MCC Louisville Newsletter

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Justice Archives

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Thirsty? Then buy PepsiCo beverages like Aquafina, Gatorade, and Propel. Pepsi scored 100% on HRC's (Human Rights Campaign) Corporate Equality Index. Leave Deer Park, Perrier, Poland Spring, and Ice Mountain on the shelf. The Nestle Purina Bottling Company scored a horrible 29%.

Likewise, stay away from Rite Aid. They also scored 29%. But, shop to your heart's content at Walgreens. They scored 100%.

Brokeback Mountain, the movie about gay cowboys, received the Best Film Drama prize at the Golden Globe Awards and Felicity Huffman
was named Best Actress in a Film Drama, playing a transgender woman on the verge of a sex change in Transamerica.

A pastor has called for a national boycott of Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and other businesses that have come out in support of a gay civil rights bill in Washington State, saying the companies have underestimated the power of religious consumers. The Reverend Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in the east Seattle suburb of Redmond, which is also home to Microsoft, made the announcement on a national conservative talk-radio show, Focus on the Family.

A new four-volume series on the cultural and psychological dimensions of American military life includes, for the first time, a chapter on the service of openly gay troops. The chapter describes social and institutional changes needed to lift the U.S. armed forces' ban on openly gay members.
"The decision of the editors and publisher to include analysis on how to modify military culture to accommodate this policy change is an important milestone," said Nathaniel Frank, senior research fellow at the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military. "It reflects an evolving understanding that the current exclusionary policy on gay troops is harmful and outdated and that change is inevitable."
The chapter authors explain that compliance with new regulations—in this case nondiscrimination toward gays—will be most stable and enduring if strong leaders enforce new expectations by creating high costs for noncompliance. The initial focus of change in this case, they explain, should be the behavior, rather than attitudes, of heterosexuals; but over time, it is reasonable to expect that personnel will conform to new policies because they believe their conduct reflects their identity as members of the institution.

The United States joined the "repressive, antigay regimes" of Iran, Zimbabwe, China, Cameroon, and others in voting against allowing two gay rights organizations to join the United Nations Economic and Social Council, angering the groups and other gay rights leaders. The United States voted against even granting a hearing to the applications of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) and the Danish Association of Gays and Lesbians. The two groups' applications were summarily dismissed

On January 23,2006 AOL Music launched a site called "G-Sides, Music for the GLBT Community," which it says features "the gay and lesbian artists we love." But M. Tye Comer, senior programming manager for AOL Music, says G-Sides isn't necessarily a "gay music" site. "This site will talk about all different facets: gay artists, music that has a strong LGB fan base, and even videos that you might not think have relevance to the gay and lesbian community—but do."

If you've flipped across MTV's LOGO TV Network recently, you've probably spotted an MCC family featured as part of LOGO's "Real Momentum: Raising Parents" documentary series.
        The broadcast focuses on high school student Aidan Grennell. Aidan, who many MCCers know from Regional and General Conferences, has grown up as an active member of MCC Richmond (Virginia) and is an activist for LGBT rights in Virginia.

        Aidan is the daughter of Jane Nelson and Janet Grennell, both who whom are longtime leaders at MCC Richmond. Jane is Minister for HIV/AIDS Ministries at MCC Richmond and plans to enter MCC clergy candidacy following graduation from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. Janet just completed a two-year commitment as the church's Second Lay Delegate and regularly assists in worship as an usher and intercessory prayer leader.

        Janet notes, "The documentary focused on a struggle faced by each family. Our struggle centered around whether Aidan would get an important leadership position in her high school band, that of drum major. With Richmond, Virginia being so conservative, our biggest fear was that she would be denied because she had gay parents and was a local gay-rights activist."

        Aidan has served as MCC Youth Preacher (in both Richmond and Austin, Texas), is a Communion celebrant and server, volunteers in Sunday School, and has participated in MCC General and Regional Conferences. She is active in her local Gay Straight Alliance, serves with the Gay Straight Educators' Network on the US national level, and has testified for LGBT civil rights before Senate committees in Virginia's state legislature.

        Aidan also believes God has called her to vocational ministry and looks forward to future ordination within MCC.

The Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival will be held in Chicago 15–22 July. This Olympics-like event happens every four years for LBGT athletes. The first Gay Games were held in San Francisco in 1986, with 1,350 people participating. The Games have also been held in Vancouver, New York City, Amsterdam, and Sydney. The most recent event, the 2002 Games held in Sydney, drew about 11,000 participants. More than 12,000 athletes from 100 counties are expected to attend Gay Games VII in Chicago. For more information go to the Federation of Gay Games Web site at www.gaygames.com or the Chicago Gay Games Web site at www.gaygameschicago.org.

The lead story on http://www.advocate.com/index.asp is about openly gay Kentucky Senator Ernesto Scorscone and others filing a lawsuity against the Commonwealth for funding University of the Cumberlands. There is also a survey on that page: What's Gay Now?

A number of countries around the world are increasing their commitment to fight HIV through a new tax on airline tickets. The money will be earmarked for developing nations to deal with the disease. France will be the first country to institute the tax and Brazil, Jordan, Nicaragua and Norway will follow. Needless to say, the U.S. government and airline officials are not considering the idea here.

Rosie O’Donnell will replace Meredith Vieira on daytime television’s "The View".

The Washington Blade reported that True World Foods, a large national distributor of sushi, has ties and contributes to the anti-gay leader Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church.

Israel made history by recognizing gay victims of the holocaust. The thousands of GLBT men and women killed by the Nazis were paid tribute in national holocaust memorial services.

Harvard recently announced that they are adding "gender identity and expression" to their school's anti-discrimination policy. Currently, Harvard already has sexual orientation as part of the school's policy against discrimination. This welcoming news now means that half of the Ivy League schools now include gender identity in their non-discrimination policies. The list includes Harvard, Brown, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania.

Human Rights Campaign Coming Out Project's spokesperson, George Takei, also known as Mr. Sulu, is in the midst of his national tour of college campuses. His presence is bringing out a crowd mixed with people both gay and straight, college students and community members and of course, the all-important Trekkie fan base. So far, these events have proven a phenomenal way of reaching an audience that otherwise might not be hearing our message of understanding and fairness.

INDIANA NEWS

The Indiana Court of Appeals in Indianapolis ruled that unmarried couples, including those of the same sex, can adopt a child through a joint petition that gives both partners equal custody simultaneously. The 2-1 ruling involved a lesbian couple from Morgan County whose attempt to adopt an infant girl was approved by a judge in one county but denied by a judge in another. The Indiana Department of Child Services, which oversees the Morgan County office, argued that only married couples can file jointly for adoption, and unmarried couples and individuals must apply as single parents.
The appeals court said state law requires married persons seeking adoption to petition jointly. "But it does not follow that in placing this requirement upon a married couple, the legislature was simultaneously denying an unmarried couple the right to petition jointly," the ruling said.

KENTUCKY NEWS

Jason Johnson, the sophomore kicked out of the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg (a Baptist institution formerly known as Cumberland College) because he is gay, has now been granted permission to complete the semester off campus and get credit for his classes.

Governor Fletcher vetoed $370,000,000 in the state budget, but left in the $11 million for a new Pharmacy College at the University ... even though such an institution would be required to have a non-discrimination policy and, hence, could not be approved as part of the University because of its discriminatory practices.

Because of the Governor's actions on this, his rescinding of the Executive Order granting protection to state LBGT employees, and the legislature's consideration of a law that would say that no municipality in the Commonwealth could have anti-discrimination ordinances (which would negate the ones in Louisville, Lexington, and Covington, as well as deny any future ones being enacted anywhere in Kentucky), businesses are saying that they won't consider coming to Kentucky or may even leave if they are already here because they know that diversity is good for business and don't want to be associated with such a discriminatory state.

***NEW The Kentucky supreme court has unanimously ruled against a lesbian seeking joint custody of a child she helped raise with her former partner. Chief Justice Joseph Lambert, who wrote the opinion, maintained that Brenda Fawbush was not the primary caregiver. Over a six-year period, Louisville residents Fawbush and Teresa Davis raised the girl, who was a newborn when they brought her home from the hospital. Three years ago, the couple split up, and Davis, who had legally adopted the girl, took her and cut off contact with her former partner. Fawbush sued, seeking visitation and joint custody rights, but the Kentucky court ruled against her. The justices warned in the ruling that Kentucky law could affect all nontraditional caregivers, such as grandparents who raise a child when a mother cannot. The 7–0 vote upholds a lower court decision, which said that although Fawbush was the primary breadwinner, she was not the primary caregiver. According to the court, under Kentucky law she has no standing to seek custody or visitation.

