**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:
-Rangers Answer Concerns of Gays
Representatives from Madison Square Garden and the Rangers met Wednesdaywith gay advocacy groups and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn toaddress concerns about anti-gay slurs that are regularly shouted at Rangersgames.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/sports/hockey/18fans.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=nyt&oref=slogin
-In California, Charges Are Changed in Beating of Yale Singers
A judge has dismissed felony charges against two men accused of attackingYale University singers in a 2007 New Year's Eve brawl in San Francisco. Thejudge, Kathleen Kelly, dropped the felony charges against the men, BrianDwyer and Richard Aicardi, both 20, on Wednesday, saying prosecutors lackedevidence. Judge Kelly dismissed all the charges against Mr. Dwyer andreduced the case against Mr. Aicardi to a single count of misdemeanorassault. Witnesses said that after the all-male a cappella group sang "TheStar-Spangled Banner," the attackers hurled anti-gay epithets and then beatand kicked some of the singers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/us/18brfs-CHANGINGCHAR_BRF.html?scp=5&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Clinging to a Stereotype
Will Barack Obama's now famous "bitter" quote turn out to have been a bigdeal politically? Frankly, I have no idea.
Mr. Obama's comments combined assertions about economics, sociology andvoting behavior. In each case, his assertion was mostly if not entirelywrong.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/opinion/18krugman.html?scp=6&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Long in the Shadows, a Player's Legacy Is Restored
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Nobody disputes the accomplishments of Jackie Walker, alocal high school football star and pioneering all-American linebacker atTennessee in 1970 and '71.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/sports/ncaafootball/18tennessee.html?scp=8&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Giving Shelter: Portraits of Young Lives in Limbo
A new book of documentary photographs, "Shelter," examines a group of gay,lesbian, bisexual and transgender young people living, off and on, at ahomeless shelter in Hell's Kitchen - a group for whom growing up couldhardly be more difficult. That the book is the product of a 27-year-oldphotographer who is gay, grew up in poverty and once lived in a homelessshelter himself explains its empathetic tone and morally urgent message.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/nyregion/18cityroom1.html?scp=8&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Slideshow of Sylvia's Place, a homeless shelter for gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender young people
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/04/16/nyregion/20080416_SHELTER_SLIDESHOW_index.html
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-GOVERNMENT INNOVATIONS
4 Programs Are Award Finalists
Help for Teens, Domestic-Violence Victims Among Efforts
Maryland's effort to help prevent domestic violence-related homicides wasrecognized as one of the top 50 programs in the 2008 Innovations in AmericanGovernment competition, sponsored by Harvard University's Kennedy School.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/17/AR2008041703641.html
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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Group begins campaign for Florida ban on gay marriage
WEST PALM BEACH - Married 53 years ago, Sidney and Cecile Lenier of WestPalm Beach stood at a news conference Thursday holding a weathered copy of acirca-1883 "pastor's handbook" containing their wedding vows, and spoke ofthe virtues of marriages like theirs that involve a man and woman.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpmarriage0418pnapr18,0,7071325.story
-Day of silence calls attention to bullying, harassment of GLBT community
By William Butte
Even before 15-year-old Lawrence "Larry" King came out to the few friends hehad at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, Calif., the sweet-faced,slightly built boy endured taunts and anti-gay slurs spewed at him dailyacross campus, from cafeteria to classroom. As one friend was quoted in theLos Angeles Times: "You'd hear, 'Faggot! Hey, faggot!' That was happening inevery class. A lot of teachers knew stuff was going on ... I guess they justdidn't want to get involved." However, the taunts and slurs didn't engenderthe desired reaction of fear and silence, but instead seemed to have had theopposite effect. Larry gained the courage to come out to the few friends hehad, and he began to wear make-up and girl's boots with his school uniform.
He also started to flirt with boys who taunted him, as a way to get back atthem. Larry told one boy, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney, that he thought hewas cute. Brandon hated that, and the fact that the remark caused hisfriends to rib him for being gay. After the incident, early one morning inFebruary, Brandon walked into Larry's eighth-grade computer lab class andshot him twice in the head. As those two shots rang out, Larry's voice wassilenced forever.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-forum18buttesbapr18,0,5523818.story
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Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Give Me A Beat Productions puts Steve Rothaus 'In the Spotlight'
Talking about the GLAAD Media Awards this week, Steve Rothaus is anotherclear example of a hard-working and determined man and journalist who hasrevolutionized the concept of the gay-oriented media in the country. Stevehas been working for the prestigious Miami Herald for over 22 years, and hewas the the first reporter who efficiently started covering gay and lesbianissues in a major American newspaper regularly and openly. Steve took theunderground concept to an every day concept of journalism.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Army: source of Wikipedia edit on gay soldier can't be tracedMaj. Alan Rogers died earlier this year
The Army is stating that it cannot identify the source of Wikipedia articleedits eliminating any mention that a soldier recently killed in Iraq wasgay, even though the changes apparently came from an Army computer user atthe Pentagon.
Army spokesman Maj. Nathan Banks said Army checks "do not necessarilyindicate" that the IP address associated with the changes "necessarilybelongs to any one specific office."
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17762
-Hundreds rally for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender rights
St.Paul - Hundreds rallied on the Capitol lawn today for the country'slargest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender lobby day.
Supporters at the OutFront Minnesota's justFair Lobby Day hoped to send astrong message to lawmakers and the governor to support GLBT-friendlylegislation.
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=508249
-Alum criticized for transphobic remarks
Fox News panelist calls out "pregnant man"
An Emerson graduate has recently come under fire for alleged homophobic andtransphobic comments he and fellow panelists made on a Fox News talk show.
http://media.www.berkeleybeacon.com/media/storage/paper169/news/2008/04/17/News/Alum-Criticized.For.Transphobic.Remarks-3332785.shtml
- Historic moment or a political ploy?
Republican Atwater's backing of gay bill draws mixed reactions
When Republican Sen. Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) announced his supportlast week for a civil rights bill that adds sexual orientation as aprotected class in the Florida Civil Rights Act, it signaled to some GLBTpolitical watchers a thaw in the Florida Legislature's staunchlyconservative stance regarding gay legislation.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/news/localnews/4591.cfm
-Israel: At the Forefront of Gay Rights
At only 60 years old, Israel has become one of the most progressivecountries in the world and the most tolerant country in the Middle East inlegislating equality for sexual minorities and ensuring their civil andpersonal rights.
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/04/israel_at_the_forefront_of_gay_rights.php
-HRC weighs in on proposed changes to Family and Medical Leave Act
A recent issue came up with the Department of Labor (DoL) and the Family and
Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The DoL issued a notice that they plan to makechanges to some of the regulations governing how the FMLA isadministered -and asked groups to comment. HRC submitted written commentsto DoL last Friday detailing our concerns with the proposed rules. We alsomade recommendations that FMLA leave be expanded through regulations andlegislation to fully protect the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendercommunity.
http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2008/04/hrc-weighs-in-o.html
-Scottish MPs ask for more information on gay blood ban
The petitions committee of the Scottish parliament has asked for moreinformation pertaining to why gay men are restricted from giving blood. Thecommittee is currently considering a submission from gay activist RobMcDowall asking the Scottish Government to review the current policy thatdisallows gay and bisexual men to being donors, Pink News reports.
http://www.gaypolitics.com/?p=421
-Local researcher links alcohol, drug abuse to high HIV rates
FIU's Robert Malow gets grant to study high-risk behavior
This Sunday, hundreds of volunteers will participate in the 20th annual AIDSWalk Miami, marking two decades of advocacy, activism and all-out concernfor the growing numbers of people affected by the disease throughout SouthFlorida.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/news/localnews/4592.cfm
-Along for the ride - and to help people with AIDS
Tuesday's Angels' annual bike ride attracts a special breed
Participants in the Tuesday's Angels annual 100% Solution Bike Ride for Lifegathered in a circle just before sunrise on the walkway on Las OlasBoulevard and A1A on April 11.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/news/localnews/4593.cfm
-Sean Kennedy murder shows need for hate-crime laws
Homophobic killer in S.C. is expected to serve little or no time
SEAN WILLIAM Kennedy would have turned 21 on April 8, but his life was takenfrom him last May when he was beaten to death while walking home from a barin Greenville, S.C.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/view/editorial/4598.cfm
-Friend or Foe?
The government of Greece and Michael Heath
Government of Greece
Our Friend of the Week honor goes to the government of Greece, whichrecently granted asylum to a 40-year-old Iranian gay man who had faced deathif he was returned to his homeland. The man, known as "Alex," had beenbeaten and tortured for being gay in Iran.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/view/friendfoe/4599.cfm
-Gay and gray - and it's OK
Despite unflattering photo IDs, there are advantages to aging
Each year as my birthday anniversary inexorably rolls around and passes bywith a merry wave, I take the opportunity to reflect on the aging process asit affects the gay community and me personally. This was year number 67, nota particularly interesting number, just another hatch mark in the tally ofcontinued existence. Not that I take continued existence lightly. In earlierages, a man my age had outlived most of his contemporaries. And, of course,many gay men's lives were snuffed out prematurely by AIDS.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/view/editorial/4602.cfm
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Virginia Supreme Court to Weigh in on Lesbian Couple's Custody Battle
(CNSNews.com) - The Virginia Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursdayin a case involving a lesbian couple fighting over who gets full custody ofa five-year-old girl.
Janet Jenkins, former partner of Lisa Miller, is suing for custody ofMiller's biological daughter even though Jenkins is not an adoptive orbiological parent.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200804/CUL20080415d.html
-In Oklahoma, a price for bigotry?
Poor Sally Kern. It seemed that the brouhaha about her "gays are moredangerous than terrorists" remarks was dying down, but then along comes areport that she may be scaring businesses away from the state:
A San Francisco Bay-area financial services company has not yet ruled outOklahoma City for a major office relocation, a vice president of a realestate search firm confirmed. A decision is expected in three to four weeks.
http://blogs.chron.com/bluebayou/2008/04/in_oklahoma_a_price_for_bigotr.html
-The Gays are Coming, The Gays are Coming!
PageOneQ provides this assessment of American Family Association'spropaganda video "They're Coming to Your Town".
The town of Eureka Springs is turning into the "San Francisco of Arkansas,"warns the American Family Association, and it can happen in your town too.
The presentation in the AFA trailer below, "They're Coming to Your Town,"tells the tale of an uncharacteristically diverse resort town's governmentinfiltrated by "a handful of homosexual activists" and bent to their willthrough the enactment of the town's domestic partner registry on June 22,2007.
http://gaytheistagenda.lavenderliberal.com/2008/04/16/the-gays-are-coming-the-gays-are-coming/
-My Divine Pope Benediction
Pope Benedict XVI's arrival on these shores has taken me back, once again,to an exhilarating, steamy encounter we had over 20 years ago. By the end,he had me in handcuffs! Let's not cheapen this, however, by merelysexualizing it. My sublime experience with the man then known as CardinalRatzinger was, in fact, cathartic, divine, spiritual and life-changing -- abaptism of the highest order.
http://signorile2003.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-divine-pope-benediction-pope.html
-Counsel's claims? We think they took a Liberty or two
The legal-minded arch-conservatives at the Liberty Counsel are once againgearing up to protest the pro-acceptance Day of Silence, an annualGLSEN-sponsored event wherein students take a vow of silence to protest LGBTbias in school (held this year on 4/25). So as part of their organizedattempt to discredit the mission of the pro-gay day and to make the eventinstead sound like one that is trampling on religious freedom, the group hascompiled a list of alleged complaints that they have received from parentsacross the nation. Check out their claims:
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2008/04/counsels-claims.html
-A tale of two children
Janet has two children, each of whom fell in love with a foreign citizen.
Her daughter is straight, and her son is gay. As you might have alreadyguessed, the straight daughter's story has a happy ending -- and the gayson, well, the U.S. government made sure he was punished for his sexualorientation and exiled to a foreign country. This mother has a bird's-eyeview of the pain and suffering this type of discrimination inflicts upon gayand lesbian Americans.
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2008/04/a-tale-of-two-c.html
-HIV Incidence Rises In Minnesota
According to statistics released by the Minnesota Department of Health, 325new cases of HIV were reported in Minnesota during 2007. The Minnesota AIDSProject, the leading source for HIV information and services in Minnesota,noted specific areas of concern including:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104426.php
-Students speak out against bullying
A small group of students gathered in Burlington's City Hall Park onWednesday by a rainbow-colored banner and clusters of balloons. Theyexchanged hugs and laughs, but the gathering was not a party -- it was aprotest.
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080417/NEWS02/804170311/1007
-Kentucky Votes for LIMITED Information on Holocaust
The legislature in Kentucky has voted to assist in the educatation ofstudents about the Holocaust and genocide.
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2008/04/16/1821
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Edwards Mum On Presidential Pick As NC Primary Nears
(Raleigh, North Carolina ) In the four years after his first White House bid, John Edwards stayed in the spotlight. In the four months since he abandoned his second bid, he's all but disappeared.
-Students, Young Workers Have Different Priorities
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) The Democratic presidential hopefuls have bounced from city to city in Pennsylvania hoping to nab some much-needed votes in Tuesday's primary.
-Poll: Obama Now Seen As Stronger Candidate
(Washington) Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are both sustaining dents and dings from their lengthy presidential fight, but most voters now see Obama as the stronger candidate.
-Lance Bass Speaks Out For Gay Students
(New York City) Lance Bass doesn't want others to stay silent as he did. So he's made a public service announcement for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.
-Vermont Gay Marriage Report Due Monday
(Montpelier, Vermont) A state commission on whether to amend Vermont's civil union law to allow for same-sex marriage will deliver its report to thelegislature on Monday.
-Salt Lake Begins Registering Partners
(Salt Lake City, Utah) Domestic partners began registering their relationships with the city of Salt Lake on Thursday.
-Office Of Turkey LGBT Rights Group Again Raided By Police
(Istanbul) For the second time in a year police have raided the offices of the Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center, the largest LGBT civil rights organization in Turkey.
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
- The Run-up to Pennsylvania
What do Jennifer Beals and Chelsea Clinton have in common? They both have big gay followings and they're both stumping for their candidate in Philadelphia.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53521.asp
-
Gay NC Senate Candidate Wins Endorsements
Jim Neal, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from North Carolina, won two endorsements Tuesday for the May 6 primary against his chief rival, state senator Kay Hagan. Neal, who is gay, picked up the first media endorsement of the primary from Yes! Weekly in Greensboro, N.C., as well as the endorsement of Guilford County chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America, according to a press release by the campaign.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53484.asp
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
Miss Gay IU Hits Campus Friday
Think big hair, tons of makeup and lots of feathers. This year's showgirl-themed Miss Gay IU is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. Friday in the IU Auditorium. In its nearly 17 years of existence, Miss Gay IU has become one of the nation's largest and most-attended drag pageants in the United States. The contestants will compete for the Miss Gay IU title through personal interviews, an evening gown competition, a talent production and an on-stage question and answer session. Friday's show will be all about entertainment and fun, but OUT also plans to donate 10 percent of proceeds to an as-yet-undecided charity, said Miss Gay IU host Vicki St. James.
-Gay, Lesbian Voters Divided on Democratic Choices
At Stallions, Harrisburg's gay night club, the floors seem to reflect the differences in the gay and lesbian community over the Democratic presidential primary. Gay men congregate on the club's lower levels, where there's everything from raucous dancing to quiet lounge space. It's here that bartender Colleen Dorsey said one is more apt to find support for Sen. Barack Obama, especially among younger gay men.
-San Ramon Valley Students Celebrate Gay Pride Week
Students at San Ramon Valley High School are teaching their classmates and the community that saying something is "so gay" is so uncool. Members of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance, which has been on campus for about 10 years, esignated this week Gay Pride Week on campus. Students have been spreading awareness about accepting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
-Leppert Touts Dallas as Gay Destination
As the mayor of Dallas, Tom Leppert is the city's most enthusiastic cheerleader, often charged with convincing captains of industry and national leaders that Dallas is more than the stereotypes in pop culture. So it's not surprising that he would say, as he did on April 11, that "The Dallas of today is not J.R. [Ewing]; it's the people around this table." What might be surprising is that he said it to a table filled almost exclusively with members of the LGBT community.
-Same-Sex Wedding Expo to Be Held in St Petersburg, FL
The national gay & lesbian wedding resource, RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, has announced that the company will be producing St. Petersburg's first-ever GLBTQ Wedding & Family Expo. The event will also include the Same Love, Same Rights® Mobile Marriage Summit, a forum in which ideas are collected from all who attend on innovative ways to create mass change in America concerning marriage equality. The Expo will be held at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront on Sunday, May 4, 2008 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm and is free for the public to attend.
- New Foundation Hopes to Raise Funds For Atlanta Gay Groups
A new organization called the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Community Foundation is forming to raise money for other local gay and lesbian non-profits, and to help donors know which of those non-profits are using funds effectively and fulfilling their missions.
