BOSTON GLOBE Transgendered students want University of Massachusetts at Amherst to create coed bathrooms.
LOS ANGELES TIMES Poll says 15% of Catholic priests identify as gay or "on the homosexual side."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE The Chronicle's Carol Ness will be honored Monday by the Northern California chapter of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association for her coverage of gay and lesbian issues over the past 13 years
WASHINGTON POST Being Bad, Feeling Good: Review of Dan Savage's new book "Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit Of Happiness in America."
THE OBSERVER (London) Opinion: Love is thicker than blood; The Lords say no gay or unmarried couples should adopt, but it's care that matters - not genes
ORLANDO SENTINEL Activist Bob Kunst's run for governor could spoil Democrats' hopes
MIAMI HERALD Rights Foundation gives 2002 National Impact Award to Sen. Hillary Clinton
NEW YORK POST Out Of The Closet, Into The Knesset: Israel will soon have a representative who is openly gay for the first time in the Israeli parliament's history
NEW YORK POST Enron's machismo-loaded executive suite used the sexual orientation of Michael Kopper in its scheme to hide gargantuan debt
GLASGOW SUNDAY HERALD (Scotland)Vatican to "test" if trainee priests are gay, Pope expected to demand that seminary students who display homosexual tendencies are not ordained
SACRAMENTO BEE Rabbi welcomes gay, lesbian worshippers
AGENZIA ITALIA Italy's Minister for Parliamentary Relations says the gay wedding which will take place in the French Embassy in Rome "is not a marriage" but just "an administrative act"
THE SCOTSMAN Catholics and Tories work themselves into a hot, sweaty lather over anti-bullying play to be presented in school by gay-rights group
TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE Campaign managers on both sides of Initiative No. 1 (to remove sexual orientation from city's discrimination ordinance) make their cases
WILMINGTON (NC) STAR Piano player's plight prompts show of support; Church dumped her because she played at a gay-friendly bar
San Jose Mercury NewsTeen's death elicits sorrowful reaction 'Profound Sadness': Slaying Is Reminder Of Dangers Threatening Gay Community
Cedar Rapids Gazette'Queer Iowa' conference at UI has high turnout
BUFFALO (NY) NEWS The Transition: Once he was David from Kenmore. Now she is Donna from Austin.
LOS ANGELES TIMES Trying to Understand Eddie's Life - and Death: His loved ones grew to accept his sexuality. They can't accept the silence after his killing.
NEWARK (NJ) STAR-LEDGER New Jersey bill would give same-sex couples legal benefits
WASHINGTON POSTAds Renew 'Ex-Gay' Debate: Rights Groups Oppose Ministry to Change Orientation
COLUMBUS (OH) DISPATCH Column by editor: Same-Sex Ceremonies Will Appear In 'Dispatch'
THE RECORD (NJ) Battle for gay marriage
Detroit News, By Deb Price, Gays debate import of party control
Students say gay-bashing is rife at Somerville High School
Beacon Villager, affiliated with the Boston Herald, Commitment ceremony full of love, acceptance
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October 21, 2002
October 19, 2002
Gay news for Oct. 19
LOS ANGELES TIMES: 3 Charged in Beating Death of Boy, 17, Who Lived as a Girl; Suspects allegedly attacked him after they learned he was male; His body was found in a shallow grave near a campground and SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Slain Newark teen balanced between two worlds; 3 charged in death of youth who was living his dream as a female.
Bay Area resources: Some resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth and their families
. Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, San Francisco. (800) 246-PRIDE (7743), www.lyric.org
. Youth Gender Project, San Francisco and Berkeley. (415) 865-5625,(510) 665-9234, www.youthgenderproject.org
. Lambda Youth Project, Hayward. (510) 247-8217, www.gayprom.org
. Pacific Center for Human Growth, Berkeley. (510) 548-8283
. Billy DeFrank Gay and Lesbian Center, San Jose. (408) 293-2429
. Sexual Minority Alliance Alameda County, Oakland. (510) 834-9578
. The San Francisco Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center. (415) 865-5555, ext. 1
. Community United Against Violence, 24-hour crisis line, San Francisco. (415) 333-HELP (4357)
Savannah Morning News: Library bans all free publications to avoid having a free gay puiblication in their building, ACLU says a gay publisher's First Amendment rights were violated, despite his reputation.
"Georgia Southern University's Multicultural Student Center will be sponsoring several events this month in observance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender month, including a roundtable discussion on societal misconceptions at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Room 2041 of the Russell Student Union.
Folks in Toombs County don't like to talk about it much, but they say something "just wasn't right" about the fella who ran that barbecue place over by the sheriff's office.
This "fella" - Ronald Marcus - wasn't like most. He was gay and let everybody know it. In addition to running Bubba Pigs Restaurant in Lyons, Marcus published a gay pride newsletter called the Gay Guardian - a periodical mostly filled with unsourced stories lashing out against those he accused of discriminating against him.
Back in February, when Marcus went to place a stack of papers on the free giveaway table at the Vidalia Public Library he was turned away. In fact, it prompted library officials to remove all free publications. It also spawned a real-life censorship issue that is attracting media attention from across the state."
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE Theater: In "Two Queens, One Castle," Jevetta Steele tells the story of her discovery that her husband was gay and HIV+.
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Presbyterian Dispute Over Gays May Lead to Special Assembly.
Savannah Morning News: Challenges of growing up gay in the Bible belt.
PALM BEACH POST: What a difference a gay makes (to sprucing up sub-standard neighborhoods) and Historic neighborhoods rally.
The New York Review of Books: Review by By Daniel Mendelsohn: Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 529 pp., $27.00.
BBC NEWS: Homosexuals from Jamaica are coming to the UK to flee oppression and abuse.
KNOXVILLE (TN) NEWS-SENTINEL: Rev. Gregory Dell to speak at University of Tennessee; Chicago United Methodist pastor was punished for performing same-sex union.
DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE (Northampton, MA): What is a family? The women behind the Family Diversity Project and the "Love Makes A Family" photo exhibit.
Boston Globe: GOP Candidate Romney served on the boards of two companies and one organization without advancing the gay inclusion he supports on the campaign trail and also from the Globe: Romney says it's inappropriate to raise "religious issues" in a political campaign. Hear that Pat Robertson?
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE Column: An immigration law that calls out for justice.
HOUSTON CHRONICLE A GOP political activist is sending Republican voters an automated telephone message telling them not to vote a straight Republican ticket - because it includes a gay candidate!
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE: Anonymous columnist claims to know the name of the NFL player who will supposedly be coming out on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel."
AGENZIA ITALIA: Italy's irony-free Minister for Equal Opportunities says, "It is not part of this Government's plan to allow for marriage between gay couples."
ORLANDO SENTINEL: Opponents of a proposed gay-protection ordinance are turning up the heat on the Orlando City Council.
KOAA-TV (Colorado Springs): Colorado Springs City Manager is proposing the City pay health benefits for same sex partners of city employees.
ARLINGTON (MA) ADVOCATE: Neighborhood comes together in support of lesbian couple who have been victims of anti-gay slurs and harassment.
THE DIAMONDBACK (University of Maryland): Hate-crime messages are being scrawled in residence halls.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Bay Area resources: Some resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth and their families
. Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, San Francisco. (800) 246-PRIDE (7743), www.lyric.org
. Youth Gender Project, San Francisco and Berkeley. (415) 865-5625,(510) 665-9234, www.youthgenderproject.org
. Lambda Youth Project, Hayward. (510) 247-8217, www.gayprom.org
. Pacific Center for Human Growth, Berkeley. (510) 548-8283
. Billy DeFrank Gay and Lesbian Center, San Jose. (408) 293-2429
. Sexual Minority Alliance Alameda County, Oakland. (510) 834-9578
. The San Francisco Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center. (415) 865-5555, ext. 1
. Community United Against Violence, 24-hour crisis line, San Francisco. (415) 333-HELP (4357)
Savannah Morning News: Library bans all free publications to avoid having a free gay puiblication in their building, ACLU says a gay publisher's First Amendment rights were violated, despite his reputation.
"Georgia Southern University's Multicultural Student Center will be sponsoring several events this month in observance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender month, including a roundtable discussion on societal misconceptions at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Room 2041 of the Russell Student Union.
Folks in Toombs County don't like to talk about it much, but they say something "just wasn't right" about the fella who ran that barbecue place over by the sheriff's office.
This "fella" - Ronald Marcus - wasn't like most. He was gay and let everybody know it. In addition to running Bubba Pigs Restaurant in Lyons, Marcus published a gay pride newsletter called the Gay Guardian - a periodical mostly filled with unsourced stories lashing out against those he accused of discriminating against him.
Back in February, when Marcus went to place a stack of papers on the free giveaway table at the Vidalia Public Library he was turned away. In fact, it prompted library officials to remove all free publications. It also spawned a real-life censorship issue that is attracting media attention from across the state."
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE Theater: In "Two Queens, One Castle," Jevetta Steele tells the story of her discovery that her husband was gay and HIV+.
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Presbyterian Dispute Over Gays May Lead to Special Assembly.
Savannah Morning News: Challenges of growing up gay in the Bible belt.
PALM BEACH POST: What a difference a gay makes (to sprucing up sub-standard neighborhoods) and Historic neighborhoods rally.
The New York Review of Books: Review by By Daniel Mendelsohn: Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 529 pp., $27.00.
BBC NEWS: Homosexuals from Jamaica are coming to the UK to flee oppression and abuse.
KNOXVILLE (TN) NEWS-SENTINEL: Rev. Gregory Dell to speak at University of Tennessee; Chicago United Methodist pastor was punished for performing same-sex union.
DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE (Northampton, MA): What is a family? The women behind the Family Diversity Project and the "Love Makes A Family" photo exhibit.
Boston Globe: GOP Candidate Romney served on the boards of two companies and one organization without advancing the gay inclusion he supports on the campaign trail and also from the Globe: Romney says it's inappropriate to raise "religious issues" in a political campaign. Hear that Pat Robertson?
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE Column: An immigration law that calls out for justice.
HOUSTON CHRONICLE A GOP political activist is sending Republican voters an automated telephone message telling them not to vote a straight Republican ticket - because it includes a gay candidate!
MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE: Anonymous columnist claims to know the name of the NFL player who will supposedly be coming out on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel."
AGENZIA ITALIA: Italy's irony-free Minister for Equal Opportunities says, "It is not part of this Government's plan to allow for marriage between gay couples."
ORLANDO SENTINEL: Opponents of a proposed gay-protection ordinance are turning up the heat on the Orlando City Council.
KOAA-TV (Colorado Springs): Colorado Springs City Manager is proposing the City pay health benefits for same sex partners of city employees.
ARLINGTON (MA) ADVOCATE: Neighborhood comes together in support of lesbian couple who have been victims of anti-gay slurs and harassment.
THE DIAMONDBACK (University of Maryland): Hate-crime messages are being scrawled in residence halls.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
October 08, 2002
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Something About 'SpongeBob' Whispers 'Gay' to Many Men
By SALLY BEATTY
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
He lives in a pineapple under the sea, in a town called Bikini Bottom. His best friend is an exuberant pink starfish named Patrick. His name is SpongeBob SquarePants, the absorbent yellow star of the most highly rated kids show on TV.
SpongeBob, which first appeared in July 1999 and currently runs several times daily on Viacom Inc.'s Nickelodeon cable TV channel, is also the biggest childrens' phenomenon to capture the imagination of gay men since the purple Teletubby named Tinky Winky started carrying a purse.
At Roger & Dave, a novelty shop frequented by gay customers in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, SpongeBob plush toys, lunch boxes and key chains are stacked next to X-rated dolls, vintage Wonder Woman figures and Wizard of Oz coffee mugs. Co-owner Roger Roth says SpongeBob is the single most popular property he carries. Pointing to a chunky SpongeBob toy that says "Go SpongeBob, go SpongeBob, go self!" when you squeeze its hand, Mr. Roth says, "I've had to reorder this more times than I can count." In Atlanta, gay men are big buyers of SpongeBob key chains and bobblehead dolls at vintage clothing and gift store Junkyard Daughter, says saleswoman Lael Pastori.
Early in September on NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," Mr. O'Brien asked Tom Kenny, the comic who is the voice of SpongeBob, to address the "controversy" about one of SpongeBob's pals, a grumpy squid named Squidward who speaks in a voice some find reminiscent of Paul Lynde, the late comic actor who specialized in gay double-entendre on "Hollywood Squares."
"Whether he's intended to be a gay character or not, that's the question people are asking," responded Mr. Kenny. Describing Squidward as a fussbudget who likes bubble bath and classical music, Mr. Kenny ultimately dodged the question. "It's never been addressed by us on the show," he said, adding with a wink that besides, "all the main characters are hiding horrible secrets of their own."
Nickelodeon says SpongeBob is aimed at kids two to 11 years old, and isn't intended to appeal to homosexuals. But it says the show attracts more adults than any other show on its lineup. It has shown episodes as late as 11:30 at night, and Viacom's MTV has run it as late as 11:00 p.m., specifically to reach older viewers. According to Nielsen Media Research, about 22% of "SpongeBob's" regular audience is 18 to 49 years old. The show is creating a merchandising bonanza, with SpongeBob paper towels, macaroni-and-cheese dinners and more.
Gay fans of SpongeBob say they're hooked on SpongeBob's sunny optimism, weird psychedelic world and peculiar humor. "There is this innocence," says Alex Fung, a 37-year-old clothing designer living in New York. "He's not very masculine for a male character. And he's soft."
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob and his pals are part of a long tradition of children's cartoon characters with camp resonance. Scooby Doo's Thelma, the Powerpuff Girls, Peppermint Patty, and even Betty Boop -- all have that certain something. For some gay men, these over-the-top characters are innocent in-jokes borrowed from the mainstream media from right under the noses of clueless straight people.
In January, "Ernest and Bertram," an eight-minute movie about a gay couple based on the "Sesame Street" characters Bert and Ernie, was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival. That prompted Sesame Workshop to send the L.A. filmmaker, Peter Spears, a lawyer's letter asking him to cease and desist showing the film. He complied. In a statement, Ellen Lewis, a spokeswoman for Sesame Street, adds that Bert and Ernie "do not portray a gay couple, and there are no plans for them to do so in the future. They are puppets, not humans."
Mr. Fung, the clothing designer, says speculation about the nature of Bert and Ernie's relationship is natural -- just as the talk about SpongeBob and Patrick is. "They're symbolic," says Mr. Fung. "You have two male characters bonding as friends." Growing up gay, he says, "you identify with that."
The show's creator, Stephen Hillenburg, who makes a point of saying at the start of an interview that he isn't gay, says there is no intent to portray SpongeBob or his pals as homosexuals. But Mr. Hillenburg says he understands why many gay people relate to the show. "I do think that the attitude of the show is about tolerance," says Mr. Hillenburg. "Everybody is different, and the show embraces that. The character SpongeBob is an oddball. He's kind of weird, but he's kind of special." Although SpongeBob and his pals are all very different from one another, "they get along," says Mr. Hillenburg. "No one is shut out." Says Mr. Hillenburg: "I always think of them as being somewhat asexual."
SpongeBob and Patrick don't live together, but it's not uncommon to see them holding hands. The two hope someday to grow up to be superheroes, and their favorite show is an imaginary TV program called "The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy."
Ryan Breneman, 36, a fan who works in a clothing store on Christopher Street in New York's Greenwich Village, says gay men have good reason to read into mainstream cultural symbols whatever they like. "When you grow up without your own culture, you have to take things from the culture and make them your own," he says.
Mr. Fung says the penchant for reading gay themes into children's cartoons has something to do with growing up gay. "Your family wouldn't let you play with a Barbie doll, and now that you have the means, you go out and buy it for yourself," he says.
Other men say they can relate to the way SpongeBob's sunny attitude often sparks resentment from his fellow underwater creatures. Jot McCloud, a 28-year-old retail consultant, says a good example is the sometimes hostile attitude of Mr. Krabs, the proprietor of the local hangout, the Krusty Krab, toward SpongeBob, who works there as a fry cook. Mr. Krabs "doesn't like to be around SpongeBob because SpongeBob's so flamboyant and outgoing," says Mr. McCloud. The interaction is "like a straight person who for whatever reason is thrown into a situation where they are around a gay person and they don't have that comfort level."
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
October 07, 2002
More 10/8 GLBT News
1. BBC NEWS There is a "strong case" to be made for introducing gay marriage, according to a Tory frontbench spokesman
2. SLATE.COM Hello, Mr. Chips: Enrique Iglesias' vaguely gay Doritos ad
3. THE DARTMOUTH (Dartmouth College, NH) Gay and lesbian alums tell of
frightening experiences in disturbingly recent College history
4. JAPAN TODAY Proud to be born gay: Book review of "Boku-no-kareshi-ha-doko-ni-iru? (Where is my boyfriend?)"
5. TUCSON CITIZEN Arizona Health Department investigates inpatient facility after the suicide of transgender activist Alexander Goodrum, who may have been dead for several hours before his body was found.
