No topic is more divisive in the religious world today than the issue of homosexuality. The status and level of inclusion of gays and lesbians in communities of faith is a question of debate in many major denominations and religious groups.
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
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UFMCC - The MCC is a "Christian denomination with a primary, affirming ministry to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons and their friends and families."
NARTH National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality
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One By One - One By One is a web site dedicated to helping the groups within the Change Ex-gay movement. This site contains links to these groups as well as collections of articles and testimonies supporting this perspective.
When Mother Teresa was asked her opinion about homosexuals, her answer was short and to the point. "I don't judge people," she said. "If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
Jesus: Hit by Lightening, Burns to Ground
A six-story-tall statue of Jesus Christ with his arms raised along a highway was struck by lightning in a thunderstorm Monday night and burned to the ground, police said. The "King of Kings" statue, one of southwest Ohio's most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.
New York to back same-sex unions from elsewhere
May 29, 2008 ALBANY: Governor David Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin to revise their policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, like Massachusetts, California and Canada.
Tutu Speaks Out On Gay Civil Rights
(San Francisco, California) Archbishop Desmond Tutu told an international LGBT human rights group that it has been impossible to keep quiet "when people were frequently hounded...vilified, molested and even killed as targets of homophobia...for something they did not choose-their sexual orientation."
Join Shirley Golub Now in Speaking Out for the Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act
Before anything else, if you are going to the Take Back America Conference next week, and would like to share a room with someone to save some bucks, please email us immediately because we are helping to match people up. Hate Crimes Legislation On Agenda As Congress Returns
The neural basis for prejudice
How does the brain differentiate those who are similar to us from those who are different? Does it analyze differences in skin color, language, religion, height, eye color, foot size? Does it discriminate cat versus dog lovers, Pepsi versus Coke drinkers, Shiite versus Sunni, Crips versus Bloods?
What Fuels Hatred Against Gay People?
University of Pennsylvania psychologist and disgust expert Paul Rozin says it's particularly a guy thing - most heterosexual men are disgusted by the thought of touching other men. Rozin recalls experiments in which researchers asked subjects how disgusted they'd be if a Q-tip that had been in the mouth of either a man or a woman was subsequently touched to their own various orifices. Women didn't care much whether the swab had touched the mouth of a man or a woman. But it mattered to men, who - surprise! - were not at all disgusted by the Q-tip that touched a woman but totally grossed out if they thought it had touched another guy's tongue. Isn't it kind of babyish to declare gays immoral because you think their sex lives are icky? "People used to think it was revolting when two people of different races got married," Caplan says. Letting your sense of disgust guide your views on gay marriage, he adds, "is just bigotry and bias dressed up with the clothes of wisdom."
Why Civil Unions Aren't Enough
New Jersey has become a perfect test case for why civil unions really aren't equal to marriage. For starters, just ask the couples whose employers won't recognize their unions.
Fighting for LGBT Rights in the Midwest
Looking back, Jeffrey Montgomery says he used to be a "mind your own business" kind of gay guy. But that was before his boyfriend, Michael, was fatally shot outside a gay bar in Detroit. The murder was horrifying. But what fundamentally changed Montgomery's way of thinking was the attitude of the cops. The police just didn't care. They had no intention of investigating what, to them, was just another gay homicide, he says. Shocked and appalled, Montgomery began transforming himself into a "mind our own business" kind of gay guy. That transformation led him in 1991 to help found the Detroit-based Triangle Foundation, named after the pink triangle that gay men were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps.
Kalamazoo Votes to Adopt Pilot Program for Benefits to the Domestic Partners for ALL Employees
The City Commission of Kalamazoo just approved funding for a pilot program of a new Administrative Policy establishing the "Other Qualified Adult" Healthcare Benefits Pilot Program. The citizens of Kalamazoo applaud City Commissioners; Sean McCann, David Anderson, Barb Miller, and David Juarez. We also applaud Vice Mayor Bobby Hopewell, City Commissioner Ken Collard, City Attorney Lee Kirk, Deputy City Manager Jerri Barnett-Moore, and the Assistant to the City Manager Alfrelynn J. Roberts for all of their attention, time and energy spent on this matter. The democratic process is alive and well in Kalamazoo! STORY DEVELOPING...
Boyish Girl Meets Girlish Boy
Helen Boyd’s fascinating memoir-cum-social analysis, She’s Not the Man I Married, turns a personal dilemma into fodder to discuss what we mean — or don’t mean — when we pin gender labels on each other. For starters, there are those pesky terms, “male” and “female.” By way of introduction, Boyd informs readers that the book is the story “of how a tomboy fell in love with a sissy, how a butch found her femme, how a boyish girl met a girlish boy. Who is who is not always clear and doesn’t always matter. In some ways, that’s the heart of this book: the idea that a relationship is a place where people can and do and maybe even ought to become as ungendered as they can.”
Sexual Orientation Gets ‘Hate Crime’ Protection
May 3 — The House of Representatives voted today to extend “hate crime” protection to people who are victimized because of their sexuality. But the most immediate effect of the bill may be to set up another veto showdown between Democrats and President Bush. By 237 to 180, the House voted to include crimes spurred by a victim’s “gender, sexual orientation or gender identity” under the hate-crime designation, which now applies to crimes spurred by the victim’s race, religion, color or national origin.
Tinky Winky says bye-bye to Jerry Falwell
Eight years ago the Rev. Jerry Falwell warned parents that BBC children's television star Tinky Winky was a hidden symbol of homosexuality. Falwell died Tuesday at 73, and the world wanted to talk to Tinky Winky. "They're calling again, again, again," he said by phone from his home in Islington, in London. A spokesman said the former "Teletubbies" costar got more than 100 calls from reporters in the hour following news of Falwell's death.
Beyond Ex-Gay
Beyond Ex-Gay is an on-line community and resource for those of us who have survived ex-gay experiences. So often healing comes through community and through sharing our stories and experiences with each other. Our kinship in this journey gives us the opportunity to hear each other deeply, particularly in a world that sometimes scoffs at the many things we have done to change or contain our same-sex attractions and gender differences. Many of us have found healing, wholeness and understanding through facing our pasts.
Gay and Christian: Not a Contradiction
This summer, two provocative documentaries about Midwestern church camps appeared on the festival circuit. One, Jesus Camp, confronted the frightening rhetoric that the Religious Right inflicts on children; the other, Camp Out, painted a hopeful picture of gay Christian teenagers at a summer retreat. It is telling that the first film got picked up almost instantly, while the second film is still seeking distribution. Jesus Camp is a political call-to-arms, reinforcing liberals' worst nightmares -- including a now-infamous clip of disgraced gay-bashing pastor Ted Haggard. Camp Out is a laid-back character study, but its central revelation is perhaps more challenging: that under the ruckus of right-wing zealots, progressive Christians are quietly practicing the compassion they preach.
US House rejects gay marriage ban
The US House of Representatives has rejected a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, ending the congressional debate on the issue. "This hateful and unnecessary amendment is unworthy of our great Constitution," said Democrat Tammy Baldwin. [Editor: The outcome is as it should be. It was just election year politics by Neocons and Republicans anyway]
5-year-old 'girl' starting school is really a boy
Broward County schools' progressive policy on transgendered children will be tested by the admission to kindergarten this fall of a boy who believes that he's a girl.
Lesbian and gay families camp out for egg roll tickets to White House event
This year's White House Easter Egg Roll will feature an egg hunt, the traditional egg roll, face painting, a bunny trail obstacle course, magic tricks and readings by well-known children's authors. More than 100 gay and lesbian families from around the country plan to attend, part of a strategy to make themselves more visible as politicians debate new restrictions on same-sex adoptions and marriage. "We really feel it's important for the American public to meet our children, to meet our families in every possible way," said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition, an advocacy group that is helping to lead the effort. "There are millions of children being raised by gay and lesbian parents in every part of this country, and this is a good way for us to highlight those families."
Remember Gay Marriage?
Think back a little more than a year ago, to the political campaigns of 2004. At the time, President Bush and others were warning that the threat could be averted only by the most serious step available under our political system, amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage outright. You may also remember how heated and emotional some of the rhetoric became. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, "Barring a miracle, the family as it has been known for more than five millennia will crumble, presaging the fall of Western civilization itself", charging that for more than 40 years, gay Americans have pursued a master plan "that has had as its centerpiece the utter destruction of the family." That kind of rhetoric had its desired effect, driving conservative voters to the polls in large numbers, helping to re-elect President Bush. But a year later, it seems pertinent to ask: Have you heard or read a single word about a federal gay-marriage amendment since the election?
Champion of anti-gay therapy dies
Psychiatrist Charles W. Socarides claimed to have "cured" thousands of patients of homosexuality; his son Richard became a noted LGBT activist.
LGBT student poll: 9 in 10 harassed
Despite the growing number of gay kids who come out in high school, still a great majority do not feel safe at school.
Top ten anti-gay companies
by Business Reform (a conservative anti-gay publication) Lately, it's seemed like we are all living inside an episode of The Twilight Zone. You know, the one where everyone is a zombie, but the main character doesn't find that out until the end . . . and by that time, it's too late to save his brain from being eaten. It's that moment of horror that seems to keep repeating itself as each frame of our cultural present flickers by: Proponents of the homosexual agenda are closing in, but there is always the sinking feeling that for every one you spot, there are a hundred more waiting around the corner behind him.
Massachusetts Legislature Rejects Gay Marriage Ban
Sept. 14 - In a sign that the legalization of same-sex marriage has changed the political landscape in Massachusetts, the State Legislature soundly defeated today a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Today's 157-to-39 vote partly reflected the fact that some legislators now consider gay marriage more politically acceptable, having experienced a largely conflict-free year in which some 6,600 same-sex couples got married. State Senator James E. Timilty, a Democrat, who last year supported the amendment, also changed his mind after meeting with same-sex couples. "When I looked in the eyes of the children living with these couples, I decided that I don't feel at this time that same-sex marriage has hurt the Commonwealth in any way," he said. "In fact I would say that in my view it has had a good effect for the children in these families."
