**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.
=
WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/11/AR2007061102046_pf.html
Blood Brothers
The FDA should treat high-risk blood donors, gay or straight, equally.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007; A24
UNDER A 24-year-old FDA policy, men who have had gay sex, even once, since1977 are barred from donating blood for the rest of their lives. America'stop blood collection organizations, such as the American Red Cross, askedthe FDA to reconsider the ban last year, but the FDA reiterated the policyin a Web site posting last month.
The FDA says it is just being zealous about the safety of the U.S. bloodsupply, as men who've had sex with other men are much more likely than thegeneral population to have HIV-AIDS. All donated blood is tested twice.However, according to FDA experts, the majority of HIV-infected bloodtransfusions, which occur about 12 times per year, are not attributable tofalse negatives on these tests. They happen because of human or computererror, such as when personnel accidentally use the wrong donation. The FDAsays that allowing men who've had gay sex to donate blood would increase thenumber of accidental transfusions of HIV-infected blood, even if testing issupposed to weed out tainted blood.
Yet this donation policy is considerably stricter than that for at-riskheterosexual groups: A heterosexual who has had sex with a known carrier ofHIV, for example, must wait just a year before being able to donate blood.And so, despite the FDA's protestations, the appearance of prejudicepersists. Each year, healthy gay men are turned away, and college and highschool campuses around the country cancel blood drives to avoid endorsing anevent that appears discriminatory. This modestly threatens local bloodsupply in the short term and may prevent youths nationwide from developingthe habit of giving blood in the long term, as 85 percent of donations comefrom repeat donors.
The FDA should not do anything to jeopardize the safety of the U.S. bloodsupply. But the agency appears to have no evidence to justify itsdifferential treatment of at-risk categories.
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/la-na-poll12jun12,0,2794334,print.story
THE TIMES/BLOOMBERG POLL
Giuliani retains GOP lead for presidential nomination as Fred Thompson gains
A Times/Bloomberg Poll shows conservatives embracing the former Tennesseesenator, who has yet to enter the race. Clinton still leads Democrats, buttrails Giuliani.
By Michael Finnegan
Times Staff Writer
June 12, 2007
WASHINGTON - Republicans antsy for a conservative standard-bearer in thepresidential race have begun to rally behind Fred Thompson, propelling theformer Tennessee senator to within hailing distance of the lead for theparty's nomination, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll has found.
Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani holds first place in the survey,with upport from 27% of the Republicans and independents who said they planto vote in the party's 2008 primaries.
But Thompson, an actor who played a prosecutor on NBC's "Law & Order," runsjust behind, with 21%. Indications are he will join the race within the nextmonth.
The two other major GOP contenders, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, fall well short of the leaders and are in abattle for third place. McCain was backed by 12% of those polled, Romney by10%. The rest of the crowded field is mired in single digits.
Among the Democratic candidates, the race remains little changed from aTimes/Bloomberg poll in April.
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/776/v-print/story/136416.html
Posted on Mon, Jun. 11, 2007
Maupin novel revisits aging `Tales' crew
By RACHEL KONRAD
Stretched out on a sofa next to his Australian shepherd, Sophie, ArmisteadMaupin says he never intended to write another installment of his popular"Tales of the City" series.
But thankfully for fans worldwide, Maupin's newest book, "Michael TolliverLives," revisits many of the same larger-than-life characters that propelled"Tales" from a weekly San Francisco Chronicle column to six books and aShowtime mini-soap opera.
The book debuts Tuesday, when Maupin kicks off a tour and Mayor Gavin Newsomdeclares "Michael Tolliver Day" in San Francisco.
Instead of randy hippies who smoke joints, as they did when the series beganin 1976, the aging lefties of "Michael Tolliver Lives" pop joint andarthritis pills. Instead of plotting nightly sexual conquests, as they didas 20-something singles, many profess shock at the level of promiscuousnesspracticed by today's youth.
The book - which would certainly earn the literary equivalent of an Rrating - centers on Michael Tolliver, the endearing Southern gay man whocame to San Francisco in 1971 and lived at 28 Barbary Lane. Now Michael isin his mid-50s, a mildly arthritic and HIV-positive landscape architectmarried to Ben, a handsome furniture designer and yogi 21 years younger.
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The National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1
Tuesday, 12 June 2007 08:27
LGBT Protest on Gracie Mansion
Heritage of Pride, the producers of New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexualand Transgender (LGBT) Pride Events will be protesting in front of GracieMansion during Mayor Bloomberg's annual LGBT reception on Tuesday, June 12,at 5:30 p.m.
This action is to voice the disappointment and outrage felt by the LGBTCommunity because of the permit denial by the Mayor's Office for there-envisioned Pride street festival, know as PRIDEfest. All are encouragedto join us.
Gracie Mansion is located in Carl Schurz Park East End Avenue and 88thStreet in Manhattan
For more information on this matter, visit the website, HOPinc.org. You mayalso download the PDF Action Alert.
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The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid45941.asp
June 12, 2007
Attackers stone Romanian gay rights march
Police used tear gas against protesters who hurled stones at the annual gayrights parade in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, Saturday, officials said.
About 100 people were detained for throwing stones and fireworks at policeand about 400 participants in the gay rights march, said Christian Ciocan, apolice spokesman. Police responded with tear gas. Nobody was injured, hesaid.
''We regret that our opponents use violence.... Police only did their job toprotect an authorized march,'' said Florin Buhuceanu, one of the organizersof the gay rights march. ''It is our right to express our beliefs, and wewill not renounce in the face of violence.''
Romania decriminalized homosexuality in 2001.
On Tuesday two men leaving a Bucharest cinema that hosts the annual ''GayFest'' festival were beaten by eight attackers. Police stopped the attackand arrested several people. (AP)
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/061107lewis.htm
Former UN AIDS Envoy Slams G-8 As Morally Bankrupt
by The Canadian Press
Posted: June 11, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET
(Vancouver, British Columbia) The former UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS inAfrica is accusing the G-8 of abandoning its commitments to health andsocial equality in Africa, suggesting its leaders are having trouble findingtheir moral compass.
The leaders of the world's top industrialized nations have reneged onpromises to have-not nations, particularly those in Africa, to help improvethe health, social and equality conditions in those countries, said CanadianStephen Lewis.
Last week, at a summit in Heiligendam, Germany, the G-8 leaders announced aUS $60-billion commitment to fight disease in Africa, but Lewis said thatfunding did not come with a timeline.
Lewis said the leaders only committed the funds `over the coming years.'
``What in the world does that mean?'' Lewis asked.
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The New York Times
http://select.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/nyregion/12nyc.html
June 12, 2007
NYC
The Sexually Exploited Ask for Change: Help, Not Jail
By CLYDE HABERMAN
She identified herself as Patrice Waters, 18 years old. The name, sheallowed later, was an invention to protect herself. But the age was genuine,she said, and so was her story. They're what matter most.
Growing up in Brooklyn, she was mistreated badly. "At 12, I ran away," shesaid. "I got raped. I felt alone. I started in the life when I was 14."
"The life" was the world of a street hustler. Some life. "I thought that mypimp was going to protect me," she said. "All he did was abuse me."
That was the extent of her story, a skeletal account that begged fordetails. But it was enough to get the point. This young woman had done a lotof living in her 18 years, not much of it good.
It was the same deal with Tyesha Smith, 17: fake name, all-too-real story,about a drug addict mother in the Bronx who died when Tyesha was 12. Thenext major figure in the girl's life was a pimp. "He forced me into thegame," she said.
The game. The life. Call it what you will. It is sexual exploitation ofchildren too wounded and too vulnerable to protect themselves.
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From Paul Harris - The Independent
Wilton Manors, Florida
In less than two weeks time - Sunday, June 24 - the Stonewall StreetFestival will be held again on Wilton Drive, when it will be blocked off totraffic. Thousands of people will come out to take in the stalls and watchthe entertainment. "The Independent," South Florida's leading gay newspaperwhich is normally published bi-weekly, will be bringing out a special issuefor that week which will be hitting the streets on Wednesday and Thursday,June 20 and 21, as well as being distributed at the festival on the dayitself.
We are offering gay-friendly businesses and organizations that serve theGLBT population the opportunity of advertising in that edition at HALF thenormal price. We are doing this as a way of introducing the paper as a wayof reaching future clients and customers to local businesses who up untilnow may not have seriously explored the gay press as a way to generate newleads. It also allows us to reward existing clients of "The Independent" and"Buzz" with a one-off advertisement at half-price as a way of thanking themfor their support over the years. For voluntary and sporting organizationsit offers them the opportunity of reaching potential new members andsupporters.
As you know Broward County has an enormous gay population. According to onestudy the zip code 33305 has the highest concentration of gay residents outof EVERY SINGLE zip code in the US with only two exceptions! Three of thefive people (the four commissioners and mayor) who run Wilton Manors aregay. In Oakland Park the figure is two out of five.
There is no better way of saying to potential future gay clients andcustomers that you want their business than to advertise in "TheIndependent." It says - "We want to work with you. We value yourpresence. We will treat you with the same respect as we do ALL our clientsand customers."
If you would like to be in the special "Stonewall Street Festival" editionof "The Independent" please either call me on 954 536 7786 any time - likeyou, I work seven days a week! - or alternatively e-mail me atPHARRIS@OurIndy.com with the number I should call you at, and the best timeto call. If you are already working with someone from either "Buzz" r "TheIndependent" please let them know that you want to take advantage of thespecial offer of the half-priced advertisement in the special issue.
I look forward to working with you to help you get all the business that youwant - including that of your gay neighbors.
With best wishes,
Paul Harris
Publisher
The Independent
954 536 7786
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Record Breaking Nine EQCA-Sponsored LGBT Rights Bills Pass First LegislativeChamber
Legislation Giving Same-Sex Couples Option to Marry, Eight Other Measures
Move Toward Final Legislative Action
SACRAMENTO - Equality California's entire 2007 legislative package hascleared the first major hurdle in the Legislature. All nine EQCA-sponsoredmeasures have passed either the Assembly or the Senate. This marks the mostlesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights bills to ever pass theCalifornia Assembly or the Senate in a single calendar year.
All bills being considered by the Legislature were required to pass theirhouse of origin by June 8 in order to be sent to the second house forfurther consideration and an additional round of crucial votes later thissummer.
"By passing all nine EQCA-sponsored bills, the Assembly and the Senate arestanding up for fairness and equality under the law for the LGBT communityand all Californians," said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "The numberof proactive LGBT rights bills passed this year is monumental anddemonstrates the political gains we have made in California over the lastseveral years."
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.soulforce.org/sendstudio/users/link.php?LinkID=2074&UserID=35882&Newsletter=182&List=3&LinkType=Send
Ex-Gay Survivor's Conference This Month
Recent events, including the nomination of James Holsinger for United StatesSurgeon General, have brought national attention to the continued growth of"ex-gay" ministries.
This summer, Soulforce invites YOU to participate in a powerful andunprecedented action to resist the ex-gay movement. On June 29 - July 1,concerned citizens, clergy, and mental health professionals will cometogether with ex-gay survivors in Irvine, California to strengthen ourcommunity, reflect on our experiences, and strategize about effective waysto resist the ex-gay movement in the future.
Perhaps most importantly, we will provide a bold and loving presence tocounter the Exodus International Freedom Conference, which will be in Irvinethat same weekend to promote the false message that gay, lesbian, bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people are disordered, sinful, and in need of change.
The Ex-Gay Survivor's Conference is for everyone, not just survivors ofex-gay ministries. The conference will help attendees become a powerfulforce for social justice by creating a more honest picture of ex-gayprograms, revealing the societal pressures that influence people to seekchange, and exposing the cynical exploitation of ex-gay "change" stories forpolitical purposes.
To launch the conference, Soulforce is pleased to announce a pressconference on Wednesday, June 27, featuring Michael Bussee, co-founder ofExodus International, Darlene Bogle, a former director and speaker forExodus, and Jeremy Marks, founder of Courage UK. Michael, Darlene, andJeremy, who are now all welcoming and affirming, will share their deepconcern about the ex-gay programs they once helped create and operate.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Czechs Back Civil Unions, Not Same-Sex Marriage June 11, 2007
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/16072
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the Czech Republic believe gayand lesbian couples should be allowed to form registered partnerships,according to a poll by CVVM. 69 per cent of respondents agree with thisconcept, up seven points in two years.
Still, 57 per cent of respondents are opposed to allowing same-sex couplesto get married, and 67 per cent reject the possibility of gay and lesbianpartners adopting children.
In 2005, both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate approved a bill thatsought to allow same-sex couples in the Czech Republic to form registeredpartnerships. In February 2006, Czech president Vaclav Klaus vetoed thelegislation. In March, the legislative branch overrode the veto. Thelaw-which provides inheritance, alimony and hospital rights to same-sexpartners-came into effect in July.
Former tennis champion Martina Navratilova-who was born in Czechoslovakiabut has been a U.S. citizen since 1981-discussed the current state ofaffairs, saying, "Even the Czech Republic now has same-sex unions. I havemore rights there than in the U.S."
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-ex-gay_hamilljun11,1,1902137.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
chicagotribune.com
NATION
Therapy aims to make 'ex-gays'
Backers say regimen, often religious-based, growing in popularity; criticssay it's harmful, amounts to self-hatred
By Sean D. Hamill
Special to the Tribune
June 11, 2007
GIBSONIA, Pa. -- Proponents say participation is surging in thecontroversial, often religious-based therapy that many call the "ex-gaymovement."
Christian therapist Warren Throckmorton points to a patient named Jeff as anexample of success for this therapy.
Jeff, 41, who asked that his last name not be used, said his life has alwaysbeen centered on family, church and work as a college administrator outsidePittsburgh. But every few months, to satisfy an urge that would well upinside him, it was all about gay bathhouses, clubs and anonymous sex withmen.
After a nearly lifelong struggle between his Christian beliefs and hishomosexual urges, Jeff believes he has finally conformed his life with hisvalues after 20 months of religious-tinged treatment that some callconversion, sexual reorientation or reparative therapy.
All the major medical and mental health organizations see such therapy aspotentially harmful and recommend against it. The gay and lesbian communitydenounces it as self-hatred. And even the most thorough studies say just afraction of the people who enter such treatment truly change theirorientation.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.alternet.org/sex/53700/
Now the Democrats Are Funding Abstinence?
By James Wagoner, TomPaine.com
Posted on June 11, 2007, Printed on June 11, 2007
Back in November of 2006, after the Democrats won control of the House, whatkind of odds do you think you would have gotten on the following scenario:With the Democrats in control, the appropriations cycle begins and the firstbig policy step the Democrats take on domestic reproductive health is topush through a 30 percent increase in abstinence-only-until-marriageprograms that prohibit information about condoms and birth control. Oh, andby the way, that increase (to $140 million) is larger than any put forwardin the last three years of the Republican-led Congress.
"Huh?" you might ask.
Now, let me make the scenario even better -- or worse. What if you were toldthat just six weeks before the Appropriations Committee met, a major 10-yearevaluation that Congress itself had mandated was released showing thatabstinence-only programs had no impact on teen behavior? On top of that,what if you were told that the Society of Adolescent Medicine had released areport in 2006 stating that abstinence-only-programs "threaten fundamentalhuman rights to health, information and life?"
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
GLBT DIGEST June 11, 2007
**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.
=
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070611/OPINION03/706110304
The Detroit News
Deb Price
Gay-friendly states influence presidential race
At the recent Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire, CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer started a question about rights for gay couples by noting that the state's governor had just a few days earlier signed civil unions into law.
At the mention of the new milestone, the New Hampshire audience clapped wildly, so much so that clock-minder Blitzer felt compelled to shush them by aying, "Let's try to keep the applause down."
Trying to keep the applause down for support for gay rights may prove to be a bit of a challenge, given the much-changed calendar for the 2008 presidential primary/caucus season.
While many dates are still in flux, it's clear that New Hampshire and Iowa will be joined at the front end of the contest by several other gay-friendly states. Presidential wannabes who back gay rights are finding they're in sync with the very states they are stumping in.
That's new, and it hints at the welcome changes ahead in the presidential-picking season for those of us who're gay and for our friends.
After all, at this time four years ago when Democrats were jockeying for the chance to take on President Bush, Massachusetts' top court had yet to even issue its groundbreaking ruling saying gay couples must be allowed to marry, and only tiny Vermont had civil unions.
Key states await
Let's take a quick peek at some key 2008 states: Starting with Iowa, still
expected to kick off the candidate culling on Jan. 14, Gov. Chet Culver signed a bill May 25 to prohibit job and other discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Twenty states now ban anti-gay job bias, including primary and caucus heavy hitters like California, Nevada, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire.
Even on gay parenting, America is growing up. Want proof? The White House's Web site features a photo of Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife proudly showing off their new grandbaby, Samuel, above a wonderfully accurate caption: "His parents are the Cheneys' daughter Mary, and her partner, Heather Poe." (To see this historic photo, Google "Cheney + grandchild photo.")
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/opinion/l11civil.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
June 11, 2007
Unions, Civil and Religious (2 Letters)
To the Editor:
In "The Inadequacy of Civil Unions" (editorial, June 7) you claim that "inestablishing civil unions two years ago, Connecticut lawmakers created aseparate and inherently inferior institution that continues to deny gaycouples the equality they seek and deserve."
The solution: get the state out of the marrying business.
What the government should be conferring upon its citizens (regardless ofgender choice), is civil union with all of the legal rights that thisconveys. The spiritual blessings of marriage, when desired, should beconveyed by the clergy, using whatever criteria their religious persuasionconsiders appropriate.
Then there wouldn't be a second class of citizens, and churches wouldn't beobligated to violate what it regards as sacred law, to convey deserved legalrights.
Ross S. Basch
New York, June 7, 2007
.
To the Editor:
I long for the day that the citizens of this country finally agree that allforms of discrimination is wrong - morally and legally.
The bogus arguments against gay marriage are not even worth repeating. Icertainly don't believe that my marriage would somehow be degraded if gaysmarried.
I have one question for those who are against gay marriages: What benefitsaccrue to our society from a policy that makes others unhappy?
The real answer is none.
Salvatore J. Bommarito
New York, June 7, 2007
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/us/11legislature.html?pagewanted=print
June 11, 2007
States Finding Fiscal Surprise: A Cash Surplus
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
State lawmakers across the country, their coffers unexpectedly full of cash,have been handing out tax cuts, spending money on fixing roads, schools andpublic buildings, and socking something away for less fruitful years.
Budget surpluses have largely stemmed from higher than expected taxcollections - corporate tax revenues alone were 11 percent higher thanbudget estimates - and booming local economies. There has also been somerelief in Medicaid spending, which fell from an 11 percent annual growthrate to something closer to 7 percent in the past few years.
More than 40 states have found themselves with more money than they plannedas they wound down their regular sessions. Governors in 23 of those statesproposed tax cuts, and a majority of states with surpluses chose to shore uptheir roads, schools and rainy day funds. For example, lawmakers in Utahagreed to a $1 billion bond act to fix state roads and add lane miles, whilein Idaho state spending on education outpaced that on Medicaid for the firsttime in 20 years.