6. STANFORD DAILY Stanford's Queer Straight Social and Political Alliance fosters a positive community for both queer and queer-allied students
BBC News, 7 October 2002
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2307531.stm
'Powerful case' for gay marriage
There is a "strong case" to be made for introducing gay marriage,
according to a Tory frontbench spokesman.
John Bercow argued that reviewing the Conservative's position on gay
rights was a "litmus test" of the party's willingness to change.
There are already strong calls from Tory modernisers, including
ex-minister Steven Norris, for the scrapping of Section 28, the law banning
local authorities from promoting homosexuality.
Mr Bercow, the shadow work and pensions minister, said that while the
Tories had no plans to introduce the civil registration of gay marriages,
there were intellectual and ethical arguments for such a move.
'Powerful case'
He told a fringe meeting at the Tory conference in Bournemouth that a
"strong case can be made".
"Gay marriage as a term emotionalises the whole issue," he said.
"I think there are good arguments in favour of civil registration of
partnerships and I think a strong case can be made.
"There was a bill in the House of Lords. It has fallen by the
wayside. The Conservative Party has no plans to introduce such a scheme.
"But if you are arguing about the intellectual or ethical attractions
of having a system of the kind a very powerful case can be made."
Duncan Smith's challenge
Mr Bercow heaped praise on Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith for
his pledge to review the party's support for Section 28.
"I regard it as a litmus test of whether the Conservative Party is
determined to change," he said.
"It is an absolutely essential issue for that reason.
"I don't think Iain for one moment will duck the challenge. It is
essential that we meet that challenge."
Mr Bercow stressed that no-one wanted pupils to be exposed to
unsuitable material on either gay or straight sex.
Clear signal
But he poked fun at claims that young people would be encouraged to
experiment by looking at educational material.
He added: "Come on, let's get rid of these demons and grow up and
come to terms with the world as it now is."
Ministers will attempt to repeal Section 28 when Parliament returns,
but some right wing Tories - including former party chairman and shadow
deputy prime minister David Davis - have reportedly threatened to resign if
Mr Duncan Smith backs the government's position.
However, modernisers in the party believe that if Mr Duncan Smith
supported the government's bid to scrap the measure, the Tories would be
sending out a clear signal that they have changed.
Slate, October 7, 2002
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2071942&device=
ad report card
Hello, Mr. Chips
Enrique Iglesias' vaguely gay Doritos ad.
By Rob Walker
When an advertiser relies on a celebrity endorser, it can set up an
unintended tension: Who's the star of the spot, the celebrity or the
product? If this is mishandled, viewers remember the endorser but not what
he or she endorsed. One recent ad that walks this line pretty well has
Enrique Iglesias shilling for Doritos Salsa Chips. You can see it here, via
Ads.com.
The ad: Iglesias, arguably the hottest male sex symbol around these
days, seems to be serenading a couple of his multitudinous young female
fans. In a voice-over, he talks about finding someone with that certain
something that "makes me fall in love." Then it becomes clear that it's not
the young ladies in the front row that he's focused on - it's a particular
young man. As it starts to dawn on this guy that Iglesias is giving him
very special attention, he glances nervously from side to side, as if he's
trying to figure out what Iglesias is up to. At this point, Iglesias
reaches out to the guy and snatches away his bag of Doritos Salsa Chips.
That's what he's up to: satisfying his lust for salty snacks.
In tune: As a 30-second story that would be amusing on its own, the
spot is clever. The trouble with a lot of ads that work well as 30-second
stories is that they have almost nothing to do with the product - it's just
mentioned at the end, after your attention has been captured, essentially as
a non sequitur. What I like about this ad is that the bag of Doritos is
front and center. Yes, it's amusing that heartthrob Iglesias is ignoring
the girls, but the point is that the thing being advertised is built into
the punch line.
Male gaze: Of course, the other notable thing about this particular
30-second story is that we spend a good chunk of it wondering about what
Iglesias, who is apparently not just heterosexual but so damn heterosexual
that he's dating Anna Kournikova, sees in that young man in the front row.
It's been a while since this column took up the subject of vaguely gay
imagery in advertising, but the theme is hard to miss in this spot. A Web
site that's essentially devoted to the topic, the Commercial Closet, took
note of the Doritos ad not long ago, noting that, "The ad carries a
neutrality to it, since the stunned fan was not appalled at the star's
apparent romantic interest, though it would have been groundbreaking if he
was indeed interested but still left behind for his Doritos." True enough.
But like many advertisers before it, Doritos seems content merely to flirt
with gayness and leave it at that. And besides, from the advertiser's point
of view, it's not Iglesias whose attractiveness is supposed to cross all
boundaries - it's the chips.
The Dartmouth, October 7, 2002
6175 Robinson Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755
(Fax: 603 646-3443 ) (Email: The.Dartmouth@Dartmouth.EDU )
http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=200210070105
Gay and lesbian alums tell of frightening experiences in disturbingly recent
College history
by Allison Forbes
Fear and isolation factored prominently in descriptions of Dartmouth
experiences this weekend at the Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender Alumni Association reunion events. Alumni returned to reconnect
with the Dartmouth of today and to share their versions of the College's
history.
In October 1980, Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity forbade "overt
homosexual activities" in its constitution, and in 1984, the fraternity
kicked out its social chair, Joel Thayer '85, for giving the fraternity the
reputation of a "gay house." After two nights of secret meetings, secret
votes and false accusations, Thayer conceded and moved out overnight. He
felt "stabbed in the back" by his fraternity, he said.
After Newsweek printed his story in the spring of 1984, students
defecated and urinated on his door, a fraternity member ran him into a
snowbank and Thayer's father cut his financial support.
Upon his return to Dartmouth for this reunion weekend, Thayer said
that in reaction to the events, students "did something - we were forced
to."
Five Tri-Kap brothers left the house with Thayer. The incident
incited the Gay Students Association to action and made being gay at
Dartmouth "less totally weird," said Thayer.
For Robert Conn '61, diversity at Dartmouth was nonexistent. Being
"out" at Dartmouth was unsafe. He reflected that in the United States "the
terror [of Sept. 11] this past year was unfamiliar to white males except
those who were gay and accustomed to terror."
Conn served as a news editor for The Dartmouth from 1960 to 1961 and
competed on the swim team, but in terms of his sexuality, he felt "totally
invisible." Conn noticed that for many alums, The D-GALA reunion events
were "a step towards dealing with alumni disenfranchisement."
This was the first all-class D-GALA reunion supported by the College.
Forty-five alumni and their guests registered for the weekend; Saturday's
GALA dinner attendees filled 92 seats.
James Guth '77, who entered Dartmouth in its second year of
coeducation, said the college "talked about diversity," but little was done.
In the 1970's, Students for Social Alternatives was the first group to
provide an outlet for gay students although they would not declare it.
One had to have "more than guts" to attend meetings: "you could not
be gay and accepted by your peers," Guth said. He spent his time "trying to
be straight, going on dates, playing a game" because he "couldn't explore,
especially not in the closed environment of Hanover."
The Gay Students Support Group formed in 1977, became the Gay
Students Association, and in 1986 changed its name to the Dartmouth Gay and
Lesbian Organization.
In 1978 Stuart Lewan '79 was physically thrown out of Bones Gate
fraternity because he was openly gay.
Linda E. Markin '77 was a gay woman on a campus with a male-to-female
ratio of eight-to-one; she dealt with two fronts of oppression.
"The College made no special efforts to welcome anyone," Markin said.
Markin didn't interact with people beyond her few close friends
because "Dartmouth felt like a dangerous place to be, and just being a woman
was hard enough." She witnessed and heard about many assaults and
"degrading incidents."
The change that has taken place at Dartmouth in the past 25 years,
Markin said, is amazing.
David Eichman '82, D-GALA President and Reunion Co-Chair, reaffirmed
how "Dartmouth today is just so different than Dartmouth of 20 years ago"
and how important it was for alumni to see the gay flag hanging at the Blunt
Alumni Center and Rauner Library, to see the Gay Lesbian Bisexual
Transgender Resource Center, to meet Pam Misener and learn about her
position as adviser to GLBT students and Assistant Dean of Student Life, and
to be welcomed by Dean of the College James Larimore.
Eichman's experience was very different when he was a student.
Eichman revealed that when Eric Stults '80 was found locked in a
closet, naked, beaten and covered with human feces, no one reported the
incident or recognized its anti-gay motive. The College covered it up. The
Hanover Police asked Stults if he dressed up in women's clothing and
dismissed the case.
The Dartmouth Review was founded in 1982, and that year the paper
published a list of Gay Student Association members. A student's
grandparents read his name on the list, stopped financial support, and the
student was forced to withdraw from Dartmouth.
Eichman was "terrified" to be seen with openly gay students because
"it wasn't safe" and "it wasn't an environment that supported any kind of
diversity."
In the mid-1980s, a Dartmouth Review reporter, posing as a troubled
lesbian, attended and covertly recorded a meeting of the GSA. The
dialogue - which Eichman characterized as "somewhat slanted" - appeared in
the next issue of the Review with all the names of the meeting's attendants.
In the early 1980s, Dartmouth gave "lip-service" to diversity, Thayer
said.
"If that," added Carol Cosenza '86.
Alumni often attributed Dartmouth's slow progress of acceptance to
its isolation and homogeneity.
Reports of derogatory actions continued through the 1990s. Although
Dartmouth still has much to achieve, D-GALA Vice-President and Reunion
Co-Chair Nancy Vogele '85 and other alumni have declared their pride to see
that Dartmouth has taken a stand in supporting GLBT life on campus.
In a panel discussion on Saturday, student Kristen Foery '04 shared
the positive experiences she has had as a queer student at Dartmouth and the
acceptance that she found in her first weeks here.
Students "need to know the history here just as much as [alumni] need
to know what's going on now," Foery said.
One alumnus at the panel was enraged to hear from trustee Nancy Kepes
Jeton '76 that the words "sexual orientation" were not included in the new
SLI mission statement. "There is a need to be named in the policies of the
college," said Misener.
Jon Hollander '03 reminded the audience at the panel that "struggles
and fights we felt we had won in the past we have to face again."
Japan Today, October 8, 2002
3F Maison Tomoe Building,
3-16-1 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0062
(Fax: 03-3479-3352) (E-Mail: editor@japantoday.com)
( http://www.japantoday.com )
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=book&id=136
Proud to be born gay
. Boku-no-kareshi-ha-doko-ni-iru? (Where is my boyfriend?) by Taiga
Ishikawa; Published by Kodansha Ltd; 1,500 yen + tax; 4-06-211409-7
Review by Takanori Kobayashi
Thanks to the Internet and TV programs, gay issues in Japan have
become easier to find out about. Nevertheless, compared to Western
countries, understanding about male homosexuality and lesbianism is not
ethically and legally advanced yet.
Of the world's population, approximately 6.1 trillion people, about 3
to 5% are estimated to be homosexual; this percentage is stable, neither
radically increasing or decreasing. This means that about one person in 30
is gay.
In Japanese society, as manliness and one's reputation are
traditionally valued and much cared about, it can be difficult for gay
people to come out of the closet. Gay rights are still far from granted.
In such social circumstances, one young Japanse gay man, Taiga
Ishikawa, 28, eventually decided to come out. In
"Boku-no-kareshi-ha-doko-ni-iru? (Where is my boyfriend?), published by
Kodansha, he tells of his struggles to be himself.
One of the main reasons why Ishikawa wrote the book was to correct
misconceptions about gay people which he feels causes homophobia among
heterosexuals.
"Many people tend to have narrow views of gay people as being either
macho or feminine. Of course, such kinds of gay individuals exist, but most
are not like that. We are just as varied and complex as anyone else, yet I
can't understand why gays are depicted as only macho and feminine," Ishikawa
writes.
While more people tend to be tolerant of gays nowadays, there are
still many Japanese who show a clear distaste or repulsion at just hearing
the word "gay."
Like other gay people, Ishikawa worried how people would react when
he publicized that he was gay. He had covered it up for 25 years and
pretended to be heterosexual. It wasn't until the advent of the Internet
that he could find other gay people.
Keeping something like that secret for such a long time imposes a
heavy burden on one's mind. According to Ishikawa, his case was not
special. He says a lot of gay Japanese worry about their sexual tendency
and some have even committed suicide.
After coming out, Ishikawa says he became sensitive to the human
rights of the socially weak such as women, disabled and foreigners living in
Japan. Perhaps, as a sexual minority, Ishikawa was able to understand the
bitterness that other minority groups or weak people have.
"Heterosexuals might see it but gays understand it. Granting and
assisting each other, one's life can be more enjoyable. Now, I honestly
think that I'm happy to have been born as a gay," Ishikawa says.
Tucson Citizen, October 7, 2002
4850 South Park Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85714
(Fax: 520-573-4569 ) (E-Mail: letters@tucsoncitizen.com )
( http://www.tucsoncitizen.com )
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/10_7_02goodrum.html
Az. probes activist's death at clinic here
A unit of the state Health Department is investigating La Frontera's
inpatient facility after the suicide of Alexander Goodrum, who may have been
dead for several hours before his body was found.
David L. Teibel, Tucson Citizen
State health investigators are probing the apparent suicide of a
nationally known transgender activist at a state-licensed mental-health
facility in Tucson.
According to a police report, Alexander John "Bear" Goodrum may have
been dead for several hours before his body was discovered.
The death was reported to police at 6:51 a.m. Sept. 27. Goodrum
apparently hanged himself from a bathroom door knob with a towel,
authorities said.
Tucson Fire Department medics arrived at the facility shortly after 7
a.m. and determined Goodrum was dead. They indicated he may have been dead
for several hours.
Goodrum, 41, a female-to-male transgendered bisexual, had checked
himself into St Joseph's Hospital last month to be treated for depression.
He was transferred about a week and a half later to the state-licensed La
Frontera Center Inc. inpatient facility on East Apache Park Place, near East
Ajo Way and South Kino Parkway.
La Frontera's director of inpatient services, Ellen McVay, would not
comment on Goodrum's death.
Walter P. Goodrum Jr. of Las Vegas said his brother had tried to kill
himself in the past, but he would not elaborate. He said Alexander
Goodrum's depression was not related to his gender.
His brother, Walter Goodrum said, "was supposed to be in the safest
place he could have been, and this still happened. That's the devastating
part."
According to a police report obtained through a state public records
request, when paramedics arrived at the facility, two clinic staff members
were performing CPR on Alexander Goodrum, who apparently was dead and had
slash marks on his wrist.
The paramedics told Tucson police Officer Mike Wilder that Goodrum
appeared to have been dead for several hours.
However, a clinic staff member told police he found Goodrum in bed
sleeping at 5 a.m.
Pima County Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce O. Parks said his office could
not determine how long Goodrum was dead because a pathologist was not called
to the clinic to examine the body.
Wilder's report indicated the patient's medical chart said Goodrum
was to be monitored for manic behavior. The report also said Wilder was
told Goodrum had made comments about suicide.
Because the report obtained by the Citizen was censored by police, it
is unclear to whom the comments about suicide were made.
Goodrum, whose nondenominational memorial was Saturday at Stone
Avenue Temple, 564 S. Stone Ave., was a founder of TGNet, a grass-roots
transgender advocacy group based in Tucson.
Goodrum's friend Kent Burbank, executive director of Wingspan - a
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy and support organization -
said, "I guess most people are wondering how this happened."
Burbank said Goodrum struggled all his life with depression.
Michael Woodward, a TGNet advisory board member, said when Goodrum
checked himself into the clinic, "We all thought he would be safe there."
The state Office of Behavioral Health Licensure, part of the state
Health Department, is investigating the death, said Michael Hall, a
licensing surveyor team leader with the office.
Hall said the state will review the clinic's policies and procedures,
whether they were followed in this case, and whether a doctor ordered
suicide precautions.
The state agency will interview staff at the facility. Hall said the
state has had no problems with La Frontera's inpatient clinic.
Stanford Daily, October 7, 2002
Stanford University
Storke Publications Building Suite 101, Stanford CA 94305-2240
(Fax: 650-725-1329) (E-Mail: letters@daily.stanford.edu )
( http://daily.stanford.edu/daily/servlet/Front )
http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=content&id=8957&repository=0001_article
#
Alliance works to build community
By David Blackman
Stanford's Queer Straight Social and Political Alliance was founded
last year to foster a positive community for both queer and queer-allied
students.
The group held its first meeting at 9 p.m. yesterday in El Centro
Chicano. The alliance plans to have meetings weekly at the same time and
place for the rest of the year.
The alliance was founded by senior Jesse Evans and junior Caroline
Hopper as a way to increase visibility for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual
Transgender community at Stanford.
According to the Hopper, there wasn't a problem with discrimination
or homophobia on campus; instead, founding the group was a way to create a
more unified community, as well as to "foster political activism" with
regard to the LGBT community.
The QSSPA is a non-exclusive organization, open to those of all
sexual orientations. Hopper said that, although the group does not ask
whether students are queer or straight, she believes that the straight
membership of the group is about equal to those identifying as queer.
The group asked that Daily reporters not attend meetings in their
official capacity because, as stated on its Web site, "at any QSSPA social
event we feel it is imperative that: People who attend not disclose who they
have seen at QSSPA events, [and] everyone's affiliation should be as
confidential as they'd like it to be."
