GLBT DIGEST November 8, 2007

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NationalGayNews.com

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail/PrintFriendly?contentId=4860632&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1&siteParams=1008&print=true&detailAction=/News/Detail&portletLogoDisplayed=1

Bob Allen Trial Underway

Last Edited: Wednesday, 07 Nov 2007, 11:00 AM EST
Created: Wednesday, 07 Nov 2007, 11:00 AM EST

Florida Rep. Bob Allen (R), Titusville

The trial is underway in the state vs. State Representative Bob Allen.Opening arguments started shortly after nine this morning and took about anhour. Right now the state's first witness is on the stand. TitusvillePolice Officer Deamon Jackson told the jury that he noticed Rep. Allenwalking in and out of the public restroom at Space View Park in Titusville.That is where Rep. Allen is accused of soliciting another undercover officerfor a sex act.

In opening arguments the state went step by step through the exchanges thatlead to Representative Allen's arrest. Attorney Gregory Eisenmenger, who isdefending Rep. Allen, told the jury he will prove 2 main points. One thatthere is a significant dispute in the facts. And two, that there is a legalissue in the case that overwhelms everything. He also claims that hisclient was not even charged properly for what police accuse him of doing.

Officer Jackson is the first of several witnesses that will be called to thestand throughout the day.



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ExpressGayNews.com

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20071107&Category=NEWS0106&ArtNo=711071029&SectionCat=&Template=printart

Election 2007 | Kentucky governor
Steve Beshear unseats Fletcher in a landslide

By Joseph Gerth
jgerth@courier-journal.com
Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Democrat Steve Beshear, in a smashing return to Kentucky politics after morethan a decade on the sidelines, won a landslide victory last night over Gov.Ernie Fletcher.

Beshear won nearly 60 percent of the vote in defeating Fletcher, aRepublican seeking to become the first member of his party to serve twoterms as governor, by a margin of 18 percentage points.

The election was clearly a repudiation of Fletcher, who was seriouslydamaged by a scandal over his administration's hiring abuses in the statemerit system. Fletcher refused to testify before a grand jury, was indictedon three misdemeanor counts -- later dismissed -- and pardoned those aroundhim who had been charged.

Beshear, 63, who appeared to have abandoned politics to practice law inLexington after losing a 1996 race for the U.S. Senate, will becomeKentucky's 61st governor. His running mate, and the state's new lieutenantgovernor, is state Sen. Dan Mongiardo of Hazard.

"The people of Kentucky have spoken, and they turned the reins of thegovernment over to us," Beshear -- surrounded by his wife, Jane, and therest of his family -- told a roaring crowd at the Farnham Dudgeon CivicCenter in Frankfort last night.

more . . . . .



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365gay.com

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/11/110707nether.htm

Netherlands To Promote Gay Rights In Third World
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: November 7, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET

(Amsterdam, Netherlands) The Netherlands has told its ambassadors incountries receiving foreign aid they must lobby those nations todecriminalize homosexuality and provide LGBT civil rights.

The announcement was made in the Netherlands' Parliament by DevelopmentMinister Bert Koenders.

The Netherlands is a major donor to developing nations giving almost$6-billion annually - mostly in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Koenders told Parliament that a study by the government found thathomosexuality is illegal in 18 of the 36 countries to whom the countryprovides financial aid.

"The Netherlands will promote as much equal treatment of homosexuals aspossible. We will not avoid awkward discussions about this," he said in astatement to lawmakers.

more . . . . .



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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/07/AR2007110700553.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

Kaine Hails 'Balance' in New Political Landscape

By Tim Craig and Anita Kumar
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, November 8, 2007; A01

RICHMOND, Nov. 7 -- A day after the Democrats took control of the VirginiaSenate and gained seats in the House, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) said he nowhas "some friends" in the General Assembly and has achieved his goal ofbringing "more balance" to a political landscape that was dominated byRepublicans just six years ago.

The governor said he hoped the change will mean that the parts of his agendathat stalled during his first two years in office might advance in his lasttwo. He listed additional investments in education, mental health andenvironmental protection as programs that might move forward.

