**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.
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Arab Paper: Harry potter's gay personality is a vicious conspiracy !
October 23, 2007: The Syrian Newspaper Alwatan (The Homeland), reactedangrily to the new revelation by author J.K. Rowling that Harry Potter'sMaster Wizard Albus Dumbledore is gay, calling it a conspiracy by the gaylobby in the West.
In a piece under the title, "The Biggest Secret" by Hosam Qudis, thenewspaper says, ' The gay lobby in the West is indeed thrilled that anauthor of this caliber, who has captivated hundreds of millions of kidsaround the globe has introduced a gay personality in a story that has becomepart of popular folklore among many nations.
This lobby systematically promotes the dangerous idea that in order to teachchildren to be tolerant and accepting, it is important for the kids to growup used to the concept of homosexuality. Although it is true that the Westis tolerant towards homosexuals and accepts them, an author as smart andsophisticated as Rowling fully understands that her stories are read bymillions upon millions of kids in societies where homosexuality is not asacceptable as in the West. Therefore, her intention [to declare Dumbledoregay] is both irresponsible and even vicious. One can only imagine what thisauthor was premeditating by hiding this fact from billions of kids worldwide(as well as how this will affect future generations)."
[Arabic] http://alwatan.sy/newsd.php?idn=20216
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/us/politics/25obama.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Gay Rights Group Criticizes Obama
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
October 25, 2007
The nation's largest gay rights organization criticized Senator Barack Obamaof Illinois yesterday for scheduling a gospel concert on Sunday with asinger who has made controversial statements about homosexuality.
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the gay rightsorganization, urged Mr. Obama in a phone call yesterday to cancel theappearance of the singer, Donnie McClurkin, who is to sing Sunday night in agospel concert in Columbia, S.C.
Critics say that Mr. McClurkin counsels that homosexuality is a curse thatcan be cured through prayer, although in an interview with The ChicagoTribune, Mr. McClurkin said that his words had been misconstrued and that hehad not crusaded against gay men and lesbians.
Mr. Obama, a Democratic presidential candidate, has not canceled Mr.McClurkin's appearance but has scheduled an openly gay minister, the Rev.Andy Sidden, to speak on the concert program. But that did not appear totamp down criticism from some gay activists or increasingly hostilebloggers.
The controversy reflects the competing interests of two importantconstituencies of the Democratic Party, with gay activists complaining thatMr. Obama is seeking the support of black evangelicals at their expense. Thegospel tour, which begins Friday with other singers, is part of a broadereffort by the Obama campaign to win over black evangelicals.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/fashion/25gear.html
Their Looks for Fall 2008
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM
October 25, 2007
BARACK OBAMA is the only presidential candidate selling ribbed baby-dollT-shirts. John Edwards and Mitt Romney are the sole contenders offering"support the troops" stickers. Mr. Edwards is the one candidate hawking abutton with a photograph of his spouse. Only Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd andMr. Edwards have gay-friendly rainbow gear.
Tradition dictates that while selling themselves as potential presidents,candidates must also sell T-shirts, pins and gimme hats. The road to theWhite House is whipstitched with patriotic hues and "Made in the U.S.A."
labels.
But a closer inspection of the candidates' wares, as sold at their officialonline stores, offers the prospect of a peek into their characters andhoped-for constituencies. To varying degrees, most of the 16 would-becommanders in chief are hucksters, selling souvenirs to finance and promotetheir campaigns. The race to offer the most extensive, fashion-conscious andyouthful gear is being won by Mr. Obama and Rudolph W. Giuliani.
Does it say something about Mr. Obama's perceived hunkiness and desire toexcite the youth vote that he offers an extensive line of sexy women's T's?