The alliance also holds to a tenet of never asking about sexual
orientation at any QSSPA event.
At the first meeting, the group worked to organize some of the social
events and parties that the QSSPA plans. The alliance is planning to have a
party once a month and a social event every two weeks. Its next event will
be a social gathering on Oct. 10, at 10 p.m. at the LGBT-CRC, on the eve of
National Coming Out Day.
Evans said that the group's next party - still in the planning
stages - is slated for Nov. 2. These group events serve as a meeting place
for the community, as well as a place to be among queer-friendly people.
The group is finishing a survey started last year, dealing with the
needs of the queer and queer-friendly community at Stanford. The results
will be updated on the group's Web site throughout the year.
Stanford and the Bay Area in general are reputedly very friendly
towards the queer community. But while Hopper said that it is a "constant
battle to fight homophobia and assumptions about the queer community," most
of the Stanford community is very open and accepting.
This year the group plans to work to unify the community and increase
its visibility. Members have already passed out signs saying "I support
queer rights," and plan to fly gay-pride flags during National Coming Out
Day. The alliance occasionally flies banners in White Plaza, and overall
tries to "create a friendly, open atmosphere" for students of all sexual
orientations.
QSSPA meetings, parties and social events are free, with funding
coming from both the LGBT-CRC and the ASSU. The group is allied with the
LGBT-CRC but remains independent.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
2. SLATE.COM Hello, Mr. Chips: Enrique Iglesias' vaguely gay Doritos ad
3. THE DARTMOUTH (Dartmouth College, NH) Gay and lesbian alums tell of
frightening experiences in disturbingly recent College history
4. JAPAN TODAY Proud to be born gay: Book review of "Boku-no-kareshi-ha-doko-ni-iru? (Where is my boyfriend?)"
5. TUCSON CITIZEN Arizona Health Department investigates inpatient facility after the suicide of transgender activist Alexander Goodrum, who may have been dead for several hours before his body was found.
6. STANFORD DAILY Stanford's Queer Straight Social and Political Alliance fosters a positive community for both queer and queer-allied students
BBC News, 7 October 2002
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2307531.stm
'Powerful case' for gay marriage
There is a "strong case" to be made for introducing gay marriage,
according to a Tory frontbench spokesman.
John Bercow argued that reviewing the Conservative's position on gay
rights was a "litmus test" of the party's willingness to change.
There are already strong calls from Tory modernisers, including
ex-minister Steven Norris, for the scrapping of Section 28, the law banning
local authorities from promoting homosexuality.
Mr Bercow, the shadow work and pensions minister, said that while the
Tories had no plans to introduce the civil registration of gay marriages,
there were intellectual and ethical arguments for such a move.
'Powerful case'
He told a fringe meeting at the Tory conference in Bournemouth that a
"strong case can be made".
"Gay marriage as a term emotionalises the whole issue," he said.
"I think there are good arguments in favour of civil registration of
partnerships and I think a strong case can be made.
"There was a bill in the House of Lords. It has fallen by the
wayside. The Conservative Party has no plans to introduce such a scheme.
"But if you are arguing about the intellectual or ethical attractions
of having a system of the kind a very powerful case can be made."
Duncan Smith's challenge
Mr Bercow heaped praise on Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith for
his pledge to review the party's support for Section 28.
"I regard it as a litmus test of whether the Conservative Party is
determined to change," he said.
"It is an absolutely essential issue for that reason.
"I don't think Iain for one moment will duck the challenge. It is
essential that we meet that challenge."
Mr Bercow stressed that no-one wanted pupils to be exposed to
unsuitable material on either gay or straight sex.
Clear signal
But he poked fun at claims that young people would be encouraged to
experiment by looking at educational material.
He added: "Come on, let's get rid of these demons and grow up and
come to terms with the world as it now is."
Ministers will attempt to repeal Section 28 when Parliament returns,
but some right wing Tories - including former party chairman and shadow
deputy prime minister David Davis - have reportedly threatened to resign if
Mr Duncan Smith backs the government's position.
However, modernisers in the party believe that if Mr Duncan Smith
supported the government's bid to scrap the measure, the Tories would be
sending out a clear signal that they have changed.
Slate, October 7, 2002
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2071942&device=
ad report card
Hello, Mr. Chips
Enrique Iglesias' vaguely gay Doritos ad.
By Rob Walker
When an advertiser relies on a celebrity endorser, it can set up an
unintended tension: Who's the star of the spot, the celebrity or the
product? If this is mishandled, viewers remember the endorser but not what
he or she endorsed. One recent ad that walks this line pretty well has
Enrique Iglesias shilling for Doritos Salsa Chips. You can see it here, via
Ads.com.
The ad: Iglesias, arguably the hottest male sex symbol around these
days, seems to be serenading a couple of his multitudinous young female
fans. In a voice-over, he talks about finding someone with that certain
something that "makes me fall in love." Then it becomes clear that it's not
the young ladies in the front row that he's focused on - it's a particular
young man. As it starts to dawn on this guy that Iglesias is giving him
very special attention, he glances nervously from side to side, as if he's
trying to figure out what Iglesias is up to. At this point, Iglesias
reaches out to the guy and snatches away his bag of Doritos Salsa Chips.
That's what he's up to: satisfying his lust for salty snacks.
In tune: As a 30-second story that would be amusing on its own, the
spot is clever. The trouble with a lot of ads that work well as 30-second
stories is that they have almost nothing to do with the product - it's just
mentioned at the end, after your attention has been captured, essentially as
a non sequitur. What I like about this ad is that the bag of Doritos is
front and center. Yes, it's amusing that heartthrob Iglesias is ignoring
the girls, but the point is that the thing being advertised is built into
the punch line.
Male gaze: Of course, the other notable thing about this particular
30-second story is that we spend a good chunk of it wondering about what
Iglesias, who is apparently not just heterosexual but so damn heterosexual
that he's dating Anna Kournikova, sees in that young man in the front row.
It's been a while since this column took up the subject of vaguely gay
imagery in advertising, but the theme is hard to miss in this spot. A Web
site that's essentially devoted to the topic, the Commercial Closet, took
note of the Doritos ad not long ago, noting that, "The ad carries a
neutrality to it, since the stunned fan was not appalled at the star's
apparent romantic interest, though it would have been groundbreaking if he
was indeed interested but still left behind for his Doritos." True enough.
But like many advertisers before it, Doritos seems content merely to flirt
with gayness and leave it at that. And besides, from the advertiser's point
of view, it's not Iglesias whose attractiveness is supposed to cross all
boundaries - it's the chips.
The Dartmouth, October 7, 2002
6175 Robinson Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755
(Fax: 603 646-3443 ) (Email: The.Dartmouth@Dartmouth.EDU )
http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=200210070105
Gay and lesbian alums tell of frightening experiences in disturbingly recent
College history
by Allison Forbes
Fear and isolation factored prominently in descriptions of Dartmouth
experiences this weekend at the Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender Alumni Association reunion events. Alumni returned to reconnect
with the Dartmouth of today and to share their versions of the College's
history.
In October 1980, Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity forbade "overt
homosexual activities" in its constitution, and in 1984, the fraternity
kicked out its social chair, Joel Thayer '85, for giving the fraternity the
reputation of a "gay house." After two nights of secret meetings, secret
votes and false accusations, Thayer conceded and moved out overnight. He
felt "stabbed in the back" by his fraternity, he said.
After Newsweek printed his story in the spring of 1984, students
defecated and urinated on his door, a fraternity member ran him into a
snowbank and Thayer's father cut his financial support.
Upon his return to Dartmouth for this reunion weekend, Thayer said
that in reaction to the events, students "did something - we were forced
to."
Five Tri-Kap brothers left the house with Thayer. The incident
incited the Gay Students Association to action and made being gay at
Dartmouth "less totally weird," said Thayer.
For Robert Conn '61, diversity at Dartmouth was nonexistent. Being
"out" at Dartmouth was unsafe. He reflected that in the United States "the
terror [of Sept. 11] this past year was unfamiliar to white males except
those who were gay and accustomed to terror."
Conn served as a news editor for The Dartmouth from 1960 to 1961 and
competed on the swim team, but in terms of his sexuality, he felt "totally
invisible." Conn noticed that for many alums, The D-GALA reunion events
were "a step towards dealing with alumni disenfranchisement."
This was the first all-class D-GALA reunion supported by the College.
Forty-five alumni and their guests registered for the weekend; Saturday's
GALA dinner attendees filled 92 seats.
James Guth '77, who entered Dartmouth in its second year of
coeducation, said the college "talked about diversity," but little was done.
In the 1970's, Students for Social Alternatives was the first group to
provide an outlet for gay students although they would not declare it.
One had to have "more than guts" to attend meetings: "you could not
be gay and accepted by your peers," Guth said. He spent his time "trying to
be straight, going on dates, playing a game" because he "couldn't explore,
especially not in the closed environment of Hanover."
The Gay Students Support Group formed in 1977, became the Gay
Students Association, and in 1986 changed its name to the Dartmouth Gay and
Lesbian Organization.
In 1978 Stuart Lewan '79 was physically thrown out of Bones Gate
fraternity because he was openly gay.
Linda E. Markin '77 was a gay woman on a campus with a male-to-female
ratio of eight-to-one; she dealt with two fronts of oppression.
"The College made no special efforts to welcome anyone," Markin said.
Markin didn't interact with people beyond her few close friends
because "Dartmouth felt like a dangerous place to be, and just being a woman
was hard enough." She witnessed and heard about many assaults and
"degrading incidents."
The change that has taken place at Dartmouth in the past 25 years,
Markin said, is amazing.
David Eichman '82, D-GALA President and Reunion Co-Chair, reaffirmed
how "Dartmouth today is just so different than Dartmouth of 20 years ago"
and how important it was for alumni to see the gay flag hanging at the Blunt
Alumni Center and Rauner Library, to see the Gay Lesbian Bisexual
Transgender Resource Center, to meet Pam Misener and learn about her
position as adviser to GLBT students and Assistant Dean of Student Life, and
to be welcomed by Dean of the College James Larimore.
Eichman's experience was very different when he was a student.
Eichman revealed that when Eric Stults '80 was found locked in a
closet, naked, beaten and covered with human feces, no one reported the
incident or recognized its anti-gay motive. The College covered it up. The
Hanover Police asked Stults if he dressed up in women's clothing and
dismissed the case.
The Dartmouth Review was founded in 1982, and that year the paper
published a list of Gay Student Association members. A student's
grandparents read his name on the list, stopped financial support, and the
student was forced to withdraw from Dartmouth.
Eichman was "terrified" to be seen with openly gay students because
"it wasn't safe" and "it wasn't an environment that supported any kind of
diversity."
In the mid-1980s, a Dartmouth Review reporter, posing as a troubled
lesbian, attended and covertly recorded a meeting of the GSA. The
dialogue - which Eichman characterized as "somewhat slanted" - appeared in
the next issue of the Review with all the names of the meeting's attendants.
In the early 1980s, Dartmouth gave "lip-service" to diversity, Thayer
said.
"If that," added Carol Cosenza '86.
Alumni often attributed Dartmouth's slow progress of acceptance to
its isolation and homogeneity.
Reports of derogatory actions continued through the 1990s. Although
Dartmouth still has much to achieve, D-GALA Vice-President and Reunion
Co-Chair Nancy Vogele '85 and other alumni have declared their pride to see
that Dartmouth has taken a stand in supporting GLBT life on campus.
In a panel discussion on Saturday, student Kristen Foery '04 shared
the positive experiences she has had as a queer student at Dartmouth and the
acceptance that she found in her first weeks here.
Students "need to know the history here just as much as [alumni] need
to know what's going on now," Foery said.
One alumnus at the panel was enraged to hear from trustee Nancy Kepes
Jeton '76 that the words "sexual orientation" were not included in the new
SLI mission statement. "There is a need to be named in the policies of the
college," said Misener.
Jon Hollander '03 reminded the audience at the panel that "struggles
and fights we felt we had won in the past we have to face again."
Japan Today, October 8, 2002
3F Maison Tomoe Building,
3-16-1 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-0062
(Fax: 03-3479-3352) (E-Mail: editor@japantoday.com)
( http://www.japantoday.com )
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=book&id=136
Proud to be born gay
. Boku-no-kareshi-ha-doko-ni-iru? (Where is my boyfriend?) by Taiga
Ishikawa; Published by Kodansha Ltd; 1,500 yen + tax; 4-06-211409-7
Review by Takanori Kobayashi
Thanks to the Internet and TV programs, gay issues in Japan have
become easier to find out about. Nevertheless, compared to Western
countries, understanding about male homosexuality and lesbianism is not
ethically and legally advanced yet.
Of the world's population, approximately 6.1 trillion people, about 3
to 5% are estimated to be homosexual; this percentage is stable, neither
radically increasing or decreasing. This means that about one person in 30
is gay.
In Japanese society, as manliness and one's reputation are
traditionally valued and much cared about, it can be difficult for gay
people to come out of the closet. Gay rights are still far from granted.
In such social circumstances, one young Japanse gay man, Taiga
Ishikawa, 28, eventually decided to come out. In
"Boku-no-kareshi-ha-doko-ni-iru? (Where is my boyfriend?), published by
Kodansha, he tells of his struggles to be himself.
One of the main reasons why Ishikawa wrote the book was to correct
misconceptions about gay people which he feels causes homophobia among
heterosexuals.
"Many people tend to have narrow views of gay people as being either
macho or feminine. Of course, such kinds of gay individuals exist, but most
are not like that. We are just as varied and complex as anyone else, yet I
can't understand why gays are depicted as only macho and feminine," Ishikawa
writes.
While more people tend to be tolerant of gays nowadays, there are
still many Japanese who show a clear distaste or repulsion at just hearing
the word "gay."
Like other gay people, Ishikawa worried how people would react when
he publicized that he was gay. He had covered it up for 25 years and
pretended to be heterosexual. It wasn't until the advent of the Internet
that he could find other gay people.
Keeping something like that secret for such a long time imposes a
heavy burden on one's mind. According to Ishikawa, his case was not
special. He says a lot of gay Japanese worry about their sexual tendency
and some have even committed suicide.
After coming out, Ishikawa says he became sensitive to the human
rights of the socially weak such as women, disabled and foreigners living in
Japan. Perhaps, as a sexual minority, Ishikawa was able to understand the
bitterness that other minority groups or weak people have.
"Heterosexuals might see it but gays understand it. Granting and
assisting each other, one's life can be more enjoyable. Now, I honestly
think that I'm happy to have been born as a gay," Ishikawa says.
Tucson Citizen, October 7, 2002
4850 South Park Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85714
(Fax: 520-573-4569 ) (E-Mail: letters@tucsoncitizen.com )
( http://www.tucsoncitizen.com )
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/10_7_02goodrum.html
Az. probes activist's death at clinic here
A unit of the state Health Department is investigating La Frontera's
inpatient facility after the suicide of Alexander Goodrum, who may have been
dead for several hours before his body was found.
David L. Teibel, Tucson Citizen
State health investigators are probing the apparent suicide of a
nationally known transgender activist at a state-licensed mental-health
facility in Tucson.
According to a police report, Alexander John "Bear" Goodrum may have
been dead for several hours before his body was discovered.
The death was reported to police at 6:51 a.m. Sept. 27. Goodrum
apparently hanged himself from a bathroom door knob with a towel,
authorities said.
Tucson Fire Department medics arrived at the facility shortly after 7
a.m. and determined Goodrum was dead. They indicated he may have been dead
for several hours.
Goodrum, 41, a female-to-male transgendered bisexual, had checked
himself into St Joseph's Hospital last month to be treated for depression.
He was transferred about a week and a half later to the state-licensed La
Frontera Center Inc. inpatient facility on East Apache Park Place, near East
Ajo Way and South Kino Parkway.
La Frontera's director of inpatient services, Ellen McVay, would not
comment on Goodrum's death.
Walter P. Goodrum Jr. of Las Vegas said his brother had tried to kill
himself in the past, but he would not elaborate. He said Alexander
Goodrum's depression was not related to his gender.
His brother, Walter Goodrum said, "was supposed to be in the safest
place he could have been, and this still happened. That's the devastating
part."
According to a police report obtained through a state public records
request, when paramedics arrived at the facility, two clinic staff members
were performing CPR on Alexander Goodrum, who apparently was dead and had
slash marks on his wrist.
The paramedics told Tucson police Officer Mike Wilder that Goodrum
appeared to have been dead for several hours.
However, a clinic staff member told police he found Goodrum in bed
sleeping at 5 a.m.
Pima County Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce O. Parks said his office could
not determine how long Goodrum was dead because a pathologist was not called
to the clinic to examine the body.
Wilder's report indicated the patient's medical chart said Goodrum
was to be monitored for manic behavior. The report also said Wilder was
told Goodrum had made comments about suicide.
Because the report obtained by the Citizen was censored by police, it
is unclear to whom the comments about suicide were made.
