Congress and the president to expand the federal hatecrimes law to protect victims who are targeted based on their sexualorientation, gender identity or disability.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.macon.com/198/story/116168.html
Posted on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007
Critics: Teens should know sex laws By Shannon McCaffreyHealth teachers have long warned teens that they risk becoming pregnantor contracting diseases if they are sexually active. A few are now addinga new lesson to the list: Have sex and you're breaking the law.
Pop culture may be filled with images of promiscuous high schoolers, butin many states it's still illegal for them to actually have sex, even ifthey're close in age. And although legal experts say it's rare forprosecutors to seek charges, they can and sometimes do.
Perhaps the most famous example is Genarlow Wilson, the Georgia manserving a 10-year prison sentence for receiving oral sex from a15-year-old girl. Georgia lawmakers have softened the law prosecutorsused to sentence Wilson but they didn't erase the criminal penaltyaltogether. It's still a misdemeanor.
Read More...
=
UK - The Independent
'I wish I'd kept quiet': What happens when schoolchildren admit to beinggay?
All too often, the result is bullying, violence and a lack of teachersupport, as these disturbing tales reveal
By Lena Corner
Published:?19 August 2007
Holly Anderson was 13 when she came out. Her sexuality had become thesubject of gossip among her Year 8 classmates and so she thought she wouldnip it in the bud. "I admitted that I was a lesbian," she says. "I justdecided to get it over and done with and tell the truth. It wasn't really mydecision, but I thought it would stop all the bitching."
The bullying started straight away. She was spat at in the corridors, callednames such as "dyke" and "rug muncher", and shouted at in the street ? evensome of her classmates' parents joined in. Things came to a head when, atthe age of 15, she was cornered by a group of girls as she came out of thelavatory, pushed up against the wall and beaten about the face, "I had agash from my eye down to my nose and cuts on my nose and lip." She says.Another attack followed ? this time in a car park in her home town ofEastleigh in Hampshire by a group of children from another local school."They followed me saying 'Give us your money, you dyke'," says Anderson,"then one of them grabbed me by my hair and kneed me what felt like ahundred times in my face. Then they ripped my earrings out and left mebleeding on the floor of the car park."
Surprisingly, there has only been one major piece of research carried out onthe subject of homophobic bullying in schools. In June this year, the gayrights group Stonewall published a document called The School Report, whichwas a survey of 156,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual schoolchildren. Theresults were terrifying. It found that two thirds of lesbian and gayschoolchildren have been victims of homophobic bullying. And among those, 92per cent experienced verbal bullying, 41 per cent physical bullying and 17per cent (26,000 children) actually received death threats.
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article.
=
Urgent Action - Pegah at Risk of Deportation from England (August 21, 07)
English: www.irqo.net/IRQO/English/pages/083.htm
Persian: www.irqo.net/IRQO/Persian/pages/056.htm
---English---
Pegah Emambakhsh is an Iranian lesbian whose refugee case has been denied bythe British government and, as a result, will be deported to Tehran onThursday, August 23, 2007. Currently, she is kept in detention by Britishofficials. Right now, Pegah is experiencing a very dangerous situation, andis having a very tough time. If she is going to be returned to Iran, there ismuch of possibility that she, due to her sexual orientation and her pastlife in Iran, will be sentenced to death, or, in a most optimistic view, beprosecuted and tortured in some of the ways that are all common among Iran'sreligious officials when having made the decision to chastise the so called'corrupted' citizens. It should also be taken into consideration that mostprobably, Islamic officials will not speak the truth for which they havearrested the accused and made the verdict of punishment, but instead, as acommon practice among those in power in Iran, they can accuse her of anotherfictitious crime and thereby, show it reasonable in public eyes to performpunishment [whatever punishment they will decide to do] on this innocent,young woman.
=
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/13/nchurch113.xml
Archbishop faces conference snub
By Jonathan Petre
Last Updated: 2:37am BST14/08/2007
Only a couple of hundred of the 880 Anglican bishops invited to next year'sLambeth Conference, one of the most critical gatherings in the Church'shistory, have replied by the deadline set by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dr Rowan Williams hopes that the conference, which is held every 10 years atCanterbury, can be the starting point for rebuilding the Church, which hasbeen torn apart over the issue of homosexuality.
The failure of so many to respond is fresh evidence of the disintegration ofthe 70 million-strong worldwide Communion, and will come as a further blowto the authority of Dr Williams.
When he issued the invitations in May, he asked the bishops, who arescattered all over the world in 38 selfgoverning provinces, to send in theirreplies by July 31.
Several conservatives are delaying their decisions because they will notattend if liberal Americans are there - which will not be finally determineduntil later this year.
At least six conservative archbishops from Africa and Asia, who representhundreds of bishops and more than a third of active Anglicans, have alreadythreatened to boycott the event.
=
The Malta Independent - Opinions Article
God, gays, plugs and sockets
by Daphne Caruana Galizia
Sunday, August 19, 2007
In the correspondence pages of another newspaper, a debate isgoing on about whether God loves gays and whether homosexuality is 'allowed'(apparently, it isn't). Yes, really. You wouldn't believe it, would you?We're in the 21st century and in the European Union, and still there aremany among us who are much taken with these medieval themes. I suppose theyare the sort of people who have never recovered from the decriminalisationof sexual acts between people of the same gender. While they might notactually approve of the execution of homosexuals in Iran, they sympathisewith the spirit of that thinking.
What amazes me is the literalism with which this subject isdebated in the context of Catholic doctrine and biblical teaching. Thevarious writers of letters to the newspaper speak as though we are living ina theocracy, where religious teaching is the law of the land: "The Biblesays."; "Jesus said."; "The Catholic Church tells us."; "Catholic doctrineteaches.". They make not even a passing reference to secular law, as thoughit is something nasty imposed on this country by outsiders, the law of acoloniser, there to be resisted, ignored or honoured in the breach. Theyspeak as though the only laws that count for them are the rules laid down bythe Vatican. They know no others. Despite the decriminalisation ofhomosexual sex many years ago, here they are, still insisting to whoeverwill listen that homosexuals of all shape, hue, stripe and religion mustnever have sex unless they are married to somebody of the other gender.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pridesource.com/print.shtml?article=26480
Between The Lines Newspaper
From issue number 1533
New generation finds ways to spread equality
Originally printed 08/16/2007
Sure, we can mope about how we don't have marriage rights. Or, on a smallerlevel, how we risk getting starred at when we kiss our partner as we strollthrough the mall. Instead, why don't we start to find hope in a newgeneration of LGBT-rights advocates, who are paving the way for a brightertomorrow through persistent fighting - like Rachel Loskill.