-Washington's Gay War
Two hundred legislators and congressional staffers gathered in the elegantly paneled Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol in February to bid farewell to Rob Cogorno. The 51-year-old congressional aide had capped his 25 years on the Hill with the job of floor director for Democratic House majority leader Steny Hoyer. That position had made Cogorno the majority leader's chief liaison to all the committee chairs in the House. Now Hoyer's key aide was leaving his fulcrum of power to join one of Washington's most successful lobbying firms, and his affectionate Hill colleagues had turned out in force to pay their respects to a beloved staffer.
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
Court documents filed by special interest groups designed to influence a state Supreme Court decision on Iowa's same-sex marriage ban are "a postscript of inadmissible hearsay remarks," and not formal legal arguments, according to the Polk County attorney's office. A recent "friend of the court" brief filed by gay and lesbian groups and Massachusetts state lawmakers was based on unfounded opinions and news accounts, Polk officials said in their own document filed Thursday. Lambda Legal, a New York gay rights organization, announced last month that 17 groups had filed legal briefs in support of same-sex marriage. One of the briefs filed included a statement from former lieutenant governors Joy Corning and Sally Pederson.
-Some potentially great news out of Brazil this week. The center-left government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva -- known here as Presidente Lula -- has announced a legislative proposal that would extend to gay Brazilians the same right straight Brazilians have to sponsor foreignpartners for temporary or permanent resident visas. It's a Brazilian UAFA (Uniting American Families Act), if you will.
The proposed law would simply remove any distinction of sex from existing provisions that allow Brazilians to sponsor foreign partners. In reality, Brazil is already one of two-dozen countries that already allow gay citizens to sponsor foreign partners for residence, but that right is based entirely on vulnerable judge-made law.
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Edwards Mum On Presidential Pick As NC Primary Nears
(Raleigh, North Carolina ) In the four years after his first White House bid, John Edwards stayed in the spotlight. In the four months since he abandoned his second bid, he's all but disappeared.
-Students, Young Workers Have Different Priorities
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) The Democratic presidential hopefuls have bounced from city to city in Pennsylvania hoping to nab some much-needed votes in Tuesday's primary.
-Poll: Obama Now Seen As Stronger Candidate
(Washington) Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are both sustaining dents and dings from their lengthy presidential fight, but most voters now see Obama as the stronger candidate.
-Lance Bass Speaks Out For Gay Students
(New York City) Lance Bass doesn't want others to stay silent as he did. So he's made a public service announcement for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.
-Vermont Gay Marriage Report Due Monday
(Montpelier, Vermont) A state commission on whether to amend Vermont's civil union law to allow for same-sex marriage will deliver its report to the legislature on Monday.
-Salt Lake Begins Registering Partners
(Salt Lake City, Utah) Domestic partners began registering their relationships with the city of Salt Lake on Thursday.
-Office Of Turkey LGBT Rights Group Again Raided By Police
(Istanbul) For the second time in a year police have raided the offices of the Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center, the largest LGBT civil rights organization in Turkey.
=
National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
Miss Gay IU Hits Campus Friday
Think big hair, tons of makeup and lots of feathers. This year's
showgirl-themed Miss Gay IU is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. Friday in the IU Auditorium. In its nearly 17 years of existence, Miss Gay IU has become one of the nation's largest and most-attended drag pageants in the United States. The contestants will compete for the Miss Gay IU title through personal interviews, an evening gown competition, a talent production and an on-stage question and answer session. Friday's show will be all about entertainment and fun, but OUT also plans to donate 10 percent of proceeds to an as-yet-undecided charity, said Miss Gay IU host Vicki St. James.
-Gay, Lesbian Voters Divided on Democratic Choices
At Stallions, Harrisburg's gay night club, the floors seem to reflect the ifferences in the gay and lesbian community over the Democratic presidential primary. Gay men congregate on the club's lower levels, where there's everything from raucous dancing to quiet lounge space. It's here that bartender Colleen Dorsey said one is more apt to find support for Sen. Barack Obama, especially among younger gay men.
-San Ramon Valley Students Celebrate Gay Pride Week
Students at San Ramon Valley High School are teaching their classmates and the community that saying something is "so gay" is so uncool. Members of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance, which has been on campus for about 10 years, designated this week Gay Pride Week on campus. Students have been spreading awareness about accepting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
-Leppert Touts Dallas as Gay Destination
As the mayor of Dallas, Tom Leppert is the city's most enthusiastic cheerleader, often charged with convincing captains of industry and national leaders that Dallas is more than the stereotypes in pop culture. So it's not surprising that he would say, as he did on April 11, that "The Dallas of today is not J.R. [Ewing]; it's the people around this table." What might be surprising is that he said it to a table filled almost exclusively with members of the LGBT community.
-Same-Sex Wedding Expo to Be Held in St Petersburg, FL
The national gay & lesbian wedding resource, RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, has announced that the company will be producing St. Petersburg's first-ever GLBTQ Wedding & Family Expo. The event will also include the Same Love, SameRights® Mobile Marriage Summit, a forum in which ideas are collected from all who attend on innovative ways to create mass change in America concerning marriage equality. The Expo will be held at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront on Sunday, May 4, 2008 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm and is free for the public to attend.
- New Foundation Hopes to Raise Funds For Atlanta Gay Groups
A new organization called the Atlanta Gay & Lesbian Community Foundation is forming to raise money for other local gay and lesbian non-profits, and to help donors know which of those non-profits are using funds effectively and fulfilling their missions.
-Washington's Gay War
Two hundred legislators and congressional staffers gathered in the elegantly paneled Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol in February to bid farewell to Rob Cogorno. The 51-year-old congressional aide had capped his 25 years on the Hill with the job of floor director for Democratic House majority leader Steny Hoyer. That position had made Cogorno the majority leader's chief liaison to all the committee chairs in the House. Now Hoyer's key aide was leaving his fulcrum of power to join one of Washington's most successful lobbying firms, and his affectionate Hill colleagues had turned out in force to pay their respects to a beloved staffer.
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
Court documents filed by special interest groups designed to influence a state Supreme Court decision on Iowa's same-sex marriage ban are "a postscript of inadmissible hearsay remarks," and not formal legal arguments,according to the Polk County attorney's office. A recent "friend of the court" brief filed by gay and lesbian groups and Massachusetts state lawmakers was based on unfounded opinions and news accounts, Polk officials said in their own document filed Thursday. Lambda Legal, a New York gay rights organization, announced last month that 17 groups had filed legal briefs in support of same-sex marriage. One of the briefs filed included a statement from former lieutenant governors Joy Corning and Sally Pederson.
-Some potentially great news out of Brazil this week. The center-left government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva -- known here as Presidente Lula -- has announced a legislative proposal that would extend to gay Brazilians the same right straight Brazilians have to sponsor foreign partners for temporary or permanent resident visas. It's a Brazilian UAFA (Uniting American Families Act), if you will.
The proposed law would simply remove any distinction of sex from existing provisions that allow Brazilians to sponsor foreign partners. In reality, Brazil is already one of two-dozen countries that already allow gay citizens to sponsor foreign partners for residence, but that right is based entirely on vulnerable judge-made law.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Monday, April 21, 2008
FLORIDA DIGEST April 18, 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:
-Supporters of constitutional ban on gay marriage launch campaign in WestPalm Beach, around the state
WEST PALM BEACH - Married 53 years ago, Sidney and Cecile Lenier of WestPalm Beach stood at a news conference Thursday holding a weathered copy of acirca-1883 "pastor's handbook" containing their wedding vows, and spoke ofthe virtues of marriages like theirs that involve a man and woman.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-0417marriage,0,5023585.story
-Florida's senior voters a prized target in gay marriage ban campaigns
FORT LAUDERDALE - Both sides in the fight over whether to shore up Florida'sban on gay marriage by enshrining it in the state constitution are targetingseniors, who are consistently the most reliable voters.
Activists arguing against putting the gay marriage ban in the constitutionsay one of its side effects would be to hurt elderly straight couples wholive together rather than marry as a way to preserve pension and SocialSecurity benefits. The way the proposed gay marriage ban is worded,opponents say, those straight couples' arrangements could be jeopardized.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flbmarriage0418sbapr18,0,1919245.story
-If intelligent design OK in classroom, why not sex ed?
If teachers need free speech protection in science classrooms, why not extend it to sex education classes? That was the argument of local Democratic Sens. Ted Deutch of Boca Raton and Nan Rich of Weston, as the Senate today began debating whether teachers need a law that would allow them to present "scientific evidence" critical of evolution.The "Academic Freedom" bill by Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, would protectteachers and students from harassment or retaliation for discussingscientific theories that contradict Darwin's theory of how man evolved."We're talking about academic freedom," said Deutch. "In an abstinence-onlysex education program, a teacher may wish to answer a student's question and provide additional information that may protect a life or stop an unwanted
pregnancy."
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Bishop: Faith has many tongues
The head of the Episcopal Church preached love for neighbors on the last dayof her South Florida visit.
The first female presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church experienced themulticultural world of South Florida firsthand Thursday, with stops at threechurches including the oldest Haitian Episcopal congregation in the UnitedStates.
http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/500445.html
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Sunshine Cathedral - Troy Perry to be in pulpit May 4th
Start spreading the word: The founder of the Metropolitan Community Churchesmovement, the Reverend Elder Troy D. Perry, will be our guest speaker at theCathedral on May 4th. He will be speaking at both services that day, so planto attend and tell your friends to join you. Troy Perry started the firstMetropolitan Community Church in his living room on October 6, 1968. In justfour decades, he has watched MCC grow from the first 12 people who met athis house to now 250 congregations (over 43,000 members) worldwide. SunshineCathedral is one of those congregations! MCC was the first church torecognize the need to minister to the needs of gays, lesbians, bisexuals,and transgender persons throughout the world. It is through that ministrythat Mr. Perry has become a leading activist for gay and lesbian rights.
www.sunshinecathedral.org
-Gay hate-crimes memorial to be displayed in Florida capitol
Event marks first time a gay exhibit has been in state's rotunda
Gay American Heroes, the traveling monument that memorializes gay men andwomen who have been killed due to homophobic violence, is scheduled to bedisplayed in the Florida Capitol Rotunda April 28.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/locallife/feature/4590.cfm
-Walking, running and blading to fight HIV
AIDS Walk Miami to feature actress Jane Lynch as marshal
Get out your running shoes - or even your rollerblades - for the 20th annualAIDS Walk Miami on Sunday, April 20. The event benefits HIV/AIDS servicesoffered by Care Resource, the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of SouthFlorida, Broward House and the Food for Life Network.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/locallife/pulse/4596.cfm
=
From WLRN
-Friends of WLRN will present NPR's Diane Rehm on the evening of Thursday, May 22, live at the Gusman Center in downtown Miami. This is a rare South Florida appearance, and a major fundraiser for 91.3 WLRN.
Tickets are on sale now. We are sending this early notice to our members because we expect the $100 tickets, in particular, to sell out quickly, once the event is announced to the general public on Monday. Individual Ticket Price and Seating Information: $100 - $50 - $25
Ticketmaster: (305) 358-5885 or (954) 523-3309 by phone or purchase your tickets online.
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0D00408EDAC84C33?artistid=1075727&majorcatid=10005&minorcatid=104
=
[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:
-Supporters of constitutional ban on gay marriage launch campaign in WestPalm Beach, around the state
WEST PALM BEACH - Married 53 years ago, Sidney and Cecile Lenier of WestPalm Beach stood at a news conference Thursday holding a weathered copy of acirca-1883 "pastor's handbook" containing their wedding vows, and spoke ofthe virtues of marriages like theirs that involve a man and woman.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-0417marriage,0,5023585.story
-Florida's senior voters a prized target in gay marriage ban campaigns
FORT LAUDERDALE - Both sides in the fight over whether to shore up Florida'sban on gay marriage by enshrining it in the state constitution are targetingseniors, who are consistently the most reliable voters.
Activists arguing against putting the gay marriage ban in the constitutionsay one of its side effects would be to hurt elderly straight couples wholive together rather than marry as a way to preserve pension and SocialSecurity benefits. The way the proposed gay marriage ban is worded,opponents say, those straight couples' arrangements could be jeopardized.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flbmarriage0418sbapr18,0,1919245.story
-If intelligent design OK in classroom, why not sex ed?
If teachers need free speech protection in science classrooms, why not extend it to sex education classes? That was the argument of local Democratic Sens. Ted Deutch of Boca Raton and Nan Rich of Weston, as the Senate today began debating whether teachers need a law that would allow them to present "scientific evidence" critical of evolution.The "Academic Freedom" bill by Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, would protectteachers and students from harassment or retaliation for discussingscientific theories that contradict Darwin's theory of how man evolved."We're talking about academic freedom," said Deutch. "In an abstinence-onlysex education program, a teacher may wish to answer a student's question and provide additional information that may protect a life or stop an unwanted
pregnancy."
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Bishop: Faith has many tongues
The head of the Episcopal Church preached love for neighbors on the last dayof her South Florida visit.
The first female presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church experienced themulticultural world of South Florida firsthand Thursday, with stops at threechurches including the oldest Haitian Episcopal congregation in the UnitedStates.
http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/500445.html
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Sunshine Cathedral - Troy Perry to be in pulpit May 4th
Start spreading the word: The founder of the Metropolitan Community Churchesmovement, the Reverend Elder Troy D. Perry, will be our guest speaker at theCathedral on May 4th. He will be speaking at both services that day, so planto attend and tell your friends to join you. Troy Perry started the firstMetropolitan Community Church in his living room on October 6, 1968. In justfour decades, he has watched MCC grow from the first 12 people who met athis house to now 250 congregations (over 43,000 members) worldwide. SunshineCathedral is one of those congregations! MCC was the first church torecognize the need to minister to the needs of gays, lesbians, bisexuals,and transgender persons throughout the world. It is through that ministrythat Mr. Perry has become a leading activist for gay and lesbian rights.
www.sunshinecathedral.org
-Gay hate-crimes memorial to be displayed in Florida capitol
Event marks first time a gay exhibit has been in state's rotunda
Gay American Heroes, the traveling monument that memorializes gay men andwomen who have been killed due to homophobic violence, is scheduled to bedisplayed in the Florida Capitol Rotunda April 28.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/locallife/feature/4590.cfm
-Walking, running and blading to fight HIV
AIDS Walk Miami to feature actress Jane Lynch as marshal
Get out your running shoes - or even your rollerblades - for the 20th annualAIDS Walk Miami on Sunday, April 20. The event benefits HIV/AIDS servicesoffered by Care Resource, the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of SouthFlorida, Broward House and the Food for Life Network.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/2008/4-17/locallife/pulse/4596.cfm
=
From WLRN
-Friends of WLRN will present NPR's Diane Rehm on the evening of Thursday, May 22, live at the Gusman Center in downtown Miami. This is a rare South Florida appearance, and a major fundraiser for 91.3 WLRN.
Tickets are on sale now. We are sending this early notice to our members because we expect the $100 tickets, in particular, to sell out quickly, once the event is announced to the general public on Monday. Individual Ticket Price and Seating Information: $100 - $50 - $25
Ticketmaster: (305) 358-5885 or (954) 523-3309 by phone or purchase your tickets online.
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0D00408EDAC84C33?artistid=1075727&majorcatid=10005&minorcatid=104
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Thursday, April 17, 2008
GLBT DIGEST April 17, 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:
-Tori Spelling Relishes Role as Gay Icon
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Even in Hollywood where celebrity bashing is astandard practice, Tori Spelling has endured more than her share of mockery.
But among one set of fans, the former "Beverly Hills 90210" star is adored.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-spelling.html?scp=7&sq=GAY&st=nyt
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mexico's 'emos' demand respect after attacks
Followers of subculture take to streets
MEXICO CITY - Maybe it's the tight black jeans and dark makeup. Or the moodyposes, one eye peering out from under a shock of fuschia or jet-black hair.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flhmexemos0417sbapr17,0,5810046.story
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Blade columnist: Gay man's killer should be the last homophobe to get awaywith murderSean's last wish - Gay man's killer should be the last homophobe to get away with murder.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/04/blade-columnist.html
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pope waves to gay Catholic group
Dignity members claim 'we got our message across' during Benedict's historicvisit
Pope Benedict XVI waved to members of the gay Catholic group Dignity
Washington on Wednesday as his motorcade drove along Rock Creek Parkway nearDupont Circle shortly after he attended a ceremony in his honor at the WhiteHouse.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17744
-200 trans rights advocates lobby Congress
Visitors from 29 states ask lawmakers to oppose gay-only ENDA
Nearly 200 transgender rights activists and their supporters descended onWashington from 29 states this week to urge Congress to support legislationaimed at ending discrimination and violence.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17733
-House rejects benefits for partners of gay teachers
Supporters say change wouldn't have cost taxpayers anything
The Illinois House has rejected a measure aimed at helping gay teachers inChicago.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17722
-Scientologist Feared a Gay Friend Caused My Car Crash
. . .In the story, Beghe warns Will Smith away from Scientology, explainshow Tom Cruise was separated from the Church, and relates how aScientologist implied that Beghe's car crash was caused by his friendshipwith a homosexual.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2008/04/jason_beghe_sci.php
-New transgender laws considered
Transsexual people in the Isle of Man will have their new gender recognisedin law under draft legislation.
