**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fighting in Iraq Continues Amid Crackdown
The fighting threatened to destabilize a long-term truce that had helpedreduce violence in the five-year-old Iraq war.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/world/middleeast/26cnd-iraq.html?hp
-Day of Embarrassment for Hollywood in Court
A day of testimony in the wiretapping trial of the Hollywood private eyeAnthony Pellicano included industry names in the most embarrassing ofcontexts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/business/media/26pellicano.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Safeguarding Private Medical Data
There should be a federal law imposing strict privacy safeguards on allgovernment and private entities handling medical data.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/opinion/26wed2.html?ref=opinion
-Climate Migration
This week I'm back in Dhaka, the world's undisputed rickshaw capital. Withmore than 300,000 of these brightly colored bicycle contraptions plying thecity's streets for trade, I rarely walk for more than a block before arickshaw driver (known as "rickshaw-wallah") pulls up next to me and urgesme to hop on board.
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/climate-migration/index.html?ref=opinion
-Foreign Courts Wary of U.S. Punitive Damages
In the late summer of 1985, Kurt Parrott, a 15-year-old who loved baseballand Pac-Man, was thrown from his motorcycle in Opelika, Ala. The buckle ofhis helmet failed, and he died when his bare head hit the pavement. Mr.Parrott's mother sued the Italian company that made the helmet, and anAlabama court awarded her $1 million.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/us/26punitive.html?hp
-Many Muslims Turn to Home Schooling
LODI, Calif. - Like dozens of other Pakistani-American girls here, HajraBibi stopped attending the local public school when she reached puberty, andbegan studying at home.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/us/26muslim.html?hp
-John McCain Wants You
BEHIND any successful politician lies a usable contradiction, and JohnMcCain's is this: We love him (and occasionally hate him) for his stubbornindividualism, yet his politics are best understood as a decade-long attackon the individual.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/opinion/26welch.html
-Clinton Seeks to Soften Impact of Misstatement
GREENSBURG, Pa. - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton tried Tuesday to put asoftening spin on her misstatement that she ran from sniper fire at anairport in Bosnia as first lady, saying the comment was a mistake that"proves I'm human."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/us/politics/26clinton.html
-Clinton Criticizes Obama Over His Pastor
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton ended her silence on Senator Barack Obama'spastor on Tuesday, sharply criticizing Mr. Obama for not leaving the Chicagochurch where the pastor made inflammatory remarks about the United States,spread conspiracy theories about the government and made sensationalcomments about Mrs. Clinton.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/us/politics/26wright.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Hijabs at a Harvard Gym
It's a measure of America's multicultural journey over the past half-centurythat we've gone from "God and Man at Yale" to Allah and Woman at Harvard.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032502295.html
-McCain on the Red Phone
It is 3 a.m., and the stillness of the White House night is shattered by theringing of the red phone. President John McCain, rousing himself from a deepsleep, turns on the light and picks up the receiver. A U.S. embassy in aMiddle Eastern country, he is told, has been blown up, and al-Qaeda istaking credit.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032502294.html
-Hold the Hysteria (For Now)
Regarding the economy, it's hard not to notice this stark contrast: The"real economy" of spending, production and jobs -- though weakening -- ishardly in a state of collapse, but much of today's semi-hystericalcommentary suggests that it is. Financial markets for stocks and bonds aredescribed as being "in turmoil." People talk about a recession as if it werethe second coming of Genghis Khan. Some whisper the dreaded word"depression." Meanwhile, Americans are expected to buy about 15 millionvehicles in 2008; though down from 16.5 million in 2006, that's still a lot.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032502298.html
-Olympic Shame
China risks turning the Games into a showcase of repression.
AS CHINA'S COMMUNIST leadership conceived it, this year's Olympic Games wereto mark the country's debut as a global power, with a booming economy andrapidly modernizing society. Instead, it's beginning to look as though theGames could become a showcase for violent repression, censorship andpolitical persecution by a regime that has failed to rise above the level ofpolice state. Though they present themselves as worldly and reformist,President Hu Jintao and his leadership group seem unable to grasp how thepolicies they have pursued in recent months have undermined the honor ofstaging the Olympics and risk destroying China's international prestige.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032502440.html
-Justices Rebuff Bush and World Court
Powers Limited in Texas Death Case
The Supreme Court yesterday issued a broad ruling limiting presidentialpower and the reach of international treaties, saying neither President Bushnor the World Court has the authority to order a Texas court to reopen adeath penalty case involving a foreign national.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032501185.html?hpid=moreheadlines
-Affirmative Action Foes Push Ballot Initiatives
Activists, With Eyes on November, Focus on Five States
CHICAGO -- Sixteen months after voters in Michigan voted to kill affirmativeaction in the public sphere, opponents of preferences based on race andgender are pushing five more states to ban the practice.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/25/AR2008032502401.html?hpid=sec-nation
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Bad night for Ramiele and other Idol hopefuls
Tuesday was not the night you would want to use to make the point that thisis one of the most talented groups of American Idol wannabes yet. There weretwo, maybe three outstanding performances out of 10, with the rest ordinaryat best.
http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/tv/
-Obama Related to Pitt, Clinton to Jolie
BOSTON - This could make for one odd family reunion: Barack Obama is adistant cousin of Brad Pitt, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is related to Pitt'sgirlfriend, Angelina Jolie.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sns-ap-candidates-genealogy,0,6443800.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A tax increase by another name
OUR OPINION: PRIVATIZING ALLIGATOR ALLEY A BAD DEAL FOR TAXPAYERS
With Florida facing a serious revenue shortfall, state transportationleaders are dusting off plans for leasing Alligator Alley to a privatecompany -- and giving the firm the power to set tolls. This is a move bornof desperation. No doubt it seems an easy way for state lawmakers to createa politically painless new revenue stream. But the plan essentially amountsto a tax by other means, with tolls substituting for a tax increase.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/470309.html
-Obama overcame outsider feelings to fit in at elite private high school
HONOLULU -- In 1971, a 10-year-old boy named Barry Obama enrolled at theprivate Punahou School and entered an unfamiliar world of privilege where heinitially felt out of place. But he kept those feelings to himself andeventually prospered at the school.
http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/story/470656.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Slouching Toward Denver
The Democratic death march.
When Democrats contemplate the apocalypse these days, they have visions ofBarack Obama and Hillary Clinton slugging it out à la Ted Kennedy and JimmyCarter at the 1980 convention. The campaign's current trajectory is, infact, alarmingly similar to the one that produced that disastrous affair.
Back then, Carter had built up a delegate lead with early wins in Iowa, NewHampshire, and several Southern states. But, as the primary season draggedon, Kennedy began pocketing big states and gaining momentum. Once all thevoting ended and Kennedy came up short, he eyed the New York convention as akind of Hail Mary.
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=44aed783-8357-4491-8589-ee15290e6e96&k=4859
-WHO HAS THE POWER TO END THE CLINTON-OBAMA RACE?
As the Democratic nomination fight rages, many wonder if there's anyone withclout or influence -- from former Vice President Al Gore to DemocraticNational Committee chair Howard Dean -- who can put an end to the race.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4491853&page=1
-GOP state parties are in dire straits
At a time when the GOP presidential nominee will need more assistance thanever, a number of state Republican parties are struggling through troubledtimes, suffering from internal strife, poor fundraising, onerous debt,scandal or voting trends that are conspiring to relegate the local branchesof the party to near-irrelevance.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9175.html
-Hillary's Flight of Fancy
Why wasn't the truth good enough for Hillary Rodham Clinton?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_campaignplus/20080325/ap_ca/on_deadline_bosnia;_ylt=AgVby27byL04VvOUoFEFekSs0NUE?
-Eugene Robinson: Voters need to look at Iraq
It's time for voters to put their attention back on Iraq
When U.S. military deaths in Iraq hit a round number, there's usually a weekor so of intense focus on the war - its bogus rationale, its nebulous aims,its awful consequences for the families of the dead.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-robinson_0326edi.ART.State.Edition1.468aadf.html
-McCain warns against big-government aid amid housing, credit crisis
While Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama propose government help forhomeowners facing foreclosure, John McCain offered some small-governmenttough love yesterday in his first major speech on the economy afterreturning from a tour abroad.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/03/26/mccain_warns_against_big_government_aid_amid_housing_credit_crisis/
-Obama needs voters to see Wright's quieter side
Early reactions to Sen. Barack Obama's Big Speech in Philadelphia about hispastor and spiritual adviser of 20 years, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.,sound like a mixed review. "It was a nice speech about race," theconventional wisdom goes, "but what about that nutty preacher?"
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080326/OPINION03/803260313/1031/opinion03
-Slated address by Obama's ex-pastor scratched
TAMPA - The first public appearance of Barack Obama's controversial pastorsince his inflammatory comments rocked the presidential campaign wasabruptly called off Tuesday.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-25-Wright_N.htm?csp=34
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Thursday, March 27, 2008
FLORIDA DIGEST March 26, 2008
**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.
=
From Tobias Packer
Transgender-Equality@yahoogroups.com
-Newly Proposed Amendments Would Override Anti-Discrimination Laws
TOMORROW, the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is scheduled to vote on two proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution that would openup the state constitutional door for all kinds of harm, includinggovernment-funded discrimination in hiring and the provision of services. Itwould also allow government funding for religious groups to disseminateanti-gay or other discriminatory messages.
The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is only formed once every 20years, to study Florida's tax code. They should stick to that job and leavethe State Constitution intact. Please call the Commission office at (850)921-8905 and tell them you're calling to ask the Commission to vote NO onProposal 20 and Proposal 40, both of which would place on November's ballotinitiatives that would weaken the separation of church and state. Or, usethe text provided below to send an email. Your voice is urgently needed.
You can copy and paste the e-mail below into the comments section on theFlorida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission's web site printed below:
Dear members of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission:As aconcerned Florida citizen, I am writing today to strongly urge you to VOTENO on Proposal 20 and Proposal 40 - proposals that will allow the State touse my tax dollars to bankroll government-funded religion. Voting for theseproposals will remove the constitutional prohibition - part of our State'sConstitution for 140 years - that prevents government from favoring oneparticular religious group by funding it. This will chip away at my and allFloridians' basic constitutional rights to practice religion and be freefrom government-sponsored and funded proselytizing.
We deserve "government-free" religion. Government-funded religion onlyensures religious discrimination, strife and controversy. This is adangerous proposal with far-reaching implications for many Floridians.
Government funded religion squelches religious liberty - a core Americanvalue; it does not encourage religious liberty.
I urge you not to allow religious discrimination to be enshrined inFlorida's Constitution.
Sincerely,
http://www.floridatbrc.org/comments.php
==
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-South Florida Regional Transportation Authority needs to find some way tofund Tri-Rail service
Will government-spending cuts finally derail Tri-Rail? Are South Florida'sthree counties stuck in choosing between the commuter rail service and stateroad projects? And what happens to Tri-Rail's 15,000 daily commuters ifthey're forced onto Interstate 95? And what happens to the I-95 commute if15,000 more people pile onto it?
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-0321masstransit-editorial,0,2086101.story
-Consideration of evolution bill is questioned
Lawmakers are devoting part of the 60-day session to evolution - a move someSouth Florida legislators question as they cope with the state's continuingbudget crunch.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbevolution0326sbmar26,0,357976.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Needless amendment in search of a problem
Florida's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission shouldn't fix what isn'tbroken. There is no need to repeal a constitutional amendment that bansstate ''aid'' to church institutions. Equally important, the amendmentshould not be replaced by another that would open the door to public fundingof religious activity, including activities that discriminate against peoplebecause of their faith.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/470318.html
-A tax increase by another name
With Florida facing a serious revenue shortfall, state transportationleaders are dusting off plans for leasing Alligator Alley to a privatecompany -- and giving the firm the power to set tolls. This is a move bornof desperation. No doubt it seems an easy way for state lawmakers to createa politically painless new revenue stream. But the plan essentially amountsto a tax by other means, with tolls substituting for a tax increase.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/470309.html
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-A "Mini Tea Cruise! Gay Glass Bottom Boat cruise
Sunday, March 30 5:30 - 8:30 P.M.
Exclusively for gay men aboard the 42 Ft Sea Experience from Bahia Mar in Ft. auderdale to one of So. Florida's most lush coral reefs of Sebastian (gay) Beach. Swim (the water is warm!), snorkel (equipment included) or JUST PARTY! Music, free vodka drinks and snacks. BYOB OK. Mixers included. $40 in advance by Friday 3/28. $45 after Friday. Call Peter 954-649-1107. Bon Voyage!
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/03/gay-glass-botto.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democratic activists try new approach to solve Florida's delegate messbetween Clinton, Obama
WASHINGTON - Some Florida Democratic activists are floating a new compromisethat, when the delegates are added up, becomes a real problem for Sen.Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/orl-dems2608mar26,0,6635263.story
-Tampa church nixes visit by Obama's former pastor
Citing security issues, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermon in Tampa iscanceled.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-revwright2608mar26,0,1865186.story
-Bill aims to protect fetus
Causing the death of a fetus could lead to a murder charge, no matter howfar along the pregnancy is, under a bill that will move to the House floor.
http://www.bradenton.com/breakingnews/story/488808.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
From Tobias Packer
Transgender-Equality@yahoogroups.com
-Newly Proposed Amendments Would Override Anti-Discrimination Laws
TOMORROW, the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is scheduled to vote on two proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution that would openup the state constitutional door for all kinds of harm, includinggovernment-funded discrimination in hiring and the provision of services. Itwould also allow government funding for religious groups to disseminateanti-gay or other discriminatory messages.
The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is only formed once every 20years, to study Florida's tax code. They should stick to that job and leavethe State Constitution intact. Please call the Commission office at (850)921-8905 and tell them you're calling to ask the Commission to vote NO onProposal 20 and Proposal 40, both of which would place on November's ballotinitiatives that would weaken the separation of church and state. Or, usethe text provided below to send an email. Your voice is urgently needed.
You can copy and paste the e-mail below into the comments section on theFlorida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission's web site printed below:
Dear members of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission:As aconcerned Florida citizen, I am writing today to strongly urge you to VOTENO on Proposal 20 and Proposal 40 - proposals that will allow the State touse my tax dollars to bankroll government-funded religion. Voting for theseproposals will remove the constitutional prohibition - part of our State'sConstitution for 140 years - that prevents government from favoring oneparticular religious group by funding it. This will chip away at my and allFloridians' basic constitutional rights to practice religion and be freefrom government-sponsored and funded proselytizing.
We deserve "government-free" religion. Government-funded religion onlyensures religious discrimination, strife and controversy. This is adangerous proposal with far-reaching implications for many Floridians.
Government funded religion squelches religious liberty - a core Americanvalue; it does not encourage religious liberty.
I urge you not to allow religious discrimination to be enshrined inFlorida's Constitution.
Sincerely,
http://www.floridatbrc.org/comments.php
==
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-South Florida Regional Transportation Authority needs to find some way tofund Tri-Rail service
Will government-spending cuts finally derail Tri-Rail? Are South Florida'sthree counties stuck in choosing between the commuter rail service and stateroad projects? And what happens to Tri-Rail's 15,000 daily commuters ifthey're forced onto Interstate 95? And what happens to the I-95 commute if15,000 more people pile onto it?
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-0321masstransit-editorial,0,2086101.story
-Consideration of evolution bill is questioned
Lawmakers are devoting part of the 60-day session to evolution - a move someSouth Florida legislators question as they cope with the state's continuingbudget crunch.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbevolution0326sbmar26,0,357976.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Needless amendment in search of a problem
Florida's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission shouldn't fix what isn'tbroken. There is no need to repeal a constitutional amendment that bansstate ''aid'' to church institutions. Equally important, the amendmentshould not be replaced by another that would open the door to public fundingof religious activity, including activities that discriminate against peoplebecause of their faith.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/470318.html
-A tax increase by another name
With Florida facing a serious revenue shortfall, state transportationleaders are dusting off plans for leasing Alligator Alley to a privatecompany -- and giving the firm the power to set tolls. This is a move bornof desperation. No doubt it seems an easy way for state lawmakers to createa politically painless new revenue stream. But the plan essentially amountsto a tax by other means, with tolls substituting for a tax increase.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/470309.html
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-A "Mini Tea Cruise! Gay Glass Bottom Boat cruise
Sunday, March 30 5:30 - 8:30 P.M.
Exclusively for gay men aboard the 42 Ft Sea Experience from Bahia Mar in Ft. auderdale to one of So. Florida's most lush coral reefs of Sebastian (gay) Beach. Swim (the water is warm!), snorkel (equipment included) or JUST PARTY! Music, free vodka drinks and snacks. BYOB OK. Mixers included. $40 in advance by Friday 3/28. $45 after Friday. Call Peter 954-649-1107. Bon Voyage!
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/03/gay-glass-botto.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democratic activists try new approach to solve Florida's delegate messbetween Clinton, Obama
WASHINGTON - Some Florida Democratic activists are floating a new compromisethat, when the delegates are added up, becomes a real problem for Sen.Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/orl-dems2608mar26,0,6635263.story
-Tampa church nixes visit by Obama's former pastor
Citing security issues, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermon in Tampa iscanceled.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-revwright2608mar26,0,1865186.story
-Bill aims to protect fetus
Causing the death of a fetus could lead to a murder charge, no matter howfar along the pregnancy is, under a bill that will move to the House floor.
http://www.bradenton.com/breakingnews/story/488808.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
GLBT DIGEST March 25, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-'Boys Don't Cry' Director Turns Her Lens on What It Means to Be a SoldierLOS ANGELES -- Don't try to tell director Kim Peirce that her new movie"Stop-Loss" is about the Iraq war. "It's not," she says. Case closed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032403252.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fox Refuses To Pay FCC Indecency Fine
In an unusually aggressive step, Fox Broadcasting yesterday refused to pay a$91,000 indecency fine levied by the Federal Communications Commission foran episode of a long-canceled reality television show, even as the networkfights two other indecency fines in the Supreme Court.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032402969.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Army allows gay Palestinian to reunite with Israeli lover
Young Jenin man seeking to move to Israel to live with Tel Avivian partnergranted special permit by IDF after claiming his life at risk in PA
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Social worker says he will oppose Sally Kern in fall elections
Says extremists share Kern's views
A 59-year-old social worker says he plans to run against an Oklahomalawmaker whose anti-gay remarks have provoked calls for her resignation.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17325
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Clinton Steps Back From Sniper Fire Claim
(Washington) Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign said she "misspoke" last weekwhen saying she had landed under sniper fire during a trip to Bosnia asfirst lady in March 1996.