Goodrum, whose nondenominational memorial was Saturday at Stone
Avenue Temple, 564 S. Stone Ave., was a founder of TGNet, a grass-roots
transgender advocacy group based in Tucson.
Goodrum's friend Kent Burbank, executive director of Wingspan - a
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy and support organization -
said, "I guess most people are wondering how this happened."
Burbank said Goodrum struggled all his life with depression.
Michael Woodward, a TGNet advisory board member, said when Goodrum
checked himself into the clinic, "We all thought he would be safe there."
The state Office of Behavioral Health Licensure, part of the state
Health Department, is investigating the death, said Michael Hall, a
licensing surveyor team leader with the office.
Hall said the state will review the clinic's policies and procedures,
whether they were followed in this case, and whether a doctor ordered
suicide precautions.
The state agency will interview staff at the facility. Hall said the
state has had no problems with La Frontera's inpatient clinic.
Stanford Daily, October 7, 2002
Stanford University
Storke Publications Building Suite 101, Stanford CA 94305-2240
(Fax: 650-725-1329) (E-Mail: letters@daily.stanford.edu )
( http://daily.stanford.edu/daily/servlet/Front )
http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=content&id=8957&repository=0001_article
#
Alliance works to build community
By David Blackman
Stanford's Queer Straight Social and Political Alliance was founded
last year to foster a positive community for both queer and queer-allied
students.
The group held its first meeting at 9 p.m. yesterday in El Centro
Chicano. The alliance plans to have meetings weekly at the same time and
place for the rest of the year.
The alliance was founded by senior Jesse Evans and junior Caroline
Hopper as a way to increase visibility for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual
Transgender community at Stanford.
According to the Hopper, there wasn't a problem with discrimination
or homophobia on campus; instead, founding the group was a way to create a
more unified community, as well as to "foster political activism" with
regard to the LGBT community.
The QSSPA is a non-exclusive organization, open to those of all
sexual orientations. Hopper said that, although the group does not ask
whether students are queer or straight, she believes that the straight
membership of the group is about equal to those identifying as queer.
The group asked that Daily reporters not attend meetings in their
official capacity because, as stated on its Web site, "at any QSSPA social
event we feel it is imperative that: People who attend not disclose who they
have seen at QSSPA events, [and] everyone's affiliation should be as
confidential as they'd like it to be."
The alliance also holds to a tenet of never asking about sexual
orientation at any QSSPA event.
At the first meeting, the group worked to organize some of the social
events and parties that the QSSPA plans. The alliance is planning to have a
party once a month and a social event every two weeks. Its next event will
be a social gathering on Oct. 10, at 10 p.m. at the LGBT-CRC, on the eve of
National Coming Out Day.
Evans said that the group's next party - still in the planning
stages - is slated for Nov. 2. These group events serve as a meeting place
for the community, as well as a place to be among queer-friendly people.
The group is finishing a survey started last year, dealing with the
needs of the queer and queer-friendly community at Stanford. The results
will be updated on the group's Web site throughout the year.
Stanford and the Bay Area in general are reputedly very friendly
towards the queer community. But while Hopper said that it is a "constant
battle to fight homophobia and assumptions about the queer community," most
of the Stanford community is very open and accepting.
This year the group plans to work to unify the community and increase
its visibility. Members have already passed out signs saying "I support
queer rights," and plan to fly gay-pride flags during National Coming Out
Day. The alliance occasionally flies banners in White Plaza, and overall
tries to "create a friendly, open atmosphere" for students of all sexual
orientations.
QSSPA meetings, parties and social events are free, with funding
coming from both the LGBT-CRC and the ASSU. The group is allied with the
LGBT-CRC but remains independent.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Gay News for Oct. 8
1. DETROIT NEWS Deb Price: California leads on gay benefits
2. POCONO RECORD (PA) Message behind 'Stop the Hate' is acceptance
3. MIAMI HERALD McBride law firm is torn on gay adoptions
4. MIAMI HERALD Gay film fest forges on despite money problems
5. ARIZONA REPUBLIC Rainbows Festival draws thousands; Street fair celebrates gay life in Valley
Detroit News, October 7, 2002
615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI, 48226
(Fax: 313-222-6417 ) (E-Mail: Letters@detnews.com )
( http://detnews.com/ )
http://www.detnews.com/2002/editorial/0210/07/a11-605584.htm
California leads on gay benefits
By Deb Price, The Detroit News
In an historic California breakthrough that will reverberate
nationwide, gay and lesbian workers are being equally included - right from
the start - in a major new benefit program intended to ensure that employees
can afford to take time off to care for a family member.
California's paid family medical leave - the first of its kind in the
nation - will enable workers who voluntarily pay into a newly created
insurance program to receive up to half of their normal salary for up to six
weeks if they need to stay home to care for a newborn or adopted child or
tend to a seriously ill child, domestic partner, spouse or parent.
Democratic Gov. Gray Davis signed the family-friendly benefit into
law Sept. 23 after businesses won concessions, including that they won't be
forced to chip in and that workers can be required to use two weeks of
vacation before going on paid family leave. California's new program, which
other states are already eyeing, marks a wonderful milestone in the push to
help all sorts of families cope with new children or health crises without
being ruined financially.
The California breakthrough provides an encouraging window into the
future: Those of us who are gay will be included from the start, rather
than having to later fight for rights and benefits that our heterosexual
counterparts already enjoy. Opposition to paid family leave focused on the
potential hardship for businesses, not on the fact that it treated gay
couples fairly. And, unlike in Hawaii and Vermont where gay couples have
won marriage-like rights, California's legislature included us
matter-of-factly rather than under court pressure.
The new law highlights the sea change happening in influential,
trend-setting California. Davis' election in 1998, after 16 years of
hostile Republican governors, opened the door to incremental change. The
state's legislature and voters have become increasingly gay-friendly.
And much of the state's progress - including the nation's first
statewide registry for domestic partners and the extension of more than a
dozen key marriage-like rights to them - has been spearheaded by lesbian
lawmakers.
"It's a different universe here than four years ago," says Geoff
Kors, director of the California Alliance for Pride and Equality. "In
California, we really have won the battle in public opinion that translates
into electing people who represent the public's wishes by treating
same-gender couples as spouses."
What's next? The governor's staff will be studying Vermont's
experience with civil unions, a legal status that gives gay couples all the
state-level rights and responsibilities of marriage. While California civil
unions are likely at least a few years away, state Senate President John
Burton and Assembly Speaker Herb J. Wesson Jr. already support same-sex
marriage.
Since Vermont created civil unions in 2000, civil union measures have
been introduced in five state legislatures, including California's. But no
state could make a bigger gay-rights splash than gigantic California. If
that titan embraces civil unions, naysayers won't be able to dismiss the
move as just being done on a holiday island or in a teensy state best known
for tasty ice cream.
The dramatic changes we're seeing in California, which is trending
more Democratic, will be felt nationally. A staggering one out of every
eight Americans lives in the state. It has the largest voting bloc in the
435-seat U.S. House, rising to 53 members next January. Congresswoman Nancy
Pelosi of San Francisco has a good shot at becoming the next Democratic
leader of the House. And any Democratic presidential hopeful must carry
California in order to win the White House.
So, as California moves more and more toward treating its gay men and
lesbians just like other folks, we can expect not just other states but also
the federal government to gradually follow its marvelous example.
Equality is the American dream. And California just might become the
dream state.
. You can reach Deb Price at (202) 662-7384 or dprice@detnews.com.
Pocono Record, October 7, 2002
511 Lenox St., Stroudsburg, PA, 18360
(Fax: 717-424-2625 )
http://www.poconorecord.com/local/tjd06685.htm
Message behind 'Stop the Hate' is acceptance
By Erin Doolittle, Pocono Record Writer, edoolittle@poconorecord.com
MARSHALLS CREEK - The constable at the door of St. John's Catholic
Church had a quiet night at this year's "Stop the Hate" vigil. No one
turned out to object to the gathering of people promoting tolerance of
personal differences - religious, racial and sexual.
The interfaith ceremony, attended by about 50 people, plucked words
of peace from religions of the world and applied them to modern day living.
"Stop the Hate" began nationwide four years ago in response to the
fatal beating of Matthew Shepard, a gay man, in Laramie, Wyo.
Anita Niles-Lee talked about her son's homosexuality and her fears
for his happiness. "When you see young lovers embracing on the street," she
said, "you feel happiness for them."
"Would you feel the same if they were the same sex? They don't have
that one simple freedom, to embrace on the sidewalk," she said. "I live in
fear for my son and his partner."
Parents need to accept their children no matter what, she said.
"Once we can change our perceptions we can teach tolerance."
"Please think about who you hate. Someday it might turn out to be
someone you love," Niles-Lee said.
April Fredericks of Bushkill turned out for the event because she's a
transgendered lesbian who has been beaten for bridging the gender gap.
She's also a former transgender activist who belonged to Transsexual Menace.
The group traveled the country protesting acts of prejudice against
transgendered people, including the notorious murder of Brendan Teena. Teena
was a woman who dressed as a man. A movie, "Boys Don't Cry" was based on
her story.
Fredericks has met with some prejudice in the Poconos but has
generally found acceptance, she said.
"I get a lot of looks," said Fredericks, who had a sex change
operation in 1995.
She runs her owns business making metal castings. Her company logo
includes a little pink triangle, a lesbian symbol. She's a volunteer EMT
with the Bushkill Ambulance Corps.
Ironically, she said, most of the grief she gets is from other groups
that suffer bias, including blacks and Hispanics.
Monsignor Kevin O'Neill said hosting the event in a Catholic church
poses no conflict despite the position of the church that practicing
homosexuality is wrong.
"What this is about is not hating anybody for any reason," he said.
"You may not agree but still you show respect. You certainly never show
hatred or violence."
Miami Herald, October 7, 2002
1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL, 33132
(Fax: 305-527-8955 or 305-376-8950 ) (E-Mail: HeraldEd@herald.com )
( http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/ )
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/4228136.htm
McBride law firm torn on gay adoptions (excerpt)
By Jay Weaver, jweaver@herald.com
In the spring of 1999, the law firm Holland & Knight got a call from
a children's advocacy group to help gay couples fight for the right to adopt
kids in Florida.
The case seemed like a natural for the state's biggest law firm. It
had a solid reputation for donating services to children's causes.
Thousands of kids in foster care awaited adoption. And Florida was the only
state that banned gay men and lesbians from adopting children.
The case also seemed to fit the firm's corporate culture. Holland &
Knight was among the first Florida companies to provide benefits for the
partners of gay and straight employees. And its managing partner, Bill
McBride, now the Democratic nominee for governor, supported gay adoption
then as he does now.
But when the firm's top social services lawyer proposed in an e-mail
that Holland & Knight take the case, the note opened an emotional rift
within the firm.
A respected gay lawyer in the Miami office and several of his
colleagues pushed hard to take the case. But others, including those from
an old-time Orlando law practice that had just merged with Holland & Knight,
flatly argued that gay couples should not raise children.
McBride, the man in charge of deciding what important social service
cases the firm would do for free, had the last word.
The word was no.
McBride has said while campaigning that he, unlike Gov. Jeb Bush,
strongly believes that adoption decisions should be based on the fitness of
a couple, not sexual orientation. How, then, does he explain his refusal
three years ago to put the formidable talent of his influential firm behind
a cause he personally supports?
At the time, he told The Herald that he didn't "want to break up a
law firm" over gay adoption.
Last week, he said that keeping the Tampa-based firm together was not
really the issue.
"This one was so emotional internally for the firm that partners
couldn't personally reconcile themselves," said McBride, 57, adding that he
wanted to take the case. "I did this out of respect for those partners.
There was no middle ground here."
The gay-adoption case - eventually represented by the American Civil
Liberties Union and dismissed by a federal judge last year - puts McBride in
a bind on the campaign trail.
Politically, he cannot boast about the case as he deftly selects
parts of his former firm's record to define his gubernatorial candidacy for
liberal and moderate voters.
McBride's decision not to take the case also reveals the internal
dynamics of a lawyer-turned-politician, calling into question his leadership
and determination to do what he thinks is right when faced with opposition.
Decision Analyzed
McBride says he sought consensus in pro bono cases
Robert Jarvis, an ethics law professor at Nova Southeastern
University, said McBride's decision on the gay-adoption case was a
bottom-line calculation designed to appease dissenting partners.
McBride's decision, he said, can be viewed in two ways. "He can be
seen as somebody who doesn't impose his will on people and can work out
conflicts. Or he can be seen as a cold, calculating SOB who throws out his
principles when there's something to be gained."
McBride said he always tried to seek consensus on whether his former
firm should take cases for free - pro bono, in legal parlance.
As governor, he said Friday, he would act as he did in considering
the gay-adoption case: listen to all sides, and try to do what's in the
"best interests" of everybody - even when that decision goes against his
beliefs.
"It's certainly not 'my way or the highway,' " McBride said. "I
really do believe as I've gotten older that I need to listen and be
open-minded."
McBride's defenders include some of the lawyers who advocated taking
on the gay-adoption case.
"Bill McBride is not an ideologue," said Stephen Hanlon, the firm's
pro bono chief, who ultimately agreed with his former boss' decision. "He
is able to balance conflicting interests and arrive at good judgments."
Greg Baldwin, the gay Holland & Knight partner, said he ultimately
recommended to McBride that he not take the case because it was too
political.
"He never once hid behind me," Baldwin said. "He never once said,
'Look at the gay partner. The gay partner said, 'Let's not take it.' He
didn't do that. He listened to everyone and simply said, 'It's my
decision.'" . . . [The rest is about the law firm.]
Miami Herald, October 7, 2002
1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL, 33132
(Fax: 305-527-8955 or 305-376-8950 ) (E-Mail: HeraldEd@herald.com )
( http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/ )
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/4226615.htm
Gay film fest forges on despite money problems
By Gail Meadows, gmeadows@herald.com
The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, which parted ways with founder
Robert Rosenberg late last month after a rocky year, says it has only $2,000
in the bank and is more than $100,000 in debt, including back pay.
Administrative director Phillip Matthews says he is owed $9,000 to
$10,000, at least $12,000 is owed Rosenberg and $16,000 is owed to freelance
publicist Lisa Palley.
But the plan is to go full steam ahead with a 10-day festival April
24 to May 4, at a location to be determined.
"I feel confident we can do it," Matthews said. To cut back on the
dates means to lose out on ticket sales, he said.
Relief will begin to arrive this month, when Miami-Dade's Cultural
Affairs Council is due to send $37,315 and the Dade Human Rights Foundation
$10,000, Matthews said. In addition, an upcoming fund-raiser - a showing of
All the Queen's Men, in which World War II soldiers dress in drag to
infiltrate the German line - is expected to net up to $10,000.
With all that cash, Matthews hopes to start repaying his and
Rosenberg's salaries, which have been on hold since June. Rosenberg says he
has provided "a detailed accounting" of his claim of $15,000 in back pay;
Matthews says that sum is closer to $12,000.
None of the fractiousness helps with sponsors.
"It's a big disappointment to me, personally, that they've lost
Robbie," said Lee Brian Schrager, director of special events and media
relations at Southern Wine & Spirits, which gave $30,000 in cash and
supplied the liquor for hospitality events this spring. "But I'm going to
sit down and talk with them, hear what they have to say. We've made no
decision yet."
Conflict Created
Sidney Brien, the fest's founding president and an expert in setting
up not-for-profit organizations, said many of the problems stem from "the
organizational structure never being fully developed." The board, he says,
"is more involved than it should be." This "creates conflict," particularly
when board members are non-arts folks compared to the likes of Rosenberg,
whom supporters call an intense, innovative workaholic who could be found
writing program notes at four o'clock in the morning.
Things began to break down a year ago, according to board member Mark
Scott. Cash flow was tight. By November-December, "the contentiousness was
obvious to influential community members," Scott said. "Robbie didn't want
to answer to anyone."
Rosenberg says the board "just didn't comprehend what an artistic
director does. I know the difference between a great festival and one
that's mediocre."
Mediator Sought
To keep things civil, the board asked an anonymous donor who had put
forth a $27,000 loan to mediate. Scott said, "He interviewed everyone
involved."
The result: a set of emergency measures to get through the festival,
which had a budget of $450,000.
"We delineated everyone's responsibilities," Scott said. "Everyone
was to follow the rules."
But there was fallout. A board that numbered 18 last fall fell to
five in January and February. Gone were several key volunteers, especially
in hospitality. The fest, which had rented space on Lincoln Road for a VIP
lounge, had to hire a part-time worker at $300 a week to handle logistics.
Philanthropist Harvey Burstein, who says he has given $10,000 a year
to the fest, contends that VIP spot cost $15,000 and added to the debt. But
Fran Levey, the fest co-chair, calls it "the best investment we ever made."
"If it cost us twice as much, I'd do it again," she said.
Everyone agrees that expenses began spiraling out of control last
year. In July 2001, the event was only $15,000 in the red. Now, 15 months
later, the debt is six times that high. According to Matthews, $50,000 is
in "accounts payable from last year." Another $27,000 is the loan.
After the fest, Scott and the remaining four board members began
further restructuring. They wanted Matthews to report to them, not
Rosenberg.