The Gender Recognition Bill 2008 is based on similar legislation introducedin the UK.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/isle_of_man/7350143.stm
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Manila: Doctors Investigated After Video Surfaces Of Treatment Of Gay Man In
Operating Room
A video posted on YouTube showing Philippine doctors laughing whileremoving an object from a patient may lead to charges against the surgeonsand cost them their medical licenses, according to officials.
-Democrat Runs For President From Prison
(Boise, Idaho) A federal prison inmate got himself listed on the ballot forIdaho's May 27 primary as a Democratic presidential candidate, the state'stop election official said.
-British PM Meets Presidential Candidates
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that it's feasible toreduce the number of allied troops in Iraq, a view he's expected to sharewhen he sees the three presidential candidates today, at least two of whomare inclined to agree.
-The Boss Says Vote Obama
Rock star Bruce Springsteen is endorsing Democratic Sen. BarackObama for president, saying "he speaks to the America I've envisioned in mymusic for the past 35 years."
-Clinton Declares Obama Can Win White House
Pennsylvania: Hillary Rodham Clinton said emphatically
Wednesday night that Barack Obama can win the White House this fall,undercutting her efforts to deny him the nomination by suggesting he wouldlead the party to defeat.
-Anti-Gay Remarks Could Cost Oklahoma Major Corporation
(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) A major corporation is reportedly havingreservations about relocating to Oklahoma City in light of comments by stateRep. Sally Kern that gays are a worse threat than terrorists.
-Gay Seniors Homes Proposed In Vancouver
(Vancouver, British Columbia) Plans have been unveiled for a condominium forVancouver's LGBT seniors to be built by an American company that already hascompleted a similar project in New Mexico.
-Out Actress Battles Breast Cancer
(New York City) Cynthia Nixon has joined forces with the breast cancerorganization Susan G. Komen for the Cure and is going public with her ownbattle with breast cancer.
-LGBT Groups: Try Teen In Lawrence King Murder As Juvenile
(Oxnard, California) A coalition of 27 LGBT rights groups is calling onprosecutors to try 14-year-old Brandon McInerney in juvenile court, not asan adult.
-Bush Gushes Over Pope At White House
(Washington) President Bush has welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to the WhiteHouse with assurances that the United States is a nation of prayer and thatits people are open to his message of hope.
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Senate Candidate Wins Endorsements
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Jim Neal was endorsed Tuesday for theMay 6 primary against his chief rival, North Carolina state senator KayHagan. Neal picked up the first media endorsement of the primary from Yes!Weekly in Greensboro, N.C., as well as the Guilford County chapter of theProgressive Democrats of America, according to a press release by thecampaign.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53484.asp
-Trans Candidate, Among Others, Ousted In Italian Election
The Roman princess didn't make it; the transgender lawmaker is out; theself-professed Fascist is in.
There are some fresh faces in the new Italian parliament and somespectacular exclusions. Communists and Socialists are out for the first timesince World War II, as the number of parties represented between the twohouses has gone from scores to about half a dozen.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53480.asp
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-A Journey of Personal Change
Judy Shepard has a frog in her throat.
She hasn't been home to Wyoming in two weeks, and the back-to-back speechesare taking their toll. Allergy season in Texas isn't helping, either. Andnow, dozens of whooping and hollering teenagers are clamoring to have a wordwith her.
-New South Wales: Gay Lobby Pressures State School
NSW schools are under pressure to provide gay-friendly environments, aSydney newspaper reports. eachers are being urged to stop using terms suchas husband and wife and the words boyfriend, girlfriend and spouse are to bereplaced by "partner", The Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday.
-New Film Las Dos Caras de Jano
Las Dos Caras de Jano (The Two Faces of Janus) is the story of IsabeloAndújar (Lacén), a private detective on a mission to catch serial killer"The Angel of Bachelors" who preys on Puerto Rico's closeted homosexual malesocialites. The second in a series of books written by author, WilfredoMattos-Cintron brought to the big screen, the film bodly address the issueof closeted homosexuality within communities that force gays to hide theirtrue identites. Filled with murder, mystery and intrigue, Las Dos Caras deJanos captivatingly ventures into the gay issues.
-Gay Councilman Doesn't Include Gay Community in City Legislation
Openly gay Metro Councilman Keith Durbin, who represents Metro District 18,tells the Nashville City Paper that he didn't include Nashville's GLBTcommunity in legislation that establishes a procurement nondiscriminationprogram because he was not approached to do so. The bill was signed into lawon Monday as an effort to ensure women- and minority-owned businesses havean equal shot at Metro contracts and subcontracts The City Paper reportsthat the bill sets up the Office of Minority and Women BusinessesAssistance, which will be under the Metro Finance Department serving as awatchdog group.
-Clinton's Gay Fixer: Mark Walsh Rallies LGBT Community for Clinton inPhilly
When Mark Walsh knocked on the door of a blue-collar residence in northeastPhiladelphia on April 12, there was very little chance of his encounteringanother gay person. This was not downtown Philly's gayborhood, but arough-around-the-edges treeless development where the chief difference amongall the look-a-like duplexes was how badly they were in need of paint.
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Yesterday, Ryan J. Davis posted some musings about the same-sex marriagesituation in California on the HuffingtonPost.com blog. The key paragraphsays: "Sources wishing to remain anonymous in the California Court Systemindicate that the court, which has until June 2, 2008 to issue its marriageruling, is considering issuing it on Friday, May 23, 2008, with the decisionbeing written by Chief Justice Ronald George. The Court is readying itselffor a backlash that may follow the rumored and bold decision. There is talkthat the Court will not simply strike down Proposition 22, but will move theState of California toward full marriage, if not even granting full marriagerights for gays and lesbians outright."
-Jim Wallis wants you to know he's not a liberal. Yes, he's been a chiefcritic of the Religious Right since its inception, gave the Democraticweekly radio address after the 2006 midterm elections, and has been anoften-controversial voice for social justice since his early-'70s days atTrinity Evangelical Divinity School. But, he says, his chief critics thesedays are liberals, not conservatives. "There is a Religious Left in thiscountry, and I'm not a part of it," Wallis said when he stopped byChristianity Today's offices during his February tour for his latest book,The Great Awakening. Meanwhile, he says, theologically conservativeevangelicals (especially young ones) are flocking to his message and are"deserting the Religious Right in droves" because it attempted to "restrictthe language of 'moral values' to just two issues-abortion and gaymarriage."
-Gay and lesbian couples who have filed as domestic partners in Oregon willhave the option a year from now of filing jointly on their state income taxreturns. To do so, they will be advised to fill out a second federal taxform as if they were a married couple.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Royal took drugs, court told in "gay sex blackmail trial"
The Old Bailey was told yesterday that the Royal at the centre of a gay sexblackmail plot took drugs. The court also heard a comparision to a Royalaide and the BBC Are You Being Served character Mr Humphries.
The Royal can't be named due to a court order.
-Vengeful transvestite trashes lingerie boutique
A man dressed in woman's clothing repeatedly crashed his car into a Detroitarea lingerie store on Saturday in a bizarre act of revenge.
-US Christian celebrity comes out
Hath hell frozen over? Azariah Southworth, Nashville resident and host ofthe famed Christian youth show The Remix, has publicly announced he is gay.
-Ken emphasises his gay rights credentials
The Mayor of London will be taking to the streets of Soho this evening totry to drum up votes among the city's lesbian and gay community. In astatement earlier today Ken Livingstone, who is standing as the Labourcandidate in pursuit of a third term in office, said he has been "at theforefront" of promoting LGBT rights.
"If re-elected in May I will work to ensure that London retains itsreputation as a welcoming and safe place for lesbian and gay Londoners andvisitors."
-Commissioner's horror at extent of homophobia in Europe
The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights has called for moreprotections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people.
-Australia may delay gay equality proposals
The government of Australia is considering whether or not to bring forwardmeasures in next month's Budget that will give gay citizens equal rights ina range of areas. Last year the country's Human Rights and Equal OpportunityCommission (HREOC) report was presented to the federal parliament listingthe 58 laws that need to be changed. Kevin Rudd's Labour party promisedreform during last year's elections.
-Male eggs and female sperm "science fiction" says report
An international panel of scientists has said that while technology thatwill allow human egg and sperm cells to be grown from stem cells could behere in five years, the prospects of gay and lesbian couples having childrenthat are genetically theirs are slim. The report from the Hinxton group ofstem cell researchers said that because women have two copies of the Xchromosome but men have one X and one Y, there are no circumstances they canforsee an entirely same-sex baby.
-Brazil takes movie inspiration for condom campaigner
"Do whatever you want, but do it with a condom," is the message to young gayBrazilians from a new campaign against HIV and AIDS. Government officialshave defended targeting gay men, citing statistics that found there are 1.5million gay men who have sex with men (MSM) aged between 15 and 49 out of atotal population of 184 million. The director of the National Programme ofHIV and AIDS, Mariangela Simao, said: "These groups are more susceptible toHIV infection."
=
Forwarded from Steve Kranta
-Battle for gay marriage rights gains Jewish support
For years, Robin Tyler has been trying to wed her partner, Diane Olson.
Every Valentine's Day they show up at the courthouse with a wedding cake andtheir attorney, Gloria Allred, only to be denied a marriage license. Lastmonth, Tyler sat in the plaintiff's chair in a case before the CaliforniaSupreme Court, challenging the legality of the state's definition ofmarriage as between a man and a woman.
http://jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=19192
=
USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com
-Divorce hard to get for some gay couples
PROVIDENCE (AP) - Gay couples had to struggle mightily to win the right tomarry or form civil unions. Now, some are finding that breaking up is hardto do, too.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-04-15-gay-divorces_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip&POE=click-refer
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Turkey: End Harassment of Gay Rights Groups
(Istanbul, April 16, 2008) - A police raid on a Turkish human rightsorganization is the latest incident in an escalating pattern of harassmentof gay rights groups, Human Rights Watch said today. In a letter to TurkishMinister of Interior Besir Atalay, Human Rights Watch called on thegovernment to cease official harassment of groups working on sexualorientation and gender identity issues, and to ensure training of allcriminal-justice officials in human rights principles. On April 7, 2008,approximately 12 police in plainclothes entered the headquarters of theLambda Istanbul Cultural Center, which defends the rights of lesbian, gay,bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Their warrant cited suspicion thatLambda "facilitates prostitution, acts as a go-between [and] provides aplace for [prostitution]," criminalized under Article 227 of Turkey's PenalCode. The raid took place 10 days before an April 17 court hearing in a caseagainst Lambda Istanbul brought by the Istanbul Governor's Office, accusingthe group of violating Turkish "moral values and its family structure."
-Irish Times: Sperm donor to lesbian couple fails in rights bid
A gay friend of a lesbian couple who donated his sperm to one of them,resulting in the birth of a boy now aged almost two, has lost his landmarkHigh Court bid for guardianship of the child and has also been refusedaccess. In rejecting the man's case yesterday, Mr Justice John Hedigan saidthe welfare of the child was best served by remaining with the lesbiancouple and by the man having no guardianship or access. There was nothingin Irish law to suggest a family of two women and a child "has any lesserright to be recognised as a de facto family than a family composed of a manand woman unmarried to each other and a child", he stressed.
Mr Justice Hedigan said the rights of a man who acted as a sperm donor wereat least no greater than those of an unmarried father. The man had a mereright to apply to be appointed as a guardian but had no right to beappointed a guardian. In considering his application, the child's welfarewas the paramount consideration.
=
[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:
-Tori Spelling Relishes Role as Gay Icon
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Even in Hollywood where celebrity bashing is astandard practice, Tori Spelling has endured more than her share of mockery.
But among one set of fans, the former "Beverly Hills 90210" star is adored.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-spelling.html?scp=7&sq=GAY&st=nyt
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Mexico's 'emos' demand respect after attacks
Followers of subculture take to streets
MEXICO CITY - Maybe it's the tight black jeans and dark makeup. Or the moodyposes, one eye peering out from under a shock of fuschia or jet-black hair.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flhmexemos0417sbapr17,0,5810046.story
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Blade columnist: Gay man's killer should be the last homophobe to get awaywith murderSean's last wish - Gay man's killer should be the last homophobe to get away with murder.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/04/blade-columnist.html
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pope waves to gay Catholic group
Dignity members claim 'we got our message across' during Benedict's historicvisit
Pope Benedict XVI waved to members of the gay Catholic group Dignity
Washington on Wednesday as his motorcade drove along Rock Creek Parkway nearDupont Circle shortly after he attended a ceremony in his honor at the WhiteHouse.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17744
-200 trans rights advocates lobby Congress
Visitors from 29 states ask lawmakers to oppose gay-only ENDA
Nearly 200 transgender rights activists and their supporters descended onWashington from 29 states this week to urge Congress to support legislationaimed at ending discrimination and violence.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17733
-House rejects benefits for partners of gay teachers
Supporters say change wouldn't have cost taxpayers anything
The Illinois House has rejected a measure aimed at helping gay teachers inChicago.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17722
-Scientologist Feared a Gay Friend Caused My Car Crash
. . .In the story, Beghe warns Will Smith away from Scientology, explainshow Tom Cruise was separated from the Church, and relates how aScientologist implied that Beghe's car crash was caused by his friendshipwith a homosexual.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2008/04/jason_beghe_sci.php
-New transgender laws considered
Transsexual people in the Isle of Man will have their new gender recognisedin law under draft legislation.
The Gender Recognition Bill 2008 is based on similar legislation introducedin the UK.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/isle_of_man/7350143.stm
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Manila: Doctors Investigated After Video Surfaces Of Treatment Of Gay Man In
Operating Room
A video posted on YouTube showing Philippine doctors laughing whileremoving an object from a patient may lead to charges against the surgeonsand cost them their medical licenses, according to officials.
-Democrat Runs For President From Prison
(Boise, Idaho) A federal prison inmate got himself listed on the ballot forIdaho's May 27 primary as a Democratic presidential candidate, the state'stop election official said.
-British PM Meets Presidential Candidates
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that it's feasible toreduce the number of allied troops in Iraq, a view he's expected to sharewhen he sees the three presidential candidates today, at least two of whomare inclined to agree.
-The Boss Says Vote Obama
Rock star Bruce Springsteen is endorsing Democratic Sen. BarackObama for president, saying "he speaks to the America I've envisioned in mymusic for the past 35 years."
-Clinton Declares Obama Can Win White House
Pennsylvania: Hillary Rodham Clinton said emphatically
Wednesday night that Barack Obama can win the White House this fall,undercutting her efforts to deny him the nomination by suggesting he wouldlead the party to defeat.
-Anti-Gay Remarks Could Cost Oklahoma Major Corporation
(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) A major corporation is reportedly havingreservations about relocating to Oklahoma City in light of comments by stateRep. Sally Kern that gays are a worse threat than terrorists.
-Gay Seniors Homes Proposed In Vancouver
(Vancouver, British Columbia) Plans have been unveiled for a condominium forVancouver's LGBT seniors to be built by an American company that already hascompleted a similar project in New Mexico.
-Out Actress Battles Breast Cancer
(New York City) Cynthia Nixon has joined forces with the breast cancerorganization Susan G. Komen for the Cure and is going public with her ownbattle with breast cancer.
-LGBT Groups: Try Teen In Lawrence King Murder As Juvenile
(Oxnard, California) A coalition of 27 LGBT rights groups is calling onprosecutors to try 14-year-old Brandon McInerney in juvenile court, not asan adult.
-Bush Gushes Over Pope At White House
(Washington) President Bush has welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to the WhiteHouse with assurances that the United States is a nation of prayer and thatits people are open to his message of hope.
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Senate Candidate Wins Endorsements
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Jim Neal was endorsed Tuesday for theMay 6 primary against his chief rival, North Carolina state senator KayHagan. Neal picked up the first media endorsement of the primary from Yes!Weekly in Greensboro, N.C., as well as the Guilford County chapter of theProgressive Democrats of America, according to a press release by thecampaign.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53484.asp
-Trans Candidate, Among Others, Ousted In Italian Election
The Roman princess didn't make it; the transgender lawmaker is out; theself-professed Fascist is in.
There are some fresh faces in the new Italian parliament and somespectacular exclusions. Communists and Socialists are out for the first timesince World War II, as the number of parties represented between the twohouses has gone from scores to about half a dozen.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53480.asp
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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-A Journey of Personal Change
Judy Shepard has a frog in her throat.
She hasn't been home to Wyoming in two weeks, and the back-to-back speechesare taking their toll. Allergy season in Texas isn't helping, either. Andnow, dozens of whooping and hollering teenagers are clamoring to have a wordwith her.
