GLBT DIGEST November 14, 2007

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

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National Gay News

http://nationalgaynews.com/

Go to the website, above, for the following articles:

Boy George, the singer and DJ, has been charged with false imprisonmentafter llegedly chaining a male escort to a wall in his home. Norwegianescort Auden Carlsen, 28, claims he was grabbed and chained to a wall byGeorge and another man fter the singer invited him back to his London flatto pose for photographs.

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An organ donor in Chicago infected four transplant patients with the AIDSvirus in what a donor group says is the first such transmission in the U.S.in 13 years. The transplants occurred in January at three Chicago hospitals.The patients infected with HIV and the virus for hepatitis C did not learnof their status until the last two weeks, according to medical officials.

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A SCHOOLBOY who triggered a homophobic murder on a gay council worker waslocked up for 12 months today. The 15-year-old knocked James Kerr to theground before his two friends launched a savage assault, leaving him dyingin a pool of blood.



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ExpressGayNews.com

http://www.expressgaynews.com/

Go to the website, above, for the following articles:

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Minister Says God Changed Him From Gay To Straight - Seeking God's guidance is something many people do everyday for all kinds of things. Whether it's praying to overcome health issues, improving relationships, oreven for peace around the world, many look to a higher power. And some are even looking to God to change their sexual desires.

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Rep. Frank endorses Clinton for president - Mass. congressman to serve as economic adviser: Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign announced Tuesday it has secured the endorsement of gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.). The campaign noted that Frank, a senior House member who serves as chair of the Financial Services Committee, would serve as the campaign's economic adviser.

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Mont. Co. approves trans bias bill - Bars discrimination in housing, employment, accommodations: Montgomery County has approved a law that bars iscrimination against transgender residents and workers, overcoming objections raised by several conservative groups. Council members voted 8-0 on Tuesday to "prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, cable television service and taxicab service on the basis of gender identity."

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Agency for Aids Patients Targetted by Gunman - Someone with a high-powered rifle shot up an agency serving aids patients. No one was inside at the time, but the crime caused thousands of dollars ofdamage. FOX 4's Melissa Cutler has the story from the Aids Interfaith Network building.


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365gay.com

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Gay Ex Top Cop Runs For London Mayor - (London) Brian Paddick, the man who was the highest ranking openly gay police officer in the world, has won theLiberal Democrats' nomination for Mayor of London.

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Protestors Practice For GOP Convention - (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Shrouded in black, with a bandanna masking her face, a self-proclaimed anarchist slips into her combat boots and dashes through town, tossing a Molotov cocktail here, launching a bowling ball there.

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Thompson Calls For Bigger Military, No Mention Of Repealing Gay Ban - Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson called for a million-member ilitary ground force and more funding to equip and care for service members and veterans in a speech Tuesday at a military college in this early presidential primary state.



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Anything But Straight

http://www.waynebesen.com/
by Wayne Besen
Nov. 13, 2007

Bush: The Gay Rights President

Now that the Employment Nondiscrimination Act has passed the House ofRepresentatives, the religious right has launched an all-out offensive toensure people can be fired because of their sexual orientation. The firstobvious fib propagated by Focus on the Family and the Christian BusinessAssociation is that this bill is bad for business.

"Businesses should be up in arms over ENDA," said Ashley Horne, federalpolicy analyst for Focus on the Family Action. "This bill will increasetheir litigation and compliance costs, create conflict among employees andis simply bad for business."

Notice how they used the words "should be" up in arms instead of "is." Whatthey fail to point out is 49 of the Fortune 50 have policies prohibitingdiscrimination based on sexual orientation, as well as ninety-percent of theFortune 500. With all due respect to the Christian Business Association - Itrust the Fortune 500 more than the Faith 500.

Focus on the Family and the CBA aren't really concerned about the negligibleaffect on business - what drives them bonkers is that they might have tomind their own business. It isn't enough that in America they have thefreedom to pray as they wish and practice their religion as they see fit.They aren't happy unless they can impose their values and bully people intoadopting their beliefs.

Focus on the Family's true agenda reared its ugly head in a story on thegroup's website which said: "ENDA would prevent employers from taking exualorientation into consideration when hiring, promoting or firing."