-Obama Seduced By A Virgin
(Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands) Democratic presidential candidate Sen.Barack Obama is spending some down time in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
-Group Behind Ban On Gay Adoptions Begs For Cash
(Little Rock, Arkansas) An umbrella group of social conservatives trying togather enough signatures to force a referendum that could ban couples whoare not married from adopting children in Arkansas has launched a desperateappeal for money.
-NY Rangers Accused Of Not Doing Enough To Silence Homophobic Fans
(New York City) Gay New York hockey fans are pressing the Rangers for ameeting over what is described as repeated homophobic outbursts by fansattending games at Madison Square Garden.
-National Conference To Address Gay Black Concerns
(Washington) Hundreds of LGBT African Americans will meet in Baltimore nextmonth in the first ever conference aimed at empowerment.
-Ala. Inmates With HIV Barred From Work
(Montgomery, Alabama) Prison inmate Kathryn Canty seems like a primecandidate for work release: good behavior, less than three years left toserve, and an accounting degree along with vocational training.
-Landlord Shutters Nepal AIDS Hospice
(Katmandu) Katmandu's only hospice for gay men with HIV/AIDS has closedafter neighbors mounted a campaign against its landlord for allowing thehospice to open in the area.
-Company Cancels Domestic Partner Health Insurance For 9/11 Survivor
(Boise, Idaho) Robert Ryan was one of the lucky ones, escaping the WorldTrade Center on 9/11 with his life. But he continues to suffer from mentaland physical problems that require regular medical care and expensivemedications.
-Murder Suicide Rocks Palm Beach Gay Community
(West Palm Beach, Florida) The deaths of a popular gay bar owner and hisboyfriend have been determined to be a murder suicide according to police inWest Palm Beach.
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Austin: Anti-Gay Comments Cost Police Commander His Job
A veteran police commander has been suspended for 20 days for demonstrating"personal bias" toward gay officers and a second commander who did notreport the remark and then refused to take a suspension for it has beenfired.
-EarthThunder: Medicine Woman Working For Our Planet
By Patricia Nell Warren
Like many Americans, I have some First Nation ancestry braided with theEuropean ancestry in my family roots. When I connected with a few tribalcousins, I started hearing stories about family groups back in the 1800s whohad never surrendered to the U.S. Army. Instead they slipped off into thewildest, most rugged regions of the West. For several generations, the WildOnes managed to stay hidden -- never leaving a trace for hikers or forestrangers to find, keeping fires tiny and only lit at night. By the 1930s,logging and recreational development of public lands was making it harder tokeep their secret. Yet a few families held on till the 1950s.
-Repealing Gay-Rights Laws Would Have Chilling Effect
Oregon voters may well face two issues this fall that many people probablythink were resolved some time ago: the state's new anti-discrimination anddomestic-partner laws. Although some are trying to characterize thosepotential ballot measures as solely "moral issues," both undoubtedly haveeconomic implications that voters would be well advised to consider.
-Bill Clinton Defends His Gay Marriage Legacy
The students at MTVU sat down with Bill Clinton to discuss Hillary Clinton'scampaign, the Clintons' stance on gay marriage and why Bill Clintonintroduced the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) while he was in office.
Talking about Melissa Etheridge's comment about the Clintons "throwing thegay community under a bus" when introducing DOMA, Bill Clinton said:
-Boston: Locals Sound Off On Being Gay and Jewish
Jews from the GLBT community face the challenge of fitting in with thelarger Jewish community as they come to terms with--and live--their sexualidentities. The experience of being a minority within a minority poses itsown set of problems. The huge gap that exists between religion and sexualityaffects not only GLBT Jews, but sometimes their families
-AIDS Vaccine Testing on Humans Halted Because of Risk
Once again, the grim statistics: 12,000 new cases of HIV are diagnosed everyday -- more than 25 million people have already died from AIDS. But the goodnews is that many more, approximately 40 million people, are still livingwith HIV.
-Black LGBT Conference Strives to Make a Difference
The Black LGBT community is about to take center stage next month inBaltimore as several hundred Black LGBT, their straight allies, family andfriends will gather along with over 50 national experts spanning 35workshops, panel discussions, Q&As and receptions at the National BlackJustice Coalition's Power of Us Conference in Baltimore, April 24-25-26,2008.
-An Open Door: Gay Dominicans Seek More Visibility
It was a balmy Friday night late last month as hundreds of gay men, lesbiansand transgender people gathered in Parque Duarte in the heart of SantoDomingo's Colonial Zone to meet friends, drink and even cruise. A handful of"bugarrones" or male prostitutes discreetly worked the crowd, but Ariel, a25-year-old from the northern city of Santiago, described the park as ahaven of sorts for the capital's LGBT residents.
-Teachers Vote to Send Delegation to Confront Homophobia in Jamaica
The National Union of Teachers Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and TransgenderCommittee won a major victory today when the annual NUT Conference agreed tosend a delegation of teachers to support anti-homophobia groups in Jamaica.
Conference also voted to have a meeting with the General Secretary SteveSinnott to discuss the situation in countries where LGBT people are inconstant danger; and to demand that the Union work with other internationalequality groups to remind them of their obligations to LGBT people.
-The L Word vs. Reality
Recently I ran across a posting in the personals of craigslist.org from awoman in a small town that went something like this, "Please help meconvince my girlfriend that Los Angeles is not like The L Word. Shefantasizes that lesbians in West Hollywood are really like the characters onthe show, and she's leaving me for this make-believe world."
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Mass. Law Would Benefit Gay Discharged Soldiers
Military veterans discharged under the Pentagon's ban on openly gay andlesbian service members may receive benefits through the state under a billbeing considered by the Massachusetts state senate.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid52905.asp
-Alabama Only State to Bar HIV-Positive Inmates From Work Release
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid52915.asp
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
- Hartford, CT: Several pieces of legislation fell by the wayside yesterdayas the Judiciary Committee scrambled to pass more than 100 bills andresolutions before a 5 p.m. deadline.
But two high-profile proposals involving gun control and civil unionsreceived the ax over the weekend when committee members met to craftyesterday's agenda.
-Remember back when MTV asked Bill Clinton such frivolous questions like"boxers or briefs"? Well, that was then and this is now. As Bill Clintoncampaigns on behalf of Hillary, young audiences are still challenging theformer President, but on more weighty matters, such as the Clinton politicallegacy. The students over at MTVU sat down with Bill to talk about thiscurrent campaign, the Clinton Global Initiative and that comment MelissaEtheridge made about the Clintons "throwing the gay community under a bus."
Yep, they're not playing.
-An umbrella group of social conservatives trying to gather enoughsignatures to force a referendum that could ban couples who are not marriedfrom adopting children in Arkansas has launched a desperate appeal formoney. The Family Council Action Committee has sent out an email tosupporters urging them to send what they can.
-Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), speaking to rally attendees in Medford, Oregonon Saturday, took issue with how recent political campaigns have used wedgeissues to divide the electorate, but have ultimately done little to make areal difference, especially when there are more important things to worryabout. "I mean, think about what these last few election cycles have beenabout," the Senator said. "We argue about immigration, but we don't try tosolve the immigration problem. It's an argument that is all about people'spassions instead of trying to figure it out.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Democrats plan to topple homophobic politician
Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern will face a challenge in Novemberelections after an audio recording was leaked of her comparing gays toterrorists and telling fellow Republicans the "homosexual agenda isdestroying this nation." The recording and accompanying YouTube video havesparked outrage from many, but Kern defended her words, telling the press:"What I'm saying, I believe in." The Demcratic party has announced that RonMarlett, a 59-year-old social worker, will challenge Kern for the OklahomaCity seat.
click here for the full article
-INTERVIEW: Basketball's stereotype-busting gay icon
There can be no better introduction to the conversation of John Amaechi thanto relay his thoughts on the American press and basketball-loving public'sreaction to the revelation that this giant of the game is gay. "I knew itwould be fuss-worthy, especially in America. But it's very weird reallybecause over here if you didn't know you just weren't paying attention."
Amaechi is one of a handful of British players to have reached the heightsof the US National Basketball Association.
click here for the full article
-Socialist candidate for Mayor to attend Stonewall hustings
Lindsey German has confirmed that she will join other candidates for Mayorof London at a gay hustings event next month. The Respect - The Left Listcandidate will appear alongside incumbent Mayor Ken Livingstone, Torycandidate Boris Johnson, Lib Dem Brian Paddick and Green party candidateSian Berry at the event at BFI Southbank on Saturday 19th April. TheStonewall hustings will be the last before Londoners go to the polls on May1st.
click here for the full article
-Cardinal attacks new rights for gay parents
The controversial Easter message from the leader of Scotland's RomanCatholic church contained an attack on new rights for lesbian and gayparents. Press coverage has concentrated on Cardinal Keith O'Brien's claimsthat the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill will create"Frankenstein-like" human-animal hybrid embryos, a charge rejected by thegovernment and scientists. During his speech on Sunday the Cardinal accusedPrime Minister Gordon Brown of: "promoting a bill which denies that a childhas a biological father."
click here for the full article
-Downing St protest over gay asylum seekers
More than 120 people took to the streets of London last Saturday tohighlight the plight of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people who seek asylum inthe UK. OutRage!, the National Union of Students and the Middle EastWorkers' Solidarity took part in the protest opposite Downing St. Theydemanded that Mehdi Kazemi, a gay Iranian teenager who faces deportation tohis homeland and possible execution because of his sexuality, be allowed tostay in the UK.
click here for the full article
-Cameron warns Catholics over embryology debate
The Leader of the Opposition has said that critics of new legislation shouldbe careful not to "overstate" its impact. David Cameron's comments followan Easter weekend full of claim and counter-claim about the creation of"animal-human hybrids" as a result of the Human Fertilisation and EmbryologyBill. On Easter Sunday the leader of Scotland's Roman Catholics attackedthe Prime Minister and made lurid claims that the new legislation"comprehensively attacks the sanctity and dignity of human life than thisparticular bill."
click here for the full article
-SNP campaign against gay deportation to Syria
Scotland's governing party has taken up the case of a gay Syrian who claimshe will be tortured and maybe even executed if returned to his home country.
Jojo Jako Yakob is claiming asylum in the UK on the grounds of his sexualorientation and had pleaded with the Home Office to reverse a deportationorder. Pete Wishart MP, the SNP's Home Affairs spokesman, has taken up hiscase at Westminster.
click here for the full article
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GLAAD's "The Best and Worst of National News"
-THE BEST
ABC News' Nightline Presents In-Depth Feature About Transgender ExecutiveMedia coverage of transgender issues can too often be plagued bysensationalism and inaccuracy.
Laudably, ABC News' Nightline avoided both in an in-depth March 6 reportabout transgender Microsoft executive Megan Wallent. The story, titled "AStunning Secret," sensitively discussed why Wallent decided to transition inmid-life and how that decision affected her wife, children and colleagues.
While the story honestly acknowledged the difficulties Wallent and her wifefaced during her transition, ABC News reporter Neal Karlinsky explained thatWallent received more acceptance and support from her loved ones andco-workers than expected. The story concluded with the encouraging messagethat, regardless of where they are in life, people need to acknowledge andbe open about who they are. "...we always try to tell our kids, you have tobe true to yourself," Wallent explained. "You have to be who you are. Youhave to be honest with yourself.â?
READ RELATED ARTICLE:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4394493=1
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact ABC News' Nightline and thank them forsensitively chronicling the life of a transgender person.
CONTACT:
http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3428117
-Los Angeles Times Discusses the Impact of Marriage on Gay and LesbianFamilies
With the California Supreme Court currently considering theconstitutionality of a ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples, themedia could easily discuss the issue of marriage as an abstract concept. TheLos Angeles Times instead spotlighted the real-life impact of marriage onseveral same-sex couples whose 2004 nuptials in San Francisco wereinvalidated. In the March 6 article "Same-sex union--it's personal,"reporter Mary Engel conducted extensive interviews to reveal how the briefexperience of marriage emotionally affected these couples before theCalifornia Supreme Court voided their marriage licenses. "It was likestanding there being showered with love and acceptance," said Torie Osbornabout her marriage ceremony in San Francisco. "And what I learned was that awedding--this ancient rite of passage into this institution of marriageâ?"ismore than symbolism. It's more than legal rights. It's a shared communalexperience. We crossed a line into a circle of recognition we didn't evenknow that we weren't in before."
READ ARTICLE:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marriage6mar06,1,2808938.story
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Mary Engel and the Los Angeles Times tothank them for bringing a human face to the issue of marriage equality .
CONTACT:
mary.engel@latimes.com
letters@latimes.com
-Los Angeles Times Addresses Anti-Gay Violence In Schools After LawrenceKing's Tragic Murder
Since openly gay junior high school student Lawrence King was fatally shotby a classmate on Feb. 12 in an apparent hate crime, the Los Angeles Timeshas published an exemplary series of articles about the murder and thelarger issue of anti-gay violence and bullying in schools. Most recently,reporters Paul Pringle and Catherine Saillant powerfully recounted theattempts of King--who lived in a shelter for abused and neglectedchildren--to find a welcoming and safe place in his Oxnard, Californiamiddle school. Their March 8 article "A deadly clash of emotions beforeOxnard shooting" revealed the incessant harassment King received from hisschoolmates for being openly gay and questioned whether more could have beendone by school authorities to prevent his death. At the same time, Pringleand Saillant sensitively informed readers about the troubled upbringings ofboth King and his alleged killer. The article raised disturbing andimportant questions about the current capacity of schools to offer supportand safety for LGBT students and to intervene in the lives of at-risk youth.
READ ARTICLE:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oxnard8mar08,0,5574063.story
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Paul Pringle, Catherine Saillant and the LosAngeles Times to thank them for sharing Lawrence King's tragic story andraising vital questions about the ability of schools to prevent anti-gaybullying and violence.
CONTACT:
paul.pringle@latimes.com
catherine.saillant@latimes.com
letters@latimes.com
-The New York Times Explores Climate of Anti-Gay Violence in Jamaica
In recent years, media have discussed the attacks on gay tourists in Jamaicaas well as the persistence of anti-gay lyrics in some Jamaican dancehallsongs. New York Times reporter Marc Lacey recently went one step further bytraveling to Mandeville, Jamaica to inform readers about recent instances ofanti-gay violence and intimidation in the island nation. In his Feb. 24rticle "Attacks Show Easygoing Jamaica Is Dire Place for Gays," Laceyrevealed that recent brutal assaults on gay people are part of the country'slong history of anti-gay oppression and violence. "One [attack] may be anisolated incident," said Rebecca Schleifer of Human Rights Watch. "When theyhappen on a repeated basis across the country, it is an urgent problem thatdeserves attention at the highest levels." Illustrating the gravity of theproblem, Lacey recounted disquieting stories about a Mandeville policeofficer who now fears being killed after coming out in a local newspaper andabout a mob of people who violently sought to disrupt the funeral of a gayperson. Noting that governmental and religious authorities often perpetuateanti-gay hostility, Lacey's article presented readers with the soberingreality that a daunting amount of work must be done before gay people canlive openly and safely in Jamaica.
READ ARTICLE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/world/americas/24jamaica.html
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Marc Lacey and The New York Times to thankthem for educating readers about the ongoing problem of anti-gay violenceand oppression in Jamaica.
CONTACT:
letters@nytimes.com
THE WORST
-Fox News Continues to Present Derisive Coverage of Transgender People
In a disappointing contrast to Nightline's in-depth and objective coverageof transgender executive Megan Wallent, Fox News coverage continues todiscuss transgender lives only in a dismissive and sensational manner. Themost recent example of the news network's derisive coverage occurred on theFeb. 28 episode of The O'Reilly Factor. During the show, host Bill O'Reillyjoined contributor Laura Ingraham in criticizing a Colorado school districtfor its acceptance of an 8-year-old transgender student. Beyond beinguninformed about the facts of the Colorado case, both O'Reilly and Ingrahamshowed a derisive attitude toward transgender people. This is only thelatest instance of Fox News commentators preferring sensationalism oversubstance when covering transgender issues. On Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, hostNeil Cavuto of Fox News' Your World also discussed the Colorado story byexpressing disdain for the school district's willingness to create a safeand inclusive environment for all its students. And, on Feb. 8, LauraIngraham asserted that a transgender conference was â?okilling ourcultureâ? while guest-hosting The O'Reilly Factor. It is unfortunate that anews network that prides itself as being "fair and balanced" continues topresent inequitable and mean-spirited coverage of transgender people.
READ TRANSCRIPT:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334008,00.html
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Fox News and The O'Reilly Factor to live upto professional journalistic standards and avoid sensational, derisivecoverage of transgender people.