-New South Wales: Gay Lobby Pressures State School
NSW schools are under pressure to provide gay-friendly environments, aSydney newspaper reports. eachers are being urged to stop using terms suchas husband and wife and the words boyfriend, girlfriend and spouse are to bereplaced by "partner", The Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday.
-New Film Las Dos Caras de Jano
Las Dos Caras de Jano (The Two Faces of Janus) is the story of IsabeloAndújar (Lacén), a private detective on a mission to catch serial killer"The Angel of Bachelors" who preys on Puerto Rico's closeted homosexual malesocialites. The second in a series of books written by author, WilfredoMattos-Cintron brought to the big screen, the film bodly address the issueof closeted homosexuality within communities that force gays to hide theirtrue identites. Filled with murder, mystery and intrigue, Las Dos Caras deJanos captivatingly ventures into the gay issues.
-Gay Councilman Doesn't Include Gay Community in City Legislation
Openly gay Metro Councilman Keith Durbin, who represents Metro District 18,tells the Nashville City Paper that he didn't include Nashville's GLBTcommunity in legislation that establishes a procurement nondiscriminationprogram because he was not approached to do so. The bill was signed into lawon Monday as an effort to ensure women- and minority-owned businesses havean equal shot at Metro contracts and subcontracts The City Paper reportsthat the bill sets up the Office of Minority and Women BusinessesAssistance, which will be under the Metro Finance Department serving as awatchdog group.
-Clinton's Gay Fixer: Mark Walsh Rallies LGBT Community for Clinton inPhilly
When Mark Walsh knocked on the door of a blue-collar residence in northeastPhiladelphia on April 12, there was very little chance of his encounteringanother gay person. This was not downtown Philly's gayborhood, but arough-around-the-edges treeless development where the chief difference amongall the look-a-like duplexes was how badly they were in need of paint.
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Yesterday, Ryan J. Davis posted some musings about the same-sex marriagesituation in California on the HuffingtonPost.com blog. The key paragraphsays: "Sources wishing to remain anonymous in the California Court Systemindicate that the court, which has until June 2, 2008 to issue its marriageruling, is considering issuing it on Friday, May 23, 2008, with the decisionbeing written by Chief Justice Ronald George. The Court is readying itselffor a backlash that may follow the rumored and bold decision. There is talkthat the Court will not simply strike down Proposition 22, but will move theState of California toward full marriage, if not even granting full marriagerights for gays and lesbians outright."
-Jim Wallis wants you to know he's not a liberal. Yes, he's been a chiefcritic of the Religious Right since its inception, gave the Democraticweekly radio address after the 2006 midterm elections, and has been anoften-controversial voice for social justice since his early-'70s days atTrinity Evangelical Divinity School. But, he says, his chief critics thesedays are liberals, not conservatives. "There is a Religious Left in thiscountry, and I'm not a part of it," Wallis said when he stopped byChristianity Today's offices during his February tour for his latest book,The Great Awakening. Meanwhile, he says, theologically conservativeevangelicals (especially young ones) are flocking to his message and are"deserting the Religious Right in droves" because it attempted to "restrictthe language of 'moral values' to just two issues-abortion and gaymarriage."
-Gay and lesbian couples who have filed as domestic partners in Oregon willhave the option a year from now of filing jointly on their state income taxreturns. To do so, they will be advised to fill out a second federal taxform as if they were a married couple.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Royal took drugs, court told in "gay sex blackmail trial"
The Old Bailey was told yesterday that the Royal at the centre of a gay sexblackmail plot took drugs. The court also heard a comparision to a Royalaide and the BBC Are You Being Served character Mr Humphries.
The Royal can't be named due to a court order.
-Vengeful transvestite trashes lingerie boutique
A man dressed in woman's clothing repeatedly crashed his car into a Detroitarea lingerie store on Saturday in a bizarre act of revenge.
-US Christian celebrity comes out
Hath hell frozen over? Azariah Southworth, Nashville resident and host ofthe famed Christian youth show The Remix, has publicly announced he is gay.
-Ken emphasises his gay rights credentials
The Mayor of London will be taking to the streets of Soho this evening totry to drum up votes among the city's lesbian and gay community. In astatement earlier today Ken Livingstone, who is standing as the Labourcandidate in pursuit of a third term in office, said he has been "at theforefront" of promoting LGBT rights.
"If re-elected in May I will work to ensure that London retains itsreputation as a welcoming and safe place for lesbian and gay Londoners andvisitors."
-Commissioner's horror at extent of homophobia in Europe
The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights has called for moreprotections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people.
-Australia may delay gay equality proposals
The government of Australia is considering whether or not to bring forwardmeasures in next month's Budget that will give gay citizens equal rights ina range of areas. Last year the country's Human Rights and Equal OpportunityCommission (HREOC) report was presented to the federal parliament listingthe 58 laws that need to be changed. Kevin Rudd's Labour party promisedreform during last year's elections.
-Male eggs and female sperm "science fiction" says report
An international panel of scientists has said that while technology thatwill allow human egg and sperm cells to be grown from stem cells could behere in five years, the prospects of gay and lesbian couples having childrenthat are genetically theirs are slim. The report from the Hinxton group ofstem cell researchers said that because women have two copies of the Xchromosome but men have one X and one Y, there are no circumstances they canforsee an entirely same-sex baby.
-Brazil takes movie inspiration for condom campaigner
"Do whatever you want, but do it with a condom," is the message to young gayBrazilians from a new campaign against HIV and AIDS. Government officialshave defended targeting gay men, citing statistics that found there are 1.5million gay men who have sex with men (MSM) aged between 15 and 49 out of atotal population of 184 million. The director of the National Programme ofHIV and AIDS, Mariangela Simao, said: "These groups are more susceptible toHIV infection."
=
Forwarded from Steve Kranta
-Battle for gay marriage rights gains Jewish support
For years, Robin Tyler has been trying to wed her partner, Diane Olson.
Every Valentine's Day they show up at the courthouse with a wedding cake andtheir attorney, Gloria Allred, only to be denied a marriage license. Lastmonth, Tyler sat in the plaintiff's chair in a case before the CaliforniaSupreme Court, challenging the legality of the state's definition ofmarriage as between a man and a woman.
http://jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=19192
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USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com
-Divorce hard to get for some gay couples
PROVIDENCE (AP) - Gay couples had to struggle mightily to win the right tomarry or form civil unions. Now, some are finding that breaking up is hardto do, too.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-04-15-gay-divorces_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip&POE=click-refer
=
Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:
-Turkey: End Harassment of Gay Rights Groups
(Istanbul, April 16, 2008) - A police raid on a Turkish human rightsorganization is the latest incident in an escalating pattern of harassmentof gay rights groups, Human Rights Watch said today. In a letter to TurkishMinister of Interior Besir Atalay, Human Rights Watch called on thegovernment to cease official harassment of groups working on sexualorientation and gender identity issues, and to ensure training of allcriminal-justice officials in human rights principles. On April 7, 2008,approximately 12 police in plainclothes entered the headquarters of theLambda Istanbul Cultural Center, which defends the rights of lesbian, gay,bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Their warrant cited suspicion thatLambda "facilitates prostitution, acts as a go-between [and] provides aplace for [prostitution]," criminalized under Article 227 of Turkey's PenalCode. The raid took place 10 days before an April 17 court hearing in a caseagainst Lambda Istanbul brought by the Istanbul Governor's Office, accusingthe group of violating Turkish "moral values and its family structure."
-Irish Times: Sperm donor to lesbian couple fails in rights bid
A gay friend of a lesbian couple who donated his sperm to one of them,resulting in the birth of a boy now aged almost two, has lost his landmarkHigh Court bid for guardianship of the child and has also been refusedaccess. In rejecting the man's case yesterday, Mr Justice John Hedigan saidthe welfare of the child was best served by remaining with the lesbiancouple and by the man having no guardianship or access. There was nothingin Irish law to suggest a family of two women and a child "has any lesserright to be recognised as a de facto family than a family composed of a manand woman unmarried to each other and a child", he stressed.
Mr Justice Hedigan said the rights of a man who acted as a sperm donor wereat least no greater than those of an unmarried father. The man had a mereright to apply to be appointed as a guardian but had no right to beappointed a guardian. In considering his application, the child's welfarewas the paramount consideration.
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST April 17, 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:
-Who's Bitter Now?
DURING Wednesday night's Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia,Barack Obama once more tried to explain what he meant when he suggestedearlier this month that small-town people of modest means "cling to guns orreligion or antipathy to people who aren't like them" out of frustrationwith their place in a changing American economy. Mr. Obama acknowledged thathis wording offended some voters, but he also reiterated his impression that"wedge issues take prominence" when voters are frustrated by "difficulttimes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/opinion/17bartels.html?scp=5&sq=GAY&st=nyt
-Race and American Memory I was wandering through the King Center here whenI stumbled on a movie clip of an indignant African-American woman saying:
"If we can't live in our country and be accepted as free citizens and humanbeings, then something's the matter with something - and it isn't me."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/opinion/17cohen.html?ref=opinion
-No Clear Advantage
One of the more surprising twists in a surprising year is that despite theobvious Republican disadvantages in this election cycle, John McCain ismatching up pretty well against Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in testsbeing conducted by national polls. Pew Research Center and CBS/New YorkTimes polls show Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton holding only modest leads overMr. McCain, while other national surveys - notably Associated Press/Ipsosand NBC/Wall Street Journal - have Mr. McCain running about even against theDemocratic candidates.
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/no-clear-advantage/index.html?ref=opinion
-Prominent Tibetan Figure Detained in China
BEIJING - The Chinese authorities have detained a high-profile Tibetantelevision reporter who is also a popular singer, suggesting that thegovernment crackdown following the disturbances in and around Tibet has yetto run its course.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/world/asia/18tibet.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-No Peace Without Hamas
GAZA -- President Jimmy Carter's sensible plan to visit the Hamas leadershipthis week brings honesty and pragmatism to the Middle East whileunderscoring the fact that American policy has reached its dead end.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acts as if a few alterations here andthere would make the hideous straitjacket of apartheid fit better. WhileRice persuades Israeli occupation forces to cut a few dozen meaninglessroadblocks from among the more than 500 West Bank control points, theseforces simultaneously choke off fuel supplies to Gaza; blockade its 1.5million people; approve illegal housing projects on West Bank land; andattack Gaza City with F-16s, killing men, women and children. Sadly, this is"business as usual" for the Palestinians.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041602899.html
-Mr. Zahar and Mr. Carter
The former president, on what he says is a road to peace, embraces Hamasterrorists.
ON THE OPPOSITE page today we publish an article by the "foreign minister"of Hamas, Mahmoud al-Zahar, that drips with hatred for Israel, and withpraise for former president Jimmy Carter. We believe Mr. Zahar's words areworth publishing because they provide some clarity about the group he helpsto lead, a group that Mr. Carter contends is worthy of being included in theMiddle East peace process. Mr. Carter himself is holding what appears to bea series of meetings with Hamas leaders during a tour of the Middle East. Hemet one militant in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Tuesday and wasreportedly planning to meet Mr. Zahar in Cairo today before traveling toDamascus for an appointment with Khaled Meshal, Hamas's top leader.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041603097.html
-On the Shield Law, Good News and Bad
The bad news last week for conservative Republican Rep. Mike Pence wasprivate confirmation that his proposed law protecting journalists fromrunaway judges was opposed by President George W. Bush himself, not justinflexible Justice Department lawyers. The good news this week for Pence wasan unexpected endorsement by Bush's successor heading the Republican Party,John McCain.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041602903.html
-Warmed Over
President Bush delivers much talk and little action on climate change.
PRESIDENT BUSH strode to the lectern in the Rose Garden yesterday and onceagain passed up an opportunity -- perhaps his last -- to do somethingmeaningful on climate change. "Today, I am announcing a new national goal:
to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025," he said. Thatpronouncement was a weak and inadequate response to the imperative that theUnited States provide leadership in combating global warming, aresponsibility Mr. Bush has shamefully ducked throughout his presidency.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041603313.html
-Pope Benedict and the Mystery of Two Worlds
Giving the Pope advice is a contradictory task, because the Church'sposition is that he is infallible to begin with. To an outsider,infallibility seems like an impossible burden for someone who, the daybefore his election to the Papacy, was as fallible as any other mortal. Butthe Church's whole existence is based on a special relationship to God. ThePope sits on a throne that belongs to Jesus when he returns, and thissymbolizes a duty to care for the Kingdom of God here on earth. The currentcrises inside Catholicism are only the latest difficulties that began afterChrist disappeared from view. In every age balancing the two worlds of Godand man has been a deep mystery.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/deepak_chopra/2008/04/pope_benedict_and_the_mystery_1.html?hpid=topnews
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama betraying his former backers
Barack Obama seemed to have survived the blasphemous rants of his preacherand remained relatively untarnished by the perceived dissatisfactions of hisprivileged wife. But he may be less lucky with remarks he made recently about embittered, small-town Americans, who "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to peoplewho aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment asa way to explain their frustrations."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-parker17aprilsbapr17,0,1487035.story
-AP-Yahoo poll shows McCain winning back unhappy Republicans
WASHINGTON - Republicans are no longer underdogs in the race for the WhiteHouse. To pull that off, John McCain has attracted disgruntled GOP voters,independents and even some moderate Democrats who shunned his party lastfall.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_top11apr17,0,5391498.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Long Nomination Battle Hampers Democrats' Chances in November
RICHMOND At the start of the year, Virginia and national Democrats had highhopes that the state's 13 electoral votes could be up for grabs in the Nov.4 presidential election.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/15/AR2008041503289.html
-Obama and Clinton fizzle in Philly
Wednesday's debate was devoid of substance and rife with gotcha politics. Inthe end, Obama seemed to win simply by not losing.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/04/17/dem_debate/
-Executions to resume after high court OK's lethal injections
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. executions are all but sure to resume soon after anationwide halt, cleared Wednesday by a splintered Supreme Court thatapproved the most widely used method of lethal injection.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SCOTUS_LETHAL_INJECTION?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-04-16-20-13-36
-'Elitist' card snubs the facts
New rift mired in irony
Why do Americans look for people to look down on?
We sometimes baffle ourselves with ambivalence toward ambition and success.
We applaud "merit," for example, yet we turn up our noses at "elitists." Weroot for the little guy, yet again and again we elect the wealthy, thepowerful and the "insider."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0416pageapr16,0,5528250.column
-Why Clinton won't quit
REGARDLESS of what happens Tuesday in the Democratic presidential primary inPennsylvania, Hillary Clinton will not quit. Call it Divine Right orchutzpah, the Clintons believe she is entitled to the presidency. They'vebeen planning it since their days at Yale.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/04/17/why_clinton_wont_quit/
-In Reversal, Stevens Says He Opposes Death Penalty
Justice John Paul Stevens was one of the co-authors of the Supreme Court's1976 decision reinstating the death penalty, but he announced yesterday thathe now believes capital punishment is unconstitutional.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041603073.html?hpid=topnews
-Our view on protecting confidential sources: Presidential contenders backyour right to know
'Shield law' allows whistle-blowers to speak without fear of reprisal.
Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and Republican John McCaindisagree on Iraq, the economy, health care and a host of other issues. Soit's notable that all three senators found common ground this week insupport of a measure to protect reporters' ability to keep promises ofconfidentiality to their sources.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/04/our-view-on-pro.html
-Credit crisis hits student borrowers
Short of funds, lenders cut back
Anthony Norton, a junior at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, justlearned a tough lesson in economics:
The credit market crisis is spreading to student loans.
http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2008/04/17/credit_crisis_hits_student_borrowers/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
=
[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:
-Who's Bitter Now?
DURING Wednesday night's Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia,Barack Obama once more tried to explain what he meant when he suggestedearlier this month that small-town people of modest means "cling to guns orreligion or antipathy to people who aren't like them" out of frustrationwith their place in a changing American economy. Mr. Obama acknowledged thathis wording offended some voters, but he also reiterated his impression that"wedge issues take prominence" when voters are frustrated by "difficulttimes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/opinion/17bartels.html?scp=5&sq=GAY&st=nyt
-Race and American Memory I was wandering through the King Center here whenI stumbled on a movie clip of an indignant African-American woman saying:
"If we can't live in our country and be accepted as free citizens and humanbeings, then something's the matter with something - and it isn't me."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/opinion/17cohen.html?ref=opinion
-No Clear Advantage
One of the more surprising twists in a surprising year is that despite theobvious Republican disadvantages in this election cycle, John McCain ismatching up pretty well against Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in testsbeing conducted by national polls. Pew Research Center and CBS/New YorkTimes polls show Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton holding only modest leads overMr. McCain, while other national surveys - notably Associated Press/Ipsosand NBC/Wall Street Journal - have Mr. McCain running about even against theDemocratic candidates.