The Lansing native finished her tour to 32 conservative colleges in May,traveling to each and spreading equality, along with 52 other young adultactivists, to those who aren't tolerant of our lifestyles. During herjourney on Equality Ride she was arrested three times, a small price to pay,she said, if she could get the word out, and let thousands of students knowthat it's OK to be gay. And many of them were. Problem is, a fair amount ofthem have never met another LGBT person.
"It was life-changing for myself and, I know, for a lot of the people Italked to and had conversations with at the schools and have continued toe-mail back-and-forth since then," she told Between The Lines in this issue.
Loskill, along with other riders, shared their lives with these completestrangers, reaching out their hand and, in so many words, said: Take it, andtogether we'll walk. They shared a part of them that often times people aretoo scared to talk about. They endured slurs, they endured police - but, inthe end, none of that mattered. These youngsters were there for one reason:equality.
More and more young adults are taking opportunities to speak their minds,addressing new generations on LGBT issues. It happens in schools every day,where students meet during gay/straight alliances to brainstorm ways tospread acceptance at their educational institution. It happens when astudent simply calls out a classmate who says their homework is "so gay." Ithappens when people, like Loskill, step up to the plate and risk punishment,like being arrested, just to offer help to their peers.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5225.html
Australian PM may support some gay rights
20th August 2007 17:13
PinkNews.co.uk writer
A series of measures to ensure equality for gay and lesbian Australians isto be considered by the country's Cabinet later today.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Prime Minister John Howard may bepersuaded by colleagues to support legal and financial rights for same-sexcouples.
An MP from the ruling Liberal party, Warren Entsch, supports gay rights.
Last week he presented Mr Howard with a petition signed by 25,000Australians demanding that the law be changed in favour of equality.
He told the paper that he has been swamped with emails from evangelicalChristians objecting to equal treatment.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.ocweekly.com/index3.php?option=com_content2&task=print&id=27499&Itemid=0&pop=1&page=0
The Closet and the Cross
Three decades ago, Michael Bussee helped found the mammoth ex-gay ministryExodus International. Now, he's one of the movement's biggest critics
By JANINE KAHN
Thursday, July 26, 2007 - 3:00 pm
Michael Bussee In the scorching heat of the summer sun, a crowd gathers insilence around a wall covered in large sheets of white poster paper.
It's the last Saturday of June in this UC Irvine courtyard, and most eyesare fixed on the text atop the collage, which reads, "Ex-gay experiences" onone side, and on the other, "Good/Harm."
Armed with colored markers, the men and women come forward to put pen topaper.
"I lost my young adult years to 'the closet.' I'll never recover that,"writes a lanky gent before falling back into the crowd.
"I thought I was changing! In reality, I had walled away my sexuality," pensa woman in black, her face tight with emotion.
=
Forwarded from David L. Wylie, Sr. Editor
www.gaysofla.com
I hope you'll take a moment to read this. This is not spam. I'm sending itto my friend list on Yahoo and if you receive this email unwanted justpolitely send me a message and I'll remove your name. But I hope you'll takea moment to read.
Did you know thatgGay men are six times more likely to attempt suicide thantheir straight counterparts and the numbers increase exponentially duringthe holidays. A report from P-FLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians andGays) states that in a study of 5,000 gay men and women, 35 percent of gaymen and 38 percent of lesbians have considered or attempted suicide. Thestatistics are even higher among gay teens: The Department of Health studyindicates that gay youth are up to six times more likely to attempt suicidethan straight teens, and gay teenagers account for up to 30 percent of allteenage suicides in the nation.
For many Gay youth...suicide is the ultimate way to 'stay in the closet'.It would be better to not live than to be found out. But there is hope.
Groups like The Trevor Project are helping young Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, andquestioning youth find a reason to live. This Thursday, my 'lil bro', myfriend, my buddy, Geo is doing his part to bring attention to the problem ofthe struggle gay youth have with thoughts of suicide by celebrating his 21stbirthday with a benefit for The Trevor Project (www.thetrevorproject.org) atClub Discotekka in downtown Miami. This is a cause close to Geo's heartbecause less than a year ago he was a questioning youth, trying to findhimself and, after coming out to his parents, considered suicide.
Because of the support and encouragement of many friends, Geo is with ustoday. Recenlty Geo and I started an online magazine (www.gaysofla.com).Geo will be a regular contributor as both a writer and a photographer. Hewill be writing a bi monthly column for gay youth, GEN NOW!
I am proud to support Geo by hosting this birthday celebration and theofficial launch of Miami's newest online magazine for the south Florida GLBTcommunity. I'm pleased to be a party of supporting the Trevor Project. Ihope you'll join us.
To view a a dedication video that some friends and I put together to honorGeo and to leave him birthday comments, please click here;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xbWYxQDZHM
To See the flyer with all the important information click here;
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2007/08/geo-bustamante-.html#comments
To sign up for the party on myspace, click here:
http://events.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&eventID=356097.555&Mytoken=0BDAD8AF-7C54-4F7E-B70362E899751B1454030811
Thanks for taking the time to read this email. Have a great day and we hopeto see you at Club Discotekka, downtown Miami, at 10:45 pm on Thursday, Aug.23, 2007.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flrxjailhiv0821nbaug21,0,6365461,print.story
Broward, Palm Beach County inmates' HIV care under scrutiny
Defense lawyers, advocates claim anti-viral drugs delayed
By Bob LaMendola
August 21, 2007
Some HIV-positive jail inmates in Broward and Palm Beach countiesneedlessly go for weeks or even months without getting any HIV/AIDS drugs,defense attorneys and advocates said. But jail health officials sharplydenied the charge.
Because HIV drugs must be taken like clockwork to control the virus, inmateswho miss repeated doses face greater risks that the drugs will stop working,raising the chance they could spread a hardier virus in and out of jail, HIVspecialists said. The alleged delays also led some inmates to developfull-blown AIDS, attorneys said.
Dr. Ron Shansky, who is on the board of the National Commission onCorrectional Healthcare, which accredits lockups including Broward and PalmBeach, said jails should take only a few days to put HIV-positive inmates onthe drugs they were taking when they were arrested.
"Delaying the delivery of ongoing HIV medication is completelyunacceptable," Shansky said. "If this is occurring on a regular basis, theyneed to fix that."
The elected sheriffs who run jails in both counties have hired Miami companyArmor Correctional Health Services to treat the 120,000 inmates incarceratedeach year - 3 percent of whom have HIV/AIDS. The firm collects $38 million ayear from those contracts.
Armor's medical director insisted inmates get drugs immediately unlessthere's a good reason: Some have special problems, refused treatment, willnot cooperate or must be retested because they previously stopped takingmedicine. He accused public defenders of hyping drug delays in order to getclients released from jail, a charge the attorneys denied.
