BOSTON PHOENIX To have and to hold: Seven couples who may just change
the world: Meet the plaintiffs in Goodridge et al.
July 18-24, 2003
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To have and to hold
Seven couples who may just change the world: Meet the plaintiffs in
Goodridge et al.
By Kristen Lombardi
It's been a week of heavy anticipation, to say the least. On Monday,
when the state Supreme Judicial Court was expected to issue its ruling in
Goodridge et al. v. Department of Public Health, millions of people across
the country turned their attention toward Massachusetts. As we all know by
now, the SJC missed its self-imposed deadline - which it occasionally does,
particularly with cases like this one that deal controversial social issues.
This landmark lawsuit, in which seven same-sex couples have petitioned the
state for the right to wed, could make the Bay State the first in the
country to recognize marriages of gay and lesbian couples. So there's a lot
at stake - not just for the seven plaintiff couples, but for the tens of
thousands of gay and lesbian couples around the nation who will join the
Commonwealth's gay and lesbian citizens in the joy of victory or the
disappointment of defeat.
On March 4, the SJC held oral arguments in the case. Since then, the
seven plaintiff couples have existed in a sort of limbo. They have gone
about their business at work and at home. They have tended to their
children. Some have taken vacations. Still, the prospect of the SJC's
decision always hovers in the backs of their minds. As you read this, the
SJC may have already issued its much-anticipated ruling. Or not. Either
way, the plaintiff couples remain committed to their families. Here are
their stories.
Yin and yang
Heidi Norton and Gina Smith concede that they have very different
demeanors. Norton, 38, the law-program director at Northampton's Center for
Contemplative Mind in Society, likes things to be neat, orderly, in their
place. Smith, 38, who also works at the center, thrives on chaos. As she
puts it, "I'm messy, and Heidi is supremely organized."
But when the two first met 13 years ago, Norton was the one who
seemed disorganized. Then again, it happened to be an unusually tumultuous
time. It was October 1990, and Norton was studying public-interest law at
Georgetown University, in Washington, DC, when she received the devastating
news that her brother had committed suicide. "My life had been turned
upside down," she recalls. Within days of her brother's funeral, she was
introduced to Smith - and found solace in Smith's generosity. She even
dared to let down her guard. "I felt very safe talking to her," Norton
explains, "and, at that moment, nothing felt safe."
This initial comfort soon gave way to bona fide security. On July 4,
1992, Smith popped the big question. Though she did insist on one
condition: the two, she proposed, must live together for 12 months before
formalizing their union. Why? "Because our housekeeping styles are so
different," she says, somewhat sheepishly.
"I have my surroundings neat," Norton adds. Her partner, by
contrast, has a penchant for hording gadgets, papers, even storage boxes.
Evidently, as the adage goes, opposites attract. After surviving
that probationary year, in April 1993, the couple held a commitment
celebration. It was a turning point, and, for the longest time, it seemed
enough - until their son Avery, now six, arrived. The things they had to do
to prepare for his birth - and that of his brother, Quinn, now three -
opened their eyes to all they're missing because they cannot marry. First,
there was the paperwork - the health-care proxies, the powers of attorney,
the emergency-guardianship documents. Next, there was the
second-parent-adoption process, which enables gays and lesbians to adopt a
partner's biological children. For them, filling out these applications was
just another reminder of their differences.
"It felt like a mismatched experience," Norton says. They adore
their boys. Yet they have to complete forms that ask questions like, "Have
there been circumstances where the child has formed a relationship with the
adult?" "It was such a strange feeling to see how our commitment wasn't
reflected in the paperwork," she adds.
Today, they're routinely reminded of their special status. In
Northampton, where they live, they are treated with respect. Often, though,
straight friends will make reference to little things - to "in-laws" or to
joint-tax forms - that hammer home the disparities for them. For example,
in one conversation, a married couple discussed their children's futures
should either of them pass away. Yet the couple saw no need for a will, or
any other financial planning, which was essential for Smith and Norton.
Says Norton, "They felt so protected by their marital rights that they
didn't take these simple, precautionary steps, which we, by definition, have
to do."
When the two joined the marriage lawsuit in 2001, they explained the
situation to Avery, then four. "I said, 'Mommy and Mom are committed to
each other as if we're married,'" Norton remembers. "'But there's a thing
called the law, and it doesn't allow us to marry. So we're trying to change
the law.'" As the case has made its way through the courts, the boys have
come to understand that their moms are married "in the sense that we'll
stick together," says Norton. Still, as the SJC decision looms, the boys
are getting more and more excited about the prospect of a wedding -
especially the wedding cake.
Even if Norton and Smith lose their case, their sons can rest assured
that nothing will change. Well, almost nothing. Says Norton, "We've
decided that, in any event, we're going to have cake."
The un-sentimentalists
Ed Balmelli and Michael Horgan will tell you that they're not at all
sentimental. They don't remember the meal they ate together on their first
date, in 1994. They don't remember the song that played as they slow-danced
together for the first time. Even when they crossed the border into
Vermont, in October 2000, to tie the proverbial knot civil-union-style, the
two declined to write their own vows. As Horgan, 44, a project planner at
Honeywell, matter-of-factly puts it, "We're computer geeks. We're not into
the emotional stuff."
This is not to say that marriage has no meaning for the couple, who
live in Jamaica Plain. Horgan and Balmelli, a 43-year-old engineer at
Lucent Technologies, realized the value of civil marriage - and the legal
protections that come with it - after watching a nightmare unfold for two
close friends. The gay couple, who had been together for years, cemented
their union with a commitment ceremony, bought a house, even distributed
family portraits. They led their lives as any married couple would - until
one of them died suddenly at home. The coroner refused to transport the
corpse to the morgue because, says Balmelli, "the papers had to be signed by
the next of kin." So the surviving partner, grieving, feeling alienated,
had to wait for action by his loved one's relatives before he could do
anything.
It was a horrifying incident, one that prompted Balmelli and Horgan
to do whatever they could to protect their own union. They have since drawn
up health-care proxies in order to have access to each other in medical
emergencies and to make medical decisions for each other. In case of
incapacitation, they've drawn up powers of attorney to acquire authority
over each other's finances. In case of death, they've drawn up the "right
as to remains" in order to will their bodies to each other. None of these
legal documents has made them feel more secure, however. "Sooner or later,"
Balmelli explains, "there will be some piece of paper that we discover we
don't have."
Unless, of course, they could get married.
For Balmelli and Horgan - both of whom are products of small-town
Massachusetts and large Catholic families - the two years they've spent as
plaintiffs in the landmark same-sex-marriage lawsuit have been eye-opening.
The Catholic Church's ardent opposition to granting gay men and lesbians the
right to civil marriage - just last month, the state's four bishops ordered
parish priests to read an anti-gay-marriage statement from the pulpit - is
disappointing for them, to say the least. Yet they're heartened by the fact
that so many Catholics disregard the Church's teachings on homosexuality -
as many also do on matters of birth control, premarital sex, and divorce.
But Balmelli and Horgan are especially heartened by the unflagging
support of their families, who have undergone what Balmelli calls "a
coming-out experience" since the suit was filed in April 2001. After all,
it's one thing for the two men to slow dance, cheek-to-cheek, at a family
function. It's quite another for them to make headlines in the newspapers
of their hometowns - Milford and Ayer, respectively. Indeed, Balmelli's and
Horgan's family members have heard opinions about whether gay people should
be allowed to marry uttered by everyone from the butcher and the baker to
the candlestick maker. And while family members feared the worst from all
the publicity, Horgan says, "they have found that most people aren't nearly
as homophobic as you might think."
Balmelli and Horgan have made the same discovery. As they wait for
the Supreme Judicial Court to hand down its decision, they look back on
these two years with pleasure and surprise. They cannot recount one
negative encounter the entire time - no hostility, no tension, nothing. If
people have felt ill will toward the couple, they've never voiced it.
"Maybe," Horgan concludes, "that's a sign of the times," a sign of things to
come for gay people.
Balmelli agrees: "It may be easy [for people] to hate gays and
lesbians in general. But it's not so easy to hate Ed and Mike."
Two American men
You might say that David Wilson and Robert Compton are carbon copies
of each other. Both men came of age in the early 1960s. Both strove to be
model American sons - indeed, they went to college, married school
sweethearts, and had children. Years later, both came to grips with the
same realization: they didn't want to be like other men, they wanted to be
with other men. After 15 years of living the straight life, Wilson came out
of the closet to his wife and three children. Compton did the same with his
wife and two children after 22 years of marriage.
"I thought my attraction to men was something I could block out,"
says Compton, now 51 and a dentist with Delta Dental Plan of Massachusetts.
"But I realized it was innate to my being, and I couldn't deny it any
longer."
Wilson, now 59 and a real-estate magnate, puts it more succinctly:
"I realized that my feelings for men were very real."
Such similar life experiences naturally drew Wilson and Compton
together. The couple met in 1997 at a support group known as Gay Fathers of
Greater Boston. Their connection seemed immediate. Within five minutes of
being introduced, they were chatting about life as fathers, as former
straight men. Says Wilson, "There was an instant understanding of where we
had come from. All those pieces just fit."
Just three years later, in October 2000, the two made their union
official: they held a commitment ceremony at the Arlington Church, in
Boston. It was a festive affair, with dozens of relatives, friends, and
co-workers in attendance. As well-wishers offered congratulations to the
couple, however, it soon became apparent that most guests assumed that
Wilson and Compton had just been wed legally. No one understood that, as a
gay couple, they were not entitled to the same benefits and protections as
other married couples are. "No one," Wilson explains, "understood the best
this could be was a commitment ceremony."
Then came Compton's medical problems. One day several years ago,
Compton felt a bolt of pain in his stomach so excruciating that he doubled
over and collapsed. Wilson rushed him to the hospital, where Compton was
whisked into an examining room. Compton doesn't remember much about the
episode, a flare-up of chronic colon and kidney conditions that have landed
him in the ER five times in a two-year span. He was sweating profusely.
Nurses hovered around him as they asked him about his medical history and
shoved forms in his face. He recalls, "All I kept wondering was, 'Where is
David?'" At that point, Wilson had been delayed in the lobby. Although the
couple had executed a health-care proxy, Wilson says he found himself
"disconnected" from his partner anyway. Upon arriving at the ER, he
presented the health-care proxy to hospital staff, who called a supervisor
to review the document. For what seemed like forever, Wilson argued back
and forth with administrators about the fine print. "Rob is in pain, and I
was sitting at a desk answering questions about our health-care proxy," he
recounts. Finally, the staff let him into the back room.
Over time, as Compton has suffered further medical emergencies,
Wilson has become more and more aggressive about his right to be with his
partner. At the same time, though, he has resented having to fight for this
right - a right that he and Compton had enjoyed as straight, married men.
Now, it seems, Wilson and Compton are acutely aware of just how much they
lack because they cannot get married.
Compton describes the sentiment best: "It's all these little things
that married people take for granted - but not us. At least, not anymore."
Head of the pack
As lead plaintiffs in the Massachusetts lawsuit seeking full marital
rights for gay couples, Hillary and Julie Goodridge, of Jamaica Plain, have
become household names. At least, much of their story has been featured in
newspapers and on TV.
You may know, for example, that neither Hillary, 47, nor Julie, 46,
grew up with the surname Goodridge. Rather, in anticipation of the birth of
their daughter, Annie, now seven, the couple chose to change their last
names, adopting the appellation of Hillary's maternal grandmother because it
sounded "nice." The switch, they reasoned, would signify a family unit,
bonded by blood and love.
You may know, too, that the couple suffered a horrifying ordeal on
what should have been the happiest day of their lives: the day Annie was
born. In 1994, Julie gave birth to Annie via cesarean section. During the
birth, Annie inhaled fluid and was rushed into the neonatal-intensive-care
unit (NICU). That's when Hillary, who'd been allowed into the operating
room with Julie, faced trouble. Unlike the couple's obstetrician, the
nurses did not know the women as a lesbian couple. So when Hillary entered
the NICU, a nurse stopped her cold. Recalls Hillary, "I told her, 'I'm the
mother.' But the nurse said, 'The mother just had a cesarean.'" It quickly
dawned on Hillary that she had no legal standing to visit her daughter. She
pleaded with the nurse; she cajoled her. She then waited for the nurse to
leave and tried again. This time, she lied to get in. "I said I was
Julie's sister."
The incident marked a low point in the couple's 16-year union. The
two met in 1985. Julie was launching her now-successful career as a
socially responsible investor. She attended a forum on Harvard's effort to
divest its money from South Africa, at which Hillary spoke. (She now gives
out money on behalf of the Unitarian Universalist Association.) Neither
made much of an impression on the other. Hillary remembers Julie sporting a
kilt and a Shetland sweater. Julie remembers Hillary wearing a cowboy dress
and a gaudy ruffle. "Her first impression of me was of a young Republican,"
Julie says, "and I saw her as an angry radical."
Romance bloomed anyway. And for the most part, life together has
been, in Hillary's words, "bliss." Marriage never entered their minds until
three years ago, when Annie, then four, began to ask questions. One night,
Annie and Hillary were talking about love. Hillary asked Annie if she knew
anyone in love, and the girl ticked off some names. All were heterosexuals,
all were married. "I asked, 'Annie, what about Mommy and Ma?'" Hillary
relays. "She said, 'If you loved each other, you'd be married.'" It was a
child's brutal honesty, but it got the Goodridges thinking. "I started
pondering what it all means," Julie explains. "What does it mean to her
that we're not married?"
Since the lawsuit was filed in 2001, the last two years have exceeded
the Goodridges' expectations. Neighbors who were cordial before - while
shoveling snow or walking down the street - have met them with huge hugs and
kind words. Some have snapped pictures outside the Goodridges' home. On
the flip side, they've had to deal with homophobia as they never did in the
past. They've heard the irrational arguments made by opponents of gay
marriage, such as "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." They've
heard the hateful rhetoric of people like Fred Phelps, the Topeka, Kansas,
minister who traveled to Provincetown to protest homosexuals just last
month. Once, a bunch of high-school kids even urinated on their car while
yelling, "Dyke!" "I've learned," Julie says, "that people will go to
extremes to rationalize how uncomfortable they feel about homosexuals."
Now that their legal saga is coming to an end, Hillary and Julie are
experiencing an emotional roller coaster. At times, they're anxious and
petrified. Other times, they're excited and hopeful. Most of the time,
though, they realize how committed to full marital equality they have
become. Whatever the SJC decides, says Hillary, "We're proud to be involved
in this fight."
The law couple
In many ways, the law has served as a constant motif in the lives of
Ellen Wade and Maureen Brodoff. For one thing, it's the field in which both
women have built their professional reputations. Wade, 55, owns her own
Brookline-based firm, Wade & Horowitz, where she specializes in estate
planning. Brodoff, 51, has worked as counsel at the National Fire
Protection Association, in Quincy, for more than a decade.
For another, it's the field that brought the two together in the
first place. Back in 1977, Wade and Brodoff were both young, bookish,
first-year law students at Northeastern University. There, they found
themselves paired up for a mock trial involving the Fourth Amendment's
protections against unreasonable search and seizure. Their assignment was
to write and argue a court brief. To this end, they spent nearly every
waking hour together, studying, reading legalese, and chugging coffee.
The work cemented a friendship that eventually blossomed into love.
By 1980, Wade and Brodoff had made a commitment to each other. By 1981,
they had moved into their first apartment, in the Mission Hill neighborhood.
And by 1989, they had relocated to the sleepy suburbs, in Newton, and were
celebrating the much-anticipated birth of their daughter, Kate, who is now
14. To this day, Wade describes her life with Brodoff as "wonderful, a true
partnership."
As lawyers, the two have long been aware of the discriminatory
treatment gay and lesbian couples must endure because they cannot get
married. Such disparities, however, didn't hit home until September 1999,
when Wade was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. She was told
that she had to undergo surgery. So she and her partner drew up the
necessary paperwork to ensure that Brodoff would not be shut out of the
process: they executed powers of attorney, health-care proxies, and wills.
Still, they worried that hospital staff would disregard the documents, or
subject them to scrutiny. Although the staff turned out to be receptive,
the high anxiety of the moment left its mark. As Brodoff puts it, "Just the
recognition that one of us could become sick or die, and that the other
could be treated like a stranger, caused great distress. It was a defining
moment for me."
The experience left the couple eager to seek legal action. They made
their desire known to long-time friend and colleague Mary Bonauto, of Gay
and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, the lead attorney in the marriage case.
In 2001, they joined six other plaintiff couples in suing the Commonwealth's
Department of Public Health for the right to wed legally. By then, Wade
explains, "the timing [for a lawsuit] seemed right." Vermont, in fact, had
just validated gay and lesbian partnerships by instituting civil unions.
Politicians had begun to recognize that gays and lesbians deserve equal
protections and benefits. The Massachusetts courts had ruled favorably on
behalf of gay and lesbian families by allowing for second-parent adoption.
"There seemed," she adds, "to be some chance of success for us."
Of course, Wade and Brodoff are astute lawyers. And they understand
the judicial system enough to know that you should never predict a case's
outcome. The Supreme Judicial Court consists of seven justices, after all,
each with his or her own thoughts and opinions. And although attitudes
about same-sex couples are shifting in the plaintiffs' favor - as evidenced
by a Boston Globe/WBZ-TV poll last April showing that a slim majority of
Massachusetts residents supports granting marital rights to gays and
lesbians - Wade and Brodoff see the court as insulated from public opinion.
"We have no illusions that the [SJC] decision will come out one way
or the other," Brodoff concludes. "Whatever happens, I guess we will have
to cross that bridge when we come to it."
A tale of two fathers
Gary Chalmers, a 37-year-old teacher from Whitinsville, is reminded
regularly of the things that he and his family do not have because he cannot
marry the person he loves. There are the pages of documents that he and his
partner of 15 years, Richard Linnell, a 40-year-old nurse, must lug around
with them whenever they leave the house - so they're assured the right to
see each other in an emergency. There is the money the couple spends - $200
a month - on a family-health-insurance policy provided by Chalmers's
employer, the Shrewsbury Public Schools. But because the Town of Shrewsbury
does not recognize domestic partnerships, the policy covers only Chalmers
and the couple's daughter, Paige, who is 11. And so, they must shell out an
additional $300 monthly fee for an individual plan for Linnell. That's
$3600 that could go toward Paige's college fund. It's $3600 that married
people would never pay. "It is," says Chalmers, "a source of constant
frustration."
And then, there is the property. Linnell purchased the Northbridge
home in which he and his five brothers and five sisters - he's the youngest
of 11 - were raised. But he cannot list his own partner on the deed, since
the two are not married. To list Chalmers, who is, in essence, a legal
stranger, he'd have to fork out what he terms a "substantial sum." For
Linnell, it's yet another frustration the couple must endure.
Such discriminatory treatment is what brought the pair to the Gay and
Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), in Boston, where they discovered
they weren't alone. At the time, GLAD had received hundreds of similar
complaints from gay and lesbian couples across Massachusetts, and was
considering legal strategies. Although Linnell and Chalmers wanted the same
benefits as their heterosexual counterparts, they didn't exactly jump at the
chance to join a lawsuit. They live in small-town America, where everyone
knows your name. As Linnell puts it, "I did not want retribution to come to
my child."
It wasn't until Chalmers overhead Paige talking about marriage that
the two mustered the courage to become plaintiffs. One day after school,
Paige, who was then nine, was discussing the issue with two of her cousins.
They told Paige that her dads weren't really married, but Paige wouldn't
hear of it. She even called Chalmers into the room and asked him,
point-blank: are you and Dad married? "I had to explain to her, 'No, we're
not, although we love each other as if we are,'" he recalls. The episode
unnerved him. "I felt I should not have had to have that conversation with
my daughter," he explains. "After that, I said to myself, 'This [lawsuit]
is something that we need to do. We'll be okay.'"
And they have been. Indeed, the day the lawsuit was filed, in April
2001, the Worcester Telegram published a front-page article about the case -
and the local couple's involvement. By the time Chalmers returned home from
work, the answering machine was blinking. Chalmers didn't know the person
who'd left the message. But she had called to relay her "complete support"
of him and Linnell. "We were like, 'Whoa,' just completely blown away."
Soon hundreds of calls, cards, and e-mails from people voicing support for
gay marriage followed. Chalmers has since filled three albums with
memorabilia.
The outpouring has helped them get through the downsides - through
the times, in court, when they've had to listen to the other side's
arguments. And it's helped them endure the heavy anticipation of recent
months, as the clock has inched down toward the Supreme Judicial Court's
much-anticipated ruling this summer. These days, they're thinking a lot
about what to say to Paige when the decision comes down - especially if it's
not in their favor. Paige, they say, has already asked her two dads: What
happens if you lose? Are we not a family?
It's a conversation Linnell and Chalmers hope they won't need to
have. Still, regardless of what happens, Chalmers says, "We can tell her
some things that will stay the same. We're still your dads. We still love
you."
The golden girls
Even after all these years together - 32, to be exact - Linda Davies
and Gloria Bailey still seem as though they can't get enough of each other.
Davies, 58, a psychotherapist, wastes no time in boasting about her
long-time partner, whom she calls "a Cancer at home and at heart. She's so
loving." Meanwhile, the 63-year-old Bailey - the other half of both the
couple's Orleans abode and their Hartford, Connecticut, practice - gushes
with pride over Davies. "Linda is an inspiration," she says. "She's one of
the most positive, upbeat people who truly loves life and lives it to the
fullest."
Obviously, Davies and Bailey are a perfect match.
Interestingly, they met during a different kind of match - one of the
ping-pong variety. At the time, in 1970, they were working at a
Hartford-based agency serving mentally ill children. Bailey had reigned
supreme among the agency's ping-pong players. Every lunch hour, she would
play. Every lunch hour, she would win - until she came face to face with
Davies. Co-workers had talked up Davies as the one who could unseat the
champion. Recalls Bailey, "I took one look at Linda" - who, back then,
sported a blond bouffant and a mini-skirt - "and said, 'You've got to be
kidding me.'" But it was Davies who ended up winning.
Two years later, the couple moved in together. They exchanged rings
and wrote vows proclaiming their fidelity and love. That they were lesbians
in a committed relationship didn't necessarily become public, however.
Indeed, when the two first moved in together, Davies reasoned that they
could date men as a cover. "In those days," she explains, "that's what
lesbians did." That didn't actually happen; Bailey refused to go along with
it. Nevertheless, it would take Davies 20 years before she summoned the
strength to reveal her homosexuality to her mother. She had turned 45, her
mother, 80, when she finally uttered what she calls "the L-word" as a way to
describe herself and Bailey. Her mother took the news in stride. "I asked
her if she had known all along and she said, 'Yes, of course.'"
Davies chalks up her reluctance to come out to her mother to what she
calls "my internalized homophobia." Certainly, it had nothing to do with
her feelings for Bailey. "For forever, I've wanted to marry Gloria," she
says.
What brought civil marriage home for the two occurred three years
ago. In 2000, Davies needed both of her hips replaced. She had to undergo
extensive surgery, followed by eight days of rehabilitation. Anxious, in
need of support, Davies wanted her companion by her side through the
process. But then, the couple realized they had no next-of-kin privileges,
no standing in the eyes of the law. Although the hospital staff didn't give
them trouble, the lack of such privileges bothered them. Around that time,
they began meeting with an attorney to plan out their will. Again, they
discovered that, without civil marriage, they had no survivors' rights to
protect them and their estate.
"One of us dies," Bailey says, "and it will create a financial
hardship for the other person because we can't transfer our assets to our
partner tax-free."
"Isn't that amazing?" Davies asks.
"It leaves us vulnerable," Bailey continues.
"Imagine dealing with that while you're grieving."
"That's the thing that came crashing down upon us."
Today, such protections and benefits don't seem as far away as they
once did. After all, the United States Supreme Court struck down a Texas
law that banned sex between two people of the same gender last month. Two
Canadian courts ruled that gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to
marry. And then, something even more portentous than these developments
occurred. One night last June, Bailey dreamed that the SJC had ruled in
favor of the seven plaintiff couples in the same-sex-marriage case. That
same night, Davies dreamed that she and Bailey had attended their own
wedding.
"Isn't that interesting?" Davies exclaims. "I saw those dreams as a
sign."
Bailey, while more cautious, agrees: "No matter what, justice and
fairness will ultimately prevail. We know we're moving forward."
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July 25, 2003
1. MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE Several months after state Rep. Arlon Lindner
ignited a political firestorm by questioning gay persecution in the
Holocaust, a traveling exhibit devoted to that topic will stop in Minnesot
2. STRAITS TIMES (Singapore) Gay backlash: Some Christians react strongly
to Government's change in hiring policy
3. THE INDEPENDENT (London) Archbishop of Canterbury ventures to Africa
and the heart of gay bishops row
4. ADVOCATE.COM (glbt) Poll: Americans favor gay civil unions over
marriage
Straits Times, July 22, 2003
Singapore
(E-Mail: stforum@cyberway.com.sg ) ( http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/ )
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,201028,00.html
Gay backlash
Some Christians react strongly to Govt's change in hiring policy
By M. Nirmala
The Government's change of policy in hiring gays is causing a stir in
the Christian community. So far, it has prompted a meeting led by the
mainstream National Council of Churches of Singapore and an online campaign
against homosexuals by another group.
The Straits Times understands that the council, which represents
Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians, among others, met last Thursday and
is expected to issue a statement soon.
The council president, Methodist Bishop Robert Solomon, could not be
contacted as he is overseas.
Also on Thursday, a group of 20 Christians from different
denominations, voluntary organisations and professions, met and agreed on a
plan of action for Christians to tackle 'a volatile situation' that they
said had arisen out of the policy announcement.
This point was reflected in an e-mail signed by Pastor Yang Tuck
Yoong, who is from the Cornerstone Community Church.
He said that the Thursday meeting ended with a 'consensus to draft an
immediate plan of action that every pastor and church can adopt in our
battle against homosexuality'.
He asked Christians to 'express their concern' to their Member of
Parliament, through letters or during Meet-the-People sessions, and send
their views to the Feedback Unit and write letters to the media.
This group's reaction comes in the wake of Prime Minister Goh Chok
Tong's recent revelation that the Government is now employing openly
homosexual people, even in sensitive jobs.
When contacted, Pastor Yang said that his church was not officially
involved in organising the Thursday meeting, during which participants
called on fellow Christians to act against the 'homosexual agenda'.
'We are merely alerting our members to the importance of speaking out
on a matter of public policy - as individuals,' he said.
When asked how many people the e-mail had been sent to, a spokesman
said about 400 but later amended the figure to more than 100.
The church in East Coast Road was started in 1990 under the Anglican
church umbrella but became an independent Pentecostal church in 1995.
In a July 20 message titled 'Don't keep silent', on the church's
website, Mr Yang stated: 'We cannot stand idly by. Homosexuality is a sin
and it is far more rampant, militant and organised than most of us actually
believe it to be.
'The battle lines are now drawn and it is time for the Church in
Singapore to rise up and make a stand.'
The gay issue has been hotly debated in the media.
In a letter published in Streats yesterday, Dr Thio Su Mien and eight
signatories said 'we should not allow our society to be slowly eroded by the
growing agenda of homosexuals in our society'.
Expressing a different view, Reverend Yap Kim Hao, a Protestant, said
in a recent letter to The Straits Times: 'I applaud the stance of the Prime
Minister in announcing that the Government is more open to employing gays
now.'
Sister Theresa Seow, president of the Inter-Religious Organisation
and a Catholic, said: 'It is not very Christian to provoke people to go
against a group of people who, I believe, would not want to be what they now
are if they have a choice.'
Feedback Unit chief Wang Kai Yuen said that while groups have the
right to express their views, they should do so within certain boundaries.
'They must respect the views of others and respect a person's right
to be what he is,' he said.
The Independent, 23 July 2003
1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL England
(E-Mail: letters@independent.co.uk ) ( http://news.independent.co.uk )
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=426772
Williams ventures to Africa and the heart of gay bishops row
By Paul Vallely
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, sets out on a
journey today to the region most vehemently opposed to allowing gay bishops
in the Church of England.
In his first official overseas trip to a province of the Anglican
Communion, he will go to Ghana, Sierra Leone and Gambia, whose bishop, Dr
Tilewa Johnson, was one of the most fierce African voices raised against the
recent plan to appoint an openly homosexual man to the post of Bishop of
Reading.
Officials at Lambeth Palace are reconciled to the fact that the issue
of homosexuality, which Dr Williams had hoped to leave behind after calling
for a pause for thought at the General Synod this month, may well be raised
again on what is intended to be a supportive visit to one of the provinces
of the Anglican Communion that is growing rapidly.
Dr Johnson, who is also Dean of the Province of West Africa - which
covers 13 dioceses in Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone - described the aborted plan to appoint Canon Jeffery John to the
position as "mind-boggling".
He said at the time: "One must be out of one's mind to want to have
sex with another man. We in Africa are denigrated as conservative and
backward and the West think we are all heathens here, but to us it is
unnatural. Many of us have got our placards ready, we are ready to protest
until someone takes notice."
When the Archbishop of Canterbury arrives in Gambia, the bishop said,
"I would love to talk to him about it".
Concern to prevent a schism among the 75 million Anglicans in the
world-wide communion is believed to have been Dr Williams' prime anxiety
during the Jeffery John affair, which ended after the archbishop persuaded
Dr John to stand down.
Dr Williams will meet church, state and traditional leaders on the
eight-day tour, in which he will be accompanied by his wife, the theology
lecturer Dr Jane Williams. Talks are expected to focus on a wide range of
issues, both internal and external, affecting the Church.
Homosexuality will not, however, be the only issue at the interface
of theology and culture. . . . [other issues]
Advocate.com (glbt), July 22, 2003
http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=9351&sd=07/23/03
Poll: Americans favor gay civil unions over marriage
According to a June Gallup poll, 39% of Americans feel that the law
should recognize gay marriages, while a majority, 55%, do not. In May,
Gallup asked Americans a similar question - whether they favor or oppose gay
couples forming legal "civil unions," thereby receiving some of the same
legal rights as married couples. About half of Americans, 49%, said they
favor the idea, while the other half, 49%, opposed such a law. The
exclusion of the word "marriage" - considered by many to carry religious
overtones that the phrase "civil union" does not - may explain the lower
favorability rating for this question, Gallup said. But the idea of gay
marriage has steadily gained support, just as Gallup's readings regarding
homosexuality have shown increased acceptance of same-sex relations. When
the question of gay marriage was first asked in 1996, only 27% of Americans
thought marriage between gays and lesbians should become legal.
The latest poll also looked at the connection between religious
participation and support for gay marriage. Respondents who attend church
weekly were overwhelmingly opposed to gay marriages, at 74%. But 57% of
Americans who seldom or never attend church support gay marriages, while
only 36% are opposed. Similar differences are observed according to
political ideology and partisanship, both of which are related to
religiosity. Conservatives and Republicans are far more likely to oppose
gay marriages than are liberals and Democrats. Americans with higher levels
of education are more likely to feel that gay marriage should be legally
valid (44%) than those with a high school education or less (31%). In fact,
a majority of Americans with a postgraduate education (51%) approve of
same-sex marriages. The poll found that one of the largest gaps in opinion
on this issue is between age groups. Sixty-one percent of young adults
(aged 18 to 29) think gay marriages should be valid, compared with 22% of
those over age 65.
Minneapolis Star Tribune, July 22, 2003
425 Portland Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55408
(Fax: 612-673-4359 ) (E-Mail: opinion@startribune.com )
( http://www.startribune.com/ )
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3999997.html
After Lindner flap, Holocaust exhibit to stop in Minnesota
Brian Bakst, Associated Press
Several months after state Rep. Arlon Lindner ignited a political
firestorm by questioning gay persecution in the Holocaust, a traveling
exhibit devoted to that topic will stop in Minnesota. And Lindner said
Monday that he might tour it.
In announcing the visit of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's "Nazi
Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945" display, a local organizer attributed
the stop directly to the Lindner controversy.
"When an educational moment offers itself, you jump on it," said
Linnea Stenson, director of the University of Minnesota's Schochet Center
for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies.
In March, Lindner, R-Corcoran, was accused of ethics violations by
DFL legislators for saying that reports of Nazi persecution of gays and
lesbians is part of a "rewriting of history." Lindner's critics grew more
outraged when he said he didn't want "to sit around here and wait until
America becomes another African continent," a reference he said applied to
the spread of HIV and AIDS.
All of the comments stemmed from discussion of his bill to repeal
state human rights protections for people based on their sexual orientation.
Part of that bill, which went nowhere, would have removed sexual orientation
as a classification in the law's definition of Holocaust survivors and
victims.
Lindner wasn't punished because the House Ethics Committee
deadlocked. He maintained Monday that he was misunderstood. He said his
point then - and now - is that gays weren't persecuted to the same extent as
Jews were.
Of the exhibit, Lindner said he's "going to try to make it to see
it."
"It's always good to refresh our memories and so forth. That was a
terrible thing that happened," he said. "It doesn't hurt us to be reminded
because sometimes we tend to forget."
The display is a collection of photographs, news clippings, magazine
illustrations and original German documents detailing Nazi treatment of
gays.
More than 100,000 men were arrested as gay during Adolf Hitler's 12
years in power. About half served prison terms, and 5,000 to 15,000 were
placed in concentration camps, the Holocaust Museum calculates. An unknown
number died in the camps.
The exhibit opens at the YMCA of Minneapolis on Aug. 4 and runs
through Sept. 26. A special ceremony will be held Aug. 7, and many public
officials have been invited to attend.
Minnesota wasn't on the original itinerary when the tour began this
spring. So far, the display has been only to Los Angeles, but it will also
swing through Houston, Chicago, New York and East Lansing, Mich.
ignited a political firestorm by questioning gay persecution in the
Holocaust, a traveling exhibit devoted to that topic will stop in Minnesot
2. STRAITS TIMES (Singapore) Gay backlash: Some Christians react strongly
to Government's change in hiring policy
3. THE INDEPENDENT (London) Archbishop of Canterbury ventures to Africa
and the heart of gay bishops row
4. ADVOCATE.COM (glbt) Poll: Americans favor gay civil unions over
marriage
Straits Times, July 22, 2003
Singapore
(E-Mail: stforum@cyberway.com.sg ) ( http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/ )
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,201028,00.html
Gay backlash
Some Christians react strongly to Govt's change in hiring policy
By M. Nirmala
The Government's change of policy in hiring gays is causing a stir in
the Christian community. So far, it has prompted a meeting led by the
mainstream National Council of Churches of Singapore and an online campaign
against homosexuals by another group.
The Straits Times understands that the council, which represents
Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians, among others, met last Thursday and
is expected to issue a statement soon.
The council president, Methodist Bishop Robert Solomon, could not be
contacted as he is overseas.
Also on Thursday, a group of 20 Christians from different
denominations, voluntary organisations and professions, met and agreed on a
plan of action for Christians to tackle 'a volatile situation' that they
said had arisen out of the policy announcement.
This point was reflected in an e-mail signed by Pastor Yang Tuck
Yoong, who is from the Cornerstone Community Church.
He said that the Thursday meeting ended with a 'consensus to draft an
immediate plan of action that every pastor and church can adopt in our
battle against homosexuality'.
He asked Christians to 'express their concern' to their Member of
Parliament, through letters or during Meet-the-People sessions, and send
their views to the Feedback Unit and write letters to the media.
This group's reaction comes in the wake of Prime Minister Goh Chok
Tong's recent revelation that the Government is now employing openly
homosexual people, even in sensitive jobs.
When contacted, Pastor Yang said that his church was not officially
involved in organising the Thursday meeting, during which participants
called on fellow Christians to act against the 'homosexual agenda'.
'We are merely alerting our members to the importance of speaking out
on a matter of public policy - as individuals,' he said.
When asked how many people the e-mail had been sent to, a spokesman
said about 400 but later amended the figure to more than 100.
The church in East Coast Road was started in 1990 under the Anglican
church umbrella but became an independent Pentecostal church in 1995.
In a July 20 message titled 'Don't keep silent', on the church's
website, Mr Yang stated: 'We cannot stand idly by. Homosexuality is a sin
and it is far more rampant, militant and organised than most of us actually
believe it to be.
'The battle lines are now drawn and it is time for the Church in
Singapore to rise up and make a stand.'
The gay issue has been hotly debated in the media.
In a letter published in Streats yesterday, Dr Thio Su Mien and eight
signatories said 'we should not allow our society to be slowly eroded by the
growing agenda of homosexuals in our society'.
Expressing a different view, Reverend Yap Kim Hao, a Protestant, said
in a recent letter to The Straits Times: 'I applaud the stance of the Prime
Minister in announcing that the Government is more open to employing gays
now.'
Sister Theresa Seow, president of the Inter-Religious Organisation
and a Catholic, said: 'It is not very Christian to provoke people to go
against a group of people who, I believe, would not want to be what they now
are if they have a choice.'
Feedback Unit chief Wang Kai Yuen said that while groups have the
right to express their views, they should do so within certain boundaries.
'They must respect the views of others and respect a person's right
to be what he is,' he said.
The Independent, 23 July 2003
1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL England
(E-Mail: letters@independent.co.uk ) ( http://news.independent.co.uk )
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=426772
Williams ventures to Africa and the heart of gay bishops row
By Paul Vallely
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, sets out on a
journey today to the region most vehemently opposed to allowing gay bishops
in the Church of England.
In his first official overseas trip to a province of the Anglican
Communion, he will go to Ghana, Sierra Leone and Gambia, whose bishop, Dr
Tilewa Johnson, was one of the most fierce African voices raised against the
recent plan to appoint an openly homosexual man to the post of Bishop of
Reading.
Officials at Lambeth Palace are reconciled to the fact that the issue
of homosexuality, which Dr Williams had hoped to leave behind after calling
for a pause for thought at the General Synod this month, may well be raised
again on what is intended to be a supportive visit to one of the provinces
of the Anglican Communion that is growing rapidly.
Dr Johnson, who is also Dean of the Province of West Africa - which
covers 13 dioceses in Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone - described the aborted plan to appoint Canon Jeffery John to the
position as "mind-boggling".
He said at the time: "One must be out of one's mind to want to have
sex with another man. We in Africa are denigrated as conservative and
backward and the West think we are all heathens here, but to us it is
unnatural. Many of us have got our placards ready, we are ready to protest
until someone takes notice."
When the Archbishop of Canterbury arrives in Gambia, the bishop said,
"I would love to talk to him about it".
Concern to prevent a schism among the 75 million Anglicans in the
world-wide communion is believed to have been Dr Williams' prime anxiety
during the Jeffery John affair, which ended after the archbishop persuaded
Dr John to stand down.