IN OTHER PLACES

In Massachusetts a federal judge with the First Circuit U.S. District Court last Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by 12 service members challenging the military's antigay "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The service members had argued that the policy violates their constitutional rights to privacy, free speech, and equal protection under the law. However, the Bush administration argued that Congress, in approving "don't ask, don't tell," recognized that the military is characterized by its own rules and traditions, including some restrictions that would not be accepted in civilian society.

In a letter to the mayors of eight other European capitals, Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen has called on his counterparts to support and uphold the rights of gays and lesbians. The Netherlands began offering full marriage rights to gay couples five years ago, and Cohen is urging other countries to do the same. Mayors in Warsaw, Prague, Lisbon, Dublin, and Vienna are among those who have been sent copies of the letter. Cohen has also written to leaders in the Baltic capitals of Riga, Latvia; Tallinn, Estonia; and Vilnius, Lithuania, as well as European Union justice commissioner Franco Frattini. He calls on mayors to "adhere to the universal declaration of human rights and to do everything in your political power to open up marriage for same-sex couples and safeguard the right of public demonstrations in your city."

Even with a more conservative Supreme Court, Rev. Jerry Falwell was rebuffed by the Justices, who refused to hear a case in which Falwell argued a website parodying him should be taken down. The site adds an extra L to the proper spelling of his last name. www.fallwell.com is run by a gay man and highlights the evangelist’s anti-GLBT rhetoric.

An Italian newspaper is reporting the Vatican may be reassessing its position against condom use. Currently the church adheres to a strict abstinence only until marriage policy and bans all forms of contraception, but officials may ease the ban in response to evidence that abstinence only is not preventing the spread of HIV.

GLBT parents, and prospective parents, have a great resource in The Gay Parenting Show – a weekly program through the Podcast Network. The Human Rights Campaign is a sponsor of the program available at www.GayParenting.ThePodcastNetwork.com.

It's a mixed bag for a lesbian basketball player at Penn State. After an investigation, the university has determined its women’s basketball coach created a hostile environment because she believed a player to be a lesbian. Rene Portland will face a reprimand and a fine, but will be allowed to keep her job on the condition that the discrimination does not continue.

The GLBT channel Logo has picked-up “The Big Gay Show” produced by Rosie O’Donnell. The sketch comedy show will premier next year.

Cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge and her partner Tammy Lynn Michaels have announced they are expecting twins this fall.

University accrediting organizations must approve programs before a school receives federal funding. Most of these organizations require schools to comply with state and local non-discrimination laws – many of which protect GLBT people. But an amendment to a higher education bill in Congress would direct the accrediting organizations to put a school’s religious values over non-discrimination laws. Without an exemption, schools like Brigham Young University, a Mormon school, would have to institute sexual orientation non-discrimination policies or else lose their accreditation along with federal funding.

UPDATE ON JAMAICA

        A 25 year old man pled guilty to the 2004 killing of Brian Williamson, Jamaica's leading LGBT civil rights advocate.  Dwight Hayden will be sentenced on May 19th.
       Williamson's body was discovered in his Kingston apartment on June 7, 2004 by a roommate returning home from work.  Williamson was lying face down in a pool of blood. He had been stabbed at least 70 times in the neck.
         Hayden was charged in 2004 with murder and robbery. A second man, known only as "Bombhead" is still being sought in connection with the killing.
        The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), which Williamson founded, branded Williamson's murder a "hate-related crime".  In a statement the group said Williamson was "one of Jamaica's most courageous human rights activists" who was killed because he is gay.
        Police have maintained the murder was a robbery gone wrong and not a hate crime, but the prosecutor suggested he may seek a hate crime enhancement at sentencing.  However, Hayden's attorney asked the court for a psychiatric evaluation of his client to determine whether it was a hate crime.
       At least 30 gay men are believed to have been murdered in recent years, according to J-FLAG.  In March four people were charged in the killing of another gay man - Lenford "Steve" Harvey who ran Jamaica AIDS Support for Life.
       Rap and Reggae music frequently contain lyrics calling for violence against gays and that has led to a call by British rights leader Peter Tatchell for hate crime prosecutions in the UK against the artists and the distributors of their music.

Sigma Phi Beta made a bold move, when the college fraternity's national board of directors voted to allow transgender students to join its inclusive ranks. The new policy allows any individual who identifies as male—regardless of the legal recognition of their gender—to seek membership in Sigma Phi Beta. The policy also allows members to maintain their membership if at a later date they decide to change their gender to female.

Gay pride organizers in Moscow on Monday submitted an official request to hold a parade, despite promises from the Russian capital's mayor that he would deny such a request. Community leaders say there will be a parade, with or without official approval, because it is a human rights event.

The Australian Capital Territory has become the first jurisdiction Down Under to legislate same-sex civil unions, but made it clear that there is a difference between marriage and civil unions. The federal government, which holds veto power over ACT legislation, had threatened to overrule the act if it passed in its original form, alleging that it sought to portray civil unions as marriages. ACT Attorney General Simon Corbell explained, "We accept that a civil union is not marriage—you cannot conduct a same-sex marriage under the marriage act—but we are legislating for a civil union between people who are in a same-sex relationship, and we are giving them the same rights and the same recognition under ACT law as people who are married. It is not the same as marriage, but it will be treated, for the purposes of ACT law, in the same way a married relationship is."

A state judge in Georgia has struck down a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage approved by voters in November 2004, saying the measure violated the state constitution's procedural requirements, which exist to prevent voter confusion and protect the constitutional process. The trial court ruling, which came on Tuesday, is in response to a lawsuit filed by Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Georgia, and law firm Alston and Bird on behalf of a group of voters, legislators, and faith leaders. The state is expected to appeal the ruling, which will go directly to the Georgia supreme court. "This court is well aware that Amendment One enjoyed great public support," Judge Constance C. Russell wrote in her ruling. "However, the test of law is not its popularity. Procedural safeguards such as the single subject rule rarely enjoy popular support. But, ultimately it is those safeguards that preserve our liberties, because they ensure that the actions of government are constrained by the rule of law."

The Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that gave parental rights to a lesbian who helped raise a child with her partner, the child's biological mom.

First Lady Laura Bush spoke against a proposed federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, scheduled for a Senate vote the week of 5 June. A recent poll by Peter D. Hart Research Associates shows that most Americans agree. Only 33% think that an amendment to the Constitution should decide the issue. The same proposed amendment failed in the Senate and House of Representatives last year.

After a weeks-long struggle with City Hall, a historic church in Massachusetts has finally been given the go-ahead to unveil a 34-foot banner supporting same-sex marriage. Last month Quincy's Historical District Commission rejected the United First Parish Church's application to display the banner, saying it would create what commissioners called a "circus atmosphere." But, after receiving a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union, the city and the church struck a deal, agreeing to hang the giant banner for 60 days instead of the 90 for which they had originally applied. The Historical District Commission fell in line and gave its formal approval. The banner reads, "People of Faith for Marriage Equality," and was dedicated after church services on Sunday.

The roster of politicians lining up to put an end to the “don't ask, don't tell” military policy is steadily growing, with three Democrats, including Julia Carson of Indiana, and one Republican joining the other 110 cosponsors of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, House legislation that would repeal the ban on openly gay soldiers.

The City Council of Black Jack, Missouri, a St. Louis suburb, rejected a measure that would allow unmarried couples with multiple children to live together, and the mayor said those who fall into that category could soon face eviction. Olivia Shelltrack and Fondrey Loving were denied an occupancy permit after moving into a home because they have three children and are not married.

The town's Planning and Zoning Commission proposed a change in the law, but the measure was rejected last week by the City Council in a 5-3 vote. The current ordinance prohibits more than three people from living together unless they are related by "blood, marriage or adoption." The defeated measure would have changed the definition of a family to include unmarried couples with two or more children.

Mayor Norman McCourt declined to be interviewed but said in a statement that those who do not meet the town's definition of family could soon face eviction. Black Jack's special counsel, Sheldon Stock, declined to say whether the city will seek to remove Loving and Shelltrack from their home.