CONTACT:
oreilly@foxnews.com
-Washington Post Column Dismisses Inclusive Children's Book as Propaganda
In recent years, the children's book "And Tango Makes Three"-- which tellsthe true story of two male penguins who raised a penguin chick, has facedconsiderable opposition across the country. Co-authored by playwright PeterParnell and psychiatry professor Justin Richardson, the 2005 book receivedrecognition as an American Library Association Notable Children's Book.However, some parents and administrators have sought to remove the book fromschool libraries because it presents an affirming message about same-sexparents.
After the Loudoun County, Virginia school superintendent recently pulled thebook from school library shelves for this reason, The Washington Postfeatured a March 2 column by blogger and author Barbara Curtis that arguedthat schoolchildren should be guarded from books like "And Tango MakesThree" because they are nothing more than â?opropaganda.â? Unfortunately,Curtis dismissed the book as "meaningless" without displaying any knowledgeabout its content or about readers' responses to it. Instead, Curtis lifteda previous quote by the author of an unrelated children's book to allegethat all books like "And Tango Makes Three" were written "simply forindoctrination purposes." It is disappointing that The Washington Postpublished an article dismissing "And Tango Makes Three" by an author whorevealed a startling lack of familiarity with the book and its effect onreaders.
READ ARTICLE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022904159.html
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Barbara Curtis and The Washington Post tourge them to display knowledge about inclusive children's literature beforecategorically dismissing it
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Two GLBT Democratic Delegates selected
One pledged to Clinton and one to Obama
On March 15, the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Democratic Party metin Nashville to complete selection of the state's delegation to theDemocratic National Convention in Denver. The meeting was postponed fromMarch 8, due to inclement weather in the Nashville area that day.
http://outandaboutnewspaper.com/article.php?id=2490
-Abby: Parents' prejudice leads to son's suicide
DEAR ABBY: I am struggling with the question of whether to reveal aconfidence made more than two years ago. My boyfriend at the time, "Jerry,"revealed to me that he was gay. We remained friends, but I started datingsomeone else. Jerry never confided his secret to anyone else and, eventually feeling overcome with depression, took his own life. Jerry told me more than oncethat he knew how his parents would feel if he told them he was gay. He sawthe way they snickered when they saw a gay couple. They made it very clearto him that they didn't think it was normal. Jerry was sure, seeing the wayhis parents viewed gay people, that this was how he, too, would be viewed.
His parents are now blaming me for Jerry taking his own life. They say itwas because we broke up. Would it be selfish of me to tell them the truth -that THEY are the real reason? Or should I continue to keep his secret? -
His Best Friend, Rochester, N.Y.
DEAR BEST FRIEND: You should reveal that your friend told you he was gay andwas worried about how his parents would accept it. However, when you tellthem, do not expect them to believe you. It will be far easier for them tocontinue pointing the finger at you than to accept that they had a role intheir son's suicide.
http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/544254.html
-FBI Probed Gays Over Hoax Threats Against Falwell, Claims ChristianPublication
Seemingly a propos of nothing, a Christian news service reports that 25years ago the FBI looked into reports that the GLBT community might have itin for Falwell. By the way, the Feds decided there was nothing to thoserumors.
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=72073
-Don't Believe Iranian Propaganda on Gays, Urges Gay HumanistsGovernment's "no evidence" claim slammed
LONDON, March 24, 2008 - The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA)has demanded that the Government clarify its approach to the deportation ofgay people to Iran after a spokesman in the House of Lords claimed there wasno evidence that gays were being executed because of their sexuality.
http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/08/Mar/2402.htm
-An open door: Gay Dominicans seek more visibility
It was a balmy Friday night late last month as hundreds of gay men, lesbiansand transgender people gathered in Parque Duarte in the heart of SantoDomingo's Colonial Zone to meet friends, drink and even cruise. A handful of"bugarrones" or male prostitutes discreetly worked the crowd, but Ariel, a25-year-old from the northern city of Santiago, described the park as ahaven of sorts for the capital's LGBT residents.
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=features&sc3=&id=71830
-BBC: Teachers reject 'Army propaganda'
Teachers have voted to oppose military recruitment activities in schools ifthey employ "misleading propaganda".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7311917.stm
-Sea levels rising too fast for Thames Barrier
A fear that sea levels will rise far faster than predicted this century hasled to a revision of the plan to protect London from a devastating floodcaused by the sort of storm surge in the North Sea that resulted in theclosure of the Thames Barrier yesterday.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/sea-levels-rising-too-fast-for-thames-barrier-799303.html
-Rev. Wright, Obama and me
It's time to inject a bit of sanity into the discussion of the video clipsof Barack Obama's pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright that surfaced 10 days ago.
After struggling with how to put Reverend Wright's moments of hate anddivisiveness into context, I decided that the only way to judge this man wasto put myself in his shoes. I certainly wouldn't want to be judged by themost outrageous two minutes of utterances in my career.
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2008/03/rev-wright-obam.html
-Colbert Reminds Us of McCain's Embrace of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell
[VIDEO] Stephen covers the double standard which the media has given a black pastor,
by ironically labeling him as an anti-American racist, while giving hatefulbigots like Robertson and Falwell a free pass to say much worse. After 9/11,Reverend Wright correctly recognized that we were experiencing blowback fromthe terrorism our government had previously committed in the Middle East.
Robertson and Falwell however, placed the blame on American citizens(specifically Feminists, Pagans, the ACLU, and anyone who's ever watchedWill & Grace).
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/80456/
-Nigerian Gay Rights Leader Narrowly Escapes Brutal Attack
UK Gay News is reporting that an unnamed Nigerian gay rights leader narrowlyescaped being killed in a mob attack during a funeral for the sister ofDavis Mac-Iyalla, a leader of Changing Attitudes Nigeria (CAN). The unnamedvictim of the attack recounted what happened on the CAN web site:
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/03/22/1678
-London Supporters of Gay Iranian Teen Stage Downing St Protest
London supporters of gay Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi staged the demonstrationoutside Prime Minister Gordon Brown's residence at 10 Downing Street Iposted about on Friday. These photographs of the protestors were shot by UKblogger Cosmodaddy.
http://www.towleroad.com/2008/03/london-supporte.html
-It's Self-Defense, Stupid
On Tuesday, unbeknownst to itself, the Supreme Court will hear arguments ina gay-rights case. To most people, admittedly, District of Columbia v.Heller is a gun-rights case. In fact, it's the most important gun-rightscase in decades, one that may cast a shadow for decades to come. But to gayAmericans, and other minorities often targeted with violence, Heller isabout civil rights, not shooting clubs.
http://www.indegayforum.org/news/show/31482.html
-A Young Man Fights Back Against The Christian Counselor He's Sent To By HisParents
Parents Had Found Counselor Through 'Focus On The Family' Referral
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/03/24/1693
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-'Boys Don't Cry' Director Turns Her Lens on What It Means to Be a SoldierLOS ANGELES -- Don't try to tell director Kim Peirce that her new movie"Stop-Loss" is about the Iraq war. "It's not," she says. Case closed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032403252.html
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Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Fox Refuses To Pay FCC Indecency Fine
In an unusually aggressive step, Fox Broadcasting yesterday refused to pay a$91,000 indecency fine levied by the Federal Communications Commission foran episode of a long-canceled reality television show, even as the networkfights two other indecency fines in the Supreme Court.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032402969.html?hpid=moreheadlines
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Army allows gay Palestinian to reunite with Israeli lover
Young Jenin man seeking to move to Israel to live with Tel Avivian partnergranted special permit by IDF after claiming his life at risk in PA
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Social worker says he will oppose Sally Kern in fall elections
Says extremists share Kern's views
A 59-year-old social worker says he plans to run against an Oklahomalawmaker whose anti-gay remarks have provoked calls for her resignation.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17325
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Clinton Steps Back From Sniper Fire Claim
(Washington) Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign said she "misspoke" last weekwhen saying she had landed under sniper fire during a trip to Bosnia asfirst lady in March 1996.
-Obama Seduced By A Virgin
(Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands) Democratic presidential candidate Sen.Barack Obama is spending some down time in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
-Group Behind Ban On Gay Adoptions Begs For Cash
(Little Rock, Arkansas) An umbrella group of social conservatives trying togather enough signatures to force a referendum that could ban couples whoare not married from adopting children in Arkansas has launched a desperateappeal for money.
-NY Rangers Accused Of Not Doing Enough To Silence Homophobic Fans
(New York City) Gay New York hockey fans are pressing the Rangers for ameeting over what is described as repeated homophobic outbursts by fansattending games at Madison Square Garden.
-National Conference To Address Gay Black Concerns
(Washington) Hundreds of LGBT African Americans will meet in Baltimore nextmonth in the first ever conference aimed at empowerment.
-Ala. Inmates With HIV Barred From Work
(Montgomery, Alabama) Prison inmate Kathryn Canty seems like a primecandidate for work release: good behavior, less than three years left toserve, and an accounting degree along with vocational training.
-Landlord Shutters Nepal AIDS Hospice
(Katmandu) Katmandu's only hospice for gay men with HIV/AIDS has closedafter neighbors mounted a campaign against its landlord for allowing thehospice to open in the area.
-Company Cancels Domestic Partner Health Insurance For 9/11 Survivor
(Boise, Idaho) Robert Ryan was one of the lucky ones, escaping the WorldTrade Center on 9/11 with his life. But he continues to suffer from mentaland physical problems that require regular medical care and expensivemedications.
-Murder Suicide Rocks Palm Beach Gay Community
(West Palm Beach, Florida) The deaths of a popular gay bar owner and hisboyfriend have been determined to be a murder suicide according to police inWest Palm Beach.
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Austin: Anti-Gay Comments Cost Police Commander His Job
A veteran police commander has been suspended for 20 days for demonstrating"personal bias" toward gay officers and a second commander who did notreport the remark and then refused to take a suspension for it has beenfired.
-EarthThunder: Medicine Woman Working For Our Planet
By Patricia Nell Warren
Like many Americans, I have some First Nation ancestry braided with theEuropean ancestry in my family roots. When I connected with a few tribalcousins, I started hearing stories about family groups back in the 1800s whohad never surrendered to the U.S. Army. Instead they slipped off into thewildest, most rugged regions of the West. For several generations, the WildOnes managed to stay hidden -- never leaving a trace for hikers or forestrangers to find, keeping fires tiny and only lit at night. By the 1930s,logging and recreational development of public lands was making it harder tokeep their secret. Yet a few families held on till the 1950s.
-Repealing Gay-Rights Laws Would Have Chilling Effect
Oregon voters may well face two issues this fall that many people probablythink were resolved some time ago: the state's new anti-discrimination anddomestic-partner laws. Although some are trying to characterize thosepotential ballot measures as solely "moral issues," both undoubtedly haveeconomic implications that voters would be well advised to consider.
-Bill Clinton Defends His Gay Marriage Legacy
The students at MTVU sat down with Bill Clinton to discuss Hillary Clinton'scampaign, the Clintons' stance on gay marriage and why Bill Clintonintroduced the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) while he was in office.
Talking about Melissa Etheridge's comment about the Clintons "throwing thegay community under a bus" when introducing DOMA, Bill Clinton said:
-Boston: Locals Sound Off On Being Gay and Jewish
Jews from the GLBT community face the challenge of fitting in with thelarger Jewish community as they come to terms with--and live--their sexualidentities. The experience of being a minority within a minority poses itsown set of problems. The huge gap that exists between religion and sexualityaffects not only GLBT Jews, but sometimes their families
-AIDS Vaccine Testing on Humans Halted Because of Risk
Once again, the grim statistics: 12,000 new cases of HIV are diagnosed everyday -- more than 25 million people have already died from AIDS. But the goodnews is that many more, approximately 40 million people, are still livingwith HIV.
-Black LGBT Conference Strives to Make a Difference
The Black LGBT community is about to take center stage next month inBaltimore as several hundred Black LGBT, their straight allies, family andfriends will gather along with over 50 national experts spanning 35workshops, panel discussions, Q&As and receptions at the National BlackJustice Coalition's Power of Us Conference in Baltimore, April 24-25-26,2008.
-An Open Door: Gay Dominicans Seek More Visibility
It was a balmy Friday night late last month as hundreds of gay men, lesbiansand transgender people gathered in Parque Duarte in the heart of SantoDomingo's Colonial Zone to meet friends, drink and even cruise. A handful of"bugarrones" or male prostitutes discreetly worked the crowd, but Ariel, a25-year-old from the northern city of Santiago, described the park as ahaven of sorts for the capital's LGBT residents.
-Teachers Vote to Send Delegation to Confront Homophobia in Jamaica
The National Union of Teachers Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and TransgenderCommittee won a major victory today when the annual NUT Conference agreed tosend a delegation of teachers to support anti-homophobia groups in Jamaica.
Conference also voted to have a meeting with the General Secretary SteveSinnott to discuss the situation in countries where LGBT people are inconstant danger; and to demand that the Union work with other internationalequality groups to remind them of their obligations to LGBT people.
-The L Word vs. Reality
Recently I ran across a posting in the personals of craigslist.org from awoman in a small town that went something like this, "Please help meconvince my girlfriend that Los Angeles is not like The L Word. Shefantasizes that lesbians in West Hollywood are really like the characters onthe show, and she's leaving me for this make-believe world."
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Mass. Law Would Benefit Gay Discharged Soldiers
Military veterans discharged under the Pentagon's ban on openly gay andlesbian service members may receive benefits through the state under a billbeing considered by the Massachusetts state senate.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid52905.asp
-Alabama Only State to Bar HIV-Positive Inmates From Work Release
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid52915.asp
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
- Hartford, CT: Several pieces of legislation fell by the wayside yesterdayas the Judiciary Committee scrambled to pass more than 100 bills andresolutions before a 5 p.m. deadline.
But two high-profile proposals involving gun control and civil unionsreceived the ax over the weekend when committee members met to craftyesterday's agenda.
-Remember back when MTV asked Bill Clinton such frivolous questions like"boxers or briefs"? Well, that was then and this is now. As Bill Clintoncampaigns on behalf of Hillary, young audiences are still challenging theformer President, but on more weighty matters, such as the Clinton politicallegacy. The students over at MTVU sat down with Bill to talk about thiscurrent campaign, the Clinton Global Initiative and that comment MelissaEtheridge made about the Clintons "throwing the gay community under a bus."
Yep, they're not playing.
-An umbrella group of social conservatives trying to gather enoughsignatures to force a referendum that could ban couples who are not marriedfrom adopting children in Arkansas has launched a desperate appeal formoney. The Family Council Action Committee has sent out an email tosupporters urging them to send what they can.
-Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), speaking to rally attendees in Medford, Oregonon Saturday, took issue with how recent political campaigns have used wedgeissues to divide the electorate, but have ultimately done little to make areal difference, especially when there are more important things to worryabout. "I mean, think about what these last few election cycles have beenabout," the Senator said. "We argue about immigration, but we don't try tosolve the immigration problem. It's an argument that is all about people'spassions instead of trying to figure it out.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Democrats plan to topple homophobic politician
Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern will face a challenge in Novemberelections after an audio recording was leaked of her comparing gays toterrorists and telling fellow Republicans the "homosexual agenda isdestroying this nation." The recording and accompanying YouTube video havesparked outrage from many, but Kern defended her words, telling the press:"What I'm saying, I believe in." The Demcratic party has announced that RonMarlett, a 59-year-old social worker, will challenge Kern for the OklahomaCity seat.
click here for the full article
-INTERVIEW: Basketball's stereotype-busting gay icon
There can be no better introduction to the conversation of John Amaechi thanto relay his thoughts on the American press and basketball-loving public'sreaction to the revelation that this giant of the game is gay. "I knew itwould be fuss-worthy, especially in America. But it's very weird reallybecause over here if you didn't know you just weren't paying attention."
Amaechi is one of a handful of British players to have reached the heightsof the US National Basketball Association.
click here for the full article
-Socialist candidate for Mayor to attend Stonewall hustings
Lindsey German has confirmed that she will join other candidates for Mayorof London at a gay hustings event next month. The Respect - The Left Listcandidate will appear alongside incumbent Mayor Ken Livingstone, Torycandidate Boris Johnson, Lib Dem Brian Paddick and Green party candidateSian Berry at the event at BFI Southbank on Saturday 19th April. TheStonewall hustings will be the last before Londoners go to the polls on May1st.
click here for the full article
-Cardinal attacks new rights for gay parents
The controversial Easter message from the leader of Scotland's RomanCatholic church contained an attack on new rights for lesbian and gayparents. Press coverage has concentrated on Cardinal Keith O'Brien's claimsthat the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill will create"Frankenstein-like" human-animal hybrid embryos, a charge rejected by thegovernment and scientists. During his speech on Sunday the Cardinal accusedPrime Minister Gordon Brown of: "promoting a bill which denies that a childhas a biological father."
click here for the full article
-Downing St protest over gay asylum seekers
More than 120 people took to the streets of London last Saturday tohighlight the plight of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people who seek asylum inthe UK. OutRage!, the National Union of Students and the Middle EastWorkers' Solidarity took part in the protest opposite Downing St. Theydemanded that Mehdi Kazemi, a gay Iranian teenager who faces deportation tohis homeland and possible execution because of his sexuality, be allowed tostay in the UK.
click here for the full article
-Cameron warns Catholics over embryology debate
The Leader of the Opposition has said that critics of new legislation shouldbe careful not to "overstate" its impact. David Cameron's comments followan Easter weekend full of claim and counter-claim about the creation of"animal-human hybrids" as a result of the Human Fertilisation and EmbryologyBill. On Easter Sunday the leader of Scotland's Roman Catholics attackedthe Prime Minister and made lurid claims that the new legislation"comprehensively attacks the sanctity and dignity of human life than thisparticular bill."
click here for the full article
-SNP campaign against gay deportation to Syria
Scotland's governing party has taken up the case of a gay Syrian who claimshe will be tortured and maybe even executed if returned to his home country.