"I'm really hurt by this," said Dr. John May, who oversees jail care ineight Florida counties where Armor has contracts. "Our policy is to continuetheir medications without interruption whenever possible, and we do that.Anyone can always do better but I don't think there's a problem."
Spokesmen for the Broward and Palm Beach sheriffs said they have heard fewif any complaints about jail health care. They referred further questions toArmor.
But inmate advocates contend excessive drug delays in jails have been apersistent problem nationally and locally, often when jails try to trimhealth costs.
Modern drugs can almost wipe out HIV from the body, but studies show thevirus begins to grow resistant to drugs if the person does not take 90 to 95percent of doses on time, or no more than a few missed doses per month.
"For people on the cusp [of AIDS], a delay of more than a few days may pushthem into illness," said Dr. Larry Bush, an HIV specialist in Atlantis incentral Palm Beach County.
In Broward, public defenders said least 15 HIV inmates lodged complaintsthis year about drug delays despite requests to jail staff, and said moremay be affected. Since July 1, judges have released four who had waited aslong as four months, criminal case records showed.
"People just fall through the cracks," said Shane Gunderson, client servicesdirector for the public defender's office.
In Palm Beach County, attorneys and other advocates said they had heard fewcomplaints, but the director of a church-based program aiding newly releasedinmates said she regularly sees inmates who waited weeks for HIV drugs.Sandra White, director of United Deliverance Community Resource Center, saidthe delays seemed to be for bona fide reasons.
Kevin Sauve, 36, a Fort Lauderdale college admissions officer, said he wentmore than three months in Broward County jails without HIV drugs after hisMay 1 arrest for dealing pain pills.
The jail, as is policy, would not let him bring his medicine from home, andhe said jail doctors did not agree with the pills his physician prescribed,ordering more tests. Jail records show he filed a dozen requests formedications over the months. Eventually, Sauve said he developed fungus, earinfections and fevers while progressing to AIDS.
"They just wanted to give me drugs I'm already resistant to. I can't takethose," Sauve said, who was released July 27 to be treated outside the jail."Everybody seemed very confused about what to do."
Armor cannot discuss Sauve's case or others because of confidentialityrules, May said. But he insisted that as long as newly jailed inmates canname their drugs and the treatment makes sense, they get pills on the spot.If they can't, the jail calls their doctor or pharmacy to find out, he said.If the inmate has stopped taking drugs, May said the jail must delay to doblood tests before resuming medication.
Public defenders cited problem cases:
.Richard Hardwick, 52, of Deerfield Beach, waited four months for drugsafter being arrested March 26 on illegal drug and driving charges. He nowhas AIDS.
.Kevin L. Davis, 33, of Deerfield Beach, waited a month after being arrestedJune 7 for repeatedly driving with a revoked license and expired tag. He nowhas AIDS.
.Joann Marie Christian, 41, of Pompano Beach, has been waiting for HIVmedications since her arrest on July 3 for a probation violation.
The law does not dictate how much health care jails must provide, only thatthey cannot intentionally neglect a serious illness, said Dr. Ann Spaulding,a corrections health expert at Emory University.
George Castrotaro, a Legal Aid attorney in Broward, said he has complainedto Armor, the Broward County Health Department and others about the delaysand may file suit.
Lisa Agate, the Health Department's HIV/AIDS director, said she was shockedby the complaints and plans to raise them Tuesday at a meeting of a BrowardCounty jail health committee.
"If it's happening, it needs to be corrected," Agate said.
Bob LaMendola can be reached at blamendola@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4526or 561-243-6600, ext. 4526.
=
Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpbenefits0821psaug21,0,4932868,print.story
PBCC asked to reconsider domestic partner benefits vote
Gay rights group targets domestic partner benefit decision
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 21, 2007
A gay rights group is asking Palm Beach Community College to reconsider itsdecision not to offer domestic partner benefits to employees.
The college's board of trustees split 2-2 on Aug. 14 over whether to makethe health benefits available to gay and unmarried employees, killing theproposal. The board normally has five members but had a vacancy last week.
The community college was the second public post-secondary school in PalmBeach County to reject domestic partner benefits. Florida AtlanticUniversity administrators passed on the policies last year.
Three days after PBCC's split vote, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed two newmembers to its governing board, Wendy Link and Bill Berger, prompting thePalm Beach County Human Rights Council to call for a revote.
"It is hard to believe that the votes of only two trustees could preventPBCC employees with domestic partners the ability to purchase affordablehealth insurance," said Rand Hoch, founder of the gay rights advocacy group.
=
Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flosteinsmith0821nbaug21,0,5383596,print.story
Gary Steinsmith, columnist and South Florida gay rights activist, dies at 50
By Robert Nolin
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 21, 2007
A firebrand and fundraiser for gay rights during the 1990s, activist andformer columnist Gary Steinsmith died Friday at Broward General MedicalCenter of an embolism. He was 50.
"He was a pioneer in the gay rights movement in South Florida, engaging inbattle and causes when others did not," said his friend of 20 years,publisher and attorney Norm Kent. "He was a vibrant Democrat, a proudliberal."
Mr. Steinsmith belonged to or served in activist or civic organizationsreflecting that political bent: the Broward County Democratic ExecutiveCommittee; Dolphin Democratic Club; Americans for Equality; Lambda South;Pride South Florida and United Citizens for Human Rights.
A victim of what he jokingly called "old AIDS," Mr. Steinsmith was also astrong advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment, serving in such groupsas the AIDS Advisory Council of the Broward Community Foundation; theBroward County HIV Health Services Planning Council; CenterOne, the AIDStreatment facility; and the Broward County Advisory Board for Persons withDisabilities.
"He was probably the first politically active person in the [local] gaycommunity," said Shane Gunderson, another friend. "In a time when many gaysand lesbians weren't political, Gary was political." Mr. Steinsmith wasperhaps best known for his columns - he campily addressed the reader as"sweetheart" - in David and Scoop magazines during the mid- to late 1990s.
Though the publications have since ceased, Gunderson said Mr. Steinsmith'slegacy lived on. "Everybody took their cue from him," Gunderson said. "Hisopinion was sought after."
Mr. Steinsmith was a teetotaler who favored Diet Coke and cigarettes andalways wore an AIDS ribbon. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduated in1979 from Long Island's Hofstra University with a degree in banking. In1981, the same year he contracted AIDS, he moved to Fort Lauderdale.
Mr. Steinsmith worked as a stockbroker until 1988, when his illness limitedhis activity. He then embarked full-time on his passion: politics.