In Kenya, if Christians are seen gathering in one place for prayer and they are gay, they risk being arrested, imprisoned, beaten up, or even murdered.

A high school English teacher is catching heat for showing her students 2 1/2 minutes of the movie Brokeback Mountain. The teacher, who was not named, reportedly showed a short clip of the award-winning film in a senior cinematography class at Boyd County High School (Kentucky). School superintendent Howard K. Osborne would not say whether any action was being taken against the teacher, but he did confirm that Brokeback Mountain will not be shown again at the school. The high school was the site of a contentious battle regarding the establishment of a gay-straight alliance on campus in 2002. The American Civil Liberties Union intervened, and the school board finally voted to let the GSA meet on campus in 2004.

  The U.S. Senate approved legislation Wednesday that would bar antigay demonstrators led by the Reverend Fred Phelps from disrupting military funerals at national cemeteries. A nearly identical measure passed the House two weeks ago and specifically targets a Kansas church group that has staged protests at military funerals around the country. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka claim that the deaths were a sign of God's anger at U.S. tolerance of gay people.
        The "Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act" would bar protests within 300 feet of the entrance of a cemetery and within 150 feet of a road into the cemetery from 60 minutes before to 60 minutes after a funeral. Violators would face up to a $100,000 fine and up to a year in prison.
        More than a dozen state legislatures are considering similar laws to restrict protests at non-federal cemeteries, but the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against a new Kentucky law, saying it limits freedom of speech and expression.

The DVD for TransAmerica has been released!

President Bush will hold a press conference on Monday to reiterate his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment ahead of Tuesday’s scheduled vote. Not only that, but Bush will tout the proposal to write discrimination into the Constitution from the White House Rose Garden – a location generally reserved for events and ceremonies of significant national importance.

Don’t forget the Federal Marriage Amendment Vote is scheduled for next Wednesday! Go to www.hrc.org/voteno to express your opinion to your Senators and Congresspeople ... and tell your friends and family to do so, too!!!

Among its NATO allies, the United States is one of the few countries that continues to ban openly gay and lesbian military personnel. American soldiers commonly serve alongside openly gay troops from the United Kingdom, Australia and Israel. Now South Korea is poised to join the list of countries that have ended discrimination against gay soldiers. Their National Human Rights Commission has recommended the change and the government says it will begin to institute a new policy.

A transgender woman is suing her employer Hitachi claiming she was discriminated against because of her gender identity. Jessica Bussert was working for Hitachi in Indiana but was transferred to a position in the UK. Once there, she allegedly faced harassment and was undermined by her superiors.

At the Memorial Day observances at Arlington National Cemetery, Fred Phelps protested President Bush and the ceremonies honoring the country’s veterans. After the events the President signed a bill passed in Congress last week targeting Phelps that will put restrictions on exactly those kinds of protests.

In Jerusalem, the city’s Orthodox mayor had also blocked their pride celebration for years. But yesterday a judge ruled the mayor was wrong to exclude the parade and ordered the city to pay seventy-seven thousand dollars to the group – money they would have received with official sanction of the events.

In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced he will veto a bill designed to protect students and foster tolerance in schools. The bill named the Bias Free Curriculum Act would add GLBT people to the list of traditionally underrepresented groups and require school curricula to be inclusive.

In Canada, a new study shows workplace bias against GLBT people to be a serious problem despite having some of the most inclusive laws in the world. A national survey reveals sixty percent of Canadians say being out at work will hinder career prospects and over a quarter of respondents say they have witnessed anti-GLBT discrimination in their workplace.

Q Television has officially gone off the air after months of restructuring that management had hoped would save the network. Logo and Here TV are now the only two gay networks available in the U.S.

While the Federal Marriage Amendment was defeated as expected on Wednesday, the citizens of Alabama voted Tuesday to write discrimination into their state constitution. Almost 80% cast their ballot to ban not only marriage for same-sex couples, but civil unions and domestic partnerships as well.

The California Assembly passed a bill to help GLBT seniors. The Older Californians Equality and Protection Act directs the Department of Aging to take into account the needs of older GLBT citizens.

In Kansas City, a gay music director at a Catholic church lost his job because he would not say his sexual orientation was a disorder nor sign a pledge of celibacy. Joe Nadeau was immediately hired as the music director at a nearby Lutheran church.

In Minnesota, United Methodist Church officials have taken a strong stand for fairness. Delegates to the state convention voted to welcome GLBT members, as well to repeal a policy that restricts clergy from blessing same-sex unions. Their vote is a recommendation to the national convention that meets in two years.

ExxonMobil has continually resisted calls to add sexual orientation to their non-discrimination policy, even though every other major oil company does. Every year shareholders take a vote on the issue and yesterday they voted in record numbers for the inclusive policy ... 34.6%, up from 29.4% last year.

Columbia University added gender identity and expression to their non-discrimination policy. Columbia joins a growing list of colleges and universities protecting transgender students, faculty and staff from unfair treatment.

The Supreme Court of Costa Rica ruled against marriage equality this week in a five to two decision. Local advocates filed a case saying that the denial of marriage to same-sex couples was discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Did you know that Batwoman is a lesbian? As part of a series released earlier this year, a lesbian Batwoman will be joined by other diverse characters, says DC Comics.

The Right Reverend Richard Harries, a senior Anglican Bishop, told the London Daily Telegraph that he believes the Bible supports unions between same-sex couples and there is no reason not to appoint an openly gay man as a Bishop in the church.

Congratulations to the Fairness Campaign and to the Kentucky ACLU who received $1,000,000 each from the estate of Henry Wallace!!!

        The Episcopal Church's triennial General Convention is meeting this week in Columbus, Ohio. The conservative wing will be pushing for repentance over consecrating Gene Robinson, an openly gay bishop, three years ago.

        The former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, recently warned that if the American Episcopal Church did not agree at the convention to a moratorium on the ordination of gay priests and the blessing of same-sex unions, the Anglican Communion worldwide would split once and for all.
        Other conservatives are calling for Episcopalians to repent for consecrating Robinson in the first place.
        Some of the 7,200 parishes and missions that make up the Episcopal Church have already left the church over the issue, but many people have also flocked to the church in support. What happens this week will likely increase the polarization.

A proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania is fine, said a state senate panel on Tuesday. But a provision that would also ban civil unions goes too far. If the multiyear approval process is to continue, the proposal would need approval from not only the full Senate but also the House this month and in two successive two-year sessions of the General Assembly before going to the voters in a statewide referendum.

Australia's federal government has overturned the capital territory's laws allowing gay civil unions. Attorney. Gen. Philip Ruddock says the new laws will not go into effect as expected June 19. The new law would have given gay couples in Canberra the same rights as married couples. The opposition Labor Party says the civil union law was passed by Canberra's democratically elected government, and it shouldn't have been struck down.

Despite saturation media coverage when it was published a month ago, Mary Cheney's book Now It's My Turn has sold fewer than 6,000 copies to date, according to Nielsen Bookscan. The book's sales have declined in each of the four weeks since its release, to only 574 copies sold last week. That's 77% fewer than its first-week sales of 2,445. At this rate, it will be virtually impossible for Simon & Schuster to recoup the reported $1 million advance it paid Cheney for the book, which describes her life as the gay daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Four Brigham Young University students who participated in Soulforce Equality Ride demonstrations on campus in April have been disciplined. The Mormon school in Provo, Utah, put three of the students on probation and the fourth was given "suspension withheld," a step before actual suspension. Twenty-nine Equality Riders and their supporters were arrested at BYU for violating the university's ban on protests. Last Wednesday, 21 of them pleaded guilty or no contest in 4th District Court and were fined $200 each.

The National Security Agency announced last week that it will "neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence" of any information that may have been obtained through agency surveillance of LGBT groups. The announcement was made in a letter to counsel for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization dedicated to ending discrimination and harassment of gay U.S. military personnel. The group had filed a Freedom of Information Act request after reports surfaced earlier this year that the NSA had surveilled a number of LGBT groups.