Jojo Jako Yakob is claiming asylum in the UK on the grounds of his sexualorientation and had pleaded with the Home Office to reverse a deportationorder. Pete Wishart MP, the SNP's Home Affairs spokesman, has taken up hiscase at Westminster.
click here for the full article
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GLAAD's "The Best and Worst of National News"
-THE BEST
ABC News' Nightline Presents In-Depth Feature About Transgender ExecutiveMedia coverage of transgender issues can too often be plagued bysensationalism and inaccuracy.
Laudably, ABC News' Nightline avoided both in an in-depth March 6 reportabout transgender Microsoft executive Megan Wallent. The story, titled "AStunning Secret," sensitively discussed why Wallent decided to transition inmid-life and how that decision affected her wife, children and colleagues.
While the story honestly acknowledged the difficulties Wallent and her wifefaced during her transition, ABC News reporter Neal Karlinsky explained thatWallent received more acceptance and support from her loved ones andco-workers than expected. The story concluded with the encouraging messagethat, regardless of where they are in life, people need to acknowledge andbe open about who they are. "...we always try to tell our kids, you have tobe true to yourself," Wallent explained. "You have to be who you are. Youhave to be honest with yourself.â?
READ RELATED ARTICLE:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4394493=1
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact ABC News' Nightline and thank them forsensitively chronicling the life of a transgender person.
CONTACT:
http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3428117
-Los Angeles Times Discusses the Impact of Marriage on Gay and LesbianFamilies
With the California Supreme Court currently considering theconstitutionality of a ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples, themedia could easily discuss the issue of marriage as an abstract concept. TheLos Angeles Times instead spotlighted the real-life impact of marriage onseveral same-sex couples whose 2004 nuptials in San Francisco wereinvalidated. In the March 6 article "Same-sex union--it's personal,"reporter Mary Engel conducted extensive interviews to reveal how the briefexperience of marriage emotionally affected these couples before theCalifornia Supreme Court voided their marriage licenses. "It was likestanding there being showered with love and acceptance," said Torie Osbornabout her marriage ceremony in San Francisco. "And what I learned was that awedding--this ancient rite of passage into this institution of marriageâ?"ismore than symbolism. It's more than legal rights. It's a shared communalexperience. We crossed a line into a circle of recognition we didn't evenknow that we weren't in before."
READ ARTICLE:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-marriage6mar06,1,2808938.story
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Mary Engel and the Los Angeles Times tothank them for bringing a human face to the issue of marriage equality .
CONTACT:
mary.engel@latimes.com
letters@latimes.com
-Los Angeles Times Addresses Anti-Gay Violence In Schools After LawrenceKing's Tragic Murder
Since openly gay junior high school student Lawrence King was fatally shotby a classmate on Feb. 12 in an apparent hate crime, the Los Angeles Timeshas published an exemplary series of articles about the murder and thelarger issue of anti-gay violence and bullying in schools. Most recently,reporters Paul Pringle and Catherine Saillant powerfully recounted theattempts of King--who lived in a shelter for abused and neglectedchildren--to find a welcoming and safe place in his Oxnard, Californiamiddle school. Their March 8 article "A deadly clash of emotions beforeOxnard shooting" revealed the incessant harassment King received from hisschoolmates for being openly gay and questioned whether more could have beendone by school authorities to prevent his death. At the same time, Pringleand Saillant sensitively informed readers about the troubled upbringings ofboth King and his alleged killer. The article raised disturbing andimportant questions about the current capacity of schools to offer supportand safety for LGBT students and to intervene in the lives of at-risk youth.
READ ARTICLE:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oxnard8mar08,0,5574063.story
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Paul Pringle, Catherine Saillant and the LosAngeles Times to thank them for sharing Lawrence King's tragic story andraising vital questions about the ability of schools to prevent anti-gaybullying and violence.
CONTACT:
paul.pringle@latimes.com
catherine.saillant@latimes.com
letters@latimes.com
-The New York Times Explores Climate of Anti-Gay Violence in Jamaica
In recent years, media have discussed the attacks on gay tourists in Jamaicaas well as the persistence of anti-gay lyrics in some Jamaican dancehallsongs. New York Times reporter Marc Lacey recently went one step further bytraveling to Mandeville, Jamaica to inform readers about recent instances ofanti-gay violence and intimidation in the island nation. In his Feb. 24rticle "Attacks Show Easygoing Jamaica Is Dire Place for Gays," Laceyrevealed that recent brutal assaults on gay people are part of the country'slong history of anti-gay oppression and violence. "One [attack] may be anisolated incident," said Rebecca Schleifer of Human Rights Watch. "When theyhappen on a repeated basis across the country, it is an urgent problem thatdeserves attention at the highest levels." Illustrating the gravity of theproblem, Lacey recounted disquieting stories about a Mandeville policeofficer who now fears being killed after coming out in a local newspaper andabout a mob of people who violently sought to disrupt the funeral of a gayperson. Noting that governmental and religious authorities often perpetuateanti-gay hostility, Lacey's article presented readers with the soberingreality that a daunting amount of work must be done before gay people canlive openly and safely in Jamaica.
READ ARTICLE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/world/americas/24jamaica.html
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Marc Lacey and The New York Times to thankthem for educating readers about the ongoing problem of anti-gay violenceand oppression in Jamaica.
CONTACT:
letters@nytimes.com
THE WORST
-Fox News Continues to Present Derisive Coverage of Transgender People
In a disappointing contrast to Nightline's in-depth and objective coverageof transgender executive Megan Wallent, Fox News coverage continues todiscuss transgender lives only in a dismissive and sensational manner. Themost recent example of the news network's derisive coverage occurred on theFeb. 28 episode of The O'Reilly Factor. During the show, host Bill O'Reillyjoined contributor Laura Ingraham in criticizing a Colorado school districtfor its acceptance of an 8-year-old transgender student. Beyond beinguninformed about the facts of the Colorado case, both O'Reilly and Ingrahamshowed a derisive attitude toward transgender people. This is only thelatest instance of Fox News commentators preferring sensationalism oversubstance when covering transgender issues. On Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, hostNeil Cavuto of Fox News' Your World also discussed the Colorado story byexpressing disdain for the school district's willingness to create a safeand inclusive environment for all its students. And, on Feb. 8, LauraIngraham asserted that a transgender conference was â?okilling ourcultureâ? while guest-hosting The O'Reilly Factor. It is unfortunate that anews network that prides itself as being "fair and balanced" continues topresent inequitable and mean-spirited coverage of transgender people.
READ TRANSCRIPT:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334008,00.html
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Fox News and The O'Reilly Factor to live upto professional journalistic standards and avoid sensational, derisivecoverage of transgender people.
CONTACT:
oreilly@foxnews.com
-Washington Post Column Dismisses Inclusive Children's Book as Propaganda
In recent years, the children's book "And Tango Makes Three"-- which tellsthe true story of two male penguins who raised a penguin chick, has facedconsiderable opposition across the country. Co-authored by playwright PeterParnell and psychiatry professor Justin Richardson, the 2005 book receivedrecognition as an American Library Association Notable Children's Book.However, some parents and administrators have sought to remove the book fromschool libraries because it presents an affirming message about same-sexparents.
After the Loudoun County, Virginia school superintendent recently pulled thebook from school library shelves for this reason, The Washington Postfeatured a March 2 column by blogger and author Barbara Curtis that arguedthat schoolchildren should be guarded from books like "And Tango MakesThree" because they are nothing more than â?opropaganda.â? Unfortunately,Curtis dismissed the book as "meaningless" without displaying any knowledgeabout its content or about readers' responses to it. Instead, Curtis lifteda previous quote by the author of an unrelated children's book to allegethat all books like "And Tango Makes Three" were written "simply forindoctrination purposes." It is disappointing that The Washington Postpublished an article dismissing "And Tango Makes Three" by an author whorevealed a startling lack of familiarity with the book and its effect onreaders.
READ ARTICLE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022904159.html
TAKE ACTION:
GLAAD encourages you to contact Barbara Curtis and The Washington Post tourge them to display knowledge about inclusive children's literature beforecategorically dismissing it
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Two GLBT Democratic Delegates selected
One pledged to Clinton and one to Obama
On March 15, the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Democratic Party metin Nashville to complete selection of the state's delegation to theDemocratic National Convention in Denver. The meeting was postponed fromMarch 8, due to inclement weather in the Nashville area that day.
http://outandaboutnewspaper.com/article.php?id=2490
-Abby: Parents' prejudice leads to son's suicide
DEAR ABBY: I am struggling with the question of whether to reveal aconfidence made more than two years ago. My boyfriend at the time, "Jerry,"revealed to me that he was gay. We remained friends, but I started datingsomeone else. Jerry never confided his secret to anyone else and, eventually feeling overcome with depression, took his own life. Jerry told me more than oncethat he knew how his parents would feel if he told them he was gay. He sawthe way they snickered when they saw a gay couple. They made it very clearto him that they didn't think it was normal. Jerry was sure, seeing the wayhis parents viewed gay people, that this was how he, too, would be viewed.
His parents are now blaming me for Jerry taking his own life. They say itwas because we broke up. Would it be selfish of me to tell them the truth -that THEY are the real reason? Or should I continue to keep his secret? -
His Best Friend, Rochester, N.Y.
DEAR BEST FRIEND: You should reveal that your friend told you he was gay andwas worried about how his parents would accept it. However, when you tellthem, do not expect them to believe you. It will be far easier for them tocontinue pointing the finger at you than to accept that they had a role intheir son's suicide.
http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/544254.html
-FBI Probed Gays Over Hoax Threats Against Falwell, Claims ChristianPublication
Seemingly a propos of nothing, a Christian news service reports that 25years ago the FBI looked into reports that the GLBT community might have itin for Falwell. By the way, the Feds decided there was nothing to thoserumors.
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=72073
-Don't Believe Iranian Propaganda on Gays, Urges Gay HumanistsGovernment's "no evidence" claim slammed
LONDON, March 24, 2008 - The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA)has demanded that the Government clarify its approach to the deportation ofgay people to Iran after a spokesman in the House of Lords claimed there wasno evidence that gays were being executed because of their sexuality.
http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/08/Mar/2402.htm
-An open door: Gay Dominicans seek more visibility
It was a balmy Friday night late last month as hundreds of gay men, lesbiansand transgender people gathered in Parque Duarte in the heart of SantoDomingo's Colonial Zone to meet friends, drink and even cruise. A handful of"bugarrones" or male prostitutes discreetly worked the crowd, but Ariel, a25-year-old from the northern city of Santiago, described the park as ahaven of sorts for the capital's LGBT residents.
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=features&sc3=&id=71830
-BBC: Teachers reject 'Army propaganda'
Teachers have voted to oppose military recruitment activities in schools ifthey employ "misleading propaganda".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7311917.stm
-Sea levels rising too fast for Thames Barrier
A fear that sea levels will rise far faster than predicted this century hasled to a revision of the plan to protect London from a devastating floodcaused by the sort of storm surge in the North Sea that resulted in theclosure of the Thames Barrier yesterday.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/sea-levels-rising-too-fast-for-thames-barrier-799303.html
-Rev. Wright, Obama and me
It's time to inject a bit of sanity into the discussion of the video clipsof Barack Obama's pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright that surfaced 10 days ago.
After struggling with how to put Reverend Wright's moments of hate anddivisiveness into context, I decided that the only way to judge this man wasto put myself in his shoes. I certainly wouldn't want to be judged by themost outrageous two minutes of utterances in my career.
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2008/03/rev-wright-obam.html
-Colbert Reminds Us of McCain's Embrace of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell
[VIDEO] Stephen covers the double standard which the media has given a black pastor,
by ironically labeling him as an anti-American racist, while giving hatefulbigots like Robertson and Falwell a free pass to say much worse. After 9/11,Reverend Wright correctly recognized that we were experiencing blowback fromthe terrorism our government had previously committed in the Middle East.
Robertson and Falwell however, placed the blame on American citizens(specifically Feminists, Pagans, the ACLU, and anyone who's ever watchedWill & Grace).
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/80456/
-Nigerian Gay Rights Leader Narrowly Escapes Brutal Attack
UK Gay News is reporting that an unnamed Nigerian gay rights leader narrowlyescaped being killed in a mob attack during a funeral for the sister ofDavis Mac-Iyalla, a leader of Changing Attitudes Nigeria (CAN). The unnamedvictim of the attack recounted what happened on the CAN web site:
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/03/22/1678
-London Supporters of Gay Iranian Teen Stage Downing St Protest
London supporters of gay Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi staged the demonstrationoutside Prime Minister Gordon Brown's residence at 10 Downing Street Iposted about on Friday. These photographs of the protestors were shot by UKblogger Cosmodaddy.
http://www.towleroad.com/2008/03/london-supporte.html
-It's Self-Defense, Stupid
On Tuesday, unbeknownst to itself, the Supreme Court will hear arguments ina gay-rights case. To most people, admittedly, District of Columbia v.Heller is a gun-rights case. In fact, it's the most important gun-rightscase in decades, one that may cast a shadow for decades to come. But to gayAmericans, and other minorities often targeted with violence, Heller isabout civil rights, not shooting clubs.
http://www.indegayforum.org/news/show/31482.html
-A Young Man Fights Back Against The Christian Counselor He's Sent To By HisParents
Parents Had Found Counselor Through 'Focus On The Family' Referral
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/03/24/1693
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#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST March 25, 2008
**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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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-In an Era of School Shootings, a New Drill
Gone are the days of the traditional fire drill; now, schools preparestudents for such emergencies as bomb threats and armed, roaming sociopaths.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/nyregion/25drills.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-With a Powerful Speech, Obama Offers a Challenge
The essence of the speech will likely be lost in the din that inevitablyerupts when there is a racial controversy in the United States.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/opinion/25herbert.html?ref=opinion
-The Long Defeat
Hillary Clinton may not realize it yet, but she's just endured one of theworst weeks of her campaign.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/opinion/25brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Make Sudan an Offer It Can't Refuse
DESPITE almost 1.5 million bombing sorties flown against Germany during theSecond World War, the United States and Britain failed for lack of trying todestroy the system of transport that fed the gas chambers and crematoria.
Thirty-five years later, America did not, despite its unquestioned navalsupremacy, protect the Vietnamese boat people. That we and our two alliescapable of projecting power, France and Britain, are now distracted anddivided by the wars in the Middle East is terribly unfortunate for thepeople of Darfur.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/opinion/25helprin.html?ref=opinion
-Obama's Test: Can a Liberal Be a Unifier?
WASHINGTON - At the core of Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign isa promise that he can transcend the starkly red-and-blue politics of thelast 15 years, end the partisan and ideological wars and build a newgoverning majority.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/us/politics/25obama.html?hp
-Sharif Meets U.S. Envoys in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- A key figure in Pakistan's new government toldtwo top U.S. envoys Tuesday that his country is ''no longer a one-man show''and that President Pervez Musharraf's strong-arm tactics against Islamicmilitants will be scrutinized.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Pakistan-Politics.html?hp
-Study Finds Record Education Earmarks
Congress set aside a record $2.3 billion in pet projects for colleges anduniversities last year for research on subjects like berries and reducingodors from swine and poultry, according to an analysis by The Chronicle ofHigher Education to be published on Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/washington/24earmarks.html
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Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama Picks Up Support from Romney Backer
It might seem unlikely that if Mitt Romney was your first choice forpresident, Barack Obama would be your second.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/24/obama_picks_up_support_from_ro.html
-4,000 Dead for What?
Four thousand.