Well, this is absolutely true. Why should sexual orientation be taken intoconsideration for a job? If people work hard, pay taxes and play by therules they shouldn't have their careers ruined and personal finances wreckedbecause of an employer's religious hang ups.

"ENDA also could silence religious speech in the workplace," the story goeson to say. Hiram Sasser, Director of Litigation for the Free MarketFoundation, elaborated on this point in a debate against me on the AlanColmes radio show, by complaining that ENDA might force him to take down ascreen saver with a Bible verse condemning homosexuality.

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Fight OUT Loud

Waymon Hudson, President of Fight OUT Loud,

(954) 240-7966 Email: waymon@fightoutloud.org

November 13, 2007

Gay Community Flocks to New Online Resource to Fight Discrimination

After Anti-Gay Incident at Florida Airport Couple Launches
www.FightOutLoud.org

FORT LAUDERDALE - After doing an online launch less than four month ago,www.FightOutLoud.org already has over 5000 members on its free "Action EmailAlert List", which sends out a call to action to the community and itssupporters when more pressure is needed to resolve an issue. Fight OUT Loudhas already been involved in numerous cases across the country, includingthe recent incident of two 14-year-old lesbians who were kicked off the busand called "sickos" by the driver for kissing in Portland , OR . Fight OUTLoud also took the lead in the recent campaign against Mayor Jim Naugle ofFort Lauderdale after he made anti-gay comments during several interviews.Fight OUT Loud was instrumental in removing the mayor from his post on theTourism Development Council, as well as getting a resolution condemning himpassed by the City Commission of Fort Lauderdale and other surroundingcommunities.

Waymon Hudson and Anthony Niedwiecki of Fort Lauderdale , Florida launchedFight OUT Loud in response to a disturbing anti-gay incident at the FortLauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. The couple was traveling May1st, 2007 from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale when they heard, "A man that lieswith a man as with a woman should be put to death" played twice over thepublic address system in baggage claim. After reporting the incident, andgetting a tepid response, they were forced to push the issue on their own toget a resolution. The person was eventually caught and fired, but due tothe intense media coverage, the couple faced severe anti-gay backlash. Theyreceived hate-mail, notes left on their cars calling them fags, and wereeven approached and spit on in their local grocery store.

Having gone through such an eye-opening experience, and finding that therewere really very few resources available to LGBT individuals who neededimmediate help in situations of discrimination and hate, the couple decidedto fight back. They launched Fight OUT Loud, a national non-profitorganization dedicated to helping LGBT individuals and their allies fightdiscrimination and hate. Fight OUT Loud is also recognized by the IRS as a501(c)(3) Public Charity.

The mission of Fight OUT Loud is to provide immediate resources, support,education, and assistance for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgenderindividuals who are faced with discrimination and hate. Fight OUT Loudworks to get satisfactory resolutions by guiding individuals through themaze of obstacles that can come from speaking out publicly on GLBT issues.Fight OUT Loud also assists the GLBT community and its allies by mobilizingthem against discrimination and hate crimes through its Action Alert Team.Fight OUT Loud is a resource for the entire community that seeks to raiseawareness and educate the public about the still present discrimination andhatred focused on the GLBT community. They also provide training to theGLBT community and its allies on how to become strong leaders and advocatesin their own communities.

Fight OUT Loud continues to grow very quickly and take on cases for the GLBTcommunity using their unique mix of grassroots activism and moderntechnology.



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071113/NEWS02/711130324/1007/

Students raise awareness of homeless

By Tim Johnson
Free Press Staff Writer
November 13, 2007

Just as Thanksgiving has become the holiday of food and plenty, the weekbefore -- this week -- has become a focus for hunger and privation.

College students at three local campuses are busy organizing forhomelessness-awareness week. That means not just attending lectures andfilms, but for some, spending a night out in the cold.

At Champlain College, the centerpiece is a tent city. At St. Michael'sCollege, it's "the shack," and at UVM, it's "box city." Student participantsroll out their sleeping bags, forsake their electronics, suffer throughtruncated meals, raise money for nonprofit service organizations, and beatthe awareness drum on and near their campuses.

By noon Monday, nine tents were pitched on the green at Champlain College,and 59 students had signed up for at least one 24-hour stint this week,through Friday. Besides sleeping outdoors and doing without their cellphones and iPods, they'll be served "soup-kitchen-style" meals at designatedtables in the dining hall.