Put up or shut up
We have a terrible record of contributing to our causes. Religous conservatives, by contrast, do a great job. A recent study by the New York-based organization Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues unveiled an unfortunate problem with gay and lesbian groups across the country, whether they were local or national institutions: Our organizations are woefully underfunded.
Singer Lesley Gore Comes Out
The singer who catapulted to fame as a teenager in the 1960s with hits like "It's My Party" and "You Don't Own Me" comes out as a lesbian on the record, talks about her career, and shares her perspective on the music industry.
The straight-washing of Luther Vandross
The de-gaying of Vandross is only the latest example of a long-standing media tradition of glossing over the personal life of anyone who does not live a publicly heterosexual life. On the obituary page, at least, homosexuality remains the love that dare not speak its name.
Homosexuality is in the genes, study claims
Sexuality is determined well before birth and is not the result of social influences, scientists will claim this week. The authors of a new book published on Thursday say that sexual orientation is decided by a mixture of genetic factors and hormonal activity in the womb - and that homosexuality cannot be "cured".
Love In Action Founder: 'My Ministry Shatters Lives'
Author Wayne Besen released an explosive letter today by Love In Action's co-Founder and former ex-gay John Evans, which rebukes gay conversion groups saying that they "shattered lives". The group he started has recently made headlines because it runs a boot camp for gay teens called "Refuge" that tries to turn adolescents heterosexual, often against their will.
Thou art no Romeo
Boston's beloved pair of swans -- feted by city leaders, residents, and tourists alike as one of the Hub's most celebrated summer attractions -- are a same-sex couple. Yes, scientific tests have shown that the pair, named Romeo and Juliet, are really Juliet and Juliet. Swans
tend to stay with the same mates until death, typically between age 20 and
30.
'Ex-gay' recruiters go for youths
I've done some nutty things in my life (like going on the unforgiving "sweet potato and grapefruit" diet), but my friends all agree that the most insane thing I've ever done was sentence myself to a two-year stint at the Love in Action (LIA) "ex-gay" program in Memphis, Tenn.
True confessions
Men who have been through "ex-gay" Christian ministries share their stories. While some insist they have overcome homosexuality, others say they were driven to attempt suicide. On the front page of the Exodus International Web site is a photograph of several dozen men and women. The allegedly changed homosexuals, or newly minted ex-gays, are beaming at the camera, apparently celebrating their newfound freedom from homosexuality. Standing in the center of the photograph is 29-year-old Shawn O'Donnell, who was enrolled in Exodus programs on and off for 10 years. The only problem with the Exodus photo is that O'Donnell is still gay. In fact, he is out of the closet and says he is the happiest he has ever been in his life. The efforts to change him from gay to straight were what sank him into despair.
Choosing between Family Values or Pat Robertson's Values
In May, 16-year old Zach told his fundamentalist Christian parents that he is gay. Horrified by the news, they vowed to fix him by sending him to an "ex-gay" boot camp in Memphis to be reprogrammed. Like a modern day message in a bottle, Zach used his Internet blog to send an SOS. Miraculously, his desperate plea for help washed up on the shores of sanity and circulated in cyberspace at warp speed. By now, Zach's plight has received worldwide attention and the spotlight has shone brightly on the debatably abusive and coercive tactics used by Love in Action, the cult that runs the ex-gay boot camp for youth called "Refuge". The Stark family enrolled their son in a failed program where the co-founder, John Evans, dropped out after his friend Jack McIntyre, also in the program, committed suicide because he couldn't change. I photographed Love in Action's poster boy, John Paulk, in a seedy gay bar. The group's youngest graduate and spokesperson, Wade Richards, is now a gay activist. Needless to say, the group has credibility problems, especially when one explores their bizarre techniques. Click here for Zach's Blog
United Church of Christ Backs Gay Marriage
The president of the United Church of Christ said his denomination "acted courageously to declare freedom" when it passed a resolution endorsing same-sex marriage on Independence Day.
Why 'ex-gay' programs like Love in Action are immoral
This post will tell you exactly why we have to continue to fight the American Taliban, the Dominionists, that absolutely unhinged element that is trying to take over our culture and invade every aspect of our lives. Homosexuality isn't destroying the family, it's institutions like the "ex-gay" movement that want to emotionally and psychologically destroy gay people. These are gay people who are still trying to come to grips with their orientation; by crushing them with guilt and hellfire, the ex-gay movement represents the height of immorality.
Exodus Presents Failures As Success Stories Out of Desperation
Exodus International, a worldwide umbrella group for the ex-gay ministries, was accused today by former member Shawn O'Donnell of misrepresentation for continuing to post his picture on the front page of its web-site, even though he is now an out and proud gay man. "I can honestly say that in five years, I did not meet one person that I believe had truly changed," said O'Donnell. "What Exodus is doing is damaging lives. They give false hope and when people fail to change they consider killing themselves, as I once did. The harmful work of Exodus almost killed me and I don't want others to suffer."
Youth's blog stirs uproar over 'ex-gay' camp
Sixteen-year-old "Zach" is apparently enduring a rite of passage still too common for gay youth: His parents say he must change. When they enrolled him last month in a Christian camp-like program to turn him straight, he documented his fears in his online diary, or blog. Click here for Zach's Blog
Why 'ex-gay' programs like Love in Action are immoral
This post will tell you exactly why we have to continue to fight the American Taliban, the Dominionists, that absolutely unhinged element that is trying to take over our culture and invade every aspect of our lives. Homosexuality isn't destroying the family, it's institutions like the "ex-gay" movement that want to emotionally and psychologically destroy gay people. These are gay people who are still trying to come to grips with their orientation; by crushing them with guilt and hellfire, the ex-gay movement represents the height of immorality.
Psychiatric group supports gay marriage
Representatives of the nation's top psychiatric group approved a statement Sunday urging legal recognition of gay marriage in the interest of maintaining mental health.
Gays, allies protest at Focus on the Family
A two-day protest against Focus on the Family and its anti-gay views resulted in the arrest of a family who tried to deliver a letter to the group's leader.
Event marks 40 years of gay rights activism
Gay leaders and celebrities gathered in Philadelphia Sunday to begin commemorating a 1965 gay rights march considered by many the true beginning of the modern gay rights movement.
Michigan Attorney General Opinion No. 7171 (03-16-05) Constitutionality of city providing same-sex domestic partnership benefits
Const 1963, art 1, § 25 operates as a limitation on government conduct and therefore applies to state and local governmental entities, including the City of Kalamazoo.
Const 1963, art 1, § 25 prohibits state and local governmental entities from conferring benefits on their employees on the basis of a "domestic partnership" agreement that is characterized by reference to the attributes of a marriage. Accordingly, the City of Kalamazoo's Domestic Partner Benefits Policy is contrary to the mandate of Const 1963, art 1, § 25.
Const 1963, art 1, § 25 does not invalidate a state or local governmental entity's existing contractual obligations but does apply to its future contracts.
Dutch gay couples may soon adopt abroad
A majority coalition of lawmakers in the Netherlands submitted legislation Wednesday that would allow same-sex couples to adopt children from other countries.
Penguin Pride
Gay penguins made headlines last week -- and then there are bisexual bonobos and even transgender fish. Can we really learn about our sexuality from the birds and the bees?
United Church agrees
Many followers of Jesus wish to be in solidarity with gays and lesbians in their quest for legal marriage
Ouster of gay partner 'negative'
A court ruling forcing a homosexual father's partner to move out of the house where the father is raising his 12-year-old son "has been so negative for the child in so many ways," the father's attorney said yesterday. "It's very upsetting to the child. He wants his father's partner to be able to move back in, and they can just resume their normal family life."
Act of aggression on religion's right
What business does government have attempting to redefine what is essentially a religious institution anyway? Isn't government venturing into religion's territory here as opposed to the other way around? The state recognizes, by status and benefit, those entered into holy matrimony — but is it government's place to define the sacrament itself?
Bill shields religious right to refuse
Ottawa — A long-awaited bill to legalize same-sex civil marriage makes its debut today in Parliament with an explicit guarantee of religious freedom written into the proposed law. The guarantee is designed to defuse charges that the bill will lead to religious groups being compelled to recognize gay marriage.
Queer Beer launched for gays
A trio of Swiss businessmen have launched a new drink for gay people called Queer Beer.
'Ex-gay' therapist cited for ethics breeches
Richard Cohen, an influential figure in the "ex-gay" movement, has been permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association (ACA) because of ethics violations.
Anti-Gay Foster Care Ban Overturned
Finding that children are not harmed by living with gay or lesbian parents, an Arkansas court today struck down a state regulation that banned gay people and anyone living in a household with a gay adult from being foster parents in the state.
Was Jesus Gay?
As Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus few of them will be told in their churches and Cathedrals anything about the sexuality of Jesus, yet a growing group of Biblical scholars believe that Christ may have had at least one sexual relationship with another male. Noted Methodist theologian Rev. Theodore Jennings Jr. and Dr Morton Smith, a world renowned Bible scholar, say there is irrefutable evidence that Jesus was at least bisexual. Dr Rollan McCleary of the University of Queensland, in Australia, says he has discovered through his research that three of the disciples were gay.
Onward Christian Ex-Gays
"OK, time to get into the hot seat!" the leader of the Fellow Warrior support group announces. I'm herded over to the coffee table in the center of a small back room in a crappy two-story office complex. I sit down and bow my head. Suddenly, 12 Fellow Warriors -- or "ex-gays," as their propaganda calls them -- put their hands on my body, most particularly the shoulders and upper torso, and the praying begins. Like freestyle rappers coming to the mike, each takes a turn praying that my sinful soul stays on the right path. I'm going by the pseudonym Monty today, and the Fellow Warriors are praying that the Lord will watch over me and prevent me from falling back into the gay lifestyle.