Dr Williams will meet church, state and traditional leaders on the
eight-day tour, in which he will be accompanied by his wife, the theology
lecturer Dr Jane Williams. Talks are expected to focus on a wide range of
issues, both internal and external, affecting the Church.
Homosexuality will not, however, be the only issue at the interface
of theology and culture. . . . [other issues]
Advocate.com (glbt), July 22, 2003
http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=9351&sd=07/23/03
Poll: Americans favor gay civil unions over marriage
According to a June Gallup poll, 39% of Americans feel that the law
should recognize gay marriages, while a majority, 55%, do not. In May,
Gallup asked Americans a similar question - whether they favor or oppose gay
couples forming legal "civil unions," thereby receiving some of the same
legal rights as married couples. About half of Americans, 49%, said they
favor the idea, while the other half, 49%, opposed such a law. The
exclusion of the word "marriage" - considered by many to carry religious
overtones that the phrase "civil union" does not - may explain the lower
favorability rating for this question, Gallup said. But the idea of gay
marriage has steadily gained support, just as Gallup's readings regarding
homosexuality have shown increased acceptance of same-sex relations. When
the question of gay marriage was first asked in 1996, only 27% of Americans
thought marriage between gays and lesbians should become legal.
The latest poll also looked at the connection between religious
participation and support for gay marriage. Respondents who attend church
weekly were overwhelmingly opposed to gay marriages, at 74%. But 57% of
Americans who seldom or never attend church support gay marriages, while
only 36% are opposed. Similar differences are observed according to
political ideology and partisanship, both of which are related to
religiosity. Conservatives and Republicans are far more likely to oppose
gay marriages than are liberals and Democrats. Americans with higher levels
of education are more likely to feel that gay marriage should be legally
valid (44%) than those with a high school education or less (31%). In fact,
a majority of Americans with a postgraduate education (51%) approve of
same-sex marriages. The poll found that one of the largest gaps in opinion
on this issue is between age groups. Sixty-one percent of young adults
(aged 18 to 29) think gay marriages should be valid, compared with 22% of
those over age 65.
Minneapolis Star Tribune, July 22, 2003
425 Portland Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55408
(Fax: 612-673-4359 ) (E-Mail: opinion@startribune.com )
( http://www.startribune.com/ )
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3999997.html
After Lindner flap, Holocaust exhibit to stop in Minnesota
Brian Bakst, Associated Press
Several months after state Rep. Arlon Lindner ignited a political
firestorm by questioning gay persecution in the Holocaust, a traveling
exhibit devoted to that topic will stop in Minnesota. And Lindner said
Monday that he might tour it.
In announcing the visit of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's "Nazi
Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945" display, a local organizer attributed
the stop directly to the Lindner controversy.
"When an educational moment offers itself, you jump on it," said
Linnea Stenson, director of the University of Minnesota's Schochet Center
for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies.
In March, Lindner, R-Corcoran, was accused of ethics violations by
DFL legislators for saying that reports of Nazi persecution of gays and
lesbians is part of a "rewriting of history." Lindner's critics grew more
outraged when he said he didn't want "to sit around here and wait until
America becomes another African continent," a reference he said applied to
the spread of HIV and AIDS.
All of the comments stemmed from discussion of his bill to repeal
state human rights protections for people based on their sexual orientation.
Part of that bill, which went nowhere, would have removed sexual orientation
as a classification in the law's definition of Holocaust survivors and
victims.
Lindner wasn't punished because the House Ethics Committee
deadlocked. He maintained Monday that he was misunderstood. He said his
point then - and now - is that gays weren't persecuted to the same extent as
Jews were.
Of the exhibit, Lindner said he's "going to try to make it to see
it."
"It's always good to refresh our memories and so forth. That was a
terrible thing that happened," he said. "It doesn't hurt us to be reminded
because sometimes we tend to forget."
The display is a collection of photographs, news clippings, magazine
illustrations and original German documents detailing Nazi treatment of
gays.
More than 100,000 men were arrested as gay during Adolf Hitler's 12
years in power. About half served prison terms, and 5,000 to 15,000 were
placed in concentration camps, the Holocaust Museum calculates. An unknown
number died in the camps.
The exhibit opens at the YMCA of Minneapolis on Aug. 4 and runs
through Sept. 26. A special ceremony will be held Aug. 7, and many public
officials have been invited to attend.
Minnesota wasn't on the original itinerary when the tour began this
spring. So far, the display has been only to Los Angeles, but it will also
swing through Houston, Chicago, New York and East Lansing, Mich.
1. NEW YORK TIMES Profile of candidate James Morrison: No One Will Ever
Call Him a Me-Too Democrat
2. ADVOCATE.COM (glbt) Washington Post publishes first gay marriage
announcement: Deb Price and Joyce Murdoch
3. ADVOCATE.COM (glbt) Flap continues over congressman's "fruitcake"
remark
4. DES MOINES REGISTER Letter about banning of rainbow symbol from town's
parks: Color them cowardly
5. ASSOCIATED PRESS Episcopal group promises showdown on homosexuality
6. 365GAY.COM A popular New York City Council member and strong advocate
of gay rights was shot and killed by a political rival during a city council
meeting Wednesday afternoon
New York Times, July 23, 2003
229 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY, 10036
(Fax: 212-556-3622 ) (E-Mail: letters@nytimes.com )
( http://www.nytimes.com )
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/23/nyregion/23PROF.html
No One Will Ever Call Him a Me-Too Democrat
By Chris Hedges
In an age of clone candidates whose teeth, hair and political
platforms are often indistinguishable, even if they purport to be from
different parties, James Morrison has fearlessly walked where few will
follow.
As the Democratic candidate for the State Senate in the 24th District
in northwest New Jersey, he has lambasted the complacency of his own party
and taken on campaign finance, real estate developers, defense contractors,
the war in Iraq, insurance companies, draconian drug laws and the refusal to
provide national health insurance.
He won't accept any soft money, not that it looks as if any is about
to come his way, or even stoop to wear a coat and tie. He will campaign in
the clothing he buys in vintage shops, speak as he likes and raise issues
that in his heavily Republican district have been absent from the political
debate.
"I am," he said, "the anti-candidate."
He's not kidding. After it was revealed in New Jersey newspapers
that he had entered a contest several years ago in a gay bar in the East
Village where he was required to pose naked, many in Sussex County's
Democratic Party said they would like it very, very much if he withdrew from
the race.
"No way," Mr. Morrison said, adding with a laugh, "and besides, I
won."
His detractors - that includes nearly everyone in positions of
authority - are attempting to dismiss him as a kook. But he has spiced up
an election where, if he had not run a write-in campaign to get on the
ballot, the Republican incumbent, Senator Robert E. Littell, would have run
uncontested in the fall.
But for all his idiosyncrasies, Mr. Morrison, 32, has some powerful
weapons in his arsenal. He is articulate, passionate, well informed and,
with a degree from Columbia Law School, not easily intimidated by those who
seek to pull obscure legal levers to get him off the ballot. More
important, he is not alone. His mother and stepfather, whose name he has
taken and whom he calls Dad, are behind their son. All three are lawyers.
"I am lucky in my parents," he said. "They have always loved me,
supported me and accepted me. The more pressure I feel, the more they back
me."
Mr. Morrison sat one morning in the loft of his partner, Tony, in
Brooklyn. His two dogs, Jackal, an unruly Australian cattle dog, and Tyson,
an even more unruly pit bull terrier, rolled over each other on the floor,
energetically sniffed everyone in the room, jumped up on the couch and then
ran in circles around the coffee table.
"Jackal really smells," Mr. Morrison said apologetically. "If you
smell something, it's him."
Mr. Morrison grew up in one of the last corners of New Jersey that
can still be called rural. He spent much of his childhood in a lake house
in Andover, where he still lives, that has been in his family for five
decades. He scoured the mud flats for plants, animals and fish.
"I was a loner as a child," he said. "I would take the boat out and
hunt for snakes and turtles in the muck."
He dreamed of other worlds. He was a fan of "Star Trek." He wanted
to be an exoarchaeologist, someone who would travel to distant planets and
discover alien civilizations. "We live in a time that is like the 100 years
that preceded the discovery of the Americas," he said. "We can only guess
what is out there. We have no way yet of finding out."
But as a senior honors student at the Delbarton School, he discovered
Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and Augustine. He was intrigued with Plato's
theories about the perfect state. He ran for student government. And he
decided, rather than discover the ruins of some other world, he would change
this one.
As a law student, he spent a summer as an intern in a big Park Avenue
law firm, just enough time to know that he hated it. The firm represented
German successors to companies that had used slave labor during World War
II.
"The goal was to make sure the victims did not get any money," he
said. "It was extremely distasteful."
And so, when he graduated, he went home. He joined his mother and
father in their law practice. He had his first jury trial two weeks after
he passed the bar exam. He lost. But his parents had faith in him. He
became a partner after a year.
He took up flying helicopters to amuse himself. He thought of being
a commercial pilot, and still thinks he might open a charter business one
day. He was selected as a contestant on the television reality show "The
Mole," and was one of two left at the end of the series. He went on to do
some on-the-air reporting for MTV. He studies Arabic for fun at New York
University.
He rails against those who cut taxes and let programs for the poor,
children, the elderly and the environment go up in smoke. He dismisses the
Democratic Party as "bankrupt" and "Republicans Lite." On many Sundays, he
sets out a table on Orchard Street in Manhattan outside the hair salon where
Tony works. The couple sell "Axis of Evil Vacation Destination" T-shirts.
"Many people are fed up with the programmed robots that represent
us," he said. "These politicians are bought off by big-money interests.
They ignore our needs. I want, if nothing else, to give people a choice."
Advocate.com (glbt), July 23, 2003
http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=9371&sd=07/23/03
Washington Post publishes first gay marriage announcement
The Washington Post on Wednesday published the announcement of Deb
Price and Joyce Murdoch's wedding - their legal marriage in Canada -
reportedly the first announcement of a legal same-sex marriage to run in a
U.S. newspaper. The move was also the first placement of a same-sex
couple's wedding announcement on the Weddings page by the Post. The Post's
rule has long been that the Weddings page is open only to couples who are
announcing an engagement to be legally wed, have just been legally wed, or
are celebrating the anniversary of their lawful marriage. Other sorts of
announcements, including civil unions, run on the Post's Celebrations page.
Wednesday's announcement ran on the Weddings page.
Deb Price and Joyce Murdoch were married at 10:30 a.m. on June 27 in
Toronto City Hall's wedding chapel by Officiant George McConnachie. A
couple since 1985, Price and Murdoch met at The Washington Post, where they
both were employed as editors. In November 1993, they became the first
registered domestic partners in their hometown of Takoma Park, Md. In May
1995, on the day of their 10th anniversary, they were denied a marriage
license at the Montgomery County, Md., courthouse. On July 2, 2000, they
were united in a civil union by Justice of the Peace Keith Goslant in
Plainfield, Vt.
Murdoch is now managing editor for politics at National Journal
magazine. Price is a nationally syndicated columnist on gay issues for The
Detroit News, where she also covers Congress out of the Washington bureau.
Advocate.com (glbt), July 23, 2003
http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=9370&sd=07/23/03
Flap continues over congressman's "fruitcake" remark
In the wake of a near brawl in the U.S. House of Representatives last
week, a Democratic congressman has been forced to explain his use of
seemingly antigay remarks. On Friday California representative Fortney
"Pete" Stark hurled several insults at Rep. Scott McInnis (R-Colo.) during a
dispute over pension legislation. "You little wimp," Stark said to McInnis.
"Come on. Come over here and make me. I dare you, you little fruitcake. I
said you are a fruitcake." Following the display, Republican committee
chairman Bill Thomas of California actually summoned Capitol police.
Democrats, claiming that the pension bill had been changed overnight without
their knowledge, had moved into an adjoining library to discuss their
response, leaving Stark behind to try to slow progress on the legislation.
That was when Stark began delivering his invective. The Californian later
issued a statement acknowledging using "words that were not becoming." A
number of gay rights leader called the remarks homophobic.
Thomas planned to speak on the House floor Wednesday about his role
in the partisan fracas, and several fellow Republicans said they hoped he
would express contrition for contributing to the scene. Several Republicans
accused minority Democrats, however, of adopting a deliberate strategy of
trying to goad Thomas into losing his temper. Pointing to Stark's behavior
in the quarrel, they said not all the blame belonged to the chairman.
Democrats claim the police were called to evict them from the library,
before Stark verbally attacked McInnis. Some Republicans say the police
were called out of fear that Stark might instigate a physical conflict.
Democrats, furious that the police were called, forced a vote on the House
floor later in the day on a proposal to chastise Thomas and have the pension
bill sent back to committee. Republicans held ranks to defeat that vote,
but the squabble was the subject of several meetings Monday and Tuesday, and
Democrats maneuvered to have a second vote on Wednesday.
Des Moines Register, June 30, 2003
Box 957, Des Moines, Iowa 50304
(Fax: 515-286-2511) (E-Mail: letters@news.dmreg.com )
Letter: Color them cowardly
How disappointing the CharACTer program in Nevada, affiliated with
the national Character Counts program, scrapped its rainbow signs in city
parks after one high-profile resident claimed the signs promoted
homosexuality ("Rainbow Signs at Parks Taken Down After Protest," July 16).
While the gay and lesbian community uses rainbow flags to symbolize
diversity, unity and pride, it hardly holds a monopoly on rainbow imagery.
According to a spokesperson at the Los Angeles-based Character Counts
program, this nonsectarian, nonpartisan program has used the rainbow colors
for years with no objections from its many coalition members.
In Character Counts, the six rainbow "pillars" denote respect,
responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring and citizenship - values
that leave little room for discrimination based on sexual orientation. The
Character Counts spokesperson (who sounded nonplussed and none too pleased
to learn of this Iowa debacle) speculated the national program had never
seen the need to develop a written position on homosexuality " . . . because
wouldn't that be covered under the respect, fairness and caring pillars?"
The Nevada resident claimed the signs made a mockery of the word
"character." If he spent as much time learning what Character Counts stands
for as he did collecting gay-pride literature to bolster his ludicrous
complaint, the park signs might be reinstated.
The real mockery resides in the CharACTer leaders" capitulation to
one man's homophobia. A seventh pillar - integrity - seems called for in a
case where character apparently counts for little among the very people who
presume to promote it.
- Elizabeth Weber, Ames
Associated Press, July 23, 2003
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--episcopals-gays0723jul2
3,0,6737793.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia
Episcopal group promises showdown on homosexuality
By Matthew Barakat, Associated Press Writer
FAIRFAX, Va. - A group of Anglican clergy and lay leaders opposing
proposals to liberalize church policy on homosexuality is threatening a
"dramatic realignment" of the church if the proposals are enacted.
The Episcopal Church, the U.S. member of the worldwide Anglican
Communion, will vote next week at its general convention on whether to
create a new liturgy that would bless same-sex relationships. The
convention will also decide whether to ratify the election of the church's
first openly gay bishop - the Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
On Wednesday, the gathering of conservative clergy issued a statement
saying that approval of either measure would trigger a schism in the church.
"The proposed actions will precipitate a dramatic realignment of the
church," said the Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon Jr., the Bishop of South
Carolina. "The American bishops at this meeting have prayed, planned and
are prepared to respond as faithful members of the Anglican Communion."
The clergy would not say specifically what action they would take, in
part because they are still discussing options and in part to keep their
strategy secret, said Kendall Harmon, a canon theologian in the South
Carolina diocese.
Harmon also said the group is optimistic that the proposals will be
defeated, even as he acknowledged that most expect the proposals to pass.
"We're praying and hoping that that people will listen to what we're
saying. The vote is going to be a lot closer" than people think, he said.
The potential exists to split the Episcopal Church. Earlier this
month, 24 Episcopal bishops severed ties with a Canadian diocese that
recently authorized a blessing ceremony for a homosexual couple.
"When we use the phrase 'dramatic realignment,' we mean it," Harmon
said.
The leader of the Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold,
pleaded for unity Tuesday and said Anglicans have a "sacred obligation" to
stay together despite their disagreements.
But the Rev. Christopher Seitz, a divinity professor at the
University of St. Andrew's in Scotland, said the bishops supporting Robinson
and same-sex blessings are the ones creating disunity.
The effort to liberalize church policy "is in itself a schism and is
a breaking of communion," Seitz said.
Episcopal bishops from 14 of the 109 U.S. dioceses attended the
two-day conference at Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, along with several
dozen Episcopal rectors and lay leaders and several Anglican archbishops
from outside the United States.
The foreign archbishops cannot vote at the Episcopal convention
beginning July 30 in Minneapolis, but are lobbying their U.S.-based brethren
to oppose the change.
"There are numerous issues that divide the Anglican church, but this
comes before us as a salvation issue," said the Most Rev. Peter Jensen,
Archbishop of Sydney. "It puts souls at risk. It is something we cannot
afford to allow to pass."
It is unclear how a schism would affect individual congregations
within the Episcopal Church.
"It would put us in an awful place of divided loyalties, and we would
agonize over that," said the Rev. Martyn Minns, the rector at the Truro
church.
365Gay.com, July 23, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072303nyShooting.htm
NY City Hall Shooting Kills Gay Pos Councilor
by Doug Windsor, 365Gay.com Newscenter, New York Bureau
New York City - A popular New York council member and strong advocate
of gay rights was shot and killed by a political rival during a city council
meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Councilman James Davis was killed instantly. The shooter, identified
only as Othniel Askew, was shot by a police bodyguard for the city council
speaker.
Witnesses said Davis and Askew entered the building together and did
not pass through standard security procedures. Askew had apparently gone to
city hall to file his nomination papers to run against Davis in the fall
primary for the Brooklyn district Davis has represented since 2001.
Davis, a Democrat was a great friend to the gay community Alan Van
Capelle, the executive director of Empire Pride Agenda told 365Gay.com.
"He was a sponsor of the Equal Benefits Bill and the Transgendered
Rights Bill," Van Capelle said. Davis also supported several AIDS projects
in Brooklyn.
"He was a really nice guy, he will be missed on council," said Van
Capelle, who noted that Davis was a former policeman and a strong advocate
of gun control.
"The last time I saw him was at a luncheon for Lambda Independent
Democats held in Brooklyn in May."
Van Capelle said that when he became executive director of Empire
Pride one of the first calls was from Davis, congratulating him and asking
if there was anything he needed.
In a news conference New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the
slaying "an attack on democracy."
The shootings harkened to the 1978 murders in San Francisco city hall
of gay supervisor Harvey Milk and mayor George Moscone by supervisor Dan
White.
Call Him a Me-Too Democrat
2. ADVOCATE.COM (glbt) Washington Post publishes first gay marriage
announcement: Deb Price and Joyce Murdoch
3. ADVOCATE.COM (glbt) Flap continues over congressman's "fruitcake"
remark
4. DES MOINES REGISTER Letter about banning of rainbow symbol from town's
parks: Color them cowardly
5. ASSOCIATED PRESS Episcopal group promises showdown on homosexuality
6. 365GAY.COM A popular New York City Council member and strong advocate
of gay rights was shot and killed by a political rival during a city council
meeting Wednesday afternoon
New York Times, July 23, 2003
229 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY, 10036
(Fax: 212-556-3622 ) (E-Mail: letters@nytimes.com )
( http://www.nytimes.com )
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/23/nyregion/23PROF.html
No One Will Ever Call Him a Me-Too Democrat
By Chris Hedges
In an age of clone candidates whose teeth, hair and political
platforms are often indistinguishable, even if they purport to be from
different parties, James Morrison has fearlessly walked where few will
follow.
As the Democratic candidate for the State Senate in the 24th District
in northwest New Jersey, he has lambasted the complacency of his own party
and taken on campaign finance, real estate developers, defense contractors,
the war in Iraq, insurance companies, draconian drug laws and the refusal to
provide national health insurance.
He won't accept any soft money, not that it looks as if any is about
to come his way, or even stoop to wear a coat and tie. He will campaign in
the clothing he buys in vintage shops, speak as he likes and raise issues
that in his heavily Republican district have been absent from the political
debate.
"I am," he said, "the anti-candidate."
He's not kidding. After it was revealed in New Jersey newspapers
that he had entered a contest several years ago in a gay bar in the East
Village where he was required to pose naked, many in Sussex County's
Democratic Party said they would like it very, very much if he withdrew from
the race.
"No way," Mr. Morrison said, adding with a laugh, "and besides, I
won."
His detractors - that includes nearly everyone in positions of
authority - are attempting to dismiss him as a kook. But he has spiced up
an election where, if he had not run a write-in campaign to get on the
ballot, the Republican incumbent, Senator Robert E. Littell, would have run
uncontested in the fall.
But for all his idiosyncrasies, Mr. Morrison, 32, has some powerful
weapons in his arsenal. He is articulate, passionate, well informed and,
with a degree from Columbia Law School, not easily intimidated by those who
seek to pull obscure legal levers to get him off the ballot. More
important, he is not alone. His mother and stepfather, whose name he has
taken and whom he calls Dad, are behind their son. All three are lawyers.
"I am lucky in my parents," he said. "They have always loved me,
supported me and accepted me. The more pressure I feel, the more they back
me."
Mr. Morrison sat one morning in the loft of his partner, Tony, in
Brooklyn. His two dogs, Jackal, an unruly Australian cattle dog, and Tyson,
an even more unruly pit bull terrier, rolled over each other on the floor,
energetically sniffed everyone in the room, jumped up on the couch and then
ran in circles around the coffee table.
"Jackal really smells," Mr. Morrison said apologetically. "If you
smell something, it's him."
Mr. Morrison grew up in one of the last corners of New Jersey that
can still be called rural. He spent much of his childhood in a lake house
in Andover, where he still lives, that has been in his family for five
decades. He scoured the mud flats for plants, animals and fish.
"I was a loner as a child," he said. "I would take the boat out and
hunt for snakes and turtles in the muck."
He dreamed of other worlds. He was a fan of "Star Trek." He wanted
to be an exoarchaeologist, someone who would travel to distant planets and
discover alien civilizations. "We live in a time that is like the 100 years
that preceded the discovery of the Americas," he said. "We can only guess
what is out there. We have no way yet of finding out."
But as a senior honors student at the Delbarton School, he discovered
Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and Augustine. He was intrigued with Plato's
theories about the perfect state. He ran for student government. And he
decided, rather than discover the ruins of some other world, he would change
this one.
As a law student, he spent a summer as an intern in a big Park Avenue
law firm, just enough time to know that he hated it. The firm represented
German successors to companies that had used slave labor during World War
II.
"The goal was to make sure the victims did not get any money," he
said. "It was extremely distasteful."
And so, when he graduated, he went home. He joined his mother and
father in their law practice. He had his first jury trial two weeks after
he passed the bar exam. He lost. But his parents had faith in him. He
became a partner after a year.
He took up flying helicopters to amuse himself. He thought of being
a commercial pilot, and still thinks he might open a charter business one
day. He was selected as a contestant on the television reality show "The
Mole," and was one of two left at the end of the series. He went on to do
some on-the-air reporting for MTV. He studies Arabic for fun at New York
University.
He rails against those who cut taxes and let programs for the poor,
children, the elderly and the environment go up in smoke. He dismisses the
Democratic Party as "bankrupt" and "Republicans Lite." On many Sundays, he
sets out a table on Orchard Street in Manhattan outside the hair salon where
Tony works. The couple sell "Axis of Evil Vacation Destination" T-shirts.
"Many people are fed up with the programmed robots that represent
us," he said. "These politicians are bought off by big-money interests.
They ignore our needs. I want, if nothing else, to give people a choice."
Advocate.com (glbt), July 23, 2003
http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=9371&sd=07/23/03
Washington Post publishes first gay marriage announcement
The Washington Post on Wednesday published the announcement of Deb
Price and Joyce Murdoch's wedding - their legal marriage in Canada -
reportedly the first announcement of a legal same-sex marriage to run in a
U.S. newspaper. The move was also the first placement of a same-sex
couple's wedding announcement on the Weddings page by the Post. The Post's
rule has long been that the Weddings page is open only to couples who are
announcing an engagement to be legally wed, have just been legally wed, or
are celebrating the anniversary of their lawful marriage. Other sorts of
announcements, including civil unions, run on the Post's Celebrations page.
Wednesday's announcement ran on the Weddings page.
Deb Price and Joyce Murdoch were married at 10:30 a.m. on June 27 in
Toronto City Hall's wedding chapel by Officiant George McConnachie. A
couple since 1985, Price and Murdoch met at The Washington Post, where they
both were employed as editors. In November 1993, they became the first
registered domestic partners in their hometown of Takoma Park, Md. In May
1995, on the day of their 10th anniversary, they were denied a marriage
license at the Montgomery County, Md., courthouse. On July 2, 2000, they
were united in a civil union by Justice of the Peace Keith Goslant in
Plainfield, Vt.
Murdoch is now managing editor for politics at National Journal
magazine. Price is a nationally syndicated columnist on gay issues for The
Detroit News, where she also covers Congress out of the Washington bureau.
Advocate.com (glbt), July 23, 2003
http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=9370&sd=07/23/03
Flap continues over congressman's "fruitcake" remark
In the wake of a near brawl in the U.S. House of Representatives last
week, a Democratic congressman has been forced to explain his use of
seemingly antigay remarks. On Friday California representative Fortney
"Pete" Stark hurled several insults at Rep. Scott McInnis (R-Colo.) during a
dispute over pension legislation. "You little wimp," Stark said to McInnis.
"Come on. Come over here and make me. I dare you, you little fruitcake. I
said you are a fruitcake." Following the display, Republican committee
chairman Bill Thomas of California actually summoned Capitol police.
Democrats, claiming that the pension bill had been changed overnight without
their knowledge, had moved into an adjoining library to discuss their
response, leaving Stark behind to try to slow progress on the legislation.
That was when Stark began delivering his invective. The Californian later
issued a statement acknowledging using "words that were not becoming." A
number of gay rights leader called the remarks homophobic.
Thomas planned to speak on the House floor Wednesday about his role
in the partisan fracas, and several fellow Republicans said they hoped he
would express contrition for contributing to the scene. Several Republicans
accused minority Democrats, however, of adopting a deliberate strategy of
trying to goad Thomas into losing his temper. Pointing to Stark's behavior
in the quarrel, they said not all the blame belonged to the chairman.
Democrats claim the police were called to evict them from the library,
before Stark verbally attacked McInnis. Some Republicans say the police
were called out of fear that Stark might instigate a physical conflict.
Democrats, furious that the police were called, forced a vote on the House
floor later in the day on a proposal to chastise Thomas and have the pension
bill sent back to committee. Republicans held ranks to defeat that vote,
but the squabble was the subject of several meetings Monday and Tuesday, and
Democrats maneuvered to have a second vote on Wednesday.
Des Moines Register, June 30, 2003
Box 957, Des Moines, Iowa 50304
(Fax: 515-286-2511) (E-Mail: letters@news.dmreg.com )
Letter: Color them cowardly
How disappointing the CharACTer program in Nevada, affiliated with
the national Character Counts program, scrapped its rainbow signs in city
parks after one high-profile resident claimed the signs promoted
homosexuality ("Rainbow Signs at Parks Taken Down After Protest," July 16).
While the gay and lesbian community uses rainbow flags to symbolize
diversity, unity and pride, it hardly holds a monopoly on rainbow imagery.
According to a spokesperson at the Los Angeles-based Character Counts
program, this nonsectarian, nonpartisan program has used the rainbow colors
for years with no objections from its many coalition members.
In Character Counts, the six rainbow "pillars" denote respect,
responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring and citizenship - values
that leave little room for discrimination based on sexual orientation. The
Character Counts spokesperson (who sounded nonplussed and none too pleased
to learn of this Iowa debacle) speculated the national program had never
seen the need to develop a written position on homosexuality " . . . because
wouldn't that be covered under the respect, fairness and caring pillars?"
The Nevada resident claimed the signs made a mockery of the word
"character." If he spent as much time learning what Character Counts stands
for as he did collecting gay-pride literature to bolster his ludicrous
complaint, the park signs might be reinstated.
The real mockery resides in the CharACTer leaders" capitulation to
one man's homophobia. A seventh pillar - integrity - seems called for in a
case where character apparently counts for little among the very people who
presume to promote it.
- Elizabeth Weber, Ames
Associated Press, July 23, 2003
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--episcopals-gays0723jul2
3,0,6737793.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia
Episcopal group promises showdown on homosexuality
By Matthew Barakat, Associated Press Writer
FAIRFAX, Va. - A group of Anglican clergy and lay leaders opposing
proposals to liberalize church policy on homosexuality is threatening a
"dramatic realignment" of the church if the proposals are enacted.
The Episcopal Church, the U.S. member of the worldwide Anglican
Communion, will vote next week at its general convention on whether to
create a new liturgy that would bless same-sex relationships. The
convention will also decide whether to ratify the election of the church's
first openly gay bishop - the Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
On Wednesday, the gathering of conservative clergy issued a statement
saying that approval of either measure would trigger a schism in the church.
"The proposed actions will precipitate a dramatic realignment of the
church," said the Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon Jr., the Bishop of South
Carolina. "The American bishops at this meeting have prayed, planned and
are prepared to respond as faithful members of the Anglican Communion."
The clergy would not say specifically what action they would take, in
part because they are still discussing options and in part to keep their
strategy secret, said Kendall Harmon, a canon theologian in the South
Carolina diocese.
Harmon also said the group is optimistic that the proposals will be
defeated, even as he acknowledged that most expect the proposals to pass.
"We're praying and hoping that that people will listen to what we're
saying. The vote is going to be a lot closer" than people think, he said.
The potential exists to split the Episcopal Church. Earlier this
month, 24 Episcopal bishops severed ties with a Canadian diocese that
recently authorized a blessing ceremony for a homosexual couple.
"When we use the phrase 'dramatic realignment,' we mean it," Harmon
said.
The leader of the Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold,
pleaded for unity Tuesday and said Anglicans have a "sacred obligation" to
stay together despite their disagreements.
But the Rev. Christopher Seitz, a divinity professor at the
University of St. Andrew's in Scotland, said the bishops supporting Robinson
and same-sex blessings are the ones creating disunity.
The effort to liberalize church policy "is in itself a schism and is
a breaking of communion," Seitz said.
Episcopal bishops from 14 of the 109 U.S. dioceses attended the
two-day conference at Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, along with several
dozen Episcopal rectors and lay leaders and several Anglican archbishops
from outside the United States.
The foreign archbishops cannot vote at the Episcopal convention
beginning July 30 in Minneapolis, but are lobbying their U.S.-based brethren
to oppose the change.
"There are numerous issues that divide the Anglican church, but this
comes before us as a salvation issue," said the Most Rev. Peter Jensen,
Archbishop of Sydney. "It puts souls at risk. It is something we cannot
afford to allow to pass."
It is unclear how a schism would affect individual congregations
within the Episcopal Church.
"It would put us in an awful place of divided loyalties, and we would
agonize over that," said the Rev. Martyn Minns, the rector at the Truro
church.
365Gay.com, July 23, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072303nyShooting.htm
NY City Hall Shooting Kills Gay Pos Councilor
by Doug Windsor, 365Gay.com Newscenter, New York Bureau
New York City - A popular New York council member and strong advocate
of gay rights was shot and killed by a political rival during a city council
meeting Wednesday afternoon.
Councilman James Davis was killed instantly. The shooter, identified
only as Othniel Askew, was shot by a police bodyguard for the city council
speaker.
Witnesses said Davis and Askew entered the building together and did
not pass through standard security procedures. Askew had apparently gone to
city hall to file his nomination papers to run against Davis in the fall
primary for the Brooklyn district Davis has represented since 2001.
Davis, a Democrat was a great friend to the gay community Alan Van
Capelle, the executive director of Empire Pride Agenda told 365Gay.com.
"He was a sponsor of the Equal Benefits Bill and the Transgendered
Rights Bill," Van Capelle said. Davis also supported several AIDS projects
in Brooklyn.
"He was a really nice guy, he will be missed on council," said Van
Capelle, who noted that Davis was a former policeman and a strong advocate
of gun control.
"The last time I saw him was at a luncheon for Lambda Independent
Democats held in Brooklyn in May."
Van Capelle said that when he became executive director of Empire
Pride one of the first calls was from Davis, congratulating him and asking
if there was anything he needed.
In a news conference New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the
slaying "an attack on democracy."
The shootings harkened to the 1978 murders in San Francisco city hall
of gay supervisor Harvey Milk and mayor George Moscone by supervisor Dan
White.
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
1. PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL The Philadelphia International Gay and
Lesbian Film Festival that ended this week set a record for attendance
2. 365GAY.COM Gay Democrats Vow Battle To Save California Gov. Gray Davis
3. 365GAY.COM MCC founder Rev. Troy Perry To Launch Court Action To Have
His Marriage Recognized
4 365GAY.COM Jennifer Veiga, the first lesbian in the Colorado
legislature, has also become the first lesbian to sit in the state Senate
5. THE GOOD TIMES (Santa Cruz, CA) Kick-ass column by Patrick Letellier:
Brace yourself America: Hurricane Homo is headed this way and there ain't no
stopping it
6. GAY.COM U.K. A scathing attack made by a vicar has been condemned by
fellow clergymen for causing pain and distress to homosexuals
Philadelphia Business Journal, July 25, 2003
400 Market Street, Suite 300, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(Fax: 215-238-1466) (Email: philadelphia@bizjournals.com )
( http://philadelphia.bcentral.com/philadelphia )
Gay movie fest sets record
The Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, a
two-week festival that ended this week, set a record for attendance, the
organizers said.
The festival attracted 26,665 people.
In 13 days, the festival screened 133 movies at theaters around the
city. An outdoor screening of "Xanadu" on July 16 attracted 600 people to
Penn's Landing.
The festival, in its ninth year, was organized by the Philadelphia
Film Society, led by artistic director Raymond Murray and managing director
Thom Cardwell. The event was sponsored by TLA Entertainment Group.
365Gay.com, July 24, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072403davisDems.htm
Gay Democrats Vow Battle To Save Davis
by Mark Worrall, 365Gay.com Newscenter, San Francisco Bureau
San Francisco, California - Gay Democrats are standing up for
beleaguered Gov. Gray Davis as he fights to keep his job.
Last night, state officials announced that organizers of a
Republican-led petition drive had collected enough signatures to force a
recall vote. Thursday the Stonewall Democratic Club, which represents LGBT
gay voters in California wasted no time in rallying the troops.
"Our Governor has stood by the gay and lesbian community in making
California one of the most gay and lesbian welcoming states, and we will
stand by him in defeating this attempt to subvert the will of fair minded
people of the State of California," said Pam Cooke, SDC President.
As governor, Davis has signed landmark legislation which established
and expanded domestic partner rights. He signed bills prohibiting
discrimination in employment and housing because of one's sexual orientation
and revoked bans which automatically opposed adoption of foster children by
gay and lesbian "unmarried" couples. Davis also endorsed and signed Senator
Sheila Kuehl's dignity for all students bill, which prohibits harassment of
students because of real or perceived sexual orientation
The recall election will be held October 7. Voters will be asked two
questions on the ballot: Should Davis be removed from office and if so who
should replace him. So far, Democrats are holding firm behind Davis, but
potentially there could be any number of candidates fragmenting the vote.
Under California law, the person with the most votes would win, even if that
person only attained 15 or 20 percent of the total vote.
"We have a candidate, who we have and will continue to support and he
is our Governor, Gray Davis" said Cooke.
The only declared Republican candidate is Rep. Darrell Issa, who
bankrolled the recall signature gathering effort with $1.7 million of his
own money.
Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has been mulling a run, has not yet
made a decision. Other names being mentioned include Bill Simon, who lost
to Davis in November, and former LA mayor Tom Riordan.
"We cannot gamble with the potential of our state being run by
someone who does not back our community's interests," said Cooke. "We have
full faith in Gray and believe that what is best for our state is to stand
with Gray Davis through this Republican trickery and attempted power grab."
Davis also has the support of Equality California, the state's
largest LGBT lobby group.
365Gay.com, July 24, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072403perryMarriage.htm
Troy Perry To Launch Court Action To Have His Marriage Recognized
by Mary Ellen Peterson, 365Gay.com Newscenter, Los Angeles Bureau
West Hollywood, California - The leader of the Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches announced Thursday he will go to court to
force the government to recognize his same-sex marriage.
Troy Perry, the founder and Moderator of MCC married his longtime
partner, Phillip Ray De Blieck' in Toronto July 16.
While the marriage is recognized in Canada, no state in the US will
accept the marriage. "To not recognize my marriage and the marriages of
thousands of other same-sex couples, would be discrimination - and we will
not stand for that any longer," Perry said.
Perry announced a five point plan to force the government to
recognize gay marriage.
He called on all American gay couples to go to Canada and marry, and
then return home and fight.
Perry is the first openly gay member of the L.A. Human Relations
Commission and a past delegate To White House Conference on Hate Crimes.
He said that U.S. courts have traditionally recognized marriages that
are valid where they are performed, even in other countries - a concept
called "lex loci contractus."
The U.S. government has historically recognized marriages performed
under Canadian law as legally valid in the U.S. According to Perry, a
decision not to recognize same-sex Canadian marriages may be a violation of
international treaty law and a violation of the equal protection clause of
the Constitution's 14th Amendment.
"We are not seeking special treatment," Perry said. "We seek equal
treatment. That is the only gay agenda - equality for everyone under the
law."
Perry said he hopes to have hundreds of gay couples involved in the
legal action and encouraged them to sign up on the MCC website.
He also announced plans for an annual Valentines Day protest until
same-sex marriage across the US is legalized.
365Gay.com, July 24, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072403coloSenate.htm
First lesbian in Colorado House Now First Lesbian in State Senate
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Denver, Colorado - Jennifer Veiga, the first lesbian in the Colorado
legislature, has also become the first lesbian to sit in the state Senate.
Veiga was elected by a selection committee to fill the seat of Doug
Linkhart who left state politics to run for Denver city council. She will
face the voters for the first time in 2004.
Veiga becomes one of just ten openly lesbian, gay or bisexual state
senators currently serving in the country.
Veiga was the Democratic leader in the Colorado House before her move
to the Senate, where she now represents portions of Denver and Adams
counties.
"We're proud of Jennifer Veiga's climb up the ladder," said Chuck
Wolfe, Executive Director of the Victory Fund, a Washington based
organization that helps gays and lesbians get elected.
"She is a shining example of the quality of openly gay and lesbian
officeholders in the country. There is no doubt she is working hard on
behalf of all of her constituents," Wolfe said.
"I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to move to the Senate to
continue working on behalf of Colorado's working families, children and
seniors," Veiga told the Associated Press.
As a state representative, Veiga played a key role in defeating a
bill preventing adoptions by same-sex couples and has been a stalwart
supporter of LGBT civil rights and hate crimes measures. She also counts
among her top concerns funding for public education and responsible
community planning and growth.