"He loved reading political books," said Kent.
"He used to stay up all night writing," said Gunderson.
Kent said Mr. Steinsmith's mother, Valerie, returned to New York with hisbody and held a service and burial on Sunday. Other than his mother, Kentknew of no survivors.
Robert Nolin can be reached at rnolin@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4525.
=
NationalGayNews.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5221.html
Gay dating sites accused of enforcing stereotypes
20th August 2007 13:51
PinkNews.co.uk writer
A professor at Salford University has accused Gaydar and other onlinecommunity websites of using "Village People clichés" to categorise gay meninto stereotypical groups.
Professor Ben Light has called for changes to the way in which sites grouptheir members into narrow profile types on the basis of their sexualidentity.
However, Gaydar has dismissed his assertions and said that their customersdo not have to define themselves by group or category to use the site.
Professor Light is examining the way technology influences perceptions ofgay masculinities.
"Internet dating is one of the most profitable businesses on the web andsites like Gaydar are a valuable resource for gay men," he said.
=
=
NationalGayNews.com
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/08/17/news/081607lrelders.prt
Former Surgeon General Calls For Change In Health Care System, Sex Education
By Jason Wiest
THE MORNING NEWS
LITTLE ROCK -- Fired in 1994 for suggesting school children be taught aboutmasturbation, former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders said Wednesday alack of sex education in the nation's public schools has hastened the spreadof sexually transmitted diseases and sex crimes against children.
"When we talk about sex education, we all go wild as if that's something wedon't talk about. Well, our silence has been deafening and we are paying avery heavy price for not educating our young people," Elders said in aspeech to about 200 people at a Community Health Centers of Arkansas summit.
Elders, who as Arkansas health director advocated dispensing condoms atschool-based health clinics, was appointed by former President Clinton in1993 and was fired the next year after saying masturbation "perhaps shouldbe taught" in schools as a way to avoid the spread of sexually transmitteddiseases.
Speaking about a national health care crisis Wednesday, Elders said onlyeducation, not any amount of money, could improve the U.S. health caresystem.
"The reason why we have so much AIDS and STDs in Southern states is becausewe are less likely to have sex education and talk about it as part of ourschools and a part of our system," Elders said.
=
NationalGayNews.com
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article2881413.ece
Law firm settles 'homophobia' discrimination case
By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor
Published: 21 August 2007
Clifford Chance, the world's biggest law business, has paid out anundisclosed sum in settlement of what is believed to be the first claimagainst a law firm for discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.
The case is the latest brought under the sexual orientation legislation tohit the City and could have cost the firm up to £1m.
Last year Peter Lewis, a former head of global equity trading at HSBC,claimed £5m for unfair dismissal from the bank after a colleague alleged hemade unwelcome sexual overtures while showering in the gym. Lewis lost thecase but has won leave to bring the case again later this year.
In this latest case, Michael Bryceland, a former partner in CliffordChance's competition department, sued the so-called "magic circle" firm inNovember. It is understood that Mr Bryceland alleged both direct andindirect discrimination.
The claim never made it to a full hearing and was withdrawn in April. MrBryceland, who was reported by the Lawyer Magazine to be one of CliffordChance's rising stars, left the firm shortly after winning the settlement.At the time of his departure, Clifford Chance told the Lawyer he was takinga break from the law.
=
NationalGayNews.com
http://www.eastandard.net/mag/mag.php?mnu=details&id=1143973146&catid=349
The weird wild
The odd things that animals do for pleasure - and companionship
Last Updated on August 20, 2007, 12:00 am
By Nicholas Asego
Homosexuality in the animal kingdom is as natural as green grass in summer.
Amusing or appalling as some might find it, this 'weird proclivity' has beenrecorded in 1,500 animals species from mammals to crabs and worms.
Chimpanzees need little invitation to have sex or masturbate.
Same sex pairs of animals kiss and caress each other with obvious affectionand tenderness. Any homosexual behaviour you care to name - anal sex, samesex kissing, long term pair bonding between members of the same sex,courtship rituals unique to homosexual couples and more are commonly foundin the animal kingdom.
Yet this not yesterday's discovery. The earliest mention of animalhomosexuality was by Aristotle, who spoke of homosexuality between hyenas.
Majority of those who witness this for the first time are often shockedbeyond words.
=
Advocate.com
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid48286.asp
August 21, 2007
Melee breaks out over queer Jesus
A melee broke out last week in Jonkoping, Sweden, after a group offundamentalist Christian young people set a fire outside a celebratedphotomural exhibit that portrays Jesus as gay.
"Ecce Homo," by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, reimagines Christ's teaching andPassion in the context of late 20th-century gay life, including a rainbowpride procession into Cana and an adoration by leathermen. In the mostcontroversial image, which prompted the European Parliament to cancel itstour of the series, a well-endowed nude Jesus is baptized by an appreciativeJohn the Baptist in a backlit swimming pool.
The show's content has led to threats against the work and its creator. Inthe latest, a group of young people torched a poster August 12 promoting theexhibit at Jonkoping Kuturhuset, the Local newspaper reported.
Staffers intervened, and as many as 30 people joined the fight, according tonews reports.
Jonkoping is known as a center of evangelical Christianity.
=
Advocate.com
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid48277.asp
August 21, 2007
Analysis: Do the Democrats have a Goldilocks?
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is too experienced, Sen. Barack Obama too raw.Listening to Democrats give their Goldilocks view of the 2008 presidentialcampaign must make voters wonder: Will any candidate be just right for theWhite House?
''Senator Obama does represent change. Senator Clinton has experience.Change and experience,'' New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Sunday, makinga balancing gesture with his hands. ''With me, you get both.''
Richardson may be a long shot for the nomination, but his crack underscoreda question that dominated the latest presidential debate: A change versusexperience dynamic that almost surely will determine who represents theDemocratic Party next year.
Obama, a first-term senator only three years out of the IllinoisLegislature, casts himself as a change agent who would fix the nation'sbroken political system. He hopes to make Clinton's three decades inpolitics a detriment.
Clinton, a former first lady who entered the Senate as her husband left theWhite House, says she is the lone candidate with enough experience to enactchange.
=
ExpressGayNews.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-krattenmaker18aug18,1,5814695,print.story
Should God go to the ballgame?
Events such as 'faith day' at Dodger Stadium signal the Christianization ofpro sports.
By Tom Krattenmaker
August 18, 2007
On Sunday, Christian baseball fans will stream into Dodger Stadium for whatis becoming more common fare at professional ballparks across the country --"faith day."