What's the Harm in the Michigan Marriage Amendment?
Nearly 40 years ago a couple decided to share their hearts. Each knew they'd found the person they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with. They remember the date--Jan. 14, 1966.
Report: U.S. to save $1B with gay marriage
Allowing same-sex couples to marry would have a positive impact on the U.S. federal budget, the Congressional Budget Office announced on Monday.
Study links diet pills, having gay children
A new study suggests that women who take diet pills or thyroid medications when pregnant are more likely to have lesbian and gay children.
Mich. moves to revoke partner benefits
Because of an announcement from the governor's office late Wednesday, contracts for Michigan's state employees won't contain domestic partnership benefits as originally planned.
Man who wed transsexual faces exile
According to Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Javenella is one of several men and women facing draconian Bush-era rules and regulations regarding transgender marriages. Up until this administration, said Minter, the U.S. Immigration Service has enjoyed a solid reputation for wise dealings in cases involving transgender people. Marriages involving a transgender wife and husband were respected for decades until recently. Now, however, transgender people are rigidly assigned to their birth sex, and if the results of that policy produce a "same-sex marriage," the foreign spouse is black-balled from citizenship. According to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. policy "disallows recognition of change of sex in order for a marriage between two persons born of the same sex to be considered bona fide." The bureaucrats cite the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act to justify their denial of residency to Javenella, based on his illegal "same-sex marriage."
Bush's Vatican appeal 'inappropriate'
"I think it was entirely and extraordinarily inappropriate, and I think it speaks for itself," the Massachusetts senator, who is Catholic, told reporters in a question-and-answer session outside Cincinnati, Ohio. A Vatican official privy to discussions between Bush and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state to Pope John Paul II, said Bush "complained that the U.S. bishops were not being vocal enough in supporting him on social issues like gay marriage and abortion." The discussion took place June 4 during Bush's visit to the Vatican.
UCLA Research Suggests That Sexual Identity Is 'Hard-Wired' Before Birth
Refuting 30 years of scientific theory that solely credits hormones for brain development, UCLA scientists have identified 54 genes that may explain the different organization of male and female brains. Published in the October edition of the journal Molecular Brain Research, the UCLA discovery suggests that sexual identity is hard-wired into the brain before birth
Judge throws out Louisiana gay marriage ban
Louisiana (AP) -- A state judge Tuesday threw out a Louisiana constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, less than three weeks after it was overwhelmingly approved by the voters. District Judge William Morvant said the amendment was flawed as drawn up by the Legislature because it had more than one purpose: banning not only gay marriage but also civil unions.
Same-sex listings OK'd for publication
When the Detroit Jewish News began including interfaith couples in its popular lifecycle pages some 15 years ago, reaction ranged from righteous outrage to gushing approval. So controversial was the move that even today, the paper hears from the occasional reader about the announcements. The Southfield-based weekly recently decided to publish engagement, union, anniversary and birth announcements for same-sex couples. "We felt this step made sense," said Sklar. "The gay and lesbian community is not asking us to do anything different or more; they just want to be treated like any other. If we're really going to be the mirror of the Jewish community, we have to reflect what's going on. To ignore it seems wrong."
Answers to Questions about Marriage EqualityPDF
A wonderful pamphlet that answers common questions and concerns about marriage equality for same-sex couples, including: "Why aren't civil unions enough?", "I believe God meant marriage for men and women. How can I support marriage for same-sex couples?", "Can't same-sex couples go to a lawyer to secure all the rights they need?" and much more. Get it and spread the word.
Pistol Packing Bishop Says Gays Should Be Killed
(Pontiac) – A leading trainer of chaplains told a group of students last week that he cannot “tolerate homosexuality” and that homosexuals “should be killed.”
Women's nuptials test Cherokee laws
Two women who married each other have stirred controversy in the Cherokee Nation over the legality of same-sex marriage.
An Open Letter from the Campaign Manager for the Coalition for a Fair Michigan As you may have seen in the media last night or this morning, the Board of Canvassers deadlocked yesterday on whether the proposed consitutional amendment to ban civil unions and domestic partnerships for all couples and mariages for same-sex couples should be certified to appear on the November ballot. However, we cannot afford to be fooled by the headlines announcing that the amendment is off the ballot. While that is technically true for the moment, our opposition can and will challenge yesterday's decision in the Court of Appeals.
Circuit City donates money to anti-gay pols
Circuit City may be the second-largest retailer of electronics in the United States, but some gays are saying they’ll go somewhere else for their DVDs and home electronics. That’s because the Circuit City Stores, Inc. Political Action Committee has a long record of donating money to anti-gay legislators.
Psychologists to endorse gay marriage
Gay couples should be able to marry in civil ceremonies and, if they are parents, they deserve all the legal rights of straight parents, says a policy the American Psychological Association was expected to adopt Wednesday at its Honolulu meeting.
Gay-marriage battle is about real people
I met my partner Beth in February 1977, when she applied for a position at the job-training center where I worked. Almost overnight, we fell in love. We liked and admired each other so much. We would stay up all night, night after night, hungry to hear each other's stories. I felt as if my soul had found home.
Then in August of that same year, Beth pulled the car over one night as we were driving along the interstate and read a letter asking me to marry her. I accepted. Dime-store rings were all we could afford, but I've never been happier than I was pledging my heart to Beth on the shoulder of the highway with my kids asleep in the backseat. We considered ourselves married from that night on. In time, "my kids" became "our kids," and we built a family.
Former Lawyer For Anti-Gay Group Joins Gay Marriage Advocates
Miami, Florida – Nearly three decades ago Ellis Rubin was one of the most vehement anti-gay lawyers in the country serving as the attorney for the right wing group that overturned Miami-Dade's gay rights ordinance. Today, Rubin joined The Equality Campaign as its Senior Legal Counsel.
U.S.: 50-state rundown on gay marriage laws
August 5 - Missouri voters Tuesday (August 3) approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, making them the first voters to do so since Massachusetts’ high court legalized gay nuptials in the Bay State. Polls indicate proponents of same-sex marriage will face a backlash in as many as 12 other states voting on similar measures this fall. However, gay rights advocates achieved a victory Wednesday when a Washington state court ruled that banning same-sex marriage violates the state’s constitution.
FMA Is DOA But We Should Still Be Worried
The defeat of the 'Federal Marriage Amendment' in the U.S. Senate - even though long expected - is a welcome repudiation of the President's cynical attempt to bash the gay community to both appease and energize his far right base.
Gay unions don't hurt society
New research claims to refute the notion that legally recognized same-sex unions have a negative impact on heterosexual families in some Northern European countries.
Anti-gay extremists attack Friends North Bike tour
The annual Friends North bike tour was apparently the target of a right-wing extremist attack near Thompsonville in northern Michigan the night of July 24. Around 70 people, including two children, were camped out on a remote, privately-owned land when a portable toilet rented for the event burst into flames.
Suburban Moms Launch Grassroots Web Campaign to Mobilize
Straights for Gay Rights
Call it the “Straight Plot for the Gay Knot”: today marks the launch of Someone You Know Is Gay (www.someoneyouknowisgay.com), a grassroots online campaign to mobilize straight allies in support of marriage equality and other fundamental rights for gay people. The site asks users to pledge to promote positive awareness of gays and lesbians to those around them, with the aim of personalizing the gay rights debate for more Americans. Someone You Know is Gay was created by two suburban moms, one straight and one lesbian, Jeanne-Marie Baron and Beth Greenapple.
Failure Is Not an Option, It's Mandatory
For three days this week the nation was transfixed by the spectacle of the United States Senate, in all its august majesty, doing precisely the opposite of statesmanlike deliberation. Instead, it was debating the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would not only have discriminated against a large group of citizens, but also was doomed to defeat from the get-go. Everyone knew this harebrained notion would never draw the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment, and yet here were all these conservatives lining up to speak for it, wasting day after day with their meandering remarks about culture while more important business went unattended. What explains this folly?
'Rainbow' Votes Are Key to Victory
In 1984 I said to the Democratic Convention: "This is not a perfect party. We are not a perfect people. Yet we are called to a perfect mission - to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to house the homeless, to teach the illiterate, to provide jobs for the jobless, and to choose the human race over the nuclear race."
If at First You Don't Succeed...
Think the defeat of the gay-marriage ban will quiet the debate? Think again. The paranoid style in American politics is not new. But it is certainly alive. Listen to some of the statements made last week in the U.S. Senate during the debate on whether to bar gays from marrying by changing the Constitution.
Cabin Fever Rights and Liberties: The Log Cabin Republicans, who watched conservatives attempt and fail to pass a constitutional ban on gay marriage, are having trouble endorsing Bush for a second round.
Will Providing Marriage Rights to Same-Sex Couples Undermine Heterosexual Marriage? Since the November 2003 court ruling allowing same-sex couples to marry in Massachusetts, a new debate on expanding the right to marry has exploded across the United States. While the debate involves many issues, one particularly controversial question is whether heterosexual people would change their marriage behavior if same-sex couples were given the same marital rights and obligations.
ACTION: Tell your Senators to Oppose the Discriminatory Federal Marriage Amendment
The attempt to amend the Constitution to discriminate against same-sex couples and families will come to a head soon - a Senate vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment is expected in early July. We need to make sure that our Senators hear from us.
Transgendered workers gain protection Breaking away from the backward rulings of the 1970s and ’80s, early 21st century courts are quickly making clear that employers will not be allowed to discriminate against transgendered workers — or anyone else — simply because they do not conform to traditional gender roles.