Justin Hemminger, the political program coordinator for Tigereye Design,which supplies the promotional gear for the Obama campaign, said that muchof what is for sale points to the groups a candidate hopes to win over.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/24/AR2007102402514.html
Warning Is Sent to AIDS Vaccine Volunteers
S. Africans Among Recipients Who May Be at Higher Risk of Contracting Virus
By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, October 25, 2007; A20
JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 24 -- South African AIDS researchers have begun warninghundreds of volunteers that a highly touted experimental vaccine theyreceived in recent months might make them more, not less, likely to contractHIV in the midst of one of the world's most rampant epidemics.
The move stems from the discovery last month that an AIDS vaccine developedby Merck & Co. might have led to more infections than it averted among studysubjects in the United States and other countries. Among those who receivedat least two doses of the vaccine, 19 contracted HIV compared with 11 ofthose given placebos.
Researchers shut down the trial on the grounds that the vaccine was provingineffective, but the surge in infection among vaccinated volunteers promptedintense scientific debate and anxiety among researchers. The failure of theMerck vaccine is the latest in a series of disappointing results forresearch projects aimed at curbing AIDS.
"This is my worst nightmare," said Glenda Gray, the lead South Africainvestigator for the vaccine study. "I haven't slept for days. I have aheadache. I'm ready to resign from trials for the rest of my life."
Researchers in Soweto, Cape Town, Durban and two other sites begancontacting South Africa's 801 trial participants on Tuesday, mainly bycellphone text message. The goal is to tell each one individually whetherthey had received a placebo or the vaccine, a process called "unblinding"the trial. Researchers are telling the roughly half who received the vaccinethat it might have increased their risk of contracting HIV.
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-mulancebasspnoct25,0,1561852.story
Lance Bass' new memoir dishes on 'N Sync
By JIM ABBOTT
Orlando Sentinel
October 25, 2007
There are more than a few exclamation points in Out of Sync, the new memoirfrom boy-band star Lance Bass, and it's a punctuation that fits the singer'spersonality.
Whatever the episode - 'N Sync's legal battles with Lou Pearlman, astronauttraining, coming out as a gay man in 2006 after hiding his sexuality for thesake of his career - Bass is unfailingly upbeat. He talks about learningsomething from almost every experience.
So what did the singer learn from recounting his life in Out of Sync($23.95, Simon Spotlight), which hit stores this week?
"It was nice going back," he says. "It felt like therapy, really, bringingback all these stories I haven't revisited in years.
"The biggest thing that I learned about the last 10 years was that the thingthat really failed was the communication. We were so busy and caught up inworking every day to continue this crazy whirlwind that we didn't reallystop and relax, look at how everyone was doing, look at each other to see ifeveryone was happy."
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-romney-evangelicals,0,2201113.story
Christian College Embraces Romney Bid
By GLEN JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer
12:18 PM EDT, October 24, 2007
GREENVILLE, S.C.
Mitt Romney's presidential campaign has been embraced in a most unlikelyplace: at Bob Jones University, the influential Christian college thatteaches that his Mormon church is a cult.
In early voting South Carolina, Romney has picked up support among theevangelicals and social conservatives who are a political force.
Last week, Romney won the endorsements of Bob Jones III and Robert Taylor,the founder's grandson and a top dean respectively here at Bob JonesUniversity.
He also gained the backing of Don Wilton, the immediate past president ofthe South Carolina Baptist Convention and pastor of a nearby megachurch, aswell as Dr. John Willke, a founder and past president of the National Rightto Life Committee.
During the same one-week period, the former Massachusetts governor eked outa win in a straw poll at the socially conservative Values Voter Summit inWashington.
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/283491.html
Broward judge, public defender regret sexual jokes
BY AMY SHERMAN AND HANNAH SAMPSON
Posted on Thu, Oct. 25, 2007
A Broward judge and a veteran assistant public defender have apologized forsexual jokes they made in the courtroom last week during a trial involvingsexual encounters between a teenage boy and a man.
While courthouse regulars gave credit to Circuit Judge Jeffrey Levenson andAssistant Public Defender Brian Reidy for apologizing, some said the Oct. 18incident was an indicator that more sensitivity training is needed in thecourthouse.
And the courtroom banter raised concerns among victims' advocates that itcould have a chilling effect on victims' willingness to step forward.