Tuesday's Democratic gains also raised speculation about whether Virginiacould vote for a Democrat in the presidential race next year for the firsttime since 1964. The state has chosen two successive Democratic governorsand elected a Democratic U.S. senator last year. The party's probable U.S.Senate candidate next year is former governor Mark R. Warner, one ofVirginia's most popular political figures.

All of Tuesday's Democratic gains occurred in Northern Virginia and HamptonRoads, the state's most populous areas and its economic linchpins. Politicalanalysts said those regions might also be aligning to become a force instatewide politics that favors Democrats.

Bill Beaman, editor in chief of Campaigns & Elections Magazine, said the GOPcannot win statewide elections if Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia votersare unified, even if rural parts of the state remain solidly Republican.

more . . . . .



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http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/68062.php

Poll: Clinton would beat Giuliani
High negatives hurt her; he has more GOP rivals

USA TODAY
Published: 11.07.2007

WASHINGTON - Eight weeks before the opening Iowa caucuses, Rudy Giuliani isholding on to significant support among social conservatives and adouble-digit lead in the Republican presidential field, a USA TODAY/GallupPoll finds.

The former New York mayor continues to defy predictions by Christian leadersand others that his support for abortion rights and gay rights would makehim unacceptable to "values voters." Just 7 percent of those voters say theydefinitely won't vote for him.

Meanwhile, among Demo-crats, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's formidablestanding is unshaken despite escalating criticism by her rivals and poorreviews of the most recent debate.

The New York senator is backed by 50 percent of Democrats andDemocratic-leaning independents, compared with 22 percent for Illinois Sen.Barack Obama and 15 percent for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

The Democratic race "is a locomotive with Hillary Clinton's face on it,"said independent political analyst Charlie Cook.



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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
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http://pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5992.html

5% of UK adults suffer gay prejudice

7th November 2007 14:45
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer

A national survey on prejudice as found that 56% of the UK population feelthey have experienced prejudice at some stage of their lives.

5.2% of the 1,927 adults interviewed last month said they had sufferedprejudice related to their sexuality. Nationally that would mean 1.5 millionseparate instances of prejudiced behaviour.

For over half of the population that do encounter it, 11% (3.3 millionpeople) experience prejudice on a frequent basis.

76% of this group (26 million people), have experienced prejudice more thanonce.

The research was commissioned by Chickenshed, a theatre company that runschildren's and youth theatre workshops for 600, education courses for over100, community outreach projects and 21 satellite 'Sheds' across the UK andbeyond.

more . . . . .



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http://pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5991.html

British man in prison for gay sex in Ghana

7th November 2007 14:24
Tony Grew

The Foreign Office has confirmed that a 63-year-old British national hasbeen remanded in custody in the African country of Ghana charged with havingsex with another man.

John Ross Mcleod appeared in court at Accra on Monday. A photographer, hewas arrested at an airport.

Officials searched him and allegedly found a CD containing images of Mcleodhaving sex with a 19-year-old.

He pleaded guilty to "unnatural carnal knowledge" and has been given theoption of a fine of £320 or six month in prison, The Guardian reports. Hedenies possession of obscene images.

Macleod met Emmanuel Adda, a 19-year-old Ghanaian, on the internet, reportsThe Guardian.

more . . . . .



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http://pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5987.html

United Nations hosts LGBT rights panel

7th October 2007 11:49
Tony Grew

The United Nations is hosting a panel discussion today to explorediscrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The event, which will bring together non-governmental organisations, UNrepresentatives and state delegates, is an initiative co-sponsored byArgentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

It will be addressed by Mary Robinson, the former UN High Commissioner forHuman Rights, government ministers from Argentina and Brazil, andrepresentatives from UNAIDS and the current Human Rights High Commissioner.

The event, held in parallel with the session of the third committee of theUN General Assembly, will discuss the the Yogyakarta Principles.

Named after the Indonesian city where they were adopted, the principles wereintroduced by 29 international human rights experts at a UN Human RightsCouncil session in Geneva in March 2007.

more . . . . .