There is a simple way to end homosexuality
The only way to stop the spread of homosexuality on the planet is for all heterosexual couples to stop having babies. Those heteros are pumping out homo after homo after homo. They just can't stop!
Coalition for a Fair Michigan Coalition for a Fair Michigan seeks to defend the state constitution, as well as the people of the state, all of whom would be adversely affected by the passage of an anti-gay amendment. "This amendment is opportunistic, redundant, and just plain cruel. It is designed to scare," Johnny Jenkins, co-chair. "I think the people of Michigan are smarter than that."
Anti-gay extremists want to amend the MI Constitution to ban marriages, civil unions and domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples.
YOU CAN HELP STOP THEM BEFORE JULY 6
Petitioners are all over Michigan in all 83 counties. They are in churches, in front of supermarkets and post offices and at local festivals. They are getting at least $2.50 per signature.
We have waged a Decline to Sign campaign. If the anti-gay activists get the needed number of signatures our state will go through a very divisive and expensive election. HELP US AVOID PUTTING OUR RIGHT TO A FAMILY ON THE BALLOT.
Do all you can to seek out the petitioners and if they are somewhere they shouldn't be, tell the property owner or police that they are on private property. Hang around them and talk to the people they are talking to and tell them that the petitions are discriminatory.
They are gathering 50,000 names a week. At that rate they may qualify.
ACT NOW TO STOP THEM FROM BANNING OUR MARRIAGES.
Foes Confounded by Limited Outcry Against Gay Marriage He has preached for months that gay marriage could be the downfall of Western civilization, but ... across the country, evangelical Christians are voicing frustration and puzzlement that there has not been more of a political outcry since May 17, when Massachusetts became the first state to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
A Condensed History of Gay Pride Several years ago I found myself standing on a sidewalk in Southern California watching a gay pride parade. As the Dykes on Bikes roared past, breasts to the wind and mirrored sunglasses glinting in the morning light, a young man to my right sporting rainbow-colored running shorts and a pink tank top turned to his friend and said, "I wonder how all of this started, anyway." His companion took a sip from the rainbow-colored bottle of spring water in his hand and said...
Scandal's Shame, Massachusetts' Pride
What a wonderful image of democracy and tolerance the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has presented to the world by allowing same-sex marriages. At a time when elements of the U.S. military machine have perverted homosexual acts into a form of torture, the sight of responsible and joyful gay adults freely choosing the commitment of marriage could not be more timely.
Recognition of gay marriage begins in Mass.
Wedding fever has beset this town at the end of Cape Cod, for many years a retreat for artists and writers and a nexus of gay commerce and culture. In the span of a few days, the town - population 3,431 - will issue more marriage licenses than it usually does in years.
Same-Sex Couples Marry in Massachusetts
Gay couples began exchanging vows here Monday, marking the first time a state has granted gays and lesbians the right to marry and making the United States one of four countries where homosexuals can legally wed.
Long Road To Gay Marriage
The road to marriage equality for same-sex couples has been long and treacherous, and even with the landmark Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling the journey is not over.
More Newspapers Run Same-Sex Unions in Michigan
More newspapers in Michigan will run announcements of same-sex commitment ceremonies than any other state in the country. This puts Michigan media outlets ahead of the country in recognizing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) families.
Talking points on marriage, part 1
In the first of Advocate.com’s series of “talking points” to counter arguments against same-sex marriage, we take on “civil unions are just as good” and “are you saying that mothers are irrelevant?”
Talking points on marriage, part 2
In the second of Advocate.com’s series of “talking points” to counter arguments against same-sex marriage, we take on everything from “marriage exists only for procreation” to “doesn’t traditional marriage need to be protected?”
Bush pushes discriminatory amendment
We've progressed from being a country with slaves to one with a black Supreme Court justice. We're a country where women not only vote but serve as governors, senators and Cabinet members. And we're one where Congress tore down the physical barriers on every sidewalk and at every business that kept disabled Americans from working and playing with the rest of us.
These marriage amendments discriminate
We are at war. Millions of Americans can't find work. Soup kitchens are full. And the most important thing on some leaders' minds is to cleave this country over the ties that bind. We have never written discrimination into the law of the land. We shouldn't start now.
The Joy of Gay Marriage
Here's the denouement of the epic drama over gay marriage. It's going to happen, it's going to happen within a generation, and it's going to happen even though George W. Bush teed off his re-election campaign this week by calling for a constitutional amendment to outlaw it. As the country has now had weeks to digest, it has already happened in bulk in San Francisco, where images of couples waiting all night in the rain to be wed finally wiped Janet Jackson off our TV screens. The first of those couples, Phyllis Lyon, 79, and Del Martin, 83, were celebrating a partnership of 51 years. Take that, heterosexual marriage! The most famous practitioner of mixed-sex nuptials this year, Britney Spears, partook of a Vegas marriage that clocked in at 55 hours.
Putting Bias in the Constitution
With his re-election campaign barely started and his conservative base already demanding tribute, President Bush proposes to radically rewrite the Constitution. The amendment he announced support for yesterday could not only keep gay couples from marrying, as he maintains, but could also threaten the basic legal protections gay Americans have won in recent years. It would inject meanspiritedness and exclusion into the document embodying our highest principles and aspirations.
Crusader-in-Chief
The 2004 election should be about some serious issues: national security, Iraq, the economy. But on all of those issues, President Bush is on the defensive. And so he is attempting to define the terms of the election differently. He's losing the argument over the Iraq war, so the president is starting a culture war.
State of Michigan employee anti-discrimination and anti-harassment rules
HEREAS, state employment policies and procedures that encourage non-discriminatory and equal employment practices provide desirable models for the private sector and local governments and build upon successful policies and procedures of private and public sector employer...
Law and Civil Rights Poll
"Would you favor or oppose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution saying that NO state can allow two men to marry each other or two women to marry each other?"
S.F. lets wedding genie out of bottle
The powerful Wedding Photo Genie is out of the bottle. And it can’t be shoved back inside — no matter how many hostile lawsuits are filed, no matter how many hostile constitutional amendments are proposed— that genie has spoken to millions upon millions of fair-minded heterosexuals: This is the face of gay marriage. Be happy for these couples.
Civil Rites
That gay marriage is a question of civil rights is not immediately obvious to everyone, however. It is easy now to comprehend the injustice of barring an African-American from eating at a lunch counter. But for many Americans homosexuality is not analogous to race. They believe that it is chosen, that indulging in homosexual activity is immoral and that the state has no business sanctioning behavior that they say undermines our social institutions.
Laws Can't Define 'Man' or 'Woman'
Legislators' attempts to codify marriage as "between a man and a woman" won't work. Like it or not, there is no single, clear biological, psychological or cultural definition of "male" and "female." Already, courts are faltering on the ambiguity of gender.
Cincinnati Mayor Challenges Gay Rights Ban
The mayor on Monday called on voters to repeal a 1993 city charter amendment that made Cincinnati the only U.S. city to ban enactment or enforcement of gay-rights laws.
New
Web Site & Resoure Guide
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force today launched two new
resources on its Web site to provide journalists and the public
with the latest information on the issue of marriage equality
and the 2004 presidential elections.
(Yet
Another) Anti Gay Preacher Convicted of Soliciting Boy
A Philadelphia minister who has condemned homosexuality and
was known for using a loudhailer to preach to passers-by at
colleges has been convicted of soliciting sex from a teenage
boy. (Time and time again the virulently anti-gay filled
with piety and religiosity are found to be among the most morally
ill).
Britney
Spears' flirtation with commitment redefines sacrament of marriage
Early one Vegas morn, after watching that romantic classic,
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," these hometown friends
looked at each other and, according to Jason, said, "Let's
do something wild, crazy. Let's go get married, just for the
hell of it." Off they went to the Little White Wedding
Chapel .
'We're
like any other couple'
Damaris L. and Sally A. Geese say they feel the stares a nd
hear the snickers when the same-sex Midland couple go shopping,
often with their 2-year-old daughter.
U.S.
Immigration Restrictions Give Gay Couples Few Options
Their love transcends cultures. It might not survive U.S. law.
That's because Nelson's partner, Andrei, is a man living here
on a work visa. If Andrei were a woman, Nelson could marry him
and sponsor him for permanent U.S. residency. With that route
closed, Andrei might have no way to stay in the country when
his visa expires in two years.
AFA
Conducts Poll on Homosexual Marriage in the United States
06-Jan-2004 — The American Family Association is conducting
an online poll on the issue of homosexual marriage and/or civil
unions. The poll taking place right now at the most conservative
Christian organization in America (many refer to the AFA as
the Christian Taliban) is showing strong support for homosexual
marriage. The wall that separates extremist religious views
from ordinary and reasonable American thought is coming down.
Only a couple of decades ago inter-racial marriages were forbidden
by the church and civil law, much as gay marriages are today.
Both forms of discrimination were strongly promoted by the AFA.
These types of blatant and socially damaging discrimination
have no place in the law of the land. No doubt the AFA will
cook the poll results to conform their desired outcome before
the survey is done, but for now America has expressed their
real opinions. CLICK
HERE TO VOTE NOW
Why
Do Ex-Gays Matter?
e are mistaken to ignore ex-gay groups because we pity them
or think they are harmless. The religious right is lavishly
funding and using these groups as a political weapon. It appears
that ex-gay terrorists are even planting ex-gay books in bookstores
by "reverse shoplifting."
ACLU
defends student’s use of word ‘gay’
The American Civil Liberties Union demanded an apology Monday
from the Lafayette Parish School District for disciplining a
child who described his mother as gay.
My
Mommies Can Marry’
A ruling green-lighting gay marriage echoes loudly through the
country—and in the 2004 campaign
Gay
marriages a false threat as election issue
Let me make sure I'm getting this.The budget deficit is rising
like blood pressure. Osama bin Laden is skipping around freely.