Public Defender Howard Finkelstein docked Reidy one of his six weeks ofvacation time. Levenson has not faced any discipline.
Here is what happened, according to the transcript:
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Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,304805,00.html
Black Versus Gay Politics Has Barack Obama Tied in Knots
By Carl Cameron
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Barack Obama trails Hillary Clinton among black voters but the entertainmentplanned for his upcoming African American gospel outreach project hasanother key liberal constituency - gays, lesbians and transgenders -outraged.
Obama has announced that he will include an openly gay minister in thisweekend's event, but gay rights groups are still steaming about theinclusion of Donnie McClurkin in the "Embrace the Change" concert tour.
In a letter to Obama obtained by FOX News, the National Black JusticeCoalition complains that Obama's concert is being headlined by "gospelmusic's most openly homophobic artists; the most volatile of which is theRev. Donnie McClurkin."
"Your willingness to share a stage with Rev. Donnie McClurkin is alarmingand, frankly, deeply disappointing. Rev. McClurkin has consistentlydisparaged gay men and lesbians, spread half-truths and unproven theoriesabout our lives and has shown a willingness to work with those who would usethe rights of gay Americans as a wedge issue to divide black families fortheir own cynical political objectives," wrote NBJC Chief Executive OfficerH. Alexander Robinson.
"The fact that Rev. McClurkin uses his religious beliefs to justify bigotryand discrimination is so damaging that it cannot be addressed with a simplemedia statement no matter how heartfelt or sincere," Robinson continued.
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Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/10/24/watch-obamalinked-gospe_n_69687.html
Watch: Obama-Linked Gospel Singer Performs At '04 GOP Convention, SingsAbout Bush
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=14920
UNH: Gay men discriminated against more at work than gay women
Gay men earn 23 percent less than married men
DURHAM, N.H. (AP)
Oct 24, 2:46 PM
University of New Hampshire research shows that employers discriminate moreagainst gay men than against gay women in the workplace.
The researchers found that gay men who live together earn 23 percent lessthan married men, and 9 percent less than unmarried heterosexual men wholive with a woman.
According to the study by UNH's Whittemore School of Business and Economics,discrimination is most pronounced in management and male-dominatedoccupations such as construction and production.
The study found that lesbians do not experience similar discrimination inthe labor market.
The authors analyzed U.S. Census labor and wage information from 2004 formore than 91,000 heterosexual and homosexual couples.
more . . . . .
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=14923
Holsinger not to participate in top court's meeting
Issue of transgender pastor to be discussed
SAN FRANCISCO | Oct 24, 4:18 PM
James W. Holsinger, Jr., president of the United Methodist Judicial Counciland President Bush's nominee for U.S. Surgeon General, has decided to notparticipate in the council's Oct. 24-27 meeting, according to the UnitedMethodist Church.
Throughout the meeting the council will discuss the issue of an FTMtransgender pastor from Maryland.
"As is always the case, members of the Council will travel thousands ofmiles to attend this meeting and have spent untold hours studying andpraying in preparation," the statement said. "In order to maintain theintegrity of the proceedings of the Judicial Council and in order forCouncil members to focus solely on the cases in front of them, I have chosennot to participate in the meeting," Holsinger said.
Bush nominated Holsinger to serve as the 18th surgeon general on May 24,2007. He testified before a Senate committee in July and came under fire fora 1991 paper he wrote on homosexuality. Gay and lesbian groups and othershave criticized the council's homosexuality-related decisions as well as his1991 paper.
Rev. Drew Phoenix, pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church inBaltimore, had been minister at the church for five years as Rev. Ann Gordonand recently completed surgery and hormone therapy.
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BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7059300.stm
Singapore retains its gay sex ban
Singapore's parliament has voted against a proposal to decriminalise sexbetween men, despite receiving a petition signed by thousands of people.
The plan was part of a wider reform of sex laws, many dating from theBritish colonial era half a century ago.