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http://pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5986.html

South Korea drops proposed orientation discrimination

7th November 2007 11:21

When South Korea's Ministry of Justice proposed in early October a federallaw that would prohibit certain forms of discrimination, sexual orientationand a wide range of other categories were included.

According to Democratic Labour Party officials and news reports, however,the current version of the law has been changed to exclude protection fromdiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, military status,nationality, language, appearance, family type, ideology, criminal ordetention record and educational status.

New York City-based Human Rights Watch recently pressed the South Koreancabinet to re-introduce those protections.

"The current version of the bill is a disappointment," Jessica Stern,researcher in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender programme at HRW,said in a release.

"A supposed landmark non-discrimination law has been hollowed out to excludeKoreans, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, who are inneed of protection."

more . . . . .



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UK

http://pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5978.html

Anti-gay Christian appointed to equality body

6th November 2007 16:31
Tony Grew

The general director of the Evangelical Alliance has spoken of the "hugechallenge for Christians" living in a liberal democracy after hisappointment as a commissioner to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Joel Edwards was a controversial choice for some gay rights groups.

The Evangelical Alliance are one of the most strident voices against gayrights in the UK. Just last month they gave evidence to a House of Commonscommittee opposing a new crime of incitement to violence on the grounds ofsexual orientation.

They launched large-scale campaigns against the Sexual OrientationRegulations, which ensure equality of gay, lesbian and bisexual people whenaccessing goods and services.

"There seems to be an incredible inability to hear an alternative world viewabout human sexuality without calling it homophobia, anything which is notfrom the gay position is by definition homophobic, whereas in a liberaldemocracy that is really freedom of speech," Mr Edwards told PinkNews.co.ukin an interview last year.
more . . . . .



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Citizen Crain
by Chris Crain

http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2007/11/ironic-headline.html

Ironic headline of the year.

November 07, 2007

.goes to: the Associated Press report on the Human Rights Campaign's latest180 on whether it supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which formore than a decade has been the group's signature piece of legislation:

"Leading gay rights group supports job discrimination measure"

How crazy is it that this headline actually has a "man bites dog" quality toit in today's bassackward glbT rights movement?



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Truth Wins Out

http://www.truthwinsout.org/uncategorized/truth-wins-out-calls-on-televangelist-joel-osteen-to-apologize-for-comparing-homosexuality-to-drug-addiction-and-offering-%E2%80%98help%E2%80%99/#more-297

Truth Wins Out Calls On Televangelist Joel Osteen To Apologize For Comparing Homosexuality To Drug Addiction And Offering 'Help'

November 6th, 2007
Pastor's Words Hurtful and Disappointing, says TWO

NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out called on mega-church televangelist Joel Osteen toapologize to gay and lesbian Americans for saying that they need "help" andcomparing their love to drug addiction. The ignorant and offensive commentstook place in an interview with reporter John King on CNN's "Anderson Cooper360."

"We call on Joel Osteen to immediately apologize for his insulting remarksabout gay and lesbian people," said Truth Wins Out's Executive DirectorWayne Besen. "We are here to offer him help in kicking his addiction tocynically raising money off the backs of gay people. While there is nothingwrong with gay and lesbian Americans, there is something insidious aboutmasking anti-gay prejudice under the cloak of religion."

According to the transcript:

JOHN KING: Some would say if you look at the Bible, homosexuality is wrong.Some use the term evil. You say gays are welcome in your church, even thoughyou might not agree with their lifestyle. How do you deal with that as aperson and as a minister and someone who many in your community look to forguidance?

JOEL OSTEEN: "Well, the way I would - I would deal with that is that I thinkthe worst thing we could do is say, "Well, this group can't come, becausethey don't believe exactly like me." I want them to come to be able toreceive help. That would be like saying that somebody has a drug addiction.You know what? I don't believe that's right. I believe that's harming yourbody. But you know what? Come to our church. I want to give you help. I wantto give you encouragement.