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/no-clear-advantage/index.html?ref=opinion
-Prominent Tibetan Figure Detained in China
BEIJING - The Chinese authorities have detained a high-profile Tibetantelevision reporter who is also a popular singer, suggesting that thegovernment crackdown following the disturbances in and around Tibet has yetto run its course.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/world/asia/18tibet.html?hp
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-No Peace Without Hamas
GAZA -- President Jimmy Carter's sensible plan to visit the Hamas leadershipthis week brings honesty and pragmatism to the Middle East whileunderscoring the fact that American policy has reached its dead end.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acts as if a few alterations here andthere would make the hideous straitjacket of apartheid fit better. WhileRice persuades Israeli occupation forces to cut a few dozen meaninglessroadblocks from among the more than 500 West Bank control points, theseforces simultaneously choke off fuel supplies to Gaza; blockade its 1.5million people; approve illegal housing projects on West Bank land; andattack Gaza City with F-16s, killing men, women and children. Sadly, this is"business as usual" for the Palestinians.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041602899.html
-Mr. Zahar and Mr. Carter
The former president, on what he says is a road to peace, embraces Hamasterrorists.
ON THE OPPOSITE page today we publish an article by the "foreign minister"of Hamas, Mahmoud al-Zahar, that drips with hatred for Israel, and withpraise for former president Jimmy Carter. We believe Mr. Zahar's words areworth publishing because they provide some clarity about the group he helpsto lead, a group that Mr. Carter contends is worthy of being included in theMiddle East peace process. Mr. Carter himself is holding what appears to bea series of meetings with Hamas leaders during a tour of the Middle East. Hemet one militant in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Tuesday and wasreportedly planning to meet Mr. Zahar in Cairo today before traveling toDamascus for an appointment with Khaled Meshal, Hamas's top leader.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041603097.html
-On the Shield Law, Good News and Bad
The bad news last week for conservative Republican Rep. Mike Pence wasprivate confirmation that his proposed law protecting journalists fromrunaway judges was opposed by President George W. Bush himself, not justinflexible Justice Department lawyers. The good news this week for Pence wasan unexpected endorsement by Bush's successor heading the Republican Party,John McCain.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041602903.html
-Warmed Over
President Bush delivers much talk and little action on climate change.
PRESIDENT BUSH strode to the lectern in the Rose Garden yesterday and onceagain passed up an opportunity -- perhaps his last -- to do somethingmeaningful on climate change. "Today, I am announcing a new national goal:
to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025," he said. Thatpronouncement was a weak and inadequate response to the imperative that theUnited States provide leadership in combating global warming, aresponsibility Mr. Bush has shamefully ducked throughout his presidency.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041603313.html
-Pope Benedict and the Mystery of Two Worlds
Giving the Pope advice is a contradictory task, because the Church'sposition is that he is infallible to begin with. To an outsider,infallibility seems like an impossible burden for someone who, the daybefore his election to the Papacy, was as fallible as any other mortal. Butthe Church's whole existence is based on a special relationship to God. ThePope sits on a throne that belongs to Jesus when he returns, and thissymbolizes a duty to care for the Kingdom of God here on earth. The currentcrises inside Catholicism are only the latest difficulties that began afterChrist disappeared from view. In every age balancing the two worlds of Godand man has been a deep mystery.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/deepak_chopra/2008/04/pope_benedict_and_the_mystery_1.html?hpid=topnews
=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Obama betraying his former backers
Barack Obama seemed to have survived the blasphemous rants of his preacherand remained relatively untarnished by the perceived dissatisfactions of hisprivileged wife. But he may be less lucky with remarks he made recently about embittered, small-town Americans, who "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to peoplewho aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment asa way to explain their frustrations."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-parker17aprilsbapr17,0,1487035.story
-AP-Yahoo poll shows McCain winning back unhappy Republicans
WASHINGTON - Republicans are no longer underdogs in the race for the WhiteHouse. To pull that off, John McCain has attracted disgruntled GOP voters,independents and even some moderate Democrats who shunned his party lastfall.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_top11apr17,0,5391498.story
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Long Nomination Battle Hampers Democrats' Chances in November
RICHMOND At the start of the year, Virginia and national Democrats had highhopes that the state's 13 electoral votes could be up for grabs in the Nov.4 presidential election.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/15/AR2008041503289.html
-Obama and Clinton fizzle in Philly
Wednesday's debate was devoid of substance and rife with gotcha politics. Inthe end, Obama seemed to win simply by not losing.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/04/17/dem_debate/
-Executions to resume after high court OK's lethal injections
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. executions are all but sure to resume soon after anationwide halt, cleared Wednesday by a splintered Supreme Court thatapproved the most widely used method of lethal injection.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SCOTUS_LETHAL_INJECTION?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-04-16-20-13-36
-'Elitist' card snubs the facts
New rift mired in irony
Why do Americans look for people to look down on?
We sometimes baffle ourselves with ambivalence toward ambition and success.
We applaud "merit," for example, yet we turn up our noses at "elitists." Weroot for the little guy, yet again and again we elect the wealthy, thepowerful and the "insider."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped0416pageapr16,0,5528250.column
-Why Clinton won't quit
REGARDLESS of what happens Tuesday in the Democratic presidential primary inPennsylvania, Hillary Clinton will not quit. Call it Divine Right orchutzpah, the Clintons believe she is entitled to the presidency. They'vebeen planning it since their days at Yale.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/04/17/why_clinton_wont_quit/
-In Reversal, Stevens Says He Opposes Death Penalty
Justice John Paul Stevens was one of the co-authors of the Supreme Court's1976 decision reinstating the death penalty, but he announced yesterday thathe now believes capital punishment is unconstitutional.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041603073.html?hpid=topnews
-Our view on protecting confidential sources: Presidential contenders backyour right to know
'Shield law' allows whistle-blowers to speak without fear of reprisal.
Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and Republican John McCaindisagree on Iraq, the economy, health care and a host of other issues. Soit's notable that all three senators found common ground this week insupport of a measure to protect reporters' ability to keep promises ofconfidentiality to their sources.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/04/our-view-on-pro.html
-Credit crisis hits student borrowers
Short of funds, lenders cut back
Anthony Norton, a junior at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, justlearned a tough lesson in economics:
The credit market crisis is spreading to student loans.
http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2008/04/17/credit_crisis_hits_student_borrowers/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST April 17, 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:
-Florida Legislature set to bar dumping of treated sewage into ocean
TALLAHASSEE - South Florida may soon face a deadline to stop dumping treatedsewage into the ocean, and local residents could face higher bills to payfor improved water treatment.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flfsewage0417sbapr17,0,7235763.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Domestic partner gains likely in Dade
A Miami-Dade County Commission committee approved a package of benefits fordomestic partners.
http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/498852.html
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Chamber to hold mixer April 16 (tonight) at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
It is April and time for another fantastic event! This is a not-to-bemissed opportunity to visit the Seminole Hard Rock as they pull out all thestops for our members and guests.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/04/gay-chamber-to.html
-Sidelines Sports Bar: Zoom Airlines' launch event a triumph for the GLBTmarket
ZOOM AIRLINES' LAUNCH EVENT IS A TRIUMPH FOR THE GLBT MARKET!
The British came, saw, and loved the warm reception that the Fort Lauderdalegay community gave them last Thursday evening as Sidelines Sports Bar hostedthe Pre-Pride Launch Party for Zoom Airlines. Zoom Airlines, the leading,low-fare transatlantic airline, was in town to attend Pridefest and promotetheir new transatlantic service between London Gatwick and Fort Lauderdale,Florida in May 2008 to the GLBT community.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/04/sidelines-sport.html
=
From Fairness for All Families
Senior Advocates Urge Floridians to VOTE NO on Amendment 2
Florida Retirees Risk Loss of Essential Health and Family Benefits
(Tallahassee) Advocates for Florida seniors today called on voters to DEFEATAmendment 2, the so-called Florida "Marriage Protection" Amendment. Themeasure that denies benefits to unmarried Floridians will hit seniorsparticularly hard, according to the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans.
"Many seniors who are widowed do not remarry because, if they do, they risklosing essential pension benefits or they fear that a new marriage mightupset estate plans for their adult children," said Barbara DeVane, secretaryfor Florida Alliance for Retired Americans. "This amendment threatens tostrip away essential health and family protections unmarried seniors counton to take care of themselves and their loved ones." Already, backers of theamendment are preparing to challenge Tampa's domestic partnership policythat provides health coverage and other protections to firefighters, policeofficers and other municipal employees.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/deepak_chopra/2008/04/pope_benedict_and_the_mystery_1.html?hpid=topnews
=
From AIDS Walk Miami - Walk Talk
This is it South Florida!!! This Sunday is the 20th Annual AIDS Walk Miamiwhen our Grand Marshal, Jane Lynch, our Master of Ceremonies, Fox NewsAnchor, Craig Stevens and "Mr. Miami Beach" Michael Aller, along with you,your family, friends and co-workers will gather for an amazing day and helpCare Resource, the GLCC of South Florida, Broward House, and Food For LifeNetwork raise funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Florida. We areanticipating a huge attendance this year, so we have moved up theregistration time which will now begin at 7:30 in Hall D of the Miami BeachConvention Center. The entrance is located on Convention Center Drive,directly across from the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.
www.aidswalkmiami.org
=
From Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Lethal Injection Ruling
Florida has become the first state to announce that executions will nowbegin again as a result of today's U.S. Supreme Court decisionupholding Kentucky's lethal injection protocol. As you know, thecourt's ruling focused on the constitutionality of Kentucky's method ofexecutions. The court upheld the Kentucky State Supreme Court's rulingthat their lethal injection procedures did not constitute a"substantial risk" of pain, torture and lingering death. Florida'sprocedures, although similar to Kentucky's, are not identical. Morelegal challenges are expected here.
The real issue, of course, is the Death Penalty system itself.
Florida's Death Penalty system has the nation's highest risk ofexecuting the innocent (26 exonereations off Death Row) as well asbeing hugely expensive (over $51 million a year), absolutelyunnecessary (we have life in prison without parole) and inherentlyinhumane (there is no humane way to commit and inhumane deed).
http://www.fadp.org/
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State Senate passes property insurance measure
TALLAHASSEE -- Legislation that gives Florida regulators more authority overprivate property insurance companies sailed through the Senate on Wednesday,escalating the state's ongoing battle with insurers.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/BREAKINGNEWS/80416050/1086/news01
-IMMIGRATION
Miami-Dade lawmakers stymie immigration bills
Bills targeting illegal immigration have yet to make much headway in thestate Legislature.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/498835.html
-ENERGY
Crist wants to slash state's gas tax
The governor called for a gas-tax break, but legislators are doubtful itwould save Florida drivers money.
http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/498827.html
-Florida Senate approves Crist health plan
TALLAHASSEE - A unanimous nod from the Florida Senate on Wednesday broughtGov. Charlie Crist closer to his goal of offering health insurance touninsured Floridians. But victory is a long way off.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article460220.ece
-Flat tax fight returns to state House
TALLAHASSSEE -- A divided House panel picked up the baton of a citizen taxrevolt on Tuesday, agreeing to ask voters in November to cut property taxesby at least $5.9 billion.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/BREAKINGNEWS/80416001/1086/news01
-Legal fight vowed after Crist signs guns-to-work law
Groups say they'll challenge Crist
TALLAHASSEE - As Gov. Charlie Crist signed the Florida Legislature'scontroversial guns-to-work bill into law Tuesday, business interests vowedto take the fight to a new arena: the courtroom.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/legislature/sfl-flfguns0416sbapr16,0,2790792.story
-East Florida Amtrak may gain momentum
A long-discussed plan for passenger rail service along Florida's east coastbetween Miami and Jacksonville may get a push Friday.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/04/17/m3b_eastcoastrail_0417.html
-Florida: Water Plan Favors Georgia
WASHINGTON - Florida would still "bear the brunt" of Georgia's lack ofdrought planning under the Bush administration's latest water-sharing planfor the Southeast, a Florida congressman says.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/17/na-florida-water-plan-favors-georgia/?news
-Court upholds lethal injection
TALLAHASSEE - Florida wasted little time in seeking to get executions backon track after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Kentucky cancontinue using lethal injection to carry out the death penalty.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/state/epaper/2008/04/17/m1a_scotus_main_0417.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=0
-Florida execution list
The state of Florida has active death warrants for three Death Row inmates,Mark Dean Schwab, Wayne Tompkins and Robert Trease. Another inmate, GaryAlvord, has served the longest time on Death Row -- going on 34 years --though he has not been scheduled for execution.
Here is a look at the four men:
.Mark Dean Schwab was convicted of raping and killing 11-year-old JunnyRios Martinez of Daytona Beach in 1991. Gov. Charlie Crist signed Schwab'sdeath warrant in 2007, aiming to have him be the first person executed sincethe state halted the procedure after a botched lethal injection in December2006. His execution was stayed in November after the U.S. Supreme Court tookup the Kentucky case.
.Wayne Tompkins was sentenced to die for the murder of a 15-year-old
Lisa DeCarr, whose body was recovered beneath her mother's home in Tampa 14months after her 1983 disappearance. A jailhouse informant told police thatTompkins, her mother's boyfriend, had confessed to the murder. Former Gov.Jeb Bush signed a warrant for his death in 2001, but a controversy over DNAtesting secured Tompkins a reprieve.
.Robert Trease was sentenced to die for the Aug. 17, 1995, slaying of aman during a robbery in Sarasota County. Bush signed his death warrant in2001, but stayed the execution during court reviews.
.Gary E. Alvord was convicted of the 1973 slaying of Lynne Herrmann, hermother and her grandmother in their Tampa home. He has been on Death Rowsince 1974.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/498912.html
=
[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:
-Florida Legislature set to bar dumping of treated sewage into ocean
TALLAHASSEE - South Florida may soon face a deadline to stop dumping treatedsewage into the ocean, and local residents could face higher bills to payfor improved water treatment.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flfsewage0417sbapr17,0,7235763.story
=
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Domestic partner gains likely in Dade
A Miami-Dade County Commission committee approved a package of benefits fordomestic partners.
http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/498852.html
=
Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Gay Chamber to hold mixer April 16 (tonight) at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
It is April and time for another fantastic event! This is a not-to-bemissed opportunity to visit the Seminole Hard Rock as they pull out all thestops for our members and guests.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/04/gay-chamber-to.html
-Sidelines Sports Bar: Zoom Airlines' launch event a triumph for the GLBTmarket
ZOOM AIRLINES' LAUNCH EVENT IS A TRIUMPH FOR THE GLBT MARKET!
The British came, saw, and loved the warm reception that the Fort Lauderdalegay community gave them last Thursday evening as Sidelines Sports Bar hostedthe Pre-Pride Launch Party for Zoom Airlines. Zoom Airlines, the leading,low-fare transatlantic airline, was in town to attend Pridefest and promotetheir new transatlantic service between London Gatwick and Fort Lauderdale,Florida in May 2008 to the GLBT community.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/04/sidelines-sport.html
=
From Fairness for All Families
Senior Advocates Urge Floridians to VOTE NO on Amendment 2
Florida Retirees Risk Loss of Essential Health and Family Benefits
(Tallahassee) Advocates for Florida seniors today called on voters to DEFEATAmendment 2, the so-called Florida "Marriage Protection" Amendment. Themeasure that denies benefits to unmarried Floridians will hit seniorsparticularly hard, according to the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans.
"Many seniors who are widowed do not remarry because, if they do, they risklosing essential pension benefits or they fear that a new marriage mightupset estate plans for their adult children," said Barbara DeVane, secretaryfor Florida Alliance for Retired Americans. "This amendment threatens tostrip away essential health and family protections unmarried seniors counton to take care of themselves and their loved ones." Already, backers of theamendment are preparing to challenge Tampa's domestic partnership policythat provides health coverage and other protections to firefighters, policeofficers and other municipal employees.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/deepak_chopra/2008/04/pope_benedict_and_the_mystery_1.html?hpid=topnews
=
From AIDS Walk Miami - Walk Talk
This is it South Florida!!! This Sunday is the 20th Annual AIDS Walk Miamiwhen our Grand Marshal, Jane Lynch, our Master of Ceremonies, Fox NewsAnchor, Craig Stevens and "Mr. Miami Beach" Michael Aller, along with you,your family, friends and co-workers will gather for an amazing day and helpCare Resource, the GLCC of South Florida, Broward House, and Food For LifeNetwork raise funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Florida. We areanticipating a huge attendance this year, so we have moved up theregistration time which will now begin at 7:30 in Hall D of the Miami BeachConvention Center. The entrance is located on Convention Center Drive,directly across from the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.
www.aidswalkmiami.org
=
From Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Lethal Injection Ruling
Florida has become the first state to announce that executions will nowbegin again as a result of today's U.S. Supreme Court decisionupholding Kentucky's lethal injection protocol. As you know, thecourt's ruling focused on the constitutionality of Kentucky's method ofexecutions. The court upheld the Kentucky State Supreme Court's rulingthat their lethal injection procedures did not constitute a"substantial risk" of pain, torture and lingering death. Florida'sprocedures, although similar to Kentucky's, are not identical. Morelegal challenges are expected here.