The extra cash over the last two budget sessions (many states work on atwo-year cycle) is at the highest level since 2000, state budget expertssay. States, burned by several years of shortfalls, kept their estimates oftotal revenues on the conservative side and are now reaping plenty.
"Because states cut back so in the early part of the decade," said RayScheppach, the executive director of the National Governors Association,"they put off maintenance, they put off building, things like that, so theyare beginning to do some one-time spending."
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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/10/AR2007061000958_pf.html
Don't Ask the Republicans
Candidates for president get it all wrong on gays in the military.
Monday, June 11, 2007; A16
WHEN IT CAME to answering questions in the New Hampshire debates last weekabout the Defense Department's wrongheaded "don't ask, don't tell" policy ongays in the military, all the Democratic candidates for president got itright: The policy should be scrapped. What was appalling was the responsefrom the Republican contenders. If they didn't try to avoid the question bysteering the conversation to the Iraq war or immigration, they praised thepolicy and engaged in tired explanations for why gays and lesbians shouldnot openly serve their country.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, after trying unsuccessfully tochange the subject the conversation to immigration, said that "you don'tpunish people for their attitudes; you punish them if their behavior createsa problem." Yes, people should be punished for bad behavior. But they shouldnot be discharged for who they are. Former New York mayor Rudolph W.Giuliani declared, "At a time of war, you don't make fundamental changeslike this." Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney agreed. "This is notthe time to put in place a major change, a social experiment, in the middleof a war going on," he said. And Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) pronounced: "Thepolicy is working."
No. It's not working. It's harming people who want to honorably serve theircountry, and it's harming the country they want to serve.
"Don't ask, don't tell" was a messy compromise that President Bill Clintonsigned into law in 1993 to quell a rebellion among military brass andCongress over his effort to keep a campaign promise to end the ban on gaysin the military. As Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) said in theDemocrats' ebate, "It was a transition policy." While the Republicancandidates used the war in Iraq as an excuse for inaction on this issue, Ms.Clinton poignantly used the war to show how the policy is hurting ourtroops. "We've had Arabic linguists discharged under 'don't ask, don't tell'when we are, unfortunately, so short of having people who speak the verylanguage that our men and women in uniform have to understand in the streetsof Baghdad," she said. Since 1993, more than 11,000 people, including 58Arabic linguists, have been drummed out of the armed forces just for beinggay.
Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), who was in Congress during the battlethat brought about "don't ask, don't tell," said, "This is ridiculous. . . .This is not a rational policy." Considering that gays and lesbians areserving openly in 24 countries, including staunch allies Israel, Australiaand Britain, Mr. Biden is absolutely right.
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washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/10/AR2007061001266_pf.html
Street Fest Lets Gays Revel in Freedom
Rural Couples Enjoy Openness Among City Peers
By Michael Alison Chandler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 11, 2007; B08
Among the tight T-shirts, the leather vests and rainbow-colored mohawks atthe District's gay pride street festival yesterday, a couple of guyswandered down Pennsylvania Avenue in matching Dallas Cowboys T-shirts andkhaki cargo shorts.
Where they live -- in Winchester, Va., less than two hours' drive -- "youhave to keep quiet, try not to draw any attention to yourself," said DavidMauk, 36.
"We can't do this," he added, holding up the clasped hand of his partner,Jeremy Mullens, 29.
That's why the couple and hundreds of other small-town gay Americans headedto the District for the 32nd annual Capital Pride street festival. Thecelebration culminated a week of events that included a ladies dance, a promfor youth, a transgender dinner and dance and a Mr. and Ms. Capital PrideLeather competition.
Since the first gay rights rallies were organized to commemorate the 1969Stonewall riots, sparked when police raided a gay bar in New York'sGreenwich Village, gay pride events have proliferated in cities large andsmall throughout the country.
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-aparade11jun11,0,5321542,print.story
Sao Paulo gay pride parade draws more than 3 million
By Stan Lehman
The Associated Press
June 11, 2007
SAO PAULO, Brazil · Millions packed the streets of Sao Paulo for whatorganizers said was the world's largest gay pride parade, dancing and wavingrainbow flags in a carnival-like atmosphere to condemn homophobia, racismand sexism.
At least 3 million filled the canyon-like Paulista Avenue, organizers said,surpassing last year's count of 2.5 million. The larger count was confirmedby a police spokesman who is not authorized to be quoted by name underdepartment rules.
"This is the biggest parade on the planet," Tourism Minister Marta Suplicysaid. "Our city is showing, once again, its respect for diversity."
In comparison, recent gay pride parades in New York and San Francisco havedrawn tens of thousands, and world gay pride day celebrations in Berlin in2004 attracted between 200,000 and 500,000 participants.
Parade organizer Nelson Matias Pereira said this year's participants areappealing for a "world where racism, sexism and homophobia, in all theirforms, no longer exist."
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The Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-apowell11jun11,0,3398031,print.story
Powell backs closing prison for detainees
By Paul Richter
Los Angeles Times
June 11, 2007
WASHINGTON · Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell called Sunday for theclosing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a rethinking of the"don't ask, don't tell" policy he authored as head of the Joint Chiefs ofStaff. The public comments represent Powell's effort to further distancehimself from the Bush administration he once served.
A key architect of the Pentagon's policy on homosexual troops, Powell saidthe country "is moving away" from the attitudes about gay people it had in1993, when the policy was adopted. But he stopped short of calling for aredesign while the country is "at war."
Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, Powell urged that the military commissionsystem for accused terrorists be scrapped and detainees at Guantanamo betaken to the United States and handled through the federal justice system.The United States continues to hold about 380 persons in the detentioncenter, despite the complaints of human-rights advocates and other foreignand domestic critics. Their continued imprisonment there, he said, has"shaken the belief of the world in America's justice system."
Responding to defenders of the system who are reluctant to allow detaineesaccess to lawyers and judicial protections, Powell said, "So what? Let them... America, unfortunately, has 2 million people in jail, all of whom hadlawyers and access to writs of habeas corpus ... We can handle bad people inour system."
With authoritarian world leaders citing Guantanamo to "hide their ownmisdeeds," he said, Guantanamo "is causing us far more damage than any goodwe get from it."
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cdems11jun11,0,6850681,print.story
Florida Democrats, meeting in Hollywood, make plans to woo Hispanic voters
By Anthony Man
Political Writer
June 11, 2007
HOLLYWOOD · No longer willing to write off Hispanics on the assumption thatthey're automatically Republican voters, Florida Democrats are increasinglycourting them as a promising source of support.
"We're not going to cede one Hispanic vote," said U.S. Rep. Debbie WassermanSchultz, D-Weston, one of dozens of elected officials at a weekendDemocratic Party conference at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa.
Invigorating the party's efforts to court Hispanic voters could yield apowerful advantage for Democrats, but Wasserman Schultz said Hispanic votersoften get too little attention in South Florida campaigns.
"People automatically think Republican and they're totally wrong," she said."In election after election in South Florida, Hispanics are the swing votethat makes the difference."
State Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, agreed. "They will go `Viva Bush' oneyear and they will go viva someone else another year."
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NationalGayNews.com
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/799/176/
Monday, 11 June 2007 09:00
The OutField
by Dan Woog
Outward Bound courses are intense. During nine days in the wilderness,teenagers can learn more about themselves and the world than in a decade ofschool. That's particularly true when the program includes leadership anddiversity training, like those with instructor Kaki Flynn.
So the out lesbian - a former University of North Carolina rower, and highschool track and cross country captain - was surprised when, on the finalday of a course in the summer of 2006, a "Take a Stand" exercise stirred upa welter of antigay feelings.
In this exercise, Flynn and other leaders offered a variety of statements.After each, participants placed themselves on a continuum, ranging from"strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." Topics included women's rights, themilitary, and this: "Gay people should be married and have children."
Five of the 12 teenagers disagreed with that statement. "These are kids whogo back and become leaders in their schools, and on their teams," Flynnsays. "I told them I was hurt. They said they liked me, but I was'different' from other gay people."
A few months ago, a boy who had strongly disagreed that gays should marrye-mailed Flynn. He said he missed her and everyone on the course. Hementioned his MySpace page, so she checked it out. It was festooned withrainbows and gay references.
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The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid45869.asp
June 09, 2007
Task Force urges Congress to abandon abstinence-only sex education
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is urging Congress to removeabstinence-only funding from the Labor Health and Human ServicesAppropriation Bill, according to a press release sent Friday. The bill is tobe voted on next week by the House Appropriations Committee.
While the legislation includes much-needed increases in funding for HIV/AIDSprevention, runaway and homeless youth, and domestic violence programs, italso includes large increases in abstinence-only funding for the CommunityBased Abstinence Education program, the government's largest abstinence-onlyfunding program.
Several studies have shown abstinence-only sex education to be largelyineffective. In a study posted by the National Campaign to Prevent TeenPregnancy, over 60% of men and women have had sexual intercourse by their18th birthday. In 2005 a report released by the National Center for HealthStatistics showed that just over half of American teenagers ages 15 to 19have engaged in oral sex.
"It is appalling that anyone would even consider increasing funds for athoroughly debunked and harmful program like abstinence-only education,"Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,explained in the press release.
Abstinence-only sex education often omits information on safer-sexpractices; instead, it urges teenagers to wait until marriage to have sexualintercourse. According to the press release, this approach tends toincorporate religious doctrine, inaccurate medical information, andstereotypes about the LGBT community. It completely fails to address theneeds of gay and lesbian teenagers.
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365gay.com
http://365gay.com/opinion/libby/libby.htm
Marriage Dollars and Sense
by Libby Post
The French philosopher Voltaire said "When it is a question of money,everybody is of the same religion." If that were true in 21st centuryAmerica, all the controversy about same-sex marriage would be a thing of thepast, because there's money to be made when we say, "I do."
New York City Comptroller William Thompson issued a study this week entitledLove Counts: The Economic Benefits of Marriage Equality for New York. In ithe concluded that the economic windfall for the state and the city in thefirst three years after Governor Spitzer's proposed same-sex marriage billbecomes law is quite substantial-to the tune of $184 million.
The potential greenbacks would come primarily from the spending of in andout of state gays who have their weddings here as well as the bucks theirout of town guests will part with to help celebrate the love of theirlesbian and gay friends.
So how many weddings are we talking about? Well, the Comptroller used theexperience of Massachusetts where approximately 51 percent of the same-sexcouples had nuptials. According to the U.S. Census, there were 50,854same-sex couples living in New York State in 2005. 23,321 were in New YorkCity. So we're talking a little over 25,000 couples across the state sayingI do.
Couple the money they'll be spending on their weddings with the cash 56,000out of state couples who come to New York to get married will be laying out,we're talking about $184 million coming into the state's economy over athree year period-that's nothing to sneeze at.
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/061007romania.htm
Attackers Stone Romania Gay Rights March
by The Associated Press
Posted: June 10, 2007 - 1:00 pm ET
(Bucharest) Police used tear gas against protesters who hurled stones at theannual gay rights parade in the Romanian capital Saturday, officials said.
About 100 people were detained for throwing stones and fireworks at policeand about 400 participants in the gay rights march, said Christian Ciocan, apolice spokesman. Police responded with tear gas. Nobody was injured, hesaid.
"We regret that our opponents use violence ... Police only did their job toprotect an authorized march," said Florin Buhuceanu, one of the organizersof the gay rights march. "It is our right to express our beliefs and we willnot renounce in the face of violence."
Romania decriminalized homosexuality in 2001.
On Tuesday, two men leaving a Bucharest cinema that hosts the annual "GayFest" festival were beaten by eight attackers. Police stopped the attack andarrested several people.
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/061107brownback.htm
Brownback: No Surrender On Opposing Gay Marriage, Abortion
by The Associated Press
Posted: June 11, 2007 - 8:30 am ET
(Taylors, South Carolina) Sen. Sam Brownback, campaigning for presidentbefore the National Catholic Men's Conference over the weekend, questionedwhether rape victims should get abortions.
"Rape is terrible. Rape is awful. Is it made any better by killing aninnocent child? Does it solve the problem for the woman that's been raped?"the Kansas Republican asked at the St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers gathering.
"We need to protect innocent life. Period," Brownback said, bringing thecrowd of about 500 to its feet.
Brownback also talked about keeping marriage between a man and a woman,saying nations that have allowed same-sex marriages were engaging in badsocial experiments, with bad results.
He also encouraged married couples to stay together, saying studies haveshown that if couples weather hard times for five years, their marriagestend to last. After five years, "people are happier than those who have hada divorce," Brownback said.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Principal Moscow Gay Pride Organiser Alekseev Also Guilty
Fined, but plans to appeal â?" to European Court if necessary
The main organiser of Moscow Gay Pride was today found guilty of disobeyingpolice officers while breaching traffic rules on May 27 as he and otheractivists, including European parliamentarians tried to deliver a petitionto Moscow City Hall signed by around 50 Members of the European Parliament.
Nikolai Alekseev was fined 1,000 roubles (£20, Ë?29, $39), the same asco-organiser and leader of the â?oRussian Radicalsâ? movement NikolaiKhramov when he was found guilty yesterday in the same court.
After the hearing, Mr. Alekseev vowed that he would not pay the fine andwould be launching an appeal to the Moscow Tverskoy District Court.
â?oThe court session looked like a farce,â? he said. â?oThe judge refusedto admit photo and video evidence proving that we had not disturbed law andorder.â?
He said he considered his detention, during the May 27 action in support ofthe rights of sex minorities, was illegal. Mr. Alekseev â?" along with Mr.Khramov and another Gay Pride organiser â?" was kept in police custody for24 hours before being brought to court where he was released.
On May 28 the judge considered witness evidence by European politicians.But this was not taken into account in todayâ?Ts hearing.
Two police officers testified in court on the circumstances of Mr.Alekseevâ?Ts detention.
However, Mr. Alekseev claimed that â?onone of the officers were, in fact,involved in my detention, which, he pointed out, can be proven withphotographic evidenceâ?.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.afa.net/aatemplate/images/bottom.jpg>
June 8, 2007
Boycott helps drop Ford sales 6.8% in May
General Motors, Chrysler, Toyota sales increase during same period
For the 13th month out of the last 15, the boycott of Ford Motor Company byAFA and other pro-family groups has helped cause Ford to lose sales. Salesdropped 6.8% during May when compared with May 2006.
The drop came as sales for GM [up 9.6%], Chrysler [up 4.3%] and Toyota [up14%] were all increasing. Of the big four, only Ford showed a loss.
AFA has identified Ford as a leading corporate promoter of homosexualmarriage and the homosexual agenda. For more information on Ford'spromotion of the homosexual lifestyle, click here
Even while losing billions of dollars and laying off of thousands ofemployees, Ford continues to financially support various homosexual groups.
Despite the effectiveness of the boycott, the mainstream media has refusedto cover the story. Had homosexuals been boycotting Ford, the boycott wouldhave been given extensive play in the mainstream media.
Because the mainstream media refuses to cover the boycott, AFA is askingthat individuals forward this e-mail to friends and family.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
[euro-queer] Russia: Moscow gay parade organizers left thecourtroom in protest
Moscow gay parade organizers left the courtroom in protest
http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=3176
Moscow, June 9, Interfax - The organizers of a failed gay parade in Moscowleft the courtroom in protest on Saturday as the administrative punishmentfor one of the parade organizers, Nikolay Alexeyev, was being considered.
"It was some sort of farce in the courtroom. The judge rejected all ourrequests that photo and video documents showing that we did not violatepublic order be attached to the case, and said there was enough otherevidence in the case," Alexeyev said to Interfax.
Two police officers testified in court on the circumstances of Alexeyev'sdetention, Alexeyev said. He, however, claimed that "none of them in factwas involved in my detention," which, he said, can be proven withphotographic evidence.
Also on Friday another organizer of the event, Nikolay Khramov, the leaderof the Russian Radical organization, was found guilty and fined 1,000rubles.
The gay parade organizers were accused of resisting the police.
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Forwarded from EuroQueer Groups
euro-queer@groups.queernet.org
Dear all:
Just back from Bucharest. There is plenty of news items on this years pride, byt in Romanian. :)
A counter march took part in the morning of Saturday with some 300 people,extreme right, neo-nazis and Orthodox priests together screaming "no tofaggots" and carrying homophobic slogans. They were met on the way of the march by left activists (not ACCEPT) with posters saying "All Different - All Equal".
This is where the clashes occured.
The march itself started at 17:00, and some 400 participants took part, LGBT and their supporters, protected by some 800 policemen. It lasted for 1,5 hours, and attempts were made by extreme right to "intervene" in the march and attack the participants. But the police did a very professional work, and being in themarch one could only hear the incidents and not see them. The participantswere guarded by tall iron police trucks on one side, which, being literally half ameter behind each other, formed a protection fence, behind which most of theviolence occured. And hundreds of policemen stood on the other side of themarch, also forming a "live fence of protection". Knowing that most of theattacks on the LGBT community happened last year in the metro stations afterthe end of the march, the police was heavily present there, and beforealloing pride participants to get down into the metro, "cleared" it from neo-nazisandensured safety. As of the end of Sunday, no reports of attacks on prideparticipants after the march were received.
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Forwarded from EuroQueer Groups
euro-queer@groups.queernet.org
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09656251.htm
Protesters clash with police at Romania gay parade
BUCHAREST, June 9 (Reuters) - Romanian riot police detained dozens ofmilitant protesters on Saturday as hundreds tried to violently break up agay rights march in the capital, Bucharest.
Around 500 gay activists marched through the city to demonstrate againstdiscrimination in this essentially conservative country and to call for thelegalisation of same-sex marriages.
Police fired tear gas to hold the protesters at bay after hundreds threwstones and attempted to break through protective cordons manned by 700officers.
Gays are viewed with hostility by much of the public as many people in thecountry of 22 million largely accept the powerful Orthodox church's view ofhomosexuality as a sin and a disease.
"No one was hurt during the parade, we detained dozens of violent (any-gay)
protesters," police spokesman Christian Ciocan told Reuters.
"We deeply regret that our opponents use violent ways to express themselves.Our march was peaceful," Florin Buhuceanu, one of the parade organisers toldRealitatea TV.
Although homosexuality is legal in Romania, which joined the European Unionthis year, thousands were jailed during the communist era after a 1968 ban.
Hundreds more were sent to prison after the 1989 bloody revolution whichousted Stalinist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
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Forwarded from EuroQueer Groups
euro-queer@groups.queernet.org
Activists demand legal recognition of same sex couples
08/06/2007 - 17:35:08
Gay rights activists marked the beginning of Dublin's Pride festival bydemanding the next government prioritise legislation recognising same sexcouples.
The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) said the election manifestos ofall parties included commitments to giving legal recognition to same sexpartnerships.
As talks continue over the formation of a new government for the 30th DáilGLEN was among the groups lobbying to have its concerns forced to the top ofthe agenda.
"The Programme for a new government provides a key opportunity to act onthis consensus for change" said GLEN's Eoin Collins.
"The Government Working Group on Domestic Partnership (the Colley Group) asidentified the way forward, coming out strongly for equality based legalrecognition of same-sex couples.