The Church of Scotland has given its qualified backing to a new law allowing unmarried and gay couples to adopt children. It welcomed the fact that the "enduring family nature" of the relationship between would-be adoptive parents would still be seen as crucial. The Scottish Executive's Adoption and Children Bill is aimed at modernizing the law on adoption in a bid to increase the number of adoption applications and reduce the number of youngsters being fostered or in residential care. The Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference, of course, voiced "deep concern" at the plan to extend adoption to unmarried and same-sex partners.

Following the Bermuda parliament's decision to dump a proposed gay rights bill last month, 300 people expressed their anger with a protest at the nation's House of Assembly. The bill, introduced by MP Renee Webb, would have added sexual orientation to Bermuda's Human Rights Act but was shot down with almost no debate. Local church leaders were greatly opposed to adding sexual orientation to the act. "I believe that Bermuda needs to move toward becoming a more compassionate society and not allow discrimination under the guise of any particular belief to take place," Webb argued. She vowed to bring up the issue next year, the earliest time it can be reintroduced.

An article about the Williams-Nichols Archive and Library for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies at the University of Louisville appeared in the Features section of the Louisville Courier-Journal on Friday, June 18.  It was also published on the C-J website, www.courier-journal.com, along with photographs of various items from the collection.

We believe that our collection is among the ten largest such collections in the nation, surpassed only by collections in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Ft. Lauderdale, and a couple of other university collections. Our collection has books and publications from across the nation and worldwide. Our resource files contain information on a local, statewide and three-state basis.

Thanks to all of you who, over the years, have contributed books, magazines, buttons, bumperstickers, posters, banners, gay frisbees, bar glasses, t-shirts and other assorted stuff. Without the support of Kentucky's GLBT community as well as generous donations from other states, we could never have been anywhere near where we are today.

Thanks also to the staff at the University of Louisville's Ekstrom Library, Special Collections Division, particularly curators Delinda Buie and Amy Purcell. The university's library system has always been nothing but super-supportive of our efforts. I feel it's an ideal environment for our collection.

The library and archives is not a lending institution. It is intended for study and research only. You may visit the collection during normal business hours, M-F at the Ekstrom Library, lower level. For more info, contact David Williams at 502/636-0935 or Delinda Buie at 502/852-6762. You may also email me at KyArchives@aol.com.

Tax-deductible donations of GLBT books, magazines, and other materials are always gladly welcomed, as are cash donations. Donations may be dropped off or mailed to the address below.

David Williams

Williams-Nichols Institute, Inc.

1464 S. Second St.

Louisville, KY 40208

The gay television network Here is developing a new film to be written by Chastity Bono and Garth Belcon. The film, In the Name of Love, is about a lesbian troubled by the erotic heterosexual dreams she is having. Bono recently authored Family Outing, a collection of coming-out stories, one of which detailed her own journey. Belcon wrote and produced the independent films Fronterz and White Boys. Merideth Kadlec, vice president of original programming at Here, said in a statement, “We love Chastity and Garth’s unusual spin on the coming-out genre. Chastity has long been admired by the LGBT community, and we think our audience will enjoy getting to know her in a new way—as a screenwriter.”

The United Evangelical Church of Puerto Rico is severing its ties with the 1.3 million-member United Church of Christ, after the parent denomination endorsed same-sex marriage last year. The Puerto Rican congregations voted to leave the UCC by a 75% majority. The Reverend John Thomas, president of the UCC, calls the Puerto Rican vote "profoundly disappointing" and says that differences between parts of the church have worsened in recent years, particularly regarding the "membership and ministry of gay lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Christians." The UCC reports that some 49 congregations in the U.S. have voted to leave the church since it came out in support of allowing gays and lesbians to marry. Dissenters from the UCC have put the number of renegade congregations at 77.

The right-wing group Focus on the Family is being accused of manipulating research on gays and lesbians in an effort to advance its homophobic agenda. It all began when the Colorado Springs–based group released a statement on its website refuting the results of a study on lesbian teens conducted by Elizabeth Saewyc of the University of British Columbia. Her study found that lesbian teens were more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers, but Focus on the Family took an opportunity to use the findings to come up with a different conclusion than what Saewyc found. “Regrettably, [lesbian teens] think they have to embrace homosexuality because pro-gay advocates told them that they were born gay,” claimed Focus on the Family spokeswoman Melissa Fryrear. Saewyc responded by telling the Canadian Press, “The research has been hijacked for somebody’s political purposes or ideological purposes, and that’s worrisome.” The conservative group defended itself by bringing up a 2001 study on sexual orientation conducted by Columbia University professor Robert Spitzer. Spitzer said Focus on the Family was once again distorting the facts. “Although a third of the subjects in my study reported having had serious thoughts of suicide related to their homosexuality, not one of them blamed the gay rights movement’s advocating a ‘born gay’ theory of homosexuality as the cause of their suicidal thinking,” Spitzer said. “Focus on the Family should shut down its fib factory and start focusing on the needs of real families,” said Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, a pro-gay advocacy group. “This group mocks science and can’t tell a centrifuge from a centerfold or a test tube from a boob tube. All they understand is the science of spin, which got them into a lot of trouble.”

Police in St. Louis say that arsonists recently targeted the construction site of a housing project designed to provide living space for HIV patients, starting a fire at the site just hours before a press conference was to be held to announce the building of the Partridge Place complex. The fire will not delay the construction of the housing facility, which will be operated by the interfaith group Doorways, which currently operates seven other housing facilities for HIV-positive people and their families in the St. Louis area. The Partridge Place complex would include 18 apartments, 14 of which would be designated for individuals and couples, the remaining designed for larger families.

Both the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted last week in favor of a role for gays and lesbians in their faith communities. At its triennial general convention in Columbus, Ohio, the Episcopal House of Deputies decided not to follow the wish of worldwide Anglican leaders and enact a moratorium on electing openly gay bishops, while the Presbyterian national assembly voted in Birmingham, Alabama, to allow individual congregations and regional Presbyteries to make their own decisions regarding gay Bishops.

            "The vote says we're not willing to make sacrificial lambs of our gay and lesbian sisters and brothers and that has to leave me feeling pretty grateful and very proud," the Reverend Susan Russell of Integrity, the Episcopal LGBT caucus. The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the 77-million-member international Anglican Communion, which has been in turmoil since the election of openly gay Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.

            With the Episcopal vote, the turmoil will only continue, said conservatives. "Unhappily, this decision seems to show that the Episcopal Church has chosen to walk apart from the rest of the Anglican Communion," Canon Martyn Minns said, alluding to concerns over a possible permanent split in the church over the inclusion of gays and lesbians. Many dioceses around the world have threatened to secede if the issue were not resolved in favor of those who would exclude gay people.

            Meanwhile, the Presbyterian Church moved further to the side of gays and lesbians when its national assembly, by a 298-221 vote, approved legislation that will let churches and regional Presbyteries appoint gay clergy, lay elders, and deacons. Although the legislation also affirmed Presbyterian law stipulating that individuals in such positions must restrict sexual relations to opposite-sex marriage, the measure will at least allow LGBT members of the church to serve in such capacities.

Mariela Castro is leading a Cuban revolution less well-known than her Uncle Fidel's—one in favor of the acceptance of LGBT people within the island's macho society. Castro, 43, is leading the charge from her government-funded National Center for Sex Education, based in an old Havana mansion. As director of the group, she promoted a soap opera that scandalized many Cubans in March by sympathetically depicting bisexuality. The controversial show depicted, among other story lines, the life of a construction worker who leaves his wife and children for the man next door. Now she is pushing for passage of a law that would give transsexuals free sex-change operations and hormonal therapy in addition to granting them new identification documents. It is expected to come up for a vote in December and has been favorably received so far. If approved, it could make Cuba the most liberal nation in Latin America on gender issues. Her group has also campaigned for better AIDS prevention as well as acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality, and transvestites. Much has changed, she says, since the 1960s, when gays and lesbians were sent to work camps, or the 1970s, when they were denied certain jobs as "ideological deviants." Cuba eliminated the crime of sodomy in 1979 and is also a country where abortion is a constitutional right and divorce a simple procedure. Castro says she has the support of her 75-year-old father, who is second in charge of the all-powerful Communist Party and as first vice president in line to succeed Fidel. "Of course, I talk with my father whenever I have the chance. He is one of those in the party that supports our work. He thinks it is useful, good, just," she said. She sees her uncle less often. "Fidel is very sensitive to these issues," she said. "He is a pensive man, and when the subject is one of justice it gets his attention. He asks for more information, more elements to consider."   Castro sees herself as continuing the work of her mother, Vilma Espin, head of the Cuban Women's Federation for the last 45 years. Eighty-seven percent of the island's women are members. Espin, considered one of the most influential personalities of the Cuban revolution, is the originator of the Cuban family code, adopted in 1975, which calls on men to share household chores and child care.