American soldiers die in Iraq every day. So naturally, next
year's election will turn on the pressing issue of gay marriage.
At least that seems to be the fondest wish of cultural conservatives.
2003
exceeds others in transgender killings
The year 2003 has been the most deadly on record for transgender
people, with more victims of anti-transgender killings reported
this year than in any year prior.
Ex-gay
movement's a sham, author says
According to Besen, the ex-gay movement is a conservative ``strategy
in which gay people could go straight with prayer.'' ''The whole
thing was political,'' Besen said. ``They saw the polls and
decided that if they could convince the majority of America
that gay rights was a choice, they could change public opinion.''
Same-sex
family values
Toby and Jean Adams moved to Auburn, Calif., to raise their
daughter in a close-knit community with good schools. The reaction
of their neighbors and fellow churchgoers -- from anger to acceptance
to confusion -- mirrors Middle America's evolving attitudes
toward gays and gay marriage.
Embryo
brain shows sex signs early
Genes drive the brains of male and female embryos apart as early
as midway through gestation, a new study suggests
Sexual
Identity Hard-Wired by Genetics - Study
Sexual identity is wired into the genes, which discounts the
concept that homosexuality and transgender sexuality are a choice,
California researchers reported on Monday.
Division,
Derision and a Decision Donald
Lobsinger showed up to call gays and lesbians the "Devil's
disciples." Lobsinger then said that "Even jungle
savages" know that they "need to reproduce."
Needless to say, the room was shocked, but some were pleased
by his remarks because they applauded. After the "jungle
savages" remark, an African American minister who opposed
gay marriage, got up and left.
Anti-gay
group launches attack against county board chairman
The vitriolic American Family Association of Michigan has launched
a telephone spam campaign aimed at putting political pressure on
the chairman of the Ottawa
County Board of Commissioners to support a constitutional amendment defining "traditional
marriage." Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association
in Michigan, said a recorded telephone message will be placed to 1,500 Republican
households.
The message encourages people to call Swartout at home and urge him to support
a state amendment against gay marriage.
County bypasses vote to support gay marriage ban
The county board voted to
delay a decision on a resolution that would have made Ottawa County one
of a handful of counties
that have voiced support for a definition of "traditional marriage," a
drive by the American Family Association to ban gay marriage by adding
an amendment to the state constitution.
Five
years later, progress against gay hatred lags
This weekend marked five years since my son Matthew was beaten to death by two
men who are now serving life sentences. Five years ago I was a housewife and
a mother. But I learned quickly that violent crimes against the gay community
are actually a fairly common occurrence. It prompted my family to create a foundation
in Matthew's memory.
Marriage-defining resolution rescinded
Sunday, October 12, 2003 — Sylvan
Lake City Council members Wednesday voted to rescind a resolution passed
in September that supported a state
constitutional
amendment defining
marriage as a union solely between one man and one woman. Residents jammed
the contentious Wednesday meeting, and council members traded heated
opinions on the topic. Some expressed outrage that residents had not
been notified
that the council would consider the resolution. The council voted to
hold a public hearing on the proposed resolution during its 8 p.m. meeting
Nov.
12 at City Hall, 2456 Pontiac. Sylvan Lake has about 1,800 residents.
Ex-gay
movement's a sham, author says
Jerry Stephenson, an associate pastor in a Key West Southern Baptist church,
spent years in prayer trying to become something else: ex-gay. ''I was unhappy
because the church told me I was going to go
to Hell.
No
amendment
Proposed legislation further alienates LBGT Michiganians during coming out celebration.
Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, who proposed the bill, said it is a "safeguard
to the American Constitution". This might come as a surprise, but the LBGT
community is, and will continue to be, affected by efforts such as the Marriage
Protection Amendment. If lawmakers are looking for a "safeguard to the American
Constitution," then they are headed in the wrong direction. The Constitution
is about respect and equality, which LBGT individuals will continue to not have
if the resolution is pushed through. Banning the legal term "marriage" from
including same-sex couples is degrading and prohibitive of a lifestyle that comes
naturally to them.
Lesbian
Grandmas Bicycle for Marriage Equality, Planning for 2004
In the summer of 2003, two lesbian
grandmas, Carrie Stone, JD and Elisia Ross, RN, completed the first of
3 cross-country bicycle rides to protest anti-gay
marriage laws and to encourage Americans to protect and support LGBT families
by legalizing same-sex marriage.
Aids
becoming 'a teenage disease'
Aids has become a disease of teenagers and young adults, with half of all new
infections occurring in 15 to 24-year-olds, according to a United Nations report
released today.
U.S. public is 50-50 on gay marriage
With same-sex marriage being assailed
by conservatives in Washington and Episcopalians meeting in Dallas, a new
USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll shows that
half of America supports gay marriage.
Amendment
has more to do with bias than marriage
If Michigan legislators feel obliged to prove they are so "pro-marriage," they
should encourage more people to join the institution rather than ostracize
some who want to.
Some say lesbians' health suffers from lack of care With a high risk for depression, alcohol and drug abuse and certain
forms of cancer, lesbian and bisexual women have plenty of reasons to visit
a doctor
regularly.
Too often, however, it is the fear of discrimination that keeps them from making
that appointment.
Chasing the Rainbow
Is a gay population an engine of urban revival? Cities
are beginning to think so.
High
heels and arthritis not linked, study finds
Debutantes and drag queens take heart: New research shows that, contrary to common
belief, wearing high heels does not contribute to arthritis later in life.
Straight, gay could both lose
In the gay and straight debate over the legal
definition of marriage, both sides actually could lose.
"...he
was a quiet, church-going man."
Serial Rapist Preying On Gays Captured
A 63 year old trucker has been charged with drugging
and then raping an undetermined number of young men including a 18 year
old who was found sexually mutilated and with his eyes glued shut. The
teen later died in hospital July 8.
Group
vows to train media lights on Lapeer County
On a 4-2 vote Thursday, the Lapeer County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution
supporting a statewide vote on a Marriage Protection Amendment,' which would
lock into the Michigan Constitution the definition of marriage as solely between
a man and a woman. Plans are under way to bring national attention to Lapeer
County's "marriage protection" resolution. But it might not be the
kind of attention county commissioners intended when they passed the anti-gay
resolution Thursday. Jeffrey Montgomery, executive director of the Triangle Foundation,
said the foundation is notifying media across the country of the resolution as
a means of discrediting efforts to outlaw same-sex marriages. "The purpose
[of the resolution] has nothing to do with county governance and everything to
do with providing an excuse to belittle and besmirch gay men and lesbians by
propagating lies and dangerous slander," Montgomery said. "At the present
time Lapeer County is somewhere between alarm and a laughingstock. " READ
RESOLUTION
Study: Lesbians face higher heart risks
Lesbians may face an increased risk for heart disease than heterosexual women
because of their weight distribution, according to a new U.S. study.
Arrest
proof of American Family Association hypocrisy I
was quite shocked (well, not really) when I read in
an article in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
last Thursday that an employee of the conservative
American Family Association was arrested on charges
of child pornography.
American
Family Association Employee Gets Porn Charge A 47-year-old Tupelo man was being held on a $500,000 bond Thursday
after his arrest on possession of child pornography.Kerry Dwayne Stevens,
an employee of the Tupelo-based American Family Association, faces up to
20 years in prison if convicted. For the past three years, Stevens has worked
on the production staff for American Family Radio, which operates more than
140 radio stations in 29 states.
Let
Them Prey
Ex-gay poster boy Michael Johnston starred in television and print ad campaigns.
A full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal featuring the HIV+ Johnston urged
gays to go straight and proclaimed "the truth will set you free".
The truth finally came to light this week after five years of lies and deception.
When Johnston fessed up to the American Family Association, Reverend Jerry
Falwell and Coral Ridge Ministries in late 2002 that he was again having
gay sex, these groups did nothing to warn the public of Johnston's demise.
Issue
of gay marriage is certainly a complex one
Someone once told me that I think too much. I believe it might be true, because
I find it extremely hard to make up my mind about controversial issues. I don't
discount my own feelings, interests or biases, but I know those things are
not sufficient for forming an intelligent opinion about what government should
do to deal with complex problems.
U.S.
gays find altars in Canada This summer, Sarnia has hosted a dozen same-sex marriages, with
half the newlyweds coming from the United States. These six same-sex marriages
are among 53 of Americans that have been carried out in Sarnia, Windsor and
Sault Ste. Marie, three cities along the Michigan-Ontario border, since the
marriages became legal in the Canadian province in June.
A
Queer Girl's Top 10 Gay Myths
If I could, I would try to debunk some gay stereotypes and to foster some homo-hetero
understanding for those on the right side of the political divide, like my
smoking buddy from the other night. I might as well start with my own Top 10
list:
The
Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Qualified, hardworking Americans are denied job opportunities, fired or otherwise
discriminated against for reasons that have nothing to do with their performance
and abilities. Employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, whether
such orientation is real or perceived, effectively denies qualified individuals
equality and opportunity in the workplace. Those who experience this form of
discrimination have no recourse under current federal law or under the Constitution
Dear
right-wing nutbars: An open letter to the religious right I know you’ve been really busy lately, but if possible,
please explain the following: This summer, you are spending loads of energy
and time helping Bush fund his ill-advised, unproven and condescending Healthy
Marriage Initiative. You think that in the midst of horrifying cuts in the
social services sector, it’s a great idea to spend $300 million trying
to talk people into getting married. Although you don’t believe it’s
Uncle Sam’s job to feed us, ensure our employment, or provide us with
health care, apparently it is his job to improve our love lives.