Following the Dodgers vs. Rockies game, fans with special tickets willgather in a corner of the parking lot for a concert by the Christian rockband Hawk Nelson, an appearance by characters from the "Veggie Tales"Christian television program and testimonials by several devout Dodgers. Thepurpose, according to event organizer Brent High, is to promote the Gospelof Jesus.
High and his Christian events-promotion company, Third Coast Sports, havebeen organizing faith days and faith nights around minor league baseball foryears. They reached the major leagues last season with three events atTurner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves, and will be in 10 major leaguecities this season. The event at Dodger Stadium will be the first in L.A.
These events, which blend religion and commerce, are the product of apartnership between High's company and host teams. Third Coast undertakesenergetic outreach to evangelical churches, getting baseball-loving churchmembers (and, more important, their unconverted invitees) to turn out forthe game and a special religious program. Believers nourish their faith andperhaps extend it to others, and teams welcome the typical surge in ticketsales and action at the merchandise and food stands. The result, accordingto High, "is happy teams, happy churches."
But not everyone is so happy.
=
ExpressGayNews.com
http://www.davidmixner.com/2007/08/evan-wolfson-ma.html
Evan Wolfson: Marriage Equality and the Presidential Election
Aug 17 2007
Evan Wolfson is a dear friend of mine. Almost more than any other, Evan isresponsible for bringing the issue of marriage equality to the forefront ofour struggle for civil rights. He is a courageous pioneer who has beenrelentless in this battle for marriage equality. Evan has agreed to answersome basic questions that so many of us are being asked in this electionyear about marriage equality.
Evan Wolfson is Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, the gay/straightpartnership working to win marriage equality nationwide. Before foundingFreedom to Marry, Evan served as marriage project director for Lambda LegalDefense & Education Fund, was co-counsel in the historic Hawaii marriagecase, and participated in numerous gay rights and HIV/AIDS cases.
Evan previously served as Associate Counsel to Lawrence Walsh in theIran/Contra investigation, and as an Assistant District Attorney inBrooklyn, New York. Between Yale University and Harvard Law School, Evanspent two years with the Peace Corps in West Africa.
Citing his national leadership on marriage equality and his appearancebefore the U.S. Supreme Court in Boy Scouts of America v. James Dale, theNational Law Journal named Evan one of "the 100 most influential lawyers inAmerica" in 2000.
In 2004, Evan was named one of the "Time 100," Time magazine's list of "the100 most influential people in the world."
=
ExpressGayNews.com
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/james_kirchick/2007/08/southafricas_gay_betrayal.html.printer.friendly
South Africa's gay betrayal
James Kirchick
August 21, 2007 12:00 PM
It might come as a surprise to those who still view Africa as economicallyand culturally backward, but the most liberal federal constitution in theworld can be found at the southern tip of its continent. South Africa'sconstitution is also one of the youngest, adopted in 1996 after the fall ofapartheid.
A crucial feature of the new South Africa's founding document is that it wasthe first to enshrine gay equality. Its bill of rights mandates: "The statemay not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on oneor more grounds," and includes "sexual orientation" alongside race, gender,age and other traits. It is for this reason that, in 2005, South Africa'sconstitutional court decided that the prohibition of same-sex marriage"represented a harsh if oblique statement by the law that same-sex couplesare outsiders, and that their need for affirmation and protection of theirintimate relations as human beings is somehow less than that of heterosexualcouples." South Africa is now one of the very few countries in the world -and the only country in Africa - to recognise gay marriage.
In light of this tradition, South Africa's recent behavior at the UnitedNations has been nothing short of bizarre. Last month, two gay rightsorganisations - the Quebec Coalition of Gays and Lesbians, and the SwedishFederation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights - petitioned theUN's 54-member Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc), based in Geneva, foraccreditation. Ecosoc's non-governmental organisation (NGO) subcommittee,populated by the likes of Egypt, Pakistan and the Sudan, ruled againstallowing these organisations to have "consultative status" at the UN inJanuary.
There are over 2,000 non-governmental organizations from all over the worldaccredited by Ecosoc. According to the UN, these organizations "make acontribution to the work programmes and goals of the United Nations byserving as technical experts, advisers and consultants to governments andSecretariat." Many of these organizations - representing conservative,traditional religious interests from the third-world - are simplyreactionary and oppose any attempts to recognize gay rights or the plight ofgay people in countries where they are harassed, abused or killed by thegovernment.
Last month, the NGO subcommittee's decision to ban the gay organisationsfrom the UN was brought to Ecosoc's membership for a vote. South Africajoined with the likes of Belarus, China, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia,Somalia and Sudan to ratify the subcommittee's decision to ban QuebecCoalition. Then, on the actual vote to give membership to the organisation,South Africa abstained. Regarding the Swedish gay organisation, South Africaalso voted to ratify the ban and then abstained on the substantive vote. Inboth instances, South Africa sided with authoritarian states that abuse gaypeople, and against the western democracies where gays live freely.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino/corvino.htm
Richardson Was Right-Sort Of
by John Corvino
It seemed like a softball question at first. During LOGO's August 10gay-rights forum for the Democratic presidential candidates, panelist (androck star) Melissa Etheridge asked New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, "Do youthink homosexuality is a choice, or is it biological?"
Richardson, who has a strong gay-rights record, responded, "It's a choice.It's."
Several audience members gasped. Wrong answer! Etheridge interrupted, "Idon't think you understand the question," prompting nervous laughter throughoutthe studio. She tried again:
"Do you think I-a homosexual is born that way, or do you think that aroundseventh grade we go, 'Ooh, I want to be gay'?"
"Seventh grade" is right: at that moment Etheridge seemed like an indulgentschoolteacher, trying to feed a quiz answer to a hapless student.Multiple-choice: A or B (hint: it's obviously not B).
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/082007calif.htm
Gay Marriage On Agenda As Calif. Lawmakers Return To Work
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: August 20, 2007 - 3:00 pm ET
(Sacramento, California) California lawmakers returned to work in Sacramentotoday with legislation allowing same-sex marriage on the Senate agenda.
But with only four weeks to complete its work and a major budget battle athand it is unclear whether the marriage bill will make it to a vote on thefloor.
The measure passed the Assembly in June. (story)
Even if the bill makes to a floor vote and passes Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggerhas vowed to veto it, as he did an identical bill in 2005.
Both bills were authored by Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). The 2005 bidpassed both the House and Senate - the legislative body in the nation toapprove a measure allowing same-sex couples to marry.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/082007trans.htm
Transsexual Says Australian Gov't Endangering Her Life
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: August 20, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(Sydney, Australia) A transsexual woman preparing to leave for sexreassignment surgery in Thailand says the Australian government isendangering her life by refusing to give her a passport identifying her asfemale.
Under an anti-terrorism law that went into effect last month passports showthe "birth sex" of a person.