Arkansas's high court has ruled against discriminatory foster parenting.   When 2006 began, only two states, Arkansas and Missouri, had policies denying children in need of a loving home from being placed with gay parents. This year, both have had to change their discriminatory policies. The American Civil Liberties Union and the plaintiffs have endured a seven-year battle in Arkansas to make this wrong right.

HRC (the Human Rights Campaign) has released their seventh annual "State of the Workplace", an annual report that tracks corporate America on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. For the first time, a majority of Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partner health insurance to their employees!!! Go to www.hrc.org/sotw for the details.

Equality Forum, the national gay lobbying organization, will celebrate queer history this October by honoring a different GLBT leader for every day of National LGBT History Month. They will also produce a video, biography, and bibliography for each of the leaders selected, distributing them free of charge to media organizations, nonprofit groups, and educational institutions around the country.   All LGBT persons who have distinguished themselves are eligible for nomination. Nominees will be reviewed by LGBT History Month national Cochairs the Reverend Nancy Wilson, Moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, and Professor Kenji Yoshino, deputy dean for intellectual life at Yale Law School
Jason and DeMarco's new video "This Is Love" is featured on Louisville's LOGO channel "Click List" as # 1  It is a great video and if you love them go vote for it on www.LOGOONLINE.com.
Stephen Harte, a member of MCC's Board of Administration, is working on his Divinity Studies at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). His dissertation will address Christian gay or bisexual men and pornography. If you would be willing to be interviewed anonymously via MSN messenger about your faith and sexuality, please contact Stephen at so458766@sms.ed.ac.uk and provide your age, gender, sexual orientation, define as Christian?, in a relationship?, can use MSN for online chat?   He wants to use people from around the world with a variety of ages and backgrounds. If you desire more information, please contact him at the above address.
            FAIRNESS AT THE FAIR

For the 14th year the Kentucky Fairness Alliance (KFA) and the Fairness Campaign will host an informative and fun booth at the Kentucky State Fair. We work to educate the public about LBGT people and let them meet some! We also collect postcards for legislators, register new voters, and secure names of folks interested in Fairness. And, we have a good time doing it!!!

We work four hour shifts each day of the Fair (17-27 August). Shifts begin at 9:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 5:30 pm. At least four people are assigned to each so, so no one works alone.

Rev. Dee and Judy take a shift or two every year. It's a great way to promote MCC Louisville and meet interesting people. Call 893-0788 to volunteer for the shift of your choosing.

An added bonus is that your parking and admission are free, so you can come early or stay late and enjoy the Fair at no cost!!!

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and Freedom to Marry this week launched a $250,000 ad campaign today declaring their commitment to achieving marriage equality. The ads will run in 50 publications around the country, from The New York Times to Houston's gay weekly, and are endorsed by 11 religious leaders and nine mayors, the Associated Press reports. "From coast to coast, millions of people and hundreds of organizations are working to protect gay and lesbian families by ending their exclusion from marriage," read the ads, which feature photographs of five same-sex couples who've been together for as long as 53 years. "Along the way, there will be advances and setbacks, but we will not stop until every American family is treated fairly, with dignity and equality under the law."

Jim West, 55, the former mayor of Spokane, Washington, who was recalled from office in 2005 because of an Internet gay-sex scandal, died Saturday from complications from a recent cancer surgery.

Latvian gays and lesbians along with supporters from the European Union and the United States dodged antigay protesters in Riga on Saturday to stage alternative gay pride events after an official parade was banned. Around 50 gays and their supporters, including Dutch European lawmaker Sophie Int'Veld, were blockaded by an angry mob inside a church where they had gathered for a morning service to show solidarity with sexual minorities. The mob chanted slogans and pelted some of the churchgoers with human excrement when they left the mass. Outside a hotel, where a hastily organized alternate event took place, more than 200 antigay protesters gathered, mostly Russian Christian fundamentalists and Latvian nationalists. They spat at people as they entered the hotel and threw eggs at them as they left.

With the crisis in the Middle East approaching an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, organizers of WorldPride in Jerusalem have announced the cancellation of the pride parade in August. With a large portion of the Israeli army massing along the Lebanese border, WorldPride organizers said they were forced to cancel the gay pride parade because there aren't enough soldiers left to protect the marchers. Many of the WorldPride events will go on as planned, however, including a multifaith gay clergy conference, a gay film festival, and other activities. WorldPride is held in a different city around the globe every four years. WorldPride postponed festivities in Jerusalem last summer after Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip.

Prosecutors called for limiting the use of "gay panic" defenses in criminal trials. On the second day of a two-day national conference in San Francisco last week devoted to debate of the legal strategy, in which defense attorneys claim their clients' crimes are justified because of fear or anger toward their victims' sexual orientation, prosecutors said such a rationale is no longer acceptable. Bills designed to counter "gay panic" defenses are currently pending in both California and New York. They would require judges to instruct juries that a defendant's prejudice against his victim cannot affect their deliberations. The California measure, inspired by the 2002 murder of transgender teen Gwen Araujo, would also include the instruction that considering such prejudice violates state laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination.

India’s official HIV/AIDS control body announced that it is backing demands by gay rights groups that homosexuality be legalized across the country. The National AIDS Control Organization said that making gay sex a crime is forcing new infections underground and hampering its efforts to curb the spread of HIV. The organization filed an affidavit in court supporting the demand to scrap Section 377 of the India Penal Code, which has declared homosexuality an offense for the past 145 years. In the affidavit, NACO cites a survey it conducted that found that 8% of the studied gay population in India is infected with HIV, compared with only 1% of the total population.

A Cincinnati group has given up its efforts to have voters decide whether gay people should be protected under the city's antidiscrimination ordinance. They withdrew the petitions for the November ballot on Tuesday because many of the signatures collected were obvious forgeries, such as Cuban president Fidel Castro and Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini. The withdrawal may mark the end of a 14-year battle in the city over whether gay people should be protected from discrimination.
        "This shows how much the city has changed," said Gary Wright, cochairman of Citizens to Restore Fairness, a group that supports gay rights.
        The Cincinnati city council decided in March to add protections for gay and transgender people to its human rights ordinance, which also protects people from discrimination based on race, gender, age, color, religion, disability status, marital status, and ethnic, national, or Appalachian regional origin. The amended law didn't take effect while Equal Rights Not Special Rights tried to place the measure before voters.
        The original ordinance that passed in 1992 included protections for gays. Soon after that, residents voted for an amendment that no longer had gays as a protected class. Voters changed their minds in a 2004 election, however, which led to the city council's vote.

A notorious anti-gay activist running for office in Florida is facing criticism for shutting his gay son out of his official campaign photo. Randall Terry is the founder of Operation Rescue, an anti-abortion group, and he also regularly speaks out against GLBT equality. Now he’s running for the state Senate in Florida and two of his children are missing from the photo of the happy family. Jamiel Terry came out as a gay man several years ago and Tila Terry had a child outside of marriage. Both are estranged from the family.

Earlier this summer, Moscow activists went ahead with a planned pride celebration in defiance of city authorities and were met with violent resistance from anti-gay groups. The GLBT activists took their case to court, saying the government was wrong to deny them permits to hold the parade. This week, a Russian court ruled that the city was in its right to discriminate against the pride celebration.

The California Assembly voted Monday to add sexual orientation to the list of categories protected from being presented adversely in public schools. Passed 46 to 31, the bill has been hailed as a way to ensure all students are treated with respect. The Senate is expected to quickly concur with amendment to the bill before it goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk, where its future is uncertain.

The Democratic National Committee established new rules over the weekend that seek to increase GLBT representation at the 2008 convention. Saying gays have been traditionally underrepresented, committee members voted to encourage state parties to select more openly gay delegates.

In business news, the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce announced it is teaming up with Wal-Mart. The world's largest retailer will sit on the chamber's corporate advisory council and sponsor GLBT business events and initiatives.