American
Bar Association Supports Equal Protections For Children Of Same-Sex Parents
The American Bar Association (ABA), the nation's largest legal group, approved
a policy on Tuesday that supports equal protections for all children, regardless
of the sexual orientation or marital status of their parents. The 410,000-member
group may now lobby for laws that would permit both members of a same-sex couple,
or unmarried heterosexual couple, to establish a legal relationship to the
children they are raising together.
Sign
the Million for Marriage Petition:
I DO - I do support the right of every American to marry, including gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender couples. I believe that marriage and other civil rights
protections are essential to making all families safer...
Granholm
Appoints Noted Gay Attorney to Commission Detroit - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has announced the appointment of
the first openly gay person to a Michigan council or commission in this administration.
In
Changing the Law of the Land, Six Justices Turned to Its History
The notion that Western society has held a consistent view about what constitutes
sodomy, and that the practice of it by same-sex couples, in particular, deserved
punishment, was one that a group of nine historians "knowledgeable about
the history of the treatment of lesbians and gay men in America" decided
to challenge.
Ruling
reshapes fights over anti-gay laws
In just the brief time since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its blockbuster
ruling June 26 sweeping away state anti-sodomy laws and speaking up for the "dignity" of
gay Americans, the outlines of how dramatically American life will be reshaped
are already coming into view.
A
Great Day to Be Gay
Gay pride celebrations this week will be intensified by the Supreme Court decision
to strike down remaining sodomy laws. But there is still much work to be done.
Lawrence & Garner
v. State of Texas
In Lawrence vs. Texas, two gay men say the state of Texas deprived them of
privacy rights and equal protection under the law when they were arrested in
1998 for having sex in a Houston home.
Gay
Marriage in U.S. Gets a Boost
One of the most exciting and pivotal events to happen in years to the gay rights
movement in the United States just occurred - in another country entirely.
Bill
could add LGBT clause to 1968 act
A bill was introduced into the state House on Tuesday, which would add gender
identity and sexual orientation clauses to a long-standing anti-discrimination
law - but lobbyists and legislators aren't optimistic about the bill's chances.
A
changed man: Lisa Hartley looks back on life
Transgenders are nothing new. The ancient Greeks had a goddess, Venus Castina,
whose sole purpose was to sympathize with those tortured, feminine souls cursed
with the possession of male bodies. Then there's the story of Tiresius of Thebes,
who found two snakes copulating and killed the female. He was turned into a
woman as punishment; upon discovering that having sex as a woman was 10 times
as pleasurable, he was changed back to a man -- as punishment.
Rainbow
flag creator Gilbert Baker stands in the midst of his creation at the
Flag Factory in Key West.
Longest
rainbow flag to be unfurled in Key West
It will stretch from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. When the world's
longest rainbow flag is unfurled on June 15, 2003 on Duval Street, it will
measure a mile and a quarter and will require 3,000 people to hold it. The
flag will fly from sea to sea for about 20 minutes.
Battle
looms as Episcopalians pick gay bishop
Episcopalians in the diocese of New Hampshire on Saturday elected as their
leader the first openly gay bishop anywhere in the worldwide Anglican Communion,
a step likely to roil the church in America and England and deepen the disaffection
of the more conservative Anglican churches in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Justice
Dept. Bans Event by Gay Staff
The prohibition, which prevents a group of employees from holding their annual
gay pride event at the department's headquarters, is a first for any federal
agency.
Baptist
group expels lesbian-led church
A Baptist church in Nashville is losing its membership in the Tennessee Baptist
Convention because its only full-time minister, April Baker, is a lesbian.
20,000
Stories, 3 tears, and 1 ovation: GLBT People in MI have a month of our
own
Like a jigsaw puzzle, thousands of things ranging from chairs and pipes, to
tables, microphones and banners were all falling into place. Ferndale was transforming.
We were going to give Downtown Ferndale a day at the spa; lots of attention,
a beautiful face and grooming it for the world to see. Then the people came.
Williams
admits murders
James Tyler Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder Friday,
saying that he was following God's instructions to execute homosexuals when
he helped his older brother kill Winfield Mowder and Gary Matson in 1999.
Focus
on homophobia
James Dobson's group recently has been huffing and puffing against Big Brothers-Big
Sisters, a longstanding non-profit group that pairs adult mentors with children
living in single-parent homes.
“Ex-Gay” History In 1973
John Evans, who is gay, and Rev. Kent Philpott, who is heterosexual, co-founded
the original “ex-gay” ministry, Love In Action on the outskirts
of San Francisco. Philpott soon wrote The Third Sex?, the first ever “ex-gay” book
which touted six people who supposedly converted to heterosexuality through
prayer.
Cincy
debate has big audience
A decade after the bitter fight over Issue 3, Cincinnati is still living down
its reputation as a place that's hostile to gays and lesbians. Some council
members believe Issue 3 -- now officially Article 12 of the city charter --
should be repealed.
Study
asserts gay folks OK
The children of gay and lesbian parents do just as well as kids of heterosexual
parents, the author of a study on homosexual marriages shows. But Anne-Marie
Ambert, a sociologist for York University who did the report for the Vanier
Institute of the Family, said once kids get to school-age, the main problem
they face is the stigma of others.
National
Black Lesbian Conference : April 11-13, 2003
Zuna Institute in partnership with Progressive Research & Training for
Action and The Lesbian Health Research Center University California San Francisco
will conduct The Black Lesbian Elder Speak Project.
Reel
Pride Michigan Showcases Films Celebrating Love, Lives and Diversity
in the GLBT and Allied Communities
"We Are Michigan" is thrilled to help spread the word about the upcoming
Reel Pride Michigan film festival. This special event is a project of one of
our close allies, Triangle Foundation, a leading organization promoting equality
for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons throughout Michigan. Reel
Pride Michigan will feature 28 films over eight days at the Main Art Theatre
in Royal Oak. The selected dramas, comedies, documentaries and short films address
many aspects of the struggle for equality, including discrimination in the workplace
and parenting. We hope you will make time to watch, listen, and help raise awareness
about the important issues facing the GLBT and allied communities.
AIDS
Panel Choice Wrote of a 'Gay Plague'
The Bush administration has chosen Jerry Thacker, a Pennsylvania marketing
consultant who has characterized AIDS as the "gay plague," to serve
on the Presidential Advisory Commission on HIV and AIDS.
Gays
Prefer Smoke-Free Bars
When asked in a recent survey whether or not they would prefer smoke-free bars
and clubs, 59 percent of adults nationwide, including those who are gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender, or GLBT, said they preferred a smoke-free environment.
Queer
and Lefty According to a group of Canadian scientists, lesbians and gay
men are more likely than others to be left-handed. Scientists concluded that
the odds of being left-handed are 39 per cent higher in homosexuals than in
heterosexuals. Broken down by gender, they found that gay men are 34% more
likely to be left-handed and lesbians are 91% more likely to be left-handed.
Lawyer
of the Year Agrees - Decoys Should Stop I defended a large number of men who were busted in illegal Rouge
Park undercover operations in 2000. I was selected as a "Lawyer of the
Year" in part for those efforts.
Early
on, Bonnie Dumanis learned she could overcome all boundaries
" All my life," she said in the distinctive accent of her hometown, "I've
figured out a way to do what I wanted to do, despite the boundaries." Now
she's poised to make history. When she takes office tomorrow, she will be the
county's first female district attorney. And the first gay one, not just in San
Diego but the entire nation.
She
Shares Her AIDS Archive With the World
Sister Mary Elizabeth Clark has labored for a dozen years on a homemade computer
network creating what AIDS experts say is the most definitive -- and perhaps
the most accessible -- source of information on the disease.
Gay-bashing
group pickets in Ferndale, Royal Oak
In freezing temperatures, wielding fluorescent-colored hate signs, a gay-bashing
group from an out-of-town church picketed churches, city offices and two newspapers
in Ferndale and Royal Oak on Saturday and Sunday without incident.
Gaywads,
Dorkwads Sign History Accord
In a historic show of wad solidarity, delegates representing gaywads and dorkwads
signed the first-ever Wad Alliance Treaty Monday in the cafeteria of Adlai
Stevenson Memorial High School.
A
New Dimension in Snapshot of Gay Teenagers
In 1989, when a government report suggested that gay teenagers were at high
risk for suicide attempts, lesbian and gay rights advocates welcomed the finding
as long overdue.
City
braces for gay bashers
Pam Hazlett, co-president of Parents Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays,
says her group has reaped about $3,400 in a fund-raising campaign started in
response to Phelps' visit.
The
Grinch is coming to steal Christmas
Phelps plans to bring his followers, mostly family members, to five churches
as well as to the Ferndale police department, City Hall and local newspaper
offices.
Lesbian
teen sues school district for bias
A 15-year-old high school student is suing her former Banning, Calif., school
district for civil rights violations after she was removed from a gym class
by a teacher because she is a lesbian.
Windfire
Support Group Forming in Charlevoix Being 15 can be hard enough. What if you’re 15 and think you
might be gay? Young people describe being afraid that they are the only one,
that no one could possible understand them, that no one will accept them.
Psychiatrist's
Group Supports Gay Adoption Rights
Joining a host of other psychological and medical organizations, the American
Psychiatric Association (APA) on Friday issued a statement endorsing the right
of gay and lesbian couples to adopt.
'Gay
bashing' is most common bullying in schools
Gay slurs have become the insult of choice among school bullies, spit so indiscriminately
at gay or straight students that half the teens in a new nationwide survey
said they hear these taunts at least once a day.
Homophobic
Bullying Rampant In Schools Health Group Says
Bullying and other harassment towards gay teens and teens who are perceived
to be gay is widespread in America's schools and communities, according to
a new survey of teens sponsored by the National Mental Health Association (NMHA),
the nation's oldest and largest mental health organization.
Man
can sue doctor over HIV revelation
A Kentucky state appellate court ruled in favor of an HIV-positive man who
sued his doctor for violating his privacy by telling an employer about his
HIV status.