Osteen is a televangelist who runs a Christian church out of a formerHouston basketball stadium. His Jesus wants you to be rich philosophy hasmade him one of the most successful preachers in America. He is not known asa rabidly anti-gay preacher - so his remarks were hurtful and disappointing,says Truth Wins Out.

Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit organization that counters right wingpropaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life.
For more information, visit www.TruthWinsOut.org.



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Truth Wins Out

http://www.truthwinsout.org/news/truth-wins-out-slams-exodus-for-emboldening-bullies-with-deceptive-allies-too-campaign/

Truth Wins Out Slams Exodus For Emboldening Bullies With Deceptive AlliesToo Campaign

November 5th, 2007
Group Misleads By Using Language of Inclusion, When Real Goals AreConversion, Ridicule, Isolation and Exclusion

NEW YORK - Truth Wins Out slammed Exodus International today for itsslippery Allies Too Week, which masquerades as a tolerance campaign, whenits real intention is to marginalize gay students, while encouragingbullies. According to the Allies Too website, "Christian students across theUnited States can declare their commitment to making school safe andharassment-free for everyone, and promote true tolerance that treats allviewpoints with respect." However, when they say "true tolerance," what theyare really asking is for gay students to "tolerate" getting demeaned andhumiliated in classrooms.

"The Allies Too campaign is dishonest in that it fails to inform studentsthat Exodus repeatedly refers to gay people as 'perverse' and 'sexuallybroken,'" said Besen. "This group also works to pass anti-gay laws andbelieves that homosexuality is demonic. The Allies Too campaign is twisted,in that students who object to being insulted and labeled as defective aresmeared as 'intolerant.' The Allies Too campaign is a slick attempt to turnlogic on its head and make bullies feel that there is a moral justificationfor isolating and ridiculing gay students."

The website asks students to download a brochure which says, "A secondaryproblem arises when GLBT-advocacy groups attempt to solve the problem ofbullying by indoctrinating all students with their values. Rather thanpromoting true tolerance, they polarize students by marketing their ownideas as 'progressive' and labeling all differing viewpoints as 'bigoted'and 'homophobic.'"

Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit organization that counters right wingpropaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life.For more information, visit www.TruthWinsOut.org.
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Mercury News

http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_7367348?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com&nclick_check=1

Travel Briefs: 5-star gay lodging in Latin America; Amtrak ridership upMercury News Staff and Wire Reports

Article Launched: 11/04/2007 01:59:15 AM PDT

HOTELS
Latin American first:

5-star gay lodging

The first five-star gay hotel in Latin America has opened in theArgentine capital of Buenos Aires, an increasingly popular destination onthe worldwide gay tourist circuit.

The hotel, near the historic San Telmo neighborhood, is thesecond of its kind developed by Spain's Axel Corp., which opened a five-stargay hotel in Barcelona in 2003.

"Like any other business, we have economic objectives," generalmanager Nacho Rodriguez said. But "we're also about fighting to help thenormalization and acceptance of gays in society."

The hotel's top floor is a glass-bottomed pool that drawsvisitors' gazes upward as they enter the breezy lobby.

The 48-room hotel is "hetero-friendly," company officials say,noting about a quarter of the Barcelona hotel guests are heterosexual andpredicting a similar pattern in Buenos Aires.



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

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,155399,00.html?ESRC=army.nl

Soldier with HIV Jailed for Unsafe Sex

Associated Press | November 02, 2007

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina - An HIV-positive paratrooper has pleaded guiltyto assault for knowingly having unprotected sex with a teenager he metonline.

Pfc. Johnny Lamar Dalton, 25, who is a member of the 82nd Airborne Division,entered his plea during a court-martial at Fort Bragg.

A military judge sentenced Dalton to 40 months in prison. The sentence alsoincluded a reduction in rank and a dishonorable discharge.

Dalton was ordered last November not to have unprotected sex after he wasfound to have HIV. State law also prohibits a person infected with HIV fromhaving sex unless condoms are used and sexual partners are notified.

Doctors discovered the 17-year-old who Dalton met up with via the Internethad HIV during a routine blood test, and the teen's mother notified themilitary.