"It's just a job that needs to be done," said Doug Tetreault, a senior, atthe tent city early Monday afternoon. "No one's here because we want to behere," he said, but rather because they want to address problems of povertyand homelessness that are "universal" -- and manifest in Burlington.

Kirsten Wunn, one of the organizers, said the goal was not just to solicitdonations for Burlington's Committee on Temporary Shelter (which will bematched by an anonymous donor), but "to start a conversation." One thingthat struck her about the effort last year -- in addition to the realizationof how hard it is to sleep outside on the hard ground -- was that "peoplewould walk by you as if you were invisible."

more . . . . .



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_7449501?source=rss

Gays, lesbians in military topic of veteran's speech
Organization links remarks to holiday

FROM STAFF REPORTS
Article Last Updated: 11/13/2007 07:04:52 AM PST


NEWARK - Raymond Allen, vice president of American Veterans for EqualRights, will speak Tuesday about the plight of lesbian, gay and bisexualtroops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as that of their partnersand veterans at home.

Allen, himself a gay veteran, will talk at the monthly support meeting inNewark for the Fremont/East Bay chapter of Parents, Families and Friends ofLesbians and Gays.

"We wanted to do something special to celebrate Veterans Day," PFLAGPresident Pat Skillen said in a statement. "It always requires courage,strength and selflessness to serve as a soldier. Even more so if you're ahomosexual one, having to conceal your love and all the joys, worries andconcerns that go along with it."

For example, homosexual and bisexual soldiers must hide even from theirdoctors and ministers since, in the military, the latter are required toreport any "gay confessions," according to the statement.

PFLAG Fremont/East Bay, which held its first meeting in March 1996, is anonprofit organization serving Fremont, Union City and Newark.

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://origin.sltrib.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=7439427&siteId=297

'Gayborhoods' gaining buzz in SLC

Debut of term in mayoral debate could be another sign of Utah's growing gaypopulation

By Rosemary Winters
The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake City's mayoral race is over - with Ralph Becker's landslidetriumph. But the buzz of a "gayborhood" unfolding in the Marmalade area westof Capitol Hill is still ringing.

It was likely the only new vocabulary word tossed at Becker and hisopponent, Dave Buhler, during their slew of debates. For many Utahns, italso may have been the first revelation that the reddest of red states has"gayborhoods."

Some people point to the 9th and 9th area as a prime example. Q SaltLake Editor Michael Aaron, whose article in the gay and lesbian magazineprimed the debate question, argues that Marmalade has eclipsed the Avenuesto become the capital's "gayest" gayborhood. He says you can even find gayenclaves in South Salt Lake and West Valley City.

So what is a gayborhood?

In big cities, a gayborhood might center on a business district withbars, stores and restaurants catering to or owned by members of the gay,lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community, but in Salt Lake City ithas come to mean simply a neighborhood with a higher concentration of GLBTresidents.

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7439433

Mayor-elect's progressive proposals promote fairness, gay community leaderssay

By Derek P. Jensen
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:11/12/2007 10:20:19 AM MST

Mayor-elect Ralph Becker would push for civil unions in Salt Lake City if hecould.

Of course, he can't - because of the same Utah law that bans gaymarriage - so he won't.

Instead, Becker plans to stretch the rainbow agenda as far across theblue-hued capital city as the red-ruled Legislature will allow.

On day one of his January job, he vows to dispatch an executive orderrequiring city contractors to provide domestic-partner benefits.

There's more. He also plans to send two progressive proposals to thesometimes-recalcitrant City Council, including the launch of adomestic-partnership registry, as well as language to widen the city'snondiscrimination ordinance. And the new mayor immediately will push torevamp the city's retirement policy to allow an employee to name a same-sexpartner or another designee as a beneficiary.

"What I've attempted to do is arrive at the next steps we can underexisting Utah law," Becker says. "I hope Salt Lake City will be known as acommunity where discrimination isn't condoned; where justice is bothaccepted and promoted."

more . . . . .



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6044.html

Catholic school in unholy row after ditching gay charity

13th November 2007 15.46
Gemma Pritchard

London's premier Catholic state school, the London Oratory, is facing afurore from gay campaigners this week following their decision to drop aleading AIDS charity as the beneficiary for their World AIDS Day charityconcert.