The chamber passed a bill legalising oral and anal sex for the first time,but only between heterosexuals.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the government did not consider gays tobe a minority with minority rights.
In a rare speech to parliament, he said Singapore was a conservativesociety, and he wanted to keep it so.
Tuesday's vote means Singapore's anti-gay law 377A remains, althoughprosecutions are rare.
more . . . . .
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/blog/index.cfm?type=blog&start=10/23/07&end=10/26/07#14891
Rev. McClurkin roundup
Sen. Barack Obama's touring buddy, gospel singer and minister Rev. DonnieMcClurkin, has garnered a lot of angry responses from gay rights groups.
Obama has tried to assure gays of his positions on the issues. He launchedObama Pride, a section of his web site dedicated to gay rights. So whyhasn't he dumped McClurkin?
McClurkin views homosexuality as a spiritual issue that one can choose to bedelivered from by the power and grace of God. He even wrote a book titled'Eternal Victim, Eternal Victor,' in which he said "The abormal use of mysexuality continued until I came to realize that I was broken and thathomosexuality was not God's intention ... for my masculinity."
"We strongly urge Obama to part ways with this divisive preacher who isclearly singing a different tune than the stated message of the campaign,"Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, said in a statementyesterday.
Obama released a statement about his choice to team up with Rev. McClurkinon the campaign web site late yesterday.
"I have clearly stated my belief that gays and lesbians are our brothers andsisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all othercitizens. I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religiousleaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in someparts of our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS andbroaden the reach of equal rights in this country.
more....
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365Gay.Com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/10/102407law.htm
Gay Lawyer In Cop Shooting Case Accuses Judge Of Homophobia
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: October 24, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(New York City) A New York City lawyer who was told to stop "dancing" andacting "flamboyant" during a cross examination has accused the judge ofbeing homophobic.
The admonishment came as attorney Robert Feldman was peppering a policeofficer involved in the shooting of Feldman's client.
Nicholas Martin, 20, is charged with attempted aggravated assault on apolice officer and faces 15-years in prison if convicted.
Martin, who is schizophrenic, became involved in the confrontation in 2005with police when officers were called to his home over a dispute. When hetook a knife from his pants and tried to hide it behind a piece of furniturehe was shot.
The officers who arrested Martin said they had no choice to shoot becauseMartin was armed and they feared for their lives.
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365Gay.Com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/10/102407hosp.htm
Few Hospitals Test For Infection More Deadly Than AIDS
by The Associated Press
Posted: October 24, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(Chicago, Illinois) Testing all new hospital patients for a dangerous staph"superbug" could help wipe out a germ that likely kills more Americans thanAIDS, consumer advocates say and early evidence suggests.
Yet few U.S. hospitals do it, and many fight efforts to require it. Why?
Jeanine Thomas, who nearly died from the drug-resistant staph bug, says thereason is simple: "Doctors don't want to be told what to do."
The Chicago suburbanite's personal crusade led Illinois this year to becomethe first state to order testing of all high-risk hospital patients andisolation of those who carry the staph germ called MRSA.
Powerful doctor groups fought against it. The testing and isolation ofpatients would be too costly, they said. Many other germs plague hospitalsthat also require attention. Experts said a more proven approach would focuson better hand washing by hospital staff - a simple measure tough toenforce.
more . . . . .
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To Form a More Perfect Union: Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
--
Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment that would excludeunmarried couples from adoptions or foster care submitted a revised versionWednesday that would declare married couples the best guardians for Arkansaschildren. Arkansas Family Council submitted the revised ballot proposal,along with a new popular name, although Attorney General Dustin McDaniel hadcertified the group's original proposal last week, clearing the way forsupporters to collect voter signatures. "We believe that the proposal wesent over today is a much better proposal than the one the attorney generalapproved initially," Arkansas Family Council director Jerry Cox said. "Idon't think there is going to be a problem."