"GLEN urges all parties to support the implementation of the Colley WorkingGroup report in the next programme for government and to enact legislationat the earliest opportunity."
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COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF BROWARD AWARDS A JOHN C. GRAVES CHARITABLE FUND
GRANT TO GLSEN SOUTH FLORIDA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contacts:
Donald Cavanaugh 561-582-0971
dcavanaugh@glsensouthflorida.org
Chip Arndt PR Director
305.895.9466 x113
chip@arndtstrategies.com
Fort Lauderdale /Miami, Florida (May 20, 2007 ) -- GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) South Florida has received a grant of $10,000 from the John C. Graves Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward to support its Safe School Project.
"We are thrilled to receive this generous gift from the John C. Graves Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward," said GLSEN South Florida executive director, Robert Loupo. "We are expanding the Safe School Project into Broward and this money will help improve the lives of hundreds of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) youth."
According to Loupo, the Safe Schools Project is a four-pronged program designed to help make schools safer for all students, with special attention to the issues facing sexual minorities in the schools. "We train educators, empower youth, educate the public and maintain a continuous feedback loop to refine and improve our programs," he said.
"We are pleased to be able to help expand the fine work GLSEN South Florida has been doing for years," said Carl Trough a trustee for the John C. Graves haritable Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward. "We know how difficult it can be for gay kids in schools and other environments and the work GLSEN South Florida does is so important to helping make things better for them. As a long time close friend of John's I know that he'd be pleased with our support for this project considering his background as an openly gay man and an educator."
GLSEN South Florida continues its history of 16 years helping make South Florida schools safer for all students, faculty and staff regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, real or perceived. For more information visit www.glsensouthflorida.org.
The Community Foundation of Broward's mission is to provide leadership on community solutions, and foster philanthropy that connects people who care with causes that matter. A public organization with more than $70 million in assets, it has allocated $30 million to the community since its founding in 1984. For Good. For Ever. For more information please visit ww.cfbroward.org.
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article.
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
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http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070611/OPINION03/706110304
The Detroit News
Deb Price
Gay-friendly states influence presidential race
At the recent Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire, CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer started a question about rights for gay couples by noting that the state's governor had just a few days earlier signed civil unions into law.
At the mention of the new milestone, the New Hampshire audience clapped wildly, so much so that clock-minder Blitzer felt compelled to shush them by aying, "Let's try to keep the applause down."
Trying to keep the applause down for support for gay rights may prove to be a bit of a challenge, given the much-changed calendar for the 2008 presidential primary/caucus season.
While many dates are still in flux, it's clear that New Hampshire and Iowa will be joined at the front end of the contest by several other gay-friendly states. Presidential wannabes who back gay rights are finding they're in sync with the very states they are stumping in.
That's new, and it hints at the welcome changes ahead in the presidential-picking season for those of us who're gay and for our friends.
After all, at this time four years ago when Democrats were jockeying for the chance to take on President Bush, Massachusetts' top court had yet to even issue its groundbreaking ruling saying gay couples must be allowed to marry, and only tiny Vermont had civil unions.
Key states await
Let's take a quick peek at some key 2008 states: Starting with Iowa, still
expected to kick off the candidate culling on Jan. 14, Gov. Chet Culver signed a bill May 25 to prohibit job and other discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Twenty states now ban anti-gay job bias, including primary and caucus heavy hitters like California, Nevada, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire.
Even on gay parenting, America is growing up. Want proof? The White House's Web site features a photo of Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife proudly showing off their new grandbaby, Samuel, above a wonderfully accurate caption: "His parents are the Cheneys' daughter Mary, and her partner, Heather Poe." (To see this historic photo, Google "Cheney + grandchild photo.")
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/opinion/l11civil.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
June 11, 2007
Unions, Civil and Religious (2 Letters)
To the Editor:
In "The Inadequacy of Civil Unions" (editorial, June 7) you claim that "inestablishing civil unions two years ago, Connecticut lawmakers created aseparate and inherently inferior institution that continues to deny gaycouples the equality they seek and deserve."
The solution: get the state out of the marrying business.
What the government should be conferring upon its citizens (regardless ofgender choice), is civil union with all of the legal rights that thisconveys. The spiritual blessings of marriage, when desired, should beconveyed by the clergy, using whatever criteria their religious persuasionconsiders appropriate.
Then there wouldn't be a second class of citizens, and churches wouldn't beobligated to violate what it regards as sacred law, to convey deserved legalrights.
Ross S. Basch
New York, June 7, 2007
.
To the Editor:
I long for the day that the citizens of this country finally agree that allforms of discrimination is wrong - morally and legally.
The bogus arguments against gay marriage are not even worth repeating. Icertainly don't believe that my marriage would somehow be degraded if gaysmarried.
I have one question for those who are against gay marriages: What benefitsaccrue to our society from a policy that makes others unhappy?
The real answer is none.
Salvatore J. Bommarito
New York, June 7, 2007
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/us/11legislature.html?pagewanted=print
June 11, 2007
States Finding Fiscal Surprise: A Cash Surplus
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
State lawmakers across the country, their coffers unexpectedly full of cash,have been handing out tax cuts, spending money on fixing roads, schools andpublic buildings, and socking something away for less fruitful years.
Budget surpluses have largely stemmed from higher than expected taxcollections - corporate tax revenues alone were 11 percent higher thanbudget estimates - and booming local economies. There has also been somerelief in Medicaid spending, which fell from an 11 percent annual growthrate to something closer to 7 percent in the past few years.
More than 40 states have found themselves with more money than they plannedas they wound down their regular sessions. Governors in 23 of those statesproposed tax cuts, and a majority of states with surpluses chose to shore uptheir roads, schools and rainy day funds. For example, lawmakers in Utahagreed to a $1 billion bond act to fix state roads and add lane miles, whilein Idaho state spending on education outpaced that on Medicaid for the firsttime in 20 years.
The extra cash over the last two budget sessions (many states work on atwo-year cycle) is at the highest level since 2000, state budget expertssay. States, burned by several years of shortfalls, kept their estimates oftotal revenues on the conservative side and are now reaping plenty.
"Because states cut back so in the early part of the decade," said RayScheppach, the executive director of the National Governors Association,"they put off maintenance, they put off building, things like that, so theyare beginning to do some one-time spending."
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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/10/AR2007061000958_pf.html
Don't Ask the Republicans
Candidates for president get it all wrong on gays in the military.
Monday, June 11, 2007; A16
WHEN IT CAME to answering questions in the New Hampshire debates last weekabout the Defense Department's wrongheaded "don't ask, don't tell" policy ongays in the military, all the Democratic candidates for president got itright: The policy should be scrapped. What was appalling was the responsefrom the Republican contenders. If they didn't try to avoid the question bysteering the conversation to the Iraq war or immigration, they praised thepolicy and engaged in tired explanations for why gays and lesbians shouldnot openly serve their country.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, after trying unsuccessfully tochange the subject the conversation to immigration, said that "you don'tpunish people for their attitudes; you punish them if their behavior createsa problem." Yes, people should be punished for bad behavior. But they shouldnot be discharged for who they are. Former New York mayor Rudolph W.Giuliani declared, "At a time of war, you don't make fundamental changeslike this." Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney agreed. "This is notthe time to put in place a major change, a social experiment, in the middleof a war going on," he said. And Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) pronounced: "Thepolicy is working."
No. It's not working. It's harming people who want to honorably serve theircountry, and it's harming the country they want to serve.
"Don't ask, don't tell" was a messy compromise that President Bill Clintonsigned into law in 1993 to quell a rebellion among military brass andCongress over his effort to keep a campaign promise to end the ban on gaysin the military. As Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) said in theDemocrats' ebate, "It was a transition policy." While the Republicancandidates used the war in Iraq as an excuse for inaction on this issue, Ms.Clinton poignantly used the war to show how the policy is hurting ourtroops. "We've had Arabic linguists discharged under 'don't ask, don't tell'when we are, unfortunately, so short of having people who speak the verylanguage that our men and women in uniform have to understand in the streetsof Baghdad," she said. Since 1993, more than 11,000 people, including 58Arabic linguists, have been drummed out of the armed forces just for beinggay.
Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), who was in Congress during the battlethat brought about "don't ask, don't tell," said, "This is ridiculous. . . .This is not a rational policy." Considering that gays and lesbians areserving openly in 24 countries, including staunch allies Israel, Australiaand Britain, Mr. Biden is absolutely right.
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washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/10/AR2007061001266_pf.html
Street Fest Lets Gays Revel in Freedom
Rural Couples Enjoy Openness Among City Peers
By Michael Alison Chandler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 11, 2007; B08
Among the tight T-shirts, the leather vests and rainbow-colored mohawks atthe District's gay pride street festival yesterday, a couple of guyswandered down Pennsylvania Avenue in matching Dallas Cowboys T-shirts andkhaki cargo shorts.
Where they live -- in Winchester, Va., less than two hours' drive -- "youhave to keep quiet, try not to draw any attention to yourself," said DavidMauk, 36.
"We can't do this," he added, holding up the clasped hand of his partner,Jeremy Mullens, 29.
That's why the couple and hundreds of other small-town gay Americans headedto the District for the 32nd annual Capital Pride street festival. Thecelebration culminated a week of events that included a ladies dance, a promfor youth, a transgender dinner and dance and a Mr. and Ms. Capital PrideLeather competition.
Since the first gay rights rallies were organized to commemorate the 1969Stonewall riots, sparked when police raided a gay bar in New York'sGreenwich Village, gay pride events have proliferated in cities large andsmall throughout the country.
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-aparade11jun11,0,5321542,print.story
Sao Paulo gay pride parade draws more than 3 million
By Stan Lehman
The Associated Press
June 11, 2007
SAO PAULO, Brazil · Millions packed the streets of Sao Paulo for whatorganizers said was the world's largest gay pride parade, dancing and wavingrainbow flags in a carnival-like atmosphere to condemn homophobia, racismand sexism.
At least 3 million filled the canyon-like Paulista Avenue, organizers said,surpassing last year's count of 2.5 million. The larger count was confirmedby a police spokesman who is not authorized to be quoted by name underdepartment rules.
"This is the biggest parade on the planet," Tourism Minister Marta Suplicysaid. "Our city is showing, once again, its respect for diversity."
In comparison, recent gay pride parades in New York and San Francisco havedrawn tens of thousands, and world gay pride day celebrations in Berlin in2004 attracted between 200,000 and 500,000 participants.
Parade organizer Nelson Matias Pereira said this year's participants areappealing for a "world where racism, sexism and homophobia, in all theirforms, no longer exist."
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The Sun-Sentinel.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-apowell11jun11,0,3398031,print.story
Powell backs closing prison for detainees
By Paul Richter
Los Angeles Times
June 11, 2007
WASHINGTON · Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell called Sunday for theclosing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a rethinking of the"don't ask, don't tell" policy he authored as head of the Joint Chiefs ofStaff. The public comments represent Powell's effort to further distancehimself from the Bush administration he once served.
A key architect of the Pentagon's policy on homosexual troops, Powell saidthe country "is moving away" from the attitudes about gay people it had in1993, when the policy was adopted. But he stopped short of calling for aredesign while the country is "at war."
Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, Powell urged that the military commissionsystem for accused terrorists be scrapped and detainees at Guantanamo betaken to the United States and handled through the federal justice system.The United States continues to hold about 380 persons in the detentioncenter, despite the complaints of human-rights advocates and other foreignand domestic critics. Their continued imprisonment there, he said, has"shaken the belief of the world in America's justice system."
Responding to defenders of the system who are reluctant to allow detaineesaccess to lawyers and judicial protections, Powell said, "So what? Let them... America, unfortunately, has 2 million people in jail, all of whom hadlawyers and access to writs of habeas corpus ... We can handle bad people inour system."
With authoritarian world leaders citing Guantanamo to "hide their ownmisdeeds," he said, Guantanamo "is causing us far more damage than any goodwe get from it."
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cdems11jun11,0,6850681,print.story
Florida Democrats, meeting in Hollywood, make plans to woo Hispanic voters
By Anthony Man
Political Writer
June 11, 2007
HOLLYWOOD · No longer willing to write off Hispanics on the assumption thatthey're automatically Republican voters, Florida Democrats are increasinglycourting them as a promising source of support.
"We're not going to cede one Hispanic vote," said U.S. Rep. Debbie WassermanSchultz, D-Weston, one of dozens of elected officials at a weekendDemocratic Party conference at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa.
Invigorating the party's efforts to court Hispanic voters could yield apowerful advantage for Democrats, but Wasserman Schultz said Hispanic votersoften get too little attention in South Florida campaigns.
"People automatically think Republican and they're totally wrong," she said."In election after election in South Florida, Hispanics are the swing votethat makes the difference."
State Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, agreed. "They will go `Viva Bush' oneyear and they will go viva someone else another year."
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NationalGayNews.com
http://nationalgaynews.com/content/view/799/176/
Monday, 11 June 2007 09:00
The OutField
by Dan Woog
Outward Bound courses are intense. During nine days in the wilderness,teenagers can learn more about themselves and the world than in a decade ofschool. That's particularly true when the program includes leadership anddiversity training, like those with instructor Kaki Flynn.
So the out lesbian - a former University of North Carolina rower, and highschool track and cross country captain - was surprised when, on the finalday of a course in the summer of 2006, a "Take a Stand" exercise stirred upa welter of antigay feelings.
In this exercise, Flynn and other leaders offered a variety of statements.After each, participants placed themselves on a continuum, ranging from"strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." Topics included women's rights, themilitary, and this: "Gay people should be married and have children."
Five of the 12 teenagers disagreed with that statement. "These are kids whogo back and become leaders in their schools, and on their teams," Flynnsays. "I told them I was hurt. They said they liked me, but I was'different' from other gay people."
A few months ago, a boy who had strongly disagreed that gays should marrye-mailed Flynn. He said he missed her and everyone on the course. Hementioned his MySpace page, so she checked it out. It was festooned withrainbows and gay references.
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The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid45869.asp
June 09, 2007
Task Force urges Congress to abandon abstinence-only sex education
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is urging Congress to removeabstinence-only funding from the Labor Health and Human ServicesAppropriation Bill, according to a press release sent Friday. The bill is tobe voted on next week by the House Appropriations Committee.
While the legislation includes much-needed increases in funding for HIV/AIDSprevention, runaway and homeless youth, and domestic violence programs, italso includes large increases in abstinence-only funding for the CommunityBased Abstinence Education program, the government's largest abstinence-onlyfunding program.
Several studies have shown abstinence-only sex education to be largelyineffective. In a study posted by the National Campaign to Prevent TeenPregnancy, over 60% of men and women have had sexual intercourse by their18th birthday. In 2005 a report released by the National Center for HealthStatistics showed that just over half of American teenagers ages 15 to 19have engaged in oral sex.
"It is appalling that anyone would even consider increasing funds for athoroughly debunked and harmful program like abstinence-only education,"Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,explained in the press release.
Abstinence-only sex education often omits information on safer-sexpractices; instead, it urges teenagers to wait until marriage to have sexualintercourse. According to the press release, this approach tends toincorporate religious doctrine, inaccurate medical information, andstereotypes about the LGBT community. It completely fails to address theneeds of gay and lesbian teenagers.
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365gay.com
http://365gay.com/opinion/libby/libby.htm
Marriage Dollars and Sense
by Libby Post
The French philosopher Voltaire said "When it is a question of money,everybody is of the same religion." If that were true in 21st centuryAmerica, all the controversy about same-sex marriage would be a thing of thepast, because there's money to be made when we say, "I do."
New York City Comptroller William Thompson issued a study this week entitledLove Counts: The Economic Benefits of Marriage Equality for New York. In ithe concluded that the economic windfall for the state and the city in thefirst three years after Governor Spitzer's proposed same-sex marriage billbecomes law is quite substantial-to the tune of $184 million.
The potential greenbacks would come primarily from the spending of in andout of state gays who have their weddings here as well as the bucks theirout of town guests will part with to help celebrate the love of theirlesbian and gay friends.
So how many weddings are we talking about? Well, the Comptroller used theexperience of Massachusetts where approximately 51 percent of the same-sexcouples had nuptials. According to the U.S. Census, there were 50,854same-sex couples living in New York State in 2005. 23,321 were in New YorkCity. So we're talking a little over 25,000 couples across the state sayingI do.
Couple the money they'll be spending on their weddings with the cash 56,000out of state couples who come to New York to get married will be laying out,we're talking about $184 million coming into the state's economy over athree year period-that's nothing to sneeze at.
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/061007romania.htm
Attackers Stone Romania Gay Rights March
by The Associated Press
Posted: June 10, 2007 - 1:00 pm ET
(Bucharest) Police used tear gas against protesters who hurled stones at theannual gay rights parade in the Romanian capital Saturday, officials said.
About 100 people were detained for throwing stones and fireworks at policeand about 400 participants in the gay rights march, said Christian Ciocan, apolice spokesman. Police responded with tear gas. Nobody was injured, hesaid.
"We regret that our opponents use violence ... Police only did their job toprotect an authorized march," said Florin Buhuceanu, one of the organizersof the gay rights march. "It is our right to express our beliefs and we willnot renounce in the face of violence."
Romania decriminalized homosexuality in 2001.
On Tuesday, two men leaving a Bucharest cinema that hosts the annual "GayFest" festival were beaten by eight attackers. Police stopped the attack andarrested several people.
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/061107brownback.htm
Brownback: No Surrender On Opposing Gay Marriage, Abortion
by The Associated Press
Posted: June 11, 2007 - 8:30 am ET
(Taylors, South Carolina) Sen. Sam Brownback, campaigning for presidentbefore the National Catholic Men's Conference over the weekend, questionedwhether rape victims should get abortions.
"Rape is terrible. Rape is awful. Is it made any better by killing aninnocent child? Does it solve the problem for the woman that's been raped?"the Kansas Republican asked at the St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers gathering.
"We need to protect innocent life. Period," Brownback said, bringing thecrowd of about 500 to its feet.
Brownback also talked about keeping marriage between a man and a woman,saying nations that have allowed same-sex marriages were engaging in badsocial experiments, with bad results.
He also encouraged married couples to stay together, saying studies haveshown that if couples weather hard times for five years, their marriagestend to last. After five years, "people are happier than those who have hada divorce," Brownback said.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Principal Moscow Gay Pride Organiser Alekseev Also Guilty
Fined, but plans to appeal â?" to European Court if necessary
The main organiser of Moscow Gay Pride was today found guilty of disobeyingpolice officers while breaching traffic rules on May 27 as he and otheractivists, including European parliamentarians tried to deliver a petitionto Moscow City Hall signed by around 50 Members of the European Parliament.
Nikolai Alekseev was fined 1,000 roubles (£20, Ë?29, $39), the same asco-organiser and leader of the â?oRussian Radicalsâ? movement NikolaiKhramov when he was found guilty yesterday in the same court.
After the hearing, Mr. Alekseev vowed that he would not pay the fine andwould be launching an appeal to the Moscow Tverskoy District Court.
â?oThe court session looked like a farce,â? he said. â?oThe judge refusedto admit photo and video evidence proving that we had not disturbed law andorder.â?