Gay rights activists are believed to be planning to picket the OratorySchool and distribute leaflets to inform students of the school's decisionto suddenly cancel its plan to raise money for the Terrence Higgins Trust,one of Europe's most-respected AIDS charities.

Actor Simon Callow, probably best known for his role in the hit British film
Four Weddings and a Funeral, is also threatening to quit as patron of theOratory School Choir, Schola.

Mr Callow who was educated at the school and is also a patron of the THT,said the school's actions made it "difficult for him to support either thechoir or its concert on 1 December," The Guardian reported.

"If what they tell me is true, you will readily appreciate that I couldn'tattend - I'm a patron of the THT.

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.anorak.co.uk/twitterings/177595.html

Hang The Gays, Says Iran's Mohsen Yahyavi
GAYS in Iran? No such thing.

Homosexuals deserve to be executed or tortured and possibly both, an Iranianleader told British MPs during a private meeting at a peace conference, TheTimes has learnt.

Mohsen Yahyavi is the highest-ranked politician to admit that Iran believesin the death penalty for homosexuality after a spate of reports that gayyouths were being hanged.

"He said that if homosexual activity is in private there is no problem, butthose in overt activity should be executed [he initially said tortured butchanged it to executed]. He argued that homosexuality is against humannature and that humans are here to reproduce. Homosexuals do not reproduce."

Nicole Pichet, a researcher who also took notes of the gathering, told TheTimes that the discussion began with British MPs discussing the underage gayhangings. Mr Yahyavi responded by saying homosexuality was to blame for alot of diseases such as Aids.

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2007/11/the-dissent-bec.html

The dissent becomes the mainstream

November 12, 2007

(UPDATE: At the end of the post):

At some point, the claim by the "United ENDA" crowd to represent theinterests of gay Americans becomes laughable. In addition to the HumanRights Campaign poll showing 70% of actual gay, lesbian, bisexual andtransgender people support the compromise ENDA -- a result backed up by ourown online poll -- there are the growing number of gay newspapers and gaybloggers and, of course, HRC, the NAACP and the Leadership Conference onCivil Rights abandoning the "trans or bust" strategy.

The House vote was overwhelming in favor of the compromise ENDA, with onlyseven members dissenting on transgender grounds. Even Tammy Baldwin, thetrans activists' principal ally, voted for the gay-only ENDA. In a statementshe released after the vote, she hailed the compromise that trans activistsare calling a betrayal: ""This is an historic moment in the on-goingmovement for equality in this country. As in all movements, achievingsuccess is a process, and today's legislative accomplishment marks amilestone, but certainly not the end, of our quest."

Now the country's two most influential mainstream newspapers have weighedin, both in favor of Barney Frank's compromise measure. First the New YorkTimes ("Gay Rights, the Transgendered, and Accepting Partial Progress"):

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/770565.html

N.C. Baptists likely to oust church with lesbian worker

Tim Funk, The Charlotte Observer

CHARLOTTE - When N.C. Baptists in the Baptist State Convention meet thisweek for their annual session, they will likely kick out a Charlotte churchthat has said it welcomes gays as they are -- a violation of controversialrules passed at last year's state convention.

If all goes as expected, the 4,000 or more attendees at the convention willvote this morning to cast out Myers Park Baptist Church -- but only aftershort speeches from two of the church's leaders. One -- Nancy Walker,secretary to the church's board of deacons -- is a lesbian.

"It's important for our particular witness to be made," said the Rev.Stephen Shoemaker, Myers Park's senior minister and the other scheduledspeaker today. "We think the local [Baptist] church ought to be free tointerpret Scripture itself. ... And we believe in the spirit of Christ, whoallowed all to come to the table."

Rules passed by N.C. Baptists last year called for churches that endorsedhomosexual behavior to be investigated if two people complained to the stateconvention.

No charges have been brought against any churches, said John Butler, thestate convention's executive leader for business services. But in twoletters to the convention and in its request to raise the issue this week,"Myers Park brought charges against itself," Butler said.

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071113/NEWS0105/711130502

Schools' anti-bias policy may grow
Panel votes to include gays, lesbians

By Antoinette Konz
akonz@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

A Jefferson County Board of Education committee recommended yesterday thatthe district's harassment and employment policies be expanded to protect gayand lesbian employees, but not transgender workers.