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There was no agreement Monday in settlement talks over a federal lawsuitbrought by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association against the stateDivision on Civil Rights. The two sides, joined by an attorney for twolesbian couples who have charged the association with violating the state'sLaw Against Discrimination, met for about 35 minutes in the chambers of U.S.District Court Judge Joel Pisano. Lee Moore, a DCR spokesman, said Pisanotold the attorneys that he would rule on the state's motion to dismiss theassociation's lawsuit but did not say when. The couples wanted to use theboardwalk pavilion for their civil union ceremonies, but were deniedpermission. The association contends that it follows the guidelines laid bythe Methodist Book of Discipline, which forbids the use of religiousstructures for such ceremonies.
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Delegates representing Episcopal churches in the San Francisco Bay areaapproved three sets of prayers that clergy can use to bless same-sexcouples, in opposition to their faith's leaders pledging not to authorizespecial rites for gay unions. The diocese is believed to be the first in theU.S. to make the such rites available to its members, said Sean McConnell, aspokesman.
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In an attempt to end years of political dispute Austria's Social DemocratJustice Minister Maria Berger Wednesday introduced a first draft for a lawgranting gay couples the same rights as heterosexuals. The so-calledregistered partnership shows a number of parallels with traditional marriagelaw, complete with similar rights and duties, but was no 'marriage light'Berger stressed and was independent of current marriage legislation.
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/
Go to the website, above, for the following articles:
--
Singapore today legalised oral and anal sex between heterosexual couples butretained a law which criminalises intercourse between gay men. In thecity-state's first major penal code amendments in 22 years, Parliamentrepealed a section criminalising "carnal intercourse against the order of
nature".
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"Make a Difference Day" is the fourth Saturday in October. One may not havethe time to build a house for someone or shovel manure out of an elderlyfarmer's barn, but one does have time to help the LGBT community by applyingfor and using the Rainbow Card. This unique charge card is available onlythrough Bank of America, also known as LaSalle Bank, which has hundreds oflocal branches.
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid48352.asp
Ancient Enemies
A decade after the release of a documentary that profiled Jesse Helms, oneof the fiercest enemies of gay rights, Dear Jesse comes to DVD -- includinga never-before-seen interview with Matthew Shepard -- and reminds us how farwe have come.
By Steven Gaughan
October 24, 2007
An Advocate.com exclusive posted October 24, 2007
Almost a decade has passed since Tim Kirkman filmed his Emmy-nominateddocumentary Dear Jesse, yet the piece retains its significance as one of thefirst accounts of the divisive rhetoric that has come to characterizeAmerican politics. This short film is a first-person compare-and-contrastbetween the gay filmmaker and the notoriously conservative Jesse Helms, whoserved five terms as a Republican senator from North Carolina. Kirkman, whogrew up in a similar environment, seeks to understand what motivates decent,"God-fearing" people to practice the politics of hate.
In 1972, Helms became the first Republican to represent North Carolina inthe U.S. Senate since the 19th century. His conservative politics quicklyearned him the moniker "Senator No" -- that is, no affirmative action, noabortion, no gay rights. Despite his tendency toward intolerance, Helmswould become the longest-serving popularly elected U.S. senator in hisstate's history.
Yet it would be a mistake to characterize North Carolina as a state otherthan one built on "churches and banks," says local theater director SteveUmberger. His production of Angels in America, a play sympathetic to gaysand people with AIDS, met with firm disapproval from conservativeCarolinians. And the state was and still is very much composed ofmiddle-class Americans who respect Helms for his consistent -- albeitbigoted -- rhetoric.
Although times have changed -- the 1998 film was produced before same-sexmarriage was legalized in Massachusetts -- Kirkman shows us that we arestill a nation deeply divided over issues of moral "right" and "wrong." Andhe points to the toll that this division can take on the American public.
The movie concludes with a short clip of Matthew Shepard, interviewed withhis boyfriend at Catawba College in North Carolina two years before histragic death. Not included in the original documentary, the 1998 tapeincluded the footage as a reminder that a lack of tolerance can breedviolence. "This is the only footage I have of Matthew," Kirkman comments onthe film. "It's not fair. It isn't enough." And it isn't enough to encompassthe vitality of the young man. But it does serve to emphasize the necessityfor understanding -- on both sides of the divide.