The Good Times, July 24, 2003
P.O. Box 1885, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(Fax: 831-458-1295 ) (Email: letterstoeditor@gdtimes.com )
(http://www.gdtimes.com/)
Hurricane Homo
By Patrick Letellier
Brace yourself America: Hurricane Homo is headed this way and there
ain't no stopping it. Like it or not, this country is about to get a whole
lot gay, gay, gayer, and all I can say is: "Yeeha, it's about time!" After
two years of being told by the Bushies to shut up, eat another Happy Meal,
drive a flag-plastered SUV and cheer while the bombs drop, a deluge of
sequined, feather-boa queerness will be a welcome relief.
And let's not pussyfoot around: a hurricane it is. After the big
"C'ya!" to sodomy laws, courtesy of Justice Kennedy and the Supremes, gay
marriage is charging down from Canada like the Horseman of the Apocalypse
(say the screechy conservatives), potty-mouthed Michael Savage got his
gay-bashing butt kicked off TV, and the queer "Fab Five" made their
over-the-top debut, there ain't no doubt about it: Hallelujah, it's raining
queers.
Don't know what the heck I'm talking about? Here's a Hurricane Homo
weather chart.
First - in case you've been lost at sea for the past month and
haven't heard - in a wildly pro-gay decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck
down the nation's sodomy laws, laws that made gettin' your groove on with
your partner a crime for gays in 13 states.
The government should stay the heck out of people's bedrooms, Justice
Kennedy wrote, and about gays and lesbians he made this radical declaration:
"The state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making
their private sexual conduct a crime."
Not demean our existence?! Hot damn, you can say that again. That
means laws against gay marriage, gays in the military, and every other
decree to keep them darned homos out are next on the chopping block. No
wonder uptight conservatives are shaking in their wingtips, poor dears.
Sorry, but after a lifetime of being told by conservative creeps that
gays suck, deserve AIDS, and are criminals, sinners, child molesters, and
biological errors that need Jesus, I'm all about petty revenge. Who am I
kidding? I'm not sorry at all. Take that, feverish right-wingers: Your
own Republican-dominated Supreme Court kicked your sorry asses to the curb.
Meanwhile, in a ruling that should make all of us stop thinking of
our neighbor to the north as Bland-ada, Canada legalized same-sex marriage.
Yep, while in the "land of the free" we cheered because we can no longer be
arrested for making love, Canada left us in the dust and blessed
homo-nuptials with the same rights granted straight couples.
Like the flying monkeys of the Wizard of Oz, queers from all over the
U.S. are now descending on Canada to tie their knots, and will soon return
to sue the pants off American institutions that refuse to recognize their
marriages. Come back, my pretties, and sue! sue! sue!
But, oh, what a difference a border makes. Back here in the good ol'
"You're either wid' us or agin' us" U.S.A., Republicans rushed to "protect
traditional marriage" by endorsing a Constitutional amendment to prevent us
marriage-license-seekin' queer freaks from walking down any aisles in this
country.
Protect marriage? Puhlease. With a 50 percent divorce rate, rampant
domestic violence, Las Vegas drive-through chapels, and I
wanna-marry-a-really-rich-guy reality TV shows, there's no way gays could
trash marriage the way straight people have. Honestly, after all straights
have done, it's amazing homos want to play the newlywed game at all (well,
aside from the gazillion civil rights and automatic respect married couples
get.)
But Republican hand-wringers are right about one thing: gay marriage
is a-coming fast, and not just from Canada. Thanks to a case in front of
the Massachusetts Supreme Court, it may already be legal here by the time
you read this. Get ready for a bride-bride, groom-groom media frenzy,
fierce squawking from "Deliver Us From Sodom" religious crybabies, and
George W., on cue, mumbling incoherently.
And that Constitutional amendment? Don't worry, changing the
Constitution is much, much harder than, say, lying to the American public
about non-existent weapons of mass destruction and spending hundreds of
billions of dollars on the most protested war in history. Even our current
band of moralizing, puffed-up, blowhard Republicans won't be able to pull it
off.
In other blowhard news, Michael Savage was booted off TV last week;
his new show cancelled after a typical homophobic rant. Savage is a widely
syndicated radio shock-jock, author of a national best-seller, and all
around arch-conservative, immigrant-, women-, and gay-bashing menace.
To a gay caller on his new show he said: "Oh, you're one of the
sodomites. You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How's that? Why
don't you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better than to
put me down, you piece of garbage. You have got nothing to do today, go eat
a sausage and choke on it."
What's notable is not that Savage spewed anti-gay venom, but that he,
too, got his butt soundly kicked and his show cancelled. Bashing gays, it
seems, is not as fashionable today as it has been for Savage's counterparts,
the ludicrously self-righteous Dr. Laura or the man who put the wind back in
windbag, Rush Limbaugh. A big, Santa Cruz, "Later, dude," to Savage and the
sodomy laws he rode in on.
Finally, among an impressive line-up of new queer shows, we come to
Bravo's reality-TV, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," in which five trendy
gay guys, the Fab Five, remake real-life straight men into, well, better
straight men. (That can't be difficult, say the cynics among you.)
Nonsense. You'd be amazed at how hard and how funny remodeling wanna-be-hip
heterosexual men can be.
While it's just a TV show, inasmuch as television both leads and
follows culture, Queer Eye represents radical new ways of relating for
straight and gay men. And for that alone, it's welcome.
From legalized whoopie, to homo weddings, to a TV gay-basher replaced
by happy, ultra-gay men, the queer storm has begun. And now, borrowing from
the old Weather Girl's hit, I recommend you go and let yourself get
absolutely soaking wet.
. Patrick Letellier is a freelance journalist who teaches Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Politics and Culture at the University of
California, Santa Cruz. Reach him at PatrickGL@aol.com.
Gay.com U.K., 23 July 2003
http://uk.gay.com/headlines/4742
Vicars condemn attack on gays
A scathing attack made by a vicar has been condemned by fellow
clergymen for causing pain and distress to homosexuals.
The vicar from Wembdon, Somerset was said to believe that
homosexuality is sinful and contrary to scripture.
Four of Bridgwater's Anglican vicars have united in response to
comments made by the Rev Stephen Barks, of St George's Parish Church.
The vicar's beliefs have been denounced as arrogant and
unrepresentative of the views of Anglicans by the Rev Geradine Kirk, the Rev
Charles Chadwick, the Rev Shaun McCready and the Rev Bernard Joy.
1. PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL The Philadelphia International Gay and
Lesbian Film Festival that ended this week set a record for attendance
2. 365GAY.COM Gay Democrats Vow Battle To Save California Gov. Gray Davis
3. 365GAY.COM MCC founder Rev. Troy Perry To Launch Court Action To Have
His Marriage Recognized
4 365GAY.COM Jennifer Veiga, the first lesbian in the Colorado
legislature, has also become the first lesbian to sit in the state Senate
5. THE GOOD TIMES (Santa Cruz, CA) Kick-ass column by Patrick Letellier:
Brace yourself America: Hurricane Homo is headed this way and there ain't no
stopping it
6. GAY.COM U.K. A scathing attack made by a vicar has been condemned by
fellow clergymen for causing pain and distress to homosexuals
Philadelphia Business Journal, July 25, 2003
400 Market Street, Suite 300, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(Fax: 215-238-1466) (Email: philadelphia@bizjournals.com )
( http://philadelphia.bcentral.com/philadelphia )
Gay movie fest sets record
The Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, a
two-week festival that ended this week, set a record for attendance, the
organizers said.
The festival attracted 26,665 people.
In 13 days, the festival screened 133 movies at theaters around the
city. An outdoor screening of "Xanadu" on July 16 attracted 600 people to
Penn's Landing.
The festival, in its ninth year, was organized by the Philadelphia
Film Society, led by artistic director Raymond Murray and managing director
Thom Cardwell. The event was sponsored by TLA Entertainment Group.
365Gay.com, July 24, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072403davisDems.htm
Gay Democrats Vow Battle To Save Davis
by Mark Worrall, 365Gay.com Newscenter, San Francisco Bureau
San Francisco, California - Gay Democrats are standing up for
beleaguered Gov. Gray Davis as he fights to keep his job.
Last night, state officials announced that organizers of a
Republican-led petition drive had collected enough signatures to force a
recall vote. Thursday the Stonewall Democratic Club, which represents LGBT
gay voters in California wasted no time in rallying the troops.
"Our Governor has stood by the gay and lesbian community in making
California one of the most gay and lesbian welcoming states, and we will
stand by him in defeating this attempt to subvert the will of fair minded
people of the State of California," said Pam Cooke, SDC President.
As governor, Davis has signed landmark legislation which established
and expanded domestic partner rights. He signed bills prohibiting
discrimination in employment and housing because of one's sexual orientation
and revoked bans which automatically opposed adoption of foster children by
gay and lesbian "unmarried" couples. Davis also endorsed and signed Senator
Sheila Kuehl's dignity for all students bill, which prohibits harassment of
students because of real or perceived sexual orientation
The recall election will be held October 7. Voters will be asked two
questions on the ballot: Should Davis be removed from office and if so who
should replace him. So far, Democrats are holding firm behind Davis, but
potentially there could be any number of candidates fragmenting the vote.
Under California law, the person with the most votes would win, even if that
person only attained 15 or 20 percent of the total vote.
"We have a candidate, who we have and will continue to support and he
is our Governor, Gray Davis" said Cooke.
The only declared Republican candidate is Rep. Darrell Issa, who
bankrolled the recall signature gathering effort with $1.7 million of his
own money.
Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has been mulling a run, has not yet
made a decision. Other names being mentioned include Bill Simon, who lost
to Davis in November, and former LA mayor Tom Riordan.
"We cannot gamble with the potential of our state being run by
someone who does not back our community's interests," said Cooke. "We have
full faith in Gray and believe that what is best for our state is to stand
with Gray Davis through this Republican trickery and attempted power grab."
Davis also has the support of Equality California, the state's
largest LGBT lobby group.
365Gay.com, July 24, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072403perryMarriage.htm
Troy Perry To Launch Court Action To Have His Marriage Recognized
by Mary Ellen Peterson, 365Gay.com Newscenter, Los Angeles Bureau
West Hollywood, California - The leader of the Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches announced Thursday he will go to court to
force the government to recognize his same-sex marriage.
Troy Perry, the founder and Moderator of MCC married his longtime
partner, Phillip Ray De Blieck' in Toronto July 16.
While the marriage is recognized in Canada, no state in the US will
accept the marriage. "To not recognize my marriage and the marriages of
thousands of other same-sex couples, would be discrimination - and we will
not stand for that any longer," Perry said.
Perry announced a five point plan to force the government to
recognize gay marriage.
He called on all American gay couples to go to Canada and marry, and
then return home and fight.
Perry is the first openly gay member of the L.A. Human Relations
Commission and a past delegate To White House Conference on Hate Crimes.
He said that U.S. courts have traditionally recognized marriages that
are valid where they are performed, even in other countries - a concept
called "lex loci contractus."
The U.S. government has historically recognized marriages performed
under Canadian law as legally valid in the U.S. According to Perry, a
decision not to recognize same-sex Canadian marriages may be a violation of
international treaty law and a violation of the equal protection clause of
the Constitution's 14th Amendment.
"We are not seeking special treatment," Perry said. "We seek equal
treatment. That is the only gay agenda - equality for everyone under the
law."
Perry said he hopes to have hundreds of gay couples involved in the
legal action and encouraged them to sign up on the MCC website.
He also announced plans for an annual Valentines Day protest until
same-sex marriage across the US is legalized.
365Gay.com, July 24, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072403coloSenate.htm
First lesbian in Colorado House Now First Lesbian in State Senate
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Denver, Colorado - Jennifer Veiga, the first lesbian in the Colorado
legislature, has also become the first lesbian to sit in the state Senate.
Veiga was elected by a selection committee to fill the seat of Doug
Linkhart who left state politics to run for Denver city council. She will
face the voters for the first time in 2004.
Veiga becomes one of just ten openly lesbian, gay or bisexual state
senators currently serving in the country.
Veiga was the Democratic leader in the Colorado House before her move
to the Senate, where she now represents portions of Denver and Adams
counties.
"We're proud of Jennifer Veiga's climb up the ladder," said Chuck
Wolfe, Executive Director of the Victory Fund, a Washington based
organization that helps gays and lesbians get elected.
"She is a shining example of the quality of openly gay and lesbian
officeholders in the country. There is no doubt she is working hard on
behalf of all of her constituents," Wolfe said.
"I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to move to the Senate to
continue working on behalf of Colorado's working families, children and
seniors," Veiga told the Associated Press.
As a state representative, Veiga played a key role in defeating a
bill preventing adoptions by same-sex couples and has been a stalwart
supporter of LGBT civil rights and hate crimes measures. She also counts
among her top concerns funding for public education and responsible
community planning and growth.
The Good Times, July 24, 2003
P.O. Box 1885, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(Fax: 831-458-1295 ) (Email: letterstoeditor@gdtimes.com )
(http://www.gdtimes.com/)
Hurricane Homo
By Patrick Letellier
Brace yourself America: Hurricane Homo is headed this way and there
ain't no stopping it. Like it or not, this country is about to get a whole
lot gay, gay, gayer, and all I can say is: "Yeeha, it's about time!" After
two years of being told by the Bushies to shut up, eat another Happy Meal,
drive a flag-plastered SUV and cheer while the bombs drop, a deluge of
sequined, feather-boa queerness will be a welcome relief.
And let's not pussyfoot around: a hurricane it is. After the big
"C'ya!" to sodomy laws, courtesy of Justice Kennedy and the Supremes, gay
marriage is charging down from Canada like the Horseman of the Apocalypse
(say the screechy conservatives), potty-mouthed Michael Savage got his
gay-bashing butt kicked off TV, and the queer "Fab Five" made their
over-the-top debut, there ain't no doubt about it: Hallelujah, it's raining
queers.
Don't know what the heck I'm talking about? Here's a Hurricane Homo
weather chart.
First - in case you've been lost at sea for the past month and
haven't heard - in a wildly pro-gay decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck
down the nation's sodomy laws, laws that made gettin' your groove on with
your partner a crime for gays in 13 states.
The government should stay the heck out of people's bedrooms, Justice
Kennedy wrote, and about gays and lesbians he made this radical declaration:
"The state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making
their private sexual conduct a crime."
Not demean our existence?! Hot damn, you can say that again. That
means laws against gay marriage, gays in the military, and every other
decree to keep them darned homos out are next on the chopping block. No
wonder uptight conservatives are shaking in their wingtips, poor dears.
Sorry, but after a lifetime of being told by conservative creeps that
gays suck, deserve AIDS, and are criminals, sinners, child molesters, and
biological errors that need Jesus, I'm all about petty revenge. Who am I
kidding? I'm not sorry at all. Take that, feverish right-wingers: Your
own Republican-dominated Supreme Court kicked your sorry asses to the curb.
Meanwhile, in a ruling that should make all of us stop thinking of
our neighbor to the north as Bland-ada, Canada legalized same-sex marriage.
Yep, while in the "land of the free" we cheered because we can no longer be
arrested for making love, Canada left us in the dust and blessed
homo-nuptials with the same rights granted straight couples.
Like the flying monkeys of the Wizard of Oz, queers from all over the
U.S. are now descending on Canada to tie their knots, and will soon return
to sue the pants off American institutions that refuse to recognize their
marriages. Come back, my pretties, and sue! sue! sue!
But, oh, what a difference a border makes. Back here in the good ol'
"You're either wid' us or agin' us" U.S.A., Republicans rushed to "protect
traditional marriage" by endorsing a Constitutional amendment to prevent us
marriage-license-seekin' queer freaks from walking down any aisles in this
country.
Protect marriage? Puhlease. With a 50 percent divorce rate, rampant
domestic violence, Las Vegas drive-through chapels, and I
wanna-marry-a-really-rich-guy reality TV shows, there's no way gays could
trash marriage the way straight people have. Honestly, after all straights
have done, it's amazing homos want to play the newlywed game at all (well,
aside from the gazillion civil rights and automatic respect married couples
get.)
But Republican hand-wringers are right about one thing: gay marriage
is a-coming fast, and not just from Canada. Thanks to a case in front of
the Massachusetts Supreme Court, it may already be legal here by the time
you read this. Get ready for a bride-bride, groom-groom media frenzy,
fierce squawking from "Deliver Us From Sodom" religious crybabies, and
George W., on cue, mumbling incoherently.
And that Constitutional amendment? Don't worry, changing the
Constitution is much, much harder than, say, lying to the American public
about non-existent weapons of mass destruction and spending hundreds of
billions of dollars on the most protested war in history. Even our current
band of moralizing, puffed-up, blowhard Republicans won't be able to pull it
off.
In other blowhard news, Michael Savage was booted off TV last week;
his new show cancelled after a typical homophobic rant. Savage is a widely
syndicated radio shock-jock, author of a national best-seller, and all
around arch-conservative, immigrant-, women-, and gay-bashing menace.
To a gay caller on his new show he said: "Oh, you're one of the
sodomites. You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How's that? Why
don't you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better than to
put me down, you piece of garbage. You have got nothing to do today, go eat
a sausage and choke on it."
What's notable is not that Savage spewed anti-gay venom, but that he,
too, got his butt soundly kicked and his show cancelled. Bashing gays, it
seems, is not as fashionable today as it has been for Savage's counterparts,
the ludicrously self-righteous Dr. Laura or the man who put the wind back in
windbag, Rush Limbaugh. A big, Santa Cruz, "Later, dude," to Savage and the
sodomy laws he rode in on.
Finally, among an impressive line-up of new queer shows, we come to
Bravo's reality-TV, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," in which five trendy
gay guys, the Fab Five, remake real-life straight men into, well, better
straight men. (That can't be difficult, say the cynics among you.)
Nonsense. You'd be amazed at how hard and how funny remodeling wanna-be-hip
heterosexual men can be.
While it's just a TV show, inasmuch as television both leads and
follows culture, Queer Eye represents radical new ways of relating for
straight and gay men. And for that alone, it's welcome.
From legalized whoopie, to homo weddings, to a TV gay-basher replaced
by happy, ultra-gay men, the queer storm has begun. And now, borrowing from
the old Weather Girl's hit, I recommend you go and let yourself get
absolutely soaking wet.
. Patrick Letellier is a freelance journalist who teaches Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Politics and Culture at the University of
California, Santa Cruz. Reach him at PatrickGL@aol.com.
Gay.com U.K., 23 July 2003
http://uk.gay.com/headlines/4742
Vicars condemn attack on gays
A scathing attack made by a vicar has been condemned by fellow
clergymen for causing pain and distress to homosexuals.
The vicar from Wembdon, Somerset was said to believe that
homosexuality is sinful and contrary to scripture.
Four of Bridgwater's Anglican vicars have united in response to
comments made by the Rev Stephen Barks, of St George's Parish Church.
The vicar's beliefs have been denounced as arrogant and
unrepresentative of the views of Anglicans by the Rev Geradine Kirk, the Rev
Charles Chadwick, the Rev Shaun McCready and the Rev Bernard Joy.
Gay life moves into the media montage, Director John Schlesinger is dead at 77
1. SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE Gay life moves into the media montage
2. ADVOCATE.COM (glbt) Director John Schlesinger is dead at 77
3. ASSOCIATED PRESS Guyana's parliament shelves a constitutional amendment
that would have outlawed discrimination against gays and lesbians
4. WASHINGTON POST Virginia Housing Authority to Offer Low-Interest
Lending to Same-Sex Couples
San Diego Union-Tribune, July 25, 2003
P. O. Box 191, San Diego, CA, 92112-4106
(Fax: 619-293-1440 ) (E-Mail: letters@uniontrib.com )
( http://www.uniontrib.com )
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20030725-9999_1c25gay.html
Gay life moves into the media montage
By Karla Peterson, Arts Writer
San Diego's gay-pride festivities begin this weekend, but on the
pop-culture front, the confetti has been flying all summer.
In June, viewers of the Tony Awards broadcast saw "Hairspray"
composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman celebrate their award (and their
25-year relationship) with a prime-time kiss. Morning-after complaints were
minimal.
Early this month, MSNBC fired talk-show host Michael Savage for
making vulgar anti-gay remarks. Shortly thereafter, the Bravo channel
debuted "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," a reality show in which
fashion-impaired straight men get makeovers (and hugs!) from five witty,
stylish gay men. It was the highest-rated show in the cable-network's
history.
Last week, HBO's "Six Feet Under" - which features television's most
intimate, nuanced gay relationship - led the Emmy pack with 16 nominations.
And on Tuesday, Bravo debuts the gay dating show "Boy Meets Boy."
Six years after Ellen DeGeneres' sitcom coming-out was greeted with
the cover of Time magazine and a boycott of Disney products ("Ellen" aired
on ABC, which is owned by Disney), the gay community is having another big
pop-culture moment. The media images are flowing, but much of the
controversy appears to be on hold.
"Gays and lesbians are becoming so much more a part of mainstream
culture," said Stephen Tropiano, the author of "The Prime Time Closet" and a
columnist for Popmatters.com. "Just the other day, you had Matt Lauer
interviewing the guys from 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' on the 'Today'
show. Ten years ago, you wouldn't have seen that."
Ten years ago, you also would not have seen two teen girls kissing on
"Picket Fences." That's because CBS told producer David E. Kelley to
reshoot the scene so that the offending act took place in the dark.
Now, the network's reality-show "The Amazing Race 4" features the
team of Reichen and Chip, a male couple from Los Angeles. The CBS Web site
lists their status as "married." If any offense was taken, you didn't hear
about it.
"We write op-ed pieces, we write editorials, but nobody bites on them
anymore because it's old news," said Mike Haley, manager for the
gender-issues department at Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian
organization. "The whole idea of a gay character being on TV and the
Christian community being upset about it, that's tired."
The expanding media profile parallels the increasing visibility and
acceptance of gays and lesbians in real life.
According to a recent Gallup Poll, 54 percent of Americans agree that
homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle.
(When the question was first posed in 1982, that figure was 34 percent).
Nine out of 10 Americans agreed that gays should have equal rights in the
workplace.
At the end of June, the Supreme Court overturned the Texas sodomy
law. And earlier this month, Wal-Mart - the nation's largest private
employer - announced it was expanding the company's anti-discrimination
policy to include gay and lesbian employees.
"I don't think people care anymore," said Gayle Feldman, artistic
director for San Diego's Women's Repertory Theatre. "They've been exposed
to so many TV and movie images (of gays), I don't think it's a big deal.
You might not like homosexuality. You might still be homophobic. But I
don't think it's popular to verbalize those thoughts. The mainstream is
actually changing, and people know that."
Whether the media images that accompany this shift are revolutionary
is up for debate.
Except for "The Hours," which featured two prominent lesbian
characters and one gay man, the current revolution hasn't made much impact
on mainstream films. And while the lesbian presence on television will
increase when Ellen DeGeneres' syndicated talk show starts in the fall and
Showtime debuts the lesbian drama "The L Word" next year, most of the recent
gay-media strides have been made on behalf of gay men.
And with the exception of Keith on "Six Feet Under," Omar on "The
Wire" and officer Julien Lowe on "The Shield" (all of whom are black), the
gay men you see on television seem to be variations on the same gay man.
Like Will Truman, the popular gay hero of the NBC sitcom "Will & Grace,"
most of them are white, upper-middle class, well-groomed and funny. And few
of them have other men in their lives.
"'Will & Grace' is like an oppression document," said writer and
critic Sarah Schulman, whose play "The Burning Deck" is being performed at
the La Jolla Playhouse. "Someday we'll look back on it the way people look
at 'Amos 'n' Andy'"
Over the last five years, "Will & Grace" has been honored numerous
times by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. But even as he
applauds the show, GLAAD entertainment media director Scott Seomin says it's
time the sitcom pioneer explored some new territory.
In other words, shouldn't Will have a boyfriend by now?
"'Will & Grace' has done a tremendous service to the gay and lesbian
community," Seomin said. "But it's been very disappointing and unrealistic
that Will - who is good-looking, affluent, funny and who always says he
wants a relationship - is so celibate and dateless.
"Every representation of our community, particularly on TV, is a step
forward," he continued. "But that step is always a baby step forward. Not
that we're not appreciative, but it's moving very slowly."
And some culture-watchers wonder how progressive this progress really
is.
When the most popular gay man on TV sees less action than Marlo
Thomas on "That Girl," is that progress? When two longtime male partners
make the news for kissing each other on TV, is that progress? With gays,
lesbians and bisexuals ranking third as victims of hate crimes, can the
campy men of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" be good for anything more than
a condescending laugh?
GLAAD's Seomin thinks they can. But he also adds that the real
progress won't start until the commentary stops.
"Culturally, there's more there than hair gel and natural fabrics.
Not only does the straight viewer learn along with the straight guy in the
show that gay men can teach and be helpful, but they can also be friends
with them.
"But when we stop talking about acceptance, that's when it will be
nationwide or even worldwide. The fact that Bravo is doing a makeover show
with five gay men is big news. When that isn't big news, that's when we
will be allowed to live matter-of-fact lives."
Advocate.com (glbt), July 25, 2003
http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=9399&sd=07/25/03
Director John Schlesinger dead at 77
Oscar-winning director John Schlesinger died Friday morning at 5:30
a.m. in Palm Springs, Calif., after a prolonged illness. The openly gay
filmmaker's cinematic output included such classics as Midnight Cowboy,
Marathon Man, The Day of the Locust, Darling, Far From the Madding Crowd,
Cold Comfort Farm, and Sunday Bloody Sunday. Schlesinger received his first
Academy Award nomination for best director for his fourth film, Darling
(1965), and went on to win the trophy for his 1969 Midnight Cowboy. He was
nominated again two years later for Sunday Bloody Sunday. All three films
broke ground in the presentation of gay characters and themes in mainstream
cinema.
Schlesinger grew up in Hampstead, England, and studied English
literature at Oxford, where he also acted in several university productions.
Professionally, he began acting with several repertory companies and worked
in numerous television productions. (Years later, even after establishing
himself as a major filmmaker, he continued to act in such films as Twilight
of the Golds and The Lost Language of Cranes.)
He made several short films for the BBC, including the acclaimed
documentary Terminus, about a day in the life of a train station. That film
won several awards and led to the making of Schlesinger's first feature, A
Kind of Loving, starring Alan Bates. His next film, Billy Liar, gave Julie
Christie her first leading role in a feature. She would go on to win a best
actress Oscar for her work in Schlesinger's Darling. Other films directed
by Schlesinger include Yanks, An Englishman Abroad (about actress Coral
Browne's Moscow encounter with defected gay British spy Guy Burgess), The
Falcon and the Snowman, The Believers, Madame Souzatska, The Innocent,
Pacific Heights, and Eye for an Eye. Schlesinger's last feature was The
Next Best Thing, starring Madonna and Rupert Everett, about a straight woman
and her gay best friend and their adventures in parenthood.
In a statement Richard Gere noted, "John was the best, and the best
always wanted to work with him. As a young actor I considered it an
enormous privilege to be in Yanks. I still consider it one of my very best
films. John's string of films in the '60s and '70s are as astonishingly
good as any film made - anytime, anywhere ... audacious, challenging,
irascible, moving, witty, wise, and deeply personal. He was an original."
In 1970 Schlesinger was made CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by
Queen Elizabeth II. He is survived by his partner of 30 years, photographer
Michael Childers; his brother, Roger Schlesinger; and his sister, Hilary
Schlesinger.
Associated Press, July 25, 2003
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/07/25/guyana.gayrig.ap/
Legislature shelves bill that would bar discrimination
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) - Following a lengthy debate, Guyana's
parliament shelved a constitutional amendment that would outlaw
discrimination against gays and lesbians.
With Guyana's socially conservative society in heated debate over the
issue, the government sent the measure to a constitutional review committee
for further discussion.
The measure, which required two-thirds approval in the 65-seat
Parliament, would outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Proponents had argued the bill simply recognizes a fundamental human
right, while critics said the bill would lead to a loosening of morals and
sanctioning of homosexuality.
Parliament speaker Ralph Ramkarran said it made little sense to hold
the vote, since both the governing and opposition parties have said their
legislators would likely block the measure.
After a four-hour debate Thursday, legislators decided to send the
bill back to the review commission, which can hear public testimony. It was
unclear when it would be presented again to parliament.
The Guyana Human Rights Association, which backed the measure, had
urged for a postponement, saying more time was needed for emotions to cool
and that the fierce public debate had exposed homosexuals to unwanted
criticism and ridicule.
During Thursday's debate, about 200 Christians protested in the
afternoon heat singing hymns outside the National Assembly.
Others filled most seats in the public gallery, prompting the speaker
to congratulate them for making their opposition known.
Among religious groups only the Roman Catholic Church has voiced
support for the bill, while other Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Bahai groups
all have warned it would be a first step toward legalizing same-sex
marriages and child adoption by gay or lesbian couples.
Two years ago, legislators passed the bill unanimously. But it was
vetoed by President Bharrat Jagdeo, who said he was bowing to pressure from
religious groups.
The legislators later said they passed the bill, which was part of a
wider measure to establish human rights, because they did not notice the
references to sexual orientation in its wording.
Supporting calls to postpone the vote, the Anglican Church also said
the issue had caused "new fault lines" to appear in a society already
divided racially and politically.
The population of about 700,000 is almost evenly split between
blacks, who support the opposition, and those of East Indian descent, who
mainly back the governing party.
Sixty percent are Christians, while Hindus make the second largest
religious group with about 30 percent.
Washington Post, July 25, 2003
1150 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20071
(E-Mail: letterstoed@washpost.com )( http://washingtonpost.com/ )
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45882-2003Jul25.html
Va. Offers Low-Interest Lending to Same-Sex Couples
Housing Authority to Offer Rates to Same-Sex Couples
By Michael D. Shear, Washington Post Staff Writer
RICHMOND - Virginia's housing authority will provide low-interest
mortgages to gay couples and other singles living together, abandoning a
one-of-a-kind lending policy that limited such help to married couples and
single people living alone, commissioners decided today.
The unanimous decision by the Virginia Housing Development Authority
was immediately denounced by religious, conservative and family
organizations as an assault on marriage and a cave-in to a gay-rights
agenda. They vowed to reverse the decision in the General Assembly this
winter.
"The Governor's pro-homosexual agenda is clear, and it has nothing to
do with sound business practices," a statement by the Family Foundation
said. "Instead, he is lending his political capital to a risky mortgage on
the future of Virginia families."
Housing advocates, realtors and representatives of the mortgage and
home building industries hailed the decision as a common-sense change that
will allow people who are not related to pool their resources to buy a
house. Under the rule, elderly singles living together, college friends and
other single people were barred from applying jointly for a VHDA loan.
Advocates also said the elimination of the authority's "family rule"
ends two decades of discrimination against homosexual couples. No other
state or federal mortgage lender imposes similar restrictions on their
applicants for home loans.
"It's a great day. Long overdue," said Commissioner Jay Fisette, a
member of the Arlington County Board, who is openly gay. "As a gay man, as
a man in a 20-year relationship with my partner, I think that if I needed
it, my partner and I should qualify for a VHDA loan."
From the dais, he added: "To those who are scared by me, I apologize,
and I really ask you to help us work together and solve what I consider to
be Virginia's real everyday problems."
The Virginia action comes on the heels of a decision by the U.S.
Supreme Court this summer that declared anti-sodomy laws a violation of
constitutionally-protected privacy rights. That decision voided Virginia's
long standing laws against sodomy.
Some lawmakers in the General Assembly have already promised to seek
legislation aimed at limiting homosexual behavior when the legislature
convenes in January.
Today's decision is the fourth time in a decade that commissioners on
the authority have struggled with its position on lending to unmarried
couples.
The authority eliminated the family rule in 1994. But that decision
was reversed two years later, after then-Gov. George Allen (R) appointed new
members to the board and urged them to reconsider its 1994 position.
The board once again considered repealing the family rule in January
of 2002, but backed off under pressure from conservative members of the
General Assembly, who threatened to make the policy permanent through
legislation.
Since then, Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), who promised during his campaign
to seek a repeal of the policy, has made several appointments to the
authority board, including naming Fisette as the authority's first openly
gay member.
Warner aides said the change in the family rule has no impact on
Virginia's definition of marriage.
"There is nothing in the proposed change that addresses the issue of
what is a family," said Michael Schewel, Warner's secretary of commerce and
trade, told VHDA commissioners. "Unfortunately, the raising of issues
irrelevant to this regulatory change have created confusion about the
intended purpose and effect of this change."
Warner spokeswoman Ellen Qualls said the vote reflects a bipartisan
consensus that the policy was a archaic one.
"For the Governor, it is just this simple: moving renters to home
ownership is good for Virginia's communities," Qualls said. "The Governor's
position since before taking office has been that it is financially sound
and ethically appropriate for Virginia's affordable housing agency to
broaden its reach rather than restrict it."
Administration officials said they expect lawmakers to introduce
legislation in January to impose the family rule again. But some in the
administration believe conservatives may not have the votes to override a
Warner veto, especially in the less conservative Senate.
In 2002, lawmakers failed to follow through on their threat to make
the family rule permanent. Legislation passed the House of Delegates 61-38
but failed to emerge from a Senate committee.
The housing authority vote this morning came after a two-hour public
hearing Thursday afternoon. At that hearing, about two dozen people urged
the change, while a smaller number asked commissioners to leave the rule in
place.
Albert C. Eisenberg, a former Arlington County Board Chairman and a
former commissioner on the state authority, testified in favor of getting
rid of the family rule. Eisenberg, who spoke as a vice-president of the
1,350-member Greater Washington Board of Trade, is also running as a
Democrat for the state legislature this fall.
"The rule is blatantly discriminatory," Eisenberg told the authority
members. "It is anti-business because it interferes with the normal flow of
commerce. The homebuilding, real estate and mortgage lending industries are
through this stupid rule placed on the front lines of determining people's
lifestyles. And how does one know anyway? Are they peeking in somebody's
bedrooms?"
Victoria Cobb, the legislative director for the Family Foundation,
urged commissioners to leave the decision to the General Assembly.
"Marriage has been the bedrock of nearly all societies," she said.
"The commonwealth is an interested party in the marriage contract."
One woman, who said she was from a Southside church, warned of dire
consequences if the board eliminated the family rule.
"The homosexual lifestyle is rife with disease," she said.
"Responsible leadership must be vigilant not to reward homosexual behavior.
If this committee yields to the current request . . . you will be
contributing to the normalization of a most destructive lifestyle."
2. ADVOCATE.COM (glbt) Director John Schlesinger is dead at 77
3. ASSOCIATED PRESS Guyana's parliament shelves a constitutional amendment
that would have outlawed discrimination against gays and lesbians
4. WASHINGTON POST Virginia Housing Authority to Offer Low-Interest
Lending to Same-Sex Couples
San Diego Union-Tribune, July 25, 2003
P. O. Box 191, San Diego, CA, 92112-4106
(Fax: 619-293-1440 ) (E-Mail: letters@uniontrib.com )
( http://www.uniontrib.com )
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20030725-9999_1c25gay.html
Gay life moves into the media montage
By Karla Peterson, Arts Writer
San Diego's gay-pride festivities begin this weekend, but on the
pop-culture front, the confetti has been flying all summer.
In June, viewers of the Tony Awards broadcast saw "Hairspray"
composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman celebrate their award (and their
25-year relationship) with a prime-time kiss. Morning-after complaints were
minimal.
Early this month, MSNBC fired talk-show host Michael Savage for
making vulgar anti-gay remarks. Shortly thereafter, the Bravo channel
debuted "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," a reality show in which
fashion-impaired straight men get makeovers (and hugs!) from five witty,
stylish gay men. It was the highest-rated show in the cable-network's
history.
Last week, HBO's "Six Feet Under" - which features television's most
intimate, nuanced gay relationship - led the Emmy pack with 16 nominations.
And on Tuesday, Bravo debuts the gay dating show "Boy Meets Boy."
Six years after Ellen DeGeneres' sitcom coming-out was greeted with
the cover of Time magazine and a boycott of Disney products ("Ellen" aired
on ABC, which is owned by Disney), the gay community is having another big
pop-culture moment. The media images are flowing, but much of the
controversy appears to be on hold.
"Gays and lesbians are becoming so much more a part of mainstream
culture," said Stephen Tropiano, the author of "The Prime Time Closet" and a
columnist for Popmatters.com. "Just the other day, you had Matt Lauer
interviewing the guys from 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' on the 'Today'
show. Ten years ago, you wouldn't have seen that."
Ten years ago, you also would not have seen two teen girls kissing on
"Picket Fences." That's because CBS told producer David E. Kelley to
reshoot the scene so that the offending act took place in the dark.
Now, the network's reality-show "The Amazing Race 4" features the
team of Reichen and Chip, a male couple from Los Angeles. The CBS Web site
lists their status as "married." If any offense was taken, you didn't hear
about it.
"We write op-ed pieces, we write editorials, but nobody bites on them
anymore because it's old news," said Mike Haley, manager for the
gender-issues department at Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian
organization. "The whole idea of a gay character being on TV and the
Christian community being upset about it, that's tired."
The expanding media profile parallels the increasing visibility and
acceptance of gays and lesbians in real life.
According to a recent Gallup Poll, 54 percent of Americans agree that
homosexuality should be considered an acceptable alternative lifestyle.
(When the question was first posed in 1982, that figure was 34 percent).
Nine out of 10 Americans agreed that gays should have equal rights in the
workplace.
At the end of June, the Supreme Court overturned the Texas sodomy
law. And earlier this month, Wal-Mart - the nation's largest private
employer - announced it was expanding the company's anti-discrimination
policy to include gay and lesbian employees.
"I don't think people care anymore," said Gayle Feldman, artistic
director for San Diego's Women's Repertory Theatre. "They've been exposed
to so many TV and movie images (of gays), I don't think it's a big deal.
You might not like homosexuality. You might still be homophobic. But I
don't think it's popular to verbalize those thoughts. The mainstream is
actually changing, and people know that."
Whether the media images that accompany this shift are revolutionary
is up for debate.
Except for "The Hours," which featured two prominent lesbian
characters and one gay man, the current revolution hasn't made much impact
on mainstream films. And while the lesbian presence on television will
increase when Ellen DeGeneres' syndicated talk show starts in the fall and
Showtime debuts the lesbian drama "The L Word" next year, most of the recent
gay-media strides have been made on behalf of gay men.
And with the exception of Keith on "Six Feet Under," Omar on "The
Wire" and officer Julien Lowe on "The Shield" (all of whom are black), the
gay men you see on television seem to be variations on the same gay man.
Like Will Truman, the popular gay hero of the NBC sitcom "Will & Grace,"
most of them are white, upper-middle class, well-groomed and funny. And few
of them have other men in their lives.