Dalton also pleaded guilty to violating a direct order, aggravated assault,committing an indecent act and using marijuana.



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UK

http://pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5990.html

Premier league club tackles homophobia in football

7th November 2007 14:00
PinkNews.co.uk staff writer

Reading FC has become one of the first football clubs to actively implementthe new Football Association and Gay Footballers Supporters' Networkinitiative to combat homophobia in football.

The GFSN said it is delighted with the response that Reading has made to theinitiative, and urged all other Premier League and Football League clubs tofollow Reading's excellent example in their work to tackle homophobia.

GFSN Liaison Officer Richard Howgill said, "These are important steps totackle homophobia in football.

"There are thousands of gay football fans who regularly attend matches andour objective is to promote a non-discriminatory atmosphere which encouragesgay people to participate actively in our national sport.

"Reading prides itself in welcoming people of all walks of life to MadejskiStadium in a relaxed and non-threatening environment and we are grateful fortheir backing."

more . . . . .



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

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

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Report: Red states see boom in same-sex couples - The number of same-sexcouples is growing 21 times faster than the population as a whole, withdramatic spikes observed in the Midwest, Mountain and Southern states,according to a new report from the Williams Institute for Sexual OrientationLaw and Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Advocate.com (11/6)

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Column: How coming out is becoming mainstream: The growing acceptance ofgays by mainstream society helps explain a new report based on census datashowing the increasing presence of same-sex couples in the nation'sheartland, according to columnist Gregory Rodriguez. "Growing acceptance ofhomosexuality means a decline in social stigma associated with same-sexrelationships, and a consequent shift in the politics of coming out," hewrites. "The more people come out, the more accepting people are aroundthem, and the more accepting the public becomes, the more people come out."Los Angeles Times (free registration) (11/5)Pittsburgh diocese preparing for Episcopal Church exit2008, is held. USA TODAY/Associated Press (11/2)

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Mass. marriage group preparing for federal battle - Gay & Lesbian Advocates& Defenders, which successfully argued a marriage rights case beforeMassachusetts' top court, is preparing to lobby to extend federal rights tosame-sex couples who wed in the Bay State. The Boston Globe (11/5)

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Gays, lesbians unlikely fans of hip hop - Writer John-John Williams IVcovers the "strange love relationship" between some gays and lesbians andhip-hop music, despite its many examples of misogynist and homophobiclyrics. "Many gays say the music itself, which is super dance-friendly, isresponsible," Williams writes. "Or could it be that hip-hop, the urban-basedgenre that has won a wide following among the world's youth, is simplyembraced the same way in the gay community?" The Sun (Baltimore) (freeregistration) (11/4)

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Marriage ban appears headed for Florida ballot - Florida voters may be facedwith a marriage amendment on the November 2008 ballot. The move could impactpresidential voting in the battleground state. Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, Florida)

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Analysis: The GOP's LGBT impact on the presidential race - The LGBT impacton the presidential election will be felt in different ways, depending onwhether the Republican nominee is Rudy Giuliani, who favors domesticpartnership rights, or Mitt Romney, who has reversed his previousgay-friendly stances, according to this article. A Giuliani candidacy mightforce real discussion of LGBT rights and remind Democrats that LGBT votershave a choice, while leading to a third-party candidate aimed at appealingto so-called "values-voters." Advocate.com (11/20)



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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:

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Photo shoots for a pictorial directory have brought to light a dilemma overthe acceptance of homosexual couples in a large Baptist church in Texas.Members of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth are divided over whetherhomosexual couples should be pictured together in the same way as photos ofother couples within the church."For decades Broadway has had gay members aspart of our membership, but no couple had been pictured as a couple in achurch directory," pastor Brett Younger said in a statement to themembership of the church. The possibility of including homosexual couples inthe directory "was troubling to many," Younger acknowledged, "as they saw itas a change of direction and it is understandable that they would feel thatway."