The real issue, of course, is the Death Penalty system itself.
Florida's Death Penalty system has the nation's highest risk ofexecuting the innocent (26 exonereations off Death Row) as well asbeing hugely expensive (over $51 million a year), absolutelyunnecessary (we have life in prison without parole) and inherentlyinhumane (there is no humane way to commit and inhumane deed).
http://www.fadp.org/
=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:
-State Senate passes property insurance measure
TALLAHASSEE -- Legislation that gives Florida regulators more authority overprivate property insurance companies sailed through the Senate on Wednesday,escalating the state's ongoing battle with insurers.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/BREAKINGNEWS/80416050/1086/news01
-IMMIGRATION
Miami-Dade lawmakers stymie immigration bills
Bills targeting illegal immigration have yet to make much headway in thestate Legislature.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/498835.html
-ENERGY
Crist wants to slash state's gas tax
The governor called for a gas-tax break, but legislators are doubtful itwould save Florida drivers money.
http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/498827.html
-Florida Senate approves Crist health plan
TALLAHASSEE - A unanimous nod from the Florida Senate on Wednesday broughtGov. Charlie Crist closer to his goal of offering health insurance touninsured Floridians. But victory is a long way off.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article460220.ece
-Flat tax fight returns to state House
TALLAHASSSEE -- A divided House panel picked up the baton of a citizen taxrevolt on Tuesday, agreeing to ask voters in November to cut property taxesby at least $5.9 billion.
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080416/BREAKINGNEWS/80416001/1086/news01
-Legal fight vowed after Crist signs guns-to-work law
Groups say they'll challenge Crist
TALLAHASSEE - As Gov. Charlie Crist signed the Florida Legislature'scontroversial guns-to-work bill into law Tuesday, business interests vowedto take the fight to a new arena: the courtroom.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/legislature/sfl-flfguns0416sbapr16,0,2790792.story
-East Florida Amtrak may gain momentum
A long-discussed plan for passenger rail service along Florida's east coastbetween Miami and Jacksonville may get a push Friday.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/04/17/m3b_eastcoastrail_0417.html
-Florida: Water Plan Favors Georgia
WASHINGTON - Florida would still "bear the brunt" of Georgia's lack ofdrought planning under the Bush administration's latest water-sharing planfor the Southeast, a Florida congressman says.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/17/na-florida-water-plan-favors-georgia/?news
-Court upholds lethal injection
TALLAHASSEE - Florida wasted little time in seeking to get executions backon track after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Kentucky cancontinue using lethal injection to carry out the death penalty.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/state/epaper/2008/04/17/m1a_scotus_main_0417.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=0
-Florida execution list
The state of Florida has active death warrants for three Death Row inmates,Mark Dean Schwab, Wayne Tompkins and Robert Trease. Another inmate, GaryAlvord, has served the longest time on Death Row -- going on 34 years --though he has not been scheduled for execution.
Here is a look at the four men:
.Mark Dean Schwab was convicted of raping and killing 11-year-old JunnyRios Martinez of Daytona Beach in 1991. Gov. Charlie Crist signed Schwab'sdeath warrant in 2007, aiming to have him be the first person executed sincethe state halted the procedure after a botched lethal injection in December2006. His execution was stayed in November after the U.S. Supreme Court tookup the Kentucky case.
.Wayne Tompkins was sentenced to die for the murder of a 15-year-old
Lisa DeCarr, whose body was recovered beneath her mother's home in Tampa 14months after her 1983 disappearance. A jailhouse informant told police thatTompkins, her mother's boyfriend, had confessed to the murder. Former Gov.Jeb Bush signed a warrant for his death in 2001, but a controversy over DNAtesting secured Tompkins a reprieve.
.Robert Trease was sentenced to die for the Aug. 17, 1995, slaying of aman during a robbery in Sarasota County. Bush signed his death warrant in2001, but stayed the execution during court reviews.
.Gary E. Alvord was convicted of the 1973 slaying of Lynne Herrmann, hermother and her grandmother in their Tampa home. He has been on Death Rowsince 1974.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/498912.html
=
[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
GLBT DIGEST April 16, 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:
-Some gay couples are having trouble obtaining divorces
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Gay couples had to struggle mightily to win theright to marry or form civil unions. Now, some are finding that breaking upis hard to do, too.
In Rhode Island, for example, the state's top court ruled in December that
gays married in neighboring Massachusetts can't get divorced here becauselawmakers have never defined marriage as anything but a union between a manand woman. In Missouri, a judge is deciding whether a lesbian married inMassachusetts can get an annulment.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Gay-Divorce.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=gay&st=nyt&oref=slogin
-Changing With Times, a Parish Prospers
The morning service begins with the swift tap-tap-tap of drums, accentedwith horns. "El Señor es mi pastor," the band sings out, echoed by loudclaps from the pews.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/nyregion/16alive.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Krister Stendahl, 86, Ecumenical Bishop, Is Dead
Krister Stendahl, a former dean of the Harvard Divinity School and a bishopin Sweden whose scholarship opened new ways of interpreting the Apostle Pauland whose activism pushed churches toward unity and tolerance, died onTuesday in Boston. He was 86.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/us/16stendahl.html?sq=gay&st=nyt&adxnnl=1&scp=6&adxnnlx=1208344367-KqnZoWhCdCoo3vXZcEvymw
-"Faith Vote" Big In Pennsylvania Primary
MECHANICSBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Darwin McAfee is a white evangelicalProtestant who is opposed to abortion and likes the great outdoors.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-usa-politics-pennsylvania-religion.html?scp=8&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Pope lands in US, vows to fight clergy sex abuse
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI stepped onto U.S. soilfor the time as pontiff Tuesday, arriving to a presidential handshake andwild cheering only hours after he admitted that he is ''deeply ashamed'' ofthe clergy sex abuse scandal that has devastated the American church.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Pope-US.html?scp=9&sq=gay&st=nyt
-The Pope's Visit: Abuse Victims Not Placated by Pope
WASHINGTON - Far from tamping down emotions, Pope Benedict XVI's expressionof remorse on Tuesday for the church's sexual abuse scandal prompted anangry and skeptical response from victims, who said they wanted actions, notwords from the Vatican.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/us/nationalspecial2/16victim.html?hp
=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Chinese AIDS victims detained, harassed: lawyers
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police have detained up to eightHIV/AIDS-affected people who tried to complain to Premier Wen Jiabao about ahospital they claimed spread the HIV virus, lawyers for two of the familiessaid on Monday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSPEK23187320080414?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
-LGBT Rights Group Faults CNN, Not Candidates, for Choosing Messiah College"It is our understanding that CNN chose the venue," Brad Luna,communications director for the Human Rights Campaign, told me in an email,when I asked about the appropriateness of Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, andBarack Obama, D-Illinois, who profess to support gay rights, speaking Sundaynight at Messiah College where homosexuality is classified as a sin alongwith adultery, stealing, and sexual abuse.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/glbt-rights-gro.html
=
365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Homophobic Attacks Lead Gay Couple To Split
(Edinburgh) Dreams of domestic bliss following their civil partnership havebeen shattered for a Scots gay couple following a series of homophobicattacks, allegedly by their neighbors.
-Medical Pot Users Owe Canadian Government More Than $500,000
(Ottawa) Medical marijuana users are on the hook for more than $500,000 inunpaid bills for government-certified weed, raising questions about theeffectiveness of Health Canada's troubled dope program.
-Actor Luke Macfarlane Comes Out
(Toronto, Ontario) Actor Luke Macfarlane, a regular in the ABC seriesBrothers & Sisters, has come out in an interview with a Canadian newspaper.
-Trial Begins For Pair Accused In Royal Gay Blackmail Plot
(London) Two men demanded 50,000 pounds, or about $100,000 (USD), from amember of the Royal Family to hand over video and audio recordingscontaining ``scandalous and disparaging'' allegations, prosecutors saidTuesday.
-Gay Rights To Suffer With Berlusconi Victory
(Rome) Italy has tilted to right with Silvio Berlusconi triumphing inparliamentary election.
=
The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hillary Clinton to Appear on Colbert
Hillary Clinton is hoping the ''Colbert bump'' will help propel her to victory in Pennsylvania. The Democratic presidential candidate will make her first appearance on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report on Thursday. Both Clinton and Colbert have come to Pennsylvania ahead of the state's hard-fought Democratic primary on April 22.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53436.asp
=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The Netherlands: Marriage registrars who refuse to perform same-sexmarriages must also be denied from performing marriages between men andwomen, the Equal Treatment Commission (CGB) ruled yesterday. In October2007, the municipality of Langedijk placed an ad for two marriageregistrars. The municipality demanded that applicants be prepared to conductboth heterosexual and same-sex marriages. The CGB judged yesterday thatmunicipalities may indeed make this requirement. A local authority is "notviolating the equal treatment law if it refuses to appoint a marriageregistrar who does not wish to marry persons of the same sex on grounds ofreligion".
-Maine: Groups that support gay rights have sent a 12-page letter to Secretary of
State Matthew Dunlap outlining what they say is wrong with a proposedreferendum question submitted last week by Michael Heath, executive directorof the Christian Civic League of Maine. The Maine Civil Liberties Union,Equality Maine and the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders claim that thecurrent language in the league's proposed question would "take away everybasic right that gay and lesbian Mainers have."
-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement last week that he would oppose aballot measure reaffirming California's ban on same-sex marriage delightedgay-rights activists and infuriated social conservatives, who accused him offlip-flopping on the issue. But Schwarzenegger's stand appears to reflecthis long-standing ambivalence over an issue on which so many people inpolitics feel so strongly. Based on everything he has said since he wasfirst a candidate for governor, Schwarzenegger does not really seem to carewhether California legalizes gay marriage or not, whatever his personalfeelings on the subject might be.
-The fight for gay marriage in California has been a tough one during thelast decade. In 2000, Proposition 22 was passed by 62% of the state'svoters, limiting marriage to a man and a women. Its since been sent to theState's Supreme Court. Gov. Schwarzenegger has twice vetoed Gay MarriageBills sent to him by the California Legislature, the second as recently aslast year. "He will uphold whatever the court decides," Schwarzeneggerspokeswoman Margita Thompson said after the bill's original passing.
-The Illinois House has rejected a measure aimed at helping gay teachers inChicago. The measure involves pension benefits that surviving spouses can collect after a teacher dies. The change would have allowed gay teachers to givesurvivor benefits to their partners, just as married couples can.
The legislation failed 43-67 Tuesday. Supporters say the change wouldn'thave cost taxpayers anything. Teachers would have paid all costs.
-Maine: The Christian Civic League of Maine is like the Energizer bunny -- except that it's not amusing. Like the bunny, it keeps going and going and going. Just when we thought the world, or at least Maine, was safe from another bigoted campaign against gay men and women, the League is launching a new referendum effort to repeal every law providing protection to people who have long faced discrimination. It's amazing how much fear and hatred the League managed to pack into one proposed referendum.
=
Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pope makes distinction between gays and paedophiles
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church has spoken out about the sexualabuse of children by priests. Benedict XVI gave a rare insight into hisviews to reporters accompanying him on his first Papal visit to the UnitedStates, which began yesterday. In his comments the pontiff moved to dismissthe suggestion that he links sexual abuse of children with homosexuality.
click here for the full article
-DC Madam with links to Senators found guilty
Once considered a viable running mate for Republican Presidential hopefulSenator John McCain, a federal jury on Tuesday found 'D.C. Madam' DeborahJeane Palfrey guilty of money laundering and racketeering for running aprostitution ring. Throughout the trial, Palfrey, 52, maintained that hercompany, Pamela Martin and Associates escort service, provided legal escortservices that catered to adult fantasies from 1993 to 2006. Palfrey, wearinga grey suit and with clasped hands, showed little emotion when the juryfound her guilty.
click here for the full article
-Gay refugees face prejudice across the world
Biplob Hossain, a gay refugee from Bangladesh who is seeking asylum inAustralia, and Joaquin Ramirez, facing deportation from Canada to ElSalvador, have highlighted the plight of gay men who flee their countries toescape persecution.Mr Hossain, 25, moved to Australia on a student visa whenhe was 19. He applied for asylum on the basis that he would sufferpersecution in Bangladesh. He was placed in a detention centre for 29months.
click here for the full article
-Senior Mormons agree to meet with gay group
Mormon church officials have agreed to meet with a gay Mormon support group.
Affirmation, a group that supports the Mormon LGBT community, were invitedto meet with Fred Riley, commissioner of Family Services for The Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Harold C. Brown, the agency's pastcommissioner.Mr Riley said: "We believe that is always important to have theopportunity to be given better understanding of your points of view."
click here for the full article
-Gay World Cup organisers say 90% of funding in place
The 2008 International Gay and Lesbian Football Association WorldChampionship being held in London later this year has announced cashsponsorship from a website. The championship became an issue in the electionfor Mayor of London today when LGBT activist and Green party candidate PeterTatchell attacked the incumbent for reportedly declining to contribute tothe funding and or sign a letter of support for a grant application to thelottery fund.
click here for the full article
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Politicians Should Think Before They Speak
Guess who said the following: "What you have to spew and spread is extremelydangerous ... it's dangerous for our children to even know that yourphilosophy exists!"
http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/Politicians_Should_Think_Before_They_Speak_5555.html
-What's so awful about kicking the guys out of the gym?
I was all geared up to write a column fulminating against Harvard forsetting up women-only hours in one of its gyms because apparently someMuslim women students felt more comfortable exercising away from the eyes ofmen. Kowtowing to religion! Validating Islam's obsession with female-andonly female-modesty! Denial of equal gym time to men!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0414kathaapr14,0,4494334.story
-Bitter? Of Course. Here's Why
Honest discussion about the roots of working-class angst and how to addressit has gotten seriously burned in the firestorm of controversy fanned aroundcomments by Sen. Barack Obama that working-class people are "bitter" aboutthe economy and government.
http://ourfuture.org/blog-entry/bitter-course-heres-why
-BUSH FIDDLES WHILE THE PLANET BURNS
DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- In the grand tradition of the loopy conservativepatriarchy, right up there with Ronald Reagan's 1981 comment, "Trees causemore pollution than automobiles do," we now have Homeland Security ChairmanMichael Chertoff arguing that "illegal migrants really degrade theenvironment."
http://www.american-reporter.com/3,402/200.html
-Prosecutors outline flag mutilation charges against Westboro Baptist Churchmember
OMAHA - Sarpy County prosecutors have formally spelled out why they areprosecuting a member of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas for flagmutilation.
http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/04/01/news/local/doc47f24505bf07f231414789.txt
-Don't be the only gay in the cemetery
HOMOSEXUALS have been designated an area in a Copenhagen cemetery for thosewho want to be buried among people who shared their sexual orientation.
"We founded an association called Regnbuen (Rainbow) and our goal is thatgays and lesbians can be buried next to each other,'' Ivan Larsen said.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23510677-5005961,00.html
-Ariz. deportation policy a model, feds say
The nation's top immigration officials want other states to copy an Arizonaprogram that releases non-violent, illegal-immigrant inmates from stateprisons and deports them.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/15/20080415deport0414.html
-Right wing video warns: Gays are plotting to invade City Hall
The town of Eureka Springs is turning into the "San Francisco of Arkansas,"warns the American Family Association, and it can happen in your town too.
http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/afa041408.html
-Palm Springs' image in book creates uproar
Called by some the nation's gayest city, it is described as a center ofaging men with sexual hyper-drives.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/la-me-outthere7mar07,0,5268234.story
-Controversy escalates over 'Day of Silence'
Students from at least one Fairbanks high school, West Valley, will beparticipating in the "Day of Silence," an event sponsored by the Gay,Lesbian and Straight Education Network. The national event is scheduled forApril 25.
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/apr/15/controversy-escalates-over-day-silence/
-Focus on the Family's Ant-Gay Ministry Heads to CA for Weekend Conference
Focus on the Family's traveling "ex-gay' ministry, Love Won Out, traveled tothe South Bay area, to Mountain View, Cal., this past weekend, drawingprotest and organization from the anti-"ex-gay" group Truth Wins Out.
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=73029
-What defines 'sexually explicit' is Ind.'s $250 question
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Planning to open a bookstore in Indiana? Maybe anewsstand? How about a pharmacy?
You may be officially labeled a purveyor of "sexually explicit materials."