"'Will & Grace' is like an oppression document," said writer and
critic Sarah Schulman, whose play "The Burning Deck" is being performed at
the La Jolla Playhouse. "Someday we'll look back on it the way people look
at 'Amos 'n' Andy'"
Over the last five years, "Will & Grace" has been honored numerous
times by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. But even as he
applauds the show, GLAAD entertainment media director Scott Seomin says it's
time the sitcom pioneer explored some new territory.
In other words, shouldn't Will have a boyfriend by now?
"'Will & Grace' has done a tremendous service to the gay and lesbian
community," Seomin said. "But it's been very disappointing and unrealistic
that Will - who is good-looking, affluent, funny and who always says he
wants a relationship - is so celibate and dateless.
"Every representation of our community, particularly on TV, is a step
forward," he continued. "But that step is always a baby step forward. Not
that we're not appreciative, but it's moving very slowly."
And some culture-watchers wonder how progressive this progress really
is.
When the most popular gay man on TV sees less action than Marlo
Thomas on "That Girl," is that progress? When two longtime male partners
make the news for kissing each other on TV, is that progress? With gays,
lesbians and bisexuals ranking third as victims of hate crimes, can the
campy men of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" be good for anything more than
a condescending laugh?
GLAAD's Seomin thinks they can. But he also adds that the real
progress won't start until the commentary stops.
"Culturally, there's more there than hair gel and natural fabrics.
Not only does the straight viewer learn along with the straight guy in the
show that gay men can teach and be helpful, but they can also be friends
with them.
"But when we stop talking about acceptance, that's when it will be
nationwide or even worldwide. The fact that Bravo is doing a makeover show
with five gay men is big news. When that isn't big news, that's when we
will be allowed to live matter-of-fact lives."
Advocate.com (glbt), July 25, 2003
http://www.advocate.com/new_news.asp?ID=9399&sd=07/25/03
Director John Schlesinger dead at 77
Oscar-winning director John Schlesinger died Friday morning at 5:30
a.m. in Palm Springs, Calif., after a prolonged illness. The openly gay
filmmaker's cinematic output included such classics as Midnight Cowboy,
Marathon Man, The Day of the Locust, Darling, Far From the Madding Crowd,
Cold Comfort Farm, and Sunday Bloody Sunday. Schlesinger received his first
Academy Award nomination for best director for his fourth film, Darling
(1965), and went on to win the trophy for his 1969 Midnight Cowboy. He was
nominated again two years later for Sunday Bloody Sunday. All three films
broke ground in the presentation of gay characters and themes in mainstream
cinema.
Schlesinger grew up in Hampstead, England, and studied English
literature at Oxford, where he also acted in several university productions.
Professionally, he began acting with several repertory companies and worked
in numerous television productions. (Years later, even after establishing
himself as a major filmmaker, he continued to act in such films as Twilight
of the Golds and The Lost Language of Cranes.)
He made several short films for the BBC, including the acclaimed
documentary Terminus, about a day in the life of a train station. That film
won several awards and led to the making of Schlesinger's first feature, A
Kind of Loving, starring Alan Bates. His next film, Billy Liar, gave Julie
Christie her first leading role in a feature. She would go on to win a best
actress Oscar for her work in Schlesinger's Darling. Other films directed
by Schlesinger include Yanks, An Englishman Abroad (about actress Coral
Browne's Moscow encounter with defected gay British spy Guy Burgess), The
Falcon and the Snowman, The Believers, Madame Souzatska, The Innocent,
Pacific Heights, and Eye for an Eye. Schlesinger's last feature was The
Next Best Thing, starring Madonna and Rupert Everett, about a straight woman
and her gay best friend and their adventures in parenthood.
In a statement Richard Gere noted, "John was the best, and the best
always wanted to work with him. As a young actor I considered it an
enormous privilege to be in Yanks. I still consider it one of my very best
films. John's string of films in the '60s and '70s are as astonishingly
good as any film made - anytime, anywhere ... audacious, challenging,
irascible, moving, witty, wise, and deeply personal. He was an original."
In 1970 Schlesinger was made CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by
Queen Elizabeth II. He is survived by his partner of 30 years, photographer
Michael Childers; his brother, Roger Schlesinger; and his sister, Hilary
Schlesinger.
Associated Press, July 25, 2003
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/07/25/guyana.gayrig.ap/
Legislature shelves bill that would bar discrimination
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) - Following a lengthy debate, Guyana's
parliament shelved a constitutional amendment that would outlaw
discrimination against gays and lesbians.
With Guyana's socially conservative society in heated debate over the
issue, the government sent the measure to a constitutional review committee
for further discussion.
The measure, which required two-thirds approval in the 65-seat
Parliament, would outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Proponents had argued the bill simply recognizes a fundamental human
right, while critics said the bill would lead to a loosening of morals and
sanctioning of homosexuality.
Parliament speaker Ralph Ramkarran said it made little sense to hold
the vote, since both the governing and opposition parties have said their
legislators would likely block the measure.
After a four-hour debate Thursday, legislators decided to send the
bill back to the review commission, which can hear public testimony. It was
unclear when it would be presented again to parliament.
The Guyana Human Rights Association, which backed the measure, had
urged for a postponement, saying more time was needed for emotions to cool
and that the fierce public debate had exposed homosexuals to unwanted
criticism and ridicule.
During Thursday's debate, about 200 Christians protested in the
afternoon heat singing hymns outside the National Assembly.
Others filled most seats in the public gallery, prompting the speaker
to congratulate them for making their opposition known.
Among religious groups only the Roman Catholic Church has voiced
support for the bill, while other Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Bahai groups
all have warned it would be a first step toward legalizing same-sex
marriages and child adoption by gay or lesbian couples.
Two years ago, legislators passed the bill unanimously. But it was
vetoed by President Bharrat Jagdeo, who said he was bowing to pressure from
religious groups.
The legislators later said they passed the bill, which was part of a
wider measure to establish human rights, because they did not notice the
references to sexual orientation in its wording.
Supporting calls to postpone the vote, the Anglican Church also said
the issue had caused "new fault lines" to appear in a society already
divided racially and politically.
The population of about 700,000 is almost evenly split between
blacks, who support the opposition, and those of East Indian descent, who
mainly back the governing party.
Sixty percent are Christians, while Hindus make the second largest
religious group with about 30 percent.
Washington Post, July 25, 2003
1150 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20071
(E-Mail: letterstoed@washpost.com )( http://washingtonpost.com/ )
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45882-2003Jul25.html
Va. Offers Low-Interest Lending to Same-Sex Couples
Housing Authority to Offer Rates to Same-Sex Couples
By Michael D. Shear, Washington Post Staff Writer
RICHMOND - Virginia's housing authority will provide low-interest
mortgages to gay couples and other singles living together, abandoning a
one-of-a-kind lending policy that limited such help to married couples and
single people living alone, commissioners decided today.
The unanimous decision by the Virginia Housing Development Authority
was immediately denounced by religious, conservative and family
organizations as an assault on marriage and a cave-in to a gay-rights
agenda. They vowed to reverse the decision in the General Assembly this
winter.
"The Governor's pro-homosexual agenda is clear, and it has nothing to
do with sound business practices," a statement by the Family Foundation
said. "Instead, he is lending his political capital to a risky mortgage on
the future of Virginia families."
Housing advocates, realtors and representatives of the mortgage and
home building industries hailed the decision as a common-sense change that
will allow people who are not related to pool their resources to buy a
house. Under the rule, elderly singles living together, college friends and
other single people were barred from applying jointly for a VHDA loan.
Advocates also said the elimination of the authority's "family rule"
ends two decades of discrimination against homosexual couples. No other
state or federal mortgage lender imposes similar restrictions on their
applicants for home loans.
"It's a great day. Long overdue," said Commissioner Jay Fisette, a
member of the Arlington County Board, who is openly gay. "As a gay man, as
a man in a 20-year relationship with my partner, I think that if I needed
it, my partner and I should qualify for a VHDA loan."
From the dais, he added: "To those who are scared by me, I apologize,
and I really ask you to help us work together and solve what I consider to
be Virginia's real everyday problems."
The Virginia action comes on the heels of a decision by the U.S.
Supreme Court this summer that declared anti-sodomy laws a violation of
constitutionally-protected privacy rights. That decision voided Virginia's
long standing laws against sodomy.
Some lawmakers in the General Assembly have already promised to seek
legislation aimed at limiting homosexual behavior when the legislature
convenes in January.
Today's decision is the fourth time in a decade that commissioners on
the authority have struggled with its position on lending to unmarried
couples.
The authority eliminated the family rule in 1994. But that decision
was reversed two years later, after then-Gov. George Allen (R) appointed new
members to the board and urged them to reconsider its 1994 position.
The board once again considered repealing the family rule in January
of 2002, but backed off under pressure from conservative members of the
General Assembly, who threatened to make the policy permanent through
legislation.
Since then, Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), who promised during his campaign
to seek a repeal of the policy, has made several appointments to the
authority board, including naming Fisette as the authority's first openly
gay member.
Warner aides said the change in the family rule has no impact on
Virginia's definition of marriage.
"There is nothing in the proposed change that addresses the issue of
what is a family," said Michael Schewel, Warner's secretary of commerce and
trade, told VHDA commissioners. "Unfortunately, the raising of issues
irrelevant to this regulatory change have created confusion about the
intended purpose and effect of this change."
Warner spokeswoman Ellen Qualls said the vote reflects a bipartisan
consensus that the policy was a archaic one.
"For the Governor, it is just this simple: moving renters to home
ownership is good for Virginia's communities," Qualls said. "The Governor's
position since before taking office has been that it is financially sound
and ethically appropriate for Virginia's affordable housing agency to
broaden its reach rather than restrict it."
Administration officials said they expect lawmakers to introduce
legislation in January to impose the family rule again. But some in the
administration believe conservatives may not have the votes to override a
Warner veto, especially in the less conservative Senate.
In 2002, lawmakers failed to follow through on their threat to make
the family rule permanent. Legislation passed the House of Delegates 61-38
but failed to emerge from a Senate committee.
The housing authority vote this morning came after a two-hour public
hearing Thursday afternoon. At that hearing, about two dozen people urged
the change, while a smaller number asked commissioners to leave the rule in
place.
Albert C. Eisenberg, a former Arlington County Board Chairman and a
former commissioner on the state authority, testified in favor of getting
rid of the family rule. Eisenberg, who spoke as a vice-president of the
1,350-member Greater Washington Board of Trade, is also running as a
Democrat for the state legislature this fall.
"The rule is blatantly discriminatory," Eisenberg told the authority
members. "It is anti-business because it interferes with the normal flow of
commerce. The homebuilding, real estate and mortgage lending industries are
through this stupid rule placed on the front lines of determining people's
lifestyles. And how does one know anyway? Are they peeking in somebody's
bedrooms?"
Victoria Cobb, the legislative director for the Family Foundation,
urged commissioners to leave the decision to the General Assembly.
"Marriage has been the bedrock of nearly all societies," she said.
"The commonwealth is an interested party in the marriage contract."
One woman, who said she was from a Southside church, warned of dire
consequences if the board eliminated the family rule.
"The homosexual lifestyle is rife with disease," she said.
"Responsible leadership must be vigilant not to reward homosexual behavior.
If this committee yields to the current request . . . you will be
contributing to the normalization of a most destructive lifestyle."
RSS @ http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/rss/gay_blog.xml
1. VINELAND DAILY JOURNAL (New Jersey) Cumberland County College sets up
outreach program for gay students
2. . VINELAND DAILY JOURNAL Students hope safe zones help counter anti-gay
hostility
3. THE DAILY STAR (Lebanon) Beirut Dunkin' Donuts is accused of
discriminating against gay customers; Activists say chain refuses to serve
those who break 'norms'
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has
joined forces with conservative primates from Africa and Asia and issued a
veiled threat to the American branch of the church over the ordination of
gay clergy
4. GAY.COM U.K. European court rules in favour of gay bereaved partners
5. BBC NEWS Met chief Sir John Stevens will appeal for gay people to join
the police force and tackle hate crime at Saturday's Gay Pride Parade
6. NEW YORK POST City Hall assassin was fueled by fear of 'gay' blackmail
Vineland Daily Journal (New Jersey), July 25, 2003
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/news/stories/20030725/localnews/642186.html
CCC sets up outreach program for gay students
By Todd Norden, Staff Writer; tnorden@thedailyjournal.com
As a freshman and sophomore, Chris Bylone sat at home and studied
Vineland High School's floor plan to help ease the pain.
He sketched different paths to get between classes to avoid bullies
who jabbed him with derogatory names.
Bylone, 22, is gay. And although he didn't acknowledge his sexual
orientation then, he wishes there was someone with whom he could have felt
comfortable discussing sexual issues.
As founder of Cumberland County College's first gay/straight
alliance, PRIDE, Bylone hopes to turn pain into progress this fall.
He and other members of PRIDE, which stands for Peaceful Respect Is
Diversity and Equality, want to implement Safe Zones at the college when
classes resume.
Safe Zones is a program encouraged by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network, a national organization working to end anti-gay bias in
public schools.
The "zones" are places or faculty members designated by placards or
pins that students of all sexual orientations can look to for help or
guidance.
"You want people and places where you know you won't be turned away
if you have a problem," said Bylone, who will depart as PRIDE president to
attend Cook College at Rutgers University to study agriculture this fall.
The responsibility of establishing Safe Zones on campus will be
turned over to PRIDE President Harry F. Murphine of Cedarville.
"I want to have this up and running by spring semester," said
19-year-old Murphine, who came out of the closet during his junior year at
Millville Senior High School.
College President Kenneth Ender encouraged Bylone to form PRIDE last
year and says the college must welcome Safe Zones.
"There's no question historically that people with sexual identities
that are different from clear heterosexuality have not gotten the largest
feeling of support in communities where they were residing, and that's
changing before our eyes," he said. "I was very supportive of Chris and
want to assure students that they would have the support of the college when
it comes to diversity on campus."
Ultimately, Bylone and Murphine agree it's a big initiative to
tackle, but one they hope will spawn similar efforts in the county's public
schools.
"This area is becoming more diverse, not only with homosexuals,
bisexuals and transgendered, but with ethnic communities as well," Murphine
said. "We have to find a way to live in harmony, and slowly that is
happening because none of us will be going away."
Vineland Daily Journal (New Jersey), July 25, 2003
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/news/stories/20030725/localnews/642371.html
Students hope safe zones help counter anti-gay hostility
By Todd Norden, Staff Writer; tnordenthedailyjournal.com
They say your high school years are the best years of your life.
Chris Bylone won't remember them that way.
Bylone, 22, remembers eating lunches in the counselors' office
throughout ninth and 10 grades.
He recalls taunts like "ballet boy" or, worse yet, students shoving
him into lockers because he took ballet lessons.
Although Bylone hadn't acknowledged his homosexuality then, he now is
fighting to help future gay, lesbian or questioning students attending area
schools not feel worthless or ignored again.
This fall, Bylone will help institute Safe Zones at Cumberland County
College. Safe Zones are areas or faculty members designated by placards or
pins that students of all sexual orientations can look to for help or
guidance.
Safe Zones are encouraged by GLSEN, a national organization working
to end anti-gay bias in public schools. The name stands for Gay, Lesbian
and Straight Education Network.
"Mainly, this is set up for a high school setting," said Bylone,
founder and former president of PRIDE, the college's first gay/straight
alliance established last year. "A lot of school districts look to colleges
in the community for something that works across the community. If we can
show area high schools this works, we will be the organization in the county
that can help get this started."
Bylone said PRIDE grew out of "Stop the Hate" forums held on campus
in 2001 and 2002. PRIDE stands for Peaceful Respect Is Diversity and
Equality.
Twenty-five students formed PRIDE, although the number dwindled to 12
last year, Bylone said. Most members are straight, although all sexual
orientations are represented, he added.
PRIDE's first successful venture was holding a Day of Silence/Night
of Noise on April 9. During the event, students here and on campuses across
the country took a vow of silence during the day and partied at night to
protest discrimination, harassment and abuse lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people and their allies face.
Ender applauds the organization's efforts because it follows the
college's stance on welcoming diversity.
"People who identify themselves as gay or lesbian hold prominent
positions in public life, have stable relationships and raise children. We
are, as a society, becoming more open to those differences, and, as an
institution of higher education, our student population might have as many
as 10 percent who fit that identity," Ender said. "We have to respect who
they are and their rights, just as we would for those who may be in a
majority."
Ender has already taken the lead on Safe Zones, too, by keeping a pin
featuring the zones' symbol - an upside-down rainbow triangle encompassed by
a circle - in his office.
"We have to learn, lead and support," Ender added.
PRIDE president and Cumberland County College sophomore Harry F.
Murphine plans to launch Safe Zones by sending a faculty-wide newsletter to
find people who support the idea.
"The Safe Zone is about having a place to talk about what I'm feeling
or going through because people dealing with sexuality issues can't always
go to their parents or anybody else about the matter," he said.
Murphine, a Cedarville resident who acknowledged his homosexuality as
a junior at Millville Senior High School, said his school years were
positive. But too often he said he counseled a couple of students about
sexuality issues.
"(Safe Zones are) a positive environment that lets students express
their own views and opinions, not only about their own self, but about the
world around them," said Murphine, who graduated in 2002 and is studying
theater. "This will be very time-consuming, but worth it."
Creating Safe Zones won't be done through sweeping changes, Bylone
said. PRIDE members meet with faculty members to discuss who and where is
"safe." Then, faculty members deemed safe must be agreeable to posting Safe
Zone symbols on their office doors.
And, Bylone adds, the college is the best place to start.
"I still got catcalls on campus occasionally," he said.
The Daily Star, 25 July 2003
Marine Tower 6th floor, Rue de La Ste Famille, Gemaizeh, Achrafieh, Beirut,
Lebanon
( Fax: 00961-1-561333) (E-Mail: editorial@dailystar.com.lb )
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/25_07_03/art5.asp
Dunkin' Donuts accused of discriminating against gay customers
Activists say chain refuses to serve those who break 'norms'
Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Daily Star staff
Dunkin' Donuts has once again come under fire from gay groups who
invited people to sign an online petition to protest what they described the
franchise's "Nazi policies" in its Beirut branches.
In a statement posted at beirut.indymedia.org, activist Ghassan
Makarem wrote that for the past two years, "Dunkin' Donuts' Beirut branches
have been denying service to gay and 'gay-looking' customers under the
pretext of protecting their version of 'family values.'"
In its Achrafieh and Downtown Beirut branches, Dunkin' Donuts posted
a note which read as follows: "We ask our dear clients to conform to decent
appearance and to comply with our supervisor's directions on this matter."
Elie Tanios, the franchise's spokesperson in Beirut, told The Daily
Star that the note was posted eight months ago. "By decent appearance we
mean behavior," he said, adding that some of their male customers in
Achrafieh and Downtown Beirut caused chaos during their visits.
"They talk loudly and invade other customers' privacy," said Tanios,
who argued that they were not trying to impose a dress code on customers.
When asked whether a person who has dyed his or her hair red, for example,
was welcome in Dunkin'' Donuts, Tanios answered that such people "were most
welcome" at their branches. "We only want some customers to behave."
But members of Beirut's gay community claimed that they were
repeatedly asked to leave the Dunkin' Donuts' premises for no obvious
reason, and demanded that they be treated the same as other customers.
"All humans are equal, thus gay community members - who have been
regular customers of Dunkin'' Donuts Beirut - are entitled to the same
service as any other customer," Makarem wrote in his online petition.
An employee at Dunkin' Donuts who refused to give her name said that
gay customers went far beyond local social norms. "In several instances,
these customers displayed homosexual affection. They held hands, hugged and
sometimes even kissed while they were on the premises," she said.
"Personally, I'm not offended by such demeanor. But for Lebanese
social norms, their behavior was not acceptable to other customers, who
threatened to call the police," she added.
The Dunkin' Donuts employee also said that if homosexuals intend to
fight the government and Lebanese society for "freedom to come out of the
closet," then the coffeehouse should not be the battleground for this fight.
She added that the probability that a gay would enter a Dunkin'
Donuts shop and get served was high "if he behaves well." She also said
that it was hard to identify homosexuals in Lebanon, but "those who insist
on coming out of the closet" have to face the consequences.
But all Dunkin' Donuts justifications did not convince the gay
community, which insisted that they be treated fairly, and not discriminated
against. "We demand a press release from the mother company and the
Lebanese local branches clarifying the issue and stating that homosexuals
are welcome on the premises of Dunkin' Donuts worldwide, including Beirut,
and will be offered the same services . just like any other customer."
Until then, the petition added, the gay community would lead a
campaign to boycott the franchise.
Leftist activists launched a campaign to boycott American
multinationals supporting or maintaining branches in Israel in March 2002
but spared Dunkin' Donuts, as it is British-owned.
Sydney Morning Herald, July 26 2003
GPO Box 506, Sydney NSW 2001 Australia
(Phone: +61/2/9282 2822) (E-Mail: letters@smh.fairFax.com.au )
( http://www.smh.com.au/ )
Jensen warns US church over gays
By Kelly Burke, Religious Affairs Writer
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has joined forces
with conservative primates from Africa and Asia and issued a veiled threat
to the American branch of the church over the ordination of gay clergy.
The group, known as the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican
Communion, has warned that a "constitutional crisis" was inevitable if the
Episcopal Church USA voted in favour of approving homosexual bishops or
same-sex blessings at its convention next week in Minneapolis.
The convention is expected to ratify the appointment of Canon Gene
Robinson, a priest who lives in an openly gay relationship, as Bishop of New
Hampshire.
The Vancouver diocese of New Westminster has already proceeded with
the blessing of gay couples living in committed relationships.
But at a meeting of the fellowship in Virginia earlier this week, Dr
Jensen and the primates of Nigeria, Rwanda, Central Africa, the Southern
Cone, the West Indies, South-East Asia, and a core group of conservative US
bishops and rectors announced that a vote ratifying Mr Robinson's
appointment would be unconstitutional, alienate the US branch from the
global communion and ultimately "shatter" the church.
"The proposed actions will precipitate a dramatic realignment of the
church," said the statement, which went on to warn: "Should these events
occur, the majority of the primates anticipate convening an extraordinary
meeting [ie, not sanctioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury] at which they
too will respond to the actions of General Convention."
The statement did not specify what action the primates would take at
the meeting, but have made it clear in the past they are unlikely to split
from the church because they believe they represent the views of the
majority of Anglicans.
Dr Jensen was the only archbishop to sign the statement who is not a
primate.
"Perhaps he sees himself as the next primate of Australia," the
Australian primate, Archbishop Peter Carnley, said in response to Dr
Jensen's warning.
Dr Carnley, who has maintained Mr Robinson's appointment was a matter
for the US church only, said he had no intention of attending an
international meeting that was not sanctioned by the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Rowan Williams.
He said the statement was unhelpful and dismissed its claims that a
ratification of the appointment of a gay bishop was unconstitutional as
"just garble".
Gay.com U.K., 25 July 2003
http://uk.gay.com/headlines/4762
European court rules in favour of gay bereaved partners
The European court yesterday (Thursday) ruled that a gay man who lost
his tenancy when his partner died was the victim of unlawful discrimination,
in a decision that will have significant consequences for lesbians, gay men
and bisexuals in 45 countries.
All benefits or rights granted by governments to different sex
cohabiting partners will in future have to also be granted to same sex
cohabiting partners.
Seven judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg
unanimously agreed that Siegmund Karner was the victim of discrimination
after he was evicted from his Vienna home after his partner died in 1994.
His partner had been the official tenant of the flat where the couple had
lived together for five years. The Austrian Supreme Court ruled in 1996
that tenancy protection for a 'life companion' was only intended to apply to
different sex cohabitees.
Kurt Krickler of ILGA-Europe said: "This is a very significant step,
particularly for the 32 countries in Europe which grant no rights to
same-sex partners. But the case has even wider implications: The Austrian
government argued that this discrimination was necessary to protect "the
family". In rejecting this comprehensively, the Court has demolished the
main argument used around the world by the religious right for continued
discrimination against same-sex partners".
Joanne Sawyer of Liberty said: "We are delighted that the Court took
this view. It marks a real turning point."
Ben Summerskill of Stonewall said: "This is a major victory which
will change the lives of tens of millions of people. We are particularly
pleased that it has come in the week of London Pride."
In Karner v Austria, the Court ruled that "differences [in treatment]
based on sexual orientation require particularly serious reasons by way of
justification". The Austrian government justification for Mr Karner's
treatment was "protection of the family in the traditional sense." The
Austrian government, according to the judges, had failed to provide
"convincing and weighty reasons" showing that the exclusion of homosexuals
was necessary.
Case law in the UK had already demonstrated that same-sex couples
living together could be entitled to remain in shared rental property under
the Rent Act 1977 if one partner dies (Ghaidan v Mendoza [2002]), but the
ECHR ruling looks to be far more wide-ranging in its scope.
New York Post, July 25, 2003
1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10036
(Fax: 212-930-8546 ) (E-Mail: letters@nypost.com )
( http://www.nypost.com )
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/1534.htm
HIV assassin was fueled by fear of 'gay' blackmail
By Murray Weiss and Alisha Berger
The City Hall killer was an HIV-positive man who made meticulous
preparations for his own death before setting out to assassinate a political
rival who he believed was blackmailing him because he was gay,
law-enforcement sources said yesterday.
Before meeting up with his murder target - Brooklyn Councilman James
Davis - Othniel Boaz Askew, 31, laid out on a living-room table his last
will and testament, along with a detailed note to a brother specifying where
all his bank accounts and other valuables were, police said.
Cops also found his HIV medications elsewhere in his fastidiously
neat Fort Greene apartment.
No suicide note was discovered, but cops searching for a motive said
they were looking through the contents of Askew's laptop.
Police sorted through evidence and witness testimonies yesterday and
said the ambitious Askew was despondent over inability to get on the primary
ballot against Davis. He also was enraged by his belief that Davis was
doing everything possible to squeeze him out of the race.
"He just flipped out over the political rivalry," said one
investigator. "He couldn't handle not running. It looked like he wanted to
go out in a blaze of glory . . . and what bigger stage than City Hall?"
Law-enforcement sources said that hours before he gunned down Davis,
Askew told the FBI the councilman had offered him $45,000 to give up a
primary election challenge and threatened to hurt his family if he did not.
Askew also claimed Davis offered him an additional $15,000 annually
and a no-show staff job. A City Council spokeswoman denied the allegations,
and investigators said they had not corroborated Askew's claims.
But a well-placed source told The Post Davis had done a thorough
background search on Askew, found records showing he had been involved in a
gay domestic dispute in 1996, then used the information to blackmail Askew
into withdrawing from the race.
The night before the killing, Askew had been hanging out at
Charter-revision forum at the Brooklyn Public Library, where he was caught
on tape by a local TV crew.
Police found a stack of political posters and flyers from past Davis
campaigns in Askew's apartment.
While no independent toxicological studies have been released, police
said they believe Askew was HIV positive. They said they found
prescriptions for Paxil, Zarret and Viagra, as well as gay porn and
sadomasochistic material.
Investigators said Askew bought a silver 40-caliber gun with a
seven-shot clip in North Carolina in May 2001, and that Askew wore the gun
in his waistband on Thursday. He had seven additional bullets hidden in his
left sock, and cops speculated he had planned first to empty his gun on his
opponent, then to painstakingly reload it.
All seven rounds were fired and every one hit Davis - two of them
ripping through his body and out exit wounds.
A card found in Askew's pocket read "I am not a donor. I'm Jewish,"
they added.
Cops also found a bottle of Valium pills.
Investigators said that hours before City Hall erupted in gunfire,
Askew and Davis argued at a Brooklyn barbershop, then drove to Manhattan
with a Davis aide. It was unclear whether Askew planned to go into City
Hall, or how he planned to evade metal detectors.
Court records show that he had a history of domestic violence: the
then-24 year-old Askew was arrested on Dec. 29, 1996 and charged with felony
assault on charges that he beat his boyfriend with a hammer inside their
West 43rd Street apartment. Mario Romero told cops that Askew "repeately
struck (him) over his head, face and body with a hammer."
According to the criminal complaint, Romero had head wounds and
lacerations over his body. Askew was never indicted and was allowed to
plead guilty to second-degree harassment after promising to keep his nose
clean for a year.
Askew was also arrested in Manhattan in 1999 under the name "Neal
Askew" and charged with petit larceny after stealing a bag filled with about
$900 worth of property, including jewelry and a cellphone, from a friend.
The case was knocked down to a violation.
In addition, Askew was at the center of at least two nuisance suits:
he unsuccessfully sued a ski lodge after a skiing accident in the 1990s,
then sued a Fire Island gym for $1 millon in 1999, saying he had been
injured doing bench presses. The case was thrown out after Askew refused to
take a court-ordered physical exam.
Askew claimed to be an Orthodox Jew, a Yale Law School graduate, a
Gulf War veteran, a real-estate developer, and a future senator.
Yale could not immediately confirm the claim, officials confirmed
Askew had served in the Air Force, and there was no record of any
real-estate development experience beyond work on his Brooklyn home.
Neighbors in Long Island said he had been brought up as a Jehovah's Witness.
Described as a fast-talking charmer, the dapper Askew used several
names, and had a reputation as an eccentric with an unlimited imagination.
He also had a piercing gaze and a sometimes disturbing manner.
"He was slick," said neighbor Larry Caparaso, who lived near Askew on
a street lined with million-dollar brownstones. "He could have been a con
man. A professional con man."
Residents in Fort Greene said they had often seen him surrounded by
mostly young, white supporters as he glad-handed locals dressed in a suit
and wearing close-cropped hair.
"He was a little too friendly," said neighbor Dennis Canning. "He
seemed nice, but there was something about his demeanor that made you a
little uneasy. He was always assessing you, like he wanted to see into your
soul. And I don't want anyone seeing into my soul."
Askew's father told the Post his son was born in Park Slope, schooled
in Brooklyn and Babylon, L.I., and studied accounting at C.W. Post College.
He worked for Roche in New Jersey and served in the Gulf War.
One neighbor in West Babylon, L.I., who did not want to be
identified, described the young Othniel as "a very nice boy, very
considerate.
"He was the kind of person who shoveled snow for you," the neighbor
said.
. Additional reporting by Kati Cornell Smith, Dareh Gregorian, Linda
Italiano, Larry Celona and Claudia Gryvatz Copquin. Written by Aly Sujo.
1. VINELAND DAILY JOURNAL (New Jersey) Cumberland County College sets up
outreach program for gay students
2. . VINELAND DAILY JOURNAL Students hope safe zones help counter anti-gay
hostility
3. THE DAILY STAR (Lebanon) Beirut Dunkin' Donuts is accused of
discriminating against gay customers; Activists say chain refuses to serve
those who break 'norms'
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has
joined forces with conservative primates from Africa and Asia and issued a
veiled threat to the American branch of the church over the ordination of
gay clergy
4. GAY.COM U.K. European court rules in favour of gay bereaved partners
5. BBC NEWS Met chief Sir John Stevens will appeal for gay people to join
the police force and tackle hate crime at Saturday's Gay Pride Parade
6. NEW YORK POST City Hall assassin was fueled by fear of 'gay' blackmail
Vineland Daily Journal (New Jersey), July 25, 2003
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/news/stories/20030725/localnews/642186.html
CCC sets up outreach program for gay students
By Todd Norden, Staff Writer; tnorden@thedailyjournal.com
As a freshman and sophomore, Chris Bylone sat at home and studied
Vineland High School's floor plan to help ease the pain.
He sketched different paths to get between classes to avoid bullies
who jabbed him with derogatory names.
Bylone, 22, is gay. And although he didn't acknowledge his sexual
orientation then, he wishes there was someone with whom he could have felt
comfortable discussing sexual issues.
As founder of Cumberland County College's first gay/straight
alliance, PRIDE, Bylone hopes to turn pain into progress this fall.
He and other members of PRIDE, which stands for Peaceful Respect Is
Diversity and Equality, want to implement Safe Zones at the college when
classes resume.
Safe Zones is a program encouraged by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network, a national organization working to end anti-gay bias in
public schools.
The "zones" are places or faculty members designated by placards or
pins that students of all sexual orientations can look to for help or
guidance.
"You want people and places where you know you won't be turned away
if you have a problem," said Bylone, who will depart as PRIDE president to
attend Cook College at Rutgers University to study agriculture this fall.
The responsibility of establishing Safe Zones on campus will be
turned over to PRIDE President Harry F. Murphine of Cedarville.
"I want to have this up and running by spring semester," said
19-year-old Murphine, who came out of the closet during his junior year at
Millville Senior High School.
College President Kenneth Ender encouraged Bylone to form PRIDE last
year and says the college must welcome Safe Zones.
"There's no question historically that people with sexual identities
that are different from clear heterosexuality have not gotten the largest
feeling of support in communities where they were residing, and that's
changing before our eyes," he said. "I was very supportive of Chris and
want to assure students that they would have the support of the college when
it comes to diversity on campus."
Ultimately, Bylone and Murphine agree it's a big initiative to
tackle, but one they hope will spawn similar efforts in the county's public
schools.
"This area is becoming more diverse, not only with homosexuals,
bisexuals and transgendered, but with ethnic communities as well," Murphine
said. "We have to find a way to live in harmony, and slowly that is
happening because none of us will be going away."
Vineland Daily Journal (New Jersey), July 25, 2003
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/news/stories/20030725/localnews/642371.html
Students hope safe zones help counter anti-gay hostility
By Todd Norden, Staff Writer; tnordenthedailyjournal.com
They say your high school years are the best years of your life.
Chris Bylone won't remember them that way.
Bylone, 22, remembers eating lunches in the counselors' office
throughout ninth and 10 grades.
He recalls taunts like "ballet boy" or, worse yet, students shoving
him into lockers because he took ballet lessons.
Although Bylone hadn't acknowledged his homosexuality then, he now is
fighting to help future gay, lesbian or questioning students attending area
schools not feel worthless or ignored again.
This fall, Bylone will help institute Safe Zones at Cumberland County
College. Safe Zones are areas or faculty members designated by placards or
pins that students of all sexual orientations can look to for help or
guidance.
Safe Zones are encouraged by GLSEN, a national organization working
to end anti-gay bias in public schools. The name stands for Gay, Lesbian
and Straight Education Network.
"Mainly, this is set up for a high school setting," said Bylone,
founder and former president of PRIDE, the college's first gay/straight
alliance established last year. "A lot of school districts look to colleges
in the community for something that works across the community. If we can
show area high schools this works, we will be the organization in the county
that can help get this started."
Bylone said PRIDE grew out of "Stop the Hate" forums held on campus
in 2001 and 2002. PRIDE stands for Peaceful Respect Is Diversity and
Equality.
Twenty-five students formed PRIDE, although the number dwindled to 12
last year, Bylone said. Most members are straight, although all sexual
orientations are represented, he added.
PRIDE's first successful venture was holding a Day of Silence/Night
of Noise on April 9. During the event, students here and on campuses across
the country took a vow of silence during the day and partied at night to
protest discrimination, harassment and abuse lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people and their allies face.
Ender applauds the organization's efforts because it follows the
college's stance on welcoming diversity.
"People who identify themselves as gay or lesbian hold prominent
positions in public life, have stable relationships and raise children. We
are, as a society, becoming more open to those differences, and, as an
institution of higher education, our student population might have as many
as 10 percent who fit that identity," Ender said. "We have to respect who
they are and their rights, just as we would for those who may be in a
majority."
Ender has already taken the lead on Safe Zones, too, by keeping a pin
featuring the zones' symbol - an upside-down rainbow triangle encompassed by
a circle - in his office.
"We have to learn, lead and support," Ender added.
PRIDE president and Cumberland County College sophomore Harry F.
Murphine plans to launch Safe Zones by sending a faculty-wide newsletter to
find people who support the idea.
"The Safe Zone is about having a place to talk about what I'm feeling
or going through because people dealing with sexuality issues can't always
go to their parents or anybody else about the matter," he said.
Murphine, a Cedarville resident who acknowledged his homosexuality as
a junior at Millville Senior High School, said his school years were
positive. But too often he said he counseled a couple of students about
sexuality issues.
"(Safe Zones are) a positive environment that lets students express
their own views and opinions, not only about their own self, but about the
world around them," said Murphine, who graduated in 2002 and is studying
theater. "This will be very time-consuming, but worth it."
Creating Safe Zones won't be done through sweeping changes, Bylone
said. PRIDE members meet with faculty members to discuss who and where is
"safe." Then, faculty members deemed safe must be agreeable to posting Safe
Zone symbols on their office doors.
And, Bylone adds, the college is the best place to start.
"I still got catcalls on campus occasionally," he said.
The Daily Star, 25 July 2003
Marine Tower 6th floor, Rue de La Ste Famille, Gemaizeh, Achrafieh, Beirut,
Lebanon
( Fax: 00961-1-561333) (E-Mail: editorial@dailystar.com.lb )
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/25_07_03/art5.asp
Dunkin' Donuts accused of discriminating against gay customers
Activists say chain refuses to serve those who break 'norms'
Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Daily Star staff
Dunkin' Donuts has once again come under fire from gay groups who
invited people to sign an online petition to protest what they described the
franchise's "Nazi policies" in its Beirut branches.
In a statement posted at beirut.indymedia.org, activist Ghassan
Makarem wrote that for the past two years, "Dunkin' Donuts' Beirut branches
have been denying service to gay and 'gay-looking' customers under the
pretext of protecting their version of 'family values.'"
In its Achrafieh and Downtown Beirut branches, Dunkin' Donuts posted
a note which read as follows: "We ask our dear clients to conform to decent
appearance and to comply with our supervisor's directions on this matter."
Elie Tanios, the franchise's spokesperson in Beirut, told The Daily
Star that the note was posted eight months ago. "By decent appearance we
mean behavior," he said, adding that some of their male customers in
Achrafieh and Downtown Beirut caused chaos during their visits.
"They talk loudly and invade other customers' privacy," said Tanios,
who argued that they were not trying to impose a dress code on customers.
When asked whether a person who has dyed his or her hair red, for example,
was welcome in Dunkin'' Donuts, Tanios answered that such people "were most
welcome" at their branches. "We only want some customers to behave."
But members of Beirut's gay community claimed that they were
repeatedly asked to leave the Dunkin' Donuts' premises for no obvious
reason, and demanded that they be treated the same as other customers.
"All humans are equal, thus gay community members - who have been
regular customers of Dunkin'' Donuts Beirut - are entitled to the same
service as any other customer," Makarem wrote in his online petition.
An employee at Dunkin' Donuts who refused to give her name said that
gay customers went far beyond local social norms. "In several instances,
these customers displayed homosexual affection. They held hands, hugged and
sometimes even kissed while they were on the premises," she said.