When U.S. military deaths in Iraq hit a round number, as happened Sunday,there's usually a week or so of intense focus on the war -- its bogusrationale, its nebulous aims, its awful consequences for the families of thedead. Not likely this time, though. The nation is too busy worrying aboutmore acute crises, some of them real -- the moribund housing market, theteetering financial system, the flagging economy -- and some of themmanufactured, such as the shocking revelation that race can still be adivisive issue in American society.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032402293.html
-The Ultimate Casualty
You know him well. His nickname was Gilligan, and he was a prisoner at AbuGhraib, Saddam Hussein's vast prison transformed into a vast American oneand then transformed again by the Bush administration into a vast nationaldisgrace. Gilligan was deprived of sleep, forced to stand on a small box,hooded like some medieval apparition, wired like a makeshift lamp and told(falsely) that if he fell he would be electrocuted. He was later released.Wrong man. Sorry.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032402290.html
-Righting the Right
What's the matter with conservatism?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032402292.html
-The Face of Terror: Confessions of a Failed Suicide Bomber
In this video you will see Mohammed Ramazan, who came within a few momentsof blowing himself up during an attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul earlierthis year, allegedly gunning down at least two people before he wascaptured. Ramazan's views and his lack of remorse for his actions areclearly those of a deeply disturbed young man with only a tenuous grip onreality. But he is also a creation - or a perversion - of Afghanistan'smullahs and Taliban commanders, who took an uneducated Pakistani with almostno knowledge of the Koran and told him to kill in the name of Islam.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/03/suicide_bomber_interview_afghanistan.html
-Protesters Disrupt Lighting of Torch In Ancient Olympia
BEIJING, March 24 -- Demonstrators denouncing China's record on human rightsbreached tight security in Ancient Olympia on Monday and disrupted atorch-lighting ceremony that launched the Olympic flame's long journey toBeijing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032401127.html?hpid=sec-world
-8 Questions That Will Shape Where the Race for the Democratic Presidential Nomination Goes From Here
What is the most likely outcome of the dispute over the delegations fromFlorida and Michigan?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202229.html
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From Ron Mills
-Visit our tribute to the 4,000 fallen soldiers who have fallen in theBush/Cheney War - 4,000... and counting
http://ronnmills.blogspot.com/2008/03/4000-and-counting.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-US Republicans, in search of the weaker Democrat
Buoyed by recent polls favoring John McCain to win the White House,Republicans are sharpening their knives while wondering which Democrat wouldbe easier to beat in November.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_Republicans_in_search_of_the_wea_03252008.html
-Pressure Grows on Democrats to Unite
WASHINGTON - Democrats came under mounting pressure Sunday to close ranksbehind a single candidate, as Hillary Clinton faces dwindling mathematicalpossibilities of defeating Barack Obama for her party's nod for the WhiteHouse.
http://newsmax.com/headlines/clinton_obama_unite/2008/03/23/82431.html
-Worried Democrats wish for 'dream team ticket'
WASHINGTON - What are the odds Democrats will field a "dream team ticket"with Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton combining forces?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-24-Dreamteam_N.htm
-Democratic Nominee Will Have Edge in Fall Even If Economy Turns
March 24 (Bloomberg) -- Seven months before Election Day, rising homeforeclosures, shrinking financial assets and gasoline approaching a record$4 a gallon are daily reminders that the U.S. economy may be the worst inalmost 30 years.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601073&sid=af3IPl3rv9DY&refer=election
-GOP state parties are in dire straits
At a time when the GOP presidential nominee will need more assistance thanever, a number of state Republican parties are struggling through troubledtimes, suffering from internal strife, poor fundraising, onerous debt,scandal or voting trends that are conspiring to relegate the local branchesof the party to near-irrelevance.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9175.html
-McCain addresses housing crisis options
SANTA ANA, Calif.-Republican John McCain, who has conceded economics is nothis strong suit, says government isn't in the business of saving andrewarding banks or small borrowers who behave irresponsibly.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/03/25/mccain_addresses_housing_crisis_options/
-McCain says U.S. succeeding in Iraq
CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Fresh off his eighth Iraq visit, Sen. John McCaindeclared Monday that "we are succeeding" and said he wouldn't changecourse - even as the U.S. death toll rose to 4,000 and the war entered itssixth year.
http://www.miamiherald.com/692/story/468814.html
-Detroit Mayor Is Charged With Eight Felonies
CHICAGO, March 24 -- Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D), who wore a diamond earringand pledged an urban renaissance in Detroit when he won election asAmerica's youngest big-city mayor in 2001, was charged Monday with eightfelonies in an obstruction-of-justice case that could end his once-promisingcareer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032401120.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-In an Era of School Shootings, a New Drill
Gone are the days of the traditional fire drill; now, schools preparestudents for such emergencies as bomb threats and armed, roaming sociopaths.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/nyregion/25drills.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
-With a Powerful Speech, Obama Offers a Challenge
The essence of the speech will likely be lost in the din that inevitablyerupts when there is a racial controversy in the United States.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/opinion/25herbert.html?ref=opinion
-The Long Defeat
Hillary Clinton may not realize it yet, but she's just endured one of theworst weeks of her campaign.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/opinion/25brooks.html?ref=opinion
-Make Sudan an Offer It Can't Refuse
DESPITE almost 1.5 million bombing sorties flown against Germany during theSecond World War, the United States and Britain failed for lack of trying todestroy the system of transport that fed the gas chambers and crematoria.
Thirty-five years later, America did not, despite its unquestioned navalsupremacy, protect the Vietnamese boat people. That we and our two alliescapable of projecting power, France and Britain, are now distracted anddivided by the wars in the Middle East is terribly unfortunate for thepeople of Darfur.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/opinion/25helprin.html?ref=opinion
-Obama's Test: Can a Liberal Be a Unifier?
WASHINGTON - At the core of Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign isa promise that he can transcend the starkly red-and-blue politics of thelast 15 years, end the partisan and ideological wars and build a newgoverning majority.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/us/politics/25obama.html?hp
-Sharif Meets U.S. Envoys in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- A key figure in Pakistan's new government toldtwo top U.S. envoys Tuesday that his country is ''no longer a one-man show''and that President Pervez Musharraf's strong-arm tactics against Islamicmilitants will be scrutinized.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Pakistan-Politics.html?hp
-Study Finds Record Education Earmarks
Congress set aside a record $2.3 billion in pet projects for colleges anduniversities last year for research on subjects like berries and reducingodors from swine and poultry, according to an analysis by The Chronicle ofHigher Education to be published on Monday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/washington/24earmarks.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama Picks Up Support from Romney Backer
It might seem unlikely that if Mitt Romney was your first choice forpresident, Barack Obama would be your second.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/24/obama_picks_up_support_from_ro.html
-4,000 Dead for What?
Four thousand.
When U.S. military deaths in Iraq hit a round number, as happened Sunday,there's usually a week or so of intense focus on the war -- its bogusrationale, its nebulous aims, its awful consequences for the families of thedead. Not likely this time, though. The nation is too busy worrying aboutmore acute crises, some of them real -- the moribund housing market, theteetering financial system, the flagging economy -- and some of themmanufactured, such as the shocking revelation that race can still be adivisive issue in American society.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032402293.html
-The Ultimate Casualty
You know him well. His nickname was Gilligan, and he was a prisoner at AbuGhraib, Saddam Hussein's vast prison transformed into a vast American oneand then transformed again by the Bush administration into a vast nationaldisgrace. Gilligan was deprived of sleep, forced to stand on a small box,hooded like some medieval apparition, wired like a makeshift lamp and told(falsely) that if he fell he would be electrocuted. He was later released.Wrong man. Sorry.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032402290.html
-Righting the Right
What's the matter with conservatism?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032402292.html
-The Face of Terror: Confessions of a Failed Suicide Bomber
In this video you will see Mohammed Ramazan, who came within a few momentsof blowing himself up during an attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul earlierthis year, allegedly gunning down at least two people before he wascaptured. Ramazan's views and his lack of remorse for his actions areclearly those of a deeply disturbed young man with only a tenuous grip onreality. But he is also a creation - or a perversion - of Afghanistan'smullahs and Taliban commanders, who took an uneducated Pakistani with almostno knowledge of the Koran and told him to kill in the name of Islam.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/03/suicide_bomber_interview_afghanistan.html
-Protesters Disrupt Lighting of Torch In Ancient Olympia
BEIJING, March 24 -- Demonstrators denouncing China's record on human rightsbreached tight security in Ancient Olympia on Monday and disrupted atorch-lighting ceremony that launched the Olympic flame's long journey toBeijing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032401127.html?hpid=sec-world
-8 Questions That Will Shape Where the Race for the Democratic Presidential Nomination Goes From Here
What is the most likely outcome of the dispute over the delegations fromFlorida and Michigan?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202229.html
=
From Ron Mills
-Visit our tribute to the 4,000 fallen soldiers who have fallen in theBush/Cheney War - 4,000... and counting
http://ronnmills.blogspot.com/2008/03/4000-and-counting.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-US Republicans, in search of the weaker Democrat
Buoyed by recent polls favoring John McCain to win the White House,Republicans are sharpening their knives while wondering which Democrat wouldbe easier to beat in November.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_Republicans_in_search_of_the_wea_03252008.html
-Pressure Grows on Democrats to Unite
WASHINGTON - Democrats came under mounting pressure Sunday to close ranksbehind a single candidate, as Hillary Clinton faces dwindling mathematicalpossibilities of defeating Barack Obama for her party's nod for the WhiteHouse.
http://newsmax.com/headlines/clinton_obama_unite/2008/03/23/82431.html
-Worried Democrats wish for 'dream team ticket'
WASHINGTON - What are the odds Democrats will field a "dream team ticket"with Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton combining forces?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-24-Dreamteam_N.htm
-Democratic Nominee Will Have Edge in Fall Even If Economy Turns
March 24 (Bloomberg) -- Seven months before Election Day, rising homeforeclosures, shrinking financial assets and gasoline approaching a record$4 a gallon are daily reminders that the U.S. economy may be the worst inalmost 30 years.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601073&sid=af3IPl3rv9DY&refer=election
-GOP state parties are in dire straits
At a time when the GOP presidential nominee will need more assistance thanever, a number of state Republican parties are struggling through troubledtimes, suffering from internal strife, poor fundraising, onerous debt,scandal or voting trends that are conspiring to relegate the local branchesof the party to near-irrelevance.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9175.html
-McCain addresses housing crisis options
SANTA ANA, Calif.-Republican John McCain, who has conceded economics is nothis strong suit, says government isn't in the business of saving andrewarding banks or small borrowers who behave irresponsibly.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/03/25/mccain_addresses_housing_crisis_options/
-McCain says U.S. succeeding in Iraq
CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Fresh off his eighth Iraq visit, Sen. John McCaindeclared Monday that "we are succeeding" and said he wouldn't changecourse - even as the U.S. death toll rose to 4,000 and the war entered itssixth year.
http://www.miamiherald.com/692/story/468814.html
-Detroit Mayor Is Charged With Eight Felonies
CHICAGO, March 24 -- Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D), who wore a diamond earringand pledged an urban renaissance in Detroit when he won election asAmerica's youngest big-city mayor in 2001, was charged Monday with eightfelonies in an obstruction-of-justice case that could end his once-promisingcareer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/24/AR2008032401120.html?hpid=moreheadlines
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST March 25, 2008
**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.
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Lake Worth: PrideFest of the Palm Beaches will be this weekend in park
The PrideFest of the Palm Beaches is set for noon to 6 p.m. Saturday andSunday in Bryant Park, at Golfview and Lake avenues along the IntracoastalWaterway.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/palmbeach/sfl-flpdig03253pnmar25,0,706238.story
-Broward housing market still bleak
South Florida's housing market looks worse now than it did at the end of abrutal 2007.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzhousingbr0325sbmar25,0,7860029.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Moving on up -- and out of South Florida
OUR OPINION: REGION MUST IMPROVE HOUSING, DIVERSIFY ECONOMY
Some South Floridians will cheer the news that the latest U.S. Censusfigures show the region's population growth is slowing or, in the case ofBroward County, actually dropping. After all, fewer residents means fewercars in rush hour traffic, right?
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/469055.html
-Some cuts hurt more than others
OUR OPINION: TO BALANCE BUDGET LAWMAKERS SHOULD SET PRIORITIES
With Florida's economy and state revenues in a nose dive, legislators areconfronting one of the worst budget crises in state history. They alreadyhave cut spending for the current year by $1.6 billon. Still, revenueestimates for next year project an additional budget shortfall of up to $3billion.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/469056.html
-Floridians might vote on church-state issue
Florida voters could be asked this November to lift a constitutional ban onspending public money on religious institutions.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/469037.html
-CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT: Keep church and state separate in Florida
When the state Taxation and Budget Reform Commission meets Wednesday inTallahassee, most of the attention will, understandably, be focused on itsquest to bring down sky-high property taxes and shift the tax burden fromthe things we own to the things we buy. Without doubt, it's a big issue.
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/469063.html
-Trailer parks the end of line for some residents
It's no wonder that Miami-Dade County finds itself in an affordable-housingcrisis. Our county leaders are unwilling to implement policies that preservewhat's left of our affordable housing, let alone build enough housing tomeet the need in our community. The predicament of Miami-Dade's nearly13,000 occupied trailer homes is a case in point.
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/469065.html
-Obama pastor at center of controversy to speak at Tampa church
TAMPA, Fla. -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's pastor isexpected to speak at a Tampa church.
http://www.miamiherald.com/775/story/469386.html
-Lawmaking by grudge
Not every Florida university needs to offer a medical degree or other costlygraduate and research programs, but a bill that would create a new tier ofundergraduate colleges has surfaced for the worst of possible reasons. Ithas sprung from a Legislature that resents university leaders who speak outon budget cuts, and that prefers instead to offer college degrees atbottom-dollar prices.
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article429921.ece
=
Florida: We have great news!
-On Wednesday, March 26th, the Senate K-12 Committee will hear SB 848, theHealthy Teens Act. Please call members of the Senate K-12 Committee todayand urge them to support SB 848, the Healthy Teens Act! When you reach yourlegislator's office please tell the person that answers the phone:
. I urge [insert legislator name] to support SB 848, the Healthy TeensAct.
. Our youth need comprehensive sex education that is age-appropriate,includingthe facts that help protect them from diseases that threaten their health.
. Florida currently has NO statewide standards for teaching sexeducation. We
need the Healthy Teens Act so all teens learn the facts about sex fromtrusted responsible sources.
Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee:
Sen. Gaetz (Chair)- 850-487-5009
Sen. Carlton- 850-487-5081
Sen. Diaz de la Portilla- 850-487-5109
Sen. Wise- 850-487-5027
Sen. Wilson (Vice Chair)- 850-487-5116
Sen. Bullard- 850-487-5127
Sen. Deutch- 850-487-5091 *** Bill sponsor: no calls necessary
=
Palm Beach Human Rights Counsel
-The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is scheduled to vote thisWednesday on a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution that wouldallow the government to fund religious proselytizing activities anddiscriminate among religious groups. The proposed amendment would removethe prohibition on using tax dollars to fund religious activities and allowgovernment to earmark your tax dollars to sponsor government-fundedreligion.
On Wednesday, March 26 the Commission will vote on Proposal CP0020. The
measure, if approved, would place on the ballot a devastating constitutionalamendment that remove the prohibition on using monies from the publictreasury to aid any church, sect or sectarian institution. The measurewould also "prohibit individuals and entities from being barred fromparticipating in public programs because of their religion."
This amendment would allow government to fund religious proselytizingactivities and show preference for one religion over another. It would alsoopen the floodgates for discrimination by permitting government-fundedreligious organizations to discriminate in who they serve.
Your voice is urgently needed. Click here to take action or copy andpaste the URL below into your browser. Tell the Commission that you do notagree with proposal CP0020 and strongly urge them to vote against it. (Feelfree to copy and paste the e-mail below into the comments section on theFlorida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission's web site):
http://www.floridatbrc.org/comments.php
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Clinton's solutions for Florida, Michigan delegates fall short
To hear her campaign tell it, Hillary Rodham Clinton is fighting the goodfight to give Florida Democrats a say in the presidential primary, whileBarack Obama is blocking her noble efforts.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article429960.ece
-Obama pastor at center of controversy to speak at Tampa church
TAMPA, Fla. -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's pastor isexpected to speak at a Tampa church.
http://www.miamiherald.com/775/story/469386.html
=
A reception is to be held in honor of
Scott Newton, Mayor of Wilton Manors,
Running for State Representative for District 92.
Wednesday, March 26th at "Art Expressions,"
438 NE 26th Street, Wilton Manors 5:30 to 7pm
Scott will be introduced by Wilton Manors City Commissioner, Joe Angelo.
All Welcome
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Lake Worth: PrideFest of the Palm Beaches will be this weekend in park
The PrideFest of the Palm Beaches is set for noon to 6 p.m. Saturday andSunday in Bryant Park, at Golfview and Lake avenues along the IntracoastalWaterway.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/palmbeach/sfl-flpdig03253pnmar25,0,706238.story
-Broward housing market still bleak
South Florida's housing market looks worse now than it did at the end of abrutal 2007.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzhousingbr0325sbmar25,0,7860029.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Moving on up -- and out of South Florida
OUR OPINION: REGION MUST IMPROVE HOUSING, DIVERSIFY ECONOMY
Some South Floridians will cheer the news that the latest U.S. Censusfigures show the region's population growth is slowing or, in the case ofBroward County, actually dropping. After all, fewer residents means fewercars in rush hour traffic, right?
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/469055.html
-Some cuts hurt more than others
OUR OPINION: TO BALANCE BUDGET LAWMAKERS SHOULD SET PRIORITIES
With Florida's economy and state revenues in a nose dive, legislators areconfronting one of the worst budget crises in state history. They alreadyhave cut spending for the current year by $1.6 billon. Still, revenueestimates for next year project an additional budget shortfall of up to $3billion.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/469056.html
-Floridians might vote on church-state issue
Florida voters could be asked this November to lift a constitutional ban onspending public money on religious institutions.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/469037.html
-CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT: Keep church and state separate in Florida
When the state Taxation and Budget Reform Commission meets Wednesday inTallahassee, most of the attention will, understandably, be focused on itsquest to bring down sky-high property taxes and shift the tax burden fromthe things we own to the things we buy. Without doubt, it's a big issue.
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/469063.html
-Trailer parks the end of line for some residents
It's no wonder that Miami-Dade County finds itself in an affordable-housingcrisis. Our county leaders are unwilling to implement policies that preservewhat's left of our affordable housing, let alone build enough housing tomeet the need in our community. The predicament of Miami-Dade's nearly13,000 occupied trailer homes is a case in point.
http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/469065.html
-Obama pastor at center of controversy to speak at Tampa church
TAMPA, Fla. -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's pastor isexpected to speak at a Tampa church.
http://www.miamiherald.com/775/story/469386.html
-Lawmaking by grudge
Not every Florida university needs to offer a medical degree or other costlygraduate and research programs, but a bill that would create a new tier ofundergraduate colleges has surfaced for the worst of possible reasons. Ithas sprung from a Legislature that resents university leaders who speak outon budget cuts, and that prefers instead to offer college degrees atbottom-dollar prices.
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article429921.ece
=
Florida: We have great news!
-On Wednesday, March 26th, the Senate K-12 Committee will hear SB 848, theHealthy Teens Act. Please call members of the Senate K-12 Committee todayand urge them to support SB 848, the Healthy Teens Act! When you reach yourlegislator's office please tell the person that answers the phone:
. I urge [insert legislator name] to support SB 848, the Healthy TeensAct.
. Our youth need comprehensive sex education that is age-appropriate,includingthe facts that help protect them from diseases that threaten their health.
. Florida currently has NO statewide standards for teaching sexeducation. We
need the Healthy Teens Act so all teens learn the facts about sex fromtrusted responsible sources.
Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee:
Sen. Gaetz (Chair)- 850-487-5009
Sen. Carlton- 850-487-5081
Sen. Diaz de la Portilla- 850-487-5109
Sen. Wise- 850-487-5027
Sen. Wilson (Vice Chair)- 850-487-5116
Sen. Bullard- 850-487-5127
Sen. Deutch- 850-487-5091 *** Bill sponsor: no calls necessary
=
Palm Beach Human Rights Counsel
-The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is scheduled to vote thisWednesday on a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution that wouldallow the government to fund religious proselytizing activities anddiscriminate among religious groups. The proposed amendment would removethe prohibition on using tax dollars to fund religious activities and allowgovernment to earmark your tax dollars to sponsor government-fundedreligion.
On Wednesday, March 26 the Commission will vote on Proposal CP0020. The
measure, if approved, would place on the ballot a devastating constitutionalamendment that remove the prohibition on using monies from the publictreasury to aid any church, sect or sectarian institution. The measurewould also "prohibit individuals and entities from being barred fromparticipating in public programs because of their religion."
This amendment would allow government to fund religious proselytizingactivities and show preference for one religion over another. It would alsoopen the floodgates for discrimination by permitting government-fundedreligious organizations to discriminate in who they serve.
Your voice is urgently needed. Click here to take action or copy andpaste the URL below into your browser. Tell the Commission that you do notagree with proposal CP0020 and strongly urge them to vote against it. (Feelfree to copy and paste the e-mail below into the comments section on theFlorida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission's web site):
http://www.floridatbrc.org/comments.php
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Clinton's solutions for Florida, Michigan delegates fall short
To hear her campaign tell it, Hillary Rodham Clinton is fighting the goodfight to give Florida Democrats a say in the presidential primary, whileBarack Obama is blocking her noble efforts.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article429960.ece
-Obama pastor at center of controversy to speak at Tampa church
TAMPA, Fla. -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's pastor isexpected to speak at a Tampa church.
http://www.miamiherald.com/775/story/469386.html
=
A reception is to be held in honor of
Scott Newton, Mayor of Wilton Manors,
Running for State Representative for District 92.
Wednesday, March 26th at "Art Expressions,"
438 NE 26th Street, Wilton Manors 5:30 to 7pm
Scott will be introduced by Wilton Manors City Commissioner, Joe Angelo.
All Welcome
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Monday, March 24, 2008
GLBT DIGEST March 24, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Boy the Bullies Love to Beat Up, Repeatedly
The many incidents of bullying against Billy Wolfe seem to blur togetherinto one protracted assault.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/us/24land.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Questions for the Rev. John Hagee Megaminister
As a prominent evangelical pastor based in San Antonio, you were recentlycatapulted into national controversy when you endorsed Senator John McCainfor president. Is it true that McCain actively sought your endorsement? It'strue that McCain's campaign sought my endorsement.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/magazine/23wwln-q4-t.html?scp=9&sq=gay&st=nyt
=
Detroit News by Deb Price:
http://www.detnews.com
Go to this link for the following articles:
-U.S. should oppose abuses of gays worldwide
After Korab Zuka founded a gay-rights group in Kosovo in 2005, he receivedthreatening phone calls and e-mails and had his car vandalized. " 'We aregoing to make you hold your intestines,' " Zuka, 22, recalls being warned. "
'We will (rape) your mother And we are going to cut your head off.'" Thepolice were indifferent to his cries for protection. "I was frightened. Agay guy had been beaten to death a few months earlier. The threats keptcoming. There is only so much a person can resist," he says.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080324/OPINION03/803240324
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay bishop's mission to unite
It is fitting that Bishop Gene Robinson spent much of his Easter enduringthe wintry conditions of the Great North Woods of New Hampshire, performinghis ministry to small but loyal congregations. For although he is one of thefew bishops who could claim to be a household name across the world'sAnglican communion, he has been all but frozen out by the head of hischurch, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/24/anglicanism.religion
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Down And Dirty In The Democratic Trenches
(Washington) Prominent supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obamaon Sunday both faulted Obama's campaign for allowing a retired general andbacker of the Illinois senator to equate comments by Clinton's husband -which appeared to question Obama's patriotism - to McCarthyism.
-Clinton Got Along With GOP In Senate But Would It Help If She BecamePresident?
(Washington) Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in the Senate before she hadeven surrendered the title of first lady.
-Gay Playwright Kushner To Be Honored At Guthrie Theater
(Minneapolis, Minnesota) The Guthrie Theater is getting a lot more Kushnerinto its lineup next season.
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Officials from the American Civil Liberties Union, at a meeting Saturday atLakes Regional Library in south Fort Myers, urged Southwest Floridaresidents to spread the word of opposition to a constitutional amendmentthat will appear on November's ballot. The amendment would define marriageas a union between a man and a woman. ACLU officials are worried theballot's language will make it difficult for unmarried couples who sharebenefits, many of them seniors, to continue that. The issue is poised tocome up this summer and fall as two sides are defined - groups such as theACLU have joined with Florida Red and Blue opposing the amendment, whileFlorida4Marriage.org is joined by church groups in support of yes votes.
- Elkader, Iowa: Why would two East Coast city slickers move to the remotevillage of Elkader, tucked among the sleepy hills of northeast Iowa?Thechallenges seemed glaring.Frederique Boudouani, 35, had never lived in ametro area of fewer than 2 million people. Elkader's population is 1,500.
Brian Bruening, 31, enjoys fine dining and writes poetry, but Elkader is atleast three hours from the cultural offerings of a major city.
They are also a gay couple in a rural area of a state brewing with agay-marriage controversy.
-Activists will hold another rally in support of the ACT's [AustralianCapital Territory] same sex civil unions legislation this weekend. TheCampaign for Civil Unions group will gather outside the Legislative Assemblyin Canberra on Saturday afternoon to show the ACT government their supportfor the bill.
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
- Help others accept who they were born to be
Recent events have prompted this paper to give widespread coverage totransgender issues. Ralph De La Cruz has written two articles aboutWillie/Niki, a transgender teen. Mr. De La Cruz states in the article that"Some people will no doubt... think, 'Geez, that's one confused kid.' " Theonly confusion this young person faces is from the grown-ups commissioned toguide him into adulthood. In admiration for Willie's courage andself-confidence, Mr. De La Cruz wrote, "When I grow up, I want to be likeWillie." However, even Willie isn't Willie any longer. Willie will never bethe man he was born to be, instead, he will be a woman, Niki.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum24gendersbmar24,0,7324334.story
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-A Boy the Bullies Love to Beat Up, Repeatedly
The many incidents of bullying against Billy Wolfe seem to blur togetherinto one protracted assault.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/us/24land.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Questions for the Rev. John Hagee Megaminister
As a prominent evangelical pastor based in San Antonio, you were recentlycatapulted into national controversy when you endorsed Senator John McCainfor president. Is it true that McCain actively sought your endorsement? It'strue that McCain's campaign sought my endorsement.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/magazine/23wwln-q4-t.html?scp=9&sq=gay&st=nyt
=
Detroit News by Deb Price:
http://www.detnews.com
Go to this link for the following articles:
-U.S. should oppose abuses of gays worldwide
After Korab Zuka founded a gay-rights group in Kosovo in 2005, he receivedthreatening phone calls and e-mails and had his car vandalized. " 'We aregoing to make you hold your intestines,' " Zuka, 22, recalls being warned. "
'We will (rape) your mother And we are going to cut your head off.'" Thepolice were indifferent to his cries for protection. "I was frightened. Agay guy had been beaten to death a few months earlier. The threats keptcoming. There is only so much a person can resist," he says.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080324/OPINION03/803240324
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay bishop's mission to unite
It is fitting that Bishop Gene Robinson spent much of his Easter enduringthe wintry conditions of the Great North Woods of New Hampshire, performinghis ministry to small but loyal congregations. For although he is one of thefew bishops who could claim to be a household name across the world'sAnglican communion, he has been all but frozen out by the head of hischurch, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/24/anglicanism.religion
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Down And Dirty In The Democratic Trenches
(Washington) Prominent supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obamaon Sunday both faulted Obama's campaign for allowing a retired general andbacker of the Illinois senator to equate comments by Clinton's husband -which appeared to question Obama's patriotism - to McCarthyism.
-Clinton Got Along With GOP In Senate But Would It Help If She BecamePresident?
(Washington) Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in the Senate before she hadeven surrendered the title of first lady.
-Gay Playwright Kushner To Be Honored At Guthrie Theater
(Minneapolis, Minnesota) The Guthrie Theater is getting a lot more Kushnerinto its lineup next season.
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Officials from the American Civil Liberties Union, at a meeting Saturday atLakes Regional Library in south Fort Myers, urged Southwest Floridaresidents to spread the word of opposition to a constitutional amendmentthat will appear on November's ballot. The amendment would define marriageas a union between a man and a woman. ACLU officials are worried theballot's language will make it difficult for unmarried couples who sharebenefits, many of them seniors, to continue that. The issue is poised tocome up this summer and fall as two sides are defined - groups such as theACLU have joined with Florida Red and Blue opposing the amendment, whileFlorida4Marriage.org is joined by church groups in support of yes votes.
- Elkader, Iowa: Why would two East Coast city slickers move to the remotevillage of Elkader, tucked among the sleepy hills of northeast Iowa?Thechallenges seemed glaring.Frederique Boudouani, 35, had never lived in ametro area of fewer than 2 million people. Elkader's population is 1,500.
Brian Bruening, 31, enjoys fine dining and writes poetry, but Elkader is atleast three hours from the cultural offerings of a major city.
They are also a gay couple in a rural area of a state brewing with agay-marriage controversy.
-Activists will hold another rally in support of the ACT's [AustralianCapital Territory] same sex civil unions legislation this weekend. TheCampaign for Civil Unions group will gather outside the Legislative Assemblyin Canberra on Saturday afternoon to show the ACT government their supportfor the bill.
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
- Help others accept who they were born to be
Recent events have prompted this paper to give widespread coverage totransgender issues. Ralph De La Cruz has written two articles aboutWillie/Niki, a transgender teen. Mr. De La Cruz states in the article that"Some people will no doubt... think, 'Geez, that's one confused kid.' " Theonly confusion this young person faces is from the grown-ups commissioned toguide him into adulthood. In admiration for Willie's courage andself-confidence, Mr. De La Cruz wrote, "When I grow up, I want to be likeWillie." However, even Willie isn't Willie any longer. Willie will never bethe man he was born to be, instead, he will be a woman, Niki.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum24gendersbmar24,0,7324334.story
=
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#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST March 24, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Let's Not, and Say We Did
I shuddered only once while watching Barack Obama's speech last Tuesday.
It wasn't when he posed the rhetorical questions: "Why associate myself with
Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join anotherchurch?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/opinion/24kristol.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-A.P.'s Death Toll for Iraq War Reaches 4,000
BAGHDAD (AP) -- A roadside bomb killed four U.S. soldiers in Baghdad onSunday, the military said, pushing the overall American death toll in thefive-year war to at least 4,000. The grim milestone came on a day when atleast 61 people were killed across the country death toll in the five-yearwar to at least 4,000. The grim milestone came on a day when at least 61people were killed across the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iraq.html
-Clinton Backer Points to Electoral College Votes as New Measure
Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, who backs Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton forpresident, proposed another gauge Sunday by which superdelegates might judgewhether to support Mrs. Clinton or Senator Barack Obama.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/us/politics/24campaign.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democrats' Obama Dilemma
Barack Obama's speech last week, hastily prepared to extinguish the firestorm over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, won critical praise for style andsubstance but failed politically. By elevating the question of race inAmerica, the front-running Democratic presidential candidate has deepenedthe dilemma created by his campaign's success against the partyestablishment's anointed choice, Hillary Clinton.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/23/AR2008032301400.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Cuban youths offer rare insightsFrom Havana, the young men and women tell of a rift between the older generation that leads the island's regime and an increasingly frustrated younger
generation.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/467701.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Pressure Grows on Democrats to Unite
WASHINGTON - Democrats came under mounting pressure Sunday to close ranksbehind a single candidate, as Hillary Clinton faces dwindling mathematicalpossibilities of defeating Barack Obama for her party's nod for the WhiteHouse.
http://newsmax.com/headlines/clinton_obama_unite/2008/03/23/82431.html
-Retired general calls Obama patriot
Rhetoric heats up over remark by Bill Clinton
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-campaign_mar23,1,4707447.story
-Polls suggest Obama rebounding from pastor flap
It's been a bad few weeks for Barack Obama - losses in Ohio and Texas, majorpoll deficits in Pennsylvania and, of course, the first mega-controversy ofhis presidential run, over the controversial comments by his pastor, Rev.Jeremiah Wright.
http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/polls_suggest_obama_rebounding.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Let's Not, and Say We Did
I shuddered only once while watching Barack Obama's speech last Tuesday.
It wasn't when he posed the rhetorical questions: "Why associate myself with
Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join anotherchurch?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/opinion/24kristol.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-A.P.'s Death Toll for Iraq War Reaches 4,000
BAGHDAD (AP) -- A roadside bomb killed four U.S. soldiers in Baghdad onSunday, the military said, pushing the overall American death toll in thefive-year war to at least 4,000. The grim milestone came on a day when atleast 61 people were killed across the country death toll in the five-yearwar to at least 4,000. The grim milestone came on a day when at least 61people were killed across the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iraq.html
-Clinton Backer Points to Electoral College Votes as New Measure
Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, who backs Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton forpresident, proposed another gauge Sunday by which superdelegates might judgewhether to support Mrs. Clinton or Senator Barack Obama.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/us/politics/24campaign.html
=
Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democrats' Obama Dilemma
Barack Obama's speech last week, hastily prepared to extinguish the firestorm over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, won critical praise for style andsubstance but failed politically. By elevating the question of race inAmerica, the front-running Democratic presidential candidate has deepenedthe dilemma created by his campaign's success against the partyestablishment's anointed choice, Hillary Clinton.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/23/AR2008032301400.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Cuban youths offer rare insightsFrom Havana, the young men and women tell of a rift between the older generation that leads the island's regime and an increasingly frustrated younger
generation.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/467701.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Pressure Grows on Democrats to Unite
WASHINGTON - Democrats came under mounting pressure Sunday to close ranksbehind a single candidate, as Hillary Clinton faces dwindling mathematicalpossibilities of defeating Barack Obama for her party's nod for the WhiteHouse.
http://newsmax.com/headlines/clinton_obama_unite/2008/03/23/82431.html
-Retired general calls Obama patriot
Rhetoric heats up over remark by Bill Clinton
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-campaign_mar23,1,4707447.story
-Polls suggest Obama rebounding from pastor flap
It's been a bad few weeks for Barack Obama - losses in Ohio and Texas, majorpoll deficits in Pennsylvania and, of course, the first mega-controversy ofhis presidential run, over the controversial comments by his pastor, Rev.Jeremiah Wright.
http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/polls_suggest_obama_rebounding.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST March 24, 2008
**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.
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-West Palm Beach gay activist killed by partner, police say
W. Palm authorities reveal identities
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpbrown0323pnmar23,0,2781561.story
-Florida ranks last in pay for state employees
Workers unlikely to get raise for 2nd year in row
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flfspending0324sbmar24,0,2642506.story
-National bloggers, local Democrats tear into Wasserman Schultz
The liberal blogosphere and some local Democrats are heaping criticism onone of their own.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdws0324sbmar24,0,5811175.story
-Education gets short end again
ISSUE: Plan would replace education funding with sales tax hike.
Property tax reform is necessary, but the plan recently proposed by the Taxand Budget Reform Commission has too many speculative and revenueshortcomings for voters to support.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editafschooltaxpnmar24,0,3882112.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-RETIREMENT: More than 1,200 Florida employees double dipping
Hundreds of state employees are getting more than one pension, according toa report.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/467705.html
- Freedom to Travel? More on the Audacity and Hypocrisy of Debbie WassermanSchultz
I had to laugh reading the news that Florida insurance regulators arezapping a major insurance firm because of the travel preferences of U.S.Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-20).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/freedom-to-travel-more-_b_92936.html
=
Florida AIDS Walk 2008
AVER (American Veterans for Equal Rights)
On Sunday, April 27, we will participate in a 10-kilometer walkathon throughFort Lauderdale to address the AIDS crisis in our community. We'll be joinedby thousands of others who understand that we need to take action now tohalt the escalating spread of HIV/AIDS in south Florida. We hope we cancount on your support. We need caring people like you to sponsor our team'sparticipation in the walk.
Your gift to this worthy cause is fully tax-deductible.
Team Roster for AVER (American Veterans for Equal Rights)
David SharpJoin AVER (American Veterans for Equal Rights)
Kevin Kerber MARK LAFONTAINE Glenn Patterson
Make a gift!
https://secure2.convio.net/ahf/site/Donation2?idb=512918047&df_id=1180&FR_ID=1030&1180.donation=form1&PROXY_ID=1680&PROXY_TYPE=22
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-West Palm Beach gay activist killed by partner, police say
W. Palm authorities reveal identities
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpbrown0323pnmar23,0,2781561.story
-Florida ranks last in pay for state employees
Workers unlikely to get raise for 2nd year in row
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flfspending0324sbmar24,0,2642506.story
-National bloggers, local Democrats tear into Wasserman Schultz
The liberal blogosphere and some local Democrats are heaping criticism onone of their own.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbdws0324sbmar24,0,5811175.story
-Education gets short end again
ISSUE: Plan would replace education funding with sales tax hike.