Stefanie Imbruglia says that will put her at risk. Imbruglia, has beenundergoing her transition for more than a year. She has long hair, breastsand appears female.
The only alternative Imbruglia says, is to travel on a less officialdocument of identity that would leave her genderless.
Either way, she says, she will attract the attention of immigration andcustoms authorities, "likely resulting in humiliating body cavity and stripsearches."
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/082007murd.htm
Details Emerge In Gay Porn Producer Slaying
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: August 20, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) A gay man who operated one of the country'sbiggest gay adult entertainment companies died of massive blood loss afterhis head was nearly sliced off a court was told on Monday.
Harlow Cuadra, 25, and Joseph Kerekes, 33, of Virginia Beach, Va., areaccused of killing Bryan Kocis, the owner of Cobra Video.
A preliminary hearing Monday heard from two medical examiners who agreedthat Kocis was nearly decapitated.
"We were able to ascertain it was a smooth cutting, probably one swipe. Itwas a very sharp object," Luzerne County Coroner Dr. John Consalvotestified.
Consalvo also told the court that Kocis suffered between 28 and 29 postmortem stab wounds before his home was torched in an attempt to cover up thekilling last January.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/082107thompson.htm
Blogger Who Exposed Page Sex Scandal Turns Sights On Thompson
by The Associated Press
Posted: August 21, 2007 - 9:00 am ET
(Washington) A liberal blogger has filed a federal complaint against formerSen. Fred Thompson, the actor and unannounced Republican candidate forpresident, accusing him of violating election laws as he ponders his entryinto the race.
The blogger, Lane Hudson, submitted his complaint to the Federal ElectionCommission on Monday saying Thompson has raised far more money than he needsto explore whether to run for president.
Federal law allows potential candidates to raise money to travel, conductpolls and pay for other expenses related to "testing the waters" for apolitical campaign. During that exploratory period, a potential candidatedoes not have to file financial reports with the FEC.
The law prohibits anyone who is "testing the waters" from hoarding the moneyfor use during his actual campaign. Potential candidates also cannot referto themselves as candidates, can't run ads that publicize their intention tocampaign or take steps to qualify for the ballot in a primary or caucusstate.
According to a financial report filed with the Internal Revenue Service latelast month, Thompson had raised nearly $3.5 million and had had spent$625,000. Thompson must raise money within federal contribution limits andmust report it to the FEC once he becomes an official candidate.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/nyregion/21helmsley.html?pagewanted=print
August 21, 2007
Leona Helmsley, Hotel 'Queen,' Is Dead at 87
By ENID NEMY
Leona Helmsley, the self-styled hotel queen whose prison term for income taxevasion and fraud was greeted with uncommon approval by a public whoregarded her as a 1980s symbol of arrogance and greed, died yesterday at herhome in Greenwich, Conn. She was 87.
The cause was heart failure, her longtime spokesman, Howard J. Rubenstein,said.
Mrs. Helmsley came to public attention after her marriage in 1972 to one ofNew York's pre-eminent real estate investors and brokers, Harry B. Helmsley,who had divorced his wife of 33 years to marry her. In his heyday, Mr.Helmsley controlled real estate worth $5 billion, including the Empire StateBuilding, the Helmsley Building on Park Avenue and the Flatiron Building. Hedied in 1997.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/health/psychology/21gender.html
August 21, 2007
Criticism of a Gender Theory, and a Scientist Under Siege
By BENEDICT CAREY
In academic feuds, as in war, there is no telling how far people will goonce the shooting starts.
Earlier this month, members of the International Academy of Sex Research,gathering for their annual meeting in Vancouver, informally discussed one ofthe most contentious and personal social science controversies in recentmemory.
The central figure, J. Michael Bailey, a psychologist at NorthwesternUniversity, has promoted a theory that his critics think is inaccurate,insulting and potentially damaging to transgender women. In the past fewyears, several prominent academics who are transgender have made a series ofaccusations against the psychologist, including that he committed ethicsviolations. A transgender woman he wrote about has accused him of a sexualimpropriety, and Dr. Bailey has become a reviled figure for some in the gayand transgender communities.
To many of Dr. Bailey's peers, his story is a morality play about thecorrosive effects of political correctness on academic freedom. Somescientists say that it has become increasingly treacherous to discusspolitically sensitive issues. They point to several recent cases, like thatof Helmuth Nyborg, a Danish researcher who was fired in 2006 after he causeda furor in the press by reporting a slight difference in average I.Q. testscores between the sexes.
"What happened to Bailey is important, because the harassment was soextraordinarily bad and because it could happen to any researcher in thefield," said Alice Dreger, an ethics scholar and patients' rights advocateat Northwestern who, after conducting a lengthy investigation of Dr.Bailey's actions, has concluded that he is essentially blameless. "If we're going tohave research at all, then we're going to have people saying unpopularthings, and if this is what happens to them, then we've got problems notonly for science but free expression itself."
To Dr. Bailey's critics, his story is a different kind of morality tale.
=
Ft. Lauderdale
CLUB BLUE
www.hrcclubblue.com
Club Blue is a monthly social and networking event designed to promote theHuman Rights Campaign and its membership in South Florida. It is held onthe first Thursday of each month!
THIS MONTH, HAVE A DRINK ON US!
Join the HRC South Florida Committee each month to network with other GLBTprofessionals and to learn about HRC in South Florida
Club Blue!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
6:00pm-8:00pm
@ BLUE MARTINI
Galleria Mall
2432 East Sunrise Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
www.bluemartinilounge.com
954-653-BLUE
$10 Suggested Donation
=
The Detroit News
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070820/OPINION03/708200350
Deb Price
Court panel restores rights of adopted kids
Should the legal ties between parents and their adopted child unravel if thefamily leaves the state where the adoption decree was handed down?
Of course, not. The very idea is outrageous.
But that's what Oklahoma lawmakers were striving for in 2004 with theirchillingly titled "Adoption Invalidation Law," which targeted adoptedchildren with gay parents.
That wrongheaded statute declared that Oklahoma would refuse to recognize"an adoption by more than one individual of the same sex from any otherstate or foreign jurisdiction." In other words, if a gay couple and thechild they adopted in, say, California or Maryland moved to Oklahoma orsimply drove through Oklahoma on vacation, they would not be treated as alegally recognized family by any Oklahoma official -- whether a policeofficer, public school teacher or judge.
Sounds un-American, doesn't it? It's also unconstitutional. That's what afederal Court of Appeals panel told Oklahoma on Aug. 3 in striking down thelaw.