"Personally, I'm not offended by such demeanor. But for Lebanese
social norms, their behavior was not acceptable to other customers, who
threatened to call the police," she added.
The Dunkin' Donuts employee also said that if homosexuals intend to
fight the government and Lebanese society for "freedom to come out of the
closet," then the coffeehouse should not be the battleground for this fight.
She added that the probability that a gay would enter a Dunkin'
Donuts shop and get served was high "if he behaves well." She also said
that it was hard to identify homosexuals in Lebanon, but "those who insist
on coming out of the closet" have to face the consequences.
But all Dunkin' Donuts justifications did not convince the gay
community, which insisted that they be treated fairly, and not discriminated
against. "We demand a press release from the mother company and the
Lebanese local branches clarifying the issue and stating that homosexuals
are welcome on the premises of Dunkin' Donuts worldwide, including Beirut,
and will be offered the same services . just like any other customer."
Until then, the petition added, the gay community would lead a
campaign to boycott the franchise.
Leftist activists launched a campaign to boycott American
multinationals supporting or maintaining branches in Israel in March 2002
but spared Dunkin' Donuts, as it is British-owned.
Sydney Morning Herald, July 26 2003
GPO Box 506, Sydney NSW 2001 Australia
(Phone: +61/2/9282 2822) (E-Mail: letters@smh.fairFax.com.au )
( http://www.smh.com.au/ )
Jensen warns US church over gays
By Kelly Burke, Religious Affairs Writer
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, has joined forces
with conservative primates from Africa and Asia and issued a veiled threat
to the American branch of the church over the ordination of gay clergy.
The group, known as the Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican
Communion, has warned that a "constitutional crisis" was inevitable if the
Episcopal Church USA voted in favour of approving homosexual bishops or
same-sex blessings at its convention next week in Minneapolis.
The convention is expected to ratify the appointment of Canon Gene
Robinson, a priest who lives in an openly gay relationship, as Bishop of New
Hampshire.
The Vancouver diocese of New Westminster has already proceeded with
the blessing of gay couples living in committed relationships.
But at a meeting of the fellowship in Virginia earlier this week, Dr
Jensen and the primates of Nigeria, Rwanda, Central Africa, the Southern
Cone, the West Indies, South-East Asia, and a core group of conservative US
bishops and rectors announced that a vote ratifying Mr Robinson's
appointment would be unconstitutional, alienate the US branch from the
global communion and ultimately "shatter" the church.
"The proposed actions will precipitate a dramatic realignment of the
church," said the statement, which went on to warn: "Should these events
occur, the majority of the primates anticipate convening an extraordinary
meeting [ie, not sanctioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury] at which they
too will respond to the actions of General Convention."
The statement did not specify what action the primates would take at
the meeting, but have made it clear in the past they are unlikely to split
from the church because they believe they represent the views of the
majority of Anglicans.
Dr Jensen was the only archbishop to sign the statement who is not a
primate.
"Perhaps he sees himself as the next primate of Australia," the
Australian primate, Archbishop Peter Carnley, said in response to Dr
Jensen's warning.
Dr Carnley, who has maintained Mr Robinson's appointment was a matter
for the US church only, said he had no intention of attending an
international meeting that was not sanctioned by the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Rowan Williams.
He said the statement was unhelpful and dismissed its claims that a
ratification of the appointment of a gay bishop was unconstitutional as
"just garble".
Gay.com U.K., 25 July 2003
http://uk.gay.com/headlines/4762
European court rules in favour of gay bereaved partners
The European court yesterday (Thursday) ruled that a gay man who lost
his tenancy when his partner died was the victim of unlawful discrimination,
in a decision that will have significant consequences for lesbians, gay men
and bisexuals in 45 countries.
All benefits or rights granted by governments to different sex
cohabiting partners will in future have to also be granted to same sex
cohabiting partners.
Seven judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg
unanimously agreed that Siegmund Karner was the victim of discrimination
after he was evicted from his Vienna home after his partner died in 1994.
His partner had been the official tenant of the flat where the couple had
lived together for five years. The Austrian Supreme Court ruled in 1996
that tenancy protection for a 'life companion' was only intended to apply to
different sex cohabitees.
Kurt Krickler of ILGA-Europe said: "This is a very significant step,
particularly for the 32 countries in Europe which grant no rights to
same-sex partners. But the case has even wider implications: The Austrian
government argued that this discrimination was necessary to protect "the
family". In rejecting this comprehensively, the Court has demolished the
main argument used around the world by the religious right for continued
discrimination against same-sex partners".
Joanne Sawyer of Liberty said: "We are delighted that the Court took
this view. It marks a real turning point."
Ben Summerskill of Stonewall said: "This is a major victory which
will change the lives of tens of millions of people. We are particularly
pleased that it has come in the week of London Pride."
In Karner v Austria, the Court ruled that "differences [in treatment]
based on sexual orientation require particularly serious reasons by way of
justification". The Austrian government justification for Mr Karner's
treatment was "protection of the family in the traditional sense." The
Austrian government, according to the judges, had failed to provide
"convincing and weighty reasons" showing that the exclusion of homosexuals
was necessary.
Case law in the UK had already demonstrated that same-sex couples
living together could be entitled to remain in shared rental property under
the Rent Act 1977 if one partner dies (Ghaidan v Mendoza [2002]), but the
ECHR ruling looks to be far more wide-ranging in its scope.
New York Post, July 25, 2003
1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10036
(Fax: 212-930-8546 ) (E-Mail: letters@nypost.com )
( http://www.nypost.com )
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/1534.htm
HIV assassin was fueled by fear of 'gay' blackmail
By Murray Weiss and Alisha Berger
The City Hall killer was an HIV-positive man who made meticulous
preparations for his own death before setting out to assassinate a political
rival who he believed was blackmailing him because he was gay,
law-enforcement sources said yesterday.
Before meeting up with his murder target - Brooklyn Councilman James
Davis - Othniel Boaz Askew, 31, laid out on a living-room table his last
will and testament, along with a detailed note to a brother specifying where
all his bank accounts and other valuables were, police said.
Cops also found his HIV medications elsewhere in his fastidiously
neat Fort Greene apartment.
No suicide note was discovered, but cops searching for a motive said
they were looking through the contents of Askew's laptop.
Police sorted through evidence and witness testimonies yesterday and
said the ambitious Askew was despondent over inability to get on the primary
ballot against Davis. He also was enraged by his belief that Davis was
doing everything possible to squeeze him out of the race.
"He just flipped out over the political rivalry," said one
investigator. "He couldn't handle not running. It looked like he wanted to
go out in a blaze of glory . . . and what bigger stage than City Hall?"
Law-enforcement sources said that hours before he gunned down Davis,
Askew told the FBI the councilman had offered him $45,000 to give up a
primary election challenge and threatened to hurt his family if he did not.
Askew also claimed Davis offered him an additional $15,000 annually
and a no-show staff job. A City Council spokeswoman denied the allegations,
and investigators said they had not corroborated Askew's claims.
But a well-placed source told The Post Davis had done a thorough
background search on Askew, found records showing he had been involved in a
gay domestic dispute in 1996, then used the information to blackmail Askew
into withdrawing from the race.
The night before the killing, Askew had been hanging out at
Charter-revision forum at the Brooklyn Public Library, where he was caught
on tape by a local TV crew.
Police found a stack of political posters and flyers from past Davis
campaigns in Askew's apartment.
While no independent toxicological studies have been released, police
said they believe Askew was HIV positive. They said they found
prescriptions for Paxil, Zarret and Viagra, as well as gay porn and
sadomasochistic material.
Investigators said Askew bought a silver 40-caliber gun with a
seven-shot clip in North Carolina in May 2001, and that Askew wore the gun
in his waistband on Thursday. He had seven additional bullets hidden in his
left sock, and cops speculated he had planned first to empty his gun on his
opponent, then to painstakingly reload it.
All seven rounds were fired and every one hit Davis - two of them
ripping through his body and out exit wounds.
A card found in Askew's pocket read "I am not a donor. I'm Jewish,"
they added.
Cops also found a bottle of Valium pills.
Investigators said that hours before City Hall erupted in gunfire,
Askew and Davis argued at a Brooklyn barbershop, then drove to Manhattan
with a Davis aide. It was unclear whether Askew planned to go into City
Hall, or how he planned to evade metal detectors.
Court records show that he had a history of domestic violence: the
then-24 year-old Askew was arrested on Dec. 29, 1996 and charged with felony
assault on charges that he beat his boyfriend with a hammer inside their
West 43rd Street apartment. Mario Romero told cops that Askew "repeately
struck (him) over his head, face and body with a hammer."
According to the criminal complaint, Romero had head wounds and
lacerations over his body. Askew was never indicted and was allowed to
plead guilty to second-degree harassment after promising to keep his nose
clean for a year.
Askew was also arrested in Manhattan in 1999 under the name "Neal
Askew" and charged with petit larceny after stealing a bag filled with about
$900 worth of property, including jewelry and a cellphone, from a friend.
The case was knocked down to a violation.
In addition, Askew was at the center of at least two nuisance suits:
he unsuccessfully sued a ski lodge after a skiing accident in the 1990s,
then sued a Fire Island gym for $1 millon in 1999, saying he had been
injured doing bench presses. The case was thrown out after Askew refused to
take a court-ordered physical exam.
Askew claimed to be an Orthodox Jew, a Yale Law School graduate, a
Gulf War veteran, a real-estate developer, and a future senator.
Yale could not immediately confirm the claim, officials confirmed
Askew had served in the Air Force, and there was no record of any
real-estate development experience beyond work on his Brooklyn home.
Neighbors in Long Island said he had been brought up as a Jehovah's Witness.
Described as a fast-talking charmer, the dapper Askew used several
names, and had a reputation as an eccentric with an unlimited imagination.
He also had a piercing gaze and a sometimes disturbing manner.
"He was slick," said neighbor Larry Caparaso, who lived near Askew on
a street lined with million-dollar brownstones. "He could have been a con
man. A professional con man."
Residents in Fort Greene said they had often seen him surrounded by
mostly young, white supporters as he glad-handed locals dressed in a suit
and wearing close-cropped hair.
"He was a little too friendly," said neighbor Dennis Canning. "He
seemed nice, but there was something about his demeanor that made you a
little uneasy. He was always assessing you, like he wanted to see into your
soul. And I don't want anyone seeing into my soul."
Askew's father told the Post his son was born in Park Slope, schooled
in Brooklyn and Babylon, L.I., and studied accounting at C.W. Post College.
He worked for Roche in New Jersey and served in the Gulf War.
One neighbor in West Babylon, L.I., who did not want to be
identified, described the young Othniel as "a very nice boy, very
considerate.
"He was the kind of person who shoveled snow for you," the neighbor
said.
. Additional reporting by Kati Cornell Smith, Dareh Gregorian, Linda
Italiano, Larry Celona and Claudia Gryvatz Copquin. Written by Aly Sujo.
Canada: 8 provinces refuse to allow gay marriage, Christian crusade to de-gay the world, Anglican Conservatives Warn of 'Realignment'
1. OTTAWA CITIZEN 8 provinces refuse to allow gay marriage; Same-sex
unions are not legal until federal law is in place, they argue
2. ORLANDO WEEKLY Healthier, happier and heterosexual: Christian crusade
to de-gay the world
3. WASHINGTON POST Anglican Conservatives Warn of 'Realignment'; U.S.
Episcopalians May Confirm Gay Bishop
Ottawa Citizen, July 24, 2003
1101 Baxter Road, Box 5020, Ottawa, Ontario K2C 3M4 Canada
(E-Mail: letters@thecitizen.southam.ca )( http://www.ottawacitizen.com )
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=A9D00C10-00A4-49C0-A66B-7DB776207E8E
8 provinces refuse to allow gay marriage
Same-sex unions not legal until federal law in place, they argue
Janice Tibbetts, The Ottawa Citizen
Eight provinces are rejecting Justice Minister Martin Cauchon's call
to approve same-sex marriages immediately, with some arguing that they would
be breaking the law to allow gay weddings before new federal legislation is
in place.
"Our legal analysis is that we are bound by the current federal
definition of law and should we start issuing marriage licences in advance,
they would not be legal documents," said Riva Harrison, communications
director for the Manitoba Justice Department, summing up concerns echoed by
officials in Quebec and Saskatchewan.
"You would be leading people into the legal belief that their
marriage is legal, only to find out upon a court challenge that in absence
of the federal law being implemented, they don't have the legal grounds that
they thought they would have."
The federal government, which is responsible for deciding who can wed
in Canada, wants to change the definition of marriage to include gays and
lesbians. The bill has been sent to the Supreme Court of Canada for
constitutional vetting before there is a vote in Parliament.
Mr. Cauchon, in the meantime, called on provinces to begin allowing
gay marriage immediately. Only Ontario and British Columbia are doing so,
in keeping with court rulings from the highest courts in those provinces
ordering a change in law. No other province plans to allow gay marriage
until the the federal legislation passes, according to interviews yesterday.
Provincial governments have a stake in the process because they are
responsible for the "solemnization" of marriage, including licences and
registration.
In Quebec, the issue is still before the Quebec Court of Appeal, so
the province would be jumping the gun to proceed with gay marriage in the
meantime, said a Justice Department spokeswoman in Quebec City.
In interviews, Justice Department spokespeople denounced Mr.
Cauchon's request as "perplexing" and "peculiar."
Patrick Charette, a spokesman for Mr. Cauchon, said that it is up to
the provinces to make their own decisions for the time being, but ultimately
they will be forced to comply.
"It is up to each province and territory to seek their own legal
advice and make their own decision until there's a bill passed in
Parliament," he said. "It's their area of expertise."
He could not comment on whether the federal government believes there
are legal grounds for the provinces to make changes in advance of new
legislation.
A constitutional law professor at University of Ottawa said he does
not buy the provincial argument, particularly since there is a remote chance
that the Supreme Court and Parliament will reject same-sex marriage.
"I do not see why the provinces cannot go ahead," said Errol Mendes.
"I think this is more political that legal. They want to be seen to be
forced into it instead of taking leadership."
John Sousar, a spokesman for the Nova Scotia Justice Department,
acknowledged that a "complication" is that the province is in the middle of
an election campaign and the Tory government doesn't want same-sex marriage
to become an issue.
Orlando Weekly, July 24, 2003
111 W. Jefferson Street., Suite 200, Orlando, FL, 32801
(Fax: 407-377-0420) (E-Mail: feedback@orlandoweekly.com )
( http://orlandoweekly.com )
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/story.asp?ID=4033
Healthier, happier and heterosexual
By Jeffrey C. Billman
Alan Chambers is impeccably dressed. Freshly shined black loafers,
no socks, a spotless white dress shirt tucked into unwrinkled, unfaded blue
jeans. Not one of his closely cropped hairs is out of place; he wears no
stubble. He has soft, almost glowing baby blue eyes and, if you look
closely enough, long, neat eyelashes. Perhaps because he's graying,
Chambers looks older than his 31 years.
He sits, legs crossed, on a park bench in the breezeway of the
downtown First Presbyterian Church, patiently enduring a photo shoot and
talking alternately with his wife, an aide and an Orlando Weekly writer.
His wife, Leslie, joins him on the bench, resting her hand on his leg.
They've been married five years, but have no kids. "We're trying,"
Chambers explains. "Fertility issues."
He's quite used to sharing intimate details of his life with
strangers. Openness comes with the job.
For nearly two years, Chambers has been executive director of Winter
Park-based Exodus International North America, the largest "ex-gay" group in
the world. Chambers, like thousands of Exodus members, was once gay. But
now, thanks to help from God, he's healthier, happier and heterosexual.
Exodus is an umbrella organization of 140 ex-gay ministries in North
America, and 35 others in 17 countries throughout the world. The
organization's North American headquarters moved here from Seattle last year
at Chambers' insistence. "Orlando is a haven for Christian organizations,"
says spokesman Randy Thomas. "The body of Christ here is a lot more
accepting of our redemptive message."
That, and the fact that Exodus saved enough in taxes to hire another
staff member, giving it eight locally. And Chambers didn't have to move.
Exodus is based on the premise that homosexuality is not genetic and
immutable. With prayer and therapy, gays can straighten up. Exodus claims
to have helped tens of thousands of men and women do just that.
It's a highly controversial concept. For three decades, American
mental-health professionals have largely discounted the notion that
homosexuality is a disorder and dismissed claims that it can be cured.
"We do not see [the evidence] when it comes to reparative therapy,"
says Rhea Farberman, communications director for the American Psychological
Association. "There's some evidence that [reparative therapy] could be
harmful. It could be harmful to a person's own psyche."
The question of whether gays can or should change aside, the
political subtext of Exodus is what makes the group a lightning rod: If
gays can change, homosexuality is not genetic. If homosexuality isn't
genetic, then gays aren't entitled to the same equal-rights protections as
other minority groups.
On the other hand, if homosexuality is genetic and natural, the
arguments against same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination laws crumble.
In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down sodomy laws and an
expected fight over same-sex marriage, gay rights have again become the
topic du jour. And whether they want to or not - and many don't - ex-gays
are poised to take center stage in the culture war.
"I am living proof that a person's homosexuality is not innate," says
Stephen Bennett, a Connecticut-based evangelist and self-proclaimed ex-gay.
"The whole entire gay-rights movement is built on a faulty foundation.
That's why people such as myself are so deadly and dangerous to the gay
agenda."
This week, an estimated 750 ex-gays are attending Exodus
International's weeklong conference at First Presbyterian Church in downtown
Orlando. It's the first time in Exodus' 28-year-history the annual
conference has come to a metropolitan church, instead of a Christian-college
campus. It may have hurt attendance numbers, Chambers says, since visitors
must find their own transportation and lodging. But being in downtown
Orlando also boosts visibility.
"We're right in the center of the city," Chambers says. "We're not
going to hide."
One gay year
Exodus moved to Central Florida in January 2002, just in time for the
heated debate over Chapter 57, Orlando's ultimately successful push to add
"sexual orientation" to its anti-discrimination code. Chambers jumped right
into the fray, forming People for a United Orlando to fight the ordinance.
"As far as Exodus goes, our ministry is pastoral, [but] we're called
upon to speak in the public arena," Chambers, a graduate of Lake Howell High
School, says. "Because we're citizens of the community, we had a real
opinion to air about Chapter 57. We're called to use our story in a
political way."
Though they lost the battle - the ordinance passed in December on a
4-3 city council vote - Chambers scored some good press. In November, after
badgering the Orlando Sentinel about what he thought was one-sided coverage
of Chapter 57, the Sentinel ran a gushing 3,087-word profile of him
detailing his past life, his conversion and his politics.
The story goes like this: Raised a Southern Baptist with a
workaholic father and overbearing mother - a classic recipe for turning
queer, according to the ex-gays - Chambers was taught that homosexuality was
an abomination. Nevertheless, by his teen-age years he knew he was
attracted to men, and he knew that to act on these feelings would be sinful.
He was depressed and conflicted but told no one he was gay until he attended
a youth conference at age 18.
There a speaker announced that someone in the crowd was gay and
suicidal. Later, in private, he outed himself to the speaker and his
family. He involved himself in Winter Park-based gay counseling ministry
called Eleutheros, a local affiliate of Exodus International.
Still, Chambers had never really lived as an open, unabashed
homosexual. He'd had the occasional, anonymous sexual encounter, but it
wasn't the real deal. So he embraced his gayness, spending the next year
partying at the Parliament House and attending the Joy Metropolitan Church.
"I lived as much of the gay life as anyone can," he says. "It just
wasn't satisfying. I was seeking all I could do to change that aspect of my
life."
He straightened up and went back to Eleutheros and by 1992 became a
counselor. Eight years later, as the group's director, he changed its name
to Exchange Ministries and became one of Exodus' board members. When the
executive director retired in early 2002, Chambers applied and got the job.
Everyone's doing it
The first ex-gay group anyone can remember was called Love in Action,
founded in 1973 in California. Exodus International held its first
conference three years later, a gathering of 60 people from across the globe
associated with gay conversion. It was the beginning of a movement.
Previously, ex-gay groups weren't cohesive, taking place mainly in the
shadows of conservative churches.
"It was formed by people who had come out of homosexuality," says
Chambers, "[and had] a dissatisfaction with gay life. We believe it was
incompatible [with Christianity], but because there was no real help at the
time, the church didn't understand the issue."
Exodus faced an early setback in 1979 when two of its founders - Gary
Cooper and Michael Bussee - left their wives, declared their love for one
another and left the ministry. Thereafter Cooper and Bussee called the
ex-gay movement a fraud that perpetuated homophobia. They lived as partners
until Cooper died of AIDS in the 1990s.
In fact, leaders reverting back to homosexuality has been something
of a problem for the ex-gay movement. Exodus has seen 13 of its ministries
shut down for that reason. In 1986, Homosexuals Anonymous founder Colin
Cook admitting making lewd advances on male clients; in 2001, Courage - the
Catholic version of Exodus - founder Jeremy Marks declared that his ministry
was wrong and futile. In 2000, John Paulk, then chairman of Exodus' board
of directors, was spotted in a well-known Washington, D.C. gay bar and
forced to resign his director's job, though he remained on Exodus' board and
on the payroll of Focus on the Family.
Nonetheless, the ex-gay movement grew, especially during the '80s.
It was the same time the AIDS epidemic was riveting the gay community, but
Chambers isn't sure if there's a direct correlation.
Ex-gay ministries operated under the radar until 1998. That year, a
Christian activist named Janet Folger, backed by more than a dozen
right-wing groups, bought $600,000 worth of advertising in The New York
Times, USA Today and The Washington Post, plus six other major daily
newspapers, declaring that, "Thousands of former homosexuals can celebrate a
new life because someone cared enough to share with them the truth of God's
healing love." The ensuing media coverage - stories in Time, Newsweek, and
on "20/20" - made the question, "Can gays change?" a matter of public
discussion.
Fundamentalist Christians aren't the only ones getting in on the
action either. There's JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to
Homosexuality), the Latter-Day Saints' Evergreen International (Mormon),
Courage (Catholic), PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays), OneByOne
(Presbyterian) and NARTH (National Association for the Research and Therapy
of Homosexuality), among others.
Earlier this month, 11 of these organizations bonded together as PATH
(Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality), a coalition that seeks to bring
together secular and religious groups involved in gay therapy.
"Our goal is to work with people with unwanted same-sex attractions
and leave the political arguments out," says PATH founder Arthur Goldberg,
who also helped found JONAH five years ago. "That's our mission. Let the
rest of the world talk about the social and political world. That's not our
concern."
Nature or nurture?
For decades, fundamentalist churches taught that homosexuality was a
choice, and homosexuals who chose it were wicked, ungodly and hell-bound.
Churches showed videos such as "The Gay Agenda" and "Gay Rights, Special
Rights" that branded homosexuals vile fornicators out to recruit children to
their ranks.
Thanks in part to ex-gay groups, the tone has changed. For the most
part churches now recognize that no one "chooses" to be gay - who would
volunteer for a life of discrimination and abuse? - and homosexuality can't
be flipped off like a switch.
These days it's fashionable to believe that homosexuality stems from
early-life experiences; molestation, exposure to pornography, a distant
father, an overbearing mother or any combination therein can leave young
children - particularly young males - craving affection from members of the
same sex. Young boys who are effeminate, artistic or introverted are at
even higher risk of being gay, the thinking goes.
"I was exposed to abuse at an early age," says John Westcott, the
ex-gay director of Exchange Ministries in Winter Park, a group that averages
about 25 people at its weekly meetings and counsels more than 500 people per
year.
Like Chambers, Westcott's father was emotionally absent. By
prepubescence, he recognized his attraction to males. At 17 he was a
practicing homosexual, albeit one with a lot of guilt. "I didn't believe
that's the way I was created."
He bartended and partied regularly at the Parliament House, and in
1984, he and a male partner had a commitment ceremony, an unofficial
quasi-marriage. They bought a house and stayed together for more than seven
years. "I still wasn't happy," he says.
In 1990, Westcott met Sy Rogers, a longtime pillar of the ex-gay
community, who convinced Westcott he was wrong. "There are no such things
as homosexuals," says Westcott, who has been married to an ex-lesbian for a
decade and has three kids. "Homosexuality and lesbianism are behaviors.
[Gays are] wounded people looking for love in all the wrong places."
That is at odds with the findings of both the American Psychological
Association and the American Psychiatric Association, which took
homosexuality off their lists of disorders in the 1970s and discourage
"reparative therapy." The mental-health community doesn't think of
homosexuality as something that needs fixing.
"We haven't seen any good research studies that show effectiveness,"
says the American Psychological Association's Faberman. She calls the
theory that parental distance causes same-sex attraction "old school."
"It is looking more and more like there's some biological type of
element, plus some societal and environmental elements," she says. "It's
mentally healthy to be accepting of who you are."
Writes Robert Epstein, editor of Psychology Today, in a Jan. 1
editorial: "Others consider homosexuality to be unnatural, and they're
simply wrong. Homosexual behavior has existed throughout human history; it
exists throughout the animal kingdom; and it exists in every culture on
earth - even those that punish such behavior by death. The evidence is
overwhelming that homosexuality is at least partially genetic in origin."
Religious efforts at reversing homosexuality, like Exodus, focus
heavily on prayer and scripture. But all such programs use similar therapy
elements, aiming to get at the "source" of one's homosexuality and reconnect
the patient with his or her traditional gender role. In some programs, men
are encouraged to take up sports and hang out with tough-guy "ever
straights," while women are told to wear makeup and dresses.
Needless to say, it doesn't always work. Corey Hildebaugh went
through Exodus. He even went on a speaking trip, traveling to congregations
telling them of his journey to heterosexuality. "It was the best money I
ever made," the Lynchburg, Virginia man says now. He's since rejected
Exodus' teachings, and came referred to Orlando Weekly through Soulforce, an
organization that preaches gay tolerance in churches.
"They didn't give you specifics, all they told you was if you have
enough faith, you'll be healed," Hildebaugh says. "Force yourself to date
women. Nothing ever worked. I got despondent. I attempted suicide."
By Chambers' estimate, only 30 percent of those who seek to switch
orientations succeed. Fifty percent abandon the program. The other 20
percent, he says, go back and forth.
"I would say it's like [Alcoholics Anonymous]," Chambers says. "It's
in the 30-percent range [that] find a great degree of healing and move into
heterosexuality, single or married."
Queer science
Dr. Joseph Nicolosi is the public face of the ostensibly
nonreligious, scientific arm of the ex-gay movement. Though he's not
officially affiliated with Exodus, Chambers does refer to him as "the
foremost expert on male homosexuality."
Nicolosi's books give scientific cover to groups that believe
homosexuality is not genetic and that gays aren't entitled to equal
protections. He's a cofounder of NARTH, a research group started in 1992 in
part to counter a perceived pro-gay agenda in the psychological community.
"We heard that gay activists planned to make it unethical to treat people
who want to overcome their homosexuality," Nicolosi says. "We believe in
preserving the rights of clients." (Ultimately, the American Psychological
Association didn't issue a rule banning the therapy, but did recommend
against it.)
Nicolosi says the science is in on homosexuality, and it doesn't
support a genetic base. "The research is very clear that homosexuality is
more associated with dysfunction," he says. "It's maladaptive,
self-defeating, self-destructive behavior. [There are] greater suicide
attempts, sexual addiction, drug, alcohol and even cigarette abuse."
That's a chicken-and-egg argument, he admits, since mental-health
professionals say pressures imposed on gays by judgmental families and
churches lead to such problems. But Nicolosi counters that even as
Americans become more accepting of homosexuals, the statistics on abuse
aren't going down.
He's also an advocate of the in-and-out-hole theory. "I don't think
[homosexuality] is equal to heterosexuality," he says. "I don't need to be
made to feel like a homophobe to see the male-female design works. [With
gays] the parts don't fit."
What Nicolosi doesn't mention is the obvious fact that heterosexuals
can, and often do, have the same kinds of sex as homosexuals.
Last year, Nicolosi and his wife Linda authored the controversial
book, "A Parent's Guide To Preventing Homosexuality" which earned him
appearances on a handful of conservative TV talk shows. He urges parents to
intervene whenever they see something queer: girls playing with boys, boys
playing with dolls. Fathers need to be the strong, sports-and-engine types
to boys. Mothers shouldn't be too close. Kids need same-sex playmates, so
that traditional gender roles are reaffirmed.
To which Psychology Today editor Epstein replies, "The authors
attribute virtually all male homosexuality to poor father-son relationships,
failing to present any hard data to support their assertion and ignoring the
possibility that fathers avoid effeminate sons ... The authors also make
the naive assertion that because we all come equipped with sex organs, we
were 'designed' for heterosexuality. Tell that to the male sheep [six
percent of whom are exclusively homosexual]."
NARTH's leaders appear to have another agenda beyond saving gays. In
the past the group has led attempts to criminalize homosexuality. Nicolosi
himself, despite claiming to be "nonpartisan," regularly speaks at Focus on
the Family's "Love Won Out" conferences. Essays from Focus on the Family
analysts appear on NARTH's website. For that reason, gay-rights advocates
have long claimed it's an arm of the right wing.
Even Nicolosi admits that homosexuality is, in part, inborn; he and
the majority of the mental-health community disagree on how big a role
genetics plays. (Epstein writes that genetics is about 50 percent
responsible.)
But this is agreed upon: Behavior can be modified, especially if
someone is highly motivated. According to recent, controversial studies,
reparative therapy is sometimes successful and can produce positive changes,
in the sense that the former homosexual is happier straight.
But that doesn't necessarily mean one's orientation changes. In
fact, numerous ex-gays interviewed for this story admit that, on occasion,
they still find some men attractive, in the same way a married man may look
at a beautiful woman walking down the street.
But they don't act on it. Says Chambers: "Some [men] are still
attractive, but the sexual component is gone."
The gay agenda
If gays can change, there is still the question of whether or not
they should.
Nearly all arguments against homosexuality are based on religion;
specifically, scriptures that paint gay sex as an "abomination." Many more
liberal scholars and theologians disagree with that interpretation of these
scriptures, saying the oft-cited prohibitions on gay sex are taken out of
context, and pointing out that Jesus was utterly silent on the issue.
But religious arguments against homosexuality - and consequently, gay
rights - rest on homosexuality being changeable and nongenetic. After all,
if God created homosexuality, how could gay sex be sinful?
"A lot of the motivations are political," says Mark Senak, a
gay-and-lesbian legal expert. "They paint the issue of homosexuality into a
box of choice."
Politically, the ex-gay movement is strikingly conservative, decrying
hate-crimes laws and anti-discrimination laws as "special rights" and
protraying tolerance as a means to censor anyone against the "gay agenda."
"The only message is acceptance, acceptance, acceptance," says
Nicolosi. "A lot of people don't accept it."
In response to the Supreme Court ruling striking down sodomy laws in
nine states, including Florida, televangelist Pat Robertson began a prayer
campaign seeking the retirement of three of the court's more liberal
members. The popular right-wing webzine WorldNetDaily, started a petition
drive to impeach the six court members who voted against the sodomy laws.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a medical doctor, has publicly signed on
to a constitutional amendment pre-empting gay marriage.
The common thread is the belief that homosexuality is deviant. And
though ex-gay groups try to play down their political roles, they serve as
proof that sexual orientation can be changed.
Going through the change
Exodus spokesman Randy Thomas remembers the first moment he noticed
an orientation change. He left "the lifestyle" 11 years ago next month
because it didn't jibe with his religious convictions. For the next three
years, he kept away from men, but he wasn't attracted to women either.
One day he was watching TV and talking to a friend on the phone.
"Oh, she's pretty," he said of an actress on TV. (He won't say who.) His
friend pointed out the profundity of that comment. "It just sorta
happened," Thomas says, blushing.
He's in the hallway at First Presbyterian Church, moments before the
week-long Exodus conference begins, chaperoning a reporter and photographer
around. There are strict ground rules for the media: No interviews without
identifying yourself; no pictures without permission; no group photos that
show faces.
There are tables of merchandise in this hallway: Nicolosi's book,
James Dobson's book, Sy Rogers' video, countless other pamphlets and
paperbacks delving into every aspect of homosexuality, all from a Christian
perspective.
First up during the church service that night is a family of singing
sisters, welcoming the 400 or so gathering in the sanctuary Monday night.
"They did an awesome job," says Matthew Walker, the emcee. "And they have
great skin.
Next up: Vicki Vargo. The Orlando city commissioner delivers a
proclamation praising Exodus for "sharing the love of Jesus" and welcoming
the group to the city. She declares it "Exodus International Day."
After 45 minutes of worship, a husband-and-wife drama team performs a
10-minute skit outlining the ridiculous notions many church members have
about the gay community. It's the perfect segue for Chambers' speech.
The Exodus leader starts by thanking First Presbyterian, which "will
be hammered by the city, by the media, by the people who don't think we
ought to be here this week."
Then, Chambers proclaims the week's theme: Exodus will no longer
exist in the shadows. "That's not OK anymore. That's not where Exodus is
going to stay anymore. We belong here, we are the church. We're not going
anywhere but forward."
Washington Post, July 24, 2003
1150 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20071
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37192-2003Jul23.html
Anglican Conservatives Warn of 'Realignment'
U.S. Episcopalians May Confirm Gay Bishop
By Alan Cooperman, Washington Post Staff Writer
After a two-day strategy session in Virginia, 60 conservative
Anglican leaders from around the world warned yesterday that there will be a
"dramatic realignment" in their church if U.S. Episcopalians confirm a gay
priest as bishop and approve ceremonies blessing same-sex couples.
The church leaders, including 15 U.S. bishops and five archbishops
from foreign countries, met behind closed doors at Truro Episcopal Church in
Fairfax to try to devise a strategy for a looming confrontation over gay
issues at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church July 30-Aug. 8 in
Minneapolis.
The convention is scheduled to vote on whether to accept the election
of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, who was chosen by Episcopalians in New
Hampshire last month as their new bishop. Robinson, 56, is living in a
13-year committed relationship with another man, whom he met two years after
an amicable divorce.
Delegates to the convention also will vote on a proposal to develop
an official liturgy for blessing same-sex unions, a resolution that narrowly
failed at the last General Convention three years ago.
At a news conference yesterday, the conservative leaders stopped
short of threatening that approval of Robinson's election and same-sex
unions would cause a "schism" in the worldwide Anglican Communion, a family
of 38 regional and national churches in 164 countries with 75 million
members, including 2.3 million Episcopalians in the United States.
They spoke instead of a realignment in which some U.S. parishes might
break away from their dioceses, refuse to recognize the authority of their
bishops and refuse to pay assessments to the U.S. church. Archbishop Peter
Jensen of Sydney, Australia, cited the example of the Canadian diocese of
New Westminster, where nine parishes have banded together to declare
independence from the diocese since it began celebrating same-sex unions in
May.
By speaking of a realignment instead of a schism, the conservatives
said they were emphasizing that parishes that remain faithful to traditional
teachings against homosexuality are not breaking away from the church.
Rather, in their view, such parishes are remaining inside the mainstream of
the Anglican Communion.
"Most of the primates of the Communion may not be here physically,
but they are with us in spirit," said Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria,
referring to the heads of the 38 national and regional churches.
In a letter to all 38 primates yesterday, the titular head of the
Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, weighed in on
the conservatives' side. While he did not state a position on homosexuality
in general or the specific questions coming before the General Convention,
Williams stressed the importance of unity in the worldwide church.
"What makes this a significant time in the Communion is that a number
of the choices faced by various provinces are choices that will clearly take
us either nearer real communion or further from it," he wrote.
Earlier this year, a gay priest was chosen as a bishop in a British
diocese. But after a six-hour meeting with Williams, the Rev. Jeffrey John
withdrew his name on July 6 "in view of the damage my consecration might
cause to the unity of our church."
On the other hand, the presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church,
Frank T. Griswold, wrote to his fellow primates this week saying they have a
"sacred obligation" to stay together despite disagreements over sexuality.
Griswold indicated support for Robinson, saying that although his
election is "profoundly disturbing" to some Episcopalians, it "is not
surprising given that increasingly in our part of the world there is an
acknowledgement that some men and women find that their deepest affections
are ordered to members of the same sex."
In recent decades, schisms have been threatened many times in the
Episcopal Church, including over the ordination of women in 1975, the first
female bishop in 1989 and the dismissal in 1996 of heresy charges against a
bishop who ordained a gay priest. Some individuals and parishes have joined
the Roman Catholic Church, and some have switched their loyalty to orthodox
Anglican bishops overseas. But no major schism has occurred.
Conservative leaders declined yesterday to say exactly what they will
do if they lose the key votes at the General Convention. "This is a
strategy, and it involves an element of surprise," said Kendall S. Harmon, a
canon theologian in the diocese of South Carolina.
unions are not legal until federal law is in place, they argue
2. ORLANDO WEEKLY Healthier, happier and heterosexual: Christian crusade
to de-gay the world
3. WASHINGTON POST Anglican Conservatives Warn of 'Realignment'; U.S.
Episcopalians May Confirm Gay Bishop
Ottawa Citizen, July 24, 2003
1101 Baxter Road, Box 5020, Ottawa, Ontario K2C 3M4 Canada
(E-Mail: letters@thecitizen.southam.ca )( http://www.ottawacitizen.com )
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=A9D00C10-00A4-49C0-A66B-7DB776207E8E
8 provinces refuse to allow gay marriage
Same-sex unions not legal until federal law in place, they argue
Janice Tibbetts, The Ottawa Citizen
Eight provinces are rejecting Justice Minister Martin Cauchon's call
to approve same-sex marriages immediately, with some arguing that they would
be breaking the law to allow gay weddings before new federal legislation is
in place.
"Our legal analysis is that we are bound by the current federal
definition of law and should we start issuing marriage licences in advance,
they would not be legal documents," said Riva Harrison, communications
director for the Manitoba Justice Department, summing up concerns echoed by
officials in Quebec and Saskatchewan.
"You would be leading people into the legal belief that their
marriage is legal, only to find out upon a court challenge that in absence
of the federal law being implemented, they don't have the legal grounds that
they thought they would have."
The federal government, which is responsible for deciding who can wed
in Canada, wants to change the definition of marriage to include gays and
lesbians. The bill has been sent to the Supreme Court of Canada for
constitutional vetting before there is a vote in Parliament.
Mr. Cauchon, in the meantime, called on provinces to begin allowing
gay marriage immediately. Only Ontario and British Columbia are doing so,
in keeping with court rulings from the highest courts in those provinces
ordering a change in law. No other province plans to allow gay marriage
until the the federal legislation passes, according to interviews yesterday.
Provincial governments have a stake in the process because they are
responsible for the "solemnization" of marriage, including licences and
registration.