He said he considered his detention, during the May 27 action in support ofthe rights of sex minorities, was illegal. Mr. Alekseev â?" along with Mr.Khramov and another Gay Pride organiser â?" was kept in police custody for24 hours before being brought to court where he was released.
On May 28 the judge considered witness evidence by European politicians.But this was not taken into account in todayâ?Ts hearing.
Two police officers testified in court on the circumstances of Mr.Alekseevâ?Ts detention.
However, Mr. Alekseev claimed that â?onone of the officers were, in fact,involved in my detention, which, he pointed out, can be proven withphotographic evidenceâ?.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.afa.net/aatemplate/images/bottom.jpg>
June 8, 2007
Boycott helps drop Ford sales 6.8% in May
General Motors, Chrysler, Toyota sales increase during same period
For the 13th month out of the last 15, the boycott of Ford Motor Company byAFA and other pro-family groups has helped cause Ford to lose sales. Salesdropped 6.8% during May when compared with May 2006.
The drop came as sales for GM [up 9.6%], Chrysler [up 4.3%] and Toyota [up14%] were all increasing. Of the big four, only Ford showed a loss.
AFA has identified Ford as a leading corporate promoter of homosexualmarriage and the homosexual agenda. For more information on Ford'spromotion of the homosexual lifestyle, click here
Even while losing billions of dollars and laying off of thousands ofemployees, Ford continues to financially support various homosexual groups.
Despite the effectiveness of the boycott, the mainstream media has refusedto cover the story. Had homosexuals been boycotting Ford, the boycott wouldhave been given extensive play in the mainstream media.
Because the mainstream media refuses to cover the boycott, AFA is askingthat individuals forward this e-mail to friends and family.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
[euro-queer] Russia: Moscow gay parade organizers left thecourtroom in protest
Moscow gay parade organizers left the courtroom in protest
http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=3176
Moscow, June 9, Interfax - The organizers of a failed gay parade in Moscowleft the courtroom in protest on Saturday as the administrative punishmentfor one of the parade organizers, Nikolay Alexeyev, was being considered.
"It was some sort of farce in the courtroom. The judge rejected all ourrequests that photo and video documents showing that we did not violatepublic order be attached to the case, and said there was enough otherevidence in the case," Alexeyev said to Interfax.
Two police officers testified in court on the circumstances of Alexeyev'sdetention, Alexeyev said. He, however, claimed that "none of them in factwas involved in my detention," which, he said, can be proven withphotographic evidence.
Also on Friday another organizer of the event, Nikolay Khramov, the leaderof the Russian Radical organization, was found guilty and fined 1,000rubles.
The gay parade organizers were accused of resisting the police.
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Forwarded from EuroQueer Groups
euro-queer@groups.queernet.org
Dear all:
Just back from Bucharest. There is plenty of news items on this years pride, byt in Romanian. :)
A counter march took part in the morning of Saturday with some 300 people,extreme right, neo-nazis and Orthodox priests together screaming "no tofaggots" and carrying homophobic slogans. They were met on the way of the march by left activists (not ACCEPT) with posters saying "All Different - All Equal".
This is where the clashes occured.
The march itself started at 17:00, and some 400 participants took part, LGBT and their supporters, protected by some 800 policemen. It lasted for 1,5 hours, and attempts were made by extreme right to "intervene" in the march and attack the participants. But the police did a very professional work, and being in themarch one could only hear the incidents and not see them. The participantswere guarded by tall iron police trucks on one side, which, being literally half ameter behind each other, formed a protection fence, behind which most of theviolence occured. And hundreds of policemen stood on the other side of themarch, also forming a "live fence of protection". Knowing that most of theattacks on the LGBT community happened last year in the metro stations afterthe end of the march, the police was heavily present there, and beforealloing pride participants to get down into the metro, "cleared" it from neo-nazisandensured safety. As of the end of Sunday, no reports of attacks on prideparticipants after the march were received.
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Forwarded from EuroQueer Groups
euro-queer@groups.queernet.org
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09656251.htm
Protesters clash with police at Romania gay parade
BUCHAREST, June 9 (Reuters) - Romanian riot police detained dozens ofmilitant protesters on Saturday as hundreds tried to violently break up agay rights march in the capital, Bucharest.
Around 500 gay activists marched through the city to demonstrate againstdiscrimination in this essentially conservative country and to call for thelegalisation of same-sex marriages.
Police fired tear gas to hold the protesters at bay after hundreds threwstones and attempted to break through protective cordons manned by 700officers.
Gays are viewed with hostility by much of the public as many people in thecountry of 22 million largely accept the powerful Orthodox church's view ofhomosexuality as a sin and a disease.
"No one was hurt during the parade, we detained dozens of violent (any-gay)
protesters," police spokesman Christian Ciocan told Reuters.
"We deeply regret that our opponents use violent ways to express themselves.Our march was peaceful," Florin Buhuceanu, one of the parade organisers toldRealitatea TV.
Although homosexuality is legal in Romania, which joined the European Unionthis year, thousands were jailed during the communist era after a 1968 ban.
Hundreds more were sent to prison after the 1989 bloody revolution whichousted Stalinist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
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Forwarded from EuroQueer Groups
euro-queer@groups.queernet.org
Activists demand legal recognition of same sex couples
08/06/2007 - 17:35:08
Gay rights activists marked the beginning of Dublin's Pride festival bydemanding the next government prioritise legislation recognising same sexcouples.
The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) said the election manifestos ofall parties included commitments to giving legal recognition to same sexpartnerships.
As talks continue over the formation of a new government for the 30th DáilGLEN was among the groups lobbying to have its concerns forced to the top ofthe agenda.
"The Programme for a new government provides a key opportunity to act onthis consensus for change" said GLEN's Eoin Collins.
"The Government Working Group on Domestic Partnership (the Colley Group) asidentified the way forward, coming out strongly for equality based legalrecognition of same-sex couples.
"GLEN urges all parties to support the implementation of the Colley WorkingGroup report in the next programme for government and to enact legislationat the earliest opportunity."
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COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF BROWARD AWARDS A JOHN C. GRAVES CHARITABLE FUND
GRANT TO GLSEN SOUTH FLORIDA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contacts:
Donald Cavanaugh 561-582-0971
dcavanaugh@glsensouthflorida.org
Chip Arndt PR Director
305.895.9466 x113
chip@arndtstrategies.com
Fort Lauderdale /Miami, Florida (May 20, 2007 ) -- GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) South Florida has received a grant of $10,000 from the John C. Graves Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward to support its Safe School Project.
"We are thrilled to receive this generous gift from the John C. Graves Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward," said GLSEN South Florida executive director, Robert Loupo. "We are expanding the Safe School Project into Broward and this money will help improve the lives of hundreds of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) youth."
According to Loupo, the Safe Schools Project is a four-pronged program designed to help make schools safer for all students, with special attention to the issues facing sexual minorities in the schools. "We train educators, empower youth, educate the public and maintain a continuous feedback loop to refine and improve our programs," he said.
"We are pleased to be able to help expand the fine work GLSEN South Florida has been doing for years," said Carl Trough a trustee for the John C. Graves haritable Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward. "We know how difficult it can be for gay kids in schools and other environments and the work GLSEN South Florida does is so important to helping make things better for them. As a long time close friend of John's I know that he'd be pleased with our support for this project considering his background as an openly gay man and an educator."
GLSEN South Florida continues its history of 16 years helping make South Florida schools safer for all students, faculty and staff regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, real or perceived. For more information visit www.glsensouthflorida.org.
The Community Foundation of Broward's mission is to provide leadership on community solutions, and foster philanthropy that connects people who care with causes that matter. A public organization with more than $70 million in assets, it has allocated $30 million to the community since its founding in 1984. For Good. For Ever. For more information please visit ww.cfbroward.org.
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article.
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####
Saturday, June 09, 2007
GLBT DIGEST June 9, 2007
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/world/americas/09castro.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
The Saturday Profile
A Castro Strives to Open Cuban Society's Opinions on Sex
By MARC LACEY
HAVANA
TWENTY or so transsexuals sat in a circle recently discussing their woes:harassment, boyfriend troubles, the challenge of removing hair from theirlegs. Empathizing with them was Mariela Castro Espín, Cuba's premiersexologist.
"I know, I know," she said, putting her hand on one of her own legs to showshe could relate.
Then the conversation took an interesting turn. The transsexuals, who arereceiving training as AIDS counselors at the National Center for SexualEducation, which Ms. Castro directs, brought up sexual liaisons some of themhad had with soldiers. Maybe counseling in the barracks was needed, thetranssexuals said.
Ms. Castro smiled, raised her eyebrows but did not dismiss the suggestionout of hand. Homosexuality is illegal in Cuba's military. In fact, someCubans have avoided military service altogether by claiming to be gay.
Making the proposal even more delicate, everyone in the circle knows, is thefact that Ms. Castro, 44, is the daughter of Raúl Castro, the commander ofCuba's armed forces and, with the recent health problems of his brother,Fidel, the temporary leader of the government.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/sports/othersports/09griffith.html?pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
Ex-Champion Is Prepared to Join March
By AIMEE BERG
Emile Griffith will ride in the parade of champions at the InternationalBoxing Hall of Fame induction tomorrow in Canastota, N.Y., as he has donealmost every year since he was enshrined in 1990.
But on June 24, Griffith is committed to doing something he has never done:participate in the Gay Pride march down Fifth Avenue. As a guest of theStonewall Veterans' Association, his car will appear toward the front of theprocession.
Although Griffith is the vice president of the association, he has neversaid unequivocally that he was gay. But he has come close. On thoseoccasions, however, the question was asked directly, putting him in anuncomfortable situation.
But Sunday at his home in Hempstead on Long Island, the 69-year-old Griffithwas in an expansive mood during a two-hour interview. His concentrationlapsed occasionally and his memory often failed - the effect of 112professional fights over 20 years and a brutal mugging in 1992 - but heeasily remembered the distinction between the boxing and gay subcultures,and how he managed to navigate between them while he was in his prime.
"My fights came first," he said. "But when I had my free time, sometimes I'dmake up my mind to go to gay clubs."
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/us/09beliefs.html?pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
Beliefs
A Tentative First Step in Addressing Faith and Politics
By PETER STEINFELS
Almost a century ago, G. K. Chesterton made a comment that could mostappropriately be applied to Monday night's forum at which leading Democraticpresidential candidates discussed faith and politics: anything worth doing"is worth doing badly."
The purpose of the forum, organized by the liberal evangelical journalSojourners and broadcast on CNN, was to hear what Democratic contendersmight say about religion and whether they might convincingly enlarge thelist of religious and moral (or "values") questions to include topics likepoverty, war and the environment rather than only those emphasized by thereligious right.
Not a bad idea. Clearly, the nation and first of all the Democrats could usea better, broader, more sophisticated conversation about religion andpolitics.
Yet it is hard to imagine anyone serious about either of these subjectswatching Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Barack Obama and formerSenator John Edwards on Monday without cringing at some of the questions orchafing at some of the speechifying and the general absence of intelligentfollow-up.
Same for the subsequent interviews by Paula Zahn of CNN of the next tier ofDemocratic candidates - Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, Gov. BillRichardson of New Mexico, Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut andRepresentative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio - all of them Roman Catholics andtherefore subject to obligatory questions about abortion, gay rights and howthey stood these days with the pope.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/washington/09military.html?pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
Chairman of Joint Chiefs Will Not Be Reappointed
By THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON, June 8 - The Bush administration said Friday that it would notreappoint Gen. Peter Pace to a second term as chairman of the Joint Chiefsof Staff, making him the highest-ranking officer to be a political casualtyof the fight over Iraq.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the decision was reached in order toavoid bitter hearings in a Democratic-controlled Senate that is alreadyconfronting the White House over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I have decided that at this moment in our history, the nation, our men andwomen in uniform, and General Pace himself would not be well-served by adivisive ordeal in selecting the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Mr. Gates said.
The defense secretary stood alone at a Pentagon podium in making theannouncement, and he spoke in somber tones in describing how he fully hadintended to recommend General Pace be offered a second two-year term aschairman, only to change his mind over the last few weeks after consultingwith senior senators of both parties.
Mr. Gates said he would recommend that President Bush appoint Adm. MichaelG. Mullen, the chief of naval operations, to serve as the next chairman. Thedefense secretary praised Admiral Mullen as a man of "vision, strategicinsight, experience and integrity."
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/washington/09surgeon.html?pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
Surgeon General Nominee Is Assailed for Church Role
By NEELA BANERJEE
WASHINGTON, June 8 - President Bush's nomination of Dr. James W. HolsingerJr., a Kentucky cardiologist, to be surgeon general is drawing criticismfrom gay rights groups, physicians and lawmakers who say they are troubledby opinions critical of homosexuality that Dr. Holsinger has voiced innearly 20 years as a high-ranking layman in the United Methodist Church.
Dr. Holsinger's friends within the United Methodist Church and the medicalcommunity, however, are defending him as a professional who does notdiscriminate against people in his congregation or in his care.
The critics said they were worried that Dr. Holsinger might not serve gaymen and lesbians fairly as surgeon general, the nation's chief healtheducator, largely because of a report he wrote in 1991 for a UnitedMethodist committee that essentially described male homosexuality asunnatural.
They also point to his service on the board of a Methodist group that in1998 criticized the "radical homosexual/lesbian lobby" for trying to forcethe church "to grant approval to the practice of homosexuality."
Critics have also cited Dr. Holsinger's leadership of the Judicial Councilof the United Methodist Church, the denomination's highest court, which inlate 2005 decided to reinstate a pastor who had been suspended for refusingto allow a gay man to join his congregation, a decision the church's bishopslater rejected.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802463.html
IN BRIEF
Saturday, June 9, 2007; Page B09
CONSERVATIVE AFFILIATION
Pa. Presbyterian Church Breaks Away
In a move emblematic of mainline Protestant divisions over sexuality,
members of the largest church in the Pittsburgh Presbytery voted to leavethe Presbyterian Church (USA) and join a smaller, more conservativedenomination.
At a congregational meeting, 951 members of Memorial Park PresbyterianChurch in McCandless Township, Pa., voted to be affiliated with theEvangelical Presbyterian Church. Fifty-two percent, or 761 members, of the1,450-member congregation needed to approve the plan.
Memorial Park church officials said last month they were concerned about thenational denomination's move away from traditional doctrines concerning theHoly Trinity and the authority of the Bible and about the denomination'sincreasingly liberal views on gay ordination.
-- Associated Press
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802657_pf.html
Capital Pride Takes to the Streets
Saturday, June 9, 2007; C12
The 32nd annual Capital Pride festival has been filling the city's venuesall week with dances, the Mr. and Ms. competitions, concerts anddiscussions.
But today marks the start of some of the most notable events, the PrideParade included. The annual parade steps off at 23rd and P streets NW, headsaround Dupont Circle, before returning to P and wrapping up at ThomasCircle. Free. 6:30 p.m.
Stationery shop and gallery Pulp will host a show of photographs by artistFrank Muzzy timed for Pride Week. Muzzy generally takes architectural photosof Washington and Paris and has documented the gay history of this city, butthis time around he turns his lens to suggestive subject matter. He calls it"flesh photography." Free. Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 11-5through Sept. 9. 1803 14th St. NW. 202-462-7857.
The dance party Collision at Love will be where it's at tonight. TheLGBT-friendly bash will feature DJs Steve Henderson, John Mank, Ting, Kosand others. $20; free till 10 p.m. 1350 Okie St. NE. (21 and older only).202-636-9030.
The last major event of Pride Week is tomorrow's street festival. The festfeatures vendors and groups including the newly renamed Ganymede Arts(formerly Actors' Theatre of Washington) and the Peace Corps. Free. 11a.m.-6 p.m. Pennsylvania Avenue between Third and Seventh streets NW.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802470_pf.html
What Al Wishes Abe Said
By Andrew Ferguson
Sunday, June 10, 2007; B05
You can't really blame Al Gore for not using footnotes in his new book, "TheAssault on Reason." It's a sprawling, untidy blast of indignation, andannotating it with footnotes would be like trying to slip rubber bandsaround a puddle of quicksilver. Still, I'd love to know where he found thescary quote from Abraham Lincoln that he uses on page 88.
In a chapter entitled "The Politics of Wealth," Gore argues that the ancientthreat to democracy posed by rich people run amok has finally been realizedunder the man who beat him in the 2000 presidential race. Even Lincoln, Goresays, saw the age of Bush coming in 1864: "I see in the near future a crisisapproaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of mycountry. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an eraof corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the countrywill endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of thepeople until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic isdestroyed."
The quote is a favorite of liberal bloggers, which is probably how Gore cameacross it. And as a description of how many on the left see the countryseven years into their Bush nightmare, it's pretty much perfect.
Too perfect, in fact. If you're familiar with Lincoln's distinctive way ofexpressing himself, you'll hear the false notes the passage strikes. For onething, Lincoln just wasn't the "trembling" kind -- or if he was, he kept histrembling to himself. Words such as "enthroned" and "aggregated" are a bittoo fancy for his plain, unclotted prose, and the phrase "money power"suggests a conspiratorial turn of mind that would have been foreign to him.Indeed, these words don't show up anywhere else in "The Collected Works ofAbraham Lincoln" (which, thanks to Gore's Internet, are now searchable athttp://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/).
Moreover, the point of the passage is very un-Lincolnian. A corporate lawyerwhose long and cunning labor on behalf of the railroads earned him acomfortable income, Lincoln was a vigorous champion of market capitalism,even when it drifted (as it tends to do) toward large concentrations ofwealth. Many of his administration's signal initiatives -- thetranscontinental railroad, for example -- amounted to what liberals todaywould condemn as "corporate welfare." Lots of speculators got rich underLincoln, as Gore notes. As Gore does not note, Lincoln seemed not to haveminded.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060800733_pf.html
Gay Programming Steps Out On Satellite and Digital
By Marc Fisher
Sunday, June 10, 2007; N07
Acaller rings up the "Derek and Romaine" show for some frank advice. The mansays he'd had a random sexual encounter with a stranger and they got totalking and it turned out that the partners were cousins.
The question: "Can I marry him?"
"Honestly, I think you can," says Derek Hartley, co-host of the frisky,freewheeling talk show that airs on Sirius Satellite Radio's OutQ, the firstamong several new radio outlets dedicated to programming for a gay audience.
Hartley -- a former movie reviewer from Fredericksburg who came to radiofrom a gay Web site -- and Romaine Patterson -- an activist who startedworking with gay political groups after her close friend Matthew Shepard waskilled in an anti-gay attack in 1998Ö -- offer a distinctly different brandof radio. Their nightly show features segments such as "ShockingConfessions," when callers tell stories absolutely none of which can berelated in a family newspaper, or "What's Your Gay Problem?," when the hostsdispense relationships advice that would result in an instant loss oflicense on old-fashioned broadcast radio.
But OutQ is not just about pushing the boundaries of what can be said on theradio. The channel, which launched in 2003 as radio's first all-gayprogramming stream, includes hourly reports of news for and about gays,Broadway show tunes, dance club music, a talk show with MichelangeloSignorile and a celebrity-oriented morning show.