The 2-1 vote will bring the policy changes before the full school board forapproval at its Nov. 26 meeting.

The committee had been asked by the Fairness Campaign of Louisville, as wellas by several gay, lesbian and transgender employees, to include both sexualorientation and transgender status in the district's employment andharassment policies.

Transgender includes transsexuals, cross-dressers and others whoseappearance does not match their birth gender.

"This has been a big issue for a very long time," said board member DebbieWesslund, chairwoman of the committee. "We decided to include sexualorientation at this time, but decided to hold off on making a decision abouttransgender because, as of right now, gender identification is both a newand broad definition."

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=955ce71f-c1be-4e47-8129-17e11c29b63f

Published: October 28, 2007

"Bringing gay and lesbian issues into the living rooms of America"
Catholic university's law school honors "one of the most recognized lesbian
leaders in the country"

[[Honored.jpg]]The School of Law at Santa Clara University, a self-described"Jesuit, Catholic university," honored Elizabeth Birch, "one of the mostrecognized lesbian leaders in the country" at its fourth annual Celebrationof Diversity Gala held on Oct. 25.

An alumna of the law school, Birch was from 1994 to 2004 the president andexecutive director of the Human Rights Campaign, "the nation's largestlesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy organization," said alaw school news release. During her time with the Campaign, its membershipgrew from 100,000 to 1.1 million supporters, and its budged rose from $6.5million to almost $30 million.

Birch's biography on the web site of the Diversity Education Center atCentral Washington University says she "has been credited with bringing gayand lesbian issues into the living rooms of America in a new, fresh andcreative way. Birch talks to America. She has allowed million more Americansto understand gay lives in a fresh way."

In 2005, Birch launched a television talk show, "Birch and Co.," addressing"gay" and lesbian issues on the homosexual cable network, here!TV. Rosie O'Donnelland Pat Buchanan were among her guests.

The Diversity Education Center biography notes that "George Magazine dubbedBirch and her partner, Hilary Rosen. one of Washington's ten most powerfulcouples." A June 22, 1999 article in the homosexual magazine The Advocateid Birch and Rosen adopted twins, a boy and a girl, in 1999. "Hilary and Ihave always had gay rights issues in the forefront of our lives, but we havenever had anything cut as close to our souls as becoming parents," Birchtold The Advocate.

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/647628,transplant111307.article

Four transplant recipients contract HIV from donor

November 13, 2007

For the first time in more than 20 years in the U.S., there are documentedcases that the HIV virus has been transmitted from a high-risk organ donorto transplant recipients.

The transplants occurred in January at three Chicago hospitals, but the fourpatients who were infected with HIV and the virus for hepatitis C did notlearn of their status until the last two weeks, according to medicalofficials.

A screening questionnaire determined the organ donor had engaged inhigh-risk behavior, according to officials at Gift of Hope Organ & TissueDonation, the Elmhurst, Ill.-based organ procurement agency that tested andapproved the organs for donation.

But tests for HIV, hepatitis and other conditions came back negative, mostlikely because the donor had acquired the infections in the last three weeksbefore death. Personal details about the donor were not released by medicalofficial officials, who cited privacy laws.

Based on the negative test results, doctors at Northwestern MemorialHospital, Rush University Medical Center and the University of ChicagoMedical Center went ahead with the transplants, based on the negative testresults.

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3857930&page=1

Transgendered Actress Breaks Hollywood Barriers
Candis Cayne Is One of the Few Transgendered Actresses on Television

Nov. 13, 2007 -

Actress Candis Cayne heats up primetime TV in her role as Carmelita in thehit show drama "Dirty Sexy Money."

The sultry actress, who plays the transgendered mistress of a New Yorkattorney general and senatorial candidate on the show, has made headlines asone of the few transgendered characters on television. She is alsotransgendered in real life.

Long before her groundbreaking role, Cayne was born Brendan McDaniel, halfof a fraternal twin set. Her twin brother's name is Dylan and he is nottransgendered.

Early on, Cayne said she realized her differences.

"I knew since I was 6. I had my first thoughts of it," she said on "GoodMorning America" today.