In Quebec, the issue is still before the Quebec Court of Appeal, so
the province would be jumping the gun to proceed with gay marriage in the
meantime, said a Justice Department spokeswoman in Quebec City.
In interviews, Justice Department spokespeople denounced Mr.
Cauchon's request as "perplexing" and "peculiar."
Patrick Charette, a spokesman for Mr. Cauchon, said that it is up to
the provinces to make their own decisions for the time being, but ultimately
they will be forced to comply.
"It is up to each province and territory to seek their own legal
advice and make their own decision until there's a bill passed in
Parliament," he said. "It's their area of expertise."
He could not comment on whether the federal government believes there
are legal grounds for the provinces to make changes in advance of new
legislation.
A constitutional law professor at University of Ottawa said he does
not buy the provincial argument, particularly since there is a remote chance
that the Supreme Court and Parliament will reject same-sex marriage.
"I do not see why the provinces cannot go ahead," said Errol Mendes.
"I think this is more political that legal. They want to be seen to be
forced into it instead of taking leadership."
John Sousar, a spokesman for the Nova Scotia Justice Department,
acknowledged that a "complication" is that the province is in the middle of
an election campaign and the Tory government doesn't want same-sex marriage
to become an issue.
Orlando Weekly, July 24, 2003
111 W. Jefferson Street., Suite 200, Orlando, FL, 32801
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( http://orlandoweekly.com )
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/story.asp?ID=4033
Healthier, happier and heterosexual
By Jeffrey C. Billman
Alan Chambers is impeccably dressed. Freshly shined black loafers,
no socks, a spotless white dress shirt tucked into unwrinkled, unfaded blue
jeans. Not one of his closely cropped hairs is out of place; he wears no
stubble. He has soft, almost glowing baby blue eyes and, if you look
closely enough, long, neat eyelashes. Perhaps because he's graying,
Chambers looks older than his 31 years.
He sits, legs crossed, on a park bench in the breezeway of the
downtown First Presbyterian Church, patiently enduring a photo shoot and
talking alternately with his wife, an aide and an Orlando Weekly writer.
His wife, Leslie, joins him on the bench, resting her hand on his leg.
They've been married five years, but have no kids. "We're trying,"
Chambers explains. "Fertility issues."
He's quite used to sharing intimate details of his life with
strangers. Openness comes with the job.
For nearly two years, Chambers has been executive director of Winter
Park-based Exodus International North America, the largest "ex-gay" group in
the world. Chambers, like thousands of Exodus members, was once gay. But
now, thanks to help from God, he's healthier, happier and heterosexual.
Exodus is an umbrella organization of 140 ex-gay ministries in North
America, and 35 others in 17 countries throughout the world. The
organization's North American headquarters moved here from Seattle last year
at Chambers' insistence. "Orlando is a haven for Christian organizations,"
says spokesman Randy Thomas. "The body of Christ here is a lot more
accepting of our redemptive message."
That, and the fact that Exodus saved enough in taxes to hire another
staff member, giving it eight locally. And Chambers didn't have to move.
Exodus is based on the premise that homosexuality is not genetic and
immutable. With prayer and therapy, gays can straighten up. Exodus claims
to have helped tens of thousands of men and women do just that.
It's a highly controversial concept. For three decades, American
mental-health professionals have largely discounted the notion that
homosexuality is a disorder and dismissed claims that it can be cured.
"We do not see [the evidence] when it comes to reparative therapy,"
says Rhea Farberman, communications director for the American Psychological
Association. "There's some evidence that [reparative therapy] could be
harmful. It could be harmful to a person's own psyche."
The question of whether gays can or should change aside, the
political subtext of Exodus is what makes the group a lightning rod: If
gays can change, homosexuality is not genetic. If homosexuality isn't
genetic, then gays aren't entitled to the same equal-rights protections as
other minority groups.
On the other hand, if homosexuality is genetic and natural, the
arguments against same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination laws crumble.
In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down sodomy laws and an
expected fight over same-sex marriage, gay rights have again become the
topic du jour. And whether they want to or not - and many don't - ex-gays
are poised to take center stage in the culture war.
"I am living proof that a person's homosexuality is not innate," says
Stephen Bennett, a Connecticut-based evangelist and self-proclaimed ex-gay.
"The whole entire gay-rights movement is built on a faulty foundation.
That's why people such as myself are so deadly and dangerous to the gay
agenda."
This week, an estimated 750 ex-gays are attending Exodus
International's weeklong conference at First Presbyterian Church in downtown
Orlando. It's the first time in Exodus' 28-year-history the annual
conference has come to a metropolitan church, instead of a Christian-college
campus. It may have hurt attendance numbers, Chambers says, since visitors
must find their own transportation and lodging. But being in downtown
Orlando also boosts visibility.
"We're right in the center of the city," Chambers says. "We're not
going to hide."
One gay year
Exodus moved to Central Florida in January 2002, just in time for the
heated debate over Chapter 57, Orlando's ultimately successful push to add
"sexual orientation" to its anti-discrimination code. Chambers jumped right
into the fray, forming People for a United Orlando to fight the ordinance.
"As far as Exodus goes, our ministry is pastoral, [but] we're called
upon to speak in the public arena," Chambers, a graduate of Lake Howell High
School, says. "Because we're citizens of the community, we had a real
opinion to air about Chapter 57. We're called to use our story in a
political way."
Though they lost the battle - the ordinance passed in December on a
4-3 city council vote - Chambers scored some good press. In November, after
badgering the Orlando Sentinel about what he thought was one-sided coverage
of Chapter 57, the Sentinel ran a gushing 3,087-word profile of him
detailing his past life, his conversion and his politics.
The story goes like this: Raised a Southern Baptist with a
workaholic father and overbearing mother - a classic recipe for turning
queer, according to the ex-gays - Chambers was taught that homosexuality was
an abomination. Nevertheless, by his teen-age years he knew he was
attracted to men, and he knew that to act on these feelings would be sinful.
He was depressed and conflicted but told no one he was gay until he attended
a youth conference at age 18.
There a speaker announced that someone in the crowd was gay and
suicidal. Later, in private, he outed himself to the speaker and his
family. He involved himself in Winter Park-based gay counseling ministry
called Eleutheros, a local affiliate of Exodus International.
Still, Chambers had never really lived as an open, unabashed
homosexual. He'd had the occasional, anonymous sexual encounter, but it
wasn't the real deal. So he embraced his gayness, spending the next year
partying at the Parliament House and attending the Joy Metropolitan Church.
"I lived as much of the gay life as anyone can," he says. "It just
wasn't satisfying. I was seeking all I could do to change that aspect of my
life."
He straightened up and went back to Eleutheros and by 1992 became a
counselor. Eight years later, as the group's director, he changed its name
to Exchange Ministries and became one of Exodus' board members. When the
executive director retired in early 2002, Chambers applied and got the job.
Everyone's doing it
The first ex-gay group anyone can remember was called Love in Action,
founded in 1973 in California. Exodus International held its first
conference three years later, a gathering of 60 people from across the globe
associated with gay conversion. It was the beginning of a movement.
Previously, ex-gay groups weren't cohesive, taking place mainly in the
shadows of conservative churches.
"It was formed by people who had come out of homosexuality," says
Chambers, "[and had] a dissatisfaction with gay life. We believe it was
incompatible [with Christianity], but because there was no real help at the
time, the church didn't understand the issue."
Exodus faced an early setback in 1979 when two of its founders - Gary
Cooper and Michael Bussee - left their wives, declared their love for one
another and left the ministry. Thereafter Cooper and Bussee called the
ex-gay movement a fraud that perpetuated homophobia. They lived as partners
until Cooper died of AIDS in the 1990s.
In fact, leaders reverting back to homosexuality has been something
of a problem for the ex-gay movement. Exodus has seen 13 of its ministries
shut down for that reason. In 1986, Homosexuals Anonymous founder Colin
Cook admitting making lewd advances on male clients; in 2001, Courage - the
Catholic version of Exodus - founder Jeremy Marks declared that his ministry
was wrong and futile. In 2000, John Paulk, then chairman of Exodus' board
of directors, was spotted in a well-known Washington, D.C. gay bar and
forced to resign his director's job, though he remained on Exodus' board and
on the payroll of Focus on the Family.
Nonetheless, the ex-gay movement grew, especially during the '80s.
It was the same time the AIDS epidemic was riveting the gay community, but
Chambers isn't sure if there's a direct correlation.
Ex-gay ministries operated under the radar until 1998. That year, a
Christian activist named Janet Folger, backed by more than a dozen
right-wing groups, bought $600,000 worth of advertising in The New York
Times, USA Today and The Washington Post, plus six other major daily
newspapers, declaring that, "Thousands of former homosexuals can celebrate a
new life because someone cared enough to share with them the truth of God's
healing love." The ensuing media coverage - stories in Time, Newsweek, and
on "20/20" - made the question, "Can gays change?" a matter of public
discussion.
Fundamentalist Christians aren't the only ones getting in on the
action either. There's JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to
Homosexuality), the Latter-Day Saints' Evergreen International (Mormon),
Courage (Catholic), PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays), OneByOne
(Presbyterian) and NARTH (National Association for the Research and Therapy
of Homosexuality), among others.
Earlier this month, 11 of these organizations bonded together as PATH
(Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality), a coalition that seeks to bring
together secular and religious groups involved in gay therapy.
"Our goal is to work with people with unwanted same-sex attractions
and leave the political arguments out," says PATH founder Arthur Goldberg,
who also helped found JONAH five years ago. "That's our mission. Let the
rest of the world talk about the social and political world. That's not our
concern."
Nature or nurture?
For decades, fundamentalist churches taught that homosexuality was a
choice, and homosexuals who chose it were wicked, ungodly and hell-bound.
Churches showed videos such as "The Gay Agenda" and "Gay Rights, Special
Rights" that branded homosexuals vile fornicators out to recruit children to
their ranks.
Thanks in part to ex-gay groups, the tone has changed. For the most
part churches now recognize that no one "chooses" to be gay - who would
volunteer for a life of discrimination and abuse? - and homosexuality can't
be flipped off like a switch.
These days it's fashionable to believe that homosexuality stems from
early-life experiences; molestation, exposure to pornography, a distant
father, an overbearing mother or any combination therein can leave young
children - particularly young males - craving affection from members of the
same sex. Young boys who are effeminate, artistic or introverted are at
even higher risk of being gay, the thinking goes.
"I was exposed to abuse at an early age," says John Westcott, the
ex-gay director of Exchange Ministries in Winter Park, a group that averages
about 25 people at its weekly meetings and counsels more than 500 people per
year.
Like Chambers, Westcott's father was emotionally absent. By
prepubescence, he recognized his attraction to males. At 17 he was a
practicing homosexual, albeit one with a lot of guilt. "I didn't believe
that's the way I was created."
He bartended and partied regularly at the Parliament House, and in
1984, he and a male partner had a commitment ceremony, an unofficial
quasi-marriage. They bought a house and stayed together for more than seven
years. "I still wasn't happy," he says.
In 1990, Westcott met Sy Rogers, a longtime pillar of the ex-gay
community, who convinced Westcott he was wrong. "There are no such things
as homosexuals," says Westcott, who has been married to an ex-lesbian for a
decade and has three kids. "Homosexuality and lesbianism are behaviors.
[Gays are] wounded people looking for love in all the wrong places."
That is at odds with the findings of both the American Psychological
Association and the American Psychiatric Association, which took
homosexuality off their lists of disorders in the 1970s and discourage
"reparative therapy." The mental-health community doesn't think of
homosexuality as something that needs fixing.
"We haven't seen any good research studies that show effectiveness,"
says the American Psychological Association's Faberman. She calls the
theory that parental distance causes same-sex attraction "old school."
"It is looking more and more like there's some biological type of
element, plus some societal and environmental elements," she says. "It's
mentally healthy to be accepting of who you are."
Writes Robert Epstein, editor of Psychology Today, in a Jan. 1
editorial: "Others consider homosexuality to be unnatural, and they're
simply wrong. Homosexual behavior has existed throughout human history; it
exists throughout the animal kingdom; and it exists in every culture on
earth - even those that punish such behavior by death. The evidence is
overwhelming that homosexuality is at least partially genetic in origin."
Religious efforts at reversing homosexuality, like Exodus, focus
heavily on prayer and scripture. But all such programs use similar therapy
elements, aiming to get at the "source" of one's homosexuality and reconnect
the patient with his or her traditional gender role. In some programs, men
are encouraged to take up sports and hang out with tough-guy "ever
straights," while women are told to wear makeup and dresses.
Needless to say, it doesn't always work. Corey Hildebaugh went
through Exodus. He even went on a speaking trip, traveling to congregations
telling them of his journey to heterosexuality. "It was the best money I
ever made," the Lynchburg, Virginia man says now. He's since rejected
Exodus' teachings, and came referred to Orlando Weekly through Soulforce, an
organization that preaches gay tolerance in churches.
"They didn't give you specifics, all they told you was if you have
enough faith, you'll be healed," Hildebaugh says. "Force yourself to date
women. Nothing ever worked. I got despondent. I attempted suicide."
By Chambers' estimate, only 30 percent of those who seek to switch
orientations succeed. Fifty percent abandon the program. The other 20
percent, he says, go back and forth.
"I would say it's like [Alcoholics Anonymous]," Chambers says. "It's
in the 30-percent range [that] find a great degree of healing and move into
heterosexuality, single or married."
Queer science
Dr. Joseph Nicolosi is the public face of the ostensibly
nonreligious, scientific arm of the ex-gay movement. Though he's not
officially affiliated with Exodus, Chambers does refer to him as "the
foremost expert on male homosexuality."
Nicolosi's books give scientific cover to groups that believe
homosexuality is not genetic and that gays aren't entitled to equal
protections. He's a cofounder of NARTH, a research group started in 1992 in
part to counter a perceived pro-gay agenda in the psychological community.
"We heard that gay activists planned to make it unethical to treat people
who want to overcome their homosexuality," Nicolosi says. "We believe in
preserving the rights of clients." (Ultimately, the American Psychological
Association didn't issue a rule banning the therapy, but did recommend
against it.)
Nicolosi says the science is in on homosexuality, and it doesn't
support a genetic base. "The research is very clear that homosexuality is
more associated with dysfunction," he says. "It's maladaptive,
self-defeating, self-destructive behavior. [There are] greater suicide
attempts, sexual addiction, drug, alcohol and even cigarette abuse."
That's a chicken-and-egg argument, he admits, since mental-health
professionals say pressures imposed on gays by judgmental families and
churches lead to such problems. But Nicolosi counters that even as
Americans become more accepting of homosexuals, the statistics on abuse
aren't going down.
He's also an advocate of the in-and-out-hole theory. "I don't think
[homosexuality] is equal to heterosexuality," he says. "I don't need to be
made to feel like a homophobe to see the male-female design works. [With
gays] the parts don't fit."
What Nicolosi doesn't mention is the obvious fact that heterosexuals
can, and often do, have the same kinds of sex as homosexuals.
Last year, Nicolosi and his wife Linda authored the controversial
book, "A Parent's Guide To Preventing Homosexuality" which earned him
appearances on a handful of conservative TV talk shows. He urges parents to
intervene whenever they see something queer: girls playing with boys, boys
playing with dolls. Fathers need to be the strong, sports-and-engine types
to boys. Mothers shouldn't be too close. Kids need same-sex playmates, so
that traditional gender roles are reaffirmed.
To which Psychology Today editor Epstein replies, "The authors
attribute virtually all male homosexuality to poor father-son relationships,
failing to present any hard data to support their assertion and ignoring the
possibility that fathers avoid effeminate sons ... The authors also make
the naive assertion that because we all come equipped with sex organs, we
were 'designed' for heterosexuality. Tell that to the male sheep [six
percent of whom are exclusively homosexual]."
NARTH's leaders appear to have another agenda beyond saving gays. In
the past the group has led attempts to criminalize homosexuality. Nicolosi
himself, despite claiming to be "nonpartisan," regularly speaks at Focus on
the Family's "Love Won Out" conferences. Essays from Focus on the Family
analysts appear on NARTH's website. For that reason, gay-rights advocates
have long claimed it's an arm of the right wing.
Even Nicolosi admits that homosexuality is, in part, inborn; he and
the majority of the mental-health community disagree on how big a role
genetics plays. (Epstein writes that genetics is about 50 percent
responsible.)
But this is agreed upon: Behavior can be modified, especially if
someone is highly motivated. According to recent, controversial studies,
reparative therapy is sometimes successful and can produce positive changes,
in the sense that the former homosexual is happier straight.
But that doesn't necessarily mean one's orientation changes. In
fact, numerous ex-gays interviewed for this story admit that, on occasion,
they still find some men attractive, in the same way a married man may look
at a beautiful woman walking down the street.
But they don't act on it. Says Chambers: "Some [men] are still
attractive, but the sexual component is gone."
The gay agenda
If gays can change, there is still the question of whether or not
they should.
Nearly all arguments against homosexuality are based on religion;
specifically, scriptures that paint gay sex as an "abomination." Many more
liberal scholars and theologians disagree with that interpretation of these
scriptures, saying the oft-cited prohibitions on gay sex are taken out of
context, and pointing out that Jesus was utterly silent on the issue.
But religious arguments against homosexuality - and consequently, gay
rights - rest on homosexuality being changeable and nongenetic. After all,
if God created homosexuality, how could gay sex be sinful?
"A lot of the motivations are political," says Mark Senak, a
gay-and-lesbian legal expert. "They paint the issue of homosexuality into a
box of choice."
Politically, the ex-gay movement is strikingly conservative, decrying
hate-crimes laws and anti-discrimination laws as "special rights" and
protraying tolerance as a means to censor anyone against the "gay agenda."
"The only message is acceptance, acceptance, acceptance," says
Nicolosi. "A lot of people don't accept it."
In response to the Supreme Court ruling striking down sodomy laws in
nine states, including Florida, televangelist Pat Robertson began a prayer
campaign seeking the retirement of three of the court's more liberal
members. The popular right-wing webzine WorldNetDaily, started a petition
drive to impeach the six court members who voted against the sodomy laws.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a medical doctor, has publicly signed on
to a constitutional amendment pre-empting gay marriage.
The common thread is the belief that homosexuality is deviant. And
though ex-gay groups try to play down their political roles, they serve as
proof that sexual orientation can be changed.
Going through the change
Exodus spokesman Randy Thomas remembers the first moment he noticed
an orientation change. He left "the lifestyle" 11 years ago next month
because it didn't jibe with his religious convictions. For the next three
years, he kept away from men, but he wasn't attracted to women either.
One day he was watching TV and talking to a friend on the phone.
"Oh, she's pretty," he said of an actress on TV. (He won't say who.) His
friend pointed out the profundity of that comment. "It just sorta
happened," Thomas says, blushing.
He's in the hallway at First Presbyterian Church, moments before the
week-long Exodus conference begins, chaperoning a reporter and photographer
around. There are strict ground rules for the media: No interviews without
identifying yourself; no pictures without permission; no group photos that
show faces.
There are tables of merchandise in this hallway: Nicolosi's book,
James Dobson's book, Sy Rogers' video, countless other pamphlets and
paperbacks delving into every aspect of homosexuality, all from a Christian
perspective.
First up during the church service that night is a family of singing
sisters, welcoming the 400 or so gathering in the sanctuary Monday night.
"They did an awesome job," says Matthew Walker, the emcee. "And they have
great skin.
Next up: Vicki Vargo. The Orlando city commissioner delivers a
proclamation praising Exodus for "sharing the love of Jesus" and welcoming
the group to the city. She declares it "Exodus International Day."
After 45 minutes of worship, a husband-and-wife drama team performs a
10-minute skit outlining the ridiculous notions many church members have
about the gay community. It's the perfect segue for Chambers' speech.
The Exodus leader starts by thanking First Presbyterian, which "will
be hammered by the city, by the media, by the people who don't think we
ought to be here this week."
Then, Chambers proclaims the week's theme: Exodus will no longer
exist in the shadows. "That's not OK anymore. That's not where Exodus is
going to stay anymore. We belong here, we are the church. We're not going
anywhere but forward."
Washington Post, July 24, 2003
1150 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20071
(E-Mail: letterstoed@washpost.com )( http://washingtonpost.com/ )
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37192-2003Jul23.html
Anglican Conservatives Warn of 'Realignment'
U.S. Episcopalians May Confirm Gay Bishop
By Alan Cooperman, Washington Post Staff Writer
After a two-day strategy session in Virginia, 60 conservative
Anglican leaders from around the world warned yesterday that there will be a
"dramatic realignment" in their church if U.S. Episcopalians confirm a gay
priest as bishop and approve ceremonies blessing same-sex couples.
The church leaders, including 15 U.S. bishops and five archbishops
from foreign countries, met behind closed doors at Truro Episcopal Church in
Fairfax to try to devise a strategy for a looming confrontation over gay
issues at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church July 30-Aug. 8 in
Minneapolis.
The convention is scheduled to vote on whether to accept the election
of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, who was chosen by Episcopalians in New
Hampshire last month as their new bishop. Robinson, 56, is living in a
13-year committed relationship with another man, whom he met two years after
an amicable divorce.
Delegates to the convention also will vote on a proposal to develop
an official liturgy for blessing same-sex unions, a resolution that narrowly
failed at the last General Convention three years ago.
At a news conference yesterday, the conservative leaders stopped
short of threatening that approval of Robinson's election and same-sex
unions would cause a "schism" in the worldwide Anglican Communion, a family
of 38 regional and national churches in 164 countries with 75 million
members, including 2.3 million Episcopalians in the United States.
They spoke instead of a realignment in which some U.S. parishes might
break away from their dioceses, refuse to recognize the authority of their
bishops and refuse to pay assessments to the U.S. church. Archbishop Peter
Jensen of Sydney, Australia, cited the example of the Canadian diocese of
New Westminster, where nine parishes have banded together to declare
independence from the diocese since it began celebrating same-sex unions in
May.
By speaking of a realignment instead of a schism, the conservatives
said they were emphasizing that parishes that remain faithful to traditional
teachings against homosexuality are not breaking away from the church.
Rather, in their view, such parishes are remaining inside the mainstream of
the Anglican Communion.
"Most of the primates of the Communion may not be here physically,
but they are with us in spirit," said Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria,
referring to the heads of the 38 national and regional churches.
In a letter to all 38 primates yesterday, the titular head of the
Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, weighed in on
the conservatives' side. While he did not state a position on homosexuality
in general or the specific questions coming before the General Convention,
Williams stressed the importance of unity in the worldwide church.
"What makes this a significant time in the Communion is that a number
of the choices faced by various provinces are choices that will clearly take
us either nearer real communion or further from it," he wrote.
Earlier this year, a gay priest was chosen as a bishop in a British
diocese. But after a six-hour meeting with Williams, the Rev. Jeffrey John
withdrew his name on July 6 "in view of the damage my consecration might
cause to the unity of our church."
On the other hand, the presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church,
Frank T. Griswold, wrote to his fellow primates this week saying they have a
"sacred obligation" to stay together despite disagreements over sexuality.
Griswold indicated support for Robinson, saying that although his
election is "profoundly disturbing" to some Episcopalians, it "is not
surprising given that increasingly in our part of the world there is an
acknowledgement that some men and women find that their deepest affections
are ordered to members of the same sex."
In recent decades, schisms have been threatened many times in the
Episcopal Church, including over the ordination of women in 1975, the first
female bishop in 1989 and the dismissal in 1996 of heresy charges against a
bishop who ordained a gay priest. Some individuals and parishes have joined
the Roman Catholic Church, and some have switched their loyalty to orthodox
Anglican bishops overseas. But no major schism has occurred.
Conservative leaders declined yesterday to say exactly what they will
do if they lose the key votes at the General Convention. "This is a
strategy, and it involves an element of surprise," said Kendall S. Harmon, a
canon theologian in the diocese of South Carolina.
National report sheds light on domestic violence, Austin minister is targeted by anti-gay lawyer , California Recall of Gov Gray Davis Threatens Gays
1. KANSAS CITY STAR National report sheds light on domestic violence in
gay community
2. AUSTIN CHRONICLE (Texas) Austin minister is targeted by anti-gay
campaign of lawyer Paul Rolf Jensen
3. 365GAY.COM California Recall of Gov. Gray Davis Threatens Gay
Legislation
Kansas City Star, July 24, 2003
1729 Grand Avenue, Kansas City, MO, 64108
(Fax: 816-234-4926 ) (E-Mail: letters@kcstar.com )
( http://www.kcstar.com/ )
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/6369820.htm
National report sheds light on domestic violence in gay community
By Mary Sanchez, The Kansas City Star
Domestic violence is a hidden and unaddressed problem in the gay and
lesbian communities and is as common as it is among heterosexual couples.
A national study released Wednesday also found that a lack of
training among police and workers at domestic violence shelters contributes
to keeping the issue in the dark.
"There remains an extraordinary lack of awareness and level of denial
about the existence of this type of violence," according to a report by the
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.
The New York-based organization for seven years has researched
violence committed either against or within the lesbian, gay, or bisexual
communities and transgender and HIV-positive people.
The coalition's latest report tracked domestic violence incidents in
2002 and found more than 5,000 cases, including four murders. Incidents
documented by the report showed only a slight increase of 58 cases from
2001. But several reporting agencies had cut back on services, the
coalition noted.
The statistics - thought to represent a fraction of the incidents -
were gathered from 14 agencies in 10 states.
Information from the Kansas City area will be included in next year's
report. The Kansas City Anti-Violence Project, which was formed last month,
will submit data, said Doug Riley, executive director of the Kansas City
group.
"It's not like it's a secret thing," Riley said of domestic abuse in
the gay and lesbian communities. "It's a fall through the cracks thing. No
one knows how to help these people."
Homophobia and disbelief that domestic violence occurs among gays
helps create "an atmosphere in which visibility and knowledge about this
issue is minimal and survivors experience extreme isolation," the report
found.
Various studies have estimated partner abuse among homosexual males
ranges from 12 percent to 36 percent, which is roughly comparable to the
levels of domestic violence among heterosexual women.
Advocates for Kansas City's gay community acknowledged that domestic
violence has long been a frustrating issue because of the lack of services
available.
"We often hear horrific and sad stories," said Jamie Rich, director
of the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Greater Kansas City.
Homosexuals give the same excuses used by heterosexual victims for
their bruises and scars, Rich said.
"People will say, 'I slipped and fell' or call themselves 'accident
prone,' " he said.
The new Kansas City organization, which recently joined the Missouri
Coalition Against Domestic Violence, hopes to create a crisis hot line and
support groups.
Kansas City police officers are trained to handle domestic violence
regardless of gender and determine the "primary aggressor" in situations,
Capt. Rich Lockhart said.
"Gay, straight or lesbian, it doesn't matter, there is a dependency
on the person who is the abuser and that dependency often overlooks all the
violence that is taking place," Lockhart said.
Part of the problem, gay advocates note, is that domestic violence
shelters and programs have largely been set up for heterosexual women
fleeing abusive boyfriends or husbands. The issue of men who are abused -
gay and straight - is not addressed by many shelters. Gay men often are
told their only option for emergency housing is a homeless shelter.
"If a man calls or a man shows up at the (shelter) door, it is batten
down the hatches for safety's sake," said Rachel Baum, associate director of
the National Coalition. "It is always assumed that the man is the abuser."
Baum knows of no shelters set up to help homosexuals and transgender
clients. A shelter in New York, however, has some beds set aside for male
clients.
But several shelters in Kansas City said they have long offered
assistance to lesbians and do outreach work with the homosexual community.
Lisa Fleming, director of operations at the Rose Brooks Center, said
that 96 percent of the 14,400 calls to the domestic violence hot line last
year in Kansas City were from women. Only 4 percent were from men.
Fleming said one reason may be that gays and lesbians are unaware
that the shelters also are willing to help them.
Sharon Katz, executive director of Safehome, which serves Johnson
County, said help with orders of protection, counseling and other services
(except for emergency housing for men), are available to everyone,
regardless of sexual orientation.
"The same power and control issues are there regardless of the
gender," Katz said. "It is the same problem."
Yet gay people also confront issues that heterosexual domestic
violence victims do not face, the coalition's report found.
For example, victims can be threatened with being "outed" by their
abuser. Others are reluctant to seek a court order of protection for fear
of revealing their sexual orientation.
The presence of HIV infection or AIDS in either partner can affect
the abuse, the report said. An HIV-abuser, for example, may threaten that
they will become ill or die if the partner ends the relationship.
Little research exists about the problem.
One study, based on more than 2,800 interviews of gay men in San
Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, was published in December in
the American Journal of Public Health.
That study found violence between intimate male partners has been
"virtually ignored as a public health problem." About 34 percent had
suffered psychological/symbolic battering, 22 percent physical battering and
5 percent sexual battering.
. To reach Mary Sanchez, call (816) 234-4752 or send e-mail to
msanchez@kcstar.com.
. For information: Information about the Kansas City Anti-Violence
Project can be found at www.kcavp.org. Information about the national
project and the 2002 report can be found at www.avp.org.
Austin Chronicle, July 25, 2003
PO Box 49066, Austin, TX, 78765
(Fax: 512-458-6910) (E-Mail: mail@auschron.com )
( http://www.auschron.com )
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-07-25/pols_feature6.html
Austin Minister Targeted by Anti-Gay Campaign
By Amy Smith
Every Sunday, members of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church pray for a
bicoastal lawyer who has mounted a fire-and-brimstone crusade against their
pastor, the Rev. James Rigby, for being an ally of gays and lesbians.
The lawyer and complaining witness, Paul Rolf Jensen, appear to have
turned a campaign against homosexuality into a full-time job. Last month,
Jensen succeeded in ousting a Cincinnati pastor from the Presbyterian
ministry for marrying same-sex couples. Jensen, who has addresses in
Virginia and California, has filed similar allegations against other church
leaders, and Rigby, a longtime friend of progressive causes, is the latest
to land on Jensen's hit list.
Jensen alleges that Rigby violated the church's Book of Order when he
ordained Suze Miller, an out lesbian, to the position of elder at the North
Austin church. Jensen could not be reached at press time and did not
respond to an e-mail seeking comment, but in a June 10 letter to Rigby, he
accused the pastor of violating church laws by knowingly ordaining "an
unrepentant self-proclaimed, practicing homosexual" to the position of
elder. Jensen also reminded Rigby of a similar complaint that he filed with
the Presbyterian Church (USA) - the Vatican of U.S. Presbyterians û which
ultimately led to last month's expulsion in Cincinnati of the Rev. Steve Van
Kuiken. And Rigby, Jensen's letter pointed out, could go the way of Van
Kuiken if the church's governing body so deems.
Rigby's response? Bring it on. The pastor, who also serves on the
boards of the Texas Freedom Network and SafePlace, says he welcomes the
opportunity to challenge Jensen's accusations. Moreover, Rigby says he has
received calls from other lawyers across the country eager to fight this
battle on a pro bono basis. "This will give people an opportunity to
express solidarity ... to come forward and say, 'We really don't want
prejudice in the church.' And to me, there really is no question that this
is bigotry."
Miller, whose recent ordination as elder started Jensen on his latest
crusade, laughs at the irony of finding herself in the middle of what has
become a national controversy in the Presbyterian Church. "My only surprise
is that he named me," she said, referring to her typically low-key,
low-profile demeanor. "My partner, Babs Miller, is the politically active
one." (Babs Miller - their shared last name is coincidental - is a
nonordained Presbyterian minister who co-founded the Texas chapter of That
All May Freely Serve, a national group promoting the inclusion of gays and
lesbians in the Presbyterian Church.)
"Our church, like many churches like ours, is so welcoming of
everyone, although it is primarily made up of straight parishioners," Suze
Miller continued. "This complaint is just silly. ... I don't know how else
to explain it. It makes you wonder why he is so afraid - bless his heart."
Other than making a name for himself as the ultraconservative
watchdog, little is known or has been written about Jensen's life apart from
his personal crusade. A 2002 New York Times article on another of his
allegations - that one directed at a Greenwich Village minister - noted that
Jensen is a staff attorney for the Republicans on the U.S. Senate Committee
on Public Works and the Environment.
Some believe that Jensen's drive is part of a larger effort by
conservative Presbyterians to thwart any other attempts to try to change
church policy to allow the ordination of gays and lesbians as pastors and to
other offices. Before the Jensen crusade, the national office was more
willing to overlook those ministers who are now being looked upon as
lawbreakers.
Van Kuiken's ouster from his Cincinnati church may be the first in a
long line of expulsions to follow. But Rigby is undaunted. His goal, he
says, is to get the Presbyterian Church and its leaders to stop projecting
their culture onto others who don't fit their idea of the nuclear family.
"There's not an American 'nuclear family' anywhere in the Bible," Rigby
said. "You don't judge people by their flesh; you judge them by their
spirit. It's Christianity 101."
365Gay.com, July 24, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072403davisRecall.htm
California Recall Threatens Gay Legislation
by Mark Worrall, 365Gay.com Newscenter, San Francisco Bureau
Sacramento, California - California Gov Gray Davis will face voters
in a special fall election that could endanger gay rights advances in the
state.
State officials announced Wednesday night that organizers of a
Republican-led petition drive had collected enough signatures to force the
recall vote, the first for a governor in California in 82 years.
Davis is less than a year into his second term, but his popularity
has plunged in recent months amid California's $38 billion budget deficit,
its energy crisis and its slumping economy.
He has branded the drive to oust him "a hostile takeover by the
right". Promotional material sent out by the recall campaign repeatedly
refers to the governor as 'Gay' Davis.
"This recall is funded by the extreme right, particularly by an
individual who campaigned very hard for Prop 22," Geoffrey Kors the
executive director of Equality California told 365Gay.com Wednesday night.
Proposition 22 was the ballot initiative that banned gay marriage in
California.
"For 16 years prior to Davis all gay rights legislation was vetoed by
the governors," said Kors.
"We went from very limited protections to being one of the most
progressive states in the country."
Among the legislation signed into law by Davis were domestic partner
benefits laws, a bill that allows people to sue for wrongful death in the
demise of a domestic partners, and workplace and anti-harassment laws.
Voters will be asked two questions on the ballot. Should Davis be
removed from office and if so who should replace him.
Democrats continue to support Davis, so it is unlikely there would be
a second Democratic Party candidate. Republicans possibilities include Rep.
Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who bankrolled the recall drive, and so far the only
declared GOP candidate. Other Republican possibilities include actor Arnold
Schwarzenegger and businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in November.
Wednesday night a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger said the Terminator
star had not made up his mind.
"Arnold is discussing his candidacy with his family. He is weighing
the pros and cons of a candidacy and has made no determination at this time
as to whether he will run in a likely recall election, nor has he made a
determination that he will not run."
If a majority of voters support the recall, Davis would be replaced
by the candidate with the most votes, meaning a candidate in a large field
could be elected governor with a relatively small percentage of the overall
vote.
gay community
2. AUSTIN CHRONICLE (Texas) Austin minister is targeted by anti-gay
campaign of lawyer Paul Rolf Jensen
3. 365GAY.COM California Recall of Gov. Gray Davis Threatens Gay
Legislation
Kansas City Star, July 24, 2003
1729 Grand Avenue, Kansas City, MO, 64108
(Fax: 816-234-4926 ) (E-Mail: letters@kcstar.com )
( http://www.kcstar.com/ )
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/6369820.htm
National report sheds light on domestic violence in gay community
By Mary Sanchez, The Kansas City Star
Domestic violence is a hidden and unaddressed problem in the gay and
lesbian communities and is as common as it is among heterosexual couples.
A national study released Wednesday also found that a lack of
training among police and workers at domestic violence shelters contributes
to keeping the issue in the dark.
"There remains an extraordinary lack of awareness and level of denial
about the existence of this type of violence," according to a report by the
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.
The New York-based organization for seven years has researched
violence committed either against or within the lesbian, gay, or bisexual
communities and transgender and HIV-positive people.
The coalition's latest report tracked domestic violence incidents in
2002 and found more than 5,000 cases, including four murders. Incidents
documented by the report showed only a slight increase of 58 cases from
2001. But several reporting agencies had cut back on services, the
coalition noted.
The statistics - thought to represent a fraction of the incidents -
were gathered from 14 agencies in 10 states.
Information from the Kansas City area will be included in next year's
report. The Kansas City Anti-Violence Project, which was formed last month,
will submit data, said Doug Riley, executive director of the Kansas City
group.
"It's not like it's a secret thing," Riley said of domestic abuse in
the gay and lesbian communities. "It's a fall through the cracks thing. No
one knows how to help these people."
Homophobia and disbelief that domestic violence occurs among gays
helps create "an atmosphere in which visibility and knowledge about this
issue is minimal and survivors experience extreme isolation," the report
found.
Various studies have estimated partner abuse among homosexual males
ranges from 12 percent to 36 percent, which is roughly comparable to the
levels of domestic violence among heterosexual women.
Advocates for Kansas City's gay community acknowledged that domestic
violence has long been a frustrating issue because of the lack of services
available.
"We often hear horrific and sad stories," said Jamie Rich, director
of the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Greater Kansas City.
Homosexuals give the same excuses used by heterosexual victims for
their bruises and scars, Rich said.
"People will say, 'I slipped and fell' or call themselves 'accident
prone,' " he said.
The new Kansas City organization, which recently joined the Missouri
Coalition Against Domestic Violence, hopes to create a crisis hot line and
support groups.
Kansas City police officers are trained to handle domestic violence
regardless of gender and determine the "primary aggressor" in situations,
Capt. Rich Lockhart said.
"Gay, straight or lesbian, it doesn't matter, there is a dependency
on the person who is the abuser and that dependency often overlooks all the
violence that is taking place," Lockhart said.
Part of the problem, gay advocates note, is that domestic violence
shelters and programs have largely been set up for heterosexual women
fleeing abusive boyfriends or husbands. The issue of men who are abused -
gay and straight - is not addressed by many shelters. Gay men often are
told their only option for emergency housing is a homeless shelter.
"If a man calls or a man shows up at the (shelter) door, it is batten
down the hatches for safety's sake," said Rachel Baum, associate director of
the National Coalition. "It is always assumed that the man is the abuser."
Baum knows of no shelters set up to help homosexuals and transgender
clients. A shelter in New York, however, has some beds set aside for male
clients.
But several shelters in Kansas City said they have long offered
assistance to lesbians and do outreach work with the homosexual community.
Lisa Fleming, director of operations at the Rose Brooks Center, said
that 96 percent of the 14,400 calls to the domestic violence hot line last
year in Kansas City were from women. Only 4 percent were from men.
Fleming said one reason may be that gays and lesbians are unaware
that the shelters also are willing to help them.
Sharon Katz, executive director of Safehome, which serves Johnson
County, said help with orders of protection, counseling and other services
(except for emergency housing for men), are available to everyone,
regardless of sexual orientation.