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Andrew Sullivan: The astonishing speed with which gay equality andvisibility have transformed public attitudes is a function of many things:the AIDS epidemic, marriage and military activism, popular culture'sevolution, religious reform in non-fundamentalist Christianity and Judaism.But it is also something that Burke would have understood and that realconservatives - unlike the authoritarian Christianists who now control theGOP - intuitively grasp. Our new politics reflects a simple organic socialchange that transcends the red-blue divide. You see it in Michigan where anopenly gay mayor was just elected and evinced this kind of comment: "Herepresents the overall interests of everyone in the city," said LeahClosson, a resident of Ferndale for 16 years. "We're a heterosexual familywith two kids and we own our own home. I feel he represents us."

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Mary Ann Glendon, a prominent legal scholar and a papal adviser poised tobecome the next US ambassador to the Vatican, is known for staunchlydefending Catholic doctrine while striking a conciliatory tone withopponents, colleagues said yesterday. Supporters said Glendon would bring ameasured sensibility to a politically sensitive position, but opponentscriticized her as a social conservative in lockstep with the Vatican'sopposition to contraception and gay marriage. In recent years, Glendon hasbeen a leading legal specialist on same-sex marriage in Massachusetts andwas tapped this summer to lead an advisory group on judicial matters forpresidential candidate Mitt Romney.The White House announced Monday thatPresident Bush will nominate Glendon, a Harvard Law School professor who hasadvised the Vatican for more than a decade, to the position, which requiresSenate confirmation.

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Michigan: To MSU office assistant Gary Lindsay, access to health carebenefits for his same-sex partner is a matter of fairness. That's why hesigned on to a lawsuit aimed at protecting domestic partner benefits forhimself and other gay and lesbian workers at public institutions. "To denydomestic partner benefits to a couple that's been together for over 17 yearsto me does not support the image the university is trying to project," saidLindsay, 54, of Holt. "I have no option to be married in order to get mypartner benefits the way that others do." The Michigan Supreme Court heardarguments Tuesday on whether public employers are barred from offeringsame-sex domestic partner benefits as a result of the state's ban on[marriage equality]. Its ruling will affect the benefits that the state ofMichigan, MSU, Lansing Community College and other public employers canprovide to gay and lesbian employees.

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Australia: Two men became the 100th couple to register as civil partners atthe British Consulate-General in Sydney last week, prompting calls by gayrights groups for full relationship recognition in Australia.The Britishcivil partnerships scheme has granted the Sydney-based couple, AustralianJoe Harcksen-Scott and Briton Paul Hesford, the same rights as marriedpartners in the UK.The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby's Emily Gray commendedthe British Government for its commitment to recognising the significance ofloving relationships between same-sex couples in the form of civil unions,referring to the partnership scheme as "a great first step".

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Australia: The Coaltion has made an election promise to extendsuperannuation [retirement plan] death benefits to all Commonwealthemployees in interdependent relationships, including same-sex couples.Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull made the announcement at adinner hosted by the Sydney Gay and Lesbian business association in Sydneytonight. Mr Turnbull says he is opposed to discrimination against same-sexcouples.

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Puerto Rico's El Nuevo Dia is reporting this morning that pressure fromconservative religious groups might result in a Senate vote later today on aconstitutional amendment to ban marriage between same-sex partners in theisland. Senator Jorge de Castro Font, who authored the measure and controlswhich bills are brought to the Senate floor, said just as much to El NuevoDia reporter Israel Rodríguez Sánchez yesterday, and said that he alsobelieved there were enough votes to pass it. Other Senate leaders fromdifferent political parties did not go on record to say if they agreed withDe Castro Font's assessment though independent Senator María LourdesSantiago did say that she would oppose attempts to pass such an amendment.

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Conservatives in Florida are preparing to get out the vote for ananti-Marriage amendment to the state constitution; however, if it passes,say the measure's opponents, the rights of straights, too, may beabrogated.The measure, calculated to hit the ballot in 2008, may have animpact in the state similar to the one that the gay marriage backlash had in2004, say observers. However, a similar measure failed in Arizona in 2004because voters there did not wish to see the rights of unmarriedheterosexual couples infringed upon.Multiple Florida publications havereported on the issue, with the Tallahassee Democrat saying in one articlethat state Democrats have been told to expect that the issue will end up onthe ballot, and that the best means of defeating it is to educate straightvoters that they may see their own rights, including hospital visitation andinsurance benefits, impacted should the measure pass.