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/548/v-print/story/133922.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Nationally recognized gay library is relocating
BY ROBBYN MITCHELL
One of the nation's largest libraries of gay and lesbian literature --forced to find a new home after its building in Fort Lauderdale was boughtby a condominium developer -- is packing up its 18,000 books and othercollections for the third time in its history.
Pending approval by the County Commission, the Stonewall Library andArchives, now housed in the Gay and Lesbian Community Center on NorthAndrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, will move its massive collection to a4,200-square-foot space in the Fort Lauderdale Branch of the Broward CountyLibrary at 1300 E. Sunrise Blvd. by the end of the year.
The Stonewall, which boasts the largest collection of written words aboutgays and lesbians in the Southeastern United States, had its beginnings 34years ago in Hollywood, where a teenager began collecting books to help himunderstand his homosexuality. Mark Silber later formed a group named GayCommunity Services of Broward County and offered to lend his books to othermembers of the gay community.
Eventually, the collection was named Stonewall, after the 1969 Stonewall Innriots spawned by oppressive police tactics in New York City's GreenwichVillage that marked the beginning of modern gay rights movement.
Today, the library is an important resource, not only for the local gay andlesbian community but for writers, scholars and researchers across thenation. Each year, the library gets nearly 9,000 visitors.
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/889/v-print/story/133168.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Pentagon shifts course, Gen. Pace out
By LOLITA BALDOR
Bitter divisions over the Iraq war, particularly on Capitol Hill, led theBush administration to change course and replace Gen. Peter Pace as chairmanof the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a grim Defense Secretary Robert Gates saidFriday.
Gates said that despite earlier plans to recommend Pace for a secondtwo-year term as chairman, he instead was recommending Adm. Mike Mullen,currently chief of naval operations, to take over when Pace's term expiresSept. 30. President Bush accepted the recommendation.
"I think that the events of the last several months have simply created anenvironment in which I think there would be a confirmation process thatwould not be in the best interests of the country," Gates said. "I wish itwere not necessary to make a decision like this. But I think it's arealistic appraisal of where we are."
Bush praised Pace, saying he has "relied on his unvarnished militaryjudgment, and I value his candor, his integrity, and his friendship."
"Pete's job has been to help ensure that America's military forces areprepared to meet the threats of this new century," Bush said in a statementissued in Rome, where he is visiting. "This is a difficult task in a time ofpeace. Pete Pace has done it in a time of war - and he has done itsuperbly."
=
The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/v-print/story/132761.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Gay rights debate rages on 30 years after Miami-Dade challenge
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
Thirty years ago, most people didn't think about gay rights, much lessdiscuss the issue in public.
A 1977 battle in Miami-Dade County between two local mothers changed allthat, launching both the modern public debate about homosexuality and theemergence of politically powerful Christian conservatives.
While voters cast a decisive ''no'' vote for gay rights 30 years ago thisweek, the discussion triggered by the divisive debate -- which ended thefriendship between singing star Anita Bryant and then-Miami-DadeCommissioner Ruth Shack -- has not ceased.
''It was the beginning of two movements, the Christian Coalition and gayrights,'' Shack now says.
''Prior to this, there was very little meaningful discussion outside the gaycommunity about gay rights,'' said Fred Fejes, a Florida Atlantic Universitycommunications professor who is writing an academic book, Moral Panic: TheOrigin of the American Debate on Gay Rights.
=
The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/v-print/story/132766.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Anita's ex paid dearly in the fight
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
Since the 1977 gay-rights referendum, life has not been good for Bob Green.Anita Bryant divorced the one-time rock 'n' roll disc jockey three yearslater and she left South Florida for good.
Green lives alone in a Miami Beach home a few blocks from where the famouscouple lived with their four children on North Bay Road.
''I jog past the house and I say I wish I was back there in the good olddays,'' said Green, 76. ``I used to jog on North Bay Road and cry all theway. I don't have any friends. I have my family and people in theneighborhood. I'm kind of like a hermit. I'm not antisocial. It's just theway I've become.
When Green and Bryant married in 1960, they had a bright future. He was apopular South Florida radio and television personality; she was a formerMiss Oklahoma and runner-up to 1959 Miss America, Mary Ann Mobley.
Bryant, with a powerful singing voice, already had a hit record, Till ThereWas You from Broadway's The Music Man.
=
The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/v-print/story/132765.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
She kept her life to herself
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
On April 17, 1977, The Miami Herald profiled a lesbian schoolteacher whosaid that only two people at work knew her secret. ''I live in terror thatsomeone will learn I'm gay,'' said the teacher, identified as ``Eleanor.''Thirty years later, she's unafraid.
''I didn't use my name. I already had plenty of flack,'' reveals EddaCimino, who retired in 1995. ``Teachers were trashing gays and lesbians inthe teacher's lounge. They were telling dirty jokes about gays and lesbians.. . . We got death threats on the phone.''
Then, she had enough. ``It was harder to be in the closet than out, Ifinally decided.''
Cimino said she got tired of going to school and hearing the dirty jokes:
``One day, I walked into the lounge and said, `I know you don't mean to hurtmy feelings, but I want you to know I am gay and please don't use thoseremarks when I'm in here.''
=
The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/v-print/story/132764.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Growing up gay in the storm
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
Damian Pardo vividly remembers spring 1977.
''I was 13 and I knew I was gay,'' said Pardo, now a senior financialadvisor at Merrill Lynch and longtime Miami-Dade activist. ``I had neverdiscussed it with anyone, but I certainly was aware of it.
Until then, no one had talked about homosexuality in Pardo's Coral Gableshome.
''Before Anita Bryant? Never!'' he said. ``I thought I was the only one.''
During the campaign, Pardo recalls, there was a ``consistent battering inthe press about homosexuals and gays.''
''It was all about stereotypes,'' he says. 'I remember it vividly, the `SaveOur Children' theme. It was implicit that homosexuals were pedophiles andcriminals. They were creating this image, the same way it was done duringthe Nazi era. They created monsters.''
=
The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid45870.asp
June 09, 2007
Lesbian activist's archives destroyed in fire
A fire burned through a Washington, D.C., lesbian activist's home,potentially destroying significant portions of her archives of local gayhistory, The Washington Blade reported Wednesday.
Cheryl Spector was at work when she discovered that an electrical fire hadbegun in her apartment, severely damaging her place and putting her years ofarchives in danger.
"I don't know what I've lost," Spector said to the Blade. She explained shewould need the community's help to assess the damage. "We have to go pictureby picture, photo album by photo album."
Spector has been an activist for lesbian rights and AIDS awareness foralmost 20 years. She became involved in advocacy shortly after her brother's1986 suicide following his AIDS diagnosis.
In an article published a month ago by the Blade, her apartment wasdescribed as "crammed with videos, photos, and memorabilia of gay eventsthat she has attended, planned, and founded over the years."
"You could fill half a museum just with what's in my apartment," Spectorsaid at the time. (The Advocate)
=
The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid45827.asp
June 07, 2007
The Hallmark hullabaloo
While shopping for a Father's Day card, an Advocate reader found aparticularly offensive card made by Hallmark. So we contacted the greetingcard company to find out what gives.
By Michelle Garcia
When an Advocate reader was shopping for a Father's Day card, he came acrossone greeting he thought highly offensive.
The cover of the card featured a photo of an idyllic, upscale picnic spread:plaid blanket, wicker basket, a bottle of wine and two glasses, a round ofbread, a fruit plate. Above the photo, the card read, "Dad, how about aFather's Day picnic?" The punch line inside: "Too queer? Yeah, I thought sotoo."
The reader said that he saw the card in two separate supermarkets andcomplained both times to store managers. But his greatest disappointment wasin the card company.
"Hallmark has long marketed its products with the slogan 'When you careenough to send the very best,' " he said via e-mail. "For my money, 'thevery best' does not include the use of slurs against a part of the company'scustomer base."
The Advocate brought this card to the attention of Hallmark's media liaison,Deidre Parkes, who said that the company would pull the cards from shelvesimmediately.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/060807g8.htm
G8 OKs $60 Billion African AIDS Package
by The Associated Press
Posted: June 8, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET
(Kuehlungsborn, Germany) Members of the Group of Eight have agreed on aprogram worth more than US$60 billion to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS inAfrica, Germany's development minister said Friday.
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul made the announcement on state ZDF televisionbefore G-8 leaders sat down with African and international officials todiscuss African issues.
Wieczorek-Zeul said the money was earmarked for fighting malaria andtuberculosis, as well as HIV/AIDS and about half of it would come from theUnited States, with Germany contributing US$5.4 billion between now and2015.
``The situation (in Africa) is simply so dramatic,'' she said in Berlin.
Proponents of debt relief in Africa and other social activists havecriticized the world's leading industrial nations for failing to live up topromises made two years ago at the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/060807india.htm
India Downsizes Number With HIV/AIDS
by The Associated Press
Posted: June 8, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET
(New Delhi) The number of Indians infected with HIV is far smaller thanpreviously believed, according to new data that appears to vindicate criticswho said earlier U.N. assessments of the country's epidemic were vastlyoverestimated.
Experts say the still-unreleased survey is likely to show that India'snumber of HIV cases, which last year was said to be the highest in the worldat 5.7 million, is actually well below that mark.
"The actual number we've come up with in aggregate is likely to be lower,and perhaps substantially lower," said Ashok Alexander, director of theAvahan, the Indian program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, whichhelped fund the study.
Alexander declined to estimate what the new number would be, saying the datais still being analyzed and precise numbers would not be released for a fewmore weeks.
The new estimate comes from combining data collected from prenatal clinics;a survey of high-risk groups, such as sex workers; and from the government'sNational Family Health Survey - a method Alexander said was more reliablethan the previous estimates, which relied largely on extrapolating from theprenatal clinic data.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/060807nsmurd.htm
Man Accused Of Canadian Gay Killings Appears In Court For NY Murder
by The Canadian Press
Posted: June 8, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET
(Mooers, New York) A 26-year-old Canadian has pleaded not guilty in thedeath of a man who was found at a remote hunting camp in northern New York.
Glen Douglas Race of Dartmouth, N.S., was charged with second-degree murderin the death of Darcy Manor. He was also charged with fourth-degree criminalpossession of stolen property _ a .44-calibre rifle that was stolen from thescene in Mooers where Manor was found dead.
Believed to be the murder weapon, the rifle was found in Race's possessionwhen he was arrested in Texas near the Mexican border.
About 60 people, many of them Manor's relatives, were in court as thediminutive Canadian was led in wearing a white shirt, jeans, sneakerswithout laces, and a white hooded mask that had fine netting over the eyesso he could see.
Andrew Wylie, the prosecuting district attorney, said Race was forced towear the mask after spitting on an officer as he was being booked by NewYork State police shortly after his arrival from Texas, where he wasarrested May 15 near the Mexican border.
=
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, (June 8, 2007)
Contact:?Brian Winfield, Communications Director, (727) 488-7799
Largo Apologizes for Arrest and Mistreatment of Nadine Smith
(Largo) The Largo City Commission has issued a formal public apology toEquality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith for her unprovoked andunnecessarily violent arrest at the February 27th commission hearing where amajority of commissioners voted to fire City Manager because she istransgender.
Acting City Manager, Mac Craig, read the formal apology during the June 5thcommission hearing, referring to the incident as ?regrettable,? and saying,?We wish it would not have happened.? Earlier in the week, Craig contactedNadine to inform her that the apology would be forthcoming.
?The city's apology is a welcome first step toward ensuring that thisdoesn't happen again,? said Brian Winfield, communications director forEquality Florida.
Nadine was arrested for handing a ?Don?t Discriminate? flyer to someone whoasked for it.? The arrest, captured by a photographer and witnessed bydozens sparked a national outcry from civil rights leaders and organizationsacross the state and nation.?
The ACLU defended Nadine against the felony criminal charge, which the StateAttorney later refused to pursue.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13468447/detail.html?treets=bos&tml=bos_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=bos_natlbreak_1_12090106082007
Pace Out As Joint Chiefs Chairman
Adm. Mullen Likely New Chairman
POSTED: 12:51 pm EDT June 8, 2007
UPDATED: 3:50 pm EDT June 8, 2007
Gen. Peter Pace, the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is beingreplaced.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made the announcement on Friday.
Gates said he had intended to nominate Pace to a second term, but "theevents of the last several months" -- the developments with the war inIraq -- would have made for a difficult confirmation hearing.
He said that after consulting with senators in both parties, he hadconcluded that "the focus of his confirmation process would have been on thepast and not on the future."
"It would not have been in the best interests of the country," Gates said.
Adm. Michael G. Mullen is the likely nominee to replace Pace, Gates said.
Mullen is a 1968 graduate of the Naval Academy. He has commanded threeships: the USS Noxabee, the USS Goldsborough and the USS Yorktown. He alsocommanded the USS George Washington Battle Group and served as the commanderof U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=12957
Former gay outreach adviser sues DNC
Hitchcock accuses Dean, others of discrimination, retaliation
by JOSHUA LYNSEN | Jun 6, 10:37 AM
A former gay outreach adviser for the Democratic National Committee has suedthe organization, alleging discrimination.
In a lawsuit against the DNC, its chair, Howard Dean and two partyofficials, Donald Hitchcock says he was the target of discrimination,retaliation and defamation during and after his tenure as director of theGay & Lesbian Leadership Council.
The lawsuit was filed April 17 in D.C. Superior Court. Responses were filedMay 31.
Hitchcock, who joined the DNC in June 2005, was fired May 2, 2006. Thetermination came days after Hitchcock's domestic partner, Paul Yandura, alongtime party activist, sent an open letter to gay Democrats saying Deanfailed to adequately defend gay rights.
Yandura's letter, sent in April 2006, criticized Dean and the party for notgetting involved in state ballot measures seeking to ban gay marriage. Italso suggested that gays should temporarily withhold donations to Democrats.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.idahostatesman.com/387/story/86871.html
Twin Falls excludes gays' float from parade
Decision draws praise from Idaho Values Alliance director; group saysmembers feel unwelcomed
Staff and wire reports - Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 06/03/07
A Boise-based family values group on Saturday praised a Twin Falls group'sdecision not to allow a gay and lesbian group to take part in a parade.Bryan Fischer, executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance, said theWestern Days Committee was right to deny a float by the Southern Idaho Gay,Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center.
"The parade organizers are to be commended for recognizing that promotingthe normalization of homosexual behavior is never right for any communitythat believes in the family as the cornerstone of a healthy society,"Fischer said.
It was the first float to be denied entry into the Western Days parade,which took place Saturday.
The Idaho Equality Exploratory Committee, a statewide network for the gayand lesbian community, said the committee's decision was based on ignoranceand intolerance.
"This is clearly sending a message to GLBT people that they are not welcomein the community," said Andrea Shipley, interim co-coordinator for IEEC.
The group's float consisted of a large Styrofoam centerpiece in the shape ofIdaho, as well as other cutouts in the shape of cowboy boots, chaps andhats. Most of the float was painted with rainbow colors.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=20983
Navy assigns openly-gay sailor to reserves
Friday Jun 8, 2007
The United States Navy has again assigned an openly gay sailor to duty inthe Individual Ready Reserves (IRR), according to paperwork obtained yServicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).
Former Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Knight, a Hebrew linguist recentlydeployed to Kuwait, has been placed on IRR duty until April 2009, despitepublicly 'coming out' in national media outlets and being told he wouldreceive a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" dismissal. Knight's dismissal form, alsocalled a DD-214, again lists his reason for dismissal as 'Completion ofService,' and places him in the IRR. The classification allows him to againbe called to active duty, as he was in 2006 after completing a four-yearenlistment in the Navy. Knight has now served openly during two tours withthe Navy, with the support of his command and colleagues.
"It's a very pleasant, and unexpected, surprise to learn that the Navy sovalues Jason's service that they have again assigned him to the IndividualReady Reserves, despite his very public advocacy as an openly gay man,"Steve Ralls, director of communications for Servicemembers Legal DefenseNetwork (SLDN), told the military newspaper Stars & Stripes in a statement.
"There are clearly many people inside the armed forces who couldn't careless about sexual orientation. In fact, our national security would be farbetter served if more commands elected to so visibly support their gaytroops. The Navy has welcomed Jason Knight not once, not twice, but now athird time, and he has always answered the call to duty. His story provesthere is no room to question the patriotism, dedication and commitment oflesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans."
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories07/june/0608073.htm
June 8, 2007
Anti-gay campaign is a power grab, says Nigerian activist
by Eric Resnick
Cleveland--An anti-gay campaign in Nigeria is part of the national church'sefforts to grab power and oil wealth in the west African nation, says a gayactivist who is touring the U.S.
Davis Mac-Iyalla, the founder of Changing Attitude Nigeria, visited fourOhio cities in May with a plea for action from the LGBT community inAmerica.
He says his refusal to deny his sexual orientation has put him at odds withthis campaign.
Because he refuses to back down, he says the Nigerian church, led byArchbishop Peter Akinola, has threatened his life.
Akinola leads the effort in the world Anglican Communion to make the U.S.Episcopal Church back away from its pro-gay positions or be thrown out ofthe worldwide church.
Akinola fomented the worldwide controversy around the election of the RightRev. V. Gene Robinson as the bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. Robinson isopenly gay and non-celibate.
"Once gays and lesbians get a voice," said Mac-Iyalla, "it will be harderfor the church to control the population [of Nigeria]," which he says is thereal danger his public declarations pose.
It is that control, according to Mac-Iyalla, which allows the NigerianAnglican Church, the government, and the oil companies doing business thereto do "back door deals" from which they all benefit at the expense of thepeople.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.truthwinsout.org/uncategorized/david-gergen-holsinger-nomination-raises-question-of-ideology-over-competence/#more-187
HOLSINGER UPDATE: SEN. OBAMA ISSUES A STATEMENT
June 7th, 2007
Senator Obama (D-IL) released the following statement Thursday morning.
"America's top doctor should be a doctor for all Americans, and so I haveserious reservations about nominating someone who would inject his ownanti-gay ideology into critical decisions about the health and well-being ofour nation."
"As with other nominees, I will listen to the testimony of Dr. JamesHolsinger, but this Administration must know that the United States SurgeonGeneral's office is no place for bigotry or ideology that would trump soundscience and good judgment," Obama's statement continued.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070607gay-lawyers-story,0,5667399.story?coll=chi-bizfront-hed
Gay lawyers come out as clients demand more diversity
By Cynthia Cotts
Bloomberg News
Published June 7, 2007, 11:01 AM CDT
When Coco Soodek, a corporate lawyer in the Chicago office of Bryan CaveLLP, was promoted to partner in 2005, the firm invited all the new partnersto dinner at its St. Louis headquarters.
Soodek, 36, was encouraged to bring her companion, Roxanne Saylor, 37. Thecouple was seated by the wife of the firm's chairman, and the partners'spouses were asked to stand.
"If I had one toe left in the closet, they made me take it out," Soodeksays. "There was no going back."