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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6045.html

Nigerian activists react to Commonwealth games decision

13th November 2007 16:25
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer

A gay rights group who highlighted Nigeria's poor record on LGBT rights hassaid it is disappointed that the country did not win the right to hold theCommonwealth Games in 2014.

In August Davis Mac-Iyalla, founder and leader of the gay Christian group,Changing Attitude Nigeria, met with the chief executive of the CommonwealthGames Federation (CGF) in London to put their case.

They presented the CGF with an 11-page report setting out why it shouldreject the bid by the Nigerian city of Abuja.

Last week it was announced that Glasgow will host the Games.

"Like most Nigerians we would have loved such an important internationalsporting occasion to come to our country," the group said in a statement.

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Gay & Lesbian Leadership
SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp

Go to the website, above, for the following articles:

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Out U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., is among House leaders trying to reachacross the aisle to Republican rivals to advance the Democratic agenda onkey issues, including an anti-predatory-lending bill. "Hubert Humphrey oncesaid, 'Whenever I get cute, I blow it,' " Frank said. "That's the same thingI'm saying: if you try to be too political there's a backlash." The WallStreet Journal (subscription required) (11/13)

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A measure offering to protect transgender people from discrimination isexpected to pass the Montgomery County, Md., Council now that its sponsorhas deleted controversial language regulating the use of public restrooms,according to this article. Some opponents of the bill objected to languageallowing use of restrooms based on a person's preferred expression of"gender identity"; the current version instead leaves it to the countyOffice of Human Rights to resolve allegations of discrimination over use ofpublic facilities. The 12)

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The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is calling on the Senate EthicsCommittee to end its probe of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, over hisalleged role in a sex sting because the group believes Craig is beingunfairly targeted because the conduct under investigation is homosexual;meanwhile, NGLTF says the panel is giving a pass to U.S. Sen. David Vitter,R-La., who allegedly has been linked to a D.C. madam, because he's straight.Neither Craig nor Vitter commented for this article. The Hill (11/13)

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Calling their protests "loathsome" but "constitutional," the Los AngelesTimes defends the right of Westboro Baptist Church to protest at funerals offallen soldiers. The church has been ordered by a Baltimore jury to pay $11million in damages to the family of a Marine killed in Iraq for a protest itheld at his funeral. "Those on society's margins -- and sometimes itsweirdos -- are those whose speech needs protecting," the Times writes. LosAngeles Times (free registration) (11/12)

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Blogger Bil Browning, based on his recent attendance at the Love Won Out"ex-gay" conference, believes some fundamentalist Christians at least arebeginning to recognize the humanity of gays and lesbians. "I don't intend tobe an apologist for the ex-gay movement, but I'm left feeling as if I'veseen a monumental shift inside the church," he writes. Read more at TheBilerico Project.



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Speak Out About the U.S. HIV Travel Ban

By Doug Ireland

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is consideringamending existing regulations that prohibit the entry of HIV-positive peopleinto the United States. Current U.S. immigration law bars HIV-positiveimmigrants, tourists, foreign students and business people from entering thecountry. The proposed amendment, initiated by President Bush on World AIDSDay 2006, would allow HIV-positive visitors to enter the country onshort-term business or tourist visas, allowing HIV-positive people to cometo the U.S. for short-term, nonimmigrant stays.

Though the odious and inhuman travel ban would still be in place, theamendment would allow HIV-positive people to enter the country without beingsubject to the complex, case-by-case process currently needed for an entrywaiver. Visitors would be expected to comply with conditions andrequirements to "minimize.the risk to public health." These conditions couldinclude, for example, having to take antiretroviral medications if medicallyappropriate and "avoiding behavior" that could transmit infection.

The DHS invites comments, recommendations, views and arguments from thepublic surrounding the proposed amendment. Comments must be received beforeDecember 6, 2007. You can submit comments online at http://www.regulations.gov, or by mail sent to: Border Security RegulationsBranch, Customs and Border Protection, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. (MintAnnex), Washington, DC 20229.