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We have just received confirmation that today, Tuesday, or tomorrow,Wednesday, the Puerto Rican Senate will vote on a constitutional amendmentbanning marriage between members of the same gender, titled "ResoluciónConcurrente del Senado 99."

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The British government will bring in legislation in the current session ofParliament to give equal legal status to the same-sex partners of lesbianswho have children using in vitro fertilization.
The announcement was made Tuesday in the Queen's speech to Parliamentoutlining the agenda of Prime Minister Brown's government. The Human Tissuesand Embryos Bill will enshrine in law for the first time the concept of atwo-mother family. Under the legislation when one woman in a lesbianrelationship gives birth using artificial fertility, the partner - even ifthe women are not in a civil partnership - will be granted all of therights, privileges and responsibilities of parenthood.

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Minnesota: The Rochester Athletic Club did not discriminate against twoRochester women by refusing to sell them a family membership, a districtjudge ruled today in dismissing a discrimination lawsuit.One of the attorneys for Amy and Sarah Monson said they will appeal thedecision to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. "We respect the judge's decisionbut strongly disagree with it,'' said Phil Duran, staff attorney forOutFront Minnesota, the state's largest gay rights group, and one of theattorneys representing the Monsons. He said he believes the club violatedthe Minnesota Human Rights Act by selling membership discounts only toheterosexuals.

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In the Rhode Island Catholic newspaper, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin writes thatI, Journal colleague Bob Kerr, and others who share our views fail to graspthe "long-lasting moral and spiritual harm caused by gay marriage." Kerr andI both have noted that life seems to go on as normal in Massachusettsdespite same-sex weddings there. I thought you might be interested in someof the language, images and arguments the bishop employs in his column,headlined: Why You Should Worry About "Gay Marriage." He admits the sky hasn't fallen in Massachusetts. "But I don't think the sky would fall ifMassachusetts legalized prostitution, polygamy or incest either."

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The passage of the Michigan Marriage Amendment in 2004 made it clear that amajority of Michigan voters want to limit marriage to a union of one man andone woman. But did they want to prevent gay couples from entering intodomestic partnerships and civil unions, or prevent employers from offeringbenefits on the basis of them? That's doubtful. Two polls of likelyMichigan voters conducted by EPIC-MRA in 2004 both found a majoritysupporting either gay marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples, withonly 36 percent saying neither should be allowed. And the second poll found61 percent supporting the proposed amendment.



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National Gay News

http://nationalgaynews.com/

Go to the website above for the following articles:

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Navy Doctor Trial Focuses on Gay Pornography - The final day of testimony inthe general court martial of a Navy physician accused of secretly tapingNaval Academy midshipmen having sex centered this morning on the doctor'swhereabouts at the time that gay pornography was downloaded to his homecomputer.

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Dozens of openly gay and lesbian candidates running in municipal and statelegislative races across the country won their elections Tuesday, accordingto the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Of the record 71 candidates endorsed bythe group in 2007, at least 31 won their races on Tuesday, while 10 wereelected earlier this year. At least three more endorsed candidates receivedenough votes to advance to runoff elections.

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According to a new poll, 70% of LGBT Americans prefer passing an EmploymentNon-Discrimination Act that does not cover transgender people over notpassing the bill at all. The poll, commissioned by the Human Rights Campaignand conducted on October 26, surveyed 500 members of the LGBT communityacross the country.

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Today, nearly three years to the day after Maj. Margaret Witt was told shewas being forced out of the Air Force for being a lesbian, she will againdon the uniform she's fighting to keep. In a nationally watched case,Witt -- a Spokane school district physical therapist since 1999 -- ischallenging the "Don't ask, don't tell" law under which the military hasdismissed thousands of gays and lesbians since Congress approved it in 1993.Today in Seattle, a panel from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will hearthe case.