Now, if you'll just sign this registry, the secretary of state will acceptyour check for $250.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.bookstores13apr13,0,6882689.story
-Business more accepting of gay, lesbian employees
Jan Stevenson became so impatient with the pace of change in acceptance ofpeople with gender concerns she and her partner bought Between the Linesnewspaper in 1995 and transformed it into the Pride Source Media Group witha 20,000 weekly circulation, sales in excess of $1 million andpart-sponsorship of an annual PrideFest in Ferndale that draws up to 50,000people.
http://crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080414/SUB/564693291/1068
-Democrats must renew bond with working class
WASHINGTON - During the five decades that the New Deal coalition governednational politics, from the 1930s to the 1980s, the relationship between theDemocratic Party and working-class voters was an economic bond: Generationsof Americans took it as an act of faith that Republicans represented themoneyed elites while Democrats stood up for the little guy.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/04/15/democrats_must_renew_bond_with_working_class/
-Sexuality's role in the Bible dissected at Monday panel discussion
The Ole Miss Department of Philosophy and Religion, the Sarah Isom Center,ALLIES, the Gay/Straight Alliance and PFLAG (Parents and Friends of LesbiansAnd Gays) hosted a panel discussion Monday at noon in Bryant Hall titled,"Sexuality and the Bible."
http://media.www.thedmonline.com/media/storage/paper876/news/2008/04/15/News/Sexualitys.Role.In.The.Bible.Dissected.At.Monday.Panel.Discussion-3325463.shtml
-Out Missouri lawmakers accuses colleague of bullying students
Openly lesbian Missouri legislators Jeanette Mott Oxford and Jolie Justus,joined by fellow Democrat Sara Lampe, held a news conference last weekaccusing State Rep. Jane Cunningham of insulting two teenagers based ontheir physical appearance.
http://www.gaypolitics.com/?p=416
-Tiff over purple-haired, pierced kids takes a new twist
Thought the brouhaha between the gay and lesbian kids who got kicked out ofRep. Jane Cunningham's office was over? Think again. The students who were"painful" for Cunningham to look at, were advocating for the gay and lesbiangroup PROMO, and after they were kicked out of Cunningham's office (thereasons why are in dispute), PROMO started a campaign asking Cunningham toapologize.
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2008/04/tiff-over-purple-haired-pierced-kids-takes-a-new-twist/
-John McCain Will be Thrilled
John McCain -- who last year declared that America was founded as aChristian nation, and refused to retract his claim even after being calledon it by the Anti-Defamation League -- will no doubt be thrilled to hear thenews that the Alabama House of Representatives agrees with him.
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/4/15/134439/915
-Truth Wins Out Trumps Love Won Out.
Today was certainly an exciting and productive day. We gathered outside theAbundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, CA, at 11am with oursigns and began our vigil. Originally our group numbered about 10 people andover time grew to approximately 22. Traffic on Leghorn St. was fairlyconstant so we got a good deal of attention and while some people showedobvious consternation over our presence many honked their horns in support.
http://gaytheistagenda.lavenderliberal.com/2008/04/12/truth-wins-out-trumps-love-won-out/
-Foreman's farewell thoughts
I'm just off of a media conference call with Matt Foreman and other leadersof the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, marking his final day as executivedirector. He'll be succeeded in interim fashion by Rea Carey, his deputyE.D., with no firm date set for a successor to be named. (Carey said she hasnot applied for the job but will stay on as deputy E.D.)
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2008/04/foremans-farewe.html
-Pete shits a brick over cabin made of logs
Amidst denunciations of both the GOP's "big tent" philosophy and the veryidea that one can be "pro-homosexual and pro-family at the same time,"highly prolific 'mo foe Peter LaBarbera is encouraging White House hopefulJohn McCain to withdraw from a planned meeting with the Log CabinRepublicans:
McCain urged to flee from Log Cabin Republicans [ONN]
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2008/04/pete-shits-a-br.html
-ABC News' Jake Tapper Calls Attention to the Anti-Gay Views of the College
That Hosted CNN's "Compassion Forum"
On April 13, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obamaengaged in a discussion with people of faith about their views on varioussocial issues during CNN's "Compassion Forum." CNN chose Pennsylvania'sMessiah College as the location of the event. As ABC News Senior NationalCorrespondent Jake Tapper noted in his blog, Messiah is an evangelicalcollege that explicitly equates being gay with sinfulness in its "communitycovenant." The college, Tapper explained, also advises its gay students topartake in so-called "ex-gay" counseling. Tapper additionally quoted severalcomments from readers concerned about Clinton's and Obama's presence at theanti-gay school. "How can politicians appear at a college that espousesthese ideas and then turn around and court the gay community at the sametime?" one reader queried. Unfortunately, CNN's "Compassion Forum" neverraised such questions because it provided the candidates no opportunity toeven generally discuss their views on LGBT issues. Hopefully, more nationaljournalists will follow Tapper's lead by questioning the candidates'commitment to LGBT equality and by examining and calling attention to theviews of the sponsors and hosts of political events.
http://glaadorg.nexcess.net/2008/04/abc-news-jake-tapper-calls-att.html
-Atlanta clergy demand gay 'tax equality'
Protest held at regional post office on tax deadline day
Clergy representing gay and gay-friendly Atlanta congregations gathered infront of the Atlanta Regional Post Office in Hapeville today - the last dayto file federal income taxes - to stress economic justice is also a faithissue when it comes to tax equality for gay families.
http://www.southernvoice.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17717
-O'Reilly's Homophobia
From his suggestion that the "secular progressive movement" would like tohave "poly-amorphous" marriage ("you can marry 18 people, you can marry aduck") to his statement that it would be "insane" and "inappropriate" to"cluster" gays near children, Bill O' Reilly has never been one to "relax onall this gay stuff."
http://mediamatters.org/action_center/oreilly_lgbt/
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Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
Go to this link for the following articles:
-2008 International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference
The Mayflower Hotel | Washington, D.C. | December 4-7
Registration is now open for the 24th International Gay & Lesbian LeadershipConference, the premier gathering of openly LGBT elected, appointed andcommunity leaders. This year the conference returns to Washington, D.C. justweeks after U.S. voters choose a new president. It will be an exciting timeto be in the capital city, and attendees will be at the center of it all inthe famed Mayflower Hotel just steps from the White House and Dupont Circle.
There are a limited number of hotel rooms at the Mayflower at our specialconference rate of just $149 per night. Book yours now using our conferencegroup code: GLLGLLA
Visit our new conference Web site for more information and check back oftenfor updated lists of panels, speakers and events.
http://www.glli.org/files/conference2008/
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Message from Fight OUT Loud:
I wanted to send you all a note to update you on the amazing work Fight OUTLoud is doing. Our organization, which now has over 20,000 membersnationwide, is busy fighting discrimination on every level!
Fight OUT Loud continues to work around the country to empower people whoare faced with discrimination and hate. We have been working with GLSEN tohelp establish Gay-Straight Alliances in schools with anti-gay bullyingissues, worked with the Gay American Heroes Foundation to get the word outabout hate crimes against the LGBT community, and continued to fight bigotedcomments from politicians like Mayor Jim Naugle of Fort Lauderdale and SallyKern of Oklahoma. We also launched our "1 Every 8 Days" video online andhave been spreading the message around the globe that violence against ourcommunity will not be accepted. To see the video, click HERE. We areempowering the LGBT community and its allies around the country, providingresources and creating new leaders and activists as we go. Join the Fight!
Waymon Hudson
President of Fight OUT Loud
www.fightoutloud.org
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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
-Another AIDS Casualty
Dr. Ramon Torres was a hero on the front lines against the epidemic for overa decade. It was when the war began to be won that he got lost. It was afrigid morning last December, and the disheveled man standing before JudgeJames Gibbons had made his way to the second floor of 100 Centre Street in athin nylon windbreaker, ill-fitting designer jeans, and a pair of tornjackbootsâ?"something out of an old S&M catalogueâ?"which he hadaccessorized with a wide leather cuff snapped on his wrist. At first he wastrembling, as if from the cold. Then the trembling subsided, and his eyelidsfell. Dr. Ramon A. â?oGabrielâ? Torres, a near-legendary doctor in thefight against AIDS, had fallen asleep on his feet. I remembered the firsttime I had seen him nod off in a crowded room. It was a decade ago, andTorres was the featured speaker at a meeting of top AIDS researchers todiscuss a novel way to treat HIV-negative patients who suffered anaccidental exposureâ?"a needle stick or broken condom, or a night spentcarelessly. At the time, Torres was the director of AIDS programs at St.Vincentâ?Ts Medical Center. He was a visionary, responsible for turning aconservative Catholic clinic at the crossroads of the epidemic into aleading research facility, pioneering drug regimens that saved thousands oflives, and bringing AIDS care to homeless New Yorkers, the accomplishmentfor which heâ?Ts best known.
http://nymag.com/news/features/45785/
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From Ray: I received an e-mail from Wells Fargo mortgage that lookedsuspicious. I went to the legitimate website and did not respond to thee-mail's request to respond to the bogus request. I'm sending the reponse Ireceived from Wells Fargo so you don't respond to bogus e-mails attemptingto gain access to your private information.
-Thank you for reporting a phish email to reportphish@wellsfargo.com.
Below are some common questions about phishing:
Q: What is phishing?
A: Phishing is usually a two-part scam.
Part I: email. Fraudsters, also known as phishers, send email to a wideaudience that appears to come from a reputable company. This is known asa phish email. In the phish email are links to spoof websites.
Part II: spoof websites. Websites that spoof or imitate a reputablecompany's website are known as phish sites. Fraudsters hope to convincevictims to provide their personal information by using clever andcompelling language in their phish emails and spoof websites.
Q: I received a phish email. Does this mean my identity had beencompromised?
A: No. Receiving a phish email claiming to be from Wells Fargo does notmean your identity has been compromised. Phish emails claim to come fromvarious reputable companies.
Q: What if I clicked on an email link to a spoof Wells Fargo website andgave away some of my personal information such as my username andpassword?
A: Call 1-866-867-5568 to speak with a fraud prevention specialist.
Q: What if I clicked on an email link to a spoof Wells Fargo website anddid not give away any of my personal information?
A: Make sure your anti-virus software is current and your operatingsystem and browser are updated with current security patches. Some spoofsites contain viral elements so you should verify that you did notdownload any viruses. Also, delete the email and if you receive otherphish emails, report them as well.
Q: How do I determine if an email is legitimate?
A: Wells Fargo will never request you to send personal information viaemail. Always use your browser to visit the Wells Fargo website bytyping in our URL. If you are familiar with email headers, you can useyour email application to check the headers and make sure Wells Fargo isindeed the sender. If in doubt, delete the email.
Q: How was my email address located?
A: Fraudsters locate email addresses from many places on the web. Theyalso purchase email lists and sometimes guess email addresses.
Fraudsters generally have no idea if people they send phish emails toare Wells Fargo customers or not. They hope a percentage of the phishemails they send will be received by Wells Fargo customers.
Be sure to keep your operating system and browser updated with currentsecurity patches.
Sincerely,
Wells Fargo Online Fraud Prevention Team
=
[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:
-Some gay couples are having trouble obtaining divorces
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Gay couples had to struggle mightily to win theright to marry or form civil unions. Now, some are finding that breaking upis hard to do, too.
In Rhode Island, for example, the state's top court ruled in December that
gays married in neighboring Massachusetts can't get divorced here becauselawmakers have never defined marriage as anything but a union between a manand woman. In Missouri, a judge is deciding whether a lesbian married inMassachusetts can get an annulment.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Gay-Divorce.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=gay&st=nyt&oref=slogin
-Changing With Times, a Parish Prospers
The morning service begins with the swift tap-tap-tap of drums, accentedwith horns. "El Señor es mi pastor," the band sings out, echoed by loudclaps from the pews.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/nyregion/16alive.html?scp=4&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Krister Stendahl, 86, Ecumenical Bishop, Is Dead
Krister Stendahl, a former dean of the Harvard Divinity School and a bishopin Sweden whose scholarship opened new ways of interpreting the Apostle Pauland whose activism pushed churches toward unity and tolerance, died onTuesday in Boston. He was 86.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/us/16stendahl.html?sq=gay&st=nyt&adxnnl=1&scp=6&adxnnlx=1208344367-KqnZoWhCdCoo3vXZcEvymw
-"Faith Vote" Big In Pennsylvania Primary
MECHANICSBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Darwin McAfee is a white evangelicalProtestant who is opposed to abortion and likes the great outdoors.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-usa-politics-pennsylvania-religion.html?scp=8&sq=gay&st=nyt
-Pope lands in US, vows to fight clergy sex abuse
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI stepped onto U.S. soilfor the time as pontiff Tuesday, arriving to a presidential handshake andwild cheering only hours after he admitted that he is ''deeply ashamed'' ofthe clergy sex abuse scandal that has devastated the American church.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Pope-US.html?scp=9&sq=gay&st=nyt
-The Pope's Visit: Abuse Victims Not Placated by Pope
WASHINGTON - Far from tamping down emotions, Pope Benedict XVI's expressionof remorse on Tuesday for the church's sexual abuse scandal prompted anangry and skeptical response from victims, who said they wanted actions, notwords from the Vatican.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/us/nationalspecial2/16victim.html?hp
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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Chinese AIDS victims detained, harassed: lawyers
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police have detained up to eightHIV/AIDS-affected people who tried to complain to Premier Wen Jiabao about ahospital they claimed spread the HIV virus, lawyers for two of the familiessaid on Monday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSPEK23187320080414?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
-LGBT Rights Group Faults CNN, Not Candidates, for Choosing Messiah College"It is our understanding that CNN chose the venue," Brad Luna,communications director for the Human Rights Campaign, told me in an email,when I asked about the appropriateness of Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, andBarack Obama, D-Illinois, who profess to support gay rights, speaking Sundaynight at Messiah College where homosexuality is classified as a sin alongwith adultery, stealing, and sexual abuse.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/glbt-rights-gro.html
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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Homophobic Attacks Lead Gay Couple To Split
(Edinburgh) Dreams of domestic bliss following their civil partnership havebeen shattered for a Scots gay couple following a series of homophobicattacks, allegedly by their neighbors.
-Medical Pot Users Owe Canadian Government More Than $500,000
(Ottawa) Medical marijuana users are on the hook for more than $500,000 inunpaid bills for government-certified weed, raising questions about theeffectiveness of Health Canada's troubled dope program.
-Actor Luke Macfarlane Comes Out
(Toronto, Ontario) Actor Luke Macfarlane, a regular in the ABC seriesBrothers & Sisters, has come out in an interview with a Canadian newspaper.
-Trial Begins For Pair Accused In Royal Gay Blackmail Plot
(London) Two men demanded 50,000 pounds, or about $100,000 (USD), from amember of the Royal Family to hand over video and audio recordingscontaining ``scandalous and disparaging'' allegations, prosecutors saidTuesday.
-Gay Rights To Suffer With Berlusconi Victory
(Rome) Italy has tilted to right with Silvio Berlusconi triumphing inparliamentary election.
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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Hillary Clinton to Appear on Colbert
Hillary Clinton is hoping the ''Colbert bump'' will help propel her to victory in Pennsylvania. The Democratic presidential candidate will make her first appearance on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report on Thursday. Both Clinton and Colbert have come to Pennsylvania ahead of the state's hard-fought Democratic primary on April 22.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53436.asp
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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-The Netherlands: Marriage registrars who refuse to perform same-sexmarriages must also be denied from performing marriages between men andwomen, the Equal Treatment Commission (CGB) ruled yesterday. In October2007, the municipality of Langedijk placed an ad for two marriageregistrars. The municipality demanded that applicants be prepared to conductboth heterosexual and same-sex marriages. The CGB judged yesterday thatmunicipalities may indeed make this requirement. A local authority is "notviolating the equal treatment law if it refuses to appoint a marriageregistrar who does not wish to marry persons of the same sex on grounds ofreligion".
-Maine: Groups that support gay rights have sent a 12-page letter to Secretary of
State Matthew Dunlap outlining what they say is wrong with a proposedreferendum question submitted last week by Michael Heath, executive directorof the Christian Civic League of Maine. The Maine Civil Liberties Union,Equality Maine and the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders claim that thecurrent language in the league's proposed question would "take away everybasic right that gay and lesbian Mainers have."
-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement last week that he would oppose aballot measure reaffirming California's ban on same-sex marriage delightedgay-rights activists and infuriated social conservatives, who accused him offlip-flopping on the issue. But Schwarzenegger's stand appears to reflecthis long-standing ambivalence over an issue on which so many people inpolitics feel so strongly. Based on everything he has said since he wasfirst a candidate for governor, Schwarzenegger does not really seem to carewhether California legalizes gay marriage or not, whatever his personalfeelings on the subject might be.
-The fight for gay marriage in California has been a tough one during thelast decade. In 2000, Proposition 22 was passed by 62% of the state'svoters, limiting marriage to a man and a women. Its since been sent to theState's Supreme Court. Gov. Schwarzenegger has twice vetoed Gay MarriageBills sent to him by the California Legislature, the second as recently aslast year. "He will uphold whatever the court decides," Schwarzeneggerspokeswoman Margita Thompson said after the bill's original passing.
-The Illinois House has rejected a measure aimed at helping gay teachers inChicago. The measure involves pension benefits that surviving spouses can collect after a teacher dies. The change would have allowed gay teachers to givesurvivor benefits to their partners, just as married couples can.
The legislation failed 43-67 Tuesday. Supporters say the change wouldn'thave cost taxpayers anything. Teachers would have paid all costs.