"The same power and control issues are there regardless of the
gender," Katz said. "It is the same problem."
Yet gay people also confront issues that heterosexual domestic
violence victims do not face, the coalition's report found.
For example, victims can be threatened with being "outed" by their
abuser. Others are reluctant to seek a court order of protection for fear
of revealing their sexual orientation.
The presence of HIV infection or AIDS in either partner can affect
the abuse, the report said. An HIV-abuser, for example, may threaten that
they will become ill or die if the partner ends the relationship.
Little research exists about the problem.
One study, based on more than 2,800 interviews of gay men in San
Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, was published in December in
the American Journal of Public Health.
That study found violence between intimate male partners has been
"virtually ignored as a public health problem." About 34 percent had
suffered psychological/symbolic battering, 22 percent physical battering and
5 percent sexual battering.
. To reach Mary Sanchez, call (816) 234-4752 or send e-mail to
msanchez@kcstar.com.
. For information: Information about the Kansas City Anti-Violence
Project can be found at www.kcavp.org. Information about the national
project and the 2002 report can be found at www.avp.org.
Austin Chronicle, July 25, 2003
PO Box 49066, Austin, TX, 78765
(Fax: 512-458-6910) (E-Mail: mail@auschron.com )
( http://www.auschron.com )
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-07-25/pols_feature6.html
Austin Minister Targeted by Anti-Gay Campaign
By Amy Smith
Every Sunday, members of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church pray for a
bicoastal lawyer who has mounted a fire-and-brimstone crusade against their
pastor, the Rev. James Rigby, for being an ally of gays and lesbians.
The lawyer and complaining witness, Paul Rolf Jensen, appear to have
turned a campaign against homosexuality into a full-time job. Last month,
Jensen succeeded in ousting a Cincinnati pastor from the Presbyterian
ministry for marrying same-sex couples. Jensen, who has addresses in
Virginia and California, has filed similar allegations against other church
leaders, and Rigby, a longtime friend of progressive causes, is the latest
to land on Jensen's hit list.
Jensen alleges that Rigby violated the church's Book of Order when he
ordained Suze Miller, an out lesbian, to the position of elder at the North
Austin church. Jensen could not be reached at press time and did not
respond to an e-mail seeking comment, but in a June 10 letter to Rigby, he
accused the pastor of violating church laws by knowingly ordaining "an
unrepentant self-proclaimed, practicing homosexual" to the position of
elder. Jensen also reminded Rigby of a similar complaint that he filed with
the Presbyterian Church (USA) - the Vatican of U.S. Presbyterians û which
ultimately led to last month's expulsion in Cincinnati of the Rev. Steve Van
Kuiken. And Rigby, Jensen's letter pointed out, could go the way of Van
Kuiken if the church's governing body so deems.
Rigby's response? Bring it on. The pastor, who also serves on the
boards of the Texas Freedom Network and SafePlace, says he welcomes the
opportunity to challenge Jensen's accusations. Moreover, Rigby says he has
received calls from other lawyers across the country eager to fight this
battle on a pro bono basis. "This will give people an opportunity to
express solidarity ... to come forward and say, 'We really don't want
prejudice in the church.' And to me, there really is no question that this
is bigotry."
Miller, whose recent ordination as elder started Jensen on his latest
crusade, laughs at the irony of finding herself in the middle of what has
become a national controversy in the Presbyterian Church. "My only surprise
is that he named me," she said, referring to her typically low-key,
low-profile demeanor. "My partner, Babs Miller, is the politically active
one." (Babs Miller - their shared last name is coincidental - is a
nonordained Presbyterian minister who co-founded the Texas chapter of That
All May Freely Serve, a national group promoting the inclusion of gays and
lesbians in the Presbyterian Church.)
"Our church, like many churches like ours, is so welcoming of
everyone, although it is primarily made up of straight parishioners," Suze
Miller continued. "This complaint is just silly. ... I don't know how else
to explain it. It makes you wonder why he is so afraid - bless his heart."
Other than making a name for himself as the ultraconservative
watchdog, little is known or has been written about Jensen's life apart from
his personal crusade. A 2002 New York Times article on another of his
allegations - that one directed at a Greenwich Village minister - noted that
Jensen is a staff attorney for the Republicans on the U.S. Senate Committee
on Public Works and the Environment.
Some believe that Jensen's drive is part of a larger effort by
conservative Presbyterians to thwart any other attempts to try to change
church policy to allow the ordination of gays and lesbians as pastors and to
other offices. Before the Jensen crusade, the national office was more
willing to overlook those ministers who are now being looked upon as
lawbreakers.
Van Kuiken's ouster from his Cincinnati church may be the first in a
long line of expulsions to follow. But Rigby is undaunted. His goal, he
says, is to get the Presbyterian Church and its leaders to stop projecting
their culture onto others who don't fit their idea of the nuclear family.
"There's not an American 'nuclear family' anywhere in the Bible," Rigby
said. "You don't judge people by their flesh; you judge them by their
spirit. It's Christianity 101."
365Gay.com, July 24, 2003
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072403davisRecall.htm
California Recall Threatens Gay Legislation
by Mark Worrall, 365Gay.com Newscenter, San Francisco Bureau
Sacramento, California - California Gov Gray Davis will face voters
in a special fall election that could endanger gay rights advances in the
state.
State officials announced Wednesday night that organizers of a
Republican-led petition drive had collected enough signatures to force the
recall vote, the first for a governor in California in 82 years.
Davis is less than a year into his second term, but his popularity
has plunged in recent months amid California's $38 billion budget deficit,
its energy crisis and its slumping economy.
He has branded the drive to oust him "a hostile takeover by the
right". Promotional material sent out by the recall campaign repeatedly
refers to the governor as 'Gay' Davis.
"This recall is funded by the extreme right, particularly by an
individual who campaigned very hard for Prop 22," Geoffrey Kors the
executive director of Equality California told 365Gay.com Wednesday night.
Proposition 22 was the ballot initiative that banned gay marriage in
California.
"For 16 years prior to Davis all gay rights legislation was vetoed by
the governors," said Kors.
"We went from very limited protections to being one of the most
progressive states in the country."
Among the legislation signed into law by Davis were domestic partner
benefits laws, a bill that allows people to sue for wrongful death in the
demise of a domestic partners, and workplace and anti-harassment laws.
Voters will be asked two questions on the ballot. Should Davis be
removed from office and if so who should replace him.
Democrats continue to support Davis, so it is unlikely there would be
a second Democratic Party candidate. Republicans possibilities include Rep.
Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who bankrolled the recall drive, and so far the only
declared GOP candidate. Other Republican possibilities include actor Arnold
Schwarzenegger and businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in November.
Wednesday night a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger said the Terminator
star had not made up his mind.
"Arnold is discussing his candidacy with his family. He is weighing
the pros and cons of a candidacy and has made no determination at this time
as to whether he will run in a likely recall election, nor has he made a
determination that he will not run."
If a majority of voters support the recall, Davis would be replaced
by the candidate with the most votes, meaning a candidate in a large field
could be elected governor with a relatively small percentage of the overall
vote.
Opposition to Gay Marriage Is Declining, United Church of Christ's General Synod urges the Boy Scouts of America to drop its ban on openly gay leaders
1. NEW YORK TIMES Opposition to Gay Marriage Is Declining, Study Finds
2. THE SUN CHRONICLE (Attleboro, Mass.) Letter: Gay marriage opponent
plays fast and loose with the facts
3. BOSTON GLOBE Pat Griffin leads fight against homophobia in athletics
4. CHICAGO TRIBUNE United Church of Christ's General Synod urges the Boy
Scouts of America to drop its ban on openly gay leaders
5. LOS ANGELES TIMES Editorial about Laguna Beach's Frank Ricchiazzi, a
co-founder of the Log Cabin Republicans: A welcome voice in politics
6. WASHINGTON POST Bryant Snapp, 36, editorial page copy chief at The
Washington Post, and his partner, David Hancock, 45, a computer technician,
were killed July 22 in a traffic accident near Toledo, Wash.
New York Times, July 25, 2003
229 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY, 10036
(Fax: 212-556-3622 ) (E-Mail: letters@nytimes.com )
( http://www.nytimes.com )
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/25/national/25GAYS.html
Opposition to Gay Marriage Is Declining, Study Finds
By Robin Toner
WASHINGTON - Opposition to gay marriage has dropped significantly
among Americans in recent years, according to a new poll by the Pew Research
Center for the People and the Press.
In the poll, 53 percent of respondents said they opposed gay
marriages, while 38 percent said they backed them. In 1996, 65 percent said
they opposed such marriages, while 27 percent favored the idea.
The new survey, which focused on the impact of religion on politics,
found what the center called a "growing gap in opinion on this issue along
racial and religious lines." White evangelical Protestants were the most
firmly opposed to the idea of gay marriage: 83 percent said they opposed
it; 84 percent opposed it in 1996. Opposition among blacks also remained
essentially unchanged, with 64 percent opposing gay marriages today, and 65
percent opposing the idea in 1996.
In contrast, white Roman Catholics and white mainline Protestants
have become increasingly open to the idea, according to the poll, which was
conducted June 24 to July 8 among 2,002 adults. The margin of error was 2.5
percentage points.
The wide-ranging survey also found that attitudes toward Islam had
undergone striking change. The number of Americans who say Islam is more
likely than other religions to encourage violence has increased
substantially in the past year; 44 percent said they felt that way in the
new poll, whereas 25 percent felt that way in March 2002.
Pollsters said this attitude was just as prevalent among the
higher-educated and better-informed as among the less educated.
Thirty-eight percent said they would not vote for a well-qualified
Muslim for president, compared with 10 percent who said they would not vote
for a Jew and 8 percent for a Catholic.
Still, the poll found that a slight majority of those surveyed - 51
percent - said they held a favorable view of Muslim-Americans. Twenty-four
percent said they held an unfavorable view.
In other findings on religion and politics, the poll found that 48
percent of white evangelical Protestants said their religious beliefs
frequently affected their voting, compared with 10 percent of white mainline
Protestants, 12 percent of white non-Hispanic Catholics and 12 percent of
Hispanic Catholics.
The survey also found that 62 percent said President Bush was
striking the right balance in how much he mentioned his faith.
The Sun Chronicle, July 25, 2003
Box 600, Attleboro, MA, 02703
(Fax: 508-226-5851 ) (E-Mail: opinion@thesunchronicle.com )
( http://www.thesunchronicle.com )
Letter: Gay marriage opponent plays loose with facts
In his July 17 letter, Herb McEvoy displayed a kind of ignorance and
anti-gay hatred that has no place in this Commonwealth. He is worried about
the Supreme Judicial Court ruling in favor of seven couples who filed suit
to have access to marriage licenses, claiming this would enhance a "moral
decay" threatening to swallow up all opposite-sex marriages in
Massachusetts. Indeed, there is a threat of "moral decay" at stake in this
decision: the possibility that the court would uphold discrimination of any
of our citizens based on whom they love.
The people McEvoy seeks to keep from basic rights - health insurance
benefits, pensions, and hospital visitation - are not another species. He
should read the census data. They are neighbors, co-workers, firefighters,
legislators, and the family playing with their children today at the park.
He claims "sexual orientation should not deprive someone of the
constitutional provision of equal protection under the law" but that these
rights do not apply to same-sex marriage. Thankfully, the question of which
citizens our constitution protects is not decided by one citizen's biases,
or one person's beliefs. Legislators should stand by all of their
constituents' equal rights.
McEvoy claims that "overwhelming data confirms that healthy children
flourish best under the nurturing love between a man and a woman." The
American Psychoanalytic Association, the National Association of Social
Workers, The Gottman Institute, and the American Pediatric Association
disagree. Many of these organizations filed an amicus brief in the
Goodridge case, supporting same-sex unions because they are good for
children. They would give many families in this state the protections that
those of us in opposite-sex relationships take for granted. We have the
responsibility to make sure that every American family enjoys these basic
protec tions.
He claims that polls show that Americans do not support equal
marriage rights. A Globe/WBZ-TV poll published April 8 proves him wrong:
50 percent of Massachusetts residents support legalizing gay and lesbian
marriages.
My hope is that the citizens of our communities are fair and
compassionate, and realize every American citizen deserves basic human
rights. Let's remind our legislators that most of us want our
representatives to protect Massachusetts communities by safeguarding human
rights - including the many obligations, protections, and benefits that
marriage provides.
- Lisa Augusto, Attleboro
Boston Globe, July 25, 2003
Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107
(Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: letter@globe.com )
( http://www.boston.com/globe )
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/206/sports/The_guiding_light+.shtml
The guiding light
Griffin leads fight against homophobia
By Judy Van Handle, Globe Staff
The first National Gay and Lesbian Athletics Conference was in full
swing, and Pat Griffin was in full force.
Whether it was speaking at a kickoff dinner, addressing an
opening-night reception, serving as a panelist, engaging in a lively debate
about perceived sexism in photographs of women athletes, or participating in
a book signing, Griffin was omnipresent, if not omniscient, at the three-day
event held last spring at MIT.
Actually, there was no reason to expect any other level of enthusiasm
and involvement from Griffin, who was completely in her element -- a
groundbreaking individual at a landmark event geared toward much of her
life's work.
Pat Griffin is many things - on her website, she refers to herself as
an "educator/activist/scholar" - but she also is an athlete, coach, author,
lecturer, academic, and a founder of a curriculum of study at the University
of Massachusetts. But when she says, "I am a pioneer," she is referring to
her status as an original authority on sexism and homophobia in athletics,
with an emphasis on women's sports.
For nearly two decades, Griffin has made hundreds of public
appearances, written, studied, run seminars and workshops, and is a
sought-after consultant and spokesperson. Her book, "Strong Women, Deep
Closets," was the first to analyze the lesbian experience in sports and the
prejudice that has often marginalized the athletes, their achievements, and
even their existence.
"Pat was one of the first and one of the best in bringing the issue
of homophobia in sports to the forefront," said Jim Buzinski, a co-founder
of outsports.com, a website for gay sports fans and athletes. "She is such
a voice and such an authority."
Most recently, Griffin has collaborated with the Women's Sports
Foundation and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in
developing projects designed to educate while eradicating homophobia in
athletics.
"I'm so moved and so impressed by Pat's ability," said Maureen
Groden, a friend for nearly 30 years whom Griffin coached at UMass in the
mid-1970s. "When someone is able to educate people without offending them,
that's a gift."
"It's very gratifying to me that people are taking this on as an
issue," said Griffin. "The cultural climate has changed. Athletics won't
be able to put it back in the box. The younger gay and lesbian athletes are
less likely to take it [discrimination]. That gives me a great deal of
hope."
Remembering what it was like to grow up in a less-progressive time is
one of the most important reasons behind her work:
"My hope is that no other gay or lesbian athlete has to go through
what I went through."
Carried secret
Growing up in Silver Spring, Md., in the 1950s and early 1960s,
Griffin, now 57, was a gifted athlete who played collegiate basketball and
field hockey (and later was a member of the 1971 US field hockey team). But
she carried a secret, agonizing that her friends and teammates would
discover the truth about her sexual orientation.
She closely guarded her lesbianism, even to the point of dating the
wrestling coach at the high school where she taught physical education upon
graduating from the University of Maryland in 1967. Griffin has told the
story many times of how, when she spotted a newspaper story in an airport
lounge in the summer of 1969 about the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village
that sparked the gay movement, she nervously checked that no one could see
what she was reading, afraid they would suspect she was gay.
But when she arrived in Amherst to begin her graduate studies in
1970, the personal was about to become political.
"I was a deeply closeted coach in high school and my first few years
at UMass," said Griffin, now a professor of Social Justice Education. "I
remember the first time I attended a public event [at the school's women's
center], I thought the entire athletic department would be lined up watching
me."
When she coached women's swimming at UMass from 1971-76, many lesbian
athletes on campus would confide in her about their lives, seeking guidance
and a sympathetic ear. It angered Griffin that the secrecy and guilt, so
predominant in her youth, still existed, and it fueled her desire to effect
change.
Her chance was not long in coming. After organizing workshops on
homophobia for educators and joining a gay and lesbian speakers bureau in
nearby Northampton, Griffin's presentation at the American Alliance for
Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance annual conference in 1987
was called "Doing Research on Controversial Topics: Homosexuality and
Homophobia in Physical Education and Sport." Her public persona was born,
and as Griffin's reputation began to grow, so did the visibility of lesbians
and gay men in sports.
"Through the '80s, there was basically nothing in the mainstream
press," said Griffin. "You'd see articles on things like the secret lives
of athletes. But then there was a real turning point in the early 1990s
with the Rene Portland firestorm. There was a real shift in the mainstream
press, the perspective that Penn State has a problem."
Portland, the Penn State women's basketball coach, had been quoted as
saying she did not recruit nor allow lesbians on her team. In 1992, after a
public furor over Portland's stance, Griffin was asked by the school to
conduct a workshop on homophobia for the school's athletic staff.
Changing attitudes
A decade later, the changes that have swept through society have been
slower to arrive in sports. Very few professional athletes, among them
Martina Navratilova, were openly gay when the Portland controversy erupted;
since then, that number was increased by only a handful (including tennis
player Amelie Mauresmo, former major leaguer Billy Bean, and ex-WNBA player
Sue Wicks).
"Athletes have a level of single-minded focus," said Griffin. "They
don't want to have distractions, and don't want to deal with more issues.
Political athletes are the exception."
Griffin's work challenges and attempts to change the attitudes that
discourage gay and lesbian athletes and coaches from being open about their
sexual orientation.
"People often assume that it's [sports] a wonderful place to be a
lesbian, but some often don't know how to act with a lesbian teammate or
roommate. They go straight back to the stereotypes that are used against
progress in women's sports, and that hurts all female athletes, straight or
gay.
"Coaches still use negative recruiting [stressing that their program
is run by heterosexuals and that other schools may not be]. I know lesbian
coaches have been afraid in the past to show up at my workshops. There are
coaches who are also partners that go into restaurants and sit at separate
tables, then leave separately, so no one will think they're together."
Griffin, in her eight-year relationship with Kathy Neal, a former
professional softball player, is one of the authors of "It Takes a Team!
Making Sports Safe for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Athletes,"
a publication used as part of an educational project sponsored by The
Project to Eliminate Homophobia in Sports. Backed by the Women's Sports
Foundation, the NCAA, and five other organizations, the program is being
used by a growing number of colleges.
"Pat's idea is not just what can be done to make athletics safe for
gay people, but what athletes can do to make sports safer for everyone,"
said Buzinski.
"It's great to see people stepping up to the plate for us; the whole
movement is picking up such momentum," said Griffin. "It's a challenge for
sports organizations to take seriously their responsibility to create an
environment that produces respect and an educational policy."
"Pat has a wonderful sense of humor, but lots of times, when you're
trying to educate people, the most hateful and ignorant things are said,"
said Groden. "I asked Pat, how do you stand it? She said, `My hope is to
move someone in the right direction."'
Chicago Tribune, July 25, 2003
435 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611
(Fax: 312-222-2598 ) (E-Mail: ctc-tribletter@tribune.com )
( http://www.chicagotribune.com )
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0307250081jul25,1,58084
56.story
Church asks shift in Scouts' policy
Tribune news services
MINNEAPOLIS - The United Church of Christ's General Synod urged the
Boy Scouts of America to drop its ban on openly gay leaders, and a separate
action expressed support for transgendered persons in the church.
The scouting issue came up in a resolution on gay youth. The
statement backed congregations that want to preserve ties with the Boy
Scouts, as well as those that choose to separate from scouting.
"We recognize the powerful place the Boy Scouts have in our lives,"
especially in promoting citizenship, respect for the environment and respect
for others, but scouting's value of tolerance conflicts with its policy of
exclusion, said delegate Leslie Hoffman of Bethlehem, Pa.
The head of the committee that prepared the transgender resolution,
Lisa Alston of Fayetteville, Ga., said, "Transgender people know God loves
them; it is time for the UCC to say we love them too." The resolution also
denounced violence against transgendered people.
Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2003
Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA, 90053
(Fax: 213-237-7679 or 213-237-5319 ) (E-Mail: letters@latimes.com )
( http://www.latimes.com )
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/coastline/news/opinion/la-cpt-edit25jul25,
1,5142034.story
The Coastline Pilot
Editorial: A welcome voice in politics
Sometimes, there's little else one can do but throw down the gloves
and fight.
And in the past weeks, that's just about what Laguna Beach's Frank
Ricchiazzi has been doing.
Ricchiazzi, an openly gay co-founder of the Log Cabin Republicans
political organization who's also a notable presence about town, was thrown
unwittingly into a battle between GOP state Senate hopefuls Assemblymen Ken
Maddox, of Garden Grove, and John Campbell, of Irvine. The two are still in
the early stages of their primary showdown (set for March), but they haven't
shied away from getting their campaigns off to a head-butting start.
Enter Newport Beach City Councilman Dick Nichols, who has made
national news in the last month with a series of racially charged comments.
Nichols signed on to support Maddox, and when questioned about it in the
Coastline's sister paper, the Daily Pilot, said: "I like Campbell, but
Campbell has made some endorsements that are questionable. He appointed a
Log Cabin member. Ken Maddox doesn't have any around-the-back maneuverers."
(Nichols was referring to Campbell's appointing Ricchiazzi as a voting
delegate to the California Republican Party in 2000. Maddox has attended
Log Cabin functions, but also said he does not support the group's political
agenda or "domestic partnerships.")
Ricchiazzi was quick to respond, sending out an e-mail asking friends
and supporters to tell Maddox what they thought about his "not speaking up,
when his supporters have been attacking John Campbell for selecting me as
his representative."
He concluded the e-mail by writing: "To Republican activists and
friends, this is democracy, let us give a clear message that we are not
going to tolerate this open bigotry any longer."
This kind of straight-shooting is what has made Ricchiazzi, or "Uncle
Frank" as he is known, the political powerhouse he is. As Campbell campaign
consultant Chris Wysocki put it: "The only reason Republicans have a
foothold in Laguna Beach is because of the work Frank Ricchiazzi has done."
His statements decrying bigotry also represent the welcoming, inclusive
attitude of Laguna Beach. "Uncle Frank" has again proven himself to be a
wise voice in an arena, politics, that is not overfull with wisdom. He
deserves credit for not being afraid to speak out.
Washington Post, July 25, 2003
1150 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20071
(E-Mail: letterstoed@washpost.com )( http://washingtonpost.com/ )
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43450-2003Jul24.html
Post Editor Bryant Snapp, Technician David Hancock
Bryant Snapp, 36, editorial page copy chief at The Washington Post,
and his companion, David Hancock, 45, a computer technician, were killed
July 22 in a traffic accident near Toledo, Wash. The Takoma Park residents
were vacationing in Seattle and were returning from a trip to Mount St.
Helens.
Washington State Police said that Seattle landscape architect David
K. Ringstrom, 49, driver of the BMW sedan in which the men were riding, also
was killed. The BMW collided head-on with a water tanker that swerved into
the car's lane on Route 505, two miles east of Toledo. The truck driver was
treated at a Seattle hospital.
Mr. Snapp was a native of Alexandria and a graduate of Edison High
School. He attended the University of Virginia, where he was editor in
chief of the University Journal newspaper.
He was a copy editor for nine years at the Washington Times and a
medical editor in Philadelphia before joining The Post's national copy desk
in 1999. As deputy copy chief on the national desk, he handled stories
involving major events such as the 2000 Florida presidential vote recount
and the war in Afghanistan.
He was a member of the American Copy Editors Society and the National
Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. He and Mr. Hancock had been
partners since 2001 and participated in a commitment ceremony in Honolulu
last year.
Survivors, all of whom live in Alexandria, include his mother and
stepfather, Deborah Snapp and Martin Tomlin; his father and stepmother,
Michael Wayne Snapp and Audrey Snapp; a brother, Joel Snapp; and a
grandmother, Mildred Snapp.
David Hancock was a native of Honolulu, where he attended community
college. He moved to Washington in the 1970s and worked for many years as a
computer support staff member at Catholic University. He resigned several
months ago to undertake further computer studies and was working as a waiter
in Washington.
Survivors include his mother, Anna Hancock of Honolulu.
2. THE SUN CHRONICLE (Attleboro, Mass.) Letter: Gay marriage opponent
plays fast and loose with the facts
3. BOSTON GLOBE Pat Griffin leads fight against homophobia in athletics
4. CHICAGO TRIBUNE United Church of Christ's General Synod urges the Boy
Scouts of America to drop its ban on openly gay leaders
5. LOS ANGELES TIMES Editorial about Laguna Beach's Frank Ricchiazzi, a
co-founder of the Log Cabin Republicans: A welcome voice in politics
6. WASHINGTON POST Bryant Snapp, 36, editorial page copy chief at The
Washington Post, and his partner, David Hancock, 45, a computer technician,
were killed July 22 in a traffic accident near Toledo, Wash.
New York Times, July 25, 2003
229 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY, 10036
(Fax: 212-556-3622 ) (E-Mail: letters@nytimes.com )
( http://www.nytimes.com )
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/25/national/25GAYS.html
Opposition to Gay Marriage Is Declining, Study Finds
By Robin Toner
WASHINGTON - Opposition to gay marriage has dropped significantly
among Americans in recent years, according to a new poll by the Pew Research
Center for the People and the Press.
In the poll, 53 percent of respondents said they opposed gay
marriages, while 38 percent said they backed them. In 1996, 65 percent said
they opposed such marriages, while 27 percent favored the idea.
The new survey, which focused on the impact of religion on politics,
found what the center called a "growing gap in opinion on this issue along
racial and religious lines." White evangelical Protestants were the most
firmly opposed to the idea of gay marriage: 83 percent said they opposed
it; 84 percent opposed it in 1996. Opposition among blacks also remained
essentially unchanged, with 64 percent opposing gay marriages today, and 65
percent opposing the idea in 1996.
In contrast, white Roman Catholics and white mainline Protestants
have become increasingly open to the idea, according to the poll, which was
conducted June 24 to July 8 among 2,002 adults. The margin of error was 2.5
percentage points.
The wide-ranging survey also found that attitudes toward Islam had
undergone striking change. The number of Americans who say Islam is more
likely than other religions to encourage violence has increased
substantially in the past year; 44 percent said they felt that way in the
new poll, whereas 25 percent felt that way in March 2002.
Pollsters said this attitude was just as prevalent among the
higher-educated and better-informed as among the less educated.
Thirty-eight percent said they would not vote for a well-qualified
Muslim for president, compared with 10 percent who said they would not vote
for a Jew and 8 percent for a Catholic.
Still, the poll found that a slight majority of those surveyed - 51
percent - said they held a favorable view of Muslim-Americans. Twenty-four
percent said they held an unfavorable view.
In other findings on religion and politics, the poll found that 48
percent of white evangelical Protestants said their religious beliefs
frequently affected their voting, compared with 10 percent of white mainline
Protestants, 12 percent of white non-Hispanic Catholics and 12 percent of
Hispanic Catholics.
The survey also found that 62 percent said President Bush was
striking the right balance in how much he mentioned his faith.
The Sun Chronicle, July 25, 2003
Box 600, Attleboro, MA, 02703
(Fax: 508-226-5851 ) (E-Mail: opinion@thesunchronicle.com )
( http://www.thesunchronicle.com )
Letter: Gay marriage opponent plays loose with facts
In his July 17 letter, Herb McEvoy displayed a kind of ignorance and
anti-gay hatred that has no place in this Commonwealth. He is worried about
the Supreme Judicial Court ruling in favor of seven couples who filed suit
to have access to marriage licenses, claiming this would enhance a "moral
decay" threatening to swallow up all opposite-sex marriages in
Massachusetts. Indeed, there is a threat of "moral decay" at stake in this
decision: the possibility that the court would uphold discrimination of any
of our citizens based on whom they love.
The people McEvoy seeks to keep from basic rights - health insurance
benefits, pensions, and hospital visitation - are not another species. He
should read the census data. They are neighbors, co-workers, firefighters,
legislators, and the family playing with their children today at the park.
He claims "sexual orientation should not deprive someone of the
constitutional provision of equal protection under the law" but that these
rights do not apply to same-sex marriage. Thankfully, the question of which
citizens our constitution protects is not decided by one citizen's biases,
or one person's beliefs. Legislators should stand by all of their
constituents' equal rights.
McEvoy claims that "overwhelming data confirms that healthy children
flourish best under the nurturing love between a man and a woman." The
American Psychoanalytic Association, the National Association of Social
Workers, The Gottman Institute, and the American Pediatric Association
disagree. Many of these organizations filed an amicus brief in the
Goodridge case, supporting same-sex unions because they are good for
children. They would give many families in this state the protections that
those of us in opposite-sex relationships take for granted. We have the
responsibility to make sure that every American family enjoys these basic
protec tions.
He claims that polls show that Americans do not support equal
marriage rights. A Globe/WBZ-TV poll published April 8 proves him wrong:
50 percent of Massachusetts residents support legalizing gay and lesbian
marriages.
My hope is that the citizens of our communities are fair and
compassionate, and realize every American citizen deserves basic human
rights. Let's remind our legislators that most of us want our
representatives to protect Massachusetts communities by safeguarding human
rights - including the many obligations, protections, and benefits that
marriage provides.
- Lisa Augusto, Attleboro
Boston Globe, July 25, 2003
Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107
(Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: letter@globe.com )
( http://www.boston.com/globe )
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/206/sports/The_guiding_light+.shtml
The guiding light
Griffin leads fight against homophobia
By Judy Van Handle, Globe Staff
The first National Gay and Lesbian Athletics Conference was in full
swing, and Pat Griffin was in full force.
Whether it was speaking at a kickoff dinner, addressing an
opening-night reception, serving as a panelist, engaging in a lively debate
about perceived sexism in photographs of women athletes, or participating in
a book signing, Griffin was omnipresent, if not omniscient, at the three-day
event held last spring at MIT.
Actually, there was no reason to expect any other level of enthusiasm
and involvement from Griffin, who was completely in her element -- a
groundbreaking individual at a landmark event geared toward much of her
life's work.
Pat Griffin is many things - on her website, she refers to herself as
an "educator/activist/scholar" - but she also is an athlete, coach, author,
lecturer, academic, and a founder of a curriculum of study at the University
of Massachusetts. But when she says, "I am a pioneer," she is referring to
her status as an original authority on sexism and homophobia in athletics,
with an emphasis on women's sports.
For nearly two decades, Griffin has made hundreds of public
appearances, written, studied, run seminars and workshops, and is a
sought-after consultant and spokesperson. Her book, "Strong Women, Deep
Closets," was the first to analyze the lesbian experience in sports and the
prejudice that has often marginalized the athletes, their achievements, and
even their existence.
"Pat was one of the first and one of the best in bringing the issue
of homophobia in sports to the forefront," said Jim Buzinski, a co-founder
of outsports.com, a website for gay sports fans and athletes. "She is such
a voice and such an authority."
Most recently, Griffin has collaborated with the Women's Sports
Foundation and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in
developing projects designed to educate while eradicating homophobia in
athletics.
"I'm so moved and so impressed by Pat's ability," said Maureen
Groden, a friend for nearly 30 years whom Griffin coached at UMass in the
mid-1970s. "When someone is able to educate people without offending them,
that's a gift."
"It's very gratifying to me that people are taking this on as an
issue," said Griffin. "The cultural climate has changed. Athletics won't
be able to put it back in the box. The younger gay and lesbian athletes are
less likely to take it [discrimination]. That gives me a great deal of
hope."
Remembering what it was like to grow up in a less-progressive time is
one of the most important reasons behind her work:
"My hope is that no other gay or lesbian athlete has to go through
what I went through."
Carried secret
Growing up in Silver Spring, Md., in the 1950s and early 1960s,
Griffin, now 57, was a gifted athlete who played collegiate basketball and
field hockey (and later was a member of the 1971 US field hockey team). But
she carried a secret, agonizing that her friends and teammates would
discover the truth about her sexual orientation.
She closely guarded her lesbianism, even to the point of dating the
wrestling coach at the high school where she taught physical education upon
graduating from the University of Maryland in 1967. Griffin has told the
story many times of how, when she spotted a newspaper story in an airport
lounge in the summer of 1969 about the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village
that sparked the gay movement, she nervously checked that no one could see
what she was reading, afraid they would suspect she was gay.
But when she arrived in Amherst to begin her graduate studies in
1970, the personal was about to become political.
"I was a deeply closeted coach in high school and my first few years
at UMass," said Griffin, now a professor of Social Justice Education. "I
remember the first time I attended a public event [at the school's women's
center], I thought the entire athletic department would be lined up watching
me."
When she coached women's swimming at UMass from 1971-76, many lesbian
athletes on campus would confide in her about their lives, seeking guidance
and a sympathetic ear. It angered Griffin that the secrecy and guilt, so
predominant in her youth, still existed, and it fueled her desire to effect
change.
Her chance was not long in coming. After organizing workshops on
homophobia for educators and joining a gay and lesbian speakers bureau in
nearby Northampton, Griffin's presentation at the American Alliance for
Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance annual conference in 1987
was called "Doing Research on Controversial Topics: Homosexuality and
Homophobia in Physical Education and Sport." Her public persona was born,
and as Griffin's reputation began to grow, so did the visibility of lesbians
and gay men in sports.
"Through the '80s, there was basically nothing in the mainstream
press," said Griffin. "You'd see articles on things like the secret lives
of athletes. But then there was a real turning point in the early 1990s
with the Rene Portland firestorm. There was a real shift in the mainstream
press, the perspective that Penn State has a problem."
Portland, the Penn State women's basketball coach, had been quoted as
saying she did not recruit nor allow lesbians on her team. In 1992, after a
public furor over Portland's stance, Griffin was asked by the school to
conduct a workshop on homophobia for the school's athletic staff.
Changing attitudes
A decade later, the changes that have swept through society have been
slower to arrive in sports. Very few professional athletes, among them
Martina Navratilova, were openly gay when the Portland controversy erupted;
since then, that number was increased by only a handful (including tennis
player Amelie Mauresmo, former major leaguer Billy Bean, and ex-WNBA player
Sue Wicks).
"Athletes have a level of single-minded focus," said Griffin. "They
don't want to have distractions, and don't want to deal with more issues.
Political athletes are the exception."
Griffin's work challenges and attempts to change the attitudes that
discourage gay and lesbian athletes and coaches from being open about their
sexual orientation.
"People often assume that it's [sports] a wonderful place to be a
lesbian, but some often don't know how to act with a lesbian teammate or
roommate. They go straight back to the stereotypes that are used against
progress in women's sports, and that hurts all female athletes, straight or
gay.
"Coaches still use negative recruiting [stressing that their program
is run by heterosexuals and that other schools may not be]. I know lesbian
coaches have been afraid in the past to show up at my workshops. There are
coaches who are also partners that go into restaurants and sit at separate
tables, then leave separately, so no one will think they're together."
Griffin, in her eight-year relationship with Kathy Neal, a former
professional softball player, is one of the authors of "It Takes a Team!
Making Sports Safe for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Athletes,"
a publication used as part of an educational project sponsored by The
Project to Eliminate Homophobia in Sports. Backed by the Women's Sports
Foundation, the NCAA, and five other organizations, the program is being
used by a growing number of colleges.
"Pat's idea is not just what can be done to make athletics safe for
gay people, but what athletes can do to make sports safer for everyone,"
said Buzinski.
"It's great to see people stepping up to the plate for us; the whole
movement is picking up such momentum," said Griffin. "It's a challenge for
sports organizations to take seriously their responsibility to create an
environment that produces respect and an educational policy."
"Pat has a wonderful sense of humor, but lots of times, when you're
trying to educate people, the most hateful and ignorant things are said,"
said Groden. "I asked Pat, how do you stand it? She said, `My hope is to
move someone in the right direction."'
Chicago Tribune, July 25, 2003
435 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611
(Fax: 312-222-2598 ) (E-Mail: ctc-tribletter@tribune.com )
( http://www.chicagotribune.com )
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0307250081jul25,1,58084
56.story
Church asks shift in Scouts' policy
Tribune news services
MINNEAPOLIS - The United Church of Christ's General Synod urged the
Boy Scouts of America to drop its ban on openly gay leaders, and a separate
action expressed support for transgendered persons in the church.
The scouting issue came up in a resolution on gay youth. The
statement backed congregations that want to preserve ties with the Boy
Scouts, as well as those that choose to separate from scouting.
"We recognize the powerful place the Boy Scouts have in our lives,"
especially in promoting citizenship, respect for the environment and respect
for others, but scouting's value of tolerance conflicts with its policy of
exclusion, said delegate Leslie Hoffman of Bethlehem, Pa.
The head of the committee that prepared the transgender resolution,
Lisa Alston of Fayetteville, Ga., said, "Transgender people know God loves
them; it is time for the UCC to say we love them too." The resolution also
denounced violence against transgendered people.
Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2003
Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA, 90053
(Fax: 213-237-7679 or 213-237-5319 ) (E-Mail: letters@latimes.com )
( http://www.latimes.com )
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/coastline/news/opinion/la-cpt-edit25jul25,
1,5142034.story
The Coastline Pilot
Editorial: A welcome voice in politics
Sometimes, there's little else one can do but throw down the gloves
and fight.
And in the past weeks, that's just about what Laguna Beach's Frank
Ricchiazzi has been doing.
Ricchiazzi, an openly gay co-founder of the Log Cabin Republicans
political organization who's also a notable presence about town, was thrown
unwittingly into a battle between GOP state Senate hopefuls Assemblymen Ken
Maddox, of Garden Grove, and John Campbell, of Irvine. The two are still in
the early stages of their primary showdown (set for March), but they haven't
shied away from getting their campaigns off to a head-butting start.
Enter Newport Beach City Councilman Dick Nichols, who has made
national news in the last month with a series of racially charged comments.
Nichols signed on to support Maddox, and when questioned about it in the
Coastline's sister paper, the Daily Pilot, said: "I like Campbell, but
Campbell has made some endorsements that are questionable. He appointed a
Log Cabin member. Ken Maddox doesn't have any around-the-back maneuverers."
(Nichols was referring to Campbell's appointing Ricchiazzi as a voting
delegate to the California Republican Party in 2000. Maddox has attended
Log Cabin functions, but also said he does not support the group's political
agenda or "domestic partnerships.")
Ricchiazzi was quick to respond, sending out an e-mail asking friends
and supporters to tell Maddox what they thought about his "not speaking up,
when his supporters have been attacking John Campbell for selecting me as
his representative."
He concluded the e-mail by writing: "To Republican activists and
friends, this is democracy, let us give a clear message that we are not
going to tolerate this open bigotry any longer."