Property tax reform is necessary, but the plan recently proposed by the Taxand Budget Reform Commission has too many speculative and revenueshortcomings for voters to support.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editafschooltaxpnmar24,0,3882112.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-RETIREMENT: More than 1,200 Florida employees double dipping
Hundreds of state employees are getting more than one pension, according toa report.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/467705.html
- Freedom to Travel? More on the Audacity and Hypocrisy of Debbie WassermanSchultz
I had to laugh reading the news that Florida insurance regulators arezapping a major insurance firm because of the travel preferences of U.S.Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-20).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/freedom-to-travel-more-_b_92936.html
=
Florida AIDS Walk 2008
AVER (American Veterans for Equal Rights)
On Sunday, April 27, we will participate in a 10-kilometer walkathon throughFort Lauderdale to address the AIDS crisis in our community. We'll be joinedby thousands of others who understand that we need to take action now tohalt the escalating spread of HIV/AIDS in south Florida. We hope we cancount on your support. We need caring people like you to sponsor our team'sparticipation in the walk.
Your gift to this worthy cause is fully tax-deductible.
Team Roster for AVER (American Veterans for Equal Rights)
David SharpJoin AVER (American Veterans for Equal Rights)
Kevin Kerber MARK LAFONTAINE Glenn Patterson
Make a gift!
https://secure2.convio.net/ahf/site/Donation2?idb=512918047&df_id=1180&FR_ID=1030&1180.donation=form1&PROXY_ID=1680&PROXY_TYPE=22
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Sunday, March 23, 2008
GLBT DIGEST March 23, 2008
**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.
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Playwright Kushner To Be Honored At Guthrie Theater
(Minneapolis, Minnesota) The Guthrie Theater is getting a lot more Kushnerinto its lineup next season.
-Sexually Ambivalent British Writer Denied Entry To US
(London) British writer and self-styled dandy Sebastian Horsley was deniedentry to the United States after arriving to promote his memoir of sex,drugs and flamboyant fashion.
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-West Palm Beach: Owner of H.G. Roosters
Dead in Murder-Suicide
Michael Brown, owner of H.G. Roosters, a bar that has been a gathering spotfor the city's gay community for more than two decades, died of blows to thehead and multiple stab wounds, an autopsy showed. Police say he was themurder victim in an apparent homicide and suicide in his Flagler Driveapartment Friday evening. The other man found dead in the apartment, BrantHines, 27, apparently killed Brown late Wednesday or early Thursday, when aneighbor heard shouting and crashing. Hines was seen with a black eye thefollowing day, when he answered the door of Brown's apartment, and when hewalked Brown's two dogs. He answered the telephone Wednesday afternoon andsaid that Brown was not available when someone from H.G. Rooster's called,police said.
-Craig Keeps Promise to Retire
Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), encumbered by a scandal since last summer, didnot file for reelection by his state's deadline Friday, keeping a promise hemade and officially marking the end of his congressional career. Craig'spolitical future has been in doubt since his arrest and guilty plea ondisorderly conduct charges filed after an incident in a men's restroom atMinneapolis-St. Paul International Airport last June.
-GMHC Launches Two New HIV Awareness Campaigns
Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) hosted a press conference this morning tolaunch two new public-service advertising campaigns to raise awareness aboutHIV for women of color and young men of color who have sex with men. "Theseprovocative new campaigns address rising HIV infection rates in two of thegroups most directly impacted by focusing on the strength and resiliency ofpeople of color within their communities," said Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D.,Chief Executive Officer of GMHC. "They speak to individuals and communitiesin a language of love, respect, acceptance and sexual health - highlightingwhat is possible in intimate relationships instead of focusing on problemswith negotiating safer sex and getting tested for HIV."
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-UNIVERSITY PARK - They spoke of processions, music, catering - detailscouples usually plan for their big day. But they also talked about changingprejudice and acting as role models. Four local couples gathered on Fridayto discuss their March 29 same-sex commitment ceremony in the Penn StateHUB-Robeson Center. State College Mayor Bill Welch will preside over theceremony, which has drawn opposition from some local churches and supportfrom others.
-NSW [the most-populous Australian state, New South Wales] is lagging behindother states because, without a parenting order, a donor or co-parent has nolegal rights, a same-sex parenting expert says. Professor Jenni Millbank,from the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology, says there is agrowing awareness in the community that "not everybody raising a child istheir biological parent". But unlike in Western Australia, the ACT andNorthern Territory, where the partner of the biological parent isautomatically awarded co-parent status, much like the male partner of awoman who conceives through IVF, there is no such provision in NSW.
-South Africa: Melanie Judge (who was involved in the campaign that finallygot same-sex marriage legalised), Anthony Manion (of Gay and Lesbian Memoryin Action) and I have put together To Have and to Hold: The Making ofSame-Sex Marriage in South Africa, which will be launched in May. Hompi andCharles Januarie had two weddings, a religious and a civil one, about fouryears apart: they wanted to make sure they were married both in the sight ofGod and under the law. And, for them, the first was actually the mostimportant and the second simply a legal confirmation -- the state hadfinally caught up with God.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-POLITICAL pressure is mounting on the UK Government to reverse its decisionto deport a gay Syrian teenager from Scotland to his homeland, where hefaces almost certain imprisonment and torture. Scotland on Sunday revealedlast week that 19-year-old Jojo Jako Yakob was being held in Polmont YoungOffenders' Institution awaiting deportation, despite evidence he had beentortured almost to death in Syria, where homosexuality is illegal.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/scotland/MSPs--back-asylum-campaign.3906505.jp
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Tennessee: Opposition to same-sex marriage remains at 66 percentNumber of gay and lesbian couples grows
If you've watched the Tennessee Legislature this year and have wonderedwhere all the discriminatory bills are coming from, three new sources ofdata help shed light on the problem. Since 2005 the GLBT community inTennessee has faced a marriage discrimination amendment, attacks on ouradoption and foster care rights, efforts to curtail gay-straight alliancesin public schools, difficulty passing a bill allowing persons to change thesex designation on their birth certificates, and most recently an attempt toremove discussion of sexual orientation from grades K-8 in our publicschools. We have new information that helps confirm many of our hunchesabout the problem.
http://outandaboutnewspaper.com/article.php?id=2462
-The 7th Annual NSRC Summer Institute on Politics, Sexuality, and Educationis a three-week intensive, interdisciplinary education program in SanFrancisco, a city with a unique and influential sexual history. Track I:Three-week session for undergraduate students and practitioners with lessthan two years experience working in the field of human sexuality (July7-25, 2008).
Track II: Three-week session for graduate students and practitioners withadvanced sexuality training (July 14-August 1, 2008). Fee includes allcourse reading materials and attendance at all Summer Institute guestlectures and special events.
http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/
-Being gay in the Former Yugoslavia
Nearly a decade after the horror of the Balkan Wars of the nineties, whatare the lives of LGBT citizens like in its successor states? With theassistance of an article on Yugoslavia from John Loughran in Gay Times fromlast year and Wikipedia, I've assembled the following series ofprofiles:
Slovenia: It is the most progressive former republic, perhaps assisted by its distance from conservative Belgrade. It decriminalised homosexuality in1977, passed anti-discrimination laws that included LG Slovenians in 1998,and introduced civil unions in 2006.
Croatia: This heavily Catholic former Yugoslav state decriminalised gaysex in 1977, and has a patchwork of disparate anti-discrimination laws thatforbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. As well as this,there are domestic partnership partial protections for same-sexrelationships, but a private members bill failed to introduce proper civilunions in 2006.
Serbia decriminalised male homosexuality in 1994, and passedanti-discrimination laws in 2005. However, it forbids lesbians and gay menfrom military service, does not recognise the spousal rights of same-sexcouples and banned same-sex marriage in 2006. Belgrade is an unfriendlyplace, particularly if you're trying to secure war reparations for ethnicminorities, belong to an identified feminist group, and police ignoregaybashings. Feminist antiwar group Women in Black is trans-inclusive.
Bosnia decriminalised male homosexuality in 1998, and has ambiguouswording in its constitution that provides theoretical protection for LGBT Bosnians from homophobic discrimination. Sarajevo has some LGBT activism and hosted a
recent photographic exhibition, as well as seeing the publication of a bookof LGBT Bosnian biographies, albeit with some harrassment fromconservativeChristians and Muslims.
Surprisingly, Kosovo was the earliest state to decriminalisehomosexuality, back in 1970. It also passed anti-discrimination provisions that coveredlesbian and gay Kosovars in its constitution from 2004 onward, but hasn'tmoved to secure civil unions or inclusive adoption rights as yet. There areno lesbian or gay clubs in Pristina, its capital, although police reportedlyface disciplinary sanctions if they don't take homophobic violenceseriously.
http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/31/article_5731.php
=
From OUTSpoken Families
Introduce Gender Neutral Bathrooms in Your Schools and Workplaces
Safe and stress free bathrooms should be available to everyone, not justfolks whose genders fit neatly into "boy" and "girl". Using the bathroom issomething as necessary and important as needing to eat and have shelter. Itwouldn't be fair to deny food to gender variant individuals and it mostcertainly isn't fair to deny them equal bathroom access. Having to use a"male" or "female" bathroom can be stressful and scary for those who don'tappear to fit into the above categories. We all deserve safe places to usethe bathroom-every single one of us.
Take this opportunity to learn more about the impact that genderedrestrooms have on folks. Click here to learn about the results of a studydone by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission on gender free bathrooms.Results mention how little girls and boys who "hold it" all day because theydon't have a safe 'gender free' place to use the bathroom have damaged theirkidneys and bladders.
*Show the film Toilet Training at your next PTA or business meeting. Itpowerfully captures the endless discrimination, violence, and harassmentthat people who are gender variant face in traditionally gendered bathrooms.
It includes discussion on the legality of equal access, the negative healtheffects associated with "holding it", and the social consequences ofdiscrimination in bathrooms.
*Peruse the restroom access model from the University of Arizona, whichis said to be the one all universities should use. Push your principals andbosses to adapt a similar policy.
OUTSpoken@familyequality.org
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Playwright Kushner To Be Honored At Guthrie Theater
(Minneapolis, Minnesota) The Guthrie Theater is getting a lot more Kushnerinto its lineup next season.
-Sexually Ambivalent British Writer Denied Entry To US
(London) British writer and self-styled dandy Sebastian Horsley was deniedentry to the United States after arriving to promote his memoir of sex,drugs and flamboyant fashion.
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-West Palm Beach: Owner of H.G. Roosters
Dead in Murder-Suicide
Michael Brown, owner of H.G. Roosters, a bar that has been a gathering spotfor the city's gay community for more than two decades, died of blows to thehead and multiple stab wounds, an autopsy showed. Police say he was themurder victim in an apparent homicide and suicide in his Flagler Driveapartment Friday evening. The other man found dead in the apartment, BrantHines, 27, apparently killed Brown late Wednesday or early Thursday, when aneighbor heard shouting and crashing. Hines was seen with a black eye thefollowing day, when he answered the door of Brown's apartment, and when hewalked Brown's two dogs. He answered the telephone Wednesday afternoon andsaid that Brown was not available when someone from H.G. Rooster's called,police said.
-Craig Keeps Promise to Retire
Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), encumbered by a scandal since last summer, didnot file for reelection by his state's deadline Friday, keeping a promise hemade and officially marking the end of his congressional career. Craig'spolitical future has been in doubt since his arrest and guilty plea ondisorderly conduct charges filed after an incident in a men's restroom atMinneapolis-St. Paul International Airport last June.
-GMHC Launches Two New HIV Awareness Campaigns
Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) hosted a press conference this morning tolaunch two new public-service advertising campaigns to raise awareness aboutHIV for women of color and young men of color who have sex with men. "Theseprovocative new campaigns address rising HIV infection rates in two of thegroups most directly impacted by focusing on the strength and resiliency ofpeople of color within their communities," said Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D.,Chief Executive Officer of GMHC. "They speak to individuals and communitiesin a language of love, respect, acceptance and sexual health - highlightingwhat is possible in intimate relationships instead of focusing on problemswith negotiating safer sex and getting tested for HIV."
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-UNIVERSITY PARK - They spoke of processions, music, catering - detailscouples usually plan for their big day. But they also talked about changingprejudice and acting as role models. Four local couples gathered on Fridayto discuss their March 29 same-sex commitment ceremony in the Penn StateHUB-Robeson Center. State College Mayor Bill Welch will preside over theceremony, which has drawn opposition from some local churches and supportfrom others.
-NSW [the most-populous Australian state, New South Wales] is lagging behindother states because, without a parenting order, a donor or co-parent has nolegal rights, a same-sex parenting expert says. Professor Jenni Millbank,from the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology, says there is agrowing awareness in the community that "not everybody raising a child istheir biological parent". But unlike in Western Australia, the ACT andNorthern Territory, where the partner of the biological parent isautomatically awarded co-parent status, much like the male partner of awoman who conceives through IVF, there is no such provision in NSW.
-South Africa: Melanie Judge (who was involved in the campaign that finallygot same-sex marriage legalised), Anthony Manion (of Gay and Lesbian Memoryin Action) and I have put together To Have and to Hold: The Making ofSame-Sex Marriage in South Africa, which will be launched in May. Hompi andCharles Januarie had two weddings, a religious and a civil one, about fouryears apart: they wanted to make sure they were married both in the sight ofGod and under the law. And, for them, the first was actually the mostimportant and the second simply a legal confirmation -- the state hadfinally caught up with God.
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-POLITICAL pressure is mounting on the UK Government to reverse its decisionto deport a gay Syrian teenager from Scotland to his homeland, where hefaces almost certain imprisonment and torture. Scotland on Sunday revealedlast week that 19-year-old Jojo Jako Yakob was being held in Polmont YoungOffenders' Institution awaiting deportation, despite evidence he had beentortured almost to death in Syria, where homosexuality is illegal.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/scotland/MSPs--back-asylum-campaign.3906505.jp
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article
-Tennessee: Opposition to same-sex marriage remains at 66 percentNumber of gay and lesbian couples grows
If you've watched the Tennessee Legislature this year and have wonderedwhere all the discriminatory bills are coming from, three new sources ofdata help shed light on the problem. Since 2005 the GLBT community inTennessee has faced a marriage discrimination amendment, attacks on ouradoption and foster care rights, efforts to curtail gay-straight alliancesin public schools, difficulty passing a bill allowing persons to change thesex designation on their birth certificates, and most recently an attempt toremove discussion of sexual orientation from grades K-8 in our publicschools. We have new information that helps confirm many of our hunchesabout the problem.
http://outandaboutnewspaper.com/article.php?id=2462
-The 7th Annual NSRC Summer Institute on Politics, Sexuality, and Educationis a three-week intensive, interdisciplinary education program in SanFrancisco, a city with a unique and influential sexual history. Track I:Three-week session for undergraduate students and practitioners with lessthan two years experience working in the field of human sexuality (July7-25, 2008).
Track II: Three-week session for graduate students and practitioners withadvanced sexuality training (July 14-August 1, 2008). Fee includes allcourse reading materials and attendance at all Summer Institute guestlectures and special events.
http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/
-Being gay in the Former Yugoslavia
Nearly a decade after the horror of the Balkan Wars of the nineties, whatare the lives of LGBT citizens like in its successor states? With theassistance of an article on Yugoslavia from John Loughran in Gay Times fromlast year and Wikipedia, I've assembled the following series ofprofiles:
Slovenia: It is the most progressive former republic, perhaps assisted by its distance from conservative Belgrade. It decriminalised homosexuality in1977, passed anti-discrimination laws that included LG Slovenians in 1998,and introduced civil unions in 2006.
Croatia: This heavily Catholic former Yugoslav state decriminalised gaysex in 1977, and has a patchwork of disparate anti-discrimination laws thatforbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. As well as this,there are domestic partnership partial protections for same-sexrelationships, but a private members bill failed to introduce proper civilunions in 2006.
Serbia decriminalised male homosexuality in 1994, and passedanti-discrimination laws in 2005. However, it forbids lesbians and gay menfrom military service, does not recognise the spousal rights of same-sexcouples and banned same-sex marriage in 2006. Belgrade is an unfriendlyplace, particularly if you're trying to secure war reparations for ethnicminorities, belong to an identified feminist group, and police ignoregaybashings. Feminist antiwar group Women in Black is trans-inclusive.
Bosnia decriminalised male homosexuality in 1998, and has ambiguouswording in its constitution that provides theoretical protection for LGBT Bosnians from homophobic discrimination. Sarajevo has some LGBT activism and hosted a
recent photographic exhibition, as well as seeing the publication of a bookof LGBT Bosnian biographies, albeit with some harrassment fromconservativeChristians and Muslims.
Surprisingly, Kosovo was the earliest state to decriminalisehomosexuality, back in 1970. It also passed anti-discrimination provisions that coveredlesbian and gay Kosovars in its constitution from 2004 onward, but hasn'tmoved to secure civil unions or inclusive adoption rights as yet. There areno lesbian or gay clubs in Pristina, its capital, although police reportedlyface disciplinary sanctions if they don't take homophobic violenceseriously.
http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/31/article_5731.php
=
From OUTSpoken Families
Introduce Gender Neutral Bathrooms in Your Schools and Workplaces
Safe and stress free bathrooms should be available to everyone, not justfolks whose genders fit neatly into "boy" and "girl". Using the bathroom issomething as necessary and important as needing to eat and have shelter. Itwouldn't be fair to deny food to gender variant individuals and it mostcertainly isn't fair to deny them equal bathroom access. Having to use a"male" or "female" bathroom can be stressful and scary for those who don'tappear to fit into the above categories. We all deserve safe places to usethe bathroom-every single one of us.
Take this opportunity to learn more about the impact that genderedrestrooms have on folks. Click here to learn about the results of a studydone by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission on gender free bathrooms.Results mention how little girls and boys who "hold it" all day because theydon't have a safe 'gender free' place to use the bathroom have damaged theirkidneys and bladders.