"Robbie said his decision-making authority was being abrogated,"
Scott said. "He said he would walk."
Rosenberg concedes that the proposal rankled him.
"I wanted control over quality," he said. "If they tell me an awards
ceremony is going to be held in a tiny restaurant, I say no, I've got 60
filmmakers here, plus 10 people from HBO. I need a stage, a mike. They
don't necessarily see the connection between the quality of the festival and
the treatment of the VIPs."
Things Unraveled
By July, the board had "put together a grid of who makes which
decisions," Scott said. Things percolated along for a few weeks, but then
began to unravel again.
At the Sept. 25 board meeting, Rosenberg "spoke for two hours and
asked for a mediator again," Scott said.
"We were stuck," he continued. "We couldn't seem to recruit new
board members; fund-raising efforts were stifled; and the outside community
wanted assurances that our issues were being resolved."
They refused Rosenberg's request.
"That was the last straw," Rosenberg said.
The next day, seemingly within minutes of each other, Rosenberg sent
out e-mails announcing his departure, and the board issued a press release.
"If we had taken no action, it would have been inaction," Scott said.
"This could have exploded 10 months ago. At least now, we'll have the next
festival; a month ago, that didn't look promising."
Arizona Republic, October 7, 2002
Box 1950, Phoenix, AZ, 85001
(Fax: 602-271-8933 ) (E-Mail: opinions@arizonarepublic.com )
( http://www.arizonarepublic.com )
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1007PHXrainbow07.html
Rainbows Festival draws thousands
Street fair celebrates gay life in Valley
Michael Clancy, The Arizona Republic
The first Rainbows Festival took place in downtown Phoenix on Sunday,
with several thousand people gathering to celebrate gay life in the Valley.
Event organizer Don Hamill said 20,000 to 25,000 people attended
during the day.
"It's gone amazingly smoothly," he said. "People have just relaxed
and enjoyed themselves."
Billed as a Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Street Fair, the event at Heritage
Square featured information, merchandise, food and music.
Shelly Moss of Phoenix said the festival was "a lot better" than
others she has attended, "because there is more to see and do."
The Heritage Square setting, between Rosson House and the Arizona
Science Center, "makes it feel more like a festival," she added.
Moss was volunteering for Phoenix Family and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays, or PFLAG, an organization that supports and educates the community
about gay issues.
She said most of the visitors to the PFLAG booth were "gay people who
want to know how to talk to their families."
The site works because much of the gay community lives in the central
part of the city, said Keith Thompson of the Phoenix Shanti Group, which
provides HIV services and programs.
"It may be a stereotype, but it seems the
gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgendered community has a good urban presence about
it," he said.
The festival, he said, "feels great, there's a great turnout, and
we're glad we're here."
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
2. POCONO RECORD (PA) Message behind 'Stop the Hate' is acceptance
3. MIAMI HERALD McBride law firm is torn on gay adoptions
4. MIAMI HERALD Gay film fest forges on despite money problems
5. ARIZONA REPUBLIC Rainbows Festival draws thousands; Street fair celebrates gay life in Valley
Detroit News, October 7, 2002
615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI, 48226
(Fax: 313-222-6417 ) (E-Mail: Letters@detnews.com )
( http://detnews.com/ )
http://www.detnews.com/2002/editorial/0210/07/a11-605584.htm
California leads on gay benefits
By Deb Price, The Detroit News
In an historic California breakthrough that will reverberate
nationwide, gay and lesbian workers are being equally included - right from
the start - in a major new benefit program intended to ensure that employees
can afford to take time off to care for a family member.
California's paid family medical leave - the first of its kind in the
nation - will enable workers who voluntarily pay into a newly created
insurance program to receive up to half of their normal salary for up to six
weeks if they need to stay home to care for a newborn or adopted child or
tend to a seriously ill child, domestic partner, spouse or parent.
Democratic Gov. Gray Davis signed the family-friendly benefit into
law Sept. 23 after businesses won concessions, including that they won't be
forced to chip in and that workers can be required to use two weeks of
vacation before going on paid family leave. California's new program, which
other states are already eyeing, marks a wonderful milestone in the push to
help all sorts of families cope with new children or health crises without
being ruined financially.
The California breakthrough provides an encouraging window into the
future: Those of us who are gay will be included from the start, rather
than having to later fight for rights and benefits that our heterosexual
counterparts already enjoy. Opposition to paid family leave focused on the
potential hardship for businesses, not on the fact that it treated gay
couples fairly. And, unlike in Hawaii and Vermont where gay couples have
won marriage-like rights, California's legislature included us
matter-of-factly rather than under court pressure.
The new law highlights the sea change happening in influential,
trend-setting California. Davis' election in 1998, after 16 years of
hostile Republican governors, opened the door to incremental change. The
state's legislature and voters have become increasingly gay-friendly.
And much of the state's progress - including the nation's first
statewide registry for domestic partners and the extension of more than a
dozen key marriage-like rights to them - has been spearheaded by lesbian
lawmakers.
"It's a different universe here than four years ago," says Geoff
Kors, director of the California Alliance for Pride and Equality. "In
California, we really have won the battle in public opinion that translates
into electing people who represent the public's wishes by treating
same-gender couples as spouses."
What's next? The governor's staff will be studying Vermont's
experience with civil unions, a legal status that gives gay couples all the
state-level rights and responsibilities of marriage. While California civil
unions are likely at least a few years away, state Senate President John
Burton and Assembly Speaker Herb J. Wesson Jr. already support same-sex
marriage.
Since Vermont created civil unions in 2000, civil union measures have
been introduced in five state legislatures, including California's. But no
state could make a bigger gay-rights splash than gigantic California. If
that titan embraces civil unions, naysayers won't be able to dismiss the
move as just being done on a holiday island or in a teensy state best known
for tasty ice cream.
The dramatic changes we're seeing in California, which is trending
more Democratic, will be felt nationally. A staggering one out of every
eight Americans lives in the state. It has the largest voting bloc in the
435-seat U.S. House, rising to 53 members next January. Congresswoman Nancy
Pelosi of San Francisco has a good shot at becoming the next Democratic
leader of the House. And any Democratic presidential hopeful must carry
California in order to win the White House.
So, as California moves more and more toward treating its gay men and
lesbians just like other folks, we can expect not just other states but also
the federal government to gradually follow its marvelous example.
Equality is the American dream. And California just might become the
dream state.
. You can reach Deb Price at (202) 662-7384 or dprice@detnews.com.
Pocono Record, October 7, 2002
511 Lenox St., Stroudsburg, PA, 18360
(Fax: 717-424-2625 )
http://www.poconorecord.com/local/tjd06685.htm
Message behind 'Stop the Hate' is acceptance
By Erin Doolittle, Pocono Record Writer, edoolittle@poconorecord.com
MARSHALLS CREEK - The constable at the door of St. John's Catholic
Church had a quiet night at this year's "Stop the Hate" vigil. No one
turned out to object to the gathering of people promoting tolerance of
personal differences - religious, racial and sexual.
The interfaith ceremony, attended by about 50 people, plucked words
of peace from religions of the world and applied them to modern day living.
"Stop the Hate" began nationwide four years ago in response to the
fatal beating of Matthew Shepard, a gay man, in Laramie, Wyo.
Anita Niles-Lee talked about her son's homosexuality and her fears
for his happiness. "When you see young lovers embracing on the street," she
said, "you feel happiness for them."
"Would you feel the same if they were the same sex? They don't have
that one simple freedom, to embrace on the sidewalk," she said. "I live in
fear for my son and his partner."
Parents need to accept their children no matter what, she said.
"Once we can change our perceptions we can teach tolerance."
"Please think about who you hate. Someday it might turn out to be
someone you love," Niles-Lee said.
April Fredericks of Bushkill turned out for the event because she's a
transgendered lesbian who has been beaten for bridging the gender gap.
She's also a former transgender activist who belonged to Transsexual Menace.
The group traveled the country protesting acts of prejudice against
transgendered people, including the notorious murder of Brendan Teena. Teena
was a woman who dressed as a man. A movie, "Boys Don't Cry" was based on
her story.
Fredericks has met with some prejudice in the Poconos but has
generally found acceptance, she said.
"I get a lot of looks," said Fredericks, who had a sex change
operation in 1995.
She runs her owns business making metal castings. Her company logo
includes a little pink triangle, a lesbian symbol. She's a volunteer EMT
with the Bushkill Ambulance Corps.
Ironically, she said, most of the grief she gets is from other groups
that suffer bias, including blacks and Hispanics.
Monsignor Kevin O'Neill said hosting the event in a Catholic church
poses no conflict despite the position of the church that practicing
homosexuality is wrong.
"What this is about is not hating anybody for any reason," he said.
"You may not agree but still you show respect. You certainly never show
hatred or violence."
Miami Herald, October 7, 2002
1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL, 33132
(Fax: 305-527-8955 or 305-376-8950 ) (E-Mail: HeraldEd@herald.com )
( http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/ )
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/4228136.htm
McBride law firm torn on gay adoptions (excerpt)
By Jay Weaver, jweaver@herald.com
In the spring of 1999, the law firm Holland & Knight got a call from
a children's advocacy group to help gay couples fight for the right to adopt
kids in Florida.
The case seemed like a natural for the state's biggest law firm. It
had a solid reputation for donating services to children's causes.
Thousands of kids in foster care awaited adoption. And Florida was the only
state that banned gay men and lesbians from adopting children.
The case also seemed to fit the firm's corporate culture. Holland &
Knight was among the first Florida companies to provide benefits for the
partners of gay and straight employees. And its managing partner, Bill
McBride, now the Democratic nominee for governor, supported gay adoption
then as he does now.
But when the firm's top social services lawyer proposed in an e-mail
that Holland & Knight take the case, the note opened an emotional rift
within the firm.
A respected gay lawyer in the Miami office and several of his
colleagues pushed hard to take the case. But others, including those from
an old-time Orlando law practice that had just merged with Holland & Knight,
flatly argued that gay couples should not raise children.
McBride, the man in charge of deciding what important social service
cases the firm would do for free, had the last word.
The word was no.
McBride has said while campaigning that he, unlike Gov. Jeb Bush,
strongly believes that adoption decisions should be based on the fitness of
a couple, not sexual orientation. How, then, does he explain his refusal
three years ago to put the formidable talent of his influential firm behind
a cause he personally supports?
At the time, he told The Herald that he didn't "want to break up a
law firm" over gay adoption.
Last week, he said that keeping the Tampa-based firm together was not
really the issue.
"This one was so emotional internally for the firm that partners
couldn't personally reconcile themselves," said McBride, 57, adding that he
wanted to take the case. "I did this out of respect for those partners.
There was no middle ground here."
The gay-adoption case - eventually represented by the American Civil
Liberties Union and dismissed by a federal judge last year - puts McBride in
a bind on the campaign trail.
Politically, he cannot boast about the case as he deftly selects
parts of his former firm's record to define his gubernatorial candidacy for
liberal and moderate voters.
McBride's decision not to take the case also reveals the internal
dynamics of a lawyer-turned-politician, calling into question his leadership
and determination to do what he thinks is right when faced with opposition.
Decision Analyzed
McBride says he sought consensus in pro bono cases
Robert Jarvis, an ethics law professor at Nova Southeastern
University, said McBride's decision on the gay-adoption case was a
bottom-line calculation designed to appease dissenting partners.
McBride's decision, he said, can be viewed in two ways. "He can be
seen as somebody who doesn't impose his will on people and can work out
conflicts. Or he can be seen as a cold, calculating SOB who throws out his
principles when there's something to be gained."
McBride said he always tried to seek consensus on whether his former
firm should take cases for free - pro bono, in legal parlance.
As governor, he said Friday, he would act as he did in considering
the gay-adoption case: listen to all sides, and try to do what's in the
"best interests" of everybody - even when that decision goes against his
beliefs.
"It's certainly not 'my way or the highway,' " McBride said. "I
really do believe as I've gotten older that I need to listen and be
open-minded."
McBride's defenders include some of the lawyers who advocated taking
on the gay-adoption case.
"Bill McBride is not an ideologue," said Stephen Hanlon, the firm's
pro bono chief, who ultimately agreed with his former boss' decision. "He
is able to balance conflicting interests and arrive at good judgments."
Greg Baldwin, the gay Holland & Knight partner, said he ultimately
recommended to McBride that he not take the case because it was too
political.
"He never once hid behind me," Baldwin said. "He never once said,
'Look at the gay partner. The gay partner said, 'Let's not take it.' He
didn't do that. He listened to everyone and simply said, 'It's my
decision.'" . . . [The rest is about the law firm.]
Miami Herald, October 7, 2002
1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL, 33132
(Fax: 305-527-8955 or 305-376-8950 ) (E-Mail: HeraldEd@herald.com )
( http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/ )
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/4226615.htm
Gay film fest forges on despite money problems
By Gail Meadows, gmeadows@herald.com
The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, which parted ways with founder
Robert Rosenberg late last month after a rocky year, says it has only $2,000
in the bank and is more than $100,000 in debt, including back pay.
Administrative director Phillip Matthews says he is owed $9,000 to
$10,000, at least $12,000 is owed Rosenberg and $16,000 is owed to freelance
publicist Lisa Palley.
But the plan is to go full steam ahead with a 10-day festival April
24 to May 4, at a location to be determined.
"I feel confident we can do it," Matthews said. To cut back on the
dates means to lose out on ticket sales, he said.
Relief will begin to arrive this month, when Miami-Dade's Cultural
Affairs Council is due to send $37,315 and the Dade Human Rights Foundation
$10,000, Matthews said. In addition, an upcoming fund-raiser - a showing of
All the Queen's Men, in which World War II soldiers dress in drag to
infiltrate the German line - is expected to net up to $10,000.
With all that cash, Matthews hopes to start repaying his and
Rosenberg's salaries, which have been on hold since June. Rosenberg says he
has provided "a detailed accounting" of his claim of $15,000 in back pay;
Matthews says that sum is closer to $12,000.
None of the fractiousness helps with sponsors.
"It's a big disappointment to me, personally, that they've lost
Robbie," said Lee Brian Schrager, director of special events and media
relations at Southern Wine & Spirits, which gave $30,000 in cash and
supplied the liquor for hospitality events this spring. "But I'm going to
sit down and talk with them, hear what they have to say. We've made no
decision yet."
Conflict Created
Sidney Brien, the fest's founding president and an expert in setting
up not-for-profit organizations, said many of the problems stem from "the
organizational structure never being fully developed." The board, he says,
"is more involved than it should be." This "creates conflict," particularly
when board members are non-arts folks compared to the likes of Rosenberg,
whom supporters call an intense, innovative workaholic who could be found
writing program notes at four o'clock in the morning.
Things began to break down a year ago, according to board member Mark
Scott. Cash flow was tight. By November-December, "the contentiousness was
obvious to influential community members," Scott said. "Robbie didn't want
to answer to anyone."
Rosenberg says the board "just didn't comprehend what an artistic
director does. I know the difference between a great festival and one
that's mediocre."
Mediator Sought
To keep things civil, the board asked an anonymous donor who had put
forth a $27,000 loan to mediate. Scott said, "He interviewed everyone
involved."
The result: a set of emergency measures to get through the festival,
which had a budget of $450,000.
"We delineated everyone's responsibilities," Scott said. "Everyone
was to follow the rules."
But there was fallout. A board that numbered 18 last fall fell to
five in January and February. Gone were several key volunteers, especially
in hospitality. The fest, which had rented space on Lincoln Road for a VIP
lounge, had to hire a part-time worker at $300 a week to handle logistics.
Philanthropist Harvey Burstein, who says he has given $10,000 a year
to the fest, contends that VIP spot cost $15,000 and added to the debt. But
Fran Levey, the fest co-chair, calls it "the best investment we ever made."
"If it cost us twice as much, I'd do it again," she said.
Everyone agrees that expenses began spiraling out of control last
year. In July 2001, the event was only $15,000 in the red. Now, 15 months
later, the debt is six times that high. According to Matthews, $50,000 is
in "accounts payable from last year." Another $27,000 is the loan.
After the fest, Scott and the remaining four board members began
further restructuring. They wanted Matthews to report to them, not
Rosenberg.
"Robbie said his decision-making authority was being abrogated,"
Scott said. "He said he would walk."
Rosenberg concedes that the proposal rankled him.
"I wanted control over quality," he said. "If they tell me an awards
ceremony is going to be held in a tiny restaurant, I say no, I've got 60
filmmakers here, plus 10 people from HBO. I need a stage, a mike. They
don't necessarily see the connection between the quality of the festival and
the treatment of the VIPs."
Things Unraveled
By July, the board had "put together a grid of who makes which
decisions," Scott said. Things percolated along for a few weeks, but then
began to unravel again.
At the Sept. 25 board meeting, Rosenberg "spoke for two hours and
asked for a mediator again," Scott said.
"We were stuck," he continued. "We couldn't seem to recruit new
board members; fund-raising efforts were stifled; and the outside community
wanted assurances that our issues were being resolved."
They refused Rosenberg's request.
"That was the last straw," Rosenberg said.