TAKE ACTION

Farm workers who pick tomatoes for McDonald's sandwiches earn 40 to 50 cents for every 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they pick, a rate that has not risen significantly in nearly 30 years. Workers who toil from dawn to dusk without the right to overtime pay or any benefits must pick two tons of tomatoes to earn $50 in one day. Worse yet, modern-day slavery has reemerged in Florida's fields; since 1997, the U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted five slavery rings, freeing more than 1,000 workers. As a major buyer of Florida tomatoes, McDonald's high-volume, low-cost purchasing practices place downward pressure on farm worker wages, putting corporate profits before human dignity. Go to http://go.sojo.net/campaign/Fair_Wages to take action!

Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, has been nominated by Volvo for one of their "Volvo for Life" Awards. If you'd like to support Judy, vote for her at www.volvoforlifeawards.com. Click on Wyoming and then vote by her picture.

During its recent convention, the American Psychological Association (APA) released a statement criticizing groups such as Focus on the Family and National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) for creating an “environment in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish” by erroneously labeling homosexuality an illness and advocating for so-called “conversion therapy.” The statement read, in part, “For over three decades the consensus of the mental health community has been that homosexuality is not an illness and therefore not in need of a cure. There is simply no sufficiently scientifically sound evidence that sexual orientation can be changed."

Openly lesbian Patricia Todd was affirmed as the Democratic Party's nominee for a seat in the Alabama legislature. There is not a Republican candidate in the district 54 race, which means Todd will almost certainly become the state's first openly gay legislator. However, some believe that there will be a write-in candidate in the race in the November 7 general election.

A 23-year-old man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing of a transgender teen was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Friday. Jaron Nabors, of Newark, Calif., pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, admitted to aiding and abetting Gwen Araujo's murder, and showed authorities where the teen's body was buried. Previously, two men were sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in the slaying. A fourth man pleaded no contest to manslaughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.

A 12-year-old boy's gift to his parents—a brightly colored flag that he said reminded him of Kansas and The Wizard of Oz—has spawned one of the biggest controversies to ever hit the tiny town of Meade, Kansas. On Sunday police chief Loren Borger, his colleagues, and 16 troopers from the Kansas Highway Patrol kept an eye on protests over the rainbow-colored nylon banner that J.R. and Robin Knight fly on the flagpole in front of their business, the Lakeway Hotel.

Townspeople gathered on downtown corners with their video cameras Sunday morning to watch a protest by the daughter of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps protested with 10 of her 11 children, three brothers, and two sisters, onlookers shook their heads at the spectacle. "It's just not right," said Suzan Seybert, a 30-year resident of the southwest Kansas community, as she watched Shirley Phelps-Roper's children chanting about gays burning in hell. "I think it's despicable to start to teach your children at such a young age the word hate. It's just the worst thing you can do."

While the flag reminded the Knights' young son of Dorothy and Toto, it's also recognized as a symbol of gay pride. Robin Knight said she and her husband didn't put the flag up to make a political statement but rather because "it has pretty colors, it's bright, it's summery."

Soon after the flag went up, the local newspaper ran a picture of the banner on its front page, noting its significance in the gay community. Afterward someone threw two bricks at the bed-and-breakfast, one of which broke a window and destroyed two neon signs. When someone cut the flag down, the Knights ordered two more and said they'll buy even more if they have to.

Mike Thompson, who teaches a class at Colby Community College on the sociology of discrimination, brought some of his students to see the protests. Among them was Kati Near, who grew up in Meade. "I think a lot of people think we're all just a bunch of bigots," she said, adding that she was embarrassed by what was going on in her hometown.

From the balcony off the honeymoon suite of his bed-and-breakfast, J.R. Knight blared music such as Starship's "Nothing's Going to Stop Us Now." Nearby, in the Lakeway's parking lot, a car's bumper sticker read, "Kansas: As bigoted as you think," which is a play on the state's "As big as you think" motto.

Robin Knight said earlier this month that the anger spawned by the colorful flag has strengthened the family's resolve to keep the banner flying, noting that caving in to the pressure would send the wrong message to her son. "It's our business," she said. "It shouldn't be dictated by other people."

ISNA (Intersex Society of North America) is hosting the First DSD (Disorders of Sex Development) Symposium, a gathering of intersex adults, parents, and allied healthcare professionals. The DSD Symposium is a mini-conference, held within the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association’s annual conference, October 13-15 at the Parc 55 Hotel in San Francisco (California). For more information, visit the ISNA website at http://www.isna.org/.

A San Antonio, Texas, police officer was convicted last week of violating the civil rights of a transsexual who said the officer raped and beat her. He stopped her, made her get into his car, and drove to a remote location. The jury found that 16 year police vetran Officer Dean Gutierrez's conduct violated Gabriel Bernal's rights through aggravated sexual assault. A sentencing hearing is set for December 1. The felony carries a sentence of up to life in prison and as much as $250,000 in fines.

Former NBA star, and possible Democratic candidate for Governor of Alabama, Charles Barkley was his usual outspoken self during a recent television interview in which he said, among other things, that he advocates same-sex marriage, believes Republicans have screwed up the country, and is "struggling with my idea of what religion is." He also said Democrats have concentrated too much on criticizing President Bush, who can't run again and won't be fired, in the last two years instead of focusing on what they can do to improve things in the country.

On a 22–15 vote, the California senate sent the governor a bill sponsored by openly lesbian state senator Sheila Kuehl that would prohibit schools from using textbooks or providing instruction that criticizes people because of their sexual orientation. At one point the bill, SB1437, also would have required social science textbooks to discuss the historic contributions of gays. Kuehl dropped that provision in the assembly in hopes of getting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign the measure, but his aides have made statements indicating that he still might veto the bill.

Lawmakers also sent the governor SB1827, a bill sponsored by another out senator, Carole Migden, that would let domestic partners file joint state income tax returns. The 24–15 vote approved assembly amendments. The bill, which may impact as many as 38,000 same-sex couples, would also allow registered domestic partners to have their earned income treated as community property for state tax purposes.

A Fort Worth, Texas, pastor accused of raping a church member at his house last year after telling her she was possessed by a lesbian demon has been indicted. Leonard Ray Owens, 63, who is free on $25,000 bail, is now awaiting trial on a charge of sexual assault, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison.

Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski on Wednesday sought to dispel concerns over Warsaw's stance on gay rights and the alleged rise in xenophobia in the country, saying gays and lesbians are not persecuted in Poland and strict provisions against anti-Semitism are in place. "Do not believe in the myth of an anti-Semitic, homophobic, and xenophobic Poland. Please come to Poland; visit my country. You can go to clubs, you can ask around, you will not see anything bad," Kaczynski told journalists after meeting European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso. Yet, homosexuality remains taboo in Poland and a recent European Parliament resolution warned of rising intolerance in Poland and even raised the possibility of sanctions. The Mayor of Warsaw refused permits for gay pride marches in 2004 and 2005 and said that "it would be very dangerous for our civilization to put homosexual rights on an equal footing."

2006 Sept 14 Last year, a federal judge struck down the Nebraska ban on marriage rights for same-sex couples, but an appeals court overturned that ruling. Lambda Legal and the ACLU are considering bringing the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court for a final verdict.
2006 Sept 14 The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority recently produced a brochure targeted at gays, and two major hotels and casinos — MGM Mirage and Harrah’s — have begun major marketing campaigns aimed at GLBT travelers.
2006 Sept 14 Over 100 lawyers in Virginia have spoken out against the proposed state constitutional amendment, which is on this year's ballot, that would ban marriage equality, civil unions and domestic partnerships. The amendment could be used to exclude all unmarried couples from the state’s domestic violence laws.
2006 Sept 14 South Korean schools can be a difficult environment for transgender students, who must wear the traditional uniforms of their biological gender. And transgender people taking part in the country’s mandatory military service reported harassment from their fellow soldiers.
2006 Sept 14 Protect Marriage Illinois had submitted a petition to get a state constitutional amendment banning marriage equality placed on the ballot. However, the petition was found not to have enough valid signatures to move forward.
2006 Sept 14 Last Friday, Pope Benedict criticized Canada for its law granting full marriage equality to same-sex couples. The pope told a group of bishops in Ontario, “In the name of ‘tolerance,’ your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse.