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid49991.asp
Condom Ban Feeds HIV Infections in Latin America
October 25, 2007
The rate of HIV infections in Latin America is skyrocketing, fueled in partby the Roman Catholic Church's ban on condom use, a United Nations officialsaid Monday.
Reuters reports that 1.7 million people in South America have HIV or AIDS.The epidemic is quickly spreading, with 410,000 new cases reported in 2006,an increase from the 320,000 new cases in 2004.
"The fact [that] young people start to be sexually active between 15 and 19without sex education contributes to the spreading of the virus, as well asthe fact that the evidence shows abstinence is not working," Alberto Stella,a UNAIDS coordinator, told Reuters.
Half of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics reside in South America. Thechurch opposes all forms of contraception and advocates abstinence to avoidall sexually transmitted diseases. (The Advocate)
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid49930.asp
A Snug Fit
An Emmy-nominated soap star turned her harrowing experience with her hairinto a business to help transgender women.
By Louis Virtel
October 24, 2007
An Advocate.com exclusive posted October 24, 2007
Wig industry maven Amy Gibson relates to her transgender clientele -- andnot just because they provide incredible income. Skeptics can rest assuredher sympathy is rooted in commiseration, not marketing.
"I really feel what they go through, being stuck in the wrong body," saysthe Emmy-nominated Gibson, who played runaway alcoholic Lynn Henderson onthe long-running soap Love of Life. "I really get it."
As a teenager, she was diagnosed with alopecia areata, an autoimmune diseasethat eventually fried her hair follicles, leaving her bald. Years later sheparlayed her own journey of hair loss into a growing business. In March 2006she launched Crown and Glory Enterprises, a Los Angeles boutique thatproduces high-end, customized wigs as well as international luxury linecalled Amy's Presence.
For her new venture, Gibson is extending a hand, or rather a few cap sizes,to trans women.
"It's important for them to understand that getting the right wig could bethe answer to a lot of discomfort," Gibson says. "It truly is the finishingtouch."
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5841.html
Gay conference faces ban on public event
24th October 2007 10:23
Tony Grew
A leading LGBT rights organisation has launched a legal challenge after oneof the events at its annual conference was banned by the authorities inLithuania.
ILGA Europe members are gathering for their conference in Vilnius whichbegins tomorrow, but their public Rainbow Flag event has been blocked by thecity's mayor.
Around 200 delegates from all over Europe are attending the three daymeeting, the 11th annual conference.
ILGA Europe chose to meet in Lithuania to highlight the prejudice gay peopleface in the country, formerly part of the Soviet Union.
Lithuania joined the EU in 2005.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5847.html
"Homosexual" baby advertising campaign divides Italians
24th October 2007 14:35
PinkNews.co.uk writer
An advertising campaign featuring a new born baby with a band on its wristwith the word 'homosexual' written on it has caused a row in Tuscany.
The government of the Italian region is poised to display thousands ofcopies of the poster in public places and municipal offices as part of acampaign against discrimination.
The tagline on the posters - Sexual Orientation Is Not A Choice - hasdivided gay people, while conservative politicians are outraged that publicmoney has been spent on it at all.
A leading Christian Democrat said the ad campaign is expoitative andmisleading.
"Homosexuality is not a vice and hence should not be condemned normarginalised, or worse still persecuted," an official from Tuscany regiontold newspaper Corriere della Sera.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5849.html
Austrian government plans registered gay partnerships
24th October 2007 16:17
PinkNews.co.uk writer
Austria's Justice minister today released draft legislation that will grantlesbian and gay couples the right to register their relationships.
The proposed "registered partnerships" will be put before the country'sParliament by the end of this year.
The Social Democrats (SPÖ) won the most seats in the January 2007 electionbut not enough to rule outright.