This kind of straight-shooting is what has made Ricchiazzi, or "Uncle
Frank" as he is known, the political powerhouse he is. As Campbell campaign
consultant Chris Wysocki put it: "The only reason Republicans have a
foothold in Laguna Beach is because of the work Frank Ricchiazzi has done."
His statements decrying bigotry also represent the welcoming, inclusive
attitude of Laguna Beach. "Uncle Frank" has again proven himself to be a
wise voice in an arena, politics, that is not overfull with wisdom. He
deserves credit for not being afraid to speak out.
Washington Post, July 25, 2003
1150 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20071
(E-Mail: letterstoed@washpost.com )( http://washingtonpost.com/ )
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43450-2003Jul24.html
Post Editor Bryant Snapp, Technician David Hancock
Bryant Snapp, 36, editorial page copy chief at The Washington Post,
and his companion, David Hancock, 45, a computer technician, were killed
July 22 in a traffic accident near Toledo, Wash. The Takoma Park residents
were vacationing in Seattle and were returning from a trip to Mount St.
Helens.
Washington State Police said that Seattle landscape architect David
K. Ringstrom, 49, driver of the BMW sedan in which the men were riding, also
was killed. The BMW collided head-on with a water tanker that swerved into
the car's lane on Route 505, two miles east of Toledo. The truck driver was
treated at a Seattle hospital.
Mr. Snapp was a native of Alexandria and a graduate of Edison High
School. He attended the University of Virginia, where he was editor in
chief of the University Journal newspaper.
He was a copy editor for nine years at the Washington Times and a
medical editor in Philadelphia before joining The Post's national copy desk
in 1999. As deputy copy chief on the national desk, he handled stories
involving major events such as the 2000 Florida presidential vote recount
and the war in Afghanistan.
He was a member of the American Copy Editors Society and the National
Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. He and Mr. Hancock had been
partners since 2001 and participated in a commitment ceremony in Honolulu
last year.
Survivors, all of whom live in Alexandria, include his mother and
stepfather, Deborah Snapp and Martin Tomlin; his father and stepmother,
Michael Wayne Snapp and Audrey Snapp; a brother, Joel Snapp; and a
grandmother, Mildred Snapp.
David Hancock was a native of Honolulu, where he attended community
college. He moved to Washington in the 1970s and worked for many years as a
computer support staff member at Catholic University. He resigned several
months ago to undertake further computer studies and was working as a waiter
in Washington.
Survivors include his mother, Anna Hancock of Honolulu.
July 21, 2003
Lawsuit challenges military's anti-gay policy, Growth in gays' rights is apparent, Egyptian court acquits 11
BOSTON PHOENIX: The rite stuff: What's the surprise issue of the 2004 presidential race? Try same-sex marriage.
THE BORDER MAIL: (Australia) Leading researcher claims a nationwide study showing only 1.6 per cent of men and 0.8 per cent of women identified as homosexual is "dangerous and inaccurate"
365GAY.COM: London: A transgendered postal service worker has lost her battle to be able to use the women's washroom at work
NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Virginia's housing authority may retract restrictive "family rule"
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Lawsuit challenges military's anti-gay policy
TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN (Australia): Bullying of gays sparks call for help
PEORIA JOURNAL STAR (Illinois): Growth in gays' rights is apparent; Conservatives, churches fighting uphill battle; couple gives media credit
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Egypt: An appeals court acquitted 11 men of charges of debauchery linked to homosexual activity
NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT: More companies are offering benefits for employees' domestic partners
NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Exclusive vows and joint accounts help establish ties
NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Virginia limits insurance coverage for unmarried partners
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: New Salt Lake City lesbian rabbi Tracee Rosen is ready for anything
SEATTLE TIMES: Pro column: Preserve gay rights; Howard Dean should lead the charge to protect same-sex unions
SEATTLE TIMES: Con column: Save traditional marriage
HEARST NEWSPAPERS: Both sides in Congress await gay marriage ruling in Massachusetts; Some pledge defense of 'traditional marriage' if court rules for couples
ADELAIDE ADVERTISER: (Australia) Uniting Church is "hurting" over gay vote
THE STANDARD-TIMES: (New Bedford, Mass.) Guest column by lesbian: We all should have the right to pursue love and happiness
THE NEWS-JOURNAL: (Wilmington, Delaware) Gay political group holds fund-raiser; Stonewall Democrats organize in Delaware
LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL: Same-sex partners cite inequities in insurance; University of Kentucky and others shelve plans; more faculty may leave
NEW YORK TIMES: In Changing the Law of the Land, Six Justices Turned to Its History (the role of gay history amicus briefs in Lawrence vs. Texas decision)
THE GUARDIAN (London): Column by Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall: We're so ordinary, it's frightening. With only a few embitered exceptions, society now recognises that being gay is perfectly normal.
WASHINGTON BLADE: (glbt) Web-slingers: Gay cartoonists create their own worlds on the Internet
WINNIPEG SUN: Members of Manitoba's gay and lesbian community are demanding the government follow the advice of federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon and immediately allow same-sex couples to marry
July 18, 2003
'Queer Eye' a hit, Uniting Church welcomes gays, Ex-Gov. Dreyfus honored, OBIT: Mike Salinas
CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: Two transsexual women say Northwestern University professor J. Michael Bailey did not tell them that they were subjects of his research and did not get their consent as participants
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Canadian Alliance leader vows to force a House of Commons vote on the definition of marriage before the Supreme Court decides whether same-sex marriages should be legalized
REUTERS: 'Queer Eye' ratings show a hit for Bravo; Cable network draws large numbers from 18-49 demographic
GAY.COM: Police in Grand Rapids, Mich., are investigating the brutal rape and death of a bisexual teenager
GAY.COM: Arkansas: School district settles suit, changes policies
READING CHRONICLE: (England) Gay row cleric thanks the people of Reading for their support, and tells the Reading Chronicle of his sadness at the decision to withdraw his nomination as the town's Bishop
READING CHRONICLE (England): The text of Canon Jeffrey John's letter to the Chronicle
ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR: (Illinois) Column about gay church music director who was fired: There is more than one take on Scripture
GWINNETT DAILY POST: (Georgia) Man shouts obscenities, throws tire iron at car with rainbow stickers
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: Uniting Church welcomes gays but worries for future
MARYLAND GAZETTE: Gay rights proposal sought for Frederick County
MELBOURNE HERALD SUN: (Australia) The conservative Sydney Diocese of the Anglican Church expresses grave concern over the Uniting Church's vote to allow practising homosexuals to be ordained as priests
ASSOCIATED PRESS: California: Family of gay man killed outside bar files lawsuit
TORONTO GLOBE & MAIL: Federal bill allows gay marriage
THE CAPITAL TIMES: (Madison, Wisconsin) Ex-Gov. Dreyfus is honored by gays; He signed Wisconsin's landmark anti-bias law in 1982
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER: Obituary: Mike Salinas, 46, a former Bay Area Reporter writer and editor who was a central player in many of the San Francisco gay community's great controversies of the 1990s
GAY.COM U.K.: Transsexual prisoner fails in her high court bid to be allowed out of isolation
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Gene Robinson is at the center of a tempest, poised to become the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop
REUTERS: Canada Unveils Gay Marriage Rules, Anti-Gay Activists Angry
"(This) does not take away any rights from opposite sex couples, nor does it erode the significance or sanctity of marriage. On the contrary, it provides more Canadians with access to the institution of marriage."
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Screening Room: Love and faith in conflict; A young Mormon must reconcile his feelings in "Latter Days." HIV numbers are crunched in "The Gift."
ADVOCATE.COM (glbt): Croatia provides partnership rights to gay couples
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH: (Virginia) Sen. George Allen, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, says he won't back marriage-limitation amendment
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Mark Brown: Gay set-aside idea faces a few tough questions
PLAYBILL: Wedding Banquet Musical to Make U.S. Premiere at Seattle's Village Theatre
GAY.COM U.K.: Peter Tatchell calls on David Hope, the Archbishop of York, to show "candour and courage" by coming out
GAY.COM U.K.: Shadow Minister for Young People calls for action against homophobic attacks on young gay and lesbian people
July 16, 2003
Praying For Supreme Court Shake Up, MA Court puts off gay marriage, Gay marriage around the globe
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Pat Robertson asks God to put out a contract on three Supreme Court justices
DALLAS MORNING NEWS: In U.S., gays see growing influence; Wider acceptance fueling advertising, entertainment, trends
BOSTON GLOBE: Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court puts off a decision on gay marriage
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The straight scoop on style: "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: A coming out: E. Lynn Harris' fans see him as every inch the successful novelist. But his new memoir opens the door on the painful journey he took to get there.
NEW ZEALAND HERALD: Government moves to allow gay couples to legally 'tie the knot'
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL: Analysis: Gay marriage around the globe
365GAY.COM: Gay Man Appointed Chair Of Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission
THE GUARDIAN: (London) Gay in the USA: Gay sex is now legal in Texas, in Massachusetts they are considering single-sex marriages, and in New Hampshire they've even got a gay bishop. Could it be that America is waking up to homosexuality?
NEW YORK PRESS: Michelangelo Signorile: Fire Erik Sorenson; After Savage, keep the heads rolling at MSNBC.
TORONTO SUN: Rev. Troy Perry and his partner, to be married today, praise Canada for allowing same-sex partners to tie the knot
MIAMI HERALD: Steve Rothaus: Workshop targets young gays with a penchant for club drugs
GAY.COM: Gymnast with HIV fights Cirque du Soleil
ASSOCIATED PRESS: On the run: Frist backpedals on support for amendment to ban gay marriage
ROLLING STONE: Creating Country's Gay Idol: Producer is on a quest to open doors
ADVOCATE.COM: (glbt) Lance Armstrong Foundation gives lesbian health grant to Mautner Project
ASSOCIATED PRESS: University of Illinois Trustees to Vote on Domestic Partner Benefits
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Santorum would advise his child to "resist gay temptations"
WCVB-TV (Boston): Boston police have arrested a 15-year-old in connection with an attack on a lesbian couple in an East Boston park on the Fourth of July
THE DAILY RECORD: (Scotland) Shocked Tomb Raider star Angelina Jolie walked out on a television interview after being asked about her lesbian past
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Major league reality: Gays aren't welcome; As gay rights sweep the nation, baseball, as well as other men's professional team sports, seem remarkably behind the times. And ex-big leaguer Billy Bean says don't expect change anytime soon.
WASHINGTON TIMES: Benchmarks that loom in Canada
HONOLULU ADVERTISER: City hit with another lawsuit over "Family Day"
Reuters: Democratic Candidates Split on Issue of Gay Marriages
July 15, 2003
Boys R Us: Dating Games, Boys R Us: Dating Games, Same-sex marriage law expected by week's end
THE HILL TIMES: (Canada) Opinion by gay MP Svend Robinson: We've come a long way, baby; Canada is joining the Netherlands and Belgium in this historic step in same-sex marriage
THE HILL TIMES: Opinion by Alliance MP: Cabinet retreats in same-sex marriage; But both courts made a fundamental error in jurisdiction
NEWSWEEK: Boys R Us: Dating Games: 'Boy Meets Boy' may irk some gays-it's already angered its own star. The new reality show is part groundbreaking social experiment, part practical joke.
LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR: (Nebraska) Leon Satterfield: More rights for gays -- times are a-changing
PORTLAND PRESS-HERALD: (Maine) Opinion: It's not too late to beat back the push for same-sex marriage
HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Sodomy ruling may affect military; Gay ex-soldier thinks his case could topple don't-ask, don't-tell policy
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Pennsylvania: Boy convicted of third-degree murder in brother's death
CANADIAN PRESS: Same-sex marriage law expected by week's end
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL: Raised in Lesbian Homes, Women Learned Tolerance
WJRT-TV: (Flint, Michigan) Fire could be linked to hate crime; Bowling alley destroyed in blaze
KLBK-TV: (Lubbock, Texas) Oblivious to the fact that they're going to lose, Lubbock Independent School District goes to court rather than allow a Gay/Straight Alliance
THE GUARDIAN: (London) Lavender linguistics: Back in the 1950s it was the language of the gay community. Now it's making a comeback.
THE GUARDIAN: Gay row will return to haunt church
THE GUARDIAN: Endless chatter breaks vow of silence over "that subject"; Archbishop of Canterbury warns against 'luxury of separation' as synod excludes debate over the aborted appointment of Canon John
THE HILL TIMES: (Canada) Same-sex issue poised to hit Parliament again in fall
THE GUARDIAN: (London) Evangelicals have become this century's witch burners; The Church of England faces a struggle with its own Militant Tendency
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER: Opinion: 'Don't ask, don't tell' is convoluted
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Will clergy's other voices be heard? While Flip Benham screams, the rest of us must let our tolerance show
KANSAS CITY STAR: Opinion: Sodomy ban should have ended sooner
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE: David Yount: Sex has become such a preoccupation of the churches that it threatens to split some denominations
DAILY NATION (Kenya): Anglican Church of Kenya's stand on homosexuality continues to receive support
DAILY NATION Editorial: Why Lambeth should listen (to anti-gay African Anglicans)
DALLAS MORNING NEWS: The dean of the Cathedral of Hope surrendered his ministry credentials to his denomination Sunday, two days before the church body said it would complete an investigation of him
WASHINGTON POST: Honor Thy Son: Out of Tragedy, Judy Shepard Became Mother of a Movement
Visit www.DontAmend.com - from the people who stopped Dr. Laura comes another important site!
From: John @ The List:
Washington, DC
July 15, 2003
Friends, please forward my alert far and wide. Several of my
StopDrLaura.com colleagues and I have reunited to fight the
religious right's attempt to pass an anti-gay constitutional amendment.
The threat is real, and we need your help. Thanks as always, JOHN
*** DON'T AMEND THE CONSTITUTION WITH ANTI-GAY BIGOTRY ***
www.DontAmend.com
- The radical right wants to throw gays in jail.
- The Supreme Court said "no."
- Now the anti-gay bigots are demanding revenge.
Radical fundamentalists are demanding Congress add anti-gay language to
the US Constitution, and they just might get their wish.
The far-right's "Federal Marriage Amendment" will ban gay marriage, and
nullify domestic partnership and civil union laws in several states and
more than 100 counties, cities, and towns. Some worry that the amendment
could even overturn all current and future civil rights laws protecting gays.
THE THREAT IS REAL - IN THEIR OWN WORDS
"Thirty-seven (37) states currently have laws banning homosexual
marriage. For a constitutional amendment to become law, 38 states must
approve it. As you can see, we're very close to having the necessary
support across the country. Now all that remains is to convince the
Republican Congress to act." - American Family Association
KEY SENATE LEADERS SUPPORT THE AMENDMENT
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has endorsed the amendment, as
has homophobe Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA). And 85 out of 100 Senators
voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, more than enough to pass
a similar constitutional amendment. Do you really think those Senators
are going to defend us now?
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. WE'VE TOLERATED THEIR INTOLERANCE FOR FAR TOO LONG.
Several of the founders of StopDrLaura.com have reunited to stop this
bigoted attack on gay and lesbian Americans. We've launched a new Web
campaign called DontAmend.com to organize our friends nationwide to stop
this desecration of OUR Constitution. But to win this battle, we need
your support.
- VISIT DONTAMEND.COM
- SIGN THE PETITION
- JOIN THE EMAIL LIST
- FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO TEN FRIENDS
THE RADICAL RIGHT HATES US, AND WILL STOP AT NOTHING
"When 19-year-old G.I.s were dying on the beaches of Normandy, in the
jungles of Vietnam, and in the deserts of Iraq, what did they think they
were fighting for?... Judging by the Supreme Court's decision in the
Texas sodomy case, the soldiers apparently died for a culture in which
the only moral absolute is an unlimited right to perverted sex." -
Concerned Women for America
No, they were fighting for the right to live in a country free from the
intolerance of people like you.
Visit www.DontAmend.com
For yourself, for your loved ones, and for the next generation - ACT NOW.
The List:
SUBSCRIBE: http://thelist.c.tclk.net/maabfUIaaZb5kb4Eg4xb/
UNSUBSCRIBE: http://thelist.c.tclk.net/maabfUIaaZb5lb4Eg4xb/
SUPPORT THE LIST: http://thelist.c.tclk.net/maabfUIaaZb5mb4Eg4xb/
Washington, DC
July 15, 2003
Friends, please forward my alert far and wide. Several of my
StopDrLaura.com colleagues and I have reunited to fight the
religious right's attempt to pass an anti-gay constitutional amendment.
The threat is real, and we need your help. Thanks as always, JOHN
*** DON'T AMEND THE CONSTITUTION WITH ANTI-GAY BIGOTRY ***
www.DontAmend.com
- The radical right wants to throw gays in jail.
- The Supreme Court said "no."
- Now the anti-gay bigots are demanding revenge.
Radical fundamentalists are demanding Congress add anti-gay language to
the US Constitution, and they just might get their wish.
The far-right's "Federal Marriage Amendment" will ban gay marriage, and
nullify domestic partnership and civil union laws in several states and
more than 100 counties, cities, and towns. Some worry that the amendment
could even overturn all current and future civil rights laws protecting gays.
THE THREAT IS REAL - IN THEIR OWN WORDS
"Thirty-seven (37) states currently have laws banning homosexual
marriage. For a constitutional amendment to become law, 38 states must
approve it. As you can see, we're very close to having the necessary
support across the country. Now all that remains is to convince the
Republican Congress to act." - American Family Association
KEY SENATE LEADERS SUPPORT THE AMENDMENT
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has endorsed the amendment, as
has homophobe Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA). And 85 out of 100 Senators
voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, more than enough to pass
a similar constitutional amendment. Do you really think those Senators
are going to defend us now?
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. WE'VE TOLERATED THEIR INTOLERANCE FOR FAR TOO LONG.
Several of the founders of StopDrLaura.com have reunited to stop this
bigoted attack on gay and lesbian Americans. We've launched a new Web
campaign called DontAmend.com to organize our friends nationwide to stop
this desecration of OUR Constitution. But to win this battle, we need
your support.
- VISIT DONTAMEND.COM
- SIGN THE PETITION
- JOIN THE EMAIL LIST
- FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO TEN FRIENDS
THE RADICAL RIGHT HATES US, AND WILL STOP AT NOTHING
"When 19-year-old G.I.s were dying on the beaches of Normandy, in the
jungles of Vietnam, and in the deserts of Iraq, what did they think they
were fighting for?... Judging by the Supreme Court's decision in the
Texas sodomy case, the soldiers apparently died for a culture in which
the only moral absolute is an unlimited right to perverted sex." -
Concerned Women for America
No, they were fighting for the right to live in a country free from the
intolerance of people like you.
Visit www.DontAmend.com
For yourself, for your loved ones, and for the next generation - ACT NOW.
The List:
SUBSCRIBE: http://thelist.c.tclk.net/maabfUIaaZb5kb4Eg4xb/
UNSUBSCRIBE: http://thelist.c.tclk.net/maabfUIaaZb5lb4Eg4xb/
SUPPORT THE LIST: http://thelist.c.tclk.net/maabfUIaaZb5mb4Eg4xb/
July 14, 2003
Evolution On Gay Marriage? Catholic and Anglican Primates reject gay faithful, Gay sex flap roils Hamptons beach
TUSCALOOSA NEWS (Alabama): Guest column by lesbian professor in support of Supreme Court decision
WASHINGTON POST: Fred Hiatt: Evolution On Gay Marriage?
CANADIAN PRESS: U.S. gays are urged to think twice before marrying here
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Wary of past abuses, Argentine capital approves gay rights; Starting Friday, gay couples in Buenos Aires can form civil unions.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Gay marriage - the next just step
EAST AFRICAN STANDARD: (Kenya) Catholic and Anglican Primates reject gay faithful
ALTERNET: The Super Queers (gays in comics)
365GAY.COM: Gay Rights In Fred Phelp's Backyard: A national LGBT civil rights group is helping local gay activists in Topeka push for a city ordinance banning discrimination against gays and lesbians
YLE24 ONLINE (Finland): Gay Activists Welcome Adoption Proposal
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Gay sex flap roils Hamptons beach
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Jennifer Beals hopes to break lesbian stereotypes on TV in "The L Word"
RUTLAND HERALD: (Vermont) Vermont Commentary: Gay marriages deserve one word: Contratulations
THE CAPITAL: (Annapolis, Maryland) Same-sex marriages legal in Maryland?
TAIPEI TIMES (Taiwan:) Lesbians in Taiwan: A bed of roses; Academic Sang Tze-lin says the country is the most progressive place for a gay and lesbian identity in East Asia, except for Japan
WASHINGTON TIMES: Gay 'marriages' ahead
DENVER POST: Issue shifts from the bedroom to the altar; Gay-marriage debate moves to the mainstream
ORLANDO SENTINEL: Big fight over gay rights hits small town of Monteverde
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Conservative forces within the Uniting Church may split from the 26-year-old multidenominational federation if a resolution permitting the ordination of practising homosexuals is passed
DENVER POST: Ed Quillen: The evil regime of the north
DENVER POST: Diane Carmen: Gay-union ruling widely anticipated in Massachusetts
July 11, 2003
CA Assessors rule for domestic partners, Acceptance of domestic partner benefit plans grows, Angelina Jolie comes out
MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL: (California) Marin County Assessor fails to block ruling on domestic partners
TECH CENTRAL STATION: Brand Matters: The gay marriage debate is really a fight over whether to expand the marriage brand name
VANCOUVER SUN: Some ministers are ready to perform gay weddings
VANCOUVER SUN: Is there a bride and groom at gay ceremonies?
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Cinematic rainbow of drama, humor: Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Movie Review: Two women in love add fuel to the fire in "Gasoline"
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Movie Review: Dutch farce "Zus and Zo,"about a gay man at odds with his siblings, brings to mind Woody Allen
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Movie Review: A fascinating symbol of resistance; Black gay man fights for respect in 'Madame Sata'
SEATTLE TIMES: Gays are cautioned to let new rights 'sink in'
NEWSDAY: Acceptance of domestic partner benefit plans grows wider
THE AGE: (Australia) Man who donated sperm "the old fashioned way" to a lesbian couple has reportedly been found liable to pay child support
PASADENA STAR-NEWS: Families will resist constitutional change to limit marriage
NEWPORT DAILY NEWS: (Rhode Island) City rejects proposed gay club's license bid
BOSTON GLOBE: Theater: Earnest play serves a slice of tennis ace Bill Tilden's complex life
BOSTON GLOBE: WRKO reinstates Michael Savage after a day
365GAY.COM: Angelina Jolie comes out as . . . something
BBC NEWS: Archbishop saddened by gay row
HONOLULU ADVERTISER: Two high school graduates who started the first Gay Straight Alliance in a Hawai'i public school win Youth Award from the ACLU
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS: (Denver) Gay marriage coalition forms; Dismissing state ban as 'bigotry,' clergy push for equal rights
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Mayor Daley holds out hope of gay set-asides if past bias can be proven
INDIANAPOLIS STAR: Greater Indianapolis Fairness Alliance fights for rights
USA TODAY: Sports Business: Gay former NFL player Esera Tuaolo lands role in Chili's restaurant ads
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE: (New Orleans) Top court gay ruling labeled a victory; 'We're free at last,' Marigny artist says
July 09, 2003
British Columbia allows gay marriages, Family Day purged of gays had many 'losers,' Transsexual woman wins gender case, Newspaper Stokes Debate
BOSTON GLOBE: More fallout for Michael Savage; Fired MSNBC host suspended by WRKO
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Gay choir leader's firing turns into a test of faith; Dismissal of popular director has brought disharmony to the flock at Rockford parish
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER: British Columbia allows gay marriages; Washington couples plan to cross border to wed
MORE INFORMATION:
. To find out how to get married in British Columbia call 604-660-2937 or go to www.vs.gov.bc.ca/marriage/howto.html.
. The Legal Marriage Alliance of Washington is a non-profit organization that aims to educate the public on the issue. Find it at www.lmaw.org.
. The Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund is the oldest and largest gay and lesbian legal organization in the United States. It works on litigation, education and public policy. Its Web site is www.lambdalegal.org.
INDIANAPOLIS STAR: Same-sex couples lose case for leave; Court rules state not required to offer paid funeral leave to domestic partners
BOSTON GLOBE: British Columbia approves gay, lesbian marriages
SFGATE.COM: Another of Mark Morford's warped (in a good way) musings: How To Learn To Love Sodomy
FINDLAW.COM: The Consequences of Lawrence v. Texas: Justice Scalia is right that same-sex marriage bans are at risk, but wrong that a host of other laws are vulnerable
VILLAGE VOICE: La Dolce Musto: Who to blame for TV's most hateful commercial
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL: Gays Study Canadian Ruling On Marriage: Some legislators say there's no way Canadian same-sex marriages will be honored in Wisconsin
SCRANTON TIMES TRIBUNE: (Pennsylvania) Santorum supports previous his comments on homosexuals
OHIO NEWS NETWORK Petition For Domestic Partner Registry Certified In Cleveland Heights
HONOLULU ADVERTISER: Column: Family Day purged of gays had many 'losers'
TOLDEO BLADE: Detroit activist Jeffrey Montgomery devotes his life to gay rights
SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL: Closeted gay Congressman Mark Foley has started a crusade to save teenagers from the evils of nude camping
GAY.COM: Lubbock, Texas: Lawsuit seeks to let gay student club meet
MARYLAND GAZETTE: Transsexual woman wins gender case
THE AGE: (Australia) Police association says the community should decide whether a transsexual man's application for entry into the Victorian police force should be approved (uses pronouns inappropriately)
AMARILLO GLOBE-NEWS: David Horsley: I'm not sure what "the homosexual agenda" is, but I'm probably part of it – whatever it is
ST. PAUL PIONEER-PRESS: Esera Tuaolo's Chili's ad was made for fun, not to make a statement
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Witnesses say boy beat his brother to death out of hatred, believed he was gay
THE AUSTRALIAN: The Uniting Church will vote next week on gay clergy
ALAMEDA TIMES-STAR: (California) Organizers of Fourth of July parade have received more than 100 phone calls and e-mails from people angry that an anti-gay, religious group was allowed to march
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: John O'Sullivan: 3 ways to get hitched could keep things civil
BALTIMORE SUN: Susan Reimer: It's possible for gay couples to stabilize the family unit
THE STRAITS TIMES: (Singapore) It's not about gay rights - it's economic survival
ADVOCATE.COM: (glbt) New gay health center to open in San Francisco
ADVOCATE.COM: Military's gay ban challenged in wake of "sodomy" ruling 4
THE STRAITS TIMES (Singapore) It's not about gay rights - it's economic survival
CBC BRITISH: COLUMBIA Two men exchanged their vows at the Vancouver Law Courts Tuesday, less than an hour after the B.C. Court of Appeal officially changed the legal definition of marriage
NEW YORK TIMES: Attorney Ruth Harlow: After battling for gay rights, it's time for her to shift her energies
WASHINGTON POST: Television: Michael Savage Lives Up to His Name - and That's All for Him at MSNBC
REUTERS: Major Newspaper (Boston Globe) Stokes American Gay Marriage Debate
'This stinks to high heaven:" UK gay bishop forced to resign before he assumes post
"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,992892,00.html">THE GUARDIAN: 'This stinks to high heaven. He is in agony' Extreme pressure was exerted by group of Carey-appointed staff
As the Church of England battled to close down the row over what would have been its first openly gay bishop, accusing fingers were last night pointed at a coterie of Lambeth Palace staff appointed by the evangelical former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey.
All the signs were that Canon Jeffrey John did not resign voluntarily. "You can take it he was bounced. This stinks to high heaven. There is no way that he has resigned voluntarily. He is in agony," said one senior cleric who spoke to the canon on Saturday night.
THE GUARDIAN: (London) Evangelicals plan next anti-gay campaign Liberals vent their fury at archbishop's about-turn on appointment
THE GUARDIAN: Zoe Williams: Gays win the numbers game: When is the Church of England going to realise that homosexuality is now more popular in Britain than Christianity?
Reactions: "Canon John's withdrawal is a victory for homophobia. It signals that honest, truthful gay clergy have no place in the church."
Rowan Williams' letter to bishops
This is the full text of the letter that the Archbishop of Canterbury sent to diocesan and suffragan bishops about the appointment of Canon Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading
Tuesday June 24, 2003
Dear Brothers in Christ,
None of us will need any persuading that the recent appointment of Canon Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading has proved a controversial and challenging one. It has become a focus for a great deal of debate, in which differing views of the appointment and its significance have been widely aired, inside and outside the Church here, and indeed much further afield.
At this point in the debate - particularly since some of you have already voiced serious concerns - it is important that I try to clarify basic issues, in my capacity as Archbishop of Canterbury and Chairman of the House of Bishops.
First, about the appointment process. As you know, the appointment of a suffragan bishop is made by the Crown, on the advice of a diocesan as forwarded by the Archbishop of the province. And that is what has happened on this occasion. It is not for me to recount the diocesan process. But so far as my own involvement is concerned, you should know it is an appointment I have neither sought to promote nor to obstruct.
I was informed that Canon Jeffrey John was regarded as a highly gifted candidate, was acceptable to the diocese, that he had given explicit assurances on various matters, including his personal circumstances and his willingness to work loyally within the framework of doctrine and discipline as expressed in Issues in Human Sexuality. With these assurances, since repeated very publicly, and in keeping with the principle that the integrity of the process within the diocese should be respected, I raised no objection to forwarding his name.
Despite what some have claimed, I do not believe this overall process weakens the commitment of the House of Bishops to what we have declared as our common mind. Nor do I believe that Canon John's appointment either subverts current discipline or forecloses future discussion. It would certainly be deplorable if it were assumed that the existing approach has been abandoned by stealth, or that the forthcoming guide to the debate on sexuality that we have agreed to publish, was slanted towards a change in that policy. So, let us be clear: there can be no question of trying to pre-empt, undermine or short-circuit the reflection of the Church as a whole.
It is also important here, to stress to the wider Anglican Communion that we are not embarking on or colluding with any policy of unilateral local change, which I have more than once deplored elsewhere.
Two final and important points. The concerns of many in the diocese of Oxford are theologically serious, intelligible and by no means based on narrow party allegiance or on prejudice. They must be addressed and considered fully. Confidence in the ability of a new bishop to minister to those in his pastoral care is a centrally important matter, and it is clear that serious questions remain in the diocese. To consider these with prayerfulness and maturity needs time and a measure of calm. It is not for anyone outside the diocese to override or pre-empt what is obviously a painful and complex process, and I can only ask your prayers for the diocese as it struggles with this and tries to find a right discernment.
Finally, it would be a tragedy if these issues, in the Church of England and in the Communion, occupied so much energy that we lost our focus on the priorities of our mission, the priorities given us by Our Lord. What we say about sexuality (and not just on the same-sex question) is a necessary part of our faithfulness, but the concentration on this in recent weeks has had the effect of generating real incomprehension in much of our society, in a way that does nothing for our credibility. In the world where we are called to offer the Good News of Jesus, we need to reflect on this dimension of the situation - not to surrender to alien standards, but to keep our eyes on those central revealed truths without which other matters of behaviour and discipline will never make sense.
In a few weeks, I shall be making a pastoral visit to West Africa. Some of our local issues are there too, of course, but so are most of the greatest wounds of our age, afflicting millions - violent conflict, epidemic disease, instability and poverty. Faithful Christian witness shines through all this, and we are deeply thankful for it. It does us no harm to think about our own priorities against such a background, and perhaps to learn in some matters to give each other a little more time and space for thought as we try to find how we can walk in step as the Body of Christ - not falling over ourselves because of anxiety and suspicion.
Rowan Cantuar
Lambeth Palace, 23rd June 2003
As the Church of England battled to close down the row over what would have been its first openly gay bishop, accusing fingers were last night pointed at a coterie of Lambeth Palace staff appointed by the evangelical former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey.
All the signs were that Canon Jeffrey John did not resign voluntarily. "You can take it he was bounced. This stinks to high heaven. There is no way that he has resigned voluntarily. He is in agony," said one senior cleric who spoke to the canon on Saturday night.
THE GUARDIAN: (London) Evangelicals plan next anti-gay campaign Liberals vent their fury at archbishop's about-turn on appointment
THE GUARDIAN: Zoe Williams: Gays win the numbers game: When is the Church of England going to realise that homosexuality is now more popular in Britain than Christianity?
Reactions: "Canon John's withdrawal is a victory for homophobia. It signals that honest, truthful gay clergy have no place in the church."
Rowan Williams' letter to bishops
This is the full text of the letter that the Archbishop of Canterbury sent to diocesan and suffragan bishops about the appointment of Canon Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading
Tuesday June 24, 2003
Dear Brothers in Christ,
None of us will need any persuading that the recent appointment of Canon Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading has proved a controversial and challenging one. It has become a focus for a great deal of debate, in which differing views of the appointment and its significance have been widely aired, inside and outside the Church here, and indeed much further afield.
At this point in the debate - particularly since some of you have already voiced serious concerns - it is important that I try to clarify basic issues, in my capacity as Archbishop of Canterbury and Chairman of the House of Bishops.
First, about the appointment process. As you know, the appointment of a suffragan bishop is made by the Crown, on the advice of a diocesan as forwarded by the Archbishop of the province. And that is what has happened on this occasion. It is not for me to recount the diocesan process. But so far as my own involvement is concerned, you should know it is an appointment I have neither sought to promote nor to obstruct.
I was informed that Canon Jeffrey John was regarded as a highly gifted candidate, was acceptable to the diocese, that he had given explicit assurances on various matters, including his personal circumstances and his willingness to work loyally within the framework of doctrine and discipline as expressed in Issues in Human Sexuality. With these assurances, since repeated very publicly, and in keeping with the principle that the integrity of the process within the diocese should be respected, I raised no objection to forwarding his name.
Despite what some have claimed, I do not believe this overall process weakens the commitment of the House of Bishops to what we have declared as our common mind. Nor do I believe that Canon John's appointment either subverts current discipline or forecloses future discussion. It would certainly be deplorable if it were assumed that the existing approach has been abandoned by stealth, or that the forthcoming guide to the debate on sexuality that we have agreed to publish, was slanted towards a change in that policy. So, let us be clear: there can be no question of trying to pre-empt, undermine or short-circuit the reflection of the Church as a whole.
It is also important here, to stress to the wider Anglican Communion that we are not embarking on or colluding with any policy of unilateral local change, which I have more than once deplored elsewhere.
Two final and important points. The concerns of many in the diocese of Oxford are theologically serious, intelligible and by no means based on narrow party allegiance or on prejudice. They must be addressed and considered fully. Confidence in the ability of a new bishop to minister to those in his pastoral care is a centrally important matter, and it is clear that serious questions remain in the diocese. To consider these with prayerfulness and maturity needs time and a measure of calm. It is not for anyone outside the diocese to override or pre-empt what is obviously a painful and complex process, and I can only ask your prayers for the diocese as it struggles with this and tries to find a right discernment.
Finally, it would be a tragedy if these issues, in the Church of England and in the Communion, occupied so much energy that we lost our focus on the priorities of our mission, the priorities given us by Our Lord. What we say about sexuality (and not just on the same-sex question) is a necessary part of our faithfulness, but the concentration on this in recent weeks has had the effect of generating real incomprehension in much of our society, in a way that does nothing for our credibility. In the world where we are called to offer the Good News of Jesus, we need to reflect on this dimension of the situation - not to surrender to alien standards, but to keep our eyes on those central revealed truths without which other matters of behaviour and discipline will never make sense.
In a few weeks, I shall be making a pastoral visit to West Africa. Some of our local issues are there too, of course, but so are most of the greatest wounds of our age, afflicting millions - violent conflict, epidemic disease, instability and poverty. Faithful Christian witness shines through all this, and we are deeply thankful for it. It does us no harm to think about our own priorities against such a background, and perhaps to learn in some matters to give each other a little more time and space for thought as we try to find how we can walk in step as the Body of Christ - not falling over ourselves because of anxiety and suspicion.
Rowan Cantuar
Lambeth Palace, 23rd June 2003
July 01, 2003
There's something about Harry, America's Largest Walk-in Closet, More Minority Than Thou
BOSTON PHOENIX: Michael Bronski: There's something about Harry: Evangelicals who are all worked up about Harry Potter's celebration of magic and the occult are on to something -- The kid may just be queer, in the broadest sense.
BELFAST TELEGRAPH: (Northern Ireland) Church of Ireland Primate Archbishop Robin Eames says he does not wish the obsession with sexuality in the Church to eclipse the big issues such as evangelism and the needs of the poor and hungry
Times Argus: Civil Unions = Big Bucks in VT
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: New battle line in 'culture war': gay marriage; High court affirmation of privacy rights and newly legalized homosexual marriage in Canada are energizing the issue
KRON4-TV (San Francisco): 6 Held For Alleged Attack on San Francisco Supervisor Gavin Newsom during Sunday's Gay Pride Parade
READING EVENING POST: (England) Stand aside or church splits; Stark warning - Philip Giddings says he is looking to the people who can stop Canon John's appointment
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER: Column: Pride and prejudice (Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon wanders cluelessly into a nest of homosexuals)
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER: Celebrating Pride in The Gay City
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Coming out on the job: Gays and lesbians say it's important to be candid about their sexuality at work
THE INDEPENDENT: (London) Tories get free vote on gay-partnership rights
CNN/FINDLAW: The Supreme Court welcomes gays and lesbians into the fold
TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE: Seattle's 27th annual gay parade 'more special' thanks to court decision
USA TODAY: Demographics rule attitude on gay relationships
USA TODAY: Poll: Young adults back gay marriages
PLANET OUT: (glbt) Gay legal experts assess ruling's impact
THE SCOTSMAN: Gay marriage plan for Scotland threatens to provoke new battle
HONOLULU ADVERTISER: Editorial: Victory for gays, and privacy for all
THE TIMES-ARGUS: (Vermont) Civil unions bring dollars into Vermont
GAY CITY NEWS: (New York City) Dignity and GENDA Stymied; Nearing recess in Albany, trans-phobic GOP stonewalls bills
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: More Minority Than Thou: Several ethnic group leaders question the appointment of a white lesbian as the city's minority affairs and communications coordinator
WASHINGTON POST: A supervisor at the Internal Revenue Service has been disciplined for rejecting a job applicant because he is gay
SEATTLE WEEKLY: Sappho and Starch: One-half of Dos Fallopia tells about coming out to her mother
SEATTLE WEEKLY: America's Largest Walk-in Closet: Not asking, and not telling, in the Liberace Museum
SEATTLE WEEKLY: Speaking in Tongues: Or, a brief history of the love that dare not say her name
SEATTLE WEEKLY: Brotherly Love: 'Buddy films' mean man-to-man action in more than one way
SEATTLE WEEKLY: For Crying 'Out' Loud: Closet politics inform the popular campaign against Hillary Clinton
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