2002
Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census
The 2002 Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census is an in-depth consumer behavior
study that will assist in the understanding of the gay/lesbian consumer market.
Equal
Rights for Gays
The Supreme Court should should remove the blot of Bowers v. Hardwick from
its record and extend the full rights of citizenship to gay Americans
New
Log Cabin chief will lobby GOP
For the past decade, the tiny Log Cabin group has pursued a mission that would
intimidate and frighten just about anyone lacking its leader Rich Tafel's eternal
optimism. The founding mission: To remove the thorn of intolerance that injures
the Republican Party and persuade it to embrace a more honorable and voter-friendly
blend of socially progressive values and fiscal conservatism.
Legal
Group Urges States to Update Their Family Law
An influential group of lawyers and judges has recommended sweeping changes
in family law that would increase alimony and property rights for many divorced
women, while extending such rights for the first time to many cohabiting domestic
partners, both heterosexual and gay.
Intersex
problems are now treated differently The debate and confusion over how best to help patients who are
born with ambiguous genitalia have raged for many years, intensifying over
the last few years
Amending
Birth Certificates to Reflect Your Correct Sex
Correcting identity documents to show the appropriate sex is often one of the
first legal hurdles that transsexual people face. While almost every state
has a procedure permitting amendments to birth certificates to correct a mistake,
change a name, or reflect an adoption, some also have specific procedures for
people who have undergone sex reassignment. A few states, however, do not currently
have policies which allow transsexual people to alter their birth records to
show their correct sex.
Praise
coming from as far away as Michigan
"The purpose is to set an example for other municipalities," said Councilwoman
Geri Delevich, one of the driving forces behind the ordinance. "The purpose
is to show how from little acorns ..." mighty oaks grow.
Ypsilanti
Launches Statewide "Fairth Action Network" Initiative
The Michigan office of The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) announces
the launch of its "Faith Action Network"and a new web-based resource,
www.afsc-fan.org. Faith Action Network, or "FAN,"is a new interfaith,
multiracial, multi-generational alliance of progressive Michigan People of
Faith lifting up a vision of a just and compassionate State by voicing faith-based
support for progressive issues including racial, environmental and economic
justice, social and religious tolerance, second-parent adoption and equal rights
for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-affectionate and Transgender (LGBT) citizens.
Civil
unions in Vt. easier to enter than exit
For the 4,203 gay and lesbian couples who have flocked to Vermont from Massachusetts
and elsewhere around the country to join in civil unions in the first state
to honor them, a legal knot is turning some happy-ever-afters into permanent
binds.
At
Work, How Far to Leave the Closet
Once each week, employees and job seekers call with practical questions (not "what
are employers allowed to ask," but "what do employers really want
to know").
“Unedited” Letter
from the Triangle Foundation to Between the Lines Newspaper
This is the unedited version of a letter that was submitted to Between The
Lines Newspaper on November 1, 2002 in reference to, and to clarify, our Mission
Statement. Please take a moment to read it. We appreciate your continued support
of Triangle Foundation programs and services.
Amendment
to remove gay protection from law defeated
Ypsilanti residents rejected an amendment seeking to remove gays from protection
under the city's Human Rights Ordinance. The amendment was defeated by 63 percent
of the vote Tuesday in what opponents called a rebuff to discrimination.
Anti-Gay
Initiative Fails in Ypsilanti An anti-gay ballot measure suffered a colossal defeat in Ypsilanti yesterday
when voters rejected it by a two-to-one margin. Community leaders say four
losses in a row should be a wake up call for anti-gay extremists.
She
is survived by her partner
"She is survived by her partner," said The New York Times. It was just
six simple words in an obituary, but they jumped right out of the page for me
as a Latino gay man.
What
Percent of Americans are Homosexuals? An August 2002 Gallup Poll asked the public to estimate what percent
of American men were gay, and the percent of American women who are lesbians.
While the answers ranged widely, the average estimates by the public were that
21.4% of all men are gay, and that 22% of all women are lesbians. About a quarter
of the public thinks that more than 25% of Americans are gay or lesbian.
Family
Fundamentals
What happens when three conservative Christian families have children who "become
homosexual?" Armed with a digital camera, filmmaker Arthur Dong takes
viewers into the private -- and sometimes very public lives -- of families
where parents actively oppose homosexuality, despite having gay kids themselves.
Family Fundamentals is a deeply personal look at the "cultural wars" that
are being fought in families, communities, and the social/political public
spheres of our nation. An official selection of the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.
Court
OKs gay man's sex harassment suit
A federal appellate court ruled that a gay man who was harassed could sue his
employer under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
If
church creeps into Caesar's bed, it's not for a nap
Don't be surprised if the preacher isn't the only person passing the plate
in your church this fall. The President wants to turn churches into "faith-based" government
subcontractors.
Republicans
Reject Rights
The right-wing extremists who now control the Michigan Supreme Court engage
in overt judicial activism in order to undercut civil rights.
O'Reilly
Interview Shocker
O'Reilly the FOX news star is about to knock"Religious Fanatics" Who
Oppose Gay Rights. "The O'Reilly Factor," a no-holds-barred slugfest
of ideas that regularly lambastes anyone who ticks the Irish-Catholic O'Reilly
off, has completed an interview with America's premiere gay magazine, the Advocate,
raising eyebrows even before it's publication on September the 3rd.
Readers
weigh in on things they love, words for hate
In the dim and distant past I wrote two columns soliciting reader response.
The first was about how to rename homophobia (I suggested "homodisgustia"),
the second about the people, places and things in life that inspire you.
‘Get
All Your Ducks in a Row'
Lesbians and gay men need to have specific legal documents that will protect
their relationships and their rights and without these documents partners in
same-sex relationships are treated like total strangers to one another.
Gay
partners of 9/11 victims get benefits
About 20 lesbian and gay survivors whose partners died in the September 11
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center will receive workers' compensation
under a state law that took effect Wednesday.
Times
opens its pages to gay couples
Years from now, historians studying changing attitudes toward homosexuality
and gay marriage will point to a nine-paragraph article at the top of page
23 in Sunday's New York Times, and they will call it a turning point. Its headline: "Times
Will Begin Reporting Gay Couples' Ceremonies."
The
Justice Caucus is a Gay Issue
No identifiable group has been more hurt by the fundamentalist judges on the
Michigan Supreme Court than the GLBT community.
Teen
Commits Suicide After Local Police Threaten to "OUT" Him
Marcus Wayman and another friend, were in an abandoned parking lot where they
were turning around their vehicle. After finding condoms on the teens, the
officers concluded they were “queers.” The small town police threatened
to tell Wayman's family and community that he was a ‘fag’ and quoted
biblical passages while placing them under arrest ... Wayman took a gun to
his head hours later and shot himself.
African-American
Probably First U.S. Gay Movement President
At a luncheon speech on Friday, Dr. James T. Sears, a prominent author and
history scholar, disclosed his recent findings which indicate that the president
of the very first American gay movement organization, The Society for Human
Rights (Chicago, 1924) apparently was an African-American minister, John Graves.
What
the religious right fear about gay Big Brothers I walked
into Kelly Stidham's office in 1996 and came right out with it. "I'm gay," I
told the caseworker for Big Brothers Big Sisters. "If that's going to
be a problem, let me know now."
Rights
group finds large companies provide many benefits
Most major U.S. companies have policies prohibiting discrimination against
gay men and lesbians, and more than two-thirds offer health benefits to same-sex
domestic partners
Bullying
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Last year the
Christian Right went after the Girl Scouts. Unlike the Boy Scouts who openly
discriminate against homosexuals, the Girl Scouts don't have a national policy
barring lesbians from the organization. This summer, the usual coterie of top-shelf
Christian Right organizations - including the American Family Association,
Focus on the Family, and Concerned Women for America - are targeting Big Brothers
Big Sisters of America (BBBSA).
Don't
fund religion-based discrimination
Freedom of religion is a sacred pillar of our democracy: Our government isn't
supposed to tell anyone what to believe. And it isn't supposed to favor one
faith over another.
So children who are wards of the state because their families can't care for
them ought not be force-fed any church's beliefs. And a state government ought
not be subsidizing a youth home that refuses to hire Jewish counselors and
fires staffers whose lives don't conform with its brand of Christianity.
Judge
rejects gay rights opposition
It looks like there won't be a vote in November on a referendum to cancel civil
rights protection for gays under Ypsilanti's charter.
The
Heterosexual Agenda
Are heterosexual men a threat to children? After reading the headlines this
past summer, you might start to wonder. The past few months America has seen
a spate of child abduction/murders in which grown men kidnap young girls, molest,
and then kill them.
Study
Finds Gay Relationships More Solid Than Straight Marriages
A Seattle institute, regarded as one of the world's premier research centres
in marriage and family studies says that gay and lesbian couples have more
secure relationships than heterosexuals.
Court
reverses on police lawsuit A former
Detroit police lieutenant who sued the department for harassment because she
is a lesbian had no right to pursue litigation, the Michigan Supreme Court
ruled Wednesday.
US
Couple Rides the Road for Lesbians' Civil Rights Carrie Stone and Elisia Ross are going to celebrate their 50th birthdays
by cycling across the country and telling everyone they meet along the way: "Get
your ducks in a row!" They're referring to the legal documents that can
offer some measure of protection to lesbian or gay couples--protection that
may not seem necessary until the worst happens.
Big
Brothers' gay-affirming rule attacked
A prominent Christian interest group is trying to raise a national ruckus over
a gay-affirming rule implemented this month by Big Brothers-Big Sisters of
America ... Big Brothers has instructed its 490 chapters that applicants to
be adult mentors cannot be excluded on the basis of race, religion, disability
and other factors including sexual orientation.