The next day, seemingly within minutes of each other, Rosenberg sent
out e-mails announcing his departure, and the board issued a press release.
"If we had taken no action, it would have been inaction," Scott said.
"This could have exploded 10 months ago. At least now, we'll have the next
festival; a month ago, that didn't look promising."
Arizona Republic, October 7, 2002
Box 1950, Phoenix, AZ, 85001
(Fax: 602-271-8933 ) (E-Mail: opinions@arizonarepublic.com )
( http://www.arizonarepublic.com )
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1007PHXrainbow07.html
Rainbows Festival draws thousands
Street fair celebrates gay life in Valley
Michael Clancy, The Arizona Republic
The first Rainbows Festival took place in downtown Phoenix on Sunday,
with several thousand people gathering to celebrate gay life in the Valley.
Event organizer Don Hamill said 20,000 to 25,000 people attended
during the day.
"It's gone amazingly smoothly," he said. "People have just relaxed
and enjoyed themselves."
Billed as a Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Street Fair, the event at Heritage
Square featured information, merchandise, food and music.
Shelly Moss of Phoenix said the festival was "a lot better" than
others she has attended, "because there is more to see and do."
The Heritage Square setting, between Rosson House and the Arizona
Science Center, "makes it feel more like a festival," she added.
Moss was volunteering for Phoenix Family and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays, or PFLAG, an organization that supports and educates the community
about gay issues.
She said most of the visitors to the PFLAG booth were "gay people who
want to know how to talk to their families."
The site works because much of the gay community lives in the central
part of the city, said Keith Thompson of the Phoenix Shanti Group, which
provides HIV services and programs.
"It may be a stereotype, but it seems the
gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgendered community has a good urban presence about
it," he said.
The festival, he said, "feels great, there's a great turnout, and
we're glad we're here."
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Gay News for Oct. 7
ITHACA (NY) JOURNAL Some parents work themselves into a hot sweaty
lather over production of play "Josh Keenan Comes Out to the World" at Ithaca High School.
Swiss Info, Swiss bishops reject gay marriages: "The Catholic Church in Switzerland has refused to bless gay couples
or accept marriages between homosexuals. But they apologised for past discrimination against gays."
New Haven Register, Don't ask, don't tell doesn't sell with Yale law students - Go Bulldogs Go!
San Francisco Chronicle, The civil-union task force that never was: Both sides want to know if Davis has kept his promise on same-sex panel.
MELBOURNE HERALD SUN (Australia) World's biggest gay and lesbian resort to open soon near the far-north Queensland town of Kuranda - it is Liberty Resort.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Taking pride in themselves: "Come Out and Celebrate" festivities honored Youth Pride Inc.
Providence Journal, October 5, 2002
75 Fountain St., Providence, RI, 02902
(Fax: 401-277-7346 ) (E-Mail: letters@projo.com )
( http://www.projo.com )
Taking pride in themselves
By Karen Lee Ziner, Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE - It was a joyous 10th anniversary party at the Providence
Marriott last night. Cocktails, dinner and dance, chatter and flirtation in
the ballroom. Men with men, women with women. A few stunning drag queens.
The "Come Out and Celebrate" festivities honored Youth Pride Inc., a
Providence organization that supports and advocates for young people whose
sexual orientation and gender identity may make for a difficult life
journey.
Nearly 250 people attended, filling the hallways and the ballroom,
and delighting the organization's executive director, Michelle Duso.
"I'm thrilled," said Duso as she looked around. "We chose to do this
to increase the visibility of YPI, and present an opportunity to bring the
community together to show support for lgbtqq youth." Duso used letters to
indicate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning.
(Questioning refers to people who are questioning of their own sexual or
gender identity. The word queer, though often used in a derogatory way, is
being used by many young people as a source of power and pride, according to
YPI.)
Duso works full-time at the organization's office in Fox Point. The
statewide nonprofit organization provides support ranging from anti-bias
programs, a drop-in center, peer support groups, individual and family
counseling, academic tutoring, GED preparation support, and a hate-crime
reporting hot line.
As Youth Pride pushes its motto, "Don't Grow Up Invisible," it has
attracted "terrific community support," Duso said.
"From the people who volunteer, to the people who send in a $25 check
every year, a teacher who tutors and becomes a mentor," she said, "the range
of generosity is sometimes pleasantly overwhelming."
But as Duso and founder Wendy Becker noted in their program, "Some
things, however, haven't changed. The stories shared are still poignant,
the isolation stifling, the celebrations exuberant, the hurt deep . . ."
Youth Pride hopes that by breaking silence, increasing community
awareness, creating safe, nurturing environments and cultivating youth
leadership, it will build "a strong and vocal community of lgbtqq youth and
their supporters."
Last night's event was co-chaired by Mario Hilario, an anchor for NBC
Channel 10's Weekend Sunrise Show, and Kate Monteiro, the president of the
Rhode Island Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights.
There were three honorees. Tony Maione, executive director of the
National Council on Community & Justice, was celebrated "for his efforts at
fostering tolerance and inclusion." Tom and Dana DelBonis, Jamestown
residents and parents of a Youth Pride participant, were lauded for their
ongoing contributions to the organization and for "their unwavering support
for their daughter."
Also honored was The Imperial Court of Rhode Island, a colorful group
of drag queens whose fundraisers have netted more than $300,000 for Youth
Pride.
A third co-chairman was Tom Ryan, a New York City firefighter, father
of three, and president of FireFLAG EMS, a national organization of gay,
lesbian, and transgender firefighters and emergency workers.
In a short interview, Ryan described coming out as a gay man in the
conservative, testosterone-charged atmosphere of a Bronx fire station.
"Very hard," he said, shaking his head. "Very, very hard."
But come out of the closet he did, wearing his firefighter T-shirt as
he marched in the 1998 New York City Gay Pride Parade.
"As we marched, I saw this woman two blocks away, a reporter," said
Ryan, "and I knew I had two blocks to make up my mind. I knew that if I
talked to her, I was going to be on the news."
Ryan did talk with that TV reporter, "and sure enough, there it was
on the 5, 6 and 11 at night, 'Tom Ryan, firefighter,'" marching for gay
pride.
The word raced around his Bronx fire house, and the aftermath "wasn't
very nice. I'd walk into a room, and people would turn their backs on me.
It was very odd, and good in a way - you really find out who your friends
are."
Ryan transferred to Ladder Co. 12 in Chelsea, in a gay neighborhood.
"It's also a much more diverse fire house. There's a woman lieutenant, a
black firefighter," and several Latino firefighters, he said.
Noel "Brillo" DeJesus, a 10th grader in Providence, was there last
night, too. A small young man with a jaunty beret, DeJesus described what
led him to Youth Pride: It happened when he was 13 or 14, and he was having
trouble sorting out his sexuality.
"I was going crazy," said DeJesus. "I was wondering, why am I
feeling this way toward men? And I still like girls . . ."
In 1999, when he was working at Project AIDS Rhode Island, a friend
there told him about Youth Pride. There, he began a journey "toward feeling
comfortable with my bisexuality."
"Youth Pride helped me build a foundation and inner strength, to find
myself, to come out to myself," and then, DeJesus said, "eventually, to
others that I trust."
. Youth Pride Inc. is located at 134 George M. Cohan Boulevard in
Providence. Phone:(401) 421-5626. E-mail: youth-pride@yahoo.com.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
75 Fountain St., Providence, RI, 02902
(Fax: 401-277-7346 ) (E-Mail: letters@projo.com )
( http://www.projo.com )
Taking pride in themselves
By Karen Lee Ziner, Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE - It was a joyous 10th anniversary party at the Providence
Marriott last night. Cocktails, dinner and dance, chatter and flirtation in
the ballroom. Men with men, women with women. A few stunning drag queens.
The "Come Out and Celebrate" festivities honored Youth Pride Inc., a
Providence organization that supports and advocates for young people whose
sexual orientation and gender identity may make for a difficult life
journey.
Nearly 250 people attended, filling the hallways and the ballroom,
and delighting the organization's executive director, Michelle Duso.
"I'm thrilled," said Duso as she looked around. "We chose to do this
to increase the visibility of YPI, and present an opportunity to bring the
community together to show support for lgbtqq youth." Duso used letters to
indicate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning.
(Questioning refers to people who are questioning of their own sexual or
gender identity. The word queer, though often used in a derogatory way, is
being used by many young people as a source of power and pride, according to
YPI.)
Duso works full-time at the organization's office in Fox Point. The
statewide nonprofit organization provides support ranging from anti-bias
programs, a drop-in center, peer support groups, individual and family
counseling, academic tutoring, GED preparation support, and a hate-crime
reporting hot line.
As Youth Pride pushes its motto, "Don't Grow Up Invisible," it has
attracted "terrific community support," Duso said.
"From the people who volunteer, to the people who send in a $25 check
every year, a teacher who tutors and becomes a mentor," she said, "the range
of generosity is sometimes pleasantly overwhelming."
But as Duso and founder Wendy Becker noted in their program, "Some
things, however, haven't changed. The stories shared are still poignant,
the isolation stifling, the celebrations exuberant, the hurt deep . . ."
Youth Pride hopes that by breaking silence, increasing community
awareness, creating safe, nurturing environments and cultivating youth
leadership, it will build "a strong and vocal community of lgbtqq youth and
their supporters."
Last night's event was co-chaired by Mario Hilario, an anchor for NBC
Channel 10's Weekend Sunrise Show, and Kate Monteiro, the president of the
Rhode Island Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights.
There were three honorees. Tony Maione, executive director of the
National Council on Community & Justice, was celebrated "for his efforts at
fostering tolerance and inclusion." Tom and Dana DelBonis, Jamestown
residents and parents of a Youth Pride participant, were lauded for their
ongoing contributions to the organization and for "their unwavering support
for their daughter."
Also honored was The Imperial Court of Rhode Island, a colorful group
of drag queens whose fundraisers have netted more than $300,000 for Youth
Pride.
A third co-chairman was Tom Ryan, a New York City firefighter, father
of three, and president of FireFLAG EMS, a national organization of gay,
lesbian, and transgender firefighters and emergency workers.
In a short interview, Ryan described coming out as a gay man in the
conservative, testosterone-charged atmosphere of a Bronx fire station.
"Very hard," he said, shaking his head. "Very, very hard."
But come out of the closet he did, wearing his firefighter T-shirt as
he marched in the 1998 New York City Gay Pride Parade.
"As we marched, I saw this woman two blocks away, a reporter," said
Ryan, "and I knew I had two blocks to make up my mind. I knew that if I
talked to her, I was going to be on the news."
Ryan did talk with that TV reporter, "and sure enough, there it was
on the 5, 6 and 11 at night, 'Tom Ryan, firefighter,'" marching for gay
pride.
The word raced around his Bronx fire house, and the aftermath "wasn't
very nice. I'd walk into a room, and people would turn their backs on me.
It was very odd, and good in a way - you really find out who your friends
are."
Ryan transferred to Ladder Co. 12 in Chelsea, in a gay neighborhood.
"It's also a much more diverse fire house. There's a woman lieutenant, a
black firefighter," and several Latino firefighters, he said.
Noel "Brillo" DeJesus, a 10th grader in Providence, was there last
night, too. A small young man with a jaunty beret, DeJesus described what
led him to Youth Pride: It happened when he was 13 or 14, and he was having
trouble sorting out his sexuality.
"I was going crazy," said DeJesus. "I was wondering, why am I
feeling this way toward men? And I still like girls . . ."
In 1999, when he was working at Project AIDS Rhode Island, a friend
there told him about Youth Pride. There, he began a journey "toward feeling
comfortable with my bisexuality."
"Youth Pride helped me build a foundation and inner strength, to find
myself, to come out to myself," and then, DeJesus said, "eventually, to
others that I trust."
. Youth Pride Inc. is located at 134 George M. Cohan Boulevard in
Providence. Phone:(401) 421-5626. E-mail: youth-pride@yahoo.com.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Laughing it off: openly lesbian comic Suzanne Westenhoefer
The Tennessean, October 5, 2002
1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN, 37203
(Fax: 615-726-8928 ) (E-Mail: letters@tennessean.com )
( http://www.tennessean.com )
Laughing it off
By Robert Hicks, For The Tennessean
Suzanne Westenhoefer is an openly lesbian comic, but her appeal spans
gays and straights alike, because she keeps her routine fresh and atop
current events and everyday life.
''I'm really extemporaneous. I'll make up stuff right on the spot,''
she said from her home in Los Angeles. ''I've never done two shows exactly
alike. I don't have a script. I have topics I want to touch and stories I
want to tell you.''
She brings her award-winning stand-up comedy routine to Zanies Comedy
Showplace for one night only tomorrow.
''One big show, an hour and a half, lots of laughing. No dancing
girls and magic,'' she said with a laugh. ''It's pretty much just me and my
phone, and I hope you'll laugh really hard and that your cheeks will hurt.''
Nashvillians, lesbian, gay and straight, can expect a lot of jokes
about everyday life. Westenhoefer's comedy album, I'm Not Cindy Brady,
addresses everything from airport security post-Sept. 11, Home Depot and
Pennsylvania's Amish culture to Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson to Martha
Stewart and The Brady Bunch.
''I like to get out there and put out something that people feel
talks to them no matter who they are,'' she said. ''I've been openly gay
since the '80s. I'm a girl. I'm white. But you hope that everybody from
all different persuasions can go, 'It's so like me. It's so like us. Oh,
this is funny.' My creative goal is always to give a solid performance so
that everybody can laugh and have a fun time and feel like I'm speaking
right to you.''
Today, Westenhoefer - along with Kate Clinton, Marga Gomez and Ellen
DeGeneres - ranks among a handful of successful, openly lesbian comedians.
''Casually. That's how I like to address gay topics in my comedy,''
she said. ''Not in a way that's like, 'You're GAY!' I like to just be who
I am. I don't march in a gay pride parade every day, so I don't talk about
it all the time.
''My life is my life. I'm from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a town of
13,000 people. I went to high school. I went to college. I've had the
same girlfriend for 10 years. We've lived together. We've had dogs and
cats. We argue about who puts the toilet paper on wrong. People talk about
those things. You know, me and you and Dr. Phil.''
When she got her start in the early '90s in New York, Westenhoefer
was one of few lesbian comedians to talk openly about her sexuality in a
universal way that was appealing to gays and straights.
''In the beginning, I was the only openly gay comic in the world, not
really, but that's what it felt like,'' she said.
''I was performing for straight audiences. It was a very big deal.
You couldn't just say you were gay. You had to address every topic that was
in their head.
''With the gay audiences, you were one of their few voices, so you
had to be the gay cheerleader. You couldn't just drift off and talk about
your dogs or your mom. That was OK, because I was an activist and I was
really proud. I did it on purpose. I could have stayed in the closet. I
was OK about being super, ultra gay and being the voice for gay people. But
there is a freedom now to be able to talk about anything. That, as a
performer, is way more fun for me.''
Westenhoefer, 41, wasn't always focused on a comedy career. She
first studied drama at Clarion University in Pennsylvania. After moving to
New York in 1983, she worked as a bartender and took acting classes in hopes
on making it on Broadway.
On July 1, 1990, friends dared her to enter an open mike comedy
contest at Kelly's Piano Bar (now defunct) in New York's West Village. To
her surprise, she won! That led to engagements at comedy clubs, and before
long, she began doing television shows.
Her big breakthrough came when she appeared on the segment, Lesbians
Who Don't Look Like Lesbians, on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show.
She later appeared on Politically Incorrect, Evening at the Improv
and was featured on Comedy Central. She filmed her own HBO comedy special
in 1994 that was nominated for a 1995 Cable ACE award.
In addition to I'm Not Cindy Brady, she has another comedy album
called Nothing in My Closet But My Clothes. Earlier this year, she appeared
in an episode of HBO's Arli$$ and filmed her part in an upcoming movie, A
Family Affair. Future plans include television work for a future gay cable
network.
. Getting there: Suzanne Westenhoefer appears at 8 p.m. tomorrow at
Zanies Comedy Showplace, 2025 Eighth Ave. S. Tickets are $20, available by
calling Zanies at 269-0221.
Nun says God's calling outranks Vatican's
Toledo Blade, October 5, 2002
541 Superior St., Toledo, OH, 43660
(Fax: 419-245-6191 ) (E-Mail: letters@toledoblade.com )
( http://www.toledoblade.com )
Nun says God's calling outranks Vatican's
By David Yonke, Blade Religion Editor
When the Vatican ordered Sister Jeannine Gramick to end her ministry
to gay and lesbian Catholics, the soft-spoken nun said she had to listen to
a higher authority: God.
"Throughout my praying about the situation, I kept receiving the
feeling from God that this is the ministry that God is calling me to do,"
Sister Gramick said in a recent interview from her home in Timonium, Md.
The nun will be the keynote speaker at the 25th anniversary banquet
of Dignity Toledo, the local chapter of a national lay group for gay,
lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Catholics.
After the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued
its ruling on Sister Gramick in 1999, members of her religious order, the
School Sisters of Notre Dame, advised her to find a new outreach.
Sister Gramick said, however, that she could not in good conscience
comply with that decision and began the process of switching orders, joining
the Sisters of Loretto based in Denver.