Soodek's experience may be approaching the norm for gays and lesbians atprominent U.S. law firms, which compete to hire lawyers of diverse ethnicbackgrounds, gender and sexual orientation.
"Today, elite law firms are behaving as good elites should," says KeithWetmore, 50, a gay lawyer who is chairman of the San Francisco-based firmMorrison & Foerster LLP. "They've become culturally sensitive."
The number of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered lawyersincreased by more than 50 percent from 2002 to 2006, according to theNational Association for Law Placement.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.alternet.org/rights/52648/
The Expensive Failure of Abstinence Education
By Amy DePaul, AlterNet
Posted on May 31, 2007, Printed on June 8, 2007
Last month's resignation of Wade Horn, former assistant secretary at theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services and point man for conservativesocial policy, came just as support was crumbling and mistrust mounting fora costly and, many would argue, unsuccessful initiative -- abstinenceeducation.
"At this point we've spent more than a billion dollars on this program thatwas never proven in the first place," said Heather Boonstra, public policyanalyst at the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organizationspecializing in reproductive health issues.
Horn left government in early April for a private-sector position atDeloitte Consulting LLP after heading the Administration for ChildrenandFamilies (ACF), a division of HHS. There, Horn shepherded a host ofcontentious initiatives, for example: marriage promotion for poor women asan anti-poverty strategy, reduced access to higher education for welfarerecipients, standardized testing of low-income preschoolers, programs tostrengthen fatherhood by pushing matrimony and relationship skills, andchastity for 19- to 29-year-olds.
Many of these policies had come under fire over the years from members ofCongress, feminists and advocates of low-income families -- increasingly soin Horn's final months at HHS.
=
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, (June 8, 2007)
Contact:?Brian Winfield, Communications Director, (727) 488-7799
Largo Apologizes for Arrest and Mistreatment of Nadine Smith
(Largo) The Largo City Commission has issued a formal public apology toEquality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith for her unprovoked andunnecessarily violent arrest at the February 27th commission hearing where amajority of commissioners voted to fire City Manager because she istransgender.
Acting City Manager, Mac Craig, read the formal apology during the June 5thcommission hearing, referring to the incident as ?regrettable,? and saying,?We wish it would not have happened.? Earlier in the week, Craig contactedNadine to inform her that the apology would be forthcoming.
?The city's apology is a welcome first step toward ensuring that thisdoesn't happen again,? said Brian Winfield, communications director forEquality Florida.
Nadine was arrested for handing a ?Don?t Discriminate? flyer to someone whoasked for it.? The arrest, captured by a photographer and witnessed bydozens sparked a national outcry from civil rights leaders and organizationsacross the state and nation.?
The ACLU defended Nadine against the felony criminal charge, which the StateAttorney later refused to pursue.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13468447/detail.html?treets=bos&tml=bos_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=bos_natlbreak_1_12090106082007
Pace Out As Joint Chiefs Chairman
Adm. Mullen Likely New Chairman
POSTED: 12:51 pm EDT June 8, 2007
UPDATED: 3:50 pm EDT June 8, 2007
Gen. Peter Pace, the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is beingreplaced.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made the announcement on Friday.
Gates said he had intended to nominate Pace to a second term, but "theevents of the last several months" -- the developments with the war inIraq -- would have made for a difficult confirmation hearing.
He said that after consulting with senators in both parties, he hadconcluded that "the focus of his confirmation process would have been on thepast and not on the future."
"It would not have been in the best interests of the country," Gates said.
Adm. Michael G. Mullen is the likely nominee to replace Pace, Gates said.
Mullen is a 1968 graduate of the Naval Academy. He has commanded threeships: the USS Noxabee, the USS Goldsborough and the USS Yorktown. He alsocommanded the USS George Washington Battle Group and served as the commanderof U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=12957
Former gay outreach adviser sues DNC
Hitchcock accuses Dean, others of discrimination, retaliation
by JOSHUA LYNSEN | Jun 6, 10:37 AM
A former gay outreach adviser for the Democratic National Committee has suedthe organization, alleging discrimination.
In a lawsuit against the DNC, its chair, Howard Dean and two partyofficials, Donald Hitchcock says he was the target of discrimination,retaliation and defamation during and after his tenure as director of theGay & Lesbian Leadership Council.
The lawsuit was filed April 17 in D.C. Superior Court. Responses were filedMay 31.
Hitchcock, who joined the DNC in June 2005, was fired May 2, 2006. Thetermination came days after Hitchcock's domestic partner, Paul Yandura, alongtime party activist, sent an open letter to gay Democrats saying Deanfailed to adequately defend gay rights.
Yandura's letter, sent in April 2006, criticized Dean and the party for notgetting involved in state ballot measures seeking to ban gay marriage. Italso suggested that gays should temporarily withhold donations to Democrats.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.idahostatesman.com/387/story/86871.html
Twin Falls excludes gays' float from parade
Decision draws praise from Idaho Values Alliance director; group saysmembers feel unwelcomed
Staff and wire reports - Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 06/03/07
A Boise-based family values group on Saturday praised a Twin Falls group'sdecision not to allow a gay and lesbian group to take part in a parade.Bryan Fischer, executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance, said theWestern Days Committee was right to deny a float by the Southern Idaho Gay,Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center.
"The parade organizers are to be commended for recognizing that promotingthe normalization of homosexual behavior is never right for any communitythat believes in the family as the cornerstone of a healthy society,"
Fischer said.
It was the first float to be denied entry into the Western Days parade,which took place Saturday.
The Idaho Equality Exploratory Committee, a statewide network for the gayand lesbian community, said the committee's decision was based on ignoranceand intolerance.
"This is clearly sending a message to GLBT people that they are not welcomein the community," said Andrea Shipley, interim co-coordinator for IEEC.
The group's float consisted of a large Styrofoam centerpiece in the shape ofIdaho, as well as other cutouts in the shape of cowboy boots, chaps andhats. Most of the float was painted with rainbow colors.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=20983
Navy assigns openly-gay sailor to reserves
Friday Jun 8, 2007
The United States Navy has again assigned an openly gay sailor to duty inthe Individual Ready Reserves (IRR), according to paperwork obtained byServicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).
Former Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Knight, a Hebrew linguist recentlydeployed to Kuwait, has been placed on IRR duty until April 2009, despitepublicly 'coming out' in national media outlets and being told he wouldreceive a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" dismissal. Knight's dismissal form, alsocalled a DD-214, again lists his reason for dismissal as 'Completion ofService,' and places him in the IRR. The classification allows him to againbe called to active duty, as he was in 2006 after completing a four-yearenlistment in the Navy. Knight has now served openly during two tours withthe Navy, with the support of his command and colleagues.
"It's a very pleasant, and unexpected, surprise to learn that the Navy sovalues Jason's service that they have again assigned him to the IndividualReady Reserves, despite his very public advocacy as an openly gay man,"Steve Ralls, director of communications for Servicemembers Legal DefenseNetwork (SLDN), told the military newspaper Stars & Stripes in a statement.
"There are clearly many people inside the armed forces who couldn't care
less about sexual orientation. In fact, our national security would be farbetter served if more commands elected to so visibly support their gaytroops. The Navy has welcomed Jason Knight not once, not twice, but now athird time, and he has always answered the call to duty. His story provesthere is no room to question the patriotism, dedication and commitment oflesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans."
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories07/june/0608073.htm
June 8, 2007
Anti-gay campaign is a power grab, says Nigerian activist
by Eric Resnick
Cleveland--An anti-gay campaign in Nigeria is part of the national church'sefforts to grab power and oil wealth in the west African nation, says a gayactivist who is touring the U.S.
Davis Mac-Iyalla, the founder of Changing Attitude Nigeria, visited fourOhio cities in May with a plea for action from the LGBT community inAmerica.
He says his refusal to deny his sexual orientation has put him at odds withthis campaign.
Because he refuses to back down, he says the Nigerian church, led byArchbishop Peter Akinola, has threatened his life.
Akinola leads the effort in the world Anglican Communion to make the U.S.Episcopal Church back away from its pro-gay positions or be thrown out ofthe worldwide church.
Akinola fomented the worldwide controversy around the election of the RightRev. V. Gene Robinson as the bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. Robinson isopenly gay and non-celibate.
"Once gays and lesbians get a voice," said Mac-Iyalla, "it will be harderfor the church to control the population [of Nigeria]," which he says is thereal danger his public declarations pose.
It is that control, according to Mac-Iyalla, which allows the NigerianAnglican Church, the government, and the oil companies doing business thereto do "back door deals" from which they all benefit at the expense of thepeople.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.truthwinsout.org/uncategorized/david-gergen-holsinger-nomination-raises-question-of-ideology-over-competence/#more-187
HOLSINGER UPDATE: SEN. OBAMA ISSUES A STATEMENT
June 7th, 2007
Senator Obama (D-IL) released the following statement Thursday morning.
"America's top doctor should be a doctor for all Americans, and so I haveserious reservations about nominating someone who would inject his ownanti-gay ideology into critical decisions about the health and well-being ofour nation."
"As with other nominees, I will listen to the testimony of Dr. JamesHolsinger, but this Administration must know that the United States SurgeonGeneral's office is no place for bigotry or ideology that would trump soundscience and good judgment," Obama's statement continued.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070607gay-lawyers-story,0,5667399.story?coll=chi-bizfront-hed
Gay lawyers come out as clients demand more diversity
By Cynthia Cotts
Bloomberg News
Published June 7, 2007, 11:01 AM CDT
When Coco Soodek, a corporate lawyer in the Chicago office of Bryan CaveLLP, was promoted to partner in 2005, the firm invited all the new partnersto dinner at its St. Louis headquarters.
Soodek, 36, was encouraged to bring her companion, Roxanne Saylor, 37. Thecouple was seated by the wife of the firm's chairman, and the partners'spouses were asked to stand.
"If I had one toe left in the closet, they made me take it out," Soodeksays. "There was no going back."
Soodek's experience may be approaching the norm for gays and lesbians atprominent U.S. law firms, which compete to hire lawyers of diverse ethnicbackgrounds, gender and sexual orientation.
"Today, elite law firms are behaving as good elites should," says KeithWetmore, 50, a gay lawyer who is chairman of the San Francisco-based firmMorrison & Foerster LLP. "They've become culturally sensitive."
The number of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered lawyersincreased by more than 50 percent from 2002 to 2006, according to theNational Association for Law Placement.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.alternet.org/rights/52648/
The Expensive Failure of Abstinence Education
By Amy DePaul, AlterNet
Posted on May 31, 2007, Printed on June 8, 2007
Last month's resignation of Wade Horn, former assistant secretary at theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services and point man for conservativesocial policy, came just as support was crumbling and mistrust mounting fora costly and, many would argue, unsuccessful initiative -- abstinenceeducation.
"At this point we've spent more than a billion dollars on this program thatwas never proven in the first place," said Heather Boonstra, public policyanalyst at the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organizationspecializing in reproductive health issues.
Horn left government in early April for a private-sector position atDeloitte Consulting LLP after heading the Administration for ChildrenandFamilies (ACF), a division of HHS. There, Horn shepherded a host ofcontentious initiatives, for example: marriage promotion for poor women asan anti-poverty strategy, reduced access to higher education for welfarerecipients, standardized testing of low-income preschoolers, programs tostrengthen fatherhood by pushing matrimony and relationship skills, andchastity for 19- to 29-year-olds.
Many of these policies had come under fire over the years from members ofCongress, feminists and advocates of low-income families -- increasingly soin Horn's final months at HHS.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Action Alert: United States: IGLHRC Supports the 3rd Annual Trans Day ofAction for Social & Economic Justice
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) joins theTransJustice Initiative of the Audre Lorde Project (The Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Centerfor Community Organizing) to observe June 22, 2007 as the 3rd Annual TransDay of Action for Social & Economic Justice in New York City. On this day,Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) People of Color and their allies willtake to the streets of New York City to demand justice and work togethertowards dismantling the transphobia, racism, classism, sexism, ageism,homophobia and xenophobia that permeates throughout our movements for socialjustice. IGLHRC asks its members and supporters to hold similar events indifferent cities and countries to highlight the ongoing struggle of thetransgender community for equality and justice.
To mark the occasion, the TransJustice of the Audre Lorde Project has issuedthe points of unity, which hold together the purpose of this importantmarch. This eight-point statement calls for:
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2007
Brad Luna | Phone: 202/216.1514 | Cell: 202/812.8140
Christopher Johnson | Phone: 202/216.1580 | Cell: 202/716.1628
Human Rights Campaign Launches National Tour to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don'tTell"
June 12th Iowa Kick-Off Brings Issue to '08 Caucus State; Features FirstU.S. Troop Injured in Iraq War, Other Veterans
WASHINGTON - With an eye towards the Iowa caucuses in January that willofficially mark the start of the 2008 presidential elections, the HumanRights Campaign, the nation's largest gay civil rights organization, willbegin its national "A Legacy of Service" tour against the military's "Don'tAsk, Don't Ban" policy in Des Moines, Iowa on June 12.
"A Legacy of Service" national tour features the voices of a diverse groupof veterans who have served under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"policy. The tour will feature former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, the firstUS troop wounded in Iraq, along with many other American heroes standingunited and speaking out for the repeal of this discriminatory policy thatcontinues to harm our nation's security.
"This national tour will show the faces of those who have served andsacrificed under this discriminatory policy," said Human Rights CampaignPresident Joe Solmonese. "The American people have already overwhelminglydecided that our military should be about service and not about holding onto policies that dishonor our troops."
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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/world/americas/09castro.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
The Saturday Profile
A Castro Strives to Open Cuban Society's Opinions on Sex
By MARC LACEY
HAVANA
TWENTY or so transsexuals sat in a circle recently discussing their woes:harassment, boyfriend troubles, the challenge of removing hair from theirlegs. Empathizing with them was Mariela Castro Espín, Cuba's premiersexologist.
"I know, I know," she said, putting her hand on one of her own legs to showshe could relate.
Then the conversation took an interesting turn. The transsexuals, who arereceiving training as AIDS counselors at the National Center for SexualEducation, which Ms. Castro directs, brought up sexual liaisons some of themhad had with soldiers. Maybe counseling in the barracks was needed, thetranssexuals said.
Ms. Castro smiled, raised her eyebrows but did not dismiss the suggestionout of hand. Homosexuality is illegal in Cuba's military. In fact, someCubans have avoided military service altogether by claiming to be gay.
Making the proposal even more delicate, everyone in the circle knows, is thefact that Ms. Castro, 44, is the daughter of Raúl Castro, the commander ofCuba's armed forces and, with the recent health problems of his brother,Fidel, the temporary leader of the government.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/sports/othersports/09griffith.html?pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
Ex-Champion Is Prepared to Join March
By AIMEE BERG
Emile Griffith will ride in the parade of champions at the InternationalBoxing Hall of Fame induction tomorrow in Canastota, N.Y., as he has donealmost every year since he was enshrined in 1990.
But on June 24, Griffith is committed to doing something he has never done:participate in the Gay Pride march down Fifth Avenue. As a guest of theStonewall Veterans' Association, his car will appear toward the front of theprocession.
Although Griffith is the vice president of the association, he has neversaid unequivocally that he was gay. But he has come close. On thoseoccasions, however, the question was asked directly, putting him in anuncomfortable situation.
But Sunday at his home in Hempstead on Long Island, the 69-year-old Griffithwas in an expansive mood during a two-hour interview. His concentrationlapsed occasionally and his memory often failed - the effect of 112professional fights over 20 years and a brutal mugging in 1992 - but heeasily remembered the distinction between the boxing and gay subcultures,and how he managed to navigate between them while he was in his prime.
"My fights came first," he said. "But when I had my free time, sometimes I'dmake up my mind to go to gay clubs."
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/us/09beliefs.html?pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
Beliefs
A Tentative First Step in Addressing Faith and Politics
By PETER STEINFELS
Almost a century ago, G. K. Chesterton made a comment that could mostappropriately be applied to Monday night's forum at which leading Democraticpresidential candidates discussed faith and politics: anything worth doing"is worth doing badly."
The purpose of the forum, organized by the liberal evangelical journalSojourners and broadcast on CNN, was to hear what Democratic contendersmight say about religion and whether they might convincingly enlarge thelist of religious and moral (or "values") questions to include topics likepoverty, war and the environment rather than only those emphasized by thereligious right.
Not a bad idea. Clearly, the nation and first of all the Democrats could usea better, broader, more sophisticated conversation about religion andpolitics.
Yet it is hard to imagine anyone serious about either of these subjectswatching Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Barack Obama and formerSenator John Edwards on Monday without cringing at some of the questions orchafing at some of the speechifying and the general absence of intelligentfollow-up.
Same for the subsequent interviews by Paula Zahn of CNN of the next tier ofDemocratic candidates - Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, Gov. BillRichardson of New Mexico, Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut andRepresentative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio - all of them Roman Catholics andtherefore subject to obligatory questions about abortion, gay rights and howthey stood these days with the pope.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/washington/09military.html?pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
Chairman of Joint Chiefs Will Not Be Reappointed
By THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON, June 8 - The Bush administration said Friday that it would notreappoint Gen. Peter Pace to a second term as chairman of the Joint Chiefsof Staff, making him the highest-ranking officer to be a political casualtyof the fight over Iraq.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the decision was reached in order toavoid bitter hearings in a Democratic-controlled Senate that is alreadyconfronting the White House over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I have decided that at this moment in our history, the nation, our men andwomen in uniform, and General Pace himself would not be well-served by adivisive ordeal in selecting the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Mr. Gates said.
The defense secretary stood alone at a Pentagon podium in making theannouncement, and he spoke in somber tones in describing how he fully hadintended to recommend General Pace be offered a second two-year term aschairman, only to change his mind over the last few weeks after consultingwith senior senators of both parties.
Mr. Gates said he would recommend that President Bush appoint Adm. MichaelG. Mullen, the chief of naval operations, to serve as the next chairman. Thedefense secretary praised Admiral Mullen as a man of "vision, strategicinsight, experience and integrity."
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/washington/09surgeon.html?pagewanted=print
June 9, 2007
Surgeon General Nominee Is Assailed for Church Role
By NEELA BANERJEE
WASHINGTON, June 8 - President Bush's nomination of Dr. James W. HolsingerJr., a Kentucky cardiologist, to be surgeon general is drawing criticismfrom gay rights groups, physicians and lawmakers who say they are troubledby opinions critical of homosexuality that Dr. Holsinger has voiced innearly 20 years as a high-ranking layman in the United Methodist Church.
Dr. Holsinger's friends within the United Methodist Church and the medicalcommunity, however, are defending him as a professional who does notdiscriminate against people in his congregation or in his care.
The critics said they were worried that Dr. Holsinger might not serve gaymen and lesbians fairly as surgeon general, the nation's chief healtheducator, largely because of a report he wrote in 1991 for a UnitedMethodist committee that essentially described male homosexuality asunnatural.
They also point to his service on the board of a Methodist group that in1998 criticized the "radical homosexual/lesbian lobby" for trying to forcethe church "to grant approval to the practice of homosexuality."