2006 Sept 21 In the Human Rights Campaign's new Corporate Equality Index, released today, 138 businesses earned the top rating of 100%, up from 101 in 2005—and executives' awareness of their ratings is also apparently up. The study also shows that 75% more companies than in 2005 officially banned discrimination against transgender employees in employment practices, and 35% more companies extended COBRA, vision, dental, and dependent medical coverage to employees' same-sex domestic partners.
2006 Sept 21 A theologically conservative Plano, Texas, church will pay the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas $1.2 million as part of an arrangement governing its departure from the diocese. Christ Church, formerly Christ Church Episcopal, will pay the lump sum to the diocese and will continue paying down $6.8 million of debt on parish property. The church will be supervised temporarily by the bishop of Peru in order to remain connected with the worldwide Anglican Communion. It was one of the largest Episcopal parishes in the country and averaged about 2,200 worshippers each weekend. They rejected the authority of the denomination's incoming national leader, Nevada bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, in the debate over the Bible and the inclusion of gay people in the church.

2006 Sept 21 And on the opposite side ... An Episcopal priest was the first to bless a gay couple in Arkansas after The Right Reverend Larry Maze, bishop of the 55 congregations in the Episcopal diocese of Arkansas, in July authorized blessings for same-sex couples. Seven other dioceses have written policies for the practice, while others haven't formalized the process.
2006 Sept 21 Danielle Cornwell, 54, claimed in a complaint filed in April with the Civil Rights Division in Colorado that she was fired in July 2005 because she was a woman and because she had recently told the company she planned to undergo gender-reassignment surgery.

Originally known as David Michael Cornwell, she had realized while working for Intermountain Testing Co. that she was a transgender woman, according to the ruling. She began assuming a feminine appearance, and also told her employer she planned to change her name and dress in women's clothing.

In the decision, Civil Rights Division Director Wendell Pryor agreed Cornwell was fired because she was a woman and said the evidence did not support the company's claims that she was fired for other reasons. The company was found to be in violation of the state's anti-discrimination laws.
2006 Sept 21 Two male air force privates were to wed in a ceremony in Seville, Spain, on Friday, the first known marriage of two military servicemen since the once-conservative Catholic country's legalization of same-sex marriage. Some members of the military may not be happy about the union, but the Defense Ministry has said it considers the wedding a personal matter and the men will be allowed to continue with their careers.

Besides Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, and Belgium have legalized same-sex marriage, while Britain and other European countries have laws that give same-sex couples the right to form legally binding partnerships. In the United States, only the state of Massachusetts allows same-sex marriage, while Vermont and Connecticut permit civil unions.
2006 Sept 21 Nichole Rawls, 27, tried to enlist at an Army recruiting office in northwest Norman, Oklahoma last week, but a police officer who arrived there told Rawls and others participating in the demonstration that they could be arrested if they stayed at the office after being asked to leave.
"I am aware of the Army's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, but I don't agree with it. I want to serve my country, but I am not willing to hide who I am in order to do so," said Rawls, a Shawnee resident who is openly lesbian, whose enlistment attempt was part of the Right to Serve campaign, organized by Soulforce. People in about 30 cities are participating in the campaign.

        Rawls said her attempt to enlist was more than a protest of the current military policy. Her grandfather, Clifford L. Roberts of Shawnee, was a Green Beret and a member of the Golden Knights elite parachute team. He served five tours of duty in Vietnam. "It's a family thing. I wanted to follow in his footsteps," Rawls said. Her grandmother accompanied her to show the support of her late husband and the rest of the family.

2006 Sept 28 Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in the first authorized biography of the Nobel peace laureate, said he was ashamed of his Anglican church's conservative position that rejected gay priests. In the book, Rabble-rouser for Peace, by his former press secretary John Allen, Tutu also criticized the last apartheid president, F.W. de Klerk, for not accepting accountability for apartheid atrocities. The book is scheduled for release in time for Tutu's 75th birthday on 7 October. The retired archbishop was critical of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams for bowing on the gay priest issue to conservative elements, particularly African bishops, in the 77-million member Anglican Church that includes Episcopalians in the United States. Tutu also said he was deeply saddened at the furor caused by the appointment of openly gay V. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. "He found it little short of outrageous that church leaders should be obsessed with issues of sexuality in the face of the challenges of AIDS and global poverty," wrote Allen. While Archbishop, Tutu approved church blessings for gay and lesbian relationships, without calling them marriage. He also pushed for the ordination of women, and when it was approved quickly appointed The Rev. Wilma Jakobsen as his chaplain.

2006 Sept 28 The California Supreme Court took briefings last week in an appeal brought by the gay advocacy group Lambda Legal concerning a lesbian who was denied infertility treatment by her San Diego County doctors because of her sexuality. Despite California’s civil rights law, the doctors are claiming they have the right to not offer the treatment because of their religious beliefs.

2006 Sept 28 Discrimination in the workplace against gays and lesbians has been banned by lawmakers in Latvia, reversing an earlier decision that earned them sharp criticism both at home and abroad. Forty-six of the 84 lawmakers present for the session in the 100-seat parliament voted in favor of an amendment to impose the ban, 35 against, and three abstained.

        2006 Sept 28 Christian conservatives, traditionally a reliable Republican constituency, aren't necessarily a GOP gimme this time around. There is an undercurrent of concern that some evangelicals, unhappy that the GOP-led Congress and President Bush haven't paid more attention to same-sex marriage and other "values" issues, may stay home on Election Day or even vote Democratic, according to Kenyn Cureton, vice president for convention relations with the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination with nearly 16 million members.

        David Masci, senior research fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, said same-sex marriage is approaching abortion in terms of the weight it's given among conservative Christians.

        Harry Knox, director of the religion and faith program at the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights group, said religious progressives are beginning to speak out on same-sex marriage and other issues.

Exit polls showed 78% of white evangelicals voted for Bush in 2004. But an Associated Press–Ipsos poll conducted September 11–13 indicated 42% of white evangelicals disapprove of the job Bush has done as president. His approval rating among evangelicals is still better than he gets among Americans generally, but the poll shows Democrats have made slight gains among moderate white evangelical voters.

2007 Jan 05 Two of the most prominent and largest Episcopal parishes in Virginia voted overwhelmingly Sunday to leave the Episcopal Church and join fellow Anglican conservatives to form a rival denomination in this country. Truro Church in Fairfax and the Falls Church (located in the city of Falls Church) plan to place themselves under the leadership of Anglican archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, who has called the growing acceptance of same-sex relationships a "satanic attack" on the church.

2007 Jan 05 Two men have become the first couple in Switzerland to join in a same-sex union, following a change in the law. The men, aged 89 and 60, who wished to remain anonymous, registered their partnership on Tuesday in Locarno in the southern Swiss canton [state] of Ticino. The two have been together for around 30 years.

2007 Jan 05 President Gerald Ford was remembered for believing that gay issues should not become divisive. He believed that we should all follow the commandments to love God and one another.

2007 Jan 05 A suit was filed in a federal court in Texas after a new hire at a medical imaging company saw her employment offer withdrawn because she did not tell the company she was transgender. Izza Lopez, 26, of Houston, will be represented by Lambda Legal in a trial against River Oaks Imaging and Diagnostic. After applying, going through the screening process, and being interviewed, she was asked to start as soon as possible in October 2005. Days after she was hired, however, she received a call from River Oaks's human resources director and employment recruiter, telling her the company was not going to employ her because she misrepresented herself as a woman. She was unable to get her previous job back and remained unemployed for several months.

2007 Jan 12 The body of an 18-year-old fraternity pledge who died of alcohol poisoning was defaced with numerous antigay epithets and obscene drawings, according to a medical examiner's report. He was a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin. A grand jury indicted three members of Lambda Phi Epsilon last month on hazing charges following a yearlong investigation into Phoummarath's death.

2007 Jan 12 Faith groups joined forces in London on Tuesday to try to stop sweeping gay rights laws they say will force them to act against their religious beliefs. They delivered a petition to the queen, and a group of about 1,000 demonstrators staged a torchlit protest outside parliament as the lords discussed the laws. The laws would ban discrimination on the basis of sexuality in the provision of goods and services, in a similar way to laws banning sex and race discrimination. Christian opponents argue the legislation is a major threat to their freedom of conscience and that they should not be penalized for acting according to their beliefs.