"To me, the hand of God was not in what the Vatican had done," she
said, "because the process was not fair and I did not believe that God would
use that unfair process to call me to another ministry to which I had no
attraction."
The 60-year-old nun, who has a PhD in mathematics and a doctorate in
education from the University of Pennsylvania, began her ministry while in
graduate school.
"I met a gay man and became very good friends with him. Then I met
his friends. He kept saying, 'What is the Catholic Church doing for my gay
friends and sisters?' I said I didn't know, and he said, 'Why don't you do
something?'"
Sister Gramick started holding Eucharistic services for her
homosexual friends, which inspired her lifetime commitment to the ministry.
She said her troubles did not shake her faith in the church or in
God, but it did convince her that the church needs reform.
"Seeing the limitations of leaders within a certain organization do
not keep me from seeing the beauty of the religion itself," she said.
In 1977, Sister Gramick co-founded New Ways Ministry, an outreach to
gay and lesbian Catholics, with the Rev. Robert Nugent of the Society of the
Divine Savior.
She fears that gay priests are being used as a scapegoat by Catholic
leaders in the current sex-scandal affecting the church.
Such arguments are "shifting the responsibility for the crisis," she
said. "The real responsibility rests with the bishops themselves" for not
removing the offenders from ministry or reporting them to civil authorities.
. Sister Jeannine Gramick speaks at Dignity Toledo's 25th anniversary
celebration Oct. 12. Mass will be celebrated at 7 p.m. at St. Mark's
Episcopal Church, 2272 Collingwood Blvd. Dinner is at 8:30 p.m. at
Madison's on Main in Sylvania. Information: 419-242-9057.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
October 06, 2002
Paris mayor recovering after anti-gay stabbing
Daily Telegraph, 6 October 2002
1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DT England
(E-Mail: et.letters@telegraph.co.uk ) ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ )
Paris mayor recovering after anti-gay stabbing
The mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, was recovering in hospital
after being stabbed in the stomach in an apparently homophobic attack.
Delanoe, 52, one of France's few openly gay politicans, was elected
in March last year. The Socialist mayor was greeting members of the public
at around 2.30am in a reception room at the Hotel de Ville - or city hall -
as part of an all-night festivity organised across the capital.
A man who was among 100 or so people invited into the building
approached the mayor and stabbed him once, officials said. Delanoe bled
profusely and was taken to hospital, but doctors said his life was not in
danger.
Overpowered on the spot, the assailant was taken into custody and
later named as Azedine Berkane, a 39 year-old computer worker with several
prior convictions for theft and acts of violence who lives with his parents
in a poor suburb north of Paris.
During questioning by police, Berkane told them that "he did not like
politicians and in particular he did not like homosexuals," said an
investigator close to the inquiry.
Delanoe underwent surgery early Sunday, and a hospital statement
later said the mayor was recovering and that "his stomach wounds were
treated successfully." He was expected to stay in hospital for over a week.
French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre
Raffarin sent messages of sympathy. In a statement, the president declared
"his indignation in the face of this senseless deed."
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
October 05, 2002
GA GOP GOV candidate Perdue says same-sex couples are sometimes better parents than heterosexual couples - so long as they don't adopt
Perdue Clarifies Gay Parenting Remark
11 Avilve News: The Associated Press
Last Modified: 10/4/2002 11:30:07 AM
ATLANTA -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Sonny Perdue told a gay Republican group that same-sex couples are sometimes better parents than heterosexual couples.
But Perdue later clarified his position and said he opposes allowing gay couples to adopt children.
Perdue spoke Wednesday in Atlanta to the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of gay and lesbian Republicans. When asked if he supports the ban on gay adoptions, Perdue pointed out Georgia has no ban.
"I'm perfectly willing to listen to your opinion on that," Perdue said. "A nurturing, loving home with couples of the same sex is better than the homes that we find some children in with parents of the opposite sex."
That gave some of those in attendance the idea Perdue was open to gay adoption, but on Thursday Perdue said that wasn't what he meant.
"On the margins, some nurturing environments are provided," Perdue said. "But children are best served by a mother and a father. I could not and would not support any legislation dealing with gay adoptions. I do not
support gay people adopting."
Perdue also was asked Wednesday whether, if elected governor, he would sign a bill banning workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. He said he would.
But Thursday, he said he would sign such legislation only for state employees. He said he opposed such laws for nongovernment workers.
"What I think I couched my phrase in is that I believe in representative government," Perdue said. "State employees is what I was talking about."
Source:
http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.asp?storyid=22391
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HRC JOINS EQUALITY FLORIDA'S CALL FOR FLORIDA GOV. JEB BUSH TO APOLOGIZE FOR CALLOUS, ANTI-GAY REMARKS
HRC JOINS EQUALITY FLORIDA'S CALL FOR FLORIDA GOV. JEB BUSH TO APOLOGIZE FOR CALLOUS, ANTI-GAY REMARKS
Bush Should Spend Less Time on 'Juicy Details' and More Time Solving
Florida's
Problems, Says HRC
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign called on Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla.,
today to apologize for insensitive, homophobic remarks he made about two
caregivers of a missing girl who were arrested this week on allegations of
welfare fraud.
Rilya Wilson's mysterious disappearance in Miami eight months ago
made national news and highlighted Florida's embattled child welfare system,
which has had difficulty keeping track of the whereabouts of children within
its care.
When Wilson's caregivers, Pamela Graham and Geralyn Graham, were
arrested on Wednesday, Bush told a visiting panhandle delegation of
legislators that he had "some juicy details". It turns out that the 'juicy
details' were allegations that the two women were lesbians.
"While Bush is giving 'juicy details', the details that people want
to hear about are where is Rilya Wilson and what can Florida do to improve
the health and welfare of its children?" said HRC National Field Director
Seth Kilbourn. "Bush should apologize for his insensitive remarks and focus
on the real issue that affect the lives of Floridians."
"As (Graham) was being arrested, she told her co-workers, 'Tell my
'wife' I've been arrested.' The wife is the grandmother, and the aunt is the
husband," Bush explained, using his fingers to indicate quotation marks to
emphasize the word "grandmother", according to a report in the News Journal.
"Bet you don't get that in Pensacola," Bush went on to tell his guests,
which included a News Journal capital bureau reporter. According to the
paper, the relationship between the two has been the subject of speculation,
but the women have described themselves as half-sisters. Graham had claimed
to be Rilya's grandmother.
"Bush's comments were the kind of childish, locker-room homophobia
all too prevalent on school campuses," said Nadine Smith, executive director
of Equality Florida, the statewide GLBT organization. "They are not the kind
of statements nor sentiments we should expect from the highest elected
official in the state. His comments have the potential to send a dangerous
message to those who run Florida's child welfare system, a message that
disparages lesbian and gay childcare workers and foster parents."
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay
political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively
lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to
ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans can be open,
honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Bush Should Spend Less Time on 'Juicy Details' and More Time Solving
Florida's
Problems, Says HRC
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign called on Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla.,
today to apologize for insensitive, homophobic remarks he made about two
caregivers of a missing girl who were arrested this week on allegations of
welfare fraud.
Rilya Wilson's mysterious disappearance in Miami eight months ago
made national news and highlighted Florida's embattled child welfare system,
which has had difficulty keeping track of the whereabouts of children within
its care.
When Wilson's caregivers, Pamela Graham and Geralyn Graham, were
arrested on Wednesday, Bush told a visiting panhandle delegation of
legislators that he had "some juicy details". It turns out that the 'juicy
details' were allegations that the two women were lesbians.
"While Bush is giving 'juicy details', the details that people want
to hear about are where is Rilya Wilson and what can Florida do to improve
the health and welfare of its children?" said HRC National Field Director
Seth Kilbourn. "Bush should apologize for his insensitive remarks and focus
on the real issue that affect the lives of Floridians."
"As (Graham) was being arrested, she told her co-workers, 'Tell my
'wife' I've been arrested.' The wife is the grandmother, and the aunt is the
husband," Bush explained, using his fingers to indicate quotation marks to
emphasize the word "grandmother", according to a report in the News Journal.
"Bet you don't get that in Pensacola," Bush went on to tell his guests,
which included a News Journal capital bureau reporter. According to the
paper, the relationship between the two has been the subject of speculation,
but the women have described themselves as half-sisters. Graham had claimed
to be Rilya's grandmother.
"Bush's comments were the kind of childish, locker-room homophobia
all too prevalent on school campuses," said Nadine Smith, executive director
of Equality Florida, the statewide GLBT organization. "They are not the kind
of statements nor sentiments we should expect from the highest elected
official in the state. His comments have the potential to send a dangerous
message to those who run Florida's child welfare system, a message that
disparages lesbian and gay childcare workers and foster parents."
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay
political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively
lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to
ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans can be open,
honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
October 03, 2002
Community Planning Group Position Statement on Syringe Exchange Programs
Community Planning Group Position Statement on Syringe Exchange Programs
Coordinated by the Connecticut Policy & Procedure Committee
Approved By the Connecticut CPG on September 18, 2002
The role of the Community Planning Group (CPG) is to design an HIV prevention plan in collaboration with the Department of Public Health. The CPG process was introduced in 1994 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The goal of the CPG is to bring together communities most affected by HIV or at risk for HIV, public health officials, behavioral scientists, and providers of health/social services in a partnership to design effective HIV prevention programs.
The CPG has made every effort to work within the intended process, which includes prioritizing specific populations for CDC HIV prevention funds and prioritizing effective interventions for each priority population. The CPG members have thoroughly researched and reviewed data and literature to help identify the priority populations and the priority interventions for these populations.
As a result of this extensive process the CPG has identified injection drug users (IDUs) as a priority population. The CPG has found that based on extensive research that syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are an effective, cost-effective HIV prevention intervention for IDUs. In addition, research shows that syringe exchange programs have not been associated with increased drug use or initiation of injection drug use. Therefore, the CPG has identified SEPs as an effective HIV prevention intervention for IDUs.
Rates of HIV continue to be disproportionately high among IDUs and it is unconscionable for the federal government to block funding of an intervention that is known to be effective. The CPG, as advisors to the CDC, call on the CDC to work with other federal departments such as HRSA, NIH, and others to coordinate and take full responsibility for addressing this issue. The ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs adversely affects the CDCs goal of reducing the number of new HIV infections in CT and the United States.
We submit this position statement to the public for the purpose of informing the community at large of its intended purpose to support syringe exchange programs as an effective, cost-effective HIV prevention intervention for IDUs.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Coordinated by the Connecticut Policy & Procedure Committee
Approved By the Connecticut CPG on September 18, 2002
The role of the Community Planning Group (CPG) is to design an HIV prevention plan in collaboration with the Department of Public Health. The CPG process was introduced in 1994 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The goal of the CPG is to bring together communities most affected by HIV or at risk for HIV, public health officials, behavioral scientists, and providers of health/social services in a partnership to design effective HIV prevention programs.
The CPG has made every effort to work within the intended process, which includes prioritizing specific populations for CDC HIV prevention funds and prioritizing effective interventions for each priority population. The CPG members have thoroughly researched and reviewed data and literature to help identify the priority populations and the priority interventions for these populations.
As a result of this extensive process the CPG has identified injection drug users (IDUs) as a priority population. The CPG has found that based on extensive research that syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are an effective, cost-effective HIV prevention intervention for IDUs. In addition, research shows that syringe exchange programs have not been associated with increased drug use or initiation of injection drug use. Therefore, the CPG has identified SEPs as an effective HIV prevention intervention for IDUs.
Rates of HIV continue to be disproportionately high among IDUs and it is unconscionable for the federal government to block funding of an intervention that is known to be effective. The CPG, as advisors to the CDC, call on the CDC to work with other federal departments such as HRSA, NIH, and others to coordinate and take full responsibility for addressing this issue. The ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs adversely affects the CDCs goal of reducing the number of new HIV infections in CT and the United States.
We submit this position statement to the public for the purpose of informing the community at large of its intended purpose to support syringe exchange programs as an effective, cost-effective HIV prevention intervention for IDUs.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
London gays attacked at music show
Planet OUT: Two dozen people attacked gay human rights activist Peter Tatchell and members of the gay rights group OutRage! outside the MOBO Awards ceremony.
"The collective homophobic hysteria was absolutely terrifying," said Tatchell. "It was like what white racists did to the black civil rights marchers in the Deep South during the 1960s. For a moment, I was in fear of my life. The hatred in those young people's eyes was frightening. Some of them looked like they would kill me if they had the chance."
"It is time more black community leaders spoke out louder against the violent homophobic attitudes of sections of black youth," he said. "Their silence means that anti-gay hatred in the black community often passes unchallenged."
More here
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October 02, 2002
Three Men Arrested in Hate-Crime Attack on Gays in West Hollywood
Los Angeles Times, Three Men Arrested in Hate-Crime Attack on Gays in West Hollywood: They are being investigated for other assaults that terrorized the city.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Oct. 2 GLBT News
WASHINGTON TIMES Gay-partner benefits are an issue in Maryland governor's race
AN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Guest column by James Hormel: Simon's duplicity toward gays and lesbians
DETROIT NEWS Deb Price: Gays achieve political milestones
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "Pro" Commentary: City never intended to copy marriage (with domestic partner benefits)
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "Anti" Commentary: A fairer law or an attack on marriage?
THE PANTAGRAPH (Bloomington, IL) Council sets gay rights vote
THE DAILY CAMERA (Boulder, CO) Gay/straight alliances are taking hold; Student groups are becoming more active at area high schools
LOS ANGELES TIMES Book Review: One Journey of Self-Discovery in a Homophobic World (Betty Berzon's "Surviving Madness")
THE DAILY TAR HEEL (University of North Carolina) 100 Marchers Rally for Lesbian Rights, Just
THE SCOTSMAN (U.K.) Arsonists target gay men's health centre
DAILY TEXAN Gay partners not eligible for University of Texas insurance; Professor says Texas' policy is an example of discrimination
NEW YORK POST Married Pakistani businessman claims he had an affair with John Walker Lindh
LACONIA (NH) CITIZEN BSA leader explains group's policy on gays; Plymouth church examines issues in 3-part series
DAILY TEXAN Vermont governor discusses political future with group; Presidential hopeful who "gave" gays right to civil unions speaks in Austin
SAVANNAH (GA) MORNING NEWS Showing Pride in Savannah: Third annual gay and lesbian festival draws a crowd – and awareness
DURHAM (NC) HERALD-SUN Gay pride march draws a diverse crowd to Durham
Virginia park now taken over by gay sex
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Republicans and gays: Upholding (or holding up?) the 'big tent'
NEWSDAY Teacher Sues School for Bias; Lesbian says case downplayed
NEW YORK PRESS Michelangelo Signorile: Yet another anti-gay judicial nomination by Bush, with the support of Log Cabin; and more about Rosie, her
perceived personality transformation, and her magazine.
THE GUARDIAN (London) Gays protest at Mobo (Music of Black Origin) awards; Three singers nominated whose songs advocate the incineration of homosexuals
TOTALLY JEWISH (U.K.) Israeli Knesset is "tickled pink" with its first gay member
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER Supervisor candidate Starchild's website cites his qualifications - all 7.5 inches
BURLINGTON (IA) HAWK EYE City resists change to code to protect gays and lesbians
WATERBURY (CT) REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN Hate-crime protest held outside court appearance of man accused of beating an openly gay guest at a Labor Day picnic
WASHINGTON POST Follow The Money: Yale Will Allow Military At Law School Career Day; Change Follows Potential Loss of Federal Funds
NEWS24.COM (South Africa) The love triangle involving a gay Apostolic Faith Mission pastor, a married one who moved in with him and the cuckolded wife who must pay R7 000 monthly maintenance, has taken a new twist.
THE TECHNICIAN (North Carolina State University) Student Senate focuses on representation for gay and lesbian students
ASSOCIATED PRESS Corona, CA: Cops call Corona high school fight an anti-gay hate crime
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
AN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Guest column by James Hormel: Simon's duplicity toward gays and lesbians
DETROIT NEWS Deb Price: Gays achieve political milestones
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "Pro" Commentary: City never intended to copy marriage (with domestic partner benefits)
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "Anti" Commentary: A fairer law or an attack on marriage?
THE PANTAGRAPH (Bloomington, IL) Council sets gay rights vote
THE DAILY CAMERA (Boulder, CO) Gay/straight alliances are taking hold; Student groups are becoming more active at area high schools
LOS ANGELES TIMES Book Review: One Journey of Self-Discovery in a Homophobic World (Betty Berzon's "Surviving Madness")
THE DAILY TAR HEEL (University of North Carolina) 100 Marchers Rally for Lesbian Rights, Just
THE SCOTSMAN (U.K.) Arsonists target gay men's health centre
DAILY TEXAN Gay partners not eligible for University of Texas insurance; Professor says Texas' policy is an example of discrimination
NEW YORK POST Married Pakistani businessman claims he had an affair with John Walker Lindh
LACONIA (NH) CITIZEN BSA leader explains group's policy on gays; Plymouth church examines issues in 3-part series
DAILY TEXAN Vermont governor discusses political future with group; Presidential hopeful who "gave" gays right to civil unions speaks in Austin
SAVANNAH (GA) MORNING NEWS Showing Pride in Savannah: Third annual gay and lesbian festival draws a crowd – and awareness
DURHAM (NC) HERALD-SUN Gay pride march draws a diverse crowd to Durham
Virginia park now taken over by gay sex
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Republicans and gays: Upholding (or holding up?) the 'big tent'
NEWSDAY Teacher Sues School for Bias; Lesbian says case downplayed
NEW YORK PRESS Michelangelo Signorile: Yet another anti-gay judicial nomination by Bush, with the support of Log Cabin; and more about Rosie, her
perceived personality transformation, and her magazine.