Critics have also cited Dr. Holsinger's leadership of the Judicial Councilof the United Methodist Church, the denomination's highest court, which inlate 2005 decided to reinstate a pastor who had been suspended for refusingto allow a gay man to join his congregation, a decision the church's bishopslater rejected.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802463.html
IN BRIEF
Saturday, June 9, 2007; Page B09
CONSERVATIVE AFFILIATION
Pa. Presbyterian Church Breaks Away
In a move emblematic of mainline Protestant divisions over sexuality,
members of the largest church in the Pittsburgh Presbytery voted to leavethe Presbyterian Church (USA) and join a smaller, more conservativedenomination.
At a congregational meeting, 951 members of Memorial Park PresbyterianChurch in McCandless Township, Pa., voted to be affiliated with theEvangelical Presbyterian Church. Fifty-two percent, or 761 members, of the1,450-member congregation needed to approve the plan.
Memorial Park church officials said last month they were concerned about thenational denomination's move away from traditional doctrines concerning theHoly Trinity and the authority of the Bible and about the denomination'sincreasingly liberal views on gay ordination.
-- Associated Press
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802657_pf.html
Capital Pride Takes to the Streets
Saturday, June 9, 2007; C12
The 32nd annual Capital Pride festival has been filling the city's venuesall week with dances, the Mr. and Ms. competitions, concerts anddiscussions.
But today marks the start of some of the most notable events, the PrideParade included. The annual parade steps off at 23rd and P streets NW, headsaround Dupont Circle, before returning to P and wrapping up at ThomasCircle. Free. 6:30 p.m.
Stationery shop and gallery Pulp will host a show of photographs by artistFrank Muzzy timed for Pride Week. Muzzy generally takes architectural photosof Washington and Paris and has documented the gay history of this city, butthis time around he turns his lens to suggestive subject matter. He calls it"flesh photography." Free. Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 11-5through Sept. 9. 1803 14th St. NW. 202-462-7857.
The dance party Collision at Love will be where it's at tonight. TheLGBT-friendly bash will feature DJs Steve Henderson, John Mank, Ting, Kosand others. $20; free till 10 p.m. 1350 Okie St. NE. (21 and older only).202-636-9030.
The last major event of Pride Week is tomorrow's street festival. The festfeatures vendors and groups including the newly renamed Ganymede Arts(formerly Actors' Theatre of Washington) and the Peace Corps. Free. 11a.m.-6 p.m. Pennsylvania Avenue between Third and Seventh streets NW.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060802470_pf.html
What Al Wishes Abe Said
By Andrew Ferguson
Sunday, June 10, 2007; B05
You can't really blame Al Gore for not using footnotes in his new book, "TheAssault on Reason." It's a sprawling, untidy blast of indignation, andannotating it with footnotes would be like trying to slip rubber bandsaround a puddle of quicksilver. Still, I'd love to know where he found thescary quote from Abraham Lincoln that he uses on page 88.
In a chapter entitled "The Politics of Wealth," Gore argues that the ancientthreat to democracy posed by rich people run amok has finally been realizedunder the man who beat him in the 2000 presidential race. Even Lincoln, Goresays, saw the age of Bush coming in 1864: "I see in the near future a crisisapproaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of mycountry. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an eraof corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the countrywill endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of thepeople until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic isdestroyed."
The quote is a favorite of liberal bloggers, which is probably how Gore cameacross it. And as a description of how many on the left see the countryseven years into their Bush nightmare, it's pretty much perfect.
Too perfect, in fact. If you're familiar with Lincoln's distinctive way ofexpressing himself, you'll hear the false notes the passage strikes. For onething, Lincoln just wasn't the "trembling" kind -- or if he was, he kept histrembling to himself. Words such as "enthroned" and "aggregated" are a bittoo fancy for his plain, unclotted prose, and the phrase "money power"suggests a conspiratorial turn of mind that would have been foreign to him.Indeed, these words don't show up anywhere else in "The Collected Works ofAbraham Lincoln" (which, thanks to Gore's Internet, are now searchable athttp://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/).
Moreover, the point of the passage is very un-Lincolnian. A corporate lawyerwhose long and cunning labor on behalf of the railroads earned him acomfortable income, Lincoln was a vigorous champion of market capitalism,even when it drifted (as it tends to do) toward large concentrations ofwealth. Many of his administration's signal initiatives -- thetranscontinental railroad, for example -- amounted to what liberals todaywould condemn as "corporate welfare." Lots of speculators got rich underLincoln, as Gore notes. As Gore does not note, Lincoln seemed not to haveminded.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060800733_pf.html
Gay Programming Steps Out On Satellite and Digital
By Marc Fisher
Sunday, June 10, 2007; N07
Acaller rings up the "Derek and Romaine" show for some frank advice. The mansays he'd had a random sexual encounter with a stranger and they got totalking and it turned out that the partners were cousins.
The question: "Can I marry him?"
"Honestly, I think you can," says Derek Hartley, co-host of the frisky,freewheeling talk show that airs on Sirius Satellite Radio's OutQ, the firstamong several new radio outlets dedicated to programming for a gay audience.
Hartley -- a former movie reviewer from Fredericksburg who came to radiofrom a gay Web site -- and Romaine Patterson -- an activist who startedworking with gay political groups after her close friend Matthew Shepard waskilled in an anti-gay attack in 1998Ö -- offer a distinctly different brandof radio. Their nightly show features segments such as "ShockingConfessions," when callers tell stories absolutely none of which can berelated in a family newspaper, or "What's Your Gay Problem?," when the hostsdispense relationships advice that would result in an instant loss oflicense on old-fashioned broadcast radio.
But OutQ is not just about pushing the boundaries of what can be said on theradio. The channel, which launched in 2003 as radio's first all-gayprogramming stream, includes hourly reports of news for and about gays,Broadway show tunes, dance club music, a talk show with MichelangeloSignorile and a celebrity-oriented morning show.
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/548/v-print/story/133922.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Nationally recognized gay library is relocating
BY ROBBYN MITCHELL
One of the nation's largest libraries of gay and lesbian literature --forced to find a new home after its building in Fort Lauderdale was boughtby a condominium developer -- is packing up its 18,000 books and othercollections for the third time in its history.
Pending approval by the County Commission, the Stonewall Library andArchives, now housed in the Gay and Lesbian Community Center on NorthAndrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, will move its massive collection to a4,200-square-foot space in the Fort Lauderdale Branch of the Broward CountyLibrary at 1300 E. Sunrise Blvd. by the end of the year.
The Stonewall, which boasts the largest collection of written words aboutgays and lesbians in the Southeastern United States, had its beginnings 34years ago in Hollywood, where a teenager began collecting books to help himunderstand his homosexuality. Mark Silber later formed a group named GayCommunity Services of Broward County and offered to lend his books to othermembers of the gay community.
Eventually, the collection was named Stonewall, after the 1969 Stonewall Innriots spawned by oppressive police tactics in New York City's GreenwichVillage that marked the beginning of modern gay rights movement.
Today, the library is an important resource, not only for the local gay andlesbian community but for writers, scholars and researchers across thenation. Each year, the library gets nearly 9,000 visitors.
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/889/v-print/story/133168.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Pentagon shifts course, Gen. Pace out
By LOLITA BALDOR
Bitter divisions over the Iraq war, particularly on Capitol Hill, led theBush administration to change course and replace Gen. Peter Pace as chairmanof the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a grim Defense Secretary Robert Gates saidFriday.
Gates said that despite earlier plans to recommend Pace for a secondtwo-year term as chairman, he instead was recommending Adm. Mike Mullen,currently chief of naval operations, to take over when Pace's term expiresSept. 30. President Bush accepted the recommendation.
"I think that the events of the last several months have simply created anenvironment in which I think there would be a confirmation process thatwould not be in the best interests of the country," Gates said. "I wish itwere not necessary to make a decision like this. But I think it's arealistic appraisal of where we are."
Bush praised Pace, saying he has "relied on his unvarnished militaryjudgment, and I value his candor, his integrity, and his friendship."
"Pete's job has been to help ensure that America's military forces areprepared to meet the threats of this new century," Bush said in a statementissued in Rome, where he is visiting. "This is a difficult task in a time ofpeace. Pete Pace has done it in a time of war - and he has done itsuperbly."
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/v-print/story/132761.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Gay rights debate rages on 30 years after Miami-Dade challenge
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
Thirty years ago, most people didn't think about gay rights, much lessdiscuss the issue in public.
A 1977 battle in Miami-Dade County between two local mothers changed allthat, launching both the modern public debate about homosexuality and theemergence of politically powerful Christian conservatives.
While voters cast a decisive ''no'' vote for gay rights 30 years ago thisweek, the discussion triggered by the divisive debate -- which ended thefriendship between singing star Anita Bryant and then-Miami-DadeCommissioner Ruth Shack -- has not ceased.
''It was the beginning of two movements, the Christian Coalition and gayrights,'' Shack now says.
''Prior to this, there was very little meaningful discussion outside the gaycommunity about gay rights,'' said Fred Fejes, a Florida Atlantic Universitycommunications professor who is writing an academic book, Moral Panic: TheOrigin of the American Debate on Gay Rights.
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/v-print/story/132766.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Anita's ex paid dearly in the fight
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
Since the 1977 gay-rights referendum, life has not been good for Bob Green.Anita Bryant divorced the one-time rock 'n' roll disc jockey three yearslater and she left South Florida for good.
Green lives alone in a Miami Beach home a few blocks from where the famouscouple lived with their four children on North Bay Road.
''I jog past the house and I say I wish I was back there in the good olddays,'' said Green, 76. ``I used to jog on North Bay Road and cry all theway. I don't have any friends. I have my family and people in theneighborhood. I'm kind of like a hermit. I'm not antisocial. It's just theway I've become.
When Green and Bryant married in 1960, they had a bright future. He was apopular South Florida radio and television personality; she was a formerMiss Oklahoma and runner-up to 1959 Miss America, Mary Ann Mobley.
Bryant, with a powerful singing voice, already had a hit record, Till ThereWas You from Broadway's The Music Man.
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/v-print/story/132765.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
She kept her life to herself
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
On April 17, 1977, The Miami Herald profiled a lesbian schoolteacher whosaid that only two people at work knew her secret. ''I live in terror thatsomeone will learn I'm gay,'' said the teacher, identified as ``Eleanor.''Thirty years later, she's unafraid.
''I didn't use my name. I already had plenty of flack,'' reveals EddaCimino, who retired in 1995. ``Teachers were trashing gays and lesbians inthe teacher's lounge. They were telling dirty jokes about gays and lesbians.. . . We got death threats on the phone.''
Then, she had enough. ``It was harder to be in the closet than out, Ifinally decided.''
Cimino said she got tired of going to school and hearing the dirty jokes:
``One day, I walked into the lounge and said, `I know you don't mean to hurtmy feelings, but I want you to know I am gay and please don't use thoseremarks when I'm in here.''
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/v-print/story/132764.html
Posted on Sat, Jun. 09, 2007
Growing up gay in the storm
BY STEVE ROTHAUS
Damian Pardo vividly remembers spring 1977.
''I was 13 and I knew I was gay,'' said Pardo, now a senior financialadvisor at Merrill Lynch and longtime Miami-Dade activist. ``I had neverdiscussed it with anyone, but I certainly was aware of it.
Until then, no one had talked about homosexuality in Pardo's Coral Gableshome.
''Before Anita Bryant? Never!'' he said. ``I thought I was the only one.''
During the campaign, Pardo recalls, there was a ``consistent battering inthe press about homosexuals and gays.''
''It was all about stereotypes,'' he says. 'I remember it vividly, the `SaveOur Children' theme. It was implicit that homosexuals were pedophiles andcriminals. They were creating this image, the same way it was done duringthe Nazi era. They created monsters.''
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The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid45870.asp
June 09, 2007
Lesbian activist's archives destroyed in fire
A fire burned through a Washington, D.C., lesbian activist's home,potentially destroying significant portions of her archives of local gayhistory, The Washington Blade reported Wednesday.
Cheryl Spector was at work when she discovered that an electrical fire hadbegun in her apartment, severely damaging her place and putting her years ofarchives in danger.
"I don't know what I've lost," Spector said to the Blade. She explained shewould need the community's help to assess the damage. "We have to go pictureby picture, photo album by photo album."
Spector has been an activist for lesbian rights and AIDS awareness foralmost 20 years. She became involved in advocacy shortly after her brother's1986 suicide following his AIDS diagnosis.
In an article published a month ago by the Blade, her apartment wasdescribed as "crammed with videos, photos, and memorabilia of gay eventsthat she has attended, planned, and founded over the years."
"You could fill half a museum just with what's in my apartment," Spectorsaid at the time. (The Advocate)
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The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid45827.asp
June 07, 2007
The Hallmark hullabaloo
While shopping for a Father's Day card, an Advocate reader found aparticularly offensive card made by Hallmark. So we contacted the greetingcard company to find out what gives.
By Michelle Garcia
When an Advocate reader was shopping for a Father's Day card, he came acrossone greeting he thought highly offensive.
The cover of the card featured a photo of an idyllic, upscale picnic spread:plaid blanket, wicker basket, a bottle of wine and two glasses, a round ofbread, a fruit plate. Above the photo, the card read, "Dad, how about aFather's Day picnic?" The punch line inside: "Too queer? Yeah, I thought sotoo."
The reader said that he saw the card in two separate supermarkets andcomplained both times to store managers. But his greatest disappointment wasin the card company.
"Hallmark has long marketed its products with the slogan 'When you careenough to send the very best,' " he said via e-mail. "For my money, 'thevery best' does not include the use of slurs against a part of the company'scustomer base."
The Advocate brought this card to the attention of Hallmark's media liaison,Deidre Parkes, who said that the company would pull the cards from shelvesimmediately.
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/060807g8.htm
G8 OKs $60 Billion African AIDS Package
by The Associated Press
Posted: June 8, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET
(Kuehlungsborn, Germany) Members of the Group of Eight have agreed on aprogram worth more than US$60 billion to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS inAfrica, Germany's development minister said Friday.
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul made the announcement on state ZDF televisionbefore G-8 leaders sat down with African and international officials todiscuss African issues.
Wieczorek-Zeul said the money was earmarked for fighting malaria andtuberculosis, as well as HIV/AIDS and about half of it would come from theUnited States, with Germany contributing US$5.4 billion between now and2015.
``The situation (in Africa) is simply so dramatic,'' she said in Berlin.
Proponents of debt relief in Africa and other social activists havecriticized the world's leading industrial nations for failing to live up topromises made two years ago at the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/060807india.htm
India Downsizes Number With HIV/AIDS
by The Associated Press
Posted: June 8, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET
(New Delhi) The number of Indians infected with HIV is far smaller thanpreviously believed, according to new data that appears to vindicate criticswho said earlier U.N. assessments of the country's epidemic were vastlyoverestimated.
Experts say the still-unreleased survey is likely to show that India'snumber of HIV cases, which last year was said to be the highest in the worldat 5.7 million, is actually well below that mark.
"The actual number we've come up with in aggregate is likely to be lower,and perhaps substantially lower," said Ashok Alexander, director of theAvahan, the Indian program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, whichhelped fund the study.
Alexander declined to estimate what the new number would be, saying the datais still being analyzed and precise numbers would not be released for a fewmore weeks.
The new estimate comes from combining data collected from prenatal clinics;a survey of high-risk groups, such as sex workers; and from the government'sNational Family Health Survey - a method Alexander said was more reliablethan the previous estimates, which relied largely on extrapolating from theprenatal clinic data.
=
365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/06/060807nsmurd.htm
Man Accused Of Canadian Gay Killings Appears In Court For NY Murder
by The Canadian Press
Posted: June 8, 2007 - 7:00 pm ET
(Mooers, New York) A 26-year-old Canadian has pleaded not guilty in thedeath of a man who was found at a remote hunting camp in northern New York.
Glen Douglas Race of Dartmouth, N.S., was charged with second-degree murderin the death of Darcy Manor. He was also charged with fourth-degree criminalpossession of stolen property _ a .44-calibre rifle that was stolen from thescene in Mooers where Manor was found dead.
Believed to be the murder weapon, the rifle was found in Race's possessionwhen he was arrested in Texas near the Mexican border.
About 60 people, many of them Manor's relatives, were in court as thediminutive Canadian was led in wearing a white shirt, jeans, sneakerswithout laces, and a white hooded mask that had fine netting over the eyesso he could see.
Andrew Wylie, the prosecuting district attorney, said Race was forced towear the mask after spitting on an officer as he was being booked by NewYork State police shortly after his arrival from Texas, where he wasarrested May 15 near the Mexican border.
=
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, (June 8, 2007)
Contact:?Brian Winfield, Communications Director, (727) 488-7799
Largo Apologizes for Arrest and Mistreatment of Nadine Smith
(Largo) The Largo City Commission has issued a formal public apology toEquality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith for her unprovoked andunnecessarily violent arrest at the February 27th commission hearing where amajority of commissioners voted to fire City Manager because she istransgender.
Acting City Manager, Mac Craig, read the formal apology during the June 5thcommission hearing, referring to the incident as ?regrettable,? and saying,?We wish it would not have happened.? Earlier in the week, Craig contactedNadine to inform her that the apology would be forthcoming.
?The city's apology is a welcome first step toward ensuring that thisdoesn't happen again,? said Brian Winfield, communications director forEquality Florida.
Nadine was arrested for handing a ?Don?t Discriminate? flyer to someone whoasked for it.? The arrest, captured by a photographer and witnessed bydozens sparked a national outcry from civil rights leaders and organizationsacross the state and nation.?
The ACLU defended Nadine against the felony criminal charge, which the StateAttorney later refused to pursue.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13468447/detail.html?treets=bos&tml=bos_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=bos_natlbreak_1_12090106082007
Pace Out As Joint Chiefs Chairman
Adm. Mullen Likely New Chairman
POSTED: 12:51 pm EDT June 8, 2007
UPDATED: 3:50 pm EDT June 8, 2007
Gen. Peter Pace, the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is beingreplaced.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made the announcement on Friday.
Gates said he had intended to nominate Pace to a second term, but "theevents of the last several months" -- the developments with the war inIraq -- would have made for a difficult confirmation hearing.
He said that after consulting with senators in both parties, he hadconcluded that "the focus of his confirmation process would have been on thepast and not on the future."
"It would not have been in the best interests of the country," Gates said.
Adm. Michael G. Mullen is the likely nominee to replace Pace, Gates said.
Mullen is a 1968 graduate of the Naval Academy. He has commanded threeships: the USS Noxabee, the USS Goldsborough and the USS Yorktown. He alsocommanded the USS George Washington Battle Group and served as the commanderof U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=12957
Former gay outreach adviser sues DNC
Hitchcock accuses Dean, others of discrimination, retaliation
by JOSHUA LYNSEN | Jun 6, 10:37 AM
A former gay outreach adviser for the Democratic National Committee has suedthe organization, alleging discrimination.
In a lawsuit against the DNC, its chair, Howard Dean and two partyofficials, Donald Hitchcock says he was the target of discrimination,retaliation and defamation during and after his tenure as director of theGay & Lesbian Leadership Council.