-Maine: The Christian Civic League of Maine is like the Energizer bunny -- except that it's not amusing. Like the bunny, it keeps going and going and going. Just when we thought the world, or at least Maine, was safe from another bigoted campaign against gay men and women, the League is launching a new referendum effort to repeal every law providing protection to people who have long faced discrimination. It's amazing how much fear and hatred the League managed to pack into one proposed referendum.
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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:
-Pope makes distinction between gays and paedophiles
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church has spoken out about the sexualabuse of children by priests. Benedict XVI gave a rare insight into hisviews to reporters accompanying him on his first Papal visit to the UnitedStates, which began yesterday. In his comments the pontiff moved to dismissthe suggestion that he links sexual abuse of children with homosexuality.
click here for the full article
-DC Madam with links to Senators found guilty
Once considered a viable running mate for Republican Presidential hopefulSenator John McCain, a federal jury on Tuesday found 'D.C. Madam' DeborahJeane Palfrey guilty of money laundering and racketeering for running aprostitution ring. Throughout the trial, Palfrey, 52, maintained that hercompany, Pamela Martin and Associates escort service, provided legal escortservices that catered to adult fantasies from 1993 to 2006. Palfrey, wearinga grey suit and with clasped hands, showed little emotion when the juryfound her guilty.
click here for the full article
-Gay refugees face prejudice across the world
Biplob Hossain, a gay refugee from Bangladesh who is seeking asylum inAustralia, and Joaquin Ramirez, facing deportation from Canada to ElSalvador, have highlighted the plight of gay men who flee their countries toescape persecution.Mr Hossain, 25, moved to Australia on a student visa whenhe was 19. He applied for asylum on the basis that he would sufferpersecution in Bangladesh. He was placed in a detention centre for 29months.
click here for the full article
-Senior Mormons agree to meet with gay group
Mormon church officials have agreed to meet with a gay Mormon support group.
Affirmation, a group that supports the Mormon LGBT community, were invitedto meet with Fred Riley, commissioner of Family Services for The Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Harold C. Brown, the agency's pastcommissioner.Mr Riley said: "We believe that is always important to have theopportunity to be given better understanding of your points of view."
click here for the full article
-Gay World Cup organisers say 90% of funding in place
The 2008 International Gay and Lesbian Football Association WorldChampionship being held in London later this year has announced cashsponsorship from a website. The championship became an issue in the electionfor Mayor of London today when LGBT activist and Green party candidate PeterTatchell attacked the incumbent for reportedly declining to contribute tothe funding and or sign a letter of support for a grant application to thelottery fund.
click here for the full article
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:
-Politicians Should Think Before They Speak
Guess who said the following: "What you have to spew and spread is extremelydangerous ... it's dangerous for our children to even know that yourphilosophy exists!"
http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/Politicians_Should_Think_Before_They_Speak_5555.html
-What's so awful about kicking the guys out of the gym?
I was all geared up to write a column fulminating against Harvard forsetting up women-only hours in one of its gyms because apparently someMuslim women students felt more comfortable exercising away from the eyes ofmen. Kowtowing to religion! Validating Islam's obsession with female-andonly female-modesty! Denial of equal gym time to men!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0414kathaapr14,0,4494334.story
-Bitter? Of Course. Here's Why
Honest discussion about the roots of working-class angst and how to addressit has gotten seriously burned in the firestorm of controversy fanned aroundcomments by Sen. Barack Obama that working-class people are "bitter" aboutthe economy and government.
http://ourfuture.org/blog-entry/bitter-course-heres-why
-BUSH FIDDLES WHILE THE PLANET BURNS
DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- In the grand tradition of the loopy conservativepatriarchy, right up there with Ronald Reagan's 1981 comment, "Trees causemore pollution than automobiles do," we now have Homeland Security ChairmanMichael Chertoff arguing that "illegal migrants really degrade theenvironment."
http://www.american-reporter.com/3,402/200.html
-Prosecutors outline flag mutilation charges against Westboro Baptist Churchmember
OMAHA - Sarpy County prosecutors have formally spelled out why they areprosecuting a member of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas for flagmutilation.
http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/04/01/news/local/doc47f24505bf07f231414789.txt
-Don't be the only gay in the cemetery
HOMOSEXUALS have been designated an area in a Copenhagen cemetery for thosewho want to be buried among people who shared their sexual orientation.
"We founded an association called Regnbuen (Rainbow) and our goal is thatgays and lesbians can be buried next to each other,'' Ivan Larsen said.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23510677-5005961,00.html
-Ariz. deportation policy a model, feds say
The nation's top immigration officials want other states to copy an Arizonaprogram that releases non-violent, illegal-immigrant inmates from stateprisons and deports them.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/15/20080415deport0414.html
-Right wing video warns: Gays are plotting to invade City Hall
The town of Eureka Springs is turning into the "San Francisco of Arkansas,"warns the American Family Association, and it can happen in your town too.
http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/afa041408.html
-Palm Springs' image in book creates uproar
Called by some the nation's gayest city, it is described as a center ofaging men with sexual hyper-drives.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/la-me-outthere7mar07,0,5268234.story
-Controversy escalates over 'Day of Silence'
Students from at least one Fairbanks high school, West Valley, will beparticipating in the "Day of Silence," an event sponsored by the Gay,Lesbian and Straight Education Network. The national event is scheduled forApril 25.
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/apr/15/controversy-escalates-over-day-silence/
-Focus on the Family's Ant-Gay Ministry Heads to CA for Weekend Conference
Focus on the Family's traveling "ex-gay' ministry, Love Won Out, traveled tothe South Bay area, to Mountain View, Cal., this past weekend, drawingprotest and organization from the anti-"ex-gay" group Truth Wins Out.
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=73029
-What defines 'sexually explicit' is Ind.'s $250 question
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Planning to open a bookstore in Indiana? Maybe anewsstand? How about a pharmacy?
You may be officially labeled a purveyor of "sexually explicit materials."
Now, if you'll just sign this registry, the secretary of state will acceptyour check for $250.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.bookstores13apr13,0,6882689.story
-Business more accepting of gay, lesbian employees
Jan Stevenson became so impatient with the pace of change in acceptance ofpeople with gender concerns she and her partner bought Between the Linesnewspaper in 1995 and transformed it into the Pride Source Media Group witha 20,000 weekly circulation, sales in excess of $1 million andpart-sponsorship of an annual PrideFest in Ferndale that draws up to 50,000people.
http://crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080414/SUB/564693291/1068
-Democrats must renew bond with working class
WASHINGTON - During the five decades that the New Deal coalition governednational politics, from the 1930s to the 1980s, the relationship between theDemocratic Party and working-class voters was an economic bond: Generationsof Americans took it as an act of faith that Republicans represented themoneyed elites while Democrats stood up for the little guy.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/04/15/democrats_must_renew_bond_with_working_class/
-Sexuality's role in the Bible dissected at Monday panel discussion
The Ole Miss Department of Philosophy and Religion, the Sarah Isom Center,ALLIES, the Gay/Straight Alliance and PFLAG (Parents and Friends of LesbiansAnd Gays) hosted a panel discussion Monday at noon in Bryant Hall titled,"Sexuality and the Bible."
http://media.www.thedmonline.com/media/storage/paper876/news/2008/04/15/News/Sexualitys.Role.In.The.Bible.Dissected.At.Monday.Panel.Discussion-3325463.shtml
-Out Missouri lawmakers accuses colleague of bullying students
Openly lesbian Missouri legislators Jeanette Mott Oxford and Jolie Justus,joined by fellow Democrat Sara Lampe, held a news conference last weekaccusing State Rep. Jane Cunningham of insulting two teenagers based ontheir physical appearance.
http://www.gaypolitics.com/?p=416
-Tiff over purple-haired, pierced kids takes a new twist
Thought the brouhaha between the gay and lesbian kids who got kicked out ofRep. Jane Cunningham's office was over? Think again. The students who were"painful" for Cunningham to look at, were advocating for the gay and lesbiangroup PROMO, and after they were kicked out of Cunningham's office (thereasons why are in dispute), PROMO started a campaign asking Cunningham toapologize.
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2008/04/tiff-over-purple-haired-pierced-kids-takes-a-new-twist/
-John McCain Will be Thrilled
John McCain -- who last year declared that America was founded as aChristian nation, and refused to retract his claim even after being calledon it by the Anti-Defamation League -- will no doubt be thrilled to hear thenews that the Alabama House of Representatives agrees with him.
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/4/15/134439/915
-Truth Wins Out Trumps Love Won Out.
Today was certainly an exciting and productive day. We gathered outside theAbundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, CA, at 11am with oursigns and began our vigil. Originally our group numbered about 10 people andover time grew to approximately 22. Traffic on Leghorn St. was fairlyconstant so we got a good deal of attention and while some people showedobvious consternation over our presence many honked their horns in support.
http://gaytheistagenda.lavenderliberal.com/2008/04/12/truth-wins-out-trumps-love-won-out/
-Foreman's farewell thoughts
I'm just off of a media conference call with Matt Foreman and other leadersof the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, marking his final day as executivedirector. He'll be succeeded in interim fashion by Rea Carey, his deputyE.D., with no firm date set for a successor to be named. (Carey said she hasnot applied for the job but will stay on as deputy E.D.)
http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2008/04/foremans-farewe.html
-Pete shits a brick over cabin made of logs
Amidst denunciations of both the GOP's "big tent" philosophy and the veryidea that one can be "pro-homosexual and pro-family at the same time,"highly prolific 'mo foe Peter LaBarbera is encouraging White House hopefulJohn McCain to withdraw from a planned meeting with the Log CabinRepublicans:
McCain urged to flee from Log Cabin Republicans [ONN]
http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2008/04/pete-shits-a-br.html
-ABC News' Jake Tapper Calls Attention to the Anti-Gay Views of the College
That Hosted CNN's "Compassion Forum"
On April 13, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obamaengaged in a discussion with people of faith about their views on varioussocial issues during CNN's "Compassion Forum." CNN chose Pennsylvania'sMessiah College as the location of the event. As ABC News Senior NationalCorrespondent Jake Tapper noted in his blog, Messiah is an evangelicalcollege that explicitly equates being gay with sinfulness in its "communitycovenant." The college, Tapper explained, also advises its gay students topartake in so-called "ex-gay" counseling. Tapper additionally quoted severalcomments from readers concerned about Clinton's and Obama's presence at theanti-gay school. "How can politicians appear at a college that espousesthese ideas and then turn around and court the gay community at the sametime?" one reader queried. Unfortunately, CNN's "Compassion Forum" neverraised such questions because it provided the candidates no opportunity toeven generally discuss their views on LGBT issues. Hopefully, more nationaljournalists will follow Tapper's lead by questioning the candidates'commitment to LGBT equality and by examining and calling attention to theviews of the sponsors and hosts of political events.
http://glaadorg.nexcess.net/2008/04/abc-news-jake-tapper-calls-att.html
-Atlanta clergy demand gay 'tax equality'
Protest held at regional post office on tax deadline day
Clergy representing gay and gay-friendly Atlanta congregations gathered infront of the Atlanta Regional Post Office in Hapeville today - the last dayto file federal income taxes - to stress economic justice is also a faithissue when it comes to tax equality for gay families.
http://www.southernvoice.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17717
-O'Reilly's Homophobia
From his suggestion that the "secular progressive movement" would like tohave "poly-amorphous" marriage ("you can marry 18 people, you can marry aduck") to his statement that it would be "insane" and "inappropriate" to"cluster" gays near children, Bill O' Reilly has never been one to "relax onall this gay stuff."
http://mediamatters.org/action_center/oreilly_lgbt/
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Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrier
http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
Go to this link for the following articles:
-2008 International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference
The Mayflower Hotel | Washington, D.C. | December 4-7
Registration is now open for the 24th International Gay & Lesbian LeadershipConference, the premier gathering of openly LGBT elected, appointed andcommunity leaders. This year the conference returns to Washington, D.C. justweeks after U.S. voters choose a new president. It will be an exciting timeto be in the capital city, and attendees will be at the center of it all inthe famed Mayflower Hotel just steps from the White House and Dupont Circle.
There are a limited number of hotel rooms at the Mayflower at our specialconference rate of just $149 per night. Book yours now using our conferencegroup code: GLLGLLA
Visit our new conference Web site for more information and check back oftenfor updated lists of panels, speakers and events.
http://www.glli.org/files/conference2008/
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Message from Fight OUT Loud:
I wanted to send you all a note to update you on the amazing work Fight OUTLoud is doing. Our organization, which now has over 20,000 membersnationwide, is busy fighting discrimination on every level!
Fight OUT Loud continues to work around the country to empower people whoare faced with discrimination and hate. We have been working with GLSEN tohelp establish Gay-Straight Alliances in schools with anti-gay bullyingissues, worked with the Gay American Heroes Foundation to get the word outabout hate crimes against the LGBT community, and continued to fight bigotedcomments from politicians like Mayor Jim Naugle of Fort Lauderdale and SallyKern of Oklahoma. We also launched our "1 Every 8 Days" video online andhave been spreading the message around the globe that violence against ourcommunity will not be accepted. To see the video, click HERE. We areempowering the LGBT community and its allies around the country, providingresources and creating new leaders and activists as we go. Join the Fight!
Waymon Hudson
President of Fight OUT Loud
www.fightoutloud.org
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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
-Another AIDS Casualty
Dr. Ramon Torres was a hero on the front lines against the epidemic for overa decade. It was when the war began to be won that he got lost. It was afrigid morning last December, and the disheveled man standing before JudgeJames Gibbons had made his way to the second floor of 100 Centre Street in athin nylon windbreaker, ill-fitting designer jeans, and a pair of tornjackbootsâ?"something out of an old S&M catalogueâ?"which he hadaccessorized with a wide leather cuff snapped on his wrist. At first he wastrembling, as if from the cold. Then the trembling subsided, and his eyelidsfell. Dr. Ramon A. â?oGabrielâ? Torres, a near-legendary doctor in thefight against AIDS, had fallen asleep on his feet. I remembered the firsttime I had seen him nod off in a crowded room. It was a decade ago, andTorres was the featured speaker at a meeting of top AIDS researchers todiscuss a novel way to treat HIV-negative patients who suffered anaccidental exposureâ?"a needle stick or broken condom, or a night spentcarelessly. At the time, Torres was the director of AIDS programs at St.Vincentâ?Ts Medical Center. He was a visionary, responsible for turning aconservative Catholic clinic at the crossroads of the epidemic into aleading research facility, pioneering drug regimens that saved thousands oflives, and bringing AIDS care to homeless New Yorkers, the accomplishmentfor which heâ?Ts best known.
http://nymag.com/news/features/45785/
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From Ray: I received an e-mail from Wells Fargo mortgage that lookedsuspicious. I went to the legitimate website and did not respond to thee-mail's request to respond to the bogus request. I'm sending the reponse Ireceived from Wells Fargo so you don't respond to bogus e-mails attemptingto gain access to your private information.
-Thank you for reporting a phish email to reportphish@wellsfargo.com.
Below are some common questions about phishing:
Q: What is phishing?
A: Phishing is usually a two-part scam.
Part I: email. Fraudsters, also known as phishers, send email to a wideaudience that appears to come from a reputable company. This is known asa phish email. In the phish email are links to spoof websites.
Part II: spoof websites. Websites that spoof or imitate a reputablecompany's website are known as phish sites. Fraudsters hope to convincevictims to provide their personal information by using clever andcompelling language in their phish emails and spoof websites.
Q: I received a phish email. Does this mean my identity had beencompromised?
A: No. Receiving a phish email claiming to be from Wells Fargo does notmean your identity has been compromised. Phish emails claim to come fromvarious reputable companies.
Q: What if I clicked on an email link to a spoof Wells Fargo website andgave away some of my personal information such as my username andpassword?
A: Call 1-866-867-5568 to speak with a fraud prevention specialist.
Q: What if I clicked on an email link to a spoof Wells Fargo website anddid not give away any of my personal information?
A: Make sure your anti-virus software is current and your operatingsystem and browser are updated with current security patches. Some spoofsites contain viral elements so you should verify that you did notdownload any viruses. Also, delete the email and if you receive otherphish emails, report them as well.
Q: How do I determine if an email is legitimate?
A: Wells Fargo will never request you to send personal information viaemail. Always use your browser to visit the Wells Fargo website bytyping in our URL. If you are familiar with email headers, you can useyour email application to check the headers and make sure Wells Fargo isindeed the sender. If in doubt, delete the email.
Q: How was my email address located?
A: Fraudsters locate email addresses from many places on the web. Theyalso purchase email lists and sometimes guess email addresses.
Fraudsters generally have no idea if people they send phish emails toare Wells Fargo customers or not. They hope a percentage of the phishemails they send will be received by Wells Fargo customers.
Be sure to keep your operating system and browser updated with currentsecurity patches.
Sincerely,
Wells Fargo Online Fraud Prevention Team
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