THE GUARDIAN (London) Gays protest at Mobo (Music of Black Origin) awards; Three singers nominated whose songs advocate the incineration of homosexuals
TOTALLY JEWISH (U.K.) Israeli Knesset is "tickled pink" with its first gay member
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER Supervisor candidate Starchild's website cites his qualifications - all 7.5 inches
BURLINGTON (IA) HAWK EYE City resists change to code to protect gays and lesbians
WATERBURY (CT) REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN Hate-crime protest held outside court appearance of man accused of beating an openly gay guest at a Labor Day picnic
WASHINGTON POST Follow The Money: Yale Will Allow Military At Law School Career Day; Change Follows Potential Loss of Federal Funds
NEWS24.COM (South Africa) The love triangle involving a gay Apostolic Faith Mission pastor, a married one who moved in with him and the cuckolded wife who must pay R7 000 monthly maintenance, has taken a new twist.
THE TECHNICIAN (North Carolina State University) Student Senate focuses on representation for gay and lesbian students
ASSOCIATED PRESS Corona, CA: Cops call Corona high school fight an anti-gay hate crime
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
LAW ALLOWING HOUSES OF WORSHIP TO ENGAGE IN PARTISAN POLITICAL ACTIVITY BLOCKED IN HOUSE
HRC PRAISES HOUSE DEFEAT OF LEGISLATION ALLOWING HOUSES OF WORSHIP TO ENGAGE IN PARTISAN POLITICAL ACTIVITY
Decries Vote as Political Posturing During Critical Legislative Season
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign praised the House of Representatives
today as the effort to bring up the House of Worship Political Speech
Protection Act, H.R. 2357 failed. The bill, which would permit churches,
synagogues, and other houses of worship to engage in partisan political
activity without losing their tax-exempt status, not only failed to garner
the two-thirds vote necessary to pass the legislation under suspension of
the rules, but failed to receive even a majority vote. The legislation
failed on a 239-178 vote, with 46 Republicans opposing the measure.
"While we are troubled that the bill was able to come up at all, we are
relieved that the House very clearly recognizes that churches, synagogues
and other religious institutions should continue to have the same rights and
privileges as other non-profit groups," said HRC Political Director Winnie
Stachelberg. "We believe that all tax-exempt advocacy organizations should
be treated equally under the law - regardless of where the fall on the
ideological spectrum."
Under current laws all 501(c)(3)s, including organizations like the Human
Rights Campaign Foundation, and most churches, synagogues and other
religious institutions, are strictly prohibited from engaging in partisan
political activities. If a tax-exempt organization participates in partisan
political activity, they must forfeit their tax-exempt status.
HRC joined a broad coalition of allies in the civil rights and religious
community, including the Interfaith Alliance, the American Jewish Committee,
the Congress of National Black Churches, the NAACP and the Presbyterian
Church, in opposing this legislation. HRC is also concerned that time spent
on the bill could have been better used on other more pressing issues.
"Today's vote was much more about political posturing by the House
leadership, who are trying to appeal to their base supporters during an
election year, than it was about meaningful legislation. As of yesterday,
the Federal Government is operating without a budget - this just seems like
a tremendous waste of time that could have been better used on so many other
pressing issues," said Stachelberg.
HRC sent letters to members of the House urging them to oppose the bill.
Action alerts were also sent to HRC members encouraging them to contact
their representatives to express their concern over the bill.
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political
organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies
Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans can be open, honest and
safe at home, at work, and in the community.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Decries Vote as Political Posturing During Critical Legislative Season
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign praised the House of Representatives
today as the effort to bring up the House of Worship Political Speech
Protection Act, H.R. 2357 failed. The bill, which would permit churches,
synagogues, and other houses of worship to engage in partisan political
activity without losing their tax-exempt status, not only failed to garner
the two-thirds vote necessary to pass the legislation under suspension of
the rules, but failed to receive even a majority vote. The legislation
failed on a 239-178 vote, with 46 Republicans opposing the measure.
"While we are troubled that the bill was able to come up at all, we are
relieved that the House very clearly recognizes that churches, synagogues
and other religious institutions should continue to have the same rights and
privileges as other non-profit groups," said HRC Political Director Winnie
Stachelberg. "We believe that all tax-exempt advocacy organizations should
be treated equally under the law - regardless of where the fall on the
ideological spectrum."
Under current laws all 501(c)(3)s, including organizations like the Human
Rights Campaign Foundation, and most churches, synagogues and other
religious institutions, are strictly prohibited from engaging in partisan
political activities. If a tax-exempt organization participates in partisan
political activity, they must forfeit their tax-exempt status.
HRC joined a broad coalition of allies in the civil rights and religious
community, including the Interfaith Alliance, the American Jewish Committee,
the Congress of National Black Churches, the NAACP and the Presbyterian
Church, in opposing this legislation. HRC is also concerned that time spent
on the bill could have been better used on other more pressing issues.
"Today's vote was much more about political posturing by the House
leadership, who are trying to appeal to their base supporters during an
election year, than it was about meaningful legislation. As of yesterday,
the Federal Government is operating without a budget - this just seems like
a tremendous waste of time that could have been better used on so many other
pressing issues," said Stachelberg.
HRC sent letters to members of the House urging them to oppose the bill.
Action alerts were also sent to HRC members encouraging them to contact
their representatives to express their concern over the bill.
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political
organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies
Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans can be open, honest and
safe at home, at work, and in the community.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
Archbishop-in-waiting rejects resignation call
From The Guardian:"The next Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has rejected calls from conservative evangelicals for him to withdraw his candidacy over his views on homosexuality."
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
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CIA Report on AIDS: Prevention pays. But will the Bush Administration listen?
Prevention pays. That should be the lesson of a 32-page CIA report (requires Adobe Acrobat). The report studies the continuing spread of HIV within five nations. The CIA claims by the end of the decade, worldwide AIDS infections could reach an abysmal 75 million, in large part due to the disease's wildfire-like spread in India, China, Russia, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
September 30, 2002
Sept. 30 Gay News
DENVER POST: When 'hate' became resolve: State's Amendment 2 led to gay protections
DENVER POST: Vote pushed Colorado Springs gays, lesbians to take personal stands
BOSTON GLOBE: Letter to readers announcing decision to report same-sex unions
CHICAGO TRIBUNE Column: Sign of (New York) Times can be valuable test of tolerance
WASHINGTON POST: Rev. Mel White and his partner Gary Nixon take their cause to Falwell's doorstep
FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW (Hong Kong) Closet Drama: Caught between harsh laws and cultural conservativeness, Indian gays often lead lives of frightened secrecy. But now hopes are high they may be on the brink of a legal breakthrough.
RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER: North Carolina Pride festival finds acceptance; Homosexuals garner political, corporate support
REUTERS: AIDS, gay rights activist Zhang Beichuan battles Chinese mores
ABC NEWS (Australia): Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras season will go ahead next year after an agreement was reached to save the organisation
ARIZONA DAILY SUN: Anonymous phone calls to Arizonans are provoking political finger pointing and forcing candidates to weigh in on the issue of gay rights
MSNBC: Vatican quietly debates pedophilia: "Response to U.S. Bishops’ advice could impact church for years - The Vatican is considering the implementation of recommendations made during the U.S. Conference of Bishops' meeting in Dallas in June
THE VATICAN’S RESPONSE to the Bishops’ plan is expected sometime in the next two weeks, and it could affect the future of Catholicism in America for years to come."
PITT NEWS (University of Pittsburgh): University of Nebraska professor Hilda Raz reads from her most recent peom collection, "Trans," a collection dealing with her daughter Sarah's transformation into her son Aaron
SOUTH BEND (IN) TRIBUNE: We're all human': Lack of respect for diversity takes many forms
JUNEAU EMPIRE Opinion column: Sexual orientation is not a choice
DENVER POST: Vote pushed Colorado Springs gays, lesbians to take personal stands
BOSTON GLOBE: Letter to readers announcing decision to report same-sex unions
CHICAGO TRIBUNE Column: Sign of (New York) Times can be valuable test of tolerance
WASHINGTON POST: Rev. Mel White and his partner Gary Nixon take their cause to Falwell's doorstep
FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW (Hong Kong) Closet Drama: Caught between harsh laws and cultural conservativeness, Indian gays often lead lives of frightened secrecy. But now hopes are high they may be on the brink of a legal breakthrough.
RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER: North Carolina Pride festival finds acceptance; Homosexuals garner political, corporate support
REUTERS: AIDS, gay rights activist Zhang Beichuan battles Chinese mores
ABC NEWS (Australia): Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras season will go ahead next year after an agreement was reached to save the organisation
ARIZONA DAILY SUN: Anonymous phone calls to Arizonans are provoking political finger pointing and forcing candidates to weigh in on the issue of gay rights
MSNBC: Vatican quietly debates pedophilia: "Response to U.S. Bishops’ advice could impact church for years - The Vatican is considering the implementation of recommendations made during the U.S. Conference of Bishops' meeting in Dallas in June
THE VATICAN’S RESPONSE to the Bishops’ plan is expected sometime in the next two weeks, and it could affect the future of Catholicism in America for years to come."
PITT NEWS (University of Pittsburgh): University of Nebraska professor Hilda Raz reads from her most recent peom collection, "Trans," a collection dealing with her daughter Sarah's transformation into her son Aaron
SOUTH BEND (IN) TRIBUNE: We're all human': Lack of respect for diversity takes many forms
JUNEAU EMPIRE Opinion column: Sexual orientation is not a choice
September 27, 2002
Sept. 28 Gay News
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Two Arrested in VCU Assaults Two former Virginia Union University students have been arrested in connection with assaults last week on two Virginia Commonwealth University students outside a meeting of a gay-student organization at VCU.
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Strange story about gay man who was murdered by a guy who may be working on a "homosexual-panic" and/or insanity defense.
CARLISLE (PA) SENTINEL Good column: Wrestling with gay marriage
URL to the 9th Circuit Court decision allowing harassed casino worker to sue (PDF file)
THE TIGER (Clemson University, South Carolina) Gay students question others' acceptance of homosexuality; University places fourth lowest in "alternative lifestyles" ranking
ATHENS (GA) BANNER-HERALD Attorney rules that Decatur officials were not biased in firing lesbian cop
DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN Penn opens new center for LGBT students
THE MIDDLEBURY CAMPUS (Middlebury College, Vermont) Opinion: Red Cross Blood Drive is Discriminatory Against Gays
JEWISH BULLETIN OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Bulletin to include gay, lesbian ceremonies as weddings
Oakland, CA: City attorneys will ask state Supreme Court to overturn half-million-dollar jury award to a former police cadet who claims he was forced to quit because he's gay
NEW YORK TIMES Killed on 9/11, Fire Chaplain Becomes Larger Than Life
THE OREGONIAN Portland State University student brings the city's invisible gay and lesbian history to light
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Gay domestic violence reports rise; Survey finds only a slight increase in Bay Area cases
JUNEAU EMPIRE Opinion by a teacher: Don't dilute Day of Silence - come out
DAILY CALIFORNIAN City Council May Back State Bill to Enhance Care for Foster Children; Legislation Focuses on Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN (Penn State University) Lambda Student Alliance and Latino Caucus form bond
WINNIPEG SUN Group says beating was a hate crime; Transsexual assaulted after identity discovered
JUNEAU EMPIRE Juneau School Board candidates are split over whether they would support the Day of Silence
HA'ARETZ (Tel Aviv) Professor Uzi Even will be Israel's first openly gay MK (Member of the Knesset)
REUTERS French capital's mayor puts gay back in Paris
Miami Herald, Director of Miami's gay film festival resigns.
Daily Texan, Gay group struggles with Baylor regulations.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Strange story about gay man who was murdered by a guy who may be working on a "homosexual-panic" and/or insanity defense.
CARLISLE (PA) SENTINEL Good column: Wrestling with gay marriage
URL to the 9th Circuit Court decision allowing harassed casino worker to sue (PDF file)
THE TIGER (Clemson University, South Carolina) Gay students question others' acceptance of homosexuality; University places fourth lowest in "alternative lifestyles" ranking
ATHENS (GA) BANNER-HERALD Attorney rules that Decatur officials were not biased in firing lesbian cop
DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN Penn opens new center for LGBT students
THE MIDDLEBURY CAMPUS (Middlebury College, Vermont) Opinion: Red Cross Blood Drive is Discriminatory Against Gays
JEWISH BULLETIN OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Bulletin to include gay, lesbian ceremonies as weddings
Oakland, CA: City attorneys will ask state Supreme Court to overturn half-million-dollar jury award to a former police cadet who claims he was forced to quit because he's gay
NEW YORK TIMES Killed on 9/11, Fire Chaplain Becomes Larger Than Life
THE OREGONIAN Portland State University student brings the city's invisible gay and lesbian history to light
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Gay domestic violence reports rise; Survey finds only a slight increase in Bay Area cases
JUNEAU EMPIRE Opinion by a teacher: Don't dilute Day of Silence - come out
DAILY CALIFORNIAN City Council May Back State Bill to Enhance Care for Foster Children; Legislation Focuses on Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN (Penn State University) Lambda Student Alliance and Latino Caucus form bond
WINNIPEG SUN Group says beating was a hate crime; Transsexual assaulted after identity discovered
JUNEAU EMPIRE Juneau School Board candidates are split over whether they would support the Day of Silence
HA'ARETZ (Tel Aviv) Professor Uzi Even will be Israel's first openly gay MK (Member of the Knesset)
REUTERS French capital's mayor puts gay back in Paris
Miami Herald, Director of Miami's gay film festival resigns.
Daily Texan, Gay group struggles with Baylor regulations.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
September 25, 2002
Gay News Sept. 25, 2002
SPOKANE (WA) SPOKESMAN-REVIEW Gay issue quiet at Big Brother; Complaints about mentor policy fade away
CHICO (CA) ENTERPRISE RECORD Perspectives: 'Being gay is a gift from God'
GFN.COM (Gay Financial Network) Commercial Closet: Trojan Finally Gets Into Bed with Gays
CANADIAN PRESS Harassed lesbian worker wins compensation
THE EXAMINER (Tasmania) Government moves to recognise gay, lesbian couples' rights
HA'ARETZ (Tel Aviv) State refuses to register gay couple's adopted child
ROANOKE (VA) TIMES About 60 people gather to remember Danny Overstreet and the six others shot during the Backstreet Cafe shootings
THE GUARDIAN (London) Scorn is heaped on Prince Charles for a letter to the prime minister saying that farmers suffer more discrimination than
racial minorities and gays and lesbians
THE OREGONIAN Gay-rights groups are divided over political ad for Sen.
Gordon Smith
YALE DAILY NEWS New Haven-area gay community, which has long supported
Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, is upset with her vote for the 1996 "Defense of Marriage" Act
NEW ZEALAND HERALD Drag star becomes real drama queen
NEW ZEALAND HERALD Presbyterians decide not to hold yet another debate
about gays
65GAY.COM California Gov. Gray Davis has signs family leave bill that
includes domestic partners
NEW YORK TIMES A Clue to Why Gays Play Russian Roulette With H.I.V.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
CHICO (CA) ENTERPRISE RECORD Perspectives: 'Being gay is a gift from God'
GFN.COM (Gay Financial Network) Commercial Closet: Trojan Finally Gets Into Bed with Gays
CANADIAN PRESS Harassed lesbian worker wins compensation
THE EXAMINER (Tasmania) Government moves to recognise gay, lesbian couples' rights
HA'ARETZ (Tel Aviv) State refuses to register gay couple's adopted child
ROANOKE (VA) TIMES About 60 people gather to remember Danny Overstreet and the six others shot during the Backstreet Cafe shootings
THE GUARDIAN (London) Scorn is heaped on Prince Charles for a letter to the prime minister saying that farmers suffer more discrimination than
racial minorities and gays and lesbians
THE OREGONIAN Gay-rights groups are divided over political ad for Sen.
Gordon Smith
YALE DAILY NEWS New Haven-area gay community, which has long supported
Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, is upset with her vote for the 1996 "Defense of Marriage" Act
NEW ZEALAND HERALD Drag star becomes real drama queen
NEW ZEALAND HERALD Presbyterians decide not to hold yet another debate
about gays
65GAY.COM California Gov. Gray Davis has signs family leave bill that
includes domestic partners
NEW YORK TIMES A Clue to Why Gays Play Russian Roulette With H.I.V.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
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