New
hope for Aids vaccine
A US biotechnology company has been giving details of a vaccine against Aids,
which it hopes could be available by 2005, to delegates attending the International
Aids Conference in Barcelona.
If
you can't call it homophobia, then what should you call it?
The study, conducted by psychology doctoral student Bunmi Olatunji, under the
auspices of Professor Jeffrey Lohr, concluded that homophobia is more a socially
constructed sense of disgust than it is a pathological fear, such as a fear
of spiders, snakes or bad writing, which personally makes me agoraphobic.
For
Experts on Abuse, Priests' Orientation Isn't the Issue
Behavioral scientists are virtually unanimous in their emphatic rejection of
a linkage between homosexuality and child sexual abuse by priests or any other
group."Most men who molest boys are disgusted at the thought of having
sex with adult males ... most sex crimes against minors are committed by heterosexual
married men.
Bush Signs Mychal Judge
Act 25-Jun-2002
President Bush signed legislation Monday that allows death benefits for public
safety officers killed Sept. 11 to go to a beneficiary other than an immediate
family member. The legislation will enable the same-sex partners of gay and
lesbian police, fire, and ambulance workers killed in the line of duty to receive
federal benefits. The act, named for Fr Mychal Judge, the gay chaplain to the
New York Fire Department killed when the second tower fell at the World Trade
Centre in New York during the September 11 terrorist attack. Judge had been
giving the last rights to a fireman. The legislation is the first to provide
a federal benefit to a surviving partner in a gay relationship.
Homosexuals
find door to adoption sometimes open
The law, among the most sweeping such statutes in the nation, went into effect
last October, a month before Alessandra and Tritt adopted their daughters.
It provides protections that gays and lesbians believe vital for them in maintaining
stable and secure family relationships.
Diversity
drive at BP targets gay staff
Gays and lesbians are being targeted for recruitment by Britain's biggest company,
BP, as part of a drive to ditch traditional business prejudices. Women and
foreign nationals are also being sought by the world's second largest oil and
gas group, which is determined to rid itself of the "golf club culture" it
believes encourages only white Anglo-Saxon men.
That's
Life
I feel compelled to say a word in defense of the loonies--specifically, the
religious conservatives termed "the most alarmist and paranoid" among
us.
Gay
rights activists march to Capitol
About 12,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activists and supporters
marched through Lansing to the Capitol, where activists took the podium
Murder
verdict overturned
A California judge has overturned the second-degree murder verdict against
Marjorie Knoller in the January 2001 dog mauling death of a neighbor. Knoller
could face a new trial on the murder charge; she and her husband Robert Noel
still face sentencing on charges of involuntary manslaughter and keeping a
mischievous animal that kills. Read
the indictment (PDF)
ACLU
challenges rulings on adoption by unwed pairs
A decision by the chief judge of Washtenaw County to cease adoptions to unwed
couples and reassign existing requests to himself was challenged in court Friday
by the American Civil Liberties Union. The action accused Judge Archie Brown
of lacking the authority to reassign the cases and the impartiality to decide
them.
Priest
abuse problem isn't a gay issue
Contrary to comments by some church leaders, the Roman Catholic Church doesn't
have a "homosexual" problem. It has a problem with adults in positions
of authority who breach the public's trust by abusing the very people they
are supposed to be protecting. If gay priests truly were the "problem," perpetrators
of sexual abuse within the institution would be confined to that population.
Hate
Crimes Bill Dealt a Setback
Senate Republicans blocked action on a hate crimes measure Tuesday, refusing
to cut off debate on a bill that would make a federal crime of violent attacks
prompted by victims' sexual orientation or disabilities.
City
Hall will remove names from petition
Allentown officials said Friday they will remove names from a petition seeking
to overturn a law intended to protect homosexuals from discrimination if signers
request it in person or with notarized letters. Signers who believe they were
misled about the petition's intent, and now want their names removed, should
visit City Hall to sign formal requests, or have legible, notarized requests
sent to the city clerk's office as soon as possible
Boy
Scouts ruffle feathers with award
Massachusetts' largest Boy Scout council ruffled feathers again yesterday by
announcing the creation of a diversity award at its annual fund-raiser... Currently,
an atheist or agnostic kid cannot be a Scout
Reconciling
old-time religion and gay sexuality
Arthur Dong conceived his newest documentary while conducted jailhouse interviews
with nine convicted killers of gay men. Dong became absorbed by a painful irony:
Many of these murderers were raised in conservative Christian homes, and espoused
strong fundamentalist religious beliefs.
Gay
Fight on Nick at Night
A Conservative Christian grup v Christian group is enraged over a Nickelodeon
special on children with same-sex parents
Coming
to terms with children born "intersexed"
Cheryl Chase hid in her brain until she was in her mid-30s. An attractive woman
with short cropped hair and strong features, Chase was not always that comfortable
with herself. Nor was she always what she appears to be. Until she was 18 months
old, Chase was a boy.
Motor
City Pride Festival: Party of Progress
"Primarily, this is about community building," said Jeffrey Montgomery,
executive director of the Triangle Foundation, which helped organize the event.
It was on track to exceed the 2001 total of about 15,000 attendees. "And
community building is the first step in grassroots activism. So this is as much
about grassroots activism as it is about being a great big party."
Québec to approve
civil union, full parental and adoption rights for gay and lesbian couples On Friday June
7, 2002, at 11:00 a.m., the Quebec National Assembly is scheduled to give unanimous
approval to Bill 84, "An Act instituting civil union and establishing
rules of filiation" ... an unprecedented breakthrough in the fight for
equal rights and justice for gay and lesbian couples and their children.
50,000 gay couples The number of
gay couples in the Netherlands has increased by 25 percent in the past five
years and now number nearly 50,000 households, according to government figures.
Since April 1 last year, gays have had the right to marry and adopt children
in the Netherlands, the first country to give equal homosexuals the same rights
as heterosexuals. One in 13 same-sex couples, most of them women, have adopted
children.
MIT
student faces suspension for sending hate mail
The Committee on Discipline has recommended a three-term suspension for an
MIT sophomore who sent electronic hate mail to a gay student. "You are
a faggot. I hate faggots. I wish they would string all of you up on barb wire
fences in Wyoming," Schilling wrote in the message.
Rainbow
Wedding Network
While we have a no advertising policy, it's difficult not to make an exeption
when it comes to a product or service that is so unique... and besides it is
spring and people are falling in love all over the place.
Michigan
judge bans co-parent adoptions
A chief county judge in Michigan banned judges throughout the state from awarding
second-parent adoptions to the unmarried partners of biological parents.
The
American Psychoanalytic Association Announces Position Statement on Gay/Lesbian
Parenting
"It is disturbing to hear about cases in which gay or lesbian parents are
being denied custody or the right to adopt solely on the basis of their sexual
orientation- that's discrimination. The American Psychoanalytic Association deplores
such discrimination and is especially troubled when psychological findings are
distorted, misrepresented or blatantly ignored, as is so often the case in these
legal decisions"
You
won't find God by mistreating gays
Now that I'm grown, I am still a misfit in some ways. I have no kids, which
is one strike against normalcy; I am married to a younger man; and rather than
having a cat or a dog, I have a pet gerbil.
Exploring
the Transition-to-Parenthood Experience for Lesbian Couples
My name is Abbie Goldberg and I’m a doctoral student in clinical psychology
at U Mass Amherst. I am currently launching a grant-funded study aimed at exploring
the transition-to-parenthood experience for lesbian couples. I am asking for
your help in getting this information out to couples that might be interested
in participating in this project, either by posting it on your website, including
it in your newsletter or listserv, or by telling acquaintances and friends
who might qualify for participation!
U.S.
Fund for Tower Victims Will Aid Some Gay Partners
Some of the gay men and lesbians who were partners of Sept. 11 victims are
poised to collect substantial awards from the federal fund set up to compensate
bereaved families
Soulforce
vows to escalate nonviolent protests at Southern Baptist Convention in
St. Louis on June 11
Hundreds of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals and
allies from Soulforce, Inc. will be on the front lines of the Southern Baptist
Convention's (SBC's) annual meeting for the third year in a row to protest
anti-gay Southern Baptist teachings and policies. Southern Baptist Alabama
Chief Justice Roy Moore, which stated, "The state must use confinement
and even execution" to prevent gays and lesbians from parenting children.
Creech
stands firm in his mission
Performing a covenant marriage ceremony for two women cost Jimmy Creech his
church and clerical stole, but it did not deter him from his mission.
What
would Dick and Mary do?
Would someone please explain why North Carolina Republicans insist on repeatedly
shooting themselves in the foot on civil rights issues? Apparently, the state
Republican Party has learned nothing from its boneheaded support of laws that
kept black people away from certain very important toilets and water fountains
back in the 1960s.
Her
gay son led journey from grief to pride
Three little words changed our lives: "I am gay." Our youngest son
said them to us when he was 16. We were so ignorant. We were so unaware of
what it meant when he said them that we were devastated and filled with a grief
that is hard to explain.
Teachers
Get Lesson on History Month
Michigan high school teachers Mike Chiumento and Tom Salbenblatt told Chicago
educators last week their successful fight to mount GLBT history month displays
in school sent a message to administrators, parents and GLBT students.
Marriage
Amendment
The United States faces threats of terrorism, growing deficits and soldiers
at war, yet Utah Rep. Chris Cannon wants America to focus its attention on
a useless constitutional amendment. Apparently in Cannon's mind, recognizing
the lifelong commitment of homosexual couples will somehow harm the legal rights
of heterosexual couples.
9/11
Heroes Dissed House Republicans
yesterday yanked a bill providing death benefits to survivors of firefighter
chaplain Mychal Judge and nine other Sept. 11 heroes
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AFA
Conducts Poll on Homosexual Marriage in the United States
In
Key West, rainbow stretches from sea to sea