2007 Jan 12 The young adults of Generation Next are more optimistic, more tolerant, and more likely Democratic voters than their predecessors, according to a new study. They are also more accepting of same-sex marriage: Forty-seven percent of those ages 18 to 25 favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry, while 30% of those 26 and older favor same-sex marriage.

2007 Jan 19 City officials in Wisconsin are required to take an oath to uphold the state and federal constitutions upon taking office, and since November’s election, that includes an oath to uphold a discriminatory ban on marriage and civil unions in the Wisconsin Constitution. But this week, the Madison City Council will vote to allow their city officials to express their disagreement with the amendment and their pledge to work to overturn the amendment.

2007 Jan 19 Italian activists rallied over the weekend in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City against the Roman Catholic Church’s stances against GLBT people. The march commemorated a gay man who committed suicide in the square nine years ago as a protest against the church.

2007 Jan 19 The legislature for the northern Mexican state of Coahuila approved a law recognizing same-sex unions on Thursday, becoming the second assembly to take such an action in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. The measure, which will provide gay couples with numerous social benefits similar to those of married couples, is similar to the one passed in Mexico City last November.

2007 Jan 19 Clergy in New Jersey will not be required to unite gay couples in civil unions, the state attorney general said in a decision that quieted the fears of some religious groups opposed to same-sex ceremonies. The unions offer the legal benefits of marriage but not the title. Couples may begin applying for licenses in New Jersey on February 19 and can be united 72 hours later. Under the law, all the same people who perform marriages—among them clergy, judges, mayors, and other local officials—can preside over civil union ceremonies.

2007 Jan 27 A federal judge threw out a lawsuit by an anti-gay group. In 2004, a small group of anti-gay protesters showed up at Philadelphia’s pride festival but police restricted where they were allowed to protest. They sued the city, claiming their free speech rights were violated even though they had not applied for protest permits. The judge who dismissed the case wrote that “there is no constitutional right to drown out the speech of another person.”

2007 Jan 27 Two GLBT films are being screened at the Sundance Film Festival this week – both dealing with issues of sexuality and religion. For the Bible Tells Me So is a documentary profiling the way five different families deal with a coming out – one family being former Representative Dick Gephardt’s. The other film is Save Me, a love story starring Chad Allen and Robert Gant set at an ex-gay ministry.

2007 Jan 27 In religion news, the Catholic Church is threatening to stop providing adoption services in the United Kingdom if the government passes a non-discrimination law that does not exempt the church. The archbishop of Westminster made the threat in a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair and even pointed out there are 4,000 children waiting for adoption placement.

2007 Jan 27 Catholics aren’t just angry in the U.K. The leader of Italy’s Bishops Conference is blasting the Italian government for trying to expand the rights of same-sex couples. Cardinal Camillo Ruini said the proposed union law runs counter to “basic anthropological facts.”

2007 Jan 27 Turning to international news, activists around the world are gearing up to fight a draconian anti-gay law in Nigeria. A bill that would make almost any expression of homosexuality punishable by five years in prison has already passed the executive council and is now before the full National Assembly. Human rights leaders say it will be the strictest anti-gay law in the world if passed.

2007 Jan 27 The first same-sex couple to be married in South Africa after the law went into effect last month has been receiving death threats and hate mail. Few couples have gotten married in South Africa since the decision and activists fear the public harassment has had a chilling effect.

2007 Feb 02 A gay-themed film was honored at Sundance. As Laurel Hester struggled against both cancer and to pass on benefits to her domestic partner, her friend Cynthia Wade documented everything on camera. Hester, a New Jersey police officer, eventually won her fight against the city but died soon after. The footage of her struggle turned into a film Freehold: The Laurel Hester Story that won a Special Jury Prize at last week’s Sundance Film Festival. The producer says she hopes the film will become an emotional tool to educate Americans on the need for relationship recognition for same-sex couples.

2007 Feb 02 Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is taking on the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy that bans openly gay and lesbian members of the armed forces. In a letter to new Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Senator Wyden cites military leaders who have begun to speak out forcefully against the ban. Additionally, he points out the need for qualified soldiers as well as a recent poll of military personnel that says most are comfortable serving with gays and lesbians.

2007 Feb 02 A civil unions bill has been filed in Hawaii and although it does not yet have a legislative sponsor, it has a high-profile supporter. Debi Hartmann led the campaign against marriage in Hawaii in the mid-90s that resulted in a constitutional amendment allowing the Legislature to exclude same-sex couples from marriage. But now she says through talking to GLBT leaders and seeing the harm that comes to families without protections she will work to help pass the civil union bill.

2007 Feb 02 Moscow’s mayor has pledged never to allow a GLBT pride event in his city. Last year activists tried to stage a parade but were met with violent protesters and many were arrested. GLBT leaders are challenging the parade ban in the European Court of Human Rights, but Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who calls the event Satanic, is fighting to uphold the ban.

2007 Feb 02 A partnership bill in Italy is threatening to destroy the government of Premier Romano Prodi. He governs a coalition of a number of small parties – some in favor of full marriage and some opposed to any equality for same-sex couples. Some party leaders on both sides have said they will withdraw from the coalition – forcing the Prodi government to fall – if a vote does not go their way.

In New Jersey this week, same-sex couples began entering civil unions and anti-gay activists are collecting signatures to persuade the state Legislature to put an amendment on the ballot to ban marriage for same-sex couples. There is no formal mechanism in the Garden State for citizens to force a vote on an amendment so the effort is merely a public relations ploy to force the Legislature’s hand.

The Indiana Senate passed an amendment on Monday banning marriage and other rights for same-sex couples. With little debate, the measure passed 39 to 10 in the Republican-controlled chamber. It now goes to the Democratic-controlled House where, if it passes, it will be on the ballot in the next election.

Washington state may institute a domestic partner registry for same-sex couples thanks to a bill moving through the Legislature. Couples would receive limited rights under the proposal that has passed committees in both the House and Senate and will be voted on by the full chambers. Unfortunately a marriage equality bill introduced this session does not have the same steam behind it.

A new study proves that adoptive parents – including same-sex couples – have better success raising children. Published in The American Sociological Review, the study rebuffs arguments against gay parenting by proving that same-sex couples who adopt rate better than other families in a number of criteria. They include involvement in their child’s school, helping with homework, attending religious services and exposing children to cultural events.

Another recent study takes a look at bigotry across 23 Western nations and the U.S. falls right in the middle. According to the criteria that rated homophobia, Northern Ireland was the most anti-GLBT with 44 percent demonstrating homophobia. Sweden rated the best.

In Russia, gay issues have been a lightning rod of controversy ever since advocates tried to organize a pride parade in Moscow last year. Now a bill has been introduced in the Parliament to bring back a law from the country’s Communist days that would levy a five-year prison sentence for anyone convicted of homosexuality. The proposed law would also make it a crime for gays to congregate. It sounds just like what Nigeria is doing!!!

Eric Alva was a Marine sergeant when he lost his leg after stepping on a landmine on the first day of the Iraq invasion. Now retired from the military, Alva has come out as gay and is speaking out against the military’s ban on gay and lesbian service members. He joined Rep. Marty Meehan at a press conference on Capitol Hill to introduce a bill ending the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Proponents of a discriminatory federal constitutional amendment to ban marriage and other rights for same-sex couples admit their chances are not good with the new fair-minded leadership in Congress. Matt Daniels of the Alliance for Marriage said in an interview with The Associated Press this week that the bill is dead on arrival in Congress so his group and others are turning their attention to the states to pass more discriminatory state amendments.

LBGT advocates have launched a new website to unmask the far right’s distortion of social science research for their own political agenda. Soulforce and Truth Wins Out say after James Dobson published an op-ed in Time magazine mischaracterizing research on same-sex parents, they were moved to set the record straight. Go to http://www.respectmyresearch.org/ for more information.

It looks like two openly gay candidates are getting ready to face off for a California state Senate seat. Openly lesbian Senator Carole Migden currently holds the seat for San Francisco and the North Bay but Assemblyman Mark Leno, who is term-limited, is eyeing a run. Leno is the Assembly sponsor of the marriage bill that was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi’s Italian government announced it will not seek a vote on civil unions legislation after facing strong opposition. The coalition government has been under threat of collapse with both conservatives and liberals opposing the bill for either going too far or not going far enough.

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