They entered into a "grand coalition" with the conservative ÖVP, or People'sParty.
SPÖ Justice minister Maria Berger's proposed new partnerships law will beconsidered by a bipartisan working group.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5850.html
Philippines rejects trans records case
24th October 2007 17:23
PinkNews.co.uk writer
The Supreme Court of the Philippines has ruled that woman may not change hercivil registry records.
Born Rommel Jacinto Dantes Silverio, the woman underwent gender reassignmentsurgery in 2001 and wanted her records to reflect her transition.
While recognising that trans people do not "fit neatly into the commonlyrecognised parameters of social convention," the court said there is no lawregarding people who have undergone gender reassignment.
"While the petitioner may have succeeded in altering his body and appearancethrough the intervention of modern surgery, no law authorises the change ofentry as to sex in the civil registry for that reason," the judgement read,according to AFP.
She had hoped to change her name and records in order to marry her partner.
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5848.html
Home Office loses gay Algerian deportation case
24th October 2007 15:20
PinkNews.co.uk writer
The High Court in London has overturned an order that a gay man from Algeriaseeking asylum in the UK should be repatriated.
The Home Office had argued the 27-year-old man, referred to as B, would besafe from persecution as long as he was "discreet" about his homosexuality.
However Mr Justice Collins disagreed, saying that B, who has been fightingto remain in the UK since 1996, was at risk of persecution.
The ruling has infuriated the tabloid press, with The Sun reporting that:
"A FAILED (sic) asylum seeker had his deportation halted yesterday - becausehe is too CAMP to go home."
more . . . . .
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.americablog.com/2007/10/would-obama-put-klansman-on-stage-so.html
Would Obama put a klansman on stage so long as a black minister got tointroduce him?
by John Aravosis (DC) · 10/24/2007 04:12:00 PM ET
Obama's latest sleight of hand in "cure the gays"-gate is he's now offeringto have a gay preacher open his homophobic gospel tour where he's going tobe showcasing an outspoken homophobic bigot who thinks gays are trying tokill your children, who thinks being gay is a "curse," and who thinks thatgays need to be cured (the anti-gay activist is now denying that he everused the word "cured" - whatever, the guy thinks we need to be fixed, can befixed, it's all the same thing).
Which brings up the question: Would Obama put a Klansman on stage so long ashe brought a black minister or a rabbi up there too?
I'm just not getting the equivalence here: One bigot = one gay guy, and theneverything is okay. How many gays balances one bigot, Senator? One, two,three, three-fifths? That's just not the way it works in civil rights,Senator. You don't get to be a bigot so long as you suck up to the gays too.You NEVER get to be a bigot, period. You never get to embrace bigotry, ever.It doesn't matter many how many of your best friends are gay. It doesn'tmatter how many gays you put on stage. You don't ever get to showcase arenowned bigot to line your pockets and get you votes, ever.
Would you do this to any other minority, Senator? Would you let a klansmanor a white supremacist, or a Holocaust denier, on stage so long as youinvited a rabbi and a black minister too? I somehow doubt it. You'd do theright thing and kick the bigot out of your little show. But we're quicklylearning that doing the right thing isn't part of the Obama vocabulary.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2007/10/bush-semi-threa.html
Bush semi-threatens ENDA veto
October 23, 2007
UPDATE: At the end of the post.
This week's ENDA news began with a warning from fringe anti-gay leader PeterLaBarbera of Americans For Truth that White House staffers not only wereadvising President Bush to sign the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, theywere actually bragging about their involvement in crafting the bill'sreligious exemption.
The idea that White House staffers worked surreptitiously with openly gayMassachusetts Democrat Barney Frank to improve the language of historic gay(and possibly transgender) rights legislation was, well, about as credibleas everything else that comes out of Peter LaBarbera's mouth. But thatdidn't stop gay Democrat blogger John Aravosis from falling for it, in apost that begins "Time for some crow," and brags that he predicted Bushwould not veto ENDA.