A panel of three judges -- all of them Republican appointees -- of the 10thCircuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court ruling that Oklahoma'santi-family law violated the U.S. Constitution's Full Faith and CreditClause, which requires states to honor one another's judicial judgments,including adoptions.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
https://www.kintera.com/accounttempfiles/account7346/images/web_logo.gif>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2007
CONTACT: Ali Bay, Communications Manager
PHONE: (916) 284-9187 EMAIL:
Legislators Return to EQCA's Ambitious LGBT Legislative Agenda
Record 10 LGBT Measures Poised to Pass Legislature
SACRAMENTO - Equality California's most comprehensive legislative agenda forthe lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is poised topass the Legislature this year as lawmakers reconvene for the final month ofthe 2007 legislative session.
Legislators return from summer break today to finalize the state budget andcomplete legislative work for the year. Their agenda includes a record 10pieces of LGBT legislation sponsored by EQCA. It is the most bills evercarried by a statewide LGBT advocacy group in the nation, and the mostmeasures EQCA has sponsored in a calendar year
"This is an historic year for LGBT Californians and Equality California,"said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "Not only are we prepared to passextensive protections that will impact LGBT people in every aspect of theirlives, but we are also witnessing growing bipartisan support for bills thatpromote the fair and equal treatment of the LGBT community."
EQCA's legislative slate has earned significant votes from Democrats andRepublicans in both the Assembly and the Senate. Last month, a record 70assemblymembers, including 24 Republicans, cast an "aye" vote for AJR 29, aresolution authored by Assemblymember Mike Eng, D-Monterey Park. Theresolution urges Congress and the president to expand the federal hatecrimes law to protect victims who are targeted based on their sexualorientation, gender identity or disability.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.macon.com/198/story/116168.html
Posted on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007
Critics: Teens should know sex laws By Shannon McCaffreyHealth teachers have long warned teens that they risk becoming pregnantor contracting diseases if they are sexually active. A few are now addinga new lesson to the list: Have sex and you're breaking the law.
Pop culture may be filled with images of promiscuous high schoolers, butin many states it's still illegal for them to actually have sex, even ifthey're close in age. And although legal experts say it's rare forprosecutors to seek charges, they can and sometimes do.
Perhaps the most famous example is Genarlow Wilson, the Georgia manserving a 10-year prison sentence for receiving oral sex from a15-year-old girl. Georgia lawmakers have softened the law prosecutorsused to sentence Wilson but they didn't erase the criminal penaltyaltogether. It's still a misdemeanor.
Read More...
=
UK - The Independent
'I wish I'd kept quiet': What happens when schoolchildren admit to beinggay?
All too often, the result is bullying, violence and a lack of teachersupport, as these disturbing tales reveal
By Lena Corner
Published:?19 August 2007
Holly Anderson was 13 when she came out. Her sexuality had become thesubject of gossip among her Year 8 classmates and so she thought she wouldnip it in the bud. "I admitted that I was a lesbian," she says. "I justdecided to get it over and done with and tell the truth. It wasn't really mydecision, but I thought it would stop all the bitching."
The bullying started straight away. She was spat at in the corridors, callednames such as "dyke" and "rug muncher", and shouted at in the street ? evensome of her classmates' parents joined in. Things came to a head when, atthe age of 15, she was cornered by a group of girls as she came out of thelavatory, pushed up against the wall and beaten about the face, "I had agash from my eye down to my nose and cuts on my nose and lip." She says.Another attack followed ? this time in a car park in her home town ofEastleigh in Hampshire by a group of children from another local school."They followed me saying 'Give us your money, you dyke'," says Anderson,"then one of them grabbed me by my hair and kneed me what felt like ahundred times in my face. Then they ripped my earrings out and left mebleeding on the floor of the car park."
Surprisingly, there has only been one major piece of research carried out onthe subject of homophobic bullying in schools. In June this year, the gayrights group Stonewall published a document called The School Report, whichwas a survey of 156,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual schoolchildren. Theresults were terrifying. It found that two thirds of lesbian and gayschoolchildren have been victims of homophobic bullying. And among those, 92per cent experienced verbal bullying, 41 per cent physical bullying and 17per cent (26,000 children) actually received death threats.
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article.
=
Urgent Action - Pegah at Risk of Deportation from England (August 21, 07)
English: www.irqo.net/IRQO/English/pages/083.htm
Persian: www.irqo.net/IRQO/Persian/pages/056.htm
---English---
Pegah Emambakhsh is an Iranian lesbian whose refugee case has been denied bythe British government and, as a result, will be deported to Tehran onThursday, August 23, 2007. Currently, she is kept in detention by Britishofficials. Right now, Pegah is experiencing a very dangerous situation, andis having a very tough time. If she is going to be returned to Iran, there ismuch of possibility that she, due to her sexual orientation and her pastlife in Iran, will be sentenced to death, or, in a most optimistic view, beprosecuted and tortured in some of the ways that are all common among Iran'sreligious officials when having made the decision to chastise the so called'corrupted' citizens. It should also be taken into consideration that mostprobably, Islamic officials will not speak the truth for which they havearrested the accused and made the verdict of punishment, but instead, as acommon practice among those in power in Iran, they can accuse her of anotherfictitious crime and thereby, show it reasonable in public eyes to performpunishment [whatever punishment they will decide to do] on this innocent,young woman.
=
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/13/nchurch113.xml
Archbishop faces conference snub
By Jonathan Petre
Last Updated: 2:37am BST14/08/2007
Only a couple of hundred of the 880 Anglican bishops invited to next year'sLambeth Conference, one of the most critical gatherings in the Church'shistory, have replied by the deadline set by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Dr Rowan Williams hopes that the conference, which is held every 10 years atCanterbury, can be the starting point for rebuilding the Church, which hasbeen torn apart over the issue of homosexuality.
The failure of so many to respond is fresh evidence of the disintegration ofthe 70 million-strong worldwide Communion, and will come as a further blowto the authority of Dr Williams.
When he issued the invitations in May, he asked the bishops, who arescattered all over the world in 38 selfgoverning provinces, to send in theirreplies by July 31.
Several conservatives are delaying their decisions because they will notattend if liberal Americans are there - which will not be finally determineduntil later this year.
At least six conservative archbishops from Africa and Asia, who representhundreds of bishops and more than a third of active Anglicans, have alreadythreatened to boycott the event.
=
The Malta Independent - Opinions Article
God, gays, plugs and sockets
by Daphne Caruana Galizia
Sunday, August 19, 2007
In the correspondence pages of another newspaper, a debate isgoing on about whether God loves gays and whether homosexuality is 'allowed'(apparently, it isn't). Yes, really. You wouldn't believe it, would you?We're in the 21st century and in the European Union, and still there aremany among us who are much taken with these medieval themes. I suppose theyare the sort of people who have never recovered from the decriminalisationof sexual acts between people of the same gender. While they might notactually approve of the execution of homosexuals in Iran, they sympathisewith the spirit of that thinking.