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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org

Council of Europé - Parliamentary Assembly
Doc. 11450

http://assembly.coe.int/main.asp?Link=/documents/workingdocs/doc07/edoc11450.htm

9 November 2007

Ban on a Chisinau demonstration by homosexuals
Written question No 524 to the Committee of Ministers

Reply from the Committee of Ministers
adopted at the 1010th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies (7 November 2007)

I. Written Question No. 524 by Mrs Acketoft (Doc. 11283)

In joining the Council of Europe in 1995 and ratifying the Convention onHuman Rights, the Republic of Moldova undertook to protect and develop humanrights and fundamental freedoms. Irrespectively of this, the localauthorities in the Moldovan capital Chisinau have once again refused afriendly festival with a purpose to raise awareness and to promote toleranceand equal rights for homosexuals in the city, the "Pride Festival". This actis only one amongst many where the authorities in Moldova suppress the equalrights of homosexuals.

Banning the festival should contravene Article 11 of the Convention on HumanRights, which deals with freedom of assembly and association.

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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org

From Michael Petrelis

http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com/2007/11/london-times-gay-iranian-hanging.html

London Times' gay Iranian hanging sources requested from UKgovernment

The Times of London reports today on Iran's mistreatment, abuse andexecutions of gays and I've filed a request with the UK government for thefiles that were the source of the story:

more....



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To Form a More Perfect Union: Marriage Equality News

Information, news, and discussion about the legal recognition of same-sexcouples and their families, including marriages, domestic partnerships,civil unions, adoptions, foster children and similar issues.

http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/

Go to the website, above, for the following articles:

Toledo City Council has approved an ordinance making Toledo the first largecity in Ohio to offer gay and other unmarried couples the opportunity toregister their relationship with city hall.Under the ordinance approved lateTuesday, couples who cannot or don't want to marry can register their"domestic partnership" with the clerk of city council.The purpose of theregistry is to create a centralized process that employers can use to verifyrelationships when they offer benefits that typically are offered forspouses and dependents.

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A long-running legal dispute about the constitutionality of same-sexmarriages in California came a step closer today to an expected finalresolution by the state Supreme Court sometime next year. Today was thedeadline for filing the final round of written briefs with the high court inSan Francisco. Court spokeswoman Lynn Holton said that step now clears theway for the next stage of the case, a hearing on oral arguments by lawyersfor groups supporting and opposing same-sex marriage. The court has not yetscheduled the hearing, but Holton said it is expected to take place "withina few months." After the hearing, the panel's seven members will have threemonths to issue a written decision.

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This August marked the fifth anniversary of The New York Times opening itsweddings and celebrations pages to gay and lesbian couples. When the Gay &Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) first approached the Times inJuly 2002, only 27 states had a newspaper with an inclusive announcementpolicy. Following on its success in changing the policy at the Times, GLAADlaunched its Announcing Equality campaign to convince other papers to followsuit and to encourage gay and lesbian couples to announce their equality bysubmitting their wedding announcements. Today, every state in the union andWashington, D.C., has at least one paper with an inclusive policy for theirweddings and celebrations pages -- for a combined national circulation ofover 37 million in nearly 900 outlets, reaching almost 75 percent of totalnewspaper readers.



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Iran to hang 21 year old man for sodomy

Despite witnesses withdrawing their allegations

"Confession" secured after ill-treatment in prison

Amnesty International calls for URGENT ACTION

London - 14 November 2007

"Sentencing Makwan Moloudzadeh to death violates Iranian law andinternational human rights conventions," said gay human rightscampaigner Peter Tatchell of the UK LGBT rights group, OutRage!

"Executing a person for actions taken when they were a minor, below the ageof criminal responsibility, is particularly heinous and barbaric.

"Makwan is the latest victim of Tehran's on-going homophobic campaignof imprisonment, torture, flogging and hanging," he said.

Makwan Moloudzadeh, a 21 year old an Iranian Kurd, has been sentencedto death in the city of Paveh, following his conviction for an act ofsodomy that he committed while still a minor, aged 13, with anotherminor, also aged 13, according to Amnesty International.

See the Amnesty International briefing below and here:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE131252007?open&of=ENG-2MD

"Under Iranian law, same-sex acts are illegal and punishable by death.The Iran penal code also stipulates that the age of criminalresponsibility is 15 lunar years and offenders under this age areexempt from criminal punishment," added Mr Tatchell.

"At worst, according to Iranian law, Makwan should have received up to74 lashes, not a sentence of death. Males under 15 are classified asminors and are usually not subject to criminal sanctions, especiallynot the death penalty.

"Makwan was 13 at the time of the offence. His partner was also 13


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