The lawsuit was filed April 17 in D.C. Superior Court. Responses were filedMay 31.
Hitchcock, who joined the DNC in June 2005, was fired May 2, 2006. Thetermination came days after Hitchcock's domestic partner, Paul Yandura, alongtime party activist, sent an open letter to gay Democrats saying Deanfailed to adequately defend gay rights.
Yandura's letter, sent in April 2006, criticized Dean and the party for notgetting involved in state ballot measures seeking to ban gay marriage. Italso suggested that gays should temporarily withhold donations to Democrats.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.idahostatesman.com/387/story/86871.html
Twin Falls excludes gays' float from parade
Decision draws praise from Idaho Values Alliance director; group saysmembers feel unwelcomed
Staff and wire reports - Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 06/03/07
A Boise-based family values group on Saturday praised a Twin Falls group'sdecision not to allow a gay and lesbian group to take part in a parade.Bryan Fischer, executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance, said theWestern Days Committee was right to deny a float by the Southern Idaho Gay,Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center.
"The parade organizers are to be commended for recognizing that promotingthe normalization of homosexual behavior is never right for any communitythat believes in the family as the cornerstone of a healthy society,"Fischer said.
It was the first float to be denied entry into the Western Days parade,which took place Saturday.
The Idaho Equality Exploratory Committee, a statewide network for the gayand lesbian community, said the committee's decision was based on ignoranceand intolerance.
"This is clearly sending a message to GLBT people that they are not welcomein the community," said Andrea Shipley, interim co-coordinator for IEEC.
The group's float consisted of a large Styrofoam centerpiece in the shape ofIdaho, as well as other cutouts in the shape of cowboy boots, chaps andhats. Most of the float was painted with rainbow colors.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=20983
Navy assigns openly-gay sailor to reserves
Friday Jun 8, 2007
The United States Navy has again assigned an openly gay sailor to duty inthe Individual Ready Reserves (IRR), according to paperwork obtained yServicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).
Former Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Knight, a Hebrew linguist recentlydeployed to Kuwait, has been placed on IRR duty until April 2009, despitepublicly 'coming out' in national media outlets and being told he wouldreceive a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" dismissal. Knight's dismissal form, alsocalled a DD-214, again lists his reason for dismissal as 'Completion ofService,' and places him in the IRR. The classification allows him to againbe called to active duty, as he was in 2006 after completing a four-yearenlistment in the Navy. Knight has now served openly during two tours withthe Navy, with the support of his command and colleagues.
"It's a very pleasant, and unexpected, surprise to learn that the Navy sovalues Jason's service that they have again assigned him to the IndividualReady Reserves, despite his very public advocacy as an openly gay man,"Steve Ralls, director of communications for Servicemembers Legal DefenseNetwork (SLDN), told the military newspaper Stars & Stripes in a statement.
"There are clearly many people inside the armed forces who couldn't careless about sexual orientation. In fact, our national security would be farbetter served if more commands elected to so visibly support their gaytroops. The Navy has welcomed Jason Knight not once, not twice, but now athird time, and he has always answered the call to duty. His story provesthere is no room to question the patriotism, dedication and commitment oflesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans."
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories07/june/0608073.htm
June 8, 2007
Anti-gay campaign is a power grab, says Nigerian activist
by Eric Resnick
Cleveland--An anti-gay campaign in Nigeria is part of the national church'sefforts to grab power and oil wealth in the west African nation, says a gayactivist who is touring the U.S.
Davis Mac-Iyalla, the founder of Changing Attitude Nigeria, visited fourOhio cities in May with a plea for action from the LGBT community inAmerica.
He says his refusal to deny his sexual orientation has put him at odds withthis campaign.
Because he refuses to back down, he says the Nigerian church, led byArchbishop Peter Akinola, has threatened his life.
Akinola leads the effort in the world Anglican Communion to make the U.S.Episcopal Church back away from its pro-gay positions or be thrown out ofthe worldwide church.
Akinola fomented the worldwide controversy around the election of the RightRev. V. Gene Robinson as the bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. Robinson isopenly gay and non-celibate.
"Once gays and lesbians get a voice," said Mac-Iyalla, "it will be harderfor the church to control the population [of Nigeria]," which he says is thereal danger his public declarations pose.
It is that control, according to Mac-Iyalla, which allows the NigerianAnglican Church, the government, and the oil companies doing business thereto do "back door deals" from which they all benefit at the expense of thepeople.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.truthwinsout.org/uncategorized/david-gergen-holsinger-nomination-raises-question-of-ideology-over-competence/#more-187
HOLSINGER UPDATE: SEN. OBAMA ISSUES A STATEMENT
June 7th, 2007
Senator Obama (D-IL) released the following statement Thursday morning.
"America's top doctor should be a doctor for all Americans, and so I haveserious reservations about nominating someone who would inject his ownanti-gay ideology into critical decisions about the health and well-being ofour nation."
"As with other nominees, I will listen to the testimony of Dr. JamesHolsinger, but this Administration must know that the United States SurgeonGeneral's office is no place for bigotry or ideology that would trump soundscience and good judgment," Obama's statement continued.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070607gay-lawyers-story,0,5667399.story?coll=chi-bizfront-hed
Gay lawyers come out as clients demand more diversity
By Cynthia Cotts
Bloomberg News
Published June 7, 2007, 11:01 AM CDT
When Coco Soodek, a corporate lawyer in the Chicago office of Bryan CaveLLP, was promoted to partner in 2005, the firm invited all the new partnersto dinner at its St. Louis headquarters.
Soodek, 36, was encouraged to bring her companion, Roxanne Saylor, 37. Thecouple was seated by the wife of the firm's chairman, and the partners'spouses were asked to stand.
"If I had one toe left in the closet, they made me take it out," Soodeksays. "There was no going back."
Soodek's experience may be approaching the norm for gays and lesbians atprominent U.S. law firms, which compete to hire lawyers of diverse ethnicbackgrounds, gender and sexual orientation.
"Today, elite law firms are behaving as good elites should," says KeithWetmore, 50, a gay lawyer who is chairman of the San Francisco-based firmMorrison & Foerster LLP. "They've become culturally sensitive."
The number of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered lawyersincreased by more than 50 percent from 2002 to 2006, according to theNational Association for Law Placement.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.alternet.org/rights/52648/
The Expensive Failure of Abstinence Education
By Amy DePaul, AlterNet
Posted on May 31, 2007, Printed on June 8, 2007
Last month's resignation of Wade Horn, former assistant secretary at theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services and point man for conservativesocial policy, came just as support was crumbling and mistrust mounting fora costly and, many would argue, unsuccessful initiative -- abstinenceeducation.
"At this point we've spent more than a billion dollars on this program thatwas never proven in the first place," said Heather Boonstra, public policyanalyst at the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organizationspecializing in reproductive health issues.
Horn left government in early April for a private-sector position atDeloitte Consulting LLP after heading the Administration for ChildrenandFamilies (ACF), a division of HHS. There, Horn shepherded a host ofcontentious initiatives, for example: marriage promotion for poor women asan anti-poverty strategy, reduced access to higher education for welfarerecipients, standardized testing of low-income preschoolers, programs tostrengthen fatherhood by pushing matrimony and relationship skills, andchastity for 19- to 29-year-olds.
Many of these policies had come under fire over the years from members ofCongress, feminists and advocates of low-income families -- increasingly soin Horn's final months at HHS.
=
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, (June 8, 2007)
Contact:?Brian Winfield, Communications Director, (727) 488-7799
Largo Apologizes for Arrest and Mistreatment of Nadine Smith
(Largo) The Largo City Commission has issued a formal public apology toEquality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith for her unprovoked andunnecessarily violent arrest at the February 27th commission hearing where amajority of commissioners voted to fire City Manager because she istransgender.
Acting City Manager, Mac Craig, read the formal apology during the June 5thcommission hearing, referring to the incident as ?regrettable,? and saying,?We wish it would not have happened.? Earlier in the week, Craig contactedNadine to inform her that the apology would be forthcoming.
?The city's apology is a welcome first step toward ensuring that thisdoesn't happen again,? said Brian Winfield, communications director forEquality Florida.
Nadine was arrested for handing a ?Don?t Discriminate? flyer to someone whoasked for it.? The arrest, captured by a photographer and witnessed bydozens sparked a national outcry from civil rights leaders and organizationsacross the state and nation.?
The ACLU defended Nadine against the felony criminal charge, which the StateAttorney later refused to pursue.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/13468447/detail.html?treets=bos&tml=bos_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=bos_natlbreak_1_12090106082007
Pace Out As Joint Chiefs Chairman
Adm. Mullen Likely New Chairman
POSTED: 12:51 pm EDT June 8, 2007
UPDATED: 3:50 pm EDT June 8, 2007
Gen. Peter Pace, the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is beingreplaced.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made the announcement on Friday.
Gates said he had intended to nominate Pace to a second term, but "theevents of the last several months" -- the developments with the war inIraq -- would have made for a difficult confirmation hearing.
He said that after consulting with senators in both parties, he hadconcluded that "the focus of his confirmation process would have been on thepast and not on the future."
"It would not have been in the best interests of the country," Gates said.
Adm. Michael G. Mullen is the likely nominee to replace Pace, Gates said.
Mullen is a 1968 graduate of the Naval Academy. He has commanded threeships: the USS Noxabee, the USS Goldsborough and the USS Yorktown. He alsocommanded the USS George Washington Battle Group and served as the commanderof U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=12957
Former gay outreach adviser sues DNC
Hitchcock accuses Dean, others of discrimination, retaliation
by JOSHUA LYNSEN | Jun 6, 10:37 AM
A former gay outreach adviser for the Democratic National Committee has suedthe organization, alleging discrimination.
In a lawsuit against the DNC, its chair, Howard Dean and two partyofficials, Donald Hitchcock says he was the target of discrimination,retaliation and defamation during and after his tenure as director of theGay & Lesbian Leadership Council.
The lawsuit was filed April 17 in D.C. Superior Court. Responses were filedMay 31.
Hitchcock, who joined the DNC in June 2005, was fired May 2, 2006. Thetermination came days after Hitchcock's domestic partner, Paul Yandura, alongtime party activist, sent an open letter to gay Democrats saying Deanfailed to adequately defend gay rights.
Yandura's letter, sent in April 2006, criticized Dean and the party for notgetting involved in state ballot measures seeking to ban gay marriage. Italso suggested that gays should temporarily withhold donations to Democrats.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.idahostatesman.com/387/story/86871.html
Twin Falls excludes gays' float from parade
Decision draws praise from Idaho Values Alliance director; group saysmembers feel unwelcomed
Staff and wire reports - Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 06/03/07
A Boise-based family values group on Saturday praised a Twin Falls group'sdecision not to allow a gay and lesbian group to take part in a parade.Bryan Fischer, executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance, said theWestern Days Committee was right to deny a float by the Southern Idaho Gay,Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center.
"The parade organizers are to be commended for recognizing that promotingthe normalization of homosexual behavior is never right for any communitythat believes in the family as the cornerstone of a healthy society,"
Fischer said.
It was the first float to be denied entry into the Western Days parade,which took place Saturday.
The Idaho Equality Exploratory Committee, a statewide network for the gayand lesbian community, said the committee's decision was based on ignoranceand intolerance.
"This is clearly sending a message to GLBT people that they are not welcomein the community," said Andrea Shipley, interim co-coordinator for IEEC.
The group's float consisted of a large Styrofoam centerpiece in the shape ofIdaho, as well as other cutouts in the shape of cowboy boots, chaps andhats. Most of the float was painted with rainbow colors.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=20983
Navy assigns openly-gay sailor to reserves
Friday Jun 8, 2007
The United States Navy has again assigned an openly gay sailor to duty inthe Individual Ready Reserves (IRR), according to paperwork obtained byServicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).
Former Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Knight, a Hebrew linguist recentlydeployed to Kuwait, has been placed on IRR duty until April 2009, despitepublicly 'coming out' in national media outlets and being told he wouldreceive a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" dismissal. Knight's dismissal form, alsocalled a DD-214, again lists his reason for dismissal as 'Completion ofService,' and places him in the IRR. The classification allows him to againbe called to active duty, as he was in 2006 after completing a four-yearenlistment in the Navy. Knight has now served openly during two tours withthe Navy, with the support of his command and colleagues.
"It's a very pleasant, and unexpected, surprise to learn that the Navy sovalues Jason's service that they have again assigned him to the IndividualReady Reserves, despite his very public advocacy as an openly gay man,"Steve Ralls, director of communications for Servicemembers Legal DefenseNetwork (SLDN), told the military newspaper Stars & Stripes in a statement.
"There are clearly many people inside the armed forces who couldn't care
less about sexual orientation. In fact, our national security would be farbetter served if more commands elected to so visibly support their gaytroops. The Navy has welcomed Jason Knight not once, not twice, but now athird time, and he has always answered the call to duty. His story provesthere is no room to question the patriotism, dedication and commitment oflesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans."
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories07/june/0608073.htm
June 8, 2007
Anti-gay campaign is a power grab, says Nigerian activist
by Eric Resnick
Cleveland--An anti-gay campaign in Nigeria is part of the national church'sefforts to grab power and oil wealth in the west African nation, says a gayactivist who is touring the U.S.
Davis Mac-Iyalla, the founder of Changing Attitude Nigeria, visited fourOhio cities in May with a plea for action from the LGBT community inAmerica.
He says his refusal to deny his sexual orientation has put him at odds withthis campaign.
Because he refuses to back down, he says the Nigerian church, led byArchbishop Peter Akinola, has threatened his life.
Akinola leads the effort in the world Anglican Communion to make the U.S.Episcopal Church back away from its pro-gay positions or be thrown out ofthe worldwide church.
Akinola fomented the worldwide controversy around the election of the RightRev. V. Gene Robinson as the bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. Robinson isopenly gay and non-celibate.
"Once gays and lesbians get a voice," said Mac-Iyalla, "it will be harderfor the church to control the population [of Nigeria]," which he says is thereal danger his public declarations pose.
It is that control, according to Mac-Iyalla, which allows the NigerianAnglican Church, the government, and the oil companies doing business thereto do "back door deals" from which they all benefit at the expense of thepeople.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.truthwinsout.org/uncategorized/david-gergen-holsinger-nomination-raises-question-of-ideology-over-competence/#more-187
HOLSINGER UPDATE: SEN. OBAMA ISSUES A STATEMENT
June 7th, 2007
Senator Obama (D-IL) released the following statement Thursday morning.
"America's top doctor should be a doctor for all Americans, and so I haveserious reservations about nominating someone who would inject his ownanti-gay ideology into critical decisions about the health and well-being ofour nation."
"As with other nominees, I will listen to the testimony of Dr. JamesHolsinger, but this Administration must know that the United States SurgeonGeneral's office is no place for bigotry or ideology that would trump soundscience and good judgment," Obama's statement continued.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070607gay-lawyers-story,0,5667399.story?coll=chi-bizfront-hed
Gay lawyers come out as clients demand more diversity
By Cynthia Cotts
Bloomberg News
Published June 7, 2007, 11:01 AM CDT
When Coco Soodek, a corporate lawyer in the Chicago office of Bryan CaveLLP, was promoted to partner in 2005, the firm invited all the new partnersto dinner at its St. Louis headquarters.
Soodek, 36, was encouraged to bring her companion, Roxanne Saylor, 37. Thecouple was seated by the wife of the firm's chairman, and the partners'spouses were asked to stand.
"If I had one toe left in the closet, they made me take it out," Soodeksays. "There was no going back."
Soodek's experience may be approaching the norm for gays and lesbians atprominent U.S. law firms, which compete to hire lawyers of diverse ethnicbackgrounds, gender and sexual orientation.
"Today, elite law firms are behaving as good elites should," says KeithWetmore, 50, a gay lawyer who is chairman of the San Francisco-based firmMorrison & Foerster LLP. "They've become culturally sensitive."
The number of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered lawyersincreased by more than 50 percent from 2002 to 2006, according to theNational Association for Law Placement.
=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.alternet.org/rights/52648/
The Expensive Failure of Abstinence Education
By Amy DePaul, AlterNet
Posted on May 31, 2007, Printed on June 8, 2007
Last month's resignation of Wade Horn, former assistant secretary at theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services and point man for conservativesocial policy, came just as support was crumbling and mistrust mounting fora costly and, many would argue, unsuccessful initiative -- abstinenceeducation.
"At this point we've spent more than a billion dollars on this program thatwas never proven in the first place," said Heather Boonstra, public policyanalyst at the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organizationspecializing in reproductive health issues.
Horn left government in early April for a private-sector position atDeloitte Consulting LLP after heading the Administration for ChildrenandFamilies (ACF), a division of HHS. There, Horn shepherded a host ofcontentious initiatives, for example: marriage promotion for poor women asan anti-poverty strategy, reduced access to higher education for welfarerecipients, standardized testing of low-income preschoolers, programs tostrengthen fatherhood by pushing matrimony and relationship skills, andchastity for 19- to 29-year-olds.
Many of these policies had come under fire over the years from members ofCongress, feminists and advocates of low-income families -- increasingly soin Horn's final months at HHS.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
Action Alert: United States: IGLHRC Supports the 3rd Annual Trans Day ofAction for Social & Economic Justice
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) joins theTransJustice Initiative of the Audre Lorde Project (The Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Centerfor Community Organizing) to observe June 22, 2007 as the 3rd Annual TransDay of Action for Social & Economic Justice in New York City. On this day,Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) People of Color and their allies willtake to the streets of New York City to demand justice and work togethertowards dismantling the transphobia, racism, classism, sexism, ageism,homophobia and xenophobia that permeates throughout our movements for socialjustice. IGLHRC asks its members and supporters to hold similar events indifferent cities and countries to highlight the ongoing struggle of thetransgender community for equality and justice.
To mark the occasion, the TransJustice of the Audre Lorde Project has issuedthe points of unity, which hold together the purpose of this importantmarch. This eight-point statement calls for:
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2007
Brad Luna | Phone: 202/216.1514 | Cell: 202/812.8140
Christopher Johnson | Phone: 202/216.1580 | Cell: 202/716.1628
Human Rights Campaign Launches National Tour to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don'tTell"
June 12th Iowa Kick-Off Brings Issue to '08 Caucus State; Features FirstU.S. Troop Injured in Iraq War, Other Veterans
WASHINGTON - With an eye towards the Iowa caucuses in January that willofficially mark the start of the 2008 presidential elections, the HumanRights Campaign, the nation's largest gay civil rights organization, willbegin its national "A Legacy of Service" tour against the military's "Don'tAsk, Don't Ban" policy in Des Moines, Iowa on June 12.
"A Legacy of Service" national tour features the voices of a diverse groupof veterans who have served under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"policy. The tour will feature former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, the firstUS troop wounded in Iraq, along with many other American heroes standingunited and speaking out for the repeal of this discriminatory policy thatcontinues to harm our nation's security.
"This national tour will show the faces of those who have served andsacrificed under this discriminatory policy," said Human Rights CampaignPresident Joe Solmonese. "The American people have already overwhelminglydecided that our military should be about service and not about holding onto policies that dishonor our troops."
=
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