The method to LaBarbera's madness, rather than speaking the "Truth" aboutanything, was to rally the conservative chorus to call on the White House totake a position on ENDA, since it was expected to come up for a House voteon Wednesday. The White House responded today with a watered-down vetothreat (of the same type it issued over the hate crime bill), that says,"The bill raises concerns on constitutional and policy grounds, and if H.R.3685 were presented to the President, his senior advisors would recommendthat he veto the bill."
First and foremost, it is politically very telling that the White Housenever mentions any opposition to the bill's primary purpose, protectingworkers from discrimination based on sexual orientation. The president'sadvisers read the polls and know that the core justification for ENDA isembraced by wide majorities, including among Republicans.
(The veto threat also makes no mention of the transgender issue, which I'vealready heard some claim as proof it's not such political deadweight, butH.R. 3685 (Barney's compromise ENDA bill) doesn't include any mention of"gender identity," so there was no basis to raise the issue in the vetothreat.)
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKN2450662120071024
Gay men can earn 23 pct less than married men: study
Wed Oct 24, 2007 5:02pm BST
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Gay men, but not lesbians, face discrimination atwork, earning up to 23 percent less than married men in some jobs, accordingto a new study.
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Whittemore School ofBusiness and Economics spent two years analyzing labor and wage data from91,000 heterosexual and homosexual couples collected by a 2004 U.S. census.
They found that gay men working in management and blue-collar jobs make lessmoney than straight men due to discrimination by their employers
"It was surprising to see how consistent it was that gay men tended to bemore discriminated against in traditionally heterosexual male dominatedprofessions -- blue collar, labor, and management too," researcher BruceElmslie, professor of economics at UNH, told Reuters.
The study found that gay men who live together earn 23 percent less thanmarried men, and 9 percent less than unmarried heterosexual men who livewith a woman.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/sns-ap-people-garry-trudeau,0,3803896.story
Trudeau: `Doonesbury' Doesn't Get Easier
By LISA RATHKE | Associated Press Writer
12:52 PM EDT, October 23, 2007
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt.
Garry Trudeau says topics in his "Doonesbury" comic strip that were atfirst shocking to some readers aren't so anymore, such as one character'srevelation 30 years ago that he was gay.
"Now I can pretty much write about gay issues and not hear from anyone,"Trudeau told students at the Center for Cartoon Studies on Monday."Certainly popular culture has a role to play in destigmatizing."
The 59-year-old cartoonist talked about his work process and the challengeshe's faced over his nearly 40-year career.
"I find it really hard," he said of his work. "It's no less hard than when Istarted."
Trudeau said his syndicated political satire, which has 30 ongoingcharacters, has been pulled from newspapers over the years because of itscontent and political themes.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-1024mcclurkinoct24,1,4690186.story
Gospel singer says he is not anti-gay
By Kelley L. Carter
Tribune staff reporter
6:09 AM CDT, October 24, 2007
Gospel music superstar Donnie McClurkin says he was surprised to wake upTuesday morning to a media firestorm.
The 47-year-old Grammy Award-winning musician is scheduled to perform thisweekend at Sen. Barack Obama's three-day concert series in South Carolina.But in the wake of accusations by a gay-rights group that McClurkin falselyasserts that homosexuality is a choice, bloggers are calling for theDemocratic presidential candidate to cancel the singer's Sunday nightappearance, saying McClurkin's views are anti-gay and incite hate.
McClurkin told The Associated Press on Monday that "sexuality, everything isa matter of choice." But on Tuesday he told the Tribune that his ideals, andmost importantly his ministry, were severely misconstrued.
"I don't believe that even from a religious point of view that Jesus ever discriminated toward anyone, nor do I," McClurkin said in an exclusiveinterview with the Tribune. "Most of the things that were said were totallyout of context and then other things weren't true."
"My only concern is to be in place with Sen. Obama in unity and bring allthe factors together for the sake of change," he said. "That's my onlything. Of course some agents have twisted it as though he [Obama] wereembracing a racist or a Nazi, and that is anything but true."
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