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Riding a ratings wave from "Countdown With Keith Olbermann," a program thattakes strong issue with the Bush administration, MSNBC is increasinglyseeking to showcase its nighttime lineup as a welcome haven for viewers of asimilar mind.



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Soulforce Seeking Individual and Business Sponsors for Our Upcoming ResourceTitled "What the Science Says - and Doesn't Say - About Homosexuality"

Help print and distribute copies of What the Science Says - and Doesn'tSay - About Homosexuality, a new booklet by Soulforce Executive Director andpsychotherapist, Jeff Lutes. This new resource will serve as a companionpiece to Mel White's What the Bible Says - and Doesn't Say - AboutHomosexuality.

All contributions are much appreciated. A donation of $250 or more willqualify for having your name or business name listed inside the booklet as asponsor when it goes to press.

Here are some early quotes about this exciting new resource from Soulforce:

"This is a current, comprehensive, and rigorous review of literature takenfrom our most well-respected social science and medical journals. Backed byall the major health, education, and mental health professionalassociations, Lutes makes an airtight case for ending the cruel andpejorative stereotype against gay and lesbian persons that continue topersist in our homes, institutions, and churches."

--Marsha McDonough, PhD, Psychologist and Family Therapist, Clinical Memberof the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

"A concise, accurate, and readable summary of scientific knowledge abouthomosexuality and gay people. This lucid resource calmly and effectivelydemolishes the hateful myths and slurs spread by anti-gay forces in U.S.society."

--Simon LeVay, PhD, neuroscientist, teacher, author, and pioneer in thestudy of brain structure and sexual orientation



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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/health/08hiv.html?hp

In Tests, AIDS Vaccine Seemed to Increase Risk

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN and ANDREW POLLACK
November 8, 2007

In a puzzling and potentially troubling development, an AIDS vaccine testedin a closely watched trial might have increased the risk among vaccinerecipients of becoming infected with H.I.V., researchers reported yesterdayat a scientific meeting in Seattle.

But the researchers said not enough data existed to determine the meaning ofthe findings about the vaccine, which is made by Merck.

The increased risk was principally among a group of people who hadpre-existing levels of immunity to a common cold virus known as adenovirustype 5, which was modified to become a critical part of the vaccine.

Researchers emphasized that the vaccine itself could not cause AIDS, but onetheory is that the cold virus may have activated the immune system in someway to make certain recipients more susceptible to becoming H.I.V.-infectedwhen they were exposed to the AIDS virus.

But participants at the meeting also emphasized that the findings could be astatistical fluke and that nonbiological factors might have accounted forthe difference. Examples of such factors are rates of circumcision andsexual practices among trial participants.

In late September, Merck unexpectedly halted the trial of its experimentalH.I.V. vaccine because it failed in its two main objectives, to preventinfection and to lower the amount of H.I.V. in the blood among those whobecame infected.

more . . . . .



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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/business/media/09rosie.html?hp

MSNBC and O'Donnell Can't Make a Deal

By JACQUES STEINBERG
November 8, 2007

Two days after NBC acknowledged that it was talking to Rosie O'Donnell abouta possible show on MSNBC, those conversations have stalled, with noimmediate prospect of being revived, an executive of the network said lastnight.

Ms. O'Donnell said as much in a posting to her Web site, rosie.com, lastevening. Under the heading "the show that never was," she wrote, "we wereclose to a deal/almost done." She added: "well what can u do/2day there isno deal/poof/my career as a pundit is over/ b4 it began."

The NBC executive, who would only describe the negotiations on condition ofanonymity, said a principal hurdle had been the length of a potentialcontract. To preserve her options, Ms. O'Donnell would only commit to ayear, just as she had last year on "The View," the executive said. But thenetwork wanted a commitment of at least two years, so that it could takebetter advantage of the higher rates it anticipated charging advertisers onher program.

A publicist for Ms. O'Donnell, Cindi Berger, did not respond to telephoneand e-mail messages sent late last night.


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