*Show the film Toilet Training at your next PTA or business meeting. Itpowerfully captures the endless discrimination, violence, and harassmentthat people who are gender variant face in traditionally gendered bathrooms.
It includes discussion on the legality of equal access, the negative healtheffects associated with "holding it", and the social consequences ofdiscrimination in bathrooms.
*Peruse the restroom access model from the University of Arizona, whichis said to be the one all universities should use. Push your principals andbosses to adapt a similar policy.
OUTSpoken@familyequality.org
=
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#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST March 23, 2008
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-So Much Sex, but What's Fit to Print?
IT'S been quite a time for New York's tabloids: "Bad Girl," screamed The New York Post a week ago Friday,sporting a front-page photo of the prostitute who was the instrument of Gov. Eliot Spitzer's self-destruction. She wore nothing on top but her hands
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23pubed.html?_r=1&scp=10&sq=gay&st=nyt&oref=slogin
-Questions for the Rev. John Hagee: Megaminister
As a prominent evangelical pastor based in San Antonio, you were recentlycatapulted into national controversy when you endorsed Senator John McCainfor president. Is it true that McCain actively sought your endorsement? It'strue that McCain's campaign sought my endorsement.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/magazine/23wwln-q4-t.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=nyt
-To the Ramparts (Gently)
ONE March morning two years ago, a Pace University freshman named BrianKelly and a dozen or so friends piled into a few cars and drove to theuniversity's Westchester County campus in Pleasantville, to attend a speechby former President Bill Clinton.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/nyregion/thecity/23sds.html?sq=gay&st=nyt&scp=5&pagewanted=print
-New Brand Offers List of Gay-Friendly Hotels
A new brand focusing on gay travel has announced a list of 27 gay andlesbian-friendly member hotels in 14 countries in Europe and the UnitedStates.
http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/travel/23COMattitude.html&OQ=_rQ3D1Q26scpQ3D2Q26sqQ3DgayQ26stQ3Dnyt&OP=7f7ab8d6Q2FQ7CvgDQ7Ca_-Q60Q3E__Q25sQ7CsppBQ7CpQ3CQ7CsQ3CQ7CQ25Q3EkQ3FgNQ7CsQ3CTQ2AHkQ25Q25eQ25(agIQ5DQ25Q3AN
-The Supreme Court and Indecency
The Federal Communications Commission has used its new expletives policy toturn itself into a roving censorship board.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23sun1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-The Republican Resurrection
For Republicans, the prospect of marathon Democratic trench warfare is anEaster miracle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23rich.html?ref=opinion
-Iraq, $5,000 Per Second?
The improvement in Iraq amounts to casualty rates that have decreased to theunacceptable levels of 2005, no exit plan for years and a bill accumulatingat almost $5,000 per second.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23kristof.html?ref=opinion
-Why Radical Islam Just Won't Die
Extremist movements have been growing bigger for more than three decadesnow, during which time America has tried almost everything from a policypoint of view.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23berman.html?ref=opinion
-Gap in Life Expectancy Widens for the NationLife expectancy for the nation as a whole has increased, but the affluenthave made greater gains, researchers said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/us/23health.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-He's Preaching to A Choir I've Left
I've known preachers like the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., former pastor toSen. Barack Obama. Like many of them, he no doubt sees his congregation asfull of victims, and thinks that his words will inspire them to rise out oftheir victimhood. I understand that.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102742.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-McCain's pastor a sharp contrast to Obama's
HOUSTON (Reuters) - John McCain's Phoenix pastor, Dan Yeary, is a folksypatriotic Southern Baptist who opposes abortion and believes homosexualityto be a biblical sin, but says Christians have an obligation to love suchsinners.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032201621.html
-Stalwart Service for U.S. in Iraq Is Not Enough to Gain Green Card
During his nearly four years as a translator for U.S. forces in Iraq, SamanKareem Ahmad was known for his bravery and hard work. "Sam put his life onthe line with, and for, Coalition Forces on a daily basis," wrote MarineCapt. Trent A. Gibson.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202228.html?hpid=topnews
-U.S. Pushed Allies on Iraq, Diplomat Writes
Chilean Envoy to U.N. Recounts Threats of Retaliation in Run-Up to Invasion
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032201020.html?hpid=sec-nation
-Iraq Detention Case Heads to High Court
Jailed American Citizens Say They Have Right to Access U.S. Legal System
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202095.html?hpid=sec-nation
-Women Join Demining Charge in South Sudan
MILE 38, Sudan - Seven months pregnant Opayi Mary stands half a meter awayfrom a mine made expressly to blow anything over 3 kg to pieces. For her,it's just part of a day's work.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202166.html?hpid=sec-world
-Behind the 'Modern' China
China can go for great stretches these days looking like the model of apostmodern, 21st-century power. Visitors to Shanghai see soaring skyscrapersand a booming economy. Conference-goers at Davos and other internationalconfabs see sophisticated Chinese diplomats talking about "win-win" insteadof "zero-sum." Western leaders meet their Chinese counterparts and seeearnest technocrats trying to avoid the many pitfalls on the path toeconomic modernization.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102552.html
-Keep Talking
The discussion Barack Obama began about race should remain a part of thepresidential campaign.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032201716.html
-The Real Value Of Obama's Speech
In the days following Barack Obama's address on race last week inPhiladelphia, there was broad agreement among politicians and journaliststhat "A More Perfect Union," as he titled his speech, was the most importanthe has delivered since his keynote at the 2004 Democratic NationalConvention.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102554.html
-Obama's Promise -- And Its Limits
Barack Obama's worldview is anchored in both his DNA and his experiences.
This is a historical optimist at work: He believes that people and nationscan change themselves, for the better -- and that they will be moved to doso even more by their differences than by their similarities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102553.html
--Obama's speech on race courageous By LEONARD PITTS JR.
For a people so obsessed with race, we are exceptionally bad at talkingabout it. Some of us fear talking about it, get nervous and fluttery and actas if this is a topic polite people should avoid. Some of us are unequippedto talk about it, too ignorant of the history that undergirds it, toowilling to bend that history toward ideological ends, too blithelydismissive of the fact that history matters, that past informs presentinforms future. Some of us lack the compassion to talk about it, prefer touse it only as a means of denigrating, diminishing and dismissing the Other.
Some of us are uncomfortable talking about it because it makes us feel whatwe'd rather not: anger, sorrow, defensiveness, guilt. And some of us --politicians in particular -- talk about race only to use it as a weapon,only as a means of hitting the other candidate.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard_pitts/story/466224.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain sticks to climate-change stance
Sen. John McCain has made it clear that his platform will include combatingglobal warming, although the details are a bit vague.
http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/story/466583.html
-Bringing race to the forefront
WITH HIS speech Tuesday, Senator Barack Obama invited the nation to "gobeyond" race. But he didn't try to go "postracial," make us colorblind, or"transcend race" by stuffing our history under the mattress. Instead, Obamaconfronted us with the wretched residue of Jim Crow - and then asked us tomove on.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/03/23/bringing_race_to_the_forefront/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democrat do-over drama in Michigan pleases GOP
McCain backers see the fighting as a path to the state
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - After days of wrangling over a primary election"do-over," Michigan Democrats are back where they started: nowhere.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5639458.html
-8 Questions That Will Shape Where the Race for the Democratic Presidential
Nominaton Goes From HereWhat is the most likely outcome of the dispute over the delegations fromFlorida and Michigan?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202229.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-So Much Sex, but What's Fit to Print?
IT'S been quite a time for New York's tabloids: "Bad Girl," screamed The New York Post a week ago Friday,sporting a front-page photo of the prostitute who was the instrument of Gov. Eliot Spitzer's self-destruction. She wore nothing on top but her hands
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23pubed.html?_r=1&scp=10&sq=gay&st=nyt&oref=slogin
-Questions for the Rev. John Hagee: Megaminister
As a prominent evangelical pastor based in San Antonio, you were recentlycatapulted into national controversy when you endorsed Senator John McCainfor president. Is it true that McCain actively sought your endorsement? It'strue that McCain's campaign sought my endorsement.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/magazine/23wwln-q4-t.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=nyt
-To the Ramparts (Gently)
ONE March morning two years ago, a Pace University freshman named BrianKelly and a dozen or so friends piled into a few cars and drove to theuniversity's Westchester County campus in Pleasantville, to attend a speechby former President Bill Clinton.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/nyregion/thecity/23sds.html?sq=gay&st=nyt&scp=5&pagewanted=print
-New Brand Offers List of Gay-Friendly Hotels
A new brand focusing on gay travel has announced a list of 27 gay andlesbian-friendly member hotels in 14 countries in Europe and the UnitedStates.
http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/travel/23COMattitude.html&OQ=_rQ3D1Q26scpQ3D2Q26sqQ3DgayQ26stQ3Dnyt&OP=7f7ab8d6Q2FQ7CvgDQ7Ca_-Q60Q3E__Q25sQ7CsppBQ7CpQ3CQ7CsQ3CQ7CQ25Q3EkQ3FgNQ7CsQ3CTQ2AHkQ25Q25eQ25(agIQ5DQ25Q3AN
-The Supreme Court and Indecency
The Federal Communications Commission has used its new expletives policy toturn itself into a roving censorship board.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23sun1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
-The Republican Resurrection
For Republicans, the prospect of marathon Democratic trench warfare is anEaster miracle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23rich.html?ref=opinion
-Iraq, $5,000 Per Second?
The improvement in Iraq amounts to casualty rates that have decreased to theunacceptable levels of 2005, no exit plan for years and a bill accumulatingat almost $5,000 per second.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23kristof.html?ref=opinion
-Why Radical Islam Just Won't Die
Extremist movements have been growing bigger for more than three decadesnow, during which time America has tried almost everything from a policypoint of view.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/opinion/23berman.html?ref=opinion
-Gap in Life Expectancy Widens for the NationLife expectancy for the nation as a whole has increased, but the affluenthave made greater gains, researchers said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/us/23health.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-He's Preaching to A Choir I've Left
I've known preachers like the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., former pastor toSen. Barack Obama. Like many of them, he no doubt sees his congregation asfull of victims, and thinks that his words will inspire them to rise out oftheir victimhood. I understand that.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102742.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
-McCain's pastor a sharp contrast to Obama's
HOUSTON (Reuters) - John McCain's Phoenix pastor, Dan Yeary, is a folksypatriotic Southern Baptist who opposes abortion and believes homosexualityto be a biblical sin, but says Christians have an obligation to love suchsinners.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032201621.html
-Stalwart Service for U.S. in Iraq Is Not Enough to Gain Green Card
During his nearly four years as a translator for U.S. forces in Iraq, SamanKareem Ahmad was known for his bravery and hard work. "Sam put his life onthe line with, and for, Coalition Forces on a daily basis," wrote MarineCapt. Trent A. Gibson.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202228.html?hpid=topnews
-U.S. Pushed Allies on Iraq, Diplomat Writes
Chilean Envoy to U.N. Recounts Threats of Retaliation in Run-Up to Invasion
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032201020.html?hpid=sec-nation
-Iraq Detention Case Heads to High Court
Jailed American Citizens Say They Have Right to Access U.S. Legal System
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202095.html?hpid=sec-nation
-Women Join Demining Charge in South Sudan
MILE 38, Sudan - Seven months pregnant Opayi Mary stands half a meter awayfrom a mine made expressly to blow anything over 3 kg to pieces. For her,it's just part of a day's work.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202166.html?hpid=sec-world
-Behind the 'Modern' China
China can go for great stretches these days looking like the model of apostmodern, 21st-century power. Visitors to Shanghai see soaring skyscrapersand a booming economy. Conference-goers at Davos and other internationalconfabs see sophisticated Chinese diplomats talking about "win-win" insteadof "zero-sum." Western leaders meet their Chinese counterparts and seeearnest technocrats trying to avoid the many pitfalls on the path toeconomic modernization.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102552.html
-Keep Talking
The discussion Barack Obama began about race should remain a part of thepresidential campaign.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032201716.html
-The Real Value Of Obama's Speech
In the days following Barack Obama's address on race last week inPhiladelphia, there was broad agreement among politicians and journaliststhat "A More Perfect Union," as he titled his speech, was the most importanthe has delivered since his keynote at the 2004 Democratic NationalConvention.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102554.html
-Obama's Promise -- And Its Limits
Barack Obama's worldview is anchored in both his DNA and his experiences.
This is a historical optimist at work: He believes that people and nationscan change themselves, for the better -- and that they will be moved to doso even more by their differences than by their similarities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102553.html
--Obama's speech on race courageous By LEONARD PITTS JR.
For a people so obsessed with race, we are exceptionally bad at talkingabout it. Some of us fear talking about it, get nervous and fluttery and actas if this is a topic polite people should avoid. Some of us are unequippedto talk about it, too ignorant of the history that undergirds it, toowilling to bend that history toward ideological ends, too blithelydismissive of the fact that history matters, that past informs presentinforms future. Some of us lack the compassion to talk about it, prefer touse it only as a means of denigrating, diminishing and dismissing the Other.
Some of us are uncomfortable talking about it because it makes us feel whatwe'd rather not: anger, sorrow, defensiveness, guilt. And some of us --politicians in particular -- talk about race only to use it as a weapon,only as a means of hitting the other candidate.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard_pitts/story/466224.html
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-McCain sticks to climate-change stance
Sen. John McCain has made it clear that his platform will include combatingglobal warming, although the details are a bit vague.
http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/story/466583.html
-Bringing race to the forefront
WITH HIS speech Tuesday, Senator Barack Obama invited the nation to "gobeyond" race. But he didn't try to go "postracial," make us colorblind, or"transcend race" by stuffing our history under the mattress. Instead, Obamaconfronted us with the wretched residue of Jim Crow - and then asked us tomove on.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/03/23/bringing_race_to_the_forefront/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Democrat do-over drama in Michigan pleases GOP
McCain backers see the fighting as a path to the state
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - After days of wrangling over a primary election"do-over," Michigan Democrats are back where they started: nowhere.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5639458.html
-8 Questions That Will Shape Where the Race for the Democratic Presidential
Nominaton Goes From HereWhat is the most likely outcome of the dispute over the delegations fromFlorida and Michigan?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/22/AR2008032202229.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST March 23, 2008
**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.
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Amendment would hurt more than help
OUR OPINION: TAX SWAP IS ENTICING, BUT IT DOESN'T REPAIR FLAWED TAXSTRUCTURE
The property-tax reduction proposal put forward by the Taxation and BudgetReform Commission sounds too good to be true. In exchange for a one-pennyincrease in the sales tax -- c'mon, it's just a penny -- homeowners would berelieved of a large part of their property-tax burden. Taxpayer, beware. Ifit sounds too good to be true, it just may be.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/466232.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
- Will Dean Cost the Dems Florida?
Florida's famously feckless electoral system usually deserves the ridiculeit gets. But not this time. Instead of the typical jokes about Flori-duh,the Sunshine State debacle currently gripping the Democratic Party hasevoked reminders of the Dean Scream - the notorious petulance of DemocraticNational Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean. He, along with the other sagebosses of the DNC, has left Democratic voters in what is arguably thenation's most crucial swing state feeling dissed, disenfranchised and, itnow seems, disinclined to back whomever the Democratic candidate is inNovember. And that could harm the party's White House bid as severely as anybutterfly ballot or hanging chad ever did.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1724374,00.html
-Will Florida Democrats Take a Dive in November?
Lurking in the background of the interminable dispute over the DemocraticParty's handling of outlaw primaries in MI and FL has been the fear thatkeeping these two states unrepresented at the convention in Denver couldhurt the ultimate nominee's ability to win either or both in November.
http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/strategist/2008/03/will_florida_democrats_take_a.php
-Proposed property-tax trade: Deliverance or downfall
A ground-breaking $9.6 billion property tax swap headed for the Novemberballot is the perfect solution for an aging government system that willalways trail the demographic trend.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/CD/20080323/CAPITOLNEWS/803230325
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Amendment would hurt more than help
OUR OPINION: TAX SWAP IS ENTICING, BUT IT DOESN'T REPAIR FLAWED TAXSTRUCTURE
The property-tax reduction proposal put forward by the Taxation and BudgetReform Commission sounds too good to be true. In exchange for a one-pennyincrease in the sales tax -- c'mon, it's just a penny -- homeowners would berelieved of a large part of their property-tax burden. Taxpayer, beware. Ifit sounds too good to be true, it just may be.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/466232.html
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
- Will Dean Cost the Dems Florida?
Florida's famously feckless electoral system usually deserves the ridiculeit gets. But not this time. Instead of the typical jokes about Flori-duh,the Sunshine State debacle currently gripping the Democratic Party hasevoked reminders of the Dean Scream - the notorious petulance of DemocraticNational Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean. He, along with the other sagebosses of the DNC, has left Democratic voters in what is arguably thenation's most crucial swing state feeling dissed, disenfranchised and, itnow seems, disinclined to back whomever the Democratic candidate is inNovember. And that could harm the party's White House bid as severely as anybutterfly ballot or hanging chad ever did.
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1724374,00.html
-Will Florida Democrats Take a Dive in November?
Lurking in the background of the interminable dispute over the DemocraticParty's handling of outlaw primaries in MI and FL has been the fear thatkeeping these two states unrepresented at the convention in Denver couldhurt the ultimate nominee's ability to win either or both in November.
http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/strategist/2008/03/will_florida_democrats_take_a.php
-Proposed property-tax trade: Deliverance or downfall
A ground-breaking $9.6 billion property tax swap headed for the Novemberballot is the perfect solution for an aging government system that willalways trail the demographic trend.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/CD/20080323/CAPITOLNEWS/803230325
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
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