What amazes me is the literalism with which this subject isdebated in the context of Catholic doctrine and biblical teaching. Thevarious writers of letters to the newspaper speak as though we are living ina theocracy, where religious teaching is the law of the land: "The Biblesays."; "Jesus said."; "The Catholic Church tells us."; "Catholic doctrineteaches.". They make not even a passing reference to secular law, as thoughit is something nasty imposed on this country by outsiders, the law of acoloniser, there to be resisted, ignored or honoured in the breach. Theyspeak as though the only laws that count for them are the rules laid down bythe Vatican. They know no others. Despite the decriminalisation ofhomosexual sex many years ago, here they are, still insisting to whoeverwill listen that homosexuals of all shape, hue, stripe and religion mustnever have sex unless they are married to somebody of the other gender.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pridesource.com/print.shtml?article=26480
Between The Lines Newspaper
From issue number 1533
New generation finds ways to spread equality
Originally printed 08/16/2007
Sure, we can mope about how we don't have marriage rights. Or, on a smallerlevel, how we risk getting starred at when we kiss our partner as we strollthrough the mall. Instead, why don't we start to find hope in a newgeneration of LGBT-rights advocates, who are paving the way for a brightertomorrow through persistent fighting - like Rachel Loskill.
The Lansing native finished her tour to 32 conservative colleges in May,traveling to each and spreading equality, along with 52 other young adultactivists, to those who aren't tolerant of our lifestyles. During herjourney on Equality Ride she was arrested three times, a small price to pay,she said, if she could get the word out, and let thousands of students knowthat it's OK to be gay. And many of them were. Problem is, a fair amount ofthem have never met another LGBT person.
"It was life-changing for myself and, I know, for a lot of the people Italked to and had conversations with at the schools and have continued toe-mail back-and-forth since then," she told Between The Lines in this issue.
Loskill, along with other riders, shared their lives with these completestrangers, reaching out their hand and, in so many words, said: Take it, andtogether we'll walk. They shared a part of them that often times people aretoo scared to talk about. They endured slurs, they endured police - but, inthe end, none of that mattered. These youngsters were there for one reason:equality.
More and more young adults are taking opportunities to speak their minds,addressing new generations on LGBT issues. It happens in schools every day,where students meet during gay/straight alliances to brainstorm ways tospread acceptance at their educational institution. It happens when astudent simply calls out a classmate who says their homework is "so gay." Ithappens when people, like Loskill, step up to the plate and risk punishment,like being arrested, just to offer help to their peers.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5225.html
Australian PM may support some gay rights
20th August 2007 17:13
PinkNews.co.uk writer
A series of measures to ensure equality for gay and lesbian Australians isto be considered by the country's Cabinet later today.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Prime Minister John Howard may bepersuaded by colleagues to support legal and financial rights for same-sexcouples.
An MP from the ruling Liberal party, Warren Entsch, supports gay rights.
Last week he presented Mr Howard with a petition signed by 25,000Australians demanding that the law be changed in favour of equality.
He told the paper that he has been swamped with emails from evangelicalChristians objecting to equal treatment.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.ocweekly.com/index3.php?option=com_content2&task=print&id=27499&Itemid=0&pop=1&page=0
The Closet and the Cross
Three decades ago, Michael Bussee helped found the mammoth ex-gay ministryExodus International. Now, he's one of the movement's biggest critics
By JANINE KAHN
Thursday, July 26, 2007 - 3:00 pm
Michael Bussee In the scorching heat of the summer sun, a crowd gathers insilence around a wall covered in large sheets of white poster paper.
It's the last Saturday of June in this UC Irvine courtyard, and most eyesare fixed on the text atop the collage, which reads, "Ex-gay experiences" onone side, and on the other, "Good/Harm."
Armed with colored markers, the men and women come forward to put pen topaper.
"I lost my young adult years to 'the closet.' I'll never recover that,"writes a lanky gent before falling back into the crowd.
"I thought I was changing! In reality, I had walled away my sexuality," pensa woman in black, her face tight with emotion.
=
Forwarded from David L. Wylie, Sr. Editor
www.gaysofla.com
I hope you'll take a moment to read this. This is not spam. I'm sending itto my friend list on Yahoo and if you receive this email unwanted justpolitely send me a message and I'll remove your name. But I hope you'll takea moment to read.
Did you know thatgGay men are six times more likely to attempt suicide thantheir straight counterparts and the numbers increase exponentially duringthe holidays. A report from P-FLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians andGays) states that in a study of 5,000 gay men and women, 35 percent of gaymen and 38 percent of lesbians have considered or attempted suicide. Thestatistics are even higher among gay teens: The Department of Health studyindicates that gay youth are up to six times more likely to attempt suicidethan straight teens, and gay teenagers account for up to 30 percent of allteenage suicides in the nation.
For many Gay youth...suicide is the ultimate way to 'stay in the closet'.It would be better to not live than to be found out. But there is hope.
Groups like The Trevor Project are helping young Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, andquestioning youth find a reason to live. This Thursday, my 'lil bro', myfriend, my buddy, Geo is doing his part to bring attention to the problem ofthe struggle gay youth have with thoughts of suicide by celebrating his 21stbirthday with a benefit for The Trevor Project (www.thetrevorproject.org) atClub Discotekka in downtown Miami. This is a cause close to Geo's heartbecause less than a year ago he was a questioning youth, trying to findhimself and, after coming out to his parents, considered suicide.
Because of the support and encouragement of many friends, Geo is with ustoday. Recenlty Geo and I started an online magazine (www.gaysofla.com).Geo will be a regular contributor as both a writer and a photographer. Hewill be writing a bi monthly column for gay youth, GEN NOW!
I am proud to support Geo by hosting this birthday celebration and theofficial launch of Miami's newest online magazine for the south Florida GLBTcommunity. I'm pleased to be a party of supporting the Trevor Project. Ihope you'll join us.
To view a a dedication video that some friends and I put together to honorGeo and to leave him birthday comments, please click here;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xbWYxQDZHM
To See the flyer with all the important information click here;
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2007/08/geo-bustamante-.html#comments
To sign up for the party on myspace, click here:
http://events.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&eventID=356097.555&Mytoken=0BDAD8AF-7C54-4F7E-B70362E899751B1454030811
Thanks for taking the time to read this email. Have a great day and we hopeto see you at Club Discotekka, downtown Miami, at 10:45 pm on Thursday, Aug